{"id":3647,"date":"2016-03-10T18:57:57","date_gmt":"2016-03-10T18:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=3647"},"modified":"2016-06-23T02:21:19","modified_gmt":"2016-06-23T02:21:19","slug":"on-that-other-teflon-don-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=3647","title":{"rendered":"On that OTHER “Teflon Don”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jumbo<\/p>\n

A poster celebrating that\u00a0other<\/strong> “Greatest\u00a0Showman<\/a><\/em>\u00a0on Earth” – circa<\/a>\u00a01882…<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

Just a couple thoughts on the\u00a02016 U.S. Presidential Race<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"First of all, if “The Donald<\/a>” – shown at right in 1988 –\u00a0does<\/em> manage to get elected, he may well be the first president in American history to get both<\/em><\/strong> impeached and convicted.<\/p>\n

And here’s a\u00a0BTW<\/a>: \u00a0So far we’ve only had two presidents impeached –\u00a0Andrew Johnson<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Bill Clinton<\/a>\u00a0– but neither man ended up getting actually convicted<\/em> by the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n

\n

(And that statement about “impeached and<\/strong> convicted” is judging by the GOP\u2019s late[st] push to stop Trump<\/a>. \u00a0 “Which is being interpreted<\/a>:” \u00a0If Trump does<\/strong> turn out to be as bad as many people expect – on both sides of the aisle<\/a>\u00a0– it seems likely that Congressional Republicans would gladly join any Democratic effort to impeach and<\/strong> convict him, if only to secure their own future employment…)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The other observation: \u00a0It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if Donald Trump is really trying to help Hillary<\/em>\u00a0get elected. \u00a0In other words, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit to learn that Master Showman Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0is actually\u00a0playing<\/a>\u00a0those far-right conservatives\u00a0like a piano<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Who knows? \u00a0He may be trying to get some kind of political payback from Hillary. \u00a0Or he may have felt it more advisable to run for president as a Republican rather than a Democrat. (How would “two\u00a0<\/strong>New York Liberals<\/a><\/em>” have played out at the Democratic convention?<\/em>) \u00a0Or maybe he just wants to shake things up, to “show that he can.” \u00a0But whatever his true intentions, you can be sure he’s got\u00a0something up his sleeve<\/a>. \u00a0(There’s “more here than meets the eye<\/a>.”)<\/em><\/p>\n

But we’re digressing. \u00a0The title of this post refers to “that other<\/em> ‘Teflon Don<\/a>.'”<\/p>\n

\"\"The thing is, I originally planned to do a post comparing Donald Trump to P. T. Barnum<\/a>\u00a0– at left – known for an earlier\u00a0Greatest Show on Earth<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0But surprisingly, I found a number of distinct differences between the two men. \u00a0(One of them: Barnum turned out to be an effective<\/span> elected official.)<\/em><\/p>\n

But first, here’s something of an experiment. \u00a0I\u00a0Googled<\/a>\u00a0the phrase “donald trump fraud” and got 3,120,000 results. \u00a0I Googled the phrase “donald trump hoax” and got 1,157,000 results. \u00a0On the other hand, I Googled “donald trump huckster” and got a mere 32,400 results.<\/p>\n

The point being that somewhere along the line, my recent\u00a0free association<\/a>\u00a0on Donald Trump ultimately led me to that other\u00a0Great American Showman<\/a><\/em>, P. T. Barnum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One\u00a0surprising thing I learned about Barnum: \u00a0He served 60 days in prison when he was 19 years old. \u00a0He was publishing the weekly\u00a0Herald of Freedom<\/a><\/em>\u00a0in Danbury, Connecticut. \u00a0In the process he managed to upset “some\u00a0very powerful people,” and got convicted of libel:<\/p>\n

