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Trump wins debate despite peddling a lot of bs

Trump wins debate despite peddling a lot of bs

Make no mistake about it.  President Trump had a “yuge” win in the presidential debate.  It was due to two facts — that the former President tamped down the worst elements of his personality and that President Biden had the most disastrous performance in American presidential debate history.  Perhaps more the latter than the former.  Trump came across as confident and articulate, without being overly snarky – at least by his standards. 

The main counterpunch from the Biden side was an attack on Trump’s veracity.  For inexplicable reasons, Trump gave Team Biden enough fodder for the criticism.  Importantly, however, was the fact that the pushback to Trump’s exaggerations and fibs did not come from Biden, but various spokespersons and media folks AFTER the debate.   For the 80-plus million who watch cross several platforms, Trump looked strong and confident against the weak and occasionally incoherent Biden.

For his part, Biden seemed incapable of engaging in the debate.  Rather than counter Trump’s statements with facts, Biden settled for accusing Trump of lying, saying he had never heard so many lies … or malarky.  But no specific corrections.

To the chagrin of many of the left-leaning pundits and panelists, the moderators – Jake Tapper and Dana Bash – did not offer up instant fact checking.  That was by intent as part of the debate rules – and a good decision. (More on the genesis of the debate in a subsequent commentary).

CNN fact checker, Daniel Dale, called Trump out for 30 “lies” compared to 9 for Biden.  MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” played CNN’s report on what they viewed as Trump’s lies, but not the report on Biden – and that came after co-host Mika Brzezinski claimed that their network is devoted to balanced reporting.  (Unfortunately, we do not have a fact checker to expose media lies. But I digress.)

During the 2016 presidential campaign, I wrote a commentary describing Trump’s style as that of a political carnival barker – shouting out exaggerated claims about the events inside the tent.  He did some of that to his own detriment.

Trump exaggerates even when the truth serves him better and would prevent the negative pushback.  He claimed that people were paying four times more for groceries than in 2021 – the start of the Biden presidency.  That is a gross exaggeration, but not completely off the point.  Prices have gone up 20 percent.  Trump did not have to exaggerate the point to make the point.

Some of Trump’s dubious claims added nothing beneficial for him in the debate.  The claim that then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently admitted that the violence on January 6th was her fault was an issue of no consequence.  There was no reason to allege that without clear and compelling evidence – and Trump provided none.

While Trump critics hammered Trump’s alleged lies to bring the results of the debate into some semblance of balance, they ignore the fact that Trump made a lot of good points.  He had the advantage that voters tend to trust and believe him more on the major issues most important to them – immigration, crime, inflation, economy, drugs, etc.

Biden’s responses were weak, ineffective, incoherent or non-existent.  That enabled Trump to “run the table” with both fact and fiction.

Trump won big because there was no challenge to his statements.  What he said – accurate or inaccurate – went out to millions of viewers largely unchallenged.

Trump also won big because the pre-debate discussion made Trump’s behavior and Biden’s lucidity THE most important factors in the debate.  Trump remained reserved and cogent, while Biden had an hour and a half “senior moment.”  That is the only takeaway from the debate by the general public – those not carrying water for one side or the other.

While Trump clearly won the debate, we are yet to see what impact it will have on the race – short-term and long-term.  It is hard to imagine that Biden’s polling numbers will improve.  That leaves the only question of whether Trump’s will improve – and how much.  And will the aftermath of the debate influence the long-term trajectory of the Trump campaign? 

Trump came into the debate with a modest polling advantage – most within the margins of error.  Will this be a breakaway moment for him?  Have to wait and see.

And then there is the question as to whether Biden will now withdraw from the race.  Most observers lean to “no” but not with any confidence.  If Trump gets a more formidable opponent, his win may prove to be a Pyrrhic Victory.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

25 Comments

  1. Charles Covington

    I keep hearing about Trumps lies, but nothing of Bidens, maybe he was off a little bit about prices of groceries, not four times but about 40 %, i buy groceries and i am good at math, some items have doubled in price, also Trump has a record to run on, what the hell has Biden got, he can say i expanded the population by10 percent, i have really focused on destroying children, destroying Christian values, but not the first one of my policy’s has worked they have tuned to manure. My cabinet is composed of evil to the core, with core values of destroying the USA.

    • larry Horist

      Charles Covington … Exactly. CNN initially reported “lies” by both candidates, but the left-wing media only tells half the story. But to his own disadvantage. Trump tends to embellish, exaggerate and misstate too much. But Biden tells constant lies that the media refuses to fact check. Perhaps, I should do a commentary on that comparison.

    • LMB

      DITTO!!!! Well Said!!!

