September 18, 2016

The elite freakout.

On "Meet the Press" today:
CHUCK TODD: ... New York Times, I think it was Saturday, Maureen had a lead that said, basically interviewing all these Upper West Siders panicking now. And in fact I think referred to it as 'The polls are showing a "margin of panic" for Clinton supporters.' Describe this east coast freakout that I feel like you've seen among the elites this week.

MAUREEN DOWD: Right. Well, my friends, one of my friends, Leon Wieseltier, calls it a national emergency. And my friends won't even read — if I do interviews with Donald Trump — they won't read them. And basically they would like to censor any stories about Trump and also censor any negative stories about Hillary. They think she should have a total free pass. Because as she said at that fundraiser recently, 'I'm the only thing standing between you and the abyss.' Oh, and they're taking — Democratic strategists are taking antacids. In the Times today.

CHUCK TODD: Well there you go.
I think the NYT article under discussion is this, from Friday: "Hillary Clinton’s Backers Thought She Couldn’t Lose. Now, ‘I Can’t Go There.’" It begins:
Beside the olive display at Zabar’s, that iconic hub of lox and neurosis on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Linda Donohue was trying to talk herself down.  Surely the polls she tracked anxiously were not to be trusted, she said. Surely Donald J. Trump, the man with the garish golden tower across town, would not be allowed to reach the White House....
If you keep going far enough, you'll get to a quote from Larry David: "The possibility of [Trump becoming President] is too horrifying to broach... It’s like contemplating your own death.” But doesn't he contemplate his own death? He says (it's the quote in the headline): "I can't go there."

Today, there's another NYT article about how New Yorkers are feeling. It's not about Trump. It's: "After Blast, New Yorkers Are Feeling Around for Psychological Shrapnel."

64 comments:

PB said...

It's about time some of these liberals who believe they are so special get smacked with reality.

Sprezzatura said...

Did folks see Dowd plugging her book on Rose?

She super old for my style, but there is something about her. It's borderline old gal dressing too hot. Her girls were cleaving. OTOH, she doesn't seem too phony. She was super quick to do the "me to" thing by agreeing w/ Rose, so that's a bit red flag-ish.

I still wouldn't do her. But, when I'm really old I think she's the sort I'll be into. Maybe.

Chuck said...

As soon as I saw that Maureen Dowd segment, I knew you'd blog it. I kept thinking that she intended it, as a self-parody of the Upper West Side liberal salons that make up Maureen Dowd's "friends."

I sort of think that she was trying in some odd way to spoof them. But it was too weird.

Does everybody eventually become weird if they live in Manhattan long enough?

Ken B said...

I am not sure I want President Trump. But I think I want President-Elect Trump. President Trump may be a price worth paying for a Trump victory. It's not as high a price as it sounds, as it's only the difference between President Trump and President Hillary.

Wince said...

Thus explaining Hillary's koi pond depth of support.

But even some zealous Clinton defenders have grown frustrated with their candidate, marveling at the prospect of her snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, for which some say they would never forgive her. The campaign’s decision last week not to acknowledge Mrs. Clinton’s pneumonia until two days after a diagnosis, once video surfaced of her stumbling out of a Sept. 11 memorial service on Sunday, has especially rankled.

Chuck said...

Professor, did you note the lead for this week's MTP? From your transcript:

Meet the Press - September 18, 2016
(BEGIN TAPE)
CHUCK TODD:

This Sunday an explosion in New York City injuries dozens. Another device is found blocks away.

MALE BYSTANDER:

It sounded like a million pianos just dropped or there was just like a big thunderstorm.

CHUCK TODD:

We'll have the very latest. Plus Donald Trump ends one false claim.

DONALD TRUMP:

President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period.

CHUCK TODD:

And embraces new ones.

DONALD TRUMP:

Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the Birther controversy. I finished it.

