Jonathan Isaac

[AbeVigodaLive]

Never thought I would hear "Trump" and "Brilliant" in the same sentence. You guys have heard him speak, right?

It's true. The man has preyed on the public while marketing himself over the past 40 years.

Look where he is based on how he can promote the Trump brand. A millionaire many times over. The POTUS. And a notable figure in the annals of history for centuries.

Is he a terrible speaker? A terrible person? Sure.

But he's "brilliant" at marketing himself and figuring out the pulse of tens of millions of Americans. That's undeniable.

I think this is what has enraged so many people. How could a narcissistic snake-oil salesman outfox the media, political, and corporate elite, none of whom ever thought he had a shot in hell of winning? Despite plenty of people that have spoken to this (JD Vance's book is a good start on the plight of white working class folks), there are still folks who simply can't accept the fact he could win.

The fact is his victory was a response to the arrogance and aloofness of the very elites that so much despise him, starting with Barack Obama. He's a monster of their own creation.

1. I think a lot of that is true. There are people who get downright angry when anything good is said about Trump... like calling him brilliant. He is... even if it's at trolling or marketing or whatever you want to call it.

2. To be fair... I can see why Obama was a bit dismissive of Trump after the fake birth certificate hoax. A guy who perpetrated that hoax as long as he did deserves to be ripped for it. And it's unprecedented in American history for that type of troll to become president. (I think.)

But I think that speaks more about us than about Trump. His popularity has come and gone over the decades. He simply picked a great time to pounce. And more importantly, use the pulse of America to his advantage.



[Note: It's crazy that Trump was able to leverage such a terrible transparent and entirely inaccurate gimmick to GAIN credibility as a noteworthy national spokesman and even prominent politician. That's the brilliance I'm talking about. That's the crazy part about all of this. Whether people think that's "good" or "bad" speaks to a lot more about their general way of thinking than about political ideology.]

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

rble channels or written publications is what is chosen to be covered and investigated and what is not or how prominently to feature it. That's just as much of an issue as shoddy and lazy reporting.

[AbeVigodaLive]

rble channels or written publications is what is chosen to be covered and investigated and what is not or how prominently to feature it. That's just as much of an issue as shoddy and lazy reporting.

I think it's dangerous to group them in together. An example... hypothetical.

- The news media is obsessed with Trump. It's good for ratings. And it's probably good for what is often an industry with a liberal bent. So, they do investigative research.

And they hit one dead end after another. But these liberals are deadset on uncovering dirt on this guy. So they keep digging. And in the process of covering a typical Trump is Bad piece, unlock some truly evil stuff. Trump beat up a ten year old kid and stole his money and shoes. Then, bashed him in the head with a heavy rock.

They report it. (remember this is hypothetical). And Trump immediately declares it as "Fake News."

Granted, the media's zealous quest for something on Trump was a bit over-the-top as they searched for this story for 4+ years... but... does that make the story false?

The more we conflate TRUTH... under the veil of "fake news"... the worse off we are IMO.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Since I consider myself sane (which may be presumptuous for a Wolves fan), I can only tell you how I handle it.

1. I won't vote for him, nor anyone that claims to be an acolyte of his running for lower level offices. I probably won't vote for his opponent either. This was my stance in 2016 and it likely won't change for 2020.

2. I have sought to understand how Trump came about to begin with and it will influence how I view and assess political candidates going forward.

3. I don't give eyeballs to Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, or the main networks. I get my news and opinions from the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TheHill.com. None of these are perfectly centrist, but they seem "sane" at least while still giving me a spectrum of takes.

4. One show in particular I like is Rising from TheHill.com. It has a progressive leftist and economic nationalist righty as co-hosts. Both are young-ish, intelligent, and civil with each other. They "get it" in terms of the Trump phenomena and what he tapped into. There is more overlap than one might think at first between the Saunders end of the Dem party and the economic nationalist GOP folks.

5. I try to be respectful and civil in all dialogues and try to understand the place from which people come from as they express their views.

My guess is none of this is a revelation to someone like you, but I'm not sure there is a silver bullet to this madness other than each individual taking responsibility for their own actions such that it leads us to a better place.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Since I consider myself sane (which may be presumptuous for a Wolves fan), I can only tell you how I handle it.

1. I won't vote for him, nor anyone that claims to be an acolyte of his running for lower level offices. I probably won't vote for his opponent either. This was my stance in 2016 and it likely won't change for 2020.

2. I have sought to understand how Trump came about to begin with and it will influence how I view and assess political candidates going forward.

