September 17, 2015

If you had to remember one thing from the debate last night, what would it be?

I ask out loud. Meade answers: "He's an okay doctor." That was Ben Carson, repurposing something Trump had recently said about him and using it about Trump.

And then: "Trump was so handsy with everyone." Yeah, Trump kept reaching out and touching Ben Carson — who reconfigured a Trump attempt at a high 5 into something approaching a normal handshake. At a later point, Trump got the man on his other side — Jeb Bush — to give him an enthusiastic handslap.

Me, if I had to remember one thing, it would be how everyone was sweating profusely at the beginning. Everyone except Carly Fiorina, and I attributed her lack of sweat to the heavier layer of makeup that, as a woman, she was able to slather on to shield her from our nosy HDTV-enabled eyes.

ADDED: Typo corrected: I had written "a high 4." I've always been bad at touch-typing numbers. Or maybe it had to do with just having watched those clips of Jimmy Fallon interviewing Hillary Clinton on his show last night. Jimmy has that trademark white bandage taking one of his fingers out of the running, out of the fingering. Here's the part where she invites Jimmy to grab her hair (to prove that it, unlike Trump's is real):



She also does a Trump impersonation. Earlier on the show, as you've perhaps already seen, Fallon does his amusing Trump impersonation, in a sketch with "Trump" talking to Hillary on the phone:



They both did a pretty good job with that, and you've got to give the Hillary people some credit for coming up with a sure-fire way for her to drag media attention away from the big GOP debate.

60 comments:

Brando said...

Why would Hillary want to draw attention away from the GOP debate? Watching the Republicans tear each other down (you really don't see Democrats do that to one another as much) is probably a welcome relief from her, as otherwise all we'd hear about is whether she broke the law and why she is unable to connect with voters.

The GOP is the only thing that can save her.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Clinton Foundation Donors Got Weapons Deals From Hillary Clinton’s State Department

Hilarious.

David Begley said...

How Carly totally dominated the field.

MayBee said...

Hillary is so incredibly wooden.

Bob Ellison said...

My strongest memory is Carly Fiorina's line: "I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said." Dry as a bone, and with CNN's split-screen view of Fiorina and Trump, it played well. That was a line that the audience had to think about for a second or two, and that's why it got a big swell of cheers.

Ann Althouse said...

"Hillary is so incredibly wooden."

That's the standard thing to say about her, but I don't think it applies to her appearance last night. She was quite good at seeming relatively natural and fun-loving, which was she's trying very hard to do. She's having some success at it.

David Begley said...

Hillary can't read cue cards as well as Barack.

Bay Area Guy said...

That, despite Hillary's momentary e-mail struggles, she remains formidable, because the GOP field is so fragmented.

MayBee said...

I saw her in the Trump sketch, and she's wooden.

tim in vermont said...

Its the dense pack theory. Hillary does it with scandals, she has so many that nobody can focus on one, and the R's have so many potential final candidates that the press and the Democrats can't focus on just one.

I would think that the big new from yesterday was Hillary saying her husband was guilty of rape, based on her saying a "rape victim has a right to be believed." That is quite a turnaround from her old days as a "bimbo basher." But that's not a story, right?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

A totally corrupt pol remains formidable because she did well on a late night comedy show. Only in America. She should be indicted. but look! she's wears pink and laughs. she's warm and likable now. Please ignore the Clinton Foundation and the classified e-mails on a private server. Anyone else would be in big trouble. Not the big cooperate media darling. She owes a lot of big money favors to some big corporations and media elites - a lot of favors.

Bob Ellison said...

By the way, how does Hillary manage to display her entire upper mandible every time she opens her mouth? She looks like a mutant. I'm not sure we need a mutant President.

Bay Area Guy said...

In the the 3 hours (!) of debate, I don't think there was more than 5 minutes of attacks on Hillary. Missed opportunity, big time.

chickelit said...

A chirbitized dialog between Trump as Trump and Hillary as Nixon could be quite entertaining. Stay tuned.

What would Nixon think of Trump? What would Nixon think of Hillary?

pm317 said...

