Since I'm older, I'll add Jimmy Carter to your list of "opposites." In the 80's, I was a teacher working on a project at the Carter Center in Atlanta. I was alone at a lunch table, and I heard a voice from behind me ask, "May we join you?" It was Jimmy and Rosalynn.
I know people who consider him to not have been a great President, yet they also believe he was one of the most personable, down-to-earth, and compassionate people who ever held that office.
Jimmy Carter is a wonderful human being that he continued to help for the less fortunate in being physically out there building habitat for humanity for affordable housing into his 90’s. In other countries, too. And i liken Jimmy Carter as one of the role model for Joe Biden. And i believe will follow w/good works for the country way after he is no longer president. 🥰
I am a clinical psychologist turned writer and find your observations accurate and fair.
You (and I) are totally opposed to a return of Trump, but I admire your fairness in acknowledging that Trump DOES have the charisma totally lacking in DeSantis.
Devotion to Trump is what we are up against.
The devotion stems from the connection millions and millions of untouchable Americans
(the basket of deplorables) feel with Trump.
Why?
Because unlike most of those other leaders you list, Trump CONNECTED with them.
He SPOKE to the common man and their values.
He made them feel proud of who they are.
No, not racists and bigots. Few of them are.
And now they cannot bear to realize he BETRAYED them.
He never believed in democracy!!!
He took his political policy stands (pro - life, etc.) ONLY to get their undying support.
He was and is massively successful in his scam.
To beat him will take a leader the working class and the young fall in love with.
Aloha🌺Dr. is it?? I think you may be in the wrong lane here. tRump had charisma?? Haha only to racists and violent thuggery. Don’t insult Adam w/your praises for 🍊narcissist diaper filled, disgraceful and ignorant fake ex president. Biden has more class in his baby finger than all of you mindless beings. We all know a cult when we see one. Our PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN is kicking ass every single day w/helping America. On day one he accomplished more in that day than 🍊lying blob did in 4 years. You don’t mind that his gross incompetence w/covid caused death of over 1million? HA, mostly his own supporters because he just HAD to go and MAKE THE DEADLY VIRUS POLITICAL. And tRump in his vicious non governing w/held help to democratic states saying they first had to kiss his diapered butt. Biden is President to ALL OF US. He jumps in to help republican states. Because you see Biden is the adult in the room. Whilst your 🍊blob is a racist, deranged juvenile who cannot tell a simple TRUTH. I haven’t seen ONE truth come out of his hateful mouth. And by the way you are working against your own self interests by the con man of the century who only cares for himself. Michal. Cohen who knows Rump the most besides his niece Mary, says the ones who love Rump the most are the ones who tRump hates the most. That he secretly makes fun of his cult for the way they dress and all need bath. And if any of you are “fat” he hates fat people. Even tho he sure is not slim himself. He throws his own kids under the bus. So please, Dr Troll spreading incendiary, go w/your nazi writers, not here. You are like a nuisance fly buzzing around and crapping on everything they land on. That’s automatic. GET LOST!!
Aloha🌺Dr Hall. Nice to see you’ve changed your mind somewhat. I read from you that the dems need someone and doesn’t have. So it seems to me you did NOT support Joe Biden as president. And you gave tRump some positive attributes that most REASONABLE people deny. tRump is NOT charismatic or successful in any way. know from reading Adam that what i am saying is a reflection of what Adam believes. I am delighted tho of what you are contending here that you now support President Biden. And will join we resisters to set our country on the right path. Mahalo so much.
Thank you, Joanne, for so graciously receiving my response to your comments. I am sorry I didn't make it clear up front that I wasn't intending the word charisma as praise.
I was using the term only to mean the capacity to magnetize, as possessed by many other dictators such as Hitler and Bin Laden.
I am also sorry that it sounded like
I didn't support President Biden when
I said Democrats don't have someone people are in love with.
I said that because I fear that those of us who want Biden are not showing him enough appreciation and passion to bring in the voters he needs to win.
You are certainly doing YOUR part,
I should have made MY strong support for Biden clear, right up front. Then you would have known I was with you all along.
I am an ally, but one who will be more careful with her words from here.
Love the fact that you didn't mince your words on this -- all so very true! Thanks for your raw honesty. And your analysis of former presidents (as well as our current one) was great to read -- and right on the mark. Excellent perspective -- and definitely generated a few laughs in the process!
