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since 1953, only two presidential terms have had an approval rating below 50% at this early stage of the presidency: Donald Trump in 2017 and Donald Trump in 2025. (Gallup)
 

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Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

since 1953, only two presidential terms have had an approval rating below 50% at this early stage of the presidency: Donald Trump in 2017 and Donald Trump in 2025. (Gallup)

Does not matter. 

The full-on 100% fascist takeover is underway and succeeding. The legacy & mainstream media have completely failed us and are doing next-to-nothing to stop it. Hell, they can't even call "fascism" what it is: FASCISM.  

The fascism has been obvious since Trump-MAGA appeared on the scene, if not much sooner. (First table is from 2023, slightly modified to include Project 2025). 

And many posters/law dogs repeatedly told us that the "Wheels of Justice" move slowly, but inexorably to justice. 

I posted the Nazi-MAGA table in 2024 and was told I was wrong. I am sure some posters will soon say it again.

We have a huge percentage of this country (perhaps 80-95%) who simply do not fully grasp what is unfolding before their eyes. 

Legacy Failure.jpg

NAZI MAGA 2024.jpg

Edited by BevoAbyss
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Posted

 

2 hours ago, BevoAbyss said:

Does not matter. 

The full-on 100% fascist takeover is underway and succeeding. The legacy & mainstream media have completely failed us and are doing next-to-nothing to stop it. Hell, they can't even call "fascism" what it is: FASCISM.  

The fascism has been obvious since Trump-MAGA appeared on the scene, if not much sooner. (First table is from 2023, slightly modified to include Project 2025). 

And many posters/law dogs repeatedly told us that the "Wheels of Justice" move slowly, but inexorably to justice. 

I posted the Nazi-MAGA table in 2024 and was told I was wrong. I am sure some posters will soon say it again.

We have a huge percentage of this country (perhaps 80-95%) who simply do not fully grasp what is unfolding before their eyes. 

Legacy Failure.jpg

NAZI MAGA 2024.jpg

Soon folks will start to awake to the smoke in the burning building that is our democracy.

Wake up, and smell the ashes.

 

It's fucking MADDENING for shit to be going down pretty much exactly as outlined and dismissed as """TDS""" back in 2021. Trump is dead ass following the typical fascist playbook.

  1. Failed coup
  2. ineffectual punishment
  3. fascists regroup and restoke their grievances
  4. gain populist support with those grievances
  5. seize power 

Timeline wise we feel around 1935 or so. 

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Posted (edited)
11 hours ago, Hermanator said:

An entire empire is being illegally and unconstitutionally hijacked by a rogue entity hell bent on destroying it and selling off the parts. Yet everyone is "afraid of inciting violence".

When push came to shove Americans were the biggest pussies on the planet. Not even the French would stand back while this shit happens. We know for a fact the South Koreans didn't. 

Every person in a position to do something about it, including the entire secret service, have failed their oath to the US Constitution and fail it repeatedly every single day. 

 

11 hours ago, immamac said:

I don't think there's a part for us to play here just yet. That time will hopefully never come, but definitely seems a lot closer every day. 

To both of these posts -  Right now the only recourse is to shine a light on it, and hope a ground swell of people blitz the Congress - republicans with threats of defeat unless they act. The only escape value is impeachment and conviction. I realize the perils here but it’s the only conceivable and lawful way. 
 

if the Dems take the house then the ability to shine the light becomes more dramatic with investigations or at least public hearings and statements like the one I just quoted above, and the ability to impeach is secure. If the Dems succeed in taking the house, Trump will be impeached for the third time - it’s a foregone conclusion. At that point it becomes the senate’s job. The question will be left in the hands of roughly 50 senators - needing roughly 17 to succeed (for the math I’m assuming (50/50 post mid terms which will undoubtedly be off some). 
 

in less than two years we will have the ability to end this within our grasp, 17 men and women doing the right thing.

thats clearly as unlikely as anything but it’s also so close given the drastic nature of our situation. With any optimism or belief that humans can do the right thing you’ve got to think some senators will come around and want to go down as historical heroes. I won’t count on it but again it’s the only way.

then a ground swell of public support is needed. We have to be vocal. 

2 hours ago, BevoAbyss said:

Does not matter. 

The full-on 100% fascist takeover is underway and succeeding. The legacy & mainstream media have completely failed us and are doing next-to-nothing to stop it. Hell, they can't even call "fascism" what it is: FASCISM.  

The fascism has been obvious since Trump-MAGA appeared on the scene, if not much sooner. (First table is from 2023, slightly modified to include Project 2025). 

