Home » Trump vs. Biden: A crisis is an opportunity to be presidential

Comments

Trump vs. Biden: A crisis is an opportunity to be presidential — 39 Comments

  1. I think a lot of Americans would have less of an issue with Trump if they stopped looking to the President to “comfort” and “reassure” them. A liberty-focused culture should not be too sentimental about the Presidency.

  2. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that 43% view Trumps efforts with disapproval. I am appalled that they do though. I don’t expect that 100% would approve but not this level of animosity.

  3. shadow,

    And yet, unfortunately, I think humans are just wired that way. We are pack animals after all.

    I think the introverts and the liberty-minded people-the two don’t necessarily overlap a lot-are in a minority. Americans are probably more likely to be in the liberty-minded group than other humans, but even here, we have a notably large, progressive/statist/collectivist percentage of folks.

  4. shadow; Matthew; Fractal Rabbit:

    Note that I wrote this [emphasis added]:

    When people are stressed and worried by world and/or national crises, most of them naturally look to leaders to help: to communicate with them, to reassure them, and to do something. This is true not only of the relationship between citizens and government, but in most human relations.

    So I’m describing a general human trait of most people. Not only that, but being a lover of liberty and yet looking for reassurance and competence in times of crisis are not mutually exclusive traits. One can want someone who’s the head of the country, or the city, or the town, or even the family, to exhibit those traits, and still want to preserve one’s own liberty and not want to be blindly led or to blindly worship and follow the leader.

  5. Not bad, though, for a guy suffering from advanced dementia.

    Given the current crisis, we should probably take the high road and give him a break.

  6. Neo said:

    “Not only that, but being a lover of liberty and yet looking for reassurance and competence in times of crisis are not mutually exclusive traits.”

    Thank you Neo. That’s well put and I should have been clearer and more complete in my own thought process.

  7. I can see the election games now..

    Trump says something, and Biden decides to try to start a fist fight as Trump leans on the podium and says “Really”?

    Biden is going to lose it (behaviorally) many times…

  8. Has this man no advisors?

    It is quite possible that Biden’s advisers are Trump deranged, lots of smart people are. And there may be good reasons for Trump to keep them so.

  9. “But then it occurred to me that not only were they truly grateful for the help their states were receiving from Trump – and perhaps even a bit startled that it came at all –” — Neo

    I thought you were going to say, “But then it occurred to me … Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

    I do think Gov. Newsome looked darned sincere when he expressed his gratitude. Then he said something like this:

    “Then President Trump actually did everything he said he was going to do.”

    Ah, the times we live in.

  10. We should not expect to see any debates between Biden and Trump. Biden will be a soft focus image so TV commercials can carry the burden of campaigning. Most of the media coverage will be either fact-checking Trump, blaming him for the economy, or of the horse race variety focused on polling.
    The Democrats hardly need a candidate, and they hardly got one.

  11. I see that WaPo has run an intelligence-report-on-virus-from-Jan-ignored-by-Trump hit piece. I call it the Jean Dixon stage of crisis manipulation.

  12. I’m watching the daily Coronavirus Task Force briefing right now. And a couple of things are quite striking:

    1)For all of Trump’s supposed bluster and ego, he has no problem letting experts do their job and speak with regards to their expertise.

    2) Mike Pence looks tired but hopeful. While various governors-my own included (Cuomo) are vying to look the most presidential for future campaigns, Pence is doing a great job and and I think someday Americans will remember his steering of this task force.

    3) The people who only see the selectively edited clips of the President would do well to watch one in its entirety. It would be educational in the extreme. The marshaling of forces, knowledge and resources is astounding. I think one day in the future, it will be compared to the planning of Operation Overlord.

    4) Dr. Ben Carson. I’ve always liked that man, and truth be told, he was always my personal pick for president in the early stages of the 2016 campaign. He seems like a good and decent man who has been a loyal supporter of the President from the beginning. It also reminds me of one of the early debates (I wish I could remember which one) where Dr. Carson was “forgotten” by the moderators when the candidates were announced and the ‘egomaniac’ Trump made a point of waiting back until Dr. Carson was announced.

    5) The way some America companies are stepping up to help (for instance Hanes changing some production facilities to manufacture masks) in anyway they can is awe inspiring.

    But anyway, if people want leadership, they need to see these updates. That’s probably why the media wants to stop showing them to people.

  13. At this point, and I know it’s been said before, the D’s running Biden are hoping if he wins he will be a figurehead. Either his VP will be running the show, or the politburo.

  14. People under stress look to their leaders; that’s certainly true–it’s self evident. By the same token, people under stress looking to leaders for reassurance don’t react well to hecklers.

    A lot of businesses get this. They’re knocking themselves out to come up with something–anything– to reassure their customers that things will be ok. (Our local Safeway installed plexiglass shields–“sneeze guards”–between the checkers and their customers.)

    The Democrats nothing to offer that doesn’t sound like an endorsement of DJT–as if that will ever happen

  15. I don’t need our garbage news media hectoring the President about people who are afraid. Some are afraid, or afraid at times, but in the main I think people display immense courage when the chips are down. We are not the children the media portray us as—we would walk through fire for our children.

