Trump's speech malfunctions from Wednesday

[rogue06]

I thought you played the court jester around here.

Nah, just the fool.

[Teallaura]

This is a straw man. I said "handle", not "be immune to".



I've abused prescription drugs in the past and nowadays I use my prescription drugs according to doctors orders. Is there really a contradiction here?



I agree. But if the choice is between him using drugs as prescribed versus give the kind of performance he gave on Wednesday during one of his most important speeches yet I know which one I'd prefer from my president.



Not today Satan.



Or he could, get this, take the drugs according to doctors orders. I take a prescription drug which, if taken in excess, makes me feel *really good* (but also tends to give me seizures). I don't take it in excess anymore. And no one is accusing me of being a drug addict!

Edit: You (sort of) replied to my real talk question.

I'm not either of those.

Have you ever seen someone with those kinds of speech malfunctions who wasn't under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a medical condition? I haven't.

I have. Me - my speech impediment showed up in middle age and is annoyingly intermittant. Sheesh...

[DivineOb]

No, I think the video mainly shows the effects of his dementia. The long term drug abuse isn't doing him any favors though.

I've never given a speech which would be seen by probably ~1 billion people worldwide when teetering on the brink of war. Neither you nor I would take the risk that a bad night's sleep could derail things!

Trump has never been known to be a great speaker, but that is hardly evidence that your assertions are true.

Then you either just became aware of him in 2015/2016 or you have very selective memory. He spoke with proficiency and skill through most of his life (if you really want to challenge me on the complement I can dig up some video clips). In the last few years that has significantly faded and been replaced with increasingly frequent verbal glitches I've never heard from a healthy brain. Why do you think his public speaking skill has degraded so strongly?

Not a contradiction or double standard. You even agreed that his doctor lied about his height!

You said lack of sleep explained his performance on Wednesday. I pointed out that there are drugs which can overcome sleep deprivation (we give Provigil to long distance military pilots to allow them to focus for the duration of their mission). There are also drugs you can take to put you right to sleep and can be used safely if managed according to close doctor care (which he has on site 24/7). If you think this speech, given during an event which had momentarily taken the focus off his impeachment, was incidental then I guess we have different things in mind when it comes to political strategy.

Don't take my word for it then.

A group of 350 psychiatrists and other mental-health professionals are set to submit a petition to Congress on Thursday claiming that President Donald Trump's mental health is rapidly deteriorating amid the impeachment inquiry.

"We are speaking out at this time because we are convinced that, as the time of possible impeachment approaches, Donald Trump has the real potential to become ever more dangerous, a threat to the safety of our nation," Drs. Bandy Lee, a Yale psychiatrist, Jerrold Post, a former CIA profiler, and John Zinner, a psychiatrist at George Washington University, wrote in a statement accompanying the petition, which was first reported by the British outlet The Independent.

When I was younger I took I think 2.5mg provigil, stayed up the whole night working, took another 2.5mg, and went to work feeling great the entire time. It's not like drinking a pot of coffee -- you feel like and perform as if you you just got a solid night's sleep. Now, Trump is a lot older than I was so it's not a perfect comparison but he can also get the *really good stuff* from an on site doctor.

Do you honestly think it more likely he'd risk flubbing one the most consequential speeches of his presidency, a speech which would no doubt be watched, rewatched, parsed, analyzed, and speculated upon by friend and foe alike (e.g. Iran!) instead of taking drugs to address sleep deprivation which can be taken safely when under a doctor's care?

[DivineOb]

I have. Me - my speech impediment showed up in middle age and is annoyingly intermittant. Sheesh...

So, a medical condition then.

[Mountain Man]

I have. Me - my speech impediment showed up in middle age and is annoyingly intermittant. Sheesh...

My late wife had a severe stutter when she was younger, and speech therapy was minimally effective, and so she, being the genius that she was (and I'm not kidding; my wife was brilliant) she sat down and started reading the dictionary and memorizing words, so that if she ever got stuck on a word, she could simply substitute another in its place. Not only did she eliminate her stutter, but she acquired an impressive vocabulary.

[lilpixieofterror]

No, I think the video mainly shows the effects of his dementia. The long term drug abuse isn't doing him any favors though.



I've never given a speech which would be seen by probably ~1 billion people worldwide when teetering on the brink of war. Neither you nor I would take the risk that a bad night's sleep could derail things!



Then you either just became aware of him in 2015/2016 or you have very selective memory. He spoke with proficiency and skill through most of his life (if you really want to challenge me on the complement I can dig up some video clips). In the last few years that has significantly faded and been replaced with increasingly frequent verbal glitches I've never heard from a healthy brain. Why do you think his public speaking skill has degraded so strongly?



