Sunday 9 October 2016

Trump or Clinton - Trumpton?

Phwoar, look at the baps on that! Marks out of ten? I’d give her one! Terrible arthritis, she has... hands like that! *mimes holding melons* Skirt, gash, fanny, split, Wendy, Judy, Sheila, bird, slag, bitch, tart. Ah, woman, how do we know thee, let me count the ways... So, Donald Trump is guilty of bloke talk in an unguarded moment a decade ago. So what? The reactions have been as predictable as the existence of this tape. Of course he’s a letch, of course there’ll be others, have you not been paying attention?

As newly castrated male politicians line up to denounce him, casting stones to which they have no entitlement, they use words like offended, sickened and disgusted. Really? Or are they mostly just relieved it wasn’t them? Relieved they weren’t famous enough to be wired for sound when they were bragging to their buddies.

Do I think Trump’s an egotistical wanker? Yes, of course. Do I think this debars him from office? Of course not – that is almost a necessary prerequisite for this job and few of his predecessors in the history of the presidential race can claim they’ve never boasted of their sexual skirmishes. Hypocrisy is more than a word to the illiberal left; it’s practically an entry requirement. Who among us doesn’t have some moments for which we would turn the clock back if we could?

In some parallel Earth the nice guy would get the girl and success would accrue to whoever ran the most ethical business. Bribery, corruption, lewd behaviour and the misuse of office would be the fictions of perverse minds and a minority taste at that. But look at what sells in this world; the most ordinary of soap operas feature sexual impropriety that would make Trump blush. Our novels are awash with big conspiracy, corruption at its heart. And you can barely move on the internet for pornography to satisfy every warped taste.

As much as you may loathe the man and as much as you may convince yourself that he is unfit for office, Trump is what he is, what he always was. But just look at yourselves; from the overwrought reactions in the media you can almost imagine his reputation would suffer less from the broadcasting of a video of him beating a tramp to death with a Champagne bottle. Hell, he’s even apologised for it – or at least he’s said sorry for being caught – but that may not be enough.

Politics isn’t about truth, it’s about perception. And perceptions change; that’s the thankless task of the media. If the US election was unsightly up until now, with each side telling tales to teacher on the other, stand by for it to become downright ugly. Trump’s team will be poring over the peccadilloes of Bill Clinton with a fine toothed comb and if it wasn’t for his Jimmy Savile-like ability to feel no shame he ought to be quaking in his boots.

A fine pair...

Do I want to know all the stuff that’s going to come out in the next month? No, not really, but like a slow-motion car crash, it’s going to be hard to look away. But, however much you may need to hold your nose in order to elect The Donald, always keep in mind what the alternative is. Trump or Clinton... what a massive pair.

2 comments:

  1. Trump now has no hope of becoming president. We elect our politicians on their abilities, principles, character and ideology. However in the end we do not. We elect them on who is best at fooling us that they possess the ones that we should admire or at least believe to be more admirable than the other ones who seek the same elected post. In the case of Trump versus Clinton it is the latter that is in play. Any rational person has long since come to understand that neither have the qualities needed to fill the office of president of the USA as admirable qualities they have none.

    This cringe worthy gaff of Trumps although no worse than those of Clinton and her husbands's is much more exploitable. The irony being that unlike Clinton's gaffs it did not involve compromising state secrets, malfeasance or failing to ensure the safety of American diplomats abroad and others that we only vaguely know about. Far from it it is just a misdemeanour that only offends mostly those who find offence in virtually everything.

    As if the the USA and world have not suffered enough under Obama's maladministration we are going to be subject to much of the same or worse. If we are to have bad leadership of the Western world then at least let it not be because of continuity Obama and leftist ideas and have Trump instead with the chance that being more right wing(ish) that reality will temper his more insane rhetoric.

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  2. As Petunia Winegum put it in his blog today, "The airing of an old recording in which Trump exhibited his gentlemanly charm when it comes to the fairer sex has been received as though his previous public image had been on a par with Cary Grant." and "Anticipating the Clinton team to use such ‘revelations’ against him in the second TV debate, Trump ensured his apology would contain a dig at his opponent and her husband for equally reprehensible attitudes towards women in the past. Hillary would have to be very clever to successfully use the Trump archive as a stick with which to beat her nemesis when Bill’s own closet is crammed with enough skeletons to fill the grounds of a small provincial cemetery."

    Those who did not support Trump will continue not to support him. Sadly, for the Clinton's, this may not be the majority of US voters.

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