Tag: Supporters

That Fragile Masculinity

Ever noticed the white guys that shave their heads?  Some do it because they are going bald…..think about that for a minute….then others rush to find the “magic” cure for baldness…..those “magic” treatments….like Propecia….

And that is where Trump comes in……

In a snicker-worthy disclosure by President Donald Trump’s longtime personal physician, readers of The New York Times learned Thursday that the leader of the free world takes a small daily dose of the drug finasteride ― otherwise known as Propecia ― which is used to treat male-pattern baldness.

The revelation by Dr. Harold N. Bornstein that the president uses a prostate-related drug to grow scalp hair was not previously known publicly, according to the Times story, and appears to explain why Trump has a very low level of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, a marker sometimes used to diagnose prostate cancer. The newspaper said it had four telephone conversations with Bornstein, whose office is in Manhattan, about Trump’s overall health.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-propecia-haiir-loss_n_58936376e4b06f344e4058a6

Vanity!

Onward to the meat of this post…..that male ego.

Back during WW2 a psychologist was asked to dissect Hitler’s personality……it was for an intel gathering report.

Fast forward to 2016 and the candidacy of D. Trump and a bunch of shrinks got together and dissected Trump’s personality…..of course his supporters went bat crap crazy…..saying you cannot make a long distance diagnosis (I agree with that assertion) but it has been done before and was used…..so why can’t these shrinks do it today?

In case you were interested in what the “shrinks” had to say……https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-time-cure/201709/the-dangerous-case-donald-trump

I have tried to understand why so many men support this person as president…..

Two psychologists at New York University have conducted a study showing how President Donald Trump appeals directly to men who suffer from what they call “fragile masculinity.”

Writing in the Washington Post, New York University psychology professor Eric Knowles and NYU psychology doctoral student Sarah DiMuccio claim that many male Trump supporters feel far more insecure in their own masculinity than they’d have you believe — and they are drawn to Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric because it makes them feel more powerful.

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/trump-appeals-men-suffer-fragile-masculinity-psychologists/

That explains so much……

Then there is that male masculinity……

There’s an ideology out there affecting boys and men, and the American Psychological Association says it’s “harmful.” The Los Angeles Timesreports on the APA’s first official warning on the toxicity of “traditional masculinity,” which “has been shown to limit males’ psychological development, constrain their behavior, result in gender role strain and gender role conflict and negatively influence mental health and physical health.” Featured this month in the APA’s Monitor on Psychology magazine, the “APA Guidelines for the Psychological Practice with Boys and Men”—a 13-year effort that involved scientists poring over more than four decades of research—notes the harmful effects tied to traditionally masculine traits, including being competitive, aggressive, and stoic. The APA offers some stats to back up its claim: Men in the US, for instance, commit 90% more homicides than women.

Also holding sway “over large segments of the population” are such traits as “anti-femininity, achievement, eschewal of the appearance of weakness, and adventure, risk, and violence.” The report notes that by males conforming to these traits, they may bury their feelings and pretend things are OK when they’re not, which could, down the line, lead to sexual harassment, homophobia, and violence. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that, per the study, men show disproportionate rates of substance abuse, cardiovascular issues, early mortality, and quality-of-life problems, among others, yet tend to not seek needed help—and even when they do, many say their male-related issues aren’t addressed. Not that the APA thinks every single aspect of traditional masculinity is harmful: Leadership and courage, for example, are positive traits boys and men should strive toward, the group says.

This is interesting because the new crop of female Congresspeople are making a name for themselves and in doing do so seem to be threatening the fragile men’s masculinity……these men have been in “control” for so long that the threat of women stepping in to the power centers has them running scared….even attacking women in their party.

Why do they feel their masculinity is being attacked?  Just because strong independent women are being elected or maybe they feel the “good old boy” system is coming to an end.

Closing Thought–23May17

Roger Moore, the 3rd James Bond, has passed away at age 89 of cancer…R.I.P.

Does Anyone Care?

They are out there, blind Trump apologists, doing all they can to protect this yutz from the truth……

During the 2016 campaign Trump made many promises and since being elected has done very little to fulfill those promises.

