Trump really is THE FINAL STRAW! After years of Republican obstruction and constant lies, I can hardly wait for common-sense American voters to REJECT obstructionist frat-bratty Republicans and their rabid rightwing propaganda, divisiveness and destructiveness this November 2016. Enough is ENOUGH.
7
People are certainly complex creatures. One human trait that seems to be missing in many people today is intellectual curiosity and the ability (and desire) to dig into the facts and, as the old saying goes, "let the chips fall as they may". I suspect it's our subconscious desire to see in people what we want to see, filtering out the negative and keeping the positive. I don't know how else to explain peoples infatuation with Donald Trump (who, by the way, I don't believe has any IC, a trait necessary for such a high office as the president).
3
The "firing" of Roger Ailes, and the ascendance of Trump seem auspicious. Ailes pretty much created the culture that has given rise to Trump. White male, angry about...well just about everything that doesn't fit into their neat little boxes of how certain people should behave, and how they - the white male - should be allowed all manner of freedom to behave as they please. No matter how awful, sexist, racist and greedily they wish.
Trump signals the rise of the apathetic, and leisure seeking class. Which cuts across demographics. They dont care much for introspection, dont care at all for alternative POV's, prefer there be an understood hierarchy of privilege and power. White males, always on top, with a huge buffer zone, then everyone else. This group seeks to elect some ONE then be left to their own pursuits (leisure of some sort) while their new-Messiah gets things done for them to prosper. This group doesn't want to be involved, they want their demi-god to fix it all in their favor with a wave of his tiny-hands, and not bother them. That's why they're seduced by his, "Im the only ONE who can fix it!" slogan. The ONE! The Miracle worker. Because this group sees their candidate as a magician. But they actually believe the magic and slight of tiny-hands is real! That He can actually pull a rabbit, hundreds of rabbits from his imaginary hat.
Thats at the heart of the Trump supporters main fault...they truly believe in ONE man's claim of being a magician. The ONLY one.
Trump signals the rise of the apathetic, and leisure seeking class. Which cuts across demographics. They dont care much for introspection, dont care at all for alternative POV's, prefer there be an understood hierarchy of privilege and power. White males, always on top, with a huge buffer zone, then everyone else. This group seeks to elect some ONE then be left to their own pursuits (leisure of some sort) while their new-Messiah gets things done for them to prosper. This group doesn't want to be involved, they want their demi-god to fix it all in their favor with a wave of his tiny-hands, and not bother them. That's why they're seduced by his, "Im the only ONE who can fix it!" slogan. The ONE! The Miracle worker. Because this group sees their candidate as a magician. But they actually believe the magic and slight of tiny-hands is real! That He can actually pull a rabbit, hundreds of rabbits from his imaginary hat.
Thats at the heart of the Trump supporters main fault...they truly believe in ONE man's claim of being a magician. The ONLY one.
4
I reject the campaign of hate and fear being waged by the mini-Mussolini, Trump. That does not mean I am a fervent Hillary supporter. It means if I have to, I'll vote for her, but it will really be an anti Trump vote, not a for Hillary vote.
This is a problem for the Democrats, while not as suicidally stupid as the Republicans, they have allowed a very poor candidate to head up their ticket. Her election will not be a mandate for their policies and that could translate to a rough presidency.
The process for choosing our President seems to be broken. The Republicans chose a dangerous wacko, and the Democrats have chosen slimy narcissist, with no principles other than "ME! First, last, and always."
We seem to be attracting the wrong sort of people to our political leadership. We need to find a way to attract people who are dedicated to service to the nation, rather than dedicated to themselves. Perhaps if we required those who would run for high office to have actually done something, ran a business, or a nonprofit, been responsible for producing results and managing people, we would get a better class of people as our leaders.
This is a problem for the Democrats, while not as suicidally stupid as the Republicans, they have allowed a very poor candidate to head up their ticket. Her election will not be a mandate for their policies and that could translate to a rough presidency.
The process for choosing our President seems to be broken. The Republicans chose a dangerous wacko, and the Democrats have chosen slimy narcissist, with no principles other than "ME! First, last, and always."
We seem to be attracting the wrong sort of people to our political leadership. We need to find a way to attract people who are dedicated to service to the nation, rather than dedicated to themselves. Perhaps if we required those who would run for high office to have actually done something, ran a business, or a nonprofit, been responsible for producing results and managing people, we would get a better class of people as our leaders.
OK OK.
It's now clear to me that only those American citizens who knock on my door, and explain their logic and their lives sincerely, and submit to a couple of quizzes I've invented, should be allowed to vote in a presidential election.
Questions on the quiz? What is "truthiness"? How much power do you really think a Secretary of State has to save and change the world, especially after her term has ended? Do you know where Russia is? Can you see it from your house? Ever read Jane Austen? What is a "fact"? Can you not recognize a narcissistic lying billionaire sociopath when he's glaring and foaming and flaming in the spotlight? Do you kinda hate women?
Can we all agree on this new voting law? Because I am ready.
Jeez ... democracy in 2016 is a messy, messy, scary business.
Of course the US has been a merciless (and wonderful and adventurous) nation for centuries. And the nation is still young. Let's hope it's peopled with voters who think.
It's now clear to me that only those American citizens who knock on my door, and explain their logic and their lives sincerely, and submit to a couple of quizzes I've invented, should be allowed to vote in a presidential election.
Questions on the quiz? What is "truthiness"? How much power do you really think a Secretary of State has to save and change the world, especially after her term has ended? Do you know where Russia is? Can you see it from your house? Ever read Jane Austen? What is a "fact"? Can you not recognize a narcissistic lying billionaire sociopath when he's glaring and foaming and flaming in the spotlight? Do you kinda hate women?
Can we all agree on this new voting law? Because I am ready.
Jeez ... democracy in 2016 is a messy, messy, scary business.
Of course the US has been a merciless (and wonderful and adventurous) nation for centuries. And the nation is still young. Let's hope it's peopled with voters who think.
5
The guy who thinks trump came from being poor and is a self made man-impossible to deal with such ignorance. Unfortunately, it is all too common.
11
If Trump is elected then the British were right when they thought American democracy would eventually self destruct. It took only 240 for the prediction to become true.
3
"We're all angry, so let's vote for the candidate who doesn't know anything."
8
“I think Donald Trump is going to stop all the recklessness.”
That is perhaps the most unexamined, ineffably, , , !!?
“He came from being poor. He’s a self-made man,”
WHAAAAA??!!
These two statements show the level of cognitive dissonance on the loose in the Trump Republican Party.
As defined by Orwell, Trump employs 'Newspeak', which renders language meaningless or opposite.
The man I quoted from the bit is employing 'Doublethink', which enables a person to hold two opposite positions at the same time while believing both to be true.
Trump is running alone on a 'Strongman' platform. Pence is window dressing, there to provide some deception of stability for the election season.
Anyone else pick up on Trump's promise to do everything, "Quickly, oh so quickly, unbelievably fast."
What could he do to accomplish all that stuff so fast??
This is what the NYT and other MSM outlets need to address and dig out.
OK, MSM, time for some real old-fashioned journalism!
That is perhaps the most unexamined, ineffably, , , !!?
“He came from being poor. He’s a self-made man,”
WHAAAAA??!!
These two statements show the level of cognitive dissonance on the loose in the Trump Republican Party.
As defined by Orwell, Trump employs 'Newspeak', which renders language meaningless or opposite.
The man I quoted from the bit is employing 'Doublethink', which enables a person to hold two opposite positions at the same time while believing both to be true.
Trump is running alone on a 'Strongman' platform. Pence is window dressing, there to provide some deception of stability for the election season.
Anyone else pick up on Trump's promise to do everything, "Quickly, oh so quickly, unbelievably fast."
What could he do to accomplish all that stuff so fast??
This is what the NYT and other MSM outlets need to address and dig out.
OK, MSM, time for some real old-fashioned journalism!
