7 ms·

'The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.' https://twitter.co

'The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.' https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914087234869047296 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/91408723486904729... The Americans really lack a leader with any empathy.

asdfologist 9y ago
The irony is that he accused her of poor leadership right before he headed to his golf club for the weekend.
- beager 9y ago
  Which falls predictably into a long-running pattern of projection.
narrator 9y ago
Absolutely nothing in American politics is above politicization these days. Who is doing the politicizing depends on who you believe.
- forapurpose 9y ago
  > Who is doing the politicizing depends on who you believe. I'm not sure if the parent comment is sarcastic or bitter, but I think it's important to remember that it's not reality. The idea is false that humans are locked into ideologies and care nothing for truth, reality, and the welfare of their fellow citizens; it's despair. It's capitulation to the few ideologues, who do see the world that way and want to impose it on the rest of us. It's not Republicans vs Democrats, or conservatives vs liberals, it's ideologues vs good-willed, sensible people, thinking and acting in good faith.
jboles 9y ago
For the president to be saying what he has said this morning is shameful and a disgrace to all Americans. I hope at least some of those who voted for him are hanging their heads today.
- lsadam0 9y ago
  To me, this is the true damage the president is doing: hanging Americans out to dry. We’re supposed to be there for our own, not spitting in their face when they’re down and out. This only divides us more.
refurb 9y ago
If you don't think this disaster is being used to score political points (on both sides) you're being naive. That's what American politics is today. It's not "how can we make things better" it's "how can I spin this to help me in the next election?"
- aaron-lebo 9y ago
  Trump is just a reflection of American society. People hate him for what he is, but he got to where he is today because of what he is, which tells you that he's been enabled by society for the last 5 decades. He won because he understood how greedy and lazy and weak his opponents were and he didn't have the tact to avoid attacking them, sometimes incredibly personally. But look at how ugly people get in response to him, all while thinking they are the "good guys". It should disturb the hell out of people. It's hard to understand how we're not going to go over some kind of edge without serious change. We are a society of delusional narcissists which reward delusional narcissists.
- cottonflop 9y ago
  Politicians gonna politic, and the Pope is still Catholic. Only one of the "sides", at least in theory, is in control of all the branches of government, and thus should probably be doing something with that power... like, perhaps governing? Responding adequately to a predictable natural disaster counts as governing, right?
  - refurb 9y ago
    Do you have a good sense as to how disaster relief is going? I sure as hell don't. I also have no idea just how hard it is to do. Maybe, relative to other disaster relief it's going really well? Maybe it's terrible. I sure as hell can't tell from what the media is saying (probably because they don't know either).
    - emerged 9y ago
      Truth, as usual, is whichever flavor you pick off the menu.
zo7 9y ago
Her speech is really kinda chilling too: https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/913871652768878592 https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/913871652768878592 Cities should not have to beg for aid. The government should have prepared and started relief efforts in full force as soon as the storm cleared. Instead he's politicizing the disaster and playing with people's lives just to shake up another outrage firestorm that distracts from the real issue.
- gfodor 9y ago
  Is it true that there has been a less-than-full relief effort? I'm looking for facts not speeches or tweets.
  - zo7 9y ago
    Perhaps my frustration should be directed at leadership instead. I actually wrote that without any data on what the government has done vs what they could have done, but the white house at least has been notably slower to react now than with past storms: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lost-weekend-how-trumps-time-at-his-golf-club-hurt-the-response-to-maria/2017/09/29/ce92ed0a-a522-11e7-8c37-e1d99ad6aa22_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lost-weekend-how-tru...
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
- jquery 9y ago
  The government started relief efforts immediately and in full force, despite two other hurricanes stretching FEMA to the limit. Believe it or not the power of the federal government is not infinite.
  - forapurpose 9y ago
    Can you provide some basis for that? There is a lot of reporting that says otherwise. For example: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/9/30/16389640/puerto-rico-disaster-relief https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/9/30/16389640/pu...
jquery 9y ago
She used the TV cameras to grandstand Trump in preparation for her run for governor. Who you think is lacking empathy really depends on which side you're already on. The US is doing its best to help a place that's had 85 years to prepare for a hurricane and she has the audacity to blame the US for not helping enough, while millions of pounds of food sit rotting on docks and FEMA works 24/7! Shame on her. EDIT: Honest question, now that the argument seems to be over whether the USA is putting forth its maximal effort (which I believe it is). Puerto Rico doesn't pay federal income tax, which largely funds the response that States receive. Puerto Rico is not even a territory, it is a commonwealth, and supposed to be much more independent and self-reliant than States. They even have their own President. Are they entitled to equal aid that States receive? If not, it appears what we are doing for Puerto Rico is more charity as opposed to obligation. So that makes the mayor's statements more inflammatory and inappropriate than they would otherwise be.
- anarazel 9y ago
  She plead for help. And there's definitely more the feds / military could do. Puerto Rico is part of the US.
  - BigChiefSmokem 9y ago
    The Navy could evacuate the entire island with one aircraft carrier and a few trips to Miami. Our leaders just do not have the will to do so.
    - anarazel 9y ago
      What? There's three million+ people living there. And where are they supposed to live? And how should they be picked up, with a seriously decimated transport network?
  - jquery 9y ago
    She plead for help in the most polarizing way possible. The USA is going above and beyond to assist Puerto Rico right now, and we will continue. The mayor's biting of the charitable hand that is feeding them is appalling.

