Trump - Clown Genius

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Chad
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Chad »

ffj wrote:@Chad
We'll have to wait and see about the economy and the rust belt and the like. Some of this stuff is going to have to be played out before an honest assessment can be had.
You can wait, but the money will be made and lost by then.
ffj wrote: I would say a greater recruiting tool for extremist Muslims would be the bombing campaigns by our government that occur in those countries. Watch this and ask yourself why suddenly it is a huge issue for you now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FTFB9GDfls
Absolutely, I have said in the past how the bombing's are a very poor short-term solution for a long-term problem. It's my whole soft power argument. Definitely one of my complaints with Obama.

Also, be wary of those video talk shows. It's much easier to hide BS in those than in the written word.
ffj wrote: If you think this is a Muslim ban then you aren't really being honest with yourself, and all of this talk by Schumer and others is capitulation.
I don't believe I have ever said this was a muslim ban or mentioned a famous person. Not sure why you brought this up in a conversation with me. My whole point is the miss assessment of risk.
ffj wrote: We should as a nation never have to apologize for taking steps to protect this country. We can argue the effectiveness of these measures, but the day we ask permission from other countries to protect ourselves is hopefully over.
No we shouldn't, but this doesn't protect us at all. In fact, it hurts us long-term, which I have explained ad nauseam on here. Same as I did before the Iraq War started. Though, obviously not here, as it didn't exist.

Also, this is like my grandma who is scared to go into the city because she sees a murder on the local news. She doesn't judge risk properly.
ffj wrote: Also, dictator is a strong word. The question should be whether he is violating the Constitution and denying citizens their constitutional rights. Even though he is being challenged by a couple of courts, I'm pretty sure everything he has done has been within the law and within his purview. I don't remember anyone having a problem with Obama in 2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA-QfhirlRg
It is a strong word, I used it on purpose, and it's over the top. He isn't a dictator, but his actions are not promising. The State Department purge, his isolation of the intelligence agencies and military, him weirdly befriending Comey and almost no other current senior official, etc. The list is Yuge.

It's not the use of executive orders as it is the complete disregard for even trying to keep them within the Constitution and the bad policies. That's the difference between the two.

Also, I'm not watching anymore videos. If you want to support your point that's very welcome, but I'm only reading articles from now on. Videos take forever and, as I noted earlier, are easier to BS than the written word.

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

If you want some more scary insight follow Timur Kuran on Twitter (@timurkuran). He is a Duke professor from Turkey who has followed Erdogan's rise from positive reformist President to dictator. So many of the moves between the two leaders are eerily similar.
Trump and Chavez also have been described as using the same tactics: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... milarities

Papers of Indenture
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Papers of Indenture »

m741 wrote:Since this thread is mostly theorizing at this point, I think this article describing how the current situation is getting ducks in a row for a coup is interesting. IMO it's overall accurate with respect to intent, but that the actual consolidation of power will be a bit slower and more subtle (using noisy executive orders to distract in the meantime). Curious to hear other's thoughts.

https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/trial ... .fh2jxk9o5
Uh. So you think a discussion of a coup might have covered...you know...the military. I'm sure Mattis (the establishment agent in the admin and arguably the most popular figure among rank and file officers in decades) and every O-6+ would have no impact on this.

I'm as wary of Bannon and his goon crew as anyone but this article is no better than the masturbatory Kek magic of the alt right.
Last edited by Papers of Indenture on Tue Jan 31, 2017 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

Papers of Indenture
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Papers of Indenture »

I need to re-iterate that I do not trust Bannon and Miller. I'm well aware that Bannon is essentially a self styled chaos magician with access to the levers of global politics. I think this is basically correct:
First, the decision to first block, and then allow, green card holders was meant to create chaos and pull out opposition; they never intended to hold it for too long. It wouldn’t surprise me if the goal is to create “resistance fatigue,” to get Americans to the point where they’re more likely to say “Oh, another protest? Don’t you guys ever stop?” relatively quickly.
and this:
That is to say, the administration is testing the extent to which the DHS (and other executive agencies) can act and ignore orders from the other branches of government.
But to go from there to this is a coup is only playing into the hands of their strategy in my opinion

George the original one
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by George the original one »

Papers of Indenture wrote:Uh. So you think a discussion of a coup might have covered...you know...the military.
DHS not following court orders? They're not exactly military, but they do have guns and authority and 45k employees.

