Trump’s nastiness
is making him look weak
by
F. H. Buckley
Original Article
Posted By: MissMolly,
9/7/2019 4:50:29 AM
Donald Trump wants people to think he’s a winner. So why does he act like a loser?
Winners convey a sense of effortless superiority. They don’t have to work at it. You just know they’re above it all. If someone tries to criticize them, it’s beneath their dignity to worry about it. It’s just a little speck they brush off their shoulder.
The Brits are good at that, Boris Johnson especially. We still don’t know how things will turn out there, but I expect his aplomb will carry him through. “There are no disasters,” he once joked. “Only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters.”
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Peeps 9/7/2019 4:55:50 AM (No. 173565)
Only to a loser...we love him
82 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
judy 9/7/2019 5:16:37 AM (No. 173572)
Trump responds to the lefts vile hatred & they call it weak???Wrong ....it’s called defense.
87 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
jeffkinnh 9/7/2019 5:25:22 AM (No. 173574)
"We weren’t always like this."
No, we were losers.
If the dems weren't allowed to lie and carry out criminal activity without cost and if the media wasn't the propaganda wing of the dem party, maybe we could have rational and respectful discussions about policy. Instead, the dems and media have set the playing field as it is and Trump is playing by their rules and beating them at every turn. To win under the current set of rules requires some punch back when attacked.
Here's an example. In the coverage of a hurricane that leveled the Bahamas, the media decided, as it continually decides, to take a poke at Trump, over a comment he made about Alabama. The comment is proving, as usual, to be correct but WHY was it so important to the media in the midst of the very real tragedy? It was trivia at best but the media tried to make it into an "issue" to get Trump. Trump doesn't let such things pass because he has learned that when you let such issues pile up without contesting them, eventually, the opponents of today will roll out a laundry list of your failures to beat you over the head with. They will all be lies but, being uncontested at the time, no one will know that. As it is, some still whine that he said "wiretapping" incorrectly even though it has become clear that a high tech "wiretapping" WAS used illegally.
When you have a media and the party it supports providing a near constant negative drumbeat, you have to set the record straight. Without Trump's pushback people would think the 92% negative coverage was justified. Now the voters know it is not and the media and dems are not trusted ... because they don't deserve to be.
136 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Flyball Dogs 9/7/2019 5:25:31 AM (No. 173575)
Well Mr Buckley, after you become a billionaire (with a b) and then become President, and then endure 3 years of non-governing because the media and Swamp are circling like ancient, prehistoric belly crawlers, THEN you can talk about nasty. Until then . . .
112 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
CecilStrange 9/7/2019 5:32:49 AM (No. 173576)
So THAT'S why W was perceived to be strong. /s
73 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
LC Chihuahua 9/7/2019 5:39:51 AM (No. 173579)
Keep going Mr. President! You are on the right track!
Critics have been trying to silence President Trump since before he won office. Why? So their criticism would be left unchecked, and more people would believe the critics. President Trump is entitled to defend himself. It does not make him mean. If the President did not defend himself, it would make him weak, and he would lose support. The President is doing the right thing by responding to his critics.
Most of the criticism of the President is lies and triviality. Very little is genuine.
89 people like this.
Doesn't Trump know that Republicans, GOOD Republicans anyway, are always supposed to shut up and agree with whatever the Press and the Dimms say about them.
39 people like this.
No way will I read this drivel.
Trump has every right to defend himself against the propaganda arm of the Democrats, aka the media!
66 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
The Remnants 9/7/2019 7:16:20 AM (No. 173621)
Some are too accustomed to bowing and scraping weakness that can be easily bought.
23 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
rusino 9/7/2019 7:39:00 AM (No. 173634)
Donald J. Trump is a Winner! ....he should remain Above it All? Not a chance in a sense he is down in the trenches with the Normal, Average Citizens of the United States of America! He has sacrificed his latter years to Serve his Country! He could be spending these eight years surrounded in Luxury surrounded by his loving Family!....he has chosen to Serve !
41 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
gone2pot 9/7/2019 7:42:00 AM (No. 173636)
Winners convey a sense of effortless superiority. They don’t have to work at it. You just know they’re above it all. If someone tries to criticize them, it’s beneath their dignity to worry about it. It’s just a little speck they brush off their shoulder.
Yeah, that's been the winning strategy of Republicans, especially RINO's since 1995 and it has worked so very well. In fact, there is a political name for what the Republicans do. It's called "Fall Down, Roll Over, and Poop Self" whenever ANY kind of challenge comes their way. And, with a case of Depends to keep them looking so very brave, "they don't have to work at it."
32 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
anniebc 9/7/2019 7:50:02 AM (No. 173643)
PDT probably only responds to 30-40% of the criticism that he gets from people like the author and other leftists. He just picks the right ones to respond to, and it works every time. Admit it, Buckley, he's good at it, and you're jealous. Now, go someplace and hide before a leftist criticizes you. Boo!