And many posters/law dogs repeatedly told us that the "Wheels of Justice" move slowly, but inexorably to justice. 

I posted the Nazi-MAGA table in 2024 and was told I was wrong. I am sure some posters will soon say it again.

We have a huge percentage of this country (perhaps 80-95%) who simply do not fully grasp what is unfolding before their eyes. 

Legacy Failure.jpg

NAZI MAGA 2024.jpg

If you aren’t donating money to non profit journalism then you do not believe in the free press. For profit journalism is the enemy. 

as for nazisim - the bench mark isn’t hitler - it’s authoritarianism + a belief that the authoritarian leader’s innate and inherent characteristics - white, straight, cis gender, male, US citizen born of US citizen parents is superior +  subjugating those who do not fit within the superior human class. That is nazisism. Trump is that 100%, republicans are that 100%.

the good news is Trump and the nazis only have about 35-40% of the electorate. Trump won on independents focused on the economy and thinking he wouldn’t do what he’s doing. 

this shit is going to boomerang hard on him in 12 months when campaigning for the mid terms starts again. even more so after mid terms.

the sole question is will the people rise up and use the strength of our system to demand his ouster? I doubt it, but the path is there and it is designed to work. 

Edited by troph
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Posted

Anyone here "Stand Up For Science" yesterday?

I took to the streets for the science rally, with cool sign in hand. Saw a boisterous, agitated, happy-dejected crowd of about 1000 people in the metropolis where I attended the really.

-- Crowd size was more than I expected, but tiny considering the million+ population of the metropolis and surrounding burbs.  So, about 1 out of 1000 people attended from the area.

-- Lots of funny and piognant signs. Too many to post here.  

-- Saw many faces that seemed depressed-dejected ... and downright angry.

The speakers (local scientists and local politicians) had their lines. But other than saying "fight back" and "demand a seat at the table," there was not much of a plan.

Two hours of a rally .... then it disappears. 

https://standupforscience2025.org

But, I feel good for going.

And trust me, my ongoing international art project will not ignore what is going down in America.

No fucking way! 

Science.jpg

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Posted
If you aren’t donating money to non profit journalism then you do not believe in the free press. For profit journalism is the enemy. 
as for nazisim - the bench mark isn’t hitler - it’s authoritarianism + a belief that the authoritarian leader’s innate and inherent characteristics - white, straight, cis gender, male, US citizen born of US citizen parents is superior +  subjugating those who do not fit within the superior human class. That is nazisism. Trump is that 100%, republicans are that 100%.
the good news is Trump and the nazis only have about 35-40% of the electorate. Trump won on independents focused on the economy and thinking he wouldn’t do what he’s doing. 
this shit is going to boomerang hard on him in 12 months when campaigning for the mid terms starts again. even more so after mid terms.
the sole question is will the people rise up and use the strength of our system to demand his ouster? I doubt it, but the path is there and it is designed to work. 

You still think that existing institutions and processes have a chance.
I love that about you. You are a relentless optimist, with a beautiful heart.
You are also dead-wrong.
This ends in blood. That has always been how it is going to end. Once a significant portion of a society decides to embark on the path that MAGA is following, the whole society gets dragged along to the inevitable hellish, blood-soaked destination.
It’s why we never should have started this stupid trip, but they insisted on it, and too many people didn’t listen and went along with them.
It’s over. It’s been over since 2008, when we crossed the catastrophic rubicon of electing a black man president.
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Posted (edited)
19 minutes ago, troph said:

For profit journalism is the enemy. 

the good news is Trump and the nazis only have about 35-40% of the electorate. Trump won on independents focused on the economy and thinking he wouldn’t do what he’s doing. 

Troph: You're a great poster here. One of the very best. Your post makes good points.

But, with all due respect, you echoed the exact party line of the "for profit journalism." 

The media want us to think it "Trump won on the economy" ...blah blah blah. 

Sure, independents played a small role.

But the empirical facts are that religious people PLAYED A LARGE ROLE. They voted overwhelming for Trump and their cult leaders are installing Project 2025 ... just as they said they would.

Yet, as we see throughout the media, including non-profit media, the role of religious fanatics gets a 99% free pass.

The data are 100% clear (see below). It is what it is.

Their goal is a fascist theocracy.

Unless this threat to civilization is confronted, this nation is doomed. Most likely, it is far too late.

Hell, the entire world is endangered because of these people .... 

 

 

Trump Religious Voters.jpg

Edited by BevoAbyss
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Posted

I guess it's been obvious, but really hit me the other day why we have such an issue with binary thinking in regards to American politics. 