CHUCK TODD:

Did he end it? Or did he just revive an issue that's bound to hurt him? I'll talk to Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine and Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. And "margin of panic." With the polls tightening, that's one way to describe what Hillary Clinton's supporters are feeling. What's behind Clinton's sinking numbers? Joining me for insight and analysis are Republican political strategist Alex Castellanos, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher and NBC News correspondent Katy Tur. Welcome to Sunday, it's Meet the Press.


"...Donald Trump ends one false claim... and embraces new ones..."

David said...

To the barricades . . .

If they believe their own words, that's what they should do.

But they don't roll that way. Is there a way to outsource revolution to the common folk?

Why, yes there is, but that's the source of their problem.

Darrell said...

Democrats were taken aback by Hillary's lying because she only has a complete life history of lying.

David said...

PBandJ_LeDouanier said...

I still wouldn't do her


Nor she you. With 100% certainty.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

With liberals and the media (forgive the redundancy) are already dialing it up to eleven, I look forward to the next two months with trepidation. How much FREAKIER can their freak out get? Sure I'm enjoying the slo-mo train wreck of Secretary Clinton, but Obama seems to be getting all wee-weed up shaming black folk to get in line and vote for the corpse in order to save his legacy, Kaine is getting almost as bug-eyed as the robot that portrays his running mate in East Coast appearances, and old dirty dollar Bill can't remember if he's supposed to squeak out "frequently," "rarely" or "every day" when asked about her influmonia on the fly.

I suppose if it leads to mass hari kari among the hoi polloi it would be worth it, but the process appears to be damaging the reputations of so many of our institutions along the way. We live in interesting times.

Darrell said...

Chuck--get professional help. Don't work out your psych issues here.

Darrell said...

Obama--You can't elect Trump because he will undo all our good work.

People: Well, DUH! That's why we elected him.

mockturtle said...

'Deplorables lead the US into the Abyss'. Great headline for November 9.

David said...

Gotta check the Zabar's photo at the NYT article.

What do people like this do when their reality fails to dominate?

It will be quite a test if it happens.

Ann Althouse said...

"Professor, did you note the lead for this week's MTP? From your transcript..."

Yeah. I watched 4 of the shows. There was SO much stuff like that.

traditionalguy said...

Do NYC folks seem to have a deep faith that Hillary's next years 500,000 Muslim 18 to 24 year old men calling themselves Soldiers of Allah...I mean refugees in need... will renounce Mohammed and become Christian Humanists that vote for Democrats.

Or they are awakening from their trance and listening to the Deplorable Trump in secret. Stay tuned.

rehajm said...

Obama seems to be getting all wee-weed up shaming black folk to get in line and vote for the corpse in order to save his legacy

That would be the first time an Obama endorsement worked for somebody.

Tommy Duncan said...

About a month ago the progressive DNC/Media/Hillary cabal sensed Trump was at a weak point and susceptible. The sharks smelled blood in the water. They threw everything they had at him for a week... Trump withstood the attack and rose slightly in the polls. He has been trending up since then.

The cabal is right to be concerned. Hillary has now compounded their concerns by making a major unforced error (deplorables) and publicly exposing her deceit (9/11 collapse). The public dislikes her and she is a weak campaigner. Her negatives make it hard to regain lost ground.

Meanwhile, Trump has a growing group of deplorables who would crawl across broken glass to vote for him. He's slowly winning back the #NeverTrump Republicans and is showing new found discipline on the stump.

If Hillary musters whatever strength she has and trys to win back the momentum she will look desperate. She needs a debate miracle. Maybe two.

Automatic_Wing said...

Lox and neurosis, LOL. I thought that kind of ethnic stereotyping was forbidden now.

Tari said...

That NYT "freaking out at the olive bar" story was one of the best things I read last week. If you wrote that for The Onion, they wouldn't publish it because it was too much parody. Don't the Right and Left Coast people know how the rest of the country laughs at them, or are they really that oblivious?

holdfast said...

I don't really want Trump to become President, but I am enjoying the Left/MSM collective freakout.

