A Question for B-Fly

[swampdragon]

It truly amazes me the things Republicans are willing to overlook, ignore, forgive, and excuse regarding Trump. If a democratic president did any one of the things Trump does daily, those same people would be up in arms. Of course, that sort of hypocrisy and double standard has always existed to an extent, but I really thought Trump was so beyond the pale, it would make it impossible for Republicans to do it with Trump. I was wrong.

I always wonder what 1J does for a job and how he works with people around him. Is the troll like behavior of denial built into the real person or just on the internet?

[Bernie Brewer]

It truly amazes me the things Republicans are willing to overlook, ignore, forgive, and excuse regarding Trump. If a democratic president did any one of the things Trump does daily, those same people would be up in arms. Of course, that sort of hypocrisy and double standard has always existed to an extent, but I really thought Trump was so beyond the pale, it would make it impossible for Republicans to do it with Trump. I was wrong.

I agree that more Republicans should call him out on some of the stuff he does and says. I had high hopes that Paul Ryan would be one of those people and he let me down. Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, etc. They should have rebuked his use of Twitter, his propensity for name calling and other childlike behaviors, his comments that are condemn our friends and allies and lift up our foes, his moral failings left and right. But they haven’t. That’s what makes me want to find a different political home. But some of this things the left wants the Republicans to break with him in are core republican issues.

It is hypocritical to say the lest. Someday, maybe sooner than later, a Democrat will once again sit in the big chair at the White House. Hopefully the Dems will hold their guy accountable. But I’m certain the Republicans have learned how to do Presidential harassment by watching the last three years of Democratic behavior, Yes the GOP did it before them and so on, based on past examples they’ll have leaned how to do it even more extreme than the Dems (see simple majority approval for federal judges, that’s now became the way to approve justices to the SCOTUS).

[revo]

revo, love your vim and vigor, in what is essentially swatting the waves back at the beach. Every line you posted is correct, if anything you held back by not addressing the general debasing of the office through, for example, a torrent of self serving and obviously ignorant tweet storm, now averaging some 20 tweets a day, and none are in service of the country. I wish McCain had not been taken as his voice would cut thru to his R comrades who are so largely silent and abdicated their roles in favor of lock stepping with a cancer.

Ha, thanks. I had to go to a client meeting and ran out of time! Yes, he has debased the office with his ego, lies, selfishness, bullying, name-calling, pettiness and public temper tantrums.

I'm sorry that this thread, meant to discuss deVos, got derailed.

[Sour Masher]

I agree that more Republicans should call him out on some of the stuff he does and says. I had high hopes that Paul Ryan would be one of those people and he let me down. Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, etc. They should have rebuked his use of Twitter, his propensity for name calling and other childlike behaviors, his comments that are condemn our friends and allies and lift up our foes, his moral failings left and right. But they haven’t. That’s what makes me want to find a different political home. But some of this things the left wants the Republicans to break with him in are core republican issues.

It is hypocritical to say the lest. Someday, maybe sooner than later, a Democrat will once again sit in the big chair at the White House. Hopefully the Dems will hold their guy accountable. But I’m certain the Republicans have learned how to do Presidential harassment by watching the last three years of Democratic behavior, Yes the GOP did it before them and so on, based on past examples they’ll have leaned how to do it even more extreme than the Dems (see simple majority approval for federal judges, that’s now became the way to approve justices to the SCOTUS).

I understand there are obvious ideological differences between the left and right, and I'm not calling out Republicans for supporting Trump policies that align with Republican ideals. I am referring mostly to what you outline in your first paragraph. His comments about Kim and Biden are just the latest examples in a long list of egregious things that no American should find acceptable at all. Despite his political victories, such behavior alone should disqualify him from representing us as Americans. Yet his most egregious behavior and words are dismissed, reinterpreted, and defended. This isn't one or two things or even occasional things. It is constant with him. It is appalling and it is equally appalling that Republican voters seem content to back him again in 2020, and many seem eager to do so.

[DMT]

revo, love your vim and vigor, in what is essentially swatting the waves back at the beach. Every line you posted is correct, if anything you held back by not addressing the general debasing of the office through, for example, a torrent of self serving and obviously ignorant tweet storm, now averaging some 20 tweets a day, and none are in service of the country. I wish McCain had not been taken as his voice would cut thru to his R comrades who are so largely silent and abdicated their roles in favor of lock stepping with a cancer.

