September 23, 2016

It was Hillary Clinton who — a year ago — challenged Jimmy Fallon to touch Donald Trump's hair.

I've been seeing criticism of Jimmy Fallon for being too nice to Donald Trump when he was on the show last week. A lot of people assume that all the interviewers — even the sweet comic entertainer Jimmy Fallon — should do whatever they can to obstruct Donald Trump's path to the presidency. But Fallon played his usual host role and treated Trump like a normal guest, involving him in a number of comic bits, culminating with a request to touch Trump's hair. Trump agreed, Fallon got his hands in there and messed it up, and Trump had to figure out how to behave with his absurd hair in a more absurd new position.

I blogged it here (with video): "He leaned in. It was a risk to let Jimmy have control of how much to mess it up, and then a risk to stand exposed with messed up hair and to look prissy by trying to fix it up afterwards."

Trump handled it so well, and it was so natural and funny, that Trump haters ganged up on nice little Jimmy.

Here's Gothamist, with the headline is: "Nice Moves Normalizing A Racist, Sociopathic Scumbag, Jimmy Fallon!" Text:
Jimmy, what the fuck is wrong with you?... Fallon is complicit in our destruction, as is NBC at large, a network that profits off of Trump's television shows and Miss Universe competition and has repaid him by giving him a hosting spot on Saturday Night Live, and allowing both Matt Lauer and, now, Fallon, to give him metaphorical handjobs on national television. NBC executives are gambling the lives of 7 billion people on ratings and fat paychecks. Hope it's worth it! Go to hell Jimmy Fallon....
And in The Guardian, there's a column — "No, Jimmy Fallon, Donald Trump isn't a laughing matter/Messing up the candidate’s hair might seem like friendly fun. But it humanizes a man whose hateful rhetoric has dehumanized millions of Americans" — that begins:
On Thursday, Jimmy Fallon had Donald Trump on the Tonight Show and ended the segment by saying, “Donald I want to ask you, because the next time I see you you could be the President of the United States. I just want to know if there is something we could do that’s just not really presidential, really – can I mess your hair up?” Trump let him and the NBC audience roared with laughter. But, for many of us, this is very far from being a joke.

Giving comic cover to Trump just isn’t funny when he’s unleashed forces of anti-blackness and anti-immigrant sentiment. He’s labelled Mexicans rapists, raised the prospect of a ban on Muslims, patronized and insulted African Americans while pretending to be a potential new hope. As a result, Fallon managed to come over as one powerful white man protecting another....
But look at this — Hillary Clinton on "The Tonight Show" on September 17, 2015 — about a year ago — laughing and laughing at Donald Trump and goading Jimmy Fallon to do exactly what he ultimately did to Trump's hair.



She says (slightly garbling what must have been a prepared line): "Have you ever been able to let him touch — let you touch his hair?" And then: "Have you ever really touched it?" When Jimmy says no, she says: "You wanna touch mine?" Jimmy grabs a hank and gives it a sturdy pull. The gesture says: This is not a wig. And he shouts: "It's real! It's real!" He waves his hands about joyously and — with the band playing celebratory music – adds: "And it's got wave and it's fantastic, you guys, and it smells great!" He's laughing heartily and she's laughing heartily.

So to those who think Fallon's mussing Trump's hair was too nice: It was Hillary Clinton who went out on "The Tonight Show" and set up Part 1 of a comic bit: My hair can be touched but his cannot. My hair is real and I bet his is not. Fallon followed through with the challenge a year later.

Watch the old video. You may be startled at how vibrant and energetic she was back then — back when there was so much time for the presumed irredeemable ridiculousness of Donald Trump to lead to his inevitable self-destruction. Of course, that's still the plan. He will destroy himself. Meanwhile, it's been Hillary Clinton collapsing from the inside.

Poetic justice.

61 comments:

Sydney said...

Whoa, that is a startling difference from the Hillary of now. She must have something seriously wrong with her, or she's been replaced by a sophisticated robot. Or maybe she had too much Botox.

Mick said...

The Crooked Old Lady can't fill up a high school gym for her rallies. Trump gets 10-20K at arenas. Case closed, the polls are a lie. It is at least 60-30-10% for Trump. NBC is Clinton campaign headquarters!! what are these people talking about? Trump is winning by a Landslide because he is tapping into why the Usurper has proved to be the very person that the Constitution forbids from the office. "America first". "I am running for President of the UNITED STATES, not president of the world".

tim in vermont said...

Maybe she is not physically up to the demands of the job? But she will probably look fine in the debate. But if she gets that wandering eye, I have no idea what doctors could do about that.

clint said...

"... whose hateful rhetoric has dehumanized millions of Americans..."

