If you're suggesting that I had to explain Trump as a human being to my students, then I'd have to do more groundwork about what motivates his behaviors. At present, most of it seems rooted in narcissistic personality disorder.
Current Affairs Donald Trump POS: Judgement cometh and that right soon
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If you're suggesting that I had to explain Trump as a human being to my students, then I'd have to do more groundwork about what motivates his behaviors. At present, most of it seems rooted in narcissistic personality disorder.
peteblue
Welcome back Wayne
Which seems a fair view of him as observed. So how should others deal with a person with these traits ?....
I'm not a clinical psychologist, so I can only have my own personal opinion on this: Depends on who the person is. If is some random clown in an office situation, there are a variety of strategies to pursue as listed on the webpage link. If you are asking me about Trump: his behavior, whether it is motivated by NPD or not, means to me that he is not mentally fit for office. But of course you can't impeach a president on the basis of indecent behavior (e.g., Clinton was impeached for lying, not for ...), but it is certainly possible that some of what Trump said could fall under the "high crimes and misdemeanors" since that is defined ad hoc, so it seems.
You're qualifier in #1 is a bit illogical - he is the president, he can't be forced to say anything. But as it happens he has Bannon, Miller and Gorka in his admin all of which have a substantial papertrail of troubling views.
I agree that those are most of the options although of the 20 other reasons I'd include this that I think is important
12) he believes that a key part of his voting base are white supremacists and doesn't want to lose their support.
If this was an isolated incident you could consider all of these options as plausible but that unfortunately isn't the case. As I mentioned in a previous post he has had multiple opportunities over the course of both the campaign and presidency to denounce white nationalist groups and he hasn't.
Oh, when pushed for a few days he has eventually read off a teleprompter views that his aids want him to say (as per#1 above) but they look like hostage videos. You've previously mentioned he wears his heart on his sleeve and so between his twitter feed and his extemporaneous remarks you can get a very good insight into his true emotions and, for a man who can spew extraordinarily creative vitriol at a wide variety of targets, he never has against those groups.
I'm an Occam's razor kind of girl and I'm down to a shortlist of #1 and #12 as the reasons why he doesn't.
But almost irrespective of the reasons why he is doing what he is doing is the impact of his actions. His behaviour this week will have actively encouraged groups like these to believe they have a friend in the White House and I find that genuinely terrifying.
peteblue
Welcome back Wayne
I was think more about how Trump would react to what is currently thrown at him and what sort of behaviour towards him might help the situation.....
Mitt Romney articulating my views much better than I can.
I will dispense for now from discussion of the moral character of the president's Charlottesville statements. Whether he intended to or not, what he communicated caused racists to rejoice, minorities to weep, and the vast heart of America to mourn. His apologists strain to explain that he didn't mean what we heard. But what we heard is now the reality, and unless it is addressed by the president as such, with unprecedented candor and strength, there may commence an unraveling of our national fabric.
The leaders of our branches of military service have spoken immediately and forcefully, repudiating the implications of the president's words. Why? In part because the morale and commitment of our forces--made up and sustained by men and women of all races--could be in the balance. Our allies around the world are stunned and our enemies celebrate; America's ability to help secure a peaceful and prosperous world is diminished. And who would want to come to the aid of a country they perceive as racist if ever the need were to arise, as it did after 9/11?
In homes across the nation, children are asking their parents what this means. Jews, blacks, Hispanics, Muslims are as much a part of America as whites and Protestants. But today they wonder. Where might this lead? To bitterness and tears, or perhaps to anger and violence?
The potential consequences are severe in the extreme. Accordingly, the president must take remedial action in the extreme. He should address the American people, acknowledge that he was wrong, apologize. State forcefully and unequivocally that racists are 100% to blame for the murder and violence in Charlottesville. Testify that there is no conceivable comparison or moral equivalency between the Nazis--who brutally murdered millions of Jews and who hundreds of thousands of Americans gave their lives to defeat--and the counter-protestors who were outraged to see fools parading the Nazi flag, Nazi armband and Nazi salute. And once and for all, he must definitively repudiate the support of David Duke and his ilk and call for every American to banish racists and haters from any and every association.
This is a defining moment for President Trump. But much more than that, it is a moment that will define America in the hearts of our children. They are watching, our soldiers are watching, the world is watching. Mr. President, act now for the good of the country.
