So, is the new format thought-free? I thought more people would be outraged that this whole pandemic could've been controlled but Trump chose not to? He admits he knew & did nothing? That's ok?
It's not like we didn't already know this......
I just don't think it's surprising at this point. He publicly says it's not a big deal, his followers take that as evidence he (and they) don't need to do anything. Now we know he knew it was a big a threat ("worse than the flu") but he didn't want to create a panic. We all know he just didn't want to or didn't know how to deal with it so he left it up to Governors to figure out and washes his hands, all while continuing to down-play the threat. Those who see Trump as an unfit leader uninterested in keeping the public safe, this was pretty clear from the start. Those who see him as a folk-hero will somehow rationalize it and continue to sink their boats in his name.
I just don't think it's surprising at this point. He publicly says it's not a big deal, his followers take that as evidence he (and they) don't need to do anything. Now we know he knew it was a big a threat ("worse than the flu") but he didn't want to create a panic. We all know he just didn't want to or didn't know how to deal with it so he left it up to Governors to figure out and washes his hands, all while continuing to down-play the threat. Those who see Trump as an unfit leader uninterested in keeping the public safe, this was pretty clear from the start. Those who see him as a folk-hero will somehow rationalize it and continue to sink their boats in his name.
This...^
Clearly so many people, including most Republicans in the Senate and the House, just don’t care. The outrageous has become the norm.
I don't recall him every admitting lying before - blame everyone else, say it didn't make it to his desk - but he admits he knew it existed, how bad it was, how unprepared we were, & had even had a conversation or 2 w/his idol in China about it & chose to ignore it & the havoc it would wreak on our populace and economy. Not secretly preparing for it. Not secretly coming up w/a plan to make himself a hero (which I would've thought would've been his style). Just throwing us to the virus. I find that astounding even for him.
Yes, you're right that his acolytes & the rest of us all now expect him to lie but not to admit to a lie that made him look dangerous, irresponsible, & worst of all to him - stupid. He could've prevented 5 million cases in the US & didn't. Shrug.
I think that shows the evolving nature of his psyche in that he now knows he can not only lie about anything in the world he wants and get away with it, but can also admit to it with zero consequences.
I'd really like to think this might change someone's mind about him. His followers already have their heals dug in about him and, thanks to him, COVID. They rationalize any time he trashes what they claim to hold dear.
Trump's ads and campaign blatantly lie. Have from the start. It's not even a stretching of the truth, it's complete fabrication of the opponent's beliefs that his opponent has to waste time debunking. Now he's claiming COVID deception wasn't a lie, it was to avoid a panic. Maybe someone has heard one too many.
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seems to be the response from the right. He has no bottom, he has no shame. The supports also have neither so we've all become numb to the entire episode. Notice again like the other threads about the revelation none of the normal *tRump supporters have any comments..
I'd really like to think this might change someone's mind about him. His followers already have their heals dug in about him and, thanks to him, COVID. They rationalize any time he trashes what they claim to hold dear.
Trump's ads and campaign blatantly lie. Have from the start. It's not even a stretching of the truth, it's complete fabrication of the opponent's beliefs that his opponent has to waste time debunking. Now he's claiming COVID deception wasn't a lie, it was to avoid a panic. Maybe someone has heard one too many.
The excuse of not wanted to create panic is hysterical. His entire campaign is based on creating panic - antifa is taking over the world causing rioting and looting, the suburbs are not safe for women anymore, the scary immigrants are going to ruin the country, and on and on. Panic is Trump's best friend.
And let's be honest, Trump's followers know he lies, and they don't care. They may try to defend him and make a public display, but this should not be a big news flash for anybody. They are all in no matter what. He could murder Nancy Pelosi on TV and they would stand up and cheer.
My wife was really pissed off when I got home Wednesday about it. I told her wait a couple days or next week and there will be something else that tops this.
I agree that is 1st impulse is always to lie, but this - knowing that a pandemic was heading our way that could kill millions - and more importantly to him, crush our economy & make him look like a moronic loser - is outrageous even for him. Of course, he's not suffering any repercussions for being a moronic loser so guess he knows his disciples.
@cyclone88 and remember, people have been saying Trump did nothing to prepare for COVID and has done little to stop its spread. His base turned that into "they think COVID is Trump's fault!" It's already been processed by the Cult 45 Rationalizebot.
So yeah, I think a President lying and doing nothing in a health crisis is pretty heinous. But add it to the list, I have been unsurprised by Trump since 2015. This is where his enablers have to step up and say, "this is not ok".
Buried under all of this, Trump was more than happy to tell Woodward about a "Secret" Nuclear weapons system. Who feels safe?
