None of the theories to date about the reason for Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns have seemed very persuasive, but when I read this reporting by the Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold, I had an “ah ha” moment.
Apparently, “deadbeat Don” has reported–and presumably deducted– charitable gifts that he didn’t actually make. Multiple charities are telling Fahrenthold that they never received donations that the Trump Foundation listed and claimed on IRS submissions.
One can see how the disclosure of tax returns reporting non-existent donations might be…embarrassing.
Of course, even if the existence of improper deductions does solve one mystery– the reason for Trump’s refusal to share his tax returns–it leaves us with a number of others. Why, for instance, would a man who clearly has no interest in public policy or administration run for public office? Why would a candidate who is totally ignorant of the basics of constitutional government refuse to inform himself about those basics? Why would someone who has never run in a political campaign ignore all advice from people who understand what such campaigns require?
The answers to those and similar questions are probably only obtainable on a psychiatrist’s couch. And ultimately, unless he wins (which, thankfully, is unlikely) the idiosycrasies of a self-obsessed megalomaniac will ultimately be matters of only passing interest.
The more pressing question–the question that keeps me up nights and consumes reasonable Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike–is why would anyone vote for this man?
In any sane universe, Donald Trump is a joke: a tacky, ignorant narcissist who communicates at a third-grade level, lies compulsively (and not very convincingly) and thinks childish insults and ad hominem attacks are debate points.
The reason for some portion of his support is abundantly clear. (Despite walking her comments back, Clinton quite accurately described these voters as belonging in a “basket of deplorables.”) White supremacists, anti-Semites, racists, sexists and xenophobes see him–probably accurately– as one of them. But other people, who don’t appear to fall into those categories and who don’t appear to belong in the basket, also tell pollsters they support him.
I assume some number of die-hard Republicans will vote for the party’s candidate no matter what–although Trump has made it clear that he has no respect for longstanding Republican positions (assuming he even knows what those are). And I suppose there must be some people who are so horrified at the prospect of a woman in the Oval Office that they will opt for any male, no matter how unfit and/or dangerous. But beyond those (hopefully small) categories, I am hard-pressed to understand why any voter would see this repulsive ignoramus as remotely Presidential.
I know I’ll hear from readers who hate Hillary and who will claim that Trump is no worse; however, even they know that is manifest nonsense. Even if you believed every accusation that has been thrown at her (despite the innumerable investigations that have come up empty), there is still no equivalence. Besides, large numbers of critics who detest her have publicly confirmed that they won’t vote for Trump. They’ll vote for third-party candidates or leave the Presidential line blank. Depending on the state the voter lives in, those actions do help Trump, but they aren’t the same as affirmatively supporting him.
I want to know about the people who actually plan to cast a vote for him. Who are they? What am I missing?
Why would anyone who isn’t a White Nationalist vote for an unstable, demonstrably unfit blowhard whose election would quite obviously pose a clear and present danger to the nation and the planet?
Inquiring minds really want to know.
When another candidate makes an error, it is news. When the orange tubby bigot spews out lies and hate, the reporters nod. Why is that? When will they stand up to this bully ? Very odd. After 15 months, how does anyone take this boob seriously?
In a democracy, when politicians are oblivious to what is happening around them and a massive social crisis is well under way, the consequences are utterly predictable. First, the public knows full well there is a serious problem. Second, they know the establishment doesn’t care. Third, they know the political system is the only recourse. And finally, personalities arise to lead them against the establishment.
The establishment looks at these new leaders as bizarre and doomed to fail. These leaders, unlike the establishment, are aware of the social crisis and the contempt the establishment is held in. They do everything they can to appear utterly different than establishment politicians. The establishment believes this will lead to the downfall of the new politicians. They are totally unaware of how offensive their mode of government and even mode of speech has become.
