President Trump and US politics catchall

[Hal Jordan]

Fiery, vivid green. Almost lymphoma-inducing.

The beat green. Some people are saying - I've heard this - it's the most beautiful green anyone's ever seen. So beautiful. We're gonna spread that green all over America. Alaska will be the greenest state ever.

[lemonhead]

It is estimated that somewhere around a fifth of American adults are illiterate and close to half read at a 6th grade (age 12 - 13) level. They are not well educated and capable of critical thinking.

Feels like something more than that.

They sure love hatin their government and burning them witches. Maybe someone purporting to do both, telling fables of greatness just hits that G(ullible) spot.

With Trump there's clearly some sort of weird charisma that he and a few other populists have to really incite devotion from their flock (on these shores BoJo still has supporters despite everything), but Republicans have been voting for similar rhetoric and ideas contrary to their own interest for a long time.

At the root of their susceptibility is dismal education and the incapacity to parse ideas. Makes it very easy to propagandise them and seduce with simple solutions for complex problems or propose conflicting notions without anyone going 'hey, wait a minute...'

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... rs/682645/

There is something to the "When the President says go – Look out, it's hammer time.” sentiment out there. They've had rhetoric, they've had promises, they've had congress at each others throats for years now. Maybe, despite their apparent hatred of monarchy, that is exactly what they seem to crave: a 'STRONG' leader, a king who won't flip flop and just goes 'f#ck it'. Shame he's out for himself.

From where things were in January, the Truss lettuce would've done alright. At least it wouldn't mess anything up.

[Slick]

It is hard to know what a reporter should do in such a case. Moran did push back and say repeatedly that the MS-13 was photoshopped and is not real. In reality, I wonder what else he could have done.

You hit him with his own shit and tell him he's spreading fake news.

Moran attempted to do that but Trump just kept on riding roughshod over anything he said.

I agree with Kiwias, he did disagree with him repeatedly and also knew that Trump would likely just walk out if he kept going. I think he did OK.

Trump looks about a decade older than 3 months ago

[Sandstorm]

Trump looks about a decade older than 3 months ago

He might consider not running again and going to prison instead at the end of last year as the less stressful option.

[Hal Jordan]

Trump looks about a decade older than 3 months ago

He might consider not running again and going to prison instead at the end of last year as the less stressful option.

That would be admitting he was in error, which he is simply incapable of doing.

[Kiwias]

You hit him with his own shit and tell him he's spreading fake news.

Moran attempted to do that but Trump just kept on riding roughshod over anything he said.

I agree with Kiwias, he did disagree with him repeatedly and also knew that Trump would likely just walk out if he kept going. I think he did OK.

Trump looks about a decade older than 3 months ago

The other thing I reckon governs or restricts the degree to which a journalist can directly challenge the president is the office of the presidency. No-one really gives a shit if some journalist were to call Hegseth or Steven Miller or RFK Jr a total clown for ignoring facts but the public reaction to anyone doing that to the president would be vicious, even in the case of Trump. Like it or lump it, he is the president.

[C T]

Feels like something more than that.

They sure love hatin their government and burning them witches. Maybe someone purporting to do both, telling fables of greatness just hits that G(ullible) spot.

With Trump there's clearly some sort of weird charisma that he and a few other populists have to really incite devotion from their flock (on these shores BoJo still has supporters despite everything), but Republicans have been voting for similar rhetoric and ideas contrary to their own interest for a long time.

At the root of their susceptibility is dismal education and the incapacity to parse ideas. Makes it very easy to propagandise them and seduce with simple solutions for complex problems or propose conflicting notions without anyone going 'hey, wait a minute...'

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... rs/682645/

There is something to the "When the President says go – Look out, it's hammer time.” sentiment out there. They've had rhetoric, they've had promises, they've had congress at each others throats for years now. Maybe, despite their apparent hatred of monarchy, that is exactly what they seem to crave: a 'STRONG' leader, a king who won't flip flop and just goes 'f#ck it'. Shame he's out for himself.

From where things were in January, the Truss lettuce would've done alright. At least it wouldn't mess anything up.

Although I think general lack of literacy might be part of it I reckon there's more to it:

1) The right are just excellent at "othering". I think this is sometimes confused with racism, because it sometimes just plain is. But more so I think is it just must be so great to have someone else to blame for the life you aren't very happy with. Phew... Not my fault.

2) There always seems to be a real stubbornness to admit being wrong. As an example, whenever I talk to someone who voted for Brexit they will absolutely concede it's been a disaster but it's because of how it was implemented. They were right to vote for it, it was just done wrong. Seems to be a real nailing of your colours to the mast type thing. I find this one quite odd, to be honest, when it's just politics, but there you go.

