Trump: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

[kmoney]

:yawn:

Get some sleep.

 

[rexlunae]

I take the commentary with a grain of salt but it's better than CNN or MSNBC. From what I've read of the dossier it is full of lies and yet this was the basis for the entire witch hunt.

I see you have no comment on the Fake Dossier, only complaints about the commentary. Your alternative facts are so much better. Fact is, you complain about FOX's commentary and ANY commentary that doesn't end with Trump impeached.

In order to comment, I'd have to know what your specific objections are. I did comment on some of the points (to use the term generously) raised by the video you posted. I've said quite a bit about the dossier in general. All you've really told me is that you think it's totally fake, and I can tell you that I don't have sources on a number of points. But it seems like Steele probably did, and he mentions a number of them by anonymous reference. I'd bet that if Mueller is using that document, he has the reference for who the sources are.

 

[jgarden]

I take the commentary with a grain of salt but it's better than CNN or MSNBC. From what I've read of the dossier it is full of lies and yet this was the basis for the entire witch hunt.

I see you have no comment on the Fake Dossier, only complaints about the commentary. Your alternative facts are so much better. Fact is, you complain about FOX's commentary and ANY commentary that doesn't end with Trump impeached.

Anybody or anything that isn't prepared to sing the praises of "The Donald" is automatically dismissed as "fake" in "Trumpworld!"

The fact that conservatives in the Congress and FOXNEWS have been given their marching orders to denounce Mueller and the FBI would suggest that they may be planning a pre-emptive strike before Flynn tells Mueller where "all the skeletons are buried!"

Trump loyalists are trying to convince themselves, and anyone who will listen, that by discrediting the Steele Dossier they are discrediting Mueller, Comey, the FBI, the Democrats, the "fale media" and the majority of Americans who think Trump colluded with the Russians and should be "impeached!"

 

[patrick jane]

Anything or anybody that doesn't sing the praises of "The Donald" are automatically dismissed as "fake" in "Trumpworld!"

The fact that conservatives in the Congress and FOXNEWS have been given their marching orders to denounce Mueller and the FBI would suggest that with Flynn is telling Mueller where
"all the skeletons are buried!"

Trump loyalists are trying to convince themselves, and anyone who will listen, that by discrediting the Dossier they discredit Mueller, Comey, the FBI, the Democrats, the "fale media" and the majority of Americans who think Trump should be "impeached!"

The tide has turned, America is learning the whole truth now. If you thought it was bad for dems in 2016 and 2017, you may not enjoy the next 7 years. MAGA !!!

 

[jgarden]

The tide has turned, America is learning the whole truth now. If you thought it was bad for dems in 2016 and 2017, you may not enjoy the next 7 years. MAGA !!!

With Trump's public approval ratings now in the 30's, despite the DOW soaring to record highs, there is nothing left in the Republican "playbook" that can now rescue a highly unpopular President - that most American voters have have long since written off as a "lost cause!"

 

[rexlunae]

MSNBC did a compilation of the Trump/Russia timeline:

It's pretty hard to watch that and not conclude that the Russians had a big hand in helping Trump win, and that Trump's entire campaign was involved in the effort.

 

[Ktoyou]

Maybe because every independent analysis of the new law says that it will balloon the deficit without causing increased investment.

Increased investment is already priced in. Look at Amazon's PE, it is over 90, while bank stocks are under the old norm of PE=15. The new PE may be higher, but most growth stocks are now over PE=25.

This will stall future investment, yet it may continue through most of 2018, so some say, while other see a large drop in these FAANG stocks.

In 2016 value stocks were earning more than large growth, yet in 2015 it was only growth.

Value and smaller industrial sector may be the winners in 2018, as the market always goes in cycles. Healthcare is the long-term bet for me.

 

[Danoh]

MSNBC did a compilation of the Trump/Russia timeline:

It's pretty hard to watch that and not conclude that the Russians had a big hand in helping Trump win, and that Trump's entire campaign was involved in the effort.

Things are far worse than they appear. I touched on some of the following on here way back before any of it came to light.

Because the patterns were very clear, as outlined in the Spoiler below...

Back then, I had kept using the phrase "click-whirr." Only annabenedetti had known what I had meant by that.

And now, here we are...

Spoiler

Morning Joe: (Putin) is a leader who kills journalists and political opponents: that would be a concern; would it not?

Trump: At least he's a leader, you know, unlike we have in this country.

Morning Joe: Again, he kills journalists that don't agree with him.

