Scarborough: Republicans Are Asking ‘Is Donald Trump a Sociopath?’
NYT’s Frank Bruni Adds That Given Trump’s ‘Toddler’ Personality, Election Has Become Question of ‘Risk Management’
We reported yesterday on Joe Scarborough’s statement that Republicans, conservatives and so-called right-wing bloggers had been contacting him to ask about Donald Trump’s “mental health.” Scarborough himself called Trump “unhinged.”
Joe took things a significant step farther on today’s Morning Joe, saying that Republicans have been contacting him, asking themselves “is Donald Trump a sociopath?” Scarborough was careful to state “I didn’t say this, but this is what everybody is saying.” Scarborough dropped the s-word in the context of hammering Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President George W., over his lesser-of-two-evils support of Trump.
Immediately before Scarborough’s statement, liberal New York Times columnist Frank Bruni had said “I think this is ceasing to be a question of Republicans and Democrats. I think it’s becoming a question about risk management.” Bruni a bit earlier had described Trump, developmentally, as a “toddler.”
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Ari, I know you’ve heard the same thing that I’ve heard and I know you’re not there yet. But what I’ve heard and I can’t believe — I saw somebody yesterday write, I think it was Greg Sargent in the Washington Post in a blog wrote something, and at the end of it he wrote exactly what Republicans have been calling me about over the past two or three days, which is to say we can’t stand Hillary. We think she’s bad for America. But we’re asking ourselves, I didn’t say this, but this is what everybody is saying: is Donald Trump is sociopath? Am I voting for a sociopath? And I know you’ve heard it because I’ve heard it. And all my Republican friends have heard it.
ARI FLEISCHER: I don’t know Donald Trump but I know a lot of people in his organization and people that know him and when they say he’s a remarkably different person, you’ve said it yourself Joe —
JOE: — yeah.
FLEISCHER: — in private than he is with this public persona. His public persona is so off now and he’s putting himself on a losing path.
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Comments
“Mickey Mouse” is definitely getting my vote ( write-in ).
In this question of “risk management”, abandoning the “political party” ship may be the only sane choice.
Permanently. Both of the major parties have failed America. It’s time for them to go.
Republicans Are Asking ‘Is Donald Trump a Sociopath?’
As opposed to Hilliary Clinton?
You mean her sociopathic fixation on that narcissistic injury known as Citizens United?
Or Dear Leader?
I expect that it’s only the globalist republicans who are asking if Trump is a sociopath.
Ah, yes. Citing the ever-reliable “everyone.” Now there’s a rock-solid argument for you.
Donald Trump was certainly not my first choice (or second, or third…), but he’s FAR less bad than Sen. Clinton. I can only hope that the media hysteria is a sign of panic on their side.
Let’s not be stupid or careless in throwing around terms.
Real sociopathy is one of the most difficult conditions to diagnose, and it really involves what I call “bad wiring”.
Conversely, there’s nothing wrong organically with a narcissist, or lots of other pathological personalities.
As I understand…
Ragskat ;
If anyone would know from hands-on experience, it would be you.
Personality disorder is not a major mental illness.
I personally don’t like medicalized descriptions of personality traits. Trump certainly has both narcissistic and sociopathic traits, and it’s not necessary to bring in shrinks to point it out. He is a creature colloquially known as a psycho.
“I personally don’t like medicalized descriptions of personality traits.” You then build a raft out of such material & float down the Mississippi on it.
I agree. Many kids diagnosed with “ADD” probably – in fact – are in fact BOTM. Bored outta their mind.
I would offer a different theory: when you see a kid acting like he has too much to think about, look around for an adult misbehaving in the background.
Yes, there is such a thing as ADD, and also ADHD. And then, there’s divorce and alcoholism and child abuse.
Some Republicans Are Asking Is Joe Scarborough a sane person?
A few months ago completely 1000% supporting Trump and now spewing Clinton campaign materiel against him.