But the “stupid voter syndrome” is now evident in Europe and the U.S. There is deep contempt for the Trump voter, the Brexit voter and now the anti-CDU voter. The common sense of citizenship has been torn on both sides. The anti-establishment voters hurl contempt at the establishment. The establishment hurls it back. This is why Merkel’s statement that we shouldn’t blame the voters is so extraordinary. First, she isn’t blaming them. Second, and most fascinating, she is acknowledging that the voters might be blamed.
This is a systemic crisis. It is how major social problems are managed politically. Half still support the mainstream. Half support the upstart. The establishment can’t conceive of the upstart winning. The upstart doesn’t always win. But as the Brexit vote showed, sometimes it does. And then members of the establishment are shocked, realizing they don’t know anyone with views that oppose their own. And that is the core of the problem.
From
https://geopoliticalfutures.com/merkel-doesnt-blame-the-voter/?utm_source=Geopolitical+Futures+-+Weekly+Analysis&utm_campaign=8f1ec1cdeb-160908_WA_Reality_Check&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c98b211994-8f1ec1cdeb-195430437
patmcc; my thoughts as I read this post, which is an important release of information regarding any presidential candidate, all I could think was – this will increase his popularity and increase his numbers in the polls for reasons beyond all reason.
No matter what he says, what he does, his treasonous support of Putin vs. President Obama, his exaggerated egotistical boasts (which is in reality excrement), his constant merry-go-round stand on all issues, the public borderline pornographic pictures of his current wife, his children’s debunked tweets regarding his prowess as a father, businessman and leader – his numbers continue to rise. His supporters scream and cheer at his every lying, nonsensical promise to save this country on his first day in office – beginning his first HOUR – his numbers continue to rise. All with the full support of the GOP.
This, to me, is a form of political terrorism and needs to be reported today along with our memories of September 11, 2001. Should he win the presidency he will be the cause of victims numbering in the millions, not thousands. But; how do we stop him when his numbers continue to rise?
Sheila:
I want to know about the people who actually plan to cast a vote for him. Who are they?What am I missing?
Why would anyone who isn’t a White Nationalist vote for an unstable, demonstrably unfit blowhard whose election would quite obviously pose a clear and present danger to the nation and the planet?
Because a vast majority of Republicans believe in WHITE CONTROL and that it can still be achieved in the face of an ever growing multi-cultural society. Unfortunately, that cannot be achieved through the use of an old Nazi Playbook based on anti-Semitism. America is not Germany. Blacks are not Jews. And it is suicidal to try to make it so. The only thing that will be achieved in all of this is RACIAL WARFARE. The long-standing build-up of anti-Semitism has already mutated into virulent racism. The symptoms are now as clear as night and day.
To make it short and sweet…..America, for the loss of a better word, is being FUCKED and it is bringing along the rest of the world with us.
We must stand up to power now. Or we will all live to regret it.
anthony has it right. The number of voters in this country who feel themselves detached from the establishment is legion. Those legions relate to Trump because he expresses their own feelings, in their language and their tone of anger. Hillary is the symbol of the establishment. She does not speak to them, about them (except in derogatory terms), nor does she know them. When during her campaign has she ever spoken to or about the millions living in poverty?
Early on those legions of Trump voters had an educated twin… the Sanders voters.
Theresa,
“At a critical point in German history, men of the left and of the right shared a common longing: to solve the problems of contemporary society by creating a force that would eliminate both Marxism and bourgeois society—-a “third force,” beyond capitalism and communism.
This opposition to established society was part of a wholesale rejection of modernity, as well as of disillusionment with the traditional pursuit of politics. Obsessed with the importance of absolute values, those who considered themselves to be a “third force” sought to make society correspond to a preconceived image of man and the world.”
“Germans & Jews: The Right and the Left and the Search for a “Third Force” in Pre-Nazi Germany” by George L. Mosse (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1970) from the back cover.
A thorough reading of the book would explain why both the Occupy Movement and the Bernie Sander’s campaign would only FAIL as a “Third Force” movement n America. And why Donald Trump’s movement has a very good chance of success.