Trump: Well, I think our country does plenty of killing also, Joe, so...

So what is actually behind all that?

The following is from pages 53, 54, of the best selling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini PH.D.

It is based on based on an investigation conducted by our U.S. Military some years ago.

"The question of what makes a commitment effective has a number of answers. A variety of factors affect the ability of a commitment to constrain our future behavior.

One large-scale program designed to produce compliance illustrates nicely how several of the factors work.

The remarkable thing about this program is that it was systematically employing these factors decades ago, well before scientific research had identified them.

During the Korean War, many captured American soldiers found themselves in prisoner-of-war (POW) camps run by the Chinese Communists. It became clear early in the conflict that the Chinese treated
captives quite differently than did their allies, the North Koreans, who favored savagery and harsh punishment to gain compliance.

Specifically avoiding the appearance of brutality, the Red Chinese engaged in what
they termed their “lenient policy,” which was in reality a concerted and sophisticated psychological assault on their captives.

After the war, American psychologists questioned the returning prisoners intensively to determine what had occurred.

The intensive psychological investigation took place, in part, because of the unsettling success of some aspects of the Chinese program.

For example, the Chinese were very effective in getting Americans to inform on one another, in striking contrast to the behavior of American POWs in World War II.

For this reason, among others, escape plans were quickly uncovered and the escape attempts themselves almost always unsuccessful.

“When an escape did occur,” wrote Dr. Edgar Schein, a principal American investigator of the Chinese indoctrination program in Korea, “the Chinese isually recovered the man easily by offering a bag of rice to anyone turning him in.”

In fact, nearly all American prisoners in the Chinese camps are said to have collaborated with the enemy in one form or another.

An examination of the Chinese prison-camp program shows that its personnel relied heavily on commitment and consistency pressures to gain the desired compliance from prisoners.

Of course, the first problem facing the Chinese was how to get any collaboration at all from the Americans.

These were men who were trained to provide nothing but name, rank, and serial number.

Short of physical brutalization, how could the captors hope to get such men to give military information, turn in fellow prisoners, or publicly denounce their country?

The Chinese answer was elementary: Start small and build.

For instance, prisoners were frequently asked to make statements so mildly anti-American or pro-Communist as to seem inconsequential...

“The United States is not perfect.”

“In a Communist country, unemployment is not a problem.”

But once these minor requests were complied with, the men found themselves pushed to submit to related yet more substantive requests.

A man who had just agreed with his Chinese interrogator that the United States is not perfect might then be asked to indicate some of the ways in which he thought this was the
case.

Once he had so explained himself, he might be asked to make a list of these “problems with America” and to sign his name to it.

Later, he might be asked to read his list in a discussion group with other prisoners.

“After all, it’s what you really believe, isn’t it?”

Still later he might be asked to write an essay expanding on his list and discussing these problems in greater detail.

The Chinese might then use his name and his essay in an anti-American radio broadcast beamed not only to the entire camp, but to
other POW camps in North Korea, as well as to American forces in South Korea.

Suddenly he would find himself a “collaborator,” having given aid to the enemy.

Aware that he had written the essay without
any strong threats or coercion, many times a man would change his image of himself to be consistent with the deed and with the new “collaborator” label, often resulting in even more extensive acts of collaboration.

Thus, while “only a few men were able to avoid collaboration altogether,” according to Dr. Schein, “the majority collaborated at one
time or another by doing things which seemed to them trivial but which the Chinese were able to turn to their own advantage….

This was particularly effective in eliciting confessions, self-criticism, and information
during interrogation.

The above is based on a 1956 article by Schein (based on an investigation into all that conducted by the U.S. Military) “The Chinese Indoctrination Program for Prisoners of War: A Study of Attempted Brainwashing.”

A thought on the obvious origin of this "Trumpchurian Candidate" now in the White House - "the course of this world" Eph. 2:2.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Beware, the potentially ensnaring power...of the open ended question.

 

[rexlunae]

Things are far worse than they appear. I touched on some of the following on here way back before any of it came to light.

Because the patterns were very clear, as outlined in the Spoiler below...

Back then, I had kept using the phrase "click-whirr." Only annabenedetti had known what I had meant by that.

And now, here we are...

Spoiler

So what is actually behind all that?

The following is from pages 53, 54, of the best selling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini PH.D.

It is based on based on an investigation conducted by our U.S. Military some years ago.



The above is based on a 1956 article by Schein (based on an investigation into all that conducted by the U.S. Military) “The Chinese Indoctrination Program for Prisoners of War: A Study of Attempted Brainwashing.”

