# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 42
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/821 "2024-01-07T18:15:50Z")
[![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lucqu7QRWx1ql141xo1_500.gif) ](https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lucqu7QRWx1ql141xo1_500.gif) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/822 "2024-01-07T19:44:07Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > In particular his latest post in the “President Joe Biden” thread in P&E had me wondering. > > But he has a habit of acting so defeatist that it resembles concern trolling. Everything is doomed, Trump will win, Biden is a failure, etc. I’m starting to think it’s an act. This. I’ve been thinking of posting about him for about 3 months now. He’s either: 1. A frustrated rather-not trump Republican who’s concern trolling OR 2. He’s so far into hard left loony land that from his POV Biden is 100 miles too far right and trump is 110 miles too far right. My best guess is #1 pretending to be #2. But I could be persuaded otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/823 "2024-01-07T20:52:37Z")
His shtick is so predictable now, regardless of topic. I’ll read a post that is so off kilter, so out of sync with what is straightforward common sense, that my WTF evaporates when I scroll up and see it’s him. I think @Riemann hit the nail on the head. He fancies himself as visionary, as seeing angles that elude us dunderheads, and as a result posts nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/824 "2024-01-07T21:00:24Z")
For the record, I lean towards fatalist never-Trumper Republican. I have a few of those in my circle of friends. They’re traditional (say pre-Obama era) socially liberal (somewhat) fiscally responsible Republicans. They don’t -care- about what you do behind closed doors, they don’t mind same-sex marriages, but they aren’t fully comfortable about it, and they do miss their default status as white males. They (in at least one case) have felt (honestly IMHO) wrongly harmed by perceived protectionist actions in corporate business where a minority female was preserved in position despite not actually doing the job. But they HATE Trump. And they hate the enabling of the Republican party and abandonment of any fiscal responsibility, as well as wars on “woke” instead of building infrastructure and making America more competitive on the global stage. And yet they too see the unbending support of the Republican party and fanatical nature of Trump supporters, along with the (if you watch media) lukewarm support for Biden and have become very Very fatalistic. Possibly because while they long ago abandoned Fox News in it’s Angertainment specialization, they do read plenty of factual but right-leaning news as well. They’re not unjustified in the despair, but they also don’t constantly bring it up. So TL;DR, I don’t think @PhillyGuy is concern trolling, but I think they ARE venting their understandable despair at the world, and probably (and this part might be slightly trollish) looking forward to a great many “I-told-you-sos” if/when Trump is re-elected and immediately tries (and possibly partially succeeds) at fully converting us to an illiberal government. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/825 "2024-01-07T21:08:51Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I think @Riemann hit the nail on the head. He fancies himself as visionary, as seeing angles that elude us dunderheads, and as a result posts nonsense. He claims to have majored in History. So somebody who understands the Long Term Grand Sweep Big Picture. He’s IMO wrong that he has any clue whatsoever. But consider him a frustrated PhD wannabe who couldn’t get into grad school at all, so has an economically useless degree in what amounts to big vocabulary navel-gazing and the rest of the schtick follows pretty naturally. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/826 "2024-01-07T21:24:20Z")
I’ll buy that. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/827 "2024-01-07T21:41:02Z")
I’m just waiting to learn that ‘Philly’ is somewhere in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/828 "2024-01-08T17:42:12Z")
I strongly disagree. I see PG as a needed, even welcome, voice here on the SDMB community. Even as I disagree with many of his positions, posters like PG _are_ necessary for a number of reasons: 1. Differing viewpoints is _good_, especially if reasoned out. 2. As a Biden supporter, I definitely want people to point out where my candidate is weak… else, how would I be able to develop arguments and examples to counter these claims? 3. Let’s not become an echo-chamber here, team. 4. To the best of my knowledge, PG’s citations say what he claims they say, they support his positions, and he uses them in a manner consistent with the Board’s mission. 5. And to the above point, PG rarely (if ever) uses sketchy citations like Breitbart, etc. I wish I could say the same for those of us who cite Gateway Pundit, Axios, MeidasTouch, and other iffy information sources. (Including me.) ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/829 "2024-01-08T17:51:17Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > And to the above point, PG rarely (if ever) uses sketchy citations like Breitbart, etc. I wish I could say the same for those of us who cite Gateway Pundit, Axios, MeidasTouch, and other iffy information sources. (Including me.) Wait, you consider Axios an iffy source? It’s very short form, but I haven’t seen a problem with its reporting. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/830 "2024-01-08T17:56:15Z")
This isn’t the thread, but I consider them one of the bigger ‘whataboutists’ in the new media. But, to keep the thread inline, I withdraw the Axios reference. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/831 "2024-01-11T21:27:06Z")
Anyone else tired of the sealion noises in the Hunter Biden thread? Even Sam has realized Sage is just gonna “Arf arf arf” all day. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/832 "2024-01-11T21:38:41Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Even Sam has realized Sage is just gonna “Arf arf arf” all day. 🤯 I think my internal irony meter blew up. That being said, I was staying out of that thread (and others) because it’s a obvious lair for people looking to counterfactually JAQ. Not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/833 "2024-01-11T22:01:38Z")
Seriously. What a dope. Er, sea lion. Whatever he is. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/834 "2024-01-11T23:13:31Z")
How about that thing that happened today? What do you think about that? Ok, hypothetically, Johnny Jim Jam is walking down the street in a way that has nothing to do with what is being discussed, and Officer Flim Flam decides to… Holy fucking hell, how tiresome and ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/835 "2024-01-11T23:16:14Z")
At one point I had to call them out for jumping from one analogy to another until they got mixed up and made no sense. “But what if you were flying a plane? Then it would be like traveling in a submarine with the doors open. And as a doctor you couldn’t perform heart surgery on a redwood tree if you had a blindfold on.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/836 "2024-01-11T23:31:48Z")
