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Trump’s War on “Losers”: The Early Years
This is not brand-spanking new (it's from last August), but this is a fun read from back in the days when SPY Magazine ruled--worth a look at the full thing:
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/08/spy-vs-trump
:large
In the late 80s and early 90s, Spy magazine carried out a lonelyand hilariouswar against the preposterous real-estate lordling it famously identified as short-fingered vulgarian Donald Trump. Here are some highlights.
...As I recall it (I was a contributing editor at Spy), Trumps reaction to what Spy wroteor articles that Spy planned to publishwas to threaten the magazine with lawsuits. The editors lived under the constant threat of litigation. In a gesture that seemed to indicate he had some self-awareness, and possibly even a sense of humor, he sent over a copy of his book, The Art of the Deal, with his hand outlined in bright gold on the cover, to prove that he wasnt, in fact, short-fingeredbut then added a note, promising, If you hit me, I will hit you back 100 times harder. Then, as now, he truly believed any press was good press, so long as he thought he had the last word.
Today, 27 years and a reality-TV show later, the rest of the worldor perhaps I should say the thinking part of the rest of the worldhas come to recognize what we knew about Trump back then. Only instead of being the id of New York City, hes become the dark, nasty id of America itself: uncensored, unthinking, bullying, angry, forever unapologetic, and vaguely unhinged. From his racist remarks about immigrants to his sexist attack on Fox News Megyn Kelly, to the lawsuits he brings or threatens to bring with tiresome regularity (then Spy, now, Univision for attempting to suppress his freedom of speech by dropping his Miss U.S.A. and Miss Universe beauty pageants, along with the two celebrity chefs who no longer wish to be associated with him), none of it surprises us. Hes become the Ugly American, writ large, and draped in cheap superlatives: a great American, with a great plan, who will restore our great and glorious gold-plated future. . . . So long as you dont criticize him, disagree with him, or ask too many questions.
In modern media terms, Donald Trump was our clickbait. He brought us word-of-mouth recognition, and more readersjust the same way he is now bringing eyeballs to newscasts, and page views to Web sites. Hes O.J. Simpson in the Ford Bronco, an unfolding disaster that you cant quite take your eyes away from, as you wait for him to drive off the road and self-immolate. Over the course of our years at Spy, we fact-checked his books and his finances (with predictable results), trolled him by sending miniscule checksas low as 13 centsto see if hed cash them (he did), and wrote up his all-but-forgotten business debacles. (Remember the Trump Castle World Power Boat Championship?)
And yet, none of it stuck. None of it so much as dinged him, or even seemed to embarrass him. And were The Donald to read this, Im all but certain hed reply, Spy is dead. And Im running for president, leading in the polls, after starring in the most-watched cable TV news show in history, because the people tuned in to watch me. They love me!
It would be easy to despair over this. Especially since weve elected our share of highly unlikely-to-win candidates. In the long view, who could have predicted that a B movie actorRonald Reagancould be elected governor of California, and then go on to unseat the incumbent president to become commander in chief? More recently, who could have imagined that deep-blue Minnesota would elect Jesse The Body Ventura as governor, or that even deeper-blue California would send Chers exSonny Bonoto Congress, or Arnold Schwarzenegger to Sacramento?....
Today, 27 years and a reality-TV show later, the rest of the worldor perhaps I should say the thinking part of the rest of the worldhas come to recognize what we knew about Trump back then. Only instead of being the id of New York City, hes become the dark, nasty id of America itself: uncensored, unthinking, bullying, angry, forever unapologetic, and vaguely unhinged. From his racist remarks about immigrants to his sexist attack on Fox News Megyn Kelly, to the lawsuits he brings or threatens to bring with tiresome regularity (then Spy, now, Univision for attempting to suppress his freedom of speech by dropping his Miss U.S.A. and Miss Universe beauty pageants, along with the two celebrity chefs who no longer wish to be associated with him), none of it surprises us. Hes become the Ugly American, writ large, and draped in cheap superlatives: a great American, with a great plan, who will restore our great and glorious gold-plated future. . . . So long as you dont criticize him, disagree with him, or ask too many questions.
In modern media terms, Donald Trump was our clickbait. He brought us word-of-mouth recognition, and more readersjust the same way he is now bringing eyeballs to newscasts, and page views to Web sites. Hes O.J. Simpson in the Ford Bronco, an unfolding disaster that you cant quite take your eyes away from, as you wait for him to drive off the road and self-immolate. Over the course of our years at Spy, we fact-checked his books and his finances (with predictable results), trolled him by sending miniscule checksas low as 13 centsto see if hed cash them (he did), and wrote up his all-but-forgotten business debacles. (Remember the Trump Castle World Power Boat Championship?)
And yet, none of it stuck. None of it so much as dinged him, or even seemed to embarrass him. And were The Donald to read this, Im all but certain hed reply, Spy is dead. And Im running for president, leading in the polls, after starring in the most-watched cable TV news show in history, because the people tuned in to watch me. They love me!
It would be easy to despair over this. Especially since weve elected our share of highly unlikely-to-win candidates. In the long view, who could have predicted that a B movie actorRonald Reagancould be elected governor of California, and then go on to unseat the incumbent president to become commander in chief? More recently, who could have imagined that deep-blue Minnesota would elect Jesse The Body Ventura as governor, or that even deeper-blue California would send Chers exSonny Bonoto Congress, or Arnold Schwarzenegger to Sacramento?....
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Trump’s War on “Losers”: The Early Years (Original Post)
MADem
Jan 2016
OP
I do know the secret for beating Trump and forcing him to drop out, but I don't know if I should
world wide wally
Jan 2016
#1
world wide wally
(21,751 posts)1. I do know the secret for beating Trump and forcing him to drop out, but I don't know if I should
tell anyone because I want the Democrats to win.
Oh, alright, I'll tell you.
Just have Obama drop a hint that they have a plan together.
patricia92243
(12,597 posts)3. Also, let Hillary praise him to the sky - lol.
the longer he's in the better