Sebastian said...

The elite freakout is one reason I will happily vote against HRC.

MayBee said...

Look at Brian Stelter's timeline. He's the media critic for CNN. You will see he is convincing himself it is the media's responsibility to stop Trump.
He wants the whole press to go full Colbert. I wonder if any of these guys sense their own pattern.

https://twitter.com/brianstelter

John henry said...

I loved the article!

the sound of these folks freaking out is music to my ears.

I especially liked the guy in Washington square park with not a "dog" but a "frisson-bich-poodle" (or some such) the reporter thought the dog looked "fretful" (how could she tell?) and asked why. "the dog is a Democrat." The guy replied.

And the lady who kept her Irish citizenship for just such an event if Trump wins? Fuck you, lady. Get out of our country. If you are not willing to be an American all the way, I certainly don't want to share my country with you. Go to Ireland and be Irish or stay here and be American. Pick one.

Thanks for posting, Ann. It made my day.

John Henry

YoungHegelian said...

And basically they would like to censor any stories about Trump and also censor any negative stories about Hillary. They think she should have a total free pass. Because as she said at that fundraiser recently, 'I'm the only thing standing between you and the abyss.'

Hoo-boy, and they think Trump & the Trumpies have "Hitlerite" tendencies....

Anonymous said...

On Nov. 8 (Tues), 7 PM Eastern.

Scenario 1:

Chuck Todd: The reasons Trump lost are just too many. No one in GOP leadership loved or even liked him. He Blew the debates. Clinton ground game and the support from elites helped her.

Scenario 2:

Chuck Todd: Clinton knew in Sept that Trump was gaining. They did nothing. Her emails and health secrecy let the entire country down. Now, Trump is the president. How many years will he serve? Full term or will he quit after a year when he can't make deals with Reid or Pelosi or Ryan.

Anonymous said...

Prof:
Modo Friend, Leon Wieseltier, was fired or quit from the New Republic when Chris Murphy (Facebook founder) bought it. Chris lost interest in TNR when his partner failed to win the House seat in NY even with support from Clintons.

Clintons are Royalty. Their employees are dependent on them for money, job, status, etc.

YoungHegelian said...

What amazes me about this whole "liberal freak-out" business is "What were you thinking when you though Hillary was inevitable?"

Remember how inevitable she was in 2008? How'd that turn out?

The Hillary supporters must have thought everything that the right-wing has been saying since 1992 was naught but "a vast right-wing conspiracy", in spite of the fact that Hillary got caught in lie after lie, & shady deal after shady deal. The left-wingers can't stand her either, as evidenced by Bernie's completely out of nowhere strong showing. I guess the lefties are part of the vast right-wing conspiracy, too.

It's was clear from 1994 what Hillary's problems were. They've only added up since then.

These guys deserve whatever happens to them.

policraticus said...

I've been "never Trump" from the beginning. I still don't think I could vote for him. But, the more the media and the press and the Democratic party flacks demonize him, the more I think, "I just might vote for him." Why, Chuck Todd, Maureen Dowd et alia? Because, "Fuck you!" That's why.

I'm not a moron. Stop treating me like a moron.

Christopher said...

I hate Trump and until recently I've never even contemplated voting for him.

However, the possibility of pissing off all of the sanctimonious and corrupt sack of shit media types is giving me serious pause as of late.

Michael K said...

I watched it. MTP is now the best show on Sunday. Fox is drifting since Ailes lost the Murdoch heirs who have all those lefty friends.

Maureen is looking old but she is still very sharp. She knows her city and her neighbors.

The Hispanic antipathy to Trump maybe more spin than reality.

If he gets 20% of the black vote, it's over.

Plus, I think Hillary has advanced Parkinson's and just might freeze during the debate. She looked awful at that airplane presser.

mockturtle said...

Maureen Dowd is 'old'? Charlie Rose is ten years older than she and looks every bit of it. Funny how males get a pass on aging...