Adam - I hope that you and the few Republicans who still have some spine and principals will gear up and do all you can to defeat facisim in 2024. There's nothing we can do about the cult, but we have to break through the Radical Right Media Silos and try to connect with Independents and long time Republicans like me, who look at the current state of our party and simply think WTF. Happy to Subscribe and Share
The "Punchable Face" is an interesting analysis and I believe it has validity. Whether you see the person or a picture of the person, what it creates is visceral reaction. It's that arrogance, smugness, and condescension looking DOWN on you, and you definitely want to punch it!
Funny.... just an hour or so ago I received an email in my junk folder from "Team DeSantis", with the subject of, "The Beginning of our Great American Comeback". I thought it might be referring to DeSantis turning his campaign around to appeal to more people. I should have known better -- apparently he is the one who is "determined to reverse the decline the radical Left has rained down across our nation by leading our Great American Comeback" (as the email message states). I forgot that Florida is where "woke goes to die". Guess he needs to expand it to the rest of the country. I actually am sick of hearing that word being tossed around and overused -- and really have no idea what it actually means.
The essence of "woke" is that government policy at all levels -- including its influence over private corporations and educational institutions -- should be used to guarantee equal socioeconomic outcomes for every imaginable "identity" group. It is essentially the Marxist promise of "From each, according to his ability, to each, according to his need."
In saying this, I am a centrist who supports a "progressive" policy of government whereby those who can best afford it pay most of the taxes required to fund government services -- including programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, and free public education through high school that primarily benefit lower income people. But we have had those programs in effect for 50 years and more, with mixed success, and in my opinion are about at the point where enough (income transfer) is enough.
Thanks for the explanation, because it seems that many "far-right people" -- and I'm not using that term disparagingly, as I have some very good friends who fit into that category!-- throw around that word to excess... referring to ANYTHING that has the slightest shade of blue instead of red.
Two things: I agree with you, but I also think DeSantis is (in a sense) a tragic figure, because he wants people to vote for him, but he doesn’t seem to be able to explain why they should, or why he wants them to. He doesn’t even hint at it, as far as I can see.
A person who has that much difficulty interacting even with people that like him is a hard person for me to hate, especially now that he doesn’t seem likely to ever become president. It seems that the Trump era has made a lot of mentally unhealthy politicians either more powerful, or more visibly unstable and more apparently amoral. Or all of those things. But I still feel bad for him. I would not want to be him.
Second thing: is this the appropriate place to tell you that I’d like to read your paid subscriber content but I don’t think I can afford it right now?
I think that there are a lot more people in the U.S. and the world to feel sorry for than DeSantis and other prominent politicians. I feel much sorrier for Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, and the few other Republicans who have essentially been ostracized by the MAGA wing of the Republican Party for having the courage and integrity to place Country (particularly as defined by the U.S. Constitution) above party. I know how that feels myself.
I hope it’s clear that for me it’s not a contest as to who is more deserving of my empathy. That kind of thinking is foreign to me. And to be clear-- I don’t ask or expect partisans to share my empathy for people who’ve caused pain for others. In fact the idea of debating who should or shouldn’t get my empathy, while absolutely understandable, certainly, really doesn’t have anything to do with my conception of what empathy means. We’re really talking about two very different topics. Empathy isn’t like an Uber rating, or a Yelp review.
Im pretty late to comment, but as a native Floridian (R) I have found it impossible to feel sorry for DeSantis because he is a bully, this is about him, like what he did to educators during the worst of Covid. Disney. But aside from that, I don’t think he can explain to us why we should vote for him because his agenda is personal and mostly not for the people. I think I’d have to be a hard right voter to feel he represents me.
Lawrence O’Donnell certainly doesn’t have a punchable face! I have admired your character during the January 6 hearings but you lost me on that remark! Snarky!
Really, Adam? And this is your first Substack post? It reminded me of Trump saying about Carly Fiorina, “Just look at that face.” I thought, perhaps hoped, that you would be above such pettiness. A “punchable face” implies that you or we or someone needs to punch the people you pictured. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a fan of any of them. I understand your rightful anger and that you certainly have a righteous axe to grind. But you are still mired in the personalities of politics. Just because you’re “in the game” doesn’t mean you have to play by their petty rules. Rise above! We need better players! Mostly, the game needs to evolve! And we need a better playing field where ideas and principles actually matter more than figuring out who should be punched. I’ve had nothing but admiration for you and the role you played on the Jan. 6 committee. That admiration took a punch today.
It's clear to me that what Adam says here is instinctively true. Apparently, there's also psychological research evidence as well. (See "Face Value: Facial Appearance and Assessments of Politicians" by Colleen M. Carpinella and Kerri L. Johnson
It caused me to consider who of the current Republican candidates have the qualities that Adam pointed out in his analysis of former Presidents' traits (as well as Joe Biden's). Is it too late for someone to emerge at this point in time -- who has "the charismatic appeal and communication skills" that apparently can get a candidate elected?
