|
Welcome to the International Skeptics Forum, where we discuss skepticism, critical thinking, the paranormal and science in a friendly but lively way. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest, which means you are missing out on discussing matters that are of interest to you. Please consider registering so you can gain full use of the forum features and interact with other Members. Registration is simple, fast and free! Click here to register today. |
9th September 2020, 10:44 AM | #921 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Norway
Posts: 10,415
|
|
__________________
"He's like a drunk being given a sobriety test by the police after being pulled over. Just as a drunk can't walk a straight line, Trump can't think in a straight line. He's all over the place."--Stacyhs "If you are still hung up on that whole words-have-meaning thing, then 2020 is going to be a long year for you." --Ladewig |
|
9th September 2020, 10:48 AM | #922 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,076
|
|
9th September 2020, 10:55 AM | #923 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Norway
Posts: 10,415
|
Right now the attack ads seem to focus on his attacks on military servicemen, but IMO, the way Trump deliberately let the pandemic run free, especially in blue states, for political reasons, should be the #1 thing for his opponents to use against him. It may even top every single other vile and idiotic things he has said and done.
Use the contradicting statements from Trump. Use the quote from Kushner that fighting the pandemic "wouldn't make sense politically". Use the way Trump has taken little action, and even outright sabotaged the US' ability to fight the virus, both before and after there even was a pandemic beginning to spread, and both before and after it reached the States. I always knew that Trump, if faced with a real disaster like, say, the Cuban missile crisis, would not be up to the task. In fact this was my #1 nightmare scenario with Trump since November 2016. Covid proved me right, although I couldn't in my wildest dreams imagine he would botch it this badly. |
__________________
"He's like a drunk being given a sobriety test by the police after being pulled over. Just as a drunk can't walk a straight line, Trump can't think in a straight line. He's all over the place."--Stacyhs "If you are still hung up on that whole words-have-meaning thing, then 2020 is going to be a long year for you." --Ladewig |
|
9th September 2020, 10:56 AM | #924 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: US of A
Posts: 16,613
|
That might be true for a lot of authors. But Bob Woodward doesn't need to do anything to boost his sales. One reason for not releasing tapes prematurely is to be able to keep talking to Trump and to other officials, getting more information that ultimately serves us. A lot of doors would have slammed shut the minute a tape was released.
|
9th September 2020, 11:01 AM | #925 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,076
|
|
9th September 2020, 11:02 AM | #926 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 6,415
|
|
9th September 2020, 11:05 AM | #927 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Norway
Posts: 10,415
|
Frankly, downplaying a pandemic, knowing it will kill people (there's no nicer way to put it), is the kind of thing I expect some colonial-era European or American regime to do to some backwater country they care nothing about.
It reminds me of those tapes in the Burns-Novick documentary on Viet Nam, where one of the hawks in the presidential race (I forgot who it was), talked about how he was working to convince South Viet Nam to walk out of peace negotiations with the north, not for their own good, but because a peace treaty in 'Nam would ruin his chances of winning the presidential election back home. So again, the kind of thing I expect from decades or centuries back, and in other parts of the world. It's surreal that Trump was/is doing it in 2020, and to his own country. |
__________________
"He's like a drunk being given a sobriety test by the police after being pulled over. Just as a drunk can't walk a straight line, Trump can't think in a straight line. He's all over the place."--Stacyhs "If you are still hung up on that whole words-have-meaning thing, then 2020 is going to be a long year for you." --Ladewig |
|
9th September 2020, 11:12 AM | #928 |
Mostly harmless
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Nor Flanden
Posts: 38,373
|
|
__________________
"You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield "The poor mystic homeopaths feel like petted house-cats thrown at high flood on the breaking ice." - Leon Trotsky |
|
9th September 2020, 11:17 AM | #929 |
Insert something funny here
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Norway
Posts: 10,816
|
|
9th September 2020, 11:30 AM | #930 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 47,041
|
“The President never downplayed the virus.” -Kayleigh McEnany
“I wanted to always play it down.” -President Donald Trump |
9th September 2020, 11:33 AM | #931 |
Straussian
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 15,419
|
Who knows how many people would have died if we had a full-on panic. This requires steady, calm, assured leadership. People freaked out in Germany and Western Europe, and look at how many died. Those countries are now ravaged by civil unrest. It's worse than the Bowling Green Massacre.
