Is the US President supposed to represent all the people?

[Skip]

The guy has no idea what he's trying to say.
It should read: "Obama bad. Me, good. Soooo good. Great. Unbelievably great."

[Greta]

It seems to me that politicians no longer represent individuals who are not aligned to institutions. Societies are so large that individuals are simply not on the radar, blocked by the "giant shadows" cast by organisations.

I saw a hilariously true Twitter the other day: "Plot idea: 97% of the world's scientists contrive an environmental crisis, but are exposed by a plucky band of billionaires & oil companies".

I am in awe of the con job. People are suffering because billionaires are taking more than their share while dodging tax and skewing the political agenda towards themselves. So how do the people try to fix this? Give government over to the very billionaires and associated multinational company executives. What do they think will happen - a shrinking of the wealth gap? Do they think that unregulated destruction of environmental systems won't have long term costs?

[Arising_uk]

... Do they think that unregulated destruction of environmental systems won't have long term costs?

I think some actually don't believe it, others do but think we can fix it and others are making contingency plans - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... pse-escape.

The irony is not inescapable that your president was given his money from govt tax-payer schemes and he made a mint with the banks fleecing the house-buyers and during his campaign castigated Goldman Sachs and has now put an ex-Goldman Sachs in charge of de-regulating the banks - look forward to the next crash it's gonna be a doozy.

[Philosophy Explorer]

I ask because I just listened to the Trumpette say those lying sick in alleyways are not republicans so not his problem?

Before the election, yes. After the election, well...

PhilX

[marjoram_blues]

Really?
It was an aside in the bit about dismantling Obamacare and referred to those in alleys who weren't republicans. Maybe I misheard as he's bigly difficult to understand. Can you get transcripts of these press conferences?

And having read the Washington Post transcript ( thanks henry ) - are there any other philosophical questions that spring to mind? Out of 77 minutes worth of a press conference.
I'd love it if someone here could do as you did, Arising, and take it - one intrigiuing step at a time, without any heated insults thrown in.
I admit it's beyond me - I can only hear a boasting bombastic bullying feartie.
So, there is a challenge...
What is going on in that performance...is it possible to separate out any philosophical question from the psychological and personal.

[Skip]

What is going on in that performance...is it possible to separate out any philosophical question from the psychological and personal.

No. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38991171
He really hasn't got a clue what he's supposed to be talking about. He refuses briefings, flubs the most elementary questions. It's not that he hasn't had time to bone up on the basic presidential information - had a two-year campaign - but he won't even try. Aside from his innate intellectual and psychological limitations, there may also be a touch of senile dementia.
He's incoherent a lot of the time, because his source of information is a jumble of unprocessed input from from CNN, Breitbart and social media.

As for what this quote is actually supposed to mean:

We've begun preparing to repeal and replace Obamacare.

As per long-standing Republican platform.

Obamacare is a disaster, folks. It is's disaster.

It doesn't work. [compromised and sabotaged by Republicans at federal and state level]

I know you can say, "oh, Obamacare. I mean, they fill up our alleys with people that you wonder how they get there,

The liberals can say: if you abolish the Affordable Care Act, poor people will be ruined by medical bills and end up homeless,

but they are not the Republican people our that representatives are representing".

But that's not the intention of the good Republicans who elected us. [We'll replace it with something better.]

[Hobbes' Choice]

Trump only represents himself.

A man that tweet the his involvement in Russia is fake news then blames the security services that leaking information to the media is illegal is a HORSE'S ARSE.

It is just too laughable.

[Skip]

In less globally tragic circumstances, it would be laughable.
Trouble is, even if this one is impeached - on any of three quite legitimate grounds - once his own party gets scared enough,
the harm has already been done. Trump's election has given a huge boost to the empowerment and entitlement of assholity everywhere.

[Greta]

Trump's election has given a huge boost to the empowerment and entitlement of assholity everywhere.

Yes, in Australia we had the same effect with Tony Abbott. His removal as leader by his own party due to his incapacity to do the job has not softened the "assholity" effect and Trump's election in the US has greatly emboldened our "out and proud" rednecks.

There's much unreasonableness in the public domain today, seemingly worn as a badge of honour, a rebellion against "elites". I don't see an answer except perhaps trying to understand the history, circumstances and emotions that lie behind the current trend towards unreason.

An interesting side story: This "redneck spring" we have seemingly entered was surely significantly contributed to by Murdoch's ethically corrosive effect on journalism over many decades. Now, like Dr Frankenstein, Rupert realises too late that his monster had run amok and now his outlets are furiously in damage control mode. Alas, it's to no effect as The Don and his Trumpettes simply add Murdoch news to their "fake news" list (which in this particular case is almost reasonable). They can shout even longer and louder and with less ethical restrictions. The race to the bottom continues ...