Swatting waves at the beach, hah!

[revo]

I understand there are obvious ideological differences between the left and right, and I'm not calling out Republicans for supporting Trump policies that align with Republican ideals. I am referring mostly to what you outline in your first paragraph. His comments about Kim and Biden are just the latest examples in a long list of egregious things that no American should find acceptable at all. Despite his political victories, such behavior alone should disqualify him from representing us as Americans. Yet his most egregious behavior and words are dismissed, reinterpreted, and defended. It is appalling.

It's The Emperor's New Clothes theory. The GOP doesn't want to appear to be unfit or stupid, so they defend and compliment his invisible suit, yet privately can't believe they're doing so.

[Bernie Brewer]

It's The Emperor's New Clothes theory. The GOP doesn't want to appear to be unfit or stupid, so they defend and compliment his invisible suit, yet privately can't believe they're doing so.

Sadly this is certainly at least partly true.

[DMT]

It's The Emperor's New Clothes theory. The GOP doesn't want to appear to be unfit or stupid, so they defend and compliment his invisible suit, yet privately can't believe they're doing so.

But also the Republican base eats it up because their tribalism trumps their principles.

[Bernie Brewer]

But also the Republican base eats it up because their tribalism trumps their principles.

Yup. Deep thoughts by DMT. No tribalism here.

[DMT]

Yup. Deep thoughts by DMT. No tribalism here.

So you disagree with my statement or just typical trolling?

[Bernie Brewer]

So you disagree with my statement or just typical trolling?

I agree that your statement is your typical trolling. While you seemingly have no tolerance for both side-isms, it exists. Thinking otherwise is foolish. Both sides do it. Tribalism is why we are where we are today and it isn’t exclusive to the Republicans.

[DMT]

I agree that your statement is your typical trolling. While you seemingly have no tolerance for both side-isms, it exists. Thinking otherwise is foolish. Both sides do it. Tribalism is why we are where we are today and it isn’t exclusive to the Republicans.

Hilariously sad that when I make a statement that you've basically endorsed (why are you looking for a new home?) you view it as trolling.

[Bernie Brewer]

Hilariously sad that when I make a statement that you've basically endorsed (why are you looking for a new home?) you view it as trolling.

I guess.

[B-Fly]

Look, I think there's quite a bit of diversity in the Republican voter base, and in the, say, 43% of Americans per approximate polling averages who say they approve of the President's job performance. (There is significant overlap in those two groups, but there are of course Republicans who don't approve of the President's job performance and non-Republicans who do approve of his job performance.) Within that diversity is a subset who adore his antics as much if not more so than his record and his policy positions, and others who wish he could advance the policy without the antics. And even that is overly simplifying, because one might like 80% of his policies and 30% of his antics while finding 20% of his policies and 70% of his antics problematic, or change those percentages however you want. The next level of analysis hinted at by DMT is the extent to which anyone's support for either his policies or antics, to whatever degree, is based on reason and principle or on a kind of tribalism that is largely gut-based. Ultimately, though, it appears that a large majority of Republicans, per polling, balance it all and *still* say, yeah, I support this guy.

[Bernie Brewer]

Look, I think there's quite a bit of diversity in the Republican voter base, and in the, say, 43% of Americans per approximate polling averages who say they approve of the President's job performance. (There is significant overlap in those two groups, but there are of course Republicans who don't approve of the President's job performance and non-Republicans who do approve of his job performance.) Within that diversity is a subset who adore his antics as much if not more so than his record and his policy positions, and others who wish he could advance the policy without the antics. And even that is overly simplifying, because one might like 80% of his policies and 30% of his antics while finding 20% of his policies and 70% of his antics problematic, or change those percentages however you want. The next level of analysis hinted at by DMTis the extent to which anyone's support for either his policies or antics, to whatever degree, is based on reason and principle or on a kind of tribalism that is largely gut-based. Ultimately, though, it appears that a large majority of Republicans, per polling, balance it all and *still* say, yeah, I support this guy.

Um, what? You had me at Hello! You understand that nothing about “Republicans” or the other political party is absolute, I’m not sure DMT really understands that about the Republicans that he incessantly rails on. I’m snipping less at the post specifically and more at the body of work.