Assessment of Mr. Trump

[carpedm9587]

Where to start....
Characterizing conservatives as "bitterly clinging to guns and religion", blaming everything on W, jumping in to defend a Harvard prof in the wrong without getting the facts first, refusing to work with Republicans because he won the election and they didn't, aiding and abetting anti-cop rhetoric, etc.

Given he was registered Democrat not so long ago, I think he'd be more than willing to work with them to get things done. As a businessman, he's a wheeler and dealer. Most of his attacks on the opposition are retaliatory. I do wish that his Twitter account would permanently freeze, and that he'd be more careful with the facts when he speaks.

I have made the decision to listen without debating on this one. At some point, though, I'd like to come back to some of these observations. Maybe in a different thread.

[rogue06]

There's educated and there's smart CP, you may be better educated, but you voted for Trump, so in that respect your obviously not very smart.

Smart enough to understand that between the Trump and Hillary the former was the only rational choice.

[JimL]

With Trump saying all this, how does that affect anything? The media is continuing to say what they want to say whether or not Trump has complained about the things they said.

How can Trump be called a dictator when a majority of politicians (and bureaucrats appointed by Clinton and Obama) are not siding with Trump? Wouldn't someone have to do more than simply removing corrupt workers in order to be called a dictator?




ok. so how does this differ from Clinton and Obama? How come Congress hasn't made any laws to reduce the powers granted to the Presidency?

It just doesn't sound like there is any grounds to call him a dictator -- unless you might just want to say that he is a dictator in his own mind.

He isn't a dictator yet, he's working on it. He made a few mistakes along the way, like obstructing justice in trying to protect one of his partners in crime, which may end up doing him in. Let's hope so.

[carpedm9587]

Dude is your president whether you want to call him that or not. I think he is a short-sighted, egocentric, megalomaniac, but he is still my president whether I like it or not (and the answer is not). And yes, it does seem a bit childish to repeat the goofy refrain "not my president". Yes he is. He was legally elected into the office no matter how much we wish that wasn't the case. Suck it up and move on. Him being president shouldn't effect who we are and how we interact with those around us. Just keep doing your best to be the best you can be, and don't worry about those things that are out of your control. There is plenty we can do in our own communities that will help those in need regardless of who is president.

I don't recall repeating the refrain "not my president." It is true that I do not accept that he "represents me," and I will do everything I can do distance myself from him in any way possible. Other than that, I simply do not honor him the the title of the office. He has done nothing to deserve it. So I call him Mr. Trump. If he were to walk into a room, I would remain seated. If he were to address me, I would call him Mr. Trump. I am not going to honor a man with a title he disrespects.

If that is childish, so be it. I also do not call catholic priests "father" (they are not my father). I will not disrespect them, but I am not going to use language that is not merited. I also minimize the degree to which I handle U.S. currency and omit the "under god" that was added to the pledge during the red scare.

[One Bad Pig]

He isn't a dictator yet, he's working on it.

Carpe, just wanted to highlight this for you, given our earlier exchange.

[carpedm9587]

Gotta agree with this. 'Not my President' - if you were someone who actually voted - is nothing more than the kind of thing spoilt brats do when they lose. They were quite happy to play when they thought they would win, but when (to their surprise) they lose, suddenly they don't accept the rules of the contest anymore. It shows that the person is only interested in winning, in gaining power, and not in sharing in a political system that allows all sides the chance of getting what they want.

As for how I feel about Trump -

(1) He's not Hilary, a big point in his favour. Yuge, even.

(2) Most of the mainstream media coverage of Trump and his doings is relentlessly negative, and even on occasions outright untrue. Which tends to make most people also view Trump negatively. If it was possible to make a fair assessment of him as a President, one would have to seek balanced sources - and I doubt there are many of those at all. I think he faces opposition from both 'right' and left', in both Congress/Senate and the civil service bureacracy. That makes his job harder than many previous presidents have faced.

(3) I think the best frame to view him through is based on some of Scott Adam's (of Dilbert fame) ideas. Trump is a salesman, a negotiator and a persuader. He does things like make a very high 'initial offer' to establish a favourable bargaining position. He can then retreat from that offer, and still get a better deal than if he had come in with his actual desired goal as the offer. I think he actually plays on the goofy hair and tan, dumb boor image to lull people into underestimating him. If he really was as dumb as many think, how did he get the Republican nomination and then the Presidency against all the odds and pundit's predictions?

Maybe he really is a dope, or maybe we're underestimating him.

Emphasis mine. I do not think Trump is dumb. I think he is grossly uninformed and prone to conspiracy theories. But I think he is a borderline genius with respect to media. He recognized the power the "Apprentice" represented when he was in the midst of his fourth bankruptcy, and rode it to a brand. He understood the angst of the disenfranchised worker, especially in middle America, and the fear of the population with respect to terrorism, and he leveraged those to his win. That makes him a good media/television personality.

And he continues to use those skills, diverting the media (which he plays like a harp, IMO), while he pushes forward his policies with almost no media coverage. We have become the reality TV nation - and we now have a reality TV executive and an increasingly reality TV government. I'll bet THAT's something the founding fathers never envisioned...

[Darth Executor]

I wish somebody would change Trump's Twitter password, and not tell him what it is.

It's amazing how much conservatives whine about Trump's twitter, one of the better parts of his presidency. This is why conservatives are losers.

