* The media that is so loathed by Donald Trump has once again enabled his candidacy by characterizing a recent “pivot” as an apology. I don’t think it’s undue parsing to note that regretting something is not the same as apologizing.
Here’s Trump’s “apology”: “Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing. I have done that, and believe it or not, I regret it–and I do regret it–particularly where it may have caused personal pain.”
In short, he actually meant: “After another staff shakeup, I’ve been advised to back off on my penchant for insults–from a certain POW to the handicapped to immigrants to Gold Star parents. It makes me look insufferable to all but my base, who don’t give a rat’s ass (oops, I actually said that) about anything I say as long as we all know we really hate the same things.”
* Trump has been going out of his way (with white audiences) to sound inclusive and court the African-American vote. He reminds them how bad they’ve always had it, so why not back him?
Well, here’s a response I can’t top. It’s that of Michele Smith, an African-American yoga teacher and an acquaintance. “‘What the hell do you have to lose?’ My dignity, personal safety, respect, civil rights, reproductive rights, the last 50 years of racial equality advancement, domestic security, international respect, democracy … shall I go on?”