OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days

Carl LaFong Exalted Member @carllafong Posts: 82,507 Likes: 63,170	OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days Apr 27, 2017 11:29:00 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Carl LaFong on Apr 27, 2017 11:29:00 GMT He's clearly a very strange man. He makes me nervous.
	SPOILER: Click to show You're my wife now.

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OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days Apr 27, 2017 20:45:07 GMT mr_self, shadyvsesham, and 1 more like this

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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2017 20:45:07 GMT

This needs to be on the politics board

In most other aspects, the nascent Trump presidency is very much a work in progress, or perhaps a work in regress from the rhetoric of his campaign.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, this is the actual story of these first 100 days — the story of a showman stunned by his own victory and trying to figure out whom he should listen to and how he wants to govern.

But as soon as Trump plants a toe near sensible ground on any of these issues, he is immediately branded with that most overused epithet in American politics: flip-flopper. Invariably, when he arrives at a more nuanced position on something like Chinese currency or averting a government shutdown, the deluge of stories that follow have little to say about the policy itself and a lot to say about how Trump is either swerving erratically from his past positions or acknowledging political defeat.

If there’s one thing that ought to be true about both politicians and reporters, it’s that we should adjust our conclusions as the evidence changes. Ideological consistency at the expense of reason and experience isn’t a marker of integrity; it’s proof that you’ve stopped listening.

But if I’m being honest with myself about it, I’m conflicted in Trump’s case, and I’m certain I’m not alone. That’s because Trump’s success would also validate a lot of values I find repugnant and anti-American, starting with xenophobia, misogyny and a basic contempt for accumulated wisdom or expertise of any kind.

If Trump were to become an accomplished, popular president, it would send an even more resounding message to my kids — as the election itself did — that lying and bullying carry no cost, that politics is entertainment by another name. It would mean the death, or at least the grave injury, of objective truth.

It would vindicate the dangerous idea that America is strongest not as a global leader, but as a symbol of ethnic retrenchment.

And if, in the 100 days to come and the 100 after that, Trump’s inclined to reinvent himself as a more thoughtful statesman, we shouldn’t jump up and down screaming “flip-flopper” like a bunch of fools with severely limited vocabularies. We have to give him room to grow.

Because if we don’t, we’re only proving his point about the media — that we report only what we can stand to report, rather than the truth, and that we’re never going to give him credit for anything. And Trump will get some things right. The law of averages compels it.

Critics on the left will call this “normalizing” Trump. I call it acknowledging reality, which is that he is the president, and we don’t get to decide for people what’s normal and what isn’t.

Last Edit: Apr 28, 2017 0:36:51 GMT by Deleted

mr_self
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OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days Apr 28, 2017 0:13:09 GMT

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Post by mr_self on Apr 28, 2017 0:13:09 GMT

Apr 27, 2017 20:45:07 GMT @zhivago said:

This needs to be on the politics board

If there’s one thing that ought to be true about both politicians and reporters, it’s that we should adjust our conclusions as the evidence changes. Ideological consistency at the expense of reason and experience isn’t a marker of integrity; it’s proof that you’ve stopped listening.

+1. Something all Republicans/Democrats/liberals/conservatives/libertarians/socialists should take to heart. Pragmatism, not ideological handcuffs.

I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.

shadyvsesham Revered Member @shadyvsesham Posts: 27,833 Likes: 20,226	OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days Apr 28, 2017 2:17:51 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by shadyvsesham on Apr 28, 2017 2:17:51 GMT Mistakes happen man, not like we never had an OT before.

xystophoros
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OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days Apr 28, 2017 4:41:45 GMT

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Post by xystophoros on Apr 28, 2017 4:41:45 GMT

Apr 28, 2017 0:13:09 GMT mr_self said:

Apr 27, 2017 20:45:07 GMT @zhivago said:

This needs to be on the politics board

+1. Something all Republicans/Democrats/liberals/conservatives/libertarians/socialists should take to heart. Pragmatism, not ideological handcuffs.

Ideology is ultimately one of the bigger problems. As long as we remain at each other's throats over social issues and dumb shit like who gets to buy a fucking cake, or who gets to take a shit in which bathroom, it's easy for our politicians to whore themselves out under the radar and screw us over.

The Republicans never shut up about rights, but had no problem voting to allow ISPs -- major contributors -- to sell our online data. Obama spent & years saying lofty shit and describing an idyllic republic free from nefarious influences, and he just took $400k to speak at a Wall St. conference.

Meanwhile, that piece of shit senator from Virginia, Joe Manchin, never so much as got a slap on the wrist for helping his daughter (Mylan CEO Heather Bresch) fuck over taxpayers and people with severe medical conditions with her 600% price hikes for essential medication. Everyone was outraged for like 2 weeks, then we all forgot about it and got outraged about something else.

"Isn't it fly how your sister applied to assist me in my kitchen till the dishes are dry?"

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OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days May 2, 2017 11:12:37 GMT

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Post by DC-Fan on May 2, 2017 11:12:37 GMT

Apr 27, 2017 11:00:46 GMT @satyagraha said:

I say, give the man a chance.

link

It's been 6 months since the election and these morons are still protesting:

www.yahoo.com/news/opposition-trump-unites-may-day-protesters-045550918.html

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD0vARpus-g

klawrencio79
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OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days May 2, 2017 12:22:27 GMT

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Post by klawrencio79 on May 2, 2017 12:22:27 GMT

May 2, 2017 11:12:37 GMT DC-Fan said:

Apr 27, 2017 11:00:46 GMT @satyagraha said:

I say, give the man a chance.

link

It's been 6 months since the election and these morons are still protesting:

www.yahoo.com/news/opposition-trump-unites-may-day-protesters-045550918.html

How long has it been since Brady's early SB wins that you spend a lifetime bitching about?

NJtoTX
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OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days May 3, 2017 10:46:49 GMT

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Post by NJtoTX on May 3, 2017 10:46:49 GMT

May 2, 2017 11:12:37 GMT DC-Fan said:

Apr 27, 2017 11:00:46 GMT @satyagraha said:

I say, give the man a chance.

link

It's been 6 months since the election and these morons are still protesting:

www.yahoo.com/news/opposition-trump-unites-may-day-protesters-045550918.html

This is in Puerto Rico.

Last year the U.S. Congress approved a rescue package that led to the creation of a federal control board charged with overseeing Puerto Rico's finances. In recent weeks the board and Rossello have been approving austerity measures aimed at cutting costs.

Puerto Rico is preparing to cut public employee benefits, increase tax revenue, hike water rates and privatize government operations, among other things.

I have named the dogs next door "STFU."

MrFurious Elite Member Lets nuke that hurricane and buy Greenland @mrfurious Posts: 10,519 Likes: 5,601	OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days May 10, 2017 10:29:51 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by MrFurious on May 10, 2017 10:29:51 GMT Another crazy night in the Trump presidency. Its so much fun.
	He now looks like a pug www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H25ve3qts4

OT - One of the best pieces on Trump's 100 days

Post by Carl LaFong on Apr 27, 2017 11:29:00 GMT

Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2017 20:45:07 GMT

Post by mr_self on Apr 28, 2017 0:13:09 GMT

Post by shadyvsesham on Apr 28, 2017 2:17:51 GMT

Post by xystophoros on Apr 28, 2017 4:41:45 GMT

Post by DC-Fan on May 2, 2017 11:12:37 GMT

Post by klawrencio79 on May 2, 2017 12:22:27 GMT

Post by NJtoTX on May 3, 2017 10:46:49 GMT

Post by MrFurious on May 10, 2017 10:29:51 GMT