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Actually, the Orange Man Is Bad, And that's kind of the point
This week America tallied the 75,000th official death from COVID-19—the real number won’t be known until after the crisis has passed and will be much higher.
Last week the 30 millionth unemployment claim was submitted. Amidst this death and destruction the president of the United States has been spending his days pecking around on his iPhone, tweeting that certain cable TV hosts are murderers and dogs and that the husband of his top strategist is a “moonface” loser. Oh, and he claimed—again—that the opposition party and the American media are “The Enemy of the People!” It is impossible to imagine a circumstance in which such behavior would be viewed as acceptable in normal life. Imagine sitting at a funeral service and seeing somebody standing a short distance away yelling and caterwauling about how the mourners or the priest were “dogs” and “The Enemy of the People!” Would you think that man was in full control of his faculties? Or what if you’re working over at Initech and your friend Don from accounting started #^&#^&#^&#^&posting on social media about one of your company’s competitors, Intertrode? Would this strike you as professional behavior for an adult in the workplace? Hell: What if the principal at your kid’s school started ranting and raving publicly about parents he didn’t like. Would the PTA shrug? Or would they ride his ass out on a rail? We sit at the most consequential moment in a generation and it is now clear that it is not the case that President Trump doesn’t want to change his behavior. It’s that he is congenitally incapable to moderate it even for a single day. The malignant self-obsession and childish vitriol only scratches the surface of the man’s flaws. His compulsions aren’t hidden or covered up. They are broadcast for the entire country to see, for hours on end, every day, late into the night. Here is where the final corruption takes place. Trump’s behavior is so far outside the realm of acceptable that even his supporters have been forced to concede it. And so, because they are unwilling to abandon Trump, they have chosen to embrace his vile abnormality and wear it as a badge of honor, turning it into a rallying cry to attack anyone who is bothered by the behavior. “Orange Man Bad,” they say. As if, by taking ownership of this fact, it somehow invalidates it. To these Trump supporters, and cos-play non-supporters, it is only the simpleminded folk who cling to the superstitious belief that a bad man having the most important job in the world is a serious concern. Those of us who are bothered by the insane ravings of a narcissistic imbecile aren’t able to see the big picture. The view of these sophisticates is that yes this man is bad, but also maybe having him in charge can be . . . not bad. Maybe even good. For as bad as President Orange Man is, there are more pressing matters that serious people must consider. For instance: What if a daytime CNN anchor uses hyperbole? Or a Washington Post columnist publishes a tweet that contradicts a tweet she tweeted three years ago? What if, somewhere in the universe, there is a liberal who needs to be owned? Are Republicans and conservatives—and even conscientious non-Trump supporters—supposed to obsess over every little thing the leader of the free world says and does and ignore the bigger game that’s afoot? Just because 2,000 Americans are dying from a pandemic every day? Get real, bro. This conceit is endlessly fascinating to me. It’s the old debate trick of performatively conceding the lesser point in order to win the broader point—but in reverse. Trump’s people concede the most significant matter just so that they can argue the ephemera. So they employ the MAGAfied “Orange Man Bad” retort on social media as a way of stepping over his badness to address something else, rather than engage with it. The Orange Man Bad practitioners would argue that they are simply trying to expose the shallowness of Trump’s opposition, the weakness of their argumentation. And while the phenomena of #resistance members opposing a policy that they might otherwise support were it not for the Bad Orange Man being behind it has certainly been known to exist, as a political matter, conceding that the president is bad is not the strongest turf for pointing out your foe’s weak argumentation. So yes, trolls, it is true that my anti-Trump arguments are occasionally influenced by the fact that the president is one of the worst humans I have ever had the displeasure of encountering in my life. I do not look at every issue in the imaginary vacuum where this is not the case. You got me. Last week Ben Shapiro, someone who has made his mark as a skilled debater, tweeted asking “What’s [Biden’s] case for being president, other than Orange Man Bad?” And while I could come up with a substantive argument for Biden on the merits, it led me to wonder: Doesn’t the question actually answer itself? The badness is enough. The badness is so bad that it’s all that really matters in our politics right now. Trump supporters themselves have acknowledged with great specificity the badness. A Clinical Psychological Science study showed that even Trump’s fans thought he was more sadistic and narcissistic than 90 percent of people. Trump surrogates have said he’s a “pathological liar” who “doesn’t know the difference between truth and lies,” a “narcissist at a level I don’t think this country has ever seen” and is of course, “utterly a moron.” Oh wait that was just Constitutional Conservative Ted Cruz—on a single day. We could spend hours listing every other description of Donald Trump’s manifest character flaws uttered by his current supporters over the years. But there’s not much point. Because the plain fact is that Donald Trump is not just a bad man. He is an avatar for iniquity and immorality and selfishness. He runs the table on the seven deadly sins and demonstrates not a trace of any of the four cardinal virtues. He possesses not a single character trait that you would want your child to fully emulate. He cares about nothing and no one besides himself. The country is suffering from his badness. And he is utterly aloof to their suffering. So I write this simply to let those who are unwilling to stand up to him for whatever reason know that on this one matter we wholeheartedly concur: The Orange Man is bad indeed. Tim Miller Tim Miller is a contributor to The Bulwark and a communications consultant. He previously served as senior advisor to the anti-Trump Our Principles PAC, communications director for Jeb Bush, and spokesman for the Republican National Committee. |
and biden probably fingered tara reade without her permission. does that not qualify as “bad”?
