2 hours ago, Morch said:

 

That would depend on how you define "everyday person". I'd say there are plenty of "everyday persons" who voted for him and will do so again. That's not condoning the way he behaves, just putting the above in perspective. Maybe the problem is that he does conform to the standards of his base - even though I'm sure some of them aren't thrilled with everything he does or the way he does things. Reading these topics, even this one, it is easy to find posts supportive of Trump behavior and conduct. Does it make the people voicing them not "everyday persons"? 

I don't think very many people support Trump. Even less than the 1/3 that is claimed. I do think they think the other side is every bit as bad, in different ways however. I also think a lot of the defense of Trump you see is people defending themselves against being judged for their own wrong choices. That makes them an "everyday person" because you see the same kind of behaviour from the other side. Claiming victories where none exist and minimizing defeats by their chosen politician.

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

OK. Sometimes fantasies should be kept behind closed doors. He's a mess and he's inflicting long term damage.

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

He's inflicting long term damage on the crazy wing of the Republican party and the Republican wing of the Democrat party. Every cloud has a silver lining.

46 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

He's inflicting long term damage on the crazy wing of the Republican party and the Republican wing of the Democrat party. Every cloud has a silver lining.

 

Would that be true, I can only hope.

 

But the other day, I read a very interesting NY Times article that went out and basically did a kind of focus group interviews with Christian evangelical women on their views re Trump.

 

And basically, the upshot of the interviews was, among these evangelical women who voted for Trump last time, they're bothered by various aspects of his personal style and behavior. But at least for now, a lot (not all) are continuing to support him as president.

 

Somewhat to my surprise, they're somehow able to put aside his womanizing, his crude and misogynistic style, his lack of character, truth and ethics, and all the other stuff. And still support him because they like that he got Gorsuch on the Supreme Court, support his anti immigrant policies, etc etc.

 

It's pretty amazing to me that those kind of folks, out of everyone, can somehow discount issues of personal character, morality, ethics, honesty, etc. when it comes to deciding who they will support for president. For me personally, I care a lot about not only policy positions but also the personal character/morality/ethics of a candidate, especially for president. And I'm not an evangelical.

5 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

For me personally, I care a lot about not only policy positions but also the personal character/morality/ethics of a candidate, especially for president. And I'm not an evangelical.

 

I think that is only natural. For instance, though I thought both of them were poor presidents, I thought both Bush II and Obama had good personal character/morality/ethics. Despite that, somehow we still killed hundreds of thousands of people overseas, needlessly; almost tripled the National Debt and morphed into a surveillance state under their leadership.

21 hours ago, bendejo said:

There has been speculation that DT wanted Romney to be Sec of State but Putin wanted Tillerson.  Vlad and Rex had a positive history and got along handsomely.  With this bit of news coming to light and oncoming accusations of treason he can now say "Tillerson, he's gone, no issue there."  A few more weeks and it'll be "who?  Tillerson was never Sec of State."

 

DT thinks firing people puts them out of sight and out of mind.  When all the doo-doo piles up and all these former employees are subpoenaed DT is going to experience his own "night of the living dead."

 

Anyway, DT's goal has been acheived: America is great again!  His new mission is "keep America great."

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-2020-campaign-slogan-233761

 

 

 

DT is destroying the state  from Inside the WH. 

 

2 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

I think that is only natural. For instance, though I thought both of them were poor presidents, I thought both Bush II and Obama had good personal character/morality/ethics. Despite that, somehow we still killed hundreds of thousands of people overseas, needlessly; almost tripled the National Debt and morphed into a surveillance state under their leadership.

 

I think it's fair to say, Al-Qaeda and 9/11 deserve some credit (discredit) for the avalanche of bad stuff that happened in various ways after 9/11.

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I think it's fair to say, Al-Qaeda and 9/11 deserve some credit (discredit) for the avalanche of bad stuff that happened in various ways after 9/11.

And of course the US deserves some of the credit for the formation of Al-Qaeda. Rooted as it was in the presidency of another moral/ethical person of  good character.  I hear you about Trump though. He's absolute slime.

Oh God, really?

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-kudlow-replace-gary-cohn-trump-top-economic-adviser-2018-3

43 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

Oh God, really?

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-kudlow-replace-gary-cohn-trump-top-economic-adviser-2018-3

 

I thought, someone did a post here yesterday of an article that talked about a supposed pact made between Tillerson, Mattis and Mnuchin -- that, if any one of them was fired or otherwise kicked out by Trump, they'd all depart....

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tillerson-mattis-mnuchin-forge-suicide-pact-in-the-event-trump-wants-one-of-them-gone-report

 

Well, now we'll see... Looks like the Swamp is leaking badly....

14 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I thought, someone did a post here yesterday of an article that talked about a supposed pact made between Tillerson, Mattis and Mnuchin -- that, if any one of them was fired or otherwise kicked out by Trump, they'd all depart....

