Althouse: How is Trump going to bring us together?

March 6, 2020

How is Trump going to bring us together?

Asked and answered at last night's town hall:

"I really believe we're going to win this next election, and when we do, the other side's going to say, okay, that's it, let's get along."

129 comments:

Curious George said...: "I really believe we're going to win this next election, and when we do, the other side's going to say, okay, that's it, let's get along."

He doesn't believe that, but saying they will is a smart move.; 3/6/20, 6:11 AM
rhhardin said...: The networks still have to sell eyeballs to advertisers and that drives everything.; 3/6/20, 6:13 AM
rehajm said...: Lynette has been a Trump supporter since Trump rode down the escalator. That was what- nearly five years ago but the family is just now getting around to the threats of isolation? They need Lynette to rant against. Cutting toxic people out of your life is a good choice...

I do feel a sense of capitulation from the left, like they're out of ammunition. The Schumer rant was one of his weakest moments in a career of weak moments. The aftermath feels tinged with a hint of self reflection. We really are Trump deranged...; 3/6/20, 6:28 AM
tim in vermont said...: "The networks still have to sell eyeballs to advertisers and that drives everything.”

Not true anymore once the networks became the playthings of billionaires who have much bigger fish to fry. Now they are ways for billionaires to do favors for politicians.; 3/6/20, 6:28 AM
wendybar said...: He isn't calling us Racists and hillbillies for one. People are sick of being put into little boxes and getting slapped for trying to step out of them.; 3/6/20, 6:29 AM
iowan2 said...: Very smart for President Trump to lay out his preferred strategy. He has always thought that. Left alone he would have negotiated a deal with the Dreamers and DACA. Dems shut him down. They could not brook anything that might be construed as a Trump win. President Trump is exactly what the left say they want. Negotiation, with both sides winning.
The problem with Dems, the have too many non-negotiable beliefs. Like, "Seeing to a newborn baby, making it comfortable" until the mother decides to abort it. Once you lock into such an entrenched belief, negotiation, no longer exists as a viable path.; 3/6/20, 6:29 AM
Rick said...: the other side's going to say, okay, that's it, let's get along."

That's not going to happen. But it's a good answer because it places the onus on Dems.; 3/6/20, 6:34 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Curious George said...
He doesn't believe that, but saying they will is a smart move.

People who think that someone saying something that is transparently false and that they obviously don't believe is "smart" is how we got Trump in the first place.; 3/6/20, 6:34 AM
Phil 314 said...: This is moment where after a pause Steve Martin says “NAAAAAAAHHHHH!”; 3/6/20, 6:41 AM
tim in vermont said...: "saying something that is transparently false and that they obviously don't believe is "smart" is how we got Trump”

ARM is right. Putting forth Hillary as the Democrat champion, and the bullshit reasons why she was the “smartest woman in the world” and covering for her obvious corruption which has been documented here ad nauseam is how we got Trump.; 3/6/20, 6:43 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: As a man and a candidate, Figurehead Joe is extremely weak. The guy has no core. He's a DC swamp creature who's merely been blabbing for 50 years.

However, the forces propping him up are, indeed, pretty strong. They have been hammered hard by Trump these past 3 years, and aren't happy about it. They really don't want to be hammered another 4 years. They want to return to open borders, pliable judges, cheap labor, and graft from China.

So, it's gonna be hard to bring them together.; 3/6/20, 6:45 AM
gilbar said...: Curious George said...
"I really believe we're going to win this next election, and when we do, the other side's going to say, okay, that's it, let's get along."

And they will; just not Quite right away;
10 or 15 years from now; the democrats will be saying:
"It's SO SAD that today's republicans aren't like Don Trump was; instead, they're like Hitler"
just like they did with Reagan; 3/6/20, 6:50 AM
AllenS said...: Trump will win by just shear number of voters. The Minneapolis MN Star Tribune posted a map of the state, and voting by precints. Very small turnout. Some precints had no voters, others two. That tells me Trump voters simply out number Democrat voters bigly.

LINK TEXT; 3/6/20, 6:51 AM
Jersey Fled said...: Our only hope as a nation is that the Republicans hold the Senate and win back the House. Otherwise it's four more years of the same. Schumer, Pelosi, Nadler and Schiff aren't going to change. And don't forget RBG isn't going to live forever. If there's one thing the Libs will fight to the death for, it's the right to kill their babies in or out of the womb.

That being said, it was the perfect response to the question.; 3/6/20, 6:57 AM
traditionalguy said...: After the Senate, House and Presidency are Trumpians, then the Bad Orange Man will consider turning the other cheek when he is attacked with Fake News impeachment material and 25th Amendment insider insurrection. Maybe.; 3/6/20, 6:58 AM
R C Belaire said...: Trump may personally believe what he said, but to me it's just wishful thinking. Four more years of attacks coming at ya!!; 3/6/20, 7:03 AM
Kai Akker said...: I hope Rehajm is right, at 6:28; could be. I felt Schumer was delighted with himself and thought he had played the game perfectly. What might bring those shenanigans to an end would be a prosecution that he richly deserves. Trump started to say this general thought himself, in that video clip -- you can't just accept the evil dealings, you have to fight back. Keep going until you prevail, and they accept the defeat of their malice, hatred, stupidity and anti-Americanism. When ARMs learn to stand on their head and see the world more clearly for a while.; 3/6/20, 7:06 AM
Browndog said...: Trump almost won Minnesota last time. 40,000 "late votes" out of Minneapolis put Hillary over the top.

Nobody talks about it.; 3/6/20, 7:08 AM
tim maguire said...: Both sides complain about the other side's divisiveness and both sides have their reasons. I have my opinions and I have my reasons. The only way to end it is for both sides to stop insisting the other side is the problem. Literally, the solution is to stop caring so much about being right.

