"When I become president." Old Blubberbrain's still permanently stuck in 2016 and is convinced he's running against HRC. And of course, the closest he's gotten to "president" in the past four years is taking up space in the White House, which isn't exactly the same thing.
We need to stop thinking of Trump as a liar. He's a bullshitter. Professor Harry Frankfurt explained the difference between lying and bullshitting in his essay and later book, "On Bullshit," which is a very good read.
“When an honest man speaks, he says only what he believes to be true; and for the liar, it is correspondingly indispensable that he considers his statements to be false. He does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it. He pays no attention to it at all. By virtue of this, bullshit is a greater enemy of truth than lies are.”
"Unlike the liar who promulgates a falsehood, the bullshitter does not want to deceive anyone about the facts, although it is produced without concern for the truth, it need not be false. He does not care one way or another. What he cares about is what people think about him.”
I think we can see from this that Trump is, indeed, a bullshitter.
I read that essay years ago in Harpers! "Notes on Bullshit." Another point made in that essay was that the liar knows the truth but wishes to conceal it, while the bullshitter uses tiny bits of truth to conceal vast areas of ignorance. The "vast areas of ignorance" fits Trump, indeed, his entire administration, to a tee.
I wish there was an "edit" function here. In the first quoted paragraph, the second sentence should read: "The bullshitter does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it."
I confess, I couldn't make it through the whole debate. I read some of the mainstream columnists' take-aways this morning and it made me wonder if some of them watched the same thing I did? Mark Thiesen, Washington Post, and I'm guessing other 'conservative' columnists, think Trump laid Biden out. Really???
It's the same in the area I live in. When I hear the locals make remarks about Trump's wonderfulness, his care for their issues (?), I know they've swallowed the whole Fox/NRA/Alex Jones #$#sandwich.
The town I early voted in made the Washington Post this week for some protestors' less than civil behavior. I was surprised it wasn't worse. I still expect to see the 3%ers and the Oath Keepers and the like show up on Nov. 3rd with their AR15s, even if they stand stone silent as close to the entrance to the polls as they can legally get. But I also won't be surprised if they drive through the parking lots, loud speakers blaring Trump praise, loud enough to wake the dead, Trump flags waving, etc.
But even if they push the boundaries and overstep, it won't do any good to 'call law enforcement', because around here, the sheriff's dept. is all in for Trump. The sheriff was heard at a public meeting talking about their plans for when the left-wing anarchists show up at the polls and how they were ready for them.
A friend had the best comeback to a Trumpster I've heard yet. He was regaling her about how Biden would ruin people like him with huge tax increases and she told him we all have to 'vote our own self interest; that his was obviously different from hers, because she didn't make over $400k a year, as he obviously must, if he's worried about his taxes going up.
The same argument can be used for those who rail against the 'death tax". Just smile sweetly and say, "I had no idea you were worth over $10 million! (Or whatever the current cap is). Of course, these are always people who make maybe $30,000/year and have no clue how the tax works.
The key lever to the divide and conquer strategy of American racism, has been to convince the bulk of white people that because their lives were clearly better than those of enslaved people, that therefore they belonged to the class of rich whites and must live and fight (and vote, once they got the vote) accordingly. People fall for it, I'm guessing, because they prefer the fantasy of living in the castle to the depressing idea that they don't have the physical ability to make the castle owners behave better.
Anti-semitism in Eastern Europe worked the same way. The peasants took out their rage against the Jews, even though it was the nobility that was treating them like half slaves. But the nobles were 'we Christians' and the Jews were 'them'.
Heather, I found it interesting that Trump was so unprepared for the silver platter question he was handed at the conclusion. He could have come up with atleast something other than outrageous lies towards Biden. I very much liked Bidens calming, positive response. I don't think this debate changed the opinion of any of the undecided only reiterated that a sitting President is an unfettered
Thank you, HCR. I listened to the debate. I just wanted so much for it to be over. Trump’s facial expressions and hand gestures-I just want so much for him to not be in my visual field anymore. I don’t want his negative energy governing the country anymore. Please, Citizens, make him go away. With big numbers. With the Electoral College. Russia has me very concerned. Like Barr, Russia is dangerous. ❤️🤍💙
I planned and succeeded in not watching the debates by watching an escapist DVD all evening. I can’t even stand to hear tRump on newscasts and am wearing out my mute button on the remote. As for Russia, they are only doing what Barr and all the Repugnant governors are already doing in those Repugnant controlled states. It is frightening that so many traitors to Democracy in this nation have aligned with a former (& present) enemy of this nation.
