So Uncalled For

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PetraG

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President Donald Trump

www.newsweek.com

Trump Mocks McCain, Elder Bush At Rally

The president derided one of George H.W. Bush's signature campaign slogans.
www.newsweek.com www.newsweek.com

Text from Mr. Trump’s speech:

Factbase Transcripts - Roll Call

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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We are going to win and win, and we’re going to win more. We are going to win like we’ve never won before. Like we’ve never won before. Because We are finally putting America first. We’re putting America first. And by the way, you know all the rhetoric you see, the Thousand Points of Light. What the hell was that by the way? Thousands Points of Light. What did that mean? Does anyone know?

I know one thing: Make America great again, we understand. Putting America first, we understand. Thousand Points of Light, I never quite got that one. What the hell is that? Has anyone ever figured that one out? And it was put by a Republican.

How can anyone actually try to understand George Bush’s call for volunteerism and NOT get it?
“I was right when I said, as President, there can be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others.” --George HW Bush

www.usatoday.com

Jenna Bush Hager shares George H.W. Bush 'point of light' letter after Trump jab

After President Donald Trump took a jab at her 94-year-old grandfather, Jenna Bush Hager responded by sharing a letter former President George H.W. Bush wrote her explaining his "point of light" motto and how he finds happiness in service.
www.usatoday.com

(Has Mr. Trump never donated his time to anything? Has he never helped anyone with his own two hands?)
 
Do you have any explanation for what he said? How can he talk about volunteerism in such a disparaging way? What was the need for that? Why would he think that was called for?

Besides, those are examples of giving money, not tending to people’s needs with his own hands.
 
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I don’t try to answer for what President Trump says, as he says many things that are cringe-worthy (or worse).

I do look at what he DOES, and so far, I very much like what he has DONE as President.
 
Boatswain2PA said:
I don’t try to answer for what President Trump says, as he says many things that are cringe-worthy (or worse).

I do look at what he DOES, and so far, I very much like what he has DONE as President.
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Do you think what he said was uncalled for in this instance?

Do you have any explanation at all for what would possess him to say something like that?
 
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I think you have to take it from the source. President Trump is not an eloquent speaker like President Obama was when reading from a teleprompter. His inflections, interruptions, prose, stammers, tangents, and all other manners of speech are much different than what we are used to in finely honed politicians. It is much closer to what common Americans would extemporaneously say in informal discussions, which would be painful to listen to as a speech.

I think much of what he says is uncalled for, which is why I don’t defend his speech.

That being said, I am very grateful for what he is DOING as POTUS, and I look forward to seeing his SCOTUS nomination.
 
Boatswain2PA said:
I think much of what he says is uncalled for, which is why I don’t defend his speech.

That being said, I am very grateful for what he is DOING as POTUS, and I look forward to seeing his SCOTUS nomination.
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Understood.
I think when someone blurts out something inappropriate, which nearly all of us do from time to time when we speak from the cuff, that someone simply owes an apology to the person they wronged, preferably an apology that is every bit as public as the original misstatement. When the President fails to apologize for saying things like this, I think he’s failing to DO what he ought to do, not just as President but just as a public person whose words travel far and wide.

We live in a world where the Queen of England was a truck mechanic back during the War. Noblesse oblige usually includes some amount of hands-on volunteerism. Even when the famous cause as much work as they do, it is usually considered only right that they be given the privilege of being able to do first-hand acts of charity.

I realize that the President might believe that he would prevent more work than he’d do if he were to volunteer, but it was still disappointing that he elected to play golf on MLK Day after he urged Americans to observe the day “with acts of civic work and community service in honor of Dr. King’s extraordinary life.”

I don’t see any evidence that he understands what Mr. Bush was talking about at all. What do you do with someone who is 70 years old and doesn’t understand that hands-on charitable service profits both the one who receives and the one who serves?
 
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If you equate being critical of a campaign slogan with mocking the politician, that is extreme snowflake territory. Time to dig through the drawer and find some big girl pants.