\n

Traumatic though this spell in prison must have been … \u00a0Barnum found that far from damaging his career the conviction increased both his notoriety and his popularity<\/strong>… \u00a0He became a folk hero for some and upon his release from prison he was met by a band and a horse-drawn carriage organised by his supporters for a parade back to town.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Which might<\/em><\/strong> have led to Barnum being labeled “Teflon P.T.” \u00a0However, that doesn’t have the same nice ring to it as “Teflon Don.” \u00a0(And besides,\u00a0Teflon<\/a>\u00a0hadn’t been discovered yet…)<\/em><\/p>\n

Then too, in what might be called a similarity<\/em> between the two men,\u00a0Barnum<\/a>\u00a0(1810-1891) was known for an alleged comment, “There’s a sucker born every minute<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

But that seems to be like many another American myth, to wit: “greatly exaggerated<\/a>:”<\/p>\n

“There’s a sucker born every minute” is a phrase<\/a> most likely spoken by David Hannum, in criticism<\/strong> of both P. T. Barnum<\/a>, an American showman<\/a> of the mid 19th century, and his customers. \u00a0 The phrase is often credited to Barnum himself. \u00a0It means “People are foolish, and will always be fools.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0went on to indicate that we simply don’t know who<\/em> first coined the phrase. \u00a0(But it did add that in the “1930 John Dos Passos<\/a> novel The 42nd Parallel<\/a>, the quotation is attributed to Mark Twain<\/a>.”) \u00a0<\/em>On the other hand, his biographer said Barnum “was just not the type to disparage his patrons.” \u00a0For that matter, Barnum thought his audiences should get their money’s worth:<\/p>\n

\"\"Often referred to as the “Prince of Humbugs” [as shown at right] Barnum saw nothing wrong in entertainers or vendors using hype<\/a> (or “humbug<\/a>,” as he termed it) in promotional material, as long as the public was getting value for money. \u00a0However, he was contemptuous of those who made money through fraudulent deceptions<\/a>, especially the spiritualist<\/a> mediums<\/a>\u00a0[of] his day…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now, about his serving as\u00a0an “effective<\/em> elected official.”<\/p>\n

First of all, Barnum started out by promoting “hoaxes and human curiosities such as the Feejee mermaid<\/a> and General Tom Thumb<\/a>.” \u00a0But that didn’t pan out, and after\u00a0“economic reversals due to bad investments in the 1850s, and years of litigation and public humiliation, he used a lecture tour, mostly as a temperance<\/a> speaker, to emerge from debt.” \u00a0(Is is possible that, “The Donald<\/a>” is also<\/span> just trying to work himself out of debt?) \u00a0<\/em>The point is that from there:<\/p>\n

Barnum served two terms in the Connecticut<\/a> legislature in 1865 as a Republican<\/a>. \u00a0[On the issue of slavery]\u00a0and African-American suffrage, Barnum spoke before the legislature and said, “A human soul, \u2018that God has created and Christ died for,\u2019 is not to be trifled with. It may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab or a Hottentot \u2013 it is still an immortal spirit.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which no doubt surprised a number of people.<\/p>\n

From there he was elected\u00a0as Mayor of Bridgeport, CT<\/a>\u00a0in 1875. \u00a0He “worked to improve the water supply, bring gas lighting<\/a> to streets, and enforce liquor and prostitution laws. \u00a0Barnum was instrumental in starting Bridgeport Hospital<\/a>, founded in 1878, and was its first president.” <\/span><\/p>\n

Which no doubt surprised even more<\/em><\/strong> peope.<\/p>\n

\"\"In another strange twist, before the Civil War Barnum produced\u00a0blackface<\/a> minstrel<\/a>\u00a0shows, but with a twist: \u00a0His<\/em> “minstrel shows often used double-edged humor.”<\/p>\n

Then too, in 1853 he promoted a “politically watered-down stage version of Harriet Beecher Stowe<\/a>‘s Uncle Tom’s Cabin<\/a><\/i>.”<\/p>\n

