Sound The TRUMPets! A Thread for Presidential Pondering 2016-2020(?)

[SimonNZ]

Again: you're making a series of assumptions

Why not say she's using the people who trust her if you insist on a cynical interpretation?

[dissily Mordentroge]

Not if we retain an Electoral College system where the person who wins the most votes actually loses.

It constantly amazes me most Americans suffer under the delusion their system of government is one of the better forms of democracy.
The Electoral College is only one problem. Allowing the executive branch so much power is madness. A madness that suits the present occupant of the Whitehouse perfectly.

[Herman]

The central problem may (or may not) be that the expectation of the founders was  -  living in a much smaller country and world than now  -  that the people would elect a decent person, and that if it was discovered the president was a scoundrel he would be removed.

These moral standards have died.

[Todd]

The impeachment charges are rather pitiful: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.  Meh. 

Bless the great and good Mitch.

Can't stump Trump.

[drogulus]

The people sponsoring her trips and speeches. They have made her the means to their end: she's a prop, to be used and discarded when she's no longer useful.
Manipulating people is done all the time.  It's not making her talk and act against her will. Manipulation is making the manipulated person voluntarily do the will of the manipulator because they think doing so is a good thing.

     She uses them, they use her. It should be clear that organizations aren't telling her what to say. I doubt anyone can do that. She seems to have more influence over her parents by her advocacy than they have had on her.

     As long as my reasons are clearly my own it does no harm that an organization pays my bills. My views will be judged on their merits either way. I'm not interested in traveling anywhere, but if I did I'd happily allow Supercapitalists For Economic Growth to buy my plane tickets.

[Karl Henning]

The central problem may (or may not) be that the expectation of the founders was  -  living in a much smaller country and world than now  -  that the people would elect a decent person, and that if it was discovered the president was a scoundrel he would be removed.

These moral standards have died.

Verily

[Florestan]

The central problem may (or may not) be that the expectation of the founders was  -  living in a much smaller country and world than now  -  that the people would elect a decent person, and that if it was discovered the president was a scoundrel he would be removed.

These moral standards have died.

This.

Cf, John Quincy Adams: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other

[drogulus]

This.
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/Smileys/akyhne/cheesy.gif
Cf, John Quincy Adams: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other

     It suits me fine. Perhaps he should have said moral or religious, which would have encompassed the generation of his father, those responsible for the adoption of the Constitution. In particular James Madison thought that freedom of conscience on moral and religious matters was of paramount importance.

     I note as well that J.Q Adams was a Unitarian like his father.

     It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. - Thomas Jefferson

     I don't think Jefferson thought his neighbors couldn't be adequately governed by the Constitution.

[JBS]

     It suits me fine. Perhaps he should have said moral or religious, which would have encompassed the generation of his father, those responsible for the adoption of the Constitution. In particular James Madison thought that freedom of conscience on moral and religious matters was of paramount importance.

     I note as well that J.Q Adams was a Unitarian like his father.

     It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. - Thomas Jefferson

     I don't think Jefferson thought his neighbors couldn't be adequately governed by the Constitution.

It is possible to be moral and religious and atheist all at the same time.

[Ratliff]

The people sponsoring her trips and speeches. They have made her the means to their end: she's a prop, to be used and discarded when she's no longer useful.
Manipulating people is done all the time.  It's not making her talk and act against her will. Manipulation is making the manipulated person voluntarily do the will of the manipulator because they think doing so is a good thing.

She has a strong point of view which she expressed long before she became famous. I see no evidence that she has been "manipulated." You could say she has been given a platform to express her point of view by people who regard her as a compelling advocate for their own views. That does not mean she has been manipulated.

[SimonNZ]

Trump Slams Fox News for Interviewing 'Sleazebag' James Comey and Adam 'Shifty' Schiff

"President Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to express outrage that Fox News will be interviewing former FBI Director James Comey and House Judiciary Committee chairman Adam Schiff. "Hard to believe that @FoxNews will be interviewing sleazebag & totally discredited former FBI Director James Comey, & also corrupt politician Adam 'Shifty' Schiff," Trump said. "Fox is trying sooo hard to be politically correct, and yet they were totally shut out from the failed Dem debates!" He later compared Fox to "Commiecast" MSNBC and CNN, writing in another tweet that "they'll all die together as other outlets take their place." The cable news network said they would exclusively interview James Comey on Fox News Sunday with host Chris Wallace this weekend after all—Comey claimed earlier this week that Fox originally bumped him off the schedule. Schiff will also appear on the Sunday morning show, according to Fox's website."

[Karl Henning]

It is possible to be moral and religious and atheist all at the same time.

Indeed.  And, OTOH It is a commonplace for Christians to proclaim belief in their moral superiority because they are religious.

[Karl Henning]

"Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to express outrage" ... kein scheiß ....

[Florestan]

It is a commonplace for Christians to proclaim belief in their moral superiority because they are religious.

Commonplace? There are a number of Christians here on GMG (including you, if memory serves me well) yet AFAIK none of them proclaimed belief in their moral superiority because they are religious. Your brush is too broad, Karl.

[Christo]

Commonplace? There are a number of Christians here on GMG (including you, if memory serves me well) yet AFAIK none of them proclaimed belief in their moral superiority because they are religious. Your brush is too broad, Karl.

Actually, there is one specific ideology, in this regard, with an inherent claim of both moral & intellectual superiority. Indeed it ís an ideology, not much of a creed, but more, and happily not all adherents qualify, certainly not at all!

But the ideology does exist, is responsible for all totalitarian violence of the past century, surpassing all religiously motivated crimes of all religions of all centuries worldwide. Of course you and your lovely family, who experienced some of it in Russia, know its name. Its known as 'Atheism' and under that very name the unthinkable happened.

Happily, none of my many atheist friends feels any inclination to behave as badly as their fellow-atheists did under all totalitarian regimes - all totalitarian regimes were officially atheist, all of them. Does it mean that Christians, Muslims, Hindu, Jews etc. do not commit horrible crimes? Of course not. Yet nothing compares to the crimes against humanity done in the name of 'Atheism'. And that's a fact. 

[Daverz]

Commonplace? There are a number of Christians here on GMG (including you, if memory serves me well) yet AFAIK none of them proclaimed belief in their moral superiority because they are religious. Your brush is too broad, Karl.

I wouldn't expect it on GMG.  But right now Mike Huckabee is on my TV explaining that Democrats are not sincere Christians.

[Christo]

I wouldn't expect it on GMG.  But right now Mike Huckabee is on my TV explaining that Democrats are not sincere Christians.

Neither is Huckabee. 

[SimonNZ]

[Karl Henning]

Commonplace? There are a number of Christians here on GMG (including you, if memory serves me well) yet AFAIK none of them proclaimed belief in their moral superiority because they are religious. Your brush is too broad, Karl.

I am sorry if you felt that this was intended as implying a fault inherent in all Christians, which is not at all what I said.

The fact that it is a rarity here at GMG does not of itself refute my thesis that it is a commonplace in (say) the United States Christian community broadly considered,or, at the very least in its televised presence.

[Karl Henning]

Actually, there is one specific ideology, in this regard, with an inherent claim of both moral & intellectual superiority. Indeed it ís an ideology, not much of a creed, but more, and happily not all adherents qualify, certainly not at all!

That the ideology exists is less germane to the point that, in the U.S. there is no community of such identity seeking to impose their worldview/belief system on non-believers, and certainly, unlike, say the Evangelicals, no power structure. American atheists ain't doing what Moscow and Beijing have done.