The Match Cut 2017 Political Thread (or: The Lord of the Leaks: The Trump Towers)

[number8]

I was only talking about your question about the fear of him dropping nukes. I thought you were asking if it makes one a Bad President if every world leader is scared of you, and my answer is absolutely.

But yeah, in general I am not a fan of military posturing. At all.

[Dukefrukem]

I was only talking about your question about the fear of him dropping nukes. I thought you were asking if it makes one a Bad President if every world leader is scared of you, and my answer is absolutely.

But yeah, in general I am not a fan of military posturing. At all.

I wouldn't like that either. But I'm looking in hindsight.

We don't want to be in a war. If we get out of this Presidency, not having been in a war, would Trump's posturing be a trait that would classify him as a bad President?

[number8]

We don't want to be in a war. If we get out of this Presidency, not having been in a war, would Trump's posturing be a trait that would classify him as a bad President?

It's impossible to confirm a negative so I would say it's moot. I'm sure his supporters would give him the credit for that while Democrats will claim the absence was not for lack of trying.

[Dukefrukem]

It's impossible to confirm a negative so I would say it's moot. I'm sure his supporters would give him the credit for that while Democrats will claim the absence was not for lack of trying.

But it's okay to condemn him now for a war we're not in yet?

[D_Davis]

But it's okay to condemn him now for a war we're not in yet?

Yes. We can condemn for his words now, and for his bravado posturing and petulant bullying, and hope he doesn't follow through with actions.

[number8]

But it's okay to condemn him now for a war we're not in yet?

Oh boy. In practical terms, the list of things he's actually already done that I'm condemning him for is long enough that I'm not worrying about what he might do, for the sake of my own mental health.

But longer answer is: This is where I think a President's role as a figurehead is always underrated. One of the important jobs, I believe, is to inspire respect and (for better or worse) maintain an illusion of benevolence, even when it's contrary to the reality (Obama excelled in this, I think, which is why the international community's view of the US improved significantly during his terms despite the continuing wars and drone strikes). I don't know what's "okay," really, but I know why the accusations exist. The reason why Trump scares people is that he has demonstrated a complete lack of impulse control. Maybe being utterly convinced that he will start a war is premature, but it's a completely justified worry that's based on the personality of who we're talking about. Everybody who knows him well before and after his political career has said that he's combative and prone to lashing out in full force when he's even slightly offended. This fear is currently tempered by a trust that the process in place will prevent him from doing whatever he tweets he'll do, but it's a trust that, I think justifiably, erodes with every administration personnel fuck-up that's been happening on a weekly basis. If you're President and you're continually scaring the shit out of the majority of your citizens, you're not really being a good President. When you're a figurehead, it shouldn't be acceptable to write off the concerns of citizens and the media as simply reactionary. It's part of your job to manage that reaction.