According to Donald Trump, Obama is “the worst thing to ever happen to the state of Israel.”
I don’t even want to wade into that point, much as I believe it to be nonsense.
But I will say that, for the most part, if you frame your arguments as “most (BLANK) ever,” and do it regularly, as Trump does, chances are you don’t know what you’re talking about, and are just flinging out random superlatives in a hope they’ll stick.
For instance, contending as he has that race relations in this country are “at the lowest point in history” kind of omits eighty years of slavery plus decades of lynching.
Contending as he has that the nation’s economy has “never been worse” kind of leaves out, among other things, the great depression. Or, for that matter, the tail end of the Bush Administration.
Contending that taxes have “never been higher” omits the graduated income tax structure under that noted socialist, Dwight D. Eisenhower.
This is the difference.
Saying that anything is bad, by your metric, is fine; that’s in the realm of opinion.
Contending that it’s the worst ever, or the most ever, or the lowest ever, as Trump does regularly, is in the realm of open to fact-checking. Contending that things have never happened before opens you up to historical evidence that they have happened before. Contending that they’re unprecedented opens you up to the memories of human beings, who can document that they’re precedented.
Trump never says that anything is bad. He says that they’re the worst EVER, EVER. Often this translates to, “okay, in the last twenty years, maybe.” Or even, “Well, actually they’re better than they’ve ever been, but I think they can be better; I just want to say that the worst ever, because it sounds more powerful.”
This is connected to his apparent belief that to change being wrong to being right one must only continue being wrong except at the top of his lungs.
But a forcefully delivered assertion is not, nor has it ever been, the same thing as a fact, even if you get stadiums full of undemanding supporters to cheer you for saying it.
Or, to put it another way, and this IS measurable, and can be documented:
He happens to be a goddamned liar, to whom the truth is whatever he can make up at any given time.
Comment By: Dawn Swingle
March 22nd, 2016 at 12:18 pm
The facts, they hurt my eyes!
Comment By: Deborah Dormitzer
March 22nd, 2016 at 12:18 pm
How can you tell he’s lying? His lips are moving. Your post is correct; people with NPD use lies to achieve their goals.
Comment By: David R. Palmer
March 22nd, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Succinctly, cogently put â absolutely the very very best political summation every penned….
Comment By: Steve Smith
March 22nd, 2016 at 6:23 pm
If you look at what he is actually saying, it is … nothing. There’s no substance — it’s all boast and bluster and bullshit.
What would President Trump actually do? Nobody has the foggiest idea — and that is what scares people.
Comment By: Elaine Batterby
March 22nd, 2016 at 9:18 pm
his lips are moving
Comment By: Mary Chapman
March 22nd, 2016 at 10:18 pm
Oh so true