Deplorable.

tim in vermont said...

Hillary is ratcheting down expectations for her with every story about her health. You have to hand that to her. She is likely our next POTUS.

rehajm said...

You people aren't going to fit in in Canada.

tim in vermont said...

Everybody fits in in Canada! I read a comment some English guy had made about leaving England and living in France.
When asked
"Isn't France going to hell, just like England?"
He said
"Yes, but it is not so painful to watch when it is not your own country."

Darrell said...

Hillary dying and having to be re-animated by Papa Motumbo was a gamechanger.

Wince said...

Notice how Clinton when doing her impression of Trump off prompter says something like "let's get rid of the people who don't agree with us and only talk to the people who do (agree with us)..."

With the "deplorables" gaffe, she's become thine enemy.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I'm guessing that hair mussing is roughly equivalent to seltzer to the face or maybe a whipped cream pie.

Someone told me that Dean Martin would use scissors to snip Jerry Lewis's neckties.

The 9/11 shoe-bomber pretty much put the hot foot out of bounds.

David Begley said...

Until now I've never heard of "The Gothamist" but if that's what passes for smart NYC writing in 2016 then things are worse than I thought.

damikesc said...

It's always informative to see the press and it's hangers-on admitting there are times where it's OK to not be impartial or fair.

Because once they admit that they do so --- which they are doing here --- it becomes harder and harder for them to deny that they do it more often.

They thought McCain would get us into multiple wars.
They thought Romney would basically starve the poor.
If stopping something bad is more important than reporting the news, then why would anybody assume they weren't lying in prior elections?

...and Republicans, if they were wise, would start to force "news organizations" to declare themselves as political operatives. They've admitted that they ARE operatives.

Darrell said...

The Trump haters all started out saying that he wore a wig. Some continue, even though it's been proven to be his own hair multiple times. Some went to "the bad combover" alternate.

lawyerdad said...

“Meanwhile, it’s been Hillary Clinton collapsing from the inside. Poetic justice.” Eye roll. This, two days after saying you bet she’ll withdraw from the debate because she’s too weak to stand and look alert for an hour and a half.

Really, what happened to “cruel neutrality”? You may be neutral--who knows. (Have you ever had a “Clinton Derangement Syndrome” tag? A “Trump’s in trouble” tag? Ever blogged about the Trump Foundation? Reading this blog, you would think Trump never makes any mistakes; he’s just a Machiavellian genius.) But your cruelty is devoted to only one candidate this season.

Darrell said...

A lawyer supporting Hillary? Why? Because she creates a lifetime of work for you?

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Darrell did a great job of showing how lawyerdad got his facts wrong.

ELC said...

A year ago, Clinton thought her coronation had been unfortunately delayed by eight years, and now she would have only to walk up the red carpet to be enthroned. That she's actually had to fight for it has, apparently, made her mighty testy about it.

Tommy Duncan said...

At a rally about 6 months ago Trump was wearing a baseball cap. Someone heckled him about his hair. Trump pulled off the cap and ran his fingers straight back through his hair, proving it was his own hair and proving it was not a comb-over.

Besides the poetic justice regarding Trump's hair, the best part of this story is the striking deterioration of Hillary's appearance over the last year. It puts a lie to the positive claims about her current health.

I saw yesterday that both candidates will be required to stand in the first (90 minute) debate. She couldn't sit for 90 minutes on 9/11. Should be interesting.

damikesc said...

Have you ever had a “Clinton Derangement Syndrome” tag?

If the criticisms of Clinton ended up being wrong, she likely would. The problem, of course, is that the criticisms tend to UNDERSTATE how bad her issues are. Her health is worse than the thickest tin-foil hat wearer could imagine. Her email scandal has been worse, every step of the way, then originally thought (few thought she actually had her emails erased AFTER a subpoena was issued --- but she did precisely that).

A “Trump’s in trouble” tag?

Trump's been behind pretty much the entire time until recently. He's been in trouble from the get-go.

Ever blogged about the Trump Foundation?

Trump Foundation took money from foreign governments to give benefits provided by US taxpayers?

If not, I fail to see how they are equitable.

Trump, for example, didn't fuck over Haitians after their earthquake. The Clintons did. But they enriched their cronies, so it's all good.

But your cruelty is devoted to only one candidate this season.

The other candidate has the media apparatus and most "thought leaders" defending her as is.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tommy Duncan said...

ALS Ice Bucket challenge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxDAyUiXphg

Jon Burack said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

lawyerdad said...
Really, what happened to “cruel neutrality”? You may be neutral--who knows. (Have you ever had a “Clinton Derangement Syndrome” tag? A “Trump’s in trouble” tag? Ever blogged about the Trump Foundation? Reading this blog, you would think Trump never makes any mistakes; he’s just a Machiavellian genius.) But your cruelty is devoted to only one candidate this season.