Since I don’t know much about the Trump Foundation (I’ll research it later), I can’t be certain of its status, but most non-profits are required to submit Form 990 to the IRS. Unlike personal income tax returns, 990s are public record. We shouldn’t conflate his refusal to produce his personal returns with those of his foundation.
On the next topic, we tend to live in information bubbles. In the information bubble of the Trump voter, he is only seen as praiseworthy. His supporters don’t hear the truth about him, because they don’t read newspapers that don’t support him and they don’t listen to radio or television shows that don’t support him. Those that I have spoken to are unaware that he regularly cheats small businesses. They are unaware that he outsources everything that has his name on the label to third world countries. They don’t know or care about foreign affairs and they just don’t like foreigners.
Although it doesn’t seem like that could be that many people, we cannot afford to assume that he won’t win. As H. L. Mencken wrote, “No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
Peggy,
Great quote.
What I hear from my Trump supporting friends is a whole lot of Hillary-hate. Every lame Fox sponsored conspiracy theory is trotted out. When pressed ro say why they support him without mentioning her name I here a lot about blowing up the establishment. These are white, college educated men who are doing well financially. My personal interpretation of this is anger at being called racist for just wanting a fair chance and loss of the old ‘meritocratic’ system to black identity preference.
Theresa,
You and Anthony are correct. Voters on both sides of the aisle are fed up and disgusted with establishment politics. When Trump was chosen at the Republican Convention it represented a break, a crazy one for sure, from the establishment Republicans and saved the world from Cruz. When Sanders was stifled by the DNC, the Democrat establishment maintained its power, but only barely and to the detriment of the party.
To reiterate Theresa’s words, “Early on those legions of Trump voters had an educated twin… the Sanders voters.”
BSH,
You’re right. However, the difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is that the Republicans are much more “compatible” with each other. The Democratic Party is more a party of “incompatibles” much like the Popular Front in post-war France which won the presidential election in 1935. And then got “blown away” in about a year.
Bernie Sanders might have been an “educated twin” but definitely not a social one.
I just checked on the Trump Foundation. It is indeed a 501c3 not-for-profit and has filed 990s. They are available through 2014.
Great comments today. Sheila, as always, a well written and thoughtful blog. I truly believe Trump to be a dangerous person who in addition to being crude has aligned himself with a foreign leader that the US felt the need to impose sanctions on! He is also a misogynistic, racist, uniformed bully and liar. The sane members of the American public (the 50 or so percent not in the “basket of deplorables”) needs to DEMAND that the Republican Party insist that he release his taxes as well as his medical records OR withdraw all support of him. .
Marv,
I cannot speak to compatibility among either devoted Democrats or devoted Republicans simply because it’s been a long, long time since I aligned totally with either party’s vision or agenda for the future.
After growing up Democrat in a large family of politically active Democrats (some elected officials, a Bill Clinton appointed Federal Judge, and a State Democrat Chairperson), I voted the straight Democrat ticket through both Bill Clinton’s Presidential elections, then I began looking at the stupidity of throwing my political support totally behind a single party, too much like pledging my allegiance to a particular brand of religion or as my grandfather was prone to laugh about, “Be another Yellow Dog Democrat”. Since that personal epiphany, I’ve voted for both individual Democrats and for individual Republicans. For the upcoming election, I’ll vote 3rd party with a clear conscience.
Peggy,
You’re going in the right direction. Donald Trump needs to be discredited. You couldn’t beat Donald Trump and the movement he is leading by another ideological counter-movement or attempted ALTERNATE “Third Force.” The last time I looked Whites were still the largest majority in this country, about 2 to 1 over Latinos and 3 to 1 over African-Americans. Neither minority group was a significant supporter of Bernie Sanders.
Donald Trump needs to be discredited in EVERY WAY possible. But, the most VULNERABLE area is his strategy for political control. I’m not talking about winning or losing an election. I’m talking about afterwards. Can he rule? I believe the facts are clear that he can’t. And no one likes a LOSER.
“I skate to where the puck is gonna be, not where it has been. ~Wayne Gretzky, NHL hockey great
A further point on my earlier comments.
