Donald Trump

[Coppercrutch]

Why?

Because like the majority of folk hearing an identikit politician spouting the same old drivel over and over - completely coached as to what they can and cannot say - is mind numbing. 

Trump at least says what he thinks. Clearly. As some of it is a bit nuts.

[PHOODLE-OUt]

Who would have guessed having a POTUS with the mental age of a child would wear thin even quicker

[Billy Butcher]

Because like the majority of folk hearing an identikit politician spouting the same old drivel over and over - completely coached as to what they can and cannot say - is mind numbing. 

Trump at least says what he thinks. Clearly. As some of it is a bit nuts.

Why is that good?

I don't understand why people think it's good to have an idiot tweeting the first thing that comes into his mind is a good thing? I don't understand why having a racist, sexist, weak old man spouting vitriol every week is a good thing? Do people think it's a good thing because it makes him 'normal' and 'just like them', if so, that is terrifying.

[CritchSmile]

It's not his foreign policy strategy I have a problem with. It's the absence of a foreign policy strategy that I have a problem with. You can't defend such gross negligence.

[Coppercrutch]

Why is that good?

I don't understand why people think it's good to have an idiot tweeting the first thing that comes into his mind is a good thing? I don't understand why having a racist, sexist, weak old man spouting vitriol every week is a good thing? Do people think it's a good thing because it makes him 'normal' and 'just like them', if so, that is terrifying.

It's good because it may lead to other politicians realising that a bit more honestly and less scripted answers may be the way to go. 

Let's hope so.

[PHOODLE-OUt]

Trump reads of a script. His advisors are idiots too.

[Coppercrutch]

Trump reads of a script. His advisors are idiots too.

I think it's fairly clear a lot of what he says and types online ain't from any script. 



But I imagine his speeches mostly are. He clearly puts random things in there as well though.

[Fire Doinks]

All you can do is kick the can down the road. It's an impossible situation.

Here's what you don't do - threaten the destruction of a country in the UN, and make threats which you have no intention of keeping.

Trump won't lay a finger on NK, and he'll come off looking weak. Just like he did this weekend with his NFL pish.

That's what I said. The only difference here is rhetoric, and I don't see how the US can look weaker than it already does with regard to North Korea.

The drills continue, the sanctions pile up, the regime keeps developing and testing it's weapons. NK know they'd be destroyed in a war, they also know there's very little the world could do to stop them flattening Seoul. Wait until they've finished their miniaturisation and Japan starts thinking about changing their constitution to get some MAD of their own, and the knock-on effect of that with China.

[Billy Butcher]

That's what I said. The only difference here is rhetoric, and I don't see how the US can look weaker than it already does with regard to North Korea.

The drills continue, the sanctions pile up, the regime keeps developing and testing it's weapons. NK know they'd be destroyed in a war, they also know there's very little the world could do to stop them flattening Seoul. Wait until they've finished their miniaturisation and Japan starts thinking about changing their constitution to get some MAD of their own, and the knock-on effect of that with China.

Sorry, I read it as if you meant Clinton, etc should have done something. My bad

It looks weaker when the President says he'll wipe NK off the face of the Earth and they thumb their nose and he does nothing other than rely on the UN (and as an extension, China and Russia) to increase sanctions. It's much weaker to ratchet up the rhetoric and continue being as ineffective as he is being. He's playing himself into a situation where he as to attack or look weak on a world stage. Previous Presidents avoided that by not making threats they have no intention of keeping.

[Billy Butcher]

It's good because it may lead to other politicians realising that a bit more honestly and less scripted answers may be the way to go. 

Let's hope so.

Why? The evidence seems to suggest the public only accept someone is being honest and less scripted if they are offensive and lack intelligence in their statements. That way they are being 'honest' and someone who makes intelligent, inoffensive answers is a fake.

I don't think that's true. I think plenty politicians say what they feel, but they don't have the intelligence of a toddler so it comes across much more sanitised.

I think brain-dead morons like a brain-dead President because they connect with him on a mental level and therefore think he's 'real'. They can't connect to intelligent, well-spoken people and therefore are distrustful of them. It's definitely obvious in the way HRC and Trump were treated.

