Brandon's losing the plot

[Patooka]

Only if the country (or business) is fundamentally doing well and not requiring any leadership.

That's complete and utter bullshit. Boring is vital in the middle of a crisis. If a leader panics and , oh I don't know, post 40 incoherent tweets over the course of four hours that has a ripple effect downhill. Boring keeps everyone calm and focused on their task.

 

[RVonse]

Only if the country (or business) is fundamentally doing well and not requiring any leadership.

That's complete and utter bullshit. Boring is vital in the middle of a crisis. If a leader panics and , oh I don't know, post 40 incoherent tweets over the course of four hours that has a ripple effect downhill. Boring keeps everyone calm and focused on their task.

I would not call FDR a leader that panics in the middle of a crisis. And yet FDR was nothing at all boring. Same true with Lincoln.

 

[Swammerdami]

Only if the country (or business) is fundamentally doing well and not requiring any leadership.

That's complete and utter bullshit. Boring is vital in the middle of a crisis. If a leader panics and , oh I don't know, post 40 incoherent tweets over the course of four hours that has a ripple effect downhill. Boring keeps everyone calm and focused on their task.

I would not call FDR a leader that panics in the middle of a crisis. And yet FDR was nothing at all boring. Same true with Lincoln.

Lincoln was faced with the greatest crisis in American history. I think much of the "Ilk" would have preferred a President that let the South secede, but most Americans agree Lincoln was great.

FDR was faced with two big crises: the Great Depression and the Second World War.

I've just named the three greatest crises in American history. For most other Presidents, boring is good.

Under Bush-43, the tragedies in Iraq, the bad response to Katrina, and the Wall St. pampering that led to the 2008 financial crisis were all "own goals." Contrast those 8 years, with the eight years of prosperity and debt reduction under Clinton. Liberals and conservatives BOTH hated Clinton, and unlike Lincoln or FDR or even JFK he had no outstanding accomplishment to brag about. But it was under Clinton that people spoke of "The End of History", and were worried that not issuing Treasury long bonds would cause confusion in financial contracts! Boring is good.

Boring is a good quality in a president.

Rate the U.S. Presidents is a fun game sometimes played at get-togethers or on message-boards. Some people are surprised at the high rating Eisenhower gets: "But nothing happened when he was President!" "Precisely."

JFK made big mistakes at the Bay of Pigs and, contrary to myth, with the Cuban Missile Crisis. LBJ had the Vietnam War. Bush-43's term was particularly full of exciting actions and inactions by the federal government!

But Ike's Presidency was forgettably boring. He built some freeways. Yet historians rate him as a better President than anyone we've had since.

Eisenhower had the Federal Highways system.... arguably one of the biggest and most useful (destructive?) federal works projects

Good is generally boring. Bad is generally notable. Good gets things done, bad tries to take credit for things that they had little to do with.

Good versus bad is a measurement subject to the eye of the beholder.

A performance measurement of a leader would better be based on something more like successfulness versus failure. Data points that everyone would agree on regardless of political ideology.

Boring is good. Most Americans would be hard-pressed to name ANY geopolitical event under 8 years of Ike (except ending the Korean War). Under less than 3 years of JFK, we had the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis and escalation of the War in Vietnam.

Under Trump, the U.S. backed out of its Iran deal, turning a country that was on a path to better behavior back to virulent anti-Americanism. Under Trump, Russia increased its geopolitical reach in Syria and Eastern Europe. Under Trump, the U.S. backed out of TPP and did other things that strengthened China. Trump met with, and doted on, North Korea's Kim. His actions led to persecution of immigrants and Muslims. Boring would have been much better.

So what are we blaming "Brandon" for today? Wearing masks? The price of gasoline, or does blaming him for that require its very own thread?

 

[Derec]

Under Trump, the U.S. backed out of its Iran deal,

That was a rotten deal anyway. It removed Iran sanctions while only requiring them to stop developing nukes for 15 years.

turning a country that was on a path to better behavior back to virulent anti-Americanism.

