Campaign watch: Haberman tries to embarrass Trump!

SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2016

Quotes him word for word:
In an obvious attempt to embarrass Candidate Trump, Maggie Haberman has quoted him word for word.

She did so for the New York Times. She quoted part of what the candidate told John Dickerson in an interview which will be broadcast tomorrow on Face the Nation.

Trump was discussing his recent chat with Chris Matthews about abortion law. Believe it or not, these are accurate quotes. Nothing has been left out:
HABERMAN: [Trump's] comments Friday are likely to give fresh ammunition to conservatives who are eager to make abortion illegal, and who have been skeptical of his conversion from an abortion-rights Democrat to an anti-abortion Republican in the last several years.

“A question was asked to me,” Mr. Trump told the CBS host John Dickerson. “And it was asked in a very hypothetical. And it was said, ‘Illegal, illegal.’ ”

He added, “I’ve been told by some people that was an older line answer and that was an answer that was given on a, you know, basis of an older line from years ago on a very conservative basis.”
Those are accurate quotes from Candidate Trump. Except for one tiny error, that's a word-for-word transcription of what he actually said.

To watch the videotape of Trump's exchange, you can just click here. This is a slightly fuller transcription of his colloquy with Dickerson, which started with the CBS star playing an obvious game:
DICKERSON (4/1/16): Let me ask you a question about abortion. What would you do to further restrict women's access to abortions? As president.

TRUMP: Look, look. I know where you're going. And I just want to say—

A question was asked to me. And it was asked in a very hypothetical. And it was said, "Illegal, illegal."

I’ve been told by some people that was a older line answer, and that was an answer that was given on a, you know, basis of an older line from years ago, very—on a very conservative basis.

DICKERSON: Your original answer, you mean.

TRUMP: My original.
Trump could see where Dickerson was going with his slippery question. He could see that the CBS star was playing a slick old game.

Trump answered in his native tongue, a Queens-inflected version of Stengelese. Playing Dickerson's slippery game, Haberman simply wrote down the very words Trump had said.

She transcribed his remarks word for word. She performed no translation service.

Because Haberman played this slippery game, it will seem to New York Times readers that Trump said the following:

It will seem he said that a question was asked to him "in a very hypothetical." It will seem he also said that "it was said, 'illegal, illegal.' "

From there, it will seem that Trump explained what he's been told about his own statement to Matthews. It will seem he said that some people have told him that his unspecified statement "was a older line answer," "an answer that was given on a, you know, basis of an older line from years ago, very—on a very conservative basis."

In search of elementary fairness, let's make a few observations:

Some conservatives favor "English only" for the nation's civic events. Defiantly, Candidate Trump has generally tended to insist on speaking his native language.

Casey Stengel invented the language, developing it from years of watching Abbott and Costello perform the old vaudeville standard, "Who's on First?" Inevitably, Haberman knew what to do when Trump spoke his language this day:

Slickly, the baby-faced Times assassin wrote down the words he had said!

What's in a word: At Face the Nation's official site, Jake Miller reported on the interview.

Here's how Miller reported the session. With genuine sorrow, we'll highlight one puzzling word:
MILLER (4/1/16): Trump sought to clarify his position during an interview on Friday with "Face the Nation" moderator John Dickerson. The interview will air, in part, on Sunday's broadcast.

"A question was asked to me. And it was asked in a very hypothetical. And it was said, 'Illegal, illegal,'" Trump explained. "I've been told by some people that was an older line answer and that was an answer that was given on a, you know, basis of an older line from years ago on a very conservative basis."
Trump "explained?" Out of all the gin joints in the world, why would a journalist decide to walk into that one?

Trump has spoken his own native language at many points in the past nine months. Journalists generally react this way, by pretending they haven't noticed the world-class incoherence.

46 comments:

  1. Trump is the benighted baron of balderdash. Now on to new business. FNC's Bret Baier is the only moderator of a debate or town hall to ask the Dem candidates their position on abortion. Why are liberals afraid to ask Dems questions on this issue?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mjU_RTuRHE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because the Democratic position on the issue of mass killing of this particular class of very young human beings is amoral, and their top concern is that it can be committed without the social shame that normally accompanies killing another human being who has done nothing to deserve it.

      Delete
    2. And because every sperm is sacred!

      Delete
    3. More of that progressive love of "teh science" I see. Sperm aren't important but human individuals are. Every fetus is a human individual. Progressives believe it is moral to kill some classes of human beings depending on their age and location.

