Trump Makes Me Miss George W. Bush

[Will Wiley]

Saw somewhere a meme on how Nixon was evil, but he wasn't stupid. Bush was stupid, but he wasn't evil, Trump is both evil and stupid.
Yea, Bush was incompetent, but he wasn't really a bad person, that was Cheney's job.

My brother, a medical doctor and liberal democrat, asked me what I thought was driving (otherwise) good people to support Trump. I had no answer,

Yep, despite all your tedious pontificating you have no idea what is going on.

 

[J842P]

Here is a perspective on the populist ethno-nationalist support for Trump and its alliance with Putin:

The Republican regulars build their grand strategies upon the post-World War II international order — the American-led alliances, norms and organizations that bind democracies and preserve global peace. The regulars seek to preserve and extend this order, and see Vladimir Putin as a wolf who tears away at it.

The populist ethno-nationalists in the Trump White House do not believe in this order. Their critique — which is simultaneously moral, religious, economic, political and racial — is nicely summarized in the remarks Steve Bannon made to a Vatican conference in 2014.

Once there was a collection of Judeo-Christian nation-states, Bannon argued, that practiced a humane form of biblical capitalism and fostered culturally coherent communities. But in the past few decades, the party of Davos — with its globalism, relativism, pluralism and diversity — has sapped away the moral foundations of this Judeo-Christian way of life.

Humane capitalism has been replaced by the savage capitalism that brought us the financial crisis. National democracy has been replaced by a crony-capitalist network of global elites. Traditional virtue has been replaced by abortion and gay marriage. Sovereign nation-states are being replaced by hapless multilateral organizations like the E.U.

Decadent and enervated, the West lies vulnerable in the face of a confident and convicted Islamofascism, which is the cosmic threat of our time.

In this view, Putin is a valuable ally precisely because he also seeks to replace the multiracial, multilingual global order with strong nation-states. Putin ardently defends traditional values. He knows how to take the fight to radical Islam.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/...-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=1

"Biblical capitalism." It's hard to take Bannon seriously if he believes in a concept like that. Nothing in the Bible could be conceived as supporting the sort of Liberal Capitalism they espouse. This idea of a that there was a "humane" capitalism that was replaced by crony capitalism is laughable. No doubt, capitalism has been successful, but it has always been the same "savage" capitalism. The problem here is that too many Boomers in the US believe think the 1950s represented some sort of normal state of affairs. Capitalism was great if you were an American in the 1950s, but that is a historical oddity. The generation before them remembered the Gilded Age and capitalism's true form. These people are nuts.

 

[Will Wiley]

Someone said that Trump is America's shadow.
I think a lot of people get annoyed by Trump because he is what they themselves are like underneath.

I think that's an averaging problem. There are many, many people who are nothing like him, and many, many people who are a lot like him. You might then say, as you imply, that means that everyone is a little bit like him, but that wouldn't be correct.

Yes, I think you are actually correct. You hit the nail on the head.
Very unfortunately the sympathy for someone like Trump won the day, though, there was really no one to vote for at the end of the day IMHO.
Hillary Clinton had a lot in common with Trump

 

[Shadowy Man]

I think that's an averaging problem. There are many, many people who are nothing like him, and many, many people who are a lot like him. You might then say, as you imply, that means that everyone is a little bit like him, but that wouldn't be correct.

Yes, I think you are actually correct. You hit the nail on the head.
Very unfortunately the sympathy for someone like Trump won the day, though, there was really no one to vote for at the end of the day IMHO.
Hillary Clinton had a lot in common with Trump

Personally, I think they were quite distinctly different as candidates for President. Certainly, Clinton was a "career politician", and a great animus toward career politicians has grown in this country -- at least as seen as President, people seem to gladly re-elect the same Congressional members time and time again. However, I believe that Trump has many deficiencies that I would not like to see our leader have.

 

[abaddon]

I think that's an averaging problem. There are many, many people who are nothing like him, and many, many people who are a lot like him. You might then say, as you imply, that means that everyone is a little bit like him, but that wouldn't be correct.

Yes, I think you are actually correct. You hit the nail on the head.
Very unfortunately the sympathy for someone like Trump won the day, though, there was really no one to vote for at the end of the day IMHO.
Hillary Clinton had a lot in common with Trump

I think that "shadow" notion works if it refers to America culturally, but not to any individual's presumed "repressed unconscious".

