Quote from: Walter Josh on July 23, 2017, 02:22:52 PM
Solar,
I accept your criticism w/a firm purpose of amendment and, yes I ignored WIKI, because I'm uninterested.
And while I accept the msm are hardly all powerful; they strongly influence the consciousness and opinion of far too many citizens.
But most critically, my concern has far less to do w/the media and everything to do w/Trump who, in my judgement,  is simply too self absorbed to pause and reflect; because he's unknown to himself.
Agree that the leaks, per se, will not bring Trump down, because at their core, they are shallow and unsupported innuendo; but I suspect that his reaction to them most likely will; prolonging this collusion/interference fandango long past its expiry date and adding fuel to the fire every time.
For example, the Russian controversy was fading till junior opened this big mouth, re-igniting it.
And so it goes day after day after day.
Anyway, peace and stay well.

Usually I read this kind of stuff, but figure, meh, why bother responding...?   How old are you?   Do you know how old Donald Trump is?   Do you understand the phrase, "You don't get rich being stupid, unless you're a comedian?"   Who leveraged his properties out of bankruptcy to keep them open and negotiate a better interest rate?  ie., "Too big to fail", where'd that come from?

To most of us regular posters here, we knew Donald Trump's track record, all too well.  We saw the likes of him and Boone Pickens on the covers of major magazines - and understood they were brilliant opportunists.   We heard Donald Trump before congress, objecting to the Reagan tax cuts, 'it would hurt real estate investing'.  and on and on - there is no doubt, we KNOW who Donald Trump is, and how he's playing the MSM like a pro, and people like you too!

Stop watching the MSM - you're missing what's really going on, and obviously don't have a clue about who Donald Trump really is... "self-absorbed and unknown to himself"?   I guess he's just that good, he's got you hunting squirrels for deer season.  I'll give you a hint:  He's doing most of what we want, but I think he's like a ticking Liberal time bomb, whether he pulls the big switch while in office, or after, we expect him to revert back.   For now, he's tolerable, for the most part - and made his Billions based on "who he is"... you know, those buildings with the big bright lettering.

MEH... do a search for 'Trump buildings pictures'.  The very first link is to gettyimages, they're for SALE.  For a guy who doesn't know who he is, he sure markets that "Trump" name pretty darn well.   The images are copyrighted!?!?!?   Wait!    Does Donald Trump really know who he is...?     Comeon, man, you're smarter than that, aren't you?     Here's an easy out: "Yeah, man, I was just repeating what I heard on CNN..."   

Hoofer, w/respect, here are some responses/replies to your questions.
* I'm 75 years old, some 5 years older than Trump.
* Fred Trump, who was born in 1905 and died in 1999, built the family real estate business, not Donald.
* I apologize since I'm not a regular poster.
* I don't watch the msm.
* My sister Mary was a lifelong friend of Liz Trump Grau, his older sister; since their school days in Jamaica,
   Queens, till the end of their lives on Long Island.
Thanks for your insights. I'll do my best to internalize your criticisms and correct the error of my ways.

Quote from: quiller on July 22, 2017, 07:58:22 AM
I saw the name and thought of that bit from Bohemian Rhapsody: "Scaramouche, Scaramouche, can you do the fandango!" 

So did I! And then that song was stuck in my head.

Quote from: Walter Josh on July 23, 2017, 06:59:07 PM
Hoofer, w/respect, here are some responses/replies to your questions.
* I'm 75 years old, some 5 years older than Trump.
* Fred Trump, who was born in 1905 and died in 1999, built the family real estate business, not Donald.
* I apologize since I'm not a regular poster.
* I don't watch the msm.
* My sister Mary was a lifelong friend of Liz Trump Grau, his older sister; since their school days in Jamaica,
   Queens, till the end of their lives on Long Island.
Thanks for your insights. I'll do my best to internalize your criticisms and correct the error of my ways.

Maybe you've got a short memory, that happens to us from time to time.