    • frank stetson

      Charles: No, it’s about 20%, not 40% and clearly not 400%. And yes, a 20% average could get you 100%. But 4 times. Not bloodly likely. Biden did not expand the population by 10% (if you are alluding to illegals), how can Biden destroy your Christian values? And a number of his landmark policies has indeed profited the people and the nation. You claim his cabinet is evil to the core. Can you specify because saying the entire cabinet are soul-sucking demons from the pits of hell seems a bit hyperbolic. As does “evil to the core.” I mean I do not like Trump, but pretty much know that’s a stretch call —- even if I narrowed it to the SCoTUS,

      As Horist said: it’s 30 to 9 on the lies. You can look them up to see Biden’s magic nine.

  2. Rick

    The demonocrats have used Biden all they can use him. They wanted a senile bumbling old front man while they destroyed our country from the background. To do so much damage to this country you would have to carefully plan it, which they obviously did, and they had enough demons in high positions to carry it out. The demonocrats know that Biden is finished (they can no longer use him) and that is why they put him out there even though they knew he was shot and would not be able to do it. It is all part of their plan to replace Biden now that they have used him up. The poor man should be in a nursing home. Who will they replace Biden with? It has to be someone that the silly liberals will be excited about. Guess who?

    • frank stetson

      Rick, now that you have backed into your conclusions, please enlighten us as to what brought you there.

      Got facts?

      • Archie

        I have facts. Biden is a fucking moron

        • frank stetson

          Archie’s expert opinion.
          But not facts.

  3. frank stetson

    Ah, the thrill of victory and the agony of da feet. Way to snap back and fire on all eight pistons. We can that, pulling a Biden :>). Horist who has been under false pressure of defeat and lashing out in biased, partisan, attacks suddenly rips out a coherent opinion supported well, IMO, by some tasty facts of a non-spinful variety. Bravo. Nailed it. If all Horstian stories could only be half as good as the tale he told here, PBP quality would rise rapidly, even with all the other unknown, unqualified, and un-resumed “writers” here. Thank you for this one Hoirst.

    I admit I did not catch the whole debate and shiver at the thought of re-watching. I was in hour 30 of a 40+ hour power failure where, after all that time, and 30 minutes before their ETR commitment, they added 12 more hours and the generator drone was affecting my mood as I watched the debate on my phone with really bad bandwidth constraints. Sunday morning and still a little shell shocked cleaning up the storm, but driveway clear, lawn close, and tree cutting won’t be so bad, just three down, only one fence break, pretty ez cuts.

    In Trump winning, more pertinent Biden’s dismal loss, Dems do have a lot to fear and that is, fear itself. As Democrats prone to do, we are running like chickens, heads off, every which way. We are terrible at Bush’s “not prudent to discuss at this time.” Trump’s got the energy, the momentum now, and Joe needs to rally everyone from donors to worker to voters, especially the voters. It was about anything-but-Trump, now there’s some “are you sure…..” and if that results in losing volunteer workers, losing more young and minority voters, or just not have a good turnout —- uh oh. Joe has often been his best from behind, but can he do it one more time?

    Be careful what you ask for Democrats: you set the conditions to avoid the mad man version of Trump and calm-Trump almost looked Presidential, lies and all. FYI: in thr 30 vs. 9 lie tallies, you have to run a quality check in that one lie does not equal another all the time.
    And it’s not so much the lies as it is what the lies mean in terms of policy. Mass deportations. Mass retribution. Mass judicial assignments to the far, far right. Mass tax cuts. Mass tariffs. It’s the lies that support these policies that matter.

    Second, and this is the important one left unsaid” What happened Joe? Why were you DOA in debate and on fire the next day in Carolina? Did you really get scarred of a test and not do the drugs that you did the next day at your rally? A cold? NyQuil perhaps? Seriously, just a bad night? If so, how many bad nights do you have in a month? Nope, you may bounce back, you may leave this behind, but it’s never going to be forgotten. I don’t agree it’s the worse —- Nixon’s sweat job was pretty bad for example. But it was bad, really, really bad. And I think Joe even fell prey to stutterer’s phobia as he stumbled but, unlike normal, he didn’t push through, instead he just ………….. stopped………. Froze……… deer in Trump’s headlights.

    I will say this — I only caught Trump once meanly picking on that, something about “I don’t even know what you said……” but weirdly stayed hands-off the stutter. Wise move.

    My take: I’m defensive first, but quite offensive in case you haven’t noticed. Bull in a China closet I have heard, more than once. I recommend replacing Harris with Barak Obama for VP. Totally legal, re-energizes the campaign, rebuilds the black vote, and don’t tell me about Joe’s age, we got that one covered. Not to mention the joy of seeing the Gilbertson’s of the world choke on their own bile.
    Next, I will call out a Trump lie that Horist wisely left untouched.

  4. BobM

    Using statistics and reports that are themselves fudged by one particular side does NOT make them gospel.

    Larry, you need to dig a bit more before you type a single letter.