It will not be enough for Hillary’s campaign to expose Trump for the dog he is. Many of his supporters know he is a dog of the worse type and DO NOT CARE! He speaks for them. He bellows their anger. He feeds their fear. Hillary and the Democratic Party need to recognize, understand and speak to and for the masses who struggle daily not to lose more ground than they already have over the past 15 years. She needs to dump the twenty thousand dollar jacket, the bling, and the haughty air. She needs to pound the podium with demands for an increase to the minimum wage. She needs to loudly call out the obstructionist Congress and connect their behavior to the conditions of the masses. And she needs to use the words of the people. A well placed cuss word here and there would not hurt. Most of all, she needs to plainly denounce Wall Street and put forth an easily understood plan to straighten that mess out. Elizabeth Warren could help her with that.
BSH,
How can you vote against your conscience, in good conscience? How can I argue against your vote? I can’t in good conscience.
That’s why I’m concentrating on AFTER THE ELECTION.
Trump is a mere empty celebrity and a failed businessman. There are thousands like him.
Our problem is easy to lead voters. Or as PT labeled them, suckers.
Or as H. L. Mencken pointed out, “No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”
Democracy counts on informed voters as the majority. The GOP had been systematically misinforming voters for 30 years.
Getting to here was perfectly predictable.
I think we all see the problem. “The pot needs to be stirred.”
Theresa,
You’re on top of things! If folks can step back from the personalities and view the big picture from an objective viewpoint, it’s easy to see that Hillary and her handlers are missing the mark in more ways than one. As you wrote, she needs to dump the designer jackets (feed sacks, some would say), cut back on her fund-raising events where 1000 people pay upwards of $250K to dine with Hillary and Barbra Streisand, and begin organizing free, no fee pot-luck dinner meetings (pitch-in’s if you’re from Indiana) in areas of black, brown, and white poverty across the US. Be available to the people, be there for the people, and meet the people’s need for understanding. All most people want in life is to be understood, to be heard in a respectful manner.
Now we have a problem. The GOP has demonstrated that in these megamedia days lying is very effective politics and so much easier than governance.
What future does that portend for Democracy?
BSH “All most people want in life is to be understood, to be heard in a respectful manner.” Exactly!
Theresa,
We’re on the same page.
I can think of a couple of explanations for voters supporting the short-fingered vulgarian. First, there’s party loyalty. As Dana Milbank said during the primaries, the GOP could nominate a ham sandwich and it would get 48% of the vote. The vulgarian has tested that amount, and reduced it be a few points; rational conservatives concerned for their party (for SOME conservative party, even if in the end it isn’t the GOP) aren’t going to vote for him. But that leaves the rest of the Republicans who can’t imagine voting for any other party- too much cognitive dissonance in the idea of a split ticket.
Among those are the new GOP base- those embracing the worst sentiments and beliefs brought out by the vulgarian, and who identify with him. And let’s remember. Pretty much all of the GOP candidates this time around pandered to this group. The vulgarian just panderd loudest, and ran a successful strategy of controlling the news cycles.
Which brings me to a third factor- Bread and circuses. Media, and especially social media and the Internet, have made low information voters out of almost all of us. Civic responsibility takes time and effort. Memes and sensational headlines from narrow-interest sources that play to our biases are far easier.
Patrick Sullivan,
You are still stuck on personalities. If possible, let’s “Stop the world” borrowing from the Broadway show and step aside and speak beyond the actors/the candidates, speak beyond the 4th wall, if you’re familiar with dramatic devices, and speak to the audience, the voters.
Patrick, it matters little if you consider yourself a high-information voter and consider countless others as low-information voters. Of primary importance is that all of us will traipse on over to our polling places and vote in election cycle 2016. Whether you enter your polling place believing you’re a high-information voter with all the answers and the remainder of the voters are simply low-information bumpkins who are clueless does not matter one whit when the votes are counted.
