Trump's disastrous cabinet

[Starlight]

[Perry:] "after being briefed on so many of the vital functions of the Department of Energy, I regret recommending its elimination."

Incidentally, this is a classic example of Dunning-Kruger, which several of you here like to prattle on about and misapply to any debate opponents. It's a situation where the person was making strong statements (e.g. wanting to eliminate the DoE) in complete ignorance (e.g. of what the DoE actually did), and being so ignorant that they didn't realize how ignorant they were (e.g. didn't realize he didn't know what the DoE did), and then when they finally get some knowledge (e.g. "after being briefed on so many of the vital functions of the" DoE) they realize how wrong they were (e.g. "I regret recommending its elimination").

Of course, Dunning and Kruger also suggested another version of the effect is possible, where highly intelligent people (e.g. PhDs, with Permanent Head Damage) could often mistakenly assume that because something was easy or obvious for them that it was easy or obvious to others, thus making the mistake of assuming others were as smart and them and not realizing just how smart and educated they themselves are compared to those they are talking to.

[demi-conservative]

I think it's good if people are educated and qualified for their positions.

I think it's good if intellectual-yet-idiots stay out of power, and people stop having reverence of them because 'they have PhD!!!!'.

[JimL]

I think it's good if intellectual-yet-idiots stay out of power, and people stop having reverence of them because 'they have PhD!!!!'.

Thats because you like the idea of you're adversaries being idiots.

[Starlight]

I think it's good if intellectual-yet-idiots stay out of power, and people stop having reverence of them because 'they have PhD!!!!'.

Cool, more anti-intellectualism. I guess conservatives think "the stupider the better"?

[demi-conservative]

Thats because you like the idea of you're adversaries being idiots.

To be precise, I like the fact that you are idiots!!!

[demi-conservative]

Cool, more anti-intellectualism. I guess conservatives think "the stupider the better"?

Nah, the difference is we respect actually intelligent people like Taleb, not people who go 'look at me I have PhD!!!'.

[Starlight]

Nah, the difference is we respect actually intelligent people like Taleb, not people who go 'look at me I have PhD!!!'.

Taleb is conservative on some things, very left-wing on others, and generally an unorthodox thinker. Personally I found the size of his ego so unbearable that I gave up reading Black Swan about half-way through, because while I agreed with the primary point he was making (that though normal distributions approximate most distributions well in the bulk of the distribution, they often do not at all approximate the tails of distributions well and this often leads people to severely underestimate probabilities of highly unlikely events) the rest of what he was saying was self-infatuated garbage and the guy seemed to think that because he'd found a single insightful thing to say that he could therefore reinterpret the entirety of life on earth through his one insight because he thought he and his insight were simply that important (economists seem to often have that failing... e.g. see also Freakanomics).

[JimL]

To be precise, I like the fact that you are idiots!!!

Do you get the point now Trump supporters? Comrade demi likes the fact that you are idiots.

[robrecht]

... Trump's single most hilarious pick is probably Rick Perry.

Perry, ex-governor of Texas, has a reputation as a serial bumbler and his most famous moment in politics was during a presidential debate when he listed the 3 departments of the federal government he wanted to abolish and couldn't remember the 3rd one, and after fumbling for a moment just said "Oops". After the debate, he clarified that the one he couldn't remember was the Department of Energy.

So because we are apparently now living in a comedy movie, guess who Trump has picked to run the Department of Energy? Rick Perry. Oops. ...

In a weird sort of way that reveals my perverse cynicism, I was actually somewhat encouraged by Trump's pick of Rick Perry. Not only did he pick someone to lead the Department of Energy who was opposed to its very existence and who wanted to abolish it, but he picked the opponent who didn't even remember the name of this department he wanted to abolish, ie, Perry's famous 'oops' moment. I suspected this was purposely intended by Trump as a kind of joke, and humor is a sign of intelligence.

[KingsGambit]

I believe one should have at least held a job in the relevant field before nomination to a Cabinet position. To me this is simply common sense.

[Cow Poke]

In a weird sort of way that reveals my perverse cynicism, I was actually somewhat encouraged by Trump's pick of Rick Perry. Not only did he pick someone to lead the Department of Energy who was opposed to its very existence and who wanted to abolish it, but he picked the opponent who didn't even remember the name of this department he wanted to abolish, ie, Perry's famous 'oops' moment. I suspected this was purposely intended by Trump as a kind of joke, and humor is a sign of intelligence.

All seriousness aside, Perry is far from my favorite cabinet pick.

[Cow Poke]

Thats because you like the idea of you're adversaries being idiots.

"Your", Jimmy. Possessive, not contraction. And "Thats" is a contraction, so it needs an apostrophe. When one is calling others idiots, one should at least try to be as articulate and grammatically correct as Starlight generally is.

[Cow Poke]

Yep. It seems with conservatives it's all about cheering for their side. They have no underlying principles, so it doesn't matter what their side does or says, they'll support it anyway.

As I have said repeatedly, I wasn't voting for Trump, and he often embarrasses the • Edited by a Moderator • out of me, but the other alternative was Hillary, and my principles would not allow me to vote for her. It's not that I support Trump, it's that I'm glad he's not Hillary.

[robrecht]

As I have said repeatedly, I wasn't voting for Trump, and he often embarrasses • Edited by a Moderator • out of me, but the other alternative was Hillary, and my principles would not allow me to vote for her. It's not that I support Trump, it's that I'm glad he's not Hillary.

You sure you wanna use that word?

[rogue06]

It's almost as bad as, say, appointing a serial tax cheater as Treasury Secretary.