Taking a Whack at Donald Trump: The Piñata

Can you tell which one is the idiotic blowhard?

Earlier this week, I noted that Donald Trump, the soon-to-be ex-presidential candidate doesn't know what he is talking about when it comes to crime and Mexican immigrants. Now some enterprising folks in Mexico have constructed a life-sized piñata of the blowhard billionaire. Usually such festive effigies are filled with candies that spill out when blindfolded children whack them with sticks. When you strike the Trump piñata, bullshit spews out (OK, I made that up).

hngn.com

Another distant Republican presidential hopeful, former New York Gov. George Pataki has sent around a letter asking other Republican candidates to denounce Trump. From NY State of Politics:

"One hundred years ago, when Irish immigrants were coming to America, my grandmother among them, they were too often characterized as "drunks." A few years later it was the Italian immigrants, my grandfather among them, who were called "mobsters" or worse, "dagos." This type of divisive rhetoric is just wrong. It was wrong 100 years ago and it's wrong today," Pataki wrote in the letter, which included a "cc" to Trump himself.

"Yet here we are in 2015 and a leading candidate for the GOP nomination for president is calling Mexicans criminals, rapists and drug dealers," the letter states. "This is unacceptable."

Note to Republican candidates: Denouncing Trump for this particular stupidity is a good idea if you actually hope to win the 2016 election. 

Comments

[Mr Lizard]

So OT but.... Driving question: if you are driving along in the left lane and the right lane is about end:
1. There is a car in the right lane with it's left blinker on just ahead
2. You slow down and flash your brights repeatedly...
3. What should that car do (or how should it interpret your flashing lights, and we'll assume rapid flashing)?

[Aloysious]

I didn't know lizards could drive.

[Almanian - Wood Chipper-ish]

This also is throwing me.

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

It depends on how warm the day is and how warm the pavement is, how wide the road is, and how warmed up and ready your muscles are. Can you make it across before the two cars collide and render you road kill? Does the potential slowing down and/or speeding up increase or decrease your chances of being caught in a collision?

[Mr Lizard]

You Fucking Guys...

It was a meaningless fight with my mate... Perhaps you know something about this

Assholes... But don't ever change

[Aloysious]

1. going to assume the *left* blinker is blinking, foreshadowing a move left, aka merging.
2. slowing down to allow merge is good, flashing brights repeatedly not so much. Repeatedly flashing lights, to me, says 'WATCH OUT!'
3. If I was driving that car, I would assume danger and stop. Then yell loudly at the jerk who flashed its lights at me for no apparent reason.

[Mr Lizard]

The repeated flashing is to ensure that you see me signal you to please get over and take the lane

[Sevo]

"The repeated flashing is to ensure that you see me signal you to please get over and take the lane."

I try to allow other cars in, but there are some drivers who WILL NOT take the hint, in which case I drive by and let 'em rot in that lane.

[Aloysious]

*yells loudly and shakes fist at Mr Lizard*

[Mr Lizard]

Well that's not unheard of

[lap83]

If you slowed down I'd take that as a signal to merge. The flashing lights seems excessive and confusing.

[Rhywun]

I would think you're off your nut because flashing means "get out of my way".

[Mr Lizard]

If I'm holding back, it's supposed to mean GET THE FUCK OVER in front of me because I am giving you the lane.

ARE YOU A MILLENIAL? Cuz I'm detecting a pattern

[Rhywun]

No, I'm a New Yorker.

[Mr Lizard]

So when I've driven in your homeland, any light flashing was immediately followed by a person taking the lane. Or going ahead of me at a four-way stop.

In my experience Despite all your messed up gun laws, yous new yawkers understand how to drive

[Stormy Dragon]

No, "get out of my way" is the horn. Flashing the lights is telling them to pull in.

[Rhywun]

But if the slowpoke is in front of you, I have seen people flash their lights to tell them to pull into the right lane. Not blow their horn, that's just rude.

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

I've always considered rapid flashing to be a warning, danger, get out of my way; a slow flash to tell truckers (or others) to go ahead and slide over because I am holding back to make room.

[Almanian - Wood Chipper-ish]

I think I'm going to back The Donald just to piss people off. He'll drop out, and I'll continue my futile campaign:

Almanian for President 2016
I Probably Won't Make It Any Worse

[Notorious G.K.C.]

If he was out-there on Mexican immigrants as I'm led to believe, then of course the other GOP candidates should express their disagreement.