Fred Trump started the real estate business, Donald Trump took it into areas where Fred would not, it is a misconception to assume Donald didn't do anything until after 1999, Fred's death.  Come on now, are you implying Donald Trump went before a house select committee in the mid-1980's, a virtual unknown, to pitch for his daddy...?      You're a funny guy!     I find that hilarious, having assumed the daily operations at 18 of a family business, and pulling it out of flat-lining - it has been done, to the amazement of some people.    When you've grown up at the dinner table of a person with vision... anything can happen, if you're energetic & driven by success, wouldn't you agree?   What would you say to a teenager who manages to triple expected daily cash flow while you're vacationing?   Curb that enthusiasm, kid!  Nope, we're staying a couple more weeks, Hawaii is really nice in January...  (the message was crystal clear - go-fer-it-kid!

Some "kids" have been really good at taking their parents vision and multiplying it, Duck Dynasty is another example, one of the kids completely turned it around from near failure.   Why do people want to discount Donald's successes in business?    He's a smart guy, at the very least, knows how to sell an "idea" with his name plastered all over it.   If you booked at room in a Trump hotel, that image of luxury has already been well established in your head.   While I'm praising his success - it wasn't done the way I personally can operate, I like to think I have a conscience, and there are honest people who don't appreciate being insulted by a braggadocios thug.  Maybe that's his NY state-of-mind.

-----------------

There is an element which hasn't been brought up, and maybe unverifiable by even family members, those who grew up in a family business ... may be good at it, but it's not really what they want to do.   the business pulls you into areas, and associates you with people you'd deep down inside, would rather not.  They are a "necessary evil" to getting the job done, but it's really hard to leave and do something different.   A major event can be the open door to completely different occupation.  Granted, the more entrenched one is within a business, the more difficulty, to just walk out the door... some 'family  ties' aren't easily undone.

IMO, Trump knows exactly who he is, he's been wildly successful, and like many confident climbers, he still has it in him to find another peak.  He found that peak as POTUS.   The next peak is his legacy, I don't think he's doing this for money.

Oh, one thing about family - Older siblings cannot read the minds of their younger siblings.   Often, they're stuck in the childhood past, he/she has always been THIS WAY, since they were 5yrs old, etc., and never grow out of their own family biases.  I can't think of ever sharing intimate details of my life, desires, goals, etc., with my sisters.  Older siblings "project".  Personal friends know more about me than my family does.   I grew up, they're still living in the past.   I can imagine the same for Donald Trump.   Even after great success, years of marriage to another, raising a family, an older sibling still thinks they know what-is-best-for-you.   What kind of "free advice" a sibling has for your goals, tells a hell of a lot about them.  "Too self absorbed to pause and reflect; because he's unknown to himself" - sounds like something an older siblings might say.

Internalize my humor, forget the criticism crap - I'm not falling for that line, and you didn't mean it...    
At your/our age, we're too old to care what other people think - what a liberating concept!   

---------------

The new comms director has been a close personal friend of Donald Trump for a L-O-N-G time.
He is well established via tweets (at the very least) as a gun grabbing liberal.
Are you concerned?   
I hope, hope, hope, this isn't Trump signaling a LEFT turn is next.   

Quote from: Walter Josh on July 23, 2017, 02:22:52 PM
Solar,
I accept your criticism w/a firm purpose of amendment and, yes I ignored WIKI, because I'm uninterested.

You ignored WIKI, because it didn't interest you, the biggest scandal to ever rock the DNC. Yet a leftist media narrative attacking Trump interests you?

QuoteAnd while I accept the msm are hardly all powerful; they strongly influence the consciousness and opinion of far too many citizens.

As it has yours, obviously.

QuoteBut most critically, my concern has far less to do w/the media and everything to do w/Trump who, in my judgement,  is simply too self absorbed to pause and reflect; because he's unknown to himself.

Opinion and conjecture based on what, LSM daily attacks?

QuoteAgree that the leaks, per se, will not bring Trump down, because at their core, they are shallow and unsupported innuendo; but I suspect that his reaction to them most likely will; prolonging this collusion/interference fandango long past its expiry date and adding fuel to the fire every time.

Again, a leftist narrative you claim to not be influenced by.

QuoteFor example, the Russian controversy was fading till junior opened this big mouth, re-igniting it.
And so it goes day after day after day.
Anyway, peace and stay well.

There you go again, claiming to not follow the leftist media, yet claiming their narrative is damaging him.
Walter, many of us here have been doing this for decades, myself included, and your line of reasoning is based solely on leftist narrative and opinion, despite your protestations to the contrary, and I see right through it as does others, even though you refuse to admit it to yourself.

