Maple Leaf Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 The American presidency has turned into a farce. Unfortunately, the guy in charge of the farce is a lunatic who can do long-term damage to the country. And some people are still walking around with MAGA hats on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Z Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 20 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said: The American presidency has turned into a farce. Unfortunately, the guy in charge of the farce is a lunatic who can do long-term damage to the country. And some people are still walking around with MAGA hats on. Far, far too many. This country is absolutely doomed. We are watching Idiocracy in action and it's going to all burn down, one way or the other. I've never been more convinced. On the bright side, that's probably for the best for the rest of the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I P Knightley Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 4 hours ago, DETTY29 said: Does he think by the time his first lie is fact checked, he has told another hundred, and therefore the first one has been forgotten about and taken as the truth. He's managed to keep his head above water by doing that for the last 3 and a half years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maple Leaf Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 2 hours ago, Justin Z said: Far, far too many. This country is absolutely doomed. We are watching Idiocracy in action and it's going to all burn down, one way or the other. I've never been more convinced. On the bright side, that's probably for the best for the rest of the world. I would genuinely like to sit down with a Trump supporter and ask him to list the ways in which America is greater now than it was 3 1/2 years ago. I have numerous friends and relatives in Michigan, almost all of whom are Trump supporters (they're wealthy, middle class whites), but they get very touchy when a Canadian asks them questions about Trump, so I gave up trying. However, there was one who did offer an opinion, once, and he merely said that "No one pushes America around anymore" because of Trump. Putting aside the obvious fact that such an opinion is not quantifiable, it strikes me as being pretty meagre results for all the turmoil of his first term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 4 hours ago, Maple Leaf said: I would genuinely like to sit down with a Trump supporter and ask him to list the ways in which America is greater now than it was 3 1/2 years ago. I have numerous friends and relatives in Michigan, almost all of whom are Trump supporters (they're wealthy, middle class whites), but they get very touchy when a Canadian asks them questions about Trump, so I gave up trying. However, there was one who did offer an opinion, once, and he merely said that "No one pushes America around anymore" because of Trump. Putting aside the obvious fact that such an opinion is not quantifiable, it strikes me as being pretty meagre results for all the turmoil of his first term. This no one pushing America around means absolutely nothing, no one was pushing them around before. Now they're all laughing at them while Putin etc play him like a puppet. If that's not being pushed around what is. Do you think they're racist on some level? He doesn't have a single quality anyone but a racist could admire. The KKK endorse him for a reason. And it isn't his eloquence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ri Alban Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 (edited) 52 minutes ago, JFK-1 said: This no one pushing America around means absolutely nothing, no one was pushing them around before. Now they're all laughing at them while Putin etc play him like a puppet. If that's not being pushed around what is. Do you think they're racist on some level? He doesn't have a single quality anyone but a racist could admire. The KKK endorse him for a reason. And it isn't his eloquence. I think a lot of Americans were fed up, and with the thought of Hillary, they said "Feck it!". I don't think they thought he'd be this bad. Thankfully, he'll be annihilated in November, and jailed when out of office. Unsurprisingly, China and Russia will fight tooth and nail to keep him in office, as they're having a field day with The US being in such a state. Bring on the election! Edited July 29, 2020 by ri Alban Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovecraft Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 The US is ****ed. It's not a coincidence that the main outbreaks are now in Republican states either. The first outbreaks were in the main cities as would be expected and has been seen all across the world, but now it is all spreading mainly down to 1 man. Trump. His refusal to enforce masks, make states lockdown like the rest of the world - even doing the opposite and goading idiots to liberate some Dem states, and even just ignoring the fact that there is a pandemic sweeping across the entire country. The man is a ****ing idiot and all his blind followers and sycophantic politicians will hopefully get their comeuppance. November is gonna kick off some really, really bad shit over there. Coronavirus’ spread in GOP territory, explained in 6 charts https://apnews.com/7aa2fcf7955333834e01a7f9217c77d2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, pulled no punches in seeking some vindication for himself and other Democrats who battled the virus first and faced skepticism from Trump and other Republicans. “You played politics with this virus, and you lost,” he said on CNN, indirectly addressing Republicans who downplayed the virus. “You told the people of this state, you told the people of this country, the White House: ‘Don’t worry about it. Go about your business. This is all Democratic hyperbole.’” “It was never politics,” Cuomo said. “It was always science.