It's important to remember that many, perhaps most voters haven't really switched on to politics. I've given up hope of the mainstream press putting Trump under scrutiny but looking at his behaviour over the whole campaign he is clearly more rambly, more extreme in his statements and less disciplined than in 2016. I hold a shy hope that this will be evident when the unengaged voters start paying interest and the attraction of a 'normal' politician who (wonders!) is well under 70 will be decisive...But let's not be complacent. I urge everyone who reads this to think if they know 'weak Democrat' voters and kindly make sure that these people make it to the polls!
I have given up hope of the mainstream media even being capable of reporting this election with the gravitas it deserves, and so far they have not changed my expectations. It is horrid. Of course, Biden's age was never the issue, just them parroting Trump's viscious propaganda something they have learned to do so well they cannot undo it. Harris and Walz are right to go directly to the people. And, as I am reading and discussing Project 2025 in a Democrats Abroad bookclub, I can honestly say, she does not need to come up with anything new to tell the voters about. She could run on a platform of just not undoing the programs and benefits that Roosevelt, Obama and Biden have put into place. She just has to list them by saying, I will keep Roe v. Wade. And her actions will be to continue to undo all that Trump was able to accomplish in his time. Right now, we have read and discussed 11 chapters and the Forward, and it is a nasty piece of work, including whining about Biden and sometimes Obama, and in Chapter 14 going back as far as Roosevelt to undo entitlements. We pay for all of this with our taxes. We should know and insist that we keep these programs. The only way to do that is at the ballot box.
It seems highly improbable he makes it to November as he is regularly decompensating. He is severely unwell. I listened to Dr. Bandy Lee on Anthony Davis’s podcast last night. She and many psychiatrists tried to fulfill their “duty to warn” the public about his extreme unfitness and the danger imposed if elected before the 2016 election. They were shut down by the APA and the media.
On an encouraging note, an assembly of psychiatrists are meeting in September to again make their case publicly.
I doubt if he'll make it to Nov. either. I wonder who the campaign will present to the public in his stead? And will MAGA try to steal the election in favor of that candidate?
Your message was well written and germane. It was my youngest daughter who is 44 and who shared her excitement about Harris that gave me at age 79 the unspoken permission to make the switch. Now I am one of Harris's biggest promoters. As for Trump - he is so much more than just "weird". The mind of Donald Trump was history long before Kamala Harris became his opponent. On January 11, 2021 in the Scientific American Newsletter, "Forensic psychiatrist Brandy Lee - who is also the President of the World Mental Health Coalition - explains the outgoing president's pathological appearance and how to wean people from it." She identifies two major serious emotional issues exhibited by Trump: narcissistic symbiosis and shared psychosis. We have, of course, heard this word used in reference to Trump many times before - but perhaps not by someone who is as qualified as Ms. Lee. The second issue is "shared psychosis" and explains "When a highly symptomatic individual is placed in an influential position, the person's symptoms can spread through a population for a list of reasons including paranoia and propensity for violence.: She goes on to say "Destructiveness is a core characteristic of mental pathology. . ." This is an informative read, but the bottom line is that Trump displays all the symptoms of emotional fragility and mental illness and his narcissistic manipulation has lead to a collective mental health issue among his followers.
And while mental health experts and their opinions are critical in addressing and explaining Trump's psychotic condition, there is another side of Trump. Somewhere deep inside his maniac mind is someone who recognizes that he is in trouble. First, his opponent in this election is now a woman, a person of color, and a dynamic, intelligent powerhouse. Second, as a person who was bribed by the KGB and most likely has been a Russian "asset" he is walking on egg shells. Cassidy Hutchinson, a White House aid under Trump's administration, mentioned that "Trump is terrified of being poisoned." (The Hill, Oct 5, 2023). "The list of those who have troubled the Russian government . . . and then suffered poisoning is lengthy." (ABC News, August 25, 2020, Before Navalny, a long history of Russian Poisonings). For Trump to openly admit that he is terror-stricken of being poisoned, is almost an admission of his close association with Russia.
I spent about twenty years living and working in six dictator-led countries - mostly Russia. Each of these countries operate using "fear" as the controlling factor instead of law and order. Under Putin, Russia has returned to the world of Stalin with total disregard for the life of their citizens. This is the path Donald Trump openly admires and in which he envisions guiding the United States toward. However, if he looses this upcoming election - his life or the lives of his children are at stake. It was only a few months after he lost the 2020 election that Ivana Trump mysteriously and secretive fell down her apartment steps. The public was first told her death was due to a blow to her head, then we were told she had a heart attack, and then it was a blow to her torso.