[One Bad Pig]

I don't recall repeating the refrain "not my president." It is true that I do not accept that he "represents me," and I will do everything I can do distance myself from him in any way possible.

On the world stage, he represents you, like it or not.

Other than that, I simply do not honor him the the title of the office. He has done nothing to deserve it.

Er, he got nominated and elected, so yes, he HAS done something to deserve it.

So I call him Mr. Trump. If he were to walk into a room, I would remain seated. If he were to address me, I would call him Mr. Trump. I am not going to honor a man with a title he disrespects.

He took the immense trouble to run for the office, and you think he disrespects it?

If that is childish, so be it. I also do not call catholic priests "father" (they are not my father). I will not disrespect them, but I am not going to use language that is not merited.

How would you address a catholic priest? Just wondering.

I also minimize the degree to which I handle U.S. currency and omit the "under god" that was added to the pledge during the red scare.

Interesting.

[Cow Poke]

There's educated and there's smart CP, you may be better educated, but you voted for Trump, so in that respect your obviously not very smart.

Says the guy who can't even figure out how to use your and you're.

[carpedm9587]

Carpe, just wanted to highlight this for you, given our earlier exchange.

I never argued no one thought this, OBP. I merely pointed out I am not seeing it as a widespread phenomenon - and I do not have those fears any longer. I think our democratic institutions can withstand Mr. Trump and will eventually undo the harms he is doing to them.

[JimL]

I never argued no one thought this, OBP. I merely pointed out I am not seeing it as a widespread phenomenon - and I do not have thos efears any longer. I think our democratic institutions can withstand Mr. Trump and will eventually undo the harms he is doing to them.

Keep an eye on the investigation. Trump may very well pardon his partners in crime and fire Mueller the closer he gets to uncovering the truth, and then we could be in a Constitutional crisis because many in the republican house are already signaling to Trump that they will have his back no matter what.

[carpedm9587]

On the world stage, he represents you, like it or not.

This I know. There is only so much I can control. But what I CAN control - I do the best I can with.

Er, he got nominated and elected, so yes, he HAS done something to deserve it.

I never questioned that he does not hold the office. That would be ridiculous. And by virtue of his election, he has all of the power associated with that office. He is also the highest representative of the entire U.S. abroad - and since I remain a U.S. citizen - I have to live with that fact. I can, and do, distance myself from him on my facebook page (for anyone that cares), in my writings, and in my conversations.

I simply will not grant him the honor of articulating his formal title when he so regularly disrespects the very office he holds. I have essentially no respect for the man, so I am not going to grant him an honorific. Frankly, I have too much respect for the office to honor that man in any respect whatsoever. Should he begin honoring his own office, I will reconsider.

He took the immense trouble to run for the office, and you think he disrespects it?

Based on what I see, what Trump likes is power, attention, and money. The presidency was the "golden apple" for him - embodying all three. I do not think he has any regard for the office - just its perks.

How would you address a catholic priest? Just wondering.

I usually use their first name, as I would with any other adult male. If they object, I have no problem with "reverend" as I presume they have some degree of reverence for their own office. Most don't seem to object and several have expressed a certain degree of pleasure at being viewed as a peer.

Interesting.

Hey - I'm an atheist. Why on earth would I want to hand out a token that says "In God We Trust" or articulate the belief that our nation is "under god?" Doing such makes me a bit of a hypocrit. Unfortunately, I sometimes have no choice with the money thing, so I live with it. But I have moved everything possible over to an electronic medium and I pretty much never carry cash.

[carpedm9587]

Keep an eye on the investigation. Trump may very well pardon his partners in crime and fire Mueller the closer he gets to uncovering the truth, and then we could be in a Constitutional crisis because many in the republican house are already signaling to Trump that they will have his back no matter what.

The president has an unfettered power to pardon. It's in the constitution. I have no doubt that Trump will likely abuse that power to protect himself. Should that occur, it will be dealt with either by an incoming new Congress (possibly) or by the next election cycle. I frankly do NOT want to see Trump impeached or taken out of office before 2020. Should that happen, Pence takes his place (unless he is also implicated), and I think Pence has a FAR better chance of beating a Democratic candidate in 2020. Trump may have the disposition of a demagogue, but Pence is a true ideologue who's views very much concern me. As things are right now, I don't think Trump has a prayer. He won by a VERY marrow margin, and his approval numbers have been on a downward spiral ever since.

[Cow Poke]

The president has an unfettered power to pardon. It's in the constitution. I have no doubt that Trump will likely abuse that power to protect himself. Should that occur, it will be dealt with either by an incoming new Congress (possibly) or by the next election cycle. I frankly do NOT want to see Trump impeached or taken out of office before 2020. Should that happen, Pence takes his place (unless he is also implicated), and I think Pence has a FAR better chance of beating a Democratic candidate in 2020. Trump may have the disposition of a demagogue, but Pence is a true ideologue who's views very much concern me. As things are right now, I don't think Trump has a prayer. He won by a VERY marrow margin, and his approval numbers have been on a downward spiral ever since.

Keep your eye on the economy.

[Darth Executor]

How do you see Obama as "Divider in chief? And do you think Trump is any less so?

it's common for partisans on both sides to blame the other on being divisive. You should understand, since you also blame people for being "divisive" because they have very different political philosophies.