Trump is never wrong. This is the central tenet of Trump's internal universe. If Trump appears to have been spectacularly and idiotically wrong, well, that's just because other people misunderstood Trump.
According to the Washington Post "some in Trump's orbit" are now blaming Trump's briefer because he "allowed for Trump to get confused or conflate its findings". That article is paywalled, but there's a tweet with the excerpt I mentioned.
Being unable to comprehend briefings would seem disqualifying for the presidency. I also don't see this excuse being a popular or long-lived one with Trump loyalists.
I think White House Aides and tRump's allies are trying to move him away from holding these briefings. The briefings have done more to destroy his image. Friday's briefing was a short 32 minutes and he did not take many questions.
There is a new study that suggests elderly deaths are killing many many of Trump's critical voters. There will be an estimated 11,000 elderly voters that will die in Michigan and North Carolina, more Republican than Democrat before the November election. And elderly people are angry at Trump for disregarding their safety in favor of a quick reopening fo the economy.
It seems to me that holding a sarcastic press briefing in the midst of a global crisis makes you just as unfit for office as being a moron; neither is appropriate, and the former is intentional. It doesn't stack up well as an excuse, particularly not if some people believe him and die as a result of drinking lysol (or swallowing lit torches).
According to the Washington Post "some in Trump's orbit" are now blaming Trump's briefer because he "allowed for Trump to get confused or conflate its findings".
This is the typical behaviour of an abuser and narcissist (and those who enable such behaviour). ‘Your fault, you allowed/caused this to happen.’
Number one rule - blame someone else. The narcissist never, ever accepts blame of any sort.
Recently I wrote to a doctor friend:
"As you know I'm not medical. Therefore I was grateful for the clear and simple advice that President Trump recently gave about dealing with Corona; however I would have liked a bit more detail. Could you advise me about:
"Bleach. Injecting it into myself sounds great, but is Sainsbury's own brand good enough? Should I splash out and treat myself to Domestos?
"Ultraviolet Light. How can I get this inside my body? I have a katana. Will it be sufficient to disembowl myself while sunbathing, or should I ask the neighbours to help? I presume that social distancing won't be an issue, as I won't be worrying about Corona after all this..
"Keep up the good work!"
His reply:
"So, it's important to make sure there are no bubbles in the bleach when you inject it. If there are then it won't work. I'm reliably informed that any bleach, cheapest makes sense, works but it mustn't be agitated ( remember the bubbles). UV light will only work if it's emitted through a gastroscope and a colonoscope, so it's preferable if the operators can get them to meet at the end of your small intestine. Then they (scopes) touch each other and cause a veritable explosion of High Intensity Ultraviolet Light (HIUL); cure is complete and immediate. Trust me I'm a doctor. Just remember to wash your hands and eat an apple a day😉😉😉"
Interesting word, "insane." Certainly not a word used in mental health diagnosis, but can be used in legal terms.
Some definitions I have found
The definition of insane is someone who acts or speaks strangely because their brain isn’t working correctly.
Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; ma
The standard definition of insane is inaccurate and completely useless.
extremely unreasonable or stupid
in a state of mind which prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill
tRump's perception of reality is not normal. His behavior often times cannot be explained. He is very unreasonable, quite inaccurate. Does he have soundness of mind? His mind certainly does not seem to work correctly.
Ergo:
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck [he] must be a duck.
It dosen't cancel it out, but it is a mitigating factor. He doesn't deserve a mitigating factor.
It's only mitigating if it makes the person do shit they wouldn't do otherwise.
We have no reason to believe that Trump, sane, would be any better than he is now. Experience argues otherwise.
So it isn't a mitigating factor--if anything, it's an exacerbating factor. Because a sane bad person can occasionally be influenced to avoid evil via common sense--as in, "Do this and you won't get what you want." But the Trumpian insanity rules out even that avenue.
Everyone on the Ship seems to be anti Trump. However he is an extreme case. Are there American Shipmates who would be Republican, if there were a sane candidate? Or is this a Democrat only zone?
I was a Republican up until the day I cast my primary ballot AGAINST Trump. I then resigned, because I can't face my grandchildren with what these assholes have done to my party.
Erin of blessed (and frightening) memory was a Republican. So were others from time gone by. I don't know if there is anybody else on the Ship willing to admit to the association.
In real life, I know quite a few decent Republicans. We are shocked and horrified by WTF has happened to our party, and have been voting consistently against Trump and his ilk (and yes, we voted for Clinton, we held our noses and did what we had to do).