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cade Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 4 hours ago, Barack said: Demon Sperm!!!!! A quote from Dr Stella Immanuel, who was the author of the videos that got deleted by social media sites. She believes that masks don't do anything. And that a cure for covid exists and is being suppressed by the deep state for some reason or other. And that DNA from space aliens is in most pharmaceuticals. And that having sex with Demons is a bad thing. President Trump calls her "very impressive" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovecraft Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 The supposed leader of the free world. WT actual **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthVodka Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8571715/Dr-Stella-Immanuel-says-Jesus-destroy-Facebook-removing-video.html I know its the daily mail....but this is hilarious, and I don't know if its funny or dangerous that Trump is lapping it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo-Jimbo Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 40 minutes ago, DarthVodka said: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8571715/Dr-Stella-Immanuel-says-Jesus-destroy-Facebook-removing-video.html I know its the daily mail....but this is hilarious, and I don't know if its funny or dangerous that Trump is lapping it up! Probably a bit of both. Somebody should ask her if she's got a private line to Jesus, otherwise how the feck does she know what he's gonna do. File under.....'Nutjob'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Z Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 14 hours ago, Maple Leaf said: I would genuinely like to sit down with a Trump supporter and ask him to list the ways in which America is greater now than it was 3 1/2 years ago. If you do, sit them down with this Portland issues ‘maximum fine’ on feds for unpermitted fence outside courthouse; bill is $192,000 ‘and counting’ See, when Trump supporters tell you they respect law and order, what they really mean is they care about enforcing the laws they like, and only against those who aren't on their team. Be amazed when you show them this and you get nothing but excuses that never apply to anyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T.F.Robertson Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 , 3 hours ago, Lovecraft said: The leader of the supposed free world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewB Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 On 27/07/2020 at 23:19, JFK-1 said: Here’s how to prepare for Trump rejecting the election results in November Similar article by Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian recently too. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/17/trump-biden-win-democrat-landslide Chilling stuff - and probably what his entire strategy now rests on given that he is not going to win the popular vote and is not going to win the electoral college. He is very stupid and people around him are very stupid but the penny may be starting to drop that he can't win and instead has to work on how he can stay in power without winning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Maroonblood Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 5 hours ago, Cade said: A quote from Dr Stella Immanuel, who was the author of the videos that got deleted by social media sites. She believes that masks don't do anything. And that a cure for covid exists and is being suppressed by the deep state for some reason or other. And that DNA from space aliens is in most pharmaceuticals. And that having sex with Demons is a bad thing. President Trump calls her "very impressive" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo-Jimbo Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 2 hours ago, Justin Z said: If you do, sit them down with this Portland issues ‘maximum fine’ on feds for unpermitted fence outside courthouse; bill is $192,000 ‘and counting’ See, when Trump supporters tell you they respect law and order, what they really mean is they care about enforcing the laws they like, and only against those who aren't on their team. Be amazed when you show them this and you get nothing but excuses that never apply to anyone else. Not a problem, he'll just get Mexico to pay for it...................................oh wait, different fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horatio Caine Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, J.T.F.Robertson said: , The continuity (or not) of that is worthy of one of Ronnie Corbett's rambling monologues. (At least they were funny) Edit: the intended quote was the Trump video a few posts above. Edited July 29, 2020 by Horatio Caine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 I believe this is the beginning if the complete meltdown his clinical psychologist niece predicted may happen. Here's a CNN report with a clip of Trump ranting about how the only reason anybody listens to actual expert Dr Anthony Fauci instead of him is because they like Fauci but for some reason don't like him. Exactly what his nice said would happen, everybody is against me so they don't listen to my genius. So I will double down on the crazy. Clip primed to start just before the Trump rant. If you restart it and listen to the entire report they speak more about this crazy witch doctor. I also like to preface all this insanity with, what if Obama had done this? What would Republican fans view have been then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 7 hours ago, Lovecraft said: The supposed leader of the free world. WT actual **** It's just one more of countless examples demonstrating he can't construct a coherent sentence. Which is an example of how incoherent his thought processes are. While being all over the place about Republicans, Liberals, Perisans, Iranians, out comes this little snippet of incoherent 'insight' Quote nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right—who would have thought? Who would have thought nuclear was powerful 35 years ago? Did anybody here know that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maple Leaf Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 And in Trump's latest move to MAGA, he reduces America's involvement in NATO. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/29/politics/us-withdraw-troops-germany/index.html I can hear the champagne corks popping in the Kremlin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maple Leaf Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Trump: "nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right—who would have thought?" Someone should whisper in the genius's ear that 35 years ago was about 40 years after Hiroshima, and by 35 years ago hundreds of nuclear tests had been conducted, and nuclear power plants were springing up all around the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemclaren Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 2 hours ago, Maple Leaf said: Trump: "nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right—who would have thought?" Someone should whisper in the genius's ear that 35 years ago was about 40 years after Hiroshima, and by 35 years ago hundreds of nuclear tests had been conducted, and nuclear power plants were springing up all around the world. Who would have thought? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagey Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 On 28/07/2020 at 05:28, trotter said: Yup, but you would have to self-quarantine for 14 days. No chance of getting back into tge US for a while though. Predicament I'm in right now as well Me too, relo over here was on the assumption I could travel back and forth - not proving to be the case. Two sons are in Edinburgh, desperate to get back over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Gin Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 12 hours ago, Lovecraft said: The supposed leader of the free world. WT actual **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cade Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Fuhrer Trump's Federal Stormtroopers are being recalled from Portland. Oregon's governor had to have a face to face with Pence to sort this bullshit out. Various constitutional legal proceedings against the Federal Government are still going ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trotter Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 8 minutes ago, Cade said: Fuhrer Trump's Federal Stormtroopers are being recalled from Portland. Oregon's governor had to have a face to face with Pence to sort this bullshit out. Various constitutional legal proceedings against the Federal Government are still going ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 It's a shocking sign of how far off the rails this nation has become that such a malevolent, twisted, complete idiot was even a candidate far less elected to the highest office in the land. And even more chronic that millions of them would still support this corrupt, mindless buffoon. Only the complete exposure of his utter incompetence by a pandemic has dramatically changed his prospects. Prior to that, despite all the indisputable evidence that he's a self serving egomaniacal sociopath, he was still riding relatively high. They're a lost cause. Because even the removal of Trump wont remove these tens of millions of morons who would still support the corrupt idiot. The type who vacuously rant about the constitution while Trump tramples all over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH11_2NL Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 32 minutes ago, JFK-1 said: It's a shocking sign of how far off the rails this nation has become that such a malevolent, twisted, complete idiot was even a candidate far less elected to the highest office in the land. And even more chronic that millions of them would still support this corrupt, mindless buffoon. Only the complete exposure of his utter incompetence by a pandemic has dramatically changed his prospects. Prior to that, despite all the indisputable evidence that he's a self serving egomaniacal sociopath, he was still riding relatively high. They're a lost cause. Because even the removal of Trump wont remove these tens of millions of morons who would still support the corrupt idiot. The type who vacuously rant about the constitution while Trump tramples all over it. They are totally blind to his rantings and for the life of me, I don't understand why. His 'inject yourself with bleach' remark should surely have woken them up but it didn't. In short, if you vote for him, you are mental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruyff Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 5 hours ago, Maple Leaf said: And in Trump's latest move to MAGA, he reduces America's involvement in NATO. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/29/politics/us-withdraw-troops-germany/index.html I can hear the champagne corks popping in the Kremlin. Terrible move. Bad timing. However, tbf these Countries do need to increase their NATO spending. They had been warned. They can't rely on the US to protect Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 31 minutes ago, EH11_2NL said: They are totally blind to his rantings and for the life of me, I don't understand why. His 'inject yourself with bleach' remark should surely have woken them up but it didn't. In short, if you vote for him, you are mental. About the Author Bobby Azarian, Ph.D., is a cognitive neuroscientist. His research has been published in journals such as Cognition & Emotion and Human Brain Mapping. The Psychology Behind Donald Trump's Unwavering Support Research explains why Donald Trump maintains support despite shocking behavior. Quote There’s no doubt that Donald Trump has said many things that would have been political suicide for any other Republican candidate. And almost every time he made one of these shocking statements, political analysts on both the left and the right predicted that he’d lose supporters because of it. But as we have clearly seen over the past year, they were dead wrong every time. Trump appears to be almost totally bulletproof. The only thing that might be more perplexing than the psychology of Donald Trump is the psychology of his supporters. In their eyes, The Donald can do no wrong. Even Trump himself seems to be astonished by this phenomenon. "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK? It's, like, incredible." Senator John McCain, who has been a regular target for Trump during his campaign, has a simple explanation for his unwavering support. “What he did was he fired up the crazies.” Whatever you may think about this statement, it's certainly not a satisfying scientific explanation. So how exactly are Trump loyalists psychologically or neurologically different from everyone else? What is going on in their brains that makes them so blindly devoted? 1. The Dunning-Kruger Effect Some believe that many of those who support Donald Trump do so because of ignorance — basically they are under-informed or misinformed about the issues at hand. When Trump tells them that crime is skyrocketing in the United States, or that the economy is the worst it’s ever been, they take his word for it. he seemingly obvious solution would be to try to reach those people through political ads, expert opinions, and logical arguments that educate with facts. Except none of those things seem to be swaying any Trump supporters from his side, despite great efforts to deliver this information to them directly. The Dunning-Kruger effect explains that the problem isn’t just that they are misinformed; it’s that they are completely unaware that they are misinformed. This creates a double burden. Studies have shown that people who lack expertise in some area of knowledge often have a cognitive bias that prevents them from realizing that they lack expertise. (JFK-1: How many times do we see that in the coronavirus thread right here on JKB?) As psychologist David Dunning wrote in an op-ed for Politico, “The knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at that task — and if one lacks such knowledge and intelligence, one remains ignorant that one is not good at the task. This includes political judgment.” Essentially, they’re not smart enough to realize they’re dumb. And if one is under the illusion that they have sufficient or even superior knowledge, then they have no reason to defer to anyone else’s judgment. This helps explain why even nonpartisan experts — like military generals and Independent former Mayor of New York/billionaire CEO Michael Bloomberg — as well as some respected Republican politicians, don’t seem to be able to say anything that can change the minds of loyal Trump followers. 2. Hypersensitivity to Threat Science has unequivocally shown that the conservative brain has an exaggerated fear response when faced with stimuli that may be perceived as threatening. A 2008 study in the journal Science found that conservatives have a stronger physiological reaction to startling noises and graphic images compared to liberals. A brain-imaging study published in Current Biology revealed that those who lean right politically tend to have a larger amygdala — a structure that is electrically active during states of fear and anxiety. And a 2014 fMRI study found that it is possible to predict whether someone is a liberal or conservative simply by looking at their brain activity while they view threatening or disgusting images, such as mutilated bodies. Specifically, the brains of self-identified conservatives generated more activity overall in response to the disturbing images. So how does this help explain the unbridled loyalty of Trump supporters? These brain responses are automatic, and not influenced by logic or reason. As long as Trump continues his fear mongering by constantly portraying Muslims and Mexican immigrants as imminent dangers, many conservative brains will involuntarily light up like light bulbs being controlled by a switch. Fear keeps his followers energized and focused on safety. And when you think you’ve found your protector, you become less concerned with remarks that would normally be seen as highly offensive. 3. Terror Management Theory A well-supported theory from social psychology, called Terror Management Theory, explains why Trump’s fear mongering is doubly effective. The theory is based on the fact that humans have a unique awareness of their own mortality. The inevitably of one’s death creates existential terror and anxiety that is always residing below the surface. In order to manage this terror, humans adopt cultural worldviews — like religions, political ideologies, and national identities — that act as a buffer by instilling life with meaning and value.Terror Management Theory predicts that when people are reminded of their own mortality, which happens with fear mongering, they will more strongly defend those who share their worldviews and national or ethnic identity, and act out more aggressively towards those who do not. Hundreds of studies have confirmed this hypothesis, and some have specifically shown that triggering thoughts of death tends to shift people towards the right. Not only do death reminders increase nationalism, they influence actual voting habits in favor of more conservative presidential candidates. And more disturbingly, in a study with American students, scientists found that making mortality salient increased support for extreme military interventions by American forces that could kill thousands of civilians overseas. Interestingly, the effect was present only in conservatives, which can likely be attributed to their heightened fear response. By constantly emphasizing existential threat, Trump creates a psychological condition that makes the brain respond positively rather than negatively to bigoted statements and divisive rhetoric. Liberals and Independents who have been puzzled over why Trump hasn’t lost supporters after such highly offensive comments need look no further than Terror Management Theory. 