Unless you wish to return to an era where mandatory literacy tests were required of those wishing to vote, then, Patrick, you are out of luck. And, personally, you are sounding like an elitist voter.
Elitist is a funny word. What does it mean? Is it good to recognize achievement or bad? I for instance try to select my doctors based on elitism. I would like to have the best that I can afford for critical things.
I think the same way about hiring a President. Elitist for sure for that job.
But there are people who don’t care about qualifications only celebrity. They vote for promises no matter how far-fetched, unlikely, and self serving.
Am I an elitist?
I can’t think of anyone more deserving of being describes as a deplorable than Hillary Clinton mentor Henry Kissinger.
500,000 dead Iraqi children are worth the effort for our initiatives. Is thayt not a deplorable statement/sentiment?
Trump is doing well because Hillary Clinton is much more of a narcissist and moron than Hillary Clinton. The New Democrats are nothing more than Neo-Liberal policy makers with no empathy for those outside of the uppermost 10%. The Democratic Party is nothing more than the identity politics wing of the Republican Party. Everyone is aware that the New Democrats cannot and will not effectively and appropriately govern.
Btw,many of those “deplorables” are veterans. To describe a segemnt of the American public as “deplorables is infantile and absolutely vulgar. The Democrats have shown their true colors when they railroaded Sanders. I just might vote for Trump because his foreign policies are not as insanr as Hillary Clinton’s. Plus,Trump doesn’t accept millions of dollars from such “progressive” monarchies as the House of Saud. Being gay in SA can cause one to lose their head. Nevermind how the kingdom treats women and immigrant workers.
The hypocrisy of Clinton and her authoritarian Democrat establishment is a big turn off. One must ask why so many progressives dislike Clinton? Of course,that would require some soul searching within the party……Can’t have that!
The ugliness of Clinton’s type of politics will not end at her coronation.
Lots of typos and misspellings in my previous post. I have a lot of trouble typing these days. Having said that,here’s a look into why so many are not happy with Clinton and her minions…
An excerpt:
With the neoliberal consensus under attack the strategy of officialdom is to define the realm of political possibility from Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump. Mr. Trump’s blatant racist and nativist chatter is seen as a threat to the establishment because it is blatant, not because it is racist and / or nativist. Ronald Reagan began his run for the Presidency in 1980 in Philadelphia, Mississippi where three civil rights workers were brutally murdered in the 1960s to signal that race was to again be used to divide working class interests for the benefit of capital. Hillary Clinton slandered Black children with the dehumanizing term ‘super-predators’ as the Clintons pushed for longer mandatory prison sentences, increased capital punishment and the build-out of mass incarceration. The idea that officialdom is either surprised or horrified by Mr. Trump’s cynical drivel would be laughable if it weren’t so transparent.
More here: http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/09/09/and-the-ship-goes-down/
I can’t speak for others,but I’ve grown weary of the Democrat establishment and its inability to take my vote for anything more than granted. Plus,the inane appeals from her sycophants and the party just ring hollow.
Well this morning on CBS Sunday Morning there was evidence of one Westfield, Indiana voter that is going to vote for Trump. She looked to be in her 30’s and said this will be the first election that she has ever voted in. She added that her whole family loves Trump. I would guess that stems from his Apprentice Days. So possibly we have a segment of our population that idolizes him from his reality TV show combined with his appearance of wealth and business success, and thinks he would be a great leader for our country. Not a line of thinking that I would ever be able to rationalize. When asked what do you think will happen if Clinton wins, she answers, ” I don’t know. You just can’t trust her.” She hit the nail on the head. She doesn’t know crap and has formed her voting opinions from a reality star that will say whatever brain fart comes to mind.
What to expect next after I believe Clinton will win, all the Trump supporters saying the election was rigged.
This comment from here:
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2016/09/httpturcopoliertypepadcomsic_semper_tyrannis201608gordon-p-and-althea-p-lang-26html.html#comments
Sums it up. No mystery,really.