I played golf with my MAGA friend and another that is a Trump apologist at worst and probably a supporter. Politics wasn't brought up until the back nine, one of them mentioned Trump and I started pushing back. They tried making their arguments, I calmly rebutted. One of them asks me why I love Biden. I told them I could give a fuck about Joe Biden, and I was particularly frustrated with how he handled Israel/Palestine. The MAGA friend got rattled and melted down on the back 9, and I ended up taking his money, lol. 

 

IMO a HUGE reason this happens is because we have a two party system. In their mind if you're anti-Trump, then you are a Dem lover. What would happen if we had 3, 4, or 5 real political parties? Goddamn, I hate this shit. 

 

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Posted
On 3/6/2025 at 10:48 PM, Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand said:

And if they win lying that they support policies they know they don't, then what's the point?

they get to do what the fascists do: implement the policies they do support

Posted
12 minutes ago, BevoAbyss said:

Troph: You're a great poster here. One of the very best. Your post makes good points.

But, with all due respect, you echoed the exact party line of the "for profit journalism." 

The media want us to think it "Trump won on the economy" ...blah blah blah. 

Sure, independents played a small role.

But the empirical facts are that religious people PLAYED A LARGE ROLE. They voted overwhelming for Trump and their cult leaders are installing Project 2025 ... just as they said they would.

Yet, as we see throughout the media, including non-profit media, the role of religious fanatics gets a 99% free pass.

The data are 100% clear (see below). It is what it is.

Their goal is a fascist theocracy.

Unless this threat to civilization is confronted, this nation is doomed. Most likely, it is far too late.

Hell, the entire world is endangered because of these people .... 

 

 

Trump Religious Voters.jpg

Religious people are the single largest voting block in the country. I stated he has 35-40% of the vote. 

Still, even though the margin for error is slim, that’s not enough for him to take the country. 

I conceded your points in the background.

and moreso, we have to win despite these voters, we will not convince them. 

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Posted (edited)
21 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:


You still think that existing institutions and processes have a chance.
I love that about you. You are a relentless optimist, with a beautiful heart.
You are also dead-wrong.
This ends in blood. That has always been how it is going to end. Once a significant portion of a society decides to embark on the path that MAGA is following, the whole society gets dragged along to the inevitable hellish, blood-soaked destination.
It’s why we never should have started this stupid trip, but they insisted on it, and too many people didn’t listen and went along with them.
It’s over. It’s been over since 2008, when we crossed the catastrophic rubicon of electing a black man president.

I’m explaining it’s the only civilized way forward. I will not bet money it will happen. 
 

and yes my optimism is beautiful, it’s how I have gotten as far as I have in this life with a lot of cards stacked against me. Even still, I’m sober and pragmatic, ever vigilant of the threat. There is a high, high likelihood that we are applying for Mexican residency this summer when we return from SMA. What stands in the way is further self convincing it’s necessary and severing deep rooted ties to Texas and Austin, the grief will be astounding but my resiliency and optimism will lead the way. 

Edited by troph
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Posted (edited)
8 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

since 1953, only two presidential terms have had an approval rating below 50% at this early stage of the presidency: Donald Trump in 2017 and Donald Trump in 2025. (Gallup)
 

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Think about Trump having low approval numbers in 2017. Then think about everything horrific that happened between then and November 2024. Siding with Putin over the US, the impeachments, covid, 1/6, the sexual assault, the felony convictions.... And we elected him AGAIN. 

Edited by Red Five
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Posted
Just now, Red Five said:

Think about Trump having low approval numbers in 2017. Then think about everything horrific that happened between then and November 224. Siding with Putin over the US, the impeachments, covid, 1/6, the sexual assault, the felony convictions.... And we elected him AGAIN. 

If You Say So Shrug GIF

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Posted
30 minutes ago, Hank Kingsley said:

I guess it's been obvious, but really hit me the other day why we have such an issue with binary thinking in regards to American politics. 

I played golf with my MAGA friend and another that is a Trump apologist at worst and probably a supporter. Politics wasn't brought up until the back nine, one of them mentioned Trump and I started pushing back. They tried making their arguments, I calmly rebutted. One of them asks me why I love Biden. I told them I could give a fuck about Joe Biden, and I was particularly frustrated with how he handled Israel/Palestine. The MAGA friend got rattled and melted down on the back 9, and I ended up taking his money, lol. 

 

IMO a HUGE reason this happens is because we have a two party system. In their mind if you're anti-Trump, then you are a Dem lover. What would happen if we had 3, 4, or 5 real political parties? Goddamn, I hate this shit. 

