Trump's Honesty

[Dave Gray]

It's pretty known on here that I'm a big liberal.  That said, I have lived the majority of my adulthood under Republican governance at the State level.  Though I don't agree with many of the policies of these guys and am not going to vote for them, I can respect them as systems managers.

Rick Scott, who I really dislike as a politician, ...let me be clear -- that dude can manage a hurricane.  He's clear about what we're facing, he gets his face out there, explains what he has in place to face the situation, anticipates the issues, and honestly...props to the guy.  I always had confidence in his leadership in that regard.  Though I was younger, I remember similarly about Jeb Bush and certain types of ecological issues in the middle of the state.  And more recently, Desantis, who ...again.... I intensely dislike as a politician, seems to have handled some recent business.

The point here is that I can recognize a competent person to manage a crisis, even though I disagree with other positions.

And Trump scares the shit out of me.  I just don't believe him and I think he's capable of bold-faced lying in a way that other politicians are not.  In fact...not just that he's capable, but that it's likely.  It's really hitting me about this coronavirus scare.  I don't trust that he can be honest with the American people about the scope of the crisis, that he's capable of following the recommendations of the best scientists, or that he wouldn't withhold information that, in any way, might make him look bad.

This is a new feeling for me.

Even with George W. Bush, when it came out later that he was telling some falsehoods about Iraq (maybe he thought they were true at the time), I always had confidence in the message, even if I disagreed with the policy. 

[Tenshot13]

It's pretty known on here that I'm a big liberal.  That said, I have lived the majority of my adulthood under Republican governance at the State level.  Though I don't agree with many of the policies of these guys and am not going to vote for them, I can respect them as systems managers.

Rick Scott, who I really dislike as a politician, ...let me be clear -- that dude can manage a hurricane.  He's clear about what we're facing, he gets his face out there, explains what he has in place to face the situation, anticipates the issues, and honestly...props to the guy.  I always had confidence in his leadership in that regard.  Though I was younger, I remember similarly about Jeb Bush and certain types of ecological issues in the middle of the state.  And more recently, Desantis, who ...again.... I intensely dislike as a politician, seems to have handled some recent business.

The point here is that I can recognize a competent person to manage a crisis, even though I disagree with other positions.

And Trump scares the shit out of me.  I just don't believe him and I think he's capable of bold-faced lying in a way that other politicians are not.  In fact...not just that he's capable, but that it's likely.  It's really hitting me about this coronavirus scare.  I don't trust that he can be honest with the American people about the scope of the crisis, that he's capable of following the recommendations of the best scientists, or that he wouldn't withhold information that, in any way, might make him look bad.

This is a new feeling for me.

Even with George W. Bush, when it came out later that he was telling some falsehoods about Iraq (maybe he thought they were true at the time), I always had confidence in the message, even if I disagreed with the policy.  

I'm not worried about the coronavirus one bit, it'll blow over just like the swine flu, bird flu, etc.

I don't know Dave, I just don't agree.  Why do you think he won't follow the recommendations of the best scientists?  I get the lying thing I guess, but most of what is deemed "lying" is over embellishment on Trump's part, which anyone who doesn't have an axe to grind sees that.  When push comes to shove, I think he's less corrupt than previous Presidents, but has less tact.  What kind of information would make him look bad in a time of crisis?

[Dave Gray]

I mean...Bush looked pretty bad and unprepared during Katrina.  Trump's response to the Puerto Rico crisis was pretty bad.  You can look bad during a crisis...sometimes it's foreseeable, other times it's bad luck...whatever.  But you can definitely face criticism.

The way he handled Puerto Rico, he just said it was the best response ever or something equally horrible to people in need.

So, I'm not particularly worried about coronavirus specifically, but I can absolutely see a situation where there's an outbreak and then his response is to say that we have the healthiest people.   ...or something like that.  Where he didn't maybe take the threat seriously (which could happen to anyone), but once time to address that, he would just deny, deny, deny.

I just think the man will deliberately lie to prop us his own image.  And in a crisis, that would be really, really bad.  I haven't ever thought that way about a president before.  With Trump, it's more than that, I EXPECT him to lie to prop up his image.

[Sunstroke]

Chapter 1: Trump's Honesty
Chapter 2: Charles Manson's Compassion
Chapter 3: Antonio Brown's Mental Stability

None of these can be read with a straight face...

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Not sure why you are combining honesty with competence to manage a crisis.  Jimmy Carter was very honest but no much of a crisis manager.  Richard Nixon was dishonest but competent.  Trump is neither honest nor a competent and formulating a national response to a crisis. 

One of the biggest barriers with Trump is not his dishonesty, but his shallow ego and politicizing everything.  Trump’s response is often based on whether the states affected voted for him or not and whether he likes the governor.  If the domestic outbreak begins in California it will be up to the state to handle it and then Trump will blame Newsom when the disease spreads to other states.  If the first major outbreak is in Texas he will stand side by side with Abbot and blame illegal immigrants from China.

[Dave Gray]

Not sure why you are combining honesty with competence to manage a crisis.

