The paradoxes of Trump

Post your favorites.


The one I was thinking about today is how Trump doesn't care in the slightest about telling the truth but he's frequently pissed off about people (supposedly) lying about him.

“Drain the Swamp!”

Amelia said:

Post your favorites.


The one I was thinking about today is how Trump doesn't care in the slightest about telling the truth but he's frequently pissed off about people (supposedly) lying about him.

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I wll come at it two ways.

First, not shocking that someone who has been the "boss" his whole life is not used to have to listen to those critical to him. And though I am pretty sure you don't agree some of the attacks from him have been less than accurate IMO. I really do not think he is a puppet of Putin. If we is/was giving military aid to Ukraine and his Iran policy are strange ways of showing it.

Now does he lie a lot, clearly yes. Is it bothersome yes. I happen to think that ALL politicians lie. If we like the person or party we call it spin,if not it is a lie. Trump's unique in this in that he lies about nearly everything,big and small. He is also unique in that he gets called for it daily.

As an example, if I went to a friend's house and they made dinner. After dinner I exuded that the meal was better than anything I have had at a Bobby Flay restaurant. Another person at the party then went directly to tweeter or facebook and proclaimed Washunut is a liar and said an amateur cook's foos is better than anything Bobby Flay can make. I call that hyperbole,others call it lying.

Now does Trump really lie or misstate about important things,yes. Trade wars with the second largest economy on earth is NOT "easy to win". Should have argued hard to win but essential for our country's long term success IMO.

Sorry for the long winded response.

Trump appealed to many white working class people, yet his policies that effect workers, possibly excepting some trade policies, are opposed to their economic interests. He insulted his supporters by proclaiming their blind loyalty in his shooting someone on Fifth Avenue analogy.

He is a great example of style over meaning in his rejection of some forms of political correctness.

style over substance, and it will trip him up in November

jamesbyoung said:

style over substance, and it will trip him up in November

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We can hope so, but that's another of the paradoxes of Trump -- how none of the usual rules seems to apply to what he'll get away with, and not only get away with, but he'll be praised to the heavens for it by people who have been taught their whole lives at home, in churches, in schools and in civic halls that they should shun his behavior and values.

... except the abortion part ... obviously many in that quarter have reason to be happy about his (current) stand against abortion -- his willingness to keep the promise he made to evangelicals to pick supreme court candidates from their approved list. That's the thing which keeps his base so solid, in my opinion. That's the thing which a GOP door knocker tried to use to convince me to go back to the GOP even as he acknowledged how foul Trump is and how reasonable it was that someone would not want to have anything to do with a party which chose such a terrible person to be their standard bearer.

Justin Amash stating today, “a standard progression of trump”.

I didn’t do it. —> I didn’t do it, but I could do it. —> I did do it, so what. —> I did do it, and it was right to do it.

I still find it funny how in 2008, then Democrat Donald Trump wanted Nancy Pelosi to impeach former Republican president George W. Bush. And slightly more than a decade later, he's the Republican president who ended up impeached by Nancy Pelosi...:lol:

Rexedgar said:

“Drain the Swamp!”

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“I have an article 2 where I can do whatever I want as president”.

washunut said:

Now does he lie a lot, clearly yes. Is it bothersome yes. I happen to think that ALL politicians lie.

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Sounds like you are trying to excuse it.

What former Presidents said was mostly true. They lied sometimes. Big lies happened, but rarely.

What Trump says is mostly lies. Most of his big fact-based statements are lies. He rarely says the truth.

“Where’s my Roy Cohn”? Looks like trump’s got him now in Barr.

Slavister said:

Sounds like you are trying to excuse it.

What former Presidents said was mostly true. They lied sometimes. Big lies happened, but rarely.

What Trump says is mostly lies. Most of his big fact-based statements are lies. He rarely says the truth.

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He took Eric Cantor’s course in ‘False Equivalency’.

jamesbyoung said:

style over substance, and it will trip him up in November

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It will eventually.

It's always like this with bull****ters.

"Bull**** only spreads so thin," as they say

I have my doubts about it happening in any significant way by November.
Idk if you've known anyone who's had their head up some ass' ass — like someone in an abusive relationship — but they're often the last folks to figure it out.
Victims sometimes offer considerable resistance to giving up the habits of rationalizing the unfortunate behaviors of the abuser.
Admitting the abuse exists, has implications the victim is not ready to face.

I suspect the folks who have swallowed the bull**** Trumpco sells could be just as resistant to give up their habits of rationalizing Trump's behavior.

We will see.

When lists are made of candidates for worst president in American history, I always place Trump at the top. Then someone comes along and scoffingly asks, "As bad as Andrew Jackson?"

And then I have to point out how glowingly Trump has spoken of Jackson, so we have to add his admiration of Jackson to all the other points against Trump.

Paradox wrapped in irony wrapped in deep sadness. If Trump isn't as bad as Jackson yet, he's at least got his eye on that prize.