And end social media. We will never heal as a society so long as politics are tolerated on Twitter and Facebook. And if it means the end of Twitter and Facebook, it's not much of a loss.; 3/6/20, 7:09 AM
Rosa Marie Yoder said...: Their hatred is deep-seated and all-consuming. Only an Act of God can change something that visceral.; 3/6/20, 7:12 AM
traditionalguy said...: Observe the power of positive Presidential leadership. He set a reachable goal and said we can push forward to it. Then we can be winners. Let’s go.; 3/6/20, 7:14 AM
MayBee said...: tim maguire said...
Both sides complain about the other side's divisiveness and both sides have their reasons. I have my opinions and I have my reasons. The only way to end it is for both sides to stop insisting the other side is the problem. Literally, the solution is to stop caring so much about being right.

Exactly.
I remember after the media tore Bush apart for Katrina and for firing US Attorneys, John Kerry was supposed to bring us together and make the world love us again. It is the same playbook every time.
I will say when Obama was President, the complaint was that Republicans were being obstinate. I remember reports were that Obama thought the US was ungovernable.

I think Twitter and Facebook are terrible not for politics so much as social mob commentary/behavior. But our major media outlets are terrible. They play for one side. We'll never be "united" with them controlling the narrative.; 3/6/20, 7:16 AM
Sebastian said...: "okay, that's it, let's get along"

What others said. Ain't gonna happen. Smart to say. Reaching out to nice women who dislike chaos.; 3/6/20, 7:18 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: ARM--

"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."

Obama didn't believe that, but it was a smart move to say it.

It is hard to win these games, but keep on trying.; 3/6/20, 7:23 AM
Browndog said...: Ah, the old "both sides are to blame."

Everyone is to blame. No one is to blame

Everyone is right. Everyone is wrong.

Everyone cares. Nobody cares.; 3/6/20, 7:24 AM
Danno said...: tim maguire said...Both sides complain about the other side's divisiveness and both sides have their reasons. I have my opinions and I have my reasons. The only way to end it is for both sides to stop insisting the other side is the problem. Literally, the solution is to stop caring so much about being right.

Wishful thinking. The Republicans have merely responded to the Dems always attacking them no matter the candidate. Trump is our secret weapon that never takes it like Mitt Romney did. You seem to be pretty naive politically, Tim.; 3/6/20, 7:26 AM
tim in vermont said...: And the Republican Senator who voted to remove his is trying to block looking into the facts behind the case.; 3/6/20, 7:26 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Setting high expectations is a the sign of a good leader. Boy was he comfortable in that Town Hall format.; 3/6/20, 7:28 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Message: I care.
Message: I don't care.

We know where Melania stands: she doesn't really care. But what was the question?; 3/6/20, 7:28 AM
Chuck said...: The comments here now seem indistinguishable from calls in to Rush Limbaugh.

But it isn’t just some far-left group of extremists who hate Trump. Educated suburbanites who have voted Republican are turning away from the party as Trump dominates things. Republican registrations are falling off. A solid majority of Americans disapprove of Trump. More voters say they will certainly not vote for Trump in November (regardless of his opponent). He has no plan to “replace Obamacare.” And he’s lying if he denies that his Administration is trying actively to sabotage what is left of it.

And now, faced with the breathtaking budget deficits caused by Trump tax cuts and unrestrained spending (particularly military), Trump hints that his stupid promises in 2016 to never take away anyone’s Social Security or Medicare benefits may be a promise he won’t be able to keep. Although one way to make certain that no one’s benefits will be reduced by Trump is to make sure that Trump is not re-elected in November.; 3/6/20, 7:30 AM
rehajm said...: It's the tactics that will change. Borking, Watergating, Lawfare, Impeachment, othering, ostracizing, the bratty fits. All tactics. If they aren't working, try something else. Looking competent and constructive is an available option.; 3/6/20, 7:31 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: A few more rambling and distorted conversations with Hannity and Trump will lose in a landslide and then finally Mitch may release the hundreds of bills he has blocked.; 3/6/20, 7:35 AM
Known Unknown said...: Weird bubble moment: I am from Ohio but working right now in Philadelphia. One of our efforts is to design a program to get more states to screen babies for rare diseases. The guy in charge (who is really nice, but as you'll see, very provincial) has said stuff like "this is a Northeast thing. It started in the Northeast." and "Do they even have this in the South? I mean, they're like 'we have crabs, but we don't need to help babies out'" or something like that.

The states that currently mandate the state screening (the state pays for it): New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky) The states that mandate but do not pay for it are: Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Carolina, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

How are those listed Northeast? NY and NJ, I guess (more Mid-Atlantic) and where the hell are Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri? This is bubble-thinking at its provincial worst. He thinks of the South as such a regressive place in his mind that he cannot even bring himself to acknowledge the fact that 3 of the 7 states where testing is mandated and paid for are in 'the South.'

I don't understand it. These are supposedly smart people who cannot get past their own biases.

I think it's an interesting psychological task to study this type of thinking (or location bias, or... ); 3/6/20, 7:39 AM
tim in vermont said...: "But it isn’t just some far-left group of extremists who hate Trump. Educated suburbanites who have voted Republican are turning away from the party as Trump dominates things.”

Educated urbanites whose economic interests are now better aligned with the Democrats are upset that Trump is raising the costs of their maids and gardeners.; 3/6/20, 7:39 AM
Larry J said...: I truly believe in checks and balances, not just between the parts of government but also of political ideology. We've seen the institutional corruption of long-term Democrat rule in the House (which they ran for 40 years until defeated in 1994) and in major cities around the country. We saw similar corruption when Republicans ran both houses of Congress and had the presidency in the early 2000s. We need checks and balances.

