Our Lazy President

[EasyAce]

For better or worse, Donald Trump lacks political drive.
By Steve Chapman
http://reason.com/archives/2017/05/04/our-lazy-president/print

Donald Trump has many worrisome, regrettable and even deplorable traits. But after studying him for the past two years, I
have concluded he has an overlooked quality that cancels out many of his bad ones. Say what you will, the man is lazy.

This is a discovery that should gladden people of all parties, philosophies, races, sexes and religions. His detractors can be glad
that he will never muster the drive or discipline to actually bring many of his worst ideas to fruition. His admirers can rest easy
knowing he will not work himself to death.

The comic strip Dilbert has a character named Wally, whose chief talent is finding ways to avoid doing anything productive. A
few years ago, his pointy-haired boss informed Wally that he was being replaced by a robot. "All it does is drink coffee and look
at inappropriate websites," he said.

If that's the definition of sloth, the president has Wally beat, because he doesn't drink coffee and he doesn't look at inappropriate
websites. We can be sure of the latter because he apparently never bothered learning to use a computer—a symptom of his antipathy
to exertion.

It was always clear that Trump does not like putting himself out. At the height of the general election campaign, he averaged only
one event per day. Over two months leading up to the Iowa caucuses, Reuters reported, Ted Cruz did some three dozen events;
Trump did eight. He insisted on flying home to New York almost every night of the campaign to sleep in his own bed.

We've also known Trump is intellectually lazy. He admitted last year that he has never read a biography of a president, citing a lack
of time—even though he claims to sleep no more than five hours a night. Tony Schwartz, who ghostwrote The Art of the Deal, has
said, "I seriously doubt that Trump has ever read a book straight through in his adult life."

Asked last year where he gets military advice, Trump replied, "Well, I watch the shows." He does put in long hours in front of a flat-
screen, gathering random tidbits that inspire outbursts on Twitter. Atlantic writer Elaine Godfrey rounded up all the evidence and
estimated that he currently watches five hours of television per day.

He's also averse to breaking a literal sweat. Unlike Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Trump doesn't work out. He said last year
he didn't need to because of all the exercise he got speaking at his rallies. (In truth, jumping the shark does not burn calories.)

The closest he gets is golf, and he apparently minimizes the physical demands by using a cart, which makes the game about as
strenuous as shuffleboard. Golf is not work but leisure, and Trump consumes it in quantities that must inspire envy in duffers with
full-time jobs. He played 19 times during his first 100 days—far outpacing Obama, whom he roasted for playing too often.

Trump prefers to be at his Mar-a-Lago resort rather than in Washington; he spent all or part of 25 days there in his first 100. Even
when he's in the White House, his public schedule indicates a lot of, um, unstructured time in his day.

Despite all this, the president sounds like a first-time marathoner hitting the 20-mile wall. "This is more work than in my previous
life," Trump complained. "I thought it would be easier."

Much of Trump's cluelessness about issues stems from his refusal to make more than a minimal effort at his job. As his comments
about Andrew Jackson and the Civil War confirm, Trump is not merely too lazy to learn; he's too lazy to notice there is anything
others know that he might need to. His is indolence on an epic scale.

And that, on balance, is good news. The people who fear that Trump is trying to subvert democracy, persecute Muslims and
dismantle the rule of law can take heart that he won't put much effort into it. Inaugurating a reign of terror requires a work ethic
he just doesn't have.

Trump would be far more dangerous if he had the energy to pursue all his bad ideas in a systematic way. The more time he
spends in a golf cart the less harm he will do. If the job is not so easy as he expected, I have some advice for him: Don't work
so hard.

This may be the best argument I've seen yet on behalf of Donaldus Minimus's golfing. I wish to God His Excellency Al-Hashish
Field Marshmallow Dr. Barack Obama Dada, COD, RIP, LSMFT, Would-Have-Been Life President of the Republic Formerly Known
as the United States, had played more golf during his presidency. He might have exposed himself further as a crashing
bore, but at least he'd have made a lot less mischief.

I'm all in favour of presidents and Congresses working less. (Whenever I see or hear someone saying that goddammit they want
a president and/or a Congress who gets things done!, I'd reach for my gun if I owned one.) The less they work, the safer
we are.

[Doug Loss]

For better or worse, Donald Trump lacks political drive.
By Steve Chapman
http://reason.com/archives/2017/05/04/our-lazy-president/print
This may be the best argument I've seen yet on behalf of Donaldus Minimus's golfing. I wish to God His Excellency Al-Hashish
Field Marshmallow Dr. Barack Obama Dada, COD, RIP, LSMFT, Would-Have-Been Life President of the Republic Formerly Known
as the United States, had played more golf during his presidency. He might have exposed himself further as a crashing
bore, but at least he'd have made a lot less mischief.

I'm all in favour of presidents and Congresses working less. (Whenever I see or hear someone saying that goddammit they want
a president and/or a Congress who gets things done!, I'd reach for my gun if I owned one.) The less they work, the safer
we are.

"This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer."

    Will Rogers

[driftdiver]

Trump has the attention span of a gnat. 

[EasyAce]

"This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer."

    Will Rogers

Giving money and power to politicians is like giving whiskey and the car keys to teenage boys.---P.J. O'Rourke.

[Right_in_Virginia]

This article is a crock of sh*t. 

[EasyAce]

This article is a crock of sh*t.

As opposed to your in-depth analysis as to why?

[DCPatriot]

This article is a crock of sh*t.

Took the words right out of my mouth, @Right_in_Virginia

[Right_in_Virginia]

As opposed to your in-depth analysis as to why?

The last adjective that can be used to describe President Trump -- a man who works 24/7 --  is "lazy".  Any attempt to support this thesis is sheer 

Don't let your hate blind you @EasyAce

[Right_in_Virginia]

Took the words right out of my mouth, @Right_in_Virginia

  @DCPatriot

The sheer drivel that passes as analysis is mind-boggling.

[EasyAce]

The last adjective that can be used to describe President Trump -- a man who works 24/7 --  is "lazy".  Any attempt to support this thesis is sheer 

Don't let your hate blind you @EasyAce

I find it remarkable how many members of the Cult of The Presidency---regardless of who's in the White House
---think dismissing those who demur from the Cult, again regardless of who's in the White House, as "haters,"
is intellectual or operable rigor. But Mr. Chapman isn't arguing merely in terms of work time, he argued---persuasively
enough---in terms of Donaldus Minimus's intellectual laziness, which is something else entirely than the time he
does or doesn't put into the job he suddenly realises was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

The best laugh I've had today is over the thought that Donaldus Minimus "works" 24/7. Assume it's true, though,
and a thought creeps in: I wish our presidents and legislators didn't work as often as they are alleged to do.
The less they actually do work, the less mischief they can make! I wish to God His Excellency Al-Hashish
Field Marshmallow Dr. Barack Obama Dada, COD, RIP, LSMFT, Would-Have-Been-Life President of the Republic
Formerly Known as the United States, had played more golf than Donaldus Minimus zapped him for playing
when bringing it up on the campaign trail last year. The more golf His Excellency could have played, the less damage he
could have done.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

I find it remarkable how many members of the Cult of The Presidency---regardless of who's in the White House
---think dismissing those who demur from the Cult, again regardless of who's in the White House, as "haters,"
is intellectual or operable rigor.

Unless there are people who really can read minds, when someone calls someone else a "hater", they are stating, as a known fact, something that is really only an opinion.  Even if they turn out to be right, they are stating that they KNOW a fact, when in reality they don't know it, they believe it.  When I grew up we referred to this as bearing false witness.