[Sandstorm]

2) There always seems to be a real stubbornness to admit being wrong. As an example, whenever I talk to someone who voted for Brexit they will absolutely concede it's been a disaster but it's because of how it was implemented. They were right to vote for it, it was just done wrong. Seems to be a real nailing of your colours to the mast type thing. I find this one quite odd, to be honest, when it's just politics, but there you go.

This is why social media is so powerful and dangerous. It's easy to find someone online who agrees with you and validates your view, no matter how bizarre/untrue it may be.

It's a curse on modern life.

[sturginho]

2) There always seems to be a real stubbornness to admit being wrong. As an example, whenever I talk to someone who voted for Brexit they will absolutely concede it's been a disaster but it's because of how it was implemented. They were right to vote for it, it was just done wrong. Seems to be a real nailing of your colours to the mast type thing. I find this one quite odd, to be honest, when it's just politics, but there you go.

This is why social media is so powerful and dangerous. It's easy to find someone online who agrees with you and validates your view, no matter how bizarre/untrue it may be.

It's a curse on modern life.

I disagree

[Uncle fester]

2) There always seems to be a real stubbornness to admit being wrong. As an example, whenever I talk to someone who voted for Brexit they will absolutely concede it's been a disaster but it's because of how it was implemented. They were right to vote for it, it was just done wrong. Seems to be a real nailing of your colours to the mast type thing. I find this one quite odd, to be honest, when it's just politics, but there you go.

This is why social media is so powerful and dangerous. It's easy to find someone online who agrees with you and validates your view, no matter how bizarre/untrue it may be.

It's a curse on modern life.

I disagree

Validated

[sturginho]

This is why social media is so powerful and dangerous. It's easy to find someone online who agrees with you and validates your view, no matter how bizarre/untrue it may be.

It's a curse on modern life.

I disagree

Validated

Let's go Brandon!

[dpedin]

Sunk cost fallacy drives the MAGA/Trump supporters. The big pay off is just round the corner, just one more effort and it will all come good. They will keep pouring their money, time and loyalty into MAGA because the reality is just too awful to contemplate ... that they have been duped, stripped of their dignity and assets, the game is rigged and the jackpot doesn't exist. They have lost or ignored the opportunity to think and consider rationally about Trump so will continue to invest in Trump, even more so when things go bad. They have developed an incredible ability to ignore facts and figures and will be happy to blame everything and everyone else for Trump being a failure and not delivering rather than write off their huge personal investments in a dud deal! The very ones who voted MAGA are the ones now struggling with the increased prices, losing their Gov jobs, losing healthcare, watching their 401Ks slumping etc but they will accept it because Trump has asked them to take a bit of pain and the pay off is just round the corner! They are in effect in a cult where the larger their investment in MAGA and therefore the greater the fear of losses, in this case loss of dignity, then the greater the cognitive dissonance.

The same sunk cost fallacy holds true for Brexit, 'it wasn't a bad decision it was just done badly' is the cry despite the overwhelming evidence that it has been an unmitigated disaster! The Brexiteers cant cope with the reality of the situation that has emerged so will act irrationally in order to avoid having to confront the reality of what they have done.

Both MAGA and Brexiteers will never admit they have been duped, they will maintain to the bitter end they were right, they have to be given the investment they have made into the madcap ideas. Trying to argue rationally based on facts and figures doesn't cut it with them given the huge personal and emotional investments they have made into stupid ideas - it's a bit like playing chess with a pigeon. They will strut around, knock over all the pieces, claim victory and then shit on your head.

[fishfoodie]

Waltz Gone !

I guess the heat from the hill was just too much, so now they've dumped Waltz in the hope the contagion doesn't spread to Hegseth.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx20zw32lpgo

[Uncle fester]

Waltz Gone !

I guess the heat from the hill was just too much, so now they've dumped Waltz in the hope the contagion doesn't spread to Hegseth.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx20zw32lpgo

Will he accept it meekly or cut loose on them though?

[Niegs]

[Guy Smiley]

Bit of an update on freight movements into the US... this guy reports on shipping news around the world and he's turned his attention to the effects the tarrif regime is having on bulk freight. Interesting take and he's not without a bit of humour,

[TB63]

What the actual fuck??????????

[Sandstorm]

What the actual fuck??????????

Dementia is a terrible disease.

[lemonhead]

What the actual fuck??????????

Imperious, mighty, winning, whining and oppressed all at once. Just keep them losers waving their flags, dude.

At this rate it's all you'll have left.

[Gumboot]

Bit of an update on freight movements into the US... this guy reports on shipping news around the world and he's turned his attention to the effects the tarrif regime is having on bulk freight. Interesting take and he's not without a bit of humour,

We got an uber out to Long Beach on Memorial Day 2023, and the friendly driver took us on the longer but more elevated "scenic route" that gave us awesome views over the ports. The scale of the place is just mind-boggling.