 

In my story the other day about arguing with Trump supporters they brought up Joe Biden and I said fuck Biden and what does that have to do with now.  You nailed it 

Posted
I guess it's been obvious, but really hit me the other day why we have such an issue with binary thinking in regards to American politics. 
I played golf with my MAGA friend and another that is a Trump apologist at worst and probably a supporter. Politics wasn't brought up until the back nine, one of them mentioned Trump and I started pushing back. They tried making their arguments, I calmly rebutted. One of them asks me why I love Biden. I told them I could give a fuck about Joe Biden, and I was particularly frustrated with how he handled Israel/Palestine. The MAGA friend got rattled and melted down on the back 9, and I ended up taking his money, lol. 
 
IMO a HUGE reason this happens is because we have a two party system. In their mind if you're anti-Trump, then you are a Dem lover. What would happen if we had 3, 4, or 5 real political parties? Goddamn, I hate this shit. 
 
For those 2, their political party is tied to their identity. That's the issue more than anything else. Political parties can change their ideologies. When a person's identity (and their friends' identifies, and their families' identities) is tied only to political party nothing matters except staying with the party. Ideology, what's right, what's wrong... they don't matter.

Funny thing, you'll hear people say they're liberal, or progressive, or even leftists. You don't really hear many people say they're a Democrat, much less a proud Democrat. I hear people declare how proud they are to be Republican all the time.
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Posted
1 hour ago, BevoAbyss said:

Troph: You're a great poster here. One of the very best. Your post makes good points.

But, with all due respect, you echoed the exact party line of the "for profit journalism." 

The media want us to think it "Trump won on the economy" ...blah blah blah. 

Sure, independents played a small role.

But the empirical facts are that religious people PLAYED A LARGE ROLE. They voted overwhelming for Trump and their cult leaders are installing Project 2025 ... just as they said they would.

Yet, as we see throughout the media, including non-profit media, the role of religious fanatics gets a 99% free pass.

The data are 100% clear (see below). It is what it is.

Their goal is a fascist theocracy.

Unless this threat to civilization is confronted, this nation is doomed. Most likely, it is far too late.

Hell, the entire world is endangered because of these people .... 

 

 

Trump Religious Voters.jpg

Independents / those bamboozled into thinking Trump was great for the economy didn’t play a ‘small role’.  Sure the % is small compared to the evangelicals but the evangelicals were voting that way no matter what.  It’s the many millions closer to the middle who gave Trump the election.  

And yes, the media carried Trump’s water, while acting so concerned the whole time.  What a joke.  You can call it fascism or whatever but it’s a simple plan, fleece the masses and line the pockets of a few billionaires.  The evangelicals only care that the heathens feel pain, they think the money part is a lost cause no matter who wins the WH.  
 

 

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Posted

I don't think I've read a similar analysis about Trump's rhetoric with this particular point, but when put in this way, the self-contradictions make sense.

‘You Can’t Pin Him Down’: Trump’s Contradictions Are His Ultimate Cover
President Trump’s shifting positions and outright lies have presented the American public with dueling narratives at every turn.

What does President Trump really believe?

Does he want to run for a third term, or is that just a joke? Does he intend to seize control of Gaza and expel millions of Palestinians, or is that just a suggestion? Is Black History Month a waste of time and money, or worth a lavish celebration at the White House?

Anyone looking for definitive answers will have a hard time finding them.

Since storming back into office, Mr. Trump has used a dizzying rhetorical tactic of shifting positions like quicksand, muddying his messages and contradicting himself, sometimes in the same day. The inconsistencies have presented the American public with dueling narratives at every turn, allowing people to pick and choose what they want to believe about the president’s intentions.

Mr. Trump has long dealt in distortions and lies, including in his first term. But as he executes a much more aggressive agenda at home and abroad, his contradictions have become more brazen and more pronounced.

“He says so much, you can’t really pin him down,” said Julian E. Zelizer, a Princeton history professor and editor of a book of essays about Mr. Trump’s first term. “The point isn’t to have a contradiction, the point is to have cover.”

“The reality of our modern information world is that you can pick and choose what you want to believe,” Mr. Zelizer added. “He instinctively knows that.”

Within hours of taking office, Mr. Trump pardoned Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted Capitol Police officers, a move that clashed with his professed support for law enforcement.

He spent his first weeks disparaging diversity, equity and inclusion policies as “harmful” and blamed diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration for a deadly plane crash over the Potomac River. But just hours after the Jan. 29 crash, he backtracked.

“We want the most competent people,” he said. “We don’t care what race they are.”

Mr. Trump has eviscerated federal programs aimed at combating inequality in America and his Defense Department announced that the military would no longer “use official resources” to mark Black History Month.

