Earlier this evening, CNNs Don Lemon interviewed Donald Trump about the debate on Fox News Channel last night, and set off another Trump-related tempest. After noting that Kelly pushed Trump during the debate, and that she pushed a lot of people besides Trump, Lemon asked, What is it with you and Megyn Kelly? Trumps reply was, er colorful, to say the least [emphasis mine]:
TRUMP: Well, I just dont respect her as a journalist, I have no respect for her. I dont think shes very good, I think shes highly overrated. But when I came out there, you know what am I doing? Im not getting paid for this. I go out there, and they start saying this stuff [garbled]. But you know, I didnt know thered be 24 million people. I knew it was going to be a big crowd because I get crowds, I get ratings. They call me the ratings machine. So I have, you know, she gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions, and you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever. But in my opinion, she was off base.
Kelly did ask Trump tough questions in last nights debate, but she asked tough questions of Marco Rubio on abortion too, and of other candidates on stage as well. As the front-runner, Trump should have expected tough questions, especially given his track record of supporting nearly every progressive idea at one time or another, including Hillary Clinton being President. Kelly also asked Trump about his remarks about women, which appears to have particularly rankled him and pushed him into validating Kellys premise in asking those questions in the first place. After all, its not often when a major party candidate takes a shot at a woman by reminding everyone of her menstrual cycle. Im certain that will really impress women about their place in the Republican Party.
Trump was scheduled to speak at the Red State Gathering tomorrow, in the final slot at the event. Not long after these remarks, event organizer Erick Erickson announced that he had withdrawn the invitation:
I have rescinded my invitation to Mr.Trump. While I have tried to give him great latitude, his remark about Megyn Kelly was a bridge too far
That will undoubtedly anger some Trump supporters, but after last nights debate performance and his thin-skinned whining afterward, I wonder if that group wasnt already in decline. This might fire up the die-hard Trump troops, but suggesting that a journalist went after his target-rich record only because she was menstruating should be a disqualifier for most voters. Its vastly worse than anything Todd Akin said, and will almost certainly have media outlets demanding responses from the other Republican candidates. Its practically tailor-made for Democrats to hoist up the Republican War On Women banner, especially Hillary Clinton.
Get ready for plenty of Team Trump dog-in-the-manger, sour-grapes quotes in the morning, if not overnight. There may be some legitimate anger among a small group of RSG15 attendees tomorrow who wanted to see Trump at this event, but Erick has a solid case for not wanting to have this overshadow the event tomorrow, with more presidential candidates on hand to make their pitches. Erick will almost certainly address this in the morning, and well see what the fallout is over the rest of the day.
Update: Carly Fiorina appears to be the first Republican candidate to respond to Trumps remarks, perhaps fittingly so (via Twitchy):
Thats interesting, because Fiorina actually deflected a Trump question at her presser today at RSG15 by asking why the media wasnt calling out Obama for his offensive comments about opponents of the Iran deal. Not this time, apparently.
But I also think that while Mr. Trump resonates with a lot of people with his bluntness, including me to a degree, there are just real lines of decency a person running for President should not trust.
His comment was inappropriate. It is unfortunate to have to disinvite him. But I just dont want someone on stage who gets a hostile question from a lady and his first inclination is to imply it was hormonal. It just was wrong.
I have invited Megyn Kelly to attend in Donald Trumps place tomorrow night.
Well, that would be interesting. Well see if she can swing that.
Carly Fiorina: "I'm the new rising star Lion-ess of GOP Presidential candidates!"
This broad Fiorina is a hologram. A fake. Wolf in sheeps' clothing. A hedge for Jeb. A totally manufactured candidate who is OBVIOUSLY following a script. She's just as manufactured a product as is the fake outrage against Trump. The Megyn Kelly-led "War on Women!" meme, and the un-holy matrimony of FOX News to the effete GOPe is now exposed to the world. How will Republican voters react to this manipulation?
Q: Is there ANYTHING that either FOX News or the GOPe do that isn't contrived, staged bullsh*t?? Their relationship isn't much different than the symbiosis of MSNBC and the Dem Party.
In her rather miserable 2010 CA Senate campaign, she was adamantly pro-choice and on the global hotting side.
She was, in fairness, just recovering from surgery and breast cancer and had just lost an adopted daughter.
In fairness, why should her personal her problems have played into her life philosophy? In order to be "fair"?? What proof have we that she's sincerely suddenly changed her mind on those two hot-button issues that are traditionally DEM red meat requisites?
I think she has prepared for and wants to be the new Palin, an attack dog that can defy the usual War On Women themes.