37 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
worried 9/7/2019 7:54:38 AM (No. 173648)
Where's the author's criticism about the super-nasty dems? They are the one's who call him every name in the book, plus a few not there. He is not George Bush, who just took it and appeared weak. Trump is anything but weak! Democrats want him to be like the little kid that gets bullied. This kid punches back, and twice as hard.
38 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
franq 9/7/2019 7:56:11 AM (No. 173650)
Mr. Buckley, do us a favor and write an editorial about the Religion of Peace.
33 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 9/7/2019 8:30:13 AM (No. 173673)
Mr. Buckley wouldn't know hard work if it bit him on the bottom. MY president has been a hard worker since Day One. As for weakness, you can't hit your target every time and expect to escape the flak. Lead on, President Trump, while you KAG!
BTW, Buckley. Did you finish those galley proofs yet?
20 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
bigfatslob 9/7/2019 8:31:30 AM (No. 173676)
Does anyone remember when a shoe was thrown at George W. Bush and he ducked away from it and smiled?
You throw a shoe at President Trump and you'll promptly get two or three thrown back at you and not with a smile on his face. George Bush never pushed back and what did that get him with the nasty people on the left?
38 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
TexaTucky 9/7/2019 8:42:04 AM (No. 173687)
Author apparently obsessed with Tim Gunn if this is his definition of what winners convey.
They're just fabulous, girl.
5 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
govlawyer 9/7/2019 8:45:41 AM (No. 173690)
You can say these things if you truly believe that Trump is politician......
Trump is a businessman temporarily inhabiting the shoes of a politician--HUGE difference!
21 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
ARKfamily 9/7/2019 9:24:01 AM (No. 173726)
I am now using this phrase. President Donald Trump is resolute in defending his character and credibility. It is under attack every day by the media. They want to wear down his supporters. If this post sounds familiar, I posted on article above this one. Sorry if it looks like a repetitive comment.
12 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
Quigley 9/7/2019 9:26:18 AM (No. 173728)
I suppose you can tell us how “real” real estate developers “really” develop real estate, too, eh F.H. ?
3 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
Sunhan65 9/7/2019 9:42:33 AM (No. 173737)
I read F.H. Buckley's Wikipedia page to check his lineage (no relation) and found out he's a conservative from Saskatoon. I thought there was only one.
I was also pleased to see that he has both supported Trump in the past and written speeches for him. So, this isn't an attack editorial; it's friendly advice. Which brings us to the question, is it good advice?
Buckley quotes Saint Paul of Tarsus: "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” Robert A. Heinlein was even more pithy: "When the fox gnaws--smile!"
There is wisdom in both, but I fear Buckley is missing some of that wisdom. You don't treat your enemies with kindness because it's good for you; you do it because it's bad for them. You rise above them by showing them that their attacks are beneath you. You shame them by refusing to respond in kind.
However, that only works if your enemies are capable of shame, and that is not how the political world works now. President Trump's enemies are shameless. Their false accusations, if left unchallenged, are assumed to be true and real political damage is done. Trump's enemies don't care what's true, and they certainly aren't worried about what's right. They just want to destroy our President. And when someone sets out to destroy you, you need to destroy them back.
President Trump is the only American in public life today who has never been forced to issue a humiliating and pointless apology to the uncaring and hypocritical mob that is ruining this country. That fact alone makes me want to support him. Which brings me in closing to the wisdom of Saint John of Wayne:
"Never apologize and never explain--it's a sign of weakness." - John Wayne in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
30 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
little guy 9/7/2019 9:47:48 AM (No. 173742)
Trump has to defend himself by any means necessary, to coin a phrase, because his own Republican party does not ever defend him or their own party. Talk about staying mute and showing strength, Republicans did that for decades and because of it, the Republican brand has been shredded. If staying "silent and strong" was the way, Republicans would be kicking butt. But no. Instead, they are feckless, weak and cowardly, cowering under their beds, as Trump defends himself and tries to drag the Republican party along with him. FW Buckley, you are so wrong. Stand in president DJ Trump's shoes for five minutes and let's see what you have to say then.
17 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
Wendybird 9/7/2019 9:56:21 AM (No. 173752)
President Trump’s replies to criticism are usually succinct, correct and humorous. The last is a quality that most liberals don’t understand. A childhood taunt, they were standing behind the door when God was passing out sense of humor.
13 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
bighambone 9/7/2019 10:11:14 AM (No. 173775)
Give us a break, President Trump has essentially been defending himself and America against the nasty Democrat socialists. That’s completely the opposite of what G.W. Bush did as the Democrat socialists kicked him, and his personal, and professional reputations and policies into the gutter for years, with no response from him, that helped in part to beget Barack Obama.
19 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
BeatleJeff 9/7/2019 10:14:00 AM (No. 173779)
Never-Trumper advising POTUS to quit doing what works best.. Does he really believe that we think he's acting in Trump's best interest?
8 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
Franz 9/7/2019 10:15:06 AM (No. 173780)
I dare say that if anybody has endured 3 years of unending malicious and slanderous attacks, that person has a right to be offended. If it had been just a little speck, I am sure President Trump would have brushed it off his shoulder. Instead, he has had a huge hot steaming mess dumped on him on a daily basis.
