David Letterman and his retirement beard sat down for an exclusive interview with Tom Brokaw last week. A chunk of the interview aired on Friday’s Today Show, and the full interview airs tonight on NBC, although people were discussing some of the quotes throughout the week. While I always connect Letterman and Jon Stewart in my mind – their retirements came very close together – I think Letterman is the one who really did run out of f—ks to give. Jon Stewart didn’t stop caring, I think he just got burned out on caring too much. Like, between those two guys, I think Jon might actually miss it a little bit. Anyway, Letterman sat down for the interview with his friend Brokaw and Letterman was as blunt as always. Some highlights:
Why he grew a retirement beard: “I always told myself, when the show goes away, I will stop shaving. I had to shave every day from 20 until I was 68 — roughly every day. And I got so sick and tired of it.”
On Donald Trump: “I understand that he’s repugnant to people… The men putting together the Constitution, witnessing this election, wouldn’t they have just said, ‘That’s part of the way we set it up. Good luck’? [But]… There’s nothing illegal going on. It’s just he’s despicable.”
Whether he misses doing late night: “You know, I don’t. And it’s interesting. I thought for sure I would. And then, the first day of Stephen’s show, when he went on the air, an energy left me and I felt like, ‘You know, that’s not my problem anymore.’ And I’ve kind of felt that way ever since. I devoted so much time to the damage of other aspects of my life. The concentrated, fixated, focusing on that … it’s good now to not have that. I couldn’t care less about late-night television. I’m happy for the guys – men and women – there should be more women. And I don’t know why they didn’t give my show to a woman. That would have been fine. You know, I’m happy for their success. And they’re doing things I couldn’t do. So that’s great.”
Some have wondered if Letterman was taking a swipe at Stephen Colbert. I don’t know. Was he? I can’t tell. I think Letterman liked Colbert a lot, but Letterman has always said that he didn’t get a say in who replaced him. I do get the feeling that if Letterman was choosing, he would have gone with someone like Tina Fey? And who’s to say Fey didn’t get an approach and she turned it down? But yes, there are some concerns that Colbert won’t last one more year on The Late Show. What’s particularly rough is that Colbert doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself at all on network television.
As for Letterman calling Trump “despicable”… no lies detected.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Honestly this election is really hard for my southern neighbours. Trump is the devil but Hillary is just the wolf in sheep’s clothing; I wouldn’t know who to vote for if I was American.
I am not a huge Hillary fan but it is an easy choice for me. Trump is a racist idiot who sees women as a lesser than. Hillary has my vote.
I agree. If Trump hated women any more than he already does, we’d be rounded up and put in camps. Scary times here in the U.S.
Hillary Clinton has been a Senator, Secretary of State and a First Lady (for 8 years). I would say that gives her vastly more experience as a candidate than Trump. No contest.
I’ll be voting for Hillary also, but I honestly wonder how racist Trump really is. By that I mean how much of it is just saying what he knows will gain him votes. A pessimist will always be proven right eventually and I wonder if that is the tactic he is using. In fact I’m almost positive it is after his tweets today about being congratulated on being right about ISIS. Its loathsome, but apparently affective.
Amen! I don’t know how any can even begin to equate the hatefulness that is trump with Hilary.
If it wasn’t clear to me today about who to vote for in November, it was sure as heck clear to me yesterday when Trump was doing a victory lap over the dead bodies of the 49 victims (the shooter is considered victim #50 and I refuse to dignify him) because he was ‘right” about restricting Muslims entering this country. Forgetting the fact that the shooter was born in NY and was an American citizen.
This is how this clown reacts to the worst mass shooting in American history and the worst terror attack since 9/11. How can anyone want this piece of human waste as President.
You know, I understand that people believe Hillary to be dishonest (and I don’t disagree), but to even put her in the same arena as Trump is mind-boggling to me. Trump is openly racist, sexist, moronic, crass, politically inept… how can this even be a question? For anyone?