Today, the Democrats are completely unhinged. I've been hoping for a Bernie nomination so they can suffer a Mondale-level defeat in November, not just on the presidency but all the way down through all levels of government. Perhaps then the few remaining sane adults in the party can get control from the crazies and return to being a viable opposition. I'm a conservative more than a Republican. I believe the current Democrats are more of an organized crime ring than a political party. But I also believe Republicans need a viable opposition. Checks and balances, across the board.; 3/6/20, 7:40 AM
Howard said...: I hear he is interviewing Rodney King for his new Congressional liaison position; 3/6/20, 7:40 AM
tim in vermont said...: Anybody who really is educated in the old sense of the word, rather than indoctrinated, which is what education has become, can clearly see that Trump has a point about the mortality of the virus. You can’t see it, Chuck because your reasoning skills are so motivated by your need to bash Trump at every turn and justify your intended vote for a senile and corrupt old fool.

If it were somehow, in some other universe, to Trump’s advantage for people to be scared out of their wits by this virus, and he had parroted the press’s number, you would have no problem understanding the criticisms of that number. Unless you really are a moron.; 3/6/20, 7:43 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."

Health insurance for about 85% of people was unaffected by Obamacare. So approximately 85% correct. Imagine for a moment if Trump said something that was 85% correct. Sadly no one would notice, since it would be immediately covered by the endless stream of 100% bullshit that he followed up with.; 3/6/20, 7:47 AM
Silly Calabrese said...: Okay, who switched Donald Trump with Polyanna? A giant meteorite would have to strike the continental US and wipe out about fifty million Trump-Derangement-Syndrome stuck-on-hate Democrats (just them you understand) for that statement to be true. And I think the likelihood of that is more remote even than Bernie winning the nomination.; 3/6/20, 7:50 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Blogger roesch/voltaire said...
A few more rambling and distorted conversations with Hannity and Trump will lose in a landslide

This is what I thought after the debacle debates with Hillary, in which Trump revealed that he knew almost nothing about either government or the country. But people seem to love incoherent, ill-informed and stupid.; 3/6/20, 7:51 AM
Mattman26 said...: Whether or not he actually believes that prediction (I don’t know), and whether or not it’s correct (I don’t know that either), it was a pretty thoughtful and lucid answer. I cannot imagine either Joe or Bernie giving one.; 3/6/20, 7:55 AM
Mattman26 said...: ARM and I make a pretty nice back-to-back there. Incoherent, ill-informed and stupid? Or thoughtful and lucid? Funny world we’re in.; 3/6/20, 7:58 AM
tim in vermont said...: "But people seem to love incoherent, ill-informed and stupid. “

Whereas you love deep and corrupt ties to Russia, which contributed hundreds of millions to Hillary’s foundation, which served her campaign, and personal money to her manager. Oh, let’s not forget the ham fisted war mongering in North Africa and Syria, which unleashed millions of refugees.

That would have been better than what Trump has done, which is a pretty decent job of running the country.; 3/6/20, 7:58 AM
tim in vermont said...: "it was a pretty thoughtful and lucid answer.”

I can’t tell if the trolls here are that cognitively crippled by Trump derangement, or they really can’t understand the point he is making.; 3/6/20, 7:59 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Mattman26 said...
it was a pretty thoughtful and lucid answer.

But it is obviously a lie and he obviously doesn't believe this lie. This is what drives Chuck crazy, Trump can't tell the truth even when there is no advantage to lying.; 3/6/20, 8:01 AM
tim in vermont said...: Hillary’s whole tenure as SoS and platform as a candidate could have been written by Putin as a way to increase his ability to fund his army by supporting high oil prices.; 3/6/20, 8:01 AM
Kai Akker said...: But people seem to love incoherent, ill-informed and stupid.

QED; 3/6/20, 8:02 AM
tim in vermont said...: "But it is obviously a lie and he obviously doesn't believe this lie.”

Which was a lie? His opinion that he thinks that you guys will eventually get tired of this energy suck of hating him if he wins convincingly, or his position on the virus that Chuck quoted.

If his position on the virus is an “obvious lie” then please explain it to us and as people raise objections, explain why they are wrong in your own words using your own understanding of statistical methods, I am sure you have studied the mathematics of epidemiology at some rudimentary level, right?; 3/6/20, 8:04 AM
Limited blogger said...: They're running Biden. They gave up.; 3/6/20, 8:06 AM
wendybar said...: Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...
This is what I thought after the debacle debates with Hillary, in which Trump revealed that he knew almost nothing about either government or the country. But people seem to love incoherent, ill-informed and stupid.

Either that, or they decided they didn't trust the most corrupt, crooked person ever that ran for President.; 3/6/20, 8:07 AM
Rory said...: The Dems aren't likely to back down, because they're so dominant in the coastal cities that there's no down side to acting like mental cases. You can't lose any friends if all of your friends think exactly like you.; 3/6/20, 8:08 AM
tim in vermont said...: "They're running Biden. They gave up.”

It's so reckless that I am going to have to once again adjust my cynicism to try to keep up.; 3/6/20, 8:09 AM
Kai Akker said...: The only way to end it is for both sides to stop insisting the other side is the problem.

@tim maguire -- two deeply conflicting philosophies of the nation, its laws, and its history. One of them is going to win out; they are not compatible. A crisis might bring more people some added clarity, that could be one silver lining to the virus issue. But speaking of hunches -- and maybe this furthers the observation rehajm made -- it is hard not to get the feeling that Appomattox Courthouse is much closer than we know.

From Wikipedia: Well-dressed in his customary uniform, Lee waited for Grant to arrive. Grant, whose headache had ended when he received Lee's note, arrived at the McLean house in a mud-spattered uniform—a government-issue sack coat with trousers tucked into muddy boots, no sidearms, and with only his tarnished shoulder straps showing his rank. It was the first time the two men had seen each other face-to-face in almost two decades. Suddenly overcome with sadness, Grant found it hard to get to the point of the meeting and instead the two generals briefly discussed their only previous encounter, during the Mexican–American War. Lee brought the attention back to the issue at hand, and Grant offered the same terms he had before:

In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate. One copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Appomattox_Court_House; 3/6/20, 8:11 AM
Browndog said...: To understand liberals is to understand their most basic principle:

It is not possible for someone to know something they do not.