Every morning he starts a new vile rumor about Trump. They go on and on about some vile thing and attach it to Trump and then at the very end give some weak disclaimer. There are “other” people saying this!
Flick you Morning Joe!
There’s absolutely no value in the media anymore.
There’s no ethics, no integrity, no professionalism.
What they deliver is cheap, low quality entertainment, not objective news or serious political analysis.
I vote with my remote control. These bozos have nothing for me.
Practically, the only serious, ethical and professional journalism you can find nowadays lives in blogs like this one here.
I agree. Another good source for news about the US is foreign news.
Other republicans always suspected that Joe only supported Trump because he picked the easiest candidate for Hillary to beat. His opinions might be dishonest, but they are absolutely 100% rational.
Bruni a bit earlier had described Trump, developmentally, as a “toddler.”
The developmental ages of prominent figures is an interesting, albeit somewhat underdeveloped, study. Theodore Roosevelt was considered by his friends to be about twelve, and they handled Presidential business—trust-busting, battleship fleets, stuff like that—in ways which would appeal to the enthusiasms of a young boy. Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling are often reckoned to be of about that age as well. I’ve considered Bill Clinton to be about fourteen, and Obama perhaps sixteen.
Maybe right, maybe wrong, but it would explain a lot. But it’s irrelevant. The next President is going to be either a twelve-year-old boy or an ancient withered vampire who drinks the blood of virgins to stay animate. Vote accordingly.
As a confirmed #NeverTrump voter, I don’t want to hear a single word from Joe Scarborough until he comes clean with full disclosure of the nature of his relationship with the young female staffer who died in his district office and why he subsequently resigned his House seat only five months into his new term. He owes his supporters that much.
Until then, I don’t give a rat’s patootie what he has to say on any subject.
Tim Huelskamp #NeverTrump Kansas GOP Lawmaker Loses Primary to Pro-Trump Challenger
Aug 2nd, 2016 9:50 pm by Jim Hoft
#NeverTrump Republican Tim Huelskamp was defeated Tuesday night in the Kansas primary. Pro-Trump challenger Roger Marshall is up by 14% ..
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/08/nevertrump-ks-lawmaker-loses-primary-pro-trump-upstart/
Since Huelskamp IS a solid conservative, and Marshall is as ESTABLISHMENT as you get from the GOPe…
AND since you’ve declared that “conservatism” is the old and busted…
NOW you should explicate what you consider the new and shiny.
Huelskamp (now an EX politician) was a proud cruzbot anti-Trumper. His WINNING opponent ran as a pro Trump conservative/nationalist/populist.
Old and dusty = Rags, Fuzzy and Cruz dogmatic globalist conservatism.
New and shiny = Trump style conservative nationalism for the middle class.
The press is trying to make big deal out of Trump not endorsing Ryan. They fail to realize Trump’s supporters not only applaud this but wish Trump would go into Ryan district and have a rally fun raiser for Nehlen, Ryan’s opponent. The press and GOP fail to comprehen just how much Ryan is hated by the people.
Ryan will probably still win sadly because he has been running all over his district declaring he is for all the Trump policies that he has consistently opposed.
Also love the Trump nonendorsement of McCain and Ayotte.
“His WINNING opponent ran as a pro Trump conservative/nationalist/populist.”
Those are contradictions in terms. You don’t have “conservatives” who are “nationalists” in the sense you use that term, and you cannot be both a “conservative” and a “populist”.
The populist movement has always been a Collectivist movement.
But this is good. I’ve got you pinned. “Dogmatic” in pursuit of liberty is not a vice. It’s a meaningless invective you try to use to marginalize your opposition. Really, you are a “Blood and Soil” boi.
And nobody…no matter how they lie to you…is going to change the fact we are a global trading player, and will be into the future.
I doubt seriously that you even know what the terms you use mean. I know for certain that Der Donald doesn’t understand economics or liberty. Nor does he care to learn.
I’ve got you smoked now…
Not a contradiction. Trump is redefining traditional old crusty dogmatic thinking and definitions. Its new think versus old think.