I know! I feel like I see this a lot on the internet where they are portraying them as equally bad. However, I live part of the time in a very conservative area of Pennsylvania, and a lot of random women I know whom I am certain voted for Romney have said without prompting that they will be voting for Hillary because of Trump. And it isn’t prefaced by “She’s so awful but she is the lesser of two evils…” It’s more like “He’s a demon. I’m voting for Hillary.”
I don’t understand the hate against Hillary. She is not a perfect candidate but she is a good candidate. And I cannot think of an honest candidate for president, including President Obama.
Bernie? He voted for the crime bill, hasn’t released his taxes, flipped his position on the super delegates, works with Jeff Weaver, supported John Kerry even though Kerry voted for the Iraq war, supported Obama even though he took Wall Street money, and would have had no problem taking DNC money if he had won even though he rails against the sources of that money.
Hillary is Tracy Flick. Nobody likes Tracy Flick but she gets the job done. Is she problematic, yes. You can’t take money from for-profit prison lobbyists as a Democrat and she was rightly called out for that. But she’s an effective administrator for better or worse. Hillary is the most effective candidate for progressive values in the race.
“Hillary is Tracy Flick.”
Oh my god, finally someone gets it!!! Exactly. Hillary is not exciting or interesting or a smooth operator but she is smart, experienced, dedicated, and can be counted upon to do her homework and complete her projects on time. She is one of the most (if not the most) prepared person ever for her job description.
All politicians lie to get elected, all politicians take dishonest money or are in bed with strange bedfellows. I love how anti-gun Democrats conveniently forget Bernie’s support of gun rights which helps him get elected in his state. Love how his supporters don’t question him about his economic policy which is completely fiscally irresponsible and he has a bigger rating on the lie-meter this political season than Hillary on Politico.com and media matters.
The ONLY candidate not getting a pass on being run through the ringer IS Hillary Clinton! Bernie and Trump can say whatever they want and the media just report it without really holding their feet to the fire or investigating them. I mean Trump has a LONG history of REAL shady deals that even the public knows about and the news shows have only now started looking. I’m so sick of this Hillary is the most corrupt politician and a media darling B.S. that Sanders supporters keep repeating when it’s not true.
Nathalie you are speaking true wisdom!!!
What bettyrose said x 1million! I wish more Americans knew how our government works.
Edited: Oops, replied in the wrong place 🙁
There is no choice between Clinton or Trump if you are a thinking individual. Like or dislike Hilary hands down she has experience. Trump basks in his adulation and REPEATEDLY points to how much money he purportedly has and how much money he stands to make. ANY research of his business history shows his only God is money regardless of who it hurts. Look at his bankruptcies and you will see how much money he made while foisting debt on his partners. He is a small, mean spirited liar. His children don’t even have the decency to be embarrassed by what comes out of his mouth. The entire family is a disgrace.
It’s a very easy choice Hillary has devoted herself to service for our country for a good portion of her life, and has always had the ability to put personal dislikes aside and work with people. She was elected senator and had to work with one of the men who tried to impeach Bill and never showed an ounce of antagonism towards him. She had a brutal battle against Obama and it wasn’t pretty. Bill was bitter and against it, but she took Obama’s offer and went to work for his administration and never showed an ounce of bitterness towards him. She knows how to run a presidency and work within the confines of government and accomplish things.. She is not so entrenched in her personal beliefs for issues that she won’t listen to other sides. That is necessary for an effective president, and she exhibited that ability in the Senate.
Trump is vile and a bully and misogynistic and racist and petty and thin-skinned. And which is almost unheard of once you are announced the elected nominee of a party, many in his OWN PARTY (senators, etc) are coming out and saying, they won’t back him because they consider him unfit and a bad reflection on their own party unless something changes with Trump. His own party won’t get in line behind their nominee. That’s pretty bad.
