"Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites. It starts with your sitting silent while he lies..."

[NCLefty]

"Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites. It starts with your sitting silent while he lies, both in public and private, making you complicit by your silence. In meetings with him, his assertions about what 'everyone thinks' and what is 'obviously true' wash over you, unchallenged, as they did at our private dinner on Jan. 27, 2017, because he’s the president and he rarely stops talking. As a result, Mr. Trump pulls all of those present into a silent circle of assent."

"Speaking rapid-fire with no spot for others to jump into the conversation, Mr. Trump makes everyone a co-conspirator to his preferred set of facts, or delusions. I have felt it — this president building with his words a web of alternative reality and busily wrapping it around all of us in the room."

-James Comey, May 2019

I know he screwed some things up, but I feel like this man had this part of the situation analyzed correctly. This was done to him too.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/opinion/william-barr-testimony.html

[tblue37]

1. Yes, he never stops running his mouth. He HAS to be the absolute center of attention. No one

else can be allowed to speak.

K&R.

[vlyons]

2. Silence implies consent

nt

[mia]

3. So well said - it's almost like a poem.

Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites.
It starts with your sitting silent while he lies,
Both in public and private,
Making you complicit by your silence.

His assertions about what 'everyone thinks' and what is 'obviously true'
Wash over you, unchallenged,
Because he’s the president and he rarely stops talking.
He pulls all of those present into a silent circle of assent.

Speaking rapid-fire with no spot for others to jump into the conversation,
He makes everyone a co-conspirator to his preferred set of facts, or delusions.
I have felt it — this president building with his words a web of alternative reality
and busily wrapping it around all of us in the room.

[ms liberty]

5. I thought so too. n/t

[KPN]

6. Ditto.

[flying rabbit]

33. My first thought as well. nt

[KY_EnviroGuy]

4. I've known everyday people like that and most were Rethugs.

They talk non-stop and assume if you don't rudely interrupt them, you agree with their bullshit. And, they'll go tell their friends you agreed. Like tRump, they use lots of abrasive adjectives for everything.

I think this mode of dialog is typical of both cult members and their leaders.

Although raised not to do that, I found the only way to get an objection in is to interrupt and talk over them 'till they shut up.

Of course, no one will do that with tRump........

[no_hypocrisy]

7. My father was just like that.

Authoritarian and manipulative. When I protested, he attacked. I had a queasy underlying feeling he wanted to destroy me for merely contradicting him.

[Farmer-Rick]

17. I have an uncle like that.

Last edited Fri Sep 27, 2019, 04:12 PM - Edit history (1)

I would argue with him constantly. He hated me and rarely included us in invitations to all of the other family members. He was rich, so missing out on these invitations was a drawback. The invites were to exotic places in fancy bungalows.

I was an obnoxious kid. I never let a chance to argue slip by. I thought my parents hated it. But in a late night conversation, my parents explained how they thought I was brave.

You never know when not letting a stupid idea slip by without argument may actually be the most courageous thing you can do.

[no_hypocrisy]

23. + 1,000,000

[NCLefty]

34. Ouch. Sorry to hear it. :/

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. It's really very hard to relate to this. Must take a

certainly level of weakness and vulnerability from the start to remain in any kind of relationship with him?. Because many people are around people like and they don't get eaten.

[MrsCoffee]

9. Screwed some things up?

Fuck him and his role in the stolen election. He went out of his way to sink Hillary. Whatever hateful reason he had, I hope it torments him til the end of time. I haven’t been able to sleep since this nightmare started. Neither should he.

It doesn’t matter how many things he got right about Trump. He did the one thing he can never be forgiven for.

[maddiemom]

13. "Crooked Hillary:" his ultimate projection.

Did he ever reasonably explain what it meant besides another projection: accusing the well=regarded Clinton Foundation of exactly what the "Trump Foundation" had been caught doing? Oh, and dredging up old, disproven stuff.

