Donald Trump is Intellectually Lazy
It’s not that he doesn’t have a lot of energy. He does. It’s that he is unwilling to do the hard work of preparing and digging into arcane facts to get the real story that leads to better policy.
Famously during his first administration, he refused to even read the PDB, or Presidential Daily Briefing. He is quoted by aides as preferring just highlights and even pictures as opposed to pages of type and words.
We’ve seen this in his supporters many times. When faced with an argument based on data, they will respond by rejecting the data as out of hand, made up or false, instead of even looking at it. They are so sure of their convictions, there is no need to read anything.
And President Trump is cut from the same cloth. How else to explain his pardons of all the 1500+ J6 rioters?
As recently as a few weeks ago, Vice President elect JD Vance said of the pardons, “if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned”. Even Trump had said on numerous occasions that he’d be looking at it [the pardons] on a “case by case” basis.
So what happened? Why did Trump suddenly decide to go big and issue sweeping pardons of even the most violent of the protestors?
The answer may lie in a report from Axios News where they report that in the middle of reviewing each case, Trump simply stopped, looked up and said “F#*k it, Release them all”.
And with that, it was done.
Was Trump bogged down in the prisoner profiles? Sure. Were there a lot of them? You bet. And when faced with the reality of having to read and review the facts on over 1500 cases, he refused. He said no, because Trump has never been a briefing paper kind of guy.
President Trump was not going to read through all the cases and decided the only way to get out of doing the real presidential work of reviewing those reports was to simply wave his wand and pardon all of the J6 prisoners. All of them, including the bomb throwers, the folks who tasered DC Police, the folks who, according to a GOP Senate report, brutally beat and injured over 120 officers charged with protecting members of Congress and that day, Vice President Pence.
President Trump could have decided to release just the non violent offenders among the group, keeping the most violent behind bars to serve out their sentences. But that would have required work, time and commitment, something Trump has never exhibited in his public life.
Because President Trump is intellectually lazy when it comes to reading, studying, learning new things and doing the hard work of confronting difficult facts.
33 comments:
The number of EOs released since the Inauguration would argue to the contrary Dave.
btw - A good leader tells his followers what he wants them to do, NOT how to do it. "Release the J6 Hostages".
It doesn't take brains and brawn to sign one's name.
Keep trying to polish that turd; but no matter how hard you try, it's still a turd.
Good followers tell their leader what to do...bad followers grovel.
I think you supported biden commuting sentences for rapists and murderers so what changed other than it was trump. Next you will say that birthright citizenship is in the constitution. That is highly debated and it will be interesting to see how it turns out. The US is one of the few countries allowing it and it was enacted to give slaves citizenship not an illegal border crosser's child.
Trump could break into FJ's, or one of his/her several monikers house, sodomize his/her dog, and FJ would praise Trump for being an animal lover.
No -FJ, it would not. He just tells his aides to draw it up and he signs it. When asked about the J6 pardon EO, Trump said, on tape, "we'll have to take a look at it", showing he didn;t even bother to read that one.
Is this a case of Trump having to sign an EO to know what's inside it?
Again -FJ... Trump said he'd be looking at each of them to determine whether or not they should all be included. Vance said "obviously" violent offenders should not be pardoned.
Face it, Trump's in charge, this is a screw up and you, like all MAGA unthinking and intellectually dishonest people, are unable to admit you, and your pilitical change agent, are wrong.
A simple case of deep reification of unethical and mmoral beliefs and behaviors. The man/child president"s intellectual and emotional growth stopped at an early age.
Dave Miller is correct, President Felon and his crew are intellectually lazy.
My point - EO Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, from Section 2:
(d) “Female” means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell.
(e) “Male” means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the small reproductive cell.
There is one issue with this EO - "Geneticists have discovered that all human embryos start life as females, as do all embryos of mammals. About the 2nd month the fetal tests elaborate enough androgens to offset the maternal estrogens and maleness develops."
So President Felon declared we are now all female due to their use of the wording "moment of conception" (the language in the EO as of 1/24/25). I'm sure a correction will be issued any moment now because we all know how well President Felon apologizes when he is wron..errr... less than correct.
Can't make this stuff up. (H/T Belle of the Ranch at Beau of the Fifth Column)
You do understand that Biden commuted death row prisoners to life in prison, they're NOT running free like the convicted felons who beat up, maimed, and caused the deaths of Capitol police. Trump did that.
Unless you're a Constitutional Law expert, maybe you should reserve judgement on what is or isn't in the Constitution. The 14th Amendment clearly states that anyone born on American soil is a citizen.