All things reaffirm what they already know, all thing that do not reaffirm what they already know is false.; 3/6/20, 8:12 AM
tim in vermont said...: I am sure that Biden can convince Pennsylvania that its booming economy will work just as well as ,not just the energy extraction jobs, which are plentiful now, are shut down, but the cheap energy and petroleum feedstocks, which gives their factories advantages over Europe, is put to an end.; 3/6/20, 8:13 AM
tcrosse said...: "They're running Biden. They gave up.”

Not so fast. They can still slip in a ringer.; 3/6/20, 8:14 AM
Drago said...: LLR-lefty and Sudden-Onset-Socialist Chuck: "The comments here now seem indistinguishable from calls in to Rush Limbaugh."

Since 2015 every single Chuck post has read like a spittle-flecked rage rant of a typical Maddow far-left marxist lawfare guest.; 3/6/20, 8:14 AM
narciso said...: they are credentialed and indoctrinated to believe in more than two genders, the care and feeding of skydragons, to fear reliable electricity, other things one couldn't have imagined even 30 years ago,; 3/6/20, 8:21 AM
Drago said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/6/20, 8:22 AM
Drago said...: ARM: "But it is obviously a lie..."

LOL

I'll take hoax Russian Collusion, hoax dossier, hoax russian spy, hoax gang rape accusations, hoax Ukraine quid pro quo, hoax accusations of improper goldfish feeding, (and hundreds more hair on fire lefty/LLR-lefty lies) for $500 Alex....; 3/6/20, 8:23 AM
narciso said...: civil wars or socio-political schisms are rarely as neat as ours nearly eight score ago, the Spanish civil war, about four score ago, the Lebanese and Bosnian ones about two to three generations later,; 3/6/20, 8:24 AM
tim in vermont said...: ARM has ditched his moldy talking points and gone ad hominem. It s a story arc we see time and again. Troll comes in full of vim and vinegar, sees his pet talking points shredded once they are taken out of the protective clime of some liberal hot house like Kos. When they are on a site that bans conservatives, they think of themselves as master debaters, and they are close.; 3/6/20, 8:29 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Now ARM is referencing R/V with approval. A gathering of trolls? Or sock puppets talking to each other?

When I was a kid, Burr Tillstrom did a great job with both Kukla and Ollie.; 3/6/20, 8:44 AM
Pookie Number 2 said...: One of the best examples of TDS is the pretense that Trump is incoherent. He’s got a weird way of expressing himself, but people (at least those not lying to themselves) generally understand what he’s saying.

It’s truly awesome watching Chuck’s jealously consume him. Perhaps if he stamps his foot a little harder...; 3/6/20, 8:56 AM
Ken B said...: “ People are sick of being put into little boxes and getting slapped for trying to step out of them.”

I wish it were so. The Democrats are choosing either Mr They want to put you back in chains or Mr everything is racist. Meanwhile calling *themselves* sexists for passing on Warren.; 3/6/20, 9:02 AM
Kevin said...: This is what drives Chuck crazy.

If lying drove Chuck crazy he’d be posting about a lot more than Trump.

He doesn’t.; 3/6/20, 9:11 AM
Readering said...: Yeah, just like 2013.; 3/6/20, 9:12 AM
Kevin said...: What other choice will the anti-Trumpers have?

Spend the next four years trying to convince people not to vote for him in 2024?

OK, Loser.; 3/6/20, 9:15 AM
tim in vermont said...: Look at the question in the poll that showed the virus hurting Trump that they asked prior to asking about Trump.

“Do you think that the corona virus is a hoax like Trump said?”

https://twitter.com/helloitsthao/status/1235619743576571904

The main purpose of polls like this is to try out new lines of attack.; 3/6/20, 9:17 AM
Kevin said...: All the real Trump haters will move to Canada.

Where they will immediately drag down the country’s test results in math.; 3/6/20, 9:20 AM
tim in vermont said...: Since Chuck only seems to be able to understand arguments from authority:

Experts warn that the figure from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus comes full of caveats and is likely to change as more people get tested and undergo treatment for the virus.

“I think it’s lower because we are missing mild cases,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.; 3/6/20, 9:21 AM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Projecting optimism in spite of all reason and experience. Part of the role. Very presidential.; 3/6/20, 9:22 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: ARM I think Bonhoeffer in Letters and Papers from Prison expresses the situation well: “Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. … The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other.; 3/6/20, 9:26 AM
tim in vermont said...: R/V, Didn’t you mean to put that comment over on the MSNBC thread?; 3/6/20, 9:29 AM
Calypso Facto said...: "How is Trump going to bring us together?"

At work. Lowest unemployment since the post-WWII era.

ARM: "Health insurance for about 85% of people was unaffected by Obamacare."

Just because 85% of people continued to be insured through employers doesn't mean their health insurance or their income was "unaffected". The steeply higher coverage and compliance costs mandated by Obamacare had a significant negative effect on coverage options, economic growth, and wages.; 3/6/20, 9:29 AM
Owen said...: tcrosse @ 8:14: “...They can still slip in a ringer.”

Bingo. My hypothesis, Moochelle is the big reveal in Minneapolis. Certainly the click-addicted media would love that.; 3/6/20, 9:31 AM
tim in vermont said...: "it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity.”

Obviously, the inference to be drawn is that the state needs the power to protect the nation from stupidity by crushing popular movements, and obviously democracy has to go and we should be ruled by the enlightened few who can be trusted to look after our best interests, even if it seems to us that they are doing the opposite.; 3/6/20, 9:32 AM
tim in vermont said...: For instance, the bien pensants have decided that well paying jobs in manufacturing and mining should be done overseas because US workers are simply not fit for them, and coincidentally, the traders in Wall Street and Chicago will make as much money or even more despite this change, and this is the best part... The prosperity that these moves bring to our billionaire class will trickle down to the rest of us!; 3/6/20, 9:36 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: Aunty you proved Bonhoeffer's point, thank you.; 3/6/20, 9:37 AM
tim in vermont said...: Imagine the stupidity of American workers who can’t see that what is best for the billionaire class in New York and San Fransisco, and their camp followers isn’t by extension best for America as a whole! What’s good for Bloomberg is good for the country! It’s so obvious.