That portrayal appears to be the narrative/script for the time being. But now she's just defied her defiance of the "War on Women" theme by going after Trump. That didn't take long.
She is a much better prepared candidate now than she was in her 2010 race or in her role in 2012 as a highly placed Romney surrogate.
Yup, I agree wholeheartedly. Fiorina polished inside and outside, and seems to have attended finishing school for GOPe Candidates.
Given that she is appealing to the GOP party establishment, it's no surprise she's demoing her willingness to go on the attack yet again.
But THIS time, her handlers have jumped on the "Destroy-Trump!" bandwagon, which undoubtedly endears her to the RNC. My impression: Fiorina seems...almost TOO polished, too smooth, too confident. And NOW she can play off and exploit the "War on Women" card and not be treated "meanly" during the campaign. How utterly reptilian AND brilliant!
But THIS time, her handlers have jumped on the "Destroy-Trump!" bandwagon, which undoubtedly endears her to the RNC. My impression: Fiorina seems...almost TOO polished, too smooth, too confident. And NOW she can play off and exploit the "War on Women" card and not be treated "meanly" during the campaign. How utterly reptilian AND brilliant!
It is a clever strategy, certainly obvious enough.
Donald made an unforced error, Fiorina swoops in to capitalize on it.
I saw a number of political consultants who think that Fiorina won both debates on Thursday. No one at the main debate had as good a night as she had in the 5pm debate. Then she raced to PMSNBC and kicked Chrissy Matthews in the balls.
So she's on a roll and will definitely make the cut for the main debate upcoming on CNN. Where she can slice and dice Teh Donald to his face for a big audience.
Let's imagine how that might go. She attacks him for chummy phone calls with Bill Xlinton and for saying he might run third-party. He makes some angry retort about her tenure as HP CEO. She then says something acidic in return and finishes with, "I hope you don't think I'm bleeding from...somewhere like you said about Megan Kelly, you crude buffoon."
The DNC is probably trying to figure out how they got upstaged with the "Trump plan." They probably see Trump in the race as a master stroke of RNC strategery:)
I heard they are now delaying their first debate. Wonder is Vasserman Sholtz is looking for a lightening rod:)
As it stands all the Dim candidates are boring. Not good "television."
The DNC is probably trying to figure out how they got upstaged with the "Trump plan." They probably see Trump in the race as a master stroke of RNC strategery:)
You know they're trying to script up ways to tar the entire GOP with Trump.
Media to any GOP nominee: "Why did you not confront Donald Trump's hate speech toward Mexicans or even Megan Kelly? Aren't you part of the GOP's War On Womyn?"
You know they're trying to script up ways to tar the entire GOP with Trump.
Media to any GOP nominee: "Why did you not confront Donald Trump's hate speech toward Mexicans or even Megan Kelly? Aren't you part of the GOP's War On Womyn?"
Etc.
Yes that fraud Wassamen Schultz made that clear to Kelly after the debate.
Frankly it's an effective tool for them to do so given the tools we have voting these days.
Before, I've said that I would never vote Republican again. Now I will if Trump is the nominee.
Trump has earned my support, by drawing forth the poison and making it expose itself for all to see. I see it, and I see how it strikes at him, and when it strikes at him using these cunning little ploys, it strikes at me.
I'll vote for Trump as a Republican. I'll vote for him as an Independent. Hell, I'll vote for him as a Democrat. It's not about parties. The parties are totally corrupt. It's about a method of manipulation that seeks to nullify what a person is by creating shifting walls of what is "acceptable discourse".
Acceptable to WHOM? The more Trump fights, the more I will back him now. He has already won my vote. Now, I want to see him tear them to pieces, have better ideas (example: his common market in health insurance: he's right about that).
If they want to make it personal, then make it PERSONAL. Toe to toe, face to face.
See, Donald Trump s a good guy. He's an honest guy. I can see it. THEREFORE, when he is attacked like this, whoever is doing the attacking is a scumbag, a shill, a cheat, a cunt - by definition. By definition, if you oppose Donald Trump now in the media or the Establishment, it's obvious that you're evil and part of the problem.
So the more that they attack, the more righteous he is, and the more evil they obviously are.
That's the only way to fight this. Unleash a whirlwind of fiery hate. They use controlled hate to try to manipulate, it's cold hate. The response should be a volcanic blast of focused hate that literally destroys everything in its path.
And if Donald wins, after having had to divide the party. He should not walk through and make nice. He should walk through and execute the wounded on the field. Use the IRS files, just like they all do, to TAKE OUT the rich who came after him. He knows their tricks. Destroy them.
It's revolution, and it comes from a mouthy aristocrat. Trump should be the modern Lafayette.