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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#191476: Jun 2nd 2017 at 2:53:41 AM

[up]So basically it was more or less the same old "OBAMA BAD!" rhetoric that helped him win the election.

I wouldn't be surprised if the tipping point for this was him not receiving all of the adulation he thought he deserved during his trip abroad. Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if he did this because Macron gave him a boo-boo with that handshake.

Disgusted, but not surprised
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#191477: Jun 2nd 2017 at 3:42:52 AM

Still surprised at the silence from my home state. Must be because of the Governor, Larry Hogan. Well, he'll most likely be voted out in 2018 anyways, because Maryland is a Liberal Haven.

I wouldn't count out the possibility of Maryland joining later.

i'm tired, my friend
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#191478: Jun 2nd 2017 at 4:47:43 AM

Yeah, I was yesterday listening to some guy on...I think it was CNN, who was arguing that the problem is that the agreement isn't binding so other countries will sneak out of it while the US always honours its obligation. No lie, I nearly spit my water all over my keyboard. In what reality? Trump isn't even able to affirm a single pledge.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#191479: Jun 2nd 2017 at 5:05:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMuHN5sUJ_w

Sadly in German (though I am sure that someone will at least add subtitles, soon), but the song goes more or less: I like all this stuff, but especially me.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#191480: Jun 2nd 2017 at 5:10:23 AM

[up][up] Could they have been referring to the U.S. pre-Trump?

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#191481: Jun 2nd 2017 at 5:31:18 AM

[up] Even then the US was good wriggling out of agreements, just like every other country in the world. I don't know one single state which doesn't change direction once in a while if possible.

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#191482: Jun 2nd 2017 at 5:56:10 AM

Look, even if the agreement had no binding laws, the act of withdrawal sends a giant symbolic message: "We don't care about saving the planet. You suckers figure it out, we're gonna keep using dying coal." Mixed along with "FUCK YOU PAY ME."

As with our drop in tourism, it's going to take the U.S. dozens of years to repair its image after this.

Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#191483: Jun 2nd 2017 at 5:59:05 AM

[up] Oh yeah, but hey, dozen is way too much. I mean, it's Trump who is the fault for this and not the nation. As long as the new president is a reliable and respectful one, these wounds can be quickly fixed.

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#191484: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:00:09 AM

Whoever is the next Democratic POTUS is going to have to go on a worldwide apology tour — one where they actually say "Sorry" — and bring a bunch of fruit baskets.

At this point, just mailing the baskets won't be enough.

[up]If someone you once considered a friend suddenly started treating you like crap and insulted you all the time...would you really be so quick to forgive and forget?

edited 2nd Jun '17 6:01:21 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#191485: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:01:00 AM

Then what else can be brought?

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
Reflextion from a post-sanity world (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
#191486: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:02:14 AM

[up][up][up] Until the next eight years down the line where the American electorate goes off its meds again and elects another cartoon supervillain, and the whole fucking cycle starts over again, rinse and fucking repeat

edited 2nd Jun '17 6:02:29 AM by Reflextion

Someone did tell me life was going to be this way.
Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#191487: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:03:33 AM

[up] Why expecting the worse? That's way too sick to think of, at least when a new part of the constitution is established where only people with political background are eligible and suitable in the job for election.

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
DrDougsh Since: Jan, 2001
#191488: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:04:41 AM

Eight years ago nobody imagined a worse GOP president than Dubya. At this rate, whatever the party cooks up next will make us miss Trump.

edited 2nd Jun '17 6:05:13 AM by DrDougsh

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#191489: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:06:36 AM

It's not that easy. It took Obama a lot of time to repair the damage Bush did (as much as it was possible, we are still dealing with the consequences of Bush's misguided politics). If the world can't trust that not every four or eight years someone utterly incompetent or utterly insane sits in the White House and above all if it can't trust that the congress keeps the president in check if he gets off the rail, it can't trust the US in general. As I mentioned above, if the chancellor in Germany behaved this way, he or she would be out of office in a minute. Trump is, at the end of the day, just a symptom, he is not the underlying illness, and unless the US cleans house, thoroughly, I don't see it gaining new ground with its allies anytime soon.

Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#191490: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:07:37 AM

[up][up] Unless it gets reformed.

