The Next President is...

[Prozac]

9 hours ago, SpeedOfHeat said:

 

This has got to be the most pathetic thing I think I've ever seen:

WTF is happening? Am I dreaming? Is this real? Tell me this is a deep fake, or cgi, or something. Holyfuckingshitballs, this guy used to be president? Guys, if you supported this yahoo at any point, tell me you see it now. Please tell me you see how objectively bad it was to elect the online steak salesman who has to have his name in gold on everything he touches. That doesn’t mean you have to like Hillary or Joe or anyone else who doesn’t support your views. But, c’mon. Time to admit that DJT was not, is not, and never will be representative of what we stand for as a country. Please, please, please, derail the Trump train forever and swear off candidates like him (looking at you MTG & Lauren Boebert). 

[FLEA]

12 minutes ago, Prozac said:

WTF is happening? Am I dreaming? Is this real? Tell me this is a deep fake, or cgi, or something. Holyfuckingshitballs, this guy used to be president? Guys, if you supported this yahoo at any point, tell me you see it now. Please tell me you see how objectively bad it was to elect the online steak salesman who has to have his name in gold on everything he touches. That doesn’t mean you have to like Hillary or Joe or anyone else who doesn’t support your views. But, c’mon. Time to admit that DJT was not, is not, and never will be representative of what we stand for as a country. Please, please, please, derail the Trump train forever and swear off candidates like him (looking at you MTG & Lauren Boebert). 

I mean.... I want to say he's stupid.... but.....

https://www.coindesk.com/web3/2022/12/16/trump-nft-collection-sells-out-price-surges/

[nsplayr]

 

[Prozac]

28 minutes ago, FLEA said:

I mean.... I want to say he's stupid.... but.....

https://www.coindesk.com/web3/2022/12/16/trump-nft-collection-sells-out-price-surges/

The Donald is a lot of things. Stupid probably isn’t one of them. The fact his NFT garbage pail kids sold out probably says more about his die hard supporters & the direction they’re trying to pull the country in than anything else. 

[Day Man]

you think the guy who wanted to nuke a hurricane knows what an NFT is? some millennial lackey on his staff came up with the idea and the perpetual grifter/delusional narcissist couldn't say no.

[Sim]

FBI, DHS, U.S. state agencies, and government-affiliated think tanks colluded with Twitter to censor content on the platform.

 

But ex POTUS is what we are talking about..... 

[SpeedOfHeat]

18 minutes ago, Prozac said:

The Donald is a lot of things. Stupid probably isn’t one of them.

Comments like these blow my mind. 

"Stupid probably isn't one of them." 

?????

Have you ever heard him speak?

'Stupid' is his most obvious and immediately identifiable trait. (.... granted, it's neck-and-neck with 'narcisist,' 'ego maniac,' and 'petulant child.')

The people who don't think he's stupid are either a) genuinely too stupid themselves to recognize stupidity in others, or b) eager to pretend he's something he's not.

The latter are the same crowd that buy flags, t-shirts, and these digital cards depicting him as some sort of fantasy ripped Adonis superhero, when in reality he's an obese, disheveled 76-year old with man tits and a combover.

[GrndPndr]

18 minutes ago, SpeedOfHeat said:

<snip>

Have you ever heard him speak?

<snip>

I have heard him speak (in person), and he is a good speaker.  If you want to see how sharp his skills are on that, just Youtube his speech before congress, and the number of people he was able to call out by name and compliment them.  Our present POTUS is so far below Trump's skill level, no comparison can be made.

Of course, he has actually said some jackass things, and I'm sure that's what you're referring to.  None the less, he is not stupid.

[SpeedOfHeat]

58 minutes ago, GrndPndr said:

I have heard him speak (in person), and he is a good speaker.  If you want to see how sharp his skills are on that, just Youtube his speech before congress, and the number of people he was able to call out by name and compliment them.  Our present POTUS is so far below Trump's skill level, no comparison can be made.

Of course, he has actually said some jackass things, and I'm sure that's what you're referring to.  None the less, he is not stupid.

When I asked, rhetorically, if he had heard him speak, I wasn't implying that there was a problem with Trump's public speaking abilities.  I'm referring to what he says, and how what he says is consistently devoid of intelligent thought, wisdom, or critical thinking.

His speeches before Congress were all scripted and he read off a teleprompter (like every president).  Again, I don't care about his speaking (or sharpness in recalling names.  ...Unlike our current POTUS, I agree, Trump doesn't appear to suffer from dementia.) 

