My other problem with Trump: AGGRESSIVE IGNORANCE

1. 81

   Credence2posted 2 days ago

   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-ig … 35adb3ace1
   
   I don’t have a lot of respect for those at the highest levels of government lacking intellectual curiosity and a determination to learn how things actually work.
   
   I have always said that, ignorance squared= stupidity
   
   In my experience the greatest leaders are ones that continue to learn and improve.
   
   We are all ignorant about something, but it rises to stupidity when one denies in the face of incontrovertibly contrary evidence that he or she was or is ignorant on the topic at hand.

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      Sharlee01posted 2 days agoin reply to this

      Yikes, what a long article...   Here is what I got from the article.
      
      The claim that Donald Trump “nearly drowned dozens, potentially hundreds” of Californians is pure hyperbole. The water release from Lake Kaweah and Success Lake was a routine management procedure handled by the Army Corps of Engineers and local water authorities. The system is designed to prevent flooding, not cause it, and no residents were endangered. Suggesting otherwise is fearmongering, not journalism.
      
      The article repeatedly ridicules Trump’s statements about water originating from Canada, but this misrepresents the issue. California relies on snowmelt and watershed management from the Pacific Northwest, a fact experts acknowledge. Trump’s description may have been simplistic, but it highlights awareness of broader water flows affecting drought and wildfire mitigation.
      
      Moreover, the piece conflates rhetoric with action. Professionals safely executed the release, preventing potential flooding. Character attacks calling Trump a “moron” or claiming he cannot distinguish truth from falsehood are irrelevant to policy outcomes and rely entirely on the opinions of disgruntled former aides, celebrities, and academics. These personal attacks do not constitute evidence of danger or incompetence.
      
      Finally, accusations that Trump “wasted billions of gallons” ignore the natural behavior of reservoirs and snowmelt cycles. The released water percolated into the ground and replenished local reservoirs, precisely what winter water management is meant to do. Assertions that he acted unilaterally to endanger citizens are false; federal and local agencies maintained control throughout.
      
      In short, this article reads as a partisan hit piece filled with exaggeration, personal attacks, and misleading claims. When you separate rhetoric from reality, Trump’s actions were within normal operational procedures, carefully managed by professionals, and posed no real threat to Californians.

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         Credence2posted 2 days agoin reply to this

         https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/fac … 28c2c.html
         
         Yes, it was a long article. Here is my counter to your opinion that Trump had the right idea. These are experts in the field, there is a link or two linking Trump to the statement about faucets in the Canadian west where water could flow from Washington to California.
         
         He has a reputation of shooting from the lip, claiming expert knowldege in fields for which he has no experience. His intuition is of no value in the face of scholarly evidence to the contrary. I have a dislike of people who cannot be taught because they assume that they know it ALL already. In the position that he is in, that is a fatal flaw.

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      2. 60

         Willowarborposted 47 hours agoin reply to this

         No, it wasn't fear mongering or hyperbole...
         
         
         "Trump says he opened California’s water. Local officials say he nearly flooded them..."
         
         Trump says he opened California’s water. Local officials say he nearly flooded them. - POLITICO https://share.google/O8vBziIugQsCbBYrj
         
         Farmers Plead ‘Stop Our Fields Flooding’ as Trump Opens Dams https://share.google/wPpSMYyxYb9e80tyZ

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      3. 60

         Willowarborposted 47 hours agoin reply to this

         "When you separate rhetoric from reality, Trump’s actions were within normal operational procedures
         
         Asked this question directly to AI...
         
         Trump's 2025 order to release water from Central Valley dams was not a normal operational procedure for California's complex water system. The unscheduled release was criticized by water experts and state officials as wasteful, potentially harmful to farmers, and disconnected from its stated purpose. ...

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2. 83

   Sharlee01posted 2 days ago

   Now to respond to your thoughts --- Just my view
   
   I understand and can respect your point about valuing intellectual curiosity in leaders, but I think it’s important not to oversimplify what makes someone an effective leader. In my view, leadership isn’t only about personally mastering every technical detail; it’s about judgment, strategic decision-making, and knowing when to rely on experts. Public statements or occasional misunderstandings do not automatically equal stupidity or incompetence.
   