3. I don't give eyeballs to Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, or the main networks. I get my news and opinions from the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TheHill.com. None of these are perfectly centrist, but they seem "sane" at least while still giving me a spectrum of takes.

4. One show in particular I like is Rising from TheHill.com. It has a progressive leftist and economic nationalist righty as co-hosts. Both are young-ish, intelligent, and civil with each other. They "get it" in terms of the Trump phenomena and what he tapped into. There is more overlap than one might think at first between the Saunders end of the Dem party and the economic nationalist GOP folks.

5. I try to be respectful and civil in all dialogues and try to understand the place from which people come from as they express their views.

My guess is none of this is a revelation to someone like you, but I'm not sure there is a silver bullet to this madness other than each individual taking responsibility for their own actions such that it leads us to a better place.

You're a dinosaur. A nearly extinct one.
As am I.



[Note: Yes. The Hill is a staple for anything political. Too bad the WSJ is a subscription. I see stuff on my phone all the time and click on it to read... to find out I need to subscribe.]

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Since I consider myself sane (which may be presumptuous for a Wolves fan), I can only tell you how I handle it.

1. I won't vote for him, nor anyone that claims to be an acolyte of his running for lower level offices. I probably won't vote for his opponent either. This was my stance in 2016 and it likely won't change for 2020.

2. I have sought to understand how Trump came about to begin with and it will influence how I view and assess political candidates going forward.

3. I don't give eyeballs to Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, or the main networks. I get my news and opinions from the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TheHill.com. None of these are perfectly centrist, but they seem "sane" at least while still giving me a spectrum of takes.

4. One show in particular I like is Rising from TheHill.com. It has a progressive leftist and economic nationalist righty as co-hosts. Both are young-ish, intelligent, and civil with each other. They "get it" in terms of the Trump phenomena and what he tapped into. There is more overlap than one might think at first between the Saunders end of the Dem party and the economic nationalist GOP folks.

5. I try to be respectful and civil in all dialogues and try to understand the place from which people come from as they express their views.

My guess is none of this is a revelation to someone like you, but I'm not sure there is a silver bullet to this madness other than each individual taking responsibility for their own actions such that it leads us to a better place.

It's too bad you're gonna sit out another election Q. The perfect is not the enemy of the good. Biden has plenty of faults but we need to get this guy out of the white house. You're in Pennsylvania. We need you!

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Since I consider myself sane (which may be presumptuous for a Wolves fan), I can only tell you how I handle it.

1. I won't vote for him, nor anyone that claims to be an acolyte of his running for lower level offices. I probably won't vote for his opponent either. This was my stance in 2016 and it likely won't change for 2020.

2. I have sought to understand how Trump came about to begin with and it will influence how I view and assess political candidates going forward.

3. I don't give eyeballs to Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, or the main networks. I get my news and opinions from the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TheHill.com. None of these are perfectly centrist, but they seem "sane" at least while still giving me a spectrum of takes.

4. One show in particular I like is Rising from TheHill.com. It has a progressive leftist and economic nationalist righty as co-hosts. Both are young-ish, intelligent, and civil with each other. They "get it" in terms of the Trump phenomena and what he tapped into. There is more overlap than one might think at first between the Saunders end of the Dem party and the economic nationalist GOP folks.

5. I try to be respectful and civil in all dialogues and try to understand the place from which people come from as they express their views.

My guess is none of this is a revelation to someone like you, but I'm not sure there is a silver bullet to this madness other than each individual taking responsibility for their own actions such that it leads us to a better place.

It's too bad you're gonna sit out another election Q. The perfect is not the enemy of the good. Biden has plenty of faults but we need to get this guy out of the white house. You're in Pennsylvania. We need you!

Believe me, I have tried to convince myself that Biden is worth my vote, but I cringe nearly every time he opens up his mouth. Or I reflect back on his record as a VP and Senator. I mean, he's on the wrong side of history on almost everything. Not to mention he's not really even his own man anymore. His handlers along with the woke left wing of his party pretty much run things at this point.

[Monster]

Since I consider myself sane (which may be presumptuous for a Wolves fan), I can only tell you how I handle it.

1. I won't vote for him, nor anyone that claims to be an acolyte of his running for lower level offices. I probably won't vote for his opponent either. This was my stance in 2016 and it likely won't change for 2020.

2. I have sought to understand how Trump came about to begin with and it will influence how I view and assess political candidates going forward.

3. I don't give eyeballs to Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, or the main networks. I get my news and opinions from the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TheHill.com. None of these are perfectly centrist, but they seem "sane" at least while still giving me a spectrum of takes.