I am personally not a huge fan of Virginia's governor, Glenn Youngkin -- yet there has been an underlying current of speculation that he will jump into the race, despite his claims to the contrary. When asked directly about a Presidential run, he clearly stated that he wanted to focus on VA's upcoming elections (which take place on November 7, 2023). Will he change his mind on November 8th? I found it intriguing that CNN hosted an hour-long Town Hall with him six months ago.
It will be quite interesting to see if there is someone else who "suddenly" appears and declares his or her candidacy -- and if they have the qualities that Adam describes in this writing.
Aloha🌺I admire that you have a little humility and didn’t just write me off in anger. We all need to have some humility. I certainly do. But i have none for those maga fascists and current fake republicans who are trying to burn our country down. I know I can come on strong. And you are reflecting some deep thoughts here and being gracious, yourself. Mahalo so much. Here’s to wins 2024 🥰🙏🏽💙
I feel like the only way Trump has charisma is because a narcissist can appear charismatic, he tells you exactly what you want to hear and that is obviously appealing.
heh I spent a lot of time studying Ted Bundy
Hawlin' Hawley has a punchable face as well I think....
Since I'm older, I'll add Jimmy Carter to your list of "opposites." In the 80's, I was a teacher working on a project at the Carter Center in Atlanta. I was alone at a lunch table, and I heard a voice from behind me ask, "May we join you?" It was Jimmy and Rosalynn.
I know people who consider him to not have been a great President, yet they also believe he was one of the most personable, down-to-earth, and compassionate people who ever held that office.
Jimmy Carter is a wonderful human being that he continued to help for the less fortunate in being physically out there building habitat for humanity for affordable housing into his 90’s. In other countries, too. And i liken Jimmy Carter as one of the role model for Joe Biden. And i believe will follow w/good works for the country way after he is no longer president. 🥰
Thank you for your highly interesting analysis.
I am a clinical psychologist turned writer and find your observations accurate and fair.
You (and I) are totally opposed to a return of Trump, but I admire your fairness in acknowledging that Trump DOES have the charisma totally lacking in DeSantis.
Devotion to Trump is what we are up against.
The devotion stems from the connection millions and millions of untouchable Americans
(the basket of deplorables) feel with Trump.
Why?
Because unlike most of those other leaders you list, Trump CONNECTED with them.
He SPOKE to the common man and their values.
He made them feel proud of who they are.
No, not racists and bigots. Few of them are.
And now they cannot bear to realize he BETRAYED them.
He never believed in democracy!!!
He took his political policy stands (pro - life, etc.) ONLY to get their undying support.
He was and is massively successful in his scam.
To beat him will take a leader the working class and the young fall in love with.
The Democrats don't have one.
The Republicans have Tim Scott
and possibly Nikki Haley.
Am I scared of a Trump victory in 2024?.
You better believe it.
His voters are passionate.
Most of the rest of our country is asleep online.
Aloha🌺Dr. is it?? I think you may be in the wrong lane here. tRump had charisma?? Haha only to racists and violent thuggery. Don’t insult Adam w/your praises for 🍊narcissist diaper filled, disgraceful and ignorant fake ex president. Biden has more class in his baby finger than all of you mindless beings. We all know a cult when we see one. Our PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN is kicking ass every single day w/helping America. On day one he accomplished more in that day than 🍊lying blob did in 4 years. You don’t mind that his gross incompetence w/covid caused death of over 1million? HA, mostly his own supporters because he just HAD to go and MAKE THE DEADLY VIRUS POLITICAL. And tRump in his vicious non governing w/held help to democratic states saying they first had to kiss his diapered butt. Biden is President to ALL OF US. He jumps in to help republican states. Because you see Biden is the adult in the room. Whilst your 🍊blob is a racist, deranged juvenile who cannot tell a simple TRUTH. I haven’t seen ONE truth come out of his hateful mouth. And by the way you are working against your own self interests by the con man of the century who only cares for himself. Michal. Cohen who knows Rump the most besides his niece Mary, says the ones who love Rump the most are the ones who tRump hates the most. That he secretly makes fun of his cult for the way they dress and all need bath. And if any of you are “fat” he hates fat people. Even tho he sure is not slim himself. He throws his own kids under the bus. So please, Dr Troll spreading incendiary, go w/your nazi writers, not here. You are like a nuisance fly buzzing around and crapping on everything they land on. That’s automatic. GET LOST!!
Thank you for your forthright thoughts, Joanne.
