Roger Bissell Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 12 minutes ago, Selene said: OK. Out of curiosity, do you see that type of "true believer" thug as exclusive to the facist right? A... Nope. As we recently saw on television, there are a lot of leftist, "true believer," anti-free-speech thugs posing as college professors and "demonstrators" who shout down those they disagree with or otherwise try to deprive them of their right to free speech. And leftist, "true believer," anti-private-property thugs burning down and looting neighborhood businesses in Ferguson MO. But I don't see fascism as being on the "right." Fascism was, and is, a phenomenon of the left. Hitler and Mussolini were leftists. They were socialists - national socialists. They liked the welfare state and government control of the economy just fine. For fun, read Goldberg's Liberal Fascism. It gives chapter and verse on all this. Extreme right-wingers? They are libertarians aka classical liberals aka Jeffersonian minimal governmentalists. It is a grotesque smear and distortion to call fascists and Nazis "right-wingers," as though they were extreme conservatives. It is also a way to smear libertarians by association - you know, those violent, extremist Tea Party people who want less government and lower taxes, and those violent, extremist NRA members who want to keep their guns? No the extremist thugs are all on the left, whether they want socialism for the poor or for the rich, internationalist or nationalist socialism, outright elimination of private property or private property in name only. It's all Marx-inspired and it's all leftist. REB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 1 minute ago, Roger Bissell said: Extreme right-wingers? They are libertarians aka classical liberals aka Jeffersonian minimal governmentalists. It is a grotesque smear and distortion to call fascists and Nazis "right-wingers," as though they were extreme conservatives. It is also a way to smear libertarians by association - you know, those violent, extremist Tea Party people who want less government and lower taxes, and those violent, extremist NRA members who want to keep their guns? No the extremist thugs are all on the left, whether they want socialism for the poor or for the rich, internationalist or nationalist socialism, outright elimination of private property or private property in name only. It's all Marx-inspired and it's all leftist. REB This is the problem that libertarians and Objectivists never solved. In fact they lost the branding war of semantics. I used to employ semantic differential exercises when I was teaching in the CUNY system and it is a great device to use for the modern critic, or, orator. Thanks for the input. A,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 My first podcast, with guest star MSK (or MSK's robot voice). In all, MSK gets the best of me, although our disagreement sheds light, not mere heat. My next guest on podcast two is Donald Trump. He is going to eat me alive. A first-timer mistake is to add horror-movie ambiance to make the robot Text-to-speech more dramatic. I made that mistake in "Conversations with the Greats" episode one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I kind of agree Adam that Rubio - Kasich would work but no way it plays out the other way even though your points were excellent . I just want to go on record ( yet again ) that even though DT has 3 States and whatever delegates in hand , WSS remains very accurate in most of his analysis ( I say most but basically all in my estimation ) except that my black swan is getting really close . I state till the end that this will be a war , but what I did not see was the following that I see right now . Obviously if its Rubio alone , with the money , the support , the endorsements along with DTs negative numbers in certain demographics ( regardless of the 175 Hispanics in Nevada ) , the "race " will be nothing of the sort . Rubio will be crowned by March 15th - in effect . What I missed was the ridiculous behaviour on Kasich , Cruz and Carson to not leave this race and save the party , and the Presidency . I am in shock that the RNC cannot offer deals , twist arms , and do whatever it takes by any means necessary to win this fight .. If they cannot do this real fast , then yeah - its over and MSK basically goes down in history for the worlds greatest prediction . Still , I believe that in an all night negotiation session , back room deals ( JK , VP , Cruz gets whatever position , and Carson gets to teach evolution or whatever he needs to be won over ( just to show support to the party ) , and sometime after Super Tuesday and before March 15th , there will be a uniform team to bring down DT . Just saying . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 3 minutes ago, Marc said: What I missed was the ridiculous behaviour on Kasich , Cruz and Carson to not leave this race and save the party , and the Presidency . I am in shock that the RNC cannot offer deals , twist arms , and do whatever it takes by any means necessary to win this fight ..If they cannot do this real fast , then yeah - its over and MSK basically goes down in history for the worlds greatest prediction . Marc, That's what freedom looks like... Unless you're a crow... Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 "@GriceCindy: That's why we are angry. The Republican Establishment will not support you. You are who the American people want!" — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 26 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Marc, That's what freedom looks like... Unless you're a crow... Michael Crows should be free too , even if they don't get to vote !!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Troy Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 A hungry crow! Well ok it's a raven..he would probably be happy to eat a crow or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Thats a good looking crow ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 10 hours ago, william.scherk said: 11 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Some epiphany. Trump supporters are good decent people who are desperately starving for self-esteem and psychologically damaged. I have a different opinion. William, Really? What do the following Biddibob phrases mean, then--taken from your very quote of him above? (My bold.) ... a rise of "populism" and "nationalism" may not be rooted in ideological preference, or in pragmatic expediency, or even in "irrationalism." It may well be rooted in psychological desperation: in a quest by truly "downtrodden" and humiliated classes of people to reclaim their shattered sense of self-esteem...to reassert their "manhood"... Trump supporters follow Trump because they need to reassert their manhood!!??? On what planet? Gimme a friggin' break! Biddibob needs to stop relying on the boneheaded elitist theories of others because I have read this crap before and it wasn't from him. And no, I'm not going to spend 5 hours trying to look for it. Look for a report on suicides by white adult males and you will find it if you want. I notice you didn't quote other gems in that same post by Biddibob like, "restore their damaged PERSONAL self-esteem." Note: that's not personal, that's PERSONAL. I have to ask. None of this equates to a claim of people who are psychologically damaged and starving for self-esteem to you? Dayaamm! I'm impressed. I shore wood haet to see whut dammige luucks like to yew, thayann... In your world, it would have to be zombies or something really horrible... Go to any Trump rally, for God's sake. Watch one on YouTube. See how many of the downtrodden of the earth you can find--those afflicted with psychological desperation and a shattered sense of self-esteem. It's a friggin' party, dude. People are having fun. Everybody sees it but the tut-tut-tutters... Dayaamm! Double dayaamm! Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 22 hours ago, Selene said: I forgot that The Donald endorsed Romney in 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/02/politics/campaign-wrap/index.html Well, well, so this is the way "White Privilege Mittens" returns your endorsement! Quote Romney concluded, “You know, Donald Trump has said he’s the best in the country for the disabled veterans, and for the disabled generally. Well, if his taxes show that he hasn’t made any contributions to the disabled veterans, or to the disabled generally, that would be a big issue. So — and I’m not saying that’s the case. I have no evidence of that. But I’m just saying there are things that could be issues, and when people decide they don’t want to give you their taxes, it’s usually because there’s something they don’t want you to see.” Pulled that Harry Reid slime move out of that Sacred underwear? What a low rent move by Mittens. A... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 The bottom feeding slugs from the NY Times are slithering out of the swamp... Quote New York Times columnist Ross Douthat caused outrage after he joked about how an assassination attempt could end Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. “Good news guys I’ve figured out how the Trump campaign ends,” Douthat tweeted last night. And... Quote The tweet links to a video clip from the 1983 movie The Dead Zone, which features a character played by Christopher Walken attempting to gun down a political figure played by Martin Sheen. In the plot, Walken’s character tries to kill the US Senatorial candidate (played by Sheen) because he has visions of him becoming president in the future and starting a nuclear war. Sheen’s character holds up his baby as a human shield during the assassination attempt, destroying his credibility. While