This is how a US president comments on the then-likely murders of two American citizens.
The narcissism is off the charts, as is the utter lack of anything approaching human compassion.
To paraphrase an old saying, “Better to remain silent and be thought an inhumane asshole than to write a post and remove all doubt.”
This is not the behavior of a mentally healthy person, and it is something we would shun if people in our lives behaved this way, but it will go ignored by millions.
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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There’s narcissism – which this has in abundance – and there’s also the opportunity to make a veiled threat to people who say negative things about Trump out loud – which this also has.
To my mind, “no class” doesn’t begin to cover it. I know lots of people who have no class, who are crass down to their bones, but who aren’t narcissists and don’t love to make hyperbolic threats at every opportunity.
I mean, which is worse? Having ketchup on steak, or shitcanning USAID?
You know how, as you age, your true nature comes out? When Mike Wallace got up in years, Chris, his son, said he just got kinder and sweeter.
Then do trump.
If you want to see the moral rot of this country, and why I’m so negative about the future of this country, visit any of the right wing sites and read how many people are defending Trump’s comments. As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s no longer about Trump, but about the malignant deplorables who will support anything he does and says – regardless how horrific, stupid, or evil the actions or comments.
Reiner’s best films are sweet and melancholy movies filled with heart and kindness. There’s something insane about taking this man and his work and saying guess what–“the guy who made When Harry Met Sally loathed ME, a pedophile rapist without a trace of affection for anyone.”
That we even have a system where tolerance or apologies for this behavior exists is insane. It’s basically an unforgivable offense for someone to be talking about Trump Derangement Syndrome as if it’s a problem. Of course you should loathe this man.
X put a twit in my notifications bragging that unlike those evil Dems who celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk, MAGA were respectful of Reiner. I was tempted to reply linking to this Trump post, but no point to being the 1,500th reply.
Some leftists did say Kirk’s death was a good thing. Both parties have a repulsive fringe. Ours are randos on X and city councilmen in Portland. Theirs are the president and cabinet and major donors. Bothsides.
Far from ignoring Trump’s rancid demented ranting, his cult members are celebrating it. Donald Trump, fearless truth teller! That’s what they voted for!
These are the same people who shrieked that anyone who wrote anything even mildly derogatory about Charlie Kirk after he was killed should be fired, even if it was only posted to a private Facebook page. Hegseth launched a search to find and fire any treacherous warfighter who’d done such a thing.
I have to ask myself questions about these people that say that. Or perhaps I should say, these “people” that “say” that. Are these real people? Are they people that you otherwise know? I’m sure most of you know some conservatives somewhere. Are they saying that?
Maybe there are some real people saying that. Why are they saying that? Revenge (for Charlie Kirk maybe?). Mass social media (like FB and X) amplifies the most angry, the most rancid, the most conflict-oriented statements. Hate clicks are the thing. Is that what they are doing? Trolling for hate clicks? Trying to get “cred” with people? Get noticed by big media so that they will get a check from some billionaire Russian?
I would not take this stuff as an accurate read of the temperature of the nation. There are plenty of actors out there with significant resources dedicated to making it exactly NOT an accurate read.
Eddie’s right. The problem isn’t just in the White House, it’s in the American people. You’re deceiving yourself if you don’t see it. These are the moral heirs of slavers, Klansmen, Bundists, Birchers, Tea Partiers and the Westboro Baptist Church. Their nest is in white Evangelical Christianity. That’s where they learn to hate. It’s where they feed on resentment. It’s where they absorb The Führerprinzip. It’s where they’re taught contempt for learning, for art, for anything feminine. They worship their curdled Christ and are to normal Christianity what ISIS is to Islam.
Do they believe Carl Reiner deserved to be murdered? Yes. Of course they do. Anyone who rejects their god or his chosen representatives on earth deserves death to be followed by an eternity of torture. This has always been the core of their beliefs. Do you think they’re joking when they talk about the objects of their hatred burning in hell? They salivate at the thought. They pleasure themselves to images of Jews, Muslims, atheists, feminists, gays, trans people and even Christians of different denominations burning.
Evil exists and is given cover by decent Christians who refuse to confront it. We railed at Muslims who wouldn’t condemn Al Qaeda and ISIS loudly enough. We deplore Jews who refuse to condemn the violent religious fascists who call themselves Settlers. But decent Christians, the men and women who feed the poor and house the homeless and teach their children to love their neighbors, stay silent and leave the job of opposing these moral monsters to civil authority and secular society while they stand aside out of some misguided notion of a shared faith. A faith shared in name only. When will Catholics and Mormons and Orthodox and Lutherans set aside their anodyne sermons and say, this is not us. These people are not followers of Christ. There is evil in that church across the street and it is our job to confront it.
I’m sure the usual suspects will be making excuses or studiously pretending they didn’t read this or hear about it.
The most generous commentary I have is that Trump is a classless pig, always has been, always will be.
Derangement, thy name is Trump.