asdfologist 9y ago

The irony is that he accused her of poor leadership right before he headed to his golf club for the weekend.

beager 9y ago
Which falls predictably into a long-running pattern of projection.

narrator 9y ago

Absolutely nothing in American politics is above politicization these days. Who is doing the politicizing depends on who you believe.

forapurpose 9y ago
> Who is doing the politicizing depends on who you believe. I'm not sure if the parent comment is sarcastic or bitter, but I think it's important to remember that it's not reality. The idea is false that humans are locked into ideologies and care nothing for truth, reality, and the welfare of their fellow citizens; it's despair. It's capitulation to the few ideologues, who do see the world that way and want to impose it on the rest of us. It's not Republicans vs Democrats, or conservatives vs liberals, it's ideologues vs good-willed, sensible people, thinking and acting in good faith.

jboles 9y ago

For the president to be saying what he has said this morning is shameful and a disgrace to all Americans. I hope at least some of those who voted for him are hanging their heads today.

lsadam0 9y ago
To me, this is the true damage the president is doing: hanging Americans out to dry. We’re supposed to be there for our own, not spitting in their face when they’re down and out. This only divides us more.

refurb 9y ago

If you don't think this disaster is being used to score political points (on both sides) you're being naive. That's what American politics is today. It's not "how can we make things better" it's "how can I spin this to help me in the next election?"

aaron-lebo 9y ago
Trump is just a reflection of American society. People hate him for what he is, but he got to where he is today because of what he is, which tells you that he's been enabled by society for the last 5 decades. He won because he understood how greedy and lazy and weak his opponents were and he didn't have the tact to avoid attacking them, sometimes incredibly personally. But look at how ugly people get in response to him, all while thinking they are the "good guys". It should disturb the hell out of people. It's hard to understand how we're not going to go over some kind of edge without serious change. We are a society of delusional narcissists which reward delusional narcissists.
cottonflop 9y ago
Politicians gonna politic, and the Pope is still Catholic. Only one of the "sides", at least in theory, is in control of all the branches of government, and thus should probably be doing something with that power... like, perhaps governing? Responding adequately to a predictable natural disaster counts as governing, right?
- refurb 9y ago
  Do you have a good sense as to how disaster relief is going? I sure as hell don't. I also have no idea just how hard it is to do. Maybe, relative to other disaster relief it's going really well? Maybe it's terrible. I sure as hell can't tell from what the media is saying (probably because they don't know either).
  - emerged 9y ago
    Truth, as usual, is whichever flavor you pick off the menu.

zo7 9y ago

Her speech is really kinda chilling too: https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/913871652768878592 https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/913871652768878592 Cities should not have to beg for aid. The government should have prepared and started relief efforts in full force as soon as the storm cleared. Instead he's politicizing the disaster and playing with people's lives just to shake up another outrage firestorm that distracts from the real issue.

gfodor 9y ago
Is it true that there has been a less-than-full relief effort? I'm looking for facts not speeches or tweets.
- zo7 9y ago
  Perhaps my frustration should be directed at leadership instead. I actually wrote that without any data on what the government has done vs what they could have done, but the white house at least has been notably slower to react now than with past storms: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lost-weekend-how-trumps-time-at-his-golf-club-hurt-the-response-to-maria/2017/09/29/ce92ed0a-a522-11e7-8c37-e1d99ad6aa22_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lost-weekend-how-tru...
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
jquery 9y ago
The government started relief efforts immediately and in full force, despite two other hurricanes stretching FEMA to the limit. Believe it or not the power of the federal government is not infinite.
- forapurpose 9y ago
  Can you provide some basis for that? There is a lot of reporting that says otherwise. For example: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/9/30/16389640/puerto-rico-disaster-relief https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/9/30/16389640/pu...

jquery 9y ago

She used the TV cameras to grandstand Trump in preparation for her run for governor. Who you think is lacking empathy really depends on which side you're already on. The US is doing its best to help a place that's had 85 years to prepare for a hurricane and she has the audacity to blame the US for not helping enough, while millions of pounds of food sit rotting on docks and FEMA works 24/7! Shame on her. EDIT: Honest question, now that the argument seems to be over whether the USA is putting forth its maximal effort (which I believe it is). Puerto Rico doesn't pay federal income tax, which largely funds the response that States receive. Puerto Rico is not even a territory, it is a commonwealth, and supposed to be much more independent and self-reliant than States. They even have their own President. Are they entitled to equal aid that States receive? If not, it appears what we are doing for Puerto Rico is more charity as opposed to obligation. So that makes the mayor's statements more inflammatory and inappropriate than they would otherwise be.

anarazel 9y ago
She plead for help. And there's definitely more the feds / military could do. Puerto Rico is part of the US.
- BigChiefSmokem 9y ago
  The Navy could evacuate the entire island with one aircraft carrier and a few trips to Miami. Our leaders just do not have the will to do so.
  - anarazel 9y ago
    What? There's three million+ people living there. And where are they supposed to live? And how should they be picked up, with a seriously decimated transport network?
- jquery 9y ago
  She plead for help in the most polarizing way possible. The USA is going above and beyond to assist Puerto Rico right now, and we will continue. The mayor's biting of the charitable hand that is feeding them is appalling.