Trump Shows that in America, 'Red Lines' No Longer Exist (Die
Welt, Germany)
"So far, neither Trump's many easily detectable lies nor
his conspicuous behavior seem to have left any impression on voters. … The same type of enraged German citizen who cries 'lying press' - in
the U.S. hoots with delight at Trump's political improprieties. After
each of Trump's outbursts the mainstream media wonders when, at last, the red
line will have been crossed. Now though, a growing number of disillusioned analysts
are concluding that in the United States, there may no longer be any red lines."
Washington: Whenever Donald
Trump feels under pressure, he lashes out - this time against
a disabled New York Times journalist
who Trump mimicked and mocked on an open stage [video below]. The backdrop are
Trump’s disputed remarks about thousands of Muslims in New Jersey who allegedly
publicly celebrated after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York
and the Pentagon. Posted
By Worldmeets.US
Back
then, stories about such alleged celebrations circulated across America, but
could never be corroborated. At the time, Serge Kovaleski investigated these
accusations for The Washington Post. To
substantiate his thesis, Trump cited an article by Kovaleski written a week
after the attacks. In it Kovaleski
wrote that in Jersey City, an Arab stronghold near New York, "Law
enforcement authorities detained and questioned a number of people who were
allegedly seen celebrating the attacks and holding tailgate-style parties on
rooftops while they watched the devastation on the other side of the river."
On CNN this week, the
journalist recalled that he doesn't remember "anyone saying there were
thousands, or even hundreds, of people celebrating," as Trump alleged.
This
contradiction has earned him the wrath of the real estate mogul and Republican
presidential candidate. At an election rally in South Carolina on Tuesday, Trump
sought to ridicule the journalist. "Now this poor guy - you ought to
see this guy," Trump said, mimicking the gestures of Kovaleski, who
suffers from the congenital muscle stiffening disease Arthrogryposis,
usual hand movement. "Now the poor guy, you gotta
see this guy: 'Uh, I don’t know what I said. I don’t remember.' He’s going, 'I
don’t remember. Maybe that’s what I said," all the while mimicking
Kovaleski in his appearance on CNN.
As
the video of Trump's appearance in South Carolina spread, a wave of indignation
broke out over the way Trump made use of Kovaleski's
disability to mock him and ridicule his statements. For instance, Washington Post columnist Charles Lane took
to Twitter on Wednesday evening writing "this is
vile." He describes it as "a new low" for Trump and behavior
that goes far beyond acceptable behavior from anyone, let alone a presidential
candidate. "Donald Trump can always go lower," commented Jeffrey
Goldberg of The Atlantic. The
New York Times also said in a
statement that it is "outrageous that he would ridicule the appearance of
one of our reporters."
An
adviser to the Trump campaign later [watch below] sought to downplay his
performance. He "didn't know about Kovaleski's
medical condition and was not in any way mocking his physical appearance."
Yet Trump knew exactly the kind of disability Kovaleski had. After all, the
reporter had covered Trump over a period of six years for The New York Daily News. "The sad part about it is, it didn’t
in the slightest bit jar or surprise me that Donald Trump would do something
this low-rent, given his track record," Kovaleski
told The Washington Post. He is also
certain that Trump himself would have remembered him and his disability.
Trump Brings Despair
to Mainstream Media
This
wasn't the first time during this campaign that Trump has made fun of a
disabled journalist. In July, for example, he attacked conservative columnist
Charles Krauthammer for sharply criticizing him and describing him as a
"rodeo clown." Trump then said in response, "I'm being insulted
by a guy who can't even buy a pair of pants –he's calling me names?" [translated quote]. Krauthammer is paralyzed from the waist
down and is confined to a wheelchair.
Trump
has made sport of being generally abusive of journalists. For instance, he struck
out at against FOX moderator Megyn Kelly, who hit the Republican with critical questions
during the first televised debate. After the program, Trump suggested that it
was Kelly’s "time of the month," suggesting that this was why she treated
him so critically. So far, however, neither Trump's many easily detectable lies
nor his conspicuous behavior seem to have left any impression on voters. The
conventional rules for candidates, under which several such missteps cause poll
ratings to plummet, seem not to apply to Trump.
Donald Trump's meteoric ascent has continued despite the predictions of professional prognosticators in and out of the...
Whether
mocking a Vietnam veteran like John McCain or spouting sexist talk, nothing
seems to sink his poll numbers. Therefore, it is unlikely there will be any
consequences for aping the disabled Kovaleski. More than anything, it is contempt
for the elite and the media that drives a majority of Trump supporters. The
same type of enraged German citizen who cries "lying press" - in the
U.S. hoots with delight at Trump's political improprieties. After each of
Trump's outbursts the mainstream media wonders when, at last, the red line will
have been crossed. Now though, a growing number of disillusioned analysts are concluding
that in the United States, there may no longer be any red lines.