    For instance: It’s been well established Trump requested peaceful protest on Jan 6th. It’s been established that he offered the National Guard to Pelosi and the DC mayor, both of whom refused it. And Pelosi’s OWN daughter provided the video tape of Nancy admitting she was responsible for not accepting it.

    Now, why was that part of the debate? Simple: To establish the Democrats’ claim that Trump is the next dictator for life (as he “clearly” attempted to do in 2020.) Except we know a few things: First, he did end up relinquishing the Office. And now we know that Pelosi effectively manufactured the “crisis” (arguably for political purposes.)

    And yet you still call out Trump for it? You’ve been eating the pablum. Lay off the peyote buttons and put 3 and 3 together to get to 6. Whatever happened to Reagan’s philosophy about talking trash about fellow republicans?

    • larry Horist

      Bob …this commentary only deals with Trump. There is another in the pipeline that deals only with Biden. Also, there will be one to deal with the one sided claims re lying. Biden is no amateur when it comes to prevarications and that part of the story needs to be told. .. and will be told.

    • frank stetson

      Tween BobM and Darren, we hear many of the same old falsehoods absolving Trump for 1.6.2021 and blaming Pelosi. Now we’ve adding some live clips edited by The House Insinuation before Investigation Committee as adjudicated on X, as is their way. Mr. Jordan and Mr. Comer are worse than McCarthy in their hyperbolic pursuit of weaponization and crimes they cannot prove in court. Often, they air rumors, outtakes, and allegations before they air evidence. They like to try things in the court of FOX and now turn to X as their friendly platform to air their spin. They represent the worst of America and just a hint of what happens if Trump returns to DC.

      Darren states: “For instance: It’s been well established Trump requested peaceful protest on Jan 6th.” Yeah, he might have. But it wasn’t. Trump says a lot of stuff he does not mean. He lies a lot. But before the speech on 1.6.2021, I believe the headline was Trump’s own cry to his army: “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”

      What’s as important is what did the protestors hear. A member of Red-State Secession Group the night before heard: “If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.”

      In mid-December 2020, Kelly Meggs, Florida’s OathKeeper heard: “He wants us to make it WILD. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!!” And then there were all sorts of posts about arms…

      Stewart Rhodes heard in December: “Trump needs to know we support him in using the Insurrection Act. And he needs to know that if he fails to act, then we will.” He added then he believed the Trump’s Secret Service would be “happy to have us out there if Trump “calls us up as militia.”

      Their words resonating to Trump’s words that clearly were not of a peaceful rally and protest.

      During his speech, Trump used the word fight over 20 times having his audience scream “fight for Trump, fight for Trump” numerous times. Trump prefaced all with “We will never give up, we will never concede,” and later, “we will not let them silence your voices, we will stop the steal.”

      Some of his fight club lines: “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,”

      “And you have to get your people to fight. And if they don’t fight, we have to primary the hell out of the ones that don’t fight.”

      “And we want to be so nice. We want to be so respectful of everybody, including bad people. And we’re going to have to fight much harder.”

      “I’d fight. So I’d fight, they’d fight, I’d fight, they’d fight. Pop pop. You’d believe me, you’d believe them. Somebody comes out. You know, they had their point of view, I had my point of view, but you’d have an argument. Now what they do is they go silent. It’s called suppression and that’s what happens in a communist country. That’s what they do, they suppress. You don’t fight with them anymore. Unless it’s a bad story. They have a little bad story about me, they make it 10 times worse and it’s a major headline.”

      “And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

      Previous to Trump Rudy revved up the crowd with: ”Let’s have trial by combat.” But it was Don Jr. and Mo Brooks that really went off the rails inciting the riot that was already planned by the seditionists. Mo said: “start taking down names and kicking ass.” He added how “our ancestors” sacrificed their “blood, their sweat, their tears, their fortunes, and sometimes their lives” and the asked the rioters if they were “willing to do the same.” He said: “Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America!” Yelling, he finished with “carry the message to Capitol Hill” because “the fight begins today.”

      Don Jr. might have been worse, can’t find the transcript. And before you say Mo and Rudy are not Don, remember, his party, his stage, his friends, and he came later with plenty of time to correct. But he chose to say FIGHT about 23 times instead.

      Trump may have mouthed some words about peace, but he spoke a lot more about a fight. A fight for the very soul of their country. A fight for Trump. His co-speakers were more plain — they called for open war. A fight for your country by fighting your country. And the audience screamed, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, as Trump gave a thumbs up salute and sent them on their way to the Capitol.

      Many, in the court records, under the threat of perjury, claimed they were there because, with his words, Trump sent them to the Capitol to fight. Trump has never denied them, never sued for perjury.