Combine that with this:
Woodward was able to get 27 of the “love letters” the president and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exchanged, all but two of which were previously unreported. In them, Kim says their “deep and special friendship” would work as a magical force, and that meeting again would be “reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film.”
Donald Trump = Jim Jones. Cult mentality. You wonder how many who have listened to his lies died because of his reelection > good of society.
As we've said many times now, in the Cult of Trump the truth is irrelevant and denial is the most important coping skill. As mentioned earlier in this thread Trump just creates another firestorm a few days later and the Cult just hums along like nothing happened.
Frankly after so many obvious missteps and failures and incompetence and corruption staring the electorate right in the face, if a voter hasn't made up his or her mind by now, nothing else Trump does will sway them either way.
Where are those who are going to vote for him? Want to see them support / justify Trump still at this point. Using the he's not Joe isn't good enough. He's a traitor who dislikes the military, has Covid death of our citizens on his watch and lack of leadership along with lies, and a lover of Putin. He's everything a voter should look for to support?
I hope your continued optimism is well-founded. I still hear the "they" are just out to get him. Now is about the time I would normally pay attention to the election, but I'm not doing it. Either Biden wins on an anyone but Trump wave or the white supremacists have won. I simply find that a president could know about a pandemic that could effectively savage the country & turn us into pariahs unfathomable & yes, I know the theory that FDR knew Pearl Harbor would be attacked but at least he had a speech asking to declare war ready.
People in countries whose leaders told them the truth about COVID didn’t “panic.” They responded. And as a result, far fewer of them died.
-Pete Buttigieg
I'd call the anti-mask, anti-closure, and anti-quarantine protests caused by Trump's contradictions a degree of panic. Certainly not an issue in countries such as New Zealand where cases were held in check.
I hope your continued optimism is well-founded. I still hear the "they" are just out to get him. Now is about the time I would normally pay attention to the election, but I'm not doing it. Either Biden wins on an anyone but Trump wave or the white supremacists have won. I simply find that a president could know about a pandemic that could effectively savage the country & turn us into pariahs unfathomable & yes, I know the theory that FDR knew Pearl Harbor would be attacked but at least he had a speech asking to declare war ready.
I have no choice but to try to be optimistic. The alternative is not practical. 4 more years of Trump &, a GOP Senate that are pu$$ies and close their eyes to Trump's trampling on the Constitution, and with the help of Trump's personal Attorney, Adolph Barr would destroy this country.
I have to believe there is a better way & that the voters of this country will rise up and do the right thing in spite of Trump casting fears of voter fraud and Trump's lackey trying to dismantle the post office. No being fooled twice.
Wisconsin, Michigan, and PA swung by the thinnest of margins in Trump's win over HC. My charity challenge is open to anyone who thinks Trump will win those those 3 states this time. Any takers? My bets right now are looking good to contribute to charity.
Still no comments from the *tRumpers here...
I guess the recordings are some antifa pedo socialist coup to make *tRump look bad
it's call operation "Let him talk" but then again ya'all like the way he talks...even about genocide of the American population. The Hague will be the place I wish him to have a visit to
Lock him up!!!
Still no comments from the *tRumpers here...
I guess the recordings are some antifa pedo socialist coup to make *tRump look bad
it's call operation "Let him talk" but then again ya'all like the way he talks...even about genocide of the American population. The Hague will be the place I wish him to have a visit to
The sycophants are following his lead that he didn't want to create panic. Follow the leader. Yep, that's it. I mean what does it matter to Trump how many people got sick or died? The Trump Response to the so called China Virus was nothing but failure for both sickness and death. Much could have been avoided with a national plan which he dismissed. Instead he cared more about the SP500 & his reelection than the welfare of the people of this country. I don't know how he can sleep at night with so many deaths on his watch which could have been avoided.
I happened to recently get High Speed Internet installed and thus can finally stream the incredible amount of content now available via such a service. One such premium channel I immediately subscribed to since I can no longer get in on my Dish satelite service is HBO....Which inevitably led me to watch Bill Maher's season premier originally broadcast last night I believe.
I picked a good episode as the two guests on his panel happen to be people who have followed the polls and election data for several years now. Bill began the segment by quoting the fine gentleman who founded and continues to operate I believe 360.org. Nate Silver I think his name is?
Anyway Silver has predicted that Joe Biden needs to win the popular vote by at least 6% to have a 98% chance to win the electoral college and thus the presidency. That's a rather large numerical advantage in the popular vote which speaks volumes at just how absurd and too powerful the electoral college has become.