Trump’s slogan/marketing is far better than what he referenced.
 
Who are you to judge how he helps people? I doubt people who are financially generous appreciate having their efforts demeaned any more than someone who is generous with their time being told how stingy they are.

Neither is your place, IMO.
 
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Theo520 said:
If you equate being critical of a campaign slogan with mocking the politician, that is extreme snowflake territory. Time to dig through the drawer and find some big girl pants.
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I beg your pardon, but is that really what you say when you’ve been rude? “Dig through the drawer and find some big girl pants?” I asked why the comment was necessary. Give an answer.

Do you want to talk about the overly-sensitive? OK, let’s do that. It would seem to me that the President of the United States is the one who needs to man up and learn how to take the criticism that comes with the office that he praises himself so often for winning. He was rude, he was rude for no explicable reason, and it is not “snowflake” or “little girl” or any other denigrating thing you want to come up with for saying so. He’s rude all the time for no reason, and he criticizes people all the time. He can take it, I think. If not, he can quit dishing it up. He’s pretty much in charge of the kitchen these days.

When he said, “Thousand Points of Light, I never quite got that one. What the hell is that?” what do you think his message was? Just explain what his point was. I think his point was exactly what he said: he does not have a clue why anyone would think volunteerism is valuable to the nation, he does not think volunteerism Makes America Great or ever did, and he doesn’t know well enough to even feel embarrassment for saying so. I think he is that clueless when it comes to being a servant to anyone else.

You can offer a rebuttal to that, if you like, because I am asking a real question: He gave that impression, but is it true? Find an example where he rolled up his sleeves in public or talked about doing so or even when anyone remembers something he did for them with his own hands. All I remember is him (and his wife and children) saying he wasn’t the kind of father who ever once changed a diaper or who would push a stroller through the park. We know he gives money and we know he gives orders. Does he ever or has he ever had the habit where he would give his time or does he do work with his own hands for others?

In other words: is it possible that he really does not know what it is like to do volunteer work?

That’s all I want: an explanation of what he actually meant and some evidence that he does really have some appreciation for what it is to do volunteer work by having done some with his own hands.

Right now, things stand at: Donald Trump said very adamantly that he doesn’t understand what George Bush was praising with his Thousand Points of Light slogan, which is to say he has no idea why volunteerism has a single thing to do with Making America Great Again and there is good reason that he really and truly doesn’t.
 
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Boatswain2PA said:
I do look at what he DOES, and so far, I very much like what he has DONE as President.
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He has done nothing but make the rich richer, jeopardize the healthcare of millions, appoint a pro-death Supreme Court Justice, kissed up to autocrats and white supremacists, offended our allies, undermined our privacy, destroyed net neutrality, gave corporations free reign to pour toxins into the environment, traumatized innocent children by separating them from their parents, obstructed justice, and attacked law enforcement and the media.

The fact that he is cruel and disrespectful to two men who risked their lives serving in military and then as political leaders while he dodged the draft (bone spurs, really :roll_eyes:) and became famous for trying to undermine the legitimacy of the POTUS by claiming he was foreign is simply icing on one big stinking turd.
 
My guess is he was taking swipes at the Bush family who have been taking swipes at him lately. Poor taste…
 
PetraG said:
Has Mr. Trump never donated his time to anything? Has he never helped anyone with his own two hands?)
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He bought a portrait of himself thru his Trump Foundation with donations people donated towards veterans.
 
Dr_Meinheimer said:
Who are you to judge how he helps people? I doubt people who are financially generous appreciate having their efforts demeaned any more than someone who is generous with their time being told how stingy they are.

Neither is your place, IMO.
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He said “what the hell is that?” so he’s teaching that volunteerism has nothing to do with Make America Great Again.

Do you think that is true? If not, explain why he picked that slogan out of the blue as having nothing to do with his goal of Make America Great Again.

What did he mean by what he said? If he volunteered all the time, obviously that would be evidence he didn’t mean that. I’m only saying that we can’t eliminate the possibility based on what I personally know.