Mr. Trump then marked the occasion in a formal ceremony in the White House.

His foreign policy pronouncements are equally baffling.

Last month, after making a stunning announcement that the United States would seek to seize the Gaza Strip, permanently displace the Palestinian population and rebuild the seaside enclave as the “Riviera of the Middle East,” Mr. Trump changed his proposal several times over two weeks, before saying it was merely a recommendation.

Earlier this week, during an address to Congress, he invited Greenland to choose to be owned by the United States. “We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,” he said.

Moments later, he suggested it may not be a choice at all.

“One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” he said.

On the matter of Ukraine, Mr. Trump in a social media post called the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a “dictator without elections.” Later, when pressed on whether he actually believed that, Mr. Trump said: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.”

White House officials argue that especially on foreign policy matters, Mr. Trump is showing his skill as a tough negotiator whose messages adjust to the fluidity of serious situations. An aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Mr. Trump’s ambiguity about the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine had pushed both regions closer to peace.

“The American public has ample opportunity to listen to the words of President Trump directly when he speaks to the press and directly to the American people on a near daily basis as the most accessible and transparent president in American history,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement, adding that Americans “recognize the beauty of the art of the deal.”

Throughout his career as a businessman and a politician, Mr. Trump became known as much for deal-making as he was for perfecting contradictions. Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter of Mr. Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal,” has said the president has one goal.

“His aim is never accuracy,” Mr. Schwartz wrote in an opinion essay during Mr. Trump’s first term, “it’s domination.”

Mr. Trump has boasted about his meandering speaking style, which he calls the “weave,” and he often muses about things — like whether he should be granted a constitutionally prohibited third term — with a wink and a nod.

But experts say the dissonance can become dangerous.

“Once you undermine consistency, the shared sense of reality, you’re undermining the basis of democracy,” said Jason Stanley, a Yale professor who has written books about propaganda and the erasure of history. “If there’s no shared sense of reality, we can’t collectively make decisions. So the only decision maker will be the disrupter in chief.”

Mr. Stanley said Mr. Trump’s contradictions boil down to a simple truth.

“If you’re constantly contradicting yourself,” he said, “you’re constantly lying.”

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Posted
2 minutes ago, bolverk said:

I don't think I've read a similar analysis about Trump's rhetoric with this particular point, but when put in this way, the self-contradictions make sense.

‘You Can’t Pin Him Down’: Trump’s Contradictions Are His Ultimate Cover
President Trump’s shifting positions and outright lies have presented the American public with dueling narratives at every turn.

What does President Trump really believe?

Does he want to run for a third term, or is that just a joke? Does he intend to seize control of Gaza and expel millions of Palestinians, or is that just a suggestion? Is Black History Month a waste of time and money, or worth a lavish celebration at the White House?

Anyone looking for definitive answers will have a hard time finding them.

Since storming back into office, Mr. Trump has used a dizzying rhetorical tactic of shifting positions like quicksand, muddying his messages and contradicting himself, sometimes in the same day. The inconsistencies have presented the American public with dueling narratives at every turn, allowing people to pick and choose what they want to believe about the president’s intentions.

Mr. Trump has long dealt in distortions and lies, including in his first term. But as he executes a much more aggressive agenda at home and abroad, his contradictions have become more brazen and more pronounced.

“He says so much, you can’t really pin him down,” said Julian E. Zelizer, a Princeton history professor and editor of a book of essays about Mr. Trump’s first term. “The point isn’t to have a contradiction, the point is to have cover.”

“The reality of our modern information world is that you can pick and choose what you want to believe,” Mr. Zelizer added. “He instinctively knows that.”

Within hours of taking office, Mr. Trump pardoned Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted Capitol Police officers, a move that clashed with his professed support for law enforcement.

He spent his first weeks disparaging diversity, equity and inclusion policies as “harmful” and blamed diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration for a deadly plane crash over the Potomac River. But just hours after the Jan. 29 crash, he backtracked.

“We want the most competent people,” he said. “We don’t care what race they are.”

Mr. Trump has eviscerated federal programs aimed at combating inequality in America and his Defense Department announced that the military would no longer “use official resources” to mark Black History Month.

Mr. Trump then marked the occasion in a formal ceremony in the White House.

His foreign policy pronouncements are equally baffling.

Last month, after making a stunning announcement that the United States would seek to seize the Gaza Strip, permanently displace the Palestinian population and rebuild the seaside enclave as the “Riviera of the Middle East,” Mr. Trump changed his proposal several times over two weeks, before saying it was merely a recommendation.