A conservative nationalist for the middle class is a kind of new populism while still being founded on conservative principles. Trump and Trumpism runs conservative philosophy through an America First pro middle class prism. It abandons out dated proven wrong notions that dogmatic purity of global trade deals are always better for USA middle class when the last 30 years prove quite convincingly these old tired notions of pure conservatism DON’T WORK.
Trumpism is a more evolved form of conservatism that recognizes the reality of results over past 30 years DEMAND an adjustment to our thinking. Trump recognizes that globalists and mega donors have corrupted liberals and traditional conservatives alike. Amer7ca First must be our new over arching goal through which all things must be measured. Trump understands a strong middle class is necessary to the continued existence of the founders creation.
“Trump understands a strong middle class is necessary to the continued existence of the founders creation.”
IF that were true…and it IS NOT TRUE…T-rump would not be planning a war on the middle-class.
Whether knowingly or not, T-rumpian policy would be a dagger in the heart of the middle-class.
http://hotair.com/archives/2016/08/02/we-could-make-a-fortune-off-of-tariffs-paid-by-u-s-companies-that-outsource-jobs-says-trump/
The man is an economics idiot who loves BIG GOVERNMENT.
I believe it was Gary Britt who stated last year that GOP politicians who run to Trump will win and those that run from Trump will lose. Here’s hoping against all odds that Ryan, McCain and Ayotte are all next.
Well, as part of the T-rumpian Scouring of the conservatives in Congress who dared oppose him in any way, we’ve just lost a very solid conservative, and replaced him with a lying liar who was supported by all the BIG AG crony interests in Kansas and a lot of other big money.
If that’s what Gary (the liar) had in mind, I think that’s totally in character for that puke.
Upvote for JYLD. Good job.
The reference to Gary Brit was a nice touch.
Especially since Ragskat was all in to having him banned along with V. F. Both of whom consistently handed Ragskat his ass.
Not only has every incumbent RINO been reelected in this “year of the outsider.” Not only has almost every open seat gone to the yes-men for K Street and GOP leadership. One of the few brave conservative incumbents in the House has just been defeated by a shill for the big government lobbyists who lied to voters and ran as a conservative. Thus, the only incumbent to be defeated this year was Tim Huelskamp, R-Ky. (A, 91%) in Kansas’s First District. You read that right: the only incumbent to go down in this glorious “populist” revolution is one of the fiercest fighters against this rigged political system.
While everyone is a big hero now and ridicules John Boehner as a failure, Huelskamp was literally the first member to stand up to him. Now the lobbyists know how to pick our lock and will pick off the few remaining members who dare to defy those in the party who want to do nothing more than play interference for Democrats.
– See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/08/rock-bottom-establishment-money-and-lies-beats-conservative-warrior-in-kansas#sthash.KLkVuOIO.dpuf
You can count on Marshall NEVER showing that kind of integrity.
He’ll be a great GOPe addition, as intended.
Huelskamp chose to be a Cruzbot nevertrumper and that sealed his fate. He chose unwisely. His opponent ran on a pro Trump platform and that turned out to be a very popular decision with the voters.
The voters have moved on. You are angry that the voters don’t like the old crusty dusty dogmatic failed and corrupt globalist policies of the goldwater/cruz set any longer.
Evolve or die.
“A conservative nationalist for the middle class is a kind of new populism while still being founded on conservative principles.”
See, all you’re doing is chanting utter nonsense. You have no idea what any of these terms mean, the ideas behind them, or that they are contradictory.
It’s a really fascinating application of Collectivist nomenclature.
There is NOTHING “conservative” about central planned economics. You can call it “new” and “stream-lined” or any other kind of bullshit modifier you want.
T-rumpism is about limiting liberty and imposing the rule of an elite, just like any other form of Collectivism, in place of individuals making their own market choices.
