Let's Be Honest: We've Elected a Borderline Psychotic As Our President, and Now We Are Paying For It.
Before anyone starts to attack me as not knowing what I am talking about, please understand that one of my two doctorates is in the field of clinical psychology and I have had over 40 years of clinical experience both in practice and at the University level.
We are a nation that has elected many different types of people to public office. There are times that we have made grievous mistakes that have been rectified. The election of President Nixon and Vice-President Agnew come immediately to mind. Both men resigned from office in disgrace, because of actions that were demonstrated to be less then honest. We have also corrected many of our mistakes by voting the officeholder out at the earliest opportunity or removing that person from office through recall when that was a legitimate option.
Most of the people we have elected, while not always agreeing with our individual political agendas, have served in their positions honorably and with a true dedication to the American people. When they have lied {other than when it related to sexual matters}, it was generally as a result of national security. We understand that some degree of honesty in our politicians is necessary when we interact with our leaders.
This brings us to our current President. I will attempt to keep my personal disagreement with the President's policies in the background and only talk about certain actions that fall outside the realm of normalcy for a chief executive. President Trump was elected in an election that was as divided and hotly contested as any in history. The President won the electoral college by winning rust belt states by extremely narrow margins. His opponent, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by three million plus votes. Since the electoral college is the sole determinant of election, there is no doubt that the President was the legitimate winner of the election.
Why is that important in the context of this discussion? No one but this President has questioned the legitimacy of his win. In President Trump's mind, however, the only way that he could legitimatize his own election was by claiming that the popular vote was wrong and was cast by illegal aliens. There was no evidence of this. In addition, the President had to make a case that his Inauguration Day crowd was significantly larger than that of his predecessor. It was not and was documented as such. What this has demonstrated is a person who cannot accept losing in any sense. Even when the evidence of loss is clearly placed in front of him, he denies it and puts forth a lie to support his position. This has not stopped as his presidency has progressed. In fact, his propensity to lie when all the evidence points to the contrary has expanded. The most obvious example is President Trump's new claim that the infamous Entertainment Tonight tape is somehow a fraud. This claim comes after he publicly admitted the content of the tape and admitted that he was embarrassed by it. The President has come to believe his lies. He has lost the ability to differentiate reality from fiction. That in itself is a signal of psychotic behavior.
It is important to note that the lay view of psychosis is not necessarily what clinicians see. There are people who exhibit psychotic behavior but can act under a veneer of normalcy. They function in ways that may be frightening, but may be very successful. They may see enemies at every turn. Think about the President's tweets that attack athletes for minutia that don't have Presidential gravitas. Understand that continuing his attacks on former foes who don't pose any threat to the chief executive is an example of increasing paranoia.
We must also look at the discordant positions that the President has taken on the world stage is also a trait that is associated with borderline personality disorder, pathological racism, and megalomania. One only has to look at the anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT-Q activities of this President to understand the bigotry and sense of superiority that this President has. One only has to think about the verbal put downs he uses with his enemies that demonstrate his own fragility with his ego. There is becoming an increasingly large body of evidence that leads to a clinical determination of a man who is having a more and more difficult time connecting with the reality of this world.
The final issue that I would like to discuss is what appears to be an upcoming purge of the Trump in-house Cabinet. One of the characteristics of a person who has internalized his lies is to surround himself with sycophants. What we are beginning to see is a President who cannot have anyone who might disagree with him close to his inner circle. He sees himself as impervious. He no longer cares that he is seen as a purveyor of hate and lies. He believes that what he sees and feels is reality. That is truly frightening. This is a man who is responsible for every American and ultimately the world. He is the man with the finger on the button.
It is time that those in power look at this President and be certain that they understand the road we are driving on. Somehow we have to get off at the nearest exit. It is up to all of us to help steer that car.
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This has gone beyond politics and has now entered the realm of security for each and every one of us whether we are democrats or republicans, liberals or conservatives, black or white.
The avenues to actually DO anything about it are few and those responsible to use those avenues are cowards. The 25th is up to the Cabinet and we can see that they don't have the gonads it takes to stand up to Trump. The House, and it's Speaker are a joke. Ryan is the weakest Speaker ever and the GOP control of the House just about guarantees that Impeachment is moot.
So while I have no doubt that your analysis is accurate, we are WAY beyond being able to steer anything. An uninformed, self interested and angry electorate voted in a GOP majority in both Houses and a narcissistic sociopath for POTUS. It's pretty clear, merely from the vast majority of the comments from his supporters here, that NOTHING he does will get them to act in the NATIONS interest.
We can only hope that Kelly [who is a dick but at least he isn't nuts] has hand picked Secret Service around Trump at all times and has made it clear to the person with the Nuclear Football that Kelley et al need to be called if Trump asks for it.
Kelly is a 'birther.' He will 'ride the bomb' to protect that which is undeserving of protection.
Yes. The president of the united states is insane.
Borderline??
How has Trump hurt me? I’m not paying a price I’m reaping the rewards. Gorsuch alone was worth his weight in gold. The tax plan should more than offset the big price I got stuck paying for the Obama tax hikes. I payed a heavy price for Obama not Trump.
Don't believe Trump read for yourself.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senate-republicans-are-about-to-overhaul-the-tax-code-and-they-don’t-know-what’s-in-their-bill-yet/ar-BBFXezn?li=AA5a8k&ocid=spartanntp
What, those four aren't good enough for you?
I'll try to remember that next time you post one source.
Thank gawd
and they say our praying doesn't work!
Norman is flailing.
Wait til he gets some really bad news about his hero.
13 of which must be derived from faux approved generators.
I agree, he's doing a fine job.
I agree that trump is completely nuts, and I find the theory that he has a copy of "Mien Kamph" by his bed (where most bible readers keep their bibles) very believable except by the way he delivers comments and speaks it is evident that he has very little or no reading skills. Maybe he had someone read it for him and underlined the "good" parts, who knows?
But why is he working SO hard to drive the US in the ground by appointing people to run Federal agencies who HATE those agencies? Was the EPA really bothering you personally, or do you just like the idea of a toxic cesspool by your property?