joking about an assassination attempt on any public figure is crass, it’s particularly relevant with Trump because he faces a very real threat of being targeted. As we previously highlighted, according to his former advisor Roger Stone, Trump now wears a bullet proof vest at all public appearance due to the sheer volume of death threats he receives on a regular basis. Trump first began wearing the vest in October last year after after reports that the world’s most wanted drug lord El Chapo had put a $100 million bounty on his head. He also received Secret Service protection at around this time. Following his controversial comments on Muslim immigration back in December, Twitter exploded with death threats aimed at Trump. Reaction to Douthat’s Twitter quip from Trump supporters was forceful. http://www.infowars.com/ny-times-columnist-jokes-about-assassination-attempt-ending-trumps-campaign/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Adam, Count Glenn Beck in: Glenn Beck Says Breitbart's Stephen K. Bannon Wants To Be Donald Trump's Goebbels This is on Real Clear Politics video. I'm not going to embed it because it's just too embarrassing. The amount of hatred and spite spewing out of Glenn Beck's mouth hits me like hard slaps on the face. I used to love this guy. But now he is selling love by demonizing, with focus on the demonizing. I only listened to 2 1/2 minutes of the video and I had to stop. I didn't get to the part about the Nazi reference, but the amount of sheer hatred and loathing that he was expressing gave me the creeps so much that I didn't need a Nazi reference. Pause… I've gotta be fair, so I just went to the link and read the transcript. Actually, the words themselves are not as spiteful as what I'm saying in this post, although some of them are. The part that gives me the creeps is Beck's tone. It is dripping with rage and frustration. But, as I was able to read the full transcript, it occurred to me that this is nothing but the outpourings of a sore loser. Beck is pissed that Trump crashed his caucus speech and upstaged him in a manner that was embarrassing. Trump left Beck talking to about 12 people. Also, Beck is envious of Breitbart, Steve Bannon in particular. And, of course, his guy (Ted Cruz) is losing. That's it. Not end of times. Vanity. Oh, I don't doubt Beck's religious sincerity, but I have to note that, right now, it is mighty tied up to his own interests as an influential celebrity. Beck doesn't mind being hated, but when he becomes irrelevant, he goes apeshit. I would never have thought the following before, but now I do. If Donald Trump were assassinated, Glenn Beck would love nothing better than to be able to put on the show of praying over Trump's soul and sermonizing on how we have to love each other, how we are tearing each other apart, and so on. But since Trump will not assassinated (I hope), I don't expect Beck ever to be praying for his soul. I expect Beck to be praying for his destruction. And, although Beck would never admit it out loud, to him assassination would be just fine as a form of destruction. What's more, he would say God did it and feel correct and righteous. And I sit here in wonder and awe. How did I ever love this man? Was my vision so lacking before or did he change? As I now seek wisdom more than winning any argument, let's say that it was probably both. I'll go with that for now. Michael EDIT: I just listened to the whole thing and the hatred was only at the beginning. After that, it was pettiness on steroids. Beck thinks Trump is grooming his supporters as the paramilitary Brownshirts of Hitler. Why? Because he got heckled in a classroom at the caucus by some women. I'm serious. You have to hear it to believe it, but it's there. Also, in his beef against Bannon, you get to see a perfect example of a strawman argument. Beck started out by saying that maybe Bannon thinks he wants to be the next Roger Ailes. Then he goes on a tirade about how Bannon could never be Roger Ailes as if that were what Bannon wanted. But Bannon never said he wanted that. I'm glad I listened to the rest because of an honesty thing I try to uphold. I try to be sure of what I'm talking about--by seeing it for myself and not just hearing about it--when I blast something. Also, in a weird manner, I'm now a bit relieved about Beck. Instead of thundering madness, I detected the petty vanity of a celebrity with an ego owie. That actually gives me hope for Beck. Celebrities have vanity issues all the time and they generally come back when they go too far. It's much harder to come back from thundering madness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 14 hours ago, KorbenDallas said: You guys are great !!!! How you even find this stuff man !