[The Polack MSgt]

31. Exactly - I hope he remains shunned and unemployable

For the end around he pulled - against his bosses direction and possibly in violation of federal law - To torpedo the Clinton campaign with his FAKE "Reopening" of the "Investigation"

He can die choking on a 20 pound sack of rat's assholes

[njhoneybadger]

10. It's called "getting sucked in"

[FM123]

11. Yes, I've known people like that - they drown you before you realize you're fighting for air

[MartyTheGreek]

12. He learned it from Roger Ailes FOX News Reality Show Spin-Master

Let the FOX Boycott expand! State run propaganda! They are supporting a fraud, an illegitimate POTUS!

FOX is foreign owned for christ sake! Do something! Pull the FCC licence! We're 2.5 years in this Information and Cyber War and FOX is acting like Bagdad Bob!

[Duppers]

14. No, he developed that from childhood.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understanding-narcissism/201705/how-do-children-become-narcissists

And a prevailing but mostly wrong theory:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/03/09/how-parents-create-narcissistic-children/

[Wednesdays]

21. Can you post a paragraph summary of the Post article?

It's behind a pay wall.

[Duppers]

22. Sure...

This logical theory plays only a *minor* roll:

Parents who "overvalue" children during this developmental stage, telling them they are superior to others and entitled to special treatment, are more likely to produce narcissistic children -- who can grow up to become narcissistic adults, unless something is done about it."

The heart of the problem is emotional neglect and unrealistic expectations, imo. In that mode, the article does make the important point about the greatest counter to NPD:

"But when children are treated by their parents with affection and appreciation, they may internalize the view that they are valuable individuals, a view that is at the core of self-esteem."

Narcissists spend their lives expecting others to prop up their failing self-imagine.

[Wednesdays]

29. Thanks. nm

[gordianot]

15. I suspect Comey almost slightly gave into Trump.

Comey’s very high opinion of himself probably saved him from a life of toadyism. In the meantime Trump has found his toadies. The one I wonder about is Pence who remains strangely silent.

[NCLefty]

35. I disagree. He went home and wrote a memo, started raising alarms.

And it's clear those alarms started ringing while he was in the room with Mr. Trump.

[gordianot]

37. You are probably correct.

Comey’s curse includes regrets. The Don tried to roll him and did get the job done.

[JI7]

16. Comey was just weak. This didn't happen with Pelosi

[Brainstormy]

18. Comey is a traitor

No new soul-searching on his part is going to change my mind about that.

[ffr]

25. +1

Violated the Hatch Act. Knew he was violating the Hatch Act. Knew that whatever he said to congress would be leaked by republicans, then proceeded to hurt Hillary Clinton 10 days before the general election anyway.

Cuck Fomey!

[llmart]

19. Well written description. However, we all make choices in this life...

and Comey chose to remain silent and even go along with trump's requests. He needs to take full responsibility for his own choices.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Actually he didn't, which is why Trump fired him.

He screwed up the Clinton investigation, but acted appropriately wrt Trump.

[UniteFightBack]

20. I believe this, paired with intimidation and power and it's a very bad mix. nt

[Ligyron]

24. Comey deserves to be ostracized from decent company for the rest of his life.

He has to be at least half the reason this nightmare has come to pass and the damage to our country, and to a woman who really only wanted to serve our, (and even "their&quot best interests is incalculable.

Now, if he can or could somehow provide bulletproof evidence that would lead to Trump being convicted of the serious crimes he has, (and continues) to commit, I might reconsider somewhat. But I believe if such evidence were available he'd have provided it already.

Still, I'll take good information from whatever source as long as it is reliable and I believe in this case it is.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. Whatever you might think of Comey, I think he's absolutely correct

in his evaluation of how Trump operates. And Trump has managed to eat a lot of souls because people want to be part of the power structure of the presidency, and they'll put up with a lot and do a lot in order to keep their positions in that structure.

[wryter2000]

28. Howard Dean's assessment of Comey

A decent guy who was over his head in the job. I tend to agree. I remember his testimony before Congress about stopping Bush from forcing a critically ill Ashcroft from signing something illegal. I think what he says in the OP is an astute analysis.

[Blue Owl]

30. You're a mean one, Mr. Trump...

The Goldenrod Grinch

[NCLefty]

36. I called Trump "The Grinch Who Unstole Christmas" after he delayed new China tarriffs (allegedly

because of Christmas). :p

[live love laugh]

32. He described how I feel listening to him nt