But in Barnum’s version, the play, had “a happy ending, with Tom and other slaves freed.” \u00a0And finally, another similarity: \u00a0Both men\u00a0started out as Democrats<\/a>. \u00a0In Barnum’s case, his “opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act<\/a> which supported slavery, of 1854 led him to leave the Democratic Party<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

And so, in joining the “new anti slavery\u00a0Republican Party<\/a>,” Barnum had “evolved from a man of common stereotypes of the 1840s to a leader for emancipation by the Civil War.”<\/p>\n

The question is: \u00a0In light of Donald Trump’s often-shifting\u00a0political positions<\/a>, will he eventually be seen as an “effective elected official,” a\u00a0funhouse showman<\/span><\/a>, or a\u00a0Simon Legree<\/a>?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Simon Legree\u00a0hunting fugitive slaves in “UTC<\/a><\/i>.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of the\u00a0Jumbo<\/a>\u00a0link within\u00a0P. T. Barnum – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<\/a>. The caption: \u00a0“Jumbo and his keeper Matthew Scott\u00a0<\/em>(Circus poster, ca. 1882).” \u00a0For further information on Barnum, see\u00a0P.T. Barnum, Human Freaks, and the American Museum<\/a>, and\/or\u00a0P T Barnum Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Re: To play someone like a piano. \u00a0The cited reference is actually to\u00a0playing someone like a fiddle – Wiktionary<\/a><\/em>, meaning to ”\u00a0manipulate<\/a> (a person) skillfully.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: Free association. \u00a0See also\u00a0Free association (psychology) – Wikipedia<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of Wikipedia’s\u00a0Uncle Tom\u2019s Cabin<\/a>.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>The caption: \u00a0“Simon Legree on the cover of the comic book adaptation of Uncle Tom’s Cabin<\/span> (Classic Comics No. 15, November 1943 issue).” \u00a0And a note on Barnum’s “happy ending.” \u00a0In the original version Uncle Tom died, a victim of Simon Legree. \u00a0In turn, he is portrayed as “the perfect Christian.” \u00a0That is, at the end of the novel the character George Shelby returns to his Kentucky farm and frees all his slaves. \u00a0In doing so he “tells them to remember Tom’s sacrifice and his belief in the true meaning of Christianity.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: Trump’s\u00a0political positions<\/a>: \u00a0“On specific policy, Trump has been described as a moderate Republican.\u00a0 His politics have been described as populist<\/a>,\u00a0nativist<\/a>,\u00a0<\/sup>protectionist<\/a>\u00a0and authoritarian<\/a>\u00a0by a variety of sources.” \u00a0A few examples: \u00a0Trump has said he wants to “lower taxes for middle and working-class people, and increase<\/strong> taxes on wealthy private equity and hedge fund managers.” \u00a0He has supported “improving America’s infrastructure<\/a>,” even though\u00a0on the federal level – he has said – “this is going to be an expensive investment, no question about that.” \u00a0He started out pro-choice but now describes himself as pro-life. \u00a0He supports “states’ rights to legalize and regulate cannabis<\/a>.”<\/em><\/p>\n

One final note: \u00a0The “Simon Legree” comparison is based in large part on Trump’s emphasis on Mexico sending\u00a0“its people” into the U.S., mostly “criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc.,” while “some, I assume, are good people.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0He has said that on\u00a0“Day 1 of my presidency, illegal immigrants<\/a> are getting out and getting out fast,” and that he would build a wall similar to the Israeli West Bank barrier<\/a>. \u00a0Finally, “Trump opposes birthright citizenship<\/a> based solely on birth within the United States, arguing that it should not be protected by the Fourteenth Amendment<\/a>.”<\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A poster celebrating that\u00a0other “Greatest\u00a0Showman\u00a0on Earth” – circa\u00a01882… * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * Just a couple thoughts on the\u00a02016 U.S. Presidential Race. First of all, if “The Donald” – shown at right in 1988 –\u00a0does manage to get elected, he may well be the first president in American history to get both impeached […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3647"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4365,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions\/4365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}