4. One show in particular I like is Rising from TheHill.com. It has a progressive leftist and economic nationalist righty as co-hosts. Both are young-ish, intelligent, and civil with each other. They "get it" in terms of the Trump phenomena and what he tapped into. There is more overlap than one might think at first between the Saunders end of the Dem party and the economic nationalist GOP folks.

5. I try to be respectful and civil in all dialogues and try to understand the place from which people come from as they express their views.

My guess is none of this is a revelation to someone like you, but I'm not sure there is a silver bullet to this madness other than each individual taking responsibility for their own actions such that it leads us to a better place.

You're a dinosaur. A nearly extinct one.
As am I.



[Note: Yes. The Hill is a staple for anything political. Too bad the WSJ is a subscription. I see stuff on my phone all the time and click on it to read... to find out I need to subscribe.]

If we want worthwhile media should we be willing to pay for it?

***Checks WSJ subscription costs***

Ok that's not an easy decision $15 a month (Introductory) for a subscription that's actually long term...I suppose but maybe figure out a way to Make it happen. Ask for it for your Christmas or birthday gift instead of the stuff you may not really want that you get now. Maybe get one subscription and share it with people. I pay money every month for entertainment (Netflix etc) and I'm a cheap ass. lol Is it time we actually put more of our money towards stuff we want to be successful? I'm starting to ask myself that more and more. To clarify I'm saying this as a thought experiment not saying what you (or I) should or shouldn't do.

[Monster]

The schooling system was largely overhauled with the "help" of the Rockefellers in the early 1900's. Largely done so people don't rise up and take his or his families wealth and power.

School is mostly making kids just smart enough to do menial jobs and be good GOV slaves. Critical thinking is squashed. Never ask questions. Memorize this, memorize that. 50 State Capitols? Why in the fuck would anyone need to know that? Common core? Complete crap! Completely useless information designed only to make subservient society that is incapable of challenging the powers that be.

If you are a good memorizer, get fully indoctrinated you get good grades, if you question why you have to memorize bullshit, you fail, you ask too many questions you get sent to the principals office.

School is here to give you some foundations and teach you the process of learning. The information you learn, might not be important, but the process is very viable. The school system in general needs to be overhauled post-elementary, but nowhere as bad as you make it seem. You have to learn to play the game of life somewhere. It is a lot about how you carry yourself and project your thoughts that matter.
It seems the people that have humble begins that learn drive, desire, and ability to overcome obstacles are the ones that have the true advantage. The opportunities in this country are amazing for all.

"You have to learn to play the game of life somewhere. It is a lot about how you carry yourself and project your thoughts that matter."

What part of our education system teaches this?

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Since I consider myself sane (which may be presumptuous for a Wolves fan), I can only tell you how I handle it.

1. I won't vote for him, nor anyone that claims to be an acolyte of his running for lower level offices. I probably won't vote for his opponent either. This was my stance in 2016 and it likely won't change for 2020.

2. I have sought to understand how Trump came about to begin with and it will influence how I view and assess political candidates going forward.

3. I don't give eyeballs to Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, or the main networks. I get my news and opinions from the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TheHill.com. None of these are perfectly centrist, but they seem "sane" at least while still giving me a spectrum of takes.

4. One show in particular I like is Rising from TheHill.com. It has a progressive leftist and economic nationalist righty as co-hosts. Both are young-ish, intelligent, and civil with each other. They "get it" in terms of the Trump phenomena and what he tapped into. There is more overlap than one might think at first between the Saunders end of the Dem party and the economic nationalist GOP folks.

5. I try to be respectful and civil in all dialogues and try to understand the place from which people come from as they express their views.

My guess is none of this is a revelation to someone like you, but I'm not sure there is a silver bullet to this madness other than each individual taking responsibility for their own actions such that it leads us to a better place.

It's too bad you're gonna sit out another election Q. The perfect is not the enemy of the good. Biden has plenty of faults but we need to get this guy out of the white house. You're in Pennsylvania. We need you!

Believe me, I have tried to convince myself that Biden is worth my vote, but I cringe nearly every time he opens up his mouth. Or I reflect back on his record as a VP and Senator. I mean, he's on the wrong side of history on almost everything. Not to mention he's not really even his own man anymore. His handlers along with the woke left wing of his party pretty much run things at this point.

Yeah. I hope they cancel the debates. I can't watch two geriatrics go at it. I had such high hopes for Beto. I hope he returns to help Texas.