The absurdity of Donald Trump

BigV · 08-09-2016, 05:14 PM

This is another thread that's been a long time coming. Goodness knows, there's a superabundance of material.

Today, Trump said that Hillary Clinton becoming President would be bad, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donald Trump

"By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks. Although, the Second Amendment people, maybe there is. I don't know."

He's implying that the assassination of Hillary Clinton is an option to keep her from becoming President.

Jesus Fucking Christ.

He'll walk this one back too, just like all the others. "Oh, I was just being sarcastic." Bullshit. He's a menace. There are lots of people who won't read that as sarcasm. Hell, *I* don't read it as sarcasm. It's incitement.

Happy Monkey · 08-09-2016, 06:01 PM

I mentioned it in the "I can't hate" thread. The immediate spin was that he meant the political power of the NRA. But that didn't make sense in context.

It's an interesting politician who you have to take out of context to make sound better.

BigV · 08-09-2016, 06:22 PM

No one listening to him draws that conclusion.

These are his own words, out of his own mouth. They're consistent with his other statements. This *IS* the real Donald Trump. There's no ambiguity to his remarks.

The explanations and reinterpretations from others in his campaign, no one's fooled or reassured by their attempts to spin Trump's stream-of-consciousness revelations of his inner self.

sexobon · 08-09-2016, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigV

... Jesus Fucking Christ. ...

Now you've gone and done it. Now divine intervention will cause The Donald to win just to smite you and President Trump will be ALL YOUR FAULT!

Thanks for being our scapegoat.

lumberjim · 08-09-2016, 07:54 PM

It could be worse. I could run for Mod next January

classicman · 08-09-2016, 08:20 PM

Quote:

He's implying that the assassination of Hillary Clinton

Quote:

No one listening to him draws that conclusion.

BigV · 08-09-2016, 09:47 PM

classicman, that's a textbook example of misleading the reader by taking a person's remarks out of context to present the impression that the person you've quoted said the thing YOU want said. Not what the person you quoted said.

BigV · 08-09-2016, 09:55 PM

By the time I was driving home, the spin story being floated to change the impression of Donald Trump's words was that this interpretation was the work the work of the "dishonest media".

LOL

Griff · 08-10-2016, 05:21 PM

Trump will make a lot of hay with that media stuff, since people can see the media is in the bag for Hillary. They've enjoyed their Donald time as well since feeding that whack job has been paying their bills for months. So now they're in a position where they've created a race between two horrors and they point at the voters like it's their fault and has nothing to do with the way media covers or doesn't cover candidates.

sexobon · 08-10-2016, 06:17 PM

Today in a commentary, I heard a plausible explanation for some of what comes out of Trump's yap.

The Donald is used to talking off the top of head with little thought given to the ramifications of how he says things. He's long been associated with the entertainment industry, even appearing in his own television show where if he said something that would turn off an audience; or, get him in trouble with the censors, no problem. There'd always be somebody there to edit it out for him. Even if something untoward he said made it through editing; or, got leaked - no big deal. In the entertainment industry, any publicity, even negative publicity is good to the extent that it keeps one in the public eye. There's no such thing as bad publicity.

Trump has; however, carried that mindset and his long established habits over into politics. Unfortunately, there's no editing to take care of his faux pas anymore and spin control isn't anywhere near as effective. He's also finding out that, unlike in the entertainment industry, in politics bad publicity is a bad thing that can be one's undoing. Trump is a creature of habit who's used to doing things his way and having others take care of the aftermath for him. He's slow to make the necessary adjustment and consequently his mouth is going to plague his campaign.

Ah well, first world problems of the rich and famous.

Pico and ME · 08-10-2016, 07:11 PM

I can see that.

lumberjim · 08-10-2016, 07:54 PM

the whole shit show is an indictment on our society. That we, as a people are indolent and apathetic enough to allow either of these fictitious characters to represent America to the rest of the world.

Reality TV meets Government is right.

Pico and ME · 08-10-2016, 07:59 PM

'People' have always been and will always be flawed in that way. One thousand years from now, if still in existence, the story will be the same.

BigV · 08-10-2016, 11:34 PM

Very well put sexobon.

"We'll fix it in post" -- Sarah Silverman. Just, without the irony. It's abundantly clear that he's had a lifetime of success talking this way, much of it, probably all of it unscripted. And these are his ideas, his words. He doesn't strike me as the kind of person that seeks out the advice of experts, least of all people who tell him what to say. He's had a lifetime of having people reward him with their attention, from near and far, sycophants well represented, I'm sure.