I'm talking about what's in (or not in) his mind, which one can reasonably assess by listening to what someone says.  Especially when you listen to them regularly over the course of years.

There's a huge difference between teleprompter Trump and real Trump.  The things he said at his MAGA rallies, the answers he gave to interviewers, and the things he said at debates.....that's the real Trump.  Having watched a fair amount of each of those over the years, I find it astounding that anyone could conclude that he's smart, when nothing he ever says demonstrates that, or even suggests it. 

But it is what it is.  As I said above, I firmly believe it's either a) or b).

*And I agree that the current POTUS is a total disaster.  That said, he's not the one selling playing cards of himself with cartoon 6-pack abs and a cape, or dressed as an astronaut. Lol.

Edited December 17, 2022 by SpeedOfHeat

[FLEA]

42 minutes ago, SpeedOfHeat said:

When I asked, rhetorically, if he had heard him speak, I wasn't implying that there was a problem with Trump's public speaking abilities.  I'm referring to what he says, and how what he says is consistently devoid of intelligent thought, wisdom, or critical thinking.

His speeches before Congress were all scripted and he read off a teleprompter (like every president).  Again, I don't care about his speaking (or sharpness in recalling names.  ...Unlike our current POTUS, I agree, Trump doesn't appear to suffer from dementia.) 

I'm talking about what's in (or not in) his mind, which one can reasonably assess by listening to what someone says.  Especially when you listen to them regularly over the course of years.

There's a huge difference between teleprompter Trump and real Trump.  The things he said at his MAGA rallies, the answers he gave to interviewers, and the things he said at debates.....that's the real Trump.  Having watched a fair amount of each of those over the years, I find it astounding that anyone could conclude that he's smart, when nothing he ever says demonstrates that, or even suggests it. 

But it is what it is.  As I said above, I firmly believe it's either a) or b).

*And I agree that the current POTUS is a total disaster.  That said, he's not the one selling playing cards of himself with cartoon 6-pack abs and a cape, or dressed as an astronaut. Lol.

You think its stupid because you cant see the rational in it. (admittedly I cant either) You're projecting yourself and thinking "if I said that stuff it would be career suicide/awful/ruin my life/friends..." whatever....

The problem is, for all of this "stupid" stuff he says..... he keeps gaining track records of success, which implies he sees something we don't to all of this stupid crap he is saying. 

So if we are purely evaluating his competence, we have to 1.) identify what his goals are and 2.) track his record of success. So far I'm not sure anyone really knows what #1 is. So to say he is actually stupid is only ever a guess at this point. Because the man successfully won a presidency, has even now, a massive following, and continues to make millions of dollars with weird gimmicky business models. If we are so smart why are we not doing the same? 

[TreeA10]

I wonder if this is a similar scheme to Hunter Bidens paintings. Just giving money to someone for no apparent reason looks nefarious but buying something from that person, no matter how ridiculous, is completely legal. The card thing might be a way around campaign finance laws. 

[Mark1]

6 hours ago, FLEA said:

...Because the man successfully won a presidency, has even now, a massive following, and continues to make millions of dollars with weird gimmicky business models. If we are so smart why are we not doing the same? 

Hmm, that's a real brain-buster.  I'll take a stab.  Because 'we' (normally adjusted humans) don't desire a 'following'?  Because we'd rather forgo personal gain if it can only come from the exploitation of 'particularly susceptible' people?  Because, for the collective good, we voluntarily agree to operate within the bounds of the social contract we call 'law'?  Because we don't accidentally pre-jac a bit when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror?  Just spitballin'.

If you were trying to define 'stupid', asking this question gets you one step closer to the answer.

[ClearedHot]

15 hours ago, Pooter said:

If republicans were coordinated, or proactive, or serious in any way about winning an election ever again.. this would be the moment to strongly distance from trump.  

I don't trust the polls any more but most polls shows his support has crumbled.  Numerous polls show Desantis favored over Trump nearly 2:1.  Way way early but if Trump continues his candidacy (he is too much of a narcissist to quick now), it would be in the best interest of all if he gets trounced in the early primaries so the GOP can focus on a Desantis/Haley ticket. 

Also, interesting on DNC side with the hardcore Left urging Joe to declare now.  I would have though they would delay and if his decline continues they can insert lunatic Gavin in his place.

