Quote:
Originally Posted by whell
First of all, no worries. And thanks.
Groupthink:
The "dark speech" thing is but one example. I think the first time I really noticed it was a few years ago during the first Bush II campaign. Someone in the media uttered the word "gravitas". It spread through the media like wildfire, far beyond the borders of "sincerest form of flattery".
Another time - mid great recession - when Michelle O took the kids on a trip somewhere. Someone in the media threw out the word "optics". That word went viral on every news network for days afterword.
Those are two I can think of off the top of my head. There have been many. After a while, your start to think that it really doesn't matter which network or cable news show you might watch because they're all spewing the same talk tracks. Its not even news anymore.
Trump:
"Wrong" to label him a demagogue? No, but then you'd need to find me a politician who isn't one. Most spin up their own version of the truth. If you want to call to "demagogue" or a "liar", then hold any other politician harmless for the same behavior (like "if you like your plan you can keep it", or "shovel ready jobs", or "the summer of recovery", or pick any aspect of the Iran nuke deal you want), then you render the words "demagogue" and "liar" meaningless.
What gives me pause? Probably the same thing as everybody else. His ability to unite the party, his communication style, questions about his elect-ability, etc. Do his occasional personal attacks represent a penchant for abusive behavior - something that folks who deal with him frequently in both business and personal contexts don't validate - or just "New York style ball - busting"?
Trump has demonstrated that he's not a doctrinaire conservative. That should appeal to a lot of moderates, including some Dems. While I do agree with many of the policy positions listed on his web page, I'm wondering where his core principles are, and what policy positions he'll compromise to "make a deal".
Those are the big things, I guess.
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Appreciate the time you took with that, whell.
Yes, memes spread through the news, possibly naturally, and sometimes, no doubt, with some influence promoting them. One thing though-you said 'groupthink mistake.' Is there a mistake in the 'dark speech' meme, or did trump indeed go OTT in painting the 'current state of things' very darkly?
I of course agree with more 'stark and alarming' versions of the Trump faults you identify. To quote myself from a recent post:
He promises things, like 'bringing back jobs,' but he doesn't say how he will do it. This is because he doesn't know how he will do it, and he further doesn't even know that he doesn't know.
Or, if he does know, he doesn't care. Because actually being able to perform isn't necessary to closing the deal. All that's necessary is that the 'buyer' think you can.