The Donald Trump Score Card

I can remember the first American Government lecture I attended as a college freshman. The professor told us that the secrets of stable democracy in the United States were that we did not have sharp socioeconomic differences in this country and the parties were not sharply divided along ideological lines. Therefore, people didn't think it was the end of the world if the other party won the election. Boy, has that changed! I can also remember our history professor telling us how the Nazis came to power in Germany by winning the most seats in a peaceful election and having Hitler appointed Chancellor by due process. Good Germans clicked their heels and followed the duly appointed leader. The Eichmann defense was "I vass only following orders." Good thing good Americans don't act like that!

 

One of the displays of Trump's demand for a pledge of 100% loyalty to him was his bizarre televised cabinet meeting. It was a premiere publicity stunt, the likes of which have never been seen to this extent in the White House. Trump holds these fake, self-aggrandizing 'conferences' instead of a real press conference at the White House press briefing room where he would have to face reality (which he has yet to do).

https://www.democracynow.org/2017/6/13/headlines/trump_cabinet_members_pledge_loyalty_to_president_in_bizarre_meeting

From the article:

"During Monday’s meeting, each one of Trump’s Cabinet members took turns heaping praise on Trump and expressing their loyalty to him in what appeared to be a publicity stunt. This is Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

Tom Price: "Mr. President, what an incredible honor it is to lead the Department of Health and Human Services at this pivotal time under your leadership. I can’t thank you enough for the privilege that you’ve given me and the leadership that you’ve shown."

Vice President Mike Pence said serving President Trump has been the greatest privilege of his life."

 

Okie

What surprises me is that so many people are still supporters of these Republicans - I mean the recent healthcare reform made it perfectly clear that these right wing politicians don’t give a fuck for your average American, preferring to pander to wealth.

Then add to that their seeming appeasement off or out and out sycophancy toward the lying nutter in the White House (see egger’s post above) and you have to wonder why any rational American (who isn’t rich) would give them the time of day let alone their support.

 

Who isn't "accepting" that he is president?

If you're saying people aren't accepting it as in they are not happy with it and are constantly voicing that unhappiness, well, that's as American as anything. The country was founded on political dissent and the distrust of authority. Let us not confuse the US with North Korea where you are not allowed to be displeased with the glorious leader.

 

^^^^ Yeah, but...Republicans =/= Conservatives.

 

MeAgain

You have to wonder how these people can be so easily bamboozled, the right in America were the first to embrace the wealth sponsored neo-liberal/free market line, which many pointed out worked against the best interests of lower and middle class Americans but for some reason many of them voted for those that pushed the neo-liberal agenda.

At one time I thought it was because they just didn’t understand and if it was explained to someone that supported it they would realise the mistake they were making, but years here have taught me that that is not very often the case – I found that in many cases even when they couldn’t defend such ideas they still carried on supporting them – and I just can’t understand that, and when it happens I still find it shocking.

Yes I know that many were misdirected by ‘culture’ issues noted by Thomas Frank in What’s happened to Kansas but has he pointed out that was a con that these voters seem to constantly fall for.

And then there is Trump pushing ‘hot buttons’ and another level of the shell game and these people fall for the con again you have to wonder what did they think they were doing.

All I can hope is that the Republican Party pulls itself apart (throwing out the hard right) although I fear it is more interested in retaining power than the interests of the American people and stays together.

 

Trump making America great again with graphic insults.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/29/trump-targets-morning-joe-hosts-in-tweet-240085

Trump has a preoccupation with oozing body fluids.

 

Obama's selection of DOE Secretary: Ernest Moniz.

From Wiki:

Ernest Jeffrey Moniz GCIH (born December 22, 1944) is an American nuclear physicist and the former United States Secretary of Energy, serving under U.S. President Barack Obama from May 2013 to January 2017. In June 2017, Moniz became co-chairman and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to prevent catastrophic attacks with weapons of mass destruction and disruption--nuclear, biological, radiological and cyber. He served as the Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President of the United States from 1995 to 1997 and was Under Secretary of Energy from 1997 to 2001 during the Clinton Administration.


Trump's selection to head DOE: Rick Perry

No experience with federal energy management programs.

No science or physics background.

Stated in the past that he would abolish the DOE.

Didn't know he would be in charge of nuclear arsenal until he heard it at his confirmation hearing.