[lloyd christmas]

He’s not stupid.  He garnered such a huge following and won the election because he was not part of the machine.  He stood there and told Hillary to her face that “she’d be in jail”.  Your average American had been waiting for someone - anyone to say that to someone like Hillary Clinton.  He followed that campaign with a massive number of successful policies.  And the machine went all in on him.  He could have gotten up off the mat, dusted himself off, learned from the experience and came back with a stronger message.   But he didn’t.  He’s selling trading cards and continues to make outlandish claims.  Which is why I don’t think he’s serious about running again even though he announced his candidacy.  And that’s ok with me.  

Edited December 17, 2022 by lloyd christmas

[Prozac]

12 hours ago, SpeedOfHeat said:

Comments like these blow my mind. 

"Stupid probably isn't one of them." 

?????

Have you ever heard him speak?

'Stupid' is his most obvious and immediately identifiable trait. (.... granted, it's neck-and-neck with 'narcisist,' 'ego maniac,' and 'petulant child.')

The people who don't think he's stupid are either a) genuinely too stupid themselves to recognize stupidity in others, or b) eager to pretend he's something he's not.

The latter are the same crowd that buy flags, t-shirts, and these digital cards depicting him as some sort of fantasy ripped Adonis superhero, when in reality he's an obese, disheveled 76-year old with man tits and a combover.

Let me put it another way: He’s not stupid (and quite shameless apparently) when it comes to manipulating others for his own personal gain. Agreed that he has otherwise said and done some monumentally dumb shit. 

[O Face]

2 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

I don't trust the polls any more but most polls shows his support has crumbled.  Numerous polls show Desantis favored over Trump nearly 2:1.  Way way early but if Trump continues his candidacy (he is too much of a narcissist to quick now), it would be in the best interest of all if he gets trounced in the early primaries so the GOP can focus on a Desantis/Haley ticket. 

Also, interesting on DNC side with the hardcore Left urging Joe to declare now.  I would have though they would delay and if his decline continues they can insert lunatic Gavin in his place.

I agree but, more than likely, Trump will not win the GOP primary over DeSantis and will then run as a 3rd party candidate and will bring enough votes with him to ensure a Biden (or whoever) victory. Trump certainly isn’t capable of just quietly walking away. 

[SpeedOfHeat]

Ever notice that the people claiming that Trump isn't stupid always try to demonstrate it by implication?  Always.  The two most popular, paraphrased, are:

-"Trump can't be stupid, he won an election."

-"Trump is a billionaire.... no way you get that much money by being an idiot."

Imagine if we applied this to the AF: 

-"Lt Col Smith must be smart and a great pilot.... no way you get to be a Sq/CC if you're not."

-"Gen Jones is a great leader.  Afterall, he made General."

Hopefully you can see how flawed that logic is.  There are plenty of ways that average or even below-average people can ascend to high positions. 

Besides, the people making these claims by implication only want them to apply to Trump.  They seem to forget that Biden and Nancy and all the others they think are braindead also met this criteria of winning elections and amassing tons of money. 

 

Try to point to something Trump's said that only a smart person could say. 

*His zinger's on the debate stage were good.  He said unconventional things and drew lots of applause.  But they didn't require higher-than-average intelligence.  It doesn't take smarts to call Rosie O'Donnel a pig or make fun of Jeb Bush or to call your opponents disparaging nicknames.  This is evidence of his pettiness and childishness, not intelligence. 

I really look up to several instructors, professors, engineers, and doctors I've been around in my life.  I knew they were intelligent not because of their title or rank.  I knew because, when they spoke, it was immediately clear that they had an above average ability to learn, to teach, to problem solve, to assimilate information, to communicate, etc.

There are politicians that fit that description too, but certainly not all.

What has Trump ever said that leads you to believe he possesses those qualities?

Edited December 17, 2022 by SpeedOfHeat

[Smokin]

25 minutes ago, SpeedOfHeat said:

Ever notice that the people claiming that Trump isn't stupid always try to demonstrate it by implication?  Always.  The two most popular, paraphrased, are:

.......

The 'evidence' of Trump's intelligence is always implied rather than formally expressed.

It is a little ironic that you call out people saying he's smart by implication, yet don't actually offer any formal evidence that he's not smart...