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by jacob »

Since it's still #1 on the amazon bestseller list (one week later), I figured it would be appropriate to quote something that I think is relevant that I've seen in the general/social/media "debate" over the weekend. It also applies in a general sense wrt the genius of understanding and manipulating clowns.
1984 wrote:The first and simplest stage in the discipline, which can be taught even to young children, is called, in Newspeak, CRIMESTOP. CRIMESTOP means the faculty of stopping short, as though by instinct, at the threshold of any dangerous thought. It includes the power of not grasping analogies, of failing to perceive logical errors, of misunderstanding the simplest arguments if they are inimical to Ingsoc, and of being bored or repelled by any train of thought which is capable of leading in a heretical direction. CRIMESTOP, in short, means protective stupidity... orthodoxy in the full sense demands a control over one's own mental processes as complete as that of a contortionist over his body.
Sound familiar?

And later on ...
1984 wrote:[Winston] set to work to exercise himself in crimestop. He presented himself with propositions--'the Party says the earth is flat', 'the party says that ice is heavier than water'--and trained himself in not seeing or not understanding the arguments that contradicted them. It was not easy. It needed great powers of reasoning and improvisation.
But that book was written ~70 years ago ... whereas today one does not need to perform mental contortion oneself to engage in crimestop. The internet makes it easy to remain dumb and just google and share prefabricated memes or slogans that work just as well.

I think what we've seen over the weekend just confirms how much "crimestop"-mentality (clown) now dominates. Field research indicates that a majority can't even find the banned countries on a map much less know any background or why these countries are on this or that list. I bet most think visa refers to their credit card and that the Visa Waiver Program refers to how one can pay for groceries without having to enter a pin code.

List of crimestop arguments I noticed on social/media until my brain developed an acute case of hypoxia:

[This is an anti-muslim ban.] Sure all countries on the list are majority Muslim, and yes, Rudy Giuliani has admitted as much. That Trump made a statement about favoring Christians doesn't help. However, there are plenty of other majority Muslim countries that did not make it to the list. Of course in the simplistic clown-optic, many will see this as anti-Muslim and thus play into the terrorist recruitment narrative and possibly increase domestic terrorism which has always (except 9/11) been the biggest source factor of US terrorism. See below ...

[This is to protect us from terrorism.] Another meme list is circulating indicating that 1) Of the seven banned countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen), none of them has actually contributed to any terrorist-based killings (this is a fact, but see (*) below). 2) The ones that actually have caused deaths: 9/11 (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE), Boston Marathon (Russia), Charleston Church (US born citizen), Chattanooga (Kuwaiti-born US citizen), San Bernadino (US born citizen with Pakistani parents), Orlando (US born citizen, Afghani parents), Ft. Lauderdale (US) are NOT on the list ... and Trump has businesses in [many of] the latter ones.

If you look at the ban list ... you'll find countries that the US either has had an oppositional relationship with either for decades (going back to the cold war) because they sided with the Soviet Union (Sudan, Somalia) and/or because they were anti-Israel (Iran) or cheered for Iraq (Yemen) or they are countries that the US has recently droned, bombed, or otherwise tried to destabilize (Iraq, Libya, Syria) but over the past few years have a positive relationship with the government (but maybe not the people who were living in an anti-US country until recently.)

And if you look at the allied or terror-incident list ... you'll find countries that are either military dictatorships, absolute monarchies, or heading in that direction. The US has a rich history of being rather pragmatic in that regard. The enemy of our enemy is our friend regardless of how nice or above-the-board our expedient friend is.

How would I explain the difference?
  • If your country is trying to overthrow an oppressive government in some other country and people flee in your direction, I think odds are good that the refugees are running your way because they like you. This explains why there haven't been any successful(*) terrorist attacks from countries on the banned list.
  • If your country supports an oppressive government in some other country, it's not unsurprising that the people of that country aside from hating their own government will also start hating your government. This explains why all the terrorist attacks come from these countries.
So in effect ... this ban does nothing to protect us from terrorism. If the goal was to prevent terrorism, then on top of vetting any immigrants from the countries the US intervenes in ... also vet immigrants from countries the US supports that relate to various small wars or ongoing insurgency. And if you want to be really sure, look at domestic sources as well (see below).

Yes, Trump probably has businesses in countries that sourced terrorists, and you, yes you, probably do too if you own stock in transnational companies. Most of the countries from which people committed acts of terrorism are US allies. So it's an asinine argument that the terrorist-sourcing countries are not on the list because of Trump's personal business interests.