God knows what I am now. I'm not a Democrat, but I'm not a Republican either. But I've always researched the people I voted for, so I never vote a straight ticket--simple party affiliation is not enough to earn my vote. (Though being basically anybody other than Trump is.)
I don't know if the party can be rehabilitated. Given the long, long deterioration of said party, I think it would take a near-miracle. And I won't return to it without one.
In real life, I know quite a few decent Republicans. We are shocked and horrified by WTF has happened to our party, and have been voting consistently against Trump and his ilk (and yes, we voted for Clinton, we held our noses and did what we had to do).
Yes, how could a party that ran George W. Bush and Sarah Palin on their national ticket have nominated such a buffoonish incompetent? It's a real puzzlement.
When will all of the “reporters” who have received Noble Prizes for their work on Russia, Russia, Russia, only to have been proven totally wrong (and, in fact, it was the other side who committed the crimes), be turning back their cherished “Nobles” so that they can be given to the REAL REPORTERS & JOURNALISTS who got it right. I can give the Committee a very comprehensive list. When will the Noble Committee DEMAND the Prizes back, especially since they were gotten under fraud? The reporters and Lamestream Media knew the truth all along. Lawsuits should be brought against all, including the Fake News Organizations, to rectify this terrible injustice. For all of the great lawyers out there, do we have any takers? When will the Noble Committee Act? Better be fast!
I'm sure some we'll get some absurd post facto explanation about how he really knows that it's spelled "Nobel" or that there's no Nobel prize for journalism but wanted the fake news to correct him to show . . . something or other.
I lean Democratic but have voted Republican from time to time. I like a well balanced government and long for the days of old when Republicans were the worthy opponent. Although a registered Democrat it makes me very sad to see what has happened to the other party.
In real life, I know quite a few decent Republicans. We are shocked and horrified by WTF has happened to our party, and have been voting consistently against Trump and his ilk (and yes, we voted for Clinton, we held our noses and did what we had to do).
Yes, how could a party that ran George W. Bush and Sarah Palin on their national ticket have nominated such a buffoonish incompetent? It's a real puzzlement.
Thanks, Croesos. Always willing to add to the pain...
What's with the passive voice? Trump didn't just "happen" to the GOP. He landed in rich soil fertilized by - to name just a few factors - the Southern Strategy, Reaganomics, the Hastert principle, using abortion and guns and climate change as wedge issues, attacking "entitlements", riding the Fox propaganda machine, Clinton derangement, Obama derangement, and Clinton derangement again. Trump is all of those things in one candidate - he either believes it or others in the party are able to project it onto him. He may be a RINO, but everything he does is from the GOP's playbook.
I was a Republican until Reagan. I am presently Independent as I am not fond of either party. I do my research on the candidates running and either vote for the better candidate or write in a candidate I’d like to see if I can’t stand those running.
What's with the passive voice? Trump didn't just "happen" to the GOP. He landed in rich soil fertilized by - to name just a few factors - the Southern Strategy, Reaganomics, the Hastert principle, using abortion and guns and climate change as wedge issues, attacking "entitlements", riding the Fox propaganda machine, Clinton derangement, Obama derangement, and Clinton derangement again. Trump is all of those things in one candidate - he either believes it or others in the party are able to project it onto him. He may be a RINO, but everything he does is from the GOP's playbook.
You beat me to it by an hour and a half. Trump is not sui generis. There's no way to look at the playbooks of people like Lee Atwater, Newt Gingrich, and Karl Rove and not see the roots of Trump's victory and his disregard for others. And Trump is not alone - his enablers in the Senate are all Republicans.
I voted for Republicans down-ticket up until Reagan. After that, I became full-on Democrat.
I am not prepared to jettison everybody in the Republican party because of Trump and everything leading up to him. I accept that Trump is the end result of a corrupt and anti-democratic GOP, and that the GOP seems to have abandoned any sense of moral responsibility. I HOPE this is the end of that particular road for the party if Trump and the GOP are electorally eviscerated in November as they deserve.
I am just not prepared to ditch or dump on people for having different political views to me especially when the differences, even in the USA, and even in the conduct of the major parties are minor. This is not the Sandanistas v the Contras. I am prepared to dump on anybody who supports Trump as opposed to other conservatives because he clearly is not leadership material.
I am very keen on American politics, but if the President was someone relatively sane and sensible, I'd probably spend more of my time getting up the nose of the English for Brexit. I have some great lines.