The stupidity of working class Americans who can’t see this burns!

Oh, I thought you wanted to talk about ideas R/V, but it seems you only wanted to hurl insults and look to your like minded friend for reassurance. Like in Of Mice and Men, “Tell me again about the rabbits, George."; 3/6/20, 9:39 AM
Michael K said...: However, the forces propping him up are, indeed, pretty strong. They have been hammered hard by Trump these past 3 years, and aren't happy about it.

Yes, these are the people behind Biden, who seems to be the best the Democrats can come up with this year. ARM and R/V show how incoherent the left has become. Chuck is just flinging poo.

The only thing that might, and I say might, cool things off are if the Democrats lose big this fall. There is a suggestion, from of all places California, that it might happen.

The nonsense from ARM about COVID 19 is only one example. The other ARM "tell" is the failure to understand why the 85% of Americans in employer health plans were left alone.

Obamacare was intended to roll up those plans into Obamacare. That's how the insurance lobbyists wrote it. After 2010, the Democrats realized that it would be electoral suicide to try to carry out that plan and they gave up.; 3/6/20, 9:40 AM
tim in vermont said...: "Aunty you proved Bonhoeffer's point, thank you.”

Please expand on your point. Oh, that’s right. You don’t reallly understand this stuff your book club of super geniuses reads. You just empty the waste baskets in the faculty lounge is my bet.

Insults are easy, aren’t they R/V?; 3/6/20, 9:41 AM
Drago said...: Its never too early to go Full Godwin!; 3/6/20, 9:43 AM
Owen said...: My guess is, Bonhoeffer’s “stupidity” is really “naïveté” in the sense that people who have been fed bullshit and denied much or any exercise of political power, will do dumb things when they get it. Give a teenager the keys to the liquor cabinet and the family car, it’s almost as crazy as giving Alexandra O-C a seat in Congress. Maybe eventually they learn the limits of power, but in the meantime, “stupidity.”; 3/6/20, 9:46 AM
Drago said...: Just think, if Trump supporters are Nazi's that would mean R/V and ARM are modern day heroes putting everything they have, including their very lives, at direct risk.

My God. What courage! What selflessness!

I can only hope this latest "battle" to the near death will be spoken about with the reverent tone required for such a tale of heroic sacrifice....while standing in line at the Starbucks before heading to the grocery to pickup lambchops for dinner.; 3/6/20, 9:47 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: roesch/voltaire said...
Bonhoeffer in Letters and Papers from Prison expresses the situation well: “Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. … The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other.

It is extraordinary hearing well educated people defend Trump's actual statements. You can defend him as the lesser of two evils, although even that is a stretch now, but to defend his nonsense diminishes everyone.; 3/6/20, 9:52 AM
tim in vermont said...: You two should get a room!

Two smart fellers, they felt smart! Say that three times fast!; 3/6/20, 9:54 AM
narciso said...: Chuck reminds me of vizzini 'those words you are using..."; 3/6/20, 9:55 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: Thanks to the folks in my lame book club, who actually practice science and medicine, I invested in INO and NNVC last week.As to why folks would vote against their common interest, I suppose it is easier to believe a repeated lie than shift through the complicated evidence. Isn't this why we went to war against Iraq, or believe that Mexico will pay for the wall?; 3/6/20, 9:56 AM
rcocean said...: Poor sweet Donald Trump. Does he Really think the D's are going to put aside their insane hatred for the good of the USA?

He mistaking Pelosi and Schumer for normal people.; 3/6/20, 10:03 AM
tim in vermont said...: That’s it? That’s what you call a reasoned reply?

I am more and more convinced every day that my jibe about you emptying wastebaskets in the faculty lounge is close to the truth. Maybe you keep the heating plant running, or move office furniture... IDK.; 3/6/20, 10:04 AM
rcocean said...: "The comments here now seem indistinguishable from calls in to Rush Limbaugh."

And yet the Lefty commentators here, give us the party line that we hear every day from the NYT/WaPo/CBS/NBC/ABC/CNN/MSNBC/PBS/NPR.

People with boring, unoriginal thoughts shouldn't throw stones.; 3/6/20, 10:07 AM
tim in vermont said...: "As to why folks would vote against their common interest, “

One of your scientist acquaintances, were they presented with an argument such as I did, involving their work, wouldn’t change the subject, as you did. They would explain why my take was wrong. Let me spoon feed you how it would be done:

I said that it is unsurprising that working people are upset that the well paying jobs for the non college educated were being moved overseas.

To back up your claim that these people are voting against their own interests, as you put it, you could explain to me why it is in the interests of those people who are disinclined to go to college, for whatever reason, should see the well paying jobs they are qualified for shipped overseas.

