Donald Trump is an intuitive genius, and if you don't understand this, you will never stop him.

[Jayson1]

Frankly I think the only reason Trump won is because he went up against the only candidate he could beat and even that almost wasn't enough because Hilary won the popular vote. She represented the status quo when people are wanting change. Heck wasn't Change the big thing in getting people to vote for Obama just 8 years, earlier? One thing liberals and conservatives have in common is everyone is sick of old school politicans. Republicans got the message first with the Tea Party and i'm not sure the liberals still have gotten the message. I would like to think that Trump winning would be a wake up call but I bet you that the leadership is still content to be the Washington Generals were they know they are going to loose just about every battle but if they play along those who get to be part of the game will be rewarded for it. I know the Russians help things but they basically use some terrible truths about Clinton to manipulate people. Reminds me of one of my favorite "Angel" quotes from Cordy when Angellus had been brought back. "They used the truth to tell lies."

Jason

 

[Amaris]

One thing I noticed, Trump seems to mean everything he says, BUT he doesn't have to believe what he says, since that wasn't the aim, since the aim is to say something that gets attention, makes him look good and will be listened to by everyone and considered great by the common sense and best judgment of enough listeners.

Also: Donald and rules: We run into 4 problems. 1: Donald is ignorant of the rule (and doesn't try to know it exists). 2: He can't be bothered to understand why the rule exists. 3: He can't be bothered to understand why he should follow it, and 4: He can't be bothered to actually follow it.

And, when Donald says something, he's only intuited that it's a good thing for him to SAY HE'S GOING TO DO. He hasn't given any research or deep thought or even intuitive thought into 1: Will he actually do it. 2: IS Is it a good idea to do it 3: How to do it.

Exactly. As a narcissist, things only apply to him when they're good and to his benefit. Otherwise, they're for people who are not him, and it's their fault bad things happen. He's walking Teflon.

 

[Australis]

He's cunning. He's not a genius.

 

[MacLeod]

Exactly. As a narcissist, things only apply to him when they're good and to his benefit. Otherwise, they're for people who are not him, and it's their fault bad things happen. He's walking Teflon.

At least Teflon has some uses.

 

[Donker]

All 17 US intelligence agencies (which are not known for their overwhelming liberalism) and numerous Republican lawmakers agree that it's a major national security issue

But the fact is, it actually isn't.
The reason they say so I believe is actually several fold.

- The inability of Washington to come to grips the US Government is just dysfunctional and the Deep State and Washington wonks are completely out of touch with American people.
- The refusal to believe that Trump and the state of US politics at the moment has largely been a long time coming and is a result of the degredation of the American political and governing landscape since the introduction of Neoliberalism. (The 1980s)
- Russia deeply humiliated the US security and intelligence services during the Obama era outplaying the US both in Ukraine and Syria.
- Neoconservatives that have been stacked in the Deep State view Russia as their no.1 Ideological enemy.

The reality is, Russia didn't even really "hack" the election, it mostly spread just propaganda and misinformation and the amounts it actually spread were pretty laughable, much of the stuff only had a few dozen views. The majority of "hacking" in the US comes from China, yet the west isn't losing it's crap over China. Israel also spread pro-Trump propaganda and fake news all over the place and nobody is questioning Israel or even critiquing it.

Also as someone who actually watches Russia Today a bit, I found the Intelligence Services reports absolutely hilariously misinformed. All RT America shows supported Clinton heavily, while the reports claimed they had supported Trump. Not only that, the reports specifically pointed finger at Abby Martin for spreading Pro-Trump Russian propaganda on RT during the election... funny that Abby Martin had not worked at RT America for over a year at that point, and during the election she was a viciously anti-Trump campaigner (openly calling him a dangerous fascist near daily) and even on RT she was viciously anti-Putin. The reason of course they targeted Abby Martin if you know her history is obvious.

The Russia narrative is largely just a mass national distraction to drum up anti-Russia sentiment and distract from the fact the US Government is failing and the Democrats are largely crap, oh and that Americans, not Russian, elected Trump.

nor do most liberals think that is going to be the likely outcome.

Funny, because most American liberals online seem to think otherwise. Go on /r/politics on Reddit and pretty much 90% of threads are "Any day the US Government is going to collapse and Trump is going to prison for life!"

 

[Amaris]

At least Teflon has some uses.

It keeps cheese from sticking to the pan!

 

[Locutus of Bored]

But the fact is, it actually isn't.
The reason they say so I believe is actually several fold.

