SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2025
Ever so slowly they turn: Peter Baker, he of the New York Times, is an extremely clear-minded journalist.
For that reason, it's odd to see him make this apparent minor mistake in a lengthy "news analysis" piece in today's print editions:
NEWS ANALYSIS
Shouting, Ranting, Insulting: Trump’s Uninhibited Second Term
[...]
Mr. Trump’s older brother, Fred Trump Jr., was an alcoholic and died in 1981 at the age of 43, a tragedy that deeply affected the future president. He has often ascribed his aversion to drinking to his brother’s decline. And he has used it as one of the only self-deprecating lines he typically offers. “Can you imagine if I had” been a drinker, he asked at one point in 2018. “What a mess I would be. I would be the world’s worst.”
It doesn't exactly matter. But according to the leading authority—and also according to his own daughter—Fred Trump Jr., the president's older brother, actually died in 1981 at the age of 42.
Fred Trump's daughter, Mary L. Trump, complains about this error by the New York Times at several points in her 2020 best-seller, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man. She seems to find the mistake emblematic of the slipshod way the nation's major mainstream news orgs have reported on the Trump family, and especially on her famous uncle, down through the many long years.
Her father died at age 42, not at age 43, she writes at several points. Five years after her book appeared, there is the highly competent Baker, repeating the same apparent mistake.
A person could see this as emblematic of the way our major news orgs disappeared key parts of Mary Trump's best-selling book. We refer to the parts of the book in which Mary Trump, a doctorate-wielding clinical therapist, lists the vast array of (potentially dangerous) "psychopathologies" which, she says, seem to be on display in her famous uncle's behavior.
Bowing to the rules of their guild, our mainstream journalists disappeared that part of Mary Trump's book. That brings us to this morning's "news analysis" piece, in which Baker—an exceptionally clear writer and thinker—lists the many peculiar behaviors in which President Trump has engaged in the last few months.
Next week, we expect to visit Baker's long list of recent strange behaviors by President Trump. For today, we want to direct your attention to an unusual statement which lurks inside Baker's piece.
Baker is a very clear writer. So why did he author the claim we highlight in the passage we've posted below?
At this point in his lengthy piece, Baker is writing about the recent statement in which Susie Wiles said that President Trump has "an alcoholic's personality." Baker notes that the president doesn't drink alcohol—but along the way, he says this:
Mr. Trump’s older brother, Fred Trump Jr., was an alcoholic and died in 1981 at the age of 43, a tragedy that deeply affected the future president. He has often ascribed his aversion to drinking to his brother’s decline. And he has used it as one of the only self-deprecating lines he typically offers. “Can you imagine if I had” been a drinker, he asked at one point in 2018. “What a mess I would be. I would be the world’s worst.”
But in recent weeks, Mr. Trump has adamantly denied any cognitive issues, saying that he had taken three exams measuring his mental acuity, including one recently. “I ACED all three of them in front of large numbers of doctors and experts, most of whom I do not know,” he wrote online. “I have been told that few people have been able to ‘ace’ this Examination.”
But in recent weeks, Mr. Trump has adamantly denied any cognitive issues, saying that he had taken three exams measuring his mental acuity, including one recently. “I ACED all three of them in front of large numbers of doctors and experts, most of whom I do not know,” he wrote online. “I have been told that few people have been able to ‘ace’ this Examination.”
Alcoholism is a disease, of course. So is narcissism, which Mr. Trump has in the past admitted to. “Narcissism can be a useful quality if you’re trying to start a business,” he wrote in one of his books. “A narcissist does not hear the naysayers.”
Narcissism "is a disease?" When did that become a fact? And why on earth—why in the world—did Peter Baker write that?
Let's start with the basic question: Is narcissism a disease? If it is, the leading authority on the condition doesn't seem to have heard:
Narcissism
Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive preoccupation with oneself and one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Named after the Greek mythological figure Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection, narcissism has evolved into a psychological concept studied extensively since the early 20th century, and it has been deemed highly relevant in various societal domains.
Narcissism exists on a continuum that ranges from normal to abnormal personality expression. While many psychologists believe that a moderate degree of narcissism is normal and healthy in humans, there are also more extreme forms, observable particularly in people who have a personality condition like narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), where one's narcissistic qualities become pathological, leading to functional impairment and psychosocial disability.
According to the leading authority, a moderate degree of narcissism seems to be normal and healthy—though something else is true:
On the extremes, narcissism can produce "a personality condition like narcissistic personality disorder"—and that condition has long been listed as a serious "mental illness."
In short, narcissism can be a "mental illness" (presumably, a "disease"), but it typically isn't. Double-checking, this is what Psychology Today has to say, in Q-and-A form, about the condition in question:
Narcissism
[...]
What’s the difference between narcissism and pathological narcissism?
Pathological narcissism, or narcissistic personality disorder, is rare: It affects an estimated 1 percent of the population, a prevalence that hasn't changed since clinicians started measuring it. The disorder is suspected when narcissistic traits impair a person’s daily functioning. That dysfunction typically causes friction in relationships due to the pathological narcissist's lack of empathy. It may also manifest as antagonism, fueled by grandiosity and attention-seeking. In seeing themselves as superior, the pathological narcissist naturally views everyone else as inferior and may be intolerant of disagreement or questioning.
Psychology Today seems to be in agreement with the leading authority. Plain old "narcissism" isn't a personality disorder (traditionally, a type of "mental illness"). It only rises to that (tragic / unfortunate) level in something like one percent of the population.
By definition, narcissistic personality disorder has traditionally been listed as a "mental illness" (and therefore, one supposes, as a "disease"). Narcissism all by itself isn't any such thing—and President Trump has certainly never copped to any such "disease."
Why, then, did someone as sharp as Peter Baker present this matter the way he did? Let us offer a suggestion:
Our high-end journalists have floundered throughout, looking for ways to suggest that President Trump is "mentally ill" without coming right out and saying so. Right at the start of his analysis piece, Baker plays that euphemistic game in two (2) separate ways:
Shouting, Ranting, Insulting: Trump’s Uninhibited Second Term
It all might make more sense if he actually were drinking. By all accounts, President Trump doesn’t touch the stuff. So when his own chief of staff said that he has “an alcoholic’s personality,” she was talking about his larger-than-life nature rather than his consumption.
Yet in some ways, it may be an apt description for a president who seems even less inhibited than ever in a way that has many in Washington and beyond shaking their heads or even wondering if the leader of the free world has lost it. The word often whispered by Republicans and shouted by Democrats and Never Trumpers is “unhinged.”
According to Baker, many in Washington are wondering if President Trump has "lost it." Those people often whisper or shout the word "unhinged," he accurately reports.
"Unhinged" and "unfit" are two of the words our journalists have used to suggest an issue with mental health without coming right out and making that assertion. Now, very late in a lengthy essay, Baker seems to have President Trump copping to a "disease."
Is Baker inching toward a less euphemistic appraisal of President Trump's possible condition? If so, ever so slowly our journalists turn! This is the culture we're stuck with.