How about Education? Appointing someone who knows NOTHING about Education except she thinks she can make a few billion by privatizing the system. The education will go down in quality and a lot of money will be side-tracked into private pockets, making some new wealthy and some with increased wealth. Yippee. Among the US mottos was one about education.
"The children are our future, an investment in education is a investment in our future." Sounds catchy, but must have been said by a Democrat so forget that crap. Education like everything else is for profit only.
For those of you who can't handle all them words, I agreed trump is nuts in a very bad way, acting like a six yo playing king, then I wondered why he seems to be working so hard to isolate and wreck this country by his appointments, actions and those stupid tweets.
Do you mean "Mein Kampf"?
If you're going to call somebody a Nazi at least you should get your spelling write.
SMH... "Right".
You can blame auto correct for that one.
yep, that's the one.
serious offence -2 for spelling next time correct all grammar issues.
Actually it wasn't said by anyone, no reference to it at all. (from any source)
But there are references to parts of it as part of various campaigns by certain people and organizations.
Sounds catchy yes, but totally bogus as a quote.
OK. not said by any particular person (of importance anyway) at any given time.
LOL Wherever I heard it, still sounds like it's the right track to me.
Liberal desperation is a sad thing to see. How about next time you all just don't nominate a criminal and a pathological liar?
So, in retaliation you drop a idiot-bomb on the US? If it moved you so much, why didn't you just set your house on fire and let it go at that, instead of subjecting the whole US to this?
If we weren't stuck in our little groves and thought about it enough, we maybe could have agreed on SOMEBODY and could have gotten them elected by the evil write-in votes. LOL I wonder how the party HQs would have reacted?
I'm not a Clinton fan either, and the DNC is going to have to go some (and get rid of upper delegates) before I think they're anywhere near the right track.
I read a interesting article the other day, they corralled around 1800 millennials and surveyed them. 73% think the US needs a new party, which sounds more and more like a good idea.
SUPER delegates, no on the "upper". Sometimes that spell-corrector...LOL
I agree.
me too. I totally agreealso..
About 7 million voters who supported Mr. Obama in 2012 abandoned Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 and instead voted for Mr. Trump .
those 7milion traitorous democrats who voted for trump? need their own party
Did you ever once consider that Hillary's dirty campaigning against Obama in 2008 was one of the many reasons that she alienated millions of Democratic voters?
Well, there is that, also.
Oh come on, admit it, you revel in it.
I know right? I mean I can't believe how fast AG Sessions indicted, prosecuted and jailed... Oh wait.
Guess you missed the back and forth between Jim Jordan and Sessions. I thought Jordan was going to blow a gasket.
Liberals did not nominate trump, damn you guys project without even a conscious thought.
I stopped right there. Please tell me that was a typo, and you actually mean Everyone questions the legitimacy of his win except him. Because you can't turn on the news without some fucked up story about how the Russians colluded with the Trump Campaign to steal the election. Baseless lies, that the liberals keep repeating, to the point that they now believe it's true, and expect articles of Impeachment any hour now.
But in reading the comments here, one thing is glaringly obvious. The left's hatred for Trump, and all things Conservative is now complete. Mein Kampf on the bedside? Seriously? Are you people reading the words you are typing here? I don't need a degree in psychology to know that you people have gone absolutely stark raving mad.
And Docphil, if you do in fact have a doctorate in clinical psychology from some college, you need to ask for your money back. You was robbed.
Com'on uncle. It's unlikely he has that or any other book by his bed, because I seriously don't think he could read it, OR I could buy it, freely applying the ultra-con form of conviction, it sounds reasonable to me and the only proof I have is some vague statement I read it (somewhere) and like the way it sounds, so MUST be the truth. Isn't that the way it works? I never thought so, but...
Have it all figured (or fox or whoever you get your stuff) the investigations are all over, and they hardly found a thing, and trump is spotless, right? Bad news, the investigations aren't near over, super-trump can still get splattered.
I also don't hate ALL things conservative, just ultra-cons trying to push the non-ultra cons and this Nation off the right edge of the earth, that's all.
I agree.
As a non-Hillary supporter (who did not vote for Trump), I know what it is like to continually incur the wrath of Hillary supporters for pointing out that their golden goddess ran on the "I'm not as bad as Trump" platform because there really isn't much that separates them in fiscal policy or temperament.
There’s an ocean of space between “golden goddess” and “the only way to keep Donald Trump from becoming President.” I also think that the claim that she would have us in a war by now is an unrealistic excuse for helping Donald Trump to become the most embarrassing leader this country, and the world, has ever endured. Hillary may turn off a lot of independents, but she could never have made us the laughingstock of the world like Trump has done.
Trump supporting Wall Street and Hillary supporting Wall Street?
I really don't believe that Trump will get the support to empire build in Venezuela, the Middle East and Africa that Hillary would have. I believe there would have been major conflicts over the trade deals between China, Russia, Syria, Iran and various nations on the African continent.
The ranks of the flag-waving patriots demanding to be the world's police force are thinning as their sons have come home torn up mentally and physically from the Bush wars that continued under Obama and are continuing under Trump largely with little reporting by US media or scrutiny by US citizens. Why isn't the media discussing how Trump is using and/or misusing our military? Where are our ground troops and what are they doing?
Unfortunately, the laughter of the world is starting to turn into anger. If we can't use the 25th now, what do we have it for?
We're a bit outside of the labels the GOP love so much. I think it irritates them.
Nofear, the world is laughing at us because of the ignoramus we elected, named Donald Trump. Do you deny this?
I am an analytical independent who does not see the value in embracing divisive, fear-mongering, dog eat dog, political rhetoric or propaganda.
Wow. Somebody's got it right.
Too bad you're unable to analyze the situation America is in. We've gone so far right, we're pretty much a plutocracy. The Republican party has been nothing but a gang of corporate thugs since Reagan. Donald fucking Trump is president. Wake up girl!
Considering the fact that President Obama was a well spoken constitutional scholar that was respected by just about every world leader other than the worthless little fascist running Russia, I don't see how anyone would consider Obama an embarrassment unless they were steeped in racist hate and simply couldn't get past the color of his skin.
Obama was the laughing stock of every other world leader on earth.
I know right? I mean the leaders of China, India, Germany, France and England have all been forced to meet with Obama against their will. Something has to be done about that...