As I stated earlier, I never supported Trump, didn't even vote for the guy, but as a Conservative I'm still willing to speak out and tell the truth, opinion aside, and regardless of my disdain for the man, I can at least call a spade a spade and Trump is actually doing a fine job considering he's being attacked by Marxists in both party's.

Quote from: The Boo Man... on July 23, 2017, 08:10:28 PM



So did I! And then that song was stuck in my head.

Hoofer,
My last observation on Trump, for now.
His fan club insists his building feats are a metaphor of his greatness. Really???
Among his apartment projects, have you ever noticed another
Athenian Parthenon or Roman Coliseum??? Me neither.
Stay well.

Quote from: Walter Josh on July 24, 2017, 11:06:44 AM
Hoofer,
My last observation on Trump, for now.
His fan club insists his building feats are a metaphor of his greatness. Really???
Among his apartment projects, have you ever noticed another
Athenian Parthenon or Roman Coliseum??? Me neither.
Stay well.

Walt,
Next time I visit Long Island, I'll keep a lookout for large buildings with names plastered above the door and across the top.
Whether you or I want to agree, Donald Trump has exceeded in increasing the VALUE of his brand name.

I'm not a member of the "Trump fan Club" - just being honest, the guy has succeeded in an area where most of us never dreamed.

If my family name was on a beer can, "Miller" would anyone associate that with ME?  Nope.  Even before Donald announced he was a candidate, now... let's be honest, Walter....  you automatically associated "Trump" with the person, Donald Trump.   (not Fred Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Barron Trump)

Who built the Athenian Parthenon or Roman Coliseum???   Without googling it, take a guess.  Don't know?   Me neither, but if Donald Trump bought the property, and plastered his name above it in bold red, flashing letters, and owned naming rights so the MSM could only refer to them as "Trump Parthenon"  &  "Trump Coliseum".   It wouldn't matter if Donald built it, he "owns" it.     Ya gotta admire the guy, like him or not, he's built a brand, and rode it right past a corrupt liberal into the White House.   I respect the guy, what he did takes a lot more commitment than I've ever had.

Another one...  Who is Walt Disney?  When you hear the name "Disney" what comes to mind?   Films & TV shows?  Snow White?  Bambi?  Disneyland?  Disneyworld?      Walt, are you a "liberal"?   It's not too late to cast that illogic nonsense aside and step into the brilliance of Conservatism (the Constitutional kind).   It's OK to agree, on a point or two, with us, you're a nice guy, engaging, but... just kinda falling a bit short here.  _{You know... I'm right, don't you.}

Oh... wait a minute...  _{you're gonna hate hearing this.}  Trump won the White House ... without the full backing of any political party.    He "bitch-slapped" the Entrenched Establishment right into POTUS!     Whatta I gotta do, Walt?    Admit it, the guy's got Chops.    You'd shake his hand and be proud to meet him, just as I would.  But, neither of us is gonna break out the pom-poms, we got a little self-respect.

Now as for his new Communications Director, aren't you (as a Liberal), jumping up and down, cheering that one?     Or are you a depressed, angry Liberal, secretly hoping for the destruction of America?     Meh... maybe you need a new hobby, like listening to the radio or books-on-tape.   I hear this guy, Mark Levin is really something... brain food kinda stuff, like a fine Ruben Sandwich,  you gotta remember who makes the good ones, 'cause there's some poor imitations - he's not in the Trump fan club, and he loves this country.

An honorable difference of opinion concerning the character of any politician
(Trump in this case) does not label one a conservative, a liberal or anything else political.
Apparently, you're unaware, yet it hardly matters.
I've always been a traditional conservative, detesting any matter political.
Paraphrasing Kirk, my template remains the order dictated by the soul; a concept
defined in the Republic, by the unsurpassed genius of Plato  more than 2500 years ago.
No doubt you're fully aware of the import and implication of his insight?
Goodbye!!!

Quote from: Walter Josh on July 24, 2017, 08:12:22 PM
An honorable difference of opinion concerning the character of any politician
(Trump in this case) does not label one a conservative, a liberal or anything else political.
Apparently, you're unaware, yet it hardly matters.
I've always been a traditional conservative, detesting any matter political.
Paraphrasing Kirk, my template remains the order dictated by the soul; a concept
defined in the Republic, by the unsurpassed genius of Plato  more than 2500 years ago.
No doubt you're fully aware of the import and implication of his insight?
Goodbye!!!