"Boris Voldarsky, a former officer from the Soviet military intelligence agency, the GRU, who has written a book on the KGB poison program and said there is one constant in the lab's products. They must make the victim's death or illness appear natural or at least produce symptoms that will baffle doctors and forensic investigators." (Ibid) Living with a potential life-threatening ultimatum triggers feelings of fear, anger and can affect every aspect of a person's life. When I think of Donald Trump, I consider a man who is not only facing the loss of an election, or of potential lengthy time behind bars, but perhaps more importantly - a man facing the unfathomable unknowns of Putin's retribution.
Thank you for articulating this so well. I do believe these rambling, incoherent press conferences are campaign fodder for the Democrats. I'm hopeful that we might finally see the end of Trump.
I'd really like some insight into why the press corps acts the way it does. Like, on some level, I get that it's all a sleazy game of access, but their inability to acknowledge (fair!) criticism of their coverage of Trump is just baffling at this point. And it's not just the New York Times. Check out Steve Inskeep (just as one example) and his Twitter feed any day of the week. He's defensively retweeting and mocking anyone who dares question NPR's coverage. Anyway, what, beyond incredible hubris, is up with the mainstream press?
I had to stop listening to NPR when Trump first ran. They drove me insane the way they treated this obviously unserious and dangerous person as just another candidate who deserved respect. Journalists need to stop backing down when the GOP gives their non-answers and shove some reality in their faces and they need to ask real questions at these so-called "press conferences." I also am beyond irritated with places like the NYT and Washington Post, because they'll do high-quality journalism but then they'll counteract it with stupid pieces that, again, treat Trump a normal candidate who isn't trying to destroy our country purely for his own greed and need to be worshipped. Whether you agree with Mehdi Hasan on everything, I wish he would have the chance to interview Trump because it would be something to behold.
Yikes, Kelly, I just went over to Steve Inskeep's twitter. You are so correct, he is extremely defensive. Lots of excellent replies though, which give me hope that there are many people seeing through what's going on with certain mainstream outlets.
I wish it were true that Trump was "largely out of the national spotlight" after he left office in 2021. His ubiquitous presence has been unrelenting. He has foisted himself into the news with his idiocy and outrageousness, and too many in the media have continued to keep his antics front and center.
One of the disadvantages that Trump has, as he does these staged performances for the press, with a paid audience, is that he does not respond to this as well as he does to a live audience of devoted idiots who are there voluntarily. So, his spiel is losing its luster.
I'm betting that "the press" will hold out for a possible Trump win until the very end. The MSM media personalities broadcast/print what their corporate bosses allow. While the owners/CEOs have been allowing some stories about Trump's crazy antics and mental state in a begrudging concession to reality, they are still in the tank for trump with his (their) authoritarian policies of tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, anti-union, anti immigrant rights and on and on. Read it in project 2025. They wanted Biden out and got it. But it's looking like they may be hoist on their own petard as Harris and Walz are just crushing it. They are probably stunned and are scrambling to thread the needle between what's happening and what they want to happen. I don't think they could pivot even if they wanted to. They are beholden to their own narrative and don't quite know whether, when and how to extricate themselves.
In the podcast I referenced, his overconfidence was discussed. My impression is that this indicates he’s got some evil tricks up his sleeve. We have to beat these traitors in numbers too big to challenge.
It seems to me that he and his cronies do not have a serious approach to a serious election because they plan to simply challenge the outcome for decades, claiming Democratic cheating
Not only does the campaign appear “to be rapidly slipping from Trump’s grasp” … so does reality. Is Trump really the hill Republicans are willing to die on? Seems more like the Charge at Krojanty.
It's important to remember that many, perhaps most voters haven't really switched on to politics. I've given up hope of the mainstream press putting Trump under scrutiny but looking at his behaviour over the whole campaign he is clearly more rambly, more extreme in his statements and less disciplined than in 2016. I hold a shy hope that this will be evident when the unengaged voters start paying interest and the attraction of a 'normal' politician who (wonders!) is well under 70 will be decisive...But let's not be complacent. I urge everyone who reads this to think if they know 'weak Democrat' voters and kindly make sure that these people make it to the polls!