[Coppercrutch]

Why? The evidence seems to suggest the public only accept someone is being honest and less scripted if they are offensive and lack intelligence in their statements. That way they are being 'honest' and someone who makes intelligent, inoffensive answers is a fake.

I don't think that's true. I think plenty politicians say what they feel, but they don't have the intelligence of a toddler so it comes across much more sanitised.

I think brain-dead morons like a brain-dead President because they connect with him on a mental level and therefore think he's 'real'. They can't connect to intelligent, well-spoken people and therefore are distrustful of them. It's definitely obvious in the way HRC and Trump were treated.

Whatever people think of him these sort of comments that he's a toddler don't help matters. He's clearly highly strung but he's not half as dumb as many make him out to be. 

He was voted in largely because of the things he said and the manner in which he said them.

The population lapped it up. His getting to power is down to all the rest of the political figures having zero clue as to the anger growing with the average person in the street.

[shaun.lawson]

I think brain-dead morons like a brain-dead President because they connect with him on a mental level and therefore think he's 'real'. They can't connect to intelligent, well-spoken people and therefore are distrustful of them. It's definitely obvious in the way HRC and Trump were treated.

I agree completely. The clearest connection between the Brexit and Trump votes? Education. But above all, both outcomes highlighted the complete failure of the British and American education systems - and that's on us. All of us. The whole of both societies. Or, to put it another way:

[Coppercrutch]

I agree completely. The clearest connection between the Brexit and Trump votes? Education. But above all, both outcomes highlighted the complete failure of the British and American education systems - and that's on us. All of us. The whole of both societies. Or, to put it another way:

There was no education record when voting for either. Nobody knows. Polls have been used as "evidence" but we all know what can happen with these.

[Fire Doinks]

Sorry, I read it as if you meant Clinton, etc should have done something. My bad

It looks weaker when the President says he'll wipe NK off the face of the Earth and they thumb their nose and he does nothing other than rely on the UN (and as an extension, China and Russia) to increase sanctions. It's much weaker to ratchet up the rhetoric and continue being as ineffective as he is being. He's playing himself into a situation where he as to attack or look weak on a world stage. Previous Presidents avoided that by not making threats they have no intention of keeping.

They did do things, but only indirect. Sanctions, increase drills, fly-overs etc. and that's all that Trump can do too.

You say his rhetoric has diminishing returns and I agree, but so does NK missile "testing" and they know this. Trump being as brash and ridiculous on the world stage is an unfamiliar challenge to NK and I'm interested to see if it works.

Also, on the threats, I could be wrong but doesn't Trump always frame these threats in a "If NK throws the first punch we'll do X" way, which would actually be in line with US policy on NK (military drills at least publicly are stated as defensive against NK invasion etc.), it just hasn't previously come from the horse's mouth.

[Cheeky Gnando’s]

Whatever people think of him these sort of comments that he's a toddler don't help matters. He's clearly highly strung but he's not half as dumb as many make him out to be. 

He was voted in largely because of the things he said and the manner in which he said them.

The population lapped it up. His getting to power is down to all the rest of the political figures having zero clue as to the anger growing with the average person in the street.

More than anything else, it's down to a quirk in the electoral college allowing him to win a two horse race with 3m fewer votes than the runner-up, a scale unprecedented in any of the 4 previous times that's happened in the 58 elections in American history. Let's not pretend that "the population lapped it up" eh? The majority rejected him at the polls.

[Coppercrutch]

More than anything else, it's down to a quirk in the electoral college allowing him to win a two horse race with 3m fewer votes than the runner-up, a scale unprecedented in any of the 4 previous times that's happened in the 58 elections in American history. Let's not pretend that "the population lapped it up" eh? The majority rejected him at the polls.

He won. He's the US President.

[Billy Butcher]

He didn't win the popular vote, though.

[CritchSmile]

Tbf to CC, that's a hell of a lot of people.

[Coppercrutch]

He didn't win the popular vote, though.

Who cares ? He won the race he went into. Them are the rules.

[Cheeky Gnando’s]

He won. He's the US President.

Is this deliberately obtuse, or are you just not understanding what I said?

He won the election; he lost the popular vote by more than any other winning candidate in history. Therefore claiming "the population" "lapped it up" isn't really true. The right voters in the right states did. A lot of people who voted for him did. Many more didn't.