The President is trapped...

[kadee79]

For his entire adult life, and for his entire presidency, Donald Trump has created his own alternate reality, complete with his own alternate set of facts. He has shown himself to be erratic, impulsive, narcissistic, vindictive, cruel, mendacious, and devoid of empathy. None of that is new.



But we’re now entering the most dangerous phase of the Trump presidency. The pain and hardship that the United States is only beginning to experience stem from a crisis that the president is utterly unsuited to deal with, either intellectually or temperamentally. When things were going relatively well, the nation could more easily absorb the costs of Trump’s psychological and moral distortions and disfigurements. But those days are behind us. The coronavirus pandemic has created the conditions that can catalyze a destructive set of responses from an individual with Trump’s characterological defects and disordered personality. 

We are now in the early phase of a medical and economic tempest unmatched in most of our lifetimes. There’s too much information we don’t have. We don’t know the full severity of the pandemic, or whether a state like New York is a harbinger or an outlier. But we have enough information to know this virus is rapidly transmissible and lethal. 


The qualities we most need in a president during this crisis are calmness, wisdom, and reassurance; a command of the facts and the ability to communicate them well; and the capacity to think about the medium and long term while carefully weighing competing options and conflicting needs. We need a leader who can persuade the public to act in ways that are difficult but necessary, who can focus like a laser beam on a problem for a sustained period of time, and who will listen to—and, when necessary, defer to—experts who know far more than he does. We need a president who can draw the nation together rather than drive it apart, who excels at the intricate work of governing, and who works well with elected officials at every level. We need a chief executive whose judgment is not just sound, but exceptional.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/presidents-character-unequal-task/608743/?fbclid=IwAR19iFA73oGH-Q5QtVfvz3VWtOb9HJnTFwRgq6-rp06IKrl5ZBk

[Tennesseer]

"This president does not have the capacity to listen to, synthesize, and internalize information that does not immediately serve his greatest needs: praise, fealty, adoration. “He finds it intolerable when those things are missing,” a clinical psychologist told me. “Praise, applause, and accolades seem to calm him and boost his confidence. There’s no room for that now, and so he’s growing irritable and needing to create some way to get some positive attention.”"

[Deleted]

I was worried we were going to see a Cuban missile crisis kind of scenario under his watch, this is probably second on the list.

Going back to the beginning of the Presidency can you think of anyone that you wouldn't want in office for this over Trump?

[Tennesseer]

Mar 29, 2020 22:58:23 GMT -5 @aj said:

I was worried we were going to see a Cuban missile crisis kind of scenario under his watch, this is probably second on the list.

Going back to the beginning of the Presidency can you think of anyone that you wouldn't want in office for this over Trump?

I can't think of any president more needy for a gold star on his forehead than trump.

[deminmaine]

I was encouraged that he did the right thing and extended the emergency.  Apparently some of his "people" are pretty good at twisting his arm. 

[Gardening Grandma]

I have so much admiration for Dr Fauci.  Advising a self focused moron to do the right thing has to be incredibly difficult.

[mmhmm]

Mar 30, 2020 8:42:58 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

I was encouraged that he did the right thing and extended the emergency.  Apparently some of his "people" are pretty good at twisting his arm. 

You gotta wonder ... is Trump truly scared? He can't order a virus to do anything. He can't threaten it and he can't intimidate it. He can call it names, but it doesn't pay him a bit of mind and it could decide to jump on him. Inquiring minds ...

[mmhmm]

Mar 30, 2020 9:01:04 GMT -5 Gardening Grandma said:

I have so much admiration for Dr Fauci.  Advising a self focused moron to do the right thing has to be incredibly difficult.

Me, too! When Trump's foolishness caused the good doctor to face-palm to try to avoid laughing out loud, I DID laugh out loud. Felt really sorry for the poor doc.

[swamp]

Mar 30, 2020 9:23:59 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Mar 30, 2020 8:42:58 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

I was encouraged that he did the right thing and extended the emergency.  Apparently some of his "people" are pretty good at twisting his arm. 

