slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

By Ed Rogers March 30 at 11:20 AM

Way back when, as a rookie semi-regular talking head, I got some good advice from Paul Begala, then one of the co-hosts of the CNN’s “Crossfire.” In the makeup room before an appearance, Begala could probably tell I was nervous, and he told me, “Ed, just remember: Don’t defend the indefensible or deny the obvious. It’ll make the show easier and we will have a better discussion.” I always remember his advice and I try to stick to it.

In politics, in order to be effective, it’s important to always start from an honest place and remember Begala’s admonition: to never deny the obvious or defend the indefensible. And if you’re a serious contributor to the debate, nobody expects you to deny the obvious or defend the indefensible. So I’m struck by what I see as I watch the surreal Trump campaign unfold. Trump surrogate after Trump surrogate seems willing to go out and tell lies, both big and small. I don’t know if I should feel pity or anger. It’s clear that in Trump World, you’re expected to lie. It’s one thing to be a good carrier of the company line, but you’re not doing anybody any good if everyone knows you’re lying.

Watching the Trump backers defend Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in the latest news cycle has been astonishing. The man touched Michelle Fields. Lewandowski said he didn’t, and his candidate defended him; but now the video reveals that he did. Period. Whether or not it’s a big deal is a different question — but the fact is, he lied. And the surrogates continue to lie, even when telling the t***h would be easier and more helpful to their cause.

Surrogates take their cues from their boss, and Donald Trump p***es himself on never backing down. Well, holding fast in defense of a lie is no virtue. Expecting others to lie on your behalf is not what leadership is about. Again, I don’t think the underlying incident is as big a deal as it’s being made out to be, but Trump’s willingness — or downright eagerness — to avoid the t***h, and his expectations that his staff and allies will do the same, is a big issue. It suggests a larger problem that further disqualifies Trump as someone who should be considered a viable candidate for president of the United States.
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Ed Rogers is a contributor to the PostPartisan blog, a political consultant and a veteran of the White House and several national campaigns. He is the chairman of the lobbying and communications firm BGR Group, which he founded with former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour in 1991. He is a protege of the late Lee Atwater, former political strategist to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Hemiman Loc: Communist California

Funny how all these talking heads have a negative opinion of Mr.Trump but have remained silent for seven plus years of the Obama administration lies and deceit,can we assume they may be bought and paid for by the elite that have sworn to bring down Mr.Trump.Some posters can't wait to gobble this up,do they care about America or just want to promote another four years of corruption.

moldyoldy

Nice deflection. Obama gets blamed for everything, even if it benefits everyone it is still a bad thing. As for trump, he is trying his best to lose the nomination, but the i***ts still support him. he wants to be a king maker, not a king.

Hemiman Loc: Communist California

How would you know what he wants to be did he say that the last time you spoke with him??Yeah Obama is just a great man everything he does is just too improve the human condition,a real man for the people.

badbobby Loc: texas

so what is the alternative????
Hillary???

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Come on, Hemiman..."all these talking heads have a negative opinion of Mr. Trump, but have remained silent for seven plus years of the Obama administration's lies and deceit?" It would be implausible for anyone to believe President Obama or any other leading national politician has remained free of criticism or the pointing out of their own lies & deceit by pundits and/or critics.

Please name one p**********l candidate who has avoided said scrutiny and criticism in this campaign...or any other, for that matter. Politics has always been a dirty and cut-throat business. One should understand: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." :| A candidate can't be thin-skinned.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

None of 'em still running in the primaries appeal to me, BB. :roll: I am leaning towards writing in Jim Webb as a protest v**e. :|

BTW...always good to hear from you, old friend. Return whenever possible. :thumbup:

Hemiman Loc: Communist California

[quote=slatten49]Come on, Hemiman..."all these talking heads have a negative opinion of Mr. Trump, but have remained silent for seven plus years of the Obama administration's lies and deceit?" It would be implausible for anyone to believe President Obama or any other leading national politician has remained free of criticism or the pointing out of their own lies & deceit by pundits and/or critics.

