Read it Here First

Dismiss Trump at your Peril

I add this brief post as an addition to what I wrote earlier this morning.   Sometimes the observations I share here precede what readers read elsewhere.  A week ago I observed that the rally at Boca Raton was in fact very different from the news reports.   

The news wanted it to be about Trump-generated violence when in fact the reality was Trump generated police suppression.  People inclined to dislike Trump could hate either version of the event, but there was in fact, to my direct observation, only one version that was correct:  Trump had the venue well policed--arguably over-policed-- and protesters were to be dealt with by officials, not vigilantes.   The point is important because Trump needs to decide if he is the candidate of civil disturbance and frontier justice or the law-and-order candidate.

Yesterday I watched the AIPAC speech by Trump and what I observed was major league first class over-the- top pandering to AIPAC.   Trump hit every single point of emotional identity.  No longer the independent think Trump.  Last night Trump loved Israel, he shared their views on its enemies, he was its friend, he eagerly and voluntarily adopted their positions, he even gave it his blood, his daughter having converted to Judaism, married a Jew, and is bearing a Jewish baby perhaps right as he spoke.  What more could he possibly do.   He is "all in."

What I observed, watching it live, were multiple standing ovations.   Cameras panned the room looking for protesters or walk-outs due to things Trump had said earlier that implied some reservations about adoption of full-throated AIPAC orthodoxy.   I did not see it.

But the news stories were stuck in the past.   News reports were looking for resistance and objection, so they missed what was taking place right in front of them.  Here is Joe Scarborough's take on it, in this morning's Washington Post, saying essentially what this blog is saying:  

"But just like journalists and pundits who were too contemptuous of Trump to see the strength of his insurgent campaign unfolding before their eyes, those mocking the candidate’s teleprompter-aided talk tonight missed the story again." 

The media's contempt for Trump blinds it and it ruins its credibility, just when credibility is most needed. 

Read the article  http://wpo.st/xp5O1

Meanwhile, the disconnect between authorized establishment opinion and that of the people inside the institution could not be clearer than in this article in The Hill reporting on AIPAC's condemnation of Trump.

They condemn anti-Obama statements in Trump's talk but make this extraordinary admission:

"We are disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone.”    Another disconnect between established leadership and the people they are leading.  It is the basis of the Trump rebellion.

Read the article:  http://goo.gl/eq5mpd


Final Note by Peter Sage:  I suppose it is necessary to note here that I am not a fan of Donald Trump.  I write about his message and campaign skills and people who refuse to acknowledge that he can do anything successfully will fail to see what is happening in front of them.   I am trying to observe and by being objective perhaps see it more clearly.  People who cannot accept that Trump could possibly have appeal fail to see his appeal to others, so they underestimate him, to their peril.