I have given up hope of the mainstream media even being capable of reporting this election with the gravitas it deserves, and so far they have not changed my expectations. It is horrid. Of course, Biden's age was never the issue, just them parroting Trump's viscious propaganda something they have learned to do so well they cannot undo it. Harris and Walz are right to go directly to the people. And, as I am reading and discussing Project 2025 in a Democrats Abroad bookclub, I can honestly say, she does not need to come up with anything new to tell the voters about. She could run on a platform of just not undoing the programs and benefits that Roosevelt, Obama and Biden have put into place. She just has to list them by saying, I will keep Roe v. Wade. And her actions will be to continue to undo all that Trump was able to accomplish in his time. Right now, we have read and discussed 11 chapters and the Forward, and it is a nasty piece of work, including whining about Biden and sometimes Obama, and in Chapter 14 going back as far as Roosevelt to undo entitlements. We pay for all of this with our taxes. We should know and insist that we keep these programs. The only way to do that is at the ballot box.
It seems highly improbable he makes it to November as he is regularly decompensating. He is severely unwell. I listened to Dr. Bandy Lee on Anthony Davis’s podcast last night. She and many psychiatrists tried to fulfill their “duty to warn” the public about his extreme unfitness and the danger imposed if elected before the 2016 election. They were shut down by the APA and the media.
On an encouraging note, an assembly of psychiatrists are meeting in September to again make their case publicly.
Everyone should take a listen.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weekend-show/id1612691018?i=1000665818988
I doubt if he'll make it to Nov. either. I wonder who the campaign will present to the public in his stead? And will MAGA try to steal the election in favor of that candidate?
I meant to imply that his psychopathies and progressive cognitive decline will undo him. He will not go quietly.
The broligarchs plan to install Peter Thiel’s guy JD might just work out.
Does DonOld have any local NJ folks working at his Bedminster biz/resort/home? Or just the usual H1 visa recipients ? What a hypocrite fake.
Your message was well written and germane. It was my youngest daughter who is 44 and who shared her excitement about Harris that gave me at age 79 the unspoken permission to make the switch. Now I am one of Harris's biggest promoters. As for Trump - he is so much more than just "weird". The mind of Donald Trump was history long before Kamala Harris became his opponent. On January 11, 2021 in the Scientific American Newsletter, "Forensic psychiatrist Brandy Lee - who is also the President of the World Mental Health Coalition - explains the outgoing president's pathological appearance and how to wean people from it." She identifies two major serious emotional issues exhibited by Trump: narcissistic symbiosis and shared psychosis. We have, of course, heard this word used in reference to Trump many times before - but perhaps not by someone who is as qualified as Ms. Lee. The second issue is "shared psychosis" and explains "When a highly symptomatic individual is placed in an influential position, the person's symptoms can spread through a population for a list of reasons including paranoia and propensity for violence.: She goes on to say "Destructiveness is a core characteristic of mental pathology. . ." This is an informative read, but the bottom line is that Trump displays all the symptoms of emotional fragility and mental illness and his narcissistic manipulation has lead to a collective mental health issue among his followers.
And while mental health experts and their opinions are critical in addressing and explaining Trump's psychotic condition, there is another side of Trump. Somewhere deep inside his maniac mind is someone who recognizes that he is in trouble. First, his opponent in this election is now a woman, a person of color, and a dynamic, intelligent powerhouse. Second, as a person who was bribed by the KGB and most likely has been a Russian "asset" he is walking on egg shells. Cassidy Hutchinson, a White House aid under Trump's administration, mentioned that "Trump is terrified of being poisoned." (The Hill, Oct 5, 2023). "The list of those who have troubled the Russian government . . . and then suffered poisoning is lengthy." (ABC News, August 25, 2020, Before Navalny, a long history of Russian Poisonings). For Trump to openly admit that he is terror-stricken of being poisoned, is almost an admission of his close association with Russia.
I spent about twenty years living and working in six dictator-led countries - mostly Russia. Each of these countries operate using "fear" as the controlling factor instead of law and order. Under Putin, Russia has returned to the world of Stalin with total disregard for the life of their citizens. This is the path Donald Trump openly admires and in which he envisions guiding the United States toward. However, if he looses this upcoming election - his life or the lives of his children are at stake. It was only a few months after he lost the 2020 election that Ivana Trump mysteriously and secretive fell down her apartment steps. The public was first told her death was due to a blow to her head, then we were told she had a heart attack, and then it was a blow to her torso.