The most telling moment for me was when Trump said only those immigrants caught by catch and release with low IQs reported back to the court. It is his world view that anyone who follows the rules is either stupid, a loser or a sucker.
I so dislike the term “catch and release.” It’s dehumanizing, equating human beings seeking a better life, with fish. And the association with hunting is troubling.
Regret using that description of the immigration policy; it is how Trump referred to it. How would you describe his immigration policies except as dehumanizing.
Symptoms: Bone-deep fatigue. Cynicism uptick. Hypervigilance. Spates of intense crankiness. Middle finger and eye-roll over-use. Profanity outbursts. Addiction to "There Has to Be a Morning After."
to compare trump and Lucy and the Chocolate Factory - priceless!
from Daniel Lewis of CNN:
“For a fact checker, you’re kind of sitting there w/Biden. Occasionally you’re like oh that’s wrong. With Trump you’re like the ‘I Love Lucy’ episode in the chocolate factory. You don’t know which one to pick up because there’s just so much.”
IMHO, this embodies everything of this election, this epoch really. The unrelenting support of conservatives for their leaders, from Bush2 to trump, Fox, Limbaugh, et al.
The lies, deceit, abuse, too numerous to mention - “Lucy in the Chocolate Factory"
A post-debate poll giving Biden an 11 to 14 percentage points advantage over Trump, reflecting closely pre-debate polls says it all. The debate changed nothing but underlined clearly why people want to get back to some semblance of normalcy by fast-forwarding to electing Biden decisively on Nov 3 or thereabouts....regardless of what the "russians" or GOP lawyers might try to do. Enough already!
I didn’t watch the debate. I thought I would be better served reading your letter, Professor Richardson. Thank you. No real surprises. Wouldn’t it be grand to have a President once again who understands what the job is, who would work for the people, not constantly whine and tweet and lie, with a strong partner as VP!
Same here. I cannot get a good night’s sleep if I go to bed with this repulsive animal on my mind. We try to disconnect at 5 every evening, which required margaritas last night.
I didn't watch, either. No point. I've already voted (which fact has quieted my phone considerably, thank goodness). Instead, I attended a conference (via Zoom, of course)on "Journalism in the Time of Crisis", based in Canada but applicable to USA as well. The "crisis" that served as pivot was Covid-19 and its impacts and how journalists covered it, but of course there are a lot of intersection points with all the issues we are struggling with. Speakers and panelists were remarkable, some of them people I have held in high esteem during all of this. They talked about mistakes and a steep learning curve, and of developing a sense of what worked and what was needed. They also talked about developing a sense of hope. One of the last panels was on journalistic ethics. I took an excellent course in journalistic ethics in college, and shortly after that it seemed to go out of style. It's coming back and Trump and other deeply flawed leaders have a lot to do with it. The other panels were also very positive- forward looking. Then I stacked wood and went for a walk in waning sunlight. I'm breathing easier now. It was a good way to end the day.
I haven’t read through tonight’s letter yet, catching up on hosting chat. Just wanted to send a big THANK YOU for keeping my spirits up and for modeling calm, thoughtful, purposeful action.
I, like many fellow HCR-istas here, did not watch the debate. I just can't. I feel that my own mental health is far more important than subjecting myself to watching the Cheeto bloviate and lie his way through 90 minutes. I already know Biden's platform and I have already early voted. I have family members who, I think, basically watch (even though they, too, have already voted) because it is a reverse form of entertainment: they enjoy distressing themselves in the same way that some people enjoy really gory horror movies.
The Russian hacking of county voter data--local governments have woefully underfunded IT budgets, especially for security, and many of them have systems that have not been upgraded for decades--is to my mind a far more worrying situation. Once we are over this nightmare of an administration (hoping, hoping, hoping) this is an infrastructure expense I think the federal government is obligated to address.
I am reminded of a quote by President Ronald Reagan years ago "There you go again." As Prof. Richardson just wrote "Trump violated his agreement with the network" [Ah, this Law & Order president!]; "Quite shockingly full of lies," and "badgering Biden." I would think his poll ratings might drop from 39% to 35% before election day. The folks who vote for Trump are a prime example of another bad system we have in this country, and that is Education, especially bad with that filthy rich Betsy DeVos as Trump's Secretary of Education.
I am so praying that Biden wins because I can't wait for him to replace all the incompetent brown nosers with people who actually are qualified for the positions.
The debate was exhausting to watch. "Relatively restrained" is right, but it is still a Level 3 hurricane rather than a level 5 hurricane. The whole damned last 5 years are exhausting.
