Trump MAGAThread XI: Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?

[The Flutterlands]

Has Trump lost weight during his presidency?

[Major-Tom]

Has Trump lost weight during his presidency?

He looks a little slimmer.

[Gravlen]

Has Trump lost weight during his presidency?

The stress of his seven hour work day (11am to 6pm) must be taking a toll.

[The Flutterlands]

Has Trump lost weight during his presidency?

The stress of his seven hour work day (11am to 6pm) must be taking a toll.

He only sleeps four hours...

[Kramanica]

Except he did meet with the victims.

I know. A hint might be that I'm criticising him for spending too little time with the victims, not that he didn't meet the victims.

That's a stupid criticism.

And I hate to break this to you but this school shooting, while terrible, was not 9/11 where 2,000 Americans died and our symbol of economic power was attacked.

And?

Are you suggesting that he just dropped in because it was on the way to Mar-a-Lago?

...I don't see how that follows.

My point is that your comparison with W. at Ground Zero is a false equivalency.

Also, it is funny that you whine about tone-deafness but somehow see nothing wrong with using a massacre as a platform to broadcast new policy proposals.

Because of course it isn't?

"My God, the entire house burned down!"
"I promise to work for better fire safety at homes. I would suggest-"
"How DARE you suggest policy to improve the fire safety of homes?!"

...said no one ever.

This idea that we can't suggest changes to policy before a certain time has passed is misguided at best (but more likely just a comfortable refuge for those who really doesn't want to change the status quo).

No, it's more like pushing policy proposals at the site where people were massacred might be a bit tone deaf. Some might see it as exploiting the tragedy, something Obama took flack for which Trump wants to avoid.

There's a time and place for everything. An air of positivity and "gosh, they set records, and if I were the police I'd lie about how dangerous the arrest was" is simply not suitable for that occasion.

Do you expect him to break down weeping or something? He's trying to lift people's spirits, not tear at the nation's heart.

[Petrasylvania]

Has Trump lost weight during his presidency?

He looks a little slimmer.

It's like Donnie's "presidentiality". You know he'll fuck it up soon enough.

[Cekoviu]

The stress of his seven hour work day (11am to 6pm) must be taking a toll.

He only sleeps four hours...

Well, how else would he have time to watch Fox News and read Breitbart?

[Ifreann]

Has Trump lost weight during his presidency?

The White House doctor is trying to get him to lose weight, but he believes that humans are like batteries and exercising will shorten his life, so he's probably not lost any weight.

[Kramanica]

Has Trump lost weight during his presidency?

The stress of his seven hour work day (11am to 6pm) must be taking a toll.

source

[Camicon]

Has Trump lost weight during his presidency?

The White House doctor is trying to get him to lose weight, but he believes that humans are like batteries and exercising will shorten his life, so he's probably not lost any weight.

Wasn't he getting put on a diet?

[Kramanica]

The White House doctor is trying to get him to lose weight, but he believes that humans are like batteries and exercising will shorten his life, so he's probably not lost any weight.

Wasn't he getting put on a diet?

Yes. Recommended by the White House physician who everybody seems to now hate because he didn't say Trump was deranged.

[Ifreann]

The White House doctor is trying to get him to lose weight, but he believes that humans are like batteries and exercising will shorten his life, so he's probably not lost any weight.

Wasn't he getting put on a diet?

I think so, but I figure that if the President orders a cheeseburger, he gets a cheeseburger, regardless of doctor's orders.

[Jerzylvania]

The White House doctor is trying to get him to lose weight, but he believes that humans are like batteries and exercising will shorten his life, so he's probably not lost any weight.

Wasn't he getting put on a diet?

The 12 diet cokes a day diet.

[Shofercia]

Real problem facing the country: decline of living standards in Rural America. Guess which candidate didn't realize that was a problem until it cost her the election?

Didn't areas facing actual economic problems tend to vote for her?

Nope. The majority of whites in rural counties that didn't get Obama's Recovery Funds went overwhelmingly in favor of Trump. The actual economic problems don't play as much role as improvement/deterioration of the Living Standard. There is no questions that Russians had a higher Living Standard under Csar Alexander the Uno, than we did under Prince Alexander Nevsky. And yet, Nevsky always beats the Uno in polling. It's about improvement.

