[Xmca-l] Re: a linguist and a child on D. Trump

Mon Jul 10 17:53:30 PDT 2017

Chris Uhlmann is just a good ABC political reporter. He has 
no reputation for being Left or Right or anything. Maybe it 
is the very matter-of-factness of his report on the G20 (no 
different from any others I saw) which struck a chord in the US?

Greg, I would have thought that the fragmentation of the 
media which means that 40% of Americans get their only 
"news" from Fox has to be a big part of the explanation 
("the echo chamber"). Add to that what is sometimes called 
"the reinforcement effect", namely that everything you see 
is interpreted in the light of what you already believe and 
assimilated - obviously a universal for you anthropologists. 
The continuing 40% approval hardly needs explaining. But 
what breaks the spell???

Interesting puzzle for me though. The Republicans seem to 
maintain support even in areas like Utah where Trump is on 
the nose, while support for TrumpCare is running at about 
17%. How can Trump's Health policy be so on the nose while 
his popularity remains high? What fairy tale is 
rationalising this?

Andy

------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Blunden
http://home.mira.net/~andy
http://www.brill.com/products/book/origins-collective-decision-making 

On 11/07/2017 4:10 AM, Peg Griffin wrote:
> If we didn't see it, we had help from OZ.  (I suspect the Australian ABC's Chris Uhlmann might not be a favorite on some issues there but on this...).
> Some take a nationalist position that looking bad in the "eyes of the world" is badge of honor.
> But the rest of us have been woke for a while, Andy.
> Peg
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Andy Blunden
> Sent: Monday, July 10, 2017 11:50 AM
> To: xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: a linguist and a child on D. Trump
>
> An American friend said to me that if he had to choose between stupidity and evil, he would choose stupidity. All these options for removing Trump can only end in President Pence which is worse even if more predictable. But the longer Trump stumbles along with the GOP defending him the more likely the chumps who voted for them may ask questions of themselves by the time the next elections come along.
> True, all sorts of evil laws are slipping through Congress while Trump distracts us with his antics, but these measures are  reversible.
>
> It seems I was wrong in thinking that the repeal of ObamaCare would generate perezhivaniya for the millions of Trump voters reliant on Medicaid - they have lied so badly for the past 7 years that they actually can't "Repeal and Replace" or simply Repeal ObamaCare. Thanks to Fox News none of Trump's supporters realise this, but if ObamaCare is still in place in 3 years' time and the government simply withholds funds, then who knows what the Trumpistas will make of it? Tragic. But he certainly has generated some activism round the country, hasn't he?
>
> How is Trump's sad antics in Europe being seen in America?
> Do flag-waving Americans realise how stupid America is looking at the moment in the eyes of the world?
>
> Andy
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Andy Blunden
> http://home.mira.net/~andy
> http://www.brill.com/products/book/origins-collective-decision-making
>
> On 11/07/2017 12:51 AM, Peg Griffin wrote:
>> About regency?
>> There is a sort of "unfinished" amendment to the US constitution. The 25th amendment calls for a body to be formed if there is a question of the need for presidential succession.  And now there is a House bill to "finish" the 25th and establish such a body.  Jamie Raskin is the chief sponsor and there are some co-sponsors so far. Although relatively junior, Raskin is on important related House committees for doing something about presidential "inability" and he seems to me to be quite persuasive, knowledgeable and thorough.
>> Here's the link to his bill:
>> https://raskin.house.gov/media/press-releases/raskin-introduces-bill-e
>> stablish-independent-commission-presidential-capacity
>> A clause in the middle of the second paragraph of Section 4 of the
>> 25th amendment is at issue (and if the bill gets introduced and/or passes would be litigated, no doubt -- we have lots of "intent of the framers" ouija boards to consult in courts ).  As it now it, it appears that the "other body" proposed would be constituted only if the President's inability has already been addressed up to a point by some procedures and there is an impasse between executive and legislative branches of the government.  The amendment's clause allows for the following: "...or such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."  As it now provides, the issue then goes back to the Senate and House (2/3 vote of both houses required or else the president resumes power and duties) shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office."
>>
>> Raskin's bill provides for an additional route (besides impeachment) to remove a sitting president.
>>
>> Right now (with the Republicans in charge of both houses of Congress and the Presidency), practically speaking,  it seems that the most it will provide is a venue for careful constitutional discussion.  If hearings are not allowed (by the majority party) to occur officially in the House of Representative, then it may well occur in forums  (Representative Conyers' approach), People's Hearings or state hearings.  Whichever way, the discussion may involve the judiciary, if Raskin and his growing list of co-sponsors take that route.  And the discussion may move some voters and votes.
>>
>> These aren't quite arrangements for a regent.  Jamie Raskin hasn't given up on the impeachment route: He's active about various other clauses of the constitution involving ethics, money, and about failures of the separation of powers and coordination of relations among government branches.  But Maxine Waters is the main member of the House for feeling hopeful (and a bit happy) on the impeachment front!   And I think there are a few more active and effective people and efforts behind the scenes.  Nothing wrong with a bit of enfadado, though, huh?
>> PG
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu
>> [mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Carol Macdonald
>> Sent: Monday, July 10, 2017 6:56 AM
>> To: Andy Blunden; eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
>> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: a linguist and a child on D. Trump
>>
>> That would be the vice-President!
>>
>> I think Trump enjoyed being the fly in the ointment at G20, and then ...
>> offered to work jointly with Russia on cyber security. And now we hear that his son went to a meeting with a Russian because he believed they had some damaging information on Clinton.
>>
>> Alfredo I think lots of us are feeling 'enfadado' -- but rather helpless with it too.
>>
>> Carol
>>
>> On 8 July 2017 at 11:43, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:
>>
>>> I was thinking ... does the US system allow for the appointment of a
>>> Regent?
>>>
>>> andy
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Andy Blunden
>>> http://home.mira.net/~andy
>>> http://www.brill.com/products/book/origins-collective-decision-making
>>> On 8/07/2017 7:40 PM, Alfredo Jornet Gil wrote:
>>>
>>>> We've been perplexed (some may say horrified) by Trump's speech in
>>>> this list before, as many others in the media have. A linguist in
>>>> the Washington post (see link below) comments on this and notes how
>>>> Trump's speech sounds like (American) everyday speech, like he
>>>> 'could be a family member or a friend'. She also notes his use of hyperbolic verbal and gestural devices.
>>>> ??I was watching the video and my two-years old daughter passed by
>>>> and saw Trump talking. Pointing at him, my daughter said, 'enfadado'
>>>> ('angry' in Spanish). Honestly, I am glad that not many of my family
>>>> members or friends sound like that, even the American ones!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/this-linguist-
>>>> studied-the-way-trump-speaks-for-two-years-heres-what-she-
>>>> found/2017/07/07/12f310c6-627d-11e7-80a2-8c226031ac3f_video.html
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>> --
>> Carol A Macdonald Ph.D (Edin)
>> Cultural Historical Activity Theory
>> Honorary Research Fellow: Department of Linguistics, Unisa alternative
>> email address: tmacdoca@unisa.ac.za
>>
>>
>>
>>
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