I am waiting.; 3/6/20, 10:08 AM
James Pawlak said...: Some have proclaimed that President Trump had been dividing the American People rather than unifying them. I also divide people:
1. Criminals from law-abiding citizens;
2. Legal immigrants (Who obey our too convoluted immigration laws and waited too long for lawful entry into our nation) from those illegals (Who steal jobs from the poorest among us); Bring in or facilitate that bringing of very deadly drugs which are killing Americans at a war level; Drain our educational and social service resources and often do not pay those taxes which support those programs; Inflict dangerous crimes at a rate much higher than their part of the general population);
3. Those who support OR will not condemn the horrid commands of the criminal-terrorist ideology known as Islam from those in our Armed Forces who have given up life-and-limb in fighting (Pray forgive the redundancy) Islamist terrorists waging Jihad AND from the millions of innocent humans who have suffered at the hands of (Again) Islamist terrorists;
4. Those (eg Especially on university campuses) who will not allow others the peaceful exercise of others' rights (ie As both speakers and audiences) under the First Amendment from those far too patient persons who have suffered from those Fascist attacks without, very actively, exercising their rights under the Second Amendment to protect themselves from the "clear and present danger of death or great physical harm" as presented by such
groups as "AntiFa";
5. Those who claim some 59 "sexes" from those who maintain the scientific reality that (With exception of some very rare, physical, "sports") there are only two sexes for humans. And,
6. Such others as you should easily identify.; 3/6/20, 10:10 AM
Known Unknown said...: "It is extraordinary hearing well-educated people defend Trump's actual statements."

So much bullshit has come out of Washington decade after decade that people have become largely immune to words. No one cares. I sure as hell don't anymore.

The disconnect between words and actions.

The largesse for themselves at the expense of the larger electorate.

Trump is the result of The Hunger Games election of 2016, where the ruled suddenly realized they cared more about action than "character."; 3/6/20, 10:16 AM
tim in vermont said...: I have all the time in the world, I am sitting with my ill mother while she sleeps. My sister put on the soundtrack from Amadeus, which seems a bit too on the nose for my taste given what’s going on here, but anyway.

My mother and I were never close, even as I was a child, imagine the polar opposite of Portnoy’s Complaint, but she deserves the respect of our attention at this time. It just seems odd to me to play “Lachrymosa” right now. But the music is, of course, beautiful.

Maybe I can find another novel to read instead of doing all of this commenting. My other sister threw out all of the Reader’s Digest condensed books that were around here and I was hoping to inherit, we had many dozens of them around as I was growing up, and there was always a good one to read.; 3/6/20, 10:18 AM
tim maguire said...: Danno said...
tim maguire said..."Both sides complain about the other side's divisiveness and both sides have their reasons. I have my opinions and I have my reasons. The only way to end it is for both sides to stop insisting the other side is the problem. Literally, the solution is to stop caring so much about being right."

Wishful thinking. The Republicans have merely responded to the Dems always attacking them no matter the candidate. Trump is our secret weapon that never takes it like Mitt Romney did. You seem to be pretty naive politically, Tim.

You're responding to a comment I didn't make and naivete has nothing to do with it.; 3/6/20, 10:21 AM
TrespassersW said...: Aunty Trump said...
I am more and more convinced every day that my jibe about you emptying wastebaskets in the faculty lounge is close to the truth. Maybe you keep the heating plant running, or move office furniture... IDK.

Keep in mind that the people who empty wastebaskets, keep heating plants running, and move office furniture are performing useful work. The people inhabiting faculty lounges nowadays, on the other hand...

Anti-intellectual? Given what passes for "intellectual," that's a label that doesn't scare me.; 3/6/20, 10:22 AM
tim in vermont said...: “Anti-intellectual” means to think for oneself. Therefore, if you thought that sending your son off to fight in WWI was a bad idea, you were, by definition, an “anti-intellectual.” Working against your own interests, even.; 3/6/20, 10:27 AM
tim in vermont said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/6/20, 10:35 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: Actually I know quite a few folks who didn't go to college, including members of my own family; they are electricians, plumbers, carpenters, photographers and one who sells Realestate, and they are all doing okay as opposed to those in manufacturing who lost those well paying jobs.And yes some did vote for Trump, but recently some are having second thoughts because they can't afford health insurance and believe some sort of cheaper coverage is needed. Or like my cousin who runs a big dairy farm in Baron County and found out the hard way what the policies have done to dairy in Wisconsin; he now realizes voting for Trump again in not in his interest. Further, I don't see much in Trump's policies other than empty promises to bring back coal or steel production, and people who buy into that are ignoring their long term interests, which is easy to do because human's are short sighted and don't live long. What is needed is a huge investment in training for future jobs--bring in Yang's vision here, and investment in the future energy such as solar, or hydrogen fuel cells. We need someone who sees that we all contribute to our well being including simple things like eliminating the use of plastics or emptying waste baskets in my office, which I did before I retired.
For reading I would recommend Educated by Tara Westover which the book club I belong to, read last month.; 3/6/20, 11:00 AM
dbp said...: roesch/voltaire said...

A few more rambling and distorted conversations with Hannity and Trump will lose in a landslide and then finally Mitch may release the hundreds of bills he has blocked.

Just because Trump said something that he may not believe does not mean we are suddenly having a contest to say the most unbelievable thing.; 3/6/20, 11:01 AM
Michael K said...: It is extraordinary hearing well educated people defend Trump's actual statements.

Says the ignorant lefty who pretends he is Aristotle. I think we need a batter class of lefties here. Some that can make make a cogent argument without lying.

Of course, I may be describing a unicorn. Back in 2004, I was banned from Kevin Drum's blog (not by Kevin who I respect) because the usual lefties could not refute arguments that single payer was not a workable system. Most of them, like our lefties here, did not understand health care.; 3/6/20, 11:02 AM
Michael K said...: recently some are having second thoughts because they can't afford health insurance and believe some sort of cheaper coverage is needed.

Like what they had before Obamacare ? R/V, you are amusing.; 3/6/20, 11:04 AM
Sam L. said...: Dems will hate, Hate, HATE Trump...because that's what they do.; 3/6/20, 11:07 AM
narciso said...: there are passive aggressive trolls, but they aren't any smarter, progs screw things up, and then they want another whack at it,; 3/6/20, 11:11 AM
Drago said...: R/V: " Or like my cousin who runs a big dairy farm in Baron County and found out the hard way what the policies have done to dairy in Wisconsin; he now realizes voting for Trump again in not in his interest."

