You're saying his name now, aren't you? Not Barnum, the other guy. Maybe you deplore his crude racism and rudeness to women; maybe you believe he's holding the feet of a hostile news media to the fire. Perhaps you think mass deportations are the right response to illegal immigration, or one of the worst ideas ever. It doesn't matter to him, as long as his name leads the newscasts and his name underpins the water-cooler buzz.
Long before Edward Bernays took up the torch and offered women a light, P. T. Barnum had worked out the principle: publicity is publicity. Good, bad -- it barely matters. You might remember Barnum as a promoter of hoaxes like the "Fiji Mermaid," but you do know his name. His contemporary competitors? Not even a ripple.
A genius for self-promotion does not imply talent or knowledge in other areas; but in the world of 2024, a product is its advertising. And he's got you -- and the media talking heads -- saying his name.
Yup, guaranteed clickbait.
ReplyDeleteJVL was on the money here…
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-trumps-cheap-heat
The things Trump needs to do to win, he's not doing. He's sticking to his old 2016 formula of outrage & insults, bluster & bravado. But like any popular entertainment genre, it grows tired, trite, & stale after a couple of years. His schtick is the political version of the overused comedy punchline or overplayed hit song- loved by his hardcore fans, but cringe to everyone else.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the things he needs to do are the things I don't think he can. He's hooked on the rush he gets from the cheers from his fawning myrmidons at the rallies, and plays to that. The idea that he's not actually as popular as he thinks he is he dismisses as Fake News- just look at the rallies! Actually appealing to the independents, undecideds, and reluctant Republicans he said he didn't need isn't as fun.