Commercial decision. Althouse didn't even vote for Trump when she had a chance, instead she tried to help the globalist tool Paul Ryan get elected. Her every instinct is against Trump, but Trump brings punters.

zipity said...


I have no particular love of Trump. But I will be voting for him.

Just for the potential pleasure of watching the intolerant, blue-nosed scolds, worshipers of the religion of Political Correctness on the Liberal Left have their self-righteous, holier than thou heads explode when he wins.

Priceless...

Fabi said...

Perfect rebuttal by damikesc. One would think those differences would be obvious, but her apologists are having great difficulty weathering her meltdown.

Jon Burack said...

Very amusing. Ross Douthat had a good column dealing with the idiotic reaction to Fallon. His take on pop culture's complete insanity in this election is worth reading.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/opinion/campaign-stops/clintons-samantha-bee-problem.html?mab-reward=A4%3FWT.mc_id%3DNYT-E-I-NYT-E-AT-MOVEINK-DM3&WT.mc_ev=click&nl=el&mi_user_hash=60858318ba8ddfc971581b7468d7a0b8a1b5efe5035141d4ec1755d0&_r=0&mtrref=undefined&gwh=3C6502EF7815A61DB0DA9CB687EC234E&gwt=pay&assetType=opinion

Confirming what Douthat says is this bizarre Hillary ad by some WAY TOO SELF-INFATUATED celebs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRp1CK_X_Yw

I link to this, even though I am not going to vote for Trump - since this is likely to help him far more than it will help Hillary.

Darrell said...

Fruit, what facts?

Darrell said...

Hillary, of course, could never have a bucket of water poured on her with the melting issue and all.

Clayton Hennesey said...

The Picture of Dorianne Grey

jacksonjay said...

Who is more phony, Hills or Fallon?

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"patronized and insulted African Americans"

Obama told AAs that he'd take it as a personal insult if they didn't vote for Hill.

That's not patronizing or insulting at all!

Bill Peschel said...

I'm reassured only by the fact that presidential campaigns have been vicious battles ever since Adams said Jefferson fucked his slaves.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Tim Kaine told Katie Couric the public shouldn't have unfairly high expectations for Hillary in the debate.

That means the Dems are no longer expecting The Smartest Woman On The Planet to wipe the floor with the Orange Buffoon.

If she remains upright, refrains from coughing jags and can somehow keep her eyeballs aligned, it will be hailed as a tremendous victory.

PB said...

I'm always amazed at how every 4 years, the hateful, unhinged rhetoric the Democrats have for the Republican candidate reaches new lows.

MikeR said...

"patronized and insulted African Americans while pretending to be a potential new hope." Huh - did I miss something? Trump has been speaking to black audiences, not as often as I'd advise, but still a good thing. Have there been stories of blacks who feel patronized and insulted?
Are they the same ones that Trump has been saying have been letting the black community down for fifty years? In that case I'm not surprised.

tim in vermont said...

Not sure why some people worry that one minor blog that nobody is making them visit is taking a deeper look at the methods being used to get Hillary elected, and at the lack of intellectual honesty in the press.

Do what you do whenever you hear bad things about the Clintons, tune it out! You've proven you're adept at it!

tim in vermont said...

"patronized and insulted African Americans while pretending to be a potential new hope."

Somebody here is being patronizing and insulting, that is a certainty. Somebody thinks that African Americans cannot be trusted to think rationally and therefore should not be exposed to alternative points of view from which to choose. It's not Donny Trump!

Bay Area Guy said...

Jimmy Fallon has a modest standard: in essence, he treats all guests with light-hearted, enjoyable humor.

He invited Trump, and simply applied the standard, which came off quite well. The Left hates this. Why? Because, they don't believe in standards, which, in some circumstances, restrain the will to power.

The Left would love the "standard" to be: Jimmy, treat our political friends with light-hearted, enjoyable humor. But not our political enemies. Of course, this isn't a standard.

The Left, in a nutshell.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Jon Burack,

I link to this, even though I am not going to vote for Trump - since this is likely to help him far more than it will help Hillary.
9/23/16, 7:18 AM

Why don't you vote for Trump? Do you prefer Clinton? If not, things are pretty binary.

tim in vermont said...

The Left hates this. Why? Because, they don't believe in standards,

Yes they do! They believe so deeply in standards that they have twice as many as you or I

Bob Boyd said...

Related:from Ross Douthat
"But the Democratic Party’s problem in the age of Trump isn’t really Jimmy Fallon. Its problem is Samantha Bee."


