Trump Slams Allies in favor of Putin (again)...

[Dill]

(07-19-2018, 11:10 AM)hollodero Wrote: Yeah then you learned something strange. I for one still think it's concerning when he calls the media the real enemy of the people, even if he doesn't follow through with it.

Regarding the matter at hand, I don't think he'll follow through with that and let Russians do the investigations on themselves and on US citizens. Yeah, that won't happen. That doesn't mean that what he said is irrelevant and not worth a mention. An US president embarrassing himself and the country matters.
If you don't think he embarrassed himself and the country, because he just said words or for whatever reason, there's only half a country in the whole world seeing it like that.

As for your gun fight with Dino, I don't want to get into that. I believe you when you say you were right in said thread.

It is very concerning.  And concerning that it is not concerning to so many voters.

Not clear how "follow through with it" distinguishes mere words from action when we are talking about presidential speech, which has more "performative" power than that of any other human being on the planet.

If Trump just threatens a trade war with Great Britain, that can affect stock markets worldwide, even if he does not "act" to start the war. If he promises to hold to the Iran Treaty one day and blows it up the next, then foreign powers factor that into US credibility and future negotiations on any subject. (Trump defenders, not known for their foreign policy acumen, see this as good. Keeping the freeloaders on their toes.) Foreign intel services create psychological profiles of every US president for use by their diplomats. Trump's profile advantages US adversaries and disconcerts friends--because of his verbal performances AS MUCH as his actions: the numerous factual errors, lies, and ignorance of how his own government functions. E.G. Praising Putin's suggestion that his people work with our intel services (and learn their methods) or that we submit a former ambassador to their interrogation--the worst possible judgment in a job which, it is globally agreed, requires exceptional judgment. So bad, terrible, even if we don't turn over the ambassador.

The problem would be oh so clear if people could just translate this into a football analogy. Suppose Marvin announced a new era of cooperation with the Steelers, and held a press conference with Tomlin, acknowledging how Tomlin had some good ideas on how to restructure the Bengals' defense, even offered to send some of his coaching staff over to help shore up the secondary during the coming season. All this while praising Tomlin's strength.  This might sound very pleasant and reasonable to people who know nothing about football and these teams' rivalry. People should get along, right? 

Football fans of all teams, however, would recognize how disqualifying such judgment would be in a professional coach. Not an accident, a one off mistake any coach could make, but profound incompetence, fundamental inability to grasp the nature of the game. What Bengals fan would think everything was still fine because the Bengals organization would not allow Marvin to make good on Tomlin's offer? Still, Steelers fans, possibly even Ravens and Browns, would cheer Marvin's willingness to reach out. A historic first for Bengals' coaching history.

In the case of Trump's attacks on the free press, that does signal an authoritarian and anti-democratic instinct in someone who governs by "instinct."  He doesn't hold real press conferences. That is a kind of action. He strives publicly to discredit the free press, while standing shoulder to shoulder with Putin, who kills journalists. That is a kind of action too. Not just words. His followers dismiss the "fake news" of responsible news organization at his say so. One can think of many statements that are patently lies outside the Trump bubble, but affect the political decisions  of his base as "alternative facts" and truth--even though they are only words. (How many illegal voters gave Hillary the popular vote?) "Only words" keep the bubble together, with help from some less reputable news organizations.