- The inability of Washington to come to grips the US Government is just dysfunctional and the Deep State and Washington wonks are completely out of touch with American people.
- The refusal to believe that Trump and the state of US politics at the moment has largely been a long time coming and is a result of the degredation of the American political and governing landscape since the introduction of Neoliberalism. (The 1980s)
- Russia deeply humiliated the US security and intelligence services during the Obama era outplaying the US both in Ukraine and Syria.
- Neoconservatives that have been stacked in the Deep State view Russia as their no.1 Ideological enemy.

The reality is, Russia didn't even really "hack" the election, it mostly spread just propaganda and misinformation and the amounts it actually spread were pretty laughable, much of the stuff only had a few dozen views. The majority of "hacking" in the US comes from China, yet the west isn't losing it's crap over China. Israel also spread pro-Trump propaganda and fake news all over the place and nobody is questioning Israel or even critiquing it.

Also as someone who actually watches Russia Today a bit, I found the Intelligence Services reports absolutely hilariously misinformed. All RT America shows supported Clinton heavily, while the reports claimed they had supported Trump. Not only that, the reports specifically pointed finger at Abby Martin for spreading Pro-Trump Russian propaganda on RT during the election... funny that Abby Martin had not worked at RT America for over a year at that point, and during the election she was a viciously anti-Trump campaigner (openly calling him a dangerous fascist near daily) and even on RT she was viciously anti-Putin. The reason of course they targeted Abby Martin if you know her history is obvious.

The Russia narrative is largely just a mass national distraction to drum up anti-Russia sentiment and distract from the fact the US Government is failing and the Democrats are largely crap, oh and that Americans, not Russian, elected Trump.

Funny, because most American liberals online seem to think otherwise. Go on /r/politics on Reddit and pretty much 90% of threads are "Any day the US Government is going to collapse and Trump is going to prison for life!"

Well, 17 intelligence agencies versus Russia Today and Reddit... I'm in a pickle. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then.

 

[Jayson1]

But the fact is, it actually isn't.
The reason they say so I believe is actually several fold.

- The inability of Washington to come to grips the US Government is just dysfunctional and the Deep State and Washington wonks are completely out of touch with American people.
- The refusal to believe that Trump and the state of US politics at the moment has largely been a long time coming and is a result of the degredation of the American political and governing landscape since the introduction of Neoliberalism. (The 1980s)
- Russia deeply humiliated the US security and intelligence services during the Obama era outplaying the US both in Ukraine and Syria.
- Neoconservatives that have been stacked in the Deep State view Russia as their no.1 Ideological enemy.

The reality is, Russia didn't even really "hack" the election, it mostly spread just propaganda and misinformation and the amounts it actually spread were pretty laughable, much of the stuff only had a few dozen views. The majority of "hacking" in the US comes from China, yet the west isn't losing it's crap over China. Israel also spread pro-Trump propaganda and fake news all over the place and nobody is questioning Israel or even critiquing it.

Also as someone who actually watches Russia Today a bit, I found the Intelligence Services reports absolutely hilariously misinformed. All RT America shows supported Clinton heavily, while the reports claimed they had supported Trump. Not only that, the reports specifically pointed finger at Abby Martin for spreading Pro-Trump Russian propaganda on RT during the election... funny that Abby Martin had not worked at RT America for over a year at that point, and during the election she was a viciously anti-Trump campaigner (openly calling him a dangerous fascist near daily) and even on RT she was viciously anti-Putin. The reason of course they targeted Abby Martin if you know her history is obvious.

The Russia narrative is largely just a mass national distraction to drum up anti-Russia sentiment and distract from the fact the US Government is failing and the Democrats are largely crap, oh and that Americans, not Russian, elected Trump.



Funny, because most American liberals online seem to think otherwise. Go on /r/politics on Reddit and pretty much 90% of threads are "Any day the US Government is going to collapse and Trump is going to prison for life!"

What does Collapse actually mean? I think some form of the USA will continue on but does anyone really think it will be anything that anyone other than the super rich will actually enjoy living in it?

Jason

 

[rahullak]

"Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman

 

[Doom Shepherd]

My BS meter redlined at "Deep State."

 

[CorporalCaptain]

My BS meter redlined at "Deep State."

Mine red-lined earlier, at "it actually isn't," but that buried it.

 

[Doom Shepherd]

Mine red-lined earlier, at "it actually isn't," but that buried it.

It is a deeply paranoid analysis.

