American Election Discussion

TheMadcapLaughs

alderz said:

It seems to me that expert Ethics and Constitution lawyers and councils are likely to be giving an accurate and honest view on this, tbh

But I guess if you don't trust politicians to be politicians, why would you trust ethics councillors to be ethics councillors? While we're at it, I'd like a plumber to fix my car and a chef to do my heart surgery. Gotta shake it up a bit, right?

Alderz. You need no special qualities or talents to be a politician, none whatsoever. And in the grey area that is philosophy, the area of morality and ethics is as grey as it gets. Plumbers, heart surgeons and chefs are specialities that take years of training, skill, and dedication and one generally has a natural bent for messing around with water and pipes, cutting people open and having a fiddle, or indeed warming up food. I have much more respect for the latter three than I do the former two. It is impossible to give an honest, definitive view where ethics and morality are concerned, all you can give is an opinion.
Trump seems to have been written off before he has even kicked a ball. He does seem to be a particularly unpleasant man, but I think he should be given a chance. Both him and Theresa May have recognised that large sections of the population (globally) seem to have been dismissed over recent years and have at least acknowledged that fact. Whether an unpleasant billionaire and a twin set and pearls Conservative are the right people to address the issues of inequality and globalisation is another matter.

alderz

"Particularly unpleasant" doesn't really do it justice.

TheMadcapLaughs

It was all I could think of without being modded.

alderz

;ok

MrsGrey

;lol

Vorselaarhammer

;lol

going to use that... ;ok

Putney_Hammer

Today is the first day of the rest of Earth's life. I'll just leave that here ;sofa

TheMadcapLaughs

BBB ;lol

A trick I have yet to master........................

MrsGrey

I read this article and actually found it quite comforting.

Basically, it argues that we shouldn't worry too much about what he says, because most of it doesn't actually mean anything.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/16/a-guide-to-trump-speak-take-it-seriously-but-not-literally

chicagohammer

Five quid that "Trump-speak" makes an entry into the Oxford English Dictionary by next year.
;ok

IronHerb

I thought that was covered under 'Fake News' ;hmm

OutcastLondoner

MrsGrey said:

I read this article and actually found it quite comforting.

Basically, it argues that we shouldn't worry too much about what he says, because most of it doesn't actually mean anything.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/16/a-guide-to-trump-speak-take-it-seriously-but-not-literally

Unfortunately, liberals across the world have made this kind of argument about various right-wing strong men who have come to power and they've been wrong. They've not realised they've been wrong because what goes down tends to happen in the shadows and to minorities, not the types of people who get to write columns.

When media is censored, it will not be through law or arrests but through the pressure of owners , through intimidation that filters down and administrative means.

When people are attacked it will be by those inspired by rhetoric but with a degree of separation from the politicians.

MrsGrey

;weep

I'm miserable again.

MrsGrey

I take your point, outcast, which I think is a good one. I wasn't really saying that he would be harmless. More that I'm not going to over-analyse what he says, and assume it will become govt policy.

OutcastLondoner

Not really addressing it you but to all those writers who have said things like that, even though they won't really be affected by the policies.

I think people can't wait for things to not become policy - the idea has to be fought from the moment it's uttered.

MrsGrey

I'm getting my CMU up in while I still can ;biggrin

(Note - I'm not advocating violent solutions ;whome But there's so much dodgy already about him and his team. Lets hope all that dirty laundry comes tumbling out of the closet.)

SuzanneClaret

OldCastleSwift

MrsGrey

Apparently God is on their side.

Which is nice.

Expat_Hammer

Oh no Mrs G, he's only on the bench this week ;yercoat

grey_til_I_dye

SuzanneClaret

Mount Rushmore this evening...

MrsGrey

MrsGrey said:

Apparently God is on their side.

Which is nice.

I'm not sure how Trump knows. Is God on Twitter? ;hmm

But anyway, its jolly nice of God, given that loads of Americans don't believe in him.

And some even support the other team(s).

And some have even put in a transfer request.


Maybe the other Gods are on their side too, but aren't on Twitter yet. Perhaps he could get his staffers to see if the other Gods have Facebook accounts - Trumperz could send them a Friends request.

He could have a Gods' WhatsApp group ;wahoo

SuzanneClaret

I don't think Buddha would be a fan.

Swissiron

I really didnt like his speech. He sounded like Hitler in 1933 with his singling out of Muslim "terrorists". We're in for a long hard drive here but I won't be visiting America soon..
;puzzled

MrsGrey

All that 'righteous' stuff ;doh

MrsGrey

I'm also not impressed by the phrase 'dissipated over the horizon'.

If he's the leader of the free world, can he not attract better A-listers speech writers?

Swissiron

I know I know, I'm a speech writer by profession but I turned him down ;cool

simonc

Thought it was a good speech and am looking forward to his presidency - Sad that people are hoping it will finish short due to unforeseen circumstances.
Different people have different opinions, it appears that mine as well as the majority of Americans outside of California doesn't count.

AdMeus_CaputFilius

The problem as I see it Simonc is that if he does not make good on a lot of his promises in the first few years (or good progress on them), then a lot of those who voted for him might not vote, or vote the other way at the mid-terms so he suddenly finds he has one house against him, making him a bit of a lame duck for the remainder of his term.