I am not American, I am Irish, but I have been following this from the start, and I would vote for Hillary without a second thought, I know she is not perfect, but compared to that horrible man Trump, she is a saint. I have to say I was very proud of Hillary when she got the nomination as the first women presedential candidate, and I really hope she stands up to Trump and wins big, that would be amazing for women all over the world.
Yes Jayna! I agree with what you said about Hillary and the truth about Trump. Sadly though, I’m afraid all those of his own party who publicly revile him will still push the Republican button when the booth closes. Getting the power back, and the Supreme Court choice, is more important to them than anything that happens to the mere peasants in this country. Also, next, the Congress needs to be brought back in balance because for eight years they’ve roadblocked everything in their attempt to undermine the American voters in the last two elections. To coup. I can’t imagine they’ll be any better to a democratic woman than they were with a democratic MOC.
Oh I never meant to imply Hillary is as bad a Trump, my point is that it’s a hard vote, Hillary is not what most Americans, I think, envision a real democrat to represent so it discourages a lot of people. I can see the voter turnout to be real low this election simply because there is an “extreme” on the conservative side and a, well in my view at least, sham of a democrat; I think this will deter a lot of people from voting as they simply probably don’t want to vote for either. Just my observation as a Canadian 🙂
I think Trump is scary enough to get people out to vote for Hillary. At least I hope so. If not we are all screwed.
IDK, Lucy. People got really excited about Obama in 2008, but otherwise this is what elections are for democrats, “settling” for the candidate they dislike least, voting to oppose the republican rather than support the democrat. I feel like I’ve heard this narrative my entire life. But it’s difficult for me because having heard these same gripes my whole life, I feel like Hillary is being singled out as somehow the biggest compromise ever, and I don’t agree with that.
I agree with what was said above about Hillary having devoted much of her career to public service. She is enormously well qualified, having been both a senator and secretary of state. If I made the rules, presidential candidates, just to run, would have to establish a background in diplomacy and/or military service, and I would really like them to have a law degree or some verifiable experience in constitutional analysis. Hillary more than qualifies, and I’m happy to say that after much soul searching and internal debate, I am excited about voting for her.
Don’t you think that overly limits your candidates bettyrose? I’m an Aussie I have a soft-spot for Paul Keating (Aussie PM back in the 90’s) who left high-school at 14 and worked as a researcher for a trade union before entering politics. In fact, I just looked it up, and 36% of our past pollies have had legal experience, but 32% had trade union experience. So that’s a very common pathway down here.
That said, our system IS very different. We don’t vote for PM directly, they are just the leader of the party with the most seats. If the PM annoys their own party too much, the party removes them and selects a new PM. So they have a lot less individual power than a President does, they’re controlled by their party. I guess that means it’s a bit safer for us to go with someone without formal qualifications.
Lucrezia, well, it’ll never happen, but I’m only talking about candidates for U.S. President, and given that they must represent 300,000 million people, appoint Supreme Court justices who will serve much longer than they themselves do, and in some cases have the power to bypass Congress to send our children to war, I would like to see military service and a strong understanding of the Constitution. I believe a strong background in international diplomacy is just as relevant as military service, though.
But I also think we put way too much focus on voting for president and not enough on selecting our Congressional representatives. It’s not as exciting, but we can each individually be more influential in electing representatives, as well as contacting their offices to express our viewpoints, and we shouldn’t undervalue how powerful congress members can be when they’re on committees. Let’s give Hillary a progressive Congress to work with, her own party but more left-leaning. That would be great, wouldn’t it?
What bettyrose said x 1million! I wish more Americans knew how our government works.
bettyrose, there are 320 million Americans, not 300,000 million.
Six months ago I would have guaranteed you that there was no way I would be voting for Clinton. Now, I will be actively campaigning for her and not because I think she is a great candidate. I am beyond disgusted with this election cycle and strongly dislike my fellow Trump loving citizens. I live in one of the few Republican NJ towns and I’ve lost count on how many Trump signs are in windows and lawns.
