NY Times It’s no secret that President Trump is obsessed with his own popularity, as measured by polls, ratings and Time magazine covers. But last night, the president revealed that this obsession goes even deeper than his constant tweets about poll numbers would suggest.
During his address to Congress on Tuesday night, Mr. Trump paid tribute to Chief Petty Officer William (Ryan) Owens, a Navy SEAL who was killed during a raid in Yemen in January. “Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country and for our freedom,” he said. “We will never forget him.”
When the audience gave Carryn Owens, Chief Owens’s widow, a standing ovation, Mr. Trump added, “Ryan is looking down right now, you know that, and he’s very happy, because I think he just broke a record.” He was referring, presumably, to the length of the applause.
Mr. Trump has been praised in some quarters for Tuesday’s address, during which he took a more conciliatory tone than he has in recent public appearances. But his comment about Chief Owens showed that even if his language changes slightly, his fundamental outlook stays the same.
In fact, the comment offered a useful peek into the president’s psyche: When he imagines a deceased veteran gazing down from heaven at his widow, the president and the assembled Congress, he sees that veteran measuring the length of his own ovation, and patting himself on the back for breaking a record. In other words, when asked to take the perspective of someone who has “laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom,” Mr. Trump assumes that what would gratify such a person is the same thing that gratifies him: adulation.
The fact that Mr. Trump engaged in this little reverie, a rare unscripted moment during Tuesday’s address, is revealing.[...]
But when he goes off-script, when he speaks from the heart, as it were, he reverts to what he knows: the language of popularity, ratings and records. His use of that language with respect to Chief Owens shows it to be not merely an obsession, but an entire worldview. Not only is Mr. Trump motivated by popularity in the barest, most numerical sense — he believes everyone is. [...]
I would say that in this case the New York Times is scraping the barrel. Do they have a staff psychologist analyzing exactly why who says what?
ReplyDeleteThis...is...a..a...a...(struggling for right word)..BIZARRE article.
ReplyDeleteIt's the author showing his true colors. Can only bash Mr. Trump.
Nope - it points out a consistency with Trump and explains a rather bizarre comment he made during his speech. This is not bashing this is understanding. And if a proper understanding of Trump is not positive - that is Trump's fault not the writer.
ReplyDeletenot scraping the barrel at all. Simply showing that Trump hasn't changed in his core values - despite some optimistic hopes
ReplyDeleteYes, it does clearly show a consistency. A consistency of attempting to find fault, even when there isn't any to be found. What type of mature journalist uses applesauce to refer to admiration.
ReplyDeleteBesides, he's bad for eating applesauce without latkes.
We how full fledged liberal critic on CNN responded. This is maturity https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=KPhsSqXHRAs
The times reporter is behaving like an infant.
I once saw a blog that had very interesting discussions going on, making it seem very sincere, but in the frame of the blog there was always the following display:
ReplyDeletePageviews last 7 days: Some large number.
How shameful!
It kind of makes me realize that the blog owner doesn't really mean anything he says on the blog.
Trump continues and will continue to be an embarrassment. Nevertheless, he is and will likely continue to be, for me, preferable to Hillary.
ReplyDeleteyes truly shameful. Obviously the only reason for displaying pageviews is that is the basic motivation for having the blog and without it there would be no blog. What a truly shallow person. I would strongly suggest you have nothing to do with such a person
ReplyDeleteCome on, don't get so offended. It's all in the context of a discourse. I didn't really mean it, as I was being sarcastic, and I don't think this person is shallow at all, just the opposite is true, and I am proud to associate. I really don't hold it against anyone that they care about hits. But I also don't hold it against Trump. I was trying to make a point, and sarcasm is sometimes my language of choice. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteBut just a point of information - pageviews is not the same thing as applause. Applause is an indication of approval. Pageviews is a measure of attention that the blog gets - without regard to approval or disapproval. It simply provides feedback as to what the readership is interested in reading about - not anything personal about the owner of the blog.
ReplyDeleteIf for example I look at the counter and it says 30k views and I wrote - "this is the most views in history, it is at least 200K and there is no
Blog that gets more attention and that the counter was obviously hacked by my enemies and I know it is at least 200k" then there might be a comparison to Trump. It definitely would be comparable if the readers corrected me a number of times and yet I kept insisting the higher number and accused the readers of propagating false news.
I'm just saying that you are holding this shaigetz accountable to a level of baalei mussar. Yes, he's very concerned about his image etc. I have no problem with that. On the contrary, it makes him want to make some real accomplishments for the country, for the sake of his legacy.
ReplyDeleteIt isbarrel-scraping when we have a rare and inspiring bi-partisan moment, and this reporter manages to bring it back down into the mud. That's not to say that his comment about Trump is incorrect, but its just another example of 'they go low, we go lower' . And as if most politicians aren't obsessed about polls, popularity etc. Trump just doesn't pretend otherwise thats why some people like him
ReplyDeleteno one is question that he really want to accomplish something - are there any presidents who didn't? No one is holding to a level of baalei mussar - just that of a normal person who when shown that his facts are wrong is willing to admit that he erred.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, if he had the personality deficit of most politicians - I would not say anything - but he is bizarre, erratic, and potentially harmful to the welfare of the country and the world (which includes the Jewish community) - to a degree which has no precedent in history.
His good intentions in no way compensates for the above.
no the problem with his obsession with polls goes beyond that of other politicians. If they don't say how great he is he publicaly condemns them and the media that publishes them as "fake news". He refuses to acknowledge the validity of absolute facts by saying "well I was told something else"
ReplyDeleteUntil he starts acting in a normal manner in dealing with reality - then he doesn't get patted on the back if occasionally he is persuaded to keep to the written script. The point was that even with a relative controlled situation that would normally give basis to hope he has improved - provide leaks of his unhealthy narcissism
He has the burden to show that he has changed and any one time deviation from the unhealthy person - still needs careful scrutiny to see that it in facts in a change - and not just concealment
Nu nu. So that's his shortcoming. Big deal.
ReplyDelete