Concerning Wiles and Bill Clinton: At long last, have they no sense of decency? Also, could they possibly be that inept?
This morning, during the 6 o'clock hour, Fox & Friends Weekend staged a discussion about the Epstein files which, at least for us, recalled Joseph Welch's famous rebuke of Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Hugh Hewitt, appearing as a guest, made the most astounding remark of the interview segment. True to form, co-host Charlie Hurt happily played along.
Next week, we'll show you what these floozies said. In a more righteous world, the various stars of this "cable news" channel would be frog-marched into the countryside for a long re-education regime from which they would, in the end, obtain their Ph.D.'s.
ReplyDeleteSqueal, squeal, Democrats. I loove it.
Thank you for continuing to drain the swamp, Mr. President. Don't stop draining the swamp, please.
For the benefit of Cecelia, who tends to lump all anonymous commenters into one big heap, this person is (1) anti-Democrat, (2) pro-Trump, (3) neutral on Somerby, (4) hostile but not substantive, (5) mistaken in his belief that any swamp is being drained by anyone, (6) most likely to be a paid troll, due to its repetitiveness and consistent appearance at the beginning of each day.
DeleteAnonymouse 10:38am, I agree. He is an anonymouse flying monkey.
DeleteNo, you have been calling Democrat commenters flying monkeys. You cannot use that term for all trolls regardless of behavior, without confusing everyone who reads your comments.
DeleteAll anonymous commenters are not alike. It is lazy to treat them as all the same, as Cecelia tries to do.
DeleteAnonymouse 1:18pm, no, I don’t call Democrats anonymous flying monkeys. I call anonymous people who posts tirades and/or throw mud pies anonymouse flying monkeys. When Democrats have a nym, I use it. The fact that so many Democrats are anonymous here is to avoid accountability from one post to the next.
DeleteAre Hector, Dog Face George, QiB, David, Ilya, the attorney with the slash mark between initials, not Democrats?
Delete1:19 — There’s an easy solution to the problem of being confounded with other anons.
DeleteMark David off that list, however, I’d call him David if he were a Democrat.
DeleteAnonymouse 1:19pm, you’re a complete putz, but rest assured, if you had a nym, I’d use it.
DeleteAnonymouse flying monkey are a subclass of anonymices in every sense of the word.
DeleteYou have commited a category error. Own it.
DeleteAnonymouse 1:44pm, it’s hard for someone to commit a category error when the category is something they have named.
DeleteThe anonymouse flying monkey in reference is an anonymouse flying monkey due to Helios behavior not his politics.
…HIS behavior , not Helios’…. :D
DeleteCC at 1:40 — That’s why I like CC even though we disagree about virtually everything. She has the best sense of humor found in any of these comments.
DeleteHow do you make a typo like substituting Helios for his? I haven't typed the word Helios before this in my very long life. What does Cecelia do or read that would put that word into "her" mind and induce such a mistake? More Greek warrior culture reading, the kind done by Nazi groypers and Hegseth to feel manly because women are raped and traded like Epstein and Trump traded them?
DeleteAnonymouse 3:35pm, the word Helios didn’t come from my mind. It came from the first three letters of my typo and from the computer programming of word prediction. The sun doesn’t like you either.
DeleteWhat would anonymices do without DG?
DeleteTalk about Somerby’s actual topics.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAnonymouse 4:32pm, or my typo and sex.
DeleteYou make things all about yourself, like a scummy narcissist.
DeleteAnonymouse 5:29pm, nope, both subjects were brought up by scummy narcissistic anonymices.
DeleteIncoherent again.
DeleteWhy does Somerby use a gendered insult to describe Hugh Hewitt and Charlie Hurt? He calls them floozies, which is a term applied to women:
ReplyDeletefloozie definition: "a young woman who has many casual sexual partners or who dresses or behaves in a sexually provocative way."
This is sexist behavior and not an apt description of the Fox hosts. Is Somerby getting so old and vague that he just grabs the first word that comes into his head. Does he not notice when that word isn't contextually appropriate or meaningful?
Women are allowed to have sex with partners of their own choosing these days. Words like slut, bimbo and floozy have disappeared along with the practice of shaming women who are sexual. This word may have popped into Somerby's head when he thought about the lack of decency of those Fox hosts, but he should have used his judgment to recognize that there are other ways to be "indecent" and chosen a better word, one that isn't a throwback to the days when women's behave was strictly monitored.
This is one of the ways in which Somerby's sexism leaks. But worse, it suggests he isn't even trying to do this blogging effectively but is just phoning it in.
Anonymouse 10;34am, putting it out there to whoever will buy it a drink, a dinner, or pay the phone bill. It’s an apt description.
DeleteThe reason Somerby calls Fox personalities “floozies” is to persuade us gullible liberals to support Trump. (Can that be right?)
Delete10:34 — Since you’ve apparently appointed yourself the arbiter of sexism, let me ask: Would it be “sexist” to suggest you’re a bit of a pearl-clutcher? How about to suggest that you might have a case of the vapors and should lie down?
DeleteGiven that you are male, any suggestion that the concerns of women about sexism are "pearl clutching" (a gendered insult), is definitely sexist. Yes, you are doing this on purpose, but it is still insulting to women I don't know why you think it is any different to be sexist on purpose, compared to accidental sexism via a poor choice of words.
DeleteWe already know that you are here to insult others. This is just another way to do it. You may think you are being clever but you are just being more of an asshole.
Whoa! Is the mouse who babbles on about sexism the same as the sexist mouse who badgers CC about being a man?
DeleteIt isn't nice or funny when Cecelia pretends to be a man. Calling her on it doesn't have anything to do with sexism, although her portrayal does (to the extent that it is based on stereotypes). It is about troll deception.
DeleteReferring to discussion of sexism as"babbling" is derogatory, but what else is now?
new?
DeleteSo it’s true! You’re the one who calls CC a man!
DeleteAnd: Your calling a woman a man is not sexist, but my suggesting that you may be pearl-clutching is sexist. Got it.
Anonymouse 1:43pm, call me a man every day of the week, if you wish. Make stupid arguments about stereotypes even as you accuse me of being a man via your own stereotypes. I’ll call you want you are, which is “a dummy”,
DeleteAnonymouse 1:21pm, by all means call me a man in drag. I love it. Nothing reveals the shallow political bullshite of “misgendering” than your argument.
DeleteAnonymouse 1:21pm, as to insults, I’ve not called anyone here a closet homosexual, a pedophile, a paid traitor to their country.You?
DeleteCC — Like I say, we disagree about everything. This mouse’s misgendering of you does not mean that misgendering is bullshite, political or otherwise. It simply exposes this mouse’s own innate sexism, of which she is too self-unaware to recognize.
DeleteDG, nope, you are wrong. It absolutely reveals that these anonymices do not buy into their own tripe. The whole concept of divorcing gender-sex from biology is an attempt to create yet another grievance group that leftists can manipulate or denigrate depending upon the politics of these individuals.