I have read them several times and have gained insight from them.
Thank you for expressing your love of democracy
and your contempt for Trump for how he is trying to destroy it.
I totally agree with you that we must not allow
him to destroy our democracy.
We must band together to protect it.
It is true what you say: President Biden is the adult in the room.
He is indeed President of ALL OF US.
He does indeed jump in to help Republican states
and as you say he is kicking ass every single day with helping America.
I love to hear him speak.
I watched the video of him delivering his great recent speech on democracy
and was deeply moved by it.
Then I watched it again, and heard even more in it.
I join you in committing myself to support President Biden
and to work toward his decisive victory in November
and the complete defeat of Trump.
That was my position before I read your comments,
but my conviction is even stronger now that I have heard you.
Thank you again, Joanne, for writing.
Dr. Hall
Aloha🌺Dr Hall. Nice to see you’ve changed your mind somewhat. I read from you that the dems need someone and doesn’t have. So it seems to me you did NOT support Joe Biden as president. And you gave tRump some positive attributes that most REASONABLE people deny. tRump is NOT charismatic or successful in any way. know from reading Adam that what i am saying is a reflection of what Adam believes. I am delighted tho of what you are contending here that you now support President Biden. And will join we resisters to set our country on the right path. Mahalo so much.
Thank you, Joanne, for so graciously receiving my response to your comments. I am sorry I didn't make it clear up front that I wasn't intending the word charisma as praise.
I was using the term only to mean the capacity to magnetize, as possessed by many other dictators such as Hitler and Bin Laden.
I am also sorry that it sounded like
I didn't support President Biden when
I said Democrats don't have someone people are in love with.
I said that because I fear that those of us who want Biden are not showing him enough appreciation and passion to bring in the voters he needs to win.
You are certainly doing YOUR part,
I should have made MY strong support for Biden clear, right up front. Then you would have known I was with you all along.
I am an ally, but one who will be more careful with her words from here.
Again, I thank you for challenging me.
Love the fact that you didn't mince your words on this -- all so very true! Thanks for your raw honesty. And your analysis of former presidents (as well as our current one) was great to read -- and right on the mark. Excellent perspective -- and definitely generated a few laughs in the process!
Thank you Adam Kinzinger. You are spot on. I am a Florida resident and Everytime DeSantis shows his face it makes me want to wretch.
Adam - I hope that you and the few Republicans who still have some spine and principals will gear up and do all you can to defeat facisim in 2024. There's nothing we can do about the cult, but we have to break through the Radical Right Media Silos and try to connect with Independents and long time Republicans like me, who look at the current state of our party and simply think WTF. Happy to Subscribe and Share
For example, what to say to Republicans who really think that Donald Trump “stood up to Putin”?
Just laugh like hell in a maniacal way like the huge joke they contend.
The "Punchable Face" is an interesting analysis and I believe it has validity. Whether you see the person or a picture of the person, what it creates is visceral reaction. It's that arrogance, smugness, and condescension looking DOWN on you, and you definitely want to punch it!
Funny.... just an hour or so ago I received an email in my junk folder from "Team DeSantis", with the subject of, "The Beginning of our Great American Comeback". I thought it might be referring to DeSantis turning his campaign around to appeal to more people. I should have known better -- apparently he is the one who is "determined to reverse the decline the radical Left has rained down across our nation by leading our Great American Comeback" (as the email message states). I forgot that Florida is where "woke goes to die". Guess he needs to expand it to the rest of the country. I actually am sick of hearing that word being tossed around and overused -- and really have no idea what it actually means.
The essence of "woke" is that government policy at all levels -- including its influence over private corporations and educational institutions -- should be used to guarantee equal socioeconomic outcomes for every imaginable "identity" group. It is essentially the Marxist promise of "From each, according to his ability, to each, according to his need."
In saying this, I am a centrist who supports a "progressive" policy of government whereby those who can best afford it pay most of the taxes required to fund government services -- including programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, and free public education through high school that primarily benefit lower income people. But we have had those programs in effect for 50 years and more, with mixed success, and in my opinion are about at the point where enough (income transfer) is enough.
Thanks for the explanation, because it seems that many "far-right people" -- and I'm not using that term disparagingly, as I have some very good friends who fit into that category!-- throw around that word to excess... referring to ANYTHING that has the slightest shade of blue instead of red.
Two things: I agree with you, but I also think DeSantis is (in a sense) a tragic figure, because he wants people to vote for him, but he doesn’t seem to be able to explain why they should, or why he wants them to. He doesn’t even hint at it, as far as I can see.