      • frank stetson

        BobM says: “It’s been established that he offered the National Guard to Pelosi and the DC mayor, both of whom refused it.” This fake factoid has been debunked more times than Jordan has bought short sleeve shirts from Walmart. There is no documentation showing Trump offered the National Guard. To anyone. None. There is a reported he-said, he-said conversation that a Trump loyalist supposedly overheard and reported. Why would Trump even offer them to Pelosi? She is not with the military, she is not with the police, she is not even the Senate Chair. If Trump didn’t like the answer, why not just call McConnell? He has the same level of responsibility that Pelosi does at the Capitol.

        Many times, it has reported that the SoTH, Republican or Democrat do not control the armed forces. They do not control the Capitol Police. Neither their responsibility or authority. The organizational structure sucks; that’s one fallout from the 1/6 Republican Seditionist Attack on Congress. Pelosi sits on an oversight committee with other Republicans and Democrats, but oversight is not operations.

        No Congressperson has the authority to activate the National Guard from DC or their home state. Only the president, defense secretary and U.S. Army secretary do.

        Like all House speakers, Pelosi has a loose, and shared responsibility for Capitol security at best. It’s the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms that serve as the Capitol’s top law enforcement officers. They have this, and other responsibilities. These positions report to the House speaker and Senate majority leader, respectively. That would have been Pelosi and McConnell at the time. And it’s the two sergeants-at-arms, along with the Senate doorkeeper and the Capitol architect, comprise the board that oversees the Capitol Police. Not Pelosi. Not McConnell.

        It’s the Sergeant at Arms that made the call 30 minutes into the Republican Assault on Democracy to the Pentagon for support.
        IOW, the organizational structure sucks. First, it’s divided tween the House and Senate with neither in control or a strict governance model of who is responsible for what. Second, while Pelosi/McConnell are reported to by the “at arms,” it is not clear whether they actually control ANY police actions or preparedness. The board is responsible but who is the board responsible to? The Capitol Police Board has Congressional oversight by appropriations and authorizing committees from the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. This oversight affords the Department the support and opportunity to continually ensure that the USCP meets the safety and security needs of the Congress, the staff, and visitors. Pelosi and McConnell may or may not be on those committees.
        Clear as mud this chain of command is not. Not even clear as mud. IMO, there is a need for clear accountability here and in close to 4 years, no changes.

        Nonetheless, records prove that Pelosi approved a Jan. 6, 2021, request to seek support from the National Guard. Records further show that Pelosi pushed to get National Guard troops to the U.S. Capitol when their deployment was delayed by hours that day by the Pentagon for some unknown reason, something about optics. That is all documented.

        But nothing is documented about a Trump request. Ever. Before, during, or after.

        Aaron Bennett, Pelosi’s spokesperson, stated that the 1/6/2021 footage, the entire clip, shows Pelosi called Pentagon officials who can authorize use of the National Guard and urged them to deploy the guard. This call was made after the Sergeant at Arms put the request into the Pentagon. Jordan and Comer did not show THAT clip.

        Records show that 30 minutes into the Republican Attack on Congress, Paul Irving, House sergeant-at-arms, asked Pelosi’s chief of staff for permission to contact the Pentagon for National Guard support at 1:40 p.m. Pelosi approved immediately. Because of a delayed approval from Pentagon officials, for some strange reason, perhaps fearing optics, the National Guard troops didn’t arrive at the Capitol for another four hours. Trump, charged with defending the nation; Trump the commander in chief; Trump who watched it all on TV, did absolutely nothing.

        At one point, on tape, Pelosi tells targeted VP Mike Pence, “And we were disappointed that the fact that it took so long to approve the National Guard. But I’m glad to hear that that’s at least moving.”

        There’s 45 minutes of clips of Schumer and Pelosi as part of the new footage that HBO sent to the Oversight Subcommittee. The subcommittee has not shared these clips on its website or social media accounts.

        Remember, Trump’s party, Trump’s people, Trump sent them, Trump watched on TV for over three hours doing nothing to help. Trump, our commander in chief, charged with defense of the nation. If this was a Russian attack, we would be three hours dead.
        FYI: The defense deployed by the Capitol Police has worked since the 60’s. They expected street skirmishes, they did not expect an organized breach. Remember, Trump’s rally, Trump’s people, Trump sent them to the Capitol. Trump said he was coming but hid instead in the White House, eating burgers, telling the panicked asking for support to quiet down, and as Commander In Chief, doing nothing for over three hours as war broke out in the Capitol.

        It’s on YOUR WATCH. You should make it right, the right way, so do the right thing and get this guy to court.

        • frank stetson

          And finally, for all you clip watchers, you power point deep thinkers, where x marks the news, and where some of you believe sources like #demssuckbigtime. Here we go”

          Jordan and Comer of the House Insinuation before Investigation Committee use spin, innuendo, and other false forms of fake logic to make you believers in what they air out in X or FOX, but never in COURT. This time it’s a few sound bites out of a 45 minute tape where Pelosi runs her staff through the paces about why Capitol Police lack of preparation for 1.6.2021. She was clearly pissed and frustrated in her response.