Delete
DeleteNot so much to manipulate the grievance group, I think, but rather to split the populus into warring factions. Like "woke" and "anti-woke".
It's always the same: divide and rule.
Anonymouse 2:31pm, fair point.
DeleteWhen men dress in drag, they do not say they are women. Cecelia pretends to be a woman while claiming to be female and yet she is clearly a male troll. That is deception and gender appropriation and it is dishonest and wrong. It is not the same as misgendering, which occurs when someone knows what gender a person is and yet refuses to accept their own presentation of themself, usually for political reasons but sometimes out of hate.
DeleteWe are not misgendering Cecelia when we say that "she" is not female but is an Eastern European troll, barely competent in English, ignorant of culture and history, and working to promote right wing political views while discouraging left wingers in these blog comments. That has nothing to do with gender but a lot to do with illegal and dishonest activities by the right wing, which has flooded many webpages with paid trolls and bots originating and paid by Russia.
Cecelia has no business here. She needs to go away. DG, if you are a troll or bot funded by foreign interests, you need to go away too. You add nothing whatsoever to discussion here except to make a nuisance of yourself in order to discourage the people who read these blog comments.
Somerby should be moderating his blog comments. He is too lazy to do that, or he is himself funded by the right, but as a consequence, it is difficult to hold any kind of discussion here.
This isn't the worst thing wrong with American politics, but it bothers me that anyone here would take these trolls at face value and accept that they are legitimate participants in American politics. This is how Russia destroys its enemies. Trump has brought this on us with his treason, and Somerby, for some reason, helps him do it.
Now that we know that the DOJ is shielding Trump with its Epstein redactions, there is no doubt that Trump is a criminal who belongs in jail, not a valid president of our country. That is what rational people are discussing today. Not whether Trump is a narcissist much less whether Cecelia is a real person and not a bot/AI agent pretending to be female when "she" may not even be a human being.
Anonymouse 3:17pm, how many endless paragraphs have you spent talking about my sex today? Yet here you are telling the rest of us what we should be talking about and what we should be saying as to Epstein, although everyone knows you just want to talk about me.
DeleteI haven't talked about your sex at all. I have said that you are misgendering yourself, pretending to be female when you are male. That is not SEX but GENDER, something entirely different. That you don't know this is part of your ignorance. But mainly, you are a fake, a fraud, a bad person (if not a bot) and a despicable troll. Go away. We will all be better off without you here, including Somerby.
DeleteAnonymouse 3:54pm, the word “sex” can be used to denote male or female.
DeleteNo one is engaging in sex here. We are showing behavior assigned by cultural norms to one sex or the other. That is called gender.
DeleteAnonymouse 4:30pm, no, you’re suggesting that I have a penis. That’s about biology, otherwise you’d merely label me a tomboy.
Delete4:30 — You’re a scold, although in my mind your heart is in the right place. My objections are twofold: One, you see sexism and racism everywhere, even where they don’t exist. Two, your constant scolding is counterproductive, driving people into voting for Trump.
DeletePeople who need scolding are already voting for Trump. To the extent that sexism and racism are institutional, they are everywhere. You can choose to help or choose to obstruct addressing these problems. Ignoring sexism and racism doesn’t produce change.
DeleteGo ahead — scold away! See sexism and racism everywhere you look! And then wonder why Trump and Cruz and Rubio et al. get so much political mileage out of attacking DEI and wokeness.
Delete(Hint: It’s because normal people don’t like incessant scolds. Sorry, but it’s true.)
You only find “scolding” objectionable because you benefit from racism and sexism. If you dodn’t, you would applaud change. It isn’t about normal vs abnormal but where you stand in social hierarchies. You are privileged so you don’t care about the experiences of those less privileged. Woke/DEI is not wrong — it makes the privileged feel uncomfortable about advantages they didn’t earn.
DeleteThe right is scoldy too.
Delete6:01. If you could read you would know that my objection is to excessive scolding which is politically counterproductive.
DeleteAnd I, like everyone, find virtue-signaling, woker-than-thou dilettantes irritating.
DeleteScolding decreased hate crimes and improved conditions for women and minorities. That’s undone now, but woke was working. Is that irritating too?
DeleteAnd think: Why is it undone now? When we call persuadable voters racist-sexists for minimal reasons (e.g., calling someone a “floozie”), we lose votes.
DeleteIt will be a cold day in Hell when DG ever comments on something Trump maggots do that will drive people to vote Democratic.
DeleteDG,
DeleteGo back to looking down on the poster who say all Republicans are bigots, even though you have nothing to counter that obvious truth.
Cecelia is a man pretending to be a woman.
DeleteThat is just a descriptive observation (the internet does not afford as much privacy as some think it does).
DG is a troll that enjoys the way Cecelia insults Dems.
They are both right wingers/Republicans as are all the trolls here.
They all wear their hatred on their sleeves.
Anonymouse 6:54am, eh…most Democrats (or Republicans) would be more concerned as to how their actions might alienate their current and potential constituents, than worrying over the opposition alienating its voters/potential voters.
Delete
DeleteI am a empathic retard. Somerby is an ass.
I sniff my fingers.
My supply of word-salads is endless.
I am Corby.
Anonymouse 12:38pm, do you think if you got a new hairstyle and a depilatory for your mustache that you could get a man and stop obsessing over me.
DeleteThe most likely reason why the mistake about Fred Trump Jr.'s age at death is that it comes from a source that gets it wrong while being used by multiple journalists and writers. In this case, it appears to be that Donald J. Trump himself gave the wrong age in some of his remarks:
ReplyDelete"The president said he learned that from his brother, who died an alcoholic in 1981 at age 43. Trump described his brother as a “great guy,” the “best-looking guy” with the “best personality — much better than mine.” [Politico]
Does a journalist verify the fact using Wikipedia or assume the President knows when his own brother died? Given how often Trump lies about everything, and his general mental fuzziness, it might be right to hold Baker accountable for a mistake that came from Trump himself, but shouldn't he be able to trust someone who is (1) president, and (2) related to his own brother, who supposedly had a big impression on him?
It doesn't make a bit of difference whether narcissism is a personality disorder, a mental illness or a disease (which usually implies something that is contagious or comes and goes healhwise, something you can catch or develop).
ReplyDeleteWhy is Somerby fixated on this and not on what is means that we have a narcissist for a president? Why does Somerby never discuss the consequences of Trump's disorders? It is almost as if these don't matter to Somerby.
This has to be one of the stupidest essays Somerby has written. Who cares what derogatory name Somerby wishes to call Trump. What matters is what Trump does in office. Is Somerby really chiding Baker over such a meaningless nitpick of a mistake?
ReplyDeleteAgree.
DeleteSomerby is either out to lunch, or fulfilling a word count requirement.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete
DeleteYou know "what is means that we have a narcissist for a president." Because every president since forever has been a narcissist.
Yes, even the mechanical Autopen president of 21-24. Not to mention that every politician is a narcissist too.