8
Oddly, some people view Donald Trump as a potential dictator—a threat to the Constitutional balance of power. However, his most controversial proposal is simply to enforce the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which calls for the removal of foreign nationals residing illegally in the country. Hillary Clinton vows to expand President Barack Obama’s executive orders on immigration, granting millions immunity to deportation, even though the existing executive action policy is being challenged in the courts. She also pledges to issue executive orders to stop ICE immigration raids, making immigration laws impossible to enforce against those not granted immunity. The Constitution tasks presidents to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Trump vows to enforce laws enacted by Congress while Clinton vows to use executive orders to override Congress. Clinton—not Trump—threatens the Constitutional balance of powers.
1
I know I´m going to receive plenty of flack for this, living outside the U.S., being a non-American and, probably even worse, being an Iranian, but here goes:
The average American citizen is brainwashed to an Orwellian degree, unable to think independently or to question the propaganda to which he/she is subjected 24/7 and that poses as 'news'. He/she is born and bred on the principle that the U.S., is an 'Exceptional' nation, "the shining light on the hill", etc.,. and even Obama is guilty of such hypocritical pronouncements. Anyone criticizing the U.S. is 'unpatriotic', especially foreigners who (to paraphrase George 'W' Bush) "... are jealous of our way of life".
The U.S. system of Capitalism allegedly ".... gives opportunities to everyone" and everyone who fails to get into the 1 % (something that is mathematically impossible) is stupid, incompetent or downright lazy.
Dictators deserve to be overthrown by the U.S. military and no one cares who created or supported them to begin with. Just position hundreds of Stars and Stripes against a glowing sunset and claim "Mission Accomplished".
The above comments do not apply to NYT readers who probably constitute a minimal percentage of the U.S. population. I am judging in broad, general terms. How foreigners view the U.S. is very different from U.S. perceptions, especially if they are among the millions and millions of people whose lives have been destroyed by a Machiavellian U.S. foreign policy.
Just my two cents.
The average American citizen is brainwashed to an Orwellian degree, unable to think independently or to question the propaganda to which he/she is subjected 24/7 and that poses as 'news'. He/she is born and bred on the principle that the U.S., is an 'Exceptional' nation, "the shining light on the hill", etc.,. and even Obama is guilty of such hypocritical pronouncements. Anyone criticizing the U.S. is 'unpatriotic', especially foreigners who (to paraphrase George 'W' Bush) "... are jealous of our way of life".
The U.S. system of Capitalism allegedly ".... gives opportunities to everyone" and everyone who fails to get into the 1 % (something that is mathematically impossible) is stupid, incompetent or downright lazy.
Dictators deserve to be overthrown by the U.S. military and no one cares who created or supported them to begin with. Just position hundreds of Stars and Stripes against a glowing sunset and claim "Mission Accomplished".
The above comments do not apply to NYT readers who probably constitute a minimal percentage of the U.S. population. I am judging in broad, general terms. How foreigners view the U.S. is very different from U.S. perceptions, especially if they are among the millions and millions of people whose lives have been destroyed by a Machiavellian U.S. foreign policy.
Just my two cents.
8
There are two critical questions that must be answered to enable an intelligent vote in November.
What is going wrong in the USA that has given a demagogue enough traction to receive the nomination of a major party?
What would the election of Trump (a full blown sociopath -- see Tony Schwartz) mean?
First, our primary problem is the over four-decade drop in total wages as a percentage of GDP. This represents ever-increasing economic stress on families which in-turn fosters tribalism.
I can best answer the second question through an hypothetical example. Since a sociopath is incapable of compassion for any other living being, he would not hesitate to take any action which he knew would result in massive death and destruction, foreign or domestic, if he knew he could get away with it and he was convinced it would would result in Trump feeling better about himself.
Given these facts, any rational person should vote for Hillary and then actively press for progressive reform at all levels in a frantic attempt to reverse economic pressure and bring us together before the next recession destroys the political center, leaving only the most radical and non-democratic fringes.
What is going wrong in the USA that has given a demagogue enough traction to receive the nomination of a major party?
What would the election of Trump (a full blown sociopath -- see Tony Schwartz) mean?
First, our primary problem is the over four-decade drop in total wages as a percentage of GDP. This represents ever-increasing economic stress on families which in-turn fosters tribalism.
I can best answer the second question through an hypothetical example. Since a sociopath is incapable of compassion for any other living being, he would not hesitate to take any action which he knew would result in massive death and destruction, foreign or domestic, if he knew he could get away with it and he was convinced it would would result in Trump feeling better about himself.
Given these facts, any rational person should vote for Hillary and then actively press for progressive reform at all levels in a frantic attempt to reverse economic pressure and bring us together before the next recession destroys the political center, leaving only the most radical and non-democratic fringes.
6
To me Trump is a large part of my entertainment for quite some time now. How could it not?
From the start of the wall thing to the announcement to this last Cruz thing. I am an old retired guy. I have watched politics and the economy closely since Bill Clinton. Like a combination of a variety show, car crash, and a guy sitting on a ledge. How could you not?
On a more serious note, looks to me that the people who vote for Trump are the same people who have voted against their economic interests for several decades, and now are unhappy with the economic results.
From the start of the wall thing to the announcement to this last Cruz thing. I am an old retired guy. I have watched politics and the economy closely since Bill Clinton. Like a combination of a variety show, car crash, and a guy sitting on a ledge. How could you not?
On a more serious note, looks to me that the people who vote for Trump are the same people who have voted against their economic interests for several decades, and now are unhappy with the economic results.
5
Wow. What an astounding display of ignorance in this statistically non-representative sample of the electorate. To answer the question, "What Does Trump Mean to You?" I can only say that we need to be spending way more on eduction than we are presently!
7
Terry M.,
"Mr. Trump is “not a bully — he just says the things that we all say at the bar or sitting around the kitchen table,”
Gobsmacked. They think we all say that!
"Mr. Trump is “not a bully — he just says the things that we all say at the bar or sitting around the kitchen table,”
Gobsmacked. They think we all say that!
4
The various quotes from this "Jaywalking" session show that folks have their impressions of the State of the Union and whether Trump sees it similarly, and that's it. The election is no farce, but how it is decided definitely is.
2
JB,
And it took us three years to get here. Three years.
And it renders Trump and Hillary.
Jon Stewart was still on in 2013 and already making jokes about the '16 cycle having started.
They were picking favorites and even pulling 'straws' in some states to see who the favored were. Jeb! ran a virtual campaign for two years before announcing!
The big money fight. Spooky Pacs gas-lighting opponents two years ago.
And it took us three years to get here. Three years.
And it renders Trump and Hillary.
Jon Stewart was still on in 2013 and already making jokes about the '16 cycle having started.
They were picking favorites and even pulling 'straws' in some states to see who the favored were. Jeb! ran a virtual campaign for two years before announcing!
The big money fight. Spooky Pacs gas-lighting opponents two years ago.
1
The statement by Jorge Villarreal of Houston struck a chord: “Donald Trump represents a part of the Republican Party that most Republicans are not proud of.” Pointing this out to those Americans who might choose to vote will be the biggest challenge to Clinton/Kaine. How do you awaken the sleepers?
Equally important, of course, is this question, "How do you awaken (and encourage) the voters necessary to take the Trump campaign to the garbage dump where it belongs?”
Equally important, of course, is this question, "How do you awaken (and encourage) the voters necessary to take the Trump campaign to the garbage dump where it belongs?”
6
Amazing how people will admit they don't know what is going on, don't have much information, but are still willing to make a decision (a vote) that will effect them and theirs for years.
5
Donald Trump means nothing to me.
3
Alan,
I hope irrelevance is his next destination, but we are in for a hair-raising ride until November.
He could win.
Hillary is capable of losing.
I hope irrelevance is his next destination, but we are in for a hair-raising ride until November.
He could win.
Hillary is capable of losing.
1
First of all, on a far more pleasant topic than that of Donald Trump, Hilary Swift has taken wonderful portraits for this article, capturing these people as they voice their concerns.
