Can Trump's campaign recover?

NEO NEOCON writes about the Trump/Kahn thing:

I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not think grieving parents who make political speeches are above and beyond criticism. What I do think is that if you’re going to criticize them, you have to be smart about it.

You have to honor their sacrifice first. That’s just common human decency. Then you criticize them for what needs criticizing. And don’t say something offensively stupid like comparing their sacrifice of a son in wartime in the service of his country to your sacrifice of creating jobs and making a lot of money in the process.

Don’t do it. Just don’t.

Also, don’t criticize the mother for not speaking up and insinuate it’s because there’s a Muslim muzzle on her. There are so many other reasons she might have decided not to speak. She might be afraid of public speaking, and feel more comfortable supporting her husband silently. She might be too emotional about the topic of her child’s death, even all these years later; that’s what she claimed, and there is no reason whatsoever not to believe her and every reason to believe her. Don’t insult her on a level that’s so abysmally crass, based on no knowledge of the situation whatsoever.

Those were Trump’s errors, however. He did those two things. They were not just errors involving lack of political savvy, nor were they statements in which he said something true and correct but un-PC. They were not the acts of an alpha male, either. They were the statements of a weak and defensive but pugnacious person who cannot stand to be criticized in any way and who will say whatever comes to mind to retaliate without thinking first of how it sounds and whether it even makes sense (particularly the part about the jobs creation, which really sticks in my craw).

They are stupid errors that show deep character flaws in the man. And no, that doesn’t mean Hillary Clinton is better. She’s different, not better. She has her own terrible terrible flaws of character and of politics. But unfortunately that’s irrelevant to what Trump did, how it sounds to people, and how he shot himself not just in the foot but in both feet.

Can his campaign recover? Maybe. There’s a long way to go to November (it already seems very long). Can he learn from his mistakes? I’ve seen no indication of it, but it’s within the realm of possibility, and I certainly hope he does. And soon.

How the Left decides who has absolute moral authority

Ace of Spades today posts about the unequal treatment given to Mrs. Smith as opposed to Mr. Kahn, both of whom are parents of deceased military heroes.

What I'm believing is that I should treat my liberal counterparts with the exact level of fairness, honesty, and respect with which they treat me -- and that if I show any level of fairness, honesty, and respect to them greater than what they show me, I'm not more moral or virtuous.

What I am is a damn fool and a sucker who is encouraging his own debasement.

As they say in psychiatric circles: If you're permitting your own abuse to continue, at some point, you stop being a victim, and start being a volunteer.

Khan insulted Trump. The fact that his son died twelve years ago does not grant him, in my mind, some kind of personal Grievance Privilege.

If you enter the arena, you're in the arena.

This whole idea of Special People Having Special Privileges is a leftist, progressive thing which we have aped to our dishonor and detriment by creating our own protected groups.

No, I don't think veterans should be disparaged generally, and I would object if such an honorable group were generally disparaged.

But veterans weren't being generally disparaged here - just one. And actually, no veterans at all are even involved. The father of a veteran is being insulted, after that father insulted Trump.

"You have sacrificed nothing, nothing" -- "here is the Constitution -- have you ever read it?"

Anyone going to claim those are not insults?

...For a larger and larger fraction of the American public, ginned-up twitter outrage is the only physical exercise or cardio they get.

And people that are actually smart and went to Wharton and know all the Best Words ought to know that: The true American pastime, the real American sport, is now moral grandstanding and shouting at people for their sins.

Read more here.