   I think true leadership recognizes one’s own limits while still taking decisive action. Denying ignorance in the face of evidence is a problem, yes, so is equating every simplification or rhetorical flourish with a lack of understanding.
   
   Leaders are measured by results, are they not?  The ability to make decisions under pressure, and the capacity to delegate wisely, not just by how thoroughly they grasp every technical aspect themselves. I need not offer a list of what I feel Trump has done in this regard because it is clear we think differently on that. Trump has proven himself to me as a man who can solve problems and never back away from large, long-term challenges.  I feel confident he will leave the Nation better off than he found it.

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      Credence2posted 2 days agoin reply to this

      Geez, Sharlee, that man feigns expertise in just about every aspect of life as if somehow his gut and intuition is more valuable than the opinion and studies of learned people in whatever discipline involved. It leads to a certain   Arrogance and stubbornness from a man that blames others for failure and takes credit for the success of others, i.e blaming Biden for the Ukraine mess, now that he realizes that peace is not going to come overnight as he initially claimed. As i said, i hold the President accountable for what he says and words from our commander and chief should be subject to greater discretion on his part.
      
      No one expects him to be a technical genius on all or the subject of which he has to be concerned, it is just that any decision needs a rational basis based on empirical evidence and not based on his “gut”
      
      The situation with Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis was an example where Kennedy buck the military establishment who wanted to take a more provocative positions on Cuban missiles verses Kennedy, who after the Bay of Pigs fiasco not long before, bucked the Pentagon options and decided on a blockade. After weighing all of the options, it wasn’t just a gut decision oblivious to all sources of expertise available. Trump simply does not give me the impression as a man of depth and reflection. And excuse me if I like those character traits in the man or woman that is my leader.
      
      Yes, We are of differing opinion, i have never liked him nor his style very much.

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   Ken Burgessposted 2 days ago

   Aggressive Ignorance ... like it, went looking for its definition even...
   
   Found this article, got a good laugh out of it:
   https://inthesetimes.com/article/the-en … -ignorance
   
   "to expose Palin as the syntactically challenged, gibberish-spouting dunce that she is."
   
   I just realized... the Democrats tried to run their version of Palin ... "gibberish-spouting dunce" who WAS the VP to be the next President.  And you wonder why you guys lost... come on, you didn't give America any other choice!

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      Credence2posted 2 days agoin reply to this

      Yes, the term is the newest credenism, to define someone who is determined to be ignorant contrary to all learned evidence and experience.
      
      It is news to me that the term had been used in the past, as it is an accurate description of what we are seeing now.
      
      While i wished that we had a little more heft with VP Harris, she was infinitely preferable to Donald Trump and Vance.

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         Ken Burgessposted 2 days agoin reply to this

         Vance is articulate in the extreme... speaks in depth about issues...
         
         The difference between his ability to communicate and answer questions and Harris, really, why do you even attempt to defend her... she sounded like more of a moron than Palin, which is why when I read that article I got such a kick out of it.
         
         https://youtu.be/0Fn2XRNo9l0?t=53

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            Credence2posted 2 days agoin reply to this

            I could not stand either Trump or Vance based on their platform and what they stood for, in the face of that i would have voted for a Kuala bear over any GOP ticket.

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            1. 72

               Ken Burgessposted 2 days agoin reply to this

               Well that's not the same as Aggressive Ignorance is it?
               
               You can think Trump is an idiot... or Palin ... like I think Harris is.
               
               But Vance is not that... I can listen to him answer questions without wincing or getting ill.  Same for Obama... I don't have to agree with his politics to acknowledge he is articulate and a good orator.

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                  Credence2posted 2 days agoin reply to this

                  I do not necessarily save that designation for Vance, but Trump has earned the title. Has Harris failed to show the ability to listen and learn recognizing that POTUS is involved in many matters where no one person can ever claim to be expert at them all? I would rather deal with that than a person who wants everybody to believe that he knows it all, intuitively.

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