It worries me that the Ship is becoming monochrome. We're overwhelmingly anti Trump, anti Johnson, anti Brexit, and the list could be extended. And, as the last few posts have demonstrated, many are quick to ridicule those who go against the stream. The Ship is meant to be about Christian UNrest. Are we in danger of losing that?
Maybe it should, but it's surely noteworthy that it's largely Christians (or peeps with Christian leanings, IYSWIM) who express their antipathy to Trump, Johnson, Brexit etc.
... I am just not prepared to ditch or dump on people for having different political views to me especially when the differences, even in the USA, and even in the conduct of the major parties are minor. ...
The problem with Republicans isn't their political views. The problem with the Republican party is how they have convinced Republicans and others who share those views to vote against their own interests and the interests of the overwhelming majority of their fellow Americans.*
For example, it's obvious they truly don't give a rat's ass about unborn babies, because all their policies disadvantage unborn babies as soon as they're born. They use those unborn babies as bait to get pro-lifers to vote for making only the little people pay taxes and letting corporations and zillionaires devour the country. The Republican party is playing political three-card monte with its own supporters.
____
*The book "Dying of Whiteness" mentioned earlier describes this in depressing detail.
I guess we could do with an Ainsley Hayes Shipmate (smart honest conservative Republican in the West Wing).
It's not the fault of us argumentative unrestful left to centre left types that conservative Republicans don't want to test their opinions and beliefs here. For example, I would love to have seen some decent arguments refuting the testimonies of the impeachment witnesses. But I didn't see anything like that here or, come to think of it, in the House or the conservative media. Now why is that?
It worries me that the Ship is becoming monochrome. We're overwhelmingly anti Trump, anti Johnson, anti Brexit, and the list could be extended. And, as the last few posts have demonstrated, many are quick to ridicule those who go against the stream. The Ship is meant to be about Christian UNrest. Are we in danger of losing that?
(Or should this be a separate thread?)
It's possibly because anyone who expresses support for Brexit or Johnson -- or even undecidedness -- is subject to a dogpile of ridicule for even thinking Johnson (for example) though possibly wrong isn't absolute evil. Far better to keep one's mouth shut and avoid the pain.
Comments
Being unable to comprehend briefings would seem disqualifying for the presidency. I also don't see this excuse being a popular or long-lived one with Trump loyalists.
There is a new study that suggests elderly deaths are killing many many of Trump's critical voters. There will be an estimated 11,000 elderly voters that will die in Michigan and North Carolina, more Republican than Democrat before the November election. And elderly people are angry at Trump for disregarding their safety in favor of a quick reopening fo the economy.
Nothing like shooting yourself in the foot.
And Trump may just lose the Senate as well.
God willing.
This is the typical behaviour of an abuser and narcissist (and those who enable such behaviour). ‘Your fault, you allowed/caused this to happen.’
Number one rule - blame someone else. The narcissist never, ever accepts blame of any sort.
"As you know I'm not medical. Therefore I was grateful for the clear and simple advice that President Trump recently gave about dealing with Corona; however I would have liked a bit more detail. Could you advise me about:
"Bleach. Injecting it into myself sounds great, but is Sainsbury's own brand good enough? Should I splash out and treat myself to Domestos?
"Ultraviolet Light. How can I get this inside my body? I have a katana. Will it be sufficient to disembowl myself while sunbathing, or should I ask the neighbours to help? I presume that social distancing won't be an issue, as I won't be worrying about Corona after all this..
"Keep up the good work!"
His reply:
"So, it's important to make sure there are no bubbles in the bleach when you inject it. If there are then it won't work. I'm reliably informed that any bleach, cheapest makes sense, works but it mustn't be agitated ( remember the bubbles). UV light will only work if it's emitted through a gastroscope and a colonoscope, so it's preferable if the operators can get them to meet at the end of your small intestine. Then they (scopes) touch each other and cause a veritable explosion of High Intensity Ultraviolet Light (HIUL); cure is complete and immediate. Trust me I'm a doctor. Just remember to wash your hands and eat an apple a day😉😉😉"
ROTFL!
Remember when he kept saying he had the biggest crowd ever at his inauguration?
I knew it was all downhill from there.
He can be all of the above.
Nope, it's to understand him. The madness does not cancel out the badness. One can be batshit insane and still kind. He's not.
He got his wish.
And the ending is wonderful.
