How 's Joe Paterno? Trump asks Pittsburgh crowd about dead Penn State coach

Source: THE WASHINGTON POST | April 13, 2016 | Des Bleier

 

Pandering to local crowds is a staple of political campaigns everywhere, and Donald Trump’s is no different. But the key to successful pandering is knowing to whom you’re speaking and, of course, what you’re saying.

Trump was way off base on both those counts Wednesday, when he spoke before a crowd of supporters at a rally in Pittsburgh.

“I know a lot about Pennsylvania, and it’s great,” Trump said. Which is standard-issue stuff, but then things got awkward.

“How’s Joe Paterno?” Trump asked. “We’re gonna bring that back? Right? How about that whole deal?”

Paterno, for those who may have forgotten (including, possibly, a certain presidential candidate) died in 2012. (Wait, is bringing him back from the grave an essential part of making America great again?) …

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  • EVERYDAY #4415

    For those of you who don’t know the story: Joe Paterno coached Pennsylvania State University “Penn State” football for decades until he was unjustly fired in the wake of a child sex abuse scandal involving his assistant, Jerry Sandusky. The University maintained that Paterno knew about the child abuse, but did nothing. Well, he did do something — he reported it to the higher-ups, who did nothing. Anyway, shortly after being fired, Paterno died from cancer, and there are some who say his death was hastened by the unjust firing.

    Anyway, as the article states, the campaign maintains that Trump was not referring to the dead coach, but rather, to a giant statue of Paterno at Penn State’s main campus, which the brass at Penn State ordered removed following Paterno’s firing. There has been a movement to bring back the statue, and allegedly, Trump was indicating support for this movement.

    Regardless — this is one of my pet peeves about Little Donnie. He doesn’t know how to communicate properly. I don’t know if it’s deliberate, but he talks like his low rent audience. For a guy who is supposedly fabulously wealthy and presumably well educated, Trump talks on an eighth grade level– maybe even lower. Now his supporters might see that as a plus — he talks on a level his audience understands, not like a lawyer or a politician. I find it insulting. Sounds to me like he’s talking down to people. I would rather have a candidate who speaks to me like I have more than one brain cell. This is what Ted Cruz does. He treats his audience as if they are smart too.

    mostlyhomebound #4419

    Still dead.

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