Donald Trump

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  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Posts: 49,937
    you call it denial, I call it objectivity. 
    I don't think it's objective to blatantly ignore obvious incoherence. But okay.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • Go BeaversGo Beavers Posts: 9,062
    dignin said:
    I don't find anything scary about it at all. After reading the entire article, we get to the crux of it at the bottom:

    I am not a medical professional, and I will not pretend to know what is truly happening here. It’s become a common conversation topic in Washington to muse on whether the president is suffering from some form of cognitive decline or psychological malady. I don’t think those hypotheses are necessary or meaningful. Whatever the cause, it is plainly obvious from Trump’s words that this is not a man fit to be president, that he is not well or capable in some fundamental way. That is an uncomfortable thing to say, and so many prefer not to say it, but Trump does not occupy a job where such deficiencies can be safely ignored.

    the author is explicitly stating here that Trump is not necessarily in cognitive decline, but just plainly unfit for the job, which I absolutely agree with. I think he has a fundamental misunderstanding about his role and how it is defined (i.e: not a dictator). he spews rhetoric about how he has done this or done that and who said this and who said that, in my opinion, not necessarily because he doesn't understand the reality, but he knows his base doesn't care to do the actual research, that they just lap up what he says as fact. or maybe he is so narcissistic, it is possible he believes the nonsense he says. but that's not necessarily a mental illness. it represents not being fit to be president, but it doesn't make him mentally unstable. 

    again, I find this is the same old stuff I've been reading here silently the past month. So many people keep saying Trump is this, Mueller is doing that, Russia is this, without providing a shred of evidence of any of it. it's all hopes that the man and his admin come crashing down, but it's all based on nothing but conjecture and dreaming. 

    I hope he gets removed. I hope Pence does too. But I just think it's incredibly premature to be flying the crazy flag. or presenting ideas that "mueller is closing in" as some type of fact, when all it is, is someone reading an article about someone getting interviewed and all of a sudden they inflate that to mean Trump is being impeached next week. 
    I guess we have different thresholds for scary. He is so incompetent and has so much power I find that very scary.

    He could literally get us all killed.
    actually, he literally can't. there is no "button". if he tried to start nuclear war, there are checks and balances that would stop him. 

    The only check is if people defy his order, which then has other implications. 
  • benjsbenjs Posts: 9,130
    PJ_Soul said:
    you call it denial, I call it objectivity. 
    I don't think it's objective to blatantly ignore obvious incoherence. But okay.
    I was pretty sure HFD is just saying that a mentally unfit person vs. a person unfit for the job of President are two different things, and that clearly this person is unfit for the job of President, and that this book doesn’t really change that known reality from before these excerpts. If I interpreted that right, I agree.
    '05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2

    EV
    Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Posts: 49,937
    benjs said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    you call it denial, I call it objectivity. 
    I don't think it's objective to blatantly ignore obvious incoherence. But okay.
    I was pretty sure HFD is just saying that a mentally unfit person vs. a person unfit for the job of President are two different things, and that clearly this person is unfit for the job of President, and that this book doesn’t really change that known reality from before these excerpts. If I interpreted that right, I agree.
    I haven't read the book, so that has absolutely no impact on how I view Trump. I believe, based on his public behaviour, that he is mentally unfit, which makes him unfit to be POTUS. I don't think mentally fit people behave the way he does. I don't think mentally fit people are as incoherent and bizarre as he is at any time, let alone while he is speaking as the POTUS.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • dignindignin Posts: 9,336
    edited January 2018
    dignin said:
    I don't find anything scary about it at all. After reading the entire article, we get to the crux of it at the bottom:

    I am not a medical professional, and I will not pretend to know what is truly happening here. It’s become a common conversation topic in Washington to muse on whether the president is suffering from some form of cognitive decline or psychological malady. I don’t think those hypotheses are necessary or meaningful. Whatever the cause, it is plainly obvious from Trump’s words that this is not a man fit to be president, that he is not well or capable in some fundamental way. That is an uncomfortable thing to say, and so many prefer not to say it, but Trump does not occupy a job where such deficiencies can be safely ignored.

