Trump's Liberation Push

[Lucky]

The President of the United States of America is endorsing right-wing protesters who want to disobey the orders of Democratic governors during a national pandemic.

No one wishes COVID-19 on Trump or the protesters, but don't they significantly increase their chances when they gather close together, many with no facial masks or other protection? Do they think that their guns will protect them from this disease? Troubling times are ahead if Trump continues to act so unpresidential.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-04-18/coronavirus-protests-texas-maryland-wisconsin-cuomo

(I guess the cigarette is meant to ward off the virus?)

Social gun distancing!

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by Lucky

[SexyAsianStud]

Good posting with revealing information and scary photos, but I suggest one edit:

Delete: No one wishes COVID-19 on Trump or the protesters, but

[JKane]

[TotallyOz]

IMHO, this in itself is enough for anyone in their right mind to distance themselves from him. But, as always, (seen by Pence) they will say that is not what he meant. He is good honest man with great integrity. He is a true Christian and has no ill will toward anyone. 

[RA1]

13 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

IMHO, this in itself is enough for anyone in their right mind to distance themselves from him. But, as always, (seen by Pence) they will say that is not what he meant. He is good honest man with great integrity. He is a true Christian and has no ill will toward anyone. 

The best counter argument to Trump nay sayers is, "pay little to no attention to what he says, only what he does."  

I don't agree with everything that he does but I do agree with much of it.

Best regards,

RA1

[Latbear4blk]

14 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

IMHO, this in itself is enough for anyone in their right mind to distance themselves from him. But, as always, (seen by Pence) they will say that is not what he meant. He is good honest man with great integrity. He is a true Christian and has no ill will toward anyone. 

This could have been posted every time Trump showed his world record level incompetence and pettiness; which was its often starting with Inauguration Day.  However, he still has 40% of solid support in the American electorate. It really looks like Trump is not the problem. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by Latbear4blk

[lookin]

2 hours ago, Latbear4blk said:

However, he still has 40% of solid support in the American electorate. It really looks like Trump is not the problem. 

That's my take also.  Trump is an authoritarian leader and there are more waiting in the wings when his time has passed - always have been, always will be.

Our problem, in my opinion, is authoritarian followers.  Rather than comparing Trump and Hitler, I've long been more interested in comparing Weimar Germans with today's U. S. citizenry.  And it's pretty clear that, like a sizable portion of Third Reich Germans, our citizens today are willing to follow someone who does their thinking for them and will promise them protection from outside forces: the "other".  The more their fears of the "other" are stoked, the more tightly they'll cleave to their "leader".  And they will act - and vote - against their own interests.

You can see this pattern repeated under Hitler, who had loyal followers even as firestorms swirled around them.  You can see it in the bodies on the ground in Jim Jones' Guyana.  And you can see it in the Trump followers voting to do away with their own health insurance.

As far as I can tell, there's a genetic component to authoritarianism, in addition to learned behavior.  I believe this because of its historical persistence in the human race, and its appearance in many other social species.  And I believe that there are times in the evolution of the human species when human survival may depend on the willingness of large parts of the species to blindly follow an authoritarian "leader".  From what I've read, there's a persistent 30% - 40% of humans who are hard-wired to be unquestioning followers.

And I believe that's why Trump has such a persistent base.  His authoritarian followers want things made simple, they want to be protected from the "other", they want to "believe", and they will sacrifice their own interests to do so.

I also believe that, while the Republican party, as currently constituted, may attract more than its share of authoritarian followers, the Democratic party has some too.  My bet is that some of Sanders' most loyal supporters fit the mold, in particular the ones who would rather vote for Trump than for Biden or Warren.

I've posted about some of these beliefs elsewhere, and I'm still trying to learn everything I can about these folks.  I think that, while authoritarian "followers" may be necessary at certain times in human evolution and the gene will persist, this is not one of those times.

There are more important human qualities that are needed now - some also with genetic components - such as altruism, empathy and compassion.

How to help bring these qualities forward, while pushing authoritarian obedience to the background, is what takes up much of my attention these days.

Sorry for the rant, yet thanks for the opportunity to do so.   

 

   

[Latbear4blk]

1 hour ago, lookin said:

 

Sorry for the rant, yet thanks for the opportunity to do so.   

 

   

It is not a rant, my friend. Since the beginning of Trump, I have been trying to remember that he is not the problem. When a decrepit candidate like Biden talks about going back to normal, it sounds to me just like another version of MAGA. The racists and the fascists have always been there, since more than a century before Trump ascension. 

It is challenging to remember that Donald is not the problem, though. He is obnoxiously tempting.

 

[SexyAsianStud]

4 hours ago, Latbear4blk said:

This could have been posted every time Trump showed his world record level incompetence and pettiness; which was its often starting with Inauguration Day.  However, he still has 40% of solid support in the American electorate. It really looks like Trump is not the problem. 

if the activity on that other board is any indication, senility seems to be an issue with his supporters, so you are right - Amerika is in some pretty shady hands right now

[JKane]

2 hours ago, lookin said:

I also believe that, while the Republican party, as currently constituted, may attract more than its share of authoritarian followers, the Democratic party has some too.  My bet is that some of Sanders' most loyal supporters fit the mold, in particular the ones who would rather vote for Trump than for Biden or Warren.   

I think this current "Bernie Bro" base is mostly made of Russian bots. 

