Is Trump doing a good job?

[Tortoise]

One thing Trump seems to be doing really well during this pandemic is recognizing the importance of hope and psychology as part of our overall strategy. He seems to be doing his best to give at least a glimmer of hope to the American people regarding the return to work and daily life.

This isn't just a medical and economic crisis. It's a social crisis as well, because we are human beings and we are scared of the unknown. The medical experts are focused on medicine, not psychology, so they want to take the most conservative medical approach of keeping the economy and society in a medically-induced coma for months -- without speculating as to when people might be able to start returning to work.

By contrast, Trump seems to recognize that a glimmer of hope can help ease the panic slightly and give people a small measure of comfort in the midst of chaos. As Scott Adams has pointed out on his podcast, people -- and markets, and managers, etc. -- almost universally prefer a wildly speculative guess to no guess at all. Any schedule, even one that's likely wrong and will need to be heavily revised, is preferable to no schedule at all.

So yes, Trump is obligated to listen to his medical experts' advice and take it into serious consideration, but he's not obligated to follow their advice. Because ultimately, Trump is making decisions that involve more than just medicine and health. He's performing cost/benefit analyses and making higher-level leadership decisions that also impact the economy and broader human society.

Yes, Trump has occasionally made blunders and mistakes, and continues to do so. But his expertise in persuasion is helping to calm the minds of the American people by giving them something to look forward to this coming Easter -- whether it's good news or just revised estimates and strategies.

[Tortoise]

Whether we decide to focus on producing more tests, treatments, or ventilators, why does Trump need to convince companies via Twitter to help? Why not invoke wartime powers to forcibly convert certain factories immediately? This pandemic is a world war with a virus, is it not?

As to why he doesn't force companies to act when they are coming forward to volunteer, I'm not sure how to explain that if it isn't obvious.

Sure enough, Trump has now invoked the Defense Production Act to compel GM to produce ventilators:

https://apple.news/ANDKwRq3URRW5NmUFanqn7g

[vnatale]

A few questions:

• Why is Trump focusing on producing more ventilators rather than more tests and treatments (e.g., hydrochloroquine)? If CV patients are treated and get better quickly, the vast majority of them won't end up on ventilators.
• If we look at the nations that have handled their CV outbreaks most effectively thus far (such as South Korea), didn't their effectiveness come largely from their early, widespread testing and tracking -- not from massive numbers of ventilators?
• Whether we decide to focus on producing more tests, treatments, or ventilators, why does Trump need to convince companies via Twitter to help? Why not invoke wartime powers to forcibly convert certain factories immediately? This pandemic is a world war with a virus, is it not?

He can walk and chew gum at the same time.
All of those things are in the works right now.
As to why he doesn't force companies to act when they are coming forward to volunteer, I'm not sure how to explain that if it isn't obvious.

Because most effective leadership requires making orders to utilize ALL available resources, not just those volunteered.

Vinny

You obviously don't understand motivation at all.
I'm glad you're not my manager.

I totally believe in leading by persuasion. But when that fails and the job HAS to be done then, as a last resort, you order.

Vinny

Wow.. This is why the 2 Amendment exists.

I'm not following your logic.

One time when I was the head of our accounting department for our business I spent an hour trying to explain to an employee why something had to be done a certain way. Her doing this part of the job was critical to everyone else getting their jobs done and the big picture getting accomplished.

After that hour was up I believed I'd spent sufficient time listening to her point of view and my trying to persuade her of mine and if we spent any more time discussing then there was not going to be enough time left for her to accomplish this essential task. So that was one of the rare times I actually had to order someone to get something done. It's why I still so remember it 40 years later.

And, I believe that persuasion is the greatest form of leadership while someone who routinely relies upon positional power by giving orders is generally a poor leader.

You get people to do it. But you are not getting the whole person to do it.

Vinny

[shekels]

A few questions:

• Why is Trump focusing on producing more ventilators rather than more tests and treatments (e.g., hydrochloroquine)? If CV patients are treated and get better quickly, the vast majority of them won't end up on ventilators.
• If we look at the nations that have handled their CV outbreaks most effectively thus far (such as South Korea), didn't their effectiveness come largely from their early, widespread testing and tracking -- not from massive numbers of ventilators?
• Whether we decide to focus on producing more tests, treatments, or ventilators, why does Trump need to convince companies via Twitter to help? Why not invoke wartime powers to forcibly convert certain factories immediately? This pandemic is a world war with a virus, is it not?

He can walk and chew gum at the same time.
All of those things are in the works right now.
As to why he doesn't force companies to act when they are coming forward to volunteer, I'm not sure how to explain that if it isn't obvious.

Because most effective leadership requires making orders to utilize ALL available resources, not just those volunteered.

Vinny

You obviously don't understand motivation at all.
I'm glad you're not my manager.

I totally believe in leading by persuasion. But when that fails and the job HAS to be done then, as a last resort, you order.

Vinny

Wow.. This is why the 2 Amendment exists.

I'm not following your logic.