Earlier this week, during an address to Congress, he invited Greenland to choose to be owned by the United States. “We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,” he said.

Moments later, he suggested it may not be a choice at all.

“One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” he said.

On the matter of Ukraine, Mr. Trump in a social media post called the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a “dictator without elections.” Later, when pressed on whether he actually believed that, Mr. Trump said: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.”

White House officials argue that especially on foreign policy matters, Mr. Trump is showing his skill as a tough negotiator whose messages adjust to the fluidity of serious situations. An aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Mr. Trump’s ambiguity about the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine had pushed both regions closer to peace.

“The American public has ample opportunity to listen to the words of President Trump directly when he speaks to the press and directly to the American people on a near daily basis as the most accessible and transparent president in American history,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement, adding that Americans “recognize the beauty of the art of the deal.”

Throughout his career as a businessman and a politician, Mr. Trump became known as much for deal-making as he was for perfecting contradictions. Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter of Mr. Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal,” has said the president has one goal.

“His aim is never accuracy,” Mr. Schwartz wrote in an opinion essay during Mr. Trump’s first term, “it’s domination.”

Mr. Trump has boasted about his meandering speaking style, which he calls the “weave,” and he often muses about things — like whether he should be granted a constitutionally prohibited third term — with a wink and a nod.

But experts say the dissonance can become dangerous.

“Once you undermine consistency, the shared sense of reality, you’re undermining the basis of democracy,” said Jason Stanley, a Yale professor who has written books about propaganda and the erasure of history. “If there’s no shared sense of reality, we can’t collectively make decisions. So the only decision maker will be the disrupter in chief.”

Mr. Stanley said Mr. Trump’s contradictions boil down to a simple truth.

“If you’re constantly contradicting yourself,” he said, “you’re constantly lying.”

Some of this reads like it’s a genius strategy.  It’s not.  He’s a malignant narcissist.  When people complement him, he throws them a bone.  Otherwise it’s spending time and resources for vindication.  People on both sides of many issues complement him so he waffles on pretty much every issue at some point.  

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Posted
3 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Some of this reads like it’s a genius strategy.  It’s not.  He’s a malignant narcissist.  When people complement him, he throws them a bone.  Otherwise it’s spending time and resources for vindication.  People on both sides of many issues complement him so he waffles on pretty much every issue at some point.  

Yeah, if you've ever known one of these, his purpose isn't to flood the zone with as much as possible (although that's certainly the result). It's that he always thinks he's correct in saying whatever, even if he immediately contradicts what he just said. He's the one saying it, so of course it's right. Water is wet, because of course it is. Water is dry, because I say it is. 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Some of this reads like it’s a genius strategy.  It’s not.  He’s a malignant narcissist.  When people complement him, he throws them a bone.  Otherwise it’s spending time and resources for vindication.  People on both sides of many issues complement him so he waffles on pretty much every issue at some point.  

Yeah, I don't think it's necessarily done with calculated intent but, instead, maybe a learned trait that's apparently worked out his way his whole life. Like you said, he's got a narcissistic personality disorder, and this is the way he's learned to "cope" by manipulating people. Of course, on the other hand, the contradictions could well just be a sign that he's an idiot who believes and repeats the last thing someone said to him.

But I guess that's kind of the point. No one knows what he truly believes/thinks or exactly what he's going to do at any moment on a whim, and that unpredictability makes everyone feel disoriented and off-balance until he suddenly plows ahead after whatever decision process it actually is.

It's perhaps not some grand revelation, but it does give me something to point to when arguing with my bewildered idiot buddy who voted for Trump and is now "alarmed," as he put it last night during a long discussion.

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Posted
17 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

Looks as though ACB is a little too chummy with Justice Jackson.   Hmmmm.   I wonder why they'd be offended by them being friendly?

 

 

Meanwhie

 

 spacer.png

I wonder if Don Jr. ever went on a rat safari. 

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Posted
Yeah, I don't think it's necessarily done with calculated intent but, instead, maybe a learned trait that's apparently worked out his way his whole life. Like you said, he's got a narcissistic personality disorder, and this is the way he's learned to "cope" by manipulating people. Of course, on the other hand, the contradictions could well just be a sign that he's an idiot who believes and repeats the last thing someone said to him.
But I guess that's kind of the point. No one knows what he truly believes/thinks or exactly what he's going to do at any moment on a whim, and that unpredictability makes everyone feel disoriented and off-balance until he suddenly plows ahead after whatever decision process it actually is.
It's perhaps not some grand revelation, but it does give me something to point to when arguing with my bewildered idiot buddy who voted for Trump and is now "alarmed," as he put it last night during a long discussion.

