Posted on 02/23/2016 5:29:03 AM PST by Kaslin
Since religious language has again infected this unpredictable and turbulent political season, here is a verse that could describe the followers of Donald Trump. It is found in Paul's second letter to his protege Timothy (or as Trump might call it, Two Timothy): "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
All politicians tell voters what they want to hear. It is one reason for the anger many voters feel for members of both political parties. These voters believe Washington has let them down, promising things it has not, or cannot, deliver in exchange for their support.
Trump makes grandiose promises and claims he never backs up with facts. The latest, as noted by Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler, is Trump's claim that he will negotiate the price of drugs with pharmaceutical companies, saving $300 billion. That his facts are incorrect and he doesn't say how he will pull this off is of no concern to his followers, who never appear to question anything he says.
Kessler writes, "Once again, we are confronted with a nonsense figure from the mouth of Donald Trump. He is either claiming to save four times the entire cost of the Medicare prescription drug system -- or he is claiming to make prescription drugs free for every American. Neither is possible." Kessler gives Trump "four Pinocchios," his highest rating for not being truthful.
What about that border wall Trump continues to promise he will build across the southern border, sending Mexico the bill? It's a great applause line, but in a recent interview on CNBC, former Mexican president Felipe Calderon said: "Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cents for such a stupid wall."
Eduardo Sanchez, a spokesman for current Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto, said the same, adding that Trump's position reflects "enormous ignorance."
In the CNBC interview, Calderon noted that closing off the southern border would likely harm the U.S. more than it helps because of trade: "We love American products."
According to data from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Mexico was the second-largest export market for the U.S. in 2013, totaling more than $226 billion.
To followers of Trump it doesn't matter. Inaccuracies and the unlikelihood of making good on his promises are not as important as the thought behind them. This can be dangerous in a leader who aspires to power.
Writing in the Harvard Business Review in 2012, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, the CEO of Hogan Assessment Systems, a professor of Business Psychology at University College London and a faculty member at Columbia University, warns about "The Dark Side of Charisma."
Noting "the short-term benefits of charisma are often neutralized by its long-term consequences," Chamorro-Premuzic lists four reasons for resisting charisma: "Charisma often dilutes judgment," it is "addictive," it "disguises psychopaths" and it "fosters collective narcissism."
Despite the dangers, he says, "the dark side of charm is often overlooked." Before the rise of Trump, one could point to President Obama as a recent example of the phenomenon.
"In the era of multimedia politics," notes Chamorro-Premuzic, "leadership is commonly downgraded to just another form of entertainment and charisma is indispensable for keeping the audience engaged."
A characteristic of Trump's followers appears to be their determination to ignore any evidence that would challenge their faith. And so when I question the reality show-style of Trump, I get messages on social media calling me a "sack of (excrement)," a member of the "establishment" and "old," which is the unkindest cut of all. Remember when age used to go with wisdom, unless proven otherwise? If you're a millennial reading this, perhaps you have no memory of such a time.
Trump may well win the Republican nomination and even the presidency. If he does, it will confirm that the transformation of American politics -- from serious business, to another form of entertainment -- is complete and the White House will become the biggest reality show of them all.
Siding with corrupt Mexican politicos, Cal? Shame. Walls can have this odd feature called gates that let through what you want let through.
Isn’t Cal Thomas the guy who swore off political commentary because he believed it more important to change hearts for Jesus rather than get fooled by the notion that politics can change things?
Poor Cal.
He doesn’t know what he believes.
Or maybe Cal, you and the rest of the political machine might pry open your welded shut ears and hear the message the voters are sending you and the rest of the DC Media/Political machine.
Don’t blame the voters for reacting poorly to the defiantly corrupt incompetence of the Washington DC Political Establishment.
Cal, politics is entertainment.
In case, its befogged your memory, our beloved Reagan was a consummate actor.
Trump is the same thing on a more or less grander scale.
And people love how he makes Americans feel good about themselves.
It would behoove you to attend a Trump rally than spout ignorance.
Even old people can learn a thing or two from youth.
Hate to say it Cal, but you just jumped the shark for the Evil that you claim of the good People with your misrepresentation of Scripture for vainglorious evil "tingles".
Ask God for His forgiveness - that's as close to blaspheme of the Holy Spirit as I've seen in a while.....
The only thing Washington has been serious about in the last decade is screwing over the American worker and taxpayer while bending over backwards for illegals, H-1B visa holders and cheap imports.
Given a forced choice between a .357 between the eyes, or swallowing a few grams of cyanide or arsenic, arsenic is the least-bad choice.