You're too funny Walter. By the way, just curious, who did you finally wind up voting for? I wrote in Cruz, myself.

Quote from: Walter Josh on July 24, 2017, 08:12:22 PM
An honorable difference of opinion concerning the character of any politician
(Trump in this case) does not label one a conservative, a liberal or anything else political.
Apparently, you're unaware, yet it hardly matters.
I've always been a traditional conservative, detesting any matter political.
Paraphrasing Kirk, my template remains the order dictated by the soul; a concept
defined in the Republic, by the unsurpassed genius of Plato  more than 2500 years ago.
No doubt you're fully aware of the import and implication of his insight?
Goodbye!!!

Very well ... I need to rest from hitting those into the bleacher seats... it's an age thing, ya know, yer wearing me out! 

Yeah, I thought I was pretty conservative too, until I realized there were foundational documents - and quit bastardizing the term.

"So, what are you gonna do, when you finally grow up?" - Smothers.   
No doubt you're aware of the ramifications and implications of growing old and losing a sense of humor? 

Comeon, Walt, all those decades of wisdom locked up between those ears, and you're stuck on Donald Trump doesn't know who HE is...??

As Quiller would quip, drop the Decaf, 'cause you're making this too easy.

Chew on this, it's really interesting illustration of Donald Trump as a "conservative" - compared to the GOPE at this point.

QuoteMatthew 21:28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29 He answered* and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you,That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 

We've given the House and Senate to the GOP, via the addition of TEA candidates & TEA grass roots efforts. 

The GOP got there and has not done, or tried to do what we wanted, they are scoundrels & liars.

Donald Trump spends 68 years of his life, a Democrat, funding Democrats, and acting like one... nothing like a Conservative.
Donald Trump runs, beats a solid Conservative, wins the nomination... and actually starts doing what we wanted the GOP to do!

Talk is CHEAP!   Donald has had a hell-of-a-time as POTUS, and is trying to do everything he promised.   In fact, he's calling out the GOP for not keeping their campaign promises!   Neither one of us *likes* the SOB ... but ... that's our SOB who's getting the damn job done, and those worthless establishment GOPers haven't done >squat< to help him.

What do you want, promises that are never delivered, or a SOB of a POTUS who delivers like Grant did for Lincoln?
_{You do remember U.S. Grant, that wicked, worthless, nare-do-well  drunk whom Abraham Lincoln said, 'That drunk.... I don't care, but, he's LUCKY, he's my man' - Oh hell, you might have fought in his war, right?}      

Well, guess what, my well seasoned friend - Donald Trump is delivering, he's our "lucky President", like him or not, he's got "Chops", "Backbone of American Steel", "nads-o-iron", and there ain't but a handful of GOP that can carry that strap.   If they guy is gonna do the "job", I don't give a rats-rear-end what his personal life is.   _{I never thought I'd ever say that, but after decades of getting sold out by the GOP, Trump is my "Lucky" Prez, and so far, I got no really good reason to abandon him.   Doubts, hell-ya!  I ain't brain dead yet.}

Trump apparently loves this country more than 99% of the Senate or Congress, who would sell us out, and mortgage our children's future.
You know I'm right ... he's our SOB, not what we wanted in a person... he'll do for now. 

Quote from: Hoofer on July 25, 2017, 06:09:37 AM
Comeon, Walt, all those decades of wisdom locked up between those ears, and you're stuck on Donald Trump doesn't know who HE is...??

As Quiller would quip, drop the Decaf, 'cause you're making this too easy.

Waldo's turning into the summer's fun sport.

Quote from: quiller on July 25, 2017, 02:47:56 PM
Waldo's turning into the summer's fun sport.

Giving credit to the porcupine of sarcastic wit.       

You guys are just too good, so much better at this than I ... thanks for letting me drone on for a bit & tickle Walt's funny bone.

That's what I love about this forum, there is such a high concentration of talented, committed Conservatives, it's well moderated, and people write at all levels of thought & wit.  We don't have to agree on every minor point, but we do agree on the Constitution - that's where it counts.

Quote from: Hoofer on July 25, 2017, 05:10:25 PM
Giving credit to the porcupine of sarcastic wit.   

Pluck a quill, it becomes a spear.