Bernie supports had reason (DNC establishment ignoring them and shoving unwanted Hillary down our throats) to feel disenfranchised and angry last time, this time, not at all.  Their candidate was given a fair shake, in part because they helped to reshape the party some, but still failed to even come close to previous levels of support.  That combined with the now well established Trump record and intentions means no true liberal would dream of sitting out--let alone voting R--this election.  

I've long said that Trump will do for the national Republican party exactly what Schwarzenegger did for the Californian Republican party--destroy it utterly.  

So what will Trump pull to undermine or invalidate the coming election, and how will people like RA1 justify ignoring it?  

[AdamSmith]

3 hours ago, SexyAsianStud said:

if the activity on that other board is any indication, senility seems to be an issue with his supporters, so you are right - Amerika is in some pretty shady hands right now

Exactly.

My odd business is market research into software used to engineer manufactured products.

’Change management,’ I.e. how to get entrenched altacaccas to change, is always the main thing.

[TotallyOz]

13 hours ago, RA1 said:

The best counter argument to Trump nay sayers is, "pay little to no attention to what he says, only what he does."  

I don't agree with everything that he does but I do agree with much of it.

Best regards,

RA1

I am sorry, but I can't. He is the President and what he says matters. It should matter. He is destroying the office as we know it. To me, that matters.

I agree that every time he goes golfing and stays out of politics, the world is a better place. (what he does)

 

[RA1]

7 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

I am sorry, but I can't. He is the President and what he says matters. It should matter. He is destroying the office as we know it. To me, that matters.

I agree that every time he goes golfing and stays out of politics, the world is a better place. (what he does)

 

The US (and probably the world) is facing years to overcome the effects of V19.  In some ways I fear we shall not overcome some of them (the massive debt for one). The so called partisan efforts have spent massive amounts of money that we do not have and, again, I am fearful to little help.

We cannot go back any more than there will be an "instant" recovery.  I have no wish to live in the 50's, 60's or anytime last century but I am not very happy about our prospects at the moment.  

POLS suck.

Best regards,

RA1

[JKane]

_

[JKane]

2 hours ago, RA1 said:

The US (and probably the world) is facing years to overcome the effects of V19.  In some ways I fear we shall not overcome some of them (the massive debt for one). The so called partisan efforts have spent massive amounts of money that we do not have and, again, I am fearful to little help.

We cannot go back any more than there will be an "instant" recovery.  I have no wish to live in the 50's, 60's or anytime last century but I am not very happy about our prospects at the moment.  

POLS suck.

Best regards,

RA1

So, again (literally EVERY Republican presidency of my life) the Republican president has massively ballooned the debt and crashed the economy, and the Democrat will get to fix it, again, while being screamed at about the debt the entire time.  

Your party is talking about bailing out the fucking OIL INDUSTRY.  Yeah, in addition to all the subsidies and environmental clean up, an actual direct cash injection.  

But making sure everybody has access to fucking healthcare (especially NOW), oh hell no.  

Yes, it is partisan politics as usual, and your party is on the WRONG FUCKING SIDE yet again.  

[RA1]

20 minutes ago, JKane said:

So, again (literally EVERY Republican presidency of my life) the Republican president has massively ballooned the debt and crashed the economy, and the Democrat will get to fix it, again, while being screamed at about the debt the entire time.  

Your party is talking about bailing out the fucking OIL INDUSTRY.  Yeah, in addition to all the subsidies and environmental clean up, an actual direct cash injection.  

But making sure everybody has access to fucking healthcare (especially NOW), oh hell no.  

Yes, it is partisan politics as usual, and your party is on the WRONG FUCKING SIDE yet again.  

My party is the Libertarians IF I have a party at all.  I have little to no respect for any pols but also not much for those who criticize only one party.

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

9 hours ago, RA1 said:

My party is the Libertarians IF I have a party at all.  I have little to no respect for any pols but also not much for those who criticize only one party.

Best regards,

RA1

While I all over the place identify as a hard-lefty, I also remember the Founders had no notion at all of partisan politics. They thought we would be a never-ending cacophony & competition of individual independent political views, to the common good.

What things have descended to today with K Street, the Court’s allowance of outright commercial theft of the vote, etc etc.

[TotallyOz]

11 hours ago, RA1 said:

The US (and probably the world) is facing years to overcome the effects of V19.  In some ways I fear we shall not overcome some of them (the massive debt for one). The so called partisan efforts have spent massive amounts of money that we do not have and, again, I am fearful to little help.

We cannot go back any more than there will be an "instant" recovery.  I have no wish to live in the 50's, 60's or anytime last century but I am not very happy about our prospects at the moment.  

POLS suck.

Best regards,

RA1

I also think it will take years to overcome and will make life maddening for a while. However, the 2 trillion injection was insane. If it were for the people, I'd be all for it. But, I do not like the way it was distributed. And, of course, Trump had to have his name on the check. What a dipshit.

[JKane]

[JKane]

[JKane]

Followed by....

 

[AdamSmith]

I think there is a small (not trivial) argument Trump could get deep under the sheets  and ask Xi what on earth to do in this time.

[JKane]

 

Of course he's never be that concise... and he'd brag about his ratings as he does it...

[RA1]

 

Give me the definition of "it" or "the".  Just asking although Bill Clinton is not available to respond.

Best regards,

RA1

[JKane]

Oh, you mean that time he TESTIFIED UNDER OATH, like exactly NOBODY from the last two Republican administrations... and tried to be cute instead of standing up and refusing the answer the question? 

Yeah, that's comparable to "we need to study injecting light and disinfectant" at the fucking presidential podium.  

"Take it, what have you got to lose?"