The Impeachment of President Donald J Trump

[The Minsky Moment]

I am impressed you are surprised. The President could paint the walls of the Oval Office with his own feces at this point and I would just shrug.

That's what he's counting on.

[Valmy]

I am impressed you are surprised. The President could paint the walls of the Oval Office with his own feces at this point and I would just shrug.

That's what he's counting on.

Be such an idiot there is no way I would ever consider supporting him in anything?

Well to be fair he achieved that in the 1980s at some point. He has just been running up the score since then.

[The Minsky Moment]

I really hope someone is making sure the nuclear football stays out of Trump's line of sight.

[The Minsky Moment]

Be such an idiot there is no way I would ever consider supporting him in anything?

Counting on a sense of immediate crisis to be muted by our habituation to the outrageous.

[Malthus]

I am impressed you are surprised. The President could paint the walls of the Oval Office with his own feces at this point and I would just shrug.

That's what he's counting on.

Be such an idiot there is no way I would ever consider supporting him in anything?

Well to be fair he achieved that in the 1980s at some point. He has just been running up the score since then.

The theory anyway is that his idiocy is a deliberate plan to normalize further idiocy, so instead of agitating to throw him out, good rational people just put up with it, become convinced that fighting the tide of idiocy is pointless and turn away from the struggle. .

Or as the poem puts it:

The best lack all conviction, while the worst   
Are full of passionate intensity.

[Syt]

Stable genius:

"Are you talking to me?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwdwWCSV5_w

Just watched Seth Meyers, he really actually said people think he's a stable genius during that same press conference.

[Razgovory]

One of the weirdest aspects of this is that Trump is uniquely vulnerable to criminal investigations in from other countries.  Is he just unable to put two and two together?  He is also on record claiming that the Foreign corrupt practices act is a "horrible law".  The whole thing is surreal.

[frunk]

One of the weirdest aspects of this is that Trump is uniquely vulnerable to criminal investigations in from other countries.  Is he just unable to put two and two together?  He is also on record claiming that the Foreign corrupt practices act is a "horrible law".  The whole thing is surreal.

His go to move has always been to accuse others of doing what he is doing.  It engages the whattabout crowd really well.

[garbon]

I am impressed you are surprised. The President could paint the walls of the Oval Office with his own feces at this point and I would just shrug.

I didn't expect him to so openly engage in behaviour akin to what he is facing an impeachment investigation for.

[The Minsky Moment]

Is he just unable to put two and two together? 

Correct.  He is not capable of understanding the idea of objective standards of conduct that apply to everyone in the same way.  His mind only understands raw power and influence.  He sees no contradiction or tension in applying one set of rules to others and rejecting the application of the same exact set of rules to himself.  Not only that, isn't capable of understanding why others would find that to be hypocritical.

[The Minsky Moment]

I didn't expect him to so openly engage in behaviour akin to what he is facing an impeachment investigation for.

Because you are still making the mistake of assuming he has the mental apparatus of a normal adult human being.

[Sheilbh]

One of the weirdest aspects of this is that Trump is uniquely vulnerable to criminal investigations in from other countries.  Is he just unable to put two and two together?  He is also on record claiming that the Foreign corrupt practices act is a "horrible law".  The whole thing is surreal.

His go to move has always been to accuse others of doing what he is doing.  It engages the whattabout crowd really well.

I don't think he sees any difference between the risks he's facing and his New York life with the thousands of suits and counter-suits plus tabloid PR.

[DGuller]

One of the weirdest aspects of this is that Trump is uniquely vulnerable to criminal investigations in from other countries.  Is he just unable to put two and two together?  He is also on record claiming that the Foreign corrupt practices act is a "horrible law".  The whole thing is surreal.

His go to move has always been to accuse others of doing what he is doing.  It engages the whattabout crowd really well.

Incidentally also a default Russian strategy.  If you want to to know what the Russians have done, just listen to what they accuse others of doing.

[Josephus]

Is he just unable to put two and two together? 

Correct.  He is not capable of understanding the idea of objective standards of conduct that apply to everyone in the same way.  His mind only understands raw power and influence.  He sees no contradiction or tension in applying one set of rules to others and rejecting the application of the same exact set of rules to himself.  Not only that, isn't capable of understanding why others would find that to be hypocritical.

In short he's a megalomaniac. And it's scary to think he's going to win 2020 as well.

[dps]

Quick question - even if Trump is impeached, there's nothing preventing him from still running in 2020 right?

I believe the senate can ban him from holding federal office again if they actually convicted (they won't)

If they convict, it's not something that they can do;  it's automatic.  See Article 1, Section 2, Clause 7.