          As many point out, no member of Congress has the unilateral authority to activate the D.C. National Guard. Only the president, defense secretary, and U.S. Army secretary can. Despite his fake claims, Trump made no such authorization ahead of or on the day of the riot. There is no documentation supporting his lies. Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the D.C. National Guard commander, testified before the Jan. 6 Committee that he was authorized during the summer to call out the troops for those disturbances. However, mysteriously, in the days before the riot, Pentagon officials had severely curtailed his ability to do so without approval from Trump’s Army Secretary. Specifically, on January 5, there is a memo that stating his requirement in the Trump administration to have approval from the Secretary of the Army and Defense before preparing troops to respond to a civil disturbance. Explain how that happens when your Felon King is Mr. Law and Oder.

          The quote in question is: “We did not have any accountability for what was going on there … and we should have,” said Pelosi. “Why weren’t the National Guard there to begin with … I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more.”

          The problem is, but wait, there’s more…..

          The new footage, in it’s entirely, does not prove Pelosi being at fault. Comer and Jordan gave you snipets that spun the narrative stupidly in their direction. Stupid because they had to know we would get the entire tape. But they play the game one news cycle at a time and suffer zero consequences for lying and getting caught. The entre 45 minutes actually aligns with previous statements while adding depth to previous snippets of Alexandra Pelosi’s footage and the HBO documentary that was released in 2022.

          Pelosi is leaving the Capitol, frustrated, and questioning why Capitol security was not adequate. Pelosi also suggests that Capitol security officials should have been more transparent with lawmakers about what they were hearing. She notes that the major guidance is to use the underground tunnels from the office buildings to access the Capitol, rather than walking outside. Her aide, McCullough, begins to tell Pelosi that Capitol security officials believed they were adequately prepared — which aligns with testimony other Pelosi staffers gave to the Jan. 6 committee — but the speaker cut her off, adding that leaders have a “responsibility” and “we didn’t have any accountability for what was going on there and we should have.” “What is missing here in terms of anticipation?” Pelosi asked, referring to the security planning. She adds “Because it’s stupid that we should be in a situation like this, because they thought they had what? They thought these people would act civilized? They thought these people gave a damn? What is it that is missing here, in terms of anticipation?”

          If you listen to the entire 45 minutes, it becomes clear that Pelosi is saying “we didn’t have any accountability for what was going on there and we should have.” It’s a royal we for all involved. We all failed the nation on that day. Starting with the Commander in Chief who demurred and did not.

  5. Darren

    Pelosi has had here words on that recording since J6th.
    Why do you suppose it is finally played Now?
    Because she know it will come out in either Court, or when the Republicans
    take control and she is softening the blow to herself as Joe goes down.
    I do not know of one item that has gone up a simple 20%.
    I would say on average 35 to 45 %.
    The main take away for me is Biden WAS the best he could be!
    Trump was not and with that he still crushed it.
    So whos hands are on the Nuke Codes, Joe or Jill?
    The problem with the Dem news media is they are not journalists!
    They all appear to all be friends with the Biden’s as this is what was spoken by them after the debate!
    So lets take people who enjoy the likes of being around political power people and make them
    deliver the news.
    And people wonder why the news is corrupt and one sided!

  6. frank stetson

    During the debate, Trump said: “As far as Russia and Ukraine, if we had a real president, a president that knew — that was respected by Putin, he would have never — he would have never invaded Ukraine.” That’s a pretty normal lie, Horist did not call out specifically, but the one that Horist did not mention and is a real eyeopener was:

    Trump then added: “I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelenskyy as president-elect before I take office on January 20th. I’ll have that war settled,” he boldly claimed. Then he said that when Putin saw that, he said, ‘You know what? I think we’re gonna go in and maybe take my …’ This was his dream. I talked to him about it. His dream,”

    Did Putin actually speak to Trump about attacking Ukraine? Before or after the war began? If before, oh my, he’s a traitor. If after, is Trump talking to our adversary during an active war against said adversary? Is he pulling a Jane Fonda? That did not end well for Jane.

    And Biden said nothing, he did not react. I was floored, still am.

    • larry Horist

      Frank Stetson …There is no way to prove Trump’s claim that he could have prevented the invasion. That is just an opinion . His opinion. He could be right. Your turning that into a lie says more about you unbridled hatred for Trump than the believability ability of Trump’s claim. We should be abl to agree that Biden botched both Ukraine and Israel badly — and Afghanistan. Although I know you would not agree. LOL

  7. frank stetson

    Hoirst: As a fact, it’s a lie. As an opinion, it’s a maybe. Just as the peace during Trump’s time may have nothing to do with Trump. Could be covid for one year….

