There are 45 comments.

1. Member
   Giaccomo

   @Giaccomo

   2:03 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   If I read this correctly, and with apologies to the Rolling Stones (and others), ‘it was the song, not the singer.’

    

   That suggests that those who voted for Clinton were tone deaf.

2. Member
   CM

   @CM

   3:40 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   Matty Van (View Comment):
   Maybe there’s a reason that fascinating little dramatized debate actually works. Linguistic analysis of speaking style according to statistically significant markers of masculine and feminine speech characteristics such as use of different parts of speech (women use more auxilliary verbs, men more articles and prepositions), word choice, and rhetorical style finds that Trump’s style is much more feminine than Clinton’s. Of 35 recent presidents and presidential candidates, Trump is by far the most feminine of them all, outdistancing Hillary Clinton (9), Sarah Palin (18), Carly Fiorina (20), Geradine Ferraro (21), and Michele Bachmann (24). Most masculine? Jim Webb, then Martin O’ Malley, Dennis Kucinich, and Ted Cruz.

   http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/10/trump-feminine-speaking-style-214391

   EDIT: Could Skyler (comment 23) be the only person in America who actually had this figured out?

   I don’t know. I was taken aback by Skyler’s comment but I don’t like watching Trump speak.

   I think he’s good at rhetoric but his delivery is kinda annoying. His SOTU was phenomenal for him. He likely excels in one on one conversations than interviews and speeches.

3. Coolidge
   Skyler

   @Skyler

   4:15 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   Matty Van (View Comment):
   Maybe there’s a reason that fascinating little dramatized debate actually works. Linguistic analysis of speaking style according to statistically significant markers of masculine and feminine speech characteristics such as use of different parts of speech (women use more auxilliary verbs, men more articles and prepositions), word choice, and rhetorical style finds that Trump’s style is much more feminine than Clinton’s. Of 35 recent presidents and presidential candidates, Trump is by far the most feminine of them all, outdistancing Hillary Clinton (9), Sarah Palin (18), Carly Fiorina (20), Geradine Ferraro (21), and Michele Bachmann (24). Most masculine? Jim Webb, then Martin O’ Malley, Dennis Kucinich, and Ted Cruz.

   http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/10/trump-feminine-speaking-style-214391

   EDIT: Could Skyler (comment 23) be the only person in America who actually had this figured out?

   I hadn’t read that article, it’s interesting to see my personal observations backed up by research.

4. Inactive
   Columbo

   @Columbo

   4:41 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   Misthiocracy (View Comment):
   This isn’t really a surprise to those who believe the presidential election was a choice between two Democrats.

   This isn’t the ‘democrat’ you’re looking for ….

   

5. Member
   Suspira

   @Suspira

   5:09 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   Columbo (View Comment):
   Well then, is the VP and Cabinet that this ‘democrat’ has surrounded himself with a surprise to you?

   It has been to me. I think Trump figured out his natural allies, the Democrats, had rejected him irrevocably. My fear was that he would get in office and try to appease them, and maybe he would have, if they weren’t having a four-alarm meltdown. In doing that, they showed him he would never be accepted, so he went right.

   I sold his ability to learn and adjust short. I hope to be corrected in my opinion of him again and again.

6. Inactive
   Umbra Fractus

   @UmbraFractus

   7:34 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   Suspira (View Comment):
   It has been to me. I think Trump figured out his natural allies, the Democrats, had rejected him irrevocably. My fear was that he would get in office and try to appease them, and maybe he would have, if they weren’t having a four-alarm meltdown. In doing that, they showed him he would never be accepted, so he went right.

    

   You’re not the first to put forth this theory. How ironic would it be if the very thing that turned a lot of us off, his thin skin and narcissism, turned out to be the thing that pushed him rightward and thus to pleasantly surprise us.

7. Coolidge
   Amy Schley

   @AmySchley

   7:41 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   Umbra Fractus (View Comment):

   Suspira (View Comment):
   It has been to me. I think Trump figured out his natural allies, the Democrats, had rejected him irrevocably. My fear was that he would get in office and try to appease them, and maybe he would have, if they weren’t having a four-alarm meltdown. In doing that, they showed him he would never be accepted, so he went right.

   You’re not the first to put forth this theory. How ironic would it be if the very thing that turned a lot of us off, his thin skin and narcissism, turned out to be the thing that pushed him rightward and thus to pleasantly surprise us.