I will dispense for now from discussion of the moral character of the president's Charlottesville statements. Whether he intended to or not, what he communicated caused racists to rejoice, minorities to weep, and the vast heart of America to mourn. His apologists strain to explain that he didn't mean what we heard. But what we heard is now the reality, and unless it is addressed by the president as such, with unprecedented candor and strength, there may commence an unraveling of our national fabric.
The leaders of our branches of military service have spoken immediately and forcefully, repudiating the implications of the president's words. Why? In part because the morale and commitment of our forces--made up and sustained by men and women of all races--could be in the balance. Our allies around the world are stunned and our enemies celebrate; America's ability to help secure a peaceful and prosperous world is diminished. And who would want to come to the aid of a country they perceive as racist if ever the need were to arise, as it did after 9/11?
In homes across the nation, children are asking their parents what this means. Jews, blacks, Hispanics, Muslims are as much a part of America as whites and Protestants. But today they wonder. Where might this lead? To bitterness and tears, or perhaps to anger and violence?
The potential consequences are severe in the extreme. Accordingly, the president must take remedial action in the extreme. He should address the American people, acknowledge that he was wrong, apologize. State forcefully and unequivocally that racists are 100% to blame for the murder and violence in Charlottesville. Testify that there is no conceivable comparison or moral equivalency between the Nazis--who brutally murdered millions of Jews and who hundreds of thousands of Americans gave their lives to defeat--and the counter-protestors who were outraged to see fools parading the Nazi flag, Nazi armband and Nazi salute. And once and for all, he must definitively repudiate the support of David Duke and his ilk and call for every American to banish racists and haters from any and every association.
This is a defining moment for President Trump. But much more than that, it is a moment that will define America in the hearts of our children. They are watching, our soldiers are watching, the world is watching. Mr. President, act now for the good of the country.
peteblue
Welcome back Wayne
I agree that he can't be forced to say anything but his CoS is a seriously tough individual who could just as easily have briefed the media, hence my qualifier. In respect of 12), surely the USA doesn't have that many White Supremacists (as registered voters) to warrant such behaviour unless Trump is a full card carrying member, and I find that hard to believe tbh as I can't see what he gains. Verreauxi's NPD suggestion, opens up a train of thought regarding how someone like trump may deal with conflict, perhaps believing that he has to defend and hit back....The potential impact of giving such groups a form of legitimacy is indeed terrifying, but you have already posted many strategies for dealing with these people through mocking and laughter, which I believe is a great way of treating them, others need to adopt similar strategies....
While I largely agree with your post above (though I can't comment on how Obama handled Syria as it is something I need to learn more about), what scares me the most is Trump's unpredictability.
How do you mean his CoS could have just as easily briefed the media? I'd bet 95% of the populous couldn't even name the guy and I'm not saying that to be insulting just that they have a life! The entire Chiefs of staff have been basically subtweeting that "Nazis are bad" all weekend, it will have had been noted in the services but not for your average person on the street.
I agree #12 is a weaker argument, it is just the only one left to me that doesn't embrace #1!
Of course Trump has a m.o. of defending and hitting back - it is visible in everything he does. But it doesn't explain why he gets into things such as birtherism, defaming the Mexican judge, trashing the Khans and not denouncing Nazi's in the first place.
I can mock Nazi's tikki torches all I like but even if thousands of like minded citizens do it too it still won't have the same impact as just one presidential tweet. Trump has spent many hours complaining that Obama didn't use the phrase "radical islamic terrorism" often enough, he's well aware of what he is doing Pete even if you are closing your eyes to it.
peteblue
Welcome back Wayne
As I mentioned to Bruce, while unpredictability can be frightening in everyday environments, in geopolitical or military issues it can become a strength in ensuring any opponent or even ally are kept on the back foot. Kim used his unpredictability to largely get his way, but coming up against another vastly stronger, unpredictable, opponent has made NK and China think again.....
peteblue
Welcome back Wayne
Hahaha......
Most of these staffers tend to be politico's, John Kelly is an ex Marine Corps General and not someone who is unafraid of getting his point across or expressing his views.
The last point does highlight a certain hypocracy from the man. I don't close my eyes to these things.....
Duncan Disordely
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Multiple sources indicating Bannon has been sacked. He's apparently not on a list for a meeting at Camp David on Afghanistan.
Duncan Disordely
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Doesn't really sort the main problem of Trump being in the WH.
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