Secondly, to understand Trump, fully listen to his press conference yesterday, the one with Mike Pence standing idly to his back. The Trump characteristic that attracts so many people is his continual drone that lulls viewers into a hypnotic state as he speaks. If one is intelligent, he or she quickly turns away to get something done, fully realizing the emptiness of Trump's proclamations.
But the television and Twitter crowd is used to being mesmerized by meretricious nonsense, and Trump uses this tactic to gain followers. Trump's is truly a sadomasochistic relationship. Pence stands patiently and obediently to Trump's rear, the audience accepts the drubbing from Trump's rants, and Trump derives pleasure from the attention.
Someone like Trump attracts two kinds of people; the poorly studied, who are looking for recognition, and the wily sycophant who hopes to attain wealth or power by latching his or her fate onto Trump's erratic behavior. It is Trump and his family who make the decisions. Sycophants game them to their benefit, but playing by the rules of the insane has its fatal risks. Anyone else who is morally intelligent can't join that lunacy.
The Republican Party has been destroyed by its Republican presidential primary voters. The US is in for a time of political turmoil.
Secondly, to understand Trump, fully listen to his press conference yesterday, the one with Mike Pence standing idly to his back. The Trump characteristic that attracts so many people is his continual drone that lulls viewers into a hypnotic state as he speaks. If one is intelligent, he or she quickly turns away to get something done, fully realizing the emptiness of Trump's proclamations.
But the television and Twitter crowd is used to being mesmerized by meretricious nonsense, and Trump uses this tactic to gain followers. Trump's is truly a sadomasochistic relationship. Pence stands patiently and obediently to Trump's rear, the audience accepts the drubbing from Trump's rants, and Trump derives pleasure from the attention.
Someone like Trump attracts two kinds of people; the poorly studied, who are looking for recognition, and the wily sycophant who hopes to attain wealth or power by latching his or her fate onto Trump's erratic behavior. It is Trump and his family who make the decisions. Sycophants game them to their benefit, but playing by the rules of the insane has its fatal risks. Anyone else who is morally intelligent can't join that lunacy.
The Republican Party has been destroyed by its Republican presidential primary voters. The US is in for a time of political turmoil.
4
Having been brought up in the deep South during segregation and being dragged to listen to speeches by politicians by parents, believe me when I tell you that there isn't but a pin head of light between the racist demagogues of the Old South and what I have witnessed in this past GOP convention. The same old hate, the same old fears, the same old words.
I'm old now, and am deeply despairing that over the 83 years I've lived, that the old saying "nothing changes but the weather" seems to be true.
I'm old now, and am deeply despairing that over the 83 years I've lived, that the old saying "nothing changes but the weather" seems to be true.
30
Wow, very insightful and very well said, Ajwert.
2
It means that, if Trump wins the election by some kind of miraculous means, I am moving to Hugo, Colorado. You know, that's the town that has marijuana in its water supply. Great idea! Think of the advantages.......
9
>>>>
"What Does Donald Trump Mean to You?" (ER)
The end of the end. And that is whether he wins or loses; read the tea leafs.
But as a philosopher I've learned to let go of life; as Rust Cohle says, to know you don't have to hold on so tight.
I'm uncertain as to what the rest of you are going to do or the inhumane indignities you are willing to suffer in the future for your inability to let go.
"What Does Donald Trump Mean to You?" (ER)
The end of the end. And that is whether he wins or loses; read the tea leafs.
But as a philosopher I've learned to let go of life; as Rust Cohle says, to know you don't have to hold on so tight.
I'm uncertain as to what the rest of you are going to do or the inhumane indignities you are willing to suffer in the future for your inability to let go.
3
The criticism of the Trump supporters here reminds of a you tube video done right after Obama was elected the first time. "Who Voted For Obama". For those below to say that Trump voters are stupid, biased, and uneducated parallels the 2008 election. An overwhelming majority of folks in that video couldn't name the current Vice President, what continent Mexico was on, or how many states there were. Democracy is open to everyone and is often rough and tumble.
2
there's a big difference between the election of the president for the first time and
what we are witnessing now. There was no ugly slandering that took place in
pres. Obama's voice, an elegant, educated one at that. This is quite different. the
Trump fans have accepted the foul mouth of a man not fit to be president and
unable to fill the shoes of any President we've ever had. Maybe Jackson was
questionable, but nothing like this vile candidate. This is, in my opinion, a mob of
morons, plus they like the ugliness they are seeing from duck dynasty to David duke.
h
what we are witnessing now. There was no ugly slandering that took place in
pres. Obama's voice, an elegant, educated one at that. This is quite different. the
Trump fans have accepted the foul mouth of a man not fit to be president and
unable to fill the shoes of any President we've ever had. Maybe Jackson was
questionable, but nothing like this vile candidate. This is, in my opinion, a mob of
morons, plus they like the ugliness they are seeing from duck dynasty to David duke.
h
7
leftoright,
I grant some veracity to your posit, but there seems something different, and much worse in the march to Trump.
His supporters and undecideds don't seem to be hearing what he is saying;
-Signaling Putin he can have the Baltic states, and doesn't even know it
-Defending Erdogan, Gaddaffy, Putin, Saddam, other 'strongmen'.
-Running as a 'strongman'.
-Promising to do everything "oh so fast!". We know how that works.
In the end, I can't agree. Trump is dangerous.
I grant some veracity to your posit, but there seems something different, and much worse in the march to Trump.
His supporters and undecideds don't seem to be hearing what he is saying;
-Signaling Putin he can have the Baltic states, and doesn't even know it
-Defending Erdogan, Gaddaffy, Putin, Saddam, other 'strongmen'.
-Running as a 'strongman'.
-Promising to do everything "oh so fast!". We know how that works.
In the end, I can't agree. Trump is dangerous.
2
I allowed myself limited viewings of the republican convention and that was bad
enough- but to read the comments here from citizens who are so blatantly
ignorant of the facts and are drawn to this vulgarian, Trump, is beyond the pale.
I've never seen or heard the kind of ugly disrespect shown to Mrs. Clinton, who
may be an imperfect candidate, but hardly deserving of the hatred and personal
insults hurled at her. It was disgusting, and these interviewees are a pack of
ignoramuses that are pretty frightening in their lack of information. Surely, we're
better than this; we can't dissolve into a mob mentality = please America, put on
your thinking caps and return to sanity. Trump is a shameful blotch on our
history and should be rejected.
enough- but to read the comments here from citizens who are so blatantly
ignorant of the facts and are drawn to this vulgarian, Trump, is beyond the pale.
I've never seen or heard the kind of ugly disrespect shown to Mrs. Clinton, who
may be an imperfect candidate, but hardly deserving of the hatred and personal
insults hurled at her. It was disgusting, and these interviewees are a pack of
ignoramuses that are pretty frightening in their lack of information. Surely, we're
better than this; we can't dissolve into a mob mentality = please America, put on
your thinking caps and return to sanity. Trump is a shameful blotch on our
history and should be rejected.
18
Imagine the rightwing uproar if Democrats stooped to such a mental lightweight
candidate as Trump.
candidate as Trump.
3
Actually, I would like to know how Trump will cut all trade pacts with China and get back all our manufacturing from China. Specifically where are the fashion lines Melania and Ivanka sell on OVC and elsewhere manufactured. Are they made locally in the US or outsourced for production elsewhere like China? And if so doesn't that make Trump a hypocrite and a liar.
12
Exactly! Where do the trump hats come from?
2
I was surprised by the Times' official pieces covering Trump's acceptance speech. They didn't mention his "We will build a great border wall!" Reminded me of Emperor Palpatine's speech in "Attack of the Clones": "We will build a grand army of the republic." As the Senators cheer, Padme says, "So this is how democracy dies." (Words to that effect; it's late at night & I had my glass of wine. :) Similar to the applause and chanting at the RNC convention.
They also didn't comment on how many times Trump promised he will do x, y, and z "fast, so fast." He's claiming he will solve huge problems quickly. How? & what about his promise to repeal & replace "Obamacare"? Replace with what?
