Donald Trump isn’t a big fan of John McCain.
For one thing, Trump “likes people who weren’t captured, ok?” – he “hates to tell you.”
Saying that was all kinds of stupid for obvious reasons not the least of which is that the idea of Donald Trump surviving more than about 2 minutes as a P.O.W. is about the most laughable proposition imaginable. But beyond that, it laid bare Trump’s myopia, because to the extent he actually thought he was going to win the election (itself a laughable proposition), he should have known he would need McCain.
Well sure enough, McCain has been the proverbial thorn in Trump’s bloated side pretty much from the beginning and make no mistake, the only reason the President has laid off of him lately is because someone has likely told him that it would be in poor taste considering McCain’s cancer diagnosis.
On Monday, McCain was back at it with the criticism, and here’s what he said:
Passionate speech from John McCain, who slams 'spurious nationalism': "We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil." (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/oP14ra9fqK
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 17, 2017
Yes, “half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems.”
Say what you will about McCain (and there’s a lot you can very justifiably say, especially with regard to him being a war hawk and all that comes with that label), but his assessment of Trump is absolutely correct. And I would certainly imagine one of the things that rubs McCain the wrong way is the fact that Trump is just like Steve Bannon and just like a lot of the populist crusaders who comprise the Alt-Right blogosphere: a fake tough guy.
Well fast forward to Tuesday and Trump said this when asked about McCain’s comments by radio host Chris Plante:
Well it’s a shocker. Yeah, well I hear it and people have to be careful because at some point I fight back. You know, I’m being very nice. I’m being very, very nice. But at some point I fight back and it won’t be pretty.
Yeah, ok. Here’s a silver spoon, trust fund baby with no credibility on anything whatsoever telling a cancer-stricken man who survived years of torture at the hands of the North Vietnamese that “it won’t be pretty.”
Here was McCain’s response:
That may well be the understatement of the year.
Dear John,
Why are you taking so long to die?
Hey there, Irbbie. You are either one or the other: (1) a truly despicable soulless man who will one day (soon?) meet the devil face to face, or (2) an extremely unfunny classless clown.
So, can you explain why you made such a horrid comment?
My money is on fat ass dying first.
Dear IRB,
You write like a a real hero.
The kind Trump likes.
Show him John the exact path he should be “taking,” by example.
Perhaps he’ll be “taking” that path when he’s good and ready,
if “taking” it is his choice.
So, today we further explore the over-riding “popularity contests factor” so common high school social culture – that continues into current US politics. As well, how the “popularity contest factor creates a self-defeating “democracy” of the uninformed. A democracy limited by with an at best an average intelligence sum and the related limited skills available for decision making and problem solving.