I was only able to watch the last half hour of the debate, but both myself and my husband found ourselves wishing the mute button was more in play. I want so much to just change the channel when I hear trump's voice because I know there will be nothing of truth or substance offered.
This late in the game and based on what people I have talked with have been saying last night will not have switched anyone's opinion if they are already entrenched. The only people that may have been reached will be the undecided and amazingly there are still some of those out there.
That he is trying to draw attention away from Russian involvement in election hacking by mentioning China and Iran tells us all who his handlers are.
Something that trump continues to repeat makes my hackles rise. Actually, everything he says makes my hackles rise. But I digress.
Last night, trump stated the economy is coming back because the stock market is improving.
Biden said that not everyone is financially able to invest in the stock market. Trump then replied that 401k’s would also go up. This just shows how out of touch he is with the people. He seems to feel that everyone, or at least everyone who matters, invests in stocks or 401k’s. He just writes off as insignificant all the people who don’t have the luxury of being able to invest their money or save for the future. It truly demonstrates that in his mind anyone who struggles each month to get the bills paid, or food on the table, does not matter. This is no surprise, but it is nevertheless infuriating. The majority of the MAGA cult doesn’t seem to even notice this.
It looks like Trump planned to release of the video and attack Leslie Stahl from the start. Meaning this was a scripted TV stunt. He went into the interview planning to record it, storm out, and then post it to make her look bad. No matter that after the fact the recording made her look good, and him look bad. Classic "reality TV Trump" bullpucky - probably the sort of ploy that bumped up ratings for The Apprentice, but that looks tacky and stupid for someone who's supposed to be the president.
I honestly don't think he has the capability to plan and carry through something like that. He seems to live his entire life in disconnected fragments.
"When I become president." Old Blubberbrain's still permanently stuck in 2016 and is convinced he's running against HRC. And of course, the closest he's gotten to "president" in the past four years is taking up space in the White House, which isn't exactly the same thing.
We need to stop thinking of Trump as a liar. He's a bullshitter. Professor Harry Frankfurt explained the difference between lying and bullshitting in his essay and later book, "On Bullshit," which is a very good read.
“When an honest man speaks, he says only what he believes to be true; and for the liar, it is correspondingly indispensable that he considers his statements to be false. He does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it. He pays no attention to it at all. By virtue of this, bullshit is a greater enemy of truth than lies are.”
"Unlike the liar who promulgates a falsehood, the bullshitter does not want to deceive anyone about the facts, although it is produced without concern for the truth, it need not be false. He does not care one way or another. What he cares about is what people think about him.”
I think we can see from this that Trump is, indeed, a bullshitter.
I read that essay years ago in Harpers! "Notes on Bullshit." Another point made in that essay was that the liar knows the truth but wishes to conceal it, while the bullshitter uses tiny bits of truth to conceal vast areas of ignorance. The "vast areas of ignorance" fits Trump, indeed, his entire administration, to a tee.
What Trump does is also known as gaslighting, which On Bullshit essentially tells us.
If you recall the recent VP debate, I believe our fly friend was clear in identifying where the BS was.
Perhaps the current president is both a bullshitter and a liar, a malignant cross variety .
There's no "perhaps" about it!
I was going for polite......
Okay, that's good.
I wish there was an "edit" function here. In the first quoted paragraph, the second sentence should read: "The bullshitter does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it."
Exactly. This is just what I have been describing to family and friends. He truly doesn’t care about facts, truth, lies or anyone but himself.
And not only is he a bullshitter but he is a murderer...over 230,000 people have died under his watch!
I confess, I couldn't make it through the whole debate. I read some of the mainstream columnists' take-aways this morning and it made me wonder if some of them watched the same thing I did? Mark Thiesen, Washington Post, and I'm guessing other 'conservative' columnists, think Trump laid Biden out. Really???
It's the same in the area I live in. When I hear the locals make remarks about Trump's wonderfulness, his care for their issues (?), I know they've swallowed the whole Fox/NRA/Alex Jones #$#sandwich.
The town I early voted in made the Washington Post this week for some protestors' less than civil behavior. I was surprised it wasn't worse. I still expect to see the 3%ers and the Oath Keepers and the like show up on Nov. 3rd with their AR15s, even if they stand stone silent as close to the entrance to the polls as they can legally get. But I also won't be surprised if they drive through the parking lots, loud speakers blaring Trump praise, loud enough to wake the dead, Trump flags waving, etc.
But even if they push the boundaries and overstep, it won't do any good to 'call law enforcement', because around here, the sheriff's dept. is all in for Trump. The sheriff was heard at a public meeting talking about their plans for when the left-wing anarchists show up at the polls and how they were ready for them.
