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    BobbySeriousBrendan O'Connor
    2/14/16 11:11pm

    Yeah I always had serious doubts about Trump’s claims that he was adamantly against the war. That position was insanely unpopular, considered anti-American and weak, two criticisms I can’t fathom Trump opening himself up to.

    Oh, and he fucking hates moooslums.

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      Let-Them-Eat-CAKE--WHHHA-ha-ha-ha-ha-haw-haw-haw-hakety-hak-hakBobbySerious
      2/14/16 11:18pm

      I’m certainly no Trump supporter, but let’s remember one thing. 12 years ago, Trump believed in national healthcare, a 10% tax on millionaires, and was pro choice. So, it’s not insane to believe he was against the Iraq war as well.

      Trump is playing politics as cynically as possible. He’s been throwing populist red meat to the rabble in order to get the Republican nomination. Now that he’s way ahead in the polls, he’s beginning to position himself to the left to take on Hillary or Bernie in November.

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      helgaperezBobbySerious
      2/14/16 11:21pm

      I don't think he hates Muslims. I think he finds it convenient to be seen to hate Muslims.

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    gramercypoliceBrendan O'Connor
    2/14/16 11:37pm

    What’s funny about the twitter conniption over this claim is, who gives a shit? A) he’s right, he wasn’t a politician, so who cares what he did or didn’t say? And B) is anyone seriously thinking, “You know, I was going to vote for Trump until I found out maybe he wasn’t really as opposed to the invasion of Iraq as he claims he was.”? Or, in reverse, is there anyone not already planning to vote for him who would change their mind if only we could dig up an extensive paper trail proving his opposition in 2002? Of course not. It’s ridiculous.

    I mean, this is such a weird thing to even research. It’s not even an entertaining exaggeration. It’s just irrelevant on every level.

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      GeorgeGeoffersonLivesgramercypolice
      2/15/16 12:05am

      Right? Like, who the fuck cares? It means absolutely nothing, neither him making the point (and he seems to think it’s a really important point), nor people trying to parse it.

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      Queen of Bithyniagramercypolice
      2/15/16 12:26am

      Yeah I mean like, seriously, do people actually care about matters of fact when they decide how to vote?

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    jroberts548Brendan O'Connor
    2/14/16 11:16pm

    Here’s a sentence I never thought I would say: I really wish Hillary Clinton could look at this issue with as much honesty and clarity as Donald Trump.

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      shelwoodjroberts548
      2/14/16 11:22pm

      I’m very confused, since Trump has never even met honesty or clarity. You want her to lie about it like he does?

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      ww1383jroberts548
      2/14/16 11:28pm

      Go to sleep.

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    Gabrielle CyniqueBrendan O'Connor
    2/14/16 11:17pm

    Ok it’s only two citations and they’re not completely dispositive, but they genuinely sound like he’s at the very least skeptical about the war. And true enough, as a candidate his every utterance is tracked and recorded but as a private citizen—even one with a huge media profile—he certainly could have easily spoken out more strongly against the war without those statements making their way into the media.

    Now given his propensity for prevarication and outright mendacious, I’m dubious he was full-throated anti war. But based on his recorded statements at the time, he certainly was much more reluctant than most in the Republican Party (though I am also doubtful he was actually in the Republican Party at the time).

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      CharitybGabrielle Cynique
      2/14/16 11:47pm

      Those statements could be spun in any way you want, though. In the same sentence, he says that Bush needs to take action on Iraq OR not take action. He suggests maybe waiting for U.N. action and then a breath later agrees that the Administration’s approach might be the best course but he isn’t sure about the polling. It’s a fairly ambiguous statement, and

      Sure, it’s possible that Donald Trump was more vehemently against the war than most — but unless there’s documentation of him saying that in public he has no business claiming to have been a “strong and loud” voice against it. Trump may be a private citizen but he is probably one of the loudest, most visible private citizens in the U.S. (before his candidacy). His opinions for the most part aren’t secret, and if for whatever reason he decided to keep his Iraq criticisms secret or private, he can’t trot them out now to portray himself as some kind of Cassandra.

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      Gabrielle CyniqueCharityb
      2/15/16 12:09am

      I just thought based upon the headline of “Donald Trump Lied About 9/11" there would be something morning damning or definitive. But I agree: you could read this any way you want. I always fall for the Gawker click bait!

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    CharitybBrendan O'Connor
    2/14/16 11:14pm

    Speaking of Iraq, Trump said, “Well, he has either got to do something or not do something, perhaps, because perhaps shouldn’t be doing it yet and perhaps we should be waiting for the United Nations, you know. He’s under a lot of pressure. I think he’s doing a very good job. But, of course, if you look at the polls, a lot of people are getting a little tired. I think the Iraqi situation is a problem. And I think the economy is a much bigger problem as far as the president is concerned.”

