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Trump v Univision
It’s 3:00 a.m in Paris, and I’m awake owing to a cat-related incident. After realizing that no, I wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep, I checked the news. As one does. Headlining: Donald Trump kicked TV’s most influential Latino newsman out of a press conference. Oh, I thought. Is this really the most important thing happening in the world right now? To judge from the headlines, you’d think so. Here’s the first part of the exchange:
And here’s the second:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7_HaEOIJhM
Two quick observations:
1) The Washington Post says, “The lasting image will be that of Ramos — who serves as Univision’s lead anchor and is effectively one of the (if not the) most powerful newsmen on Spanish-language TV — being hustled out of the room after trying to ask Trump a question.”
Perhaps. But that may be because that’s the easiest image to find. You have to work a bit harder to find the images of Ramos coming back and asking his questions. It’s not impossible. We looked for it backstage and it took us about five minutes. But clearly the Post and many other news agencies quickly decided what the “lasting image” would be and furnished it: In most of the videos in the headline news, the clip ends with Ramos being hustled off.
As you can see from the second clip, however, that’s not where the story necessarily ends. So I’m not sure the Post is correct about what the “lasting image” will be.
2) As we were looking for the full clip — not the “lasting image” clip — I said, “From abroad, it feels as if Trump is already the president.” It wasn’t a deep thought: It was just something that occurred to me. Nachtgedanken, so to speak. The Yeti said, “You should post that.” To which I responded that I wasn’t sure what I meant by it:
Claire: He gets more news coverage; he seems larger-than-life.
Yeti: I assume it means that Trump is suffocating every other candidate’s media oxygen.
Claire: Not only every other candidate — but the seated president.
I don’t know if that observation is meaningful. All I can say is that those words occurred to me while reading the news at 3:00 am in Paris.
And now I can’t sleep.
Published in Elections, General, Politics
This is about the first thing I have seen Trump do that I don’t have a problem with. lol Now hopefully he doesn’t tweet about it like a 12 yr old girl for the next month. :)
Claire: Oh, I thought. Is this really the most important thing happening in the world right now?
No, it’s not. For instance, what was the incident with the cat? Far more pressing.
Exactly. This is among the reasons why Trump–like Obama–is temperamentally unfit to be president.
They’re both unfit for different reasons, to be sure.
There is another candidate that talks this way. Fiorina. She pushed back against Chris Matthews is a wonderful way. There is a lot of ego and confidence evidenced by CEOs. Also, these both are very straightforward, plain talking, commanding people. It is very refreshing to have people get up and answer meandering questions and half-truths with emphatic fact. Newt also had this quality…the ability to command and push-back reporters with their loaded questions. Newt often took issue with the very premise of the question. It feels good to see that. Really, really satisfying. I think many measured folks are still enjoying this Trump stuff very much, but I too am fearing where it goes. How would a Trump vs Biden debate look? Weird. I imagine Trump would pull some punches because, “hey that Joe’s such a likable guy. Very, very likeable.”
After the 2012 Vice Presidential debate, anyone who calls Joe Biden “likeable” needs their head examined.
Re: 29
This particular incident is what they mean by “He fights”. But we somehow miss that other candidates, who don’t have a problem speaking appropriately to and about women, and who respect property rights, are proven fighters. I’m thinking of Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry.
Here We have Ramos; an “American.” And We have all the outlets telling Us He is “the most influential Latino newsman.” He insists Here on speaking of “immigration.” So, He must be reprezentin’ Latinos and Their “issues.”
If an “American” representing Latinos on immigration acts this way in order to make His point, what good does that do for Them? Is it persuasive to all the other Americans? No, of course not.
It proves They have no interest in changing hearts and minds on the issues. It will be by force.
How does this read to you if you replace the word “Latino” with “Jews?” Sounds deeply ugly to me. Imagine this comment:
I’ve seen that sentiment expressed about Charles Krauthammer. Surely you have, too.
I’ll add here that everything I’ve heard about/from Ms. Kelly has been perfectly reasonable and professional. I remain not-a-fan, but not because of what I would call character flaws.
Trump, on the other hand, destroys whatever admiration I might be tempted to feel by giving every indication that he can’t handle an attractive woman deigning to disagree with him, even a little. All he’d have to do would be laugh, say “You know, I didn’t go in expecting Fox to act like a CNN proxy. It was clever, and they got me. Next time it’ll be on them.” But I think his critics’ point is that his ego won’t let him do that, and I’m afraid that’s probably right. And I don’t want another egomaniac in the White House.
Amen. That’s the thing. I know his positions and his history, yet, I can’t help but like the guy. He is telling these empty suits/skirts in the media to go play in traffic, which I’ve wanted someone to do since the early 90’s.
Ramos is a professional agitator. There is NOTHING that a republican can do that will get Ramos to give him/her a fair shake. When Trump told him to knock it off, I smiled. He understands that the strategy is to go around Spanish media.
