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yallerdawg

(16,104 posts)
Tue Jan 31, 2017, 10:25 AM Jan 2017

Trump isn't an evil genius

Source: Vox, by David Roberts

Whenever a reactionary populist regime takes power and begins doing illiberal things, the same question arises among its critics: How much of this is part of a master plan and how much is just flailing? What is the exact mix of incompetence and ill intent?

*****

What authoritarian regimes do is blunder forward, grasping and grabbing power whenever and wherever they can, building secretive inner circles, surrounding themselves with supplicant state media, demonizing dissenting voices, and punishing enemies. They do this not because of some 12-dimensional-chess analysis of the political landscape, but because that’s what narcissism and zero-sum thinking do. They are more like animals driven by instinct than chess masters driven by strategy, though of course there’s a range (with Trump being on the far blinded-by-narcissism end).

*****

So if we want to know what’s next with Trumpism, it’s not necessary to determine exactly how self-aware he is, the precise admixture of evil genius and rage addled amateur. An authoritarian-minded regime will continue trampling norms and accruing power as long as it can. It will blunder forward until restrained.

What will happen next depends not on Trump, but on America’s institutions and norms — the courts, the military, Congress, civil society, journalism. It is their strength, not his, that will determine how this story ends.

Read it all at: http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/31/14442190/trump-is-no-evil-genius

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Trump isn't an evil genius (Original Post) yallerdawg Jan 2017 OP
Trump is EVIL !!! SamKnause Jan 2017 #1
...but that doesn't make him a genius... brooklynite Jan 2017 #3
No where in my post did I say or refer to him as a genius. SamKnause Jan 2017 #4
It would make no sense that he's doing some of the things as "distractions". Tommy_Carcetti Jan 2017 #2
When we read his tweets... yallerdawg Jan 2017 #5
you are right heaven05 Jan 2017 #6
He's a evil vicious narcissist. PresBannon is the eviler mastermind uppityperson Jan 2017 #7
Tearing shit down isn't evil and it isn't genius. yallerdawg Jan 2017 #8

SamKnause

(13,088 posts)
1. Trump is EVIL !!!
Tue Jan 31, 2017, 10:40 AM
Jan 2017

The Republicans are EVIL !!!

They always put party and power before country.

They are EVIL.

Their actions and their policies prove this over and over !!!

They hide behind the Christian religion to do their EVIL deeds !!!

They are EVIL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

brooklynite

(94,333 posts)
3. ...but that doesn't make him a genius...
Tue Jan 31, 2017, 10:49 AM
Jan 2017

...this is a guy who's convinced enough of his own brilliance and his on-the-fly business style (it's been reported that he would just show up in the office to deal with whatever happened, without any preparation) that he can make impulsive choices and expect them to work.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,153 posts)
2. It would make no sense that he's doing some of the things as "distractions".
Tue Jan 31, 2017, 10:47 AM
Jan 2017

The intention of a distraction is to make people look at something better than what you want them to focus on.

Nothing of what Trump has been doing has made him look better or more flattering. The past week and a half have been an utter fiasco for him on all counts.

He's just mentally unhinged. It's as simple as that.

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