LOLOLOLOL

"Dairy Farmers Thrilled As Trump Signs U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement
by Anna-Lisa Laca
11:52AM Jan 29, 2020

"On the day of the signing, dairy producers were thrilled at the completion of the deal which has taken years to negotiate.

USMCA moves the U.S. dairy community forward. The Mexico and Canada export markets amount to supporting thousands of dairy farms and tens of thousands of jobs across the U.S. This deal capitalizes on our already successful trading relationships with our North American partners,” says Joan Maxwell, Cinnamon Ridge Farms in Donahue, Iowa. “As dairy farmers we look forward to the continued opportunities USMCA presents our industry.”

Mitch Davis a farmer from Belle Plaine, Minn. Also called the deal a win. “Not only does this deal allow the dairy community to build on two of our strongest export markets, Mexico and Canada, it helps ensure our U.S. dairy farmers will not be harmed by Canada’s domestic management systems in the global dairy marketplace.”

South Dakota farmer Michael Crinion says the deal helps secure U.S. dairy’s No. 1 export market.

“The agreement signed today also protects our south-bound, commonly named cheeses and it modernizes regulatory transparency measures,” he says."

https://www.agweb.com/article/dairy-farmers-thrilled-trump-signs-us-mexico-canada-agreement

Looks like R/V's "cousin" is in the wrong business.......

......how could a supposed Wisconsin dairy farmer NOT be aware of how the USMCA specifically helps US dairy farmers?.........hmmmmmmm.....; 3/6/20, 11:14 AM
Drago said...: R/V: "Further, I don't see much in Trump's policies other than empty promises to bring back coal or steel production, and people who buy into that are ignoring their long term interests, which is easy to do because human's are short sighted and don't live long."

LOLOLOLOLOL

Gee, I guess all those dumb Ohio, PA, WV voters simply don't know what's best for them.

It's interesting, the more I read of R/V's musings, the more and more it sounds like DNC talking points which have no relationship to reality and what is happening on the ground.

If just 10% of what R/V and ARM and LLR-lunaticlefty Chuck were writing was true, the dems would have the election locked up.

On the other hand its always comforting to me to see the lefties revert to the same tired and worn out talking points that could have been coughed up from the 1970's on. They've got nothing else and they cannot adapt. Which certainly explains the immigration policies the dems/LLR's push to overwhelm the US electorate.; 3/6/20, 11:21 AM
tim in vermont said...: "Further, I don't see much in Trump's policies other than empty promises to bring back coal or steel production, and people who buy into that are ignoring their long term interests,”

Hillary specifically wanted to kill our advantage in clean natural gas by ending fracking. If we are using personal annecdotes, I have a close friend who used to run a factory in PA which employed 250 workers. He said that cheap natural gas contributed two million dollars a year straight to his bottom line. Those are jobs that aren’t going anywhere for that reason. Just because you can’t see past your personal bogey man of coal doesn’t mean the rest of us are so purblind (I put that word in there so you could feel smart that you knew what it meant... you’re welcome.)

Nothing is more in the interests of rural Americans than paying $6 a gallon for gas and having that money go overseas, and having to send their sons and daughters to defend it, because whoever controls it overseas has a stranglehold on our economy, and no government that wants to be re-elected can ignore that.

Right now gas is $2 a gallon where taxes allow, even with the Iranians trying to whip up a war in the Persian Gulf, which bait Hillary has shown she would have taken with chortling glee.; 3/6/20, 12:15 PM
tim in vermont said...: Oh yeah, and the actual scientific papers, the ones in journals, not the ones pushed by the media, the ones based on science, measurements of actual data, not data confected by discredited models, are showing that those models have greatly overstated the threat of warming.; 3/6/20, 12:18 PM
tim in vermont said...: "On the other hand its always comforting to me to see the lefties revert to the same tired and worn out talking points that could have been coughed up from the 1970's on.”

It’s almost like they are... “moldy."; 3/6/20, 12:20 PM
tim in vermont said...: If coronavirus has shown us anything, it is that we need to have a base of critical manufacturing within the United States, rather than depending on China. It’s as true for steel as it is for drugs.; 3/6/20, 12:22 PM
Achilles said...: roesch/voltaire said...

What is needed is a huge investment in training for future jobs--bring in Yang's vision here, and investment in the future energy such as solar, or hydrogen fuel cells.

So r/v is arguing that there are really smart people who should make decisions where capital is applied. We need to get some unicorns in here and make hydrogen fuel cells happen!

Not millions of people in the market economy.

Just so you know there are some brilliant people working on hydrogen fuel cells. It isn't happening because it is not as efficient as other sources of energy. Solar is limited. Petroleum based fuels are extraordinarily dense energy sources. They just work.

Your arguments are tired and old R/V.

You are not very smart. You and your faculty lounge are all talk and no do.

Trump is smarter than you are. He is smarter than ARM. He is smarter than Obama. He is smarter than Hillary. He is smarter than Joe Biden. He is smarter than Mayor Pete. He is smarter than your friends.

And he has accomplished more in his life than all of you combined.; 3/6/20, 12:47 PM
Achilles said...: Aunty Trump said...
If coronavirus has shown us anything, it is that we need to have a base of critical manufacturing within the United States, rather than depending on China. It’s as true for steel as it is for drugs.

Democrats, including their GOPe members, are too stupid to understand this.

Or they just don't care.; 3/6/20, 12:48 PM
roesch/voltaire said...: Aunty while you were Trumping about natural gas, which I did not mention, I was checking out my investment in INO an American company developing clinical trails for the corno virus. The stock is up $4 today--knowing a little about Biotech and talking to scientist who understand the issues is helpful, just like knowing a little about fuel cells and investing in PLUG also makes sense for our future.; 3/6/20, 12:49 PM
hombre said...: Blogger roesch/voltaire said...

‘ARM I think Bonhoeffer in Letters and Papers from Prison expresses the situation well: “Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. … The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other.’