By all means, if I’m missing something about how to interpret WHAT HE SAID AND WHAT HE MEANT BY IT, then let me know.
 
Luke6_37 said:
He has done nothing but make the rich richer, jeopardize the healthcare of millions, appoint a pro-death Supreme Court Justice, kissed up to autocrats and white supremacists, offended our allies, undermined our privacy, destroyed net neutrality, gave corporations free reign to pour toxins into the environment, traumatized innocent children by separating them from their parents, obstructed justice, and attacked law enforcement and the media…
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I’m not actually trying to make this into a free-for-all dump on Trump thread.
He made a comment that has been called “uncalled for.” OK, so I looked up the actual transcript, to see if the criticism was taking him out of context. I looked at the comment in the context of the speech.

I have to admit: I have no idea what could have possessed him to say such a thing, unless by reason of deprivation of experience he really does not understand by first-hand experience how it is that the Thousand Points of Light slogan in praise of volunteerism really has EVERYTHING to do with the slogan, Make America Great Again. We are not the America we want to be without volunteerism, no matter how generous we are with money or the rest.

On looking into what I could find (which is limited), I could not find evidence against the impression that he does not have the background to personally comprehend how important volunteerism is to the greatness of our nation.
 
Hereiam said:
There is a special place for him and his followers.
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That is just the thing. I know a great many people who are enthusiastic about him compared to the alternative. They are squarely in the camp of: “when I think of what the other candidate would be ‘accomplishing’ as President, I’m willing to forgive a lot.” I don’t think I know of any who wouldn’t have voted for Barack Obama over her, even, and they are no fans of Barack Obama.

Still, I know he has positive partisans, and I know they often feel he does not get a chance to have his take on things fairly explained.

So, OK: let’s not make this a Trump smear-fest. Let’s just take this one comment that, having looked at the context of the speech, I have to agree was totally uncalled for. I think it betrays a severe lack of appreciation for volunteerism, not to mention unnecessary bad-mouthing of a President from his own party, but I’m willing to keep the possibility open that my research into the matter missed something.

This is not meant to be an up-down vote on President Trump as President! That’s just going to get everyone diving for foxholes and handing over ammunition. I apologize if I set that tone at all.

I think we’ll get a lot farther if we start conducting politics as up-down votes on specific policies, specific statements, and specific proposals, so someone can say “this is a good end but a bad way to achieve it” or “I wish he hadn’t said that, but I think this is what he meant” without being a traitor to some good cause.

I think that tactic will also free elected officials to act in a non-partisan matter without being labeled traitors. Take Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), for instance. If I could replace him with Gordon Smith, his Republican predecessor, I’d do it in a heartbeat. If Jeff Merkley has a good idea, though, I’m not going to blame anyone for helping him achieve it. We’ve had enough of that, don’t y’all think?
 
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CD45 said:
We should drop memorizing the Gettysburg Address and have our school children memorize these Trump rally speeches. Since the Republicans pride themselves as the party of Patriotism and Family Values here are some great examples of that from their current President. (Honest Abe is out, Tweeting Trump is the new face of the Grand Old Party.). For extra credit, our youngsters could memorize and recite Trump’s Access America videotape. Everyone will want to grow up to be president because you can say the grossest, meanest things and do whatever you want without getting in trouble as long as you nominate anti-abortion judges.
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No one here has suggested that any of the President’s speeches ought to be memorized, though.
 
PetraG said:
So, OK: let’s not make this a Trump smear-fest. Let’s just take this one comment that, having looked at the context of the speech, I have to agree was totally uncalled for.
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Totally uncalled for, agreed…in a string of totally uncalled for remarks over the last 2 years…What did the famous poet say, “A scumbag by any other name is still a scumbag”?..just saying!
 
PetraG said:
the Thousand Points of Light slogan in praise of volunteerism really has EVERYTHING to do with the slogan, Make America Great Again.
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It is a beautiful slogan that makes me think of the Easter vigil. Perhaps Trump doesn’t care much for the light. Maybe he prefers the darkness. Idk.
 
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