@Bob Ellison, I didn't like the expression on Carly's face in that split screen. Pained expression, victim,... After saying what she did, she could have just laughed it off, saying it is par for the course coming from the Donald, or something.

She is perhaps the most articulate and She is the good little studious girl who has done her homework, she has her stats, she has her facts. she has her poetry.. this is what the woman has to do to compete with the bumbling Bushes, trumpeting Trumps, mumbling Carsons, and all those others, fat, old, bald, scary,..

Incidentally, she is being dinged for not smiling more. {reminds me how a guy on my tenure committee told me to smile more and that I had a nice smile -- a serious researcher but I had to go around smiling more at these fxxking men}.

pm317 said...

I thought Hillary was trying too hard in the first video -- I didn't like it.

MayBee said...

Plus it's painful in the Trump skit, because they've obviously told her to look happy. So she sits there and kind of laughs the whole time, even when nothing is funny.

But the Dairy Queen swirl delivery is vintage wooden Hillary.

Lyssa said...

pm317 said: I didn't like the expression on Carly's face in that split screen. Pained expression, victim,... After saying what she did, she could have just laughed it off, saying it is par for the course coming from the Donald, or something.

I think that she was careful not to look like she was accepting Trump's compliment about her having a beautiful face. I liked that - laughing it off could have looked like she was being bought by the turnaround complement, and she was clear that she was not buying it.

Curious George said...

Hillary: "Do you want to touch mine?"

Everyone but Hillary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Being against unfettered illegal immigration, which is exploitive of the illegal immigrants and forces down wages for low skill labor, but allows business owners to reduce labor costs through non-payment of various employment taxes and allows them to get away with not giving any benefits (cause there is a surplus of labor) in addition to keeping wages low does not mean you are against immigration cause racist.

There are, in fact, many benefits to unfettered immigration. However, like outsourcing jobs overseas, the vast majority of those benefits accrue to the "donor class" of both parties. The poor and middle class, not so much.

Which is why Trump is doing so well. The majority of people in the United States were and are opposed to the open borders policies that have allowed somewhere around 11-30 million illegal aliens (and why don't we have better numbers, that is a pretty large range) into the country and don't agree with the proposition that now that they are here they are just going to have to accept it and that even more illegals are going to be allowed in. Cause if you don't agree with that you are a racist nativist.

I predict that if Trump does win the GOP nomination that everyone will be shocked at the amount of support he will have from black voters who are members of the group that is hardest hit by a situation where there is a surplus labor supply.

Irene said...

I wondered how Fiorina didn't appear to swelter because it looked like she was wearing a wig. I may be wrong, but the part, the way the hair fell near her left ear, and the way it stood in the back all seemed artificial. The hairstyle also seemed fuller than in previous appearances.

Recall Fiorina's off-mic quip abut Boxer.

Fiorina notably wore no wigs when she received cancer treatments.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

By the way, I think Hillary did pretty good in the sketch, she isn't a professional comedian, but was pretty credible. And the whole thing was funny, Fallon does a great Trump impersonation.

And the whole thing was basically a contribution to Hillary's campaign.

Bob Ellison said...

pm317, do you identify as a woman?

pm317 said...

@Lyssa, I meant laughing it off would have been before Trump's response, and part of her first response. Trump is known to go for "kill shots" and the face thing is Carly's weakness and he went for it. She could have been a lot more nonchalant about it than to play the victim.

MayBee said...

I think that she was careful not to look like she was accepting Trump's compliment about her having a beautiful face. I liked that - laughing it off could have looked like she was being bought by the turnaround complement, and she was clear that she was not buying it.

True. And the thing is: maybe he *was* talking about her beautiful face, and saying America wouldn't vote for a beautiful face. That's still a problem, as far as she is concerned.

I don't like it when a criticism against A woman is turned into a criticism ALL women are supposed to get outraged about, but I understand why Carly used it politically the way she did.

I'd love to see Carly debate Hillary.

Laslo Spatula said...

