Let’s help Poor Donald out...

OldWiseGuy

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Unlikely. Donald's an expert at selling himself, as well as blaming others for his own failures.

His base will eat it up.

We're all failures, just waiting to happen. :(
 
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BNR32FAN

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“Mr President, what would you say to those people who are scared right now?”

How the heck is that “sensationalist”...???

That wasn’t the full statement. He added the number of infected and deaths to the statement which makes it sensationalism. Granted that’s exactly what reporters jobs are is to provoke excitement and controversy in order to provoke interest in their audience which is the very definition of sensationalism.
 
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BNR32FAN

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They thought lawyers were too dishonest so they elected a guy who developed real estate and hosted a reality show - because property developers and tv personalities are the most honest folks I can think of. Oh, and he ran a sham university.

If Trump voters voted for Trump because they wanted something better, they didn't look too hard to find something better.

Given the alternative choice at the time it really wasn’t much of a choice at all. I think most people who voted for Trump didn’t actually vote for him but instead voted against Hillary. At the time, for me, it seemed our choice was between voting for satan or the antichrist. I’m actually surprised that Trump did a better job than I expected, not that I’m overwhelmed by his leadership, I just expected much worse than he has been doing. Honestly I thought he would’ve provoked a war by now because of his arrogance and hot headedness.
 
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Allandavid

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That wasn’t the full statement. He added the number of infected and deaths to the statement which makes it sensationalism. Granted that’s exactly what reporters jobs are is to provoke excitement and controversy in order to provoke interest in their audience which is the very definition of sensationalism.

By speaking the truth and by giving context to his question, he is being sensationalist...??

What then of Trump’s statement just a couple of weeks ago that there were “only 15 cases” that would “be soon down to zero” and that the disease would disappear “like a miracle”...? Just a sober analysis of the facts, right....??
 
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OldWiseGuy

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I would rather we find a leader whom I do not have to massage their words in order to wrest meaning from them.

You just have to listen between the lines. ;)
 
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OldWiseGuy

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It's fairly easy to answer the reporter's question. Maybe something like:

"I understand that many of you are scared, whether it's from a health or economic perspective, but we are Americans, and we have the capacity to overcome any obstacle that comes in our path. As a nation, we must work together, even as we keep our distance. It may be a difficult road ahead, but the American spirit will overcome."

That was off the cuff. It didn't take a lot of deep thought to come up with some platitudes which would answer the question and not misrepresent the situation. And it was done without attacking the reporter for asking a pretty basic question.

Except that you don't ask a person who is known to be generally unsympathetic such a question. That's why it was clearly a setup to make Trump look bad.

Trump often answers questions from a perspective that is several moves ahead of the questioner. For example,

Q: "Mr. President, how do you feel about little Johnny falling out of the tree and breaking his leg?"

A: "Maybe his parents should keep a closer eye on little Johnny."

Such an answer often raises the conversation to what many are thinking but wouldn't say out loud.
 
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whatbogsends

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Except that you don't ask a person who is known to be generally unsympathetic such a question. That's why it was clearly a setup to make Trump look bad.

Trump often answers questions from a perspective that is several moves ahead of the questioner. For example,

Q: "Mr. President, how do you feel about little Johnny falling out of the tree and breaking his leg?"

A: "Maybe his parents should keep a closer eye on little Johnny."

Great argument. Asking Trump to show empathy, when he has none, is a "gotcha" question.

It's not the question that makes Trump look bad. It's his complete lack of empathy.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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Great argument. Asking Trump to show empathy, when he has none, is a "gotcha" question.

It's not the question that makes Trump look bad. It's his complete lack of empathy.

I don't think such a question would be asked of a Democrat president who the press knew would give a less than sympathetic answer.
 
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whatbogsends

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I don't think such a question would be asked of a Democrat president who the press knew would give a less than sympathetic answer.

A) I think that question would have been asked of any President. It's a common question in situations like this.
B) For all their flaws (and they are many), I don't think the Democrats would elect someone who wouldn't at least try to give a sympathetic answer.

Again, empathy is a trait that is expected of a good leader. Excusing Trump's lack of empathy is defending his flaw, not showing that the question was unfair.
 
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iluvatar5150

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Given the alternative choice at the time it really wasn’t much of a choice at all. I think most people who voted for Trump didn’t actually vote for him but instead voted against Hillary. At the time, for me, it seemed our choice was between voting for satan or the antichrist. I’m actually surprised that Trump did a better job than I expected, not that I’m overwhelmed by his leadership, I just expected much worse than he has been doing. Honestly I thought he would’ve provoked a war by now because of his arrogance and hot headedness.

They skipped over a dozen better-qualified candidates in the primaries and this year, they had the opportunity to primary him out again, but didn't.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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No, you have to do that. I feel no need to make excuses.

I'm not excusing him, I'm just sorting through what he says and disregarding meaningless stuff.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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A) I think that question would have been asked of any President. It's a common question in situations like this.
B) For all their flaws (and they are many), I don't think the Democrats would elect someone who wouldn't at least try to give a sympathetic answer.

Again, empathy is a trait that is expected of a good leader. Excusing Trump's lack of empathy is defending his flaw, not showing that the question was unfair.

I voted for Trump, and didn't expect empathy to be one of his strong points.

 
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Allandavid

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I voted for Trump, and didn't expect empathy to be one of his strong points.

But he could fake it, just like he has most things in his pitiful life..

I'm sure if an aide had been able to quickly whisper in his ear that a faked display of empathy would win him votes, we would have seen that display...
 
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ArmenianJohn

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This is a question asked by an ABC reporter the other day....how would people here have answered it?

“What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?”

What say you...?
I'd say that it's normal and healthy to be scared. People should be scared of a pandemic. Fear is a normal and healthy response. Leverage your fear to take precautions and guard against doing things that put you more at risk. But while you are fearful remember that there are positives and there is hope. Social distancing and isolation are working to slow and reduce the number of cases and hospitalizations. While some things are out of your control some are also in your control so maximize your efforts to stay safe and keep others safe. Use this time wisely to make your life better in whatever way you can, primarily keeping safe and healthy.

If you want a good answer to the question I would say just listening to Governor Cuomo you will get basically a long detailed answer to that question. He provides facts, he tells the truth, he treats us like people who are intelligent and deserving to handle the truth, he tells the negatives but also the positives, he strongly exhorts people to practice all safety precautions yet he also tells the positives and what hope there is. He is handling the best out of any of the political leaders in the nation. My governor (NJ) is basically doing whatever he does, just copying him, and I'm happy with that because I think he knows what he's doing.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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But he could fake it, just like he has most things in his pitiful life..

I'm sure if an aide had been able to quickly whisper in his ear that a faked display of empathy would win him votes, we would have seen that display...

Not so sure it would come across as genuine. Trump was elected by not schmoozing the masses.
 
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ArmenianJohn

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But he could fake it, just like he has most things in his pitiful life..

I'm sure if an aide had been able to quickly whisper in his ear that a faked display of empathy would win him votes, we would have seen that display...
If he is convinced it will help the market he will do it - whatever "it" is. The only thing he cares about is the market - everything else rolls up to that in his mind.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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If he is convinced it will help the market he will do it - whatever "it" is. The only thing he cares about is the market - everything else rolls up to that in his mind.

Didn't he say the other day that he wasn't in the (stock) market? Of course he is interested in the real estate market. That's his wheelhouse.
 
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