If you can’t wait until Mr. Trump’s acceptance speech in Cleveland and if you missed his appearance last night on CBS, Donald Trump and Mike Pence were interviewed by Leslie Stahl on “60 Minutes.”
I’m not sure there’s much in it that I would call “news,” and maybe I’m too biased to notice all the smart, reasonable things that Trump said.
He lies, of course, for example claiming once again to have been against the Iraq War “from the beginning” — even though he can’t produce any evidence that he spoke publicly against it in advance and he did speak about it publicly in advance at least twice before the war started, saying he “guessed” he favored going to war in Iraq.
Trump also forgave Pence for having supported the war, although he blames Hillary Clinton for the same vote and, of course, forgives himself for lying about his own position.
Stahl, to her discredit, made no effort to confront Trump about that lie.
Pence spoke with unfettered approval of his new boss. He likes to call Trump things like “this good man.” But Pence actually didn’t get to speak very much. Trump gave long, rambling answers full of self-love but low on substance. Pence gave short non-answers of the type one has come to expect from politicians, and sought to sand the edge off some of the questions intended to highlight areas on which Pence and Trump have taken opposing positions. In fact, Pence never acknowledged disagreeing with Trump on anything, notwithstanding a clear and obvious record of policy differences.
Pence also got less time to move his lips because Trump constantly interrupted him and took over the portions of the interview that were supposed to be about introducing Pence to the nation.
It ended this way, with Trump’s shortest statement:
Pence: Donald Trump, this good man, I think will be a great president of the United States.
Trump: I love what he just said.
Trump would clone himself if possible
This interview illustrates that Trump has only chosen a Vice President as running mate as a formality. If possible he would have simply cloned himself as running mate. This is also true of how he would select his Cabinet and advisors and how he would use them.
The LBJ Debacle
Selecting “our Hubert” for demographic reasons was far too risky, as LBJ soon discovered. Even in death, HHH was remembered for his singular oratory. The funeral salutation by our senior pastor, in what one must consider an honest slip of the mind, referred to him as “Hubert Horatio Hornblower.” Choir members nearly disabled vocal chords trying to suppress giggles.
What we all around here had known for years about our Hubert should have been more acutely delineated by LBJ’s advisors. While readers know I refer to HRC as “Her Royal Clinton,” I do regard HHH in higher recognition as “His Holiness, Hubert,” for his excellent application of homiletics.
My Recollection
I don’t recall one way or the other about the pastor at HHH’s funeral calling him Hubert Horatio Hornblower. I do clearly recall Jimmy Carter calling HHH Hubert Horatio Hornblower at the Democratic Convention in either ’76 or ’80.
I was just kid, hearing Carter say that, and the only reference I had to the Hornblower name was that it was the name of a bar in downtown Saint Paul at that time. Couldn’t figure out how those three fit together, HHH, Carter’s mis-naming of HHH, and the saloon of the same name.
I’m somewhat surprised
That Mr. Trump does not use the royal “we” when speaking in the first person. Perhaps he’s saving that for the victory speech or the inauguration he seems to assume will take place.
No, Ray
That’s reserved for “Her Royal Clinton,” is it not? [OK, just having some fun today.]
I saw the balloon and confetti rigger interviewed yesterday, just after watching the Never Trump fun on MSNBC.
So, we will miss the joy in watching TP float down over that ceremony.
But, then, these conventions are only for the faithful and not for the rest of us.
Eric, is this a cry for help?
Are you asking your readers for an intervention?
We’re not listening to Trump, and you don’t need to either. Nothing to do now but wait another 10 weeks and then see what will become of this little experiment called “democracy.”
Would it matter
if Pence said more?
Trump is more interested in dollars.
No
Except that Pence seems genuinely friendly while speaking in congenial tones.
Why this man would look forward to at least four years of chasing around behind Trump, desperately trying to rejuvenate Donald’s scorched earth, is the 2016 question. I guess Pence doesn’t see it that way.