WASHINGTON — Jeb Bush expressed exasperation when asked yet another question Sunday about yet another outrageous utterance from the man dominating the Republican presidential discussion.
The one-time-favourite-now-longshot voiced frustration over all the news-media attention still being hoovered up by Donald Trump, with the primaries fast approaching.
The catalyst for his comment was a query about one of several controversial statements made by Trump in the last few days alone: this one about the ominous-sounding idea of a national database tracking Muslims. Trump appeared to consider the idea when asked about it, then later declined to rule it out when repeatedly invited to do so.
A Bush adviser likened it to fascism — so the issue was put to the former governor of Florida and struggling presidential candidate in the midst of an interview on CBS's "Face The Nation."
"He knows what he's saying. He's smart," Bush replied.
"He's playing you guys like a fiddle — the press — by saying outrageous things, and garnering attention. That's his strategy — to dominate the news."
Bush went on to describe Trump as misinformed at best, preying on people's fears at worst; said he wasn't a serious candidate for serious times; and called it "scary" to listen to him.
His analysis of Trump's political success might be on the mark.
Political scientist John Sides has written several times about how the media have covered Trump far more extensively than other candidates, and demonstrated the close correlation between his poll numbers and his ratio of mentions in media stories.
He's retained a big advantage in both departments: media attention, and in the national Republican polls with the initial primaries two months away.
In recent days he's floated the Muslim-database idea; told a story about Muslims dancing in New Jersey to celebrate 9-11; insisted he saw that incident on TV although nobody can find a record of it; appeared to mock the physical handicap of a reporter who questioned his memory; and then denied being aware of the reporter or his handicap — despite the fact that they'd spoken for numerous stories and, according to the reporter, they were on a first-name basis.
Trump himself explained — years ago — that his recipe for success includes getting attention.
Being outrageous is a key ingredient.
"You can have the most wonderful product in the world, but if people don't know about it, it's not going to be worth much. There are singers in the world with voices as good as Frank Sinatra's, but they're singing in their garages because no one has ever heard of them. You need to generate interest," Trump wrote in his 1987 book, "The Art of The Deal."
"One thing I've learned about the press is that they're always hungry for a good story, and the more sensational the better. It's in the nature of the job, and I understand that. The point is that if you are a little different, or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you."
Trump boasts that the book is the No. 1 selling business book of all time.
Which is completely untrue. It's far behind others and barely sold a fraction of the 15 million copies of Dale Carnegie's 1936, "How to Win Friends And Influence People."
That's another thing that's flummoxed Trump's critics: the flood of falsehoods emanating from him, and their inability to counter them. A couple of the Sunday talk-show panels reflected on the sturdiness of his support — despite the billionaire being exposed as perpetually chintzy with the truth.
One of several other nose-stretchers he's been telling lately is that the Obama administration plans to bring in 225,000 Syrian refugees. The actual number is 10,000 — less than half of what Canada is doing.
But Trump says he has sources to the contrary.
"Nothing seems to matter," conservative commentator Brit Hume said on Fox News Sunday, and then quoted Abraham Lincoln: "You can fool some people all the time."
Another conservative commentator said the people who support Trump don't trust media fact-checkers.
He said their typical reaction is to wonder why they're not as tough on Hillary Clinton for her own whoppers — like the one she told about arriving in Bosnia under sniper fire, and later recanted.
"Trump supporters are... blocks of granite," Hugh Hewitt said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
In any case, the Sunday shows were once again dominated by the Donald.
And when NBC's Chuck Todd challenged his inaccuracies on, "Meet The Press," Trump replied: "Take it easy, Chuck. Just play cool.... I have a very good memory. I saw (the 9-11 celebration) somewhere on television."
