I actually do think he (along with his advisors) do have a great grasp of China and the economics of it. His team including Navarro are on point. His political ideology is very econo-centric which I think is good. I was not a fan of his trade war, but it didn't turn out as bad as I thought.

I do think he was foolish for taking credit for the good economy because it will hurt him now that the economy is bad. However no president deserves credit or blame for the economy.

Maybe I misunderstood something. I thought you were saying that this was an example of science denial from the left?

Your characterisation of "far left" is pretty out of whack with the rest of the Western world. The US is currently skewed so far right, that your "far left" would be centrists anywhere else. Your centrist democrats would be our mainstream conservatives. You don't have a "far left" to speak of.

Trump is a demented geriatric who can't form a coherent sentence or read one. He doesn't have a great grasp of the alphabet, let alone the economics of China. I don't dispute that he may very well have some capable advisers making (some) good decisions behind the scenes though.

How long do you think we have before we are all done for, going at the pace we are going now?

If this is a genuine question, I can find you some articles to read from reputable sources (e.g. New Scientist, Nature, NASA). I can post them in the science thread and link here.

Edit: there is also this thread, from a previous incarnation of this forum, where a lot of the denialist arguments are addressed/debunked:

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/4...-mind-1734996/

I've never understood this perspective. I understand hating him, but how can you think this? Anyone who gets elected president is shrewd, intelligent, and a great talker. Whether or not they can pass AP Chemistry is not important. I always thought he was an idiot until I saw him on an episode of Ali G. He's the only guest on that show to figure out he was being pranked. Trump is no fool; he's a shrewd, shrewd judge of character and crowds.

Totally genuine. I'd love to see some predictions. And any statements on what China is doing about it as they do the majority of the polluting.

Even if he was shrewd at one time, it's quite clear that he is suffering from serious cognitive decline. You seem like an articulate person - read some of the transcripts of what he says. The man literally cannot form a coherent sentence. That's not AP Chemistry, that's something any average 10 year old manages hundreds of times daily. I am going on the available evidence.

I am afraid the fact that a man such as this could get elected president is more a reflection of the electorate than it is of him.

Check out the thread linked in the edit, I'll find some other stuff for you as well in a bit.

I've watched him speak many times and I have intelligent friends from many countries of the world who support him. I'd say his IQ is in the 120s at least. Possibly 130s. He knows the right thing to say at the right time. He's got an instinct for that which probably hasn't been seen since Reagan (Reagan had a warmer sense of humor though). In the debates in 2016 he had the place roaring with laughter countless times. As someone who did stand up comedy for several years, I can tell you that's not easy to do.

If you compare Trump and Biden it's no contest Trump says stupid stuff while Biden is lost. His last interview he struggled and asked the guy if he needs a crack cocaine test. He just doesnt think and Biden used to be great

Thanks. These threads are a bit hard to follow. I know I've read various opinions on it, but I tend to believe Elon Musk in that we need to do something (he seems more sincere than most politicians). Like I said I think the solutions will come from the innovators not the governments so I don't think republicans are bad for climate change. They're actually good for it, even if they don't believe in it, because their policies make it easer for startups to enter the market and innovate.

why does it matter if we are dependent on rich Chinese oligarchs and cartels or rich Western oligarchs and multinational cartels?

and dependent is doing a lot of lifting here. they are dependent on us. our labor, resources, population. we are oppressed and exploited by them. I really doubt the scraps that they toss us will be any different than the scraps we already get.

I fervently disagree with this assessment, and I daresay your view is in the minority. I wouldn't put his IQ much above 80. He was recently boasting about being able to pass a test that basically measures for ******ation. You seem to have a very selective sample of his public appearances on which you are basing your judgement. I also don't share your experience - I know a fair few intelligent people, and only a single one I can think of has anything other than disdain or contempt for him.

