SpeedOfHeat

Thank you for proving my point. You missed the central point about the contradiction: If these Generals are such shitheads and “swamp dwellers”….then why did Trump hire them if he “knows the best people. Great people.” In fact, he only “hires the best people.” The answer, is, he was bullshitting, which he admitted to on the Rogan podcast yesterday: Rogan: “how did you know who to appoint?” Trump. “Well, I didn’t. I didn’t have any experience. I was there 17 times in Washington, but never stayed over. But I didn’t know anybody. I was a New York guy. I was a New York builder andI knew that whole world. But I didn't know the Washington world too well. And all of a sudden, you're supposed to be appointing top people. It’s the biggest mistake I made.” He found out he would have to take recommendations from advisors. He discovered that there were important reasons why politicians typically got hired. He mentions that some of his hires were “bad.” Joe asks how, and he answers “bad or disloyal people.” So this is a decent example of a core reason that many people are appalled at Trump’s candidacy: He’s fundamentally too foolish and arrogant to know what he’s getting himself into, so he just tries to make it up as he goes. …possibly the biggest example of “fake it till ya make it” ever. And worst of all, as he fumbles around faking it, he makes decisions based on ego and self-interest. That’s it. That’s the lense through which he sees life. And I know……people will say he was already President and we survived. That’s true. And I’m sure many will disagree with me, but I simply think we got lucky. I do. He’s in way over his head. A lot can go wrong in another 4 years. I posted about this before, but I’ll summarize again: Every single time people claim that Trump is smart, it’s by implication. Just like you did. “He must be smart, just look at how rich he became” or some such example. It is absolutely stunning that people don’t recognize him as an idiot. It is, to me, his most obvious and pronounced trait. Instead of implication, try using direct observation: Just listen to him speak (unscripted). Does he ever say anything that only a smart person could say? He rambles. He rants. He complains. He calls his enemies names. He never says anything that demonstrates knowledge, wisdom, vision, or expertise. To me this is the most fascinating part of politics, and it just gets more intense every campaign: The way people convince themselves that their candidate is the polar opposite of what they actually are. If you read 1984, the chapter about “Doublethink”, ….holy shit….it is profound. I’ve talked to many Trump supporters who call him brilliant, ….when he’s obviously stupid. They call him an Alpha male…..a guy with man-tits, a combover, and makeup. A guy who Harris was able to toy with just by saying people were leaving his rallies early. They actually think he’s religious… he doesn't know a thing about the Bible or the core tenets of Christianity. They’ve convinced themselves he cares about people and is selfless, ….. he obviously only cares about himself…… Rogan’s first question was: “what was it like right after the inauguration, actually being the POTUS?” And Trump goes into a stream of consciousness about how opulent and luxurious the bedrooms in the White House were. Mentioning the responsibility, a sense of duty, the trust imparted by the American people, the hope and pressure to do a good job on behalf of American people. …..anything like that….. It doesn’t even occur to him. For nearly 3 hours, the guy talks about himself, complains about criticism towards himself, complains about other people doing “terrible jobs” and “destroying the country,” etc. Like I said before, he’s faking it. But even in faking it, he’s not smart enough to fake caring about other people. It never occurs to him to praise other people or show gratitude or appreciation. It never occurs to him to mention colleagues, coworkers, friends, his wife, or people that have helped him. He never speaks of his confidence in Americans as people. He never even hints that pride and the success of the country are dependent upon other people. He just makes nonsense threats that the country will literally “cease to exist” if he’s not elected. I just find it remarkable that AF pilots, who ostensibly target “Humble, Approachable, Credible” as a measure of good leadership, can doublethink themselves into applying those traits to Trump. But….as they say, my personal opinions and .50 cents will get you a can of Pepsi at the snack bar. So, I’m going to bow out of this until after the election. I’m sure many will be happy about that. But……for all the downvotes and videos of my mom and accusations of TDS, here’s the crazy thing: If we were in a squadron together, we would get along great. I know, because many of my closest military bros and lifelong friends are Trump supporters. We rarely had spirited conversations about politics, but when we did, it never affected or soured the friendship. More often we’d have conversations about family, flying, tactics, sports, etc. The internet is a cesspool. I’m sure you guys are good solid bros, pilots, officers, and people. (…..the jury is still out on HeloDude if I’m being completely honest….but maybe.) Cheers