Trump’s the shadow of America because he’s a creature that was made by the underbelly of an overly bellicose capitalist society. The high degree of competitiveness isn’t remotely necessary to real success, which isn’t “beating” all “my enemies” as it is with Trump. He represents the worst things in America generally.

So if he represents many of the nation's ugliest traits then it's that anyone is supportive of Trump that needs explaining.

 

[Jayjay]

Miss George W. Bush

 

[bilby]

I know...he's not even been sworn in yet, but the President-elect went on a Tweet-storm overnight because Meryl Streep took time out of her acceptance speech to launch some broadsides at Trump.

A little over 8 years ago, President George W. Bush, after being physically assaulted by an Iraqi reporter in Baghdad said - and I quote - "So what if the guy threw his shoe at me?"

"Dubya" endured quite a bit of vitriol in his time as President. From Michael Moore dedicating an entire feature length film to his fuck ups, to the Dixie Chicks saying mild criticisms of him on stage, to Comedy Central making a short lived show called "That's My Bush," and finally, in December of 2008, this guy threw a shoe at him.

As much as I disliked him at the time, our 43rd President looks graceful and diplomatic compared to our looming 45th.

I would say that as a president elect/president he should not get involved in tweeting over every incident he doesn't agree with. Presidents in a democracy must expect lampooning and derogatory statements.

Don't worry, he's only using Twitter to attack his critics because he hasn't yet been inaugurated.

Things will be very different once he has been sworn in, and has the full might and majesty of the office of President of the United States, with all that entails.

Twitter pales into insignificance when you have access to nuclear weapons.

 

[bilby]

My brother, a medical doctor and liberal democrat, asked me what I thought was driving (otherwise) good people to support Trump. I had no answer,

Yep, despite all your tedious pontificating you have no idea what is going on.

Shit. I really have to remember to disconnect my irony meter before reading your posts. Those things are expensive to replace, and the shrapnel makes divots in the walls.

 

[Elixir]

Don't worry, he's only using Twitter to attack his critics because he hasn't yet been inaugurated.
Things will be very different once he has been sworn in, and has the full might and majesty of the office of President of the United States, with all that entails.
Twitter pales into insignificance when you have access to nuclear weapons.

Except... Don the Con knows how to use Twitter.
We keep hearing that "once X happens, he'll change into something semi-human". But X,Y and Z have already happened, and no change is apparent. He's still the same semi-literate bumbling racist moron doing what his Chief Advisor calls "the standard retard".

 

[bilby]

Don't worry, he's only using Twitter to attack his critics because he hasn't yet been inaugurated.
Things will be very different once he has been sworn in, and has the full might and majesty of the office of President of the United States, with all that entails.
Twitter pales into insignificance when you have access to nuclear weapons.

Except... Don the Con knows how to use Twitter.
We keep hearing that "once X happens, he'll change into something semi-human". But X,Y and Z have already happened, and no change is apparent. He's still the same semi-literate bumbling racist moron doing what his Chief Advisor calls "the standard retard".

I'm fairly confident that he also knows how to use nuclear weapons. How is that harder than sending a tweet?

 

[Elixir]

Except... Don the Con knows how to use Twitter.
We keep hearing that "once X happens, he'll change into something semi-human". But X,Y and Z have already happened, and no change is apparent. He's still the same semi-literate bumbling racist moron doing what his Chief Advisor calls "the standard retard".

I'm fairly confident that he also knows how to use nuclear weapons. How is that harder than sending a tweet?

I don't think there's a voice-to-text function for nuclear weapons, for one thing.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

Someone said that Trump is America's shadow.

If he's going to be described as any part of America, he would be the asshole.

 

[bilby]

I'm fairly confident that he also knows how to use nuclear weapons. How is that harder than sending a tweet?

I don't think there's a voice-to-text function for nuclear weapons, for one thing.

I am pretty sure that the POTUS isn't expected to operate any machinery himself. He just tells someone what he wants to nuke, and gives them the go-code - someone else has the job of actually pressing buttons and pulling triggers.

 

[Elixir]

I don't think there's a voice-to-text function for nuclear weapons, for one thing.

