1) I assume that at some point, Pope Leo and Trump will cross figurative swords. But we’ve seen what happens when they do. The Trumplicants will just complain about a religious figure (and a quasi-Marxist one to boot) intruding into political affairs. They will say that Leo needs to worry about saving souls rather than c…
1) I assume that at some point, Pope Leo and Trump will cross figurative swords. But we’ve seen what happens when they do. The Trumplicants will just complain about a religious figure (and a quasi-Marxist one to boot) intruding into political affairs. They will say that Leo needs to worry about saving souls rather than commenting on Trump’s immigration policy. Because to them, religion is only useful when it furthers Trump’s goals.
Comparison to the Evangelical support for Trump is inexact because there’s no “Pope-equivalent” in the Evangelical movement. But there are similarities. Just look what has happened to those Evangelicals who have said bad things about Trump. They are cast into the wilderness and told they need to get with the program. Yet it’s OK for people like Franklin Graham and Robert Jefress to support the most blatantly unchristian President in our history with the most outrageous claims of Trump being “God’s anointed” or a “modern-day King David”.
So Trump will use religious figures (be they Catholic or Protestant – but not Muslim) as props as long as they say nice things about him.
The religious part? Trump doesn’t know anything about that. And he doesn’t care.
And that’s why I’m not optimistic that Pope Leo will have much affect no matter what he says. Catholics that voted for Trump have already made their peace with his behavior. And if you claim to be religious and can justify voting for someone like Trump, you’re not the type that will listen to someone else who points out Trump’s manifest moral shortcomings. You’re in the cult.
2) No doubt that RFK, Jr. and Means have some good ideas about trying to get Americans to live a more healthy lifestyle. But I’d really like to understand what they are proposing. For example, I don’t see eliminating seed oils or ultra-processed foods as being the final nails in the obesity-epidemic coffin. People will still eat junk food – just maybe different kinds. And who doesn’t already know that exercising is good for you? Too many people just don’t do it.
Still, anything that they could do to help folks live healthier lives would be good. So I’m happy with that part of their message.
Of course, they both come with a load of baggage. And on balance, that baggage outweighs the good that they might do.
3) If Trump does actually endorse the increased tax rates on wealthy folks, I’ll just admit that I was wrong. But I’d also be interested in whether Trump would really be affected. Or would there be some loophole that he’d be able to use to avoid the increase? Remember that this is the guy who reportedly hasn’t actually had to pay taxes in years. And who won’t release his tax returns. The devil’s in the details.
There is one person who doesn't believe that exercise is good for you and he is currently the president. He has publicly stated that exercise shortens lifespan bc a person only has so much energy and working out uses it all up
A few comments...
1) I assume that at some point, Pope Leo and Trump will cross figurative swords. But we’ve seen what happens when they do. The Trumplicants will just complain about a religious figure (and a quasi-Marxist one to boot) intruding into political affairs. They will say that Leo needs to worry about saving souls rather than commenting on Trump’s immigration policy. Because to them, religion is only useful when it furthers Trump’s goals.
Comparison to the Evangelical support for Trump is inexact because there’s no “Pope-equivalent” in the Evangelical movement. But there are similarities. Just look what has happened to those Evangelicals who have said bad things about Trump. They are cast into the wilderness and told they need to get with the program. Yet it’s OK for people like Franklin Graham and Robert Jefress to support the most blatantly unchristian President in our history with the most outrageous claims of Trump being “God’s anointed” or a “modern-day King David”.
So Trump will use religious figures (be they Catholic or Protestant – but not Muslim) as props as long as they say nice things about him.
The religious part? Trump doesn’t know anything about that. And he doesn’t care.
And that’s why I’m not optimistic that Pope Leo will have much affect no matter what he says. Catholics that voted for Trump have already made their peace with his behavior. And if you claim to be religious and can justify voting for someone like Trump, you’re not the type that will listen to someone else who points out Trump’s manifest moral shortcomings. You’re in the cult.
2) No doubt that RFK, Jr. and Means have some good ideas about trying to get Americans to live a more healthy lifestyle. But I’d really like to understand what they are proposing. For example, I don’t see eliminating seed oils or ultra-processed foods as being the final nails in the obesity-epidemic coffin. People will still eat junk food – just maybe different kinds. And who doesn’t already know that exercising is good for you? Too many people just don’t do it.
Still, anything that they could do to help folks live healthier lives would be good. So I’m happy with that part of their message.
Of course, they both come with a load of baggage. And on balance, that baggage outweighs the good that they might do.
3) If Trump does actually endorse the increased tax rates on wealthy folks, I’ll just admit that I was wrong. But I’d also be interested in whether Trump would really be affected. Or would there be some loophole that he’d be able to use to avoid the increase? Remember that this is the guy who reportedly hasn’t actually had to pay taxes in years. And who won’t release his tax returns. The devil’s in the details.
There is one person who doesn't believe that exercise is good for you and he is currently the president. He has publicly stated that exercise shortens lifespan bc a person only has so much energy and working out uses it all up
Touche