You gotta wonder ... is Trump truly scared? He can't order a virus to do anything. He can't threaten it and he can't intimidate it. He can call it names, but it doesn't pay him a bit of mind and it could decide to jump on him. Inquiring minds ...

Good question.

I don't think he has "normal" emotions like the rest of us.  

[deminmaine]

Mar 30, 2020 9:23:59 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Mar 30, 2020 8:42:58 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

I was encouraged that he did the right thing and extended the emergency.  Apparently some of his "people" are pretty good at twisting his arm. 

You gotta wonder ... is Trump truly scared? He can't order a virus to do anything. He can't threaten it and he can't intimidate it. He can call it names, but it doesn't pay him a bit of mind and it could decide to jump on him. Inquiring minds ...

I hope so.  I would be scared sheetless if I were in his position.  Although I fully get your spin on why HE would be scared, lol!  

[teen persuasion]

Mar 30, 2020 9:23:59 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Mar 30, 2020 8:42:58 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

I was encouraged that he did the right thing and extended the emergency.  Apparently some of his "people" are pretty good at twisting his arm. 

You gotta wonder ... is Trump truly scared? He can't order a virus to do anything. He can't threaten it and he can't intimidate it. He can call it names, but it doesn't pay him a bit of mind and it could decide to jump on him. Inquiring minds ...

I don't think he is scared.  He thinks he's exceptional, he's special, he wouldn't get infected.

Look at his recent actions.  First, claimed it wasn't real (hoax), or wasn't a real threat (we have it under control).  Then continued shaking hands and surrounding himself closely in direct opposition to social distancing rules.  Denied the need for a test for himself for weeks.

Normal rules and actions don't apply to him (in his mind).  Bad things should only happen to others, especially the little people.  QED, he couldn't possibly get Covid-19.

[mmhmm]

Mar 30, 2020 9:33:20 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

Mar 30, 2020 9:23:59 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

You gotta wonder ... is Trump truly scared? He can't order a virus to do anything. He can't threaten it and he can't intimidate it. He can call it names, but it doesn't pay him a bit of mind and it could decide to jump on him. Inquiring minds ...

I don't think he is scared.  He thinks he's exceptional, he's special, he wouldn't get infected.

Look at his recent actions.  First, claimed it wasn't real (hoax), or wasn't a real threat (we have it under control).  Then continued shaking hands and surrounding himself closely in direct opposition to social distancing rules.  Denied the need for a test for himself for weeks.

Normal rules and actions don't apply to him (in his mind).  Bad things should only happen to others, especially the little people.  QED, he couldn't possibly get Covid-19.

Well, for his sake I hope he's right. I don't want to see anyone get this garbage and he's not in good enough shape that his life wouldn't be on the line. He's also got a little boy I'd hate to see stricken. 

[happyhoix]

Mar 30, 2020 9:25:32 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Mar 30, 2020 9:01:04 GMT -5 Gardening Grandma said:

I have so much admiration for Dr Fauci.  Advising a self focused moron to do the right thing has to be incredibly difficult.

Me, too! When Trump's foolishness caused the good doctor to face-palm to try to avoid laughing out loud, I DID laugh out loud. Felt really sorry for the poor doc.

I think the good doctor realizes that the governors and mayors, for the most part, are paying attention to him and ignoring Trump. Trump is constantly giving confusing and conflicting advice, when he isn’t flat out ‘going with his gut’ (lying).

When the history of this challenging time is written, Trump will at best be a foot note, at worst an incompetent boob.

[Tennesseer]

America's Make-or-Break Week

Congress has passed a $2 trillion rescue plan but before those funds start to flow, American companies from the owner of a single liquor store in Boston to corporate giants like Macy’s must decide what to do about April’s bills: Which obligations do they pay and which can they put off? How many employees can they afford to keep on the payroll? Can they get a break on rent?