I know. It is because the DNC crowned Hillary fucking Clinton.
Hillary Clinton is not to blame for Donald Trump being president, the people who voted for Donald Trump are to blame. Those who disliked Clinton that much should have just stayed home.
It was extremely obvious before the election that Trump was not qualified to be president. There are no excuses for this.
The applause is for your patience in stating that, instead of stating something like: "What the fuck kind of an idiot are you?" when someone tries to suggest it's Hillary or liberals who put Trump in the White House. I'm glad you are here calmly pushing back on the RW idiocy. I did that for years at NV, but it got to be like talking to a rock, only rocks are smarter. Now I mainly just mock them and laugh at them. There is nothing you can say to a person who thinks Donald Trump is on a par with Hillary Clinton when it comes to running a country.
No, it is the DNC and the people who voted for Hillary Clinton instead of a candidate who had more appeal than Donald Trump.
I know firsthand how impossible it is for a Hillary supporter to grasp this simple concept despite the fact that was proven in both 2008 and 2016.
Another fact, many of the Hillary supporters don't give a damn about the Democratic party. Many opposed Obama's election and voted for McCain in the hopes that they could run Hillary in 2012. After Hillary's defeat in 2016, many Hillary supporters were posting on sites across the internet that they would start voting Republican from now on in order to defeat Democratic progressive candidates.
The depth of hatred for anyone who has not, does not, and will never support Hillary has been on full display for months.
Trump may well be psychotic, but then so are the Hillary supporters who act just like him.
Ridiculous. Sorry Cowgirl, that isn't even worthy of a response, but JR may decide to answer.
The depth of hatred for anyone who has not, does not, and will never support Hillary has been on full display for months.
Trump may well be psychotic, but then so are the Hillary supporters who act just like him.
You are a little, no more than a little, carried away here. My main reason for supporting Clinton over Sanders was that Sanders had not been vetted on a national basis and would have been torn apart by the republicans in a general election. Clinton went very easy on Sanders during their debates and during the primary campaign because she wanted Sanders supporters to vote for her if she got the nomination. He had a Soviet (communist) flag in his office in his younger days for god's sake, do you think that would not be turned into a commercial if he ran against Trump?
I have no great love for Clinton, but it was my opinion she was more electable than Sanders. I think she would have been without all the negative press about her after the convention, some of it acquiesced to by Sanders supporters.
We needed a Democrat in the presidency. Now we have a right wing Supreme Court justice and may well have a far reaching tax change that will negatively effect the country for a generation. Clinton would have vetoed this abomination of a tax bill. Think about that for a second.
I do not care at all for your or anyone else's reasons for supporting Clinton ever just as you and other Clinton supporters do not care about why other people do not and never will support Clinton.
This has been an ongoing fight for years. To date the score is: Clinton in White House - 0.
I do not see anything changing that and nor would I ever support anything that would change that.
Sanders had never endured a national campaign that was negative toward him. He still never has.
Now we have Republicans in control of all the functions of governmental power and disastrous laws on our doorstep.
Knowing how much Clinton was disliked and mistrusted by the majority of US citizens, I fail to see why you find this surprising when Clinton was on the ballot for POTUS.
Clinton's nomination guaranteed the Republicans would turn out in droves to vote against Clinton for POTUS and also vote for Republican candidates on the ballot.
Clinton's fearmongering of the other was used against Obama in 2008, Sanders and Trump in 2016. Clinton did not win the Democratic nomination, it was handed to her in a weak field of opponents. She then ran on the "I am not Trump" campaign and lost.
John, you are still running Clinton on the "I am not Trump" platform and even the majority of Democrats are weary of the Clinton accuse and excuse team.
When are the Clinton supporters going to accept that Clinton was the worst possible candidate for the Democratic party to ever back? At this point, the answer seems to be when Hell freezes over.
This is December 2017. The mid-terms are less than a year away and the Clinton supporters continue to refuse to accept the fact the Clinton will never ever be POTUS - deservedly so.
I really don't care about Clinton. You seem to care about her a great deal, albeit negatively.
Trump was the most unqualified presidential candidate in the modern history of our country, if not for ever. Clinton was not the most unqualified. It should have been an easy choice for everyone who was not one of the deplorables.
not electable and never will be.
Clinton would have never had the nomination if Biden or Warren would have challenged her.
This is not rocket science.
Get it right Norman......."The people who voted for Trump are the WHINNERS."
Clinton was not the most unqualified? Quite the understatement there, JR, Hillary Clinton was THE MOST QUALIFIED person to ever seek the presidency.
If you knew that by meeting with the idiot who rules the greatest nation on earth, you would get tons of whatever you want.. Would you meet with him? Of course.
Obama was the worst piece of shit that ever occupied the White House.
President Obama was meetings with the leaders of ALL of those countries [and more] during THIS YEAR.
Now as to the reason why they meet with Trump this year, I completely agree with your assessment.
Yet Clinton received 3 MILLION MORE VOTES.
Actually, that isn't true and oh, BTFW, Trump got LESS of a percentage of the vote than Romney.
Oh please.
Total bullshit.
In short, you want everyone that supported Clinton to agree with your assessment.
Again, your OPINION, which is obviously biased and obtusely pigeonholes everyone who voted for Clinton.
I don't know which is more pathetic. That the left and Dems still cling to that like it means something or that they are STILL stomping their feet and crying about it.
Seeing that her assessment is 100% accurate they should if they wish to live in the real world.
We know. China is smart enough to realize that our childish POTUS eats that shit up, like it means something. Obama was smarter than that, and the entire world (except for Trump voters) realizes it.
that explains why trump was
The first foreign leader to dine in the Forbidden City since the founding of modern China.
yepp... trump gets no respect... LOL
not how it works
the 7 million obama voters who voted trump?
priceless:)
LOLOLOLOL, Sorry, couldn't help myself. Trump certainly has competitors, like Nixon, or Reagan, but Trump clearly takes this prize, and with less then a year in office. You must be so proud.
You don't understand the concept of respect. What Trump is getting from China is what we gave to the Native Americans, a lot of showy worthless jewelry and gimcracks. It impressed them, just like a red carpet impresses Trump. Of course, you might want to look at what happens next.