i’ve said a million times trump is. terrible person. the “orange man bad” label doesn’t mean we don’t think he’s bad at times. but unlike you, we also see the beneficial impact of his policies, and we see bad things that others do. to you, trump is all bad nothing possibly good. and you can’t concede anything derogatory about biden. trump is a scumbag, whose policies have helped the country more than biden’s likely will. and if you think biden is such a swell guy, ask tara reade. or ask the male college students who got kicked out of school on flimsy assault accusations, because Biden forced colleges to drastically lower standards for what was enough evidence to conclude guilt. Biden forced young men to make it very hard to defend themselves, and Biden bragged about it and mocked those who feel college men also deserve due process. now that it’s bidens turn, is he applying the low standards he forced so many other young men to suffer with? or is he suddenly realizing that “innocent until proven guilty”, isn’t so bad after all? Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
Lets disband the crona virus task force.. ( mission accomplished?)
Then does a 180 stating No idea' that 'respected' White House task force so 'popular,' Trump says, explaining reversal He sees every as ratings ..and whats best for his image. Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
His term is just like his life and business dealings, he is the definition of a classic narcissist. He cares only about his image, his families finances and of course the classic narcissist can never be wrong and if it’s pointed out he is, it’s the classic walk back spin song. He fires people that could have saved lives and shortened this health crisis, he spins the health crisis when he thinks he needs to pump himself and the market up, further costing lives. He inherited a strong economy and while he managed to not screw that up too badly at first, his handling of this health crisis has tanked the economy, put so many out of work and bankrupted countless businesses. He is IMHO a pour excuse for a human being, probably the worst president of our lifetime and when his taxes and money trial are finally public, many of his and his families allegiances and favors required will become clear. His handling cleaned up the air short term, but if elected again our environment will take a big hit, vote this charlatan out and let the NY southern district have at him.
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"Again as if hes not a billionaire " Lots of people suspect he's not that wealthy, that it's all a shell game. |
Jim you can call him a horrible human being, but ignore all the harm done, I get it he is your caption and I hope you all hold hands going down with the ship.
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Payments to Trump properties 2019
From Trump-related committees:$1,526,254 From the Republican party:$1,620,553 From Republican candidates, elected officials and leadership PACs: $754,664 From Democrats:$0 Every time He play golf at one of his resorts and he rarely plays anywhere else it's carts, rooms, food, etc. forbes estimates those at 15K per trip and at 200+ trips that is over $3,000,000. In the golf business cash flow makes money and millions are real money. And if you care to look there is lot's more. |
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What sinking ship are you referring to? until this damn virus, we were at a time of peace and prosperity not seen since 9/11. the only decline I see, is a cultural decline that is directly linked to liberalism. Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
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So it was on in your mind for clinton to be. serial abuswr because he helped the economy. you can’t make this up. trump also helped the economy. you’re splitting hairs in my opinion, trying to tell me that Bill Clinton is morally superior to Trump. i love it. serial abusers are to be forgiven for balancing the budget, but not for getting unemployment to 3.5%. makes all kinds of sense. Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
Trumps a serial abuser and has ruined the economy, I think your confused, it’s to be accepted head in sand and drinking the cool aid, it’s bound to mess with your ability to see and reason.
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Jim’s head is stuck in the sand and the Citrus Caligula is so far up his butt that Jim thinks his tongue is swollen.
And he loves it, just listen to him He’s Donnie’s bottom, anything for Trump* Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
Pin your hopes on Biden and let the chips fall.
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Exactly what can Trump* run on?
He can’t run on the economy. He can’t run on healthcare. He can’t run as a moral leader. He can’t run on bring the country together. He can’t run on leaders he put in power. He can’t run on justice. What platform can he run on? Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
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don’t blame him for the economic impact of the virus, and before the virus ( even though you don’t like it) he had the economy roaring. a lot of people will remember that. he also has done a good job with jihadists, and polls show that people like the way he’s handling the virus - not the way he behaves at the conferences, but the actions he’s taking, the things that made Governors Cuomo and Newsom praise him. He can also fairly run on the “i’m the candidate who’s not senile” platform. Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
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Just like last time 🤡 Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
Maybe maple syrup would make you sweeter
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It’s the best on bacon.
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Fantastic in an old fashion cocktail:hee:
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W Kirkland premium small batch Honey works well too Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
For a guy who has tried to erase President Obama's legacy at every possible turn, Trump* reached a major milestone yesterday.
All those jobs President Obama created are gone. Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
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