One time when I was the head of our accounting department for our business I spent an hour trying to explain to an employee why something had to be done a certain way. Her doing this part of the job was critical to everyone else getting their jobs done and the big picture getting accomplished.

After that hour was up I believed I'd spent sufficient time listening to her point of view and my trying to persuade her of mine and if we spent any more time discussing then there was not going to be enough time left for her to accomplish this essential task. So that was one of the rare times I actually had to order someone to get something done. It's why I still so remember it 40 years later.

And, I believe that persuasion is the greatest form of leadership while someone who routinely relies upon positional power by giving orders is generally a poor leader.

You get people to do it. But you are not getting the whole person to do it.

Vinny

Excuse me if I misunderstood,
The way it came off to me was that things are going to change ether way.
By persuasion, and if that fails force.
Sounds a like bit like reeducation or death.
Edit:
To Force a Public company to change business practices does not sound like Liberty to me.

[vnatale]

A few questions:

• Why is Trump focusing on producing more ventilators rather than more tests and treatments (e.g., hydrochloroquine)? If CV patients are treated and get better quickly, the vast majority of them won't end up on ventilators.
• If we look at the nations that have handled their CV outbreaks most effectively thus far (such as South Korea), didn't their effectiveness come largely from their early, widespread testing and tracking -- not from massive numbers of ventilators?
• Whether we decide to focus on producing more tests, treatments, or ventilators, why does Trump need to convince companies via Twitter to help? Why not invoke wartime powers to forcibly convert certain factories immediately? This pandemic is a world war with a virus, is it not?

He can walk and chew gum at the same time.
All of those things are in the works right now.
As to why he doesn't force companies to act when they are coming forward to volunteer, I'm not sure how to explain that if it isn't obvious.

Because most effective leadership requires making orders to utilize ALL available resources, not just those volunteered.

Vinny

You obviously don't understand motivation at all.
I'm glad you're not my manager.

I totally believe in leading by persuasion. But when that fails and the job HAS to be done then, as a last resort, you order.

Vinny

Wow.. This is why the 2 Amendment exists.

I'm not following your logic.

One time when I was the head of our accounting department for our business I spent an hour trying to explain to an employee why something had to be done a certain way. Her doing this part of the job was critical to everyone else getting their jobs done and the big picture getting accomplished.

After that hour was up I believed I'd spent sufficient time listening to her point of view and my trying to persuade her of mine and if we spent any more time discussing then there was not going to be enough time left for her to accomplish this essential task. So that was one of the rare times I actually had to order someone to get something done. It's why I still so remember it 40 years later.

And, I believe that persuasion is the greatest form of leadership while someone who routinely relies upon positional power by giving orders is generally a poor leader.

You get people to do it. But you are not getting the whole person to do it.

Vinny

Excuse me if I misunderstood,
The way it came off to me was that things are going to change ether way.
By persuasion, and if that fails force.
Sounds a like bit like reeducation or death.
Edit:
To Force a Public company to change business practices does not sound like Liberty to me.

Trump just did it today. So much for relying upon business volunteerism.

I believe Roosevelt did it regularly during World War II.

Vinny

[shekels]

In this Bailout that was signed today.
Has the Fed been taken over by the Treasury?
Has Trump just nationalized the Private bank know as the FED and
merged it into the treasury.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feds-cur ... 52807.html
I guess we will see.

If the treasury has control of the Monetary Policy, hang on to your hats.

[vnatale]

Fact check: Trump falsely denies saying two things he said last week

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/29/politics ... index.html

[vnatale]

Mitch Albom: Hey, President Donald Trump, her name is Gretchen Whitmer
She has a name. It is not "the woman." It is Gretchen Whitmer. And she's doing her job to protect Michiganders from the deadly coronavirus pandemic.



https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/ ... 935591001/

[dualstow]

Giving credit where credit is due. A point for Trumpy Bear.

U.S. Labels Russian White Supremacist Group as Global Terrorist
First time a white supremacist organization Is targeted by terrorism designation

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-labels ... 1586202978

side note: if you're going to form a homophobic group, don't call yourself RIM.

[dualstow]

There's a subscriber in the Comments section of the WSJ with Libertarian666's real name. I thought, ooh, is it tech? I read some of the comments. Definitely not tech. .
Common name.

[Libertarian666]

There's a subscriber in the Comments section of the WSJ with Libertarian666's real name. I thought, ooh, is it tech? I read some of the comments. Definitely not tech. .
Common name.

Correct. I don't read the WSJ these days. Isn't it paywalled?

[dualstow]

It is, yeah, except maybe coronavirus news.

[WiseOne]

Mitch Albom: Hey, President Donald Trump, her name is Gretchen Whitmer
She has a name. It is not "the woman." It is Gretchen Whitmer. And she's doing her job to protect Michiganders from the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/ ... 935591001/

I agree, Trump should call her by her name. However...

Gretchen Whitmer hasn’t done anything that every Michigander doesn’t want her to do

That is an obviously false statement, which reveals the bias of the writer of the article and thus makes the entire article suspect. I bet that same reporter wrote about the angry, armed Michigan citizens protesting the lockdown measures. Some of which were indeed quite ridiculous (e.g. a store that's open and that normally sells an item, was forbidden from selling that item and had to remove it from shelves or cordon them off).