Some definitions I have found
tRump's perception of reality is not normal. His behavior often times cannot be explained. He is very unreasonable, quite inaccurate. Does he have soundness of mind? His mind certainly does not seem to work correctly.
Ergo:
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck [he] must be a duck.
It's only mitigating if it makes the person do shit they wouldn't do otherwise.
We have no reason to believe that Trump, sane, would be any better than he is now. Experience argues otherwise.
So it isn't a mitigating factor--if anything, it's an exacerbating factor. Because a sane bad person can occasionally be influenced to avoid evil via common sense--as in, "Do this and you won't get what you want." But the Trumpian insanity rules out even that avenue.
Erin of blessed (and frightening) memory was a Republican. So were others from time gone by. I don't know if there is anybody else on the Ship willing to admit to the association.
In real life, I know quite a few decent Republicans. We are shocked and horrified by WTF has happened to our party, and have been voting consistently against Trump and his ilk (and yes, we voted for Clinton, we held our noses and did what we had to do).
God knows what I am now. I'm not a Democrat, but I'm not a Republican either. But I've always researched the people I voted for, so I never vote a straight ticket--simple party affiliation is not enough to earn my vote. (Though being basically anybody other than Trump is.)
I don't know if the party can be rehabilitated. Given the long, long deterioration of said party, I think it would take a near-miracle. And I won't return to it without one.
Yes, how could a party that ran George W. Bush and Sarah Palin on their national ticket have nominated such a buffoonish incompetent? It's a real puzzlement.
Speaking of buffoonish incompetence, apparently we've been treated to more presidential* "sarcasm" today:
I'm sure some we'll get some absurd post facto explanation about how he really knows that it's spelled "Nobel" or that there's no Nobel prize for journalism but wanted the fake news to correct him to show . . . something or other.
And yet there they stick, like maggots on a corpse.
Now that @romanlion has been tossed overboard.
Are there people who would eat vomit if it tasted like shrimp cocktail?
But you've mentioned here that you are nauseated by shrimp even if other diners are eating it.
Thanks, Croesos. Always willing to add to the pain...
You beat me to it by an hour and a half. Trump is not sui generis. There's no way to look at the playbooks of people like Lee Atwater, Newt Gingrich, and Karl Rove and not see the roots of Trump's victory and his disregard for others. And Trump is not alone - his enablers in the Senate are all Republicans.
I'm all about flavour
I am not prepared to jettison everybody in the Republican party because of Trump and everything leading up to him. I accept that Trump is the end result of a corrupt and anti-democratic GOP, and that the GOP seems to have abandoned any sense of moral responsibility. I HOPE this is the end of that particular road for the party if Trump and the GOP are electorally eviscerated in November as they deserve.
I am just not prepared to ditch or dump on people for having different political views to me especially when the differences, even in the USA, and even in the conduct of the major parties are minor. This is not the Sandanistas v the Contras. I am prepared to dump on anybody who supports Trump as opposed to other conservatives because he clearly is not leadership material.
I am very keen on American politics, but if the President was someone relatively sane and sensible, I'd probably spend more of my time getting up the nose of the English for Brexit. I have some great lines.
(Or should this be a separate thread?)
Why is this, I wonder?
Maybe people of that kind of sensibilities don't really want to be involved with anything that has 'Christian Unrest' in its title?
The problem with Republicans isn't their political views. The problem with the Republican party is how they have convinced Republicans and others who share those views to vote against their own interests and the interests of the overwhelming majority of their fellow Americans.*
For example, it's obvious they truly don't give a rat's ass about unborn babies, because all their policies disadvantage unborn babies as soon as they're born. They use those unborn babies as bait to get pro-lifers to vote for making only the little people pay taxes and letting corporations and zillionaires devour the country. The Republican party is playing political three-card monte with its own supporters.
____
*The book "Dying of Whiteness" mentioned earlier describes this in depressing detail.
It's not the fault of us argumentative unrestful left to centre left types that conservative Republicans don't want to test their opinions and beliefs here. For example, I would love to have seen some decent arguments refuting the testimonies of the impeachment witnesses. But I didn't see anything like that here or, come to think of it, in the House or the conservative media. Now why is that?
It's possibly because anyone who expresses support for Brexit or Johnson -- or even undecidedness -- is subject to a dogpile of ridicule for even thinking Johnson (for example) though possibly wrong isn't absolute evil. Far better to keep one's mouth shut and avoid the pain.