|
__________________
Cain: Don't be a homo. Diablo: What's that supposed to mean? Cain: It's a heteronormative remark meant to be taken at face-value. |
|
9th September 2020, 11:40 AM | #932 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Solola, Guatemala
Posts: 1,188
|
|
__________________
Just a spec in the Spectrum... |
|
9th September 2020, 11:41 AM | #933 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 47,041
|
Trump Tweets
I will be announcing a list of future potential Supreme Court Justices at 3:30 P.M. Eastern from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. |
9th September 2020, 11:46 AM | #934 |
I lost an avatar bet.
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 28,781
|
|
__________________
I lost an avatar bet to Doghouse Reilly. |
|
9th September 2020, 11:51 AM | #935 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: US of A
Posts: 16,613
|
Of course it was. Imagine how different America would have been over the past half-century if Hubert Humphrey had won the election.
Quote:
|
9th September 2020, 11:53 AM | #936 |
Maledictorian
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 22,558
|
I remember Bob's first Trump book "fear" was, IMO, rather tame in the criticism of Trump, mostly as someone in way over his head.
I hope Woodward is not longer giving Trump a mulligan on this one. |
__________________
“Don’t blame me. I voted for Kodos.” |
|
9th September 2020, 11:55 AM | #937 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: US of A
Posts: 16,613
|
What is that supposed to mean? Going back to Watergate, Woodward has demonstrated a unique ability to uncover and report facts that the powerful would conceal. That's what a journalist is supposed to do. One of the great failings of modern journalism is that too many journalists see themselves as stenographers or scorekeepers, rather than advocates for truth. |
9th September 2020, 12:08 PM | #938 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,848
|
|
9th September 2020, 12:11 PM | #939 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 32,926
|
|
9th September 2020, 12:16 PM | #940 |
a flimsy character...perfidious and despised
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Where the Old Man of the Mountain used to stand
Posts: 58,585
|
I'm sure Lincoln Project will have some interesting ads coming from this.
|
__________________
Being the victim of genocidal atrocities does not give you free reign to commit your own genocidal atrocities. When Republican politicians were young, they were the kids who watched James Bond movies and said "I want to grow up to be just like [insert name of villain here]." |
|
9th September 2020, 12:22 PM | #941 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,076
|
|
9th September 2020, 12:41 PM | #942 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 32,926
|
|
9th September 2020, 01:05 PM | #943 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada, eh?
Posts: 20,625
|
I know stubby Mcbonespurs is trying to whip up his own base, but that seems like it has a chance to backfire.
Most of the MAGAchuds won't know the names, but having a list may give his opponents plenty of ammunition. (With all sorts of dirt uncovered on them.) One of the reasons Trump is losing suburban women was his nomination of Drunky Mcrapeface... Why drag that up again unnecessarily? Sent from my LM-X320 using Tapatalk |
__________________
Trust me, I know what I'm doing. - Sledgehammer I'm Mary Poppins Y'all! - Yondu We are Groot - Groot |
|
9th September 2020, 01:06 PM | #944 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Sorth Dakonsin
Posts: 29,368
|
|
__________________
Science is self-correcting. Woo is self-contradicting. |
|
9th September 2020, 01:11 PM | #945 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 13,384
|
|
9th September 2020, 01:15 PM | #946 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada, eh?
Posts: 20,625
|
I agree that his vivid response was Trump's greatest failure. But I am not sure it is the best way to attack him. MAGAchuds lack both empathy and intelligence, so pointing out how trump let the blue states suffer from Covid19 is just as likely to result in a "ha ha! He is really owning the libs!" Than it is to make them change their vote.