The simple truth is that Trump doesn’t believe anything, and has no guiding principles other than than “Trump needs praise/validation to try to fill the unfillable void.”
That’s it. He’ll say he loves dogs if he things it will earn him praise. One second later, he’ll say he hates dogs if he thinks it will earn him .00000001% more praise and admiration. That’s the whole calculus. He actually has no independent opinion as to dogs. Dogs are just a subject he can use to obtain the thing he needs most: praise and validation.
He’s not a genius. We just have a situation where a man’s uniquely outsized psychosis and coping tools for same happen to be identical with the set of political skills best suited to manipulate the masses in this era.
He would happily kill you dead if he thought it would get him .000001% more praise. And what makes it worse is that it’s not even personal, or for some principled reason (even an evil reasoned principle, like “Jews are harmful and must be exterminated for the betterment of humanity”). Nope. It’s just “if I exterminate the Jews, one additional person will worship me.”
Humanity is beyond fucked.
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Posted
2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:


The simple truth is that Trump doesn’t believe anything, and has no guiding principles other than than “Trump needs praise/validation to try to fill the unfillable void.”
That’s it. He’ll say he loves dogs if he things it will earn him praise. One second later, he’ll say he hates dogs if he thinks it will earn him .00000001% more praise and admiration. That’s the whole calculus. He actually has no independent opinion as to dogs. Dogs are just a subject he can use to obtain the thing he needs most: praise and validation.
He’s not a genius. We just have a situation where a man’s uniquely outsized psychosis and coping tools for same happen to be identical with the set of political skills best suited to manipulate the masses in this era.
He would happily kill you dead if he thought it would get him .000001% more praise. And what makes it worse is that it’s not even personal, or for some principled reason (even an evil reasoned principle, like “Jews are harmful and must be exterminated for the betterment of humanity”). Nope. It’s just “if I exterminate the Jews, one additional person will worship me.”
Humanity is beyond fucked.

Combine this with the full-blown narcissist stuff, and it's like they made someone in a lab who should never ever ever ever EVER be President of the United States. The last republican nominee not named Trump was Mitt Romney in 2012. 

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Posted
2 hours ago, Hank Kingsley said:

I guess it's been obvious, but really hit me the other day why we have such an issue with binary thinking in regards to American politics. 

I played golf with my MAGA friend and another that is a Trump apologist at worst and probably a supporter. Politics wasn't brought up until the back nine, one of them mentioned Trump and I started pushing back. They tried making their arguments, I calmly rebutted. One of them asks me why I love Biden. I told them I could give a fuck about Joe Biden, and I was particularly frustrated with how he handled Israel/Palestine. The MAGA friend got rattled and melted down on the back 9, and I ended up taking his money, lol. 

 

IMO a HUGE reason this happens is because we have a two party system. In their mind if you're anti-Trump, then you are a Dem lover. What would happen if we had 3, 4, or 5 real political parties? Goddamn, I hate this shit. 

 

Doesn’t matter how many political parties, if you support fascism you’ll find a way to support fascism. 

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Posted
14 hours ago, Hermanator said:

An entire empire is being illegally and unconstitutionally hijacked by a rogue entity hell bent on destroying it and selling off the parts. Yet everyone is "afraid of inciting violence".

When push came to shove Americans were the biggest pussies on the planet. Not even the French would stand back while this shit happens. We know for a fact the South Koreans didn't. 

Every person in a position to do something about it, including the entire secret service, have failed their oath to the US Constitution and fail it repeatedly every single day. 

 

14 hours ago, immamac said:

I don't think there's a part for us to play here just yet. That time will hopefully never come, but definitely seems a lot closer every day. 

Flooding the streets is a part to play. Sedentary distractedness is the part most play.

Even if the yet in your statement comes to pass, I seriously doubt the American citizens do much to protect a republic they clearly don't understand. 

Here in the Banana Republic of the United States of America, we'll have to hope the Army is on the right side. If they are, we'll have to find our Ataturk to lead a coup and restore the republic. I don't really see that happening either. 

Europe can refer to fucking Donald Trump as American strong man (caudillo) Presidente Trump, Cara de Piña Naranja to his terrified detractors. 

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Posted
1 hour ago, hobbes2702 said:

Doesn’t matter how many political parties, if you support fascism you’ll find a way to support fascism. 

You are correct, but these people couldn't just paint you as the singular other side of the coin if there were more political parties. 

Posted
9 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I pay no attention to the NFL, but I’m pretty sure Cousins isn’t a HOF QB.

For your information, Cousins led the league last year...in both interceptions and fumbles.

