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Monday, August 29, 2016

Trump's latest poorly phrased tweet

Donald Trump's basic platform is a commonsensical one. He doesn't want us to get involved in endless wars of attrition in the Middle East. He wants better relations with Russia (which is what Hillary advocated early on as Secretary of State, though she's trying to demonize Trump for advocating the same right now). He wants to cut back on illegal immigration, and strenuously vet legal immigrants from countries with a history of terrorism. He wants to stop exporting American jobs abroad, and he wants American companies to stop reincorporating abroad.

These are all policies which would benefit the country, and in particular, the middle class.

The problem is not the message, but the messenger. Trump is the most tone deaf, vain, thin-skinned, insulting, inarticulate candidate imaginable. Witness his Tweet after NBA player Dwyane Wade's cousin was shot dead on the streets of Chicago recently:

"Just what I have been saying. African Americans will VOTE TRUMP!"

It's insensitive, ill-timed, and incoherent. If you take it literally, it means that Trump was predicting that Wade's cousin would be killed -- and that somehow because of the murder, blacks will vote for Trump. (Obviously, this isn't what he meant, but that's a tribute to his inarticulateness.)

Note that Trump didn't bother with any condolences, and instead just immediately seized on the murder to make political hay. Hours later, his camp released another Tweet, "My condolences to Dwyane Wade and his family, on the loss of Nykea Aldridge. They are in my thoughts and prayers." But this standard boilerplate was obviously just damage control after the first Tweet.

And making political hay so soon after a murder makes Trump as exploitative and shameless as Obama, who starts talking gun control within 24 hours of every mass shooting.

The Trump campaign Tweets on a regular basis. Some of the Tweets come from his staff, some from the candidate himself. You can almost always tell the two sets apart because the latter are usually awkwardly phrased and often boorish.

What Trump undoubtedly meant with his Tweet was that if you're a resident of the inner city, and you want to stop these senseless murders, you should vote for the candidate who favors law and order, not the one who favors the BLM movement. And, of course, he's right about that: the police kill far, far fewer blacks than are killed by other blacks. But, somehow, he couldn't manage to convey that.

It's almost as if Trump has a mild case of ADHD, with a touch of Tourette's.

A lot of people automatically assume Trump must be brilliant because he's a billionaire. But the truth is, he inherited a real estate empire (despite what he says) and moved into Manhattan real estate as he was coming of age, in just the right era, the 1970's, when real estate was set to skyrocket.

A number of people have analyzed Trump by saying that he's slyly Machiavellian, and he knows exactly how to tar his opponents so that they look like losers. And it's true that once you've called an opponent, say, "low energy," or "ugly," people tend to see them in that light. But this may be giving him too much credit: what comes out of his mouth are just the uninhibited insults of a narcissist. I've known other narcissists who were the same way, and they weren't necessarily smart.

Trump obviously hasn't done his homework on foreign policy, and seemingly has no intention of doing it. Half the time when someone asks him what he's going to do about a particular problem, he just talks about what a great job he's going to do solving it, without explaining how. And a lot of people have fallen for it, because he's Donald Trump, billionaire.

Trump isn't dumb. He has good instincts, and a realistic handle on what's ailing this country. But, it really doesn't take a genius to figure that out, and he just doesn't give off high IQ vibes.

I'm going to vote for him, and I recommend you do the same. But in the remote chance he gets elected, expect to spend the next four years defending your choice from constant, well-deserved attacks against his personality.  (The best defense: hey, I never liked the guy personally, but his policies are better for America than another four years of Obama would have been.)

Hopefully, you'll be right.

15 comments:

Runner Katy said...

My thoughts exactly. He needs a personal "filter" to accompany him 24/7, but he's not humble enough to accept that. If he would go ahead and realize his boorish ways, and accept a media specialist to help smooth out his verbiage, he'd absolutely secure the vote!

John Craig said...

Runner Katy --
It's a shame that this incredible opportunity to save the country is being wasted because of Trump's ego. His Democratic opponent is extremely vulnerable, and her corruption and habitual dishonesty and lack of accomplishment are a matter of public record. But he just can't stay on message.

Anonymous said...

If Trump went to a 3 day "Ronald Reagan charm school" he could win the election by a land slide.

John Craig said...

Anon --
Ha, yes, exactly.

Steven said...

His team must bang their head against the desk when they read some of the stuff he writes. What kind of insensitive, impolitic idiot would write that tweet?