The number of times he referred to "I" must have set some kind of record, as did the length of his speech, which was truly terrifying. As Elizabeth Warren said on Colbert, Trump sounded more like a dictator in some small country rather than a candidate for the presidency of the largest democracy in the world. Does he not recognize we have separation of powers: the president, 2 houses of Congress, & the Supreme Court?
Even scarier is that he might turn over actually running the country to Pence, as apparently he suggested to Kasich when interviewing him for his running mate.
Please, fellow Americans, get out & vote Democrat down the line. Even if Hillary does manage to win, if the Republicans maintain control of Congress it will be at least 4 more years of nothing getting done. Save the country!
They also didn't comment on how many times Trump promised he will do x, y, and z "fast, so fast." He's claiming he will solve huge problems quickly. How? & what about his promise to repeal & replace "Obamacare"? Replace with what?
The number of times he referred to "I" must have set some kind of record, as did the length of his speech, which was truly terrifying. As Elizabeth Warren said on Colbert, Trump sounded more like a dictator in some small country rather than a candidate for the presidency of the largest democracy in the world. Does he not recognize we have separation of powers: the president, 2 houses of Congress, & the Supreme Court?
Even scarier is that he might turn over actually running the country to Pence, as apparently he suggested to Kasich when interviewing him for his running mate.
Please, fellow Americans, get out & vote Democrat down the line. Even if Hillary does manage to win, if the Republicans maintain control of Congress it will be at least 4 more years of nothing getting done. Save the country!
20
'Joseph Meeks said: “I think Donald Trump is going to stop all the recklessness.”
“He came from being poor. He’s a self-made man”'
----------------------------------------------
For me Donald Trump and the above quote from one of his supporters means their will always be an American political home for profound ignorance, misinformation, disinformation, cultured stupidity and Up Is Down brain damaged that has always been favored by the American right wing of destruction.
“It has not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me. I started off in Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars," Trump has said. "I came into Manhattan, and I had to pay him back, and I had to pay him back with interest."
Americans have an unusual, unhealthy and self-destructive worship of 'poor' millionaires and billionaires.
That's the true American exceptionalism, and that's why self-destructive Greed Over People, a political movement that should have been dead decades ago, continues to rear its grotesque, monsterous head again and again in spite of its many demonstrated Republican failures.
Trump means "vote for the rich guy"....as sick a human philosophy and public policy as there ever was.
D to go forward; R for reverse.
“He came from being poor. He’s a self-made man”'
----------------------------------------------
For me Donald Trump and the above quote from one of his supporters means their will always be an American political home for profound ignorance, misinformation, disinformation, cultured stupidity and Up Is Down brain damaged that has always been favored by the American right wing of destruction.
“It has not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me. I started off in Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars," Trump has said. "I came into Manhattan, and I had to pay him back, and I had to pay him back with interest."
Americans have an unusual, unhealthy and self-destructive worship of 'poor' millionaires and billionaires.
That's the true American exceptionalism, and that's why self-destructive Greed Over People, a political movement that should have been dead decades ago, continues to rear its grotesque, monsterous head again and again in spite of its many demonstrated Republican failures.
Trump means "vote for the rich guy"....as sick a human philosophy and public policy as there ever was.
D to go forward; R for reverse.
52
Isn't anybody learning civics and history in school any more? Or basic reasoning?
For example, if Clinton is a sellout to the 1%, as many claim, why have the plutocrats invested hundreds of millions of dollars, thousands of Congressional hours, and a SCOTUS case in order to DEFEAT her? Why would they pour such resources into opposing a candidate who is secretly on their side???? How does that make any sense?
It doesn't. If her defeat is worth so much to so many billionaires, the most logical assumption is that she represents a real threat to their wealth and power. They believe she plans to rein them in, and that she might be shrewd and scrappy enough to succeed. No one else has survived what they've thrown at her -- maybe her uncanny tenaciry will triumph again, once she's a president cracking down on the 1%. No one spends that kind of attack money on a go-along, get-along politician.
For example, if Clinton is a sellout to the 1%, as many claim, why have the plutocrats invested hundreds of millions of dollars, thousands of Congressional hours, and a SCOTUS case in order to DEFEAT her? Why would they pour such resources into opposing a candidate who is secretly on their side???? How does that make any sense?
It doesn't. If her defeat is worth so much to so many billionaires, the most logical assumption is that she represents a real threat to their wealth and power. They believe she plans to rein them in, and that she might be shrewd and scrappy enough to succeed. No one else has survived what they've thrown at her -- maybe her uncanny tenaciry will triumph again, once she's a president cracking down on the 1%. No one spends that kind of attack money on a go-along, get-along politician.
15
What he means to me is a repudiation of what our founding fathers believed in and wrote in the Constitution.
9
Trump represents all that we have been taught not to be. He's a bully, racist, misogynist, liar, adulterer, narcissist, and blow hard. How's he's managed to get this fair mystifies me. I know that sounds strange, given the dissatisfaction of the public with the political parties, the deadlock in Washington, D.C., terrorism, racial tensions and economic inequality. Have I left anything out? What I mean is that instead of looking for ways to solve these problems, he's glommed onto fear, hatred and decisiveness. Somehow he's managed to usurp these issues and turn them into assets for himself. He's not a great orator, thinker, not even Presidential looking. What he has is audacity. As I watched the debates, I was appalled and embarrassed by his behavior and yelled at the moderators to call him on these behaviors. He seemed to be under control as he read from the TelePrompTer in his long acceptance speech, but then reverted back to form today in his rant against Ted Cruz (as though Cruz would all of a sudden endorse him).
This apparently is what his followers are looking for. The larger than life figure--'you're fired!' But this is not what we should be looking for in a president. We all have faults and foibles, but to elect someone like him is more than scary, it's terrifying. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can find his rhetoric appealing. As much as I find the leading Republicans obstructionists and objectionable, their (even tepid) acceptance hypocritical.
This apparently is what his followers are looking for. The larger than life figure--'you're fired!' But this is not what we should be looking for in a president. We all have faults and foibles, but to elect someone like him is more than scary, it's terrifying. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can find his rhetoric appealing. As much as I find the leading Republicans obstructionists and objectionable, their (even tepid) acceptance hypocritical.
10
New Trump slogan, " Yes I Can".
New Trump slogan, "Yes, I can LIE, LIE, LIE through my rug!".
1
To me Nominee Trump has one major accomplishment:
Thanks to Him and his supporters, the GOP is now the Party Formerly Known As Grand Old.
The GOP's nomination of Donald Trump clearly marks the eclipse of the Republican establishment.
Trump's ascent may foreshadow the split between the GOP's right-wing-corporation-and-Wall-Street-friendly establishment and the Party's far-right-radical Know-Nothing Tea-Party faction.
For all practical purposes the Republican Party is already two separate and unequal parties: The radical right of the GOP has for far too long been the tail that wagged the dog.
The tail has now taken on a life all its own, reducing the rest of the dog to zombie status.
Thanks to Him and his supporters, the GOP is now the Party Formerly Known As Grand Old.
The GOP's nomination of Donald Trump clearly marks the eclipse of the Republican establishment.
Trump's ascent may foreshadow the split between the GOP's right-wing-corporation-and-Wall-Street-friendly establishment and the Party's far-right-radical Know-Nothing Tea-Party faction.
For all practical purposes the Republican Party is already two separate and unequal parties: The radical right of the GOP has for far too long been the tail that wagged the dog.
The tail has now taken on a life all its own, reducing the rest of the dog to zombie status.
5
I would be much more optimistic about the future of this country if just one of the interviewees had said something like, "Well, I think the tax cuts Trump proposes are likely to stimulate manufacturing in the short term, but I'm concerned that the increase in the national debt ..." Is it asking too much that we vote based on issues instead of character -- or more precisely, what we've been hearing on social media and cable news about character?
4
The interviews are a very mixed bag.
My impression of the Trump supporters were people who wanted to return to a world that no longer exists and probably never fully did exist and is impossible to return to.
Trump knows that but he is pandering to those views in order to get elected.
Trump knows that but he is pandering to those views in order to get elected.