Those who aren't narcissists, they work quietly; you'll never see them on TV.
Anonymouse 12:31am, there’s some truth to that. It’s also politically advantageous to convince the country that a political contrarian is irredeemably damaged goods. That’s the objective.
DeleteAnonymouse 10:49am: “ Why is Somerby fixated on this and not on what is means that we have a narcissist for a president? Why does Somerby never discuss the consequences of Trump's disorders? It is almost as if these don't matter to Somerby.”
DeleteYour point is also Bob’s point and it’s why he does focus on publicly pushing this issue…cuz…
IT’S THE MEDIA, STUPID
Trump is just voicing alternative concerns. It's like when Bari Weiss' CBS News has on (i.e. giving a a national platform to) people who support the 100% Estate Tax rate, because they are open to alternative ideas.
DeleteThe media is irrelevant. It is very odd when Somerby cares more about the media than about real life, the people and actions reported BY the media, who are otherwise not part of the story.
DeleteHaving a strong ego is not the same as being a narcissist. People who submit themselves to public appraisal must have strong egos to withstand the inevitable criticism. Narcissists have many other traits besides that, such as not having a realistic picture of themselves and needing to always be the center of attention.
DeleteAnonymous 1:08 PM, your comment clarifies the disconnect problem with anonymices. At the top of the blog, there's a note saying "musings on the mainstream “press corps” and the american discourse."
DeleteThat's why Somerby keeps quoting from the DSM? I don't think so.
Delete
DeleteDonald Trump has an ego. Bubba Clinton, on the other hand, is a narcissist and a psycho, with his lip-biting, excessive emotionality, and all that. "I feel your pain..."
Go back and re-read the diagnostic criteria for narcissism. It includes the LACK of empathy, not excessive empathy.
Delete
Delete" the LACK of empathy, not excessive empathy"
Oh, dear. Again, for the alternatively gifted: psychos like Bubba Clinton have no empathy. They act, they pretend, they target group test their words and grimaces.
Our President Donald Trump doesn't do that, he says exactly what he thinks.
Anonymouse 1:24pm, evidently you haven’t noticed that Bob wants the MEDIA to start talking about Trump’s mental health. The DSM is Bob’s way of saying there’s good evidence/reason that the media SHOULD discuss this, but you already know that.
DeleteThe media has been talking about Trump's mental health, especially his cognitive decline.
DeleteClinton governed like a man with empathy. Trump has not.
DeleteClinton cared when there was a natural disaster or people were in need. Trump couldn't be bothered to express sympathy when little girls at a Christian camp were swept away by floods without warning (because Trump fired those whose jobs were to warn of such events and coordinate evacuations. Trump made a cruel statement when Rob Reiner and his wife were killed by their mentally ill son, because Rob Reiner was a Democrat, thus displayed a complete lack of empathy for those affected by drug abuse in their family. Trump doesn't care when ICE wrongly deports innocent people or assaults both immigrants and protesters on the street, leaving behind cars, dogs and children when they take someone to jail, but he rants in outrage when an FBI agent messes with Melania's underwear drawer looking for stolen documents that were found in Trump's possession, illegally.
DeleteIt is a huge joke for trolls here to discuss Clinton's empathy in contrast to the fraud in office, Trump. No wonder Trump was able to sexually abuse teen girls being trafficked by Epstein. He doesn't care about anyone's feelings but his own.
DeleteYou don't know what Clinton or Trump did or didn't care about, retard.
It doesn't matter how many meaningless words you type, you still don't know. You have your impression, but it ain't better than my or anyone else's impression.
So, you believe that everyone else is as lacking in empathy, feeling, as you are? You feel that others are just pretending, posing, writing empty words, faking it.
DeleteThis is how people with ASPD and others who lack empathy (narcissists) think. It is also how conservatives tend to think since Republicans are more likely to lack empathy than Democrats.
It isn't an impression that Clinton governed with more empathy than Trump. It is a fact that can be verified by looking at the acts a president has taken to help those who are experiencing problems, those in need.
DeleteWhat I believe, retard, is that you have no idea what the word "empathy" means. Forget "empathy".
Once again: every politician is a narcissist. This is trivial.
Some, like Bubba Clinton, also look like psychos: acting and pretending all the time, biting the lip, and "feeling your pain".
But Trump is not one of them. He's not acting or pretending. That's obvious, even to you.
And that's all.
Priests need empathy. Executives, managers (in business or government) don't need it. If they are motivated by empathy, they'll fuck up. They should be fired.
DeleteTrump was elected to serve the people, not his own interests. Read his job description.
DeleteAnonymouse 4:07pm, Trump would say that he’s a very stable narcissist.
DeleteYou probably think that’s funny.
DeleteIt is kinda funny
Delete1:28,
DeleteWhy would Bill Clinton, a guy the Right obsesses over 24/7, consider himself important?
Do you think Hunter Biden's penis is also a narcissist?
“Very stable genius”…stable narcissist… awww, forget it..,
DeleteYou are mocking someone's disorder. You don't seem to get it that such jokes are cruel. Even when it is the president being mocked. Then you think people who don't react positively to your "humor" just don't get your jokes. Talk about clueless!
DeleteSome stand up comedians have argued that nothing is off-limits when it comes to humor. That all jokes are allowed because humor, like art, shouldn't be restricted.
DeleteSomerby has expressed attitudes here dismissing blue humor, explicit sex jokes and profanity. He is recently attacking Gutfeld for making sexist jokes. Gutfeld also includes jokes aimed at obesity and age, so perhaps that is what offends Somerby too. So I know Somerby has limits himself and does not endorse the widely held view among comics that anything goes. Liberals don't much care about sex jokes or profanity, but many of us are offended by outright cruelty, so-called sick jokes and the kind of thing that teenagers do when bullying others (insult comedy). And liberals don't much like racist and sexist jokes, but also dislike jokes about disabilities, fat, age. My personal taste runs to absurd humor.
When Cecelia engages in the kind of humor that liberals dislike, it may be to needle the liberals here, or it may be that Republicans and Democrats resonate to different humor. Freud said that people laugh at the topics that cause anxiety, hence men who joke at women's expense are anxious about women or sex, and those who make fat jokes are nervous about their own weight and body image.
Cecelia might pay attention to her jokes in order to prevent revealing something hidden about her own anxieties. People like Trump who want to hide those with disabilities because they feel uncomfortable around them, and thus despise them as losers (which says something about their own fears) reveal more about their own character than they may know. The same goes for Cecelia, whether she is a Somerby sockpuppet, a paid foreign troll, or a bot reflecting cultural foibles.
Anonymices call conservatives and Trump every bad thing in the world and then go to the laughable extreme of chiding me for cruelty over using Trump’s “ stable genius” self-assessment in a quip. They pull out the file they have created to counter Bob’s argument as to Trump’s psyche and use on me because TDH is a dire political op/mission for them. They’re clowns.