    But you claim it’s all about my “unbridled” hatred of your Felon Rapist King, the Great Defamer while you leave out the fact that Trump claims conversations with Putin, perhaps before the war even. Trump is talking to Putin, and after that, either the war starts which would be traitorous or the war continues which makes you wonder how much “control” Trump really has over Putin. Or maybe King Trump just likes the war for other political reasons. Could it be your “unbridled” love for Trump “policies” that blinds you to Trump’s Jane Fonda + moment consorting with our number one adversary enemy? Is Trump being as pro-Ukraine as you want by talking to Putin behind Biden’s back?

    And yes, I really fault Biden for not jumping all over that one. Talk about a missed opportunity..

    • larry Horist

      Frank Stetson … Perhaps it would be a lie if it were a FACT. But as an opinion … it is just yours against his. You are like that doll that sends out the same old message every time you pull the string. You write so many words to provide so little new or useful information …. and mostly harangues based on your hate driven opinion of Trump, Republicans and conservatives — AND all that Trump did as President. I have challenged you and others to give some things he did that you liked … crickets. That says it all.

  8. frank stetson

    Horist quips: “You are like that doll that sends out the same old message every time you pull the string.” And yet he has yet to mount a decent defense or comeback even. Recently, I offered Hoirst an olive branch suggesting that we drop the personal attacks and focus on the issues. He did not respond, so, the game is on Mr. Pugnacious Prick. The Conservative Curmudgeon. Born old. Horist has gone through life being the “guy who picks a fight and then blames the other guy for starting it.” Not my words, they are the words of what Horist calls a positive story. Can’t wait to see the others. He’s got 50 years of experience at this. It’s how he makes his money, gets more readers, it’s his career. He needs to pick fights, avoid the issues, avoid the truth, to keep his clicks up, his readership up, his pay up. Me —- I’m retired and don’t need anyone’s pay. I’m just here for a good time and Horist is low hanging fruit when it comes to a good old fashioned put down which he continues to beg for it. As a really old man, with really old ideas, Horist has much in common with old America’s favorite pastime, baseball. For with Horist as with baseball, when you hit it with a stick, the crowd cheers!!!!

    Batter up, buttercup cuz I am your huckleberry.

    As Hoirst says, this commentary is about Trump. Specifically the Trump lies that Horist cannot be call out lest he be Kinzingered. It is long, but don’t blame me, they are most of Trump’s lies, but not all. He lies a lot. Horist accepts a lot of lies. He does not love the man, but he loves the poLIEcies.

    Trump says Biden: “allowed millions of people to come in here from prisons, jails and mental institutions.” Immigration experts say Trump’s claim is a lie. Immigration officials arrested about 103,700 noncitizens with criminal convictions (whether in the U.S. or abroad) from fiscal years 2021 to 2024 including people stopped at and between ports of entry. There are no “millions” from prisons and jails. Currently there is a statistically significant drop in illegals although could just be the weather or Biden’s negotiations with Mexico that has increased their interdictions. Source is INS and CBP.

    Trump: “I gave you the largest tax cut in history.” Trump’s tax cut was, after inflation adjustments, only number 4 since 1940. In terms of a GDP percentage, it ranked seventh in history. The source is the Treasury Department.

    Trump: “The only jobs (Biden) created are for illegal immigrants and bounce-back jobs, bounce back from the COVID” The number of employed Americans born in other countries rose by about 5.6M under Biden. Americans employed increased by almost 7.4. These include all foreign workers, illegal and legal. There is no way Trump could determine different. By 6/22, Biden’s job creation surpassed the pre-pandemic Trump high by over 6.2M jobs more. Trump lies. Source: BLS

    Trump: Pelosi said “I take full responsibility for Jan. 6.” That is a lie. Pelosi said, “I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more,” referring to U.S. Capitol security. She did not say she took responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. She does not have the authority to be able to take responsibility any more than Mitch McConnell. Pelosi approved a Jan. 6th request during the attack to seek support from the National Guard according to documents. Documents and the documentary show Pelosi pushed to get National Guard troops to the U.S. Capitol when their deployment was delayed by hours that day. FYI: Biden was the ultimate victim of Trump’s 1/6/2021 escapades. Along with the Presidency and the country.

    Trump: “We had the greatest economy in the history of our country. And we have never done so well. Every- everybody was amazed by it. Other countries were copying us.” On the numbers, this is a lie. On the statistics, this is a lie. Most of the common metrics used to judge economic performance bespeak the lie. GDP under Trump averaged 2.49%. Bill Clinton delivered 3.88% and he had to work all eight years, not just a short four. If you look post covid, Trump drops to 1.18%. That’s Hoover country.

    GDP Growth between 1962 to 1966 ranged from 4.4% to 6.6%. A great year, like 1950 and 1951, is between 8.7% and 8%. FYI: Biden’s numbers are better than Trumps.

    Trump’s economic lie is shown by employment too. Just before covid, the unemployment rate stood at 3.5% in 2/10. Lowest since 69, but not the lowest. As he left Biden holding the bag, Trump’s unemployment rate was 6.3%. Biden has hit 3.4% a few times which is lower than the best month during Trump.