I particularly enjoyed the “yeah, so you watched the video of what happened, but _I_ read an article which said…” argument. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/837 "2024-01-12T01:22:26Z")
Glad others are reacting the way I am: Moving, ridiculous analogies and as @JohnT mentions, complaining about the articles after they finnnnaaalllly watched some video so they could make their own determination. What a maroon! Edit to add: I typed analogies without thinking, hit submit, reread and thought for sure that word doesn’t look correct despite no red squiggly under. Look it up…yep, analogies is correct. As SNL Sean Connery would say: “I’ll take anal ogies for $200. Suck it Trebek! HA HA HA HA” ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/838 "2024-01-12T03:33:53Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So… Who else thinks PhillyGuy is really a Trump supporter? I do. And I think he tries very hard to hide that fact. I’ve lost count of how many times he’s spoken like he’s an authority on legal matters which not surprisingly often give Trump the benefit of doubt, only to have his ass handed to him. Then he goes away and comes back and tries again. He is unfailingly polite as he tries to sow seeds of doubt, and will often make statements to indicate that in no way is he a Trump supporter, but then he comes back and spews more bullshit until he is called on it. Rinse and repeat. My bullshit meter went off almost instantly with that guy and it has never subsided. Although, the more he gets called out, the more careful he is the next time. IMO, he is here with an agenda. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/839 "2024-01-12T04:48:20Z")
Ayup. That poster has made the thread almost unreadable, even when I skim past his arguments. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/840 "2024-01-12T04:59:46Z")
Food for thought regarding Philly Guy: > [@DOJ/Jack Smith Investigation into Trump and Election Interference, January 6th Insurrection (Indicted 08-01-23)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doj-jack-smith-investigation-into-trump-and-election-interference-january-6th-insurrection-indicted-08-01-23/975455/791): > > As for Trump, I generally think he’s a crook. But without hearing the testimony and judge’s instructions, I don’t buy him being definitely guilty of what he’s accused of. IMHO prosecutors often overreach. > [@DOJ/Jack Smith Investigation into Trump and Election Interference, January 6th Insurrection (Indicted 08-01-23)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doj-jack-smith-investigation-into-trump-and-election-interference-january-6th-insurrection-indicted-08-01-23/975455/1541): > > Trump was aquitted in the Senate. If the Republicans on the Supreme Court want to help him a bit, they can point this out. Reading the constitution literally, they will be correct. And from a civil liberties perspective, I do not want to see the double-jeopardy clause diluted. > [@DOJ/Jack Smith Investigation into Trump and Election Interference, January 6th Insurrection (Indicted 08-01-23)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doj-jack-smith-investigation-into-trump-and-election-interference-january-6th-insurrection-indicted-08-01-23/975455/1590): > > I wonder if I would have more support in my views here if Biden was the one who had been acquitted by the Senate and was then facing a second trial in a jurisdiction where most people voted against him. It may happen! > > Perhaps some care more about Trump being held accountable than others in the future being treated fairly. I admit to the opposite priority. Better to let ten guilty go free than to punish one innocent. > [@DOJ/Jack Smith Investigation into Trump and Election Interference, January 6th Insurrection (Indicted 08-01-23)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doj-jack-smith-investigation-into-trump-and-election-interference-january-6th-insurrection-indicted-08-01-23/975455/1993): > > But if they are thinking of declaring Trump an insurrectionist for ballot access purposes, they are going to be too busy next month to spend a lot of time on the Jack Smith situation. And if they think they will actually end Trump’s political career, there is no reason to rush his trials. > [@FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence (August 8, 2022)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022/969329/808): > > Charge him with violating the Espionage Act, and you are handing him another big win, just like the Democrats did with impeachment. > > Charge him with stealing a few papers rightfully the property of the Nation Archives, and that might get an actual deserved conviction. > [@FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence (August 8, 2022)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022/969329/929): > > Thinking you are going to punish Trump with a unanimous jury trial conviction is as delusional as the idea the an impeachment acquittal would hurt him. We need to stop giving him wins. The Justice Department’s only chance for a criminal conviction is for a misdemeanor where there is no right to a jury trial. > [@FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence (August 8, 2022)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022/969329/987): > > Most crimes do not result in criminal convictions. I’m sure presidents have gotten away with crimes before, and the republic did not fall. > > This does not doom us, or anybody. > > Now. a false conviction does doom somebody. > > I think that punishing someone with years in prison, because they failed to declassify a paper, when that president could have easily done it, is overreaching. > [@FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence (August 8, 2022)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022/969329/1041): > > One concern I have is that he can’t get a fair trial due to massive prejudicial pre-trial publicity. This thread is not reassuring in that respect. > [@FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence (August 8, 2022)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022/969329/1054): > > Indicting when there is little chance of conviction is a misuse of government resources, and, in this case, would be a gift to a bad man. > > He’ll never be convicted of a federal felony – hopefully they are thinking along other lines. > [@FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence (August 8, 2022)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022/969329/1310): > > The Justice Department is using the standard government corruption investigative strategy of throughly searching to find the greatest crime that the politician under investigation has committed, and charge him with that. Just like he was a corrupt Illinois governor. > [@FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence (August 8, 2022)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022/969329/1352): > > From my understanding, if you are tried and acquitted, it is unfair to hold the indictment against you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=43)