Well this southerner, like so many of the southerners I know, will have no problem voting for Hillary.
I think Lucy meant Americans in general when speaking of her “southern neighbours,” as she mentioned she was Canadian.
so it doesn’t bother anyone that hillary clinton pays the women who work for her less than the men?and all you southerners who vote for hillary,get prepared to give up your weapons.
I have to say, I find this attitude deeply offensive. I – and millions of others – am very excited to vote for Hillary.
I agree, Lucy. For anyone prepared to do some research and look beyond the mainstream media sound bites they’ll discover that Clinton is scum. Many of Clinton’s supporters say “There’s no excuse for violence towards women.” But in practice they believe there’s no excuse for violence towards women except when it’s being perpetrated by hawkish Hillary.
I don’t understand when people say they don’t know who they would vote for. Why isn’t the choice of Not-Trump clear? Clinton has her issues, but she’s stable and has a ton of foreign policy experience. Plus, you know, the whole non-racist, pro-choice thing. Which is huge.
i mean hillary is going to nominate a pro choice justice for the supreme court. donald trump would not. supreme court appointments are for life, and will likely outlast the presidential term by decades.
literally that alone all by itself is a good enough reason to vote for hillary
During this election season, Letterman is sorely missed. He did great political interviews and had no problem cutting through the candidate’s campaign rhetoric to ask real questions.
^This x100
I agree.
I agree and the feel the same about Stewart. The funny thing is that Letterman would make fun of Trump years ago so I wonder if he’s a little relieved not to be in the “thick” of things.
David is like many people that finally retire.. they have NO F**** to give. He left and thought it would be hard; then found out it was great. That’s when you know it is time and right. You don’t CARE.. Good for him. He can spend time with his family and just enjoy his life without all the crazy.
I can’t wait for my retirement to happen one day. I want to be a person that has NO F**** to give too.
I don’t see that as a swipe against Colbert. The energy left him because it wasn’t his show anymore and he let it go. I miss Letterman…he was my go-to for late night TV.
I wanted to love Colbert in this new role but his funny didn’t translate for me in a late night host role. I don’ even watch his show anymore. I tried though. Love Letterman. I even respect him a little more since he really did retire, over & out. Similar to Johnny.
I would love to see Vince Vaughn with his own late night show. I think I remember reading he was a possible choice after Conan left the Tonight Show but he didn’t get it. I think he’d be great taking over Letterman’s old gig. He is hilarious but with a cool, dry sense of humor & very witty & quick on his feet and he wants the job.
I agree. I find him boring as a talk show host, especially since he displayed his wit so completely before. Now he has to be careful to get along, and it is worlds away from the guy who nailed politicos on Better Know A District. Like you I tried to watch him, but had to give up. What I wish so badly is that Comedy Central had wrapped John Oliver up to be Jon Stewart’s replacement. I adored him the summer that he replaced Stewart. Cue Oliver’s impersonation of either the queen or Carlos Danger. Good times.
When I watched the interview, I was happy for Dave. He truly has crossed the bridge to retirement without looking back. You never know how your health will hold up, or how much time you have (no guarantees for anything). Leave when you can, and create a new chapter of life.
Dave has done it well, and I admire what his beard represents to him.
His beard is glorious.
I love what he said about Trump – it is so true. OTOH Hillary is the devil incarnate. You guys can kill me if you want to, but if push comes to shove, I’m going to vote for DT. *hides under bed*
You shouldn’t have to hide. You have a right to your opinion and your vote regardless of how others feel. I think they are both very bad, for different reasons, and I can’t vote for either. I’ll waste my vote with a write in. It will be fruitless in outcome, but I will be able to look myself in the mirror and be OK with that.
I get Lettermans point on retirement, I retired at the peak of an exec career and could have gone a few more years but I was just over it. Alas in my last month (after I gave notice) one of our largest subsidiaries was involved in a very large national news story that was drama laden to the max. Almost 2 years later I’m still dreaming about that time. (Shivers). So glad I left but ……I just got told I’m going to be deposed in resulting litigation……kinda like letterman being interviewed. 😉 Can’t wait to tell them how much I’m over it …..