4. High Attentional Engagement According to a recent study that monitored brain activity while participants watched 40 minutes of political ads and debate clips from the presidential candidates, Donald Trump is unique in his ability to keep the brain engaged. While Hillary Clinton could only hold attention for so long, Trump kept both attention and emotional arousal high throughout the viewing session. (JFK-1: To the contrary he bores me almost instantly and I struggle to continue listening) This pattern of activity was seen even when Trump made remarks that individuals didn’t necessarily agree with. His showmanship and simple messages clearly resonate at a visceral level. Essentially, the loyalty of Trump supporters may in part be explained by America’s addiction with entertainment and reality TV. To some, it doesn’t matter what Trump actually says because he’s so amusing to watch. With Trump, you are always left wondering what outrageous thing he is going to say or do next. He keeps us on the edge of our seat, and for that reason, some Trump supporters will forgive anything he says. They are happy as long as they are kept entertained. Of course these explanations do not apply to all Trump supporters. In fact, some may support Trump to be rebellious or to introduce chaos into the system. They may have such distaste for the establishment and Hillary Clinton that their vote for Trump is a symbolic middle finger directed at Washington. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201609/the-psychology-behind-donald-trumps-unwavering-support Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 7 minutes ago, Cruyff said: Terrible move. Bad timing. However, tbf these Countries do need to increase their NATO spending. They had been warned. They can't rely on the US to protect Europe. The thing is the US has never protected Europe to protect Europe. From the beginning of NATO it's always been about protecting themselves from a Europe dominated by the Soviet Union. Which has now become protecting themselves from a Europe dominated by Russia which would be an entity that could out match them in every way. Trump is simply too stupid to grasp that and perhaps even completely under the control of Putin. It's not beyond belief to think that they have dirt on him he would do anything to keep under wraps. Absolutely anything. Sell out his own country or even the entire world far less Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maple Leaf Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Cruyff said: Terrible move. Bad timing. However, tbf these Countries do need to increase their NATO spending. They had been warned. They can't rely on the US to protect Europe. Yes, fair point about spending. But it's another move that the Russians will be pleased about and is certainly a long way from MAGA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maple Leaf Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 1,485 COVID-19 deaths in America today (Wednesday). That's one death per minute, the worst day in two months. Thank goodness the Trump administration has the pandemic under control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 6 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said: 1,485 COVID-19 deaths in America today (Wednesday). That's one death per minute, the worst day in two months. Thank goodness the Trump administration has the pandemic under control. You have to suspect the curve will continue rising unless they do something. And currently that seems unlikely with a resistance to even simply wearing masks. Though regarding masks there may be a silent push back going on. A number of retailers including Walmart are now insisting on the wearing of masks in their stores nationwide. And i'm in Oklahoma, deepest MAGA country where mask wearing is being mandated in some cities. The capital Oklahoma City for one where you can be fined for defying mask laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Is it Trump or the virus? Quote While only a fool would take November for granted, in recent days, the commentariat’s consensus has moved in the direction I’ve been arguing for months — concluding former Vice President Joe Biden occupies a very strong position. Which raises an important question: is it the virus or is it Trump? Most analysts suggest it’s the coronavirus killing Trump. I’d argue the opposite case — that Trump’s a victim of political suicide. Murder by virus will be a more congenial explanation for a president who believes his every action is “perfect.” He’s just a victim of circumstances far beyond anyone’s control. We won’t know for sure until after November, and even then, disentangling the entrails may prove difficult. But before conventional wisdom freezes, we should consider the possibility that while coronavirus may have blocked avenues for a revival, fundamentally, Trump did himself in. What’s the evidence that Trump himself, more than the virus, is destroying his chances? His approval rating is down to just above 40 percent in FiveThirtyEight’s tracking. But it was at, or below, that level on several occasions in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and not far above it for most of his presidency. Trump’s perfectly capable of