I have pointed out where he has failed to deliver on several occasions and have never found a supporter that cares that they were lied too to get their vote.

Remember when Trump said he could shoot someone in the street and not be arrested? (a paraphrase)  Looks like that may be true.

It is very confusing because Trump predecessor was called out constantly over his promises and his failure to give those promises to his voters….so what is the difference between the two presidents?

If you were paying attention to what we learned about Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign, then you know that the president of the United States was once the impresario of a student-swindling Trump University, the founder of a Trump Foundation designed for tax evasion and illegal self-dealing, and the chief executive of a Trump Organization that has long relied on various techniques of grifting, from rip-offs of workers and contractors to serial bankruptcies.

And if you know all that, then you cannot be surprised by the way that he and his family have conducted themselves during the first 100 days of his presidency, which is also the way they will behave until they leave or are removed from the White House. They have misused the office of the president to enrich themselves in ways that none of Trump’s predecessors, not even the most venal, could have imagined doing.

Source: Trump voters are willing to be conned as long as he deports immigrants and bombs the world – Salon.com

His brain dead supporters will stand by him even when he may be endangering our national security…..like when he gave classified info to the Russians.  His pea brain supporters try to deflect his betrayal of the country by pointing to an Obama thing about the missile codes……the problem with that argument is Obama did not give the codes and Trump DID disclose classified into to the Russians….so they argument is as lame as the supporters choice for president.

Thanx everyone for your participation and I will see you guys tomorrow…….chuq

Becoming “Sour And Dark”

You know I am always thrilled when the inevitable happens….a politician gets caught lying and trying to cover their ass…..but it is more fun to watch the die hard supporters doing all they can to support their “guy”…..of course the insults are always fun because these supporters are pretty creative in their insults….usually they have NO idea what they are talking about but Hell that never stopped a moron from babbling.

Now with the trouble that Trump has created for himself just amps up the supporters and their admiration of the man…..they refuse to look at the facts, and yes there are facts, whether they like them or not, but rather just throw out their chest and let the poison pen fly.

It is fun watching butt hurt twats do their “thang”……as silly and unimaginative as they are……

I bring all this up because these supporters are a carbon copy of their vision of manliness…..”Sour and Dark”!

Things are not going well in DC…..not for Trump and not so much for those die heard supporters……Trump who is crazy about his son-in-law, Jared,  has started attacking him as well….you know things are going to shit when he attacks his “fair-haired boy”…..

As leaks from President Donald Trump’s White House continue to spring in the aftermath of the president firing former FBI Director James Comey, staffers are revealing more information about the president’s moodiness that is even directed at the closest in his inner circle.

According to a New York Times report by Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush, the president has not only been overheard complaining about having to fire his disgraced national security adviser Michael Flynn, but has also begun directing his mood swings at his son-in-law-turned-adviser Jared Kushner.

“His own mood, according to two advisers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has become sour and dark,” the report claims, “turning against most of his aides — even his son-in-law, Jared Kushner — and describing them in a fury as ‘incompetent,’ according to one of those advisers.”

Source: Trump becoming ‘sour and dark’ as he turns against son-in-law Jared Kushner: report

I am wondering if Jared is asking….”Is this the price I pay for blind obedience?”

Not a good sign for the admin…..he can hope that on his first international trip he does not say or Tweet something stupid…if he tries he could have a minor re-start….but how likely is that?

Just a few words of advice for the Trump-ster……

Keep your mouth shut……keep you finger away from the Tweet button….and maybe the rest of the week could slow down and get back to the business of state.

How likely is that?

Trump Makes Me Yearn For My Syndicalist Days

It is less than 4 days before America goes to the polls and picks their next president…..and their choices are still a mystery….at least to me.

I have been asking myself that question for over a year.  I have seen people that under normal circumstances are level headed and rational…..and then they hitched their fate to the Trump bandwagon.

It has been a mystery…not even the totally committed supporters have any idea why they are a supporter……..they offer up some diatribe about speaking his mind or having balls or other such simplistic dodges…….

But why?