I may have to do a write in vote myself. Just don’t know if I can vote for either of these two
I would just point out that in this election, which I think will be tight, a write-in vote is essentially a vote for Trump.
@venus. I completely disagree. I will note wryly that supporters of Trump and Clinton have both said to me a write in vote will help the candidate they DONT support. Completely illogical. A write in vote should be viewed on its face value — I don’t want either one of the 2 major party candidates to win. I get one will — but neither will win (or lose) because I voted for someone else.
For anyone considering a write in vote, have you given thought to voting for Jill Stein of the Green Party? If they can get enough votes, the party can get federal funding. It has the potential to get us a viable third party, which we really need.
I struggled with who to vote for, but the second I thought of the Supreme Court, all of my hesitation was done. I can’t have Donald Trump picking Supreme Court justices.
I think it’s an impossible choice. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do. Either vote for Hillary or not vote. But you have a right to vote for whomever you want.
I won’t kill you, of course. But have you ever actually listened to Trump speak? Better yet, read transcripts of things that he says. He speaks in a Palin-esque word salad, a lot of nonsense. He starts sentences with “Look” and ends them with “okay?”–verbal tricks that might make him sound like he knows what he is talking about.
He really has no knowledge of anything useful for a president–it’s all bluster and bullying, acting like a CEO, calling people losers, etc.
He’s really deeply ignorant.
minx – you are someone I respect and enjoy your posts. Verbal tricks if Trump is the king of them – jeeze, Hillary is the queen.
IMO, his knowledge of business is something we badly need. But I am open to discussion. 🙂
Hillary is really, deeply untrustworthy. At least we know what Trump is all about but Hillary is fooling all of you. Notice that
she gives very little interviews? Doesn’t like to talk to the media? She doesn’t want her real mess to come out.
She said herself that people don’t know if she is in it for them or for herself – she knows she is in it for herself and couldn’t give a rat’s rear about us.
@Huh? That is how I feel too. Trump let’s it all hang out – his racism, his whatever. Hillary IS deeply untrustworthy – and when asked about the FBI investigation into her emails, she threw her head back and laughed. A more appropriate response would have been to seriously address the question. That really bothered me.
So you admit he is a racist and are still ok with voting for him? I am scared for our country.
Minx, you absolutely nailed it. I’m a registered Democrat, but watched each and every Republican debate, listen to the news all day long, watch CNN both during the day and at night. In other words, I’ve heard just about everything Donald Trump has said, and the truth is he NEVER says anything…he deflects or talks about the polls, using the immature language of a child in so doing. He is one of the most inarticulate people I’ve ever listened to.
Donald Trump doesn’t reveal everything, as someone stated above. Where are his tax returns? Trump University was a fraud. The only thing Donald Trump reveals in his childish, inarticulate tirades is the person he is. As Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
What knowledge of business is helpful to running a not for profit government? How about the man have some knowledge of how government works, held even one office, had a tiny understanding of foreign policy and relations, and didn’t bankrupt his businesses several times over? How about someone who isn’t full of hate speech and his only go to is how not hot Hillary is or that women who are fat by his standards are ugly and therefore not deserving of much. He is a narcissistic bully who cries and gets mean when he doesn’t get his way. How exactly will he help our government?
@Mltpsych Can you imagine the first time a foreign leader disagrees with him?? He is a dangerous ticking time bomb.
Right to all of that..
And at the NRA convention, in his speech he vowed to do away with gun-free zones in our country.. That’s his answer to the escalating violence in our country, not better gun control laws.
Anyone voting for DT because of his business knowledge is just plain trying to justify voting for a racist. Can we talk about four bankruptcys. We the tax payers has to foot the bill because someone has to pay. DT did not pay. All the people who were shortchanged by not getting paid although he used their products. who declares bankruptcy running a casino?