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 We have a Second Amendment... FYI: Quote one business in Georgia is taking things a step further, requiring all of its employees obtain a concealed carry license so they can carry at work. “Everybody has one of these in their drawer or on their person, said business owner Lance Toland in this story from WSB-TV in Atlanta. “It’s a 5 shot .410, just like a shotgun, and you call it a hand cannon.” The guns Toland bought for each of his employees, according to this story from controversialtimes.com, is actually called a Taurus Judge, the beefy 3-inch-chamber revolver that can fire .410 shotshells or .45 Long Colt rounds. Lance Toland Associates is an aviation insurance agency that has several offices throughout the state. Toland says he gives employees the firearm once they get their CCW license. His new mandate is a result of a surge in crime in the Atlanta metro area, according to this story form lawnewz.com. “A lot of my clients are high-fiving when they hear this. They think it’s the best thing for a company to mandate gun ownership and be responsible,” Toland said in the story. He says most of his employees are women. Within a few weeks of the announcement, all employees had gotten their license, Toland said. Georgia passed its expanded gun laws in 2014 in a legislation package called the “guns everywhere bill” which allowed licensed gun owners to carry in bars, schools, churches and some government buildings. Excellent program by this owner. http://www.range365.com/georgia-business-employees-must-carry-concealed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Douhat is a weird choice for a NYT columnist. I take everything he says as dipped in stoopid. The GOPer inside him, like a parasitic worm, considers Trump beneath contempt. It is good that he gets so much contempt for his contemptible assassin 'joke' ... Douhat can be funny on other topics, but his drunk tweet pushed him further into the dip for me.. Meanwhile, reality imposes on others. Donald Trump on VP pick: We need a political insider Washington (CNN)Who would be Donald Trump's vice president? He still won't say -- but the GOP front-runner divulged Wednesday that it would likely be an insider in contrast with his outsider status. "I do want somebody that's political, because I want to get lots of great legislation we all want passed," Trump said Wednesday in a Q&A at Regent University. "We're going to probably choose somebody that's somewhat political." -- good new for Mr Trump. First congressman to back Trump: 'We need a chief executive' Collins had previously endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the South Carolina primary, following months of Trump badgering and name-calling the former Florida governor. Collins touted his own three decades-long career in the private sector and said voters were hungry for someone with the experiences of a business executive, not a politician. Collins said Wednesday on CNN that Trump is "the guy that has been signing the front of a pay check and not the back." -- from Daily Beast Latino-beat boneworm Ruben Navarette, who has been quoted in this thread at least once so far. He leans right, and is almost in the bag for Rubio, but his perceptions are striking, and seem to represent a wide scope of investigation of the 'Latino vote' this year ... Yes, Donald Trump Won Latinos Over Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Here’s Why Why the Republican frontrunner just might be able to build on his success with Latino voters in Nevada—and win the White House as a result. We know about the Reagan Democrats. In the 1980’s, union members in blue states defied their leaders in organized labor to vote for the 40th president. Well, in Nevada, the first of the early primary or caucus states with a significant number of Latino voters, we’ve caught a glimpse of a similar phenomenon—one that few could have imagined when Donald Trump entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination. -- this is also by Navarette Hey, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio: Tone It Down, Already! More unites than divides the GOP’s top two Cuban-American politicians. And if each one would stop trying to kill the other over immigration, our country would be much better off. These days, it seems every time either Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz—both of them 44-year-old, well-spoken, intelligent, Cuban-American, sons of immigrants, lawyers, and first-term senators elected with support from the Tea Party—opens his mouth, it’s all about stressing the differences between them. -- this Politico piece is in the tank for the Demonic party, probably, but the numbers in the article are good sweet news for a Trump supporter, I imagine. The bottom line is he outpolls Hispanics over Cruz. Candidacide? Nooooop. Poll: Clinton crushes Trump among Hispanics Donald Trump has often boasted that he would win with Hispanic voters in a general election. Now comes