Gospace said...

Tommy Duncan said...

Meanwhile, Trump has a growing group of deplorables who would crawl across broken glass to vote for him.


I'm not going to crawl across broken glass to vote for Trump. I'm willing to crawl across broken glass to vote against Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife, corrupt alcoholic enabler of her sexual predator husband. Voting against her is voting for Trump, but the motivation for the vote is different.

rcocean said...

Since I wasn't paying attention, what was the media elite like in 2000? Were they 'Freaking out' over Bush II, or did they think he was one of them, and didn't care?

tcrosse said...

'World Ends. Women and Minorities Hardest Hit' -NYT

n.n said...

The leftist elites are concerned that Trump will abort their progressive wars, shutdown anti-native policies, discontinue class diversity schemes, overcome trickle-up poverty, effect emigration reform, equalize congruence or selective exclusion ("="), defeat the environmental prophets and other scientific mystics, end the baby trials (i.e. abortion rites), and force a separation of the Pro-Choice Church and State. The era of a liberal orthodoxy may be sequestered to be recycled with a future generation.

Sprezzatura said...

"Funny how males get a pass on aging..."

I can't speak for the gal POV, but I don't think anybody is into Rose. I'm not sure he's getting a pass from anybody.

I'm actually complimenting Dowd, who is quite senior to my demo.


Lucien said...

Funny how nobody ever says they're moving to Mexico if a Republican is elected, even though it has better weather than Canada.

Any liberal thinking of moving to Ireland should check out the abortion and divorce laws there, and probably the blasphemy statutes, too.

Gusty Winds said...

Wow. Dowd basically admits her hoity toity friends are all fascists and censors.

Cool beans. Makes the upcoming Trump win even better.

The media / Clinton coordination will become more obvious each week.

If they're scared now, they should imagine a President Trump with a completely discredited media.

Roy Lofquist said...

I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

mockturtle said...

I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

It smells like.....victory!

William said...

Straight white males can't get their minds around the fact that they're now a marginal group than can be safely ignored by the Democrats......I think that no matter how much Hillary screws up, the demographics are such that she will still win. On the other hand, I don't think Hillary will get the privileged treatment Obama has received. The press is not enamored of her. They're making an effort to be gentle and reticent right now but should she be elected the long knives will come out. She'll have a rough presidency. The press will report on her failures.

mockturtle said...

William, don't assume all women are voting for Hillary. Nor all minorities.

Bruce Hayden said...

@Dr K - Thanks for writing that article, and the link to the video. I watched it the other day, but will let my partner watch it herself, since she listens these days better than she reads. Also, I commend an article linked in his article from the Michael J Fox Foundation about Parkinson's. Though I do wonder if you really meant "seriousof motor disabilities" instead of maybe "series of motor disabilities" (at the link).

eric said...

Is it weird that some of the unknowns have vanished?

I wonder if that's a sign of what's coming.

eric said...

You'll know when the media is going into serious panic mode. It'll be easy.

Stories of Trump being a rapist and a racist will start flooding all the pages of the Times, the Post, and the airwaves. Unnamed sources will pour forth. Court records will be unsealed. Every trick in the book will be bought and paid for by the Hillary campaign.

It's coming folks. Brace yourselves.

mockturtle said...

Is it weird that some of the unknowns have vanished?

I noticed that, too, but was afraid I might invoke them if I mentioned it.

YoungHegelian said...

@mockturtle,

s it weird that some of the unknowns have vanished?

I noticed that, too, but was afraid I might invoke them if I mentioned it.


I guess a bunch of irredeemable deplorables like we here chez Althouse just had a real bad R.O.I.

vza said...

Remarkable how little faith these people have in our system of government and our country. Can't say I will be thrilled when either one wins, but I know we will weather it. We've dealt with worse and made it through. Good, principled people will step forward, if we get into perilous times, just as they have in the past. And sometimes, those deemed unworthy of the presidency, surprise us and rise to the occasion.

richardsson said...