The decisions they make this weekcould shape how deeply the economy is damaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Rent is due. Utilities are due. Credit card bills are due April 1,” said Hadley Douglas, who has laid off two workers from her liquor business, The Urban Grape. “The deadline is looming large and it is petrifying.” She said her landlord turned down a request to temporarily pay half the rent but said to keep in touch as it was focusing first on smaller, harder hit businesses.

Millions of Americans are suddenly out of work and many businesses have already closed under orders from state and local governments to close to prevent the spread of the virus. A record 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the week ended March 21.

The U.S. restaurant industry has lost $25 billion in sales since March 1, according to a survey of 5,000 owners by the National Restaurant Association. Nearly 50,000 stores of major U.S. retail chains have closed, according to the companies.

Complete article here:   America's Make-or-Break Week

[Deleted]

Mar 30, 2020 9:01:04 GMT -5 Gardening Grandma said:

I have so much admiration for Dr Fauci.  Advising a self focused moron to do the right thing has to be incredibly difficult.

mmhmm - example #1

[Bob Ross]

I don't think he's scared.

I think the only way he'd get scared is if his spin machine (mainly Fox News) turned on him thus confusing and unhinging his base, and I wonder what it would take for that to happen?  My best guess is COVID would have to significantly carve into Fox's elderly viewership, but to what amount?  One million?  Two million?  

As a slight kudos to Fox, they did end up firing uber-gunt Trish Regan over her "COVID is a Democratic conspiracy to unseat Trump" rant, so maybe there is a glimmer of hope.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 30, 2020 9:28:29 GMT -5 swamp said:

Mar 30, 2020 9:23:59 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

You gotta wonder ... is Trump truly scared? He can't order a virus to do anything. He can't threaten it and he can't intimidate it. He can call it names, but it doesn't pay him a bit of mind and it could decide to jump on him. Inquiring minds ...

Good question.

I don't think he has "normal" emotions like the rest of us.  

I honestly do not think he has the intelligence to understand the full ramifications of his decisions.  

[Tennesseer]

Mar 30, 2020 17:10:45 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Mar 30, 2020 9:28:29 GMT -5 swamp said:

Good question.

I don't think he has "normal" emotions like the rest of us.  

I honestly do not think he has the intelligence to understand the full ramifications of his decisions.  

Only how it personally affects him. No one else. None.

[happyhoix]

Mar 30, 2020 17:10:45 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Mar 30, 2020 9:28:29 GMT -5 swamp said:

Good question.

I don't think he has "normal" emotions like the rest of us.  

I honestly do not think he has the intelligence to understand the full ramifications of his decisions.  

I'm not sure it's intelligence - I'm starting to think Trump lives in a comforting cocoon of his own reality, and he thinks the rest of us live there with him, when only about 38% of us do. 

I'm sure there's a mental health name for that. 

[djAdvocate]

Mar 30, 2020 8:42:58 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

I was encouraged that he did the right thing and extended the emergency.  Apparently some of his "people" are pretty good at twisting his arm. 

yeah. my high estimate of 1M dead might be off the table.

I say MIGHT because I am still not sure we have bent the curve at all, yet.

there is some analysis that says that we will only lose 60k from this. that would be a surprisingly low total, but it is not outside the realm of possibility. then again, neither is 1M+. it really depends on what the states do at this point.

[pulmonarymd]

Mar 30, 2020 19:13:52 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Mar 30, 2020 8:42:58 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

I was encouraged that he did the right thing and extended the emergency.  Apparently some of his "people" are pretty good at twisting his arm. 

yeah. my high estimate of 1M dead might be off the table.

I say MIGHT because I am still not sure we have bent the curve at all, yet.

there is some analysis that says that we will only lose 60k from this. that would be a surprisingly low total, but it is not outside the realm of possibility. then again, neither is 1M+. it really depends on what the states do at this point.