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tillerson-mattis-mnuchin-forge-suicide-pact-in-the-event-trump-wants-one-of-them-gone-report

 

Well, now we'll see... Looks like the Swamp is leaking badly....

 

If you don't know what the Laffer Curve is already, you're about to learn.

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I think it's fair to say, Al-Qaeda and 9/11 deserve some credit (discredit) for the avalanche of bad stuff that happened in various ways after 9/11.

 

Something that has bothered me to no end was the "hide under the bed" response to 9/11 in the US.  I learned when I was a kid that even when you're getting you arse whooped you don't acknowledge it, you keep up the defiance.  For an example, in the movie Raging Bull the LaMotta character is all battered and bloodied, but he still calls out to his opponent "you still haven't knocked me down!"  Maybe it's a NYC thing.

It was a victory for entities within the US (not necessarily governmental) who manipulate by using fear.  So, IMO, the infamous credit goes to those fostered this reaction.  I would put Cheney and Rove in the top 5.

 

 

 

An off-topic post has been removed.  

22 hours ago, Emster23 said:

Trump boasted he would run into a school shooting situation even if unarmed does not have the balls and decency to tell Tillerson face to face? Actions speak louder than words.

 Lots to not like regarding Tillerson, but he was one of the few adults on the staff and has real world experience in leading a very large corporation and being held accountable for his decisions, unlike Trump & family mom and pop business writ large with no accountability.

 It is chilling that new SofS is said to be "on the same wavelength" as Trump. Among other things, they want to get out of Iran multi national treaty. Why would N Korea ever agree to a treaty with this administration? Erratic, impulsive and uniformed entities not exactly the sort you would make long term agreements with or trust

Absolutely correct. The coward who got five deferments to serve his country, when it was his chance to do so, talks really big when he is in front of the cameras. Anyone with just one iota of decency and respect, would have sat Tillerson down, looked him in the eyes, and explained why he was being fired, before leaking that info through the incredibly cowardly medium of twitter. He deserved that. Working for Tiny Don is a thankless task, and the moment you become a liability, or someone he does not like anymore, or the moment you disagree with him, he throws you under the bus faster than a scam artist on Craigslist dispenses fake checks. Trump is a half man. A man that would pee and soil his pants, if faced with any sort or danger, or threat to his life. I guarantee, that if the deflector in chief, was standing outside of that school, not only would he have not run into the school, armed or not, but he would have wet his pants at the sounds of the bullets and terror. A brave man he is not. A man of virtue and character he will never be. A liar and fabricator he is, on a daily basis.

 

I really do not think he cares. He is so out of touch, so oblivious, so caught up within his own desires, and ego gratification, that anything else does not matter. I think it is important to not lose sight of one important aspect of this show. It is the Donald show. It is planet don. It is a reality TV show, with little don as the host. He is able to devote a few hours a day, to pretending to be president. But, for the most part, it is about running the show, and that is the most important thing for the charlatan. The American people? They mean nothing to him. His base? They mean nothing to him. The world. It means nothing to him. His family? They are sort of important. But Melania? Not really. 

 

Tiny DT. The art of moving America backwards, and lowering the quality of life for the average American. 

The art of I cannot make a deal to save my life. 

The art of losing talent in droves, and replacing them with sycophantic fools, devoid of talent or experience, like The appointment of Lynne Patton, a wedding planner and longtime Trump family associate, to head the Housing and Urban Development's office for New York and New Jersey, and the talk show host that he just appointed as a chief economic advisor, because he talk smooth and looks good on TV. Good one Don.

The art of poorly attempting to lead a nation, while being infected with the thinnest skin of a world leader, in history. 

The art of not having a diplomatic bone in his body, and destroying long held alliances, with hate, hubris and a horrible lack of intelligence, vision and talent.

Bravo!  Very eloquent and accurate...

 

I hereby nominate Spidermike to be the communications director for the Democratic presidential nominee in 2020 -- and can only hope that process produces a candidate who's remotely electable and not despised by too many in his/her own camp. And who knows how to fight against the Russians and their influence in the campaign.

 

Benjy Sarlin (‪@BenjySarlin‬)

14/3/18, 00:12

EX-EXXON TEXAN EXEC REX NEXT EX-SEC

16 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Would that be true, I can only hope.

But the other day, I read a very interesting NY Times article that went out and basically did a kind of focus group interviews with Christian evangelical women on their views re Trump.

And basically, the upshot of the interviews was, among these evangelical women who voted for Trump last time, they're bothered by various aspects of his personal style and behavior. But at least for now, a lot (not all) are continuing to support him as president.

Somewhat to my surprise, they're somehow able to put aside his womanizing, his crude and misogynistic style, his lack of character, truth and ethics, and all the other stuff. And still support him because they like that he got Gorsuch on the Supreme Court, support his anti immigrant policies, etc etc.