. Next the Trump university, the only DT Benefitted from that money scam,money .
He tried trump vodka, Trump steak, Trump Magazine, Trump airlines, eat, ect, all
went belly up with about another dozen business he entered in that also went
belly up.
How is he going to run a country when he cannot run his businesses.
I’m just going to say what’s in my heart, no one has to agree, jmo, Donald Trump is a snake oil salesman who prey on the weak and ill informed for his next for his next victim. He is racist and there are a lot of racist people in this country who would rather vote for him because he lied about building a wall to keep Mexicans out. He told the New York Times he is not building a wall. This was said off the record but is refusing to give his OK for them to release the tape of this interview.
Last, he will neve show his tax return because he cannot let the country to see what’s in it because he lies about his net worth, and his tax rate and the money that he borrowed from the Middle East sheets to keep his business going.
B n A fn: I hear you – I don’t try to justify his racism. But then there is Hillary. It’s choosing between two quite unsavory characters, and there is something about Hillary that really gets my back up.
So what you’re saying is, she irritates you so you’d rather vote for a completely unqualified racist who wouldn’t know the truth if it hit him on the head? It’s your vote of course, but really?
Good for business??
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/nyregion/donald-trump-atlantic-city.html
i dont know why people think he’s a good business man. if everyone else inherited what he had, they’d have at least as much. and we dont really know what he has and we probably never will.
I just want people to vote.
I never thought Dave Letterman was particularly funny or nice. I wish him well in his retirement and I agree that Trump is vomit-inducing, but I don’t miss Letterman at all.
Hillary has done a lot of good in the world for a lot of people going back to her time in Arkansas as a children’s advocate. She isn’t perfect but this is a disturbing world and I want someone who knows what she’s doing to run the show. Can anyone honestly say they’re comfortable with the idea of DT’s finger on the button to launch a nuclear bomb?
What frightens me most of all isn’t Trump himself. It’s how many supporters he has. No experience. No political knowledge. No understanding of foreign policy or for that matter what is going in in the world. (Didn’t even know what Britex is.) What is the appeal? This terrifies me.
Bingo, bingo, bingo.
I think Hillary is a lot worse than “not perfect.” She has spent her entire career lining her own pockets and increasing her own power, at the expense of anything she once had that can be called character. She has broken laws and stayed with a man who humiliates her publicly for power and money. She is the biggest liar I have ever seen. And I’m going to vote for her if I vote at all. I’ll vote for her if I can force myself to do so. Because Donald Trump represents the worst part of us, and he cannot lead us anywhere but down. At least Hillary will keep the status quo. I hope.
I agree with GNAT 100%. Also, I will vote for Hillary because my concern is that not voting at all, or voting for a write in candidate in protest, would be helping Trump. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the outcome of an election. He could win by public apathy.
if you had told me last year id be considering voting for hillary, i’d have laughed out loud. she’s horrible and every job she has had has been for her own advancement. i dont know why people act like she’s devoted her life to anything other than her own interests. but she isn’t completely incompetent and won’t embarrass us internationally. low bar, i know.
if i didnt live in a swing state, id vote jill green.
@GNAT: you just described all of our most prominent US politicians.
Hillary is a liar… But what politician isn’t?
Trump on the other hand, is a moron. He visited CA (where I live) and said the drought was over, which everyone knows is untrue.
Trump is also a racist, misogynist, homophobe, who “tells it like it is” and “doesn’t but into the PC culture” according to his supporters I know. This is of course another way of saying he is a blunt, tactless man, who lacks any diplomacy. What the Trump supporters fail to realize is that lack of diplomacy automatically makes him unfit. You know, cause being a President is the biggest diplomatic role on our country.
Hillary at least knows how to deal with foreign powers, engage in civil discourse at an international level, and is unlikely to start a scandal by pissing off other countries.