But let's not overdo this "disavowing another Republican" stuff. Otherwise it will be 2012 all over again, and Presidential candidates will be asked repeatedly to disavow some dumb state legislator somewhere. And they there will be follow-up stories about whether the disavowal was sincere enough.

At some point you just gotta say, "Trump said something dumb, but that's par for the course and doesn't infect the other candidates."

[Calidissident]

"But let's not overdo this "disavowing another Republican" stuff. Otherwise it will be 2012 all over
again, and Presidential candidates will be asked repeatedly to disavow some dumb state legislator somewhere. And they there will be follow-up stories about whether the disavowal was sincere enough."

I think that happens regardless.

[Calidissident]

He actually doubled down on his idiocy today in an interview with Don Lemon (although this time, he specifically called out illegal immigrants, whereas his initial speech didn't seem to make any such distinction).

[OldMexican]

Re: Calidissident,

(although this time, he specifically called out illegal immigrants, whereas his initial speech didn't seem to make any such distinction).

There is quite a big discussion happening on Facebook about that issue, revolving around the problem of What the fuck did Trump mean by "you people" ?basically that he was really talking about illegal immigrants while others say he made no distinction. I told them many times over that it doesn't matter, the guy pretty much said (taking his words logically) that more than half of all Mexicans (using the immigrant population as a representative sample) are drug smugglers or rapists. Less than half (at most) are "I guess good people."

[Calidissident]

I agree it doesn't really matter. I just noted that he seemed to backtrack a little. Nothing in his original comments indicated that he was only talking about illegals.

[Princess Trigger]

But, you haven't answered the question.
Whose doing the raping?

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

Whose what? One would naturally assume penis, but it might be a dildo. Caitlyn might match both categories, but it's an exception.

[OldMexican]

Whose dog? Whose "The Pocket Rapist by Whammo!"?

Or who is...?

[John]

http://m.washingtonexaminer.co.....le/2567523

So libertarians are going to risk being called intolerant by the gay community and their ever so cool and important gay friends to stand up for the rights of a bunch of uncool people they hate? Conservatives are cute when they are delusional.

[Cytotoxic]

We already take unpopular stances in the name of principal all the time John it's what we do. We leave the hypocrisy to our conservative inferiors.

[PM]

We leave the hypocrisy to our conservative inferiors.

Coming from a guy who wants to nuke the middle east in the name of democracy and free trade...

[Cytotoxic]

Oh look more strawmen. I take these kinds of comments as a sign that I won the debate and all that's left for my vanquished foes is butthurt.

[PM]

You take every comment as a sign that you "won" the debate. It's like high fiving yourself after jacking off.

[Cytotoxic]

Not every comment just these really stupid ones. Make better comments. Don't blame me for how much you suck.

Reason is really slow today and Shockwave Flash keeps crashing. What's going on?

[PM]

Ahh babe, don't ever change.

Flash had a zero day exploit a couple days ago that got rush-patched. Probably broke something. Unless you're playing browser based games or you need it for something at work, just disable it. 99% of the web supports html5 for video now.

[Cytotoxic]

Good. Flash is terrible.

[The Hyperbole]

Eeeewwww!!!

/teenage girl

[John]

you are going to actively support it. But you are not a libertarian

[Cytotoxic]

1) It = ?

2) Yes I am. Objectivism is effectively a subset of libertarianism, ARIan teeth-gnashing aside.

[John]

It is a subset of idiots

[Cytotoxic]

You get really burned up by the knowledge that there are people out there who operate just fine without your need for a 'Divine Creator' to decide what is moral for you. We shall inherit the Earth, not the meek.

[John]

No I laugh at delusional idiots who worship reason and made up ideals and pretend they are real

[Cytotoxic]

JOHN NOT UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS JOHN LAUGH AT YOUR 'REASON'

[John]

So in 2016 when this comes to a head here is how it plays out on Reason,

Scott Shakelford. "Yes freedom of religion is important but these nuns are extremists and have just made the situation worse by their refusal to compromise "

Peter Suderman. "I am synthetic to the family that is facing prison for refusing to rent their home for a gay wedding but what about the gat couple who run the free range organic dairy where Megan and I shop? What about them?"

Chapman. "This is terrible but I have always wanted to vote for a woman for president "

[Cytotoxic]

1) Reason writers are not all of libertarianism.

2) Chapman/Richman (seen here) are not libertarian.

[OldMexican]

Just because Richman is not a perfumed Non-Brutalist does not mean he's not a libertarian.