some new data to test that dubious theory: Hillary Clinton is leading the 2016 presidential field among Hispanics, according to the results of a new poll of registered Hispanic voters out Thursday morning from Univision and The Washington Post. The former secretary of state is the top choice of Hispanic voters overall — Democratic, Republican and independent — with 39 percent, with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders behind her at 19 percent. -- then again, another bonewormy take: Latinos no quieren a Donald Trump: 8 in 10 Hispanic voters have negative view of billionaire Eight in 10 Hispanic voters have an unfavorable view of GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump – including seven in 10 reporting a “very unfavorable” opinion – according to a poll released Thursday. Eighty percent of Hispanic voters reported an unfavorable opinion of Mr. Trump in the Washington Post-Univision New poll, compared to 16 percent who said they have a favorable view of him. The GOP has been working to narrow the party’s deficit among Hispanic voters from 2012, when President Obama carried Hispanics by a 71 percent to 27 percent margin over Republican nominee Mitt Romney, according to exit polls. But Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly pledged to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and says drugs and criminals are streaming across into the United States, would lose the Hispanic vote by an even greater margin than Mr. Romney - 73 percent to 16 percent to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 72 percent to 16 percent to Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont. -- cue the Ukelele Crow Orchestra. At long last, the media moves toward Trump Las Vegas, Nevada (CNN) The press is coming around to Donald Trump. After nine months of doubt -- doubting that he would run, doubting that he would stay in the race, doubting that he could win a single primary -- Trump's victories in New Hampshire, South Carolina and most recently a landslide win in Nevada have convinced some pundits and reporters that he is racing toward the nomination. "The Nominee," Drudge Report declared on Tuesday night, after Trump's first-place showing in Nevada. "It's over; Trump is going to be the Republican nominee," Mel Robbins, the legal analyst, wrote for CNN. "Trump Marches Toward Nomination After Nevada Win," a Bloomberg Politics headline declared in big headline on Wednesday, although it was on the site by Thursday. Some, such as NPR's Mara Liasson, remain reluctant to crown Trump just yet. But even they acknowledge that any other presidential candidate who had pulled off this three-peat, all while leading national polls by double digits, would likely already have received such a coronation. -- this is bent by the Guardian's leftward tilt, but contains a bit of spoiled cabbage on Cruz, whose messaging seems ever more theatrical and could I say shrill? I mean, the question underneath is worthy: what would DT do as Prez? -- but Cruz just mashes it in with his usual Grandpa Munster scenery-eating. Candidacide? Not likely this week. Ted Cruz: 'Who knows what the heck Donald Trump would do as president?' Absent Trump still the focus at Fox News voter summit, as Republican rivals vie to cast themselves as best bet to beat the frontrunner Once again, Donald Trump stole the show without actually appearing on the show. During Fox News’ two-hour voter summit on Wednesday night, the four Republican hopefuls working frantically to keep pace with Trump took turns pitching themselves as the best alternative to the billionaire frontrunner. Texas senator Ted Cruz positioned himself as the best general election candidate, citing polling that showed he would beat former secretary of state Hillary Clinton should she capture the Democratic nomination. “Donald consistently loses to Hillary. I consistently beat Hillary,” Cruz told Fox News’ Megyn Kelly during the live interview in Houston. “And so the question right now is how do we prevent nominating a candidate who loses the general election – or, for that matter, if Donald wins the general election, who the heck knows what he’d do as president?” -- yeahbut Rafael, Rafael, did you read this one, from the self-same bent source? It even talks about the same things as you do -- the Wall, Syria, China, Immigration, VP pick ... stop talking and read, Rafaelo! What President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office would look like Supreme court The contours of the road after inauguration on 20 January have also become clearer after the death of supreme court justice Antonin Scalia, whose replacement Republicans in Congress have vowed to block until then. Two names Trump has already floated to fill the vacancy on the bench – Bill Pryor Jr and Diane Sykes – are orthodox conservatives who are opposed to abortion and voter rights protection, and give a glimpse of what the overall court might look like if he is able to fill three further vacancies in the coming years. Support from Senate Republicans, never mind Democrats, is far from guaranteed of course, and Trump is almost certain to spend much of the first few months in office trying to get his preferred nominee through bumpy confirmation hearings and a possible filibuster. -- bent, but. Even the red-hot commies at the Guardian can do simple arithmetic. Rafaelo! Rafelito, Felito, Ted! Read the Guardian, pepito mio. LIke, hey, think about it -- DT's support is broad within the GOP, compared to yours. Would you like to hold my electoral pistol? Bang. Candidacide. 