I guess you thought it was respectful for the Chinese to make obama exit AF1 from a cargo door instead of having the proper passenger deplaning equipment ready for a planned arrival. I did not and do not like obama but felt the Chinese went to far in their disrespect for a US president.
What is a "whinner"?
cargo door? what cargo is moved through the air stair, none.
three out of the past four republican winners lost the popular vote, do you see a pattern here?
Someone who whines even though he won?
A number of folks who came over from NV. They don't discuss - they bitch, gripe, cry and whine - but don't know how to discuss.
From what I've read in the short time I've been here, there was plenty of bitching, griping, crying and whining here WAY before the NV 'invasion'. I've read at least 5 'stories about the history' behind the changes to the CoC overtime or why certain members have restrictions on their comments [NONE of whom came over from NV that I am aware of]. It's pretty clear that having 'problem children' isn't anything new around here.
I have also seen quite a few meltdowns over what existing members felt was an infringement on what they considered their personal forum. Some were aghast at new members actually had the audacity to challenge their comments. In those threads, PH made it clear that calling out individual new members as somehow being unworthy and unwelcome was verboten. Calling us out as a group should be too, IMHO.
It's my understanding that if you have an ongoing issue with a specific member, arrangements can be made to separate the two parties. Perhaps the 'ignore' button, which I've heard is forthcoming, will solve your issues. It was available on NV and created selective echo chambers.
That "number" can be added to our existing "number" and the result is still going to be the same - they will continue to bitch, moan, cry and whine without offering any discussion on any topic they are on.
Give 'em hell, Dulay, the Stalkers are a bunch of crybabies who run to Perrie every time someone says something they don't like.
Aww Fishy, didja have to say that...
As I said, there are avenues for you to pursue to eliminate those offenders from your NT world. Or, you can Keep Calm, Carry On and IGNORE THEM.
If they do and they are just bitching, griping, crying and whining, Perrie will probably tell them to grow the hell up. YES, I know that Perrie would never be so blunt, she'd say it nicely, but you get the gist.
Now, if you screw up and deserve a smack, Perrie will take care of that too.
So BE GOOD and figure out a way to say it without getting nailed.
See that's where the lack of grey area comes in.
Both you and Trump seem to insist that if ANYONE in his campaign colluded with the Russians, the legitimacy of his election is void. Those of us who can see more than black and white realize that it is possible that there WAS collusion by SOMEONE in his campaign and Trumps election can STILL be legitimate. They are NOT mutually inclusive.
By making it an either or proposition, it delegitimizes the NEED for an investigation into just WTF the Russians did, why and how do we keep it from happening again.
What are the allegations? That they published fake news on the internet?
Let's cut out the media middleman.
I am fine with making all political candidates run clean campaigns and only post the truth and speak the truth and be held accountable if they backpedal on their promises and platforms. And if the candidate is caught in an outright lie about themselves or others, then they are barred from running for office. Would you support this?
YES! Do you think that is benign?
If the effect of all the BS on this site alone doesn't prove that posting BS has an effect, I don't know what will.
BTW, your whole truth, justice and the American way concept of campaigns is a fantasy. After Citizens United, US political campaigns are whatever the money will pay for.
Well, some of the allegations include they would find out about a rally or meeting of say, liberals in Texas. Someone who posted on the "sons of seminary field" site would send out tweets about how they should protest that meeting until they convinced people the sons HAD to go and be prepared for possible assault from the evil libs. THEN they would contact a liberal group and tell them how the big bad sons of.. were going to protest, and they should counter-protest and be careful, the sons are armed and dangerous.
Causing a nice big confrontation with possible violence to get in the news and add fuel to the fire.
One of the things they found sort of in passing, was that most of the most inflammable statements from the BLM site were written by people who would not qualify for membership of the BLM.
And some mis-information tracked to Russia that was seeded and spread to millions and millions of people, to help keep the heat up and the pot stirred. You know how people love their tweets.
The stuff we're arguing about now are the same things we've argued about for decades, but this seems louder and rougher then I think I've ever heard of before.
Fake news on the internet is what it is.
Is US political candidate propaganda acceptable?
People should check their sources.
Personally, I felt that the US voters had outdone themselves in 2016 by selecting the most unpalatable candidates possible for POTUS. I would not trust either of them to tell the truth about much of anything. I remember Clinton supporters actually making excuses for her lies by saying that Clinton lied less than Trump.
Didn't US invade Iraq/Afghanistan on faulty intel? How many trillion dollars have we spent on two unnecessary wars with no end in sight because our own intelligence agencies are not intelligent?
Should people be required to take a test before voting to see if they have better intel than our own CIA, FBI and Homeland Security?
It is also a fantasy that anyone influenced Clinton's reputation more than Clinton's own 30+ years on the political stage.
Clinton lost to an unqualified, community organizer in 2008 after running a very distasteful, underhanded campaign.
Clinton became the 2016 Democratic nominee by taking over the DNC in 2015 and facing also no opposition in 2016. Clinton and Trump were two of the most unpopular candidates to be nominated for POTUS in decades.
The question is whether FOREIGN propaganda during a US election is acceptable.
Really? EXACTLY HOW are people supposed to check the sources of the money used to pay for Facebook ads? Hell Facebook didn't even bother to check the sources.
New laws have to be passed to cover 'social media' to ensure that FORIEGN actors are NOT funding propaganda during our elections. It doesn't freaking matter who the hell was running, what matters is that American citizens were manipulated and duped through a trusted communication venue and there is NOTHING we can do about it.
The question for me is why any propaganda and lies in campaigns are acceptable.
In Clinton's case, she alluded to Obama being a Muslim and ran a textbook smear campaign in 2008.
As long as US candidates are allowed to tell lies, then how can anyone make an informed decision on voting?
I knew what Clinton had done to Obama in 2008. I don't know how anyone could support Clinton based on her lies, but not only did Clinton supporters support her, they defended Clinton's lies as just being politics as usual.
So until Clinton supporters quit defending their lying candidate, I really don't understand their outrage about how anyone else's lies somehow were wrong and cost their candidate the White House.
Furthermore, I have no interest in defending why I did not vote for one liar over the other liar as if voters of the US should base their decision for POTUS on which one lies less because one of liars is going to be POTUS whether I like it or not. I find this type of thinking to be irrational/illogical and certainly less than sane.