Most Rural Americans still live much better than most of rural Latin Americans; and that's why their hardships don't make sense to the DNC. However, what scares the living hell out of Rural Americans, is that they see their living standards declining for the first time, (at least according to their version of History,) and that scares the living shit out of them. What was Trump's slogan? Make American Great Again.

A lot of city dwelling Liberals view America as pretty damn good, but there's a lot less focus on kids, teens, and young adults among the Liberals. That's been their voting block. Hence the Liberal fumble with the Sanders Revolution. They don't see rising student debt as the gargantuan problem, (Clinton's attack ads against Trump University were fucking soft balls compared to what they should've been,) they don't see American Indebtedness as an issue; they see racial integration, women's rights marching forth, gay rights making gains, (and don't get me wrong, these are good things,) but they don't see the economic burden of the Middle Class. And that is what Trump capitalized on. What's one of the first things he did? Gave the extreme majority of Americans a tax cut.

[The Flutterlands]

Wasn't he getting put on a diet?

I think so, but I figure that if the President orders a cheeseburger, he gets a cheeseburger, regardless of doctor's orders.

He has a button that literally brings him coke. Which is the button he boasted about to Kimmy.

[Camicon]

Wasn't he getting put on a diet?

I think so, but I figure that if the President orders a cheeseburger, he gets a cheeseburger, regardless of doctor's orders.

Sure, but maybe he orders a cheeseburger and, rather than getting him one, the staff just jangles some shiny keys in front of him until he forgets that he asked.

[Luminesa]

TBF I don't really care about the shooting either. The cycle of finger-pointing gets exhausting.

Shootings should be relegated to weather or traffic reports. *nod*

I think Pret makes a good point about how the media seems to enjoy going in circles on gun control, giving no clear solutions and devolving into polemics faster than butter can melt in a microwave. So maybe that was answer you were looking to write, but you didn’t know how to write it? Or do you simply not care enough to make a serious comment on the issue? The world may never know, as you write another sarcastic answer to this comment.

[Kramanica]

Shootings should be relegated to weather or traffic reports. *nod*

I think Pret makes a good point about how the media seems to enjoy going in circles on gun control, giving no clear solutions and devolving into polemics faster than butter can melt in a microwave. So maybe that was answer you were looking to write, but you didn’t know how to write it? Or do you simply not care enough to make a serious comment on the issue? The world may never know, as you write another sarcastic answer to this comment.

It's the endless drum of "DO SOMETHING!"

Well, uh, what should we do?

"Oh, uh, I don't know. Just SOMETHING."

[Luminesa]

I think Pret makes a good point about how the media seems to enjoy going in circles on gun control, giving no clear solutions and devolving into polemics faster than butter can melt in a microwave. So maybe that was answer you were looking to write, but you didn’t know how to write it? Or do you simply not care enough to make a serious comment on the issue? The world may never know, as you write another sarcastic answer to this comment.

It's the endless drum of "DO SOMETHING!"

Well, uh, what should we do?

"Oh, uh, I don't know. Just SOMETHING."

Right. Again, the main issue should be mental illness and treating it, but that would require more work than people screaming at each other over guns for hours on end.

[Camicon]

I think Pret makes a good point about how the media seems to enjoy going in circles on gun control, giving no clear solutions and devolving into polemics faster than butter can melt in a microwave. So maybe that was answer you were looking to write, but you didn’t know how to write it? Or do you simply not care enough to make a serious comment on the issue? The world may never know, as you write another sarcastic answer to this comment.

It's the endless drum of "DO SOMETHING!"

Well, uh, what should we do?

"Oh, uh, I don't know. Just SOMETHING."

No, it's more like...

"Do something!"
"Uh, what?"
"Increase background checks, and-"
"NU-UH, MUH SECUND AMENDUMBZ!"

[Kramanica]

It's the endless drum of "DO SOMETHING!"

Well, uh, what should we do?

"Oh, uh, I don't know. Just SOMETHING."

Right. Again, the main issue should be mental illness and treating it, but that would require more work than people screaming at each other over guns for hours on end.

Banning bump stocks will solve everything.

[Kramanica]

It's the endless drum of "DO SOMETHING!"

Well, uh, what should we do?