'I won everything': just who are Donald Trump's supporters? The Republican frontrunner has bragged about picking up support in nearly every demographic – and he’s not far off base. Now Trump supporters could reshape the country’s political map “Actually, I won everything,” Donald Trump said this week, after his victory in South Carolina and before his rout in Nevada. “I won short people, tall people. I won fat people, skinny people. I won highly educated, OK educated, and practically not educated at all. I won the evangelicals big and I won the military.” The Republican presidential frontrunner was, broadly speaking, correct. After his third consecutive victory, one that puts him on course to win the Republican nomination for the White House, it is less useful to ask who is voting for him than who isn’t. The only state he didn’t win was Iowa, where he came second. In New Hampshire, South Carolina and, on Tuesday, Nevada, Trump did not just win resoundingly by leveraging one or two types of conservative voters. Entrance polls reveal he triumphed by drawing on a pool of voters as wide as it was deep. Who are Trump supporters? Insofar as the Republican electorate goes, the answer, for the moment at least, seems to be everyone. -- finally, for the one or two Big Bad Haters, a scrap. Feast on it, you dogs. You will be poorly fed from here on in, so don't gulp, savour. Donald Trump Keeps Winning. Here’s What Could Make Him Lose. Liasson said before the Nevada vote that another candidate who had achieved what the billionaire developer has would have been dubbed "the prohibitive front-runner." "Were it anybody else besides Donald Trump, he would be considered a lock for the nomination," said NBC's Hallie Jackson. The Washington Post editorial board penned an anti-Trump piece that posted on Thursday, which also begrudgingly accepted Trump's hold on the race. "THE UNTHINKABLE is starting to look like the inevitable: Absent an extraordinary effort from people who understand the menace he represents, Donald Trump is likely to be the presidential nominee of the Republican Party. At this stage, even an extraordinary effort might fall short," the Post wrote. Trump hasn't suffered from a lack of press attention: No single candidate has benefited from as much free coverage. He drives more headlines and appears on television more often than anyone else in the race. But Trump's historic achievements -- winning three of the first four states by double digits, leading the Republican field while spending relatively little money, defying political gravity while redefining acceptable political discourse -- haven't translated into the declarations of victory that would likely have greeted an establishment-approved candidate. -- and the dude Rinsed Previously, in this excerpt from an interview on CNN. He seems high on elite-only gas. The full interview shows the same turgid thought processes. -- more love, with a media-type slow-burn caustic about other media-types, from the same CNN story about 'facing reality.' The media's lingering doubt surrounding Trump is driven not just by conventional political wisdom about Trump's limitations, but also by a continued unwillingness of the press to face reality, journalists and strategists said. "The media continues to either underestimate or misunderstand Trump's strength in this campaign," said Dan Pfeiffer, the former senior adviser to President Barack Obama and CNN contributor. "Although some of us are coming around to the possibility he could be the nominee and even win a general (election), many believe we are watching a horror movie where we have to suspend our disbelief or that God is punking us," Jon Ralston, the veteran Nevada political journalist, told CNN in an interview. Liasson said in an email that "so many Republicans think he (magically?) won't or can't end up being the nominee or that if he does it will be a disaster (and maybe that's why their wishful thinking is so strong)." There are political arguments, as well: Some pundits have focused on Trump's high negative ratings: More than four in 10 GOP primary voters say they could not see themselves supporting Trump for president, according