    the author is explicitly stating here that Trump is not necessarily in cognitive decline, but just plainly unfit for the job, which I absolutely agree with. I think he has a fundamental misunderstanding about his role and how it is defined (i.e: not a dictator). he spews rhetoric about how he has done this or done that and who said this and who said that, in my opinion, not necessarily because he doesn't understand the reality, but he knows his base doesn't care to do the actual research, that they just lap up what he says as fact. or maybe he is so narcissistic, it is possible he believes the nonsense he says. but that's not necessarily a mental illness. it represents not being fit to be president, but it doesn't make him mentally unstable. 

    again, I find this is the same old stuff I've been reading here silently the past month. So many people keep saying Trump is this, Mueller is doing that, Russia is this, without providing a shred of evidence of any of it. it's all hopes that the man and his admin come crashing down, but it's all based on nothing but conjecture and dreaming. 

    I hope he gets removed. I hope Pence does too. But I just think it's incredibly premature to be flying the crazy flag. or presenting ideas that "mueller is closing in" as some type of fact, when all it is, is someone reading an article about someone getting interviewed and all of a sudden they inflate that to mean Trump is being impeached next week. 
    I guess we have different thresholds for scary. He is so incompetent and has so much power I find that very scary.

    He could literally get us all killed.
    actually, he literally can't. there is no "button". if he tried to start nuclear war, there are checks and balances that would stop him. 
    Did I say button? And that wasn't exactly what I was referring too. His incompetency pushes s further into the abyss of possible nuclear attacks. The world is a much more dangerous place with his stupidity leading us.

    Also, you are wrong.

    No one can stop President Trump from using nuclear weapons. That's by design.

    The whole system is set up so the president — and only the president — can decide when to launch.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/12/01/no-one-can-stop-president-trump-from-using-nuclear-weapons-thats-by-design/?utm_term=.ef683c9ccc08

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Command_Authority
  • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,421
    in the previous 8yrs not once did i feel like there could be a nuclear war on any radar and i think it's safe to safe no one here did either ? we're 1 yr into this presidency and the subject comes up everyday in the news , how can anyone say this presidency is stable and the GOP stablishement seems to be ok with it ...
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Posts: 49,937
    in the previous 8yrs not once did i feel like there could be a nuclear war on any radar and i think it's safe to safe no one here did either ? we're 1 yr into this presidency and the subject comes up everyday in the news , how can anyone say this presidency is stable and the GOP stablishement seems to be ok with it ...
    This is the GOP


    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • dignin said:
    dignin said:
    I don't find anything scary about it at all. After reading the entire article, we get to the crux of it at the bottom:

    I am not a medical professional, and I will not pretend to know what is truly happening here. It’s become a common conversation topic in Washington to muse on whether the president is suffering from some form of cognitive decline or psychological malady. I don’t think those hypotheses are necessary or meaningful. Whatever the cause, it is plainly obvious from Trump’s words that this is not a man fit to be president, that he is not well or capable in some fundamental way. That is an uncomfortable thing to say, and so many prefer not to say it, but Trump does not occupy a job where such deficiencies can be safely ignored.

    the author is explicitly stating here that Trump is not necessarily in cognitive decline, but just plainly unfit for the job, which I absolutely agree with. I think he has a fundamental misunderstanding about his role and how it is defined (i.e: not a dictator). he spews rhetoric about how he has done this or done that and who said this and who said that, in my opinion, not necessarily because he doesn't understand the reality, but he knows his base doesn't care to do the actual research, that they just lap up what he says as fact. or maybe he is so narcissistic, it is possible he believes the nonsense he says. but that's not necessarily a mental illness. it represents not being fit to be president, but it doesn't make him mentally unstable. 

    again, I find this is the same old stuff I've been reading here silently the past month. So many people keep saying Trump is this, Mueller is doing that, Russia is this, without providing a shred of evidence of any of it. it's all hopes that the man and his admin come crashing down, but it's all based on nothing but conjecture and dreaming. 

    I hope he gets removed. I hope Pence does too. But I just think it's incredibly premature to be flying the crazy flag. or presenting ideas that "mueller is closing in" as some type of fact, when all it is, is someone reading an article about someone getting interviewed and all of a sudden they inflate that to mean Trump is being impeached next week. 
    I guess we have different thresholds for scary. He is so incompetent and has so much power I find that very scary.