@Rapunzel, you forget to mentioned that DT is a bigger liar than Hillary according to fact checking of his speeches. I totally agree with your comment @Other Renee.
Did he really say the drought was over? *sigh*
OK, so he got one of the facts wrong. And I don’t care if he is a blunt tactless man, quite frankly. Our country to going under because people aren’t working together. Trump’s accomplishments tell me he DOES know how to work with people. He hires the best (including women) who know how to get the job done, and he lets them do their jobs. He may have had business failures, but I don’t think there is a business man on the planet at his level who hasn’t had their share of failures, it is part of the deal. He would have to be freakin’ Midas to have had EVERYTHING be a success.
Is he weird? Yes. Can he be rude? Undoubtedly. But I prefer him to that piece of slime who has built her career on the back of corruption, including trying to ruin the lives of the women her husband had affairs with. That is not the kind of woman *I* want representing me.
@crumpet– Trump did indeed spout off that the drought was over. And this is not one isolated fact he got wrong. He continually lies and states untruths because he is unprepared. Do we want a leader who has no knowledge of what’s going on in our country? Our world? He also said he learned more at military school than most people actually serving in the military. And that John McCain was not a real hero cause he was captured and put in a POW camp. He’s a unqualified ignoramus who talks out his butt.
You may say you don’t care about rudeness, bluntness, tactlessness, or whatever, but you will when he mouths off to a foreign dignitary as Pres. and turns other countries against us (as if we don’t have enough of that now.)
You’re right people don’t work together…but Trump is a divisive charlatan. He will drive us further into division, not less.
Hillary is a nasty, power hungry liar who oozes sleaze, sure. But Trump? He’s far far far far worse. Woe to our country if we can’t see that.
“This is not the kind of woman I want representing me”. You want a man who cheated on his first wife with his second wife. And a man who cheated on his second wife whose first wife accused him of raping her and beating her. Oh yes, she took the rape allegation back although she had swear to that in a court of law. I’m guessing she was quite handsomely rewarded to take back the rape claim.
All politicians have their skeletons, THEY ALL LIE, just saying. I would rather vote for a woman whose was cheated on than a man whose wife accused him of cheating, beating and raping her, JMHO.
Serious question Crumpet: what do you think Trump has accomplished?
Trump gets lots of facts wrong. And his bankruptcies didn’t hurt him personally (he grabbed all the money he could from the businesses, not using his own money but putting others in debt) but definitely hurt a lot of other people – including contractors who were never paid or paid so much less than they were owed that it put them out of business. His pattern has been to enrich himself at the expense of many others. Many people have regretted trusting him.
He doesn’t even bother keeping his own stories straight. Some years ago, he knew exactly who David Duke and his Ku Klux Klan were, and several times publicly denounced Duke who was running for some local office. Trump made it clear that he thought the guy was trash and had no business running for office (good for The Donald…). More recently, when asked in an interview about Duke again after Trump was endorsed by white supremacists, he claimed he knew nothing about Duke or white supremacists and deflected the question. Later Trump tried to act like it was a problem with his earpiece, but I saw the video and he clearly heard and repeated the name David Duke and the proper names of the organizations. There was nothing wrong with his earpiece. Millions of alarm bells go off in my head when a US Presidential candidate is reluctant to denounce the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacists in general. What game is he playing? Really, even I knew who David Duke was and I pay as little attention to such things as possible. I’ve never run into any American who didn’t know what the Ku Klux Klan was either.
Donald Trump is for Donald Trump and doesn’t care about anyone else, here or elsewhere. He is making blatant bigotry acceptable in public and is inciting to violence. This is very dangerous in a country like this.
#Jwoolman, preach. Great post.
OK everyone, I can take the pile-on. But for the record, I did say I was open to discussion, so those of you who decided to take personal jabs at me were out of line, and I hope you realize how it hurts your position.
Thank you to everyone who gave thoughtful answers – I will ponder them.