8
There's an attitude I've seen rise in this country in the last 20 years; a sort of self-righteous me first'ism first promoted by Reagon and repeated by the Fox News. This attitude diminishes others and their experience as personified by the obstructionist Republican Congress. Trump and his followers personify this "My way or the highway" perspective; to the point of inciting fear, threat, and violence. Forgetting that they don't live on an island.
15
This is one of the most sobering articles I have read. The people interviewed remind me of many of my co-workers : seemingly intelligent, rational people who are determined to vote Trump into office. A significant problem in The U.S. is a lack of historical and political perspective. So many people are ignorant of even the most basic aspects of American history and the branches of government. This is nothing new, but in the 21st Century traditional education has been supplanted largely by instant, biased 'news' on the internet and a casual disregard for knowledge. Needless to say, Hillary Clinton is getting my vote.
48
How sad that Michael Moore was on Bill Mahrer warning folks about complacency. The most profound thing he said was that Donald doesn't read books and neither do his supporters. So Trump can con the uninformed, uneducated, and unconcerned. The comments I read scares me more than Trump because these folks just don't have a clue. Maybe they just don't have the time. Wake up please, America.
22
I'm from Cleveland and I'm voting for Hillary. She can reason, and that's not something Trump is capable of doing. He scares me and so do his supporters.
34
According to Tony Schwarz, the writer of Trump's "Art of the Deal", mr.Trump has not read a single book in his entire adult life. This means everything to me,even if the person in question were not ego maniacal, narcissistic, temperamental and altogether unfit to go anywhere near a public office.
32
To me Trump as the nominee means the GOP plan to make America into a 3rd world nation run by a wealthy few is going apace.
Sadly Hilary gives me the same thought.
Sadly Hilary gives me the same thought.
2
Public employees who support Trump should resign from their jobs when he loses. Teachers, Firefighters, Cops, and all those whose paycheck is funded by municipalities and government the cushy public sector and show their devotion to Trump by refusing to accept public money upon which they are economically dependant, for those jobs are created by Democrats,. Additionally, Trump supporters should refuse pay their bills, as Trump has done. They should sue their banks, rather than pay their mortgages. If they believe in Donald Trump, they should behave like him.
11
"Trouble."
7
Trump is a Putin puppet. It's an invasion from within.
4
Trump is the personification of corruption and he inspires fear, once you see past his comical appearance. The prospect of Trump and his minions (aka family) creeping into the White House is as shocking as the pigs of "Animal Farm" taking up residence in Mr. Jones' farmhouse. Further, with political purges occurring in Turkey, eerily similar to the purges in Russia by Josef Stalin (the premier pig) it's frightening to realize that we live in a world where events once thought to be unimaginable, or as never occurring again, are becoming reality.
Donald Trump doesn't have the intelligence nor political expertise to lead our Democratic nation. He does have the inherit traits of an Orwell pig and fascist dictator capable of persecuting his perceived enemies and instigating world wars.
Donald Trump doesn't have the intelligence nor political expertise to lead our Democratic nation. He does have the inherit traits of an Orwell pig and fascist dictator capable of persecuting his perceived enemies and instigating world wars.
15
There was a photo montage in yesterday's digital NYT of Trump face forward within a silhouette of Trump sideways. The silhouette reminded me of something. You gave me the answer. It looked like a pig.
1
A protest leader.
If you're charismatic, have had, and project, that you have no real duties except to rile people up--all you have to do is get people angry. Get them screaming; get them to reach down for their hate; blame the blacks, the Mexicans, the Muslims. Shout that your opponent should be in jail. That we should build the Great Wall of Mexico. Because leading a mob is easy: stoke fear
If you're charismatic, have had, and project, that you have no real duties except to rile people up--all you have to do is get people angry. Get them screaming; get them to reach down for their hate; blame the blacks, the Mexicans, the Muslims. Shout that your opponent should be in jail. That we should build the Great Wall of Mexico. Because leading a mob is easy: stoke fear
13
Voltaire said, "When the people undertake to reason, all is lost." If the average American voter is no smarter than these people, our country is in big trouble.
20
What does Donald Trump mean to me? Not much really just another grifter and bully with a string of Barbie Doll wives and daughters and too much money for his own good.
The Donald is a con man who has conned the Republican Party and New York City for years who who will fail (yet again) and slink away with what he can take.
The only problem is that he is running for POTUS against an equally corrupt pair of Grifters in the persona of Hilary and Bill Clinton.
I have never voted for then and will not be voting for any of them in November. I'm voting for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Rainbow Party!
The Donald is a con man who has conned the Republican Party and New York City for years who who will fail (yet again) and slink away with what he can take.
The only problem is that he is running for POTUS against an equally corrupt pair of Grifters in the persona of Hilary and Bill Clinton.
I have never voted for then and will not be voting for any of them in November. I'm voting for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Rainbow Party!
5
By all means keep your self-righteous conscience pure while throwing away your vote--and increasing the chances Trump will end up president! Sorry to sound so harsh, but you're just plain buying into decades of Republican propaganda to think either of the Clintons is as bought-and-paid-for as Trump. She's been a public servant of one sort or another since she passed the bar. Never indicted (and if you think that's a LOW bar, take an honest look at the resources that have been devoted to trying to nail her legally on ANYTHING, to no avail). Gotten rich recently? Indeed. And so what? She's turned right around and put up with more truckloads of junk in order to continue serving the public. Is she perfect? No! Do I agree with every policy she's advocated past and present? No! But she's miles ahead of Stein, Johnson, and Trump when it comes to the skills necessary to actually govern.
10
It's time to start making contingency plans for what happens should Trump actually get elected. Personally, I have been in a state of anxiety since it became clear that a significant fraction of Americans were totally okay with the bile he's been spewing since that first day in Trump Tower. Reading this article, with reactions from ordinary people in Cleveland is the last straw. To hear Black Men, one after the other, refer to this madman as a viable candidate that might represent their interests was surreal, (One dimwit referred to Trump as "self-made", apparently discounting the $100 million daddy left him to play with.) If Trump is able to capture any sort of Black support, after everything he has said about us, we deserve what we get if he is elected. This reflects the serious downside of Democracy, any idiot can vote, no matter how ill-informed they are about the issues, the candidates, or the implications of the choice they are making. So, the very people Trump has victimized throughout his career, the working poor who built his casinos, gambled their rent money in them, and then lost their jobs in when he went bankrupt, will now reward his treachery with the highest office on the face of the Earth. The irony is stunning.
69
They are voting for one of their favorite reality TV stars.
9
I often tell my children that they should not want to harm anyone since it always results in them harming themselves. The conservative embracing of Trump is a classic example of a mindset hoping to harm another while all the time destroying themselves. Some times just gotta "let em rip." Sadly, Trump is pathetic and his followers are convinced that electing a pathetic, narcisstic, authoritative, divisive, greedy, thieving liar will heal what ailes them. The "Blind leading the Blind" for sure. They should not be suprised when both fall into the ditch. Let's just hope and pray that we don't fall into the ditch with them.
18
He is a braggart and is stuck on himself. He is a bully, a boaster, a braggart and a narcissist? He thinks he is the only one who can solve America's problems when in truth, America's problems will be immense if he is elected.
27
Hope.
Hope for something other than the mess we have today.
I'm willing to roll the dice.
We, as a race and world, are on barrowed time.
Hope for something other than the mess we have today.
I'm willing to roll the dice.
We, as a race and world, are on barrowed time.
7
We're doing just fine. Trump wants you to think we're dying. Wake up.
26
borrowed time, not barrowed time.
as a race? what does that mean?
3
32% of Americans 23yrs and older hold a college degree. Do we really expect an uniformed populace to make rational decisions? The Founding Fathers saw Donald Trump's rise in 1789 and built a government that mixed the best of democratic Greece, with the Republic of Rome and a healthy dose of John Locke mixed in. If Trump is elected, we deserve the apocalpyse that we get - a man given $250MM by his father - and who is now viewed as a "poor self-made man". Stupid is as stupid does.