DeleteWhat's the difference between denying something and adamantly denying it? IMO the word subtly weakens the denial, although I can't seem to put this observation into words
ReplyDeleteBaker wrote, "Mr. Trump has adamantly denied any cognitive issues..."
"Adamantly" means you are unyielding...making it impossible to persuade you to change your opinion or decision." I think the word "adamantly" carries a connotation that Trump ought to be changing his denial because there's reason to think his critics are right.
DeleteIn fact, "adamantly" is so important to squealing idiot-Democrats that the para with "adamantly" had to be repeated twice.
David has never heard of a non-denial denial. It is less than adamant.
DeleteI don't think adamantly subtly weakens the denial. It strengthens it by definition.
Delete"Did you leave your glasses in the car? I don't think so..." is a denial but a weak one because it leaves open the possibility.
"Did you leave your glasses in the car? I'm sure I didn't..." is adamant and not weakened by saying you are sure.
If up becomes down then it becomes much harder to communicate. If you are referring to the situation were someone protests too much, then you are admitting strategic denials as statements to convince others of something and that is not how language is usually used. Of course, with Trump you cannot believe anything because he lies about everything, including adamant denials.
Is Brooks communicating information or trying to sway public opinion? If the latter, then the meaning one would usually take might be different given his motives and other sources of evidence. Some denials are pro forma, which means not genuine but required in the situation.
"What's the difference between denying something and adamantly denying it?"
DeleteDenying: "No, that's not accurate."
Adamantly denying: "QUIET! QUIET, PIGGY!"
David Brooks adamantly denies having any connection with Epstein.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he kept his underwear on too.
Bob just looks away.
There are photos.
DeleteBill Gates, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, philosopher Noam Chomsky, and Trump adviser Steve Bannon, were photographed at Epstein Island, Anonymouse 11:55am just looks away…
Delete
DeleteIs "connection with Epstein" a criminal offense now?
Sounds like something from Nazi Germany.
Depends on what that connection consists of. Being an accomplice in criminal acts is against the law. Our current DOJ is protecting accomplices, especially Trump.
Delete
DeleteSo, this is not about "connection with Epstein" after all, 3:03? Or is it?
Also: "accomplice" in what crime?
Epstein was convicted (pled guilty) of 1. soliciting and 2. paying for sex to a woman one day before her 18th birthday. I don't think David Brooks or Trump could be his accomplices in either one.
@3:31 It is a crime to have sex with an underage girl. A man who participates in trafficking such girls, by allowing recruiting of them from among his Mar a Lago staff, or by hosting Mar a Lago parties at which such girls are offered to paying (or blackmailed) men, is an accomplice to sex trafficking of minors.
DeleteIf you don't think this was going on, you should go back and take another look at the photos and texts already revealed by the House Oversight Committee and now the DOJ. Remember that Epstein and Maxwell were convicted on evidence held by the DOJ and that Trump has denied being associated with Epstein during times when their texts show that denial is a plain lie.
There is no reasonable explanation for David Brooks being present at a party with 14 year old girls supplied by Trump's own model agency. Supplying alcohol to minors is also a crime.
What is missing from the Epstein files:
Deletehttps://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/19/epstein-files-justice-department-missing-00701512
https://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-white-house-will-never-release-all.html
The White House is breaking the law by not releasing the Epstein files.
Delete
DeleteLook, retard, once again:
Epstein was convicted (pled guilty) of 1. soliciting and 2. paying for sex to a woman one day before her 18th birthday. And that's it, he had no other convictions. Capeesh?
I don't think David Brooks or Trump could be his accomplices in either one.
Everything else is your, and other retarded Democrats', fantasies.
What was Maxwell convicted of?
Delete3:59,
Deletethere have been exactly zero convictions for any 2020 election fraud. That would make accusations of such fraud, 'fantasies' by your logic.
Yet you've also said we're drowning in evidence of such fraud.
Maybe you should stick to vapid insults. Evidence and reasoning, reality in other words, just ain't your bag.
The young woman Epstein was convicted of soliciting for prostitution with claimed the sex was consensual. She has never called herself a survivor or collected millions of dollars for it.
DeleteAll discussions of Epstein have to include his hemispherical penis. How may it have played a factor in the events?
DeleteConsent does not make underage sex legal. Minors cannot give consent.
DeleteWho invited all the pedophiles to this blog?
Notice that the Epstein sympathizers à la Megyn Kelly and trolls here are all Trumptards.
DeleteMao,
DeleteHow hard is it to call 911, and tell the police you observed an immigrant committing a civil infraction?
Do they not have phones where Right-wing bigots live?
America in a nutshell:
ReplyDeleteBlue folks are makers; red folks are takers.
When Republicans are in power they favor red folks and actively punish blue folks; since blue folks are the makers this makes the economy tank.
Afterwards, blue folk Dems are elected back in power and clean up the red folk Republican mess, but then Republicans take credit for the work of the Dems and the cycle starts all over.
These times are depressing enough without having to interact with the particularly obnoxious trolls who are here. There used to be actual discussion, now there is just bickering. Somerby looks away from that too.
ReplyDeleteAnonymouse 1:23pm, you couldn’t even label your contrarians as being trolls without smacking back at Bob.Do you think people are blind? “Discussion” is your pretext for knocking TDH. It’s the sole reason you are here.
DeleteHow would you say that Somerby has done anything to make his comment section a better place to discuss the ideas he raises?
DeleteSomerby used to discuss politics and media. Now this blog is HIS excuse for attacking Blue America. Prove me wrong.
Anonymouse 3:38pm, Fox News is beating its competition to death. Often out-doing ABC, NBC, CBS. Today Somerby attacked Trump and you shot him down. Please refrain from the suggestion that Bob could write anything to your approval. Don’t attempt to argue that you’re here for any reason but going after Somerby. It’s been too many years for you to be able to put that bullshite over on anyone.
Delete“ Somerby attacked Trump and you shot him down.”
DeleteDiC accuses Somerby of suffering from TDS after shooting down his latest “Trump is mentally ill” post. You also shoot him down, fluffing Trump at every opportunity, and then pretend it’s the other commenters who are shooting him down. Your shooting down of Somerby is actually far worse than any anonymous commenter, because the anons generally agree that there is something seriously wrong with Trump. You deny even that basic premise. Look in the mirror, Cecelia.
Anonymouse 4:24pm, please show me where I “shot down” Bob’s call to the media. How would me disagreeing with David be a contradiction of what I’ve said about Bob’s strategy? I shot down your motives for going after Bob. I shot down the notion that this line of attack would be futile and that Somerby is just wasting time. You’re wrong in this. Trump’s mental state is the most direct and attention garnering way to go at him.
DeleteIf there is any possible way for someone to doubt that anonymices are part of a political operation, it would hinge on their “apparent” failure to separate their personal outrage from effective political strategy. However, even this is just a deception. They know good political strategy when they see it. But their job is to hit at Bob. No more, no less.
DeleteNo, my job is to hit at you. The best way to defeat me is for you to go away.