A friend had the best comeback to a Trumpster I've heard yet. He was regaling her about how Biden would ruin people like him with huge tax increases and she told him we all have to 'vote our own self interest; that his was obviously different from hers, because she didn't make over $400k a year, as he obviously must, if he's worried about his taxes going up.
The same argument can be used for those who rail against the 'death tax". Just smile sweetly and say, "I had no idea you were worth over $10 million! (Or whatever the current cap is). Of course, these are always people who make maybe $30,000/year and have no clue how the tax works.
The key lever to the divide and conquer strategy of American racism, has been to convince the bulk of white people that because their lives were clearly better than those of enslaved people, that therefore they belonged to the class of rich whites and must live and fight (and vote, once they got the vote) accordingly. People fall for it, I'm guessing, because they prefer the fantasy of living in the castle to the depressing idea that they don't have the physical ability to make the castle owners behave better.
Anti-semitism in Eastern Europe worked the same way. The peasants took out their rage against the Jews, even though it was the nobility that was treating them like half slaves. But the nobles were 'we Christians' and the Jews were 'them'.
Oh, yeah. And this is the area of the country where that mind control first reared its ugly head. And LBJ articulated it 100 years later.
This nails it on the head ^
Heather, I found it interesting that Trump was so unprepared for the silver platter question he was handed at the conclusion. He could have come up with atleast something other than outrageous lies towards Biden. I very much liked Bidens calming, positive response. I don't think this debate changed the opinion of any of the undecided only reiterated that a sitting President is an unfettered
liar.
Trump entered the stage scowling and pouting. I wondered what we were in for This night. It didn’t take long to find out.
Thank you, HCR. I listened to the debate. I just wanted so much for it to be over. Trump’s facial expressions and hand gestures-I just want so much for him to not be in my visual field anymore. I don’t want his negative energy governing the country anymore. Please, Citizens, make him go away. With big numbers. With the Electoral College. Russia has me very concerned. Like Barr, Russia is dangerous. ❤️🤍💙
I planned and succeeded in not watching the debates by watching an escapist DVD all evening. I can’t even stand to hear tRump on newscasts and am wearing out my mute button on the remote. As for Russia, they are only doing what Barr and all the Repugnant governors are already doing in those Repugnant controlled states. It is frightening that so many traitors to Democracy in this nation have aligned with a former (& present) enemy of this nation.
The most telling moment for me was when Trump said only those immigrants caught by catch and release with low IQs reported back to the court. It is his world view that anyone who follows the rules is either stupid, a loser or a sucker.
I so dislike the term “catch and release.” It’s dehumanizing, equating human beings seeking a better life, with fish. And the association with hunting is troubling.
And for "sport"
Regret using that description of the immigration policy; it is how Trump referred to it. How would you describe his immigration policies except as dehumanizing.
Oh, yes, I wasn’t criticizing you! I completely agree with what you said. Sorry that didn’t come across.
TRUMP-20 Syndrome. Virulent. Contagious.
Symptoms: Bone-deep fatigue. Cynicism uptick. Hypervigilance. Spates of intense crankiness. Middle finger and eye-roll over-use. Profanity outbursts. Addiction to "There Has to Be a Morning After."
I’ve got it! All but the middle finger syndrome!
to compare trump and Lucy and the Chocolate Factory - priceless!
from Daniel Lewis of CNN:
“For a fact checker, you’re kind of sitting there w/Biden. Occasionally you’re like oh that’s wrong. With Trump you’re like the ‘I Love Lucy’ episode in the chocolate factory. You don’t know which one to pick up because there’s just so much.”
IMHO, this embodies everything of this election, this epoch really. The unrelenting support of conservatives for their leaders, from Bush2 to trump, Fox, Limbaugh, et al.
The lies, deceit, abuse, too numerous to mention - “Lucy in the Chocolate Factory"
* Daniel Dale of CNN
A post-debate poll giving Biden an 11 to 14 percentage points advantage over Trump, reflecting closely pre-debate polls says it all. The debate changed nothing but underlined clearly why people want to get back to some semblance of normalcy by fast-forwarding to electing Biden decisively on Nov 3 or thereabouts....regardless of what the "russians" or GOP lawyers might try to do. Enough already!
I didn’t watch the debate. I thought I would be better served reading your letter, Professor Richardson. Thank you. No real surprises. Wouldn’t it be grand to have a President once again who understands what the job is, who would work for the people, not constantly whine and tweet and lie, with a strong partner as VP!
