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Josh Mitteldorf's avatar

I would never argue that Trump is sane. But the problem is deeper than Trump. Biden almost certainly couldn't have passed an examination of psychiatric competence. Both Clinton and Johnson left trails of dead people on their way to the White House. Ordinary sociopaths are very good at hiding their true motives and putting on a facade of compassion. "I feel your pain." Trump is a lousy sociopath. He expresses his contempt for everyone else openly, and that's what makes him different.

The way to avoid having presidents like Trump is for the Democrats to nominate someone whom the people want to vote for -- a Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren or Robert F Kennedy or Dennis Kucinich or Paul Wellstone. The people would vote overwhelmingly for a real populist over a faux populist like Trump. But Kamala Harris? She's one of a very small set of Democrats who would not be able to beat Trump, and the DNC nominated her by acclimation.

No wonder we can't look to the Democrats to solve this problem.

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Sheryl's avatar

Love You Ralph ❤️

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don dunne's avatar

Trump is an example of an accident that is about to happen, as you recall trump lost all of his daddy's 750 million and then some at the Atlantic tables along with a string of failed business ,, remember that university did you get your money back ? And as he continues to fool and loot the American tax payers coffers ,, why are loyal Republicans standing by about to soon pick up the pieces ?.

Why do I say that ?

In life you can only show boat for so long ,, as many of the now closed and defunked hot shot closed hedge funds will tell you . They took about 856 billion with them , but don't worry the big boys and you the tax payer covered for them .. remember the Silicon Valley Bank and Trust) ?

So when is Trump going to get his come up ins ? It's high noon ,the train is coming into town ,I can hear the whistle blowing and the music is playing,,

,Don't forsake me old my darling

I bet A lot Sooner then later ,,

Let's just hope we can all get out of the theater before trump burns the place down ..and if the Republicans want to stay around and clean up afterwards that's ok with me .

Good luck America have a great day my friends

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Joseph H Ladarski's avatar

You're a national treasure, Ralph. Thank you.

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Babette Hogan's avatar

It is always projection with a narcissist, isn’t it.

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William Frenger's avatar

Thank you Ralph and Dr. Lee. What do you think about psychopats banding together ie, Trump and Netanyahu?

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Jim Tripp's avatar

I have been following Ralph Nader since 1964 when my father bought a new car with something I had never heard of: seat belts. I have been following Bandy X. Lee since the COVID breakout in 2020. Both are now pariahs to many political progressives: Nader for splitting Democratic party votes in the 2000 Presidential election, and Lee for breaking a psychiatric guideline to refrain from diagnosing a patient without interviewing them with their consent during Trump's disinformation campaign on COVID in 2020. Their detractors are in my opinion too harsh. Their reasons for "going rogue" are defensible, and their facts and insights are invaluable. Highly recommended.

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Ryan Featherston's avatar

Albert Gore shouldn't have distanced himself from William Jefferson Clinton in 2000. And he also should have picked Russ Feingold as his running mate instead of Joseph Lieberman.

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Babette Hogan's avatar

Next no kings should include the extended family of thieves complicit for propping up the narcissistic Trump

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LindyLoo's avatar

Excellent interview! Thank you!

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David Hutchinson's avatar

I've read that we project on him and he projects on us. When the latter happens I believe that's what Bandy Lee has called narcissistic symbiosis. In Trump's case I think that means whoever receives the projection has, if not a mental condition, then at least a BIG personality problem. OK, what if an individual has too much a fear of what s/he thinks is anti-semitism; we know that in many many cases that's a mental state called relative ignorance. Or what if an individual has a fear of Russia out of sight and mind, beyond reason? Russiaphobia IMO is also only a state of relative ignorance, and yet if members of congress don't attempt to evaluate such fears they themselves have, they might not question letting Ukraine lob Tomahawks into Russia proper...for example (that's walked back thank God). The same goes for Iran. And for exaggerated threats to Israel...everyone in Gaza?? It's that middle "M" in MICIMATT very much to blame I think...media.

So could it be in this epoch in which we find ourselves that propaganda supported phobias are as dangerous as group narcissism? I don't know; seems like if someone like Trump just "naturally" suckered people into believing a war with Iran was necessary and also one with Venezuela, then all the little wars could stir up quite a little cloud of blowback, even if short of nuclear blowback. Mr Trump has the country over a barrel...with all his insane initiatives...because of that quelling-war-card he holds. A lot of voters may be thinking Trump talked peace when NO ONE else would [and support 3rd term?], but hopefully they'll observe Vance now sees the light on Tomahawks and "looks" like he'll push back some on Netanyahu. It'll be a strange strange world if the right chooses IMF/Muskian style austerity with the Republicans out of fear that Democrats will draft their kids to a radiactive Iran (not a phobia). I've seen that fewer Dems now favor arms to Israel, but what have they stood up and proposed in the name of ending genocide...I mean together? Chatgtp tells me the only congresspersons who have opposed arms to Israel and Ukraine are Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). And now I see the Progressive Caucus has a rule they can't take a stand on Gaza.

https://en.prolewiki.org/wiki/MICIMATT

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David Hutchinson's avatar

And of course the irrationally fearful project their shadows on the "enemy."

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Patrick Chine's avatar

What the USA is witnessing is a protracted implementation of a "Reichstag Fire Decree", concurrent with the Enabling Act (POTUS Immunity).

It is because SCOTUS supports a financially-motivated Star Chamber. Lawyers are not the answer, they are the problem.

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Stuart Fruin's avatar

June 27 2024

Plus...

pick a day, any day.

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William Frenger's avatar

George Washington warned us about factions. It appears we did not listen.

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Selina Sweet's avatar

I'm a little deaf - so that might explain my difficulty in hearing clearly what the woman -who listed a bunch of relevant events at the end of the broadcast -said. She sounded like she was talking in a box. Please - double check the audio-ability of people making announcements and reading news events. Thanks for all you do!

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Nancy's avatar

The question of Trump’s sanity and of those surrounding him is central to everything else, and yet as this interview reveals, we are effectively prevented from seriously considering, much less addressing it. Meanwhile, most of the mainstream media continues to cover the Trump White House as if these manifestations of mental illness are just alternative policy decisions, despite the illegality of many of them. Between Trump’s mental illness and the Supreme Court’s silent coup to remove virtually all constraints on the presidency, we are in a very bad place. Many thanks to Dr. Lee.

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