Op-ed: Wither that sucker Trump

  • By Bob Franken
  • Tuesday, July 28, 2015 5:17pm
  • Opinion

In political news, the cliche that somebody has “sucked all of the air out of the room,” means, of course, that an individual has managed to distract from the many elements of a multifaceted story and put the entire focus on himself. That’s what Donald Trump has been doing of late — sucking all the stagnant air out of the campaign and replacing it with his foul breath. How’s that for a tortured metaphor?

But for those who have felt like they’ve been tortured by the All-Donald-All-The-Time coverage, take heart: He’s very quickly becoming yesterday’s obscenity. And it’s a good thing. Because while we have been single-mindedly fixating on Trump’s every nastiness, we’ve not been giving adequate attention to some relatively important stuff.

Lost in the Donald shuffle, for instance, was a speech given by Jeb Bush, where he promised that if elected president, he will mount an assault on “Mount Washington” and, in particular, tighten restrictions on lobbyists. His point is the usual one, that these hired guns with their treasuries of money for special-influence campaign contributions can have an inordinate, or even corrupting, influence on the people’s business.

This is one of those cases where context is essential. At the end of June, Bush, through his lawyers, officially announced his campaign, and the financial behemoths associated with it had amassed contributions that totaled approximately $115 million. That’s an astonishing amount. So the question is, What do those Bush benefactors want in return — particularly the big-ticket ones who shower his super PAC with cash and who are not bound by any meaningful limits? Will someone please explain how they are different from deep-pocketed lobbyists? Does anyone believe that these are people who really believe in Jeb, as opposed to those simply making an investment, a down payment on buying the government if Bush wins? It’s an important question, but it’s pretty much been obliterated by the laser focus on the latest Trump dump.

Just as his star’s twinkle is beginning to fade a little, others are showing that they’ve learned their lesson from him. Ted Cruz, who had already shown an amazing cheap-shot aptitude, has taken his rancor to a new level. On the floor of the United States Senate, where all sorts of malevolence is hidden behind flowery manners, Cruz has shattered the code. In a floor speech complaining about Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s legislative deal-making, he out and out called McConnell a liar. That’s huge. It breaks the rule that states:

“No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.”

Sen. Cruz was certainly doing some heavy imputing. But suddenly everyone is learning that civility is for suckers. At least on the Republican side.

For the D’s, however, it’s Hillary Clinton choosing her words with a lawyer’s precision. The New York Times reported that inspectors general had referred her emails to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation into the possibility she mishandled classified information on her infamous private server. The Times got information that was overstated. They are not seeking a criminal investigation of Hillary, just the possibility that classified information was mishandled, which is a crime. There’s a difference. But the never-ending questions are doing serious damage to her credibility, as one poll after another shows. The most recent shows her losing head to head in several swing states to a variety of GOP candidates. However, she does just fine against one of them: You guessed it, Donald Trump. So maybe he’s stopped sucking all the air out of the room as people who have been attracted to his antics realize that they’re the suckers.

Bob Franken is a longtime broadcast journalist, including 20 years at CNN.

More in Opinion

Dick Maitland, a foley artist, works on the 46th season of “Sesame Street” at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York, Dec. 15, 2025. (Ariana McLaughlin/The New York Times)
Opinion: Trump’s embarrassing immaturity Republicans won’t acknowledge

Sullivan should be embarrassed by the ignorance and immaturity the president is putting on display for the world to see.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks in support of debating an omnibus education bill in the Alaska House Chambers on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Choosing our priorities wisely

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in support overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 69 at the Alaska Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Capitol Corner: As session nears end, pace picks up in Juneau

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop and Gov. Mike Dunleavy discuss his veto of an education bill during a press conference March 15, 2024, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Strong policy, proven results

Why policy and funding go hand in hand.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski speaks on a range of subjects during an interview with the Juneau Empire in May 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The Jones Act — crass protectionism, but for whom?

Alaska is dependent on the few U.S.-built ships carrying supplies from Washington state to Alaska.

Cook Inlet can be seen at low tide from North Kenai Beach on June 15, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Solving the Cook Inlet gas crisis

While importing LNG is necessary in the short term, the Kenai Peninsula is in dire need of a stable long-term solution.

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet are dragged up onto the beach at a test site for selective harvest setnet gear in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Creating opportunities with better fishery management

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

The ranked choice outcome for Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is shown during an Alaska Public Media broadcast on Nov. 24, 2022. (Alaska Division of Elections)
Opinion: Alaska should keep ranked choice voting, but let’s make it easier

RCV has given Alaskans a better way to express their preferences.

The Alaska State Capitol on March 1. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Keep Alaska open for business

Our job as lawmakers is to ensure that laws passed at the ballot box work effectively on the ground.

Most Read