George Lakoff, a linguistics professor at the University of California Berkeley, has written a lot about political linguistics . You can imagine how much he has been writing during this wacky election season.

Here are some of the linguistics tricks Trump has been using:

1) Labeling his opponents with catchy phrases, like lyin' Ted.

2) Repeating something makes it true (even if it isn't)

3) Using "believe me!" to create confidence and voter trust.

4) If saying something controversial, don't admit it; instead say, "Others are saying..."

5) Never say "I'm sorry"

6) Oversimplify complex issues, like "build a wall."

7) Speak in hyperboles.

It seems to be working.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

The G.O.P. elephant took a dump
And --voilà-- out came Trump

George Lakoff, a linguistics professor at the University of California Berkeley

I took some classes with George. Back in the day.

He also turns whatever you charge him with back on you.

The news brought up a story from several years ago where he installed a flagpole that was double the height allowed. When he was fined, he sued. Is there something Freudian about wanting the biggest staff?

quote:

I took some classes with George. Back in the day.

I wondered about that, z. He seems to be pretty famous.

quote:

He also turns whatever you charge him with back on you.

Agreed. The other day I was watching a CCN report with his "brilliant" campaign manager. The reporter was asking about Trump's lies about Obama's birth. Kellyanne responded by saying, "Well Clinton is a bigger liar!!!" It sounded like 2 five-year-olds fighting.

Trump's strategy:

tu quoque

Wordcraft Dictonary

quote:

tu quoque [Latin for "you too," or more loosely, "So's your old man."] – a retort charging an adversary with doing what he criticizes in others

ad hominem

Wordcraft Dictionary

quote:

ad hominem argument – countering an opponent's argument by attacking the opponent, rather than the argument he makes

Somewhere I read that some think "Tu quoque" is what Caesar said to Brutus, not "Et tu Brute." It does make sense to me. If true, it renders the word, "brute" unsubstantiated historically.

An article today pointed out that Trump engages in a bit of sophistry by bringing up taboo subjects, then saying he's heard others talk about while at the same time distancing himself if things get hot.

quote:

ad hominem

He definitely does that! Of course, my husband accuses me of doing it sometimes, too.

Out here in the cornfield I yell ad-hominy insults at the Trump loving farmers.

Then of course tonight on the debates he made a big thing of calling Hillary "Secretary." Of course he wanted us to believe he meant "Secretary of State," but I think it was a sexist reference to women being secretaries.

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
Then of course tonight on the debates he made a big thing of calling Hillary "Secretary." Of course he wanted us to believe he meant "Secretary of State," but I think it was a sexist reference to women being secretaries.

If you think that's sexist, just wait 'till his buddy Vladimir tells him the first name of counry musician Reba McEntire means, "fish" in Russian.

In case you wnder what Trump allows to be said about him (when he has the option), this may interest you.

quote:

...but I think it was a sexist reference to women being secretaries.

Really? That never occurred to me. With the advent of Microsoft Office programs, secretaries (who were indeed all women) at my husband's engrg co have almost completely disappeared.

I read at this site that Trump was incorrect in that instance. The correct address would be Senator Clinton. Sec'y's of Fed Depts only hold that title while in office.

quote:

secretaries (who were indeed all women) at my husband's engrg co have almost completely disappeared.

Perhaps they're in back being groped?-

I prefer to imagine them in back beating men with their pocketbooks (a la Ruth Buzzy Laugh-In)

Oooohhhh, that was a good show! Has anyone ever noticed that on Laugh-In repeats they never show Goldie Hawn and Teresa Graves wiggling about nearly naked with slogans all over their bodies? I've read that Graves "got religion" and refused to allow them to show her in the reruns. Too bad - she was gorgeous!

Any grl who wiggles half-naked can't be all bad.

Something that applies to T. Rump: Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all the unifying agents. Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil. -Eric Hoffer, 

Here is a transcript of a Trump answer to a question about nuclear weapons:

Look, having nuclear—my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart —you know, if you're a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I'm one of the smartest people anywhere in the world—it's true!—but when you're a conservative Republican they try—oh, do they do a number—that's why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune—you know I have to give my like credentials all the time, because we're a little disadvantaged —but you look at the nuclear deal, the thing that really bothers me—it would have been so easy, and it's not as important as these lives are (nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right—who would have thought?), but when you look at what's going on with the four prisoners—now it used to be three, now it's four—but when it was three and even now, I would have said it's all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you know, they don't, they haven't figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, it's gonna take them about another 150 years—but the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed us.

I still can't figure out where he stands.

Is there a Bloviation party?

Has it occurred to anyone else that T.Rump's buddy Reince Priebus' first name is French for "It's nothing?" "Rien" means "nothing," and "ce" is a first person pronoun.

Good catch! I think it's funny that our own American companies are leaving Trump after protests. So far, Nordstrom is dropping their Ivanka Trump brand because of boycotts and the CEO of Uber has left the Trump Advisory Council after criticism. Hey, before all our allies leave us, we may do him in yet!

Miss Manners takes on Trump

Excellent, Proof.

https://www.365news.com/2020/1...d-trumps-presidency/

quote:

Trump is “a practitioner of crybaby conservatism,” Will noted in the op-ed published Wednesday.

His presidency that began with a wallow in self-pity probably will end in ignominy when he slinks away pouting, trailing clouds of recriminations, without a trace of John McCain’s graciousness on election night 2008,” he added. [URL=https://www.365news.com/2020/10/conservative-icon-george-will-predicts-the-pouting-end-of-donald-trumps-presidency/]nservative Icon George Will Predicts The ‘Pouting’ End Of Donald Trump’s Presidency

Emphasis mine.

Which do you prefer - crybaby Donald. pouting Donald or lying Donald? There are so many words to define his infantile behavior, it's hard to pick just one. I kinda like crybaby. It fits him so well.

I prefer Donald Duck.

I was going to post a reply, then I remembered who OUR leader is and thought of the proverb about people who live in glass houses.

Crybaby.

I really respect George Will, and others like him, who don't cave to Donald simply because they are conservative.

You do have to wonder what made him think that his “unedited” release of the 60 Minutes interview showed him in a good light. Right from the start he came over like a whining, petulant child crying because he didn’t get his favourite flavour of ice cream.

Good heavens. I read my first post here, before Donald won. We were so innocent in those days. I remember thinking, though I was incredibly upset that he won, that just maybe he'd choose good people to surround him and he'd be at least okay. I knew he'd never be good, but I thought he'd be mediocre maybe. Instead, he will go down as one of our worse, if not THE worst, presidents.

Let's hope it doesn't happen again...