I give him no passes for being a good guy on the premise that he doesn't mean the horrible things he says almost every day... Sorry, but I'm judging him on his behavior, and spouting damaging nonsense that he doesn't believe at his core makes him even worse in my eyes, because he chooses to do that.
Right.....in another life would D set up American concentration camps in the middle of the Everglades? Or is Chris gonna say.....'Oh he's not serious...just havin' a bit of good ole boy fun!'
Lovely - what an elegant gentleman. Except for the part of his vile rhetoric where he calls out Democrats, ( like me), as being evil - thus inviting his minions to wantonly attack us and the politicians that represent us. This is not okay. We are not okay.
Who on earth has ever thought that what T says he actually believes? He is all lies, all show, all the time. No one believes anything he says!
Come on Chris, really lame point.
And 'in person, he is incredibly solicitous of reporters"??
Yeah sure, as long as they are not women, or people of color, then they get called nasty or stupid etc if they ask him a question he does not like- which is any question not based on the premis that he is the best thing ever like no one has ever seen before.
Bill Maher's own "reporting" of his White House dinner visit with Trump totally confirms the notion he believes none of this anti-media bile -- he does it because it works... and his private, more cordial persona and interaction with 'enemies' like Biden, Obama, Maher, and all the rest is fascinating.
I also find it fascinating. And honestly useful. I’ve tried adopting some of his tactics for getting ahead in my career and to my surprise it sometimes works.
Nope, Chris. He foments violence. The January 6th insurrection, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, the Assassination of the Minnesota Democratic legislator and her husband. He may not believe these things but he is a cruel and evil narcissist.
Trump is two dimensional and purely selfish. He says and does what is in his best interest, the truth and what is good for America and the world be damned. He is the lowest form of me-first...actually, me-only...creature to inhabit the planet, and humanity will take a giant leap in the right direction when he is no longer with is. (Sorry, Dutch. The truth sometimes hurts.)
The thing about Trump is I don’t think he means anything. He is just an empty vessel devoid of anything approaching humanity. He never learned what it is to be human so he has learned to act out what he thinks normal people do and say to pass in society instead. I am sure a shrink could name the syndrome but you see it in very broken people what are just awkward as hell in every setting and make everyone around them uncomfortable. The only thing real about him is the hate and narcissism.
Chris - I’m a big fan of your work. I disagree with your sentiment on this one. You are giving a sociopath too much credit here. It reminds me of growing up with a narcissistic parent. You spend so much time trying to explain or rationalize certain behavior. There are explanations that certainly fit in certain times, but ultimately the sociopath has no code of conduct that governs their behavior.
Isn't that even worse, then? If he doesn't believe what he says, continues to say it because it keeps his base and supporters happy, real world consequences ensue, like Jan 6, people no longer believing election results, people no longer trusting the press, and his supporters killing people, isn't that worse? Especially for the leader of the free world?
This isn't some child who was mean in school whose actions can be minimized.
Yeah, it's way worse that he knows the consequences of his actions and statements and continues to do and say them.
That is why the Bill Maher visit pissed me off so much. Maher basically kissed his ass by saying, "you know, in person he is very gracious and not the guy you see insulting everyone" or something to that effect. But Maher never addressed that, never asked him why he is an asshole w/ authoritarian bent in one life but a charming guy in the next. Jekyll and Hyde. Instead, he used his platform to smugly, in his own way, own the libs, something he does more than ripping on the circus that has become the Republican Party.
One of the biggest myths is that Trump is a "dealmaker." He's not. Look at all the failed businesses he's left in his wake. He was never a successful businessman. He only played one on a TV game show.
I think that the intent is to help Chris' readers to understand political reality. This kind of rhetoric is much more important to the True Believers (on either side) than it is to the politicians themselves. Thus it has always been.
When rhetoric moves millions, it matters. Trump has inflamed hate and spread lies, no matter if he really believes any of it. He has coarsened, weakened and deeply damaged the country. And none of that even touches on the fact that he is clearly unhinged. So, crazy, ignorant, careless, self-centered, dishonest, what could go wrong?
I'm not saying the rhetoric doesn't matter. But frequently it's more real to the partisans than it is to the politicians themselves. Obama's rhetoric moved millions in a direction that I prefered, and that some believed put the nation on the road to destruction. Who knows how real it was to Obama?
Comparing Obama's messages to Trump's is insulting. Partisans who thought Obama put the national on the road to destruction were responding to more hateful rhetoric from the right.
I think that many of the right wing partisans were responding, and are responding, to what they see as a direct assault on their religion, their culture and their way of life. You don't have to agree with them to understand.
Trump disparages the ones the most that he respects and idolizes.
He wants Nancy Pelosi's reverence and record of achievement and accomplishment.
He desired Joe Biden's decency and honesty and love and adoration from his family and close associates.
He admires "Shifty Schiff" for his intelligence.
He just wishes he had 1/10th of 1% of Jamie Raskin's knowledge of the constitution and the law.
He wishes he had Elon's money.
He wishes he had bagged as many young women as Epstein.
He has no use for any of his MAGA syncophants at all. If only they knew it. he wouldn't give Mike Johnson or Tommy Tubsville the time of day in another world.
MAGA truly has no clue how he despises all of them.
I give him no passes for being a good guy on the premise that he doesn't mean the horrible things he says almost every day... Sorry, but I'm judging him on his behavior, and spouting damaging nonsense that he doesn't believe at his core makes him even worse in my eyes, because he chooses to do that.
