09-17-2018, 11:56 AM
Dill: In this forum Trump defenders seem more ready to signal personal disapproval of some of Trump's behavior--while at the same time characterizing it as immaterial to his job performance .
Vlad: True. His behavior is immaterial to his job performance. And?
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And true only that Trump supporters claim this.
Trump's behavior includes obstruction of justice and daily lying about matters ranging from the trivial to the highest level of national security. It is rather like saying that it is immaterial whether your local judge and law enforcement officers think that "flipping" criminals is wrong or your local mayor coerces local police and courts to obstruct justice to reward friends and punish enemies. It's like asking how the absence of ethics and integrity could affect jobs that essentially require it. It's like saying belief in God and marital fidelity are immaterial to a Baptist minister's job performance.
Charged with national defense, his constant disputing the results of the FBI/CIA investigation into the Russian attack on our election certainly has consequences, not only for the morale of these organizations, but also the effectiveness of their investigation--and U.S. Security. How is it "immaterial" to Trump's job that his open scorn for NATO and refusal to acknowledge Putin's attacks on our and other countries furthers Russian foreign goals at the expense of ours and our allies'?
For over two centuries conservatives claimed that political leadership was not just a "job," but also a position of Gravitas, a role model assigned to people most responsible for upholding norms of integrity and honesty, as well as written law. This norm was still given lip service during Obama's term in office. How did it suddenly become uncoupled from "job performance."
Vlad: True. His behavior is immaterial to his job performance. And?
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
And true only that Trump supporters claim this.
Trump's behavior includes obstruction of justice and daily lying about matters ranging from the trivial to the highest level of national security. It is rather like saying that it is immaterial whether your local judge and law enforcement officers think that "flipping" criminals is wrong or your local mayor coerces local police and courts to obstruct justice to reward friends and punish enemies. It's like asking how the absence of ethics and integrity could affect jobs that essentially require it. It's like saying belief in God and marital fidelity are immaterial to a Baptist minister's job performance.
Charged with national defense, his constant disputing the results of the FBI/CIA investigation into the Russian attack on our election certainly has consequences, not only for the morale of these organizations, but also the effectiveness of their investigation--and U.S. Security. How is it "immaterial" to Trump's job that his open scorn for NATO and refusal to acknowledge Putin's attacks on our and other countries furthers Russian foreign goals at the expense of ours and our allies'?
For over two centuries conservatives claimed that political leadership was not just a "job," but also a position of Gravitas, a role model assigned to people most responsible for upholding norms of integrity and honesty, as well as written law. This norm was still given lip service during Obama's term in office. How did it suddenly become uncoupled from "job performance."
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