"Jimmy has that trademark white bandage taking one of his fingers out of the running, out of the fingering."

Ready to deploy the 'Shocker'.

The Shocker + Hillary is not a combination that I like to think of.

The Shocker + Huma: maybe.

I am Laslo.

Bob Ellison said...

"Hillary is wooden" is a micro-aggressive statement.

But she is. Wooden. Like a tree, only more so after it's felled.

pm317 said...

@Bob Ellison, no. But I do see when others want me to behave differently than a man does in my shoes because I am a woman.

Lyssa said...

MayBee I don't like it when a criticism against A woman is turned into a criticism ALL women are supposed to get outraged about, but I understand why Carly used it politically the way she did.

Agreed. I'm having this problem a lot in politics lately. I hate an argument and find it stupid and patronizing, but at the same time, I recognize that the politician would be an idiot to not use it, because it will work.

Bob Ellison said...

pm317, thank you for the response. I don't think I understand it well.

You're saying that your gender makes others expect specific behavior?

And that a man in your shoes does not encounter such expectations?

MayBee said...

Absolutely, Lyssa. I think Carly has to use it, to some extent, to ward off the declaration of Hillary's run being "historic". She has to occasionally draw attention to the fact that she is, in fact, a woman. And this is one way to do it, without getting stuck in the mire of the so-called "women's issues" (which Hillary invokes in the skit, above)

William said...

Hillary can go onto the Jimmy Fallon show and exhale as though she's stepping into a warm bath. She can look relaxed and at her ease because the whole point of the show is to make her look good and Trump look bad. Trump and other Republicans have to approach the late night comedians with far more wariness and caution. Those bastard comedians are looking for a chance to make Republicans look stupid and evil.

Laslo Spatula said...

Carly vs. Joe Biden would be fun, just to watch all the Democrats start saying that having a woman as President isn't such a big deal, anyway.

Some vaginas are more equal than others.


I am Laslo.

Bob Ellison said...

We've seen Meade clean a statue. That's what a man does.

pm317 said...

@Bib Ellison, I am gender neutral in the way I feel and operate in my professional environment. However, I recognize (generally don't act on it and ignore it) when certain other people expect me to behave a certain way because I am a female. But there are no such expectations on a man in the same professional environment, {as an example, a man with a sour face would not get the comment that he should smile more.}

{catch you later.. I need to enter my professional environment now.}

MayBee said...

I bet if a man got teary-eyed at work, he would get some comments.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Since it is evident that my preferred method of choosing a president is never going to be adopted (a random citizen is chosen and the election is not held until after he (or she) has completed a 4 year term when it will be determined to award a lavish retirement or execution) then I think its time to go the Highlander route. After all, in the end there can only be one. Candidates will be free to choose between a katana or a broadsword.

If we put the whole thing on pay-per-view we could cancel out the national debt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvnq_W0i3Bs

Bob Ellison said...

pm317 said..."...there are no such expectations on a man in the same professional environment."

Right. There are five guys in a board room, and one woman. Another guy busts in with a gun and says "I'm gonna kill you all!" Caitlyn Jenner sits on the sidelines.

You expect things from guys, and we guys are proud of that.

Bob Ellison said...

My youngest son says "needs a nurse!" when he sees someone hurt. His mama is a nurse. Why does my son think someone needs a nurse?

Smilin' Jack said...

Typo corrected: I had written "a high 4."

Wrong again. The proper term is "high five."

Fabi said...

I detest Hillary!, but if she demonstrated the personality on the trail that she does in that clip with Fallon, then landslide wouldn't begin to describe her victory next November.

MadisonMan said...

I'm curious about the timing of Clinton's appearance on Fallon's show. Who initiated it?

If Fallon's show initiated it, then I guess they're in the tank for Clinton, completely, and I'll guess they've tossed any of the rich comedic material that is Clinton and her history and Campaign.

Dan Hossley said...

I remember Carly response to Trumps complaint about her face. She used his own words against him twice in one remark.