[Hobbes' Choice]

I just saw the latest Trump Press conference!!!
Comedy Gold!
He is the joke that keeps on giving. I don't think I've ever heard a person speak so much and say absolutely nothing; bumbling, gibberish, repetitive. "Uranium - you know what that is, eh? It's for bombs and lots of other stuff, yeah"

[Dubious]

The race to the bottom continues ...

...but that too is within the nature of the human race. Things usually come to ruin before reconstruction begins which would now be on a global scale. The danger now, as I see it, is can things fall apart beyond our ability to put Humpty Dumpty together again. It may seem inconceivable but by no means illogical to think that such critical failures or malfunctions can't happen and create in its wake an entire epoch where subsistence becomes the only measure of success.

[Greta]

I just saw the latest Trump Press conference!!!
Comedy Gold!
He is the joke that keeps on giving. I don't think I've ever heard a person speak so much and say absolutely nothing; bumbling, gibberish, repetitive. "Uranium - you know what that is, eh? It's for bombs and lots of other stuff, yeah"

Let's quote the leader of the free world - the very best that the 300 million or so Americans had to offer as leader amongst their ranks:

Like lots of things are done with uranium. Including some bad things. But nobody talks about that.

If you Google the words "uranium" and "danger" you get about 38,500,000 results. "Nobody"? The man has zero interest in truthfulness or accuracy.

I know he can't be that insane but it feels like his agenda is to rid the Earth of its natural environment so the planet can instead be covered by a galaxy of shiny Trump developments. Just as well he gave his businesses to his children to mind, eh? Otherwise one might be tempted to wonder if there was corruption and blatant conflicts of interest at the highest level of government ...

[Greta]

The race to the bottom continues ...

...but that too is within the nature of the human race. Things usually come to ruin before reconstruction begins which would now be on a global scale. The danger now, as I see it, is can things fall apart beyond our ability to put Humpty Dumpty together again. It may seem inconceivable but by no means illogical to think that such critical failures or malfunctions can't happen and create in its wake an entire epoch where subsistence becomes the only measure of success.

You have articulated the situation well. Given that the impacts of climate change are already starting, and there is a considerable lag effect, certain level of catastrophe are locked in. The major risk areas appear to be in relatively undeveloped places roughly between the horse latitudes; they are effectively the canaries in the coal mine.

[Hobbes' Choice]

I just saw the latest Trump Press conference!!!
Comedy Gold!
He is the joke that keeps on giving. I don't think I've ever heard a person speak so much and say absolutely nothing; bumbling, gibberish, repetitive. "Uranium - you know what that is, eh? It's for bombs and lots of other stuff, yeah"

Let's quote the leader of the free world - the very best that the 300 million or so Americans had to offer as leader amongst their ranks:

Like lots of things are done with uranium. Including some bad things. But nobody talks about that.

If you Google the words "uranium" and "danger" you get about 38,500,000 results. "Nobody"? The man has zero interest in truthfulness or accuracy.

I know he can't be that insane but it feels like his agenda is to rid the Earth of its natural environment so the planet can instead be covered by a galaxy of shiny Trump developments. Just as well he gave his businesses to his children to mind, eh? Otherwise one might be tempted to wonder if there was corruption and blatant conflicts of interest at the highest level of government ...

I seriously think he is so intellectually challenged that to use a word such as "agenda" do describe his thinking is going too far.
As for who is minding the business - I doubt if DT was ever in any kind of controlling or commanding position.
When a boy has the benefit of a large bequest and inheritance he often finds himself surrounded by smart money men who basically do all the work In the last 40 years making money from the property market has been like falling off a log. The addition of advisors unscrupulous enough to play the system with several bankruptcies along the way has given him his fortune. I think it has very little to do with his own efforts.

[Greta]

I seriously think he is so intellectually challenged that to use a word such as "agenda" do describe his thinking is going too far.
As for who is minding the business - I doubt if DT was ever in any kind of controlling or commanding position.
When a boy has the benefit of a large bequest and inheritance he often finds himself surrounded by smart money men who basically do all the work In the last 40 years making money from the property market has been like falling off a log. The addition of advisors unscrupulous enough to play the system with several bankruptcies along the way has given him his fortune. I think it has very little to do with his own efforts.

I note a history of fighting environmental protection authorities. He has been effectively been a parasite on the Earth and he appears keen to spread that parasitism. He and his mates will be amongst the most insulated from the effects of his reckless disregard for the future.