"Boris Voldarsky, a former officer from the Soviet military intelligence agency, the GRU, who has written a book on the KGB poison program and said there is one constant in the lab's products. They must make the victim's death or illness appear natural or at least produce symptoms that will baffle doctors and forensic investigators." (Ibid) Living with a potential life-threatening ultimatum triggers feelings of fear, anger and can affect every aspect of a person's life. When I think of Donald Trump, I consider a man who is not only facing the loss of an election, or of potential lengthy time behind bars, but perhaps more importantly - a man facing the unfathomable unknowns of Putin's retribution.
Elizabeth Graham
From Democracy to Democrazy
Thank you for articulating this so well. I do believe these rambling, incoherent press conferences are campaign fodder for the Democrats. I'm hopeful that we might finally see the end of Trump.
I'd really like some insight into why the press corps acts the way it does. Like, on some level, I get that it's all a sleazy game of access, but their inability to acknowledge (fair!) criticism of their coverage of Trump is just baffling at this point. And it's not just the New York Times. Check out Steve Inskeep (just as one example) and his Twitter feed any day of the week. He's defensively retweeting and mocking anyone who dares question NPR's coverage. Anyway, what, beyond incredible hubris, is up with the mainstream press?
I had to stop listening to NPR when Trump first ran. They drove me insane the way they treated this obviously unserious and dangerous person as just another candidate who deserved respect. Journalists need to stop backing down when the GOP gives their non-answers and shove some reality in their faces and they need to ask real questions at these so-called "press conferences." I also am beyond irritated with places like the NYT and Washington Post, because they'll do high-quality journalism but then they'll counteract it with stupid pieces that, again, treat Trump a normal candidate who isn't trying to destroy our country purely for his own greed and need to be worshipped. Whether you agree with Mehdi Hasan on everything, I wish he would have the chance to interview Trump because it would be something to behold.
I have wondered seriously about that too! Not sure who can up with an answer. At least we seem to be at a turning point.
Yikes, Kelly, I just went over to Steve Inskeep's twitter. You are so correct, he is extremely defensive. Lots of excellent replies though, which give me hope that there are many people seeing through what's going on with certain mainstream outlets.
It was never "fun." It was always just plain creepy.
Rather like a tremendous car accident...it’s been difficult to look away.
Of course he's entitled to personally attack Kamala.
Why should Crooked Hillary, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Sleepy Joe, Coco Chow, Lyin Ted, Ron DeSanctimonious, Birdbrain Nikki Haley, Old Crow McConnell, Gavin Newscum, Pencil Neck Schiff, Pocahontas, and Cryin Chuck Schumer feel left out?
(list courtesy of Brian Tyler Cohen. )
I wish it were true that Trump was "largely out of the national spotlight" after he left office in 2021. His ubiquitous presence has been unrelenting. He has foisted himself into the news with his idiocy and outrageousness, and too many in the media have continued to keep his antics front and center.
One of the disadvantages that Trump has, as he does these staged performances for the press, with a paid audience, is that he does not respond to this as well as he does to a live audience of devoted idiots who are there voluntarily. So, his spiel is losing its luster.
I'm betting that "the press" will hold out for a possible Trump win until the very end. The MSM media personalities broadcast/print what their corporate bosses allow. While the owners/CEOs have been allowing some stories about Trump's crazy antics and mental state in a begrudging concession to reality, they are still in the tank for trump with his (their) authoritarian policies of tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, anti-union, anti immigrant rights and on and on. Read it in project 2025. They wanted Biden out and got it. But it's looking like they may be hoist on their own petard as Harris and Walz are just crushing it. They are probably stunned and are scrambling to thread the needle between what's happening and what they want to happen. I don't think they could pivot even if they wanted to. They are beholden to their own narrative and don't quite know whether, when and how to extricate themselves.
In the podcast I referenced, his overconfidence was discussed. My impression is that this indicates he’s got some evil tricks up his sleeve. We have to beat these traitors in numbers too big to challenge.
That is a good point.
It seems to me that he and his cronies do not have a serious approach to a serious election because they plan to simply challenge the outcome for decades, claiming Democratic cheating
Followed by inciting violence.
That seems to make the most sense.
🎯
Do you suppose Folgers and Cheerios gave permission for their brands to be used in a campaign ad?
Someone shut his pie hole please
Not only does the campaign appear “to be rapidly slipping from Trump’s grasp” … so does reality. Is Trump really the hill Republicans are willing to die on? Seems more like the Charge at Krojanty.
Nothing about Trump was ever fun.