The way the media talks about demography is about as scientific as astrology. In the early 1950's, the "scientific consensus" was that after the huge numbers of babies born in 1945-47, and the slackening in 1948-49, the birth rate would shrink back to 1930's levels. Instead, it exploded and set records all the way to 1958 and did not significantly begin to decline until 1964. Scientists predicting the future are no different than Preachers or Pastors describing heaven and hell. They have beliefs but they haven't been there yet. As for consensus, you can get a herd of horses to surround you at one end of the corral if you bring a big bag of lump sugar with you. They will all agree you're a pretty good guy.

"Straight white males can't get their minds around the fact they're now a marginal group than (that) can be safely ignored by the Democrats."

Trump certainly hopes the Democrats and their media minions keep thinking that way. The damage will be hard to undo if they turn out to be wrong. Like the Demographers.

M Jordan said...

Suddenly it seems Mr. Trump is going to win. This is remarkable and a great sign of hope for our country. I've gone from Against Trump to I'll Support Him If He Wins the Nomination to Trump's my Man to Trump's the Man. I like him, warts and all. He's a true American original.

So, wow, it's actually looking like Trump might just do it. I'll enjoy that as much as watching Hillary and her cabal of lefties raise the sea level an inch or so with their tears.

Annie said...

Don't get too excited M Jordan. You forget about the no paper trail, easy to hack voting machines, the democrat cheat machine, and the legions of dead who crawl out of their graves to vote democrat regardless their party affiliation while alive. And 'motor voter' in those states that give illegals drivers licenses.

Gospace said...

So, more bombs in NJ. Each incident adds more votes to Trumps column.

Luke Lea said...

Ken B above:

"I am not sure I want President Trump. But I think I want President-Elect Trump. President Trump may be a price worth paying for a Trump victory. It's not as high a price as it sounds, as it's only the difference between President Trump and President Hillary."

That's very funny. Pass it around.

tim maguire said...

They have to put it in dire terms to justify all the things they're willing to do to win.

Rick said...

On MTP this morning (which I presume was a repeat) Chuck repeated the Clinton talking point of Trump mentioning a bomb, then Clinton saying responsible people wouldn't do that omitting that she referred to the event as a bombing.

In the clip Clinton looks like she is struggling to focus. It looks to me that she wants to slow down the process not to wait for information but because she can't process the information we have.

Rusty said...

Good, principled people will step forward, if we get into perilous times, just as they have in the past.

We're in perilous times and the principled people are enriching themselves.

damikesc said...

Maureen Dowd is 'old'? Charlie Rose is ten years older than she and looks every bit of it. Funny how males get a pass on aging...

Charlie Rose has looked old for a long time. Not Larry King old, but old.

J. Farmer said...

I guess "hub of lox and neurosis" sounds better than "Jews."

gerry said...

Does everybody eventually become weird if they live in Manhattan long enough?

Woody Allen. Yes, apparently.

Chuck said...

Michael K; to which medical societies and boards do you belong?

I am curious, because I am guessing that all of them have formal or informal ethical prohibitions against their members making diagnoses of public figures without any basis in the form of examination(s) and testing.

damikesc said...

I am curious, because I am guessing that all of them have formal or informal ethical prohibitions against their members making diagnoses of public figures without any basis in the form of examination(s) and testing.

Never stopped docs from doing those diagnoses to McCain. But, yeah, let's try that line of attack here. Makes sense.

...you don't support Hillary, right?

Sam L. said...

Poor, poor, pitiful them.

Bad Lieutenant said...

"prohibitions against their members making diagnoses of public figures"

You mean like the CIA doctors trying to figure out from grainy photos what was wrong with Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko et al? Yeah, they sucked. Fuck that fucking Reagan and his ethics violations, huh?

Dr K is a known entity, unlike you. Why don't you look him up and rat him out to whoever cares?

Then come to New York to celebrate.