That screenshot is from the New York Times' list of all verifiable Donald J Trump lies since taking office. The list goes on and on - this is just what I could get a screenshot of.
To see the full list, go here
David Leonhardt asked people to send him comments about what they think he should do next.
I started to write him an e-mail, but it was so depressing I decided not to send it.
This is what I wrote:
Hi there -
Thank you for the list of lies! :)
One tragic consequence of Trump's lies is that reasonable people now doubt their own intuition and understanding of reality. We can't believe our 'lying eyes' anymore because even though I KNOW he's a hypocrite, it doesn't seem to change anything - he's still President, he still has supporters, people in a position to stand up to him, don't.
So, not only do I lose my own power to know right from wrong, I also lose the power to think anything i do will change anything. I lose trust in the institutions that have the resources and energy to stand up to him.
I don't think I'm alone in feeling that way.
That's the tragedy.
A successful democracy requires that people believe their vote matters and that we all share the same general list of values - including the idea that lying is not the way to behave and has consequences.
It sure doesn't feel that way these days.
It's depressing.
What do I want you to do next?
I'd like to hear what Trump supporters think about each of those lies. A regular Joe or Jane that voted for him, a pundit that supports him, and an administration official that works for him. What are their responses to each of these lies? How do they justify the lie?
How do they explain it to their children? Is this how they want the world to work all the time, or just when 'their' side wins?
I don't understand how they can think this is okay. It's not just one lie. It's not just a bit of spin. It's not even politician speak. I suspect a lot of them voted for him because he doesn't engage in 'politician speak' - but how can they trust Trump's lies any more than politician speak? I just don't get it.
Which leads me to the next thing.
Of course one of the things people will say is that Obama lied more, Clinton lied more, etc.
For that reason, I'd like you to verify whether that's true. Use the same criteria and find out how many lies each told.
That is a ridiculous and exhausting request because, as I mentioned before, it's an admission that we've lost all our power as reasonable people to trust our own judgment.
Also, I see some of the articles written about bias lately and I'm a victim of it myself so maybe the actual numbers are all we've got now. That depresses me even more.
After you've verified all the numbers of lies everyone has told, the people who support Trump (because I feel reasonably assured that Trump lies more - even without the numbers) will question the NYTimes and you personally, and still nothing will change.
So, maybe it's all pointless.
I feel defeated.
Sigh.
------
I'll write him to at least say I appreciated all the effort. And maybe a quick note. But, what I wrote is too sad and makes it all seem pointless.
I realize I am stymied by things that don't make sense. If you're telling me something and it doesn't make sense, I can't keep listening. I have to stop you and make you explain or make you help me understand.
Otherwise, I can't see the point of continuing the conversation. Why continue with a false or misleading statement? Why continue if I don't understand the foundation you're trying to build.
I don't think it helps my communication style. I interrupt and spend time taking people off their main point which makes them frustrated with me.
On the other hand - isn't it good to start with your main point? And don't you want me to understand?
That's what I think.
Anyway - Donald Trump and the Republicans are destroying democracy. All by themselves.
One thing Donald Trump and Republicans have in common is their ability to PROJECT everything that is wrong with them onto other people.
Off the top of my head the big whopper I hear is that Democrats are obstructionist.
It was Mitch McConnell (current Senate Majority Leader) at the beginning of Obama's presidency who said his main goal was to make sure nothing Obama did would get through.
He also came up with the idea that no new Supreme Court justices should be nominated in the final year of a President's term of office. He 'obstructed' Merrit Garland's nomination for a year. He should have told Scalia not to die in the last year of a President's term of office.
Trump becomes President - he now has a vacant Supreme Court vacancy to fill. McConnell wants Neil Gorsuch to get confirmed. Normally the Senate has a rule that 60 Senators have to vote yes to confirm a SC justice. Since there aren't 60 Republicans, McConnell and the Republicans change the rules so only 51 have to vote yes. With Vice President Pence voting for it, they get their 51 votes.
Donald Trump spent all of Obama's term of office talking about birtherism - he said the president wasn't even American. He never once apologized in public. Now - if anybody says anything about him that he doesn't like he screams about wanting an apology.
He also criticized Obama for playing golf once in a while.
Now that he's president he plays golf every weekend and thinks it's great.
I don't even care that he goes to his golf resort places that much - it's only because he criticized Obama for doing the same thing!!!
And he raged against Hillary Clinton for the Clinton Foundation. He said it was a way foreign governments could win favor with the Secretary of State (when she was one under Obama).
Within the first six months in office, while he was on his foreign trip to Saudi Arabia, Ivanka Trump's foundation received a huge donation from Saudi Arabia.
Those are a couple examples off the top of my head. It makes me so angry. And I feel powerless to stop it.
Republicans are terrible. Their policies are all about making quick money now - who cares about the future of Earth, we want to keep making money on fossil fuels!!!
"I scream at the top of my lungs What's Going On?"
