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“For me, the compelling question is the psychological state of his supporters. They are unable or unwilling to make a connection between the challenges faced by any president and the knowledge and behavior of Donald Trump. In a democracy, that is disastrous.”
While Donald Trump and Ben Carson are both manifestly unqualified to occupy the Oval Office, there are immense differences in the nature of their support. In Carson's case, the prevailing sentiment is moral — he's an avuncular character with an inspiring life story, and his sparkling integrity is the antidote to Washington's ills. I don't buy it (see Mannatech), but at least it comes from an admirable place.
Trump, on the other hand, is a thrice-married former casino magnate with obvious contempt for organized religion and a long history of supporting candidates (Hillary Clinton) and causes (gun control, legal abortion, universal healthcare) anathema to conservative orthodoxy. Essentially, he combines Mitt Romney's dubious ideological fidelity with a lifestyle of lascivious hedonism. So Trump appeals to a segment of the Republican 'base for whom values and principles are a distant second to antipathy and aggression. His supporters are welcome to vehemently insist that it's his business record that has them smitten, but I have a hard time believing that they'd be so taken by the candidacy of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, both vastly more successful. In fact, I'm betting that a Venn diagram of Gates supporters and Trump supporters would look something like this: OO
No, Trump isn't making any pretense of seeking to reform the government via technocratic management or legislative ingenuity — that would require experience and expertise, and he has neither. Rather, it's his not-so-subtle pledge to take a figurative meat-ax to the system that's earned him his current following. Nevermind the specifics — the arcane mechanics of governance and inherent limitations of divided power — Trump promises to steamroll the opposition using nothing but the force of his personality. He's the Übermensch, you see. Yeah, no thanks. Y'all can see where this is going, right? An amoral and unscrupulous demagogue with delusions of grandeur peddling faux-panaceas rooted in a cult of personality suffused with barely disguised racism and dedicated to the removal of undesirable elements ... Gee, where have I heard that before? Yes, Trump fans: this grotesque campaign is the closest thing to fascism America's seen in quite a while, and you've all done us a tremendous service in outing yourselves.
Last edited by drishmael; 11-17-2015 at 09:29 PM..
While Donald Trump and Ben Carson are both manifestly unqualified to occupy the Oval Office, there are immense differences in the nature of their support. In Carson's case, the prevailing sentiment is moral — he's an avuncular character with an inspiring life story, and his sparkling integrity seems like an antidote to Washington's ills. I don't buy it (see Mannatech), but at least it comes from an admirable place.
Trump, on the other hand, is a thrice-married former casino magnate with obvious contempt for organized religion and a long history of supporting candidates (Hillary Clinton) and causes (gun control, legal abortion, universal healthcare) anathema to conservative orthodoxy. Essentially, he combines Mitt Romney's dubious ideological fidelity with a lifestyle of lascivious hedonism. So Trump appeals to a segment of the Republican 'base for whom values and principles are a distant second to antipathy and aggression. His supporters are welcome to vehemently insist that it's his business record that has them smitten, but I have a hard time believing that they'd be so taken by the candidacy of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, both vastly more successful. In fact, I'm betting that a Venn diagram of Gates supporters and Trump supporters would look something like this: OO
No, Trump isn't making any pretense of seeking to reform the government via technocratic management or legislative ingenuity — that would require experience and expertise, and he has neither. Rather, it's his not-so-subtle pledge to take a figurative meat-ax to the system that's earned him his current following. Nevermind the specifics — the arcane mechanics of governance and the inherent limitations of divided power — Trump promises to steamroll the opposition using nothing but the force of his personality. He's the Übermensch, you see. Yeah, no thanks. Y'all can see where this is going, right? An amoral and unscrupulous demagogue with delusions of grandeur peddling faux-panaceas rooted in a cult of personality suffused with barely disguised racism and dedicated to the removal of undesirable elements ... Gee, where have I heard that before? Yes, Trump fans: this grotesque campaign is the closest thing to fascism America's seen in quite a while, and you've all done us a tremendous service in outing yourselves.
This is one of the best post I have read in this forum. Thank you for your contribution.
<no liberal rag will touch this> has a thought provoking article on Obama, his narcissism, and his supporters. The concluding paragraph has this nugget from developmental psychologist <no liberal intellectual will touch this>, “For me, the compelling question is the psychological state of his supporters. They are unable or unwilling to make a connection between the challenges faced by any president and the knowledge and behavior of B. Obama. In a democracy, that is disastrous.”
I find it highly unlikely a presidential candidate would not be narcissistic or have tendencies. Surely, it's a prerequisite. The vast majority of politicians too.
Trump does seem to either a) lack the ability to control his outbursts, b) not understand how important likeability is a factor for an elected official, or c) not actually want to be president.
I actually think his policies are very good, he has a good grasp on what actually concerns Americans, and loves his country. I don't think he would run if he didn't, narcissism or not. I much prefer him to career politicians.
Like keeping us involved in the Middle East? How's that been working out?
Even though he acknowledges that our intervention causes this
"Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, when asked if he believes the Middle East would be better today if Muammar Qaddafi of Libya and Saddam Hussein of Iraq were still in power, responded, “It’s not even a contest.” He related the situations in both of those countries with what is currently happening in Syria and seemed to endorse a stronger Bashar Assad, even while admitting that he is “probably a bad guy.” “You can make the case, if you look at Libya, look at what we did there – it’s a mess – if you look at Saddam Hussein with Iraq, look what we did there – it’s a mess – it’s [Syria] going to be same thing,” the real estate mogul said."
and this
"And they kept our equipment. They always keep our equipment. We ought to send used equipment, right? They always keep our equipment, we ought to send some real junk because, frankly, it would be – we ought to send our surplus. We’re always losing this gorgeous, brand-new stuff."
then he says this
Trump also said he backed some US troops - perhaps 10,000 - in the region but would instead focus on targeting Islamic State's oil and banking operations.
So he wants us to stay involved with the use of force, just go in a different direction. Yea that'll solve things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nostoneunturned
However, he is incredibly, extraordinarily unlikeable.
How can you not love this?
Donald Trump says his campaign for the GOP’s 2016 presidential nomination is burning some calories. “I have lost weight because my events are so exciting,” he said Tuesday, according to People. “When I’m done I don’t I want to eat,” Trump continued. "I have actually lost 15 pounds on the campaign trail."I could see how it could go the other way for some people," he added in a shot at his presidential rivals. "That’s only because their events are boring."
Vanity Fair has a thought provoking article on Trump, his narcissism, and his supporters. The concluding paragraph has this nugget from developmental psychologist Howard Gardner, “For me, the compelling question is the psychological state of his supporters. They are unable or unwilling to make a connection between the challenges faced by any president and the knowledge and behavior of Donald Trump. In a democracy, that is disastrous.”
picked up and browsed a copy of Trump's book yesterday (Cripple America) ----all it seemed to be was his stump speeches glorifying himself and spewing negativity about our country......total waste of paper to produce that trash.
Some of us actually read books -- instead of "browsing them" and then giving our baseless opinions.
Actually..... the term vanity fair first appeared in the book The Pilgrim's Progress (1678) and was a reference to the worldly pleasures found at a fair.
The magazine has articles on a wide variety of topics. I'm guessing Trump is THRILLED he's in it. He keeps telling everyone how awesome he is. Now he can show off the magazine and say, "Look! Even Vanity Fair wanted to do an article on me!!"
.....How about the illegals he threaten to deport if they continue to demand more pay? The ones that had to work 7 days a week for 12 hours? Is that how he is gonna make America great Again? Then he is just fooling you all and keep the illegals here working for slave wages.
That's all a lie.
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