Delayed awarding of DOE grants to businesses for about two months because he needed time to figure out how the DOE works.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rick-perry-department-of-energy_us_587721a0e4b092a6cae559d6

 

...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017




I wonder if Trump's behavior is having a positive effect. Like, does he seem so ridiculous that it emphasizes that this is not the way people treat each other? Or is this cancelled out by a number of people who actually think he's cool and follow his example?

 

How does that apply to what I said. He does not care about me so none of it is valid?

 

Some people are saying that he may have Dementia which explains his behavior. I don't believe that he knows what is going on. Other mental issues such as narcissism and delusions of grandeur absolutely. But this is not some little old man who gets lost on his way to the store.

 

Perhaps Melania could make an assessment of Trump's bullying tactic and offer a remedy.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/06/29/remember-melania-trump-cyberbullying-campaign-her-husband-doesn-either/8SPYlUA5Kt1D1foYnXKNdO/story.html

 

It's not dementia...I believe he, like most other politicians, suffers from narcissistic personality disorder. Trump just has a very bad case of it.

The Mayo Clinic describes narcissistic personality disorder this way:

"Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultraconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism."

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/basics/symptoms/con-20025568

Symptoms include the following:

• Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
• Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
• Exaggerating your achievements and talents
• Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
• Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people
• Requiring constant admiration
• Having a sense of entitlement
• Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
• Taking advantage of others to get what you want
• Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
• Being envious of others and believing others envy you
• Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner

 

Can you give us more information about this study (or these studies)? Who were the investigators? What was the research design? How was the sample selected? How were "conservatives" and "liberals" defined? Where were the results published? On second thought, I don't want to waste a lot of your time on this. The major studies on which the diagram was based seem to be several studies by John T. Jost and various co-authors, the Kanai et al (study of correlates between political orientations and brain structure, and the Schreiber, Fonzo et al (2013) "Red Brain, Blue Brain research on party affiliation and evaluative processes. Fascinating research. My only beef is in overgeneralizing about "the Republican (and Democrat) Brain, and treating party affiliation and political ideology as though they are interchangeable, although to a considerable extent they are.

Along the same lines, an excellent book by Drew Westin,professor of psychology and psychiatry at Emory Untiversity, The Political Brain (2007) shows that Republicans have successfully sold themselves as the party of the sacred (God, Flag, and Country), while Democrats are thought of as the party of the Profane (i.e., secularism and utilitarianism). The challenge for Democrats is to find a way to close the sacredness gap.

 

Republicans were accusing the Democrats of buying healthcare votes behind closed doors during Obama's first term when the ACA was being formulated. Now they appear to be engaging in the same approach of buying Senate votes with goody money.


Republicans eye billions in side deals to win Obamacare repeal votes

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/26/republicans-obamacare-repeal-votes-239984

excerpt:

"Negotiations are likely to continue quickly behind the scenes over the next 24 hours and could draw the ire of good government groups and advocates. Republicans hammered Democrats for supposedly crafting Obamacare in secret seven years ago and for handing out goodies to wavering Democratic senators.

But the GOP bill has been roundly criticized for being negotiated and written in secret — and the final terms are leaving even some Republicans queasy.

One Senate aide said that Tuesday would be "all about side deals," and another person familiar with the discussions said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had already begun talking about private deals."

 

As I keep saying it’s hard to comment on what’s going on in America because it’s freaking insane….

There are so many problems within the US that should be tackled and need leadership on change and Americans voted as their head of state a fucking jerk, a spoilt thin skinned childman it’s beyond sad it is tragic (and yes it wasn't the whole population but that is another discuusion at the moment he is the president).

But the real problem the thing that worries me the most about the present situation and the future of the US is that Trump still has loyal supporters and the majority of those in the Republican Party say nothing.

Ok the recent tweets are just dumb but not surprising given the source but the thing that got me is that he has sent people out to defend them, ok you might say they are getting paid to do that but the thing is that there are Americans out there that do it for free, there are Americans that think this whole Trump Presidency is great, its a laugh, a hoot, oh look at the ‘liberals’ squirm, see the shocked faces of the Europeans at Trumps crassness, who cares about Americans standing in the world, who cares about where this might lead, Trump is giving it to the hated enemy so just break out the popcorn and turn on Fox and Friends.

Trump is a symptom of what has gone wrong in America and it seems to me that people need to examine the cause and work out a cure or the disease I fear can only get worse