AMENDMENT XIV
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
"A federal judge said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship was “blatantly unconstitutional” and issued a temporary restraining order to block it.
Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee who sits in Seattle, granted the request by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and three other Democratic-led states for the emergency order halting implementation of the policy for the next 14 days while there are more briefings in the legal challenge."
The 14th Amendment, if you know how to read, says NOTHING about just slaves being born on American soil. It clearly states, "ALL PERSONS BORN..."
And he'd link to some YouTube video to prove he/she was correct.
Thomas Jefferson said the Constitution is a thing of wax that can be molded into whatever the judiciary wants it to be. The Supreme Court, six of the justices anyway, will mold it into whatever serves Trump. I visit here because Shaw is a big sister to me and I hold Les and Dave in the highest regard. Sadly that means I have to glimpse at Skuds' and the rest of the kook brigade, which is obviously one person posting under different avatars, apologies and justifications for Trumps dismantling of our Nation's laws and principles.
Grey... It's the same for the Trump EO on the 14th Amendment. Here's the relevant text...
It is the policy of the United States that no department or agency of the United States government shall issue documents recognizing United States citizenship, or accept documents issued by State, local, or other governments or authorities purporting to recognize United States citizenship, to persons: (1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.
Where does this come from within the Constitution? I'll save you the time... this arbitrary interpretation is made up completely out of thin, arbitrary air.
It's a ridiculous as the example you cited.
But hey, the let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks does seem to work, at least some of the time.
I wrote this to myself at the beginning of the year. I offer it to you, Grey One talks sass:
"For every bit of anxiety I have about the future, I am trying to remember that there are great joys ahead, too, that I just don't know about yet, that will also happen to make the worries more bearable."
The Bone Spur Felon and his minions believe all Americans are as ignorant of the Constitution as Felon Bone Spur is.
History may ultimately have the Bone Spur Felon president and Nero as two of the planet's worst rulers ever. One who watched while Rome burned and the other's attempts to burn down American democracy.
History will rightfully be VERY unkind to the BSFp.
Thank you Shaw. I've been mumbling under my breath "sometimes when things are falling apart they are really falling into place". And breathing. A lot.
Authoritarians stay in power through fear, intimidation, violence, corruption, and propaganda—and Trump is no different. His pardons of insurrectionists serve as a veiled threat. Trump doesn’t have to personally call for violence when he’s already signaled that his followers can act on his behalf without consequences.
By empowering the insurrectionists and militia groups, he creates an atmosphere of fear, warning his opponents that standing against him could come with real risks. This is how strongmen operate: they build loyalist mobs, weaken the rule of law, and use fear to silence dissent.
OT... I wondered how long before the groveling minions floated a third term for Felon Bone Spur. It happened within the first five days. BSF wants the same dictatorial comfort as his twin authoritarian Putin. Lifetime power over others with zero accountability for his crimes.
I now neither recognize my country nor feel as I once did about it.
Oh at the same time the plan, if it works is to deny the same to our former black President.
Open racism is back and is being sanctioned by the MAGAts of American governance.
skudrunner: "Next you will say that birthright citizenship is in the constitution."
As you can plainly see from the bolded type, birthright citizenship is clearly in the Constitution. Why do you seem to doubt that?
skudrunner: "That is highly debated..."
Only by people who don't read the Constitution. The 14th Amendment is not debatable.
skudrunner; "The US is one of the few countries allowing it and it was enacted to give slaves citizenship not an illegal border crosser's child."
In fact, it absolutely DOES give an undocumented migrant's baby citizenship.
Again, it's in the Constitution:
"AMENDMENT XIV
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States..."
Yup. And true patriots resist. In every way they can. Including taking up arms in defense of liberty and the rule of law. If they are physically able.
Scum has seeped into the lifeblood of our democracy and it will metastasize exponentially unless good and patriotic Americans find a way to defeat the onslaught on our democracy and civil rights.
"Yet, populism can turn into fascism when it resorts to the practices of identifying and persecuting internal enemies. Timothy Snyder, a professor of history and global affairs at Yale University, has repeatedly stated that Trump is indeed a fascist, recently telling Vanity Fair that Americans might just quietly adapt to the “banality” of tyranny.
Finchelstein’s own perspective evolved after January 6 2021, when Trump appeared to incite his supporters to attack the United States Capitol, in order to prevent a peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden. In response, Finchelstein wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in which he argued that Trump had outgrown the populist camp and was now assuming the fascist mantle as a definitive threat to democracy.