....right on cue, response #3, whataboutism. lol Also right on cue, for you specifically, missing the point. Unless by "poor performance," you meant they displayed disloyalty. Because that's why he fires people. Kiss the ring, or kiss your job goodbye. What senior cabinet official got fired for actual legit "poor performance." Can you name one, with examples? He had more turnover in his senior administration than any other in the past 40+ years. Most firings were done predictably via tweet, calling people things like "dumb as a rock," "a loser," and "a gutless pig." Gen Mattis resigned and gave 2 months notice, and Trump later turned around and claimed he fired him, calling him "overrated." And all the while, the glaring contradiction: Trump campaigned that he would hire "only the best people." He knows the "best people. Tremendous people. Great, strong people." Yeah, ...sure. Upon announcing his nominees and/or at their swearing-in, he showered them with praise and cited how smart they were. They were going to "drain the swamp." ........blah, blah, derp derp. ....Then, he fires them "like dogs" and calls them stupid losers. This same pattern repeated over a dozen times. How do you explain that? ....Or, should I just try to guess now which one of the 4 standard responses you'll use to avoid answering the question? He's recycled the same exact promise about hiring in this campaign. .....Who could possibly still buy this obvious bullshit? The one's around him next time will be his kids (minus Ivanka and Jared -- sounds like they had enough the first time around), and psychos like MTG, Laura Loomer, Tucker, Keri Lake, and Lauren Boebert.

Trump supporters only have 4 fallback responses to every single post: 1) “TDS” 2) “Fake news” 3) Whataboutism 4) Some version of the “lesser of 2 evils” argument Every response fits one of those categories. It’s true that the John Kelly quotes are secondhand. Believe him or not, it doesn’t matter. Personally, I ask which is more likely: That Kelly had a distinguished 46-yr career in the Marines, became Head of Homeland Security, was hired as WH Chief of Staff, and then all-of-a-sudden, decided to become a liar and traitor? OR…..that Trump is simply a shitty person and an idiot? But again, it doesn’t matter. You can dismiss the quotes as unverifiable. What’s not in question is the long list of people, in addition to Kelly, that all echo his comments. Pence, Mattis, Milley, Bolton, Tillerson, Barr, Esper, etc. Even Trump’s current VP pick was a Never Trump’er who called him an idiot. Again, what is more likely? All those guys are lying? Gen Maddog Mattis, (revered among Marines....like a living Robin Olds for us......) suddenly got a case of “TDS?” OR…..could it be…..wait for it……that Trump is a shitty person and an idiot? People are acting like Trump’s second term will be the same as his first. I hear that all the time. If they’re referencing the end, when he lost, they’re spot-on. If he loses, it will be nearly identical. You’re already seeing unfounded claims of voter fraud and building hysteria that “tHe fIX Is iN.” …..Strange how the “Stop the Steal” folks had 4 years to figure out how to stop the steal again, and apparently couldn’t do a thing to foil the democratic pentaverate’s evil plan. Weird. But I digress… If he wins, however, it will be much different. In his first term, people took comfort in having the “adults in the room." But imagine how different the next administration would look. It’s not 2017 or 2018 anymore. Everyone knows the rules of the Trump game now: Unquestioning loyalty and bootlicking, or you’re fired. That’s it. Put on the red MAGA hat and smile and feed into his ego ......or pack your $hit. No sane person of dignity, conviction, or genuine motives will be around him. And worse still, people looking to exploit the US and/or take advantage of Trump know exactly how to do it: Praise and flattery and adoration. Compliment him, especially about petty nonsense like crowd size or his golf game. Someone asked about Beta males. Ha. The joke’s on you. You’re about to vote for the biggest Beta ever.

Yes, let’s snicker and roll our eyes at the Air Force vet and current Marine out shooting. Meanwhile, Trump cannot even legally purchase or own a firearm. lol.

Yup, and shame on them. Shame on candidates that lose and refuse to concede, that undermine confidence in our elections, and that call into question the legitimacy of the winner, simply to safeguard their bruised ego. Shame on them, and especially so without any credible and/or compelling evidence of outcome-determinant fraud or suppression. Ok, now your turn……

All the talk of winning vs. losing is hilarious. <<Spoiler alert>> If Trump wins, he and his supporters will say he won and the election was free and fair. If he loses, he will absolutely say it was rigged/stolen/fixed, again. He has now laid the "it's rigged" groundwork ahead of three consecutive election cycles. 8 years of this bull$hit. And yet the MAGA fans (pictured in the coonskin hat below) still can't figure out the obvious: that it's just a guy with the world's most frail and vulnerable ego. A sore loser, plain and simple.