I have never heard the man crack a joke. Do you have a link to where he had the debate audience rolling with laughter? I'd genuinely be curious to hear what his jokes are like.

this thread is all over the place. climate change, trans rights, biden/trump mental faculty all in the first couple posts. wonder why these guys can never stay on topic long enough to reach a conclusion?

but this is a good point. if OP or anyone thinks the wealth US elites wont join forces with the Chinese elites to oppress and extract from the populace then there is no reason for a discussion. they already have anyway.

Could you give us a quick run down on why the gene pool doesn't always express itself in 2 uniquely and separate sexes? What we really have is a setup weighted toward 2 sides with a fair bit of crossover in between--not 2 wholly separate and distinct groups with no overlap. This is readily observable out in the wild--and present throughout nature. Biology doesn't refute this(it's also worth noting that we do not Fully understand it all yet--and humans have been repeatedly reminded through history how hilariously wrong we've been about what we thought we knew). Literally nothing I saw in that Rogan interview says otherwise--but I did kinda skim thru that one--got a time stamp where she says as much? It's mostly focused on social issues related to how we deal with some of the realities of Biology with a focus on younger people(admittedly a dicey proposition imo).

One of the ironies in some of the trans stuff is they are trying to 'pick' one of the weighted sides rather than feeling/being in between/not on the 'right' side(which is a possible result in the way we reproduce).

Posted these in the science thread just now, probably best to continue that line of discussion there:

I mean, if your point is that Trump was always this stupid and incoherent whereas Biden appears to have deteriorated over the last few years, I'm probably not going to argue with you there, but I'm not sure it's quite as persuasive as you think it is.

This just shows people generally gravitate towards people who have similar worldviews. I will say I've met people from all over the world who support Trump - from the UK, France, South Africa, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Korea, and I'm sure more. Generally I've found older like Trump, younger people hate him (backpackers travelling through Asia on daddy's dime almost all hate him).


Trump's funny moments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASd4-Vo7RAU (ET cut out the laughter, figures. Place was in uproar).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1Q71k6fmts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmvxx_YbDsM&t=853s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MdIri5ji68

If you read the thread it wasn't me who changed the topic.

I think you clearly don't understand the civilizational difference between China and the west. China is a patriarchy going back to confucian days, and it's run by a communist, Maoist/Marxist state. The US elites have no desire to use facial recognition on the populist - but it's always a threat. I am trying to limit governmental use, which is why I vote conservative, which in theory should be small government. The left, which Mao was a member of, always tends towards massive governmental power. If any party has shown a desire to control the thoughts of the public, it's the left-wing party of censorship.

Unfortunately, as has been shown time and time again, the free market can't always provide. There might be many reasons for governments to get involved in situations - whether it's regulations, tax incentives or a wide range of other measures. It's rather asinine to say that when the people in charge actively deny that the problem exists then that is actually helpful for solving the problem.

As a very basic example, the free market does not provide any disincentives for corporations to limit the amount they pollute the environment.

Of course. Nobody wants a radically free market with no regulation. This is a common straw man.

But people vote with their dollars. As the public demands cleaner energy, companies will make that shift. Corporations don't need government incentives when the spending public already provides them.

Perhaps, but I don't choose whom I work with, no matter how much I wish it were so. Anyway, I didn't say that everyone I know has contempt for Trump, I said that the intelligent people I know do. Then again, I might be using that as one of my measures of their intelligence, or lack thereof

The average consumer does not know at point of purchase how much pollution was generated in the production of a particular product or service.

Additionally, innovation requires upfront investment, which is often provided by the government in the form of grants, loans with favourable terms, or tax breaks. This is not a new model, it has always been thus. The government can so choose to encourage or stifle innovation in whichever direction it sees fit. Once the technology is mainstream, then the market provides.

Trump ran on a platform of bringing coal back ffs. Stick to arguing about China dude, this is a dead end.

None of these are jokes. They are juvenile simpletons laughing at playground-type bullying (except the 3rd one, which doesn't even have any laughter in it as far as I can tell), which is pretty much in line with my view of Trump supporters on the whole.

These are your examples of how shrewd Trump is?