    He could literally get us all killed.
    actually, he literally can't. there is no "button". if he tried to start nuclear war, there are checks and balances that would stop him. 
    Did I say button? And that wasn't exactly what I was referring too. His incompetency pushes s further into the abyss of possible nuclear attacks. The world is a much more dangerous place with his stupidity leading us.

    Also, you are wrong.

    No one can stop President Trump from using nuclear weapons. That's by design.

    The whole system is set up so the president — and only the president — can decide when to launch.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/12/01/no-one-can-stop-president-trump-from-using-nuclear-weapons-thats-by-design/?utm_term=.ef683c9ccc08

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Command_Authority
    strange. everything i've read up until now has said the exact opposite to this. alrighty. 
    new album "Cigarettes" out Spring 2025!

    www.headstonesband.com




  • PJ_Soul said:
    you call it denial, I call it objectivity. 
    I don't think it's objective to blatantly ignore obvious incoherence. But okay.
    ugh. it's not 'obvious incoherence'. he doesn't speak presidentially. he doesn't even speak particularly well. he rambles and talks about nothing. loads of people do that and they are not mentally ill. diagnosing someone as such by what you see on tv is absolutely ridiculous. maybe your definition of mentally ill is a lot looser than mine, but i don't use those words lightly. 
    new album "Cigarettes" out Spring 2025!

    www.headstonesband.com




  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Posts: 49,937
    I've always been under the impression that the POTUS could indeed be the sole decision maker, and that everyone kept pretending that he didn't have that much power because it made them feel better.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • dignindignin Posts: 9,336
    PJ_Soul said:
    I've always been under the impression that the POTUS could indeed be the sole decision maker, and that everyone kept pretending that he didn't have that much power because it made them feel better.
    The authority has changed over the decades.


    The History of America's Nuclear Weapon Chain of Command, with Eric Schlosser


    It wasn't until the 1970s that any sort of locks were installed on American nukes. Up until then, a rogue military officer could easily have launched an attack without presidential approval. Much to the U.S. military's credit, the professionalism and training of American forces prevented such an event from occurring. But, as Schlosser muses at the end of the interview, it's still unnerving that this great and grave responsibility had been thrust upon young men and that still today one man or woman could make a decision that condemns the lives of millions of people.

    http://bigthink.com/think-tank/eric-schlosser-who-launches-nukes-in-america
  • dignindignin Posts: 9,336
    This was a great podcast about nuclear authority for anyone interested.


    Nukes

    President Richard Nixon once boasted that at any moment he could pick up a telephone and - in 20 minutes - kill 60 million people.  Such is the power of the US President over the nation’s nuclear arsenal.  But what if you were the military officer on the receiving end of that phone call? Could you refuse the order?

    This episode, we profile one Air Force Major who asked that question back in the 1970s and learn how the very act of asking it was so dangerous it derailed his career. We also pick up the question ourselves and pose it to veterans both high and low on the nuclear chain of command. Their responses reveal once and for all whether there are any legal checks and balances between us and a phone call for Armageddon.

    http://www.radiolab.org/story/nukes/
     
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 Posts: 28,470
    I know the vast majority here are not fans of trump however:
    http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/05/politics/trump-dow-jones-interactive/index.html

    How good the stock market under Trump really is, in one chart

    resident Donald Trump has spared no opportunity to brag about the surging stock market in recent days. He has a point. It took the market almost 100 years to reach 5,000. It's grown more than 5,000 points in Trump's first year in office.