There’s narcissism – which this has in abundance – and there’s also the opportunity to make a veiled threat to people who say negative things about Trump out loud – which this also has.
To my mind, “no class” doesn’t begin to cover it. I know lots of people who have no class, who are crass down to their bones, but who aren’t narcissists and don’t love to make hyperbolic threats at every opportunity.
I mean, which is worse? Having ketchup on steak, or shitcanning USAID?
You know how, as you age, your true nature comes out? When Mike Wallace got up in years, Chris, his son, said he just got kinder and sweeter.
Then do trump.
@becca: I have long maintained that the older you get, the more who you are comes to the fore.
If you want to see the moral rot of this country, and why I’m so negative about the future of this country, visit any of the right wing sites and read how many people are defending Trump’s comments. As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s no longer about Trump, but about the malignant deplorables who will support anything he does and says – regardless how horrific, stupid, or evil the actions or comments.
Reiner’s best films are sweet and melancholy movies filled with heart and kindness. There’s something insane about taking this man and his work and saying guess what–“the guy who made When Harry Met Sally loathed ME, a pedophile rapist without a trace of affection for anyone.”
That we even have a system where tolerance or apologies for this behavior exists is insane. It’s basically an unforgivable offense for someone to be talking about Trump Derangement Syndrome as if it’s a problem. Of course you should loathe this man.
X put a twit in my notifications bragging that unlike those evil Dems who celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk, MAGA were respectful of Reiner. I was tempted to reply linking to this Trump post, but no point to being the 1,500th reply.
Some leftists did say Kirk’s death was a good thing. Both parties have a repulsive fringe. Ours are randos on X and city councilmen in Portland. Theirs are the president and cabinet and major donors. Bothsides.
I really love how Trump claims Reiner’s alleged obsession with Trump was the reason for Reiner’s murder.
ABC is now reporting that Nick Reiner has been arrested for murder.
Hm. Where can I stockpile fireworks?
Far from ignoring Trump’s rancid demented ranting, his cult members are celebrating it. Donald Trump, fearless truth teller! That’s what they voted for!
These are the same people who shrieked that anyone who wrote anything even mildly derogatory about Charlie Kirk after he was killed should be fired, even if it was only posted to a private Facebook page. Hegseth launched a search to find and fire any treacherous warfighter who’d done such a thing.
@CSK:
“The bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral.”
@dazedandconfused:
Yep.
@gVOR10:
There is no comparison between Kirk and Reiner other than being murdered. Kirk preached hate and division. Reiner, the opposite.
@gVOR10, @EddieInCA:
I have to ask myself questions about these people that say that. Or perhaps I should say, these “people” that “say” that. Are these real people? Are they people that you otherwise know? I’m sure most of you know some conservatives somewhere. Are they saying that?
Maybe there are some real people saying that. Why are they saying that? Revenge (for Charlie Kirk maybe?). Mass social media (like FB and X) amplifies the most angry, the most rancid, the most conflict-oriented statements. Hate clicks are the thing. Is that what they are doing? Trolling for hate clicks? Trying to get “cred” with people? Get noticed by big media so that they will get a check from some billionaire Russian?
I would not take this stuff as an accurate read of the temperature of the nation. There are plenty of actors out there with significant resources dedicated to making it exactly NOT an accurate read.
@Jay L. Gischer: @gVOR10: @EddieInCA:
Eddie’s right. The problem isn’t just in the White House, it’s in the American people. You’re deceiving yourself if you don’t see it. These are the moral heirs of slavers, Klansmen, Bundists, Birchers, Tea Partiers and the Westboro Baptist Church. Their nest is in white Evangelical Christianity. That’s where they learn to hate. It’s where they feed on resentment. It’s where they absorb The Führerprinzip. It’s where they’re taught contempt for learning, for art, for anything feminine. They worship their curdled Christ and are to normal Christianity what ISIS is to Islam.
Do they believe Carl Reiner deserved to be murdered? Yes. Of course they do. Anyone who rejects their god or his chosen representatives on earth deserves death to be followed by an eternity of torture. This has always been the core of their beliefs. Do you think they’re joking when they talk about the objects of their hatred burning in hell? They salivate at the thought. They pleasure themselves to images of Jews, Muslims, atheists, feminists, gays, trans people and even Christians of different denominations burning.
Evil exists and is given cover by decent Christians who refuse to confront it. We railed at Muslims who wouldn’t condemn Al Qaeda and ISIS loudly enough. We deplore Jews who refuse to condemn the violent religious fascists who call themselves Settlers. But decent Christians, the men and women who feed the poor and house the homeless and teach their children to love their neighbors, stay silent and leave the job of opposing these moral monsters to civil authority and secular society while they stand aside out of some misguided notion of a shared faith. A faith shared in name only. When will Catholics and Mormons and Orthodox and Lutherans set aside their anodyne sermons and say, this is not us. These people are not followers of Christ. There is evil in that church across the street and it is our job to confront it.