I think Trump not believing what he says actually makes him worse.
Right.....in another life would D set up American concentration camps in the middle of the Everglades? Or is Chris gonna say.....'Oh he's not serious...just havin' a bit of good ole boy fun!'
Lovely - what an elegant gentleman. Except for the part of his vile rhetoric where he calls out Democrats, ( like me), as being evil - thus inviting his minions to wantonly attack us and the politicians that represent us. This is not okay. We are not okay.
Who on earth has ever thought that what T says he actually believes? He is all lies, all show, all the time. No one believes anything he says!
Come on Chris, really lame point.
And 'in person, he is incredibly solicitous of reporters"??
Yeah sure, as long as they are not women, or people of color, then they get called nasty or stupid etc if they ask him a question he does not like- which is any question not based on the premis that he is the best thing ever like no one has ever seen before.
Bill Maher's own "reporting" of his White House dinner visit with Trump totally confirms the notion he believes none of this anti-media bile -- he does it because it works... and his private, more cordial persona and interaction with 'enemies' like Biden, Obama, Maher, and all the rest is fascinating.
I also find it fascinating. And honestly useful. I’ve tried adopting some of his tactics for getting ahead in my career and to my surprise it sometimes works.
So, what's the theory on lining this up with his claim to hate the Democrats who didn't support his reconciliation bill? Who does he hate or not?
Nope, Chris. He foments violence. The January 6th insurrection, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, the Assassination of the Minnesota Democratic legislator and her husband. He may not believe these things but he is a cruel and evil narcissist.
Trump is two dimensional and purely selfish. He says and does what is in his best interest, the truth and what is good for America and the world be damned. He is the lowest form of me-first...actually, me-only...creature to inhabit the planet, and humanity will take a giant leap in the right direction when he is no longer with is. (Sorry, Dutch. The truth sometimes hurts.)
😂
The thing about Trump is I don’t think he means anything. He is just an empty vessel devoid of anything approaching humanity. He never learned what it is to be human so he has learned to act out what he thinks normal people do and say to pass in society instead. I am sure a shrink could name the syndrome but you see it in very broken people what are just awkward as hell in every setting and make everyone around them uncomfortable. The only thing real about him is the hate and narcissism.
Chris - I’m a big fan of your work. I disagree with your sentiment on this one. You are giving a sociopath too much credit here. It reminds me of growing up with a narcissistic parent. You spend so much time trying to explain or rationalize certain behavior. There are explanations that certainly fit in certain times, but ultimately the sociopath has no code of conduct that governs their behavior.
Isn't that even worse, then? If he doesn't believe what he says, continues to say it because it keeps his base and supporters happy, real world consequences ensue, like Jan 6, people no longer believing election results, people no longer trusting the press, and his supporters killing people, isn't that worse? Especially for the leader of the free world?
This isn't some child who was mean in school whose actions can be minimized.
Yeah, it's way worse that he knows the consequences of his actions and statements and continues to do and say them.
I agree, Maz.
That is why the Bill Maher visit pissed me off so much. Maher basically kissed his ass by saying, "you know, in person he is very gracious and not the guy you see insulting everyone" or something to that effect. But Maher never addressed that, never asked him why he is an asshole w/ authoritarian bent in one life but a charming guy in the next. Jekyll and Hyde. Instead, he used his platform to smugly, in his own way, own the libs, something he does more than ripping on the circus that has become the Republican Party.
Trump is all performative antics and zero practical/useful substance.
One of the biggest myths is that Trump is a "dealmaker." He's not. Look at all the failed businesses he's left in his wake. He was never a successful businessman. He only played one on a TV game show.
I’m asking this as a legitimate question, what is the intent of this post?
I think that the intent is to help Chris' readers to understand political reality. This kind of rhetoric is much more important to the True Believers (on either side) than it is to the politicians themselves. Thus it has always been.
When rhetoric moves millions, it matters. Trump has inflamed hate and spread lies, no matter if he really believes any of it. He has coarsened, weakened and deeply damaged the country. And none of that even touches on the fact that he is clearly unhinged. So, crazy, ignorant, careless, self-centered, dishonest, what could go wrong?
I'm not saying the rhetoric doesn't matter. But frequently it's more real to the partisans than it is to the politicians themselves. Obama's rhetoric moved millions in a direction that I prefered, and that some believed put the nation on the road to destruction. Who knows how real it was to Obama?
Comparing Obama's messages to Trump's is insulting. Partisans who thought Obama put the national on the road to destruction were responding to more hateful rhetoric from the right.
I think that many of the right wing partisans were responding, and are responding, to what they see as a direct assault on their religion, their culture and their way of life. You don't have to agree with them to understand.
They believe that because they've been lied to.
What are you talking about? This post is so unimportant and silly.
Trump disparages the ones the most that he respects and idolizes.
He wants Nancy Pelosi's reverence and record of achievement and accomplishment.
He desired Joe Biden's decency and honesty and love and adoration from his family and close associates.
He admires "Shifty Schiff" for his intelligence.
He just wishes he had 1/10th of 1% of Jamie Raskin's knowledge of the constitution and the law.
He wishes he had Elon's money.
He wishes he had bagged as many young women as Epstein.
He has no use for any of his MAGA syncophants at all. If only they knew it. he wouldn't give Mike Johnson or Tommy Tubsville the time of day in another world.
MAGA truly has no clue how he despises all of them.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't believe what he says. What he says is what matters!
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." Verbal Kint.