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#191491: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:09:27 AM

The only standards the current GOP have for a president are "capable of signing a document, and is preferably a white man." They'd probably either push for someone who's already in their inner circle or a complete non-entity who's a complete pushover. Either that or someone will hijack the primaries again and they'll get Kanye West or someone who will be so different from their standard that they'll have no idea how to ask them to do anything.

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#191492: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:11:40 AM

It's an issue of trust. Once you lose somebody's trust, it's very hard to convince them to trust you again.

Trump has repeatedly shown that other countries can't trust the U.S. anymore. He constantly does this passive-aggressive "Maybe we'll join this or sign this, maybe not, we'll see how the deal affects us first and foremost." And there's the whole practice of being somewhat congenial to leaders face to face, then whining about them later on Twitter. That's no way to get along with other leaders in the world. It may be an effective business technique (and even that's questionable) but the presidential attitude should be of cooperation, not belligerence and backstabbing.

EDIT: [up]x3 And even back then, certain GOP'ers complained about Obama's "apology tour", claiming it made us look weak to the world.

edited 2nd Jun '17 6:15:03 AM by speedyboris

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#191493: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:15:11 AM

[up] Doesn't help that while he waffles on everything, he makes it incredibly obvious that he has no idea what he's talking about. Stupid and vindictive is a bad combination.

And there are still people who think that Trump is "rebuilding" US trust abroad because they pay attention to nothing and have no idea how things work.

I have way more respect for someone who can step up and say "You know what? I was completely wrong and I apologize" than someone who'll just yell at you and go "I'm not wrong you're wrong I'm always right you're a loser!"

edited 2nd Jun '17 6:16:18 AM by Zendervai

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#191494: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:17:57 AM

I have even less respect for someone who, as speedyboris said, says what he thinks will get you to like him to your face only to whine on Twitter once he's an ocean away about how you didn't grovel at his feet.

"He is so... changeable. He is so prone to extremes. Eager to please, so quick to take offence. He's so keen to be your best friend, and then, at the slightest hint of an insult, he's angry with you. Furious. Offended. Like a child."

It's kind of sad that our current POTUS has the same kind of personality as a Traitor Primarch. Even sadder that his fans think he's the God Emperor.

edited 2nd Jun '17 6:20:22 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#191495: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:21:12 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AphW6a_9OM

A really good summary of Trumps negotiation abilities.....

Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#191497: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:23:49 AM

I don't think Trump or his fans care about trust in the first place. They only care about respect, and only in that very specific sense where respect is almost synonymous with fear. They think that by being a dick to everyone, we're showing that we don't care what they think of us, and therefore that we're projecting strength. This of course assumes that everyone watching us is an idiot.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#191498: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:31:05 AM

My Fox News watching grandma didn't know that Donald Trump called it a Muslim Ban on live television, or what the Paris Agreement actually was. All she knew was it was some liberal thing so therefore bad. I think that may be how fake news operates. Presenting selected facts and heated opinion in the same way, that it makes it hard to separate the two.

My grandma insisted that he wouldn't say it was a Muslim ban, and I had to look up that clip.

edited 2nd Jun '17 6:36:36 AM by megaeliz

WhatArtThee Since: Oct, 2015
#191499: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:39:24 AM

I'm very happy that so many cities/states, including my own (New York) have continued to commit to the Paris agreement, it really lifted my spirits over all this that these people are still willing to follow their own goals instead of the president, and that even with a White House full of buffoons some of America is still sane.

In fact all the outrage of this from world leaders like Macron and lots of prominent figures (even The Weather Channel!) has really delighted me as well.

About the discussion earlier, about whether Trump will be the worst president ever, I think it's too early to tell. We've had lots of really terrible presidents. I mean George W. Bush started two pointless wars, was a catalyst for making the Middle East mess the way it is today, was a disaster on foreign and domestic policy, heavily damaged the environment through lack of action on global warming, and was responsible for the worst economic depression since the 1930s. Trump would have to do a lot to top that. Or, going further back, James Buchanan, who started the Civil War, or Andrew Jackson, or Andrew Johnson... If Trump scores some more big policy "wins" he will climb very high on the list, but right now it's too early to say for sure.

Just another day in the life of Jimmy Nutrin
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#191500: Jun 2nd 2017 at 6:41:43 AM

[up] Don't forget that Trump just basically gave the rest of the world the finger. Years of trust and soft power that was already eroding...it's going to take a lot of time and effort to fix it. If it even can be fixed.

edited 2nd Jun '17 6:42:01 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised

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