It's pretty amazing to me that those kind of folks, out of everyone, can somehow discount issues of personal character, morality, ethics, honesty, etc. when it comes to deciding who they will support for president. For me personally, I care a lot about not only policy positions but also the personal character/morality/ethics of a candidate, especially for president. And I'm not an evangelical.

Good post. I surmise that Bible thumpers' moral code is 1 mm thick.  

 

I've known that for decades, it's just interesting that now it's being proven in the public arena.

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Bravo!  Very eloquent and accurate...

 

I hereby nominate Spidermike to be the communications director for the Democratic presidential nominee in 2020 -- and can only hope that process produces a candidate who's remotely electable and not despised by too many in his/her own camp. And who knows how to fight against the Russians and their influence in the campaign.

 

Thank you for that honor. I would actually consider it, if I thought the dems were serious about:

 

1. Reforming the party, and getting rid of gangsters, the likes of Wasserman Schulltz, and Clinton.

2. Coming up with good, solid, policy objectives.

3. Fielding candidates of decent caliber, with just one shred of moral fiber. 

 

Of course, having said that, I would vote for anyone over Tiny Don. Even Justin Bieber might make a more statesmanlike president. How about Chris Brown? Actually, lets just elect William Pharrell. At least the White House would have some decent music. Not much is getting done now anyway. 

55 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Thank you for that honor. I would actually consider it, if I thought the dems were serious about:

 

1. Reforming the party, and getting rid of gangsters, the likes of Wasserman Schulltz, and Clinton.

2. Coming up with good, solid, policy objectives.

3. Fielding candidates of decent caliber, with just one shred of moral fiber. 

 

Of course, having said that, I would vote for anyone over Tiny Don. Even Justin Bieber might make a more statesmanlike president. How about Chris Brown? Actually, lets just elect William Pharrell. At least the White House would have some decent music. Not much is getting done now anyway. 

 

Elizabeth Warren or Oprah!

 

Heck, if Tiny Don can get elected, why not Oprah? It's not like she'd be any worse.

 

1 hour ago, boomerangutang said:

Good post. I surmise that Bible thumpers' moral code is 1 mm thick.  

 

I've known that for decades, it's just interesting that now it's being proven in the public arena.

 

An average thinking person would presume that just on the basis of adultery alone (although you certainly could expand from there if needed), he'd be dead meat with them, especially the women.

 

But obviously, holding to the Ten Commandments and such isn't what it used to be among the hard-core "religious" ( I guess that word needs to be in quotes these days) folks in the U.S.

 

So it's OK to mess with the Ten Commandments. But don't you dare mess with my 2nd Amendment!   To me, operating that way is the height of hypocrisy.

 

Edited March 15, 20188 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

13 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Elizabeth Warren or Oprah!

 

Heck, if Tiny Don can get elected, why not Oprah? It's not like she'd be any worse.

 

Warren is running.

Oprah isn't. 

I wish neither would run.

I don't care about the native American thing but running a lefty from Massachusetts is a guaranteed loser. 

I think more progressive politics can win but packaged differently.

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I don't care about the native American thing but running a lefty from Massachusetts is a guaranteed loser. 

I think more progressive politics can win but packaged differently.

 

I think you're right. But I like Warren from what I know and have seen about her.

 

Unfortunately, who I like isn't probably going to line up with the mainstream of American politics. So I'll end up settling for some midwest or southern moderate, and grit my teeth...

Doesn't necessarily need to be a moderate. But Warren just smells loser to me.  Does need to be someone with serious charisma. If running against "trump" he is a reality t.v. entertainer. No need to be "trump" but need to play some show business games. People seem to want a big show. Let's change the channel.

Edited March 15, 20188 yr by Jingthing

Drain the swamp!

 

Stephanie Ruhle (‪@SRuhle‬)

14/3/18, 02:46

 

REMINDER-Pompeo was the single largest recipient of campaign funds from Koch Bros in 2010. He came out of the same Wichita,Kansas, biz community where Koch family’s oil-and-gas conglomerate is headquartered. Pompeo built his own company with seed money from Koch Venture Capital.

17 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Elizabeth Warren or Oprah!

 

Heck, if Tiny Don can get elected, why not Oprah? It's not like she'd be any worse.

 

Warren is a possibility. I do not think Oprah would ever run. Same reason we will never again see men like Bill Bradley, Jimmy Carter (a poor president, but a great man) Michael Bloomberg, or Bill Richardson run. They are well above the office. And they lead good lives, without all of the nonsense of the presidency. The office of the presidency is toxic. And it will never again attract high quality individuals to it. Those days are in the past. With the glare of the media, incredibly hateful opponents like Tiny Don, and the difficulties of the job, it no longer attracts anything even resembling nobility or honor. Obama may have been a decent man, but he abandoned nearly everything he believed in, once he was in office. It is a sad commentary. And I really do hope I am proved wrong on this. But, it is my strong instinct at this stage, that what I am saying is true.