A thought on the obvious origin of this "Trumpchurian Candidate" now in the White House - "the course of this world" Eph. 2:2.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Beware, the potentially ensnaring power...of the open ended question.

You're suggesting Trump was turned into a collaborator? Maybe. That interview with Morning Joe was one of the things in the beginning of all this that convinced me of what Trump was, but it wasn't collaborator. I concluded he was a natural authoritarian, contemptuous of the constraints on the powerful, as long as he was at the top of the power structure. We already knew he was a racist from some of his comments at the outset, and we knew from his year on Celebrity Apprentice that he was an egomaniac.

 

[Danoh]

You're suggesting Trump was turned into a collaborator? Maybe. That interview with Morning Joe was one of the things in the beginning of all this that convinced me of what Trump was, but it wasn't collaborator. I concluded he was a natural authoritarian, contemptuous of the constraints on the powerful, as long as he was at the top of the power structure. We already knew he was a racist from some of his comments at the outset, and we knew from his year on Celebrity Apprentice that he was an egomaniac.

I fully agree. For the following had also been in mind.

You'll recall I ended that with this passage...

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

According to Scripture, the equal other side of that was the following SELF-deception...

3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

SELF-deception and waxing worse and worse in same, being something I have often pointed out as being both Trump's and his supporter's consistently evident pattern.

Or as Cialidini had also noted in that ever timelessly insightful book of his (Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini, pgs 43, 44 of which are cited in the Spoiler below)...

Spoiler

A study done by a pair of Canadian Pyschologists uncovered something fascinating about people at the racetrack:

Just after placing a bet, they are much more confident of their horse’s chances of
winning than they are immediately before laying down that bet.

Of course, nothing about the horse’s chances actually shifts; it’s the same horse, on the same track, in the same field; but in the minds of those bettors, its prospects improve significantly once that ticket is purchased.

Although a bit puzzling at first glance, the reason for the dramatic change has to do with a common weapon of social influence.

Like the other weapons of influence, this one lies deep within us, directing our actions with quiet power.

It is, quite simply, our nearly obsessive desire
to be (and to appear) consistent with what we have already done.

Once we have made a choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment.

Those pressures will cause us to respond in ways that justify our earlier decision.

Take the bettors in the racetrack experiment. Thirty seconds before putting down their money, they had been tentative and uncertain; thirty seconds after the deed, they were significantly more optimistic and self-
assured. The act of making a final decision—in this case, of buying a ticket—had been the critical factor.

Once a stand had been taken, the need for consistency pressured these people to bring what they felt and believed into line with what they had already done.

They simply convinced themselves that they had made the right choice and, no doubt,
felt better about it all.

Before we see such self-delusion as unique to racetrack habitués, we should examine the story of my neighbor Sara and her live-in boyfriend, Tim.

They met at a hospital where he worked as an X-ray technician and she as a nutritionist. They dated for a while, even after Tim lost his
job, and eventually they moved in together.

Things were never perfect for Sara:

She wanted Tim to marry her and to stop his heavy drinking;

Tim resisted both ideas.

After an especially difficult period of conflict,
Sara broke off the relationship, and Tim moved out.

At the same time, an old boyfriend of Sara’s returned to town after years away and called
her. They started seeing each other socially and quickly became serious enough to plan a wedding.

They had gone so far as to set a date and
issue invitations when Tim called. He had repented and wanted to move back in.

When Sara told him her marriage plans, he begged her to change her mind; he wanted to be together with her as before. But Sara refused, saying she didn’t want to live like that again.

Tim even offered to marry her, but she still said she preferred the other boyfriend.

Finally, Tim volunteered to quit drinking if she would only relent.

Feeling that under those conditions Tim had the edge, Sara decided to break her engagement, cancel the wedding, retract the invitations, and let Tim move back in with her.

Within a month, Tim informed Sara that he didn’t think he needed to stop his drinking after all; a month later, he had decided that they should “wait and see” before getting married.

Two years have since passed; Tim and Sara continue to live together exactly as before.

He still drinks, there are still no marriage plans, yet Sara is more devoted to Tim than she ever was.

She says that being forced to choose taught
her that Tim really is number one in her heart.

So, after choosing Tim over her other boyfriend, Sara became happier with him, even though the conditions under which she had made her choice have never been
fulfilled.

Obviously, horse-race bettors are not alone in their willingness to believe in the correctness of a difficult choice, once made.