13
Comparing Trump to someone who doesn't know what kind of toilet paper to order. What a compliment! Maybe that pretty well sums it up about Donald Trump. Appealing over lack of toilet paper knowledge.....hmmm.......
9
What Does Donald Trump Mean to Me?
... a continuing bad case of nausea.
... a continuing bad case of nausea.
15
"Trump, Trump, Trump!" reminds me of the chanting, "Hook, Hook Hook!" in the 1991 movie "Hook." Check it out on IMDb.
1
He truly scares me. If president, I think he will blow up the world. I am 71 year old white male – if nuclear war comes as I am sure it will if he is elected I have at least had a good life and worked all over the world before retirement. I made friends in many cultures and areas. I can “live” with dying but I had hoped to see my grandkids finish college, get married and start families. This will not happen if Trump is elected.
33
Then we must hope that he is not elected. We must actively work on activities that will see someone else elected besides Trump.
1
Unfortunately there's not much you can do if you are in California. Trump has no chance here. I can only hope that Jerry Brown was serious when he proposed building a wall around the state if Trump wins.
1
It means as a democratic nation, we are doomed. The convention revolved on criticism of the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton without giving recognition to the fact our country was on the verge of mass financial or credit chaos in 2008; that employment was at an all time low, yet we have recovered for the most part. The Trump GOP made a fool of themselves in demonizing the current administration without disclosing their plans to"Change America" for the better. It is easy to criticize without a plan. The GOP clown show continues...
23
Trump is a narcissist. He will do anything and say anything to get elected simply to gain power. Any person who believes Trump has anyone's interest at heart beyond his own is a delusional fool.
16
All true. Please also note, however, that Hillary Clinton has proven that she will also say or dow whatever is necessary to gain power. The choice we are given in 2016 is frankly depressing.
6
Bill Clinton = 23 mil new jobs.
W = 1 mil new jobs
O = 14 mil new jobs.
Good enough for me.
W = 1 mil new jobs
O = 14 mil new jobs.
Good enough for me.
1
Would you hire a plumber with Zero experience? Why do people think zero experience is the way to go with the most complex and difficult job on the planet? How many of the people interviews know what one hydrogen bomb can do? or even know what a nuclear weapon is or does?
22
Sure, if I wanted to "Shake things up" with my plumbing.
Trump declared in his acceptance speech yesterday, "I alone can fix things."
Today, Hillary in Florida, accused that he said, "I can fix things alone."
Big difference.
(I assumed she misspoke and gave her the benefit of doubt. But she repeated that accusation again and again.)
Compared to Hillary and her twist of words, Trump comes off straight and honest.
Today, Hillary in Florida, accused that he said, "I can fix things alone."
Big difference.
(I assumed she misspoke and gave her the benefit of doubt. But she repeated that accusation again and again.)
Compared to Hillary and her twist of words, Trump comes off straight and honest.
1
Your comment is as important to this election as Melania's plagiarism.
2
All politicians lie. I always found arguments about who is the bigger liar silly.
Not one of the people interviewed who supports Trump has given a cogent, intelligent, well thought out response about what the man means to them. And some actually believe he's a self-made man? Hilarious. Not, actually, it's sad. So much ignorance in this country.
17
Donald Trump brings millions to their feet with a farcical belligerence and ferocity that he perfected as a Reality TV star. Never before has the United States seen a leading presidential party nominee - Donald Trump - with absolutely no qualifications to lead our nation. We have never before had a candidate who is so clearly a racist and who mocks the disabled. We have never had such an open discussion about whether a candidate for president was mentally disturbed. Never before have so many openly described a presidential candidate as a fascist.
However, in the face of their certain knowledge about Donald Trump's instability and complete lack of qualification to be President and Commander-in-Chief, the Republican leadership has supported Trump. They knowingly back someone who has nothing but contempt for what our nation has fought and died for. Trump has made a laughing stock out of the electoral process.
Trump is the direct result of the massive lies and propaganda that millions have been fed for decades by the Fox News machine and by the Republican leadership themselves. These dark regressive forces created Trump. His adoring fans don't care what he says or who he is. He speaks their hate and fear and that is all that matters.
Trump means that the two-party system is now dead.
However, in the face of their certain knowledge about Donald Trump's instability and complete lack of qualification to be President and Commander-in-Chief, the Republican leadership has supported Trump. They knowingly back someone who has nothing but contempt for what our nation has fought and died for. Trump has made a laughing stock out of the electoral process.
Trump is the direct result of the massive lies and propaganda that millions have been fed for decades by the Fox News machine and by the Republican leadership themselves. These dark regressive forces created Trump. His adoring fans don't care what he says or who he is. He speaks their hate and fear and that is all that matters.
Trump means that the two-party system is now dead.
21
It means the exact opposite of Mr. Trump's slogan: The best days of America are behind us.
Kim Kardashian is the heir apparent for Treasury; Brock Lesner would make a perfect secretary of Defense. The Department of the Interior has to be Joanna Gaines, whilst Housing and Urban Development will be the cast of Million Dollar Listing (NY of course).
We are a soulless, uninformed, lazy nation. Donald Trump merely reinforces our fascination with wealth, and the delusion that money makes you smart.
Game over. We lose.
Kim Kardashian is the heir apparent for Treasury; Brock Lesner would make a perfect secretary of Defense. The Department of the Interior has to be Joanna Gaines, whilst Housing and Urban Development will be the cast of Million Dollar Listing (NY of course).
We are a soulless, uninformed, lazy nation. Donald Trump merely reinforces our fascination with wealth, and the delusion that money makes you smart.
Game over. We lose.
20
Donald Trump means that millions of people have lost their collective minds and are bathing in their own fear.
18
We have two choices - Clinton or Trump. Neither is worthy of being President of the U.S. But, Trump is the lesser of 2 evils.
3
Please explain
11
To answer the question - a demagogue who will pull American into the abyss of chaos and destruction. I wouldn't be surprised if his presidency ushers in the end of America as a superpower.
I am a social scientist and I rely on empirical evidence. When the economists say that his "policies" would send this country into a severe recession or depression, I believe them. When the political scientists say that his "policies" would threaten our standing in the world and open the door for dictators like Putin to invade more countries, I believe them.
Hillary Clinton is not my favorite choice but she far exceeds Trump as a presidential candidate. I can't believe so many Americans are ignorant about who this man really is and what he represents.
I am a social scientist and I rely on empirical evidence. When the economists say that his "policies" would send this country into a severe recession or depression, I believe them. When the political scientists say that his "policies" would threaten our standing in the world and open the door for dictators like Putin to invade more countries, I believe them.
Hillary Clinton is not my favorite choice but she far exceeds Trump as a presidential candidate. I can't believe so many Americans are ignorant about who this man really is and what he represents.
23
Emma, I'm curious: Did you explain to the person who said Trump is a "self-made man" that, in fact, he isn't? Too many potential voters are either ignorant or have swallowed every lie that Trump has told. And the media share in the blame because reporters rarely, if ever, call him out. Most everyone seems more interested in ratings and selling papers (or getting clicks) than separating fact from fiction. The Times now seems to be trying to make up for lost time, but is still afraid to call a lie a lie. As a reporter, you could have told him that he was wrong about Trump's background. You still would be maintaining your objectivity; you'd just be telling him the truth. If you did tell him, good for you. If not, it's another lost opportunity to open someone's eyes, whether or not it would ultimately make a difference.
38
These people are shockingly ignorant. I just can't tell if they a willfully ignorant or just plain Stupid!
18
Some people really ARE stupid. Perhaps this is one thing that Trump got right - there is too much political correctness, and thus we're not allowed to say that word. But like George Carlin said, think how dumb the average person is and remember that half of them are dumber than that.
1
Donald Trump is acting as a mirror to our society, and many with power, privilege and/or prejudice don't like the reflection.
14
The speech was everything and more that I wanted and needed to hear.....I Believe in Mr. Trump that he will make America first and speak for the people unlike his opponent who is up to her ears in illegal political activities past present and hopefully not in any position to do so in the future!