No, wide awake. I saw all his "policies" then too. Just to name a few.... --Building a wall that Mexico will pay for. --Replacing Obamacare with a "beautiful, tremendous" healthcare plan. --COVID will "miraculously disappear, probably by Easter." --Threatening Kim Jong Un with "fire and fury" one moment, and then "...we fell in love" the next. Yeah, awesome policies. A real "stable genius."

Additionally, I keep seeing Trump voters retreating to the justification of his “Policies.” "I'm not voting for him, ....I don't love his character or personality, but I'm voting for his policies," they say. Sure. My question is, …..what policies? How on earth can you decipher what his policies are when he himself can’t tell you? I’m sure many have seen this recent gem: When asked, “can you commit to prioritizing legislation to make child care affordable? And if so, what specific piece of legislation will you advance?”, here’s the transcript of his answer: And here's his answer last night to a question about his plans for health care: So again, I hear this over and over: "I'm voting for his policies." ....What policies? The guy says nothing. Inane rants. Total stream-of-consciousness rambling nonsense. He is a bull$hitter, through and through. He's the kid that got called on in class and didn't read the assigned homework. "Policies." Yeah right.

She mopped the floor with him. It was really something to see her manipulate him into being both old and child-like simultaneously. Old: squinting, tired, sweating, disheveled, and angry/crotchety. Young: easily tricked and baited, too cowardly to look at her. Immeasurably petty. The petulant child that he is. Also, thankfully there’s finally some consistent push-back on his insane talking points. Immigrants eating pets was a new one, but there are several others that make up his routine shtick: Women aborting babies at 9 months or executing them post-birth. Immigrants from now-empty "insane asylums" pouring into the country by the millions. And the worst of all, though it’s less specific, that the USA has been ‘destroyed’ or has become a “third-world nation.” He used the word “Destroyed” 14 times last night. Does anyone seriously buy this bull$hit? Ask yourself, how many immigrants have you seen eating cats? Do you know, or have you ever heard of a woman carrying a healthy pregnancy to 9 months and then suddenly deciding “ehh, never mind, I’ll just go get an abortion.” It's just so insanely stupid. Do you guys really encounter immigrants from insane asylums running rampant in your daily lives? As you go through your life in the US, is your perception really that the country has been “destroyed?” I travel all over this country as an airline pilot. We have challenges. We have problems, no doubt. It’s not perfect. There are improvements to be made and work to be done. But the USA is an amazing place to live. I for one, truly love it. Ironically, Trump plays “I’m proud to be an American” at the start of every rally, and then immediately rolls into a 90-minute tirade about what a shithole this country is. And the MAGA hats stand there and lap it up and ask for seconds. Trump started talking about this fantasy dystopian hellscape during his inaugural “American carnage” speech in 2017. 7 years later, it’s just so idiotic and predictable. He wants people to, as Orwell wrote, reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. He wants to gin up fear, hysteria, and panic. And the implication the entire time is that HE will be the one to fix it all. Not you. Not us as a country or society. Him. If he’s in office, all these problems will disappear, magically. And the opposite, of course, if he loses again. Our country will be “DeStroYed.” GMAFB. When either one of these two is elected, we will still have challenges and problems, just like we did under every other POTUS before. And America will still be an incredible place to live. Can you guys imagine a Squadron Commander that talked like Trump? That stood at the podium during a Change of Command and tried to appeal to the squadron members by telling them how shitty their squadron was? And how he alone would be its savior? Is that an inspirational leader? Are those the characteristics you look for in someone in charge? Trumpies are also saying the moderators were too hard on Trump, and fact-checked him too much, and were clearly in the bag for Harris. "....wHy DidN’T tHeY fActCheck HeR eQualLy????" Maybe, and this is a radical idea…. it’s because Trump has a short and predictable playbook of bull$shit lies and falsehoods that he routinely tells. Knowing 100% that he would say insane things like women are executing babies post-birth, ABC was obliged to take 5 minutes to prepare to counter those statements, rather than let obvious, crazy lies go un-challenged in front of ~60 million viewers. Maybe if Kamala had said things like immigrants are running around neighborhoods eating pets, or that the 2020 election was “stolen/rigged,” they would have fact-checked her equally.