And it’s not gender, age, income, race or religion.

If I asked you what most defines Donald Trump supporters, what would you say? They’re white? They’re poor? They’re uneducated?

You’d be wrong.

In fact, I’ve found a single statistically significant variable predicts whether a voter supports Trump—and it’s not race, income or education levels: It’s authoritarianism.

That’s right, Trump’s electoral strength—and his staying power—have been buoyed, above all, by Americans with authoritarian inclinations. And because of the prevalence of authoritarians in the American electorate, among Democrats as well as Republicans, it’s very possible that Trump’s fan base will continue to grow.

Source: Donald Trump 2016: The One Weird Trait That Predicts Whether You’re a Trump Supporter – POLITICO Magazine

I am sure this will not be a popular explanation….especially for his most ardent supporters…..but if one takes the time to look at it in a rational manner (yeah that will happen) then it does…..it makes perfect sense…..just listen to the rhetoric coming from the mouths of those ardent supporters.

A few thoughts on nationalistic fervor……

“All of nationalism can be understood as a kind of collective narcissism.”
“I distinguish, between nationalism and patriotism.”
“I don’t believe in nationalism. I think it’s a bunch of slogans. It’s a bunch of poor attempts at creating pride. My problem with nationalism is that it becomes exclusionary. We start to exclude people.”
“Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.”
Just a few thoughts on nationalism……..

Issues like “if I win then my opponent will be jailed” or “if I lose then it is all rigged and therefore not acceptable”……the cries of many 3rd world dictators……

Is the country ready and willing to give up rights/freedoms for security?

Have we been condition to make this all possible?  If so, by whom?

Globalists?  Now that is a subject for a later day….too intense for this one….an insult that could replace “apologist” or “bleeding heart” even “socialist”……

I am old now but the direction of the country makes me yearn for my Syndicalist days……..

“Trump News Network”

There has been lots of verbiage on the treatment Trump is getting in the media….most of his supporters feel they are being unduly targeted for their support…..I can see where they would be feeling thus……I have some stuff uttered on the news that I do not think needs to be said….that is until there is concrete proof.

This brings me to a loyal reader of IST, The Ripening Wanderer, while we may not always agree I cherish his input.  He recently wrote a post that called for a possible “Trump News Network” and I quote:  “I think it is high time for Americans to be able to turn on their radios and their TVs and go to the “Trump News Network.”

Source: THE RIPENING WANDERER | My Personal WordPress.Com Web Log (Blog)

And that is where I pick up this post…..he may very well get his desire…..

Donald Trump said last month he has zero interest in forming a media company, but a short conversation said to have taken place between his son-in-law and the head of an independent investment bank has generated new buzz around that rumor. Per Reuters, three sources “with knowledge of the matter” tell the Financial Times that Jared Kushner, husband to Ivanka Trump and publisher of the weekly New York Observer, met “informally” with LionTree Advisors CEO Aryeh Bourkoff sometime over the last two months to brainstorm about a possible Trump TV network. Vanity Fair notes Bourkoff was the driving force behind Verizon’s 2015 AOL buy and Charter Communications’ takeover of Time Warner Cable earlier this year. Not everyone is surprised at whispers of this new possible mine for Trump to plumb after the election is over, CNNMoney notes.

“Who could have possibly seen this one coming?” was the sarcastic tweet of GOP Sen. Ben Sasse about the possibility of a Trump network, which CNN points out would potentially take on Fox News from the right, and which CNN President Jeff Zucker has said is “harder to do than people think it is.” It’s also not terribly surprising Kushner may be the one putting out feelers for this type of deal, as he’s been instrumental in his father-in-law’s campaign and is a Bourkoff pal. Vanity Fair points out the concept isn’t so outlandish as “the wheels continue to come off” Trump’s campaign for the presidency and notes discussion about a “post-election media goldmine makes a whole lot more sense” than other things Trump’s done of late. Also in his favor: “He’s a billionaire entertainer who shines on reality shows and beauty-pageant stages and tabloid covers.” Neither Kushner nor Bourkoff have commented.