"Oh, uh, I don't know. Just SOMETHING."

No, it's more like...

"Do something!"
"Uh, what?"
"Increase background checks, and-"
"NU-UH, MUH SECUND AMENDUMBZ!"

"Increase background checks"

Wow. Doesn't get more vague than that.

[Jerzylvania]

This ain't the fucking sick gun thread. Take it the fuck over there.

[Shofercia]

Real problem facing the country: decline of living standards in Rural America. Guess which candidate didn't realize that was a problem until it cost her the election?

Meanwhile, back in reality, the candidate who realized it and actually had concrete plans to address it lost to the guy who promised he knew a magic spell that was going to cause flying rainbow unicorns to just shit coal and jobs and money down on rural America forever if they voted for him and didn't ask any questions.

Let's have some fun: explain how Clinton's policies would've improved the lives of Rural Americans.

And again the fact that all this wonkery ignores, most people were really hard off stayed at home, and I can't blame them.

But the topic here is not really statistical analysis of race and class demographics, rather it is rural hardship, which no party wishes to address or particularly cares about Shofercia was right to point an acute weakness from Hillary and the Democrats there. At least the Republicans offer God and Guns (and Trump of course made noises about ending free trade) hence performances like this:

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-l ... f848fd4d10

Yep. The Republicans also offer marginal improvements and lots of unfulfilled promises. Rural Americans know that most of the Republican Promises are garbage, but at least they get marginal improvements. A longer hunting season might mean delicious food on the table for some families. Rejection of the Trans Pacific Partnership leads to more jobs. The tax cuts probably let your average family pick up a couple hundred bucks - in rural communities that's an unforgettable weekend that makes their month, or even their Summer. And there's the issue of sticking it to the Democrats, whom they blame for deterioration of their Living Standards. And God & Guns.

[Gravlen]

I know. A hint might be that I'm criticising him for spending too little time with the victims, not that he didn't meet the victims.

That's a stupid criticism.

Nope. If you're going to meet victims and display empathy and care, you don't just run by them.

And?

Are you suggesting that he just dropped in because it was on the way to Mar-a-Lago?

...I don't see how that follows.

My point is that your comparison with W. at Ground Zero is a false equivalency.

There is no equivalency. You asked what he should have done, and I gave an example, and a historical reference for context. Then you decided to state the obvious for no reason, apparently, and here we are.

Because of course it isn't?

"My God, the entire house burned down!"
"I promise to work for better fire safety at homes. I would suggest-"
"How DARE you suggest policy to improve the fire safety of homes?!"

...said no one ever.

This idea that we can't suggest changes to policy before a certain time has passed is misguided at best (but more likely just a comfortable refuge for those who really doesn't want to change the status quo).

No, it's more like pushing policy proposals at the site where people were massacred might be a bit tone deaf.

Yeah, that idea is downright stupid. Again, "How dare you suggest changes to policy which will keep us safer and help make sure something similar to this situation doesn't happen again"

Some might see it as exploiting the tragedy, something Obama took flack for which Trump wants to avoid.

Actually, the truth of the matter is that he had no policy to offer, and didn't know where he would stand on the issue before he had checked with friends - something he later did while at Mar-a-Lago:

The president also surveyed Mar-a-Lago Club members about whether he ought to champion gun control measures in the wake of last week’s school massacre in nearby Parkland, telling them that he was closely monitoring the media appearances by some of the surviving students, according to people who spoke with him there.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-lashes-out-over-russia-probe-in-angry-and-error-laden-tweetstorm/2018/02/18/8224b7de-14ce-11e8-8b08-027a6ccb38eb_story.html?utm_term=.758a179e1f8a

There's a time and place for everything. An air of positivity and "gosh, they set records, and if I were the police I'd lie about how dangerous the arrest was" is simply not suitable for that occasion.

Do you expect him to break down weeping or something? He's trying to lift people's spirits, not tear at the nation's heart.

I expect him to be able to say a few consoling words off the cuff. He's unable to do that.

He's not trying to lift anyone's spirit, he's just devoid of empathy. But even if he wasn't, why shouldn't he be mourning with the rest of the nation? Or to put it differently, the guy trying to "lift people's spirits" at a funeral is often an ass with no social skills. ... oh, right.