A girl in the HB tent?? A rare sighting indeed. (That tent is such a sausage fest)

Yes. Of course. Because that’s what he wrote. I know Trump lies incessantly and is a master bullshitter, but when there’s a lengthy tweet from his account, with no other hints of sarcasm or jest, yeah, I take him at his word. It’s so insane to think that in your heads, the subject of terminating the constitution, election fraud, etc. are a subject fit for jokes from the POTUS. That’s how you justify it…. “Ohh, the constitution and declaring himself the rightful winner?? Come on, don’t be such a stick in the mud! He just likes to fvck with us for the lol’s.” Of course this is a response from someone who gets called out for their BS

Of course not. I don’t have to agree with everything they’ve ever said or tweeted. However, when they say they want to terminate the constitution because they lost an election, I don’t know, I guess you could say that’s where I draw the line. Can you really not draw a distinction there? Between questioning the Constitution and “everything” else they’ve ever tweeted or said? lol. Yeah I guess we’re just too far apart on this issue. The President of the United States calls to terminate the Constitution…..a significant and appalling statement in my mind. To you, ehh… it’s just saying “dumb shit.” Unbelievable.

ha. By “called out,” you mean you previously did exactly what you did in starting this exchange: You missed my point entirely, and tried to have me answer some hypothetical gotcha question. Except there’s no gotcha, because you didn’t understand my point. I’m not “obviously afraid he’s going to suspend the Constitution.” …..and it’s just additional icing on the facepalm cake that in totally misunderstanding my point of view, you described it as “obvious.” Not sure how else to break this down for you. Either you’re trolling me, or you’re hopelessly dense. I’ll give it one last try. Think of a few cherished American principles. For example, freedom of speech or religion. The right to peacefully assemble. Voting rights, gun rights, etc. etc. Pretend for a moment that a prominent politician (…..go ahead and picture a democrat if that helps you get over this mental hurdle….) advocates for doing away with one or several of those rights. Maybe by prohibiting a certain religion altogether. Or banning guns entirely. Or maybe it’s a military action - something violating all western norms and principles concerning sovereignty - like us annexing Mexico and/or Canada. Something outrageous…… a prohibition or action so extreme that it would never actually be enacted. But here this politician is, on record for having advocated for it. Then you hear someone claim that this person “supports American principles.” You wouldn’t find that objectionable? You wouldn’t think “holy shit, this person is saying that this candidate represents the direct opposite of what s/he actually does”? You wouldn’t think “hmm, maybe I’ll take a moment to point out the glaring dichotomy between a guy that ‘supports American principles,’ but would like to, for example, subvert the Constitution to overturn an election. I wonder…..does Brabus simply not know that Trump wrote this, OR, is it just the usual nauseating blind/hypocritical tribalism, and he doesn’t care?” If a democrat tweeted that they wanted to literally ban all guns nationwide, you’re telling me you’d respond “why should I be concerned? It’ll never happen.” Give me a break. You can make reasonable assessments about what something thinks, what they know, and how intelligent and wise they are by what they say. The more you listen to them talk, the more accurate this assessment becomes. With a Presidential candidate, what they say or write gives clues into their understanding of American principles, the ways in which they intend to steer the country, and in a broader sense, their character and integrity. Just because Trump cannot actually suspend the Constitution, does not mean it’s not concerning that he suggested it. It, along with many other examples, demonstrates to me that he does not support American principles, nor does he understand them. If you still don’t understand this, if you’re still a military officer who doesn’t think it matters that a President can call into question the Constitution (…the singular basis upon which you took your oath), when an election doesn’t go his way, then there’s nothing I can do for you.

Your lack of reading comprehension is astounding. If you are really this dumb, it is truly next-level.

Trump won’t do anything to the Constitution. Thankfully, there are checks and balances to prevent that. It was simply another idiotic and far-fetched thing he tweeted. What’s important is that he suggested it, and would clearly welcome it if it were in fact possible. So when people assert that he “supports American principles,” I think it’s relevant to point out that Trump believes the Constitution should be waived. Brushed aside, and of course in a way that benefits himself. I can’t think of anything that is more antithetical to American principles. And, as you see above, not a single Trump voter will even acknowledge it. “Well, he would never really be able to change it.” Or….”I prefer his policies, that’s what’s important.” No one, even among military officers, can simply say, “yea, that tweet was really shitty and/or deeply concerning, but….”