    The S&P 500-stock average closed at 67.8% above where it had been the day before Trump was inaugurated. Obama hit 84.5%. Clinton 79%. Biden is at 40% and climbing.

    Trump: said he claims he did not refer to U.S. soldiers who were killed as “suckers and losers.” Many US officials and military have confirmed Trump said this, or something damned close. A senior DoD Department official and a former U.S. Marine Corps officer having direct knowledge noted how Trump said he did not want to visit the cemetery because it was “filled with losers.” A senior U.S. Army officer confirmed these two gents as well as a former senior U.S. Marine Corps officer. John Kelly confirmed to CNN the essence of what Trump said.

    Trump: “People are coming in and killing our citizens at a level like we’ve never seen before.” Some migrants have been charged with heinous crimes in different parts of the country. They include the suspect in the high-profile murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Studies find that illegals commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans.

    Government statistics show a very small fraction of migrants processed by Border Patrol have criminal records in the U.S. or other countries that share criminal information.

    Trump: “If you look at the former governor of Virginia, he was willing to do this — he said ‘we’ll put the baby aside and we’ll determine what we’ll do with the baby’…meaning we’ll kill the baby.” Braggadocio? In a 2019 radio interview then-governor of Virginia Ralph Northam addressed a hypothetical scenario in which a fetus was severely deformed or wasn’t otherwise viable. He said, and I quote, “the infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired.” Northam did not say the fetus should be killed and FYI: killing a newborn baby is illegal in every state, and not a single state is trying to change that. This is an egregious, hateful, and inciteful lie.

     Trump: “[Biden] basically went after his political opponent (Trump) because he thought it was going to damage me, but when the public found out about these cases, ’cause they understand it better than he does, he has no idea what these cases are, but when they found out about these cases, you know what they did? My poll numbers went up, way up.” There is no federal jurisdiction over state cases. Trump does not understand State’s Rights apparently. The Manhattan DA’s office is a separate entity from the U.S. Department of Justice.

    Trump: “I’m the one that got the insulin down for the seniors. I took care of the seniors.” During Trump, Medicare created a voluntary program in 2020 that some plans and people took advantage of. Lily started it, their CEO is the “mastermind.” Of course, big business starts it, volunteer so only half the plans have it, and Medicare ended the policy in 2023 when Biden did it right via the IRAct making the discount universal, not voluntary.

    Trump: “He wants open borders. He wants our country to either be destroyed or he wants to pick up those people as voters.” Biden reversed numerous Trump-era immigration policies, including a program that required migrants to await their asylum hearings in Mexico. Biden has never endorsed or implemented an “open borders” policy. That’s a myth from and for people who understand banners but not multi-faceted complex issues.

    Biden has embraced some restrictive border policies that mirror rules enacted by Trump. He disqualified migrants from asylum if they crossed into the country illegally after not seeking protection in a third country. Biden recently went with an even stricter policy: a proclamation that has partially shut down asylum processing along the border. Biden has over 4 million deportations, expulsions and returns of migrants since 2021, according to government data. He has deported 1.1M as of Feb against Trump’s 4 year 1.5M deportations. He will surpass Trump easily.

    Only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections. Takes five years or more as a citizen to vote

    Trump: “But he’s (Biden) got the largest deficit in the history of our country.” The national deficit was the largest it had been in over two decades under Trump’s administration, not Mr. Biden’s, according to data from the U.S. Treasury.

    This clearly shows how Trump has no grasp on reality. You be the judge — either a consummate liar for profit OR crazy. There is no way, except complete lunacy, that he did not know the truth and STILL opted for the lie since he KNOWS his sheep will believe him no matter what outrageous thing he spews. They always believe. You can show them the truth, the still believe Trump. Yyou can show them Trump’s lie, they always believe their Felon Rapist King because they know NY lies, witnesses lie, the documents lie and that bitch, oh that bitch lies. To believe Trump’s lies and rationalize their belief system, they have trashed the press, the DOJ, the FBI, the police, the courts, judges, juries, witnesses, and even documents. Now, only Trump is the truth for Horist who loves the poLIEcies.

    • larry Horist

      Frank Stetson …. I see your Tourette’s has kicked in again….LOL. You are one certifiable nut case. Frank… this thread is a week old. No one is reading all the crap you write here. So many angry and bitter words … so many meaningless childish insults … for naught. The only reason I know what you write is because I automatically get an email when you respond to my commentaries If it was not for that, even I would not know of you responses. If you think your obsessive bullcrap is reaching an audience, you are indeed a old fool of the first degree. Even I did not read past your first paragraph — but I did see how looooong you went on, Your jealous obsession-driven rants are knocking you off your rocker. Get a grip old man and stop pissing into the wind.,

      • frank stetson

        “Frank… this thread is a week old. No one is reading all the crap…..” Like sands in the hour glass, Horist subliminally states the God’s honest truth of his life’s work. Each of his articles is worth no more than a week’s relevance. Truer words never penned.