[Look at Europe and their problems with refugees. We don't want that in the US] Fair point ... but it just looks bad to officially go out and refuse to clean up the mess that one has generated over the past 2-50 years (Republican and Democrat administrations alike) in the interest of opposing the Soviets, helping Israel, or stabilizing the oil price.

What this actually is ... is a refugee ban. It's just, we can't call it that w/o looking like jerks to most humans. Taking at least some responsibility of the consequences of one's actions is a fairly universal human value. "If you break it, you buy it."

[But Obama created the list] Yes, but he didn't use it to ban/clobber immigrants or previously approved visa holders. There are two policies here. In 2011, the fingerprints of two Iraqis on SIV (from aiding the US military in Iraq) living in Bowling Green, KY were matched to finger prints found on IEDs. This caused a revision of the SIV(+) vetting policy which slowed it down but didn't stop it. In 2015, the list of seven was excluded from the Visa Waiver program. This means that instead of doing ESTA and filling out those papers in the airplane, these countries now had to obtain a normal visa first.

(+) That's just one particular visa program. As far as I know this just slowed the processing down. It did not affect green card holders, researchers, etc.

[So why aren't people outraged when Obama did it too] While Obama's order meant that people had to obtain a visa first, the Trump order outright canceled all visas retroactively. This meant that people with green cards, student, research, professional, etc. visas were suddenly prevented from entering the country. This caused a great spectacle in the airports. Obviously, if visas can be taken away while someone is on the plane, it's a risk both to the people living here and the companies and universities that employ these people. In terms of long-term damage to the US economy, people now have to decide whether it's worth it to go do research or take a specialist job in the US ... insofar you effectively could risk being prevented from coming back to your job, house, family, etc. if you go on a vacation, business trip, conference, etc. As a green card holder, even I consider this a risk now ... how can I be sure that a new order doesn't ban people for other reasons overnight (for writing a post like this, for example) at some point in the future.

[But it only affected 1% of travelers so who cares?] Obviously not anyone who has never left their home state and doesn't plan on it either for the far future. But I've seen articles both from the business and the research community on how to handle this new risk. Google recalled all their employees (don't leave the country). Everybody in the research community will likely know a co-worker who's affected. Here's the message this order sent to the entire international research community: If you come to the US to do research, it's in your best interest not to leave once you get in. Therefore, you can't go to the usual 2-6 conferences you normally be expected to attend annually; this in turn will probably sink your future career prospects, so maybe consider other options if you have them. Ditto specialist workers and students. These professionals are not oblivious; they're highly mobile; and they're able to connect enough dots to wonder if they're the next ones to get thrown under the bus and if their career risk is worth it.

(*)[But a couple of these countries did have terrorist immigrants] Fair point. But notice how they were all caught before they managed to do anything. The vetting process is already pretty extensive. Notice that actual terrorism is either from US allies or it's homegrown either inspired by social media+foreign policy actions (e.g. US born with family ties back to a state where the US is dropping bombs or allied with an oppressive government or simply based on religion) or it's in places where the government for some reason doesn't seem to look, e.g. white supremacists (Charleston) and anti-government (police assassinations); and that's not because these terrorists are particularly clever and refrain from bragging about their nefarious plans on social media. It's rather that the government doesn't run similar vetting for these homegrown terrorists.

However, good luck in trying to make this point with anyone who has mastered "crimestop" (see first quote) or its modern equivalent of "memeshare". I've generally given up in disgust/futility trying to engage with people who are in the habit or making their point with memes or overly simplified talking points. The geopolitical reality is completely out of whack with the ongoing partisan sportsball-inspired "debate". I feel like another Wheaton table is coming up. I'm wondering if anyone has any success stories in terms of unclowning any clowns?

I don't really care to debate any of the above points. What I'm more interested is is the almost complete lack of analysis anywhere. I wrote this post because I haven't seen a summary like I put together here ANYWHERE else. I find it fundamentally disturbing that the focus everywhere has moved from "lets analyze the why and the where of what's going on" to "look at the genius ways the clown demographic is strategically being manipulated". It's a sad thing to watch in a democracy.

cmonkey
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by cmonkey »

Hillbilly Elegy is now #2 on the list. 114 holds at my library.

I don't know about converting any clowns, but this past week is probably tipping people who are on the fence about closing their social media accounts. It's working for DW anyway.