One other point. Trump isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Ricochet thought he was, but the snowball keeps getting bigger. We have to start facing that reality. Trump owns every molecule of oxygen in this Republican primary, and will for the foreseeable future.
Re : 37
I think Americans are sick of the attitude that people representing certain causes or groups are not obligated to be as orderly as the rest of us.
I missed the part where Charles Krauthammer a) has openly and unapologetically put the desires of his ethnic group ahead of the good of America and b) has attempted to hijack a press conference by shouting down a fellow reporter.
An minor inter-cat squabble. Resulted in a race over my head. Happens all the time. Usually I just fall back asleep a few minutes later. Not an international-news level incident at all. My mistake was turning on the computer. Once you do that, the light from it makes it impossible to go back to sleep. Now it’s nearly 6:00 a.m and I’m still wide awake, which isn’t going to make for a great day.
The rest of the news wasn’t of the kind to lull me back to sleep, either.
Being a ninth-generation Texan (of Spanish descent on my mother’s side of the family) and sixth-generation American (also on her side), I’m more representative of Hispanic opinion in the United States than Ramos. I can’t stand the term “Latino”.
I think that’s because it’s easy to misunderstand what political “fighting” actually is. There’s a place for political theater. Sometimes it’s even important. But that’s not what actually gets things done, and neither is just “spine.” “Fight” can be patient explanation and negotiation and thoughtful planning of policy. It can be knowing when to put your foot in the door and when to try to slam the door open. It’s the long, hard slog, not just the flashy moments.
This is the second thread I’ve read thoroughly about Trump, and hoping that I don’t invite disapprobation from the CoC heavyweights, I can’t understand why so many within our association of clear thinkers and intellectual heavyweights are so blind to the attraction of Trump’s message. We, the Silent Majority, the Tea Partiers, the middle class paying all the bills, have had it with rhetoric and poseurs like Boehner and McConnell who spend our children’s money, and then bow and scrape before Satan (Obama), and yield all power to his eminence. Yes, of course we’re angry! That is not a sin if directed appropriately.
If it takes a Trump to reorient our country, then so be it. He’s not perfect, but at least he is motivated and loves our country. The USA is in itself is a miracle within history, and he devoutly appreciates it.
Cruz is the only other option, and a good one. The only ad hominem characteristic of this comment is aimed directly at the Beltway, not our honorable membership. Now, feel free to unleash your usual “unlikes”.
Sounds like it’s time for some café au lait.
To add to Leigh’s comment above, let’s not kid ourselves: this “confrontation” is 90% kabuki, 10% serious.
There is nothing which could have helped Ramos’ career here more than being thrown out by Trump, who is the arch-nemesis of his customers. I’m certain he planned out his “guerrilla” questions ahead of time with the intention of getting himself kicked out.
That’s not to say Trump didn’t also act in his (Trump’s) own best interest. But when both sides stand to win from a showdown like this, then it’s more WWF than “politics as war”.
Claire, I just noticed the tags for this post. Who or what is “Ramio”?
Perhaps having a rude and impolite activist removed is not such a bad idea.
After returning this soul continued along the same vein that is all too familiar.
Question, when will the Black Lives Matter crowd appear to challenge the man. That outcome should be truly interesting. Will they ? Likely not.
You are correct. It amazes me how people don’t get it. We are tired of getting bullied by the left (media, education, and culture), and Trump comes along and fights. Peter on every podcast talks about wanting candidates to fight, and we have one. Is he perfect? No, but neither was Romney, McCain, Bush, Dole, and even Reagan. Full disclosure, I’m a Carly supporter, but I get Trump, and I know he’s not going away, and I appreciate his efforts.
Probably not.
The BLM’ers are cowards at heart; their attack on Bernie Sanders, the candidate least likely to do anything about it, is proof of this.
So the gist is that you want someone who “fights,” and whether or not he’s actually a conservative apparently doesn’t matter.
That’s what people like me don’t get. He is, by any objective measure, to the left of everybody in the field except maybe Kasich, and yet somehow supporting him has become the litmus test for being a true conservative?
It is, and I feel that I’m somehow participating in a sick death dance. I wake up and it’s the top of the headlines, even though it’s not, inherently, a particularly newsworthy incident. I get drawn into the story; I post something about my reaction about it, and somehow we’ve all spent hours thinking about it.
They both wanted media attention and they both got it. I did my small part to give it to them. The world isn’t a better place for it.
I specifically stated that Ramos was being referred to as Latino; not “an influential newsman, but “the most influential Latino newsman.”
If certain Americans want to be seen different from all Americans by using qualifiers, then They should expect to be addressed and treated differently.
Ramos knows Who His audience is and so do We. There was a purpose for His actions.
Good question. I just fixed it. It was a typo.
Thanks, Mike.
“Proofreading on Ricochet is just another word for things we do together.”
See, it helps to have a post-modernist Texan around. ;-)