Indeed, we all fool ourselves from time to time in order to keep our thoughts and beliefs consistent with what we have already done or decided.

That fits Trump and his supporters - like a tailor made glove. One does not need to personally know such individuals.

Alone, their consistent verbal and or behavioral patterns properly understood, is more then enough of a window into what drives such; is enough of a window into what another insightful individual had often referred to as "a role's inner motive force."

There is such a thing as windows into another's soul...their recurrent behavior patterns, once how to soundly approach the reading of such patterns is properly understood.

Or as another individual had noted some two thousand years ago...

James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

 

[WizardofOz]

Trump's budget by the numbers: What gets cut and why

Good, bad or ugly?

 

[kmoney]

Trump's budget by the numbers: What gets cut and why

Good, bad or ugly?

Everyone takes a big hit except military, vets, and homeland security.

I think my biggest complaints are the drops in education and environmental protection. I want more funding for those areas. I can't say what impacts those funding drops would have but from a priority standpoint I disagree.


One thing I found interesting about the recent ACA enrollment period is that the Trump administration cut a bunch of support and funding for it, yet we got almost the same number of enrollees. The number of signups doesn't give the entire picture but one possibility is that the administration's moves forced the gov't to work a bit more efficiently and they got almost the same result with less resources. Increased efficiency in other areas of the gov't would be a good thing but the bad part is that efficiency isn't really behind some of these funding cuts. Trump's admin doesn't care about the overall purpose at all.

 

[jgarden]

Everyone takes a big hit except military, vets, and homeland security.

I think my biggest complaints are the drops in education and environmental protection. I want more funding for those areas. I can't say what impacts those funding drops would have but from a priority standpoint I disagree.


One thing I found interesting about the recent ACA enrollment period is that the Trump administration cut a bunch of support and funding for it, yet we got almost the same number of enrollees. The number of signups doesn't give the entire picture but one possibility is that the administration's moves forced the gov't to work a bit more efficiently and they got almost the same result with less resources. Increased efficiency in other areas of the gov't would be a good thing but the bad part is that efficiency isn't really behind some of these funding cuts. Trump's admin doesn't care about the overall purpose at all.

It will interesting as to the level of funding that Trump and the congressional Republicans will be prepared to extend to the FBI in the future!

Given the current campaign to purge the "professionals" and replace them with political appointees loyal only to the President, America runs the risk of having its own White House version of the Praetorian Guard!

 

[Danoh]

It will interesting as to the level of funding that Trump and the congressional Republicans will be prepared to extend to the FBI in the future!

Given the current campaign to purge the "professionals" and replace them with political appointees loyal only to the President, America runs the risk of having its own White House version of the Praetorian Guard!

Reminds me of a joke I read on YouTube comment section, once...

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the north, general of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Please leave a message after the tone."

:chuckle:

 

[rexlunae]

Fusion GPS speaks out:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/opinion/republicans-investigation-fusion-gps.html

TL;DR, after Congress promised to release their testimony, Fusion GPS demands that they do so so that the public can learn what they were told. Congress still has not done so.

 

[SabathMoon]

I don't believe Trump will have an say in changes in the FBI, and the Justice Department. Someone will choose them for DT, and DT will have good or bad credit "depending on what he picked." Nobody cares about what the Russian Mafia wants, except Donald.

 

[patrick jane]

I don't believe Trump will have an say in changes in the FBI, and the Justice Department. Someone will choose them for DT, and DT will have good or bad credit "depending on what he picked." Nobody cares about what the Russian Mafia wants, except Donald.

Donald and the "Russian Mafia" :kookoo:

 

[patrick jane]

MSNBC did a compilation of the Trump/Russia timeline:

It's pretty hard to watch that and not conclude that the Russians had a big hand in helping Trump win, and that Trump's entire campaign was involved in the effort.

:rotfl:

 

[rexlunae]

I'm gonna call this one "ugly", but Bannon and Trump just turned on each other, with Bannon describing the meeting at Trump Tower as "treasonous".

After all this is over, our context frame for insane politics is going to be totally blown up. Now we've got Nazis versus traitors...in one administration.

 

[The Barbarian]

I'm gonna call this one "ugly", but Bannon and Trump just turned on each other, with Bannon describing the meeting at Trump Tower as "treasonous".

It's not treasonous, actually, although it may be several other crimes.

After all this is over, our context frame for insane politics is going to be totally blown up. Now we've got Nazis versus traitors...in one administration.

Proverbs 21:10 The soul of the wicked desireth evil, he will not have pity on his neighbour.