        Horist gets very upset when one uses his words to suggest what he thinks perhaps because he does not think when he writes :>)
        He boldly claims: “table” with both fact and fiction.”, which is a major point of this tome. He says he does not love the man, but the policies so he’s willing to vote for this man. Along the way, he seems to lie to himself to rationalize voting for a turd. And not a polished one. Not at all.

        He says: “ For inexplicable reasons, Trump gave Team Biden enough fodder for the criticism” where he’s talking about Trump’s plethora of lies. It’s as if it’s new news to Horist who finds it inexplicable that Trump does what Trump always does, always has done, will always do: lie to you. But I love the poLIEcies. I say: do you even know which ones are lies? For example, you said he said he lowered the cost of insulin. He did not, it was a voluntary program suggested by a big pharma ceo that only a fraction participated in. For example, his energy prices made us a net exporter when the EIA says it was the lowered demand due to covid. Is Trump claiming covid as an energy policy that Horist loves? No, Horist deludes himself believing in the lies to rationalize his voting for a crook.

        He calls them “Trump’s exaggerations and fibs,” can’t call them lies if one is to overlook. But this comes from a guy who rails on me for noting my family stories have embellishments in them, not lies, embellishments and that’s a sin for Horist. But Trump’s lies — exaggerations and fibs….

        Somewhere else in his dithering’s, Horist explains his third vote for Trump for policies, not the person. What he is willing to overlook in his President is:
        1. Adjudicated felon, many counts for rigging the 2016 election
        2. Business has adjudicated felonies, numerous counts
        3. Liable for sexual abuse of the digital rape variety
        4. Liable for defamation, a couple of times I think at this point
        5. His lawyer went to jail
        6. Much of his 2016 campaign management went to jail
        7. His 2020 lawyers pled guilty to rigging the 2020 election and they will testify against Trump
        8. His personal lawyer spread his tale and is held liable for $150M
        9. Over 1,300 arrested, over 900 guilty of federal crimes, 500 to jail that he has promised to pardon for these crimes done on his behalf.
        10. Has three more indictments and many felonies pending for which he will free himself if elected, at least from the two DOJ indictments.

        All I can say is: you’ve come a long way baby. I remember you’re your party desired to impeach a President for getting a legal blowjob. When your party desired to impeach a President for a few lies over Benghazi. Now look how far you have come in what you will accept. Indeed, the party of exclusion has found inclusion for criminals, fraudsters, tax cheats, business cheats, Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and more!

        And you make fun of us wondering what he, and you, might attempt next. Defamation — for sure. Crime — probably. Cheating — oh yeah. Lies — nope, you seem to believe it all already, at least enough to overlook any egregious ones you catch.

        • larry Horist

          Frank Stetson … You are living proof that you cannot fix stupid. I know hardly anyone will read this except you, but the edification is for you. My commentaries reach the eyes of hundreds of thousands of people. Your comments do not. My commentaries are reposted by other groups. Your responses are not. I am quoted in other articles. You are not. My commentaries are picked up by search engines. Your responses are not. Of course my commentaries have a shelf life … as do all the writers for the NYT, etc. It is not just you jealous hateful obsession, it is the fact that you simply do not understand that your nasty and childish writings — your feeble attempts to attack me — have no influence or impact. You are just a tiresome and pathetic old man who spends his days ranting. You and Biden are both having difficulties connecting to reality.

          • frank stetson

            Larwence Patrick Horist: recently, I offered the olive branch suggesting issues are more fun than smackdown, but you responded by failing to respond.

            I am so sorry that my writings affect you this way. I would much rather discuss the issues but come to realize you cannot muster it. And in your personal attacks, perhaps you are right.

            Perhaps I am stupid and cannot be fixed. You may be right.

            Perhaps you are read by hundreds of thousands, I am not. Perhaps you are right.

            Perhaps you are reposted by other groups reaching even more than your hundreds of thousands. I am not.
            Perhaps you are right.

            Perhaps your commentaries are picked up by search engines, mine may not be. Perhaps I have no influence, no impact, am childish and nasty, tiresome, pathetic ranting. Perhaps you are right.

            Why do you feel the need to measure penis’ in this way? And why do you feel measuring me in your fishbowl is rational? Shall we measure you against my business and financial resumes? Start with “managed a number of businesses with $100M revenue streams….” How’s that swim in your fishbowl?

            “You and Biden are both having difficulties connecting to reality.”
            Perhaps you are right.

            But you read it, you responded, you felt obliged to measure yourself, strut your stuff, tell me I am inferior. Perhaps you are right, but yet I am created equal to you. Go figure.

            Too bad the issues were not mentioned in your very personal passage. Maybe next time.