generating extremely low approval ratings even absent the coronavirus. Look more closely at the ABC-Washington Post poll that made news for pegging Trump’s approval at 39 percent recently. Low, for sure, but he’s been at 39 percent or lower in more than half the polls they’ve conducted since 2017. Turning to votes, RealClearPolitics’s average puts Trump 9 points behind Joe Biden today. If that was the virus, how can one account for the fact that Trump was that far, or further, behind Biden through much of the winter of 2019? Again, consider the ABC-Post poll, which seemed like an outlier with Biden 15 points ahead of Trump. They polled that match-up three times in 2019, before COVID-19, and found Biden ahead by 17 points, 15 points and 10 points, so their current margin is just 1 point higher than their average for 2019. In fact, negative evaluations of Trump’s character and fitness for office settled in long ago. Recently, 57 percent told Quinnipiac pollsters Trump was abusing his office, a view shared by the same number three years ago. At the end of May, 62 percent said Trump was not “honest and trustworthy.” That number has been over 60 percent consistently since the fall of 2017. Similarly, 61 percent say Trump does not have the “personality and temperament it takes to serve effectively as president,” a number that’s fluctuated within a narrow 3-point range since January 2019, well before the coronavirus. So why do many think it’s all about the coronavirus? First, the coronavirus is judged the nation’s No. 1 problem and Trump’s ratings continue plummeting in this arena. However, public assessments of the most important problem often don’t correlate with the basis on which individuals make voting decisions. Second, Biden’s horserace lead is clearly larger than it was just before the coronavirus hit. But what else was happening just before the outbreak intensified? Biden was struggling in primary polls, and then struggled in Iowa and New Hampshire, reflecting Democratic division and uncertainty about his candidacy. Once Biden started sweeping primaries those uncertainties were resolved, he became the presumptive nominee, and the horserace numbers went right back to where they had been earlier. If you start history in January, you see Biden doing less well against Trump, then doing better as the coronavirus ravages the country. If you start your examination earlier, you see Biden way ahead, based on character and temperament. You then see him fall a bit as his leadership is questioned, but return to previous levels as Democrats reunited around him. Trump or the virus? I’d say it’s Trump, with his devastating psychological, intellectual and moral impairments, matched against a strong Biden whose strengths are Trump’s weaknesses. https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/509477-mellman-is-it-trump-or-the-virus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthVodka Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 4 hours ago, Maple Leaf said: 1,485 COVID-19 deaths in America today (Wednesday). That's one death per minute, the worst day in two months. Thank goodness the Trump administration has the pandemic under control. I’d also expect there are a lot more deaths caused by COVID that actually being reported Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cade Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 The US removal of troops from Germany is nothing at all to do with defence spending. NATO nations all agreed to raise their defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2024. Germany is on 1.5% and rising each year and will hit the target. Belgium is on less than 1% and Italy is on 1.2%. Trump is removing 12,000 troops from Germany. 6,400 of them are going back to the USA (just in time for civil war 2). The rest are being split between Belgium and Italy. So if Germany "only" spending 1.5% GDP on defence is the reason to remove troops, WHY are they being sent to Belgium and Italy, who spend even less? It's all to do with Trump's obsession with Germany and with Merkel in particular. He hates her with an unholy passion because she's a woman and far more clever than he is. He's also got some insane hatred of BMW and Mercedes cars and is utterly obsessed with preventing them from being imported to the USA. It's also to do with his perception of the EU as the USA's main economic rival and Germany being one of the most powerful nations in the block. His reasons may be selfish, childish and illogical but the removal of tens of thousands of US troops who have been in Europe since before WW2 ended can only be a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maple Leaf Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 2 hours ago, Cade said: The US removal of troops from Germany is nothing at all to do with defence spending. NATO nations all agreed to raise their defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2024. Germany is on 1.5% and rising each year and will hit the target. Belgium is on less than 1% and Italy is on 1.2%. Trump is removing 12,000 troops from Germany. 6,400 of them are going back to the USA (just in time for civil war 2). The rest are being split between Belgium and Italy. So if Germany "only" spending 1.5% GDP on defence is the reason to remove troops, WHY are they being sent to Belgium and Italy, who spend even less? It's all to do with Trump's obsession with Germany and with Merkel in particular. He hates her with an unholy passion because she's a woman and far more clever than he is. He's also got some insane hatred of BMW and Mercedes cars and is utterly obsessed with preventing them from being imported to the USA. It's also to do with his perception of the EU as the USA's main economic rival and Germany being one of the most powerful nations in the block. His reasons may be selfish, childish and illogical but the removal of tens of thousands of US troops who have been in Europe since before WW2 ended can only be a good thing. Some of those poor old men are over 100 years old now, so they deserve to come home!! Just trying to lighten the mood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwindonJambo Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) 22 hours ago, AndrewB said: Similar article by Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian recently too. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/17/trump-biden-win-democrat-landslide Chilling stuff - and probably what his entire strategy now rests on given that he is not going to win the popular vote and is not going to win the electoral college. He is very stupid and people around him are very stupid but the penny may be starting to drop that he can't win and instead has to work on how he can stay in power without winning. It looks like he's started trying that route https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53597975 "Donald Trump calls for delay to 2020 President Election (breaking news)" Edited July 30, 2020 by SwindonJambo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovecraft Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 26 minutes ago, SwindonJambo said: It looks like he's started trying that route https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53597975 "Donald Trump calls for delay to 2020 President Election (breaking news)" Of course he has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beni Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 The Emperor's New Clothes should be updated to The Emperor's (Mostly) Orange Face. If he wasn't such a fragile egotist someone close to him would just tell him how ridiculous he looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH11_2NL Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 12 hours ago, JFK-1 said: About the Author Bobby Azarian, Ph.D., is a cognitive neuroscientist. His research has been published in journals such as Cognition & Emotion and Human Brain Mapping. The Psychology Behind Donald Trump's Unwavering Support Research explains why Donald Trump maintains support despite shocking behavior. I have a friend who lived in the states for 3 years. She said without a doubt, they are some of the dumbest people she has ever met and she has lived all over the world. She also said they barely even know what is happening in the next state never mind the rest of the country. Few have passports and have no desire to travel outwith their own state. This doesn't apply to all obviously but she was scathing about the midwest and bible belt country. This might explain their unwavering support for a loony. They are almost a cult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Maroonblood Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 3 minutes ago, EH11_2NL said: I have a friend who lived in the states for 3 years. She said without a doubt, they are some of the dumbest people she has ever met and she has lived all over the world. She also said they barely even know what is happening in the next state never mind the rest of the country. Few have passports and have no desire to travel outwith their own state. This doesn't apply to all obviously but she was scathing about the midwest and bible belt country. This might explain their unwavering support for a loony. They are almost a cult. That's pretty scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Internet Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 So it seems this was posted by a staffer as this guy was literally dying from covid. Cult seems about right. Broken, irreparable country that should be shunned by the rest of the developed world as if it doesn't exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo-Jimbo Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 2 hours ago, SwindonJambo said: It looks like he's started trying that route https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53597975 "Donald Trump calls for delay to 2020 President Election (breaking news)" Alarm bells must be going off in the heads of all decent Americans. Gonna get a whole lot more scarier before he's out of the Whitehouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwindonJambo Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 26 minutes ago, Mauricio Pinilla said: So it seems this was posted by a staffer as this guy was literally dying from covid. Cult seems about right. Broken, irreparable country that should be shunned by the rest of the developed world as if it doesn't exist. Unfortunately we can't easily do that. We're heavily reliant on their disproportionately large contribution to NATO to act as a deterrent against military threats and bullying. DT might be a total heidbanger but he's very correct that a lot of NATO members don't pull their weight and rely on the US to keep them safe for free whilst spending tax receipts elsewhere on their economy. But the US does sorely need a sane leader with a brain and knowledge and appreciation of the outside World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwindonJambo Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 11 minutes ago, Jambo-Jimbo said: Alarm bells must be going off in the heads of all decent Americans. Gonna get a whole lot more scarier before he's out of the Whitehouse. There are still tens of millions of adoring nut jobs there who'll vote for him regardless. He could spend the next 3 months doing nothing but hold his microphone to his bum and doing huge farts and they'd still loudly applaud him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T.F.Robertson Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) Didn't see that coming. Edited July 30, 2020 by J.T.F.Robertson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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