Read his speech on trade policy. You can’t distinguish his policy from Bernie Sanders. He can’t do what he suggests he will do without FORCING government at every level…and that means you and me, too…to do what he wants.
http://hotair.com/archives/2016/08/03/mike-pence-i-strongly-endorse-paul-ryan-and-trump-encouraged-me-to-do-so/
Oh, geeeeeez…!!!
How embarrassing for you T-rump sucking myrmidons. You didn’t get the memo.
Now you have to reverse positions to keep up with your little yellow god.
Did Joe Scarborough murder his former intern?
I am not saying that, people are asking…
Well, “everyone” says so…
Did Joe Scarborough murder his former intern?
I know you’ve heard it because I’ve heard it. And people on the internet are talking about. There are people who think something may have happen. Why did Joe leave office early?
That is another question being asked?
This is the wrong question to ask. Both candidates are considered “sociopaths”. I question anyone who thinks that her majesty has a normal thought process and thus she is qualified as president. Besides, the more the “establishment” and the “globalists” endorse crooked Hitlery the more the average person is going to vote for Trump.
Oh, the question is not whether Trump is a “sociopath”, the question is whether the voter is “sociopath”?
Trump will get more “vetting” than a bunch of dems combined. No dem gets the same treatment. While obama got to seal his transcripts and Hillary gets to hide her emails, speeches and donors to her “charity” Trump has to answer for all sorts of things. Apply the standard equality! But then, that would mean that the media preferred candidate would lose when the truth isn’t covered up.
Trump should start singing “Don’t Cry for me America”. Trying to measure who is better vetted is a joke. If you support either candidate you see questions about that candidate as an attack and questions about his/her opponent as justified, weak or insufficient.
What has happened is that Trump may have finally added the straw that broke the camel’s back. Nobody forced him to continue to engage Khan. He could have let it go. Many of supporters urged him to. But he can’t. It is only August. He is not going to get better unless his staff locks him in a room without a computer.
BTW, where are his tax returns? His rationale for not releasing them is BS. Do you think there is something unsavory in them?
– Virtually nothing given to charity
– A tax rate lower than Romney; maybe zero
– He isn’t nearly as rich as he claims
All of the above?
BTW, I just heard that Trump is now blaming Obama and Clinton for the death of Khan’s son even though he died 4 years before they came to executive power! ‘nough said?
Please, this is simply more of the anti-Trump campaign. The Anti-Trump people are using the spaghetti method here. They are throwing everything they can, no matter how ridiculous, against the wall of public opinion in order to undermine Trump’s support. And, what they conveniently overlook, is that the President, without the support of Congress, is pretty powerless. As shown by the current President, it does not matter, to the political class or the media, if the President is delusional. Unless you are Donald Trump.
Now, while it is possible that Donald Trump could have some psychological problems, many people do, there is no evidence of this. From accounts of his behavior from those who know him or are in contact with him, outside the political area, his behavior is markedly different. It is more likely that Trump is a showman, rather than a sociopath, and this is largely theatrical. It is designed to appeal to his perceived base. It worked in the primary and it should work in the general election.
We The People all know that the Clintons and Obamas are egotistical, power-hungry, sociopaths. Trump is certainly big-headed and I do think needs to mature a little bit but when you look at the alternative, it’s a no-brainer.
I understand that this election has become about SCOTUS. But if your party has truly nominated someone who is unfit, just how long are you going to maintain a ‘blind eye’?
You might want to consider that the Dems made a similar mistake in 2010. The let the Republicans run the table in state races. The Republicans got to do the redistricting in most states. They were ruthless. The House and most state legislatures will be in Republican hands for a generation. That should give you some solace concerning the balance of power in the country. Besides, Obama nominated someone who Republicans thought was fine when they vetted him for the Appellate Courts.
Armchair remote diagnosis is worth what you pay for it. These ‘journalists’ are no longer serving in that capacity and their talents would better be exploited on something Maury Povich level. Trump is flawed but the best arguments against his being pathological are his kids, who all seem to be highly functioning and responsible. Maybe Joe will start on them next.