By the bye, we then had an awesome day at the Aquarium of the Pacific, taking a whale watching cruise, and enjoying all the waterfront holiday activity.

[lemonhead]

Bit of an update on freight movements into the US... this guy reports on shipping news around the world and he's turned his attention to the effects the tarrif regime is having on bulk freight. Interesting take and he's not without a bit of humour,

We got an uber out to Long Beach on Memorial Day 2023, and the friendly driver took us on the longer but more elevated "scenic route" that gave us awesome views over the ports. The scale of the place is just mind-boggling.

By the bye, we then had an awesome day at the Aquarium of the Pacific, taking a whale watching cruise, and enjoying all the waterfront holiday activity.

It is. Lived in Long Beach for six months a while back, nice town.

Just could never get my head around the weather, or lack of seasons.

[sturginho]

What the actual fuck??????????

Could somebody please translate into English?

[TB63]

Trump will be signing an EO to rename the San Andreas Fault to Joe Bidens Fault..

[fishfoodie]

What the actual fuck??????????

Could somebody please translate into English?

It's not easy to look inside the diseased mind, but at a guess someone showed him his calendar for next week, & he has VE Day on May 8th, & asked; "What's That !", one of his idiots explained, & he threw his usual temper tantrum, & decided that this was Europe somehow claiming credit for winning WW II, & completely not understanding reality, so he's now decided unilaterally to rename the day.

[sturginho]

What the actual fuck??????????

Could somebody please translate into English?

It's not easy to look inside the diseased mind, but at a guess someone showed him his calendar for next week, & he has VE Day on May 8th, & asked; "What's That !", one of his idiots explained, & he threw his usual temper tantrum, & decided that this was Europe somehow claiming credit for winning WW II, & completely not understanding reality, so he's now decided unilaterally to rename the day.

Jesus, nobody better tell him about VJ day then

[Uncle fester]

What the actual fuck??????????

Could somebody please translate into English?

USA USA USA USA sans irony

[Hugo]

Trump will be signing an EO to rename the San Andreas Fault to Joe Bidens Fault..

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Trump will be signing an EO to rename the San Andreas Fault to Joe Bidens Fault..

Any allowance that a gash on planet earth that big has Hillary written all over it?

[ScarfaceClaw]

Could somebody please translate into English?

It's not easy to look inside the diseased mind, but at a guess someone showed him his calendar for next week, & he has VE Day on May 8th, & asked; "What's That !", one of his idiots explained, & he threw his usual temper tantrum, & decided that this was Europe somehow claiming credit for winning WW II, & completely not understanding reality, so he's now decided unilaterally to rename the day.

Jesus, nobody better tell him about VJ day then

Melania has better hope that someone says that very clearly. Veeeee Jay. V-uh v-uh. Oh FFS. Get the press secretary in here. Someone is going to have to do this and it won’t be anyone in the room now.

[caleb221]

Trump’s got that weird charm that keeps people hooked, even when it's clear his ideas don't help anyone long-term. People love simple answers, but it's kinda wild how some still don’t want to admit things like Brexit or MAGA were huge mistakes. I mean, c’mon, when do we stop pretending?

[Biffer]

Could somebody please translate into English?

It's not easy to look inside the diseased mind, but at a guess someone showed him his calendar for next week, & he has VE Day on May 8th, & asked; "What's That !", one of his idiots explained, & he threw his usual temper tantrum, & decided that this was Europe somehow claiming credit for winning WW II, & completely not understanding reality, so he's now decided unilaterally to rename the day.

Jesus, nobody better tell him about VJ day then

Why did we nuke Japan if we’d already won WWII?

[Guy Smiley]

Trump’s got that weird charm that keeps people hooked, even when it's clear his ideas don't help anyone long-term. People love simple answers, but it's kinda wild how some still don’t want to admit things like Brexit or MAGA were huge mistakes. I mean, c’mon, when do we stop pretending?

Why do people stay in bad relationships when it's clear they're suffering because of it?

think primary relationships, employment, rental contracts... it's easier to stick with the known and we arrive at the known through an emotional process which tells us we've found something good that will solve the bad thing we struggled with, so we don't want to let that go.

Humans are not pragmatic by nature, especially en masse. We are emotional, hence the ability to manipulate.

To understand the appeal of figures like Trump and phenomena like Brexit, we need to be able to unravel the underlying emotional structure that allows it... and divisive statements like Hilary Clinton's 'deplorables' is the opposite of doing that.