Please name one p**********l candidate who has avoided said scrutiny and criticism in this campaign...or any other, for that matter. Politics has always been a dirty and cut-throat business. One should understand: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." :|[/quote

None have gone thru what he is going thru and you know it but you buy in to the elite attack which is by any definition totally over the top,this is not normal scrutiny and once again you know it.I would think if you disagree with him you would say it in your own words rather than enlist the aid of a attack dog political hack.I don't see you commenting on her lies,you only have Trump in your crosshairs. I don't expect you to defend him but I would thInk you could at the very least present the other side of the story.

robmull Loc: florida

[quote=Hemiman][quote=slatten49]Come on, Hemiman..."all these talking heads have a negative opinion of Mr. Trump, but have remained silent for seven plus years of the Obama administration's lies and deceit?" It would be implausible for anyone to believe President Obama or any other leading national politician has remained free of criticism or the pointing out of their own lies & deceit by pundits and/or critics.

Please name one p**********l candidate who has avoided said scrutiny and criticism in this campaign...or any other, for that matter. Politics has always been a dirty and cut-throat business. One should understand: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." :|[/quote

None have gone thru what he is going thru and you know it but you buy in to the elite attack which is by any definition totally over the top,this is not normal scrutiny and once again you know it.I would think if you disagree with him you would say it in your own words rather than enlist the aid of a attack dog political hack.I don't see you commenting on her lies,you only have Trump in your crosshairs. I don't expect you to defend him but I would thInk you could at the very least present the other side of the story.[/quote]








When someone is a [secular/c*******t/f*****t/Muslim] liberal progressive, Hemiman, there is only ONE side to the story; theirs!!!

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

[quote=Hemiman][quote=slatten49]Come on, Hemiman..."all these talking heads have a negative opinion of Mr. Trump, but have remained silent for seven plus years of the Obama administration's lies and deceit?" It would be implausible for anyone to believe President Obama or any other leading national politician has remained free of criticism or the pointing out of their own lies & deceit by pundits and/or critics.

Please name one p**********l candidate who has avoided said scrutiny and criticism in this campaign...or any other, for that matter. Politics has always been a dirty and cut-throat business. One should understand: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." :|[/quote

None have gone thru what he is going thru and you know it but you buy in to the elite attack which is by any definition totally over the top,this is not normal scrutiny and once again you know it.I would think if you disagree with him you would say it in your own words rather than enlist the aid of a attack dog political hack.I don't see you commenting on her lies,you only have Trump in your crosshairs. I don't expect you to defend him but I would thInk you could at the very least present the other side of the story.[/quote]
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Hemi, I get that you are a strong Donald Trump supporter. I am not. It is incumbent upon you to present "the other side of the story." I have not seen or heard anything to convince me the man is worthy of the office. I wrote, not long after his announcement to run, that I believe the man to be a self-aggrandizing demagogue and/or carnival barker. If it's any explanation or consolation to you...read my response to BadBobby just above regarding my position on the current candidates. This is not the first time I have explained my sentiments. I find you an honorable man and one of principle. Regardless of my respect for you, we simply disagree on Mr. Trump.

If you were able to read all my posts of the past, you would know that I would wish the best for Mr. Trump or any candidate who wins the presidency. I believe the country should be more united, and until the winner unequivocally loses my trust after gaining the office, I will support completely...even Donald Trump.:wink: :thumbup:

Tasine Loc: Southwest US

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Can you name one thing Obama has done that has benefited EVERYONE? Remember that not everyone agrees on what is good and what is bad when you make that kind of comment. Not everyone agrees on what a benefit is. Is free health care a benefit to the doctors, the hospitals, the nurses? Is love of jihadists a benefit to those whom it beheads? etc, ad nauseum.

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Damn, I thought GW Bush was to blame for everything. Silly me.

Anyway, you'll have to enlighten us on all these "benefits" Obama has graciously bestowed on everyone, as if he were a king or something. I've been looking for a sign of even one of them for seven long f*cking years.

robmull Loc: florida

You have to remember, Tasine, that liberal progressives come in every flavor; secular, c*******t, f*****t and Muslim, and NONE of them can tell the t***h when trying to deceptively slither into our free-market Western civilization. Up is down, "left" is right, "right" is wrong and bad is good. It's almost like they were standing on the earth half-way around the planet. Hard to imagine but easy to visualize.

Tasine Loc: Southwest US

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Yeah, I know.....so hard to keep one's mouth shut though, when such "honest" lies flood us to the point of drowning.
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lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

I thought that was the reason we spend billions of dollars a year to hire the Congress, you know, to find the t***h, make laws and stop the President from doing stupid stuff. I guess I was wrong.

Come to think of it, why ARE we still employing those useless bastards - tenure?