  16. I want to see Joe Biden make TV commercials advertising CCCP canned bat soup.

    It’s the one with a bright red flag and big black wings. Slogan: it’s even safe for babies.

    Cue to Joe: he slurps a spoonful, then kisses a baby. The Chinese would pay him millions.

    Okay, I’m in a virus panic, and I said a mean thing. I’ve got a lawyer to handle all the complaints. Please don’t sick twitter on me. #BatSoup.

  17. Let’s face it… Trump will never be “warm and fuzzy”. But, we didn’t elect him to be warm and fuzzy. We elected him to be the bad guy to clean the swamp. Now, he is directing the same skillset to dealing with a health crisis. As Gov. Newsome said, he seems to be doing it pretty well.

    But, some people still want “warm and fuzzy” even though that is not what is going to protect them. These are the same people who want unicorns and rainbows, and nothing Trump ever does or day could ever possibly placate them.

  18. “But anyway, if people want leadership, they need to see these updates. That’s probably why the media wants to stop showing them to people.” Fractal Rabbit on March 21, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    That was a nice summary. Eeyore linked one of the stories about the MSM realizing they’ve lost control of the situation. Bottom line:
    “The media: If we can’t beat Trump, we’ll silence him.”

  19. Once Trump senses we are ready to move from ‘Fear the Risk’, to ‘Understand the Risk’ – he is going to impress us all over again.

    • Facts without History = Fear the Risk
    • Facts with History = Understand the Risk

  20. I think Biden will not be the Democrats’ nominee for president. I say they will draft someone—perhaps Andrew Cuomo. I think he and almost every other state governor failed to prepare his or her respective state’s health system for any significant epidemic. However, Cuomo has been giving press conferences lately that on the surface would seem to Democrats to be very competent. Thus, he will be very attractive to the Democrats come the time of the Democrat Party convention-while Biden is particularly unattractive and will not improve as time marches on.

  21. “Not bad, though, for a guy suffering from advanced dementia. Given the current crisis, we should probably take the high road and give him a break.”

    OK, but at a certain point . . . when Grandpa gets too dangerous you take away his keys.

  22. There is a theory, that sounds reasonable to me, that Cuomo is trying to use the virus panic to promote himself as a “compromise” candidate for the Democrats. He has been on TV constantly and New York is a TV center. It will be interesting to watch.

  23. Joe will do very well at Comedy Hour in the old folks home — excuse me, assisted living facility.

  24. Someone suggested somewhere (Ace?) that the Democrats should just move Joe to an old folks home fitted out to look like the White House and tell him he won. He’ll be happy, and the Dems will be happy. I like that idea.

  25. F on March 22, 2020 at 5:47 pm said:
    Someone suggested somewhere (Ace?) that the Democrats should just move Joe to an old folks home fitted out to look like the White House and tell him he won. He’ll be happy, and the Dems will be happy. I like that idea.
    * * *
    Can they give Hillary an office there as well?

    PS for the NeverTrumpers, h/t commenter at TWIP on PowerLine Saturday:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e918169b45ef092befd6a27dc8337e2726278b0a0347edc8e96242f1e89ff4f6.jpg

  26. “…credible…” (cont.)
    Yep, Pelosi and her petulant posse are sure on a roll!
    https://theunionjournal.com/msnbcs-joy-reid-joins-others-in-slamming-pelosi-over-abortion-funding-in-coronavirus-bill/
    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/03/trump-derangement-syndrome-is-bad-for-your-health.php

    (Trying to save America from Trump and his supporters, no doubt…. Anyway, be interesting to see how this will be spun…or widely ignored by the usual suspects…)

    File under: Nero finagled while Rome burned….

  27. how this will be spun

    Heh. Three successive NYT headlines on the one story tell that tale well enough:

    Iteration 1) Democrats Block Action On $1.8 Trillion Dollar Stimulus

    Iteration 2) Democrats Block Action On Stimulus Plan, Seeking Worker Protections

    Iteration 3) Partisan Divide Threatens Deal On Rescue Bill

  28. Come on, now. Shouldn’t that be:
    1) Republican Perfidy Compels Democrats to Block Action On…
    2) Trump’s Racist, Misogynist Bigotry Forces Democrats to Block Action On…
    3) Heartless GOP Stupidity Threatens Deal On…

    There. Fixed it.

  29. now might be the time to renew impeachment proceedings

    You mean to tattle on the Democrats (weeks long now) prophylactic use of Hydroxychloroquine + zinc, thus preventing their corporate vulnerability to the otherwise devastating viral bug? For shame, Barry!

  30. Biden: “…a very annoying back seat driver..”

    Perfecto, Neo!! Works also for much of the MSMs. You’ll understand, I’m sure, that I will credit you the first 5-times I use it; then, a time or two with, “As someone aptly put it..”; then,.. “As I’ve long said about Biden: He’s like a VERY ANNOYING Back Seat Driver.”

    What’cha think..? Okay, Okaaay, I’ll credit you the first 7-times!! Sheesh, so uppity..!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

HTML tags allowed in your comment: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>