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Ego
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Ego »

jacob wrote:I'm wondering if anyone has any success stories in terms of unclowning any clowns?
No success here, but I believe it is useful to distinguish between willful-clowns and unknowing-clowns. The willful-clowns, those who decide to pretend that this is all okay, must be made to know that they will pay a price for their willful-clowniness. They need to understand that there will not be a truth and reconciliation commission where all will be forced to forgive.

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by jacob »

I used "clown" because it's in the thread title, but on second thought, it's obviously an unnecessarily inflammatory word.

What I meant [by clowns] are those who engage in crimestop, specifically the part I bolded below. I'd hate to call them crimestoppers because the irony would probably be lost "by construction" :? ... and before anyone here takes offense, I mostly consider this forum the exception to the rule observed everywhere else so far.
1984 wrote:The first and simplest stage in the discipline, which can be taught even to young children, is called, in Newspeak, CRIMESTOP. CRIMESTOP means the faculty of stopping short, as though by instinct, at the threshold of any dangerous thought. It includes the power of not grasping analogies, of failing to perceive logical errors, of misunderstanding the simplest arguments if they are inimical to Ingsoc, and of being bored or repelled by any train of thought which is capable of leading in a heretical direction. CRIMESTOP, in short, means protective stupidity... orthodoxy in the full sense demands a control over one's own mental processes as complete as that of a contortionist over his body.
Here "dangerous thought" means switching shirt-color ... or taking your shirt off/refusing to wear one... or even remotely acknowledging [to oneself or to the public] that one's position contains potential flaws or that truth is not necessarily found exactly in between opposing positions.

I see a few different species in this quote which I've also recognized out there in the real world. People who favor slogan-sized bites (the majority, really). People who tl;dr any argument larger than a meme once it becomes clear that they have to think in order to understand it. People who are selectively-logical and extremely skilled in misinterpreting any statement that they disagree with to the point of being an exercise in extreme frustration to listen to. What's funny is that rarely does one person exhibit all traits. People usually pick a mode. I also notice that these are all passive actions. There's also a much smaller group (the clown geniuses) who are capable of actively manufacturing source material for these specific groups of "crimestoppers" to use.

It's pretty much the political analogy of selling 20 different brands of canned tomato to the consumer so that the consumer believes they're the ones making deliberate choices instead of realizing they're chumps or pawns in a greater game #platoscave Another concept that's worth bringing up is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_id ... _innocents just to provide a different perspective.

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by bryan »

jacob wrote: I feel like another Wheaton table is coming up. I'm wondering if anyone has any success stories in terms of unclowning any clowns?
Not really, but I think it's doable for, at least, the Muslim Ban (where there exists a lot of incongruity).

_Quickly_ react to each one in a short (low-effort) and rational manner, usually linking to primary sources. They'll reply back with something diversionary or incendiary but I counter with "agreement" using their language and re-iterate primary point or maybe add in my own diversionary alt-facts from the last 8 years or from alt-alt-fact sources (doomers/libertarians/neutral news/etc). I try to highlight the simplest of ironies by being complicit in their own language (in-group debating), etc.

Can't say this scales or works all that well but at least for the Muslim Ban my own "clown genius" contact has resorted to avoiding the topic (he shares ~5 fake news stories each day). The posts I responded to received _far_ less likes than the other topics I don't. I didn't receive any idiot replies other than perhaps an initial reply where I do the counter above.

It's not super effective (I doubt anyone read the exchanges and decided to call their Senators), but I have to do it for my own sanity.. Then again I did get a few PMs from normal friends (one who was actually a Trump shit-poster pre-election) expressing the amazement at the stupidity on display (e.g. calling a direct link to court documents a liberal media story) etc.

Maybe better memes would work?
jacob wrote: I don't really care to debate any of the above points. What I'm more interested is is the almost complete lack of analysis anywhere. I wrote this post because I haven't seen a summary like I put together here ANYWHERE else. I find it fundamentally disturbing that the focus everywhere has moved from "lets analyze the why and the where of what's going on" to "look at the genius ways the clown demographic is strategically being manipulated". It's a sad thing to watch in a democracy.
Yeah, summary like that mostly exists in folks' Twitter histories afaict.. not the best for discover-ability.