    But looking at percentage growth might be a better way to compare with the first years of presidents in decades past. The figures are still impressive for Trump: Growth during his first year in office to this point surpasses 17 of his predecessors since the Dow Jones industrial average was first formed in 1896 — trailing only Barack Obama, Harry Truman and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    The stock market has climbed 27% since Trump was sworn in nearly a year ago. On average, the stock market has grown 10% to this point in a new president's term. (It's worth noting these numbers can jump around by a percentage point or more from day to day based on the ebbs and flows of the market.)
    "I don't know if you heard the latest, but the market is up about 150 points. And we broke a very, very big barrier — 25,000," Trump said Thursday. "So I guess our new number is 30,000. But what it means is every time you see that number go up on Wall Street it means jobs, it means success. It means 401(k)s that are flourishing."
    Trump tweeted on Friday morning, praising the stock market's latest climb as the fastest jump of 1,000 points in the market's history. Economists have pushed back that the market is driven by forces well beyond a president's control and that stock market growth during a president's first year can be attributed in large part to the previous officeholder.
    New jobs numbers released Friday showed the country added 2 million jobs in 2017 -- another robust year of growth and a reason for Trump to tout the strong economy, but the rate of job growth is down slightly from the last several years.
      Note: This chart displays the change in the closing value of the Dow Jones industrial average from each new president's first day of active stock market trading while in office through the 242nd day of active trading, via FactSet.
      I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
    • there is never going to be a complete failure at the helm. it's all about people's perceptions and investment based on that. right now some people are optimistic about what he's been doing. the real litmus will be if/when it crashes under his watch. will he still take credit? of course not, it will be someone else's fault. 
      new album "Cigarettes" out Spring 2025!

      www.headstonesband.com




    • twitter's statement on why they won't ban trump:

      There’s been a lot of discussion about political figures and world leaders on Twitter, and we want to share our stance.

      Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation. Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation because of their outsized impact on our society.

      Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate. It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions.

      We review Tweets by leaders within the political context that defines them, and enforce our rules accordingly. No one person’s account drives Twitter’s growth, or influences these decisions. We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind.

      We are working to make Twitter the best place to see and freely discuss everything that matters. We believe that’s the best way to help our society make progress.

      new album "Cigarettes" out Spring 2025!

      www.headstonesband.com




    • mcgruff10mcgruff10 Posts: 28,470
      twitter's statement on why they won't ban trump:

      There’s been a lot of discussion about political figures and world leaders on Twitter, and we want to share our stance.

      Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation. Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation because of their outsized impact on our society.

      Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate. It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions.

      We review Tweets by leaders within the political context that defines them, and enforce our rules accordingly. No one person’s account drives Twitter’s growth, or influences these decisions. We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind.

      We are working to make Twitter the best place to see and freely discuss everything that matters. We believe that’s the best way to help our society make progress.

      100% agree with this
      I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
    • rgambsrgambs Posts: 13,576
      I don't find anything scary about it at all. After reading the entire article, we get to the crux of it at the bottom:

      I am not a medical professional, and I will not pretend to know what is truly happening here. It’s become a common conversation topic in Washington to muse on whether the president is suffering from some form of cognitive decline or psychological malady. I don’t think those hypotheses are necessary or meaningful. Whatever the cause, it is plainly obvious from Trump’s words that this is not a man fit to be president, that he is not well or capable in some fundamental way. That is an uncomfortable thing to say, and so many prefer not to say it, but Trump does not occupy a job where such deficiencies can be safely ignored.

      the author is explicitly stating here that Trump is not necessarily in cognitive decline, but just plainly unfit for the job, which I absolutely agree with. I think he has a fundamental misunderstanding about his role and how it is defined (i.e: not a dictator). he spews rhetoric about how he has done this or done that and who said this and who said that, in my opinion, not necessarily because he doesn't understand the reality, but he knows his base doesn't care to do the actual research, that they just lap up what he says as fact. or maybe he is so narcissistic, it is possible he believes the nonsense he says. but that's not necessarily a mental illness. it represents not being fit to be president, but it doesn't make him mentally unstable. 

      again, I find this is the same old stuff I've been reading here silently the past month. So many people keep saying Trump is this, Mueller is doing that, Russia is this, without providing a shred of evidence of any of it. it's all hopes that the man and his admin come crashing down, but it's all based on nothing but conjecture and dreaming. 