That’s lower than anything I have seen. With the numbers today, we are going up 15% a day. We will double in less than a week. Talk to a friend in NY. There are 600 infected patients and 80 on ventilators in ONE hospital. Multiple that by at least 10 and you can get a scale of the disaster there. . Until we see some sort of improvement in NY, all thoughts that this isn’t going to get really bad is hopeful speculation. Based on models I have seen, we won’t peak until 4/15, at which point they think >2000 will be dying a day. Until we have an idea of what percentage of people are infected in NYC, we have no way of knowing how long this will go on

[countrygirl2]

That is scary. I heard tonight Indianapolis is one of the new hot spots. That's a 100 miles from us. but I'm seeing the number going up daily in the counties between it and us.  And we had our second case in the county. This is a small area and that worries me. One or two of the right people and they could have come into contact with so many.  Hubs said what happens when someone at a grocer gets it that place will get closed down. I said we better keep on top of our food supply. Like I said before we are trying to eat less any way.

[djAdvocate]

Mar 30, 2020 20:00:22 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

Mar 30, 2020 19:13:52 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

yeah. my high estimate of 1M dead might be off the table.

I say MIGHT because I am still not sure we have bent the curve at all, yet.

there is some analysis that says that we will only lose 60k from this. that would be a surprisingly low total, but it is not outside the realm of possibility. then again, neither is 1M+. it really depends on what the states do at this point.

That’s lower than anything I have seen. With the numbers today, we are going up 15% a day. We will double in less than a week. Talk to a friend in NY. There are 600 infected patients and 80 on ventilators in ONE hospital. Multiple that by at least 10 and you can get a scale of the disaster there. . Until we see some sort of improvement in NY, all thoughts that this isn’t going to get really bad is hopeful speculation. Based on models I have seen, we won’t peak until 4/15, at which point they think >2000 will be dying a day. Until we have an idea of what percentage of people are infected in NYC, we have no way of knowing how long this will go on

i got that projection HERE;

covid19.healthdata.org/projections

and candidly, I think these are wildly optimistic.

the site looks very sciency, but I don't see where they are getting their numbers, and my numbers, though I am not a medical person AT ALL, tell me that there is no way we can end up that low.

Fauci has predicted 100-200k.  I also think THAT is low.

but again, I am just an engineer who is very skilled at math and watches the data very carefully.  I only know what is reported, and that is it.  the medical folks SHOULD know more than I do.

my calculations tell me that this peaks around May 1st, and it should be "over" (most patients dead or recovered) by late June.  but this assumes the absolute worst.

[pulmonarymd]

Mar 31, 2020 0:55:05 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Mar 30, 2020 20:00:22 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

That’s lower than anything I have seen. With the numbers today, we are going up 15% a day. We will double in less than a week. Talk to a friend in NY. There are 600 infected patients and 80 on ventilators in ONE hospital. Multiple that by at least 10 and you can get a scale of the disaster there. . Until we see some sort of improvement in NY, all thoughts that this isn’t going to get really bad is hopeful speculation. Based on models I have seen, we won’t peak until 4/15, at which point they think >2000 will be dying a day. Until we have an idea of what percentage of people are infected in NYC, we have no way of knowing how long this will go on

i got that projection HERE;

covid19.healthdata.org/projections

and candidly, I think these are wildly optimistic.

the site looks very sciency, but I don't see where they are getting their numbers, and my numbers, though I am not a medical person AT ALL, tell me that there is no way we can end up that low.

Fauci has predicted 100-200k.  I also think THAT is low.

but again, I am just an engineer who is very skilled at math and watches the data very carefully.  I only know what is reported, and that is it.  the medical folks SHOULD know more than I do.

my calculations tell me that this peaks around May 1st, and it should be "over" (most patients dead or recovered) by late June.  but this assumes the absolute worst.

Same site, but projections I see through early August was 83,000, slightly increased from previous. All projections are educated guessed. The most important are infection rate, mortality, and behavior. First 2 are easier to model, but even small changes in either can lead to large changes. These models consider continued strong distancing. Even I think that is optimistic as at some point we need to start to open up. I have no idea how to do that, and that should be what trump should be doing. I have little faith that he has a clue

[Deleted]

The 201 simulation for a coronavirus pandemic resulted in 64 million dead.