And Finchelstein was not the only one to consider January 6 an irrevocable turning point. Robert Paxton, Mellon professor emeritus of social sciences at Columbia University, also changed his mind, writing that the “[fascist] label now seems not just acceptable but necessary”.
What the thinkers think - Durham University, England
There was no way to pinpoint which person did anything against police officers cuz it was a big crowd most of the people that were arrested were just arrested for being there or being inside the building they have to be able to prove that those people were violent and they didn't have the proof so that's why they were released because most of them were jailed with no charges and/or for trumped up charges but we know how that works.
Indeed.
You are completely and utterly wrong, Lisa. This is why we are in trouble as a country! You and millions of MAGA willfully keep yourselves ignorant of the truth, and THAT is what is destroying our fragile democracy.
What you stated couldn't be further from the truth, and yet, instead of finding what is true, you just accept what you either hear on Fox News or read places like Breitbart.
Here is the truth you and your MAGA pals refuse to see in front of your nose:
Taylor Bradley Dykes of Bluffton, South Carolina, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for stealing a police riot shield and twice using it against officers. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.
Prosecutors accused Dykes of giving a “Sieg Heil!” (Hail to victory!) salute during the attack, which he denied. Prosecutors also said that Dykes quoted Adolf Hitler before the attack and that he had participated in a training for a neo-Nazi accelerationist group, The Base.
Andrew Taake, of Houston, was sentenced to a little more than six years for assaulting law enforcement officers with bear spray and a metal whip. On Dec. 20, 2023, he pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon. A sting operation launched by a woman on the dating app Bumble after the Jan. 6 attack led to his arrest. Taake and other Jan. 6 participants gave up information to her about their activities during the attack, which she provided to investigators.
Taake was on pretrial release on a charge of soliciting a minor at the time of the attack. He was among the first to breach the restricted perimeter of the Capitol grounds and swarm the West Plaza, prosecutors said.
And there are more all documented here, with photos of who they are, worse than what I posted above.
What do you say, Lisa, to this evidence?
And now we have a bone spur felon president and a drunken rapist defense secretary.
Woo Hoo Amerika. Home to the rising fascist scum that has infiltrated our former democractic republic.
F trump and his fascist minions.
Lisa, isn't it time to complete your education?
You know what you don't even know if those charges are legit because they will make you plea to something you didn't do in order to prevent them from trying to railroad you into a larger charge and throw you in jail for years they do it all the time.
Here's a question for you, Lisa: Do you believe ANY of the 1600 J6 insurrectionists were guilty of ANYTHING? Do you believe the litigators who brought charges were making up the stories about how they beat up, maimed, and caused the deaths of Capitol police? Was that made up?
Was the smashing of windows in the Capitol, smearing feces in the Capitol, destroying property in the Capitol in the Capitol, and threatening the lives of Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence made up?
If your answer is yes, how do you account for the vidoes showing all that happened?
If your answer is no, do you understand that what those J6 rioters/insurrectionists did was illegal and should be punished?
Awaiting your answers.
Here is your chance to demonstrate rational thinking based on factual proven evidence as well the very real visuals and audibles of the Bone Spur Felon president inciting an insurrection.
Put on your thinking cap Lisa and remove your ego's reified loyalty to a lying felon.. Failing that you simply confirm your willful blindspot and ignorance.
Like a good little cultist, Lisa will refuse to answer questions or accept verifiable events recorded on video. The words of her malevolent mendacious messiah are her gospel, so she rejects any fact that indicates otherwise.
Remember a cult isn't a cult to the cult.
Lisa, Lisa, Lisa.
We have video, actual video, of many of the J6 ppl beating police officers. The GOP Senate Committee, hardly a liberal bastion, found the officers were "savagely and brutally" beaten that day, BY THE PPL ON THE VIDEO. Trump supporters.
Many of them admitted it. Many were found guilty in a trial by jury, others in bench trials. Some have also refused pardons saying "of course they did it" and deserve to be punished.
It was illegal for ANY of the J6 protestors to even BE IN THE BUILDING at all.
You are unable to understand this, see this or accept the facts, because they reflect badly on YOUR side of the political aisle.
You're simply being WILLFULLY ignorant because to accept the truth, that you can indeed identify the ppl beating the police, ransacking and damaging the US Capitol, would mean you'd have to disagree with Trump and the rest of the MAGA crowd.
I get that this can be hard, I really do. But you've done it before. You used to have a more independent voice at your blog pre Trump. But no longer.
Ask yourself why that is, why you choose to NOT see what is plainly visible on the videos and why even Trump supporting Admin staff members, Senators and more disagree with your assessment.
It's not us libs Lisa.
It's you.
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