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/opinion/campaign-stops/clintons-samantha-bee-problem.html?_r=0

MadisonMan said...

Hillary is ratcheting down expectations for her with every story about her health.

Agreed. Oh look! She spoke coherently for 90 minutes at the debate. Win!!

RMc said...

The Trump Haters are scarier than Trump himself. And he's pretty damn scary.

CStanley said...

Usually the presidency ages the people who take office. Hillary is just getting a jump on things and showing us she is ready from day one.

Paul Snively said...

Clayton Hennesey: The Picture of Dorianne Grey

Dammit! That was my joke!

pdug said...

She jokes of what she would say without a teleprompter, stream of consciousness

"lets get rid of the people who don't agree with us and only talk to the people who do"

And then, ~ 360 days later "basket of deplorables, irredeemable"

Peter said...

"You look at what went on last night in Charlotte, and we’re seeing it. I’m not overly surprised to see it,” Trump added. “What’s going between police and others is getting worse. You have to have law and order. At the same time you have to have a spirit of unity.”

So, there it is: The "hateful rhetoric [that] has dehumanized millions of Americans."

Christopher B said...

Wow .. I knew she was not campaigning as aggressively as she did in the 2008 primaries (partially because she needed to back then) but comparing that video to the "why aren't I 50 points ahead" one is scary.

damikesc said...

"But the Democratic Party’s problem in the age of Trump isn’t really Jimmy Fallon. Its problem is Samantha Bee."

Holy fuck is her show fucking terrible.

They're going to have a special post-debate show. As if anybody has any questions of exactly how she will view the debate. God damn her show is the fucking worst.

Real American said...

Why was Fallon normalizing criminality?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

What a terrific Kinsley-style gaffe--"humanizing" Donald Trump! These are the people who talk about eliminiationist rhetoric, about Othering, about the danger of putting people into groups...but here they are criticizing an entertainer for treating another person like a human being. So very instructive...not surprising, of course, but just a great, clear example.

This is why the Professor's "civility bullshit" tag gets a workout.

Dude1394 said...

The characterization a of trump from these leftists are so over the top as to become laughable. If anyone were a threat to 7 billion people it is Hillary. She already has hundreds of thousands of deaths at her feet. Trump is the peace candidate in this race.

Unbelievable the hysterics democrats are engaging in now.

wildswan said...

Those two videos together - whoa, baby. Maybe there ARE Clinton clones. Fallon Clinton would be a tough opponent in a debate but she isn't often available. Maybe she's resting for the debate. Fallon Clinton is a shrewd politician with Mid Western roots and an NYC life. Nevada Union Clinton is quite scary. Why do we see the whites of her eyes so often? Why is her face round like that? Why is she moving about like an faint imitation of a bobble-head? And the eyes don't match. It's just like the start of a horror movie.

Which Clinton will be at the debate?

Birches said...

This post is why Althouse is worth more than most of our Coastal Media Elite. A law professor blogging in her spare time managed to dig deeper than anyone getting paid for their hot take.

I'll be visiting the Amazon portal shortly. Thanks.

Automatic_Wing said...

That Douthat column is pretty funny. Social Justice Warriors are completely dominating our culture and steamrolling everyone in sight, and that's a problem for the Democrats? Conservatives should be so lucky as to have such problems.

MadisonMan said...

Unbelievable the hysterics democrats are engaging in now.

I'm very much reminded of hysterics engaged by anti-Obama people last two go-rounds.

mikee said...

I, for one, remember a time not so long ago when office holders and those seeking high public office held themselves to standards of behavior in public that would not bring shame and public disregard upon the office, let alone themselves.

What the Clintons have done is show that the Emperor not only has no clothes, but enjoys pissing in the sink. Good work, Bill and Hillary.

damikesc said...

I'm very much reminded of hysterics engaged by anti-Obama people last two go-rounds.

Hmm, constant rioting for years.
Middle class getting raped economically.
Pissing off allies.
Trying to ally ourselves with states that loathe us.
Bribing Iran to allow us to capitulate to them.
Racial strife unseen in generations.

Seems anti-Obama folks were proven correct...

Sam L. said...

The life-long hate of Trump became the 2-minute (or more, much more) hate for Jimmy.
Why are the Left such H8rs?

mockturtle said...

I've never heard more hateful rhetoric than what I've heard regarding Trump. And yet the Progs see themselves as tolerant, rather than the narrow, hateful bigots they really are.

Zach said...

If Hillary could do that consistently on the stump, she would be 50 points up. And then the end result is to hand Trump his best moment of the campaign on a silver platter. Go figure.