Same here. I cannot get a good night’s sleep if I go to bed with this repulsive animal on my mind. We try to disconnect at 5 every evening, which required margaritas last night.
I didn't watch, either. No point. I've already voted (which fact has quieted my phone considerably, thank goodness). Instead, I attended a conference (via Zoom, of course)on "Journalism in the Time of Crisis", based in Canada but applicable to USA as well. The "crisis" that served as pivot was Covid-19 and its impacts and how journalists covered it, but of course there are a lot of intersection points with all the issues we are struggling with. Speakers and panelists were remarkable, some of them people I have held in high esteem during all of this. They talked about mistakes and a steep learning curve, and of developing a sense of what worked and what was needed. They also talked about developing a sense of hope. One of the last panels was on journalistic ethics. I took an excellent course in journalistic ethics in college, and shortly after that it seemed to go out of style. It's coming back and Trump and other deeply flawed leaders have a lot to do with it. The other panels were also very positive- forward looking. Then I stacked wood and went for a walk in waning sunlight. I'm breathing easier now. It was a good way to end the day.
I haven’t read through tonight’s letter yet, catching up on hosting chat. Just wanted to send a big THANK YOU for keeping my spirits up and for modeling calm, thoughtful, purposeful action.
I, like many fellow HCR-istas here, did not watch the debate. I just can't. I feel that my own mental health is far more important than subjecting myself to watching the Cheeto bloviate and lie his way through 90 minutes. I already know Biden's platform and I have already early voted. I have family members who, I think, basically watch (even though they, too, have already voted) because it is a reverse form of entertainment: they enjoy distressing themselves in the same way that some people enjoy really gory horror movies.
The Russian hacking of county voter data--local governments have woefully underfunded IT budgets, especially for security, and many of them have systems that have not been upgraded for decades--is to my mind a far more worrying situation. Once we are over this nightmare of an administration (hoping, hoping, hoping) this is an infrastructure expense I think the federal government is obligated to address.
“Watching the Cheeto bloviate “, a fantastic term of art which I fervently hope goes out of still November 4. Good one!
Out of style, not still.
I am reminded of a quote by President Ronald Reagan years ago "There you go again." As Prof. Richardson just wrote "Trump violated his agreement with the network" [Ah, this Law & Order president!]; "Quite shockingly full of lies," and "badgering Biden." I would think his poll ratings might drop from 39% to 35% before election day. The folks who vote for Trump are a prime example of another bad system we have in this country, and that is Education, especially bad with that filthy rich Betsy DeVos as Trump's Secretary of Education.
I am so praying that Biden wins because I can't wait for him to replace all the incompetent brown nosers with people who actually are qualified for the positions.
The debate was exhausting to watch. "Relatively restrained" is right, but it is still a Level 3 hurricane rather than a level 5 hurricane. The whole damned last 5 years are exhausting.
I was only able to watch the last half hour of the debate, but both myself and my husband found ourselves wishing the mute button was more in play. I want so much to just change the channel when I hear trump's voice because I know there will be nothing of truth or substance offered.
This late in the game and based on what people I have talked with have been saying last night will not have switched anyone's opinion if they are already entrenched. The only people that may have been reached will be the undecided and amazingly there are still some of those out there.
That he is trying to draw attention away from Russian involvement in election hacking by mentioning China and Iran tells us all who his handlers are.
Something that trump continues to repeat makes my hackles rise. Actually, everything he says makes my hackles rise. But I digress.
Last night, trump stated the economy is coming back because the stock market is improving.
Biden said that not everyone is financially able to invest in the stock market. Trump then replied that 401k’s would also go up. This just shows how out of touch he is with the people. He seems to feel that everyone, or at least everyone who matters, invests in stocks or 401k’s. He just writes off as insignificant all the people who don’t have the luxury of being able to invest their money or save for the future. It truly demonstrates that in his mind anyone who struggles each month to get the bills paid, or food on the table, does not matter. This is no surprise, but it is nevertheless infuriating. The majority of the MAGA cult doesn’t seem to even notice this.
It looks like Trump planned to release of the video and attack Leslie Stahl from the start. Meaning this was a scripted TV stunt. He went into the interview planning to record it, storm out, and then post it to make her look bad. No matter that after the fact the recording made her look good, and him look bad. Classic "reality TV Trump" bullpucky - probably the sort of ploy that bumped up ratings for The Apprentice, but that looks tacky and stupid for someone who's supposed to be the president.
I honestly don't think he has the capability to plan and carry through something like that. He seems to live his entire life in disconnected fragments.