Trump campaign manager politely mocks Bushes over ex-president's reported Hillary vote
There are some questions for which there are just no good answers — "Why did you marry that loser?" for example, or "Did you have fun at the brothel?" On CNN Tuesday evening, Erin Burnett posed a pretty no-win question to Donald Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, asking her if she had any reaction to the un-denied report that former President George H.W. Bush plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in November. Conway had some thoughts to share, and they were outwardly fairly polite.
Let's examine Conway's masterpiece of spin, with plausible translations.
"Well, I respect the 92-year-old former president very much and his decision, and I think Americans are very grateful to the Bush family for their public service. That's his right." — Bush is old, and his family is old news.
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"It is ironic that he would vote for the wife of the man who knocked him out of the race — Bill Clinton defeated George Herbert Walker Bush, Bush 41, Erin, in 1992 for his re-election." — Burnett isn't very well-informed, Bush is a loser, and "ironic" is a word invented by Alanis Morissette that means "something bad happened." (i.e. Isn't it ironic that Ronald Reagan's VP is voting for a Clinton over Donald Trump?)
"Ah, but look, this was a bruising primary, and Jeb Bush really failed all expectations that he would be the 'electable,' the predominant person on the stage. He lasted through South Carolina, got out of the race before March 1. So I know there are a lot of hurt feelings there. That is his right." — Bush is just ditching Trump out of familial spite, not because Trump opposes everything the GOP elder statesman has stood for.
"I think what is most disturbing about this report to me, Erin, is that someone divulged a private conversation — it doesn't seem like it was meant for public consumption. And that's always very bothersome to me." — Private conversations are different than Democratic emails hacked by Russians and leaked online.
That is a lot to pack into 50 seconds. Wouldn't it be ironic if the report turns out to be false?
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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