Dachshund:
It is very easy to pigeon-hole Trump, to reduce him to a crude stereotype - a two-dimensional cartoon caricature like Wall Street's "Gordon Geko" or the Simpson's "Mr Burns" i.e.... "Trump the greedy, obscenely wealthy, New York venture capitalist" ; "Trump: the vulgar materialist; the soulless philistine; the arrogant narcissist; the nasty, mean-spirited reactionary; the school- yard bully" and so on. I mean yes, its true, he is certainly no angel:- boisterous, boastful, obnoxious, rude, conceited, Trump is, in many ways, the archtypal "Ugly American". But I think one of the big mistakes that Trump's critics make is to automatically presume that because he is an offensive, rough-edged "Ugly American" Donald Trump is therefore necessarily a wicked ( i.e. morally bad) man.
It dawns on me: you don't actually live in the US. I can tell, because if you did, you would not think that the torrents of outrage that is waged against him daily, hourly,is grounded in a stereotype. Do you pay any attention at all to the things he says, the policies he endorses; are you aware he called for torturing the families of suspected terrorists? Carpet bombing the Middle East? Muzzling the press? Are you at all aware of anything that this man is about beyond the suspicion of some clownish image, undeserved because you haven't taken the time to see for yourself? It is not a BLOODY @#$%%#$#"AUTOMATIC PRESUMPTION".......sorry; I have to calm down. No Dachshund, it is not a storybook vilification and Donald Trump is as abominable as a screaming missile on a collision course with Seoul. (Have you not read about this??)
I do not think Trump is a bad man. In fact, I think he is a remarkably virtuous human being,
See the above. I suspect you have had a stroke and have forgotten the meaning of the word 'virtuous'. No other explanation.
because he insists on speaking what he believes to be the Truth, and for a man in his position - the leader of the free world -
And if I believe and speak in full candor that this village that lay before me should either yield to my command or be cut to shreds (think Genghis Khan) every one, I am virtuous?
that demands extraordinary personal integrity and great moral courage. Whenever I listen to Trump I am confident that what I hear coming out of his mouth is what he sincerely and honestly thinks; I think to myself: "This guy "rings true", he is a "straight-shooter"; I may not like of what he has to say about "X" or "Y" , but I always respect him for being upfront and forthright - for having the guts to stand up and "call 'em as he sees 'em" - on the big issues that really matter. By doing this he demonstrates, IMO, a very genuine respect for the American people, and I would far rather have a plain-spoken, brutally honest man like Trump in the White House than an eloquent, though inherently suspect "Creeping Jesus" like Barak Obama.
This thinking is insane! You approve of Trump because calls them as he sees them?Regardless of what the call actually is? Being in power is ALL about policy, it's all about on what documents the signature is put. But the galling irony is that Trump is a liar, a cheat, knock down drag out stupid, a liar; did I mention he lies? An opportunist, a misogynist, a hypocrite, a racist and white supremacist (ironic, given those who believe in the purity of the race are among least intelligent. Just go to one of their rallies, or Trump's). He is immoral, or ammoral, the latter sounds apt because the prefix 'a' suggests too ignorant to know the difference between one and the other (recall his response to the disaster in Puerto Rico where he tossed a roll of paper towels into the crowd...oh wait: you can't recall, because you don't pay attention); childlike, unread, addicted to TV, cruel, altogether lacking in any grace in manner or speech, rude, as in the way he shoved the Prime Minister of Montenegro out of his way' pushing his way to the front, lacking all ability to manage affairs with competence....I mean, Read Bob Woodward's bloody book!
Dachshund: It's as if you don't know anything at all about what is happening in the US
"... people have always asked me if I'll ever be involved in politics. It seems every so often there's some unfounded rumor that I'm considering seeking office - sometimes even the Presidency ! The problem is, I think I'm too honest, and perhaps too controversial, to be a politician. I always say it like it is, and I not sure a politician can do that... honesty causes controversy (so) I probably would not be a very good politician".
Who cares.
"I have a reputation for being tough and I like to think its justified. Toughness, as I see it is a quality made up of equal parts of (moral) strength, intelligence and self-respect....The opposite of toughness - weakness - makes me mad and sometimes turns my stomach. I'm not referring here to the kind of weakness that comes from being poor, sick or disadvantaged ( nb: HAN). I talking about those people who CAN take a strong stand, but [/b]just don't... Toughness is pride, drive, commitment, and the courage to follow through on things you believe in, even when they are under attack. It's solving problems instead of letting them fester. It's being who you really are even when society wants you to be something else. Toughness is walking away from the things you want, because for one reason or another acquiring them doesn't make sense...Toughness means playing by the rules, but also putting those rules to work for you...It is looking at an adversary across the desk and saying, simply, No."
I think in these few passages - in this little handful of words - we find, condensed and crystallised, one of the most profound and truthful understandings of what it means for a human being to act in a manner which is morally good/right, that has ever been uttered.
What do you think, HAN ?
I think you need to read Mein Kamp. Very, very sincere. Tough! A strong stand, he takes, does he not? You cannot be that naive. I am not being combative, here Dachshund. You don't know anything about this man. Everything you admire in a human being is absent in Donald Trump.
People who take a strong stand? We all admire leadership qualities, and if that were the criterion set before us exclusively, then I would have to say that Trump is totally, unequivocally, unreservedly without merit. If we include general virtues, then he is off the charts deplorable.