DeleteAnonymouse 5:20pm, your usual logic.
Delete"Trump then pivoted to the 2022 FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago beach resort, framing it as a personal and political attack. He told the audience he was not home when agents arrived to conduct “a raid of a popular president, a former president,” before launching into an unusual digression about his wife.
ReplyDeleteALSO READ: Trump wants you to love him again. What he'll do to woo you is insane
Describing Melanie Trump as “a very meticulous person,” Trump told the crowd of rallygoers that the First Lady makes sure “everything is perfect” with her belongings.
“Her undergarments – always nice, sometimes referred to as panties – are folded perfect, wrapped. They’re like, so perfect. I think that she steams them, makes sure they’re just sitting.”
According to the president, that order was disrupted during the search. “She opened the drawers, and it was not that way,” he said. “They were a mess. It was all over the place.” He claimed agents also went into his son’s room, declaring, “These thugs are disgusting, and we cannot let them get away with this stuff.”
“We have all the evidence now,” Trump added. “We have to do something about it! It’s illegal, and it’s disgusting.”
Actually, the search was conducted legally under the authority of a search warrant issued by a judge. Documents were found, as expected and listed in the search warrant. That was the evidence supporting the prosecution of Trump for retention of classified materials after his term ended. There are pictures of the documents seized.
When authorities search for evidence, they are permitted to open drawers and rummage through contents without returning them to their original positions.
It is clear that Trump felt violated by the intrusion on his privacy (and Melania's) but his outrage is largely because he feels he is above the law, not subject to the same procedures as other citizens, especially others suspected of crimes and being legitimately investigated for crimes. His belief that he should not be treated like other people is part of his narcissism.
Of course they searched Melania and Barron's belongings. If they didn't, that would be the obvious place to hide contraband. After all, Trump hid such material in bathrooms and buried among otherwise innocuous papers.
President Trump wants us to know that Melania is organizing and steaming wrinkles out of her lingerie with her own little hands.
DeleteMelania and Trump no longer live together.
DeleteAnonymouse 5:55pm, what does have to do with the search of Mar-a-Lago?
DeleteHe’s pretending she does by complaining about her steamed undies now.
DeleteAnonymouse 8:13pm, it’s known that she doesn’t like DC. She’s usually in NYC or Florida.
DeleteNot at Mar a Lago.
DeleteShe would probably like DC if her goddam husband didn’t live there.
DeleteAnonymouse 1:34am, that’s a real possibility.
DeleteHow woud you know?
DeleteAnonymouse 12:50pm, look up the words “probably” and “possibility”.
DeleteToday's Somerby essay is clearly a distraction from the non-release of the Epstein files.
ReplyDeleteSelf-evidently. How dare he write about something other than what you think he should.
DeleteHow dare he support Trump while claiming to be liberal.
DeleteNot responsive to 5:11. How is it you're able to draw such certain conclusions about what a self-described media blogger believes by what he doesn't right about?
DeleteYou live in a tiny world of your own views.
In the past, Somerby always defends accused men, such as Roy Moore and Brock Turner. Not hard to guess his views when he tells us.
DeleteIt's a small world that generalizes from two cases (even if they are what you say they are) to be able to know all of Somerby's views.
DeleteSo far, there has been no evidence that Trump was participating with Epstein, there's no evidence of a rape ring, there's no evidence of pedophilia, there's no evidence of blackmail, what else?
DeleteThere are photos and texts. There are victim statements. The girls are underage, not by 1 day but age 14. The blackmail involves an Epstein money trail not yet investigated. But there are a lot of nervous, sweaty prominent men.
DeleteAnonymouse 7:31pm, pizzagate?…
DeleteSomerby also defended Kavanaugh.
DeleteAnonymouse 8:11pm, did he defend Justice Kavanaugh or simply reserve judgment or play devil’s advocate due to having questions?
DeleteHe refused to believe Blasey Ford.
DeleteAnonymouse 8:40pm, he had questions. Thinking people do question things. My question was that this stuff was supposed to have happened when Kavanaugh was age 17. What a dog and pony show.
DeleteAnd in college. They refused to interview people who came forward wanting to testify.
Delete8:47. Your question was what, exactly?
DeleteAnd what are you claiming to have been a dog and pony show? How many rapists and would be rapists are you a fan of here? What does being 17 have to do with anything? What exactly are you claiming? “ My son was accused of attempting to rape a girl, but fortunately he was a senior in high school.” I that your argument?
DeleteIn the past, the present, and the foreseeable future, there will be no evidence there is a Republican voter who isn't a bigot. There's no evidence they cared about grocery prices. There's no evidence they have a problem with the raping of children, there's no evidence they care an iota about the deficit, what else?
DeleteThere must be hundreds of issues Republican voters pretend are more important to them then keeping minorities in their places.
DeleteIt doesn't mean we have to humor them.
Anonymouse 10:56pm, of course they didn’t permit the airing of allegations from individuals who suddenly came out of the woodwork. It’s incredible that you believe a man who had a successful scandal- free career prior to his SCOTUS nomination should have to face a flood of people suddenly accusing him of sexual misconduct during a confirmation process that would result in a conservative majority on the court. That isn’t fair to anyone. It’s reeks.
DeleteKavanaugh's career was not scandal free prior to the hearing. Earlier, there were also 18 women corroborating Anita Hill's accusations against Clarence Thomas at the time, who were not permitted to testify. This is called a cover up. All witnesses should have been vetted.
DeleteKavanaugh replaced another conservative on a court that was already majority conservative:
"Yes, Anthony Kennedy was generally considered a conservative judge, appointed by a Republican, but he became famous as the Supreme Court's key "swing vote," often siding with the liberal wing on major social issues like gay rights (writing the Obergefell v. Hodges same-sex marriage opinion) while voting conservatively on business and other matters, making him a complex, sometimes unpredictable figure. "
Before bribing judges became a thing, there was a tendency for conservative judges to become more liberal over the course of serving on the court. Conservatives have been vocal when originally conservative judges have delivered opinions the conservatives disapprove of. Hence the appointment of more and more conservative judges until now the judges are not just conservative but also extremists attempting to legislate from the bench. This is not the way the founding fathers intended the court to function, but today's conservative activists don't care about that.
Delete"That isn’t fair to anyone. It’s reeks."
That's how the Democrat party operates, though.
Isn't it clear now, after observing their Get Trump psyop for 10 years? It is what it is; to be expected, foreseen as certainty.
Anonymouse 12:40pm, all you’ve done here is to pull up your Kavanaugh file and cut-and-paste. You’re not addressing my point. Who made a public claim against Kavanaugh prior to him becoming a SCOTUS nominee?
DeleteAnonymouse 12:54pm, and the media assists them,
Delete
DeleteThe media are part of it, sponsored by the same special interests.
You can't argue that there was no corroboration of the charges and then deny all corroborating witnesses from testifying. The investigation ordered by Congress was a coverup run by the whitehouse.