All these manipulated clowns seem to be older boomers. Too bad their parents are dead, else i imagine those parents could give them a good talking to.
Last edited by bryan on Tue Jan 31, 2017 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

7Wannabe5
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

jacob said: What this actually is ... is a refugee ban. It's just, we can't call it that w/o looking like jerks to most humans. Taking at least some responsibility of the consequences of one's actions is a fairly universal human value. "If you break it, you buy it."
Agree. I can't even deal with this issue anymore. The number one thing that makes me want to tear my hair out and stab my eyeballs with frustration is the lack of understanding of the vast diaspora of people who practice or come from a country/culture that majority practices Islam. For instance, I recently double-team substitute taught a classroom full of poorly behaved 6th graders, mostly boys recently immigrated from Yemen, with a recently displaced PhD immigrant from Iraq in his late 60s, who in a previous life was involved in a research project originated in Belgium that was attempting to ameliorate problems with khat addiction in villages in Yemen. The kids from Yemen aren't at all menacing (some of the kids from the projects can be), but they can be wild, disrespectful and constantly clowning, so it can be kind of like having to deal with 12 Vinnie Barbarinos in the same room. Anyways, my Iraqi colleague told me that the kids are much better behaved here than in the schools in Yemen, so we are doing a good job. OTOH, most of the older boys from Bangladesh. although equally poor, are quite well-behaved and literate-upon-arrival. For instance, I interacted with one 16 year old who had no English on his first day of school, and had no difficulty "talking" to him about the algebra assignment the group was attempting. Charming little 7 year old girls will present me with drawings they made for me, and explain how they learned a technique for shading at the school for art and dancing they attended before coming to America. All the kids run around and play outside in large groups after school, just like in some documentary about Ellis Island. They ride around 3 on a bike with no tires, toss basketballs while dressed in full hijab and little pink Converse, and, I kid you not, literally play pick-up games of cricket with found boards in litter strewn vacant lots. They love Elsa, Sponge Bob, and pizza. Here's what they would say if the media would ever talk to them rather than about them "My family is from ________. I am American! :D "

Chad
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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Chad »

@ffj
I’m unable to understand how cutting taxes (revenue) and increasing spending (infrastructure, border wall, etc.) even remotely lowers the deficit, let alone the debt.

Oh, I agree the drone strikes are bad, as they again are a short-term solution for a long-term problem. I have said so before. But, who was I going to vote for previously? The other party was likely to up the number of drone strikes, so my only real recourse was to vote for less of them with Obama. (No, I’m not voting 3rd party, as in my view it’s a throwaway vote. Plus, I don’t like most of those people either.)

Yes, part of the protests are just because of Trump and, yes, the protestors should have been angrier about the strikes. Just because the protestors failed to protest the first time doesn’t mean they should fail to protest now.
It should be noted there were lawsuits brought against the Obama administration over drone strikes. This included ones by the ACLU. One example: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/ ... -kill-list

My argument against the ban is it doesn’t make us any safer and costs us a lot. The real cost will come when the next immigrant trying to start a company decides this type of policy suggests there is too much risk in starting a company in the US. How could one not be concerned in that position? http://fortune.com/2016/03/18/billion-d ... tudy-nfap/

No apologies necessary. I probably sounded harsher than I meant to in my anti-video comment. Even when I’m looking for information myself, I’m always angry when I click on a link I think is an article and I get a video. I don’t need 15 minutes of poor public speaking skills for two sentences of real information or, in many cases, no information.

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Chad »

@ffj
You may not read this, but that's fine. Politics is frustrating.

Again, I don't see how reducing revenue and spending more is going to keep the debt in check and see no reason to think that's even barely likely.

I would argue we should have been spending a ton of money during the 2nd worst downturn in US history (Keynesian), but we also should have been saving from roughly 2001-2007 during the good years (Austrian) and we should start saving again sometime in the last year or so.

I have been thinking about how no candidate, group, etc. ever dodges failure, hypocrisy, etc. the last few months. I have come to the conclusion that I don't think it's reasonable or even possible to find a candidate, group, etc. that is perfect. It doesn't exist and never has. Which means it's foolish on our part, and I have definitely done this, to expect to find this perfection. Especially, when politics doesn't always deal with 2+2=4 issues, where an answer for an issue is provable 100% of the time. Lots of gray and lots of variables to cloud everything. So, yes, consistency shouldn't be ignored, but perfect consistency should. It just can't exist.

