11.29.2016 08:24 AM

Serious question 


12 Comments

  1. Steve T says:

    I have long thought the same thing (not in the Trump context, but generally). Being understanding of mental illness, and sympathetic to those who suffer from it, should not mean that we ignore the potential consequences on innocent bystanders. Alcoholism is a mental illness, but it doesn’t mean we give a free pass to drunk drivers. Pedophilia is a mental illness, but it doesn’t mean we let pedophiles run daycares. Similarly, while we may recognize that Trump is a narcissistic lunatic with deep-seeded paranoia, we don’t give him the keys to the free world.

  2. dave constable says:

    I have been Netflix binging the past few days on Oliver Stone’s ‘Untold History of the United States.’ Lots in the series to agree with, and lots to grumble at the tv about. But what Stone and company says about the minds of some of the characters who have been in power in Washington the past decades suggests that a person could argue the Trump phenomena is not so much a break with the past, but a logical next step.

  3. Peter says:

    Judging from the reactions of many Dems and their supporters, I’m wondering whether a more promising route might be to try and impeach him for inflicting mass mental illness.

  4. harvey bushell says:

    The solution for one psychopath was obvious. Maybe too late for the other.

    https://s21.postimg.org/w86s432on/Trump_Face_Facial_Expression_S_Charlie_Manson.gif

  5. Charlie says:

    Here’s a few more serious questions:

    What do Americans do if their future President a) doesn’t know what written in the constitution, b) suggests his legislative agenda via Twitter on a whim and c) is fundamentally incapable of avoiding conflicts of interests relating to his business and the presidency?

    How do Trump supporters genuinely feel about Donald appointing the swampiest motherfuckers to his cabinet instead of “draining” it like he promised, repeatedly?

    How do Republicans, who railed passionately against Clinton’s indiscretions, feel about Donald Trump potentially appointing David Petraeus to Sec. State?

    What do Americans do if the man who will occupy the highest democratic office in the land, repeatedly assails the very system that gave him his victory, and makes unsubstantiated claims that ironically undermines his own success?

  6. Russ says:

    Depends on the mental illness. Churchill suffered from depression, Nixon showed signs of paranoia, Reagan had the early signs of dementia and let’s not get started on our own Mackenzie-King. The list of high functioning people with some form of mental illness is long. All that said…. Trump is not fit for office.

  7. bluegreenblogger says:

    actually, for anybody with a genuine interest in politics, or political science that is a very good question. What DO you do? What CAN you do? What illness, and how deeply affected? What are the politicians duties, and the dangers of an ill-considered, or outright delusional act? It’s a very apt question in current context. But the rub is, who is to decide? I could volunteer, I promise, you can trust me, lol. A good question with zero good answers.

  8. cs says:

    my thoughts are that Mike Pence and Paul Ryan are all ready setting up the required paper work and legal route to charge Trump with a variety of offenses, one of them might even be incompetency due to mental illness.

  9. redraven says:

    simple.
    with apologies to R.E.M it’s the end of the world as we know it. Trump is appointing to positions of power the very people who oppose everything I for one would like to have.
    Net Neutrality. Fugedaboudit.
    Health Care. Fugedaboudit.
    Climate Change. Fugedaboudit.
    And the Cons who would like another shot here would do the same damn thing and I honestly don’t know what we can do Oh and Trudeau isn’t any different.
    I can only conclude with the following.

    WE WILL BECOME THE FIRST AND LAST SPECIES IN THE HISTORY OF THIS PLANET TO DOCUMENT OUR OWN DEMISE AND KNOWINGLY AND WITH MALICE AFORETHOUGHT DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.

    It no longer matters whether you believe climate change is real or not because climate change doesn’t give a rat’s ass what you think or believe. if you can look around you and look at your kid’s and carry on doing nothing then have at it. I for one no longer care.
    As someone said to me recently
    there are two kinds of people. those with the loaded guns and those who dig. the deniers have the guns so pardon me while I get a new shovel, do what i’m told and start digging.

    oh one last thing.
    my epitaph for humanity.
    “too slow to act
    too dumb to survive.”

  10. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Warren,

    The presidency, fortunately, is much bigger than Donald J. Trump. Remember how Stephen Harper reminded us that the then Liberal Senate and the courts were checks, at least initially, on his government. The division of powers in the United States is far more significant than it is in Canada. Sure, Republicans control the presidency and both Houses of Congress but most Republican legislators are in the pocket of big business and hence their commitment to free trade and associated issues that Trump does not share.

    Remember that Ronald Reagan was almost mentally incapacitated in his second term and yet the machinery of government continued to operate successfully. There is only so much that President-Elect Trump can do by Executive Order. Watch the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups — Trump will have small victories in Congress while business, as usual, will have far more significant victories.

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