With all the "Woe is Me...

[GiqueCee]

... the Sky is Falling" hysteria consuming all the oxygen in the room – and yes, it's hard not to curl into the fetal position, sucking our thumbs in abject terror – but take a deep breath, and remember who is benefitting most from all this chaos and destruction: Vladimir fucking Putin.
Oh, yeah, Trump's getting his revenge jollies, too, but he's too dirt stupid and insufferably arrogant to realize that his moment of reckoning is zooming up behind him. He, too, is completely expendable, as far as the former KGB agent is concerned. The vacuum of America's former global influence is going to be filled by none other than Vlad the Defenestrator. At least, that's been his fever dream for most of his evil life.
Do NOT lose sight of this irrefutable fact.

And here's your daily reminder: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for FAR less than what Trump has done so far, and he hasn't even hit third gear yet. He's gonna wish for wings when that open window fills his view.

[hlthe2b]

1. I find your glib attitude inexplicable.

Uggh.

[Irish_Dem]

2. There is no data to support your extreme optimism.

Hope is a good thing.

But your scenario is low probability at this point.

Trump is not dirt stupid.
Yes he is not an educated nor intellectually curious person.
But he has an animal cunning and street smarts.
He is a vicious ruthless psychopath.

There is zero reason for Putin to come after Trump.
Trump is delivering all of his promises for Putin.

[GiqueCee]

3. So did a great many of Putin's closest allies...

... who are now grease spots on the pavement. And a great many of those who worked closely with Trump would dispute your generous assessment of his intellectual capacity.

[Irish_Dem]

4. I disagree.

1. Trump is still quite useful to Putin. It would be foolish to get rid of him now.

2. I will stand by my assessment of Trump's abilities.
I have a PhD in a mental health field, my speciality was the intellectual and personality of assessment of
adults and children. My research topic was in the area as well. I prepared many reports to courts, schools,
employers about the intellectual ability of individuals.

3. It is ludicrous to say that a man who has become the most powerful person in the world
is stupid. A man who was smart enough to get into a situation where he is in control of the entire
US government and is allowed to take a wrecking ball to the US and the world. He is untouchable.

4. Psychopaths who are stupid are living in prison. Smart psychopaths don't break the law, they make the law.

5. The main reason Trump is in this position is because people kept underestimating him.
People who kept calling him stupid and weak. People who refused to believe what the mental health
community was saying and warning about.

6. And now it may be too late. To keep repeating silly excuses for Trump is becoming more and more dangerous.

[GiqueCee]

5. I never said that Putin would get rid of him now...

... but as soon as he becomes a liability, or outlives his usefulness, Putin's demonstrated malevolence should become a source of concern for Trump. Nothing can be predicted for certain; we all know that.
As for whether or not "stupid" is an accurate assessment, I do not have a PhD, but I am familiar with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, I am also observant, and I have been watching Trump's clown show for more than 40 years. He has a certain malicious cleverness, and he learned Roy Cohn's lessons well, but he has said and done things, in public and on record, that can only be described as just flat out stupid. And his arrogance is beyond dispute.
You stand by your thoughts on the matter, and I'll stand by mine.