” Romney’s conservative conceit was that anyone not supporting him must have been an irresponsible person bought off by government benefits. He was oblivious to the fact that the 47 percent of adults who don’t pay income tax include retirees, college students, the unemployed seeking work, the working poor who pay social insurance and sales taxes but not income tax, the truly disabled and the institutionalized.
Clinton’s liberal conceit is that half of those not supporting her are raciest, homophobic, misogynistic, and/or xenophobic uneducated rednecks and the rest misguided as if any thinking person would just naturally agree with her.
Neither understand both represent just different parts of the same establishment and that much of the support for Obama and Trump was then and is now based on a yearning, however misplaced it might have been then and I highly suspect is now, for fundamental change to a corrupt system that is rigged against most of us”.
William,
Thanks for the link. Terrific article.
I was referring to the “Counterpunch” article. I can now understand Williams continuous position much better. His major point is very well taken. Hillary Clinton might be more dangerous to democracy than Donald Trump.
What a mess!
Like Hillary, I’m 69 years old. I’m also not given to conspiracy theories nor am I a hypochondriac who falls ill frequently, actually if ever. So, just now I’m reading this article from the Washington Post, “Clinton falls ill during 9/11 memorial service in New York”, and my immediate takeaway is that Hillary simply is reporting way too many instances of ill health. Suck it up, girl, and move on if you’re serious about this election.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/09/11/clinton-falls-ill-during-911-memorial-service-in-new-york/
Write letters to the Clinton campaign and tell them your ideas about potlucks. I think the GOP is trying to destroy her and no matter what she does, it’s going to make someone mad. Trump is verifiably nuts. And I don’t care about having lunch with her and Streisand but someone does. Let’s tell folks why we are voting for Hillary. Post it on your door. Tell folks at the store. Trump is dangerous.
Marge,
“Let’s tell folks why we are voting for Hillary. Post it on your door. Tell folks at the store. Trump is dangerous.”
There is no present institution that has the FUNCTIONAL ability to organize the effort that you can see is so necessary.
BSH; the report on MSNBC stated Hillary got overheated, was taken to Chelsea’s home and was fine. With the close-packed crowd, that could be all it was. Had she stayed and went through the crowd; glad-handing and talking-up everyone , she would have been accused of only being there to seek votes. Was Trump there?
JoAnn, I hear you, and I also see Hillary being dragged into a black minivan where she was physically unable to stand. I’m not one to throw a person under the bus or the minivan, but I am one who trusts what she sees.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/11/hillary-clintons-health-just-became-a-real-issue-in-the-presidential-campaign/?tid=pm_politics_pop_b
BSH; I hadn’t seen the video till after I posted my comments. Haven’t checked any news channels for updates.
Marge,
You’re right. We need to stick to the MAJOR ISSUE, even if the Democratic Party is afraid to say it like it is.
Marge, “Let’s tell folks why we are voting for Hillary. Post it on your door. Tell folks at the store. Trump is dangerous. HE IS VERIFIABLY NUTS.”
You don’t need a psychiatric opinion to make that point.
nut case [Slang] one who is eccentric or crazy: also nut’ case n.
~Webster’s New World Dictionary
cra-zy (kra’ ze) adj. -zi-er, -zi-est [<craze] l. unsound of mind; insane 2. [Inf.] foolish; not sensible 3. [Inf.] very enthusiastic or eager–n., pl, -zies [Slang] a crazy person–like crazy [Inf.] with great energy, intensity, etc. –cra'zi-ly adv.–cra'zi-ness
~Webster's New World Dictionary
A person doesn't have to be committed to SHUN. I've done that many times without the aid of a psychiatric report or knowledge of incarceration in a mental institution.
shun (shun) vt. shunned, shun'ning [OE scunian] to keep away from; avoid scrupulously
~Webster's New World Dictionary
Hillary Clinton's political ads against Donald Trump are ineffective in many respects because they are NOT SPECIFICALLY about his mental state. So far they are about possibly dropping a nuclear bomb ( many would like to do that) or profanity (many of us do that on this blog) or taking dangerous actions like going to war (many favor that especially against ISIS).