      Delete
    4. Obviously this is true because some human beings have DNR instructions that dictate they be allowed to die at the end of their lifespans. The horror! Who believes it is moral to keep someone alive using medical devices without any consideration of quality of life or even consciousness, much less the wishes of the person involved. But once you open that door, then morality becomes a lot less black and white and progressives are permitted to debate specific moral issues. Terry Schaivo died for our sins but who wants to live in the kind of world conservatives want to create? Not me! Even mother of a Zika baby with microcephaly needs to be forced to full term and enslaved by the needs of someone who will never live a fully conscious life under the meaning of the words "human" and "being" but black and white thinking permits no exceptions, no contraception, no escape from the dictates of a vengeful God, even when many of us do not believe in that deity. Huzzah!

      Delete
    5. @7:59
      Jeb Bush, the governor who inserted himself into the Schiavo (not Schaivo) case, bombed out early in the GOP primary. It would appear keeping people alive against their wishes was not of any interest for conservatives.

      Ever hear of a living will? No need to be kept alive by machines if you chose not to.

      Do you have any answer as to why liberals are afraid to ask Dems about their abortion philosophy?

      Delete
    6. Letting people die by removing a respirator or feeding tube is late-stage abortion of their lives as surely as using a medical procedure to end life before birth is. Conservatives who are consistent in their beliefs at least acknowledge this, but there is no picketing or harassment of people who are quietly dying, assisted by their family and physicians. Just harassment of women.

      And conservatives cannot answer the many ethical issues involved in immediate abandonment of mother and child right after birth (or even prior to it, if you count the defunding of WIC). That utter lack of concern for people turns the abortion discussion into an empty God issue in which conservatives wish to impose their views on everyone else. Choice is about freedom of religion and the right to live one's life according one's own principles.

      Dems don't hold one unified abortion philosophy. Catholic Dems (and there are a great many of them) hold different views on abortion than secular Dems, like Bernie, for example. The need to respect the views of diverse people is the main premise of Democrats -- not so much for Republicans.

      Thank you for correcting my spelling. Even a dead person deserves to have her name spelled correctly.

      Delete
    7. @2:12

      "The need to respect the views of diverse people is the main premise of Democrats -- not so much for Republicans." 2:12

      What parallel universe are you living in? It is singularly the liberals on college campuses who require safe zones away from speech that doesn't parrot their liberal ideology. Not to mention it is liberals who pressure college presidents to un-invite conservative guest speakers.

      The baby has no say in whether it is aborted or lives. People who have a living will are the ones who decide what happens to them in a situation that requires machines to extend their lives. That liberals refuse to even refer to a fetus as a baby even seconds before it is delivered is rather telling.

      Bernie's view on abortion, which wouldn't be known had Brett Baier not asked him, is the same as HRC's. Where are these diverse views you claim exists are held by Democratic Party politicians?

      Delete
    8. You are changing the subject. How specifically do Republicans include the views of people who disagree with the party plank on abortion? Democrats focus on the right of the individual to make a choice. Republicans tell people what to do, as if they all had the same conscience, philosophy, and morality, and as if all pregnancies involved the same circumstances.

      The diverse views in the Democratic party are not inherent in the candidates but in the right to choose -- which both Hillary and Bernie support. Choosing means the person affected makes the decision, not the party and not the government.

      Neither Bernie nor Hillary is having an abortion. But the many women who may consider one each have their own views and that is where the diversity exists. The Democrats allow women the freedom to make a personal decision themselves.

      Delete
    9. In an obvious attempt to embarrass him/herself, Anonymous @4:48 has decided to engage cicero in dialogue.

      Delete
    10. @4:48

      "How specifically do Republicans include the views of people who disagree with the party plank on abortion?" 4:48

      You dodged the truth about liberal intolerance of anyone who doesn't share their ideology. Ok. Now pretend the GOP is devoid of pro choice supporters.

      Among Republicans, support for legal abortion rose from 35 to 40 percent in 2015. 6 in 10 moderate and liberal Republicans support the right to choose.

      The RMC (Republican Majority for Choice) states:

      •Choice is not a political issue and the government should not be in the business of legislating private behavior or personal medical decisions."

      Some notable Pro Choice Republicans:
      Sen. Olympia Snowe’s (R-Maine)
      Former RNC Chair Michael Steele
      Gov. Charlie Baker
      GOP 2016 POTUS Candidate & former Gov. George Pataki
      Gov. Brian Sandoval
      Gov. Bruce Rauner

      Democrats views on the 2nd Amendment are not so supportive of the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms.