 

[Andy Hong]

Frankly I think the only reason Trump won is because he went up against the only candidate he could beat and even that almost wasn't enough because Hilary won the popular vote. She represented the status quo when people are wanting change. Heck wasn't Change the big thing in getting people to vote for Obama just 8 years, earlier? One thing liberals and conservatives have in common is everyone is sick of old school politicans. Republicans got the message first with the Tea Party and i'm not sure the liberals still have gotten the message. I would like to think that Trump winning would be a wake up call but I bet you that the leadership is still content to be the Washington Generals were they know they are going to loose just about every battle but if they play along those who get to be part of the game will be rewarded for it. I know the Russians help things but they basically use some terrible truths about Clinton to manipulate people. Reminds me of one of my favorite "Angel" quotes from Cordy when Angellus had been brought back. "They used the truth to tell lies."

Jason

Yes, Hillary was a conventional heavyweight politician, and also normally corrupted by campaign finance (unless she can somehow prove with a list of all the times she voted against her corporate donors interests), because most politicians can't seem to run a re-election campaign without lots of donations from corporations. This was one of the few times Trump bothered to learn something and say something true "This time last year I was a businessman, I give to everybody, when they call I give, and do you know why? When you pick up the phone they are there for you!"

 

[Andy Hong]

"Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman

Yup, I haven't read it but I read the wikipedia article on it. I also read The Invisible Gorilla, Wilful Blindness, and "Everything is obvious once you know the answer"

 

[Andy Hong]

He's cunning. He's not a genius.

That's why I said "intuitive genius" and "not a knowledgable genius or a slow deep logical rational thinking genius". Think Idi Amin, a man who was effectively illiterate, but still managed to outmaneuver a coup attempt by someone considerably more intelligent than him.
You'll also note that Trump has now almost blindly followed Fox News's suggestions to arm all teachers, most likely because he heard the sentence "arm all teachers" on Fox and immediately common sensed "yes that's a great idea" without further research or deep thought or speaking to experts.

 

[Andy Hong]

OH YEAH....no one seems to have asked me what I meant by "common sense, best judgment, intuition and instincts (their intuitive thought process)"?

 

[Jayson1]

I bet Trump ends up getting the last laugh on everyone. When they come to haul him off to prison for treason they will find Robert Mueller tied and gaged in the Oval Office. Trump will actually be on a plane headed to Russia drinking a toast with Putin. Jared Kushner flying the plane. Turns out he has been hiding his voice and keeping a low profile the whole time because he was masterminding EVERYTHING from the start.

Jason

 

[Lord Garth]

I've got to say Trump makes me cringe with something new every day. "Let's arm the teachers too!" Two wrongs don't make a right. That's not a classroom, it's a war zone.

I propose the idea of it being illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase a gun. You cut down on high school shootings if a high school student can't just go into a store to buy a gun. I was surprised to find out teenagers can buy a gun in some states.

"But if they're illegal, they'll just get them underground!" I don't think most of these distraught kids are well-connected enough -- or connected at all -- to the black market to know where to even get one if they can't go into the store.

Then Trump came up with the even more ironic idea that even if 20% of teachers had guns, it would deter students from bringing them in. Guess what? What if the kid brought in a gun where it was one of the 80%? A lot of help a teacher's gun would've done then. They're not even there! And how many teachers are trained on how to use a gun? What if they're taught the same as police, to shoot to kill? And what if the guns become a crutch and then they shoot to kill whenever a kid is disrupting class and won't behave or a fight breaks out?

Anyway, the most frustrating thing about Trump is that he doesn't think a single thing he says out. If he's trying to galvanize his base he's succeeded. But I wonder what swing voters think of him now?

Is this a President who'll keep your children safe or will he put them in even more danger?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

My BS meter redlined at "Deep State."

Yep, that's about where I tuned out and decided not to bother with a comprehensive rebuttal.

 

[MacLeod]

That's why I said "intuitive genius" and "not a knowledgable genius or a slow deep logical rational thinking genius". Think Idi Amin, a man who was effectively illiterate, but still managed to outmaneuver a coup attempt by someone considerably more intelligent than him.
You'll also note that Trump has now almost blindly followed Fox News's suggestions to arm all teachers, most likely because he heard the sentence "arm all teachers" on Fox and immediately common sensed "yes that's a great idea" without further research or deep thought or speaking to experts.

Isn't that last statement of yours the issue, I'm sure many people will use their intuition but they then might also apply some more thought to their intuitive idea before doing anything with it be that applying it or verbalising it.

Now arming teachers might sound like a great idea, but it won't solve the issue when you give it some more thought.

• The students would likely learn which teachers are armed and plan around it.
• You can't force every teacher to be armed.
• A teacher might forgot to take their weapon one day
• In the ensuring crossfire a teacher might injure or worse kill a student
• Even trained professionals can freeze
• Knowing the teacher might be armed they would become the first target for the shooter

I could go on.