I am pretty sure that the POTUS isn't expected to operate any machinery himself. He just tells someone what he wants to nuke, and gives them the go-code - someone else has the job of actually pressing buttons and pulling triggers.

Yeah well, they probably won't work anyhow.
Trump Just Fired the Scientists in Charge of Maintaining Our Nuclear Weapons

 

[bilby]

I am pretty sure that the POTUS isn't expected to operate any machinery himself. He just tells someone what he wants to nuke, and gives them the go-code - someone else has the job of actually pressing buttons and pulling triggers.

Yeah well, they probably won't work anyhow.
Trump Just Fired the Scientists in Charge of Maintaining Our Nuclear Weapons

Well that's a relief.

I for one welcome our poorly maintained nuclear weapon wielding overlords.

 

[fromderinside]

I'm thinking we're pretty safe. By the twentieth such a stink will be raised the firings will be delayed like a bunch of other stuff Trump trumpeted. Right now he's just windbag in waiting for air.

It turns out that Trump's trumpet is a ought.01 pee shooter engaged by twitter fake news guards.

 

[RavenSky]

My brother, a medical doctor and liberal democrat, asked me what I thought was driving (otherwise) good people to support Trump. I had no answer, as I am equally mystified by anyone who is unable to discern that Trump is the very definition of "dishonest scumbag", unless they are suffering some kind of cognitive impairment.
How does that happen? It's not that they don't care if he's a scumbag; they genuinely seem to think he is well intentioned.
How the hell can that possibly be?

Last summer Marvel Comics had a mini series "Loki For President" where Loki decided to run, outright telling people he was lying to them. In a way, the honest admission of lying was found refreshing, that he was not a regular politician shoveling the same BS but in some ways letting them know what he was. By the end, with Loki getting a lot of support. He then demonstrated that he had not offered any actual policy positions, that people were projecting onto him whatever position they wanted someone to champion, with voters believing completely contradictory things about what Loki would do. Guess the writer was very perceptive about Trump voters, where you have some supporting him so Obamacare can be repealed, while others fully believing he won't do anything to Obamacare.

The bolded is the only thing I have read to date that makes any sense whatsoever to explain Trump voters

 

[Ford]

Last summer Marvel Comics had a mini series "Loki For President" where Loki decided to run, outright telling people he was lying to them. In a way, the honest admission of lying was found refreshing, that he was not a regular politician shoveling the same BS but in some ways letting them know what he was. By the end, with Loki getting a lot of support. He then demonstrated that he had not offered any actual policy positions, that people were projecting onto him whatever position they wanted someone to champion, with voters believing completely contradictory things about what Loki would do. Guess the writer was very perceptive about Trump voters, where you have some supporting him so Obamacare can be repealed, while others fully believing he won't do anything to Obamacare.

The bolded is the only thing I have read to date that makes any sense whatsoever to explain Trump voters

Much has been written trying to explain "Trump voters," but I think the most important thing is to refer to them as just simply "voters." They're not some exotic creatures. For the most part they're the same people who showed up and voted for Mitt Romney last time around. And the same sort of people who voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004. And McCain in 2008. The fact that the guy they're supporting is absurdly wealthy and completely out of touch with the lifestyle of most Americans is - and has been - irrelevant.

Trump, like all the others, simply told them what they wanted to hear. He just did it better and more often.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

A little over 8 years ago, President George W. Bush, after being physically assaulted by an Iraqi reporter in Baghdad said - and I quote - "So what if the guy threw his shoe at me?"

That incident was actually very well handled by Bush, and quite funny. I think it actually did a little damage control on his public image (which was and still is terrible) by treating it almost as light slapstick humour.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Saw somewhere a meme on how Nixon was evil, but he wasn't stupid. Bush was stupid, but he wasn't evil, Trump is both evil and stupid.

Yea, Bush was incompetent, but he wasn't really a bad person, that was Cheney's job.

I really don't think Trump is truly evil. Trump is just a big ego. He's fairly predictable and will probably be content to sit on a gold throne while his minions make all the decisions. I think Pence on the other hand, is truly evil. I think Trump and Bush will both be looked back on as puppets, Bush because he was stupid and Trump because he was distracted by his ego.