In 2016, it is possible that we had two of the most psychotic candidates to ever be nominated for the POTUS. Those two candidates would not have gained the nomination without support from people who approve of their lies and personality.
In essence, we have a lot more than 15% of voters who have sanity issues.
Really? You should go read a little American history. This cut throat crap started from day one.
Hell, Jefferson tried to prosecute newspaper editors because of what they were printing about him.
Here is just a taste of the rhetoric from those days:
Once the Fairness Doctrine was repealed by Reagan and Citizens United was installed by Roberts, this shit only got worse...
No one needs wonder why the Russians used social media outlets to spread their propaganda. Unlike TV, radio and newspapers, there iis NO transparency in the ad purchases. So ya think that maybe passing like regulations for social media just might curtail some of this shit? I'll posit that it beats the hell out of throwing up your hands and pretending nothing can be done.
Of course, we can just believe Zuckerburg will take care of it. Ya, that's the ticket...
Rinse and repeat...
That is my point exactly. Lies and propaganda have always decided US elections from day one. What is one more lie here or there?
And please detail which lies are acceptable and which ones aren't and how those lies decided the election versus the people who voted along party lines, the people who decided their votes based on a coin toss, and every other manner that is a perfectly legal way to make a voting decision in the US.
This is ridiculous!
Are you ever going to accept that Clinton lost in 2008 and 2016?
Rinse, repeat and deflect.
Please proceed.
I think you should answer the question. I dont expect you to but you should.
I don't answer 'when did you stop beating your wife' questions, they're informal fallacy.
You don't answer any kind of question.
Lie.
I think a pretty good argument can be made that "Russia" swayed the election to Trump. The question is mainly what involvement did the Trump team have in that swaying.
"Russia" hacked the DNC and John Podesta. Then they turned that stolen material over to WikiLeaks for dissemination.
The DNC leaks and the Podesta leaks either influenced votes or they didnt. My guess would be that this negative information about Clinton and the DNC, which unfurled over the course of many months, and was in the national news virtually every day, did cost Clinton a goodly number of votes. In an election where the margins in key states were counted in thousands not hundreds of thousands , all the negative material about Clinton that came from the Russians could have made the difference. And let's forget the fake news and micro targeted advertising that came from the Russians in swing states.
I think the contention that the Russian efforts had no effect on the election is basically ridiculous.
correction
And let's NOT forget the fake news and micro targeted advertising that came from the Russians in swing states.
That's not what she said, but nice try.
I never saw any of that and I live in a swing state. Please provide links or anything so I can see what you are talking about. Just because you heard that somewhere, doesn't mean anyone saw it or that it even existed. Provide examples for those of us who are wondering what micro targeted advertising you're referring to.
The after action report of Putin's attack on our election is still being put together but some info has already come to light.
.
Of course Putin didn't think America would be stupid enough to put a fool like Trump in charge, he just wanted to weaken Clinton.
However, as election night wore on and it started looking like our broken EC system was going to give us President Trump, Putin did have to pick up the phone and call his doctor, worried about the18 hour long boner he'd gotten from watching the results of his attack on our electoral system.
Sounds to me like she's about right. Only 59.7% of eligible voters voted at all. Say about 30% of eligible voters voted for Trump, so she was merely speaking about 15% of eligible voters as being deplorables. That does not sound like an exaggerated number to me.
From what I am understanding in this case it is being used to say that someone in Russia had a list of weak-minded, uninformed voters in swing states (yes, someone in Russia had more info on US voters than Clinton) who would have voted for Clinton except that Russia made up some shit that was worse shit than what had been said for 30 years in US media. According to Clinton and her supporters, this is how Russia was responsible for costing Clinton the election.
Clinton will never admit that she fucked up. She should have been campaigning in PA, Ohio, and Wisconsin but got arrogant and complacent and thought she had it in the bag
Dear God....don't let Hillary run in 2020
I agree. It is not in Hillary's nature to ever admit to making mistakes about anything. When she was caught in a lie about being "under fire" in Bosnia, she doubled down on being defensive and called Sinbad a liar for saying the most dangerous thing that happened on the trip was deciding what to eat for dinner.
I agree. She ignored the economic plight of all of the working class that was related to her support of NAFTA in the 90s. Unions were busted. Wages and benefits stagnated then even declined. Jobs that replaced union jobs were largely low paying service sector jobs with few, or no benefits. Hillary talked Wall Street prosperity, racism and fearmongering of the "other". Her platform was based on "I am not Trump."
If the Democratic party coronates Clinton again in 2020, isn't that proof enough for everyone, except the most diehard Clinton fans, that the Democratic party system is definitely rigged and apparently owned by the .1 percent?
After 2016, I have zero respect for the DNC or the candidates that they put forth.
I wish I had known you 20 years earlier just because you are so wise. I hope the die hard Hillary fans are reading your words. She's no progressive or lefty liberal
Right, $100,000 of targeted facebook ads aimed at a specific group of wavering democrats worked, to the benefit of T-Rump, where over $100,000,000 of the same ads targeting the same demographic from the DNC and Hillary campaigns failed?
You guys aught to be writing for television mystery/thriller shows.... (you know, anything but reality)
If you recall, I used to call her Jeb Bush in drag on Newsvine. LOL!
I found out that a lot of people who pretended to support Obama were actually Clinton supporters who had just been biding their time to coronate their queen to her appointed place in history and to make their Wall Street profits skyrocket to ensure their own prosperity through their golden years and to HELL with everyone else.
It was definitely an eye opening experience....and a very painful one.
I have no problem understanding the self-serving politicians. It is their supporters who sometimes fool me.
I supported Obama from the start. I liked what he said and he was so different from the prior 16 years.
"Jeb Bush in drag" that's funny right there!
Hillary supporters didn't think so. Some took great offense as if I had suddenly appeared on their doorstep and let the air out of their cat or something.
I was WONDERING why my cat looked so skinny lately...
I am animal lover, not abuser. When my cat looks skinny, I start looking for kittens.
I would call that idiotic or desperate.