They never improved their behavior or gave up on anti-Americanism (as well as anti-Zionism).
They still engaged in supporting terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad (btw, Israel just killed two of their senior commanders! Woot!) and Houthis.

Under Trump, Russia increased its geopolitical reach in Syria and Eastern Europe.

How do you figure? Russia moved into Syria and Ukraine's Crimea under Obama.

Under Trump, the U.S. backed out of TPP and did other things that strengthened China.

To be fair, TPP was unpopular on both left and right. Hillary supported it, but Bernie did not.
Sanders, joined by Rust Belt Democrats, praises Trump for nixing TPP
And later ...
‘A ridiculous reversal’: Top Democrats who sided with Trump on trade slam TPP move

Trump met with, and doted on, North Korea's Kim.

Well, you got that one right. That was probably his most shameful foreign policy blunder.

His actions led to persecution of immigrants and Muslims.

His policies against illegal immigrants were stronger, yes, and they should be. We need better border control and more prompt deportation of illegals. As to Muslims, his travel ban involved particular countries, not a particular religion. There are >50 majority Muslim countries in the world. Trump's policy involved less than ten, and it also included non-majority Muslim countries as well.

So what are we blaming "Brandon" for today? Wearing masks? The price of gasoline, or does blaming him for that require its very own thread?

I am pro mask.
There is a thread on gasoline. And I do not blame "Brandon" solely or even largely. Most of the blame goes to Putin and his war in Ukraine. But Biden nixed Keystone XL which could have been done by now and could have provided cheap transport for Canadian heavy crude. At least he refused demands by loons in his own party to cancel DAPL as well.


I agree though that for politics, especially geopolitics, boring is good.

 

[Derec]

The Israelis voted Simon Peres for a 7 year presidential term when he was 84.

Presidency in Israel is a largely ceremonial role.

Malaysia voted Mahathir Mohamad PM when he was 93. The problem is not necessarily the age but the quality.

And how effective was he at that age? People slow down as they age - some more than others, but I would not think anybody in their 90s would be an effective chief of government.

You yanks need to work on quality above all.

Not disagreeing with you there. But I have a hard time imagining that we do not have quality people under the age of 65 or 70.

 

[ZiprHead]

I get frustrated with Biden on occasion, but he's fundamentally a good man and a competent administrator, rare qualities in the White House. I've voted for him twice, once in 2012 and then in 2020, and I don't regret either vote. As an added bonus, he's so boring that the conservatives really have to stretch to credibly attack him on anything.

I'm sure it works for their base, but only because anything would. Anyone who has ever been to a meeting knows that it is not unusual for a presenter to have notes. And these notes, you know, they aren't written in Sharpie.

Boring is a good quality in a president.

Only if the country (or business) is fundamentally doing well and not requiring any leadership. If the organization and/or country that is being led at the top is in trouble, then a do nothing leader is the final nail in the coffin for bankrupcy and/or disaster.

Who said boring is do nothing?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Only if the country (or business) is fundamentally doing well and not requiring any leadership.

That's complete and utter bullshit. Boring is vital in the middle of a crisis. If a leader panics and , oh I don't know, post 40 incoherent tweets over the course of four hours that has a ripple effect downhill. Boring keeps everyone calm and focused on their task.

I would not call FDR a leader that panics in the middle of a crisis. And yet FDR was nothing at all boring. Same true with Lincoln.

They weren't instigating trouble either.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[Toni]

I dunno. I think that perhaps we’ve gotten addicted to or at least accustomed to outrage and hyperbole. I prefer competence and integrity in leaders and don’t much admire ring master type showmanship. I do think that Obama was the most well spoken, articulate POTUS of my lifetime. I still admire Obama for accomplishing as much as he did. I also greatly admire Biden.

 

[Toni]

Only if the country (or business) is fundamentally doing well and not requiring any leadership.

That's complete and utter bullshit. Boring is vital in the middle of a crisis. If a leader panics and , oh I don't know, post 40 incoherent tweets over the course of four hours that has a ripple effect downhill. Boring keeps everyone calm and focused on their task.