Crumpet: Donald Trump’s business expertise:
At least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings reviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK, document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work. Among them: a dishwasher in Florida. A glass company in New Jersey. A carpet company. A plumber. Painters. Forty-eight waiters. Dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs, coast to coast. Real estate brokers who sold his properties. And, ironically, several law firms that once represented him in these suits and others. Trump’s companies have also been cited for 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act since 2005 for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage, according to U.S. Department of Labor data. …
“In addition to the lawsuits, the review found more than 200 mechanic’s liens — filed by contractors and employees against Trump, his companies or his properties claiming they were owed money for their work — since the 1980s. … On just one project, Trump’s Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, records released by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission in 1990 show that at least 253 subcontractors weren’t paid in full or on time, including workers who installed walls, chandeliers and plumbing.
“The actions in total paint a portrait of Trump’s sprawling organization frequently failing to pay small businesses and individuals, then sometimes tying them up in court and other negotiations for years. In some cases, the Trump teams financially overpower and outlast much smaller opponents, draining their resources. Some just give up the fight, or settle for less; some have ended up in bankruptcy or out of business altogether.
“Trump and his daughter Ivanka, in an interview with USA TODAY, shrugged off the lawsuits and other claims of non-payment. If a company or worker he hires isn’t paid fully, the Trumps said, it’s because The Trump Organization was unhappy with the work.”
Deadbeat who rips off people doing business with him. Is this the caliber of who we want as our national leader? Read the complete story here. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/09/donald-trump-unpaid-bills-republican-president-laswuits/85297274/?campaign_id=A100&campaign_type=Email
Thank you Mary mary. That is an interesting read indeed.
Hillary has many accomplishments.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/leslie-marshall/2014/02/19/hillary-clintons-accomplishments-speak-for-themselves
And everyone should read Hillary’s first speech as the nominee last week. It was thoughtful and all-encompassing regarding planned parenthood, and in reading what she said, how can anyone compare it to Trump and his view towards women? It is about Hillary speaking about “reproductive justice in a genuinely intersectional way.” It is said in the article that this speech is groundbreaking for a presidential candidate.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-planned-parenthood_us_575b08dae4b0ced23ca7fe7e
I’m going with the protest vote !
I watched Letterman and Stewart pretty regularly. I’ll catch the viral bits from Fallon or Kimmel (or James Corden) when they become big enough, but I’m basically scratching my Letterman/Stewart itch with John Oliver (LOVE HIM AND HIS SHOW) and Samantha Bee (she’s fantastic).
I think Colbert like Conan is rather restricted by Network television.
I refuse to speak of Drumpf today because I am in a good mood.
Regardless of whether it’s the Democrats or GOP in power the disparity between the rich and poor will continue to grow, the response to climate change will continue to be inadequate and the imperialist invasions of other countries will be the norm. The only way to support the lesser of two evils is to look beyond election cycles and look at the big picture. Regardless of who wins in the short term the agendas of both parties should be rejected and continued to be rejected until they change their policies or a third party replaces them. Thinking of the big picture, not just the next four years, IS the lesser of two evils. What has happened is that the GOP have moved to the right and the dems have moved with them pulling the direction of the country further and further to the right – this is why you’re seemingly left with with choosing between a fascist or a moderate republican. If you keep voting for right-wing democrats, under the threat of getting a fascist if you don’t, then the slide to the right, and the resulting damage, will continue unabated. It’s time for circuit breaker.
Because Trump is the candidate, Clinton doesn’t have to prove anything to the American people, which is a little scary. This election feels so lopsided that it’s almost like a one-party system and the election is a little pageant put on by the 1% to make the citizens feel like they have a choice.
Didn’t the Clintons settle some lawsuits regarding Bills assaults? While Hilary might not have committed the crime against the various women, she certainly didn’t support them. She bad mouthed them, denigrated them, and stayed married to the pig that committed the crime. Any accomplishment you believe she has made gets wiped out by that in my book. I’ll vote for neither party, and be proud doing it.