Don't worry about a lawsuit from Trump on this type of an attack. There are many crazies out there who have never even been examined.
The Koch Brothers' political maneuvers have now exposed us to a nut case. They even shun him.
Hillary Clinton isn’t going to make a fight of it. Looking at the presidential race from a “deep perspective,” both Trump and Clinton are on the same side.
I am a lifelong liberal Democrat who has blogged against neoliberal Democrats on occasion but I will tell you this – that any kind of Democrat is an improvement over a deranged person so mired in deep narcissism that he may not even know he is persistently lying from one moment to the next. This election is about more than politics; it is very possibly about survival, and not just about the survival of our democracy but survival itself. I will be very nervous (whether in Canada or elsewhere) if a mentally defective person knows all of our state secrets and is sitting next to the atomic button, and so should those residents of Chad, Malaysia and downtown Shanghai.
The short answer is that they’re nihilists who actively wish to harm their country. The long answer involves a visit, as you said, to a psychiatrists couch. Marx on alienation is also instructive, as are Goodman & Becker.
Gerald,
I believe and maybe you do too, that the mental stability of Donald Trump is one of the most important issues in the world right now. We’re both attorneys.
Determining the issue is what we were trained to do in law school. My expertise as an attorney was mental illness. I’ve handled 100’s of mental illness commitments as well as handled the 1st criminal case under the new Texas law covering the insanity defense. I was court appointed, as an expert by the courts, for defendants using the insanity defense for their sociopathic crimes.
Donald Trump is dangerous. His actions are those of a sociopath. Whether he is clinically a sociopath is not the issue.
It should be very evident the American People are in an angry mood. The leadership of Reid, McConnell, Pelosi and Ryan have been abject failures. The Middle Class is shrinking. We cannot seem to produce/manufacture most consumer products that we buy, which means those jobs are gone. The Healthcare system for most people is a Gordian Knot, hopelessly tangled. ( I am lucky I have VA coverage, plus Medicare) Higher education college, or trade schools are hugely expensive. You have this education for profit system that has attached itself to all levels of our education system.
William 1, thank you for the Counterpunch link. Here is another link http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/09/09/for-clinton-v-trump-blame-corporate-media/
I do not see the Trumpet pressing the nuclear button. He likes the good life, and I am sure living in a bunker the rest of his life is not an attractive future.
Hillary and Bill Clinton are the Corporate Versions of Bonnie and Clyde, jetting around the world and shaking down the very rich for speaking fees and donations to the Clinton Foundation.
For most part I read, see and hear a lot of verbiage about voting against the Trumpet and the Republicans. The Democrats are thoroughly satisfied with the status quo of Corporatism as usual as evidenced by the “choices” here in Indiana of Evan Bayh and John Gregg.
One thing the powers that be and the Corporate McMega-Media will not allow is Jill Stein or Gary Johnson on the debate stage with Hillary and Trump.
Trump simply has zero qualifications to be President. Nothing else is relevant.
here is the answer to sheila’s question:
The “other” people who support Trump get almost all of their “news” from one source – Fox News. As we all know, Fox News is sheer right-wing propaganda masquerading as a “fair and balanced” news channel. This is deception, pure and simple. Fox is built on and sustained by lies. Thus, Trump supporters have invested in these lies and parrot them incessantly – they actually believe the lies. They are the same people who started the Obama birther movement and believe to this day that Sadaam Hussein was behind 9/11. This is also why it is so easy to predict what the Fox viewers and Trump supporters are going to say and what they believe.
Now, imagine if these lies were actually true. If that were the case, then one could empathize with their position and support of Trump. This is the “reality” that Trump supporters live in.
Wow, BHS, I think you missed my point. Please see Sheila’s blog post for today (9/12) on the role of media has played in the current polarization of the electorate. It’s that polarization that is behind Milbank’s ham sandwich comment, and it’s the confirmation bias of narrow information sources that produces the polarization that’s behind the bread and circuses remark.