Fact checking Trump is something that the media should do, but maybe they should consider fact checking themselves while they're at it.

[doodle]

Love him or hate him I think it's apparent that Trump doesn't have the demeanor to be president. Sure the media goads him, but he puts himself out there by acting like a lunatic most of the time. His online presence and tweets are quintessentially troll like and his penchant for using demeanong playground nicknames for his opponents opens him up to a similar lack of respect from those of opposing party which then devolves into what we see today. This wasn't started by Democrats, he was doing this to Republican contenders in primary...acting like a bully, which I personally have no respect for.. The divisiveness he brings out of people is bad overall for all parties and Americans. Although I agree with some of his policies, he is a bad president.

[doodle]

In response to Twitter fact check controversy, I think unlike most of Trump's tweets, Jack Dorseys handling of firestorm sounded very presidential. Can't ever imagine such leadership and taking responsibility out of our current whiner in Chief.

Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and that’s me. Please leave our employees out of this. We’ll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make.
8:47 PM · May 27, 2020 from

[doodle]

In response to Twitter fact check controversy, I think in sharp contrast to most of Trump's tweets, Jack Dorseys handling of firestorm sounded very presidential. Can't ever imagine such leadership and taking responsibility out of our current whiner in Chief.

Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and that’s me. Please leave our employees out of this. We’ll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make.
8:47 PM · May 27, 2020 from

[Kriegsspiel]

Jack Dorsey seems to be a reasonable and bland dude, but Twitter is a shit show. Trump is a wild man, but his policy stuff seems pretty reasonable to me.

[doodle]

Jack Dorsey seems to be a reasonable and bland dude, but Twitter is a shit show. Trump is a wild man, but his policy stuff seems pretty reasonable to me.

Presentation and delivery matter....a lot. Like I said, I agree with many policies, but his delivery is abysmal. On top of that his personality shortcomings as an individual make him entirely ineffective as a president. He doesn't have the right demeanor for the position. He is much too sensitive to criticism and unable to effectively engage with opponents in any sort of constructive manner and that has dangerous ramifications in a nation as divided as ours is. He is much better suited for flamboyant reality television shows where such conflict is mere entertainment. He is doing a very poor job of representing the characteristics that I want to think of as American...honesty, transparency, level headedness, fairness, responsibility. He is a narcissistic, thin skinned, whiny, con man with a penchant for conspiracy theories who blames everyone else and will shoulder no responsibility for anything that goes wrong. Those qualities do not make for an effective leader....unless perhaps you favor a Caligula like leadership style.

[Kriegsspiel]

I think it's apparent that Trump sinks to the level of the journalists he deals with. They act like real shitheads when they interact with him or talk about him, and he gives it back in kind. From what I've seen, when people act professional around him it looks like he mostly does as well.

But if presentation and delivery matter a lot to you, and you don't like Trump's, what else is there to say? You're entitled to your opinion.

[doodle]

I think it's apparent that Trump sinks to the level of the journalists he deals with. They act like real shitheads when they interact with him or talk about him, and he gives it back in kind. From what I've seen, when people act professional around him it looks like he mostly does as well.

But if presentation and delivery matter a lot to you, and you don't like Trump's, what else is there to say? You're entitled to your opinion.

The other way around I think....the journalists sink to Trump's level. He bullies and disrespects people and then acts outraged when no one shows him any respect. His style is corrosive to this country and undermines what good policy ideas he might have... I don't really think that qualifies as an opinion anymore. Can half the American population not identify his glaring personality defects as a leader? I'm truly surprised that style means so little to so many people...especially those phisophical utilitarians here who should be able to recognize how detrimental he is to conservative culture here precisely because he is such a blowhard.

[stuper1]

So we should have voted for Clinton?

[Xan]

Right, these are all good points in a primary (in which I've voted against Trump every time) but in the general, your option comes down to him and one other person.

[doodle]

Good to see Twitter standing up again to presidents ineptitude to grasp anything that happens in America beyond the sphere of his white privilege and labeling his tweet this morning of "when the looting starts, the shooting starts' as promoting violence. No one is condoning the looting, however what he said truly has the ability to escalate the violence enormously. It's unbelievable how incredibly inept this man is. At this point, yes...you vote for Hillary. If Scooby Doo ran for president I'd vote for him.

[doodle]

I should also mention that I disagree with almost everything the Democrats stand for. What happened to the Republican party? So sad what it has been transformed into.

[Xan]

No one is condoning the looting? Colin Kaepernick for one, and until expressly disclaimed, Nike and everybody else who's been carrying his water are endorsing the looting.

Don't see anything wrong with "when the looting starts, the shooting starts".

I've read a lot of articles about suburban women being turned off by Trump's style and that he's going to lose because of it. I'm guessing these voters will want somebody who prevents rioting and looting in the street rather than encouraging it. We'll see what happens.