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Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

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Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#371

Post by hamtaroPhD06 »

Moshe_Silnorin wrote: post #340
pjdemers wrote: post #275

Disagreeing with each other's views on the economy, international relations, even the environment is good for the country. We need different points of view on important issues. But using race baiting to gain political power crosses a line that should never be crossed. He should not be helping to legitimize this.

I very much dislike Trump and would never vote for the man. Both sides use race baiting. Spurious use of the word "racist" against those who dislike government intervention and entitlements has basicly denuded the term of its once-quite-considerable power. They called Bush racist, wasn't true. They called Romney racist, a laughable claim. They called Trump racist and maybe this time there're right, but what does "rac…

When someone is racist and sexist, it is everyone's duty to call what they are: racist and sexist.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#372

Post by yolesaber »

_qbjt wrote: post #349
betolink wrote: post #240

People here giving Thiel a free pass on his views and support for bigotry is just disgusting.

Ironically, bigotry is defined as "intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself". I'm not defending Trump but it's fairly obvious to any non-partisan that the left wing is just as guilty of this.

So by your line of reasoning, we should feel bad because we don't tolerate neo-Nazis?

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#373

Post by gohrt »

betolink wrote: post #332
paulsutter wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's Peter's speech at the National Press Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob-LJqPQEJ4 Could you point out anywhere that Peter supports bigotry? Or even, a single crazy statement in Peter's speech? (I wouldn't defend Trump. I'm defending Peter, who I respect a lot). The speech runs from 2:40 to 15:50, and can be watched in 7 minutes if you change speed to 2x. (Thomas, I respect you a lot too. I've never seen o…

"They(Mexicans) are rapists and murderers" Take a look[1] you may have been stranded on an Island the last 2 years and perhaps you did not hear what Trump have said. Now, not all Trump supporters are racists (maybe Thiel isn't? who knows!), but all of them are telling us implicitly that racism and bigotry are not deal breakers. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37zvOZ17eSE

Trump said that illegal immigrants are "rapists and murderers and some good people", "not their best people". You can disagree strongly with Trump's claims about what motivates illegal immigration, but Trump's stated view is not racist: he discriminated between two groups within a single race, and did not distinguish between races.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#374

Post by betolink »

BurningFrog wrote: post #370
betolink wrote: post #332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"They(Mexicans) are rapists and murderers" Take a look[1] you may have been stranded on an Island the last 2 years and perhaps you did not hear what Trump have said. Now, not all Trump supporters are racists (maybe Thiel isn't? who knows!), but all of them are telling us implicitly that racism and bigotry are not deal breakers. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37zvOZ17eSE

Note that this Trump (mis)quote is in response to asking where Thiel says anything that supports bigotry.

Corrected now, unless I didn't hear right when he refers to Mexico sending people over and then "they are rapists" perhaps his subject changed and he was referring to Aliens?

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#375

Post by couchand »

mikekij wrote: post #286
randycupertino wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"believes in science and technology" Not really, since he denies global warming: https://youtu.be/CoxxGhLFbw4?t=2m25s

Not believing in a particular scientific viewpoint does not mean one does not believe in science. Most of the great scientific discoveries were at one point contrary to the collective scientific wisdom, e.g. heliocentricity, evolution, quantum mechanics, relativity. *Note: I'm not equating a lack of belief in AGW with relativity.

...and when presented with the weight of evidence, we accept reality and start to account for it. For instance, when we noticed that our refrigerants were busting a hole in our house, with strong political will we stopped making them, and today the ozone layer is recovering.

Imagine if Reagan had torpedoed the Montreal Protocol. That's what we're talking about here.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#376

Post by wtbob »

Jtsummers wrote: post #327
gnarbarian wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't call trump an extremist when half the country voted for him.

1) Seems a bit strong to tell someone what they can and can't say. 2) He didn't get half the country to vote for him. It looks like around 55-60% of voters turned out this year (the whole tally isn't calculated yet). Of those, he got less than 50% (as Clinton got more votes than him). So at best he seems to have gotten around 30% of the voters to vote for him. Not everyone is a voter (age, other disqualifying factors…

> Of those, he got less than 50% (as Clinton got more votes than him).

Mrs. Clinton also got less than 50% of the votes. Neither one won a clear majority of the popular vote.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#377

Post by gohrt »

betolink wrote: post #360
_qbjt wrote: post #349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically, bigotry is defined as "intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself". I'm not defending Trump but it's fairly obvious to any non-partisan that the left wing is just as guilty of this.

Except that to me racism is not a political view neither climate change.

racism and views on climate change are opinions, what else could they be? climate change is a complex and speculative topic that no one understands completely. no one has a climatechangeometer.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#378

Post by tptacek »

NhanH wrote: post #367
ForrestN wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. More people voted for Hillary Clinton. And the Electoral College is constitutionally enshrined to stop candidates like Trump. From wikipedia: James Madison argued against "an interested and overbearing majority" and the "mischiefs of faction" in an electoral system. He defined a faction as "a number of citizens whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common im…

You are not being consistent. Yes, the Electoral College was designed to stop the populist candidate if they are deemed unfit for President. And if said system ends up electing Trump, shouldn't you revise your belief, rather than sticking with it? The meme that more people is voting for Clinton is tired, and meaningless. You can't just assume with a different fundamental, the votes would have been the same: there are…

He just said Trump will be President. You're rebutting an argument he didn't make. Nobody is obligated to support the President. That's why it's called "the loyal opposition".

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#379

Post by heartbreak »

zaroth wrote: post #241
Rapzid wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we believe all the recently headlines about who he's bringing in it appears pure "pay to play". Lots of individuals who Trump "owes" through either money or support they provided to him; pure cronyism. I'm not sure Trump realizes what worked best in business, or what he felt worked best for him in what business he has done, is not necessarily best for operating policy. I'm not sure he cares. I suspect he might tho…

Ok, it is a skill keeping a train of thought going with those camera shutters going off 50 times a second. [1] I didn't see what you saw, but Trump sure looks tired. Anyone would be, I have no idea how they keep the pace they do. Oldest President-elect in history. My first executive order as President of the United States would be to ban camera shutters at my press conferences. [1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d…

I see fidgeting, I see him not looking at the President while he's speaking (watch how the President listens). Later with Speaker Ryan, President-elect Trump kept his hands beneath the table in his lap during the press conference. This is a businessman, and it's not his first time sitting at a boardroom table. He knows to keep his hands in view, and he's tired, stressed, and showing weakness.

I assure you the President is also tired and stressed, and probably feeling pretty defeated right now. He's putting on a public face despite that, and he's doing a much better job of it than his successor.

Give it time, though. In a few weeks the President-elect will be back to his confident self.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#380

Post by couchand »

pjscott wrote: post #346
woofyman wrote: post #95

I don't understand how a gay man can support a political party who's platform wants to reverse marriage equality.

His Reddit AMA has some interesting comments on that. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2g4g95/peter_thiel_te... He was asked "Why do you financially support so many anti-gay GOP politicians?" Which is exactly what you're wondering about. And lo, he answered: "If I thought they were anti-gay, then I would not support them. I do not find myself fully on the side of any of our political leaders -- because none of…

To describe Trump as simply warty is to vastly misrepresent or dismiss his proud racism and misogyny.
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