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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2011 > May > 18 > Entry
Martin Gottlieb: So there will be no Trump-Portman ticket?
I’ve long had a rule about television viewing: No Trump. Anything trumps Trump. No matter how desperate I am for something to point my eyes at while I chew, I will not allow his image in my home. Ever.
This policy took effect long before “You’re fired!” Even before Trump had his own show (or shows; there’s more than one, right? seems like it), he was hard to avoid. The media were obsessed with his love life, his hair, his money, his self-obsession.
My antipathy toward him was infectious, in a sense. Those who decided he was worth interviewing — those who abetted his campaign of television domination — would end up on my list, too. I haven’t paid a moment’s attention to Barbara Walters in decades.
Used to be, one way to avoid a Trump attack was to stick with C-SPAN. What interest could that station possibly have in him, or he in it? Different universes.
But then came a certain day this spring. I’m taking my refuge, and suddenly there he is. On C-SPAN!
And, worse: I’m feeling obliged to watch. After all, he’s up in some presidential polls, and I’m supposed to keep up with this stuff. I had been resolute about ignoring his campaign on the premise that it would go away. This meant adding cable news channels to the unwatchable list, which was OK. But a problem was looming with newspapers. And now C-SPAN. So maybe the time had come to bend a little.
So there I am watching Donald Trump give a speech — about serious stuff: China and Iraq and trade and whatnot.
And I’m wondering whatever became of me. And, of course, there was the inevitable question: What does this portend for western civilization?
His speech seems designed to make him a laughingstock. He blusters and he gets everything wrong, and every time he comes to a point that he wants to emphasize, he resorts to profanity, as if it’s just him and a few friends, and he can relax.
He hadn’t taken time to formulate his thoughts into words suitable to a presidential prospect in public. And you had to think, if he’s not going to take that time, why am I taking the time to listen? Why is anybody?
Buoyed by the polls, he was clearly planning to formally announce his candidacy. He told his friendly listeners that he thought they’d like the decision he was about to announce.
But his poll ratings collapsed overnight, and he’s gone, though, true to his anti-reality style, he went out saying the polls showed him winning.
Just after the profane speech and a flap about Obama’s birthplace that broke records for absurdity, Trump was at a Washington dinner where journalists and others were gathered to laugh. Obama started his speech with, “My fellow Americans” and proceeded to go after Trump, as did others. Trump never even hinted at a smile. Perfectly stonefaced. Everybody was laughing but him.
That was understandable. While the humor of that evening that was aimed at Obama or Paul Ryan or whoever was meant in good fun, the barbs thrown at Trump were serious. He didn’t laugh at the jokes because he got them.
He seemed like a man who was withdrawing.
While he never had a chance at the nomination, when one did finally start paying attention, it was tempting to picture him on a ticket with, say, Rob Portman.
That buttoned-down senator from Ohio — the anti-Trump in style and some substance — is making the lists as a vice presidential possibility. He’s from Ohio, after all, and he has the credentials by virtue of past service.
It would have to be fun to watch him try to explain away his running mate’s views, such as that China is “our enemy” and that a 25 percent tax should be imposed on items from China. Portman’s long been identified with free trade.
But it would be more fun just to watch him handle the relationship. It’d be a “Saturday Night Live” skit. John Belushi would have to be reinvented to play Trump. That I might watch.
There was always the bigger possibility of Trump running as a third candidate in the fall. So maybe he was worth some attention.
If Trump’s political rise was a warning sign about our civilization, should his collapse be taken as a sign that survival is still possible? A judgment would be premature, given other names still in the presidential field.
For the time being though, at least C-SPAN is back.
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