Delete"their Get Trump psyop"
DeleteTo be fair, this psyop only came in response to Trump's own come-and-get-me psyop.
DeleteBullshit.
They haven't found any "client list". They have not uncovered any rape ring. There is no pedophilia established. There's no child rape established. One 17-year-old admitted to having consensual sex with Epstein. There's no blackmail ring established. There's no blackmail found. There's no links to State security agencies found. There's not that much to the Epstein story that lives beyond the realm of accusation and speculation. Some girls made some claims but they never backed them up and they got millions of dollars to make the claims in the first place. So what does that tell you?
DeleteFantasy land. There is already evidence that contradicts you, @1:33. This is wishful thinking.
DeleteRegarding Kavanaugh:
Delete"Several Democratic presidential candidates are calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after The New York Times published an essay Sept. 14 describing alleged sexual misconduct that occurred during his college years at Yale.
New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, who wrote the essay, covered Kavanaugh's contentious 2018 confirmation hearings, in which Christine Blasey Ford alleged that he had sexually assaulted her at a house party when they were both teenagers. The FBI conducted an investigation into Kavanaugh's behavior, but it was restricted in terms of time and scope. The Senate ultimately voted 50-48 in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation.
In their new book, The Education of Brett Kavanaugh, Pogrebin and Kelly detail what is already known about Kavanaugh — and extend the investigation into parts of his history and events alleged to have taken place. (Editor's note: Pogrebin and Kelly's reporting noted below includes a graphic description of alleged sexual misconduct.)" NPR
Kavanaugh is also blamed for lying under oath about the legality of his drinking, whether he ever got blackout drunk, and the terms used by himself and his high school friends (in testimony he gave).
https://www.hrc.org/news/brett-kavanaugh-lied-under-oath-must-be-held-accountable
What is the evidence?
DeleteWhere is the client list? Where is the rape ring? Who is in the rape ring? How did it work? Where was the pedophilia? Where was the child rape? Where and when? And who? Who was blackmailed? What state security apparatus benefited? What state security apparatus was Epstein working with? Where is the proof?
Deletehttps://www.emptywheel.net/2025/12/20/the-most-complex-friday-night-news-dump-ever/
ReplyDeleteDiscussion of Epstein file dump
How Surprising
ReplyDelete"Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board of trustees, disputed the White House’s claim that the vote was “unanimous” to rename the performing arts center to the Trump-Kennedy Center."
"In a short video post on the social platform X, the Ohio Democrat said she tried to voice her opposition to the name-change decision but was muted on the call and not permitted to speak."
Next the fucker will demand royalty fee for the use of his name at the center.
DeleteI say chaps, is it Day One yet?
ReplyDeleteSay what you wqill about the Republican Party, but you sure can't say they don't run a global pedophile ring.
ReplyDeleteGetting people to realize Republican voters are nothing but bigots is the easy part.
ReplyDeleteGetting them to admit it, seems to be the sticking point.
From Rawstory:
ReplyDelete"U.S. President Donald Trump caused a disruption online this weekend after a video showed him "struggling" down some stairs.
Conservative MAGA influencer Paul Villarreal (AKA Vince Manfeld) posted the video of Trump without noting the manner in which he guided himself down the staircase of Air Force One.
"President Trump exited Air Force One tonight in West Palm Beach. He is headed to Mar-a-Lago," the influencer wrote.
ALSO READ: The corrupt Supreme Court gave us this horror — but there's a way to end it
But critics of the president were quick to point out the strange manner in which his slowly meandered down the stairs while grabbing onto his right leg.
Activist Amy Siskind said, "Trump can barely walk! C’mon media - do your damn jobs!"
That led a MAGA user, Proud American Lady, to defend the president, who is 79 years old.
"Trump walks just fine for a 80 year old man, he of course doesn't run down or up stairs being careful not to fall and break a bone. Older people don't heal like younger age people do," the user wrote. "You're pathetic person."
But Siskind wasn't the only one. Lots of other observers pointed out Trump's move to pat his right leg repeatedly.
One user, rayninonme, wrote, "What’s with the 'c’mon little buddy - you got this' pat pat pat on his right leg?"
One self-described USAF veteran, @davegreenidge57, chimed in:
"I’ve seen Trump pat his right leg like that before. I used to think of it as just a nervous habit. But now I’m not so sure. His whole right side stays pretty much immobile while he goes down the stairs. Maybe he’s trying to stimulate it?"
Ribelle, a critic of the president, said the video showed "Trump struggling on little stairs off AF1 as he begins 16 day vacation while Americans struggle to afford everything, millions of health insurance premiums double, triple."
A 16-day vacation?
Here is the disease Trump is most likely suffering from: Lewy Body Dementia.
"Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) motor symptoms resemble Parkinson's disease, including slowed movement (bradykinesia), muscle stiffness (rigidity), balance problems, shuffling gait, tremors (often at rest), and a stooped posture, leading to falls and reduced coordination. Other issues involve smaller handwriting, reduced facial expression, voice weakness, swallowing difficulties, and sleep disorders like acting out dreams (REM Sleep Behavior Disorder).
Common Motor Symptoms
Slowness of Movement (Bradykinesia): Difficulty initiating or performing movements, general sluggishness.
Muscle Rigidity: Stiffness in the limbs, often described as feeling "frozen".
Tremor: Shaking or trembling, typically occurring when the body part is at rest.
Gait & Balance Issues: A shuffling walk, freezing (getting "stuck"), poor balance, and increased risk of falls.
Postural Changes: A stooped or hunched posture.
Handwriting: Writing becomes smaller (micrographia).
Facial Expression: Reduced facial movement, appearing "masked".
Speech & Swallowing: Quiet, soft voice (hypophonia) and trouble swallowing (dysphagia). "
These are the motor symptoms. There are cognitive symptoms too, as with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
But Somerby thinks we should be worrying about his narcissism! Lewy Body Dementia is fatal. Narcissism is annoying.
DeleteHere is one way Lewy Body dementia affects movement. This video shows why sometimes Trump looks fine but other times he has problems:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yapIOkZd2Kk
Ironic that a man with such narcissism should have his name and photos entirely cut out of the released Epstein files. Trump would be fuming about that, if anyone had told him about it.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the DOJ went out of its way to include public photos of Bill Clinton with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross and their respective families, with their faces blacked out, so that they could imply Bill Clinton is the biggest perp in the Epstein files, not Dear Leader.
Tiedrich shows us the games being played with that file release and discusses the impeachment papers being prepared in Congress to remove Pam Bondi for failure to comply with the law Trump himself signed:
https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/the-doj-is-already-playing-games
But Somerby thinks the press failure to describe Trump's narcissism is the biggest problem faced by our nation.
Has he said he thinks it's the biggest problem facing our nation?
DeleteThe level of hysteria in Somerby's language over the failure of the press to consider Trump's narcissism shows he considers it highly important, especially given his complete failure to discuss any other problems. Being excessively literal, you perhaps think he has to explicitly say so, but Somerby never explicitly says anything. He is not a very direct person.