I was skeptical back when Trump announced his candidacy…I said then that he was only trying to build his brand…..even though he has come a long way since he announced I still feel that he is only trying to find a way to make some money off this experience.

Will Clinton Be Our Next President?

Not with my help!

The conventions are over and it is official we have our two candidates or so they want us to believe……but to answer my question….Damn!  I hope not…but then I am not so thrilled about our other choice (that is if you believe there are only two choices…I do not)…..

I cannot support Clinton for many reasons and I read an article by a Bernie supporter on why he cannot support Clinton……after reading I found that 6 of the reason were my reasons for why I do not support Clinton…..

Based on her foreign policy, Wall Street support and general judgement, this Bernie backer can’t back Hillary

1. The Iraq War. Sanders was on the right side of history. Bernie Sanders voted against the Iraq War, using the same intelligence reports as Clinton and Bush. He also foreshadowed the dire consequences of Iraq. In contrast, Hillary Clinton voted for Iraq and now calls her vote a “mistake.”

Source: I’m a Bernie Sanders voter who will not support Hillary Clinton: Here are 10 reasons why – Salon.com

There are a wide rift between true progressives and Clinton….she can try and spin it anyway she wants….she is NO progressive…..she is a war hawk….a neoliberal.  But why would thinking progressives not support Clinton?

The “lesser-of-evils” argument might not work for independent voters this year.

For those who hope for swift unity in the Democratic Party, there are reasons to believe it won’t happen if Hillary Clinton is the nominee.

While there are serious policy differences between Clinton and Bernie Sanders, a deeper fault line must be acknowledged between their supporters.

Certainly the two candidates remain far apart on issues that matter to progressives and independents — fracking, the TPP, tuition-free public colleges, universal single-payer healthcare, racist policing, militarism in the Middle East — to name just a few. Indeed, based on policy and political strategy, many independents and Democrats see Clinton as more like a traditional Republican. Many even see it as indicative of privilege if one supports Clinton over Sanders, given the current state of the economy and the environment. Many intelligent progressives see the two candidates as representing different social classes.

Source: The Deeper Reason Many Intelligent Progressives and Independents Will Not Support Hillary Clinton — Medium

Then there is all those young people that Sanders brought out to the streets…..the Millennials…..they will be looking for an alternative…..that is if they vote…..best thing Clinton can do is try to keep these people in the vague cloud and hope for the support she needs.

It Not Bernie Then Who?

The MSM has busted a blood vessel analyzing the outcome of the primary process…..oh the math!

The problem is that many Dems do not trust Hillary and her faux “I feel your pain” con…..(Hell she cannot figure out a subway turnstile)…….but for the sake of argument id she wins the nomination will she have all the support from all the Dems?

My opinion is that she is not liked by most so I do not think that all of Bernie’s supporters will flock to her side for the general election.

A recent poll bears out what I am feeling……

The surge of voter enthusiasm for the Bernie Sanders campaign may not translate into Clinton fever this fall if she gets the nomination. According to the latest McClatchy-Marist poll, some 25% of Sanders supporters—especially independents, moderates, and men—say they won’t support Hillary Clinton if she becomes the nominee. It’s not clear whether they would vote Republican, choose a third-party candidate, or just stay home. Only 14% of Clinton supporters say they won’t support Sanders if he becomes the nominee. “Right now, the Sanders voters are more reluctant to support a Clinton candidacy,” says Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

The poll numbers are worrying news for the party, though Mediaite notes that during the 2008 Democratic primaries, pollsters found that 50% of Clinton voters claimed they would support John McCain over Obama, who ended up winning that November. The McClatchy poll also found that Sanders has edged ahead of Clinton nationwide, 49% to 47%, helped by overwhelming support among voters 29 and younger, 73% of whom prefer him to Clinton. He also leads among Latinos, independents, and the unmarried, while black voters, voters over 60, and Democrats lean toward Clinton. (Sanders believes his path to victory involves a contested Democratic convention.)

If they do not vote for Hillary…..then who?  Well we can be sure that the Trump camp will not see an increase from ex-Bernie supporters.  Or for that matter neither will the Cruz group if he somehow wins his party’s nomination.