Not a contradiction or double standard. You even agreed that his doctor lied about his height!



You said lack of sleep explained his performance on Wednesday. I pointed out that there are drugs which can overcome sleep deprivation (we give Provigil to long distance military pilots to allow them to focus for the duration of their mission). There are also drugs you can take to put you right to sleep and can be used safely if managed according to close doctor care (which he has on site 24/7). If you think this speech, given during an event which had momentarily taken the focus off his impeachment, was incidental then I guess we have different things in mind when it comes to political strategy.



Don't take my word for it then.






When I was younger I took I think 2.5mg provigil, stayed up the whole night working, took another 2.5mg, and went to work feeling great the entire time. It's not like drinking a pot of coffee -- you feel like and perform as if you you just got a solid night's sleep. Now, Trump is a lot older than I was so it's not a perfect comparison but he can also get the *really good stuff* from an on site doctor.

Do you honestly think it more likely he'd risk flubbing one the most consequential speeches of his presidency, a speech which would no doubt be watched, rewatched, parsed, analyzed, and speculated upon by friend and foe alike (e.g. Iran!) instead of taking drugs to address sleep deprivation which can be taken safely when under a doctor's care?

Yep no other medical conditions can cause slurred speech:

Simply being tired or fatigued can make it hard to think of the right words. And when you're worried about being judged by others or feel embarrassed, you may freeze up or struggle to talk.

https://www.webmd.com/brain/sudden-s...roblems-causes

[Teallaura]

So, a medical condition then.

No.

Seriously, stop doing that. You're trying to limit the possibilities to your favor - but you're ending up with a piece of nasty work.

This was crap when they tried it a few years ago with Clinton - and yes, I did call it out - and it's crap now. Stop playing doctor - you don't have the expertise.

[Teallaura]

My late wife had a severe stutter when she was younger, and speech therapy was minimally effective, and so she, being the genius that she was (and I'm not kidding; my wife was brilliant) she sat down and started reading the dictionary and memorizing words, so that if she ever got stuck on a word, she could simply substitute another in its place. Not only did she eliminate her stutter, but she acquired an impressive vocabulary.

Awesome!


Mine's just weird - I'll know precisely what I mean to say, but can't say it. I can say literally anything else but for a short while, not that.

If I'm achy or irritable, I'll forget a word midsentence. Usually nouns and proper names. I swear, it is so aggravating to tell a friend 'your daughter in band did such in such' because I can't remember the name I'd just used two sentences earlier!

Gah!!!!

[DivineOb]

No.

Yes. You spoke like Trump has spoken because of your medical condition. I'm asking for a fourth possibility beyond the three I listed.

Seriously, stop doing that. You're trying to limit the possibilities to your favor - but you're ending up with a piece of nasty work.

This was crap when they tried it a few years ago with Clinton - and yes, I did call it out - and it's crap now. Stop playing doctor - you don't have the expertise.

Fair point. So, let's listen to 350 professionals

A group of 350 psychiatrists and other mental-health professionals are set to submit a petition to Congress on Thursday claiming that President Donald Trump's mental health is rapidly deteriorating amid the impeachment inquiry.

"We are speaking out at this time because we are convinced that, as the time of possible impeachment approaches, Donald Trump has the real potential to become ever more dangerous, a threat to the safety of our nation," Drs. Bandy Lee, a Yale psychiatrist, Jerrold Post, a former CIA profiler, and John Zinner, a psychiatrist at George Washington University, wrote in a statement accompanying the petition, which was first reported by the British outlet The Independent.

[lilpixieofterror]

Yes. You spoke like Trump has spoken because of your medical condition. I'm asking for a fourth possibility beyond the three I listed.



Fair point. So, let's listen to 350 professionals

A group of 350 psychiatrists and other mental-health professionals are set to submit a petition to Congress on Thursday claiming that President Donald Trump's mental health is rapidly deteriorating amid the impeachment inquiry.

"We are speaking out at this time because we are convinced that, as the time of possible impeachment approaches, Donald Trump has the real potential to become ever more dangerous, a threat to the safety of our nation," Drs. Bandy Lee, a Yale psychiatrist, Jerrold Post, a former CIA profiler, and John Zinner, a psychiatrist at George Washington University, wrote in a statement accompanying the petition, which was first reported by the British outlet The Independent.

Looks like 350 doctors that lack medical ethics.

[DivineOb]

Yep no other medical conditions can cause slurred speech:

Simply being tired or fatigued can make it hard to think of the right words