I would not call FDR a leader that panics in the middle of a crisis. And yet FDR was nothing at all boring. Same true with Lincoln.

They weren't instigating trouble either.

I doubt many of us were alive during the FDR administration or at least not old enough to actually recall his stage presence. Current record has the advantage of being able to curate his film and radio persona. For Lincoln, as well, we can only rely on opinion of the day and our current perspective looking back on history. Don’t get me wrong: I tremendously admire both men as POTUS, but let us not forget the times during which they served—extremely pivotal which certainly adds some zing.

 

[Swammerdami]

I miswrote when I suggested Clinton was "boring." He accomplished quite a bit, but was boring in the field of international politics where — as Derec points out — boring is good. (Think about Bush-43 and Trump if it isn't clear why EXCITING geopolitics are usually BAD geopolitics.)

Clinton was actually a rather good President as was, of course, Barack Obama.

And the incumbent, whom moronic swine call "Brandon," is doing RATHER well:

One reason Biden's successes are overlooked is the 99-decibel lying and braying that issues forth 24 hours a day from Fox, Twitfuck, etc.

I just watched a segment where some female Tucker-wannabe on Fox interviewed Joe Manchin — my new hero. Dimwit kept repeating an obvious lie about taxes. The lie was refuted on the kindergarten page of any reputable news source, but Foxettes are in their own lie-filled bubble.

Joe Manchin didn't sweet-mouth with "Darling is forgetting what I just explained to you." He just told her she was "lying."

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I get frustrated with Biden on occasion, but he's fundamentally a good man and a competent administrator, rare qualities in the White House. I've voted for him twice, once in 2012 and then in 2020, and I don't regret either vote. As an added bonus, he's so boring that the conservatives really have to stretch to credibly attack him on anything.

I'm sure it works for their base, but only because anything would. Anyone who has ever been to a meeting knows that it is not unusual for a presenter to have notes. And these notes, you know, they aren't written in Sharpie.

Boring is a good quality in a president.

Only if the country (or business) is fundamentally doing well and not requiring any leadership. If the organization and/or country that is being led at the top is in trouble, then a do nothing leader is the final nail in the coffin for bankrupcy and/or disaster.

Boring isn't the same as doing nothing.

Republicans try to be spectacular while Democrats do without making a big noise about it. Hard turns are bad for a country.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Under Trump, the U.S. backed out of its Iran deal,

That was a rotten deal anyway. It removed Iran sanctions while only requiring them to stop developing nukes for 15 years.

But pulling out of it did nothing.

His actions led to persecution of immigrants and Muslims.

His policies against illegal immigrants were stronger, yes, and they should be. We need better border control and more prompt deportation of illegals. As to Muslims, his travel ban involved particular countries, not a particular religion. There are >50 majority Muslim countries in the world. Trump's policy involved less than ten, and it also included non-majority Muslim countries as well.

He targeted people whether they were legal or not. And his list was all the strongly Muslim countries where there wouldn't be fallout on his businesses. It was religious.

And look at his stupidity in 2020--banning travelers from China (never mind that there weren't much of any at that point) while not checking returning Americans. Hey--at that point an American was more likely to be infected than a Chinese person! (The American would likely have been moving around more, while the Chinese person probably retained their usual set of contacts before they flew.)

He got almost nothing right.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

One reason Biden's successes are overlooked is the 99-decibel lying and braying that issues forth 24 hours a day from Fox, Twitfuck, etc.

I just watched a segment where some female Tucker-wannabe on Fox interviewed Joe Manchin — my new hero. Dimwit kept repeating an obvious lie about taxes. The lie was refuted on the kindergarten page of any reputable news source, but Foxettes are in their own lie-filled bubble.

Joe Manchin didn't sweet-mouth with "Darling is forgetting what I just explained to you." He just told her she was "lying."

Love "braying"! That's a very good description of what they're doing.

