Is Trump Mentally Well Enough to be President?

[Sunstone]

Seems like the evidence is mounting that Trump might not be well enough to be president.

The central argument of the editorial, however, is that the president of the United States is mentally unwell; this fact is common knowledge among top White House staff; and the emotional volatility that Trump displayed in his Thursday tweets represents a grave danger to our nation.

“During the height of the 2016 presidential campaign, Joe often listened to Trump staff members complain about their boss’s erratic behavior, including a top campaign official who was as close to the Republican candidate as anyone,” the hosts write. “We, too, have noticed a change in his behavior over the past few years. Perhaps that is why we were neither shocked nor insulted by the president’s personal attack.”

Scarborough reiterated this claim on his show Friday morning, saying, “somebody at the top of his campaign last summer said to me, we’re all really worried about his emotional state.”

This isn’t exactly surprising. White House staffers appear to spend roughly half their time whispering coded concerns about the president’s psyche to any reporter willing to listen.

[Source]

The Washington Post Op-ed article can be found here, but it's behind a paywall.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

It's clear that his psychological and emotional makeup and reactions are not within a healthy range. Whether or not they are off enough to make him unwell enough to be President, I'm not certain. Of course, when you're talking about such an influential and powerful position, I would tend to err on the side of caution. Then again, he is a reflection of our times, so insane is kind of the new normal.

 

[PureX]

That isn't the issue that begs our attention.

The real issue is how someone so clearly incompatent and unstable could be assigned to the highest political office in the land by a group of unknown politicos (electoral college) in defiance of the popular vote. I don't think the American people understand that they have so totally and completely lost control over their own government that their own needs and desires have become irrelevant. No one in our own government cares what we think about Trump's sanity. He's not there because he's sane. He's there because he's useful to the people who are really running this country. He's providing them an excellent distraction while they are busy dismantling the system, and solidifying their oligarchy.

 

[YmirGF]

Unidentified sources.... oy vey.
Since when did we start listening to Joe Scarborough's thoughts ... on anything... at all?

 

[Falvlun]

That isn't the issue that begs our attention.

The real issue is how someone so clearly incompatent and unstable could be assigned to the highest political office in the land by a group of unknown politicos (electoral college) in defiance of the popular vote. I don't think the American people understand that they have so totally and completely lost control over their own government that their own needs and desires have become irrelevant. No one in our own government cares what we think about Trump's sanity. He's not there because he's sane. He's there because he's useful to the people who are really running this country. He's providing them an excellent distraction while they are busy dismantling the system, and solidifying their oligarchy.

I don't think the electoral college is evidence of some nefarious plot. That's how all of our Presidents have been elected, and the popular vote / electoral votes miss-match has happened a couple of times before. It's not like this was something new rolled out just to get Trump elected.

I do think that it is time we do away with the electoral college method, though.

 

[Twilight Hue]

That isn't the issue that begs our attention.

The real issue is how someone so clearly incompatent and unstable could be assigned to the highest political office in the land by a group of unknown politicos (electoral college) in defiance of the popular vote. I don't think the American people understand that they have so totally and completely lost control over their own government that their own needs and desires have become irrelevant. No one in our own government cares what we think about Trump's sanity. He's not there because he's sane. He's there because he's useful to the people who are really running this country. He's providing them an excellent distraction while they are busy dismantling the system, and solidifying their oligarchy.

If the bulk supporter of our country, the middle class, keeps getting screwed time and time again, we won't even have a functional country anymore. that includes Obama and Democrats as well. They are just as responsible as the next person for this mess.

 

[Sunstone]

Unidentified sources.... oy vey.
Since when did we start listening to Joe Scarborough's thoughts ... on anything... at all?

Google is your friend here. Scarborough isn't the only source for this.

 

[YmirGF]

Google is your friend here. Scarborough isn't the only source for this.

I have little doubt that there are many unnamed sources being drawn on, Sunstone. The media wouldn't stoop to inventing stories, would it?

 

[Sunstone]

I have little doubt that there are many unnamed sources being drawn on, Sunstone. The media wouldn't stoop to inventing stories, would it?

You don't know what you're talking about, Paul. But that's not unusual for you, is it?

35 psychiatrists just met at Yale to warn Donald Trump has a 'dangerous mental illness'

President Trump exhibits classic signs of mental illness: shrinks

The other side of the story is, of course, that he's not mentally ill. And you'll find psychiatrists who hold that view. But to suggest, as you do, Paul, that the notion Trump is mentally ill is just being bandied about by unnamed sources is pure diddlesquat.

 

[Falvlun]

I have little doubt that there are many unnamed sources being drawn on, Sunstone. The media wouldn't stoop to inventing stories, would it?

I think it's to the point we don't particularly need the media to tell us that someone who rants about the appearance of news hosts on Twitter is somewhat mentally unstable.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I do think that it is time we do away with the electoral college method, though.

I don't see eliminating the electoral college (as unlikely as that is) as doing anything to fix the underlying problems of a broken and corrupt system, and an uneducated and easily manipulated populace. Everything has gotten so twisted and distorted over time, that I don't think most people even have a reasonable understanding of what our government is, what it's supposed to do, and how it's supposed to work. They don't even have a framework for compartmentalizing and conceptualizing government in any realistic or accurate way - or why, fundamentally, our system is a good one, and why it has gone so bad.