A person who has that much difficulty interacting even with people that like him is a hard person for me to hate, especially now that he doesn’t seem likely to ever become president. It seems that the Trump era has made a lot of mentally unhealthy politicians either more powerful, or more visibly unstable and more apparently amoral. Or all of those things. But I still feel bad for him. I would not want to be him.
Second thing: is this the appropriate place to tell you that I’d like to read your paid subscriber content but I don’t think I can afford it right now?
I think that there are a lot more people in the U.S. and the world to feel sorry for than DeSantis and other prominent politicians. I feel much sorrier for Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, and the few other Republicans who have essentially been ostracized by the MAGA wing of the Republican Party for having the courage and integrity to place Country (particularly as defined by the U.S. Constitution) above party. I know how that feels myself.
I hope it’s clear that for me it’s not a contest as to who is more deserving of my empathy. That kind of thinking is foreign to me. And to be clear-- I don’t ask or expect partisans to share my empathy for people who’ve caused pain for others. In fact the idea of debating who should or shouldn’t get my empathy, while absolutely understandable, certainly, really doesn’t have anything to do with my conception of what empathy means. We’re really talking about two very different topics. Empathy isn’t like an Uber rating, or a Yelp review.
I am moved by the compassion of your comment.
Thank you.
Leaders are often tragic figures
who defeat themselves.
We can oppose them without hating them
I’m actually a little embarrassed that you’re that moved by something I said, but maybe i shouldn’t be. Thanks, Doc!
Im pretty late to comment, but as a native Floridian (R) I have found it impossible to feel sorry for DeSantis because he is a bully, this is about him, like what he did to educators during the worst of Covid. Disney. But aside from that, I don’t think he can explain to us why we should vote for him because his agenda is personal and mostly not for the people. I think I’d have to be a hard right voter to feel he represents me.
Lawrence O’Donnell certainly doesn’t have a punchable face! I have admired your character during the January 6 hearings but you lost me on that remark! Snarky!
Yes, a definite exception.
Really, Adam? And this is your first Substack post? It reminded me of Trump saying about Carly Fiorina, “Just look at that face.” I thought, perhaps hoped, that you would be above such pettiness. A “punchable face” implies that you or we or someone needs to punch the people you pictured. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a fan of any of them. I understand your rightful anger and that you certainly have a righteous axe to grind. But you are still mired in the personalities of politics. Just because you’re “in the game” doesn’t mean you have to play by their petty rules. Rise above! We need better players! Mostly, the game needs to evolve! And we need a better playing field where ideas and principles actually matter more than figuring out who should be punched. I’ve had nothing but admiration for you and the role you played on the Jan. 6 committee. That admiration took a punch today.
Someday if I can get my head above water, I will subscribe to you. I admire your honesty and integrity.
It's clear to me that what Adam says here is instinctively true. Apparently, there's also psychological research evidence as well. (See "Face Value: Facial Appearance and Assessments of Politicians" by Colleen M. Carpinella and Kerri L. Johnson
https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.62
Published in POLITICS, 31 August 2016.)
Agree with the write-up, but I'm left with a "yes, and?" feeling.
It caused me to consider who of the current Republican candidates have the qualities that Adam pointed out in his analysis of former Presidents' traits (as well as Joe Biden's). Is it too late for someone to emerge at this point in time -- who has "the charismatic appeal and communication skills" that apparently can get a candidate elected?
I am personally not a huge fan of Virginia's governor, Glenn Youngkin -- yet there has been an underlying current of speculation that he will jump into the race, despite his claims to the contrary. When asked directly about a Presidential run, he clearly stated that he wanted to focus on VA's upcoming elections (which take place on November 7, 2023). Will he change his mind on November 8th? I found it intriguing that CNN hosted an hour-long Town Hall with him six months ago.
It will be quite interesting to see if there is someone else who "suddenly" appears and declares his or her candidacy -- and if they have the qualities that Adam describes in this writing.
Aloha🌺I admire that you have a little humility and didn’t just write me off in anger. We all need to have some humility. I certainly do. But i have none for those maga fascists and current fake republicans who are trying to burn our country down. I know I can come on strong. And you are reflecting some deep thoughts here and being gracious, yourself. Mahalo so much. Here’s to wins 2024 🥰🙏🏽💙
I agree with all your "punchables." Even Larry O'Donnell. I can't watch him every night because he will get on my last nerve. But he has good guests.
I feel like the only way Trump has charisma is because a narcissist can appear charismatic, he tells you exactly what you want to hear and that is obviously appealing.
heh I spent a lot of time studying Ted Bundy
Hawlin' Hawley has a punchable face as well I think....