      Delete
    11. Democrats, both officials and "rank and file", are all over the lot on the gun issue.

      Delete
    12. "Some notable Pro Russian Trolls:
      cicero
      cicero
      cicero
      cicero
      cicero
      cicero
      cicero

      Non-trolls are not so supportive of trolling for kopeks and a daily bowl of St. Petersburg gruel."

      FTFY - NFO

      Delete
    13. No. 2 "Best of Bob" ReaderApril 4, 2016 at 10:00 AM

      Can anyone be dumber than a liberal? Yes. Someone who feels it necessary to trail cicero calling him a troll. They could be dumber than a liberal.

      Delete
    14. @ 6:43 & 10:00 = an even drearier somebody.

      Delete
    15. Chin up @1:00. You could have decided to take on the even more intellectually stimulating Spellcaster Spammers. They rule to roost here in Howler Commentland.

      Delete
    16. Because the abortion argument is not about babies, but about making sure women are equal, just not as equal as those who get to choose.

      Delete
  2. A clever post. Almost possum whitted in its insight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is less wrong with this post than any post I have ever managed to read on the topic.

      Delete
    2. @1:21
      Not sure what your favorite meal has to do with why liberals consider abortion questions of Democratic Party candidates a taboo subject.

      Delete
    3. I am not sure you had the intelligence for potty training but I am sure your caretakers gave it their best shot and you appreciated all the extra attention.

      Delete
  3. Sadly, Trump's dumb statement about punishing women who get abortions helped him again get free TV coverage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sadly, David in Cal's dumb comment about Trump helped him again get free coverage in an internet comment box.

      Delete
    2. If abortion is a crime, and one person pays another to commit it, they are both criminals.

      Delete
    3. People have no stomach for prosecuting women for abortion because they recognize the concept of self defense in the situation, especially when rape, incest or the health of the mother is involved. If our society supported mothers instead of punishing them with pregnancy, fewer women would seek abortions because becoming pregnant wouldn't involve destruction of their lives, as it now does in many cases.

      Delete
  4. The dour faced whiner can't try hard enough to not emarrass himself.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My life became devastated when my husband sent me packing, after 8 years that we have been together. I was lost and helpless after trying so many ways to make my husband take me back. One day at work, i was absent minded not knowing that my boss was calling me, so he sat and asked me what its was all about i told him and he smiled and said that it was not a problem. I never understand what he meant by it wasn't a problem getting my husband back, he said he used a spell to get his wife back when she left him for another man and now they are together till date and at first i was shocked hearing such thing from my boss. He gave me an email address of the great spell caster who helped him get his wife back, i never believed this would work but i had no choice that to get in contact with the spell caster which i did, and he requested for my information and that of my husband to enable him cast the spell and i sent him the details, but after two days, my mom called me that my husband came pleading that he wants me back, i never believed it because it was just like a dream and i had to rush down to my mothers place and to my greatest surprise, my husband was kneeling before me pleading for forgiveness that he wants me and the kid back home, then i gave Happy a call regarding sudden change of my husband and he made it clear to me that my husband will love me till the end of the world, that he will never leave my sight. Now me and my husband is back together again and has started doing pleasant things he hasn't done before, he makes me happy and do what he is suppose to do as a man without nagging. Please if you need help of any kind, kindly contact Happy for help and you can reach him via email: happylovespell2@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Many observers agree Maureen Dowd did a much better job interviewing the Donald yesterday than Bob Woodward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But John Dickerson can't read.

      Delete
    2. Yeah? Well his mom was better looking than most.

      Delete
  7. http://www.politicususa.com/2016/02/01/bernie-sanders-super-pac-money-democratic-rivals.html

    Bernie keeps attacking Clinton for her funding while himself benefitting from SuperPAC money (and claiming he has not).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bernie should make public a transcript of every speech to, and conversation he has had with, nurses!

      Delete
    2. If you're bought and paid for you are corrupt, whether it is to nurses or oil execs. You seem to think no one can pander to a union. Clinton is either honest or she isn't -- regardless of who her contributors are (nurses or workers in the oil industry). There is NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER that she has been influenced inappropriately by any of the various contributors to her campaign. That is the dishonesty of Sanders -- he smears her with innuendo and has no evidence of any wrongdoing on her part. Her big donors also include people in service occupations, notably teachers. Does that make her purer than she would be if her donors were cab drivers? This is a silly game Sanders is playing -- a hypocritical and dishonest one.

      Delete
    3. "You seem to think no one can pander to a union."

