Who remembers the blue-or-gold dress of just a year ago? Who could forget?! For some, the photo clearly showed a blue & black dress, while others viewing the very same photo saw a dress that was plainly gold & white.
For the record, I see a dress that is sparkling gold and white. Although it appears to be shot under a harsh bluish-white spotlight, I can’t fathom that anyone with an eye and a brain perceives any blue in the material. 
Revisiting this Internet phenomenon a year later, I just don’t see it. And black? Where is there any dark fabric? Is it the gold part or the white part? It’s just not there!
…And so it is for a presidential candidate. Who among us sees Donald Trump as anything short of a contemptuous, sexist, and bigoted buffoon—one who is incapable of keeping a dirty or hurtful thought to himself?
To be fair, I have no way to gauge Trump supporters, because I have never met one. Seriously—even with a sweeping lead in every presidential poll—I have yet to actually meet and talk with a real, live Trump supporter, or at least someone who admits it. But, I am not in denial. I listen to poll results. I read. I believe that the pollsters know their art. They can’t all be wrong. Clearly, a great many people want Trump to be our next president, and so—I assume—that many of these same people respect Mr. Trump.
But here, too, I see Mr. Trump differently. It’s a difference as stark as the different ways people view the dress. I imagine that Trump supporters revere his presence, his demeanor and his moral authority. They share his vision. I sense none of these things.
Anyone reading this Blog during the 2016 US presidential campaign hardly needs a Trump tutorial. I suspect that WildDucks have already made up their minds concerning The Don’s demeanor. But what about readers who come across this article in a century or two. In the interest of historical perspective, let’s review Mr. Trump’s recent comments about Mexicans, Senator John McCain, Carly Fiorina, Hillary Clinton, Rosie O’Donnell, Megyn Kelly and some of the female contestants on his former TV show.
[About Mexican Immigrants]
“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists…”
[About John McCain]: “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
But, above all, Trump has serious issues with women. Perhaps a past wife cut off part of his manhood. After all, he has contempt for anyone with different plumbing. Here are some of his thoughts. I have verified each quotation below. If any of the links have expired, these Trump-isms can be verified with a Google search…
[About Megyn Kelly]:
“There’s blood coming out of her eyes. There’s blood coming out of her…wherever!”
(Confronted with this crude statement, Trump insisted that he was not referring to menstruation. He said that he meant to say blood was coming out of her ears).
He also called Ms. Kelly a bimbo, a 3rd rate reporter, a lightweight and “not good at what she does.” This week, Trump said that he “might be the best thing that ever happened to her,” because no one had ever heard of her before the August debate.
[About Carly Fiorina]: “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!…I mean, she’a a woman, and I’m not s’posedta say bad things—But really folks; Come on! Are we serious?!”
Fox & Friends confronted Trump about these particular remarks, in this follow up interview. Trump stated that he was talking about her persona and not her looks, but then he complained that no one stands up for him when someone criticizes his hair
[About Hillary Clinton]: (after Mrs. Clinton used a bathroom during a break).
“I know where she went—it’s disgusting, I don’t want to talk about it. No, it’s too disgusting. Don’t say it. It’s disgusting.”
Seconds later, apparently practicing his Yiddish, Trump exclaimed that Mrs. Clinton doesn’t have a chance of beating him, because “She got schlonged by Barack Obama” (referring to Clinton’s defeat in the 2008 democratic primary). ‘Schlonged’ means ‘screwed’ (if you can turn an anatomical organ into a verb), but the word describes the literal act, rather than employed as a euphemism.
[About Rosie O’Donnell]: “Rosie O’Donnell’s disgusting both inside and out. Take a look at her, she’s a slob. She talks like a truck driver; she doesn’t have her facts; she’ll say anything that comes to her mind.”
[About a contestant on his TV show]:
When Trump was told that Celebrity Apprentice contestant Brande Roderick had gotten down on her knees and begged not to be fired, Trump looked toward the young woman and said “Must be a pretty picture—you dropping to your knees.” †
Do respected, national leaders ever use such language or hurl hurtful remarks? Perhaps. I suspect that most anyone has uttered a flippant remark, perhaps in the midst of anger, booze or emotional turmoil. But, if Ronald Reagan or Jimmy Carter ever used this type of language, you can bet that it was occasional, among a very small group of friends, and with an expression of profound regret soon after. But not Donald. Each time he opens his mouth, he inserts a foot, and then he doubles down and chews on the entire shoe.