    This is a classic Trump Rorschach statement. You could spin it as pro- or anti- Iraq war with equal validity. Each sentence contradicts the one before; he literally expresses each opinion and its antonym in the same friggin sentence. His fans can just pick the sentence fragments they agree with and forget the rest of his paragraph... It’s quite incredible, really.

    Guys like Romney and Kerry are slammed as flipfloppers for changing opinions from audience to audience or even from year to year, but Trump can change opinions from sentence to sentence and still have this bizarre reputation for straight-talking, unapologetic honesty.

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      ABD2021Charityb
      2/14/16 11:25pm

      Trump is the opinion master. He simultaneously holds all opinions and no opinions at all.

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      stuckonrewindCharityb
      2/14/16 11:37pm

      People hear Trump like they read the Bible, so they’re wildly accustomed to ignoring what doesn't fit into their prefabricated viewpoint.

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    Brendan O'ConnorBrendan O'Connor
    2/15/16 10:56am

    The original headline for this post was “Donald Trump Lied About 9/11,” which is true, but is not actually what this particular post is about. We regret the (very, very stupid) error.

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      Justice Scalia's Favorite PillowBrendan O'Connor
      2/15/16 3:41pm

      Don’t worry, a unconscious mental connection between 9/11 and Iraq has been the desired outcome for literally 13 years. It just means our domestic CIA programs are working.

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    Kenhe LoginBrendan O'Connor
    2/15/16 8:42am

    Most people were in favor of invading Iraq, being against it was an unpopular position. For everyone vocally against it there were many more who were skeptical and opposed more to the specifics than the whole idea. It caused my father and mother to stop supporting the Republican party. Their opposition to gay rights further solidified their leaving.

    I was opposed but was careful about to whom I expressed my opposition. I did tell someone I knew professionally who was pro-war whose uncle was a conservative media figure that I didn’t think they would find WMDs. It was fun to point that out every few months when I would run into them.

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      kareemaKenhe Login
      2/15/16 8:54am

      I’m sorry you’re such a fragile flower that you couldn’t express your opinion.

      Some of us.... not so muc.

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      Kenhe Loginkareema
      2/15/16 8:58am

      I did express my opinion, but selectively. I made it a point to let some of my Muslim clients know. I remember one in particular because he was such a great guy, just one of those people who is great at life.

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    AdjraBrendan O'Connor
    2/14/16 11:39pm

    What is this headline about? This is pretty bizarre. Accusing Trump of lying while seeming to endorse one of the biggest lies peddled by the Bush Admin? Let’s be clear. 9/11 does not equal Iraq. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Brendan, what’s going on here?

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      rearwheelhorseAdjra
      2/15/16 12:13am

      Gawker Journalism. Or as I like to call it, click bait.

      Pro Tip: Download AdBlocker so they don’t make money off 100 word articles with click bait titles.

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      Hello_Madam_PresidentAdjra
      2/15/16 9:10am

      Iraq had everything to do with 911 in the minds of the citizens who supported the war, and connections were falsely drawn by politicians at the time. I don't understand this headline at all but Iraq and 911 are related in a ton of really dumb ways.

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    GeorgeGeoffersonLivesBrendan O'Connor
    2/14/16 11:49pm

    I was a businessperson. I was, as they say, world-class businessperson. I built a great company, I employed thousands of people.

    Bless his fucking heart. He can’t help himself. All of that bullshitting just to get to the point that he wasn’t an elected official at the time. I could take maybe five minutes of being around him. Maybe.

    “But if you look at 2003, there are articles. If you look the 2004, there are articles.”

    I keep saying it, but I’ve never heard someone speak like him. It’s not even ESL or Palinspeak. It’s a unique creation.

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      yamaha headsGeorgeGeoffersonLives
      2/14/16 11:50pm

      He sure as shit can’t. If it’s not world-class, or luxurious, or fantastic, or the best, it’s not worth doing!

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      Hello_Madam_PresidentGeorgeGeoffersonLives
      2/15/16 9:21am

      There’s something a little bit like, William Shatner-y about how he talks. William Shatner + Yoda...

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    GeorgeGeoffersonLivesBrendan O'Connor
    2/14/16 11:57pm

    He’s mostly right about his characterization. Of the people who mattered enough to have their opinions taken on this, he was ambivalent about the thing, at best, particularly when stacked up against most Republicans at the time.

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      kareemaGeorgeGeoffersonLives
      2/15/16 8:53am

      “Mostly right”

      Talk about ambivalence.....

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      GeorgeGeoffersonLiveskareema
      2/15/16 8:54pm

      As politicians go, “mostly right” is a pretty damn high level of rightness in an industry where the workers often blatantly lie to you right in your face as standard practice.

      And, as it relates to the particular issue, it fairly clear he was probably basically the only one on that stage who wouldn’t have been screaming bloody murder for the war.

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