This is your best article on Trump so far in my humble opinion. I know you've said pretty emphatically that he's a narcissist before but I feel like you're speaking to my concerns about him more in this.

I can't argue with the first paragraph but I don't really trust him with power (maybe that's my natural caution) and I'm not convinced he's the conservative saviour people think he is. There could be someone so much better.

John Craig said...

Steven --
Thank you.

I don't trust him entirely either, he has something of the huckster about him, but I certainly trust him more than Hillary, who lies all the time, about everything, even when she doesn't have to, and is corrupt. And I like his policies a whole lot more.

Yes, his team must be frustrated. I am too.

Steven said...

I prefer his policies too generally but I really don't like his ideas about torture, to the point where it could be a deal breaker for me. Plus I feel like he has the potential to fuck up most spectacularly.

Check out Gavin Mcinnis interviewing anti-Trump protesters.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRoIQEsjDds


and if you like that this is a general video of his good moments. This guy is brilliant.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pydUfffjZ4

John Craig said...

Steven --
I've seen that one of him interviewing the Trump protesters, thanks. He is brilliant, but I don't completely agree with his analysis of how feminism started (it wasn't just men pushing women to do it).

Steven said...

yeah he says a few dumb things but I think he's right about a lot, his instincts are good to great and he's just fun to watch.

Rifleman said...

A number of people have analyzed Trump by saying that he's slyly Machiavellian, and he knows exactly how to tar his opponents so that they look like losers.

Scott Adams of "Dilbert" seems to be the main purveyor of that.

I agree with your analysis of Trump and the problem we all face with it.

But Hilary........................

And not just Hilary but the people around her and the media and the GOP establishment and neocons and the smug freaks on the left.

And meanwhile Hilary is the pro-war, pro Wall street candidate. Go figure.

John Craig said...

Rifleman --
I completely agree, there's just not enough bad that can be said about Hillary. Utterly corrupt. Reflexively dishonest. Violently temperamental. Intensely hypocritical. Wrongheaded on just about every issue. A farce of feminist, who rose to fame on her husband's coattails. She is why the media has been trying to keep the focus solely on Trump, day in and day out.

BTW, Heartiste has also been doing that same analysis Trump, and how he's so slyly Machiavellian.

Dave Moriarty said...

hi John,

Thanks for this post as it explains in an articulate manner how to view Trump. I am aware he has no plans to change.In fact, were he elected i suspect he will go further out on limbs as if the election requires him to be more "Trump". But i think the county needs a big dose of trump much more than they need Hilary "the best govt money can buy" Clinton to pocket donations in the Clinton foundation from other nations looking for favor.

Cheers,
Dave



Anonymous said...

In re "TRUMP'S high IQ vibe":

He doesn't seem stupid to me.
He has less curiousity-about-everything than I normally see in a really smart person, but, I think that comes from cynicism and being a winner. If you have a knack for getting to your own self-defined goals without having to learn all of the endless scholarly details about the carpet fibers in the conference room, you can if you wish have a cavalier attitude towards those details. You are the boss, suit yourself.

So, if Trump wins the election, (assuming that he wants to), without taking pains to act right, look smart, or fit in...then those are all EXTRA STYLE POINTS, that count towards him being the smartest person after all.

I hate to make my evaluation of his intelligence contingent upon something extraneous, but, if Trump wins ...then...what would a smart person have done better?

It's like my father used to say (he was brilliant, made millions, a much better guy than I turned out to be, heehee):

"I WOULD RATHER BE LUCKY THAN GOOD."

which was a sly saying, what he really meant was that when you are way far ahead of your competition, they can't even recognize your technique when you are doing it right on front of them.

(I may not have expressed that secret meaning very well, it is SUBTLE AND DEVASTATING... but it does truly apply to Trump... If he wins it...)

+++++FAKE BABA

John Craig said...

Thank you Dave.

I agree, this whole "let Trump be Trump" idea has been taken too far. And, unfortunately, too far to allow him to be elected, I'm afraid. Even more unfortunately, the alternative to Trump is just unthinkable.

John Craig said...

FAKE BABA --
Yes and no. I understand what you're saying about "better lucky than smart," and another saying that would apply here is that "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." However, what would you say if I applied those sayings to George W. Bush and Barack Obama? Would you agree that they were the smartest guys around because they ended up as President?

Also, I'm not saying that Trump is stupid; I pointed that out in the post. I just don't think he's as smart as some give him credit for. And his Tweets prove that.