   It would be Milton Friedman’s theory come true:

   I do not believe that the solution to our problem is simply to elect the right people. The important thing is to establish a political climate of opinion which will make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing. Unless it is politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing, the right people will not do the right thing either, or it they try, they will shortly be out of office.

8. Coolidge
   Chuckles

   @Chuckles

   9:09 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   Ekosj (View Comment):
   Benjamin Franklin, when discussing the Vice Presidency, thought the office holder should be addressed as “Your Superfluous Majesty”

   Ha.  I didn’t know that.  He was apparently of the same school as John Nance Garner, VP under FDR, who described the Vice Presidency as “not worth a bucket of warm piss.”

9. Coolidge
   John Russell

   @JohnRussell

   

   10:39 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

   Amy Schley (View Comment):

   …

   It would be Milton Friedman’s theory come true:

   I do not believe that the solution to our problem is simply to elect the right people. The important thing is to establish a political climate of opinion which will make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing. Unless it is politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing, the right people will not do the right thing either, or it they try, they will shortly be out of office.

   I remembered this quotation from Milton Friedman recently but could not recall the source? What was it?

10. Coolidge
    Amy Schley

    @AmySchley

    10:43 AM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

    John Russell (View Comment):

    Amy Schley (View Comment):

    …

    It would be Milton Friedman’s theory come true:

    I do not believe that the solution to our problem is simply to elect the right people. The important thing is to establish a political climate of opinion which will make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing. Unless it is politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing, the right people will not do the right thing either, or it they try, they will shortly be out of office.

    I remembered this quotation from Milton Friedman recently but could not recall the source? What was it?

11. Inactive
    profdlp

    @profdlp

    3:00 PM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

    Suspira (View Comment):
    …My fear was that he would get in office and try to appease them, and maybe he would have, if they weren’t having a four-alarm meltdown…

    The funny thing is, the pattern for any Republican seems to be to start with appeasement as a first step.  The one we worried about the most turns out to have done it the least, at least thus far.

12. Inactive
    blood thirsty neocon

    @bloodthirstyneocon

    Post author

    4:40 PM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

    profdlp (View Comment):

    Suspira (View Comment):
    …My fear was that he would get in office and try to appease them, and maybe he would have, if they weren’t having a four-alarm meltdown…

    The funny thing is, the pattern for any Republican seems to be to start with appeasement as a first step. The one we worried about the most turns out to have done it the least, at least thus far.

    Exactly, drill baby drill, pipelines galore, beefing up the nukes, sending Marines and Army Rangers into Syria. What about this administration is pro-Russia? The Obama/Clinton policy was to start out conciliatory and then feign toughness. Trump’s policy is to whisper sweet words while grabbing Putin by the ****s. No, I’m sorry, critics, he’s not going to tell you what his plan is.

13. Inactive
    Umbra Fractus

    @UmbraFractus

    4:43 PM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

    blood thirsty neocon (View Comment):

    Exactly, drill baby drill, pipelines galore, beefing up the nukes, sending Marines and Army Rangers into Syria. What about this administration is pro-Russia?

    At this point I think even the left knows the Russia thing isn’t going anywhere. They cling to it because otherwise they’d have to admit that he actually won.

14. Inactive
    blood thirsty neocon

    @bloodthirstyneocon

    Post author

    4:53 PM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

    Umbra Fractus (View Comment):

    blood thirsty neocon (View Comment):

    Exactly, drill baby drill, pipelines galore, beefing up the nukes, sending Marines and Army Rangers into Syria. What about this administration is pro-Russia?

    At this point I think even the left knows the Russia thing isn’t going anywhere. They cling to it because otherwise they’d have to admit that he actually won.

    I almost hope they keep it up. It’ll give us an excuse to get Hillary’s deleted emails from the NSA. It will also keep the pro-Russia charade alive long enough for us to kick Russia out of the Middle East and drown Putin in cheap oil. Trump needs to show the world what “smart power” is.

15. Member
    Suspira

    @Suspira

    4:56 PM EST ⋅ Mar 9, 2017

    Umbra Fractus (View Comment):
    At this point I think even the left knows the Russia thing isn’t going anywhere. They cling to it because otherwise they’d have to admit that he actually won.

    Well, the smart ones may realize it, but those two guys don’t have a lot of pull with their party.