 

[ZiprHead]

I gotta say, the animosity towards Biden by RVonse kinda' tickles me. Biden is actually getting done most all of the things RVonse was hoping Trump would accomplish. Without the radical authoritarianism and all the bullshit that came out of Trump's Quarter Pounder hole.

 

[TSwizzle]

Brandon really has lost the plot;

Less than 24-hours after delivering the darkest, most toxic presidential speech of the modern era, the Commander in Chief is trying to gaslight America to believe he didn't say what it just heard him say. 'C'mon, look guys, I don't consider any Trump supporter a threat to the country,' he told reporters Friday. 'When people voted for Donald Trump - and support him now - they weren't voting for attacking the Capitol. They weren't voting for overruling the election. They were going for a philosophy he put forward.'

Daily Mail

Brandon is a lying, dog-faced pony soldier

 

[funinspace]

Brandon - what kind of retarded person though that was clever or funny. Sleepy Joe is a million times better.... but kind of fails because Trumpers are using it and Biden at 79 makes Trump look like Jabba the Hut.

A guy named Brandon wins a NASCAR race for the first time in ever, and the crowd starts chanting "Fuck Joe Biden" because if there is one thing Conservatives hate, it is mixing sports with politics (but is NASCAR even a sport?). The reporter hears the chant and thinks it is "Lets Go Brandon", because she is interpreting something she completely wasn't expecting to hear into something more familiar in her mind (this is how the brain works). Of course, the #Lets Go Homelander sorts of people thought this was the MSM lying and applying propaganda to hide how angry the NASCAR crowd was about Biden, when in fact, it appeared to be an honest mistake. So, as a result of all this... and a complete and utter lack of creativity, this became the mantra of the #Lets Go Homelander crowd. They think it is funny and clever because it exposes the MSM and it is totally pwning the libs.

Yeah, but this also allows various fundagelicals to wink and nod while leaning into profanity while pretending that they aren't; and they can even be a dick in public, and it is ok to them....and their god doesn't mind a few pseudo profane yuk yuks, as long as they pretend they are good guys when its supposed to show. And not only do these Magats do it at the non-political sports events, they even do it in front of kids, when it's supposed to be about tracking Santa.

Just say it, you spineless chicken shits! It's kind of like this: Fuck Face Von Clownstick

 

[TSwizzle]

Biden really is losing the plot;

Joe Biden, 79, faced yet another public embarrassment Wednesday evening when he appeared to get lost while walking off stage following his remarks at the Global Fund Conference. As applause ensued, the U.S. president began walking off the stage before abruptly stopping in his tracks and looking around with an appearance of confusion on his face. He then seemed to ask people on the ground how to get off stage and did a few stuttering steps. A man came to the microphone at the event to say: 'Uh, Mr. President, thank you,' as he wandered around the stage. This caused further confusion on the part of the president who slowly inched his way off stage, stopping every few steps to look back at the speaker thanking him for his leadership and remarks.

Daily Mail

It's going to be a hoot when Kamala has to step up.

 

[Gun Nut]

I woke up this morning with a slight headache, and thought "why would Joe Biden do this to me?"

I know, right... my hair is too long and I can't get a trim scheduled until NEXT FUCKING WEEK.... god damn liberals!

 

[Gun Nut]

Brandon really has lost the plot;

Less than 24-hours after delivering the darkest, most toxic presidential speech of the modern era, the Commander in Chief is trying to gaslight America to believe he didn't say what it just heard him say. 'C'mon, look guys, I don't consider any Trump supporter a threat to the country,' he told reporters Friday. 'When people voted for Donald Trump - and support him now - they weren't voting for attacking the Capitol. They weren't voting for overruling the election. They were going for a philosophy he put forward.'

Daily Mail

Brandon is a lying, dog-faced pony soldier

I guess if "MAGA extremist" and "Trump Supporter" are exactly the same thing either way, then ya - your confusion is understandable... but since they are not and he differentiated between them, then the thing you didn't listen to yourself didn't say what some liar told you was said.