to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Others argue that the GOP establishment has only recently begun to coalesce behind Marco Rubio, and believe that once the other candidates drop out of the race the Florida senator will be able to win over a majority of GOP primary voters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 On February 21, 2016 at 10:21 AM, KorbenDallas said: This is so well done.. My wife and I just spent the better part of a week at Trump National Doral. We were there for a convention which had been scheduled prior to Trump's having announced his candidacy (the trip was nothing to do with politics). Over the years we've attended several similar conventions at upper-end hotels and resorts, but none have come close to the class and quality of the Doral property. Everything about the experience was perfection. The place was sparklingly clean, not a spot or smudge anywhere, not a wilted plant, not a crumb for a mouse. The employees were the most friendly and helpful that we've ever seen. Several notches above anywhere else. And the Blue Monster? Just as well-groomed as the resort. (I didn't play the course, but jogged the cart paths past every hole). Having lived one of Trump's products for a few days has given me a deeper respect for the Trump organization. Doral is not the accomplishment of a boastful buffoon who has nothing to back it up. The question that kept coming to mind was "Could any of the other candidates achieve this?" I think the answer is "Hell no!" in all cases. The next question was "Now that I think of it, what have any of the other candidates actually produced, ever?" Cruz did some excellent lawyering here and there. Not much else comes to mind. J What would Hillary's hotel be like? "Fuck you, carry your bags yourself, I'm not here to serve you, you little person." What would Bernie's look like? "Dude, it's not fair that Craig got to eat the last leg of rat. We're supposed to be splitting up everything evenly. I think he should be banished for tonight and not allowed to sleep under the tarp with the rest of us." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 On February 20, 2016 at 2:52 PM, william.scherk said: Donald Trump is open to discovering that he was mistaken in any of his opinions. He thinks tentatively, doubtfully, and, most importantly, self-critically. Trump doesn't resent the prospect of recalibrating his mindset based on new evidence, but is usually happy, if not excited, to do so. He can get emotionally invested in issues, but not to the point of closing his mind to reality. I think we both find the idea of seeing others adamantly denying obvious, overwhelming evidence of reality to be embarrassing, disturbing, and deserving of heaps of ridicule. Golden Rule time: I think we'd both expect to be heavily ridiculed if we ever rejected reality as we some folks in O-land do. I think we'd both have the attitude of "Yeah, I guess I had that coming" when taking the an intellectual punch in the mouth from reality. Trump is upfront and direct, and he doesn't dodge or ignore challenges. He doesn't leave others' questions on the table unanswered or unacknowledged. He actively seeks to understand and address the meat of others' arguments, rather than employing tactical maneuvers designed to skirt the substance and save face. Donald Trump is all about the ideas. He doesn't have a phony image of himself as being a deeply respected and important public figure, intellectual leader, guru, and revered published scholar. He doesn't pose and preen, and he does not dish out what he can't take. He doesn't whine that he is not being properly respected. Donald Trump is fun and creative. He likes to laugh, especially at closed-minded, emotion-driven twits who pose as geniuses and saviors. Our senses of humor blend well together, and I think we each enjoy our differences in style: He brings much beauty and elegantly stylized wit to his decimating of fools, with vivid original strokes and shadings, where I dump buckets of acid on them. And there are unexplainable parts to it too. Various other personality compatibilities, general fondness and affection from years of consciously and subconcpsciously absorbed information, attitude and kinship. I love Trump, Billy. If I were gay, I'd divorce my wife and marry him. With apologies to J and to all those who believe in True Political Love. Definitely funny! But it's also pretty close to being just as funny with any other candidate's name plugged in. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 On February 20, 2016 at 3:18 PM, Michael Stuart Kelly said: William and Jonathan, The real secret is you guys rock. Seriously. On another point, a guest on Fox News just made a comment I found both surprising and insightful--in fact, it cut so deep, I stopped in my tracks to think. Her name is Nicole Graham, an attorney and Democratic Party strategist. She said that the supporters of Trump and Sanders had one thing in common. They are like the hippies of the 60's. They are tired of all the lies and games, so they are saying they're done. No more. I was a hippy in the late 60's and early 70's (a half-assed live-at-home long-haired bell-bottom trouser hippy, but still leaning that way--I only read Rand at the start of the 70's). At any rate, I know exactly what this lady means. You don't have to be a hippy to feel that. But when that feeling kicks in, it's an irreparable break. It takes on the dimensions of a Randian rejection. Done is done. No more and fuck ya'll. I'm doing something else now. That's the feeling. Here's the video of Graham saying that. Michael Riggenbach-esque. In Praise of Decadence. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Trump got a rise out of milquetoast former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox: Fox said he's not afraid of Trump becoming president because he has no chance. He's really really not afraid, I mean he's so not afraid, he said: "I declare, I’m not going to pay for that fucking wall! He should pay for it. He’s got the money." Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 3 hours ago, Jonathan said: Having lived one of Trump's products for a few days has given me a deeper respect for the Trump organization. Doral is not the accomplishment of a boastful buffoon who has nothing to back it up. The question that kept coming to mind was "Could any of the other candidates achieve this?" I think the answer is "Hell no!" in all cases. The next question was "Now that I think of it, what have any of the other candidates actually produced, ever?" Cruz did some excellent lawyering here and there. Not much else comes to mind. Jonathan, Thank you for relating your personal experiences as a user of Trump's work. This has been one of my main points since the beginning. I already knew in O-Land there is a big gap between what Rand's words say and the way a huge number of people actually use them in their lives, so I am not Mr. MaGoo about it. I'm pretty jaded. But I was still surprised by the total silence of almost all prominent Objectivism-friendly people on Trump's ability as a producer as opposed to the productive ability of the politicians. Any kind of residual intimidation I carried in the bottom of my soul about O-Land bigwigs has totally disappeared with this. To be clear, Trumpian politics isn't a precondition for me. I don't think O-people should support Trump to show they practice what they preach (or support him at all if they don't like him for whatever reason), but they should at least notice his ability as producer and mention it in correct terms seeing how productive ability is one of the cornerstones of the philosophy. (Remember Rand, you dorks?: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.") This widespread blank-out in our subcommunity probably happens for different reasons, depending on the person. Some blank-out because they miss it. Others see it, but blank-out on purpose and hope no one notices because they're selling an agenda of their own. But both blank-out so that's a distinction without a difference. Neither case serves for me and, to go Randish for a sec, I say to both, "Check your premises." Because whatever premises they live by, those are not the same principles they profess. Not when they get something this simple so thoroughly wrong and keep getting it wrong. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Maybe "dorks" is over the top, but jeez... Seriously, how are you going to get people to notice producers and say good things about their achievements when you will not? Donald Trump only happens to be the most talked about man in America--and he has been for the last eight months. And he will be for several more years. What a great opportunity to shine a big honking light on productive achievement and the philosophy of achievement. Even with the negative differences (like eminent domain, etc.), you can talk about them and instruct as you celebrate Trump's achievements. Hell, the dynamic tension in this drama is a great tactic for getting publicity traction. It's a natural situation for oodles of content creation that people will devour. Can't you see it? Double jeez... Granted, going to the top of the mainstream and surfing that wave in front of hundreds of millions of people is not as sexy as a friggin' lecture hall with 50 yawners attending and someone sermonizing rehashed dogma in a monotone, or a blog or something, huh?... Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Calling all anti-Trumpers! You gotta vote for him now! Al Sharpton might 'get out of here' if Trump wins Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KorbenDallas Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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