As an aside, I saw a reel the other day where a guy was talking about addiction and an experiment with rats. They were provided two drinking outlets in a bare cage, one pure water, the other diluted with heroin. They all chose to drink the heroin infused water and died from overdose. When they were provided distractions like toys, exercise wheels and the company of other rats, they refused the heroin and only drank the good water. The conclusion is related to the need for bonding fuelling destructive behaviour like addiction and I can't help but think this is tied in with the current trend of populism sweeping the western world... people are disengaged from politics through disillusion and casting about for solutions and meaning.

[Niegs]

Trump’s got that weird charm that keeps people hooked, even when it's clear his ideas don't help anyone long-term. People love simple answers, but it's kinda wild how some still don’t want to admit things like Brexit or MAGA were huge mistakes. I mean, c’mon, when do we stop pretending?

It shows how many people can't connect the dots. All those people in the video I posted above who really should be Bernie / AOC supporters based on their shared aims. Blindly following the team and only hearing the leader's simple positive statements without considering how true they are, the potential impact, shifting blame because he said it's Biden's fault, etc

Critical thinking sorely lacking all over (as seen lots here too with Canada's recent election)

[Gumboot]

Trump’s got that weird charm that keeps people hooked, even when it's clear his ideas don't help anyone long-term. People love simple answers, but it's kinda wild how some still don’t want to admit things like Brexit or MAGA were huge mistakes. I mean, c’mon, when do we stop pretending?

It shows how many people can't connect the dots. All those people in the video I posted above who really should be Bernie / AOC supporters based on their shared aims. Blindly following the team and only hearing the leader's simple positive statements without considering how true they are, the potential impact, shifting blame because he said it's Biden's fault, etc

Critical thinking sorely lacking all over (as seen lots here too with Canada's recent election)

Yup, it's not like these MAGA simpletons haven't gone through a chaotic Trump presidency before. Bleach cocktail, anyone?

There's no education in the second kick of a mule.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Trump’s got that weird charm that keeps people hooked, even when it's clear his ideas don't help anyone long-term. People love simple answers, but it's kinda wild how some still don’t want to admit things like Brexit or MAGA were huge mistakes. I mean, c’mon, when do we stop pretending?

Why do people stay in bad relationships when it's clear they're suffering because of it?

think primary relationships, employment, rental contracts... it's easier to stick with the known and we arrive at the known through an emotional process which tells us we've found something good that will solve the bad thing we struggled with, so we don't want to let that go.

Humans are not pragmatic by nature, especially en masse. We are emotional, hence the ability to manipulate.

To understand the appeal of figures like Trump and phenomena like Brexit, we need to be able to unravel the underlying emotional structure that allows it... and divisive statements like Hilary Clinton's 'deplorables' is the opposite of doing that.


As an aside, I saw a reel the other day where a guy was talking about addiction and an experiment with rats. They were provided two drinking outlets in a bare cage, one pure water, the other diluted with heroin. They all chose to drink the heroin infused water and died from overdose. When they were provided distractions like toys, exercise wheels and the company of other rats, they refused the heroin and only drank the good water. The conclusion is related to the need for bonding fuelling destructive behaviour like addiction and I can't help but think this is tied in with the current trend of populism sweeping the western world... people are disengaged from politics through disillusion and casting about for solutions and meaning.

So how do we get them to drink the 'heroin water'?

[Uncle fester]

Well this threat is troubling.
https://www.reddit.com/r/law/s/8rpeJZgc87

[Kiwias]

Well this threat is troubling.
https://www.reddit.com/r/law/s/8rpeJZgc87

Trump is all for leaving stuff up to the states unless they do something he doesn't agree with. I suspect there are lawyers already preparing for the inevitable cases if Horman does what he is threatening.

[Uncle fester]

Well this threat is troubling.
https://www.reddit.com/r/law/s/8rpeJZgc87

Trump is all for leaving stuff up to the states unless they do something he doesn't agree with. I suspect there are lawyers already preparing for the inevitable cases if Horman does what he is threatening.

What good is it going to do if they just ignore the judges? And there are strong indications that law enforcement have been thoroughly infiltrated by MAGA.

Also note the recent EO granting immunity to cops for actions carried out while in uniform.

[TB63]

I checked, he really did post it!!!!

[sockwithaticket]

Was just catching up with The Daily Show and Pam Bondi really is a bizarre person. Quite aside from her complete disregard for the law, this thing with drastically escalating the claim of lives saved due to fentanyl seizures is strange.

On Fox news she claimed that seizure of 21m pills had saved 19m lives, a couple of days later it was 22m pills and 119m lives saved (!), then in the next cabinet meeting she was claiming that the same number of pills being seized was saving 258m lives. America usually experiences 70k fentanyl related deaths per year.

Obviously the biggliest exagerrations are a hallmark of Trump's sycophants, but this is truly odd.