They Are Totally the Same

We subjected every statement made by both the Republican and Democratic candidates — in speeches, in interviews and on Twitter — to our magazine’s rigorous fact-checking process. The conclusion is inescapable: Trump’s mishandling of facts and propensity for exaggeration so greatly exceed Clinton’s as to make the comparison almost ludicrous.

I also want to remind everybody that “It’s just like” or “they are the same” is a slogan of a lazy mind that is too primitive to handle complexity. 

17 thoughts on “They Are Totally the Same

  1. “I also want to remind everybody that “It’s just like” or “they are the same” is a slogan of a lazy mind that is too primitive to handle complexity. ”

    There’s something else that’s scary. I wouldn’t mind if they were honest about their support for their candidates. ‘Look, I know Trump’s a liar, but I like him for President and that’s the end of it’ is so much honest than ‘Trump’s not a liar, it’s the biased liberal media that unfairly paints him as one’.

    I mean, you’re not on CNN doing PR for your party. You’re posting anonymously on a blog, and even then you can’t be honest. I sincerely hope when these guys are by themselves, alone, they do acknowledge some basic facts about the world. It would be psychologically healthy for them, but it raises a troubling question: what is it about donning an anonymous persona online that makes them post stuff that is contradictory to what they ‘really’ believe?

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    1. I think the very need to constantly repeat, “They are the same, they are exactly the same” means they know it’s not true. It’s an attempt to convince themselves precisely because they are aware of what things are really like. If I start every conversation with, “I love ice-cream”, soon enough everybody will realize that I detest it.

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  2. Speaking of liars, this is the TedCruziest thing that Ted Cruz has ever done.

    http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/ted-cruz-trump-payback-228651

    It took Ted Cruz four months and three weeks of “careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience” to declare publicly that he would vote for Donald Trump.

    He made the decision to profit by selling his supporter list to Trump far faster than that.

    Just six weeks after he dropped out – and more than a month before Cruz would dramatically snub the nominee at the Republican National Convention – the senator quietly began renting his vast donor email file to his former rival, pocketing at least tens of thousands of dollars, and more likely hundreds of thousands, that can be used to bankroll the Texan’s own political future.

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    1. I didn’t know it but I couldn’t be any less surprised. The fellow is a total ass wipe who’d sell out his mother for a dime. He already sold out his father and his wife, so we know all we need about him.

      Yes, Trump is horrible but the rest of those candidates were very pathetic, as well.

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  3. Oh, this is nice. ‘Prince Georging’ is my favorite.

    http://theweek.com/articles/651098/prince-georging-meflection-gobbing-brief-guide-trumps-rhetorical-tricks

    Prince Georging is mugging like you’re an adorable little cherub who can charm people with how bad you’ve been. Sure, it’s a bit grotesque coming from a 70-year-old man, but that’s the strategy. Here’s another example from his speech at the Republican National Convention. Trump says “nobody knows the system better than me,” and looks into the camera with a little-boy smirk, waiting for his viewers to catch up to what he’s saying — that he’s been bribing politicians all his life. “Which is why I alone can fix it,” he concludes.

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  4. It’s also worth pointing out that Politico is the original source for the quotation Clarissa posted. And Politico is hardly left wing. If anything, the site leans to the right.

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    1. Exactly. Have you seen the wonderful video about Trump’s business failures?
      Please somebody post the link if you have it. The video rocks. I didn’t know half of it before I saw the video.

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          1. I just got home from work and watched it. It’s great. I hope the Clinton campaign finds a way to capitalize on this.

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  5. There is some weird psychological thing going on where people insist the guy is a great and wonderful businessman when all evidence points to the contrary. It’s like people can’t recognize a good businessman when they see one.

    There is nothing as schmucky as a cheap rich man who can’t or won’t pay his bills. He’s stiffed numerous businesses and contractors. This is a man who’d be a demanding nightmare baby as a client. I wouldn’t want to do business with him let alone elect him.

    I really have to question someone who fails at running casinos in the same area and time period other people are making money. The best and most regular customers who account for 80%+ of the business are addicts who throw away money constantly. At this point, I’d question his success at selling crack cocaine.

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    1. So America will probably get a President that it has to haggle with in order to get anything done …

      “IS THAT YOUR FINAL OFFER, AMERICA?”

      🙂

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    2. Also, since you were wondering about cocaine … I figured you’d like some humorous advice on how it’s really done.

      Reverend Horton Heat —
      “Bales of Cocaine”:

      🙂

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  6. “This is totally bullshit, but here’s my first offer …”

    There’s a style to Trump’s rhetoric that takes some getting used to — he isn’t engaging in dialogue or discussion, but instead he’s putting out the first offer for what will eventually be a negotiated deal.

    “Barack Obama’s a KENYAN!”

    “Barack Obama’s an INDONESIAN!”

    “Barack Obama isn’t even an AMERICAN!”

    “Barack Obama was never born in HAWAII!”

    “OH, look, it seems he was actually born in Hawaii … well, I’ve made enough political hay out of this … Barack Obama’s LIVES Don’t Matter!”

    “Wait … was that politically insensitive? Barack Obama’s WIVES Don’t Matter!”

    “Besides, if we’re comparing photos, I think you’ll see I’ve got the better deal …”

    🙂

    [cringe all you want, but that’s how the deal gets done, do try to cope …]

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