1
Can you cite a few verified facts that would support these beliefs, Jeff? Or is it like belief in God, purely a matter of faith?
7
Scary. Really scary. Are run-of-the-mill Americans really this ignorant?
They have to be. If not, then they must be flat out stupid. And if that's the case then it's time for an exit strategy.
They have to be. If not, then they must be flat out stupid. And if that's the case then it's time for an exit strategy.
11
we don't need immigrants, we need replacements.
5
As the days go by I'm getting more and more frightened that Trump will win. The republicans have done a great job demonizing Hillary. I've never seen anything like it.
To me, Trump is the epitome of everything that is wrong with our country. The funny thing is that he is fooling all of his supporters. He doesn't care about being president, just winning the presidency. He has conned them all.
To me, Trump is the epitome of everything that is wrong with our country. The funny thing is that he is fooling all of his supporters. He doesn't care about being president, just winning the presidency. He has conned them all.
37
Many of these responses offer a chilling explanation of the Trump phenomenon and explain why his ascension is so vexing and perplexing to those who don't spend much time at the DMV or Wal-Mart, or watching network television, and whose retirement plan doesn't primarily consist of spending $25 or more each week on lottery tickets.
I am not judging or condemning, but I am just observing the widening gulf in America between perception and reality.
It is this very environment in which enough of the electorate is so susceptible to propanganda that a tyrant can rise to power on the very shoulders of those the tyrant seeks to exploit.
If Trump is successful, it will be because the haves took the have-nots so for granted that the have-nots were not sufficiently equipped when the crucial time came to differentiate between fact and fiction.
I am not judging or condemning, but I am just observing the widening gulf in America between perception and reality.
It is this very environment in which enough of the electorate is so susceptible to propanganda that a tyrant can rise to power on the very shoulders of those the tyrant seeks to exploit.
If Trump is successful, it will be because the haves took the have-nots so for granted that the have-nots were not sufficiently equipped when the crucial time came to differentiate between fact and fiction.
59
Finally, someone gets it. Trump is NOT the answer for our problems. Congress created it; Congress can fix it.
4
There is an unsubtle difference between "can" and "will".
What does Donald Trump mean to me? Well, Ivanka made a wonderfully warm introduction of her father then Trump spent the ensuing 90 minutes disproving every word she uttered.
Even if Trump's speech had been positive, its backdrop would still be the man himself whose character holds no secrets. He will "get thing done?" What and how? Bad things will stop happening fast? How so? Mexican "racists" and "criminals" will suddenly be halted at the southern border? How?
What we have at the top of this odious GOP pyramid is a man who still knowingly casts unfounded conspiracies about the President's birthplace and "loyalties." Acting as his own jury, judge and executioner he repeatedly labels Hillary Clinton a "criminal."
He rhetorically flays foreign Muslims when so much terrorist mayhem is caused by our own misfits, most of them white men born and raised in the USA. Ponder the list of mass murder perpetrators since 2010, a tiny portion of whom are Muslim. As best I know, none is Mexican.
Consider Dylann Roof, James Holmes, Seung-Hui Cho, Timothy McVeigh, Adam Lanza, Jared Loughner, Robert Dear, Aaron Alexis, Wade Michael Page, Chris Mercer. Muslim terrorists? Mexican "criminals?" No.
Among the mass shootings in public places perpetrated on US soil since 1985, 71% were committed by white males. Even if Trump succeeds in protecting us from his demon Mexicans and Muslims, we won't be much safer but millions will be abused.
That's what Trump means to me.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Even if Trump's speech had been positive, its backdrop would still be the man himself whose character holds no secrets. He will "get thing done?" What and how? Bad things will stop happening fast? How so? Mexican "racists" and "criminals" will suddenly be halted at the southern border? How?
What we have at the top of this odious GOP pyramid is a man who still knowingly casts unfounded conspiracies about the President's birthplace and "loyalties." Acting as his own jury, judge and executioner he repeatedly labels Hillary Clinton a "criminal."
He rhetorically flays foreign Muslims when so much terrorist mayhem is caused by our own misfits, most of them white men born and raised in the USA. Ponder the list of mass murder perpetrators since 2010, a tiny portion of whom are Muslim. As best I know, none is Mexican.
Consider Dylann Roof, James Holmes, Seung-Hui Cho, Timothy McVeigh, Adam Lanza, Jared Loughner, Robert Dear, Aaron Alexis, Wade Michael Page, Chris Mercer. Muslim terrorists? Mexican "criminals?" No.
Among the mass shootings in public places perpetrated on US soil since 1985, 71% were committed by white males. Even if Trump succeeds in protecting us from his demon Mexicans and Muslims, we won't be much safer but millions will be abused.
That's what Trump means to me.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
38
This is very very scary.
23
What Donald Trump's success means: The American people are sick and tired of being used as fodder for the profits of the plutocrats and oligarchs. They are so sick and tired that they are willing to vote for a narcissistic sociopath rather than endure more of the same warmongering and war profiteering, Wall Street criminal behavior, corporate interests over the public good------all of which will continue if we elect Ms. Clinton (or, to be fair----most of the former GOP candidates). Donald Trump could not stand a chance if the establishment candidate choices had not been so horrible. However, because all of the establishment choices clearly represent more of the same old same old that voters are sick and tired of, Trump could become President. Sad, but true.
5
What does Donald Trump mean to me? In my sixty three years or so of life in my beloved land, I've tried to conduct myself with decency, integrity, and have been told I am a positive role model with everyone I meet, especially in my capacity as a licensed Social Studies teacher, where I try to impart the knowledge I have to my charges! I'm always reminded of Micah's admonition in The Bible, where it says, and I paraphrase, What Does The Lord Ask of Thee? Only To Do Justly, and To Love Mercy, and To Walk Humbly With Thy G-d! And then a person like Donald J. Trump, becomes the candidate of The Republican Party ( The Party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt; one of my heroes!) to become President of The United States! Go figure?!
9
I like that quote from Micah too. Especially the "humbly" part. The world grossly undervalues humbleness. Nothing is more charming than a humble intelligent person.
Thanks.
National Republicanism is born. When will it fizzle out? It will.
3
Hopefully less than the 12 years it took the last variant to go down; and hopefully with a lot less carnage.
1
The spirit of Voldemort will never die.
I'm 50 and educated and well off with a bright future in a thriving industry (IT). Yes I'm white but I'm also well-travelled with friends of all colors around the globe. I'm voting for Trump for reasons that have nothing to do with "fear."
For all the hyperbole surrounding this election whomever is elected president will have about as much impact on my life as my high-school class president had on my grades. Speaking of, Trump is like the teacher who says "You're smarter than this, you can do better." With Hillary, Everybody gets an A.
For all the hyperbole surrounding this election whomever is elected president will have about as much impact on my life as my high-school class president had on my grades. Speaking of, Trump is like the teacher who says "You're smarter than this, you can do better." With Hillary, Everybody gets an A.
1
I have read this three times and have no idea what you mean. Are you saying that it doesn't matter who is the president? That is what people said about Bush.
8
I sure hope this sampling is not representative of the majority of voters.
12
What it means to me:
The end of American Exceptionalism. Just another country with too many people willing to vote for a hateful, ignorant, neo-fascist out of fear and frustration.
Hint: It never turns out well.
The end of American Exceptionalism. Just another country with too many people willing to vote for a hateful, ignorant, neo-fascist out of fear and frustration.
Hint: It never turns out well.
38
I never realized that cool-aid is so popular!
5
I never realized that Idiocracy was a documentary !
America should fear obscurantism, bigotry, and point-blank stupidity
similar to that exhibited by Facist Trump and his supporters. They believe that they are standing for America. Do they know that they are destroying what America stands for, which is Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness, and that's what makes America strong and great.
similar to that exhibited by Facist Trump and his supporters. They believe that they are standing for America. Do they know that they are destroying what America stands for, which is Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness, and that's what makes America strong and great.