Then who will these voters fall behind in the election?  Will they settle for a third party candidate?  Maybe a candidate like Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party?

Who will win the support of those 25% of ex-Bernie supporters?

Ron Paul Talks With Supporters

The unsuccessful Republican candidate for president told the estimated crowd of 12,000 boisterous supporters that while he would not take credit for the growth of their movement over the last year, “I would hope that our efforts did a lot to speed up the revolution, which was coming anyway.”

He and earlier speakers throughout the day directed much of their criticism at the other event across the way in St. Paul — the Republican National Convention — where they said Republicans, and specifically conservatives, who had lost their way continued to stifle alternative views within the party.

In fact, they have endured “treatment of exclusion, of marginalizing and just making fun of what we are doing,” said the 10-term congressman from Texas. “It didn’t surprise me much. But the more they did that the more it seemed to energize you more.”

“And guess what? Not one single taxpayer cent was spent on this rally,” Paul said with reference to the Democratic and Republican events — which primarily were financed with private donations, though they also required about $20 million each in public security support.

The rest of Paul’s speech included a laundry list of issues revolving around scaling back the federal bureaucracy, preserving civil liberties and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lashed out at what he called a preventative war policy that has made the country less safe and has inflamed America’s enemies abroad. He got the biggest applause when suggesting the Federal Reserve system was unconstitutional, as are the federal income tax and the war on drugs.

He closed out his remarks by calling for more urgency, more action, a “peaceful civil disobedience” against big government and what he called unconstitutional behavior in Washington.

Obama-Clinton Tensions Continue

As Democrats arrived here Sunday for a convention intended to promote party unity, mistrust and resentments continued to boil among top associates of presumptive nominee Barack Obama and his defeated rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The former president is disappointed, associates said, because he is eager to speak about the economy and more broadly about Democratic ideas — emphasizing the contrast between the Bush years and his own record in the 1990s.

This is an especially sore point for Bill Clinton, people close to him say, because among many grievances he has about the campaign Obama waged against his wife is a belief that the candidate poor-mouthed the political and policy successes of his two terms.

While Bill Clinton remains angry about how he and his wife were treated by both Obama backers and the news media — and he is particularly resentful at what he sees as unfair allegations that he tried to exploit racial divisions for political advantage — he has made the decision that he will put forward a positive face for Obama’s benefit at Denver.

Damn!  How long will this pouting by Bill and Hillary’s supporters continue?  I still do not understand the supporters that say they will vote for McCain before they would Obama.  Why would a Dem vote Repub, a partythat has nothing in common with their beliefs?  The only answer I have is that it is about personality and not the country.

Pro-Clinton Protesters

Democratic Party leaders have spent weeks preparing a national convention this week that will burst with symbols of unshakable unity behind Senator Barack Obama.

But outside the convention arena in Denver, some of Hillary Clinton’s supporters plan to air their grievances against Obama, the party’s leadership, and the national media, whose coverage of the primary battle they considered sexist. Hundreds of disaffected Democrats from around the country plan to converge in the Mile High City to hold news conferences, protests, and vigils, threatening the party’s ability to present a united front against Republican John McCain.

Many Democrats say the success of the convention, and of Obama’s fall campaign, depends heavily on how well the party handles the complaints of Clinton’s loyalists, some of whom are still smarting from the long and bitter fight, are disappointed that she is not Obama’s running mate, and are insulted by reports that she was not vetted as a possible pick or consulted about his choice.

While many Clinton delegates say they will back Obama and do not intend to embarrass him, grass-roots activists planning protests outside the convention hope to disrupt the sense of unity party leaders are cultivating.

Puma PAC is among a multitude of pro-Clinton groups that formed online to protest a variety of issues, including perceived media bias and flaws in the primary process. In Denver, Murphy’s group plans to show the premiere of an unfinished movie, “The Audacity of Democracy,” and is cosponsoring a protest and candlelight salute to Clinton tomorrow. Another group, PUMA 08, will coordinate communication between its members and the press, and provide a home base for bloggers who support Clinton.