15 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
Terry_tr6 9/7/2019 10:32:50 AM (No. 173801)
so says the media from on the ground on it's butt with a split lip and black eye. Too late they are learning that sometimes the stronger guy just ignores you and walks away. sometimes he then turns around and says "the hell i won't" and knocks the crap out of you.
10 people like this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
kdog 9/7/2019 10:43:52 AM (No. 173810)
This editorial has all kinds of references to things that don't have any relationship to his premise. Line out all the bs and there's not much left.
3 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
LadyHen 9/7/2019 10:46:00 AM (No. 173811)
Yet another gelding jealous of the only stallion in the paddock.
11 people like this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
rmsimms 9/7/2019 11:32:55 AM (No. 173850)
Who cares what a Canadian thinks? Bush I and II tried his advice, it destroyed 41 and crippled 43 by the time he left office. And McCain? He carried the Democrat water for years and his reward was to be flat out accused of wanting to repeal the 13th and 14th Amendments and making black people slaves again. I remember Gore saying it on the podium at the DNC in '08, and when McCain went on the View during the campaign Whoopie Goldberg accused him of it to his face.When he stood there mutely and let the Democrat Party and it's allies in the MSM/DNC complex pour bucket after bucket of filth over his head, that was the last straw for me. Romney tried the same thing and they destroyed him too. Whatever his flaws may be, The Donald™ understands, from years in close proximity to them, that Democrats have no honor, no integrity, and no shame and acts accordingly. We've learned that if you refuse to defend yourselves from thier lies, they will define you and you will be done.
Personally, when it comes to the Democrat Party the policy should be "escalate to De-escalate". Only when we inflict enough metaphorical pain on them will they start showing some manners.
10 people like this.
Reply 31 - Posted by:
NotaBene 9/7/2019 11:47:12 AM (No. 173855)
It is a wonder that our enemies still initiate attacks on President Trump. The Great Communicator only counterpunches and the Marxists keep coming for more. Trump has to defend himself because the Republicans will not stand for truth and the American way. I will vote for Trump 2020 even if I have to crawl over red-hot coals.
9 people like this.
Reply 32 - Posted by:
YorkieMom 9/7/2019 11:58:27 AM (No. 173860)
The media pounded W. He was smart enough to know that, if he answered back, they would just pound harder, so he ignored it. I don’t call that a weakness because it’s harder to ignore things sometimes. Trump fights back even harder, and the media pounds back harder. He could stop answering every petty thing that comes his way, but seems to enjoy the back and forth, so he can do as he pleases. If we haven’t learned one thing, we’re not paying attention. That one thing is Republicans will always be the “bad” guys in the eyes of the media. And that is why I watch and listen to the noise less and less. It makes my life more pleasant.
3 people like this.
Reply 33 - Posted by:
Wary American 9/7/2019 12:05:22 PM (No. 173865)
Trump could not be 'nice' if he actually wanted to. The left so reminds me of the female I was married to for 26 years that all of a sudden cracked up and became another person...the dems are of no part of 'what they used to be' either. They are the DESPERATECRATS....and they cannot win in a fair election...plain and simple:
C A N N O T WIN.
3 people like this.
Reply 34 - Posted by:
chiller 9/7/2019 12:27:58 PM (No. 173885)
Even I--a strong DJT supporter --went a teensy bit wobbly with the Sharpie edit. I thought he should have left it with the NOAA map pointed toward Alabama and drop it. But time, and time, and time again The Donald proves to be correct.
On the other hand, that which does not kill you, makes you stronger and that's what I feel is happening. Media is getting killed, such that any criticisms are automatically thought to be baseless by more and more. And it's doubly delicious that it was video on Don Lemon's CNN show that provided the kill shot.
4 people like this.
Reply 35 - Posted by:
Geoman 9/7/2019 12:33:49 PM (No. 173893)
Since I swore off watching TV news in 2000, what I know about the Dorian hurricane path prediction controversy, I've gleaned from reading the articles and the following the comments posted to this site. So the president rapidly responds to and wins the 'where the weather media once guessed the hurricane might go' argument and receives unanimous praise from his base for doing so. but has not acted with such dispatch and fortitude in bringing actual presidential coup plotters, many of whom are still working within his administration, to any form of justice. I want the president to be a wickedly shrewd and tenacious fighter, especially on matters that threaten our republic.
1 person likes this.
Hey FH....stuff it!
I hope PDT mentions you at the next rally.
So we can all agree loudly...
“Buckley sucks” “Buckley sucks”
“Four more years” Four more years”
Fun to watch their heads explode!!
2 people like this.
First of all, Kudos To Reply Number 19!
Now then, our President is not a politician who'll say or do anything just to grab a vote. Donald Trump is a businessman, a successful one. He's been a businessman most of his life. He wings it. He takes advantage of favorable opportunities if and when they show up. He doesn't require a scheduled, formal, pre-announced press/news conference. He makes news, even accompanied by the sound in the background of his air transportation warming up in his backyard.
Envy, thy name is Democrats!
4 people like this.