9
All the familiar themes. He's an outsider. He's not a politician. He knows how to run a business and running a country is the same thing, just bigger. Hillary should go to jail because Rush says so. If you believe any of these things, then sure, Donald's your guy.
34
What you don't say but expect people to read between your lines is: running a country is NOT the same as running a business...the goals are entirely different.
2
What does Trump mean to me?
Fear, retreat, cowardly, bullying, authoritarian, unsteady, thin skinned, impulsive, contradictory, predatory, scam, hustle, gilded vulgarity, crude, racist, misogynist, adulterer, you get the idea.
I am STUNNED by the quotes in this article. I feel sorry for anyone other than a 1%er looking for a giant tax break who thinks this guy should be President, as it makes me wonder how they came to view the world through such a fun house mirror of distortion and what impact those views have on those who live with and rely on them.
I think I understand fear thing but not the idea that a clown like Trump is going to do anything but make life alot worse for the average person.
Fear, retreat, cowardly, bullying, authoritarian, unsteady, thin skinned, impulsive, contradictory, predatory, scam, hustle, gilded vulgarity, crude, racist, misogynist, adulterer, you get the idea.
I am STUNNED by the quotes in this article. I feel sorry for anyone other than a 1%er looking for a giant tax break who thinks this guy should be President, as it makes me wonder how they came to view the world through such a fun house mirror of distortion and what impact those views have on those who live with and rely on them.
I think I understand fear thing but not the idea that a clown like Trump is going to do anything but make life alot worse for the average person.
54
"added that it seemed as if Mr. Trump is a “good father” and has “more principles” than Hillary Clinton."....He is on his third trophy wife. He has hung creditors out to dry by declaring bankruptcy four times. Trump University is in the courts for being a scam. He has repeatedly denigrated Mexicans and Muslims. He is a congenital narcissist. And he has refused to divulge his tax returns.....But he has more principles. You have to love some peoples version of logic.
110
Logic is the enemy of ignorance, which is why the people you are referring to have no use for it.
6
It interests me that Trump gets credit for being a "good father" (only his kids know for sure), but Hillary gets no credit for being a "good mother," though it pretty clearly seems that she has been and has a good relationship with Chelsea.
Is it that women are "expected" to be good mothers while men get extra credit if they are good fathers?
Is it that Hillary is not viewed as warm, therefore folks distrust her open relationship with her daughter or think it's all for show? Again, a man running for office is not asked or expected to be warm - nor is an essential qualification for being a good father in most people's heads...
Is it that women are "expected" to be good mothers while men get extra credit if they are good fathers?
Is it that Hillary is not viewed as warm, therefore folks distrust her open relationship with her daughter or think it's all for show? Again, a man running for office is not asked or expected to be warm - nor is an essential qualification for being a good father in most people's heads...
95
I don't understand why a person's kids are relevant to them running the country. Also, in Trump's case, the kids were clearly raised by their mother(s).
10
It just highlights a person's character. In this case, it IS irrelevant, because as you say, he had nothing to do with raising the kids, as he himself has said.
1
Absolutely shocking that just so many people do not see the Donald for what he is. A self sbsorbed individual obsessed with himself. His lack of knowledge concerning foreign affairs is frightening, his attitude towards others spells disaster if this man should win the election.
Not only would we be the laughing stock of the ENTIRE world, but we would be in an extremely dangerous position. WE will make zero progress as a nation if this clown becomes our leader.
Not only would we be the laughing stock of the ENTIRE world, but we would be in an extremely dangerous position. WE will make zero progress as a nation if this clown becomes our leader.
100
Get over it. America survived Regan, it will survive a one term Trump presidency. USA is not so delicate.
2
Wow. "Survived" maybe. Let's do better than that, can't we?
3
The comments from these Trump supporters just confirm they don't know him. I hope they will not be the same people who will be asking for re vote like in Britexit!
43
Right. They're just not as smart and "informed" as you are, I guess. Keep on telling them that... They'll be glad to know....
4
What does Trump mean to me? It means that the GOP would back Putin, Saddam' corpse, or any despotic fraud as long as they could run against a Clinton.
86
Donald Trump is the right person to be our President. His leadership skills are essential after nearly eight years of incompetence and inept policies.
When he is elected, things will start getting better for everyone.
When he is elected, things will start getting better for everyone.
9
And pigs will fly.
6
In your dreams; his plan will add $10-12 T USD to our deficit. Unless you are in finance; understand the economy and can crunch numbers, you should not make an optimistic statement. Donald Trump will be an Achilles heel to our economy.
7
Could you possibly make a substantive argument in support of this premise?
9
The fist thing that came to mind when I saw the question was a quote from Bugs Bunny "What a maroon!"
33
'Maroon' is an anachronistic term with a highly racist connotation. Just a tip for you politically correct types...
5
The only thing I can say is that the interview results are depressing and raise a concern over Trump actually winning. The responses indicate that voters have responded viscerally...exactly the effect Trump was trying to achieve.
That last comment was especially irrational, since it suggests our leader needn't know what he is doing as long as he can delegate....like Reagan...or a CEO who doesn't know enough to order toilet paper.
Probably the best investment to ensure the future of this country is to provide education enough to overcome the stupidity of our electorate.
That last comment was especially irrational, since it suggests our leader needn't know what he is doing as long as he can delegate....like Reagan...or a CEO who doesn't know enough to order toilet paper.
Probably the best investment to ensure the future of this country is to provide education enough to overcome the stupidity of our electorate.
88
Recall that the interviews were conducted at and around the GOP convention site. In no way do they reflect a national balance of opinion. Whether or not the polls do is debatable, but aside from Rasmussen, they have Hillary ahead.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
www.endthemadnessnow.org
5
What does Trump mean to me?
As an old man, and given I think Trump is going to win, he means that America is set to remain a right wing country for many years and probably for the rest of my life.
Even under the Democrats, America has been dominated by Wall Street money, the perpetual global war machine, domestic security/police state (stop and frisk, total surveillance, shoot first, ask questions later) and other totalitarian features.
Not happy, speaking just as one old man, a powerless citizen, but what can I do? Vote? Don't make me laugh. It hurts too much...
As an old man, and given I think Trump is going to win, he means that America is set to remain a right wing country for many years and probably for the rest of my life.
Even under the Democrats, America has been dominated by Wall Street money, the perpetual global war machine, domestic security/police state (stop and frisk, total surveillance, shoot first, ask questions later) and other totalitarian features.
Not happy, speaking just as one old man, a powerless citizen, but what can I do? Vote? Don't make me laugh. It hurts too much...
49
"Not happy, speaking just as one old man, a powerless citizen, but what can I do? Vote? Don't make me laugh. It hurts too much..."
Yet another American who is happy to complain and feel sorry for himself, but cannot be bothered to do so much as to show up at the voting booth once in four years. Is it easier for you to tell yourself that THEY ruined the country, and not YOU, if you simply refuse to participate in the process?
Yet another American who is happy to complain and feel sorry for himself, but cannot be bothered to do so much as to show up at the voting booth once in four years. Is it easier for you to tell yourself that THEY ruined the country, and not YOU, if you simply refuse to participate in the process?
4
See if you can bear the pain, taopraxis. Vote!
4
Taopraxis:
If you don't vote, you are part of the problem and morally undermine your complaints, however valid. In fact, you can do more than just vote in order to support reform. You can volunteer, ring door bells, make calls, etc. Maybe then laughing wouldn't hurt so much. In any case, it would be better than just bitterly complaining. You took the time to write to the Times. Take a little more and VOTE.
If you don't vote, you are part of the problem and morally undermine your complaints, however valid. In fact, you can do more than just vote in order to support reform. You can volunteer, ring door bells, make calls, etc. Maybe then laughing wouldn't hurt so much. In any case, it would be better than just bitterly complaining. You took the time to write to the Times. Take a little more and VOTE.
1
To answer the question posed by the lead, a certain percentage of the public has lost its mind.
107
Right...1% of them.
12
@taopraxis
So, you're saying that Trump has lost his mind?
So, you're saying that Trump has lost his mind?