      You comment on a blog which does not know the differenece between the words "seem" and "is."

      Your comment indicates you accuse without ANY EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER.

      I support Clinton. You are one of those Clinton supporters our blogger guessed were
      Clinton's biggest problem.

      Delete
    4. @ 5:oo, our fellow Clinton supporter seems upset you identified the source of the PAC money going to Bernie. @ 2:26 elected, for some reason, to leave that out.

      BTW, I like Anonymous comments. But Anonymous comments using articles written by
      obscure pseudonymed writers is a little on the weak side to be then demanding EVIDENCE with a capital E.

      Delete
    5. My interests fall more in line with those of nurses, less so with the banksters.

      Delete
    6. But what about cab drivers?

      Delete
    7. "There is NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER that she has been influenced inappropriately by any of the various contributors to her campaign."

      Exactly, no one knows for sure. Maybe she carries water for Wall Street and bankers because she thinks they deserve it.

      Delete
    8. But, remember, the GOP is worse!
      So if HRC gets the nomination, she better get to work carrying water for me if she wants my vote.

      Delete
  8. Life they say is not a bed full of roses. Have been heart broken for the past 2 years after 5 years of marriage. I can't emphasize about how it happened because it's a long story. My husband divorced me and went after his EX girlfriend leaving me hopeless. I really appreciate the help of GOOGLE why? because i found a helper on GOOGLE who GOD has sent to help the needing named Doctor Osemu Okpamen who helped me to restore my marriage with his white magic all within 12 to 16 hours after i got in touch with him via his E-mail: ( doctorokpamenspelltemple@hotmail.com ). Now i can boldly say that my husband is back and we are living happily like never before and i will forever be indebted to Osemu Okpamen for his miracle. Contact him now if you need any help like getting back you LOVE ones back, cures of DISEASES, E.T.C. Website: http://doctorokpamenpowerfulspelltemple.webs.com and what's app on +2348135254384. Wagner Jessi , UK, Hampshire.

    ReplyDelete
  9. My life became devastated when my husband sent me packing, after 8 years that we have been together. I was lost and helpless after trying so many ways to make my husband take me back. One day at work, i was absent minded not knowing that my boss was calling me, so he sat and asked me what its was all about i told him and he smiled and said that it was not a problem. I never understand what he meant by it wasn't a problem getting my husband back, he said he used a spell to get his wife back when she left him for another man and now they are together till date and at first i was shocked hearing such thing from my boss. He gave me an email address of the great spell caster who helped him get his wife back, i never believed this would work but i had no choice that to get in contact with the spell caster which i did, and he requested for my information and that of my husband to enable him cast the spell and i sent him the details, but after two days, my mom called me that my husband came pleading that he wants me back, i never believed it because it was just like a dream and i had to rush down to my mothers place and to my greatest surprise, my husband was kneeling before me pleading for forgiveness that he wants me and the kid back home, then i gave Happy a call regarding sudden change of my husband and he made it clear to me that my husband will love me till the end of the world, that he will never leave my sight. Now me and my husband is back together again and has started doing pleasant things he hasn't done before, he makes me happy and do what he is suppose to do as a man without nagging. Please if you need help of any kind, kindly contact Happy for help and you can reach him via email: happylovespell2@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have to thank the one man that was able to restore my broken relationship, I have always taught that white are more superior to black in all aspect of life, But this powerful spell caster called Dr.Abazara proved to me that intends of spell casting that Africans are the best. That is the reason why i will be recommending the services of Dr.Agbazara to all those that have been heart broken because just through these details: agbazara@gmail.com Or call +2348104102662 i was able to contact Dr.Agbazara and today i am happy

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks to Dr.AGBAZARA for hearing and responding to my work for my marriage to be restored and perfected by His great power. I await His perfect timing to reveal His great works. I have been told to Expect my Joy` and I do! today my Husband came back to me with the power of Dr.AGBAZARA SPELL TEMPLE. Here is he`s email address if you are having problems in your relationship or marriage: agbazara@gmail.com OR call 2348104102662

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was not happy until i met Dr.Agbazara through these details +2348104102662 OR agbazara@gmail.com because my husband has left me and never had the intention of coming back home. But just within 48 hours that i contacted Dr. Agbazara my marriage changed to the positive side, At first my husband came back home and since then my marriage has been more peaceful and romantic than ever before

    ReplyDelete
  13. So there are bad arguments for sound propositions. That's nice to know.
    gclub
    gclub casino online
    จีคลับ

    ReplyDelete