Excellent point. If correct, it explains how the “upsurge” of Trump has produced stupidity in his detractors. I’m sure that wasn’t r/v’s point, it is merely the logical one and the one supported by the evidence.

The evidence includes, for example, the Democrats forwarding a demented old grifter and a bombastic old commie for their presidential nomination. Or perhaps,

Democrats claim they don't want foreigners involved in our elections, but they encourage illegals to vote? Of course, there is much, much more stupidity.

Trump is overly optimistic if he thinks stupid, seditious, amoral people will play nice because he wins 2020.; 3/6/20, 1:01 PM
Drago said...: roesch/voltaire: "Aunty while you were Trumping about natural gas, which I did not mention, I was checking out my investment in INO an American company developing clinical trails for the corno virus. The stock is up $4 today--knowing a little about Biotech and talking to scientist who understand the issues is helpful, just like knowing a little about fuel cells and investing in PLUG also makes sense for our future."

LOL

Large private companies are already making appropriate decisions regarding fuel cells and other associated technologies without any help needed from Team Greta.; 3/6/20, 1:33 PM
Drago said...: Achilles: "So r/v is arguing that there are really smart people who should make decisions where capital is applied. We need to get some unicorns in here and make hydrogen fuel cells happen!"

I can't wait to see R/V's and the dems/LLR's newest "Ten Year Plan".

I'm sure its going to be as lit as any of the former Soviet Union's Ten Year Plans....assuming of course that those darn kulaks and wreckers don't mess up the creation of the Lefty/LLR-lefty People's Paradise.; 3/6/20, 1:35 PM
Drago said...: Achilles: "Democrats, including their GOPe members, are too stupid to understand this.

Or they just don't care."

Democrats and many republicans (LLR's) are well compensated by the Chinese to overlook this.; 3/6/20, 1:42 PM
tim in vermont said...: ""Aunty while you were Trumping about natural gas, which I did not mention”

Right, you didn’t mention it, you said that Trump was only focused on coal and steel, which was a lie. Natural gas has half the carbon content of coal, and none of the mercury and it works now today. Fracking is what is keeping coal in the ground. Fracking is what shut down the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant on the Connecticut River.

Trump supports fracking, the Democrats have all vowed to end it.; 3/6/20, 1:45 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “like what they had before Obamacare ? R/V, you are amusing.”

Soros and friends bought a Dem majority in both houses of the legislature and the governorship in Colorado in 2018. Last time they were there, they passed gun control legislation, that promptly got several state Senators recalled, and that body back in Republican hands. This time, they went for healthcare insurance - Obamacare light. It appears that one of their well thought out provisions was capping (up to $50k a day fines) hospital rates for those with ColoradoCare. What could possibly go wrong there? Normally, a state would just raise taxes when the costs start getting out of hand, but that is hard with TABOR (tax cap). The result will, no doubt, be even more cross subsidization. Already there is a lot of that with Medicare and esp Medicaid. Just going to get worse probably a lot worse now. Which likely will force more and more out of the Exchange into this new scheme, making the problem worse and worse. Most everyone I know there still are in nice corporate plans or on Medicare. But that isn’t the average Coloradoan. Or at least a very large number of them. Just glad we got out before enough people from socialist states like CA moved there and destroyed a good thing. Quality and capacity are going to suffer, pretty much guaranteed. And that is going to be bad, since the state has been growing fairly rapidly in population (since hospital capacity lags population growth, and this will reduce the profitability of building and running hospitals).; 3/6/20, 1:48 PM
tim in vermont said...: Bill Gates is doing some stuff with hydrogen that is not obviously ridiculous. With his own money. I am curious how it turns out, though I have doubts, my mind is open. But I don’t believe that the government can force a technology to happen. The Manhattan project worked because some people came to the government and told them it could be done, and they knew how, not because the government said “Wouldn’t it be great if we could split atoms and make a bomb!”

If there are smart people who know how to make unicorn farts, my guess is that they are doing it privately to make scads of filthy lucre.; 3/6/20, 1:59 PM
Jim at said...: Why would I want to 'get along' with people who hate my guts?

Hard pass.; 3/6/20, 2:05 PM
Jim at said...: Health insurance for about 85% of people was unaffected by Obamacare. - ARM

Now that is 100 percent bullshit.; 3/6/20, 2:16 PM
Clyde said...: President Trump is obviously an incurable optimist. Me, I have a more jaundiced view of humanity, especially the Democrat party portion of it.; 3/6/20, 2:37 PM
Milwaukie guy said...: It seems to me the outcome of the election is basically settled, absent some new Black Swan. Four more years.

What's most interesting is how bigly Trump wins and how long are his coattails. Second, does the oldest political party in the world self-destruct.

My favorite fantasy is....

Pence doesn't want to run for president. He'd rather spend the next four years doing something cool like Secretary of Defense. Trump taps Nikki Haley, who did yeoman work at the U.N. and was a good governor. First woman vice-president and first Asian-American.

Not making book on it, though.; 3/6/20, 2:56 PM
Achilles said...: Drago said...
Achilles: "Democrats, including their GOPe members, are too stupid to understand this.

Or they just don't care."

Democrats and many republicans (LLR's) are well compensated by the Chinese to overlook this.

I should have been more clear. Democrat voters are too stupid to understand this.

Biden clearly knows he is working for China.; 3/6/20, 3:16 PM
tim in vermont said...: Health insurance for about 85% of people was unaffected by Obamacare. - ARM

Except for the fact that the price went way up because of all of the mandated coverages that most people didn’t want.; 3/6/20, 3:50 PM
Milwaukie guy said...: I like Nikki Haley. She could use some seasoning as a Trump vice president. Trump accepted her return to the bench so she could get tanned, rested and ready.

2025, in her first International Women's Day speech she awards DJT the Presidential Medal of Freedom [?], our nation's highest civilian honor, for putting the big crack in the glass ceiling.

Must see TV.; 3/6/20, 4:33 PM