Trump likes to carpet bomb his opponents with blather. Carly likes to skewer them with an entertaining economy of force.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Brando said...The GOP is the only thing that can save her.

..and likely will. Sad but true.

Known Unknown said...

Hillary was better talking to Fallon. The skit was awful because she acted out of character and goofy, laughing at Fallon. Would she really be happy and laughing if she really got a call from Trump? Would she act that way?

She's the Horatio Sanz of politics

Known Unknown said...

Is Hillary a hermaphrodite?

Because there was some serious Fallonatio going on there.

damikesc said...

I detest Hillary!, but if she demonstrated the personality on the trail that she does in that clip with Fallon, then landslide wouldn't begin to describe her victory next November.

It'd require editing and comedy writers to pull off.

Bilwick said...

In the interest of Fairness, Fallon should next do a "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" spoof with Trump or Carson in the McMurphy role and Fallon, in pantsuits drag, as Nurse Ratched. That is, the real-life "Nurse Ratched" playing the fictional Nurse Ratched.

Anonymous said...

The media were not dragged, they always provide free service to Hillary. A flimsy excuse, or no excuse at all, would do.

GRW3 said...

Not the debate but the Fox review on O'Reilly. In the first two segments. Bill, Charles Krauthammer and Bernie Goldberg all had something to say about how Carly looked, as in her mannerisms. Depending on how you view her message you might see her as a stern school marm or Nurse Ratchet or somewhere in between. Never even occurred to them that may have been the issue on which Trump was commenting.

GRW3 said...

Oh, and Jeb was a putz for asking for an apology. He's mentioned his wife's, and thus his kid's, heritage in the past as being a major influence in how he thinks about immigration. Trump says Jeb's wife influences him on how he thinks about immigration and Jeb demands an apology. That's rich.

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...


Why isn't she in jail?

mikee said...

Yes, why isn't she in jail?

If she isn't in jail by January 2017 she will be in the White House, and the next four years will make Obama look so good in comparison we will weep for his golden age.

Bay Area Guy said...

She's not going to jail. Why would you think that AG Loretta Lynch - an Obama flunky - would indict Hillary?

Bayoneteer said...

Go back and look at Fiorina's campaign for CA governor in 2010. She laid-off 30,000 American workers and sent their jobs to Asia. And in the end her big plan for the HP/Compaq merger was a bust. The Democrats rubbed her face in that to very good effect. Imagine how it would play in purple rust belt states like WI, PA, MI, OH, that Repubs need in order to win?

chickelit said...

Go back and look at Fiorina's campaign for CA governor in 2010.

The author must be thinking of Meg Whitman. Fiorina ran for Senator in 2008. Curiously, Whitman also heads HP and curiously, Whitman was also derailed by CA special interest groups. I now count you on their side, Ken.

What is it about the CA Democrat machine that so enamors you, Ken?

Achilles said...

KenK said...
"Go back and look at Fiorina's campaign for CA governor in 2010. She laid-off 30,000 American workers and sent their jobs to Asia. And in the end her big plan for the HP/Compaq merger was a bust. The Democrats rubbed her face in that to very good effect. Imagine how it would play in purple rust belt states like WI, PA, MI, OH, that Repubs need in order to win?"

Is there a bot running around posting this garbage? I have seen this post almost word for word. Even a cursory look at her tenure at HP reveals it to be a bunch of garbage. She pulled the company through the tech bubble and outperformed her competition. Some of the board members that voted her out are buying adds for her now.

These posts are about as informative as those $97 an hour working from home bot adds.

Bayoneteer said...

Fiorina ran for senator against Boxer in 2010. My bad. Everything else in that post is confirmable and accurate. GIFYS.

Bayoneteer said...

My impression of the GOP candidates is that they have two main divisions: Ego driven sorts taking a shot at the WH, and some decent, reasonably competent but who have no personality, let alone charisma. Outliers: Yeb! who is a cat #2 and who is trying to sell something no body is buying. Trump is seems like a fighter and that has great appeal.

Leon said...

With as much work as Hillery has had done she ought to be careful passing judgment on the mess that is THE HAIR