And now we're seeing more of the same. Why fuck with success? But as you pointed out, he is in a different milieu. I think Clinton's observation that we're seeing the "real Donald Trump" is on the money. We're seeing a very candid presentation of what we could expect as POTUS (God help us -- Bloomberg).

There are those who find this candor refreshing, and imagine his outsider-ness to politics as the medicine to cure our political ills. I could not disagree more. Let's follow his logic, but from the other direction. Dear Trump supporter, Hillary Clinton has had a lifetime of public service, never having worked a day in her life in the private sector. So, she's the best possible candidate to step in as CEO and Chairman of the Board of MEGACORP, Inc, that is in bankruptcy, covered in lawsuits, has lost it's market share, has a product line that is old and busted, etc etc. *Because* Clinton isn't tainted by private enterprise, she's the best man for the job here.

Amirite?

No, that's absurd too, but it matches Trump's "logic" precisely, it's just plain wrong.

Taking his remark from the OP, think about this. Why would we want a President that is so reliably bad at expressing what he "really means"? How in the world could this possibly be in our nation's best interest?

sexobon · 08-11-2016, 01:13 AM

To me your analogy is flawed, it's apples and oranges. The President of the United States is* the Chief Executive Officer. Candidate Trump has been a successful CEO. Candidate Clinton has not.

The analogy would be that if one could expect Trump, with his megacorp CEO experience, would be successful at running the country; then, OBAMA, with his POTUS CEO experience would be successful at running a megacorp. That's true (but no guarantee). If Clinton wouldn't make a good CEO of a megacorp, she probably wouldn't make a good President. There's more to running a country than foreign diplomacy.

This doesn't mean someone without previous megacorp CEO experience can't learn how to be a successful President on the job. Some have done it.

Nor does it mean that someone without foreign diplomacy experience can't learn how to be a successful President on the job. Some have done it.

Obama had neither megacorp CEO experience nor foreign diplomacy experience and he did it (more or less).

After being situated as President, it would take Trump a heck of a lot less time to go through speech therapy (pun intended) than it would for Clinton to go through business school at a time when the public's focus is shifting more towards domestic development and away from foreign relations except for international trade. Trump would have minions for that.

(* Depending on what your definition of is, is.)

08-09-2016, 06:01 PM	#2
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	I mentioned it in the "I can't hate" thread. The immediate spin was that he meant the political power of the NRA. But that didn't make sense in context. It's an interesting politician who you have to take out of context to make sound better. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

08-09-2016, 06:22 PM	#3
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	No one listening to him draws that conclusion. These are his own words, out of his own mouth. They're consistent with his other statements. This IS the real Donald Trump. There's no ambiguity to his remarks. The explanations and reinterpretations from others in his campaign, no one's fooled or reassured by their attempts to spin Trump's stream-of-consciousness revelations of his inner self. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

08-09-2016, 07:54 PM	#5
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	It could be worse. I could run for Mod next January __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

08-09-2016, 09:47 PM	#7
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	classicman, that's a textbook example of misleading the reader by taking a person's remarks out of context to present the impression that the person you've quoted said the thing YOU want said. Not what the person you quoted said. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

08-09-2016, 09:55 PM	#8
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	By the time I was driving home, the spin story being floated to change the impression of Donald Trump's words was that this interpretation was the work the work of the "dishonest media". LOL __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

08-10-2016, 05:21 PM	#9
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Trump will make a lot of hay with that media stuff, since people can see the media is in the bag for Hillary. They've enjoyed their Donald time as well since feeding that whack job has been paying their bills for months. So now they're in a position where they've created a race between two horrors and they point at the voters like it's their fault and has nothing to do with the way media covers or doesn't cover candidates. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-10-2016, 06:17 PM	#10
sexobon I love it when a plan comes together. Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 9,793	Today in a commentary, I heard a plausible explanation for some of what comes out of Trump's yap. The Donald is used to talking off the top of head with little thought given to the ramifications of how he says things. He's long been associated with the entertainment industry, even appearing in his own television show where if he said something that would turn off an audience; or, get him in trouble with the censors, no problem. There'd always be somebody there to edit it out for him. Even if something untoward he said made it through editing; or, got leaked - no big deal. In the entertainment industry, any publicity, even negative publicity is good to the extent that it keeps one in the public eye. There's no such thing as bad publicity. Trump has; however, carried that mindset and his long established habits over into politics. Unfortunately, there's no editing to take care of his faux pas anymore and spin control isn't anywhere near as effective. He's also finding out that, unlike in the entertainment industry, in politics bad publicity is a bad thing that can be one's undoing. Trump is a creature of habit who's used to doing things his way and having others take care of the aftermath for him. He's slow to make the necessary adjustment and consequently his mouth is going to plague his campaign. Ah well, first world problems of the rich and famous.