 

[sun rise]

This question is a 25th amendment question and there is of course internet speculation on applying it to him. I'm totally not a fan of his but I'm also not sure his lack of self control etc crosses that pretty high bar for removal from office. And those that would have to pull that trigger are hiding in their metaphorical closets terrified of his supporters so they're not about to do anything unless his behavior seriously deteriorates from this point.

 

[BSM1]

Seems like the evidence is mounting that Trump might not be well enough to be president.



[Source]

The Washington Post Op-ed article can be found here, but it's behind a paywall.

Hahaha...oh, wait...you're serious. By definition anyone that wants to be president has to be a little crazy.

 

[Skwim]

That isn't the issue that begs our attention.

The real issue is how someone so clearly incompatent and unstable could be assigned to the highest political office in the land by a group of unknown politicos (electoral college) in defiance of the popular vote. I don't think the American people understand that they have so totally and completely lost control over their own government that their own needs and desires have become irrelevant. No one in our own government cares what we think about Trump's sanity. He's not there because he's sane. He's there because he's useful to the people who are really running this country. He's providing them an excellent distraction while they are busy dismantling the system, and solidifying their oligarchy.

But it IS the issue. That he was elected is a fait au complet. And as has been pointed out, the electoral college wasn't put in place to elect Trump. It's part of our Constitution, and has elected the candidate who received the most popular votes, except in four elections: 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016. Trump is a spoiled 11 year-old child in a 71 year-old body, and children should not be running countries. Especially mine.

.

 

[PureX]

But it IS the issue. That he was elected is a fait au complet. And as has been pointed out, the electoral college wasn't put in place to elect Trump. It's part of our Constitution, and has elected the candidate who received the most popular votes, except in four elections: 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016. Trump is a spoiled 11 year-old child in a 71 year-old body, and children should not be running countries. Especially mine.

Trump is completely incompetent and ineffectual. He is acting as nothing more than an ongoing distraction while the republican party continues to carry our a quiet coup resulting in our near complete inability to make them do what we need or want, or stop them from doing what we don't need or want. They are rendering themselves autonomous dictators right before or eyes, and we're still not seeing it. We still think our votes matter, when as each day passes, our ability to vote is being diminished, and our actual votes are being rendered irrelevant to the actual outcomes of elections.

Trump is too stupid to do ANY of the absurd things he claims he wants to do. But the corrupt legislature is still very effective, and is busy doing exactly what their corporate bribe-paying sugar daddies want them to do. And what they want them to do is rig the system to rob the rest of us blind, and keep is powerless to stop them. And they are succeeding at this goal by leaps and bounds every single day - while we're all sputtering and complaining about Trump. Who has basically no control even over himself, let alone over the rest of the government.

Trump is not the problem. He's the decoy.

 

[PureX]

If the bulk supporter of our country, the middle class, keeps getting screwed time and time again, we won't even have a functional country anymore. that includes Obama and Democrats as well. They are just as responsible as the next person for this mess.

The democrats are just as corrupt. I agree. And I hate to say it, but WE HAVE NO CONTROL, anymore. The only remedy we have, now, is to vote out all incumbents, every election, until we get politicians that are willing to take action to stop the corruption (and not just talk about acting). But we'd have to do that en masse, and we are far to willing to blame each other than to blame the corrupt CEOs and politicians. So they know they're safe. And we'll continue to be sold out to the highest bribe by our own political "representatives".

 

[YmirGF]

You don't know what you're talking about, Paul. But that's not unusual for you, is it?

35 psychiatrists just met at Yale to warn Donald Trump has a 'dangerous mental illness'

President Trump exhibits classic signs of mental illness: shrinks

The other side of the story is, of course, that he's not mentally ill. And you'll find psychiatrists who hold that view. But to suggest, as you do, Paul, that the notion Trump is mentally ill is just being bandied about by unnamed sources is pure diddlesquat.

A bunch of activist shrinks? Has it really come to this new low, Sunstone. Seriously?

 

[BSM1]

But it IS the issue. That he was elected is a fait au complet. And as has been pointed out, the electoral college wasn't put in place to elect Trump. It's part of our Constitution, and has elected the candidate who received the most popular votes, except in four elections: 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016. Trump is a spoiled 11 year-old child in a 71 year-old body, and children should not be running countries. Especially mine.

.

That's funny. I use to say something along the same lines about the alcoholic that previously occupied the White House.

 

[YmirGF]

I think it's to the point we don't particularly need the media to tell us that someone who rants about the appearance of news hosts on Twitter is somewhat mentally unstable.

Oh, come on, we both know that virtually any person can be diagnosed with some form of mental illness. Is he a bombastic blowhard? For sure! Mentally ill? Jeeez. So because a bunch of activist psychiatrists, who have not met the man, let alone spent several hours with him diagnosing his symptoms, decide we need to be warned about his possible "dangerous mental illness" is shy of malpractice. It might be fun if Trump's legal team issued a cease and desist order or face a libel/slander lawsuit.

Call me silly, but one thing doctors are simply not supposed to do, is to offer opinions on people that have not actually spent time with running the patient through a battery of tests. A case could be made to have the psychiatrists stripped of their licensees to practice.

 

[Sunstone]

A bunch of activist shrinks? Has it really come to this new low, Sunstone. Seriously?

Substantiate your claim they're "activists", Paul. Or quite lying that they are. One or the other.