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Ego »

ffj wrote: I am not arguing whether we are justified in doing this or not, but I want to point out that Obama didn't suffer mass protests when people were dying because of his presidential actions. That is important to note, as it shows that most protesters don't really have Muslim interests at heart. Rather, they are simply a vehicle to attack Trump. If they didn't care that we were killing them, then why all of a sudden do they care that they can't come into our country for 90 days?
The people we try to hit with drone strikes are not the same people we vet to let into the country. "Them" is not a whole country. It is a sad state of affairs if that must be said aloud.

I have a friend who is a green card holder from Syria (UCLA grad) who was working to bring over his siblings. His life just changed drastically. But the problem is much worse than the relatively few from the seven countries who are affected by this order. Green card holders from every country are now second guessing their decision to base themselves in the US. An Australian told me the other day that she (hard science Phd) has started looking for jobs back in Australia. Another American friend (university instructor) is absolutely terrified that her female partner's green card will be revoked because it is based on their same sex marriage. Two weeks ago I would have said her fears were unfounded. Not any more.

He has pulled the stopper on a brain drain like we've never seen before.

It is interesting that the people who support this ban so fervently are those least likely to know anyone affected by it and least capable of understanding its true consequences.

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by bryan »

I'll have to agree with @Ego. I think folks making the, partially valid, argument @ffj is aren't seeing the long-range effects, it's a blindspot to them. You can go online to any article on the Muslim Ban and see comments, from folks that think the protesters are just attacking Trump, like "I 100% support legal immigration..." Really? So you are against the EO then? Or you see comments like "It's just a temporary inconvenience for some folks" :x

@ffj, I think a big factor is Trump is entirely "un-Presidential" whereas Obama was quite the smooth operator and communicator. Trump's brand is gutter-trash whereas Obama won a freaking Nobel Peace Prize before he did anything..

> If they didn't care that we were killing them, then why all of a sudden do they care that they can't come into our country for 90 days?

Well, they are a different things for one (murder versus legal immigration).. but I'm not complaining that more people give a damn now and want to go protest. Though I won't be surprised when they stop giving a damn (and I will be waiting for all the republicans to start giving a damn about small government again :lol: ).

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by bryan »

to add.. Maybe we should have another thread called "Bannon - Evil Genius"

It just occurred to me that the Muslim Ban is probably more insidious than I thought. Sure, some folks think it is temporary or warranted etc (including Trump?). But in fact Bannon knew that it would have farther-reaching effects, even if it got overturned by Congress/Courts. The signal it sends will result in fewer immigrants in the future. Basically the attractiveness of the USA is lower now (vs some EU countries, Canada, Oceania). Bannon is on record for not wanting essentially any immigrants, even high quality Asian Tech founders/CEOs. In that interview Trump disagreed, saying we should keep the high quality ones. Score another Bannon victory.. Though the protests and Yates thing may be salvaging some of the American brand.

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Chad »

Ego wrote:Green card holders from every country are now second guessing their decision to base themselves in the US.
This can't be said enough.

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by Fish »

So refugee ban is the tactical objective and curbing immigration is the strategic (deliberate) side-effect?

I struggle to come up with the motivation. The best I can come up with is decreasing EROEI will lead to a point where immigration is a net negative for the economy... as immigrants still require food, housing, etc. Meaning the US economy has maxed out such that humans are no longer the limiting reagent in the neverending quest for growth.

To speak nothing of the human and psychological toll this is going to take, maybe a closed-door policy (wall etc.) is an attempt to be ahead of the curve before the geopolitical game enters a more nasty zero-sum mode? Or have we arrived?

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Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by bryan »

Fish wrote:So refugee ban is the tactical objective and curbing immigration is the strategic (deliberate) side-effect?

I struggle to come up with the motivation.
Well, I haven't listened to Bannon enough to judge, but someone else already posted a documentary he wrote/directed. And here are some instances of his actions/opinions on race (the Asian thing is https://soundcloud.com/breitbart/breitb ... 15#t=16:23).

> The country is more than economy, it's a civic society.

lolwut? So Asians aren't a good part of society?

I think they (Thield/Trump/Bannon) are indeed geniuses.. but.. it's hard to tell who they are playing against/for.

ducknalddon
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Joined: Fri May 20, 2016 5:55 am

Re: Trump - Clown Genius

Post by ducknalddon »

bryan wrote:I think they (Thield/Trump/Bannon) are indeed geniuses.. but.. it's hard to tell who they are playing against/for.
I always thought they are playing for themselves, this is why as much as I find their views repugnant I don't agree that fascism is just around the corner.

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