Four score and seven hours ago, or maybe a bit longer, Donald Trump sent some of his political aides down to Florida to talk with skeptical Republican leaders. To assure them. To assure them that he's just been faking it till now.
No, really. The Associated Press got a copy of the recording of the closed-door meeting and it was on page 1A of Arkansas' newspaper on Friday. The Donald's campaign honchos said their boss has been "projecting an image" so far in the 2016 primary season, and "the part that he's been playing is now evolving" in a way that'll bring down that 67 percent negative rating.
For example, a newly hired senior handler, Paul Manafort, told the gathering: "When he's out on the stage, when he's talking about the kinds of things he's talking about on the stump, he's projecting an image that's for that purpose."
And: "You'll start to see more depth of the person, the real person. You'll see a real different guy."
Well.
Imagine what this means. First it means if you voted for Donald Trump in Arkansas' primary or any other this year, you've been duped. What he has been saying all these months at political rallies was just his projecting an image. He's been playing a part. And all that will change. So says his newly hired senior political aide.
Also, imagine what this says about Mr. Trump's thoughts about the average American voter. It means he thinks that We the People want a candidate who'll go on the stump and use words like loser, dumb, weak, basket case, pathetic, worthless, slob, goofball, scum, unattractive, spoiled, overrated, and, yes, hypocrite to describe his opponents. Even if he doesn't mean it. The important thing is that you want it, Much Abused Voter, or at least he thinks you do.
"The part that he's been playing," continued Mr. Manafort, "is evolving into the part that now you've been expecting, but he wasn't ready for, because he had first to complete the first phase. The negatives will come down. The image is going to change."
Complete the first phase? Which was what, exactly? Showing the people that The Donald can be even more of a horse's ass than anybody thought possible?
And Mr. Political Aide promises the negatives will come down. That's good news. For they could hardly go up. When was the last time a major American political party nominated a candidate who was disliked by two-thirds of the American public? But don't worry your pretty little head about that. The image is going to change. Promise. Which would be a neat trick if it could be pulled off. But something tells us The Donald has not yet begun to show how unprepared he is to be president. Imagine a man who says he is his best adviser because of his great brain--and who gets his military advice from the Sunday morning shows--going up against Hillary Clinton in a debate this fall. It's going to be like sand-blasting a soup cracker.
So the day Mr. Political Aide was giving his behind-closed-doors speech to the VIPs of the Republican Party, lo and behold The Donald was giving another speech in Harrisburg, Pa., before its primary. The speech is easily found on YouTube, and it'd have to be because we found it. Of course, some sort of protesters started doing what protesters do as Mr. Trump approached the podium. His reaction, as always:
"Get 'em outta here. Get 'em out! Gah 'head! Go home to mom. Go home to mommy. These people, I tell ya, ya can't get rid of them."
Then as the protesters were being led out by security, Mr. Trump sarcastically added, with a wink to the crowd:
"Be gentle! (Ya know I have to say that.) Be gentle. Be nice an' easy." Because he's changed. He no longer talks about riots and people being carted out of rallies on stretchers or promising to pay legal fees for the more violent types. This must be the new The Donald that Mr. Political Aide was talking about down in Florida.
Here's some more from the GOP front-runner at the Harrisburg Address:
"By the way, how about [Ted] Cruz? Lyin' Ted, you're right. Lyin' Ted. He's a liar. How 'bout this? He is some liar. He's a professional liar. You know, I say it. I'm doing great with evangelicals. But Lyin' Ted comes in and holds the Bible up, and he holds it high, right? He holds it high. And then he lies. But he puts it down and he lies."
On free trade, which our fathers brought forth on this continent:
"We have leaders that are dumb as rocks. They don't know what the hell is happening to our country . . . . I get it and they don't get it. They don't. Our politicians don't get it . . . . Here's what we do: If we have Crooked Hillary-- I mean is there anybody more crooked than this woman? No, is there anybody?"
And that government for the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
(Sigh.)
One might wonder if he was still playing the First Phase part in Harrisburg the other day, and hadn't heard what his new political guru was telling folks down in Florida. Or whether this is his version of toned down and presidential. Maybe his handlers were a week early in their promises? Or they hadn't had the opportunity to pass it by the boss yet? But in Sunday's paper, The Donald does what The Donald does: he doubled down. And mocked the reports, and suggested that the taping of his aide's comments might even be illegal and somebody's going to have to go to jail.
Still, you gotta ask: During the Harrisburg Address, was The Donald still in First Phase mode, or is this what we should expect to see until November?
Here's another question: Which would be worse?
Editorial on 04/26/2016