I don’t think Trump was intending to trash talk vets with PTSD , although he kind of implicitly did it anyway. I’m with Biden here (Biden’s quote is at about 2:45 in the video) “I don’t think he was trying to be mean. He is just so thoroughly completely uninformed”
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You’re still pushing a sloppy comparative statement into a dichotomy… unless you are trying to say some people are not stronger than others? Because trying to say some people are not mentally stronger than others is kind of a ridiculous statement. My wife is mentally stronger than I am, my brother has a rougher time than I do against the depression that runs in my family, he is the cornerstone that keeps his family together when his wife has a breakdown, etc. I’ve watched the extended clip and he could have said something more eloquent (understatement), but I can’t hang him on this one.
I can say that @TooGoodToCheck_ is right that Joe Biden brings up a very good point about Trump being uninformed (and ignorance in this case is unexcused because he is purposely so), and I’ll say that Trump is 100% lying when he says he has any sort of plan to follow through with his words to provide comprehensive mental healthcare to veterans. What he is saying can only be lip service when you look at the bigger platform, but this just wasn’t a candid gotcha to me.
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I like Joe Biden, and I think the Joe-as-wayward-son is a meme that hasn’t nearly gotten the attention it needs:
Lastly, I’m not much sure I give two shits that jackhole trump’s statement could be construed in a positive light–he’s done and said enough shit-worthy stuff that I’m not even beginning to give that waste of oxygen the benefit of the doubt.
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If you only know him as Vice President Biden I can see that. But really he’s always been the opposite of aloof, and often delivered a good speech. He’ll pretty much talk to anybody.
The two problems with Joe are that he’s a fervent Zionist and very strongly tied to the Hollywood intellectual property Axis. Other than that, he’s got a really strong lifetime voting record, and holds very reasonable positions on the major issues of our day.
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Here’s the full transcript from Time magazine, if anyone wants to read it. Rather enlightening, as to what was really going on.
The entire event was NOT about veterans’ needs at all. The emphasis was on the lack of Christian values in the military. For example, the question that caused Trump to answer the way he did:
QUESTION: Good morning Mr. Trump. As you mentioned there is a tragic suicide epidemic among our veterans, among our military and their families. While the military and the V.A. are working on the problem, their efforts continue to fall short. There are a number of faith-based programs outside the DOD and the V.A., that are continuing to be successful in stopping suicide and divorce rates.
Spiritual fitness works on these types of problems. The government is not taking advantage of these programs and services. So my question for you is, when you become president, will you support and fund a more holistic approach to solve the problems and issues of veteran suicide, PTSD, TBI and other related military mental and behavioral health issues and will you take steps to restore the historic role of our Chaplains and the importance of spiritual fitness and spiritual resiliency programs?
Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well, here’s a previous question, to give a better sense of the mentality of the event:
QUESTION: Mr. Trump, Army Chaplain who’s also a Ranger Joe Lawhorn had a potentially career-ending reprimand for the crime of using Scripture while mentoring a suicide prevention class.
Navy Chaplain Wes Modder, who is present today, was detached for cause and threatened with separation for using biblical answers to questions during pastoral counseling sessions with sailors in his command.
Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Phil Monk was relieved of duty when his lesbian commander tried and failed to force him to vocally voice his open support for her personal views on marriage.
Decorated veteran and retired Air Force Sergeant Oscar Rodriguez was forcefully removed from a friend’s retirement ceremony because he intended to use the word “God” in that retirement ceremony.
Marine Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling was convicted at a court martial for failing to remove Scripture from her personal workspace.
Today commanders are prohibited from having Bibles on their desk or using Scriptures while they’re counseling troops. The Obama administration has deliberately set out to take the Christian religion out of the military.
Mr. Trump, how will you in your administration combat these attacks on military religious freedom of expression?
This was ostensibly a veteran’s group: the Retired American Warriors PAC. Forcing Christianity on all U.S. troops was their number one concern.
So Trump answering that some people aren’t strong enough to handle PTSD is only the tip of the shit-berg here.
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From my own experience I’d say that people with PTSD are strong people, because that’s the only way we can manage from day to day. We know that someday things might feel like they are too much for us to cope, but we fight on (figuratively in my case, literally for people in the military). Losing the fight against suicide also isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s just something we rather wouldn’t happen.
Not that Trump will ever be in a situation for this to be a problem for him.
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No, he really is that stupid…
Dan Quayle on Donald Trump: ‘I’m Going to Support the Nominee’ - ABC News
Edit:
This was the headline that I was going for… copied the wrong URL
Dan Quayle: Trump is ‘more qualified’ than Clinton in this election
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I stand corrected.
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I have to agree. This was Trump’s effort to express sympathy and screwing up at conveying it. He does this regularly, leaving things implied because he either fails to be articulate and precise or he just doesn’t bother to. I’m not sure he’s even aware of how his half-baked speech risks self-inflicted damage, regardless of the sincerity of his remarks.
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I believe that they were discussing his photo spread…
Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am In White House Driveway
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SEE? TRUMP=PATTON and PATTON was GOTT-DAMN AMERICAN HERO
And quite mad. Talked to his dead ancestors. Designed tank uniforms that looked like this:
The helmets were supposed to be gold.
I’m going to bed, now.
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Why do you hate our “war” on an abstract noun?
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GUYS GUYS – hang on, here’s the story about that photo. IT’S REAL!
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Holy shit. That makes the whole story even more awesome.
Anybody want to place a bet on what he was whispering? I like to think he said, “I could totally get my detail to kill these two guys for you if you want.”
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Sadly, it’s not a sign of how much they love him, but how much they hate everyone on Trump’s hit list.
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Check him out starting at about 0:50…
Not quite the angry guy, but when I first saw that, I knew I really liked Joe.
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i wonder what he did mean by that “I know who runs the show” line – i swear you’re right, it’s like he’s saying, “step aside boys, daddy’s here.” it’s so perfect not even the Onion could’ve written it.
SECOND THOUGHT: he sat down to talk to the woman because he knows that SHE’S the one who’s really in charge. she’s the one that runs the show. that’s even BETTER.
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If you would like to see Joe with an octopus on his head…
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this reminds me, I had to build a structure for a giant horse’s ass once (I mean literally we were making a Trojan horse and we had to build its giant butt) so we called the supporting structures “Rump Towers”
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That was my only thought. It’s actually a form of sexism, but employed so seldom that it’s a welcome change from the usual negative variety.
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