[Cytotoxic]

1) I don't know what a 'perfumed non-Brutalist' is.

2) Richman is retarded, so Imma not include him in libertarianism.

[SIV]

If Richman is retarded you're anencephalic.

[Cytotoxic]

And yet still smarter and more insightful than you.

[lap83]

"I am synthetic to the family"

delightful

[lap83]

Chapman. "This is terrible but I have always wanted to vote for a woman for president "

This seems very plausible. Chapman is a feeler.

[John]

Nick Gilesspie while standing inappropriately code to several obviously uncomfortable college age women, "the important thing here is to not come across as intolerant to the millennials"

[ant1sthenes]

Everybody fucking hates us already, we've got basically nothing to lose.

[F. Woman Logistics, Jr.]

Another distant Republican presidential hopeful, former New York Gov. George Pataki has sent around a letter asking other Republican candidates to denounce Trump.

SIGNAL YOUR CORRECTNESS

[Cytotoxic]

Well, yes. Signal that you aren't a bunch of racist ignorant twats because 1) it's the right thing to do and 2) there's this 'election' coming up.

[F. Woman Logistics, Jr.]

it's the right thing to do

When a jackass opens his noise-hole and spews predictably stupid crap, the right thing to do is pay it no mind.

there's this 'election' coming up.

Explicit disavowal of buffoonery won't move the needle one bit.

[Calidissident]

When that jackass is a guy you're competing against for the presidency, and is running in second in the polls, then I don't think ignoring it is the correct course of action.

[F. Woman Logistics, Jr.]

He's running second a year away from convention time when the Republican party has like sixty-one candidates. His second-place status is due to name recognition, and it's not going to mean jack or shit when he has to put his foot in his mouth over and over again as he is sure to do.

His statements are beneath response, and responding only gives those statements power and weight. And if you do respond in hopes of gaining something, what do you gain?

[Calidissident]

There's a reason politicians pounce on missteps and scandals by their rivals.

[Calidissident]

Pataki's not exactly getting his name in the headlines through other means, is he?

[Darwin]

So who would win a debate between Ronald Bailey and Ann Coulter on the question of whether illegal immigrants are more or less likely to commit crimes than natives? What evidence would decide it?

[OldMexican]

Re: Darwin,

(although this time, he specifically called out illegal immigrants, whereas his initial speech didn't seem to make any such distinction).

Whoever lifts your wallet first, wins.

[Cytotoxic]

Bailey, because he has evidence and brains. Coulter has neither.

[ant1sthenes]

It depends on who can fluff up their neck ruffs the largest and hiss the loudest.

[ant1sthenes]

No offense to Bailey, though. Somehow I read Ronald as Donald and thought we were talking about a Trump-Coulter debate.

[hurts_donut]

There dago again.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

I should wop you upside the head for that pun.

[hurts_donut]

"One hundred years ago, when Irish immigrants were coming to America, my grandmother among them, they were too often characterized as "drunks."

-Were? They still are but its cool. Now lets raise that Notre Dame flag, toss back a couple Mickey's wide mouths and bare knuckle fight for family honor.

[hurts_donut]

I'm a white mutt but I have red hair so I get the albatross of Irish descent hung around my neck on a regular basis. My wife is of Mexican descent and I was at one of her family's BBQ recently. Her mom, who had a few too many to drink came up to me and asked, "How are the Irish people treated by the other groups that make up the white race." After a long pull off of a glass bottle of Modelo especial and a couple of beats of self reflection I replied "They consider us the Mexicans of the white race."

[Agammamon]

One hundred years ago, when Irish immigrants were coming to America, my grandmother among them, they were too often characterized as "drunks." A few years later it was the Italian immigrants, my grandfather among them. . .

Pataki's paternal grandfather[4] was J?nos (later John) Pataki (1883?1971) of Aranyos-Ap?ti, Austria-Hungary

Wow. Pataki's family bought into the 'melting pot' deal whole-heartedly, didn't they.

[emmajane]

I was brought up to believe that flashing a car that is signaling to pull in front of you was an acknowledgement that you see them, and it's ok for them to move over. I still flash this way. I also know that if you're behind someone going too slowly in the left lane, you can flash to signal them to get in the right lane so you can pass them. My spouse disagrees with either method of communication. Sigh.

[ernieyeball]

Flashing lights mean "GET OUT OF MY WAY! I'M COMING THROUGH!" It's Rand Paul and the Dream Weavers are after him!
http://www.alternet.org/rand-p.....frontation