I'm actually not questioning his competence.  I think he's probably not good at crisis management, but that's not even what I'm talking about here.

I just don't trust the message.  When he says that things are being done, taken care of, looked into, etc.  ....I just don't believe him.
I believed Rick Scott.  When Rick Scott got on TV, talked about a hurricane, I believe that he meant what he was saying, that the state was prepared, that he had done this or that to ensure this or that is avoided, I believed his words.  And he earned that trust, because I think his responses were on-point.

With Trump, when he says that a situation is handled, I assume that he's lying.

[Sunstroke]

With Trump, when he says that a situation is handled, I assume that he's lying.

If Trump is talking...or tweeting...I assume he's lying.

[pondwater]

The way he handled Puerto Rico, he just said it was the best response ever or something equally horrible to people in need.

It actually may have been the best response ever. There's no way to know when you have the local democratic leaders hiding emergency supplies. A warehouse larger than 4 football fields was full of rotting emergency supplies that were not distributed to the public. With the leftist media crying about how Trump's administration didn't care or do anything for the people, it seems that the leftists in charge of this aid hated the President more than they cared for the welfare of their own people.

Hell, I remember at the time there was a story and video going around in the media with female police officer in Puerto Rico crying and saying that federal relief was not being distributed after Hurricane Maria. Sounds more like the local government wanted to make Trump look bad rather than feed women and children after a natural disaster. But I'm sure it was all just a coincidence, LMFAO.....

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Trump appointed Mike Pence to oversee the countries response to the disease. A lawyer not an MD.  Trump cited MP’s experience.  MP’s only experience was a disaster in which as a governor he put politics above treatment and prevention. 

[Fau Teixeira]

This example of a pandemic is actually a good example of why Medicare for all is necessary.

Next time you see someone coughing, or sneezing and think in the back of your mind, "i wonder if he's got the coronavirus" .. the next thought should be "i wonder if he has health insurance" or "i wonder if his co-pays are too high and he's putting off going to see a doctor" and spreading a disease that can kill you or your family purely based on the financial aspects of our current healthcare system.

So when you hear Trump lying about there not being any cases, or that the "corama" virus is going to be gone by april, Just remember that when uninsured people get infected and can't get treatment because they can't afford it, you could be the one that's fucked.

[Tenshot13]

Trump appointed Mike Pence to oversee the countries response to the disease. A lawyer not an MD.  Trump cited MP’s experience.  MP’s only experience was a disaster in which as a governor he put politics above treatment and prevention.  

It was an HIV "epidemic".  Here's an idea, don't fuck people without a condom and don't share needles.  

[Tenshot13]

This example of a pandemic is actually a good example of why Medicare for all is necessary.

Next time you see someone coughing, or sneezing and think in the back of your mind, "i wonder if he's got the coronavirus" .. the next thought should be "i wonder if he has health insurance" or "i wonder if his co-pays are too high and he's putting off going to see a doctor" and spreading a disease that can kill you or your family purely based on the financial aspects of our current healthcare system.

So when you hear Trump lying about there not being any cases, or that the "corama" virus is going to be gone by april, Just remember that when uninsured people get infected and can't get treatment because they can't afford it, you could be the one that's fucked.

81,397 infected, 2,770 dead worldwide.  That's a fatality rate of 3.4%, mostly with the elderly.  Compared to the flu, 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths this season.  I agree with Trump, it'll be gone just like swine flu, bird flu, etc.

[CF DolFan]

81,397 infected, 2,770 dead worldwide.  That's a fatality rate of 3.4%, mostly with the elderly.  Compared to the flu, 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths this season.  I agree with Trump, it'll be gone just like swine flu, bird flu, etc.

Doesn't really matter if it is gone quickly. That will just piss them off even more. It seems libs would be more happy if it did turn out to be an epidemic and kill thousands just so they could blame it on Trump. I swear when I was younger I'd never have believed anyone would rather our country burn to the ground than not have "their" people in the White House. Ronald Reagan actually scared the hell out of me as a teen but I didn't want us to fail as a country because he won. 

[Spider-Dan]

81,397 infected, 2,770 dead worldwide.  That's a fatality rate of 3.4%, mostly with the elderly.  Compared to the flu, 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths this season.

Between 26 million and 36 million people have been stricken with the flu as of Feb. 8, according to the latest CDC data.

At a fatality rate of 3.4%, 26 to 36 million infections would result in around 880,000 to 1.2 million deaths.  Coronavirus is several orders of magnitude more deadly than the flu, and it is absolutely critical to keep the infection numbers down.

[Tenshot13]

Between 26 million and 36 million people have been stricken with the flu as of Feb. 8, according to the latest CDC data.

At a fatality rate of 3.4%, 26 to 36 million infections would result in around 880,000 to 1.2 million deaths.  Coronavirus is several orders of magnitude more deadly than the flu, and it is absolutely critical to keep the infection numbers down.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but just about everyone with the corona virus is being hospitalized, so it's an apples to apples comparison.