DeleteAs @10:20 says above:
Delete"There must be hundreds of issues Republican voters pretend are more important to them then keeping minorities in their places.
It doesn't mean we have to humor them."
One of those pretend issues is clearly Trump's narcissism. When did Somerby last mention Trump's racism? If you were a minority yourself, you might think our nation's racism is a pretty important problem, but as DG points out, that would be annoying to white people. You have to admire Somerby's persistence in avoiding annoying white bigots, for whom he appears to have a great deal of empathy, even given that the group includes himself.
Anonymouse 11:35pm, are you suggesting that emphasizing "Trump’s racism" will diminish him in the same way that tarring Trump with a mental illness would diminish him? In that overdone tactic/scenario, It might be more effective to simply refer to him as senile, although the attempt to hide Biden’s cognitive decline makes that approach look like mere payback.
DeleteIf you are asking whether it is worse to be racist than narcissistic, it is definitely worse to be racist. Narcissism is a matter of degree and there is such a thing as healthy narcissism, part of normal functioning. The same is not true of racism. Racism is 100% bad and serves no useful purpose for the individual or society, especially now that the world is multicultural and people all over come into contact with each other due to elimination of geographical isolation (via transportation and communication).
DeleteSomerby hasn't actually made a case that narcissism is destructive. He just quotes the DSM again, which describes pathological narcissism, when Somerby has not shown that Trump is pathological and not healthy in his self regard.
Senility is not the same as narcissism or racism. Senility refers to decline associated with normal aging whereas the term dementia refers to abnormal cognitive decline. Many experts think Trump has dementia, not senility, a term you have grabbed without understanding.
The last president who had dementia that was covered up by his administration was Ronald Reagan, who died of Alzheimer's disease. Like Trump, Reagan's people also covered up crimes, such as the Iran-Contra affair. I think it is not unlikely that a president with dementia is incapable of curbing the excesses of his appointed staff and cabinet.
Biden showed signs of normal aging and there is no evidence of crimes or scandals in his administration. He has solid achievements (not fake claims) to his credit and we should be grateful to him for his effectiveness in dealing with covid, for refocusing the presidency on helping workers, and for the strong economy he bequeated to Trump (which Trump has now pretty much destroyed). Your attempts to call Biden demented fall short, both in comparison with Trump's decline and in terms of symptoms and diagnoses by experts. Biden was tested every day too and actually did ace his cognitive exams. Trump is a mess.
Anonymouse 1:46pm, here you are attempting to make a moral case based upon which line of attack is okey dokey in your book (demented, narcissistic, racist, etc). You act as though you are an authority on this stuff and a compassionate one at that, while you simultaneously make unsubstantiated claims against Trump. That’s a political tactic. It’s not an argument, moral or otherwise.
DeleteUltimately, crimes are based on behavior demonstrated via evidence. I don't think anyone can be held accountable by saying they are a narcissist. Dementia is demonstrated via symptoms, evidence of abnormal behavior. Or after death, by autopsy and examination of brain cells.
DeleteI am an authority on this topic, by professional training and education and experience. I consider the things I have said about Trump to be backed up by video of Trump's own behavior. It is not a political tactic. Someone who is showing Trump's symptoms should not be president. That is my professional opinion. I'm sure there are others who not only agree with me but who have made public their opinions. I am not talking about Bandy Lee or Mary Trump who are clinical psychologists/psychiatrists but also about neuroscientists and neuropsychologists, and physicians who work with dementia patients. Trump is unwell and impaired in ways that jeopardize the American people. He needs to be removed via Article 25. I would say that if he were a Democrat displaying similar symptoms (as Biden did not).
MS NOW’s Jonathan Capehart pressed Michaels further, and asked at what point – if any – would she and other survivors be forced to go public with any and all information on Epstein and potential co-conspirators they possess.
ReplyDelete“We need a safe place for us to be able to reveal information that we know we have that's missing,” Michaels said. “Right now, we're all speaking to our lawyers, giving them the lists of things that should be found. I think that's something that maybe this DOJ doesn't remember: we have attorneys, and those attorneys have all of the information.”
They have information about potential co-conspirators but they are afraid to release the information because they feel they are not safe?
Delete
DeleteYes, because if they "release the information" they may have to move to Russia get protection. Like Tara Reade did.
They have information about Epstein's clients and Trump but are definitely not safe (witness Epstein's hanging). But they have info that can hold the DOJ accountable for doing its job. This can be used in court, where the victims can be protected from retaliation. As a matter of fact, the lawyers have that evidence, so attacking the victims will not disappear it. Getting rid of the victims will not destroy the info held by their attorneys.
DeleteThis all makes the idea that Bondi and others can absolve Trump pretty ridiculous. Suppressing the evidence does not protect Trump or the other wrongdoers involved. This may just be about giving Trump a sense of safety for a while and Bondi et al. protecting their jobs. It is all going to come out eventually and Trump will not be well treated by historians.
"Michaels", by the way, is a another "survivor", who claims she was raped by Epstein when she was 21.
DeleteThe settlements don't require proof. So this woman who had sex with Epstein as an adult, received millions and millions of dollars for making an unverified claim that it was rape.
Good times.
If the lawyers have the evidence, why don't they just release it? If there are some famous powerful men involved, why would they not just directly sue them? If the evidence is there? What's up?
DeleteThreats combined with payoffs to women who were originally used in a sex ring by threatening them and paying them off. These are damaged women who were sexually abused in childhood. Asking why they don't behave more assertively is pretty silly when they were powerless to object to what was done to them in the first place. Now you blame them for taking what they could get without destroying their lives and moving on? This is now about punishing Trump/Epstein and holding them accountable. The DOJ has the info and is not using it properly. Ask them the questions...
Delete
DeleteDid the Clintons really murder 200 people? I'm starting to think they did.
I definitely agree that this is now about punishing Trump/Epstein. You got that part right.
DeleteAnonymouse 2:03pm, no, you can’t base anything upon a plea for sympathy and anonymity for the accusers, but insinuations and leaks against the accused (if your claims are even accurate). Accusers should come forward. They should tell their story forthrightly. You can’t have it all ways to Sunday.
DeleteNo Clintons didn't murder anyone.
DeleteHow many hundreds of thousands of people are preventably dead because of Trump's incompetence?
"By the time President Trump left office in January 2021, over 400,000 Americans had died from COVID-19. Several independent academic studies and public health experts have estimated that a significant portion of these deaths—likely in the hundreds of thousands—could have been prevented with a more effective federal health strategy. "
You can't order victims to come forward so they can be targeted. They have told their stories forthrightly. The DOJ is refusing to release that info or prosecute the rest of those responsible. Note that neither Epstein nor Maxwell have served actual sentences for their crimes.
DeleteAt some point a flood of pedophile-excusers arrives here to defend Epstein/Trump. How does that happen?
DeleteYou really do not complain about a man's narcissism when he is losing his mind...
ReplyDelete