"Many have argued that some people have been seriously disturbed and distressed by the policies, speech, behavior, and tweets of President Trump, so much so that it has affected their cognitive, affective, and behavioral functioning. Such people may need mental health support. As such, further research is necessary to investigate the extreme reactions toward President Trump, in the same way that researchers investigate other extreme social phenomena, such as Beatlemania or the like. This will shed light on the reality of this emerging folk category that has been labelled by many as "Trump Derangement Syndrome.""

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/b...ndition?page=1

It's called the "ordinance route" in my country - India.

• Bypass parliament (elected representatives) to impose a law.
• Use state actors in non state roles to fix the opposing leaders. (uncalled for income tax probes, committees to probe misconduct-think starr, deny funding for regular government work ..).
• If questioned in court, counter in a pliant and favourable court (if i lose the vote count,announce that he will wait for the supreme court to pronounce the winner.

Four years ago:
Short memories.

Again, I've been listening to moderate news articles across countries. The issue is clear, the solution is clear, and believe me when I say that the world is with you right now. This clownery has to end, real politics has to return to the US of NA!

There was also some analysis around the question "How did America get into this state?"
I wish I was a journalist, so I could write that article myself. I fear that I cannot.
To put it shortly:

• lack of education
• lack of basic social security breeds fear
• a two party system that ultimately divided the country (there should be more parties)

The last point particularly - no option for coalitions, no multilateral political discussion and decision-finding - it's always "Him against me and vice versa".
Spiced up by greedy media and a low level of education - you are bound to end up in this "spectacular" situation. Bread and Games - well, this is the games.
So, in the long term I pray for the US of NA to get at least a third big party into the mix.

Of course he isn't evil incarnate. He's too stupid to be that. I detest the man but can you really equate him with Hitler? Or Pol Pot? Or even Stalin? I can't.

When Trump's opponents foam at the mouth and call him evil incarnate, they are just playing into his hands. He loves that kind of talk because it galvanises his followers to come out and vote.

Finally ondoho, you make a fairly reasonable post on this subject. Kudos! I think your assessment of US political ills is largely correct. The only point of contention is your assertion that the solution is clear and presumably attainable in a short time and more importantly exactly how such a solution could be achieved. Currently the only people directly involved in any solution are US Citizens and Voters. Anyone who advocates or engages in force or subterfuge from the outside is guilty of exactly the same sort of outrageous and immoral behavior commonly cited as wrongdoing by the US, often in the very same breath. That sort of thinking and behaviour just continues the same sort of abuses you decry. The only difference is which party benefits most and whose ox is gored. This is why I sometimes question your underlying motives and methods.

You started this thread clearly described in the title as being about Covid and taking delight in others misfortune. It quickly morphed, and largely by you, into politics.

To get back on track, Trump's security chief, Crede Bailey, has it too. Almost certainly he caught it off his boss. And unlike Trump, he is seriously ill.

Incidently, don't Americans have odd names!

Let me correct that. business_kid gets that honor.

9-1 bit

English cricket players.
Cook, Alistair
Broad, Stuart
Butcher, Ronald
Baker, George - lancs
Bell, Ian,
Lock, Tony,
Lamb, Alan,
Knott, Alan,
Sawyer, Charles - lancs
Bowman, Richard
Bird, Dickie - umpire
Onions, Graham
Swann, Graeme

So what's odd? There's loads of people called Alan or George. Alister, Stuart and Ronald are all Scottish names (like Donald). But Crede?

"Real politics" may make little difference, but you'd need to define that.

Many would argue that there has been no "true statesman" in the US Presidential office since George HW Bush.

However, Bush and successive Presidents, led the US and it's allies into a series of middle eastern conflicts. If Clinton had been elected instead of Trump, it's entirely possible that we'd have seen a continuation of that kind of foreign policy, especially as historically Clinton supported every military intervention.

@AnathaP: I don't know if I'd say 'Dickie Bird' was a normal name . I can imagine the abuse Dickie Bird got at school.

I want to thank the USA [Actually, I'm not sure about that 'U' any more. Should it be D(ivided)SA?] for putting on the the quadrennial GPL pageantry of a Presidential Election. It's this free theatre show we get in the news, funny & entertaining too, quite often. And you all seem to take it so very seriously!

BTW, if America is looking for a better way, I'd like to point them to the Irish model. The Irish President has little or no power, and in the past, they have chosen not to exercise it rather than bother their backsides reading up on the Constitution. The job is for a retired and popular, but preferably not senile or alcoholic politician who can stand. His/Her functions are: to be at home when the Government wants him; To Act, pretending he's glad to see people when they visit; not to laugh at funerals, wreath-laying, etc and not to look bored elsewhere; to cut tapes; to make short 5-10 minute speeches. It has to be enough to let people know they've been talked at, but not enough to say anything. Our president can't say anything without running it past the Government. If he was popular enough, it could be done by any has-been.

They have often been agreed candidates, to save parties the price of campaigning, and the price of an election. But some businessmen see it as 14 years of State perks plus a pension, so they have gotten nominations by circuitous routes. So recently there's been elections. There's always a very low turnout, and the businessmen never get in.

The Irish model is simply a republican form of the model used almost universally across Europe. You have a head of state, either a monarch or a president, who symbolises the country, and a head of government who is a party politician. He or she heads the party which has the majority in the legislature and makes all the political decisions.

This makes it impossible for a politician to arrogate to himself the patriotic loyalty that rightly belongs to the nation. I have no idea why the Americans don't do the same.

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is recognized as the world’s leading medical journal and website. Published continuously for over 200 years, NEJM delivers high-quality, peer-reviewed research and interactive clinical content to physicians, educators, researchers, and the global medical community.

Our mission is to publish the best research and information at the intersection of biomedical science and clinical practice and to present this information in understandable, clinically useful formats that inform health care delivery and improve patient outcomes.

Editorial
Dying in a Leadership Vacuum

Covid-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy. The magnitude of this failure is astonishing.

This is not and has never been a partisan organization.

8bit

"Almost certainly he caught it off his boss." You may have meant to say "Almost certainly it came from China"


The USA model of electing people is not like the ancient Chinese model were the very best and brightest are elected. Almost every politician in the US is a former lawyer. A lot of them have been involved with various schemes that have netted them a huge return. Hillary Clinton was able to invest in and gain from various companies. https://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Colum...Still-Relevant I guess drinking chicken poop is OK.

Or invest in cows. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillar...es_controversy Pretty nice return I'd say.

That was just an example of the system in place.

To extend that idea further Hazel, one person heads the lower house of parliament and the other person heads the upper house, and neither is necessarily in control. This is quite common in constitutional democracies across the globe. The titles are different, but the jobs are essentially the same.
Ah, but they do. Their Vice President heads the Senate (equivalent to the House of Lords) and has approximately the same "powers" (for want of a better word) as the Queen. Their President leads the lower house (which they refer to as Congress), just like Boris... Only he has a Cadillac with bullet proof windows in place of a bicycle.