      I hope he gets removed. I hope Pence does too. But I just think it's incredibly premature to be flying the crazy flag. or presenting ideas that "mueller is closing in" as some type of fact, when all it is, is someone reading an article about someone getting interviewed and all of a sudden they inflate that to mean Trump is being impeached next week. 
      You said you've never seen him babbling incoherently and unable to form sentences, and threw shade at PJSoul as the only person saying so, but he is and she isn't.
      Many of us have voiced those same thoughts.
      Now you've seen him babbling incoherently and unable to form sentences, and there are dozens of examples just as bad. 
      Narcissism is mental illness.  It doesn't matter if he believes everything he says is true because he's been surrounded by yes men his entire life, he is still divorced from reality in a serious way, and that is mental instability any way you slice it.
      Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
    • rgambsrgambs Posts: 13,576
      PJ_Soul said:
      you call it denial, I call it objectivity. 
      I don't think it's objective to blatantly ignore obvious incoherence. But okay.
      ugh. it's not 'obvious incoherence'. he doesn't speak presidentially. he doesn't even speak particularly well. he rambles and talks about nothing. loads of people do that and they are not mentally ill. diagnosing someone as such by what you see on tv is absolutely ridiculous. maybe your definition of mentally ill is a lot looser than mine, but i don't use those words lightly. 
      I live in deep hillbilly territory, where belt buckles outnumber teeth sometimes.
      I've met some seriously stupid people and some seriously whacked out substance abusers.
      The only time I've ever heard someone as unable to speak as Trump is when people are deep in their chosen substance.

      This is way deeper and worse than you want to make it sound.
      Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
    • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,421
      Sessions needs to be fired period what a disgrace as a matter of fact the whole GOP can go screw themselves , they don’t give a damn about this country..
      jesus greets me looks just like me ....
    • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,421
      Sloppy Steve lol hilarious 
      jesus greets me looks just like me ....
    • tbergstbergs Posts: 9,781
      I think someone asked about the progress of the wall recently. Well, he's going to try and get it built, but Mexico isn't paying. Those bad hombres can't be trusted to pay for anything.

      https://www.axios.com/trump-administration-proposes-10-year-plan-for-the-border-wall-2522863016.html
      It's a hopeless situation...
    • Can we get this discussion name changed to 'Very Stable Genius' please?
    • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,424
      I feel like focusing on “mental illness” instead of just his terrible decisions and temperament (unfit for the job) plays to trump. All it does is embolden his base. 

      Similar to clamerring about Russian collusion based on almost no facts yet instead of focusing on the fact that the sitting president was given information from all agencies involved that Russia did interfere with the election and now the president is doing nothing about it.

      look so I think there was collusion? Don’t know, maybe. Do I think trump may have some sort of mental or medical issue? Maybe, most likely just narcissism. But the other things are big too and we know them to be true.
      hippiemom = goodness
    • dignindignin Posts: 9,336
      I feel like focusing on “mental illness” instead of just his terrible decisions and temperament (unfit for the job) plays to trump. All it does is embolden his base. 

      Similar to clamerring about Russian collusion based on almost no facts yet instead of focusing on the fact that the sitting president was given information from all agencies involved that Russia did interfere with the election and now the president is doing nothing about it.

      look so I think there was collusion? Don’t know, maybe. Do I think trump may have some sort of mental or medical issue? Maybe, most likely just narcissism. But the other things are big too and we know them to be true.
      We touch on all these points often. I don't see anything wrong with that.

      I really couldn't give a shit about his nutty cult base, write them off....forget about them. They are not needed for someone else to win next election....or for him to be impeached before then. Worrying about his base is a waste of time.
    • dignindignin Posts: 9,336
      edited January 2018
      So Trump is comparing his mental fitness with Reagan today, who had Alzheimers while in office.

      Genius indeed.

      While also forgetting that this isn't his first run for president.
      Post edited by dignin on
    • dignin said:
      So Trump is comparing his mental fitness with Reagan today, who had Alzheimers while in office.

      Genius indeed.

      While also forgetting that this isn't his first run for president.
      Trump has all forgotten he claimed his memory was his greatest asset and not being a sane genius.
    • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,421
      Just the fact that we are talking about the mental capacity of the POTUS is insane , did this subject ever come up in the previous 8 yrs ? Red flags should be flying..
      jesus greets me looks just like me ....
    This discussion has been closed.