Are these the words of an executive or a politician in public discourse? Are they the words of any adult with respect for others or any semblance of self-control? Of course not. They are the words of a hysterical 
child who is trying hard to assert stature on a playground. It seems incomprehensible that an individual running for high office would spew such taunts and potty humor on live television. Does he have any brain? –any conscience? –any internal mechanism of guidance or control?
This leaves me with a rather obvious question: What are the demographics of Trump’s sweeping lead in the GOP primary polls? Did they forget to poll women or anyone who respects women? Perhaps women who support Trump don’t mind that their blood and stool are staples of his redneck political rallies . Honestly—I wish someone would explain this to me.
Today, Fox Media claimed that Corey Lewandowski, a Trump campaign manager, threatened Fox News anchor, Megyn Kelly. A “threat” would be unacceptable, of course, but I call it bullying. Bullying is worse, because a threat, in this case, would be hollow—a presidential candidate cannot really hurt a journalist—but, bullying shows Trump for what he is—a misogynistic jerk. Continue below image…
I am certain that Lewandowski is echoing his boss’ words. After all, Trump has attacked Megyn on camera. Why? Because he can’t control her questions. He wants control over content and spin, but most importantly, he wants an absence of powerful women in his field of view. He has stated it clearly: He is more comfortable with them on their knees.
As Donald Trump said himself, “Seriously Folks. I mean C’mon! Are we serious?! We can’t continue to be nice, folks!”
Of course, that remark relates to his intentions for China and Mexico. Somehow, he believes that they will send a great deal of factories and jobs back to America and then help us to build a wall so that their drug peddlers and rapists can’t get in to steal those jobs. (This is the central tenant of his entire campaign).
But that statement about voters “getting serious” precisely expresses my sentiments about Trump’s popularity as a political candidate. I can only hope that it is a bad dream, a joke, or transient. Just as NBC and Univision dumped The Don after he spewed forth xenophobic venom toward Mexicans,‡ I wonder when Republican voters will dump Donald for a more credible candidate—Marco Rubio or Chris Christie, perhaps? If Republicans don’t wake up to Donald, like they did to Sarah Palin, voters in the general election will do it for them. Hillary Clinton is a lot more credible that Donald Trump! She is smart, experienced, just as strong as Donald. Most importantly, she doesn’t assault detractors or insult voters.
Conclusion: More of a question than a conclusion…
Concluding that Trump is sexist and a jerk isn’t just my opinion, it is the opinion of every mainstream media outlet, every independent pundit, every former contestant, most journalists and political analysts, and many of his friends.
Sure!—it’s fun to buck the expected and the mainstream; it’s fun to toss polite behavior to the wind…just to shake things up once in awhile. But when a grown man wallows in a world of potty humor and misogynistic rants, one eventually wonders just who are his proponents? 
From where does he rally a commanding lead in every poll? Are they all dunces?!
_____________
† More Trump TV insults
- Trump hosted The Apprentice , a US television series for 14 seasons. During that long run, he threw a stream of invectives at at guest contestants—calling them, alternatively, slobs, pigs or just plain disgusting.
- In a New York Post interview, contestant Mahsa Saeidi-Azcuy explained that Trump asked male contestants to rate female contestants based on their looks.
- The Post also reported that Trump made one female contestant come around the board table and “twirl around”. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with boobs—and decided to gaze at her butt.
- The Washington Post reports that Trump told one contestant “I bet you make a great wife.”
- Trump’s crudest remark was to a contestant after being fired from his show. When a producer explained to Trump that she begged on her knees to remain on the show. He said to her: “Must be a pretty picture—you dropping to your knees.”
Donald Trump exhibits a threat response to almost anything: people with less money or fewer votes, anyone who is educated, articulate, or who disagrees with his opinion, and especially confident or empowered females. He cannot keep his thoughts to himself, no matter how crass or off-topic. He attacks opponents based on any perceived slight.
‡ NBC and Univision decided not to air the Trump-owned Miss Universe Pageant. Macy’s dropped his signature clothing line. New York Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered a review of Trump’s city contracts, and NASCAR moved an annual banquet from the Trump National Doral resort in Miami.
—All that backlash was the result of just one of Trumps off-color remarks.
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