Not saying I entirely disagree with you.  If you compare Trump to other political leaders and businessmen, I don't think he stands out amongst that group as abnormally intelligent.  However, he clearly has people and street smarts as he has been regularly able to manipulate and set people/systems up to his advantage.  If you want formal evidence of this, we're still talking about him two years after he lost his reelection campaign.  How many people were talking about George Bush two years after he lost to Clinton?  He keeps himself in the news when it would be far better for the country for him to fade off into retirement.

[Prozac]

1 hour ago, Smokin said:

It is a little ironic that you call out people saying he's smart by implication, yet don't actually offer any formal evidence that he's not smart...

Not saying I entirely disagree with you.  If you compare Trump to other political leaders and businessmen, I don't think he stands out amongst that group as abnormally intelligent.  However, he clearly has people and street smarts as he has been regularly able to manipulate and set people/systems up to his advantage.  If you want formal evidence of this, we're still talking about him two years after he lost his reelection campaign.  How many people were talking about George Bush two years after he lost to Clinton?  He keeps himself in the news when it would be far better for the country for him to fade off into retirement.

I think rather than ‘smart’, the more fitting term for him is ‘shrewd’.  He owes a lot of whatever success he’s had in life (which can be debated….celebrity doesn’t equal success in my book) to his willingness to to walk all over others and be an absolute chameleon. Don’t forget that the guy who turned the Supreme Court into a conservative juggernaut was once a pro-abortion Democrat. He saw his ‘in’ as the anti-establishment guy and adapted himself appropriately. 

[Prozac]

19 hours ago, Sim said:

FBI, DHS, U.S. state agencies, and government-affiliated think tanks colluded with Twitter to censor content on the platform.

 

But ex POTUS is what we are talking about..... 

He served himself up on a platter. You’re surprised people are now carving him up? 🤔 I’m curious as to what your reaction would have been to a Hillary NFT card deck while Trump was still in office. I imagine the conservative reaction to something like that would make Trump’s recent critics look quite civil. 

[Sim]

1 hour ago, Prozac said:

He served himself up on a platter. You’re surprised people are now carving him up? 🤔 I’m curious as to what your reaction would have been to a Hillary NFT card deck while Trump was still in office. I imagine the conservative reaction to something like that would make Trump’s recent critics look quite civil. 

We just learned that federal government ignored the constitution and trampled 1st amendment of own citizens - not a single person is talking about it. An actual collusion with receipts. 

 But we are talking about how ex POTUS made 4.5 mil in 12 hours with cringe fake-coins (which are now worth 600% of original value). 

🙄

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by Sim

[arg]

4 hours ago, Prozac said:

 He saw his ‘in’ as the anti-establishment guy and adapted himself appropriately. 

And that's why I voted for him twice. The establishment needs to get gone.

[FLEA]

5 hours ago, Sim said:

We just learned that federal government ignored the constitution and trampled 1st amendment of own citizens - not a single person is talking about it. An actual collusion with receipts. 

 But we are talking about how ex POTUS made 4.5 mil in 12 hours with cringe fake-coins (which are now worth 600% of original value). 

🙄

 

Most people are partisans and don't actually care unless they can manipulate a story to support their political aims. That's the state our country has grown into. The truth no longer matters, rather "your own truth" matters and the truth you can successfully construct a narrative around is the only one of importance. Ironically, from reading the internal discussions, that is exactly the attitude that slowly allowed Twitter to spin off course into ignoring company policy and guidelines to support their own political biased. While we don't have access to the FBIs internal records I'm almost certain their conversations were similarly structured as they twisted and departed acceptable expectations of a politically neutral federal unit. 

Edited December 18, 2022 by FLEA

[arg]

2 hours ago, arg said:

And that's why I voted for him twice. The establishment needs to get gone.

Quoting myself for uhhello. Not sure how you can laugh at that. You like the establishment? If you do then please defend it. There are some old timers on this board that have seen the establishment/deep state first hand while working at the five sided building.

[Prozac]

3 hours ago, arg said:

And that's why I voted for him twice. The establishment needs to get gone.

You miss the point. He doesn’t represent you or your values. He only plays at it because that’s what you and so many others wanted to hear.
 

Like it or not, “the establishment” is a framework of necessary evils we get to work within. I don’t care much for it either, but the “establishment” in the United States currently beats all the other options out there. Even a president isn’t going to burn it all down in one or two terms and the idea that one might is the ultimate fools errand. Like it or not, burning the “establishment” down puts our country in a much shittier position than it’s currently in.