I am holding fast to my pledge not to dignify the presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump with any comment. But there’s compelling public interest in making sure the following is part of Sunday’s post-debate commentary:
No doubt you’ve seen the viral video, which leaked on Friday, of Trump bragging, during a hot-mic moment on Access Hollywood, about kissing women on the mouth and grabbing them by the pussy. The debate moderators duly questioned him about his predatory remarks.
But an “apologetic” Trump denied ever grabbing any woman, maintaining that he only spoke of sexually assaulting women in this manner as part of “harmless locker room” banter. Except that he was being interviewed for a TV show – not hanging out in a locker room, presumably at one of his golf resorts with other over-the-hill, alpha-male Lotharios….
More to the point, race baiting has been a key feature of his presidential campaign. Therefore, I wish one of the moderators had asked Trump if he has ever referred to a black person as a nigger – as part of harmless locker room banter. That they were both white might explain why neither of them had the presence of mind (or the balls) to do so.
Of course, that N-word is probably the only word that trumps the P/C-word when it comes to any that could implode his campaign. Which is why Trump would’ve been compelled on that debate stage to deny ever saying it.
But his denial would’ve proved every bit as fateful as Mark Fuhrman’s proved when one of O.J. Simpson’s attorneys famously asked him a similar question. Because the biggest October surprise would surely be someone leaking audio/video of Trump blithely saying the N-word.
That said, only a willful suspension of disbelief explains why so many putatively sensible people needed to hear that hot-mic moment on Access Hollywood to finally dismiss Trump as an irredeemable sexist.
Therefore, I fear it will take a similar moment for others to finally dismiss him as an irredeemable racist – notwithstanding his anti-Mexican and anti-Muslim rants.
In any event, despite the moderators’ oversight, I fully expect a leak in this regard before the end of this fateful month….
Meanwhile, that moment on Access Hollywood brought into stark relief the moral relativism that triggers outrage in America today. Because it speaks volumes that NBC fired Billy Bush for conducting it; whereas Evangelicals are standing by Trump despite the vile and unchristian things he said during it.
You know these are the “end times” when corporate values trump Christian values.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, high minded, loves of pleasure more than lovers of God.
(KJV of Bible – 2 Timothy 3:2-4)
Can you think of a better characterization of the egomaniacal Trump and his rabid supporters…?
Related commentaries:
October surprise…
Evangelical like Israelites worshipping golden calf…