In any event, it was another unnecessary, self-inflicted wound to her campaign that is readily available for viewing on youtube for those who want to actually see what was said and the spirit in which this venomous campaign speech was delivered.
You were one of the few who supported Obama, but not Hillary.
I always like what you have to say, except, on religion. But, I might add I think I know where you are coming from.
Thank you for that. I cannot help but feel what I feel and I have spent a lot of effort explaining it in detail for the people who have never experienced or simply ignore the downside of their belief system.
You are welcome.
I don't have either, but I'm more of a cat person than a dog person. I had a cat years ago, and may get another one some time, but I'll never get a drooling, panting, slobbering mutt, that's for sure!
I have dogs, cats, and a few laying hens.
And a couple dozen bobwhite quail that will be in the deep freeze shortly.
First that may not be true. There is some evidence to show it was an inside job.
Second. Were any of the Email false. Did they not show the corruption and the rigging of the primary by the leaders of the DNC?
Show me where the math is wrong. I think she was being too kind in calling them merely deplorable, they are much worse than that.
What Trump did here was illegal.
and, is enough to impeach him.
Why did Sessions refuse to answer? He isn't under executive privilege.
If you bothered to read the article you would have seen that he didn't ask Congress, he told key Republicans in the committee's that are investigating the Russia scandal to quit investigating.
I don't think so.
I believe that the continual quest for grounds to impeach is wishful thinking by people who cannot accept that Clinton lost the nomination in 2008 and would have probably lost the nomination in 2016 if Biden or Warren had challenged Clinton and just cannot fathom why Clinton has never been popular with majority of US citizens in poll after poll after poll for decades.
I am still wondering how Clinton defeated Sanders for the 2016 nomination. Bernie has consistently beat Clinton and Trump in the polls.
But if you're a Republican and you don't instantly obey trump, you get to be on the Bannon hit list.
They simply can't handle that simple truth.
I thought that was closed door? The favorite answer Democrats give on many things is 'I can't answer that' or something to that extent. I'm looking forward to the real collusion investigation where they already have evidence there was collusion, aren't you?
He was doing it before the election. If they had nominated Bernie, we would have President Sanders, not President T-Rump. Out of all the candidates, Bernie had the highest voter likables of all. Second was Cruz.
The real election was Sanders/Cruz with Sanders edging out Cruz. (barely)
In the previous cycle Paul had all the voter likeables and if he wasn't screwed by the republican establishment, President Obama would have been a one term president, and today we would be discussing a President Paul.
The establishment in BOTH parties sucks. That is the real issue for the american voter to consider....
Our political parties haven't been representing us for the last 24 years.
And if you are a democrat and cross the clintons you end up on their hit list which is even worse. Right Vince? Right Seth?
Simple. The Clinton Machine (Obama, DoJ, FBI, DNC, DWS, Donna Brazile, media et al) cheated Bernie out of what should have been his 2016 nomination by rigging it in favor of Hillary. I actually felt sorry for him when he lost, because he didn't have enough power or money to win against the forces Hillary had on her side.
I'm glad you feel this way, so you can understand how we don't need a degree in psychology to know that Trump is absolutely stark raving mad.
Does this mean Alex Jones articles are OK now?
I have no problem with Alex Jones articles, I think they're funny.
I can only see 2 possible explanations for Trump endeavoring to destroy the American government. Either he is mentally ill, or he is a Russian operative. I could believe either, but lean towards dementia.
Except he is not trying to destroy the American government, only trying to make it better and fair to ALL citizens.
It must be sad for liberals to let their lives be ruled by hate, hysteria, and paranoia.
the fuck he isn't
Then he's not doing a very good job of it.
Stock market is up, unemployment is down, productivity is up, etc, etc.
that is not the American government...that would be the American economy. When the economy does well, he does well
Anyway...he can't take all the credit for the bounce in the economy
One follows the other and vice versa.
True .... for ANY President. Either way, good or bad. I argued that point many times over the last eight years. Largely to no avail with many of the partisans that are here on NT's right now.
so.... obama gets credit for ending the paris agreement, ending the tpp and also the thousands of regulations trump deleted?
Really? So, a tax cut that goes 80% to the wealthy and 20% to the rest of us is fair. Creating a tax "reform" that punishes your political enemies is fair? Trying to ban transsexuals from the military is fair? Do you need me to give you the definition of the word?
Their hearts are so filled with hate, no one can make them see how wrong they are. The MSM is leading them around like the sheep they are. 80 to 93% negative reporting by the MSM is bound to have an effect on them and they are so accustomed to believing everything they say, it's impossible to break the spell the MSM has on them.
Consumer confidence is higher than it has been in 17 years.
The Dow has been jumping ever since Trump was elected.
During 2016 the polls said 25% of the people believed the country was heading in the right direction.
Immediately after the election the Dow started jumping. I mean the day after the election when it was floundering especially right before the election when they were telling everyone Hillary was definitely going to win in a landslide.
The unemployment rate is lower than it has been in 17 years.
The 3rd quarter GDP was 3.3% for 2017, something Obama never came close to achieving. In fact the GDP for the 4th quarter of 2016 was 1.9%.
Take a look at the chart below. Notice how the Dow was floundering during 2016 with 25% of the people thinking the country was heading in the right direction under Obama and notice how it dipped when everyone was confident Hillary was going to carry us down the same old road. Then look at it the day after the election.
Link
I'm glad Trump doesn't lie down and let the MSM run over him. It's just killing them as it is exposing just who they are and have been. This goes for all the Establishment Politicians in Washington as well. We now know more about them than we have every known, or should I say even the MSM has had to bite the bullet and report some things they still try to manipulate or twist the truth around to fit their agenda. Many of us already knew who these people were and how they didn't represent us, but basically ruled over us. Think of the sexual harassment charges of the ones we now know about and then think about those they refuse to tell us about. I mean, who's the boss here, them or us?
If nothing else, Donald Trump is shaking up the political elite in a way they've never experienced before and the people, the Deplorables, are fed up with it and the Progressive MSM with their agendas.
So let me fix that for you Rhyferys.....
Really, so, a tax cut that goes 80% to the rest of us and 20% to the wealthy is fair?
Prove what you say or just admit you heard it on the Comedy News Channel. My statement is as true as yours, since neither one of us provided any evidence to prove them.
First, do you know what percentage of the citizens pay Federal taxes? Or for that matter what percentage don't pay any Federal income taxes? What percentage pay over 97% of the taxes. You know it is pretty difficult to reduce the taxes on those who don't pay any Federal income taxes and even more difficult to reduce the taxes of those who get all their federal tax money back plus a booster shot of money in addition to that. You don't know what you're talking about, plain and simple.
I have a link, how about you? Your "whataboutism" doesn't impress me.
Second, do you know why?
It is damned difficult to get blood out of a turnip.
It is only fair that the people who make millions/billions dollars a year pay more than the people making under $50,000 a year. Depending on the state, residents pay states sales taxes, county sales taxes, city sales taxes, property taxes, real estates taxes and whatever taxes. These taxes continue to rise in order to cover necessary education and infrastructure costs as federal money is siphoned off to pay for "bridges to nowhere" and endless war.
Thirdly, the people who make millions/billions dollars a year made that money from keeping wages as low as possible in order to profit both directly and indirectly (stock market).
As unions have busted and are almost non-existent, the working class no longer have advocates representing their interests in the workplace and in the government.
The election of 2016 was a choice between the idiot promising jobs, but representing Wall Street and the warmonger promoting further job outsourcing representing Wall Street.
Excellent points cowgirl
If those jobs are in line with the ones created under Obama, the majority are low wage jobs in the service sector. If you want people in higher tax brackets then wages need to rise instead of continue to decline.
Since the 1990s, the 1 percent have never had it better as their reps in government have pushed privatization of government services. The 1 percent outsourced every job possible and have been taking over government jobs that cannot be outsourced. That is why taxpayers are paying for charter schools and mercenaries among other things.
What is ridiculous is the number of people who support billionaires keeping another $100 million in their bank accounts and then have a hissy fit about a $15 minimum wage and then have the nerve to demand that people making under $15 an hour pay income tax when their gross income is under $30,000 an entire year for working a full-time job with lousy benefits that require them to pay out thousands of dollars in order to address any medical/dental issues.
People who support taxing the working poor are not interested in fair.
I think they want a return to the feudal system, where they will be the vassals to the overlords
Furthermore, corporations like Wal-Mart depend on the taxpayer to subsidize their low wages via welfare benefits. A decade ago, some states proposed legislation to bill corporations like Wal-Mart for the taxpayer cost incurred for allowing their businesses to operate in their state.
The viewpoint that the working class is unsavory or undeserving of decent wages and benefits is a bi-partisan affair for the people who depend upon profits from Wall Street to supplement their own income. It is their ability to distance themselves from viewing the working class as decent people that allows the Wall Street supporters to treat them deplorably.
Who was the last president who advocated and passed legislation that really benefited the working class instead of Wall Street?
Don't blame the working class for electing Trump. He promised them jobs.
If Democrats have any interest in ever holding office again, then they need to represent the interests of the working class instead of Wall Street. If the Democratic party is going to continue to run candidates with the same fiscal policies as the Republicans, then why bother voting Democrat?
you always vote your own shit up?
What exactly has any president, since Carter, done for the working class?
Bill Clinton implemented privatization of government services faster than any president in history. It has been downhill ever since for the working class.
I read the comments of the people against "socialism". Really? I find them completely asinine. Taxes should be used to benefit the people who reside in a country instead of the 1 percent (or as you aptly noted, the feudal lords). Schools and infrastructure are necessities for the well-being of everyone - an offensive, empire building military is detrimental to all of us except the few people who own the companies that benefit from the empire building and endless war. Not to mention the cost in our sacrifices of the lives of our loved ones and fellow citizens. The men and women who serve in the military and survive are then mostly discarded like trash unless it is politically expedient to use them to funnel money to some cause or charity that benefits charlatans out to make a buck or two.
I guess if I wanted to feel like people liked me, I would vote my shit up, too
Actually, I have no issue with people who vote up their own comments. If you aren't proud of their own work, then why should anyone else approve of it? LOL!
Then again, there are valid reasons why we weren't allowed to grade our own tests in school. ROFLMAO!
that's my school of thought...people are untrustworthy
I figure I let my comments and other work stand on their own. I write it for others to read so they are the ones that should judge it
All things that can be said of the Obama years yet so many conservatives were screaming he was a secret Muslim imposing sharia law and going to take all their guns away and round them all up in FEMA camps...
Do you think I give a damn what you think? Once again you're telling me how to post when I've seen some of the "brashest" shit flying off your fingertips
yer funny
I feel the same urge, but usually refrain.
I have actually reread a comment thread and voted up one of my own comments before realizing that I was the one who had made it. Then I unvote my comment so I don't have to waste time defending voting for my own comments.
I have attention deficit disorder when it comes to things that I consider to be trivial - one of them being people who vote for themselves. If a person was running for office, I would expect them to vote for themselves. If a person was interviewing for a job, I would expect them to present themselves and their skills in the best way possible.
Your comments often amuse me. Sometimes, I don't upvote them because this is not Buttheads and some people frown on "off topic".
You can thank none other than Hillary Clinton for starting that propaganda.
Hillary ran on fearmongering against Obama in 2008. Good article below, but a google search about Clinton's dirty campaign tactics in 2008 will reveal more even more in depth information.
Overall, yes. Most of us can and do justify anything we say, think or do. Probably, because it is not in our nature to be impartial. So I interact with others of differing thought in order to examine my own thoughts to see if they are self-serving and harm others in ways that I would not intentionally do if I understood the possibilities that I was not aware of or had not fully considered.
In no way, am I a saint or want sainthood. I would like a society with realistic expectations and achievements. Currently, we have too much unnecessary chaos and a lot of inhumanity being labeled as love. I really believe it is because of economic uncertainty and desperation as the population is continuing to multiply, jobs are decreasing and poverty is increasing.
Wars have always been an acceptable way to decrease unnecessary population and increase Wall Street profits. The draft used to ensure a steady supply of unwilling cannon fodder who had no choice. The draft was only discontinued because the majority of US citizens did not approve of having their sons killed or mentally/physically crippled in unnecessary wars. Now, it is largely the economically disadvantaged who are forced to be at the beck and call of the empire builders who have managed to convince the people, who don't have to risk their own lives, that our young men and women have an obligation to be the world's mercenaries.
This had to stop. Our young men and women need to be educated and spend their lives improving the world through innovation instead of wasting their lives destroying lives in order to bring another country's assets under the control of the empire builders.
Endless war, and fearmongering to support endless war, are destroying our country in ways that an outside enemy never could.
You mean like the military contractors, right?
Shouldn't we have money to help people instead of bomb them out of existence?
Having a Tessy fit??
Killing time? Bingo!
Did he do this from the grave?
Charles Manson · Died
Nov 19, 2017
The Dow and, the GDP are two separate things, why are you presenting them as one?
Exactly!!! That's because around 50% pay no Federal Income Taxes and they are included in that turnip. And that's why they can't reduce their Federal Income Taxes, because they have none to reduce. Now, tell me how much is fair? Is 97% of all Federal Income Taxes paid by the top 20% fair or should they pay more?
You know this reminds me of the story told to me by a banker who lost his job during the 2008 recession. He took a job at Walmart working in their financial department. He noticed a young lady working the cash register who seemed to have potential to move up in the company and approached her one day with the question, 'Have you ever thought of moving up in the company and applying for a higher paying job here?' He said she told him 'Oh no, if I did that I would lose my benefits'. She meant her government benefits.
There are two different perspectives on this. One would be the government is subsidizing her pay and another would be Walmart is subsidizing her pay. Which one would you agree with in this situation? The Progressive perspective would be Walmart isn't paying her a living wage, so the government has to subsidize her pay although she isn't interested in doing something to increase her income herself. The Conservative perspective would be the government isn't giving her enough to sit around and do nothing, so she had to take a job to make ends me. By listening to Progressives, one would think Walmart is the only company that would hire her or she isn't capable of improving herself, so the government has to do it and Walmart, the rotten company isn't doing their part.
I assure you, if the government was giving this young lady enough to live on she would be sitting on her ass doing nothing. So how much should those of us, the other 50% who are out there working our tails off in order to subsidize this young lady and see she is at least getting some money to live on, maybe not enough that she can do absolutely nothing, but those who are in the top 20% income are paying over 97% of all Federal Tax are definitely carrying what I consider more than their fair share.
And consider this, it's not enough. The National debt increased over 8 trillion dollars over the last 8 years. I hope you can see we aren't heading in the right direction and only 25% of the polls for most of 2016 thought we were. Going from 1.9% GDP at the end of 2016 to 3.3% today, the tax collected will be a lot more from the corporations and the high end tax payers. It works that way, more taxes are received with a higher GDP than a lower GDP because there is more money moving throughout the system.
Please explain how wages are not an expense that affects company profits.
And please inform Wal-Mart investors.
more on how wage increase lowered dividend return. I realize wages are not the only expense, but wages are an expense that does lower company profits.
Really? Prove it. Lets start with Trumps tax returns.
employees should make enough money so they don't qualify for welfare.
Problem solved.
I worked at WM corporate. I know the wages and benefits for hourly workers are nothing short of deplorable. There is little room for advancement inside corporate and certainly not at store level. I know store employees who worked off the clock to keep store profits up in order to add to "profit sharing" and because they faced being fired for not being productive enough on the clock.
There have been numerous lawsuits since I quit WM decades ago so maybe some things are better.
I assure you that you need to actually see what benefits are available to people and who receives them and why and then share actual data instead of propaganda like the Reagan "welfare queen" BS.
When wages are raised then more people will be in higher tax brackets and will pay more in federal income taxes as well as Social Security taxes and even state income taxes depending on the state.
If you want the economy to grow then raise wages and people will have more spendable income and also more taxable income.
Also please show how many jobs exist at each pay level. Are there millions of jobs that pay over $75,000 a year being unfilled or are there millions of jobs paying under $30,000 a year being unfilled? As long as the majority of jobs are paying poverty or just above poverty wages then quit bitching because they don't pay federal income taxes. They pay taxes on almost everything they buy and in some states that amounts to around 10%. And there are other assorted taxes depending on the state. These people are not freeloaders and without them the 1 percent would not exist.
Somebody evidently was able to make that production, so I suppose it would piss off the lazy bitches that they have to get off their asses and measure up.
Honestly, the Wall Mart near my house is pretty good! You don't see any lazy piece of shit employee's just sitting around, it's a good thing!
Yes i can explain this concept using the late, great ghetto economist Billy Prestons words:
"Nothing from nothing leaves nothing"
Or if you want me to go more Neitchze it might go something like this:
You stare into a null set of taxes collected and see no taxes collected staring back at you
or maybe more Asian philosophy:
One can not remove something that is not there to begin with
Hope that helps!
All that and they STILL aren't in a position to make this diagnosis. And if they are, they are not permitted to discuss it in a site like this one.
Now, that being said, this reads just like every other "Trump won and I'm having a hard time dealing with it" article. These same people want us all to believe a farce that the government suddenly went to shit when Trump took office.
If I remember correctly, WikiLeaks (an organization that has not had to retract a single release in their existence) stated that their source was somebody within the DNC. Now given the track records of the DNC and WikiLeaks, I think we can figure out who is full of shit (coughDNCcough) and who isn't.
Now keep in mind that the DNC claimed to be a private organization . So we are wasting taxpayer money to investigate a private organization no different than Publix.
Never thought about it that way, but that is why it was legal for Clinton to take over the running of the DNC in 2015.
Then why was the FBI monitoring DNC computers in 2015? Does the FBI regularly monitor corporate computer systems?
Also, who is currently funding the DNC since Clinton lost? Or is Clinton still in control who DNC money and candidates who receive DNC backing?
Could it be part of the Obama Administration's surveillance programs?
That's a good question.
Is that supposed to impress me? ( it doesn't ).
After reading your comments and articles my only comment is to paraphrase another saying.
Psychologist treat and heal thyself.
In no way is my comment an "attack". It is based upon your own words. You've proudly admitted to being very well-trained and experienced in the field of clinical psychology, so you should know that true professionals never make diagnoses without having personally examined and tested a patient/client.
"the odd treating the id"
Suicide, stress, divorce -- psychologists and other mental health professionals may actually be more screwed up than the rest of us.