But point out trump hates the military? Well that may get at least some to consider changing their vote (or at least sitting out the next election). Sent from my LM-X320 using Tapatalk |
__________________
Trust me, I know what I'm doing. - Sledgehammer I'm Mary Poppins Y'all! - Yondu We are Groot - Groot |
|
9th September 2020, 01:29 PM | #947 |
Proud Award Award recipient
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Belgium
Posts: 3,018
|
|
__________________
The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan |
|
9th September 2020, 01:58 PM | #948 |
Proud Award Award recipient
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Belgium
Posts: 3,018
|
Q: "Did you mislead the public?"
President Trump: "Well, I think if you said in order to reduce panic, perhaps that's so. The fact is, I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I don't want people to be frightened. I don't want to create panic." https://twitter.com/cspan/status/130...448751106?s=19 Also Trump: Screenshot_20200909-225829_Twitter.jpg https://twitter.com/pbump/status/130...304046080?s=19 |
__________________
The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan |
|
9th September 2020, 02:00 PM | #949 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 32,926
|
|
9th September 2020, 02:06 PM | #950 |
Proud Award Award recipient
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Belgium
Posts: 3,018
|
"Speaking from the Diplomatic Reception room of the White House, the president read off a list of names including Daniel Cameron, the Kentucky attorney general who recently spoke at the Republican Convention, as well as Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tru...-list-20-names |
__________________
The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan |
|
9th September 2020, 02:39 PM | #951 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: US of A
Posts: 16,613
|
They both went to Harvard Law, as did five of the current Supreme Court justices. That probably makes Cruz and Cotton qualified, at least technically. The other four all went to Yale. I would like to see President Biden -- or anyone -- make a commitment to broaden the search for candidates. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...aking-experts/ |
9th September 2020, 02:58 PM | #952 |
Skepticifimisticalationist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Gulf Coast
Posts: 28,589
|
Correct. Woodward's interest in the information is clearly only in the shock value as a mechanism for driving attention to his book. If he simply thought releasing the material was in the public interest, he would have done so long before nearly 200,000 Americans died.
|
__________________
"¿WHAT KIND OF BIRD? ¿A PARANORMAL BIRD?" --- Carlos S., 2002 |
|
9th September 2020, 02:59 PM | #953 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 6,415
|
|
9th September 2020, 03:10 PM | #954 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,051
|
|
9th September 2020, 03:21 PM | #955 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 32,926
|
|
9th September 2020, 03:32 PM | #956 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,076
|
Christopher Hitchens said it about Woodward in 1996.
You'll have to evaluate for yourself the credibility of the accusation and perhaps decide for yourself if access journalism is a problem. In any case, I have not made any claims about Woodward's reporting accuracy. I certainly can't fault him for getting Trump to speak on the record, especially for getting him to contradict his own lies. Although Trump is obviously, abysmally stupid, Woodward's ability to get him talking is still admirable. |
9th September 2020, 03:42 PM | #957 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 6,415
|
This article leads me to the impression that Hitchens disagrees with Woodward on many things.
Nothing in it strikes me as substantiating the claim made. It read as a whiny, bitter diatribe. You've uncritically repeated an accusation you heard. That Woodward is a "stenographer." Think about that... |
9th September 2020, 03:51 PM | #958 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,076
|
|
9th September 2020, 03:52 PM | #959 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 6,415
|
|
9th September 2020, 04:09 PM | #960 |
Mistral, mistral wind...
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Embedded and embattled, reporting from Mississippi
Posts: 5,203
|
|
__________________
I'm tired of the bombs, tired of the bullets, tired of the crazies on TV; I'm the aviator, a dream's a dream whatever it seems Deep Purple- "The Aviator" Life was a short shelf that came with bookends- Stephen King |
|
Thread Tools | |
|
|