Last night, 9NEWS’ Brandon Rittiman examined the ad from pro-Hillary Clinton SuperPAC Priorities USA now in heavy rotation in Colorado, hitting presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump for “mocking” a reporter with a disability.
The verdict? Yes, Donald Trump really is that big of an asshole:
Supporters of Hillary Clinton are spending millions to try and undermine Donald Trump before next month’s national conventions. The ad getting the most airtime in Colorado right now doesn’t go after Trump on policy, but attacks his character instead…
It features a couple with a disabled child highlighting a speech in which Donald Trump appears to make fun of a reporter with a disability.
“When I saw Donald Trump mock a disabled person, I was just shocked,” says Lauren Glaros before the ad cuts to a clip of Trump making a serious of awkward hand gestures and speaking in a strained voice…
It is true that the reporter, Serge Kovaleski of the New York Times, has a joint condition called arthrogryposis, which causes his right hand to rest held up in a bent position.
Since Trump’s comments and gesticulations about New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, Trump has claimed he wasn’t mocking Kovaleski’s disability, and didn’t even know the reporter to mock him–a claim that basically no one believes, since as Rittiman reports, Trump and Kovaleski have known each other since the 1980s.
To the bigger claim, that Trump was mocking Kovaleski’s condition, we rate this attack as “fair.”
If you compare the pose that Trump made you can see it’s quite similar to Kovaleski’s condition.
Obviously, this is not a weighty question of policy. But it’s very smart for supporters of Hillary Clinton to zero in on universally distasteful character issues like mocking disabled people–in order to build an emotional wall (pun intended) between persuadable voters and Trump’s campaign. Trump’s lack of personal likability is at least as important to drive home in the public consciousness as his mindless demagogic agenda, since for so many low-information voters, an emotive sense of likability makes all the difference.
And from macro to micro, the more of Trump there is to see, the less there is to like.
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What's sad is that a Truth Test is even necessary to confirm this.
What's not so sad is the frequency with which this ad is airing in June nd the dearth of pro-Trump ads. Looks like Mr. I'm So Rich I'm Gonna Be Self-funding and Independent is, as many have suspected, not even close to rich enough to self fund a presidential campaign.
Clearly the HRC campaign is and will continue to be rolling in cash contributions, the full enthusiastic funding support of her own party, full throated support from her party's leadership and stars and tons of ads doing the attacking from moneyed outside groups in her support. Effective ads like this one, not the kind of strident hate spewing garbage we can expect from anyone on the Trump side.
As long as we haven't gotten money out of politics yet, I'm pretty stoked that my side has so much more of it this round.
Who's going to step in to make up the difference for Trump? His party is letting endangered congress members know they can feel free to treat The Donald like the Plague, his party's leaders and stars are trying really hard to be as lukewarm as possible if not outright disowning him, his party is still generating news about plots, no matter that they're far fetched, to stop him at the convention and real multi-billionaires like the Kochs wouldn't throw him a life preserver if he were drowning off the bow of one of their yachts.
The Donald is about to discover the difference between a nice size crowd cheering a reality TV celebrity flim flam man at a rally in friendly ego stroking territory and a real 21st century presidential campaign.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/20/politics/donald-trump-television-ads/
Saw this, Bennet helping sick children, and Hilary doing good throughout her life last night during my evening news. Oh, and Jack Grahm runs businesses.
If this keeps up, good things should happen in November.
Have you looked at Hillary's negatives lately? This is a race to the bottom but more people hate Hillary.
Pants on fire. Trump has lower approval ratings than HRC. More people hate Trump.
I seriously doubt Moddy is wearing pants.
If he is, I doubt that they are long pants.
Just for Moddy. I hope he appreciates the thought.
Not even close. Hillary has an unfavorable of 55, which is high Trump is at 70! That is unbelievably negative.
70 is one poll. Latest RCP average puts him in the 60s for unfavorable. He's sitting at an average of negative 26. She's at an average of negative 15. He has next to no money or ad buys to change that. She's got tons, not to mention Sanders supporters aren't quite through being "apoplectic" yet. Also his June numbers are worse than May. Hers are better. So his are the ones racing toward the bottom. Once again, these are averages resulting from polls from all over the map. RCP is not a liberal leaning site.
Sanders people are coming around. Look at the endorsement from Sen. Warren on the open thread.
Well according to mama, many (not her) are still "apoplectic" at this "betrayal" but I do think more are coming around and most will wind up on board. The James Dodds doggedly linking to proof of how terrible HRC and almost all Dems are and how we shouldn’t vote for any of them, leaving the field clear for Rs since Dems are just as bad so who cares, will be fewer and fewer as the election approaches.In the meantime, I’m blocking their posts from FB and ignoring JD’s links.