One of the things they didn't take into account was complete federal government incompetence and not following science when this first started. 

[mmhmm]

Mar 31, 2020 6:36:54 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

Mar 31, 2020 0:55:05 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

i got that projection HERE;

covid19.healthdata.org/projections

and candidly, I think these are wildly optimistic.

the site looks very sciency, but I don't see where they are getting their numbers, and my numbers, though I am not a medical person AT ALL, tell me that there is no way we can end up that low.

Fauci has predicted 100-200k.  I also think THAT is low.

but again, I am just an engineer who is very skilled at math and watches the data very carefully.  I only know what is reported, and that is it.  the medical folks SHOULD know more than I do.

my calculations tell me that this peaks around May 1st, and it should be "over" (most patients dead or recovered) by late June.  but this assumes the absolute worst.

Same site, but projections I see through early August was 83,000, slightly increased from previous. All projections are educated guessed. The most important are infection rate, mortality, and behavior. First 2 are easier to model, but even small changes in either can lead to large changes. These models consider continued strong distancing. Even I think that is optimistic as at some point we need to start to open up. I have no idea how to do that, and that should be what trump should be doing. I have little faith that he has a clue

I read a couple of days ago that projections for a peak in infections in South Carolina is May 2. We'll see how that goes.

[djAdvocate]

Mar 31, 2020 6:36:54 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

Mar 31, 2020 0:55:05 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

i got that projection HERE;

covid19.healthdata.org/projections

and candidly, I think these are wildly optimistic.

the site looks very sciency, but I don't see where they are getting their numbers, and my numbers, though I am not a medical person AT ALL, tell me that there is no way we can end up that low.

Fauci has predicted 100-200k.  I also think THAT is low.

but again, I am just an engineer who is very skilled at math and watches the data very carefully.  I only know what is reported, and that is it.  the medical folks SHOULD know more than I do.

my calculations tell me that this peaks around May 1st, and it should be "over" (most patients dead or recovered) by late June.  but this assumes the absolute worst.

Same site, but projections I see through early August was 83,000, slightly increased from previous. All projections are educated guessed. The most important are infection rate, mortality, and behavior. First 2 are easier to model, but even small changes in either can lead to large changes. These models consider continued strong distancing. Even I think that is optimistic as at some point we need to start to open up. I have no idea how to do that, and that should be what trump should be doing. I have little faith that he has a clue

I have absolute faith that he will bungle it.

[countrygirl2]

What in the hell is wrong with trump. They are starting a big drug fight with a bunch of ships that they probably have the virus on. He is going to have our whole military out and sick.

The Roosevelt air craft carrier has a coronavirus outbreak and they won't do anything. And now we are sending out some counter narcotics effort.


What is wrong with him, this is nuts!!

[Tennesseer]

Apr 1, 2020 16:46:22 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

What in the hell is wrong with trump. They are starting a big drug fight with a bunch of ships that they probably have the virus on. He is going to have our whole military out and sick.

The Roosevelt air craft carrier has a coronavirus outbreak and they won't do anything. And now we are sending out some counter narcotics effort.


What is wrong with him, this is nuts!!

He knows his approval rating is falling so he will start an action where some Americans will 'oooh' and 'aaah': our wartime president.

[billisonboard]

Spot On! Trump says he's a cheerleader for USA. We need a quarterback

"I'm a cheerleader for the country," President Donald Trump said in his final coronavirus press conference in March — a month in which the US death toll increased from two to more than 4,000.
It was a rare moment of honesty in a press conference typically full of falsehoods. Trump has always been a cheerleader — a hype man, a master marketer of himself which he parlayed into hyperpartisan politics and the presidency.
But, with apologies to cheerleaders, Trump is confronting a crisis he can't hype his way out of. He is standing on the sidelines, out of his depth and now we're all paying the price.
What we need in the presidency right now is a quarterback — someone who calmly calls strategic plays under intense pressure.