 

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Posted
2 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

MAGA baby !!!! f those socialist libs !!!!!!

more lib tears !!!

 

IMG_3266.jpeg

What is an intelligent person supposed to take from this map?  I'm sure you're trying to make some point here, but I'm not sure exactly what it is?

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Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, RockwallJim said:

What is an intelligent person supposed to take from this map?  I'm sure you're trying to make some point here, but I'm not sure exactly what it is?

I like to think of myself as a marginally intelligent person. So here is my shot:

I think the point is is that blue states generally contribute to DC while the red states are generally takers I think. Therefore the Republicans are the real socialists or maybe that Republicans will suffer more from MAGA's actions so it will be them who will be crying.

Something like that.

Edited by Valmy77
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Posted
2 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

I think the point is is that blue states generally contribute to DC while the red states are generally takers I think.

The joke's on you, those states are only red or green, no blue.

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Posted
1 minute ago, Valmy77 said:

I like to think of myself as a marginally intelligent person. So here is my shot:

I think the point is is that blue states generally contribute to DC while the red states are generally takers I think. Therefore the Republicans are the real socialists or maybe that Republicans will suffer more from MAGA's actions so it will be them who will by crying.

Something like that.

Even though on this map the 2 largest "electoral points to Trump States" are in the column with net dollars towards DC as were 3 others....for a total of 5 states.. while there was the exact same number, 5, of "electoral points to Harris States" that were net dollars from DC.  Seems this map (to an intelligent person) displays nearly zero correlation.   BUT NEVER LET FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY, RIGHT?

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Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, RockwallJim said:

Even though on this map the 2 largest "electoral points to Trump States" are in the column with net dollars towards DC as were 3 others....for a total of 5 states.. while there was the exact same number, 5, of "electoral points to Harris States" that were net dollars from DC.  Seems this map (to an intelligent person) displays nearly zero correlation.   BUT NEVER LET FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY, RIGHT?

That is all true yet the correlation seems pretty clear even for the marginally intelligent.

And Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada may have just barely gone for Trump in 2024, but are hardly "red" states. They are swing states that can go either way. Two have Democratic governors. So I think you are intentionally obtuse. The only two true red states that are contributors to DC are Florida and Texas. That's it.

Edited by Valmy77
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Posted
8 hours ago, BevoAbyss said:

Does not matter. 

The full-on 100% fascist takeover is underway and succeeding. The legacy & mainstream media have completely failed us and are doing next-to-nothing to stop it. Hell, they can't even call "fascism" what it is: FASCISM.  

The fascism has been obvious since Trump-MAGA appeared on the scene, if not much sooner. (First table is from 2023, slightly modified to include Project 2025). 

And many posters/law dogs repeatedly told us that the "Wheels of Justice" move slowly, but inexorably to justice. 

I posted the Nazi-MAGA table in 2024 and was told I was wrong. I am sure some posters will soon say it again.

We have a huge percentage of this country (perhaps 80-95%) who simply do not fully grasp what is unfolding before their eyes. 

Legacy Failure.jpg

NAZI MAGA 2024.jpg

Interesting chart, although written with a very marginal grasp on facts or reality.   Allow me to pick this apart point by point.   Let's begin with "throngs of racist fascist christians".  Are you under the impression that Nazism had christianity as a core tenant of that political movement?

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Posted
1 minute ago, Valmy77 said:

That is all true yet the correlation seems pretty clear even for the marginally intelligent.

And Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada may have just barely gone for Trump in 2024, but are hardly "red" states. They are swing states that can go either way. Two have Democratic governors. So I think you are intentionally obtuse. The only two true red states that are contributors to DC are Florida and Texas. That's it.

Ok, great.  So now we are subdividing states by truly red, kinda red, kinda blue and truly blue?  Are we also going to create a purple state group? It appears you are trying to now shift from a statistical conversation to a nuanced conversation.  

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Posted
5 minutes ago, RockwallJim said:

Even though on this map the 2 largest "electoral points to Trump States" are in the column with net dollars towards DC as were 3 others....for a total of 5 states.. while there was the exact same number, 5, of "electoral points to Harris States" that were net dollars from DC.  Seems this map (to an intelligent person) displays nearly zero correlation.   BUT NEVER LET FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY, RIGHT?

Or you could look at that map and infer that there are a lot of people out there that vote against their own self interests. Let’s take West Virginia as an example. In the most recent election, voters in West Virginia went for Trump 70/30. West Virginia is the second most federally dependent state in the union. Trump ran on a platform of slashing government jobs and spending on federal programs so those cuts would hit West Virginians hard, yet they overwhelmingly voted for the platform. 

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