08-10-2016, 07:11 PM	#11
Pico and ME Are you knock-kneed? Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Middle Hoosierland Posts: 3,549	I can see that. __________________ Jesse LaGreca in 2012 “Seven Deadly Sins: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Science without humanity, Knowledge without character, Politics without principle, Commerce without morality, Worship without sacrifice.” – Mahatma Gandhi

08-10-2016, 07:54 PM	#12
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	the whole shit show is an indictment on our society. That we, as a people are indolent and apathetic enough to allow either of these fictitious characters to represent America to the rest of the world. Reality TV meets Government is right. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

08-10-2016, 07:59 PM	#13
Pico and ME Are you knock-kneed? Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Middle Hoosierland Posts: 3,549	'People' have always been and will always be flawed in that way. One thousand years from now, if still in existence, the story will be the same. __________________ Jesse LaGreca in 2012 “Seven Deadly Sins: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Science without humanity, Knowledge without character, Politics without principle, Commerce without morality, Worship without sacrifice.” – Mahatma Gandhi

08-10-2016, 11:34 PM	#14
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	Very well put sexobon. "We'll fix it in post" -- Sarah Silverman. Just, without the irony. It's abundantly clear that he's had a lifetime of success talking this way, much of it, probably all of it unscripted. And these are his ideas, his words. He doesn't strike me as the kind of person that seeks out the advice of experts, least of all people who tell him what to say. He's had a lifetime of having people reward him with their attention, from near and far, sycophants well represented, I'm sure. And now we're seeing more of the same. Why fuck with success? But as you pointed out, he is in a different milieu. I think Clinton's observation that we're seeing the "real Donald Trump" is on the money. We're seeing a very candid presentation of what we could expect as POTUS (God help us -- Bloomberg). There are those who find this candor refreshing, and imagine his outsider-ness to politics as the medicine to cure our political ills. I could not disagree more. Let's follow his logic, but from the other direction. Dear Trump supporter, Hillary Clinton has had a lifetime of public service, never having worked a day in her life in the private sector. So, she's the best possible candidate to step in as CEO and Chairman of the Board of MEGACORP, Inc, that is in bankruptcy, covered in lawsuits, has lost it's market share, has a product line that is old and busted, etc etc. Because Clinton isn't tainted by private enterprise, she's the best man for the job here. Amirite? No, that's absurd too, but it matches Trump's "logic" precisely, it's just plain wrong. Taking his remark from the OP, think about this. Why would we want a President that is so reliably bad at expressing what he "really means"? How in the world could this possibly be in our nation's best interest? __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

08-11-2016, 01:13 AM	#15
sexobon I love it when a plan comes together. Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 9,793	To me your analogy is flawed, it's apples and oranges. The President of the United States is* the Chief Executive Officer. Candidate Trump has been a successful CEO. Candidate Clinton has not. The analogy would be that if one could expect Trump, with his megacorp CEO experience, would be successful at running the country; then, OBAMA, with his POTUS CEO experience would be successful at running a megacorp. That's true (but no guarantee). If Clinton wouldn't make a good CEO of a megacorp, she probably wouldn't make a good President. There's more to running a country than foreign diplomacy. This doesn't mean someone without previous megacorp CEO experience can't learn how to be a successful President on the job. Some have done it. Nor does it mean that someone without foreign diplomacy experience can't learn how to be a successful President on the job. Some have done it. Obama had neither megacorp CEO experience nor foreign diplomacy experience and he did it (more or less). After being situated as President, it would take Trump a heck of a lot less time to go through speech therapy (pun intended) than it would for Clinton to go through business school at a time when the public's focus is shifting more towards domestic development and away from foreign relations except for international trade. Trump would have minions for that. (* Depending on what your definition of is, is.)

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