Maybe I am not that smart, but I don’t see the issue here except that the media are out to get Trump. The affair with the Muslims, come on, Trump did not say a thing, he only has not apologized as per script by the media for something he did not do. He has not advocated for Ryan and McCain, that will get him more votes than if he had done so, as those are RINOs.
Lets talk about Hillary’s brain problems, she lies constantly, makes up things, treats those around her like crap, tries to hide her activity and breaks laws without consequence.
In the same sentence; same paragraph; same speech? I have heard der Donald do all of those. Clinton is a politician. Of course she lies. Trump is a grifter. He can do nothing but lie. He is pathological.
Trump scammed his ‘students’ in 2006 by claiming it was a great time to buy real estate and they could learn how from his courses. Now he claims he ‘predicted’ the collapse. It is all recorded. Was he lying then or now? What did he have to gain in 2006 – money from ‘students’. What does he have to gain now? The votes of new marks.
Stick with Trump. I guarantee you that in the unlikely event that he gets elected, you will be regretful – something Trump never admits to. Anyone, especially a christian, who claims he has nothing to atone for is a sociopath.
A philosophy speaks for a man, but a man does not speak for a philosophy. Of course the Pro-Choicers don’t get it. Their philosophy is selective, even arbitrary.
That said, Trump has only exposed the surface of the status quo, and the phobic response that far exceeds the reaction to Obama’s “redistributive change” is telling. The baby hunts have just started.
Sacrificing human life in abortion chambers. Cannibalizing her remains in Planned Parenthood offices… No, that’s psychotic.
Class diversity (e.g. race, sex, skin color) schemes. Social justice adventurism that aborts human lives, promotes rape-rape culture, and exports people by the millions. Trial of politically inconvenient dictators (and ambassadors) with sodomy and abortion sessions. Prototypical behaviors of sociopaths.
The voices in my head tell me he’s not crazy, so I’ll vote with them and go with Trump.
Who are really the “insane” ones here?
From a post at Instapundit:
WHAT IS IT ABOUT DONALD TRUMP THAT MAKES JOURNALISTS GO INSANE?
“Another abandonment of traditional journalistic responsibility—Dr. Naugahyde is turning over in his grave—connotes massive ignorance on the part of the Fourth Estate, and they’re not even ashamed of it. It takes the form of the “Who the Heck Is Voting for Trump?” article. This is apparently a perplexing conundrum to the national press corps, especially the branch that dines at the Yale Club.
“First of all, you’re not supposed to be asking who votes for Trump, you’re supposed to be telling us. I realize this might require moving outside the realm of people who wear 18th-century crests on their Princeton crew jackets, but it’s kind of why you’ve been given the job in the first place.”
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/240423/
The answer is easy. Trump has found so many new marks despite the fact that he is a lifelong grifter whose lies, scams, exaggerations, contradictions and ripoffs have been in the public record for 30+ years.
It drives them insane because his campaign is fact free and cannot be fact checked. No matter how obvious his BS is, some people want to swallow it.
History is replete with larger than life con artists. But P.T. Barnum never tried to be president. He probably knew that running a circus is not go training for running our great country.
It probably drives them crazy that he will make a profit when he loses. Ivanka actually hawked her dress collection the day after her speech. She sure had her priorities straight. http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/22/politics/ivanka-trump-dress-republican-national-convention/
When CNN starts reporting critically on the minutia of Chelsea Clinton’s wardrobe as though it reflects on her mother’s qualification to be President, I’ll start taking them seriously*.
*No, actually I won’t. But you see my point…?
I do see your point. It should not be about his daughter. I don’t watch CNN. So I will take your word on that.
Trump is a grifter. He is ignorant. He is incurious. He didn’t know the Russia invaded Crimea. Trump suggested we might not honor our debt. Do you see my point?
If Trump dropped out, I’d be fine with Mike Pence becoming the Presidential candidate. I and others who I know just can’t justify and rationalize Trump’s manner and style. They are drowning out whatever might resonate with people who are quite suspect of him.