Or if forced to choose between Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Pol Pot or Mussolini, there is also a clear least-bad choice.
But don’t pretend that Trump isn’t Trumpolini. He is.
Some more mental vomit from the “Movement Conservative” punditry.
In 2 Timothy Paul is talking about false teachers of the Christian doctrine. But since Cal has broadened it, how about the itchy ears of the “ruling class” wannabes in DC. See, Cal, the gate swings both ways.
I think the thing I like best about Trump is the way the Establishment "conservative" pundits have come SCREAMING out of the closet... :)
So, 18 Ezekiels Walk Into A Bar, and 2 of them said:
"The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"...
Cal Thomas got a truckload of them "sour grapes"...
“...former Mexican president Felipe Calderon said: “Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cents for such a stupid wall.”
Cal, Cal, idiot, it is just whose word you want to believe, as, in this instance, your itching ears are scratched by the Mexican leader.
I support Trump because I want to see all the claims become enacted as they were presented.
Just ponder that a little while. Cal observes evidence that clearly contradicts the words and actions of Trump and the only thing Trump's vast followers come up with is personal attacks. And even you, because of the inconvenience of the truth of his observations, suggest that Cal should not speak his political opinion.
This is all 'fruit' of the campaign of Donald J. Trump. By their fruits you will recognize them. ... Matthew 7:16
It’s not.
But, what do you call the deceit and betrayal we’ve gotten the last 3 decades by these so-called ‘leaders’ in the GOP? What do you call the fake cloture votes, the funding of racism attacks on conservatives, the flooding of the nation with illegals, H1Bs, disease, and terrorists?
I call it betrayal. And that’s what Trump and the other outsiders are all about. (With the exclusion of Cruz who is a covert insider.)
Trump is despised. That tells you he was not accepted on the crony list of any of the powerbrokers from industry, finance, or government.
Since THAT is the definition of fascism, then you’re simply wrong. Cruz and his financial billionaires and his CFR wife are the Cruz-olinis.
We’ll survive a Trump presidency, as long as we remember to not water our crops with Brawndo!
Cal Thomas is not only in bed with the open borders RNC, he is one of its main liars to keep lowly republicans on their plantation.
Townhall is a key PR outlet of the RNC/GOPe/Neocon Uniparty elite thugs, who have been the overseers of the Faux Conservative plantations since 1961. These overseers keep trying to trick/betray/control us to stay on/in their faux conservative plantations by selecting their ilk/puppets as our candidates. They lie and promise us conservatism and when elected $crew us daily in congress and as POTUS! NR and their handpicked tv/radio hosts have pushed their lies for decades.
In NH/SC, Trump and his voters ignored them. His voters then voted big time for Trump. They won bigtime and broke the rules of the plantation masters by voting for Trump in NH. This is scaring the hell out of our former neocon RNC/GOPe masters of the faux conservative plantations and their ilk, the Club for Growth.
It is wonderful to see this decades old, long standing corrupt political system disintegrating right before our eyes. This corrupted system hates working Americans. It rewards illegals and those who bring them into America to freeload off the American workers slaving in the faux conservative plantation.
We are seeing a paradigm shift with us selecting our Presidential Candidate, instead of the RNC/GOPe/Uniparty elites, who hate us, selecting our candidates.
There is a Black Swan event occurring with the daily suicidal self wrought destruction of the RNC/GOPe, UniParty, Open Border Thugs, DC faux pundits, Faux News, ABCNNBCBS, NT Townhall and the left wing fish wraps. Something similar may be happening with the DEMes.
Many of us are looking forward to seeing the broken bones, drying blood and entrails of the Lying RNC/GOP Open Borders Elite, The Club for Growth, the UniParty, their DC faux conservative pundits, their mediots, their phoney pollsters and focus groups, Faux, ABCNNBCBS, Townhall, their hired tv and radio hacks strewn across the primary states as much as our victories in those states.
Cal Thomas and his fellow DC pundits will be on the street unemployed and begging for attention after President Trump is sworn in next January.
We have escaped from their faux conservative plantations. We are not going back for more lies, abuse and mistreatment from our former RNC/GOPe masters.
We will vote for Trump and destroy them!
Boy, if Trump is credited for anything it’s exposing who
the liberal elite no matter what rock they crawl from.
Cal Thomas seems to be caught up in it. Everything he wanted
to say about Obama but just couldn’t bring himself to defy
his master, now comes frothing out against Trump.
This ,”For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” more appropriately
defines the liberal agenda and it’s followers than Trump
followers. It’s an insult to the conservatives who’ve had
enough of what Mr. Thomas longs for, the continuous march
to socialism.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.