Bill's two guests explained that while that sounds compelling, if we're to believe Nate Silver anyway. They explained that Trumps polls numbers within arguably the three most important demographics:
Suburban Women
College educated REPUBLICANS
Black Community
Are all very dismal and have been so for years. They have not moved in a positive direction for Trump even one percentage point since he was elected and are in fact so abysmal, that Trump, even with his supporters efforts at voter suppression and possibly foreign intervention, garbage rhetoric that Joe Biden will defund the police, that he, Trump, will save America from the lawless hordes protesting in the streets, that he will save the middle class, that he is the "Law and Order" president, etc. has not shifted these demographic groups. In other words these groups don't believe anything coming from Trump's mouth no matter how often he says it or how the media portrays these protests.
Now, do I think Trump could still pull this off? Possibly. But what seems to be becoming ever more clear is that as long as these three demographic groups turn out in large numbers, Trump's roughly 13% die hard base can not save him.
Also apparently clear is that Trump's deep pocketed supporters are beginning to abandon ship as Trump is now scrambling for cash. Possibly just as important is that the RNC is now at a turning point of do they spread their money to down ballot Senate and House races or do they pass it to Trump and waste in on a campaign that looks weaker and weaker by the day.
If you can catch this episode, watch it as it was a very revealing and insightful discussion.
Still no comments from the *tRumpers here...
I guess the recordings are some antifa pedo socialist coup to make *tRump look bad
it's call operation "Let him talk" but then again ya'all like the way he talks...even about genocide of the American population. The Hague will be the place I wish him to have a visit to
The bumpkin Trumpkins scatter like cockroaches when the light comes on.
Nate Silver's website is Fivethirtyeight.com.
He is right that the electoral college is stacked in Trump's favor, and it will all come down to a handful of battleground states. Right now if you believe the polls, then Biden is not only in good shape, but is lead is pretty steady and I'm not sure how that will change in 7 weeks. With more mail in voting this year (read this as early voting), it seems less likely that a last minute "Comey letter" could come out to swing the undecided like it did last time.
The Republicans are doing everything they can to suppress the vote, and they know that is the only way they can win this thing (Trump has admitted this). Even sabotaging the post office isn't off the table for them.
After 2016, I'll take nothing for granted. One thing that is likely is that more Democrats will vote by mail this cycle, while more Republicans will vote in person (which is actually reverse from the way it usually is). This means the early results will lean Republican until they start counting mail in votes later. I can already hear the whining that Trump has won based on early results and the Biden votes coming in later are due to fraud. It's a shame that only an overwhelming win by Biden is going to be accepted by the Trump fans. Anything close and they will yell "rigged," oblivious to who was actually trying to rig the election.
I'm sorry, fivethirtyeight.com....
One other thing mentioned in the discussion was that Hilary is not Joe Biden and Joe Biden is not Hilary. In other words even as despised as Hilary was she still won the popular vote and lost in some of the battle ground states by very few votes.
Was it Michigan or Wisconsin she lost by 88,000 votes or some such relatively low number? I can't recall which but some agree she really messed up by not making any effort in these key battleground states. Biden is not making the same mistake.
I have no choice but to try to be optimistic. The alternative is not practical. 4 more years of Trump &, a GOP Senate that are pu$$ies and close their eyes to Trump's trampling on the Constitution, and with the help of Trump's personal Attorney, Adolph Barr would destroy this country.
I have to believe there is a better way & that the voters of this country will rise up and do the right thing in spite of Trump casting fears of voter fraud and Trump's lackey trying to dismantle the post office. No being fooled twice.
I'm very aware of what even 1 more year of Trump would be like. I don't disagree that the country & democracy would be devastated. Trump WANTS that. He WANTS to be an autocrat & his disciples want to hand it to him.
When I refer to your optimism I mean your belief that voters will "do the right thing." I'm not convinced, but we'll know in November.
@chain I think she lost WI by 20K votes (Gary Johnson got 100k votes), a state that hadn't gone Rep since Reagan won 49 states in 1984. She never campaigned there. She ran a bad campaign in 2008 and a worse one in 2016.
Lots of Biden campaign ads here in FL that are going after Trump directly and getting Biden's message out. Bloomberg has put up a ton of money for Biden's campaign just in FL alone. The Trump ads are full of outright lies, so Biden has to work harder.
The Republicans are doing everything they can to suppress the vote
No, I believe both major parties should be in support of getting people out to vote in person.
By all means we should expect the masses & especially older people and those with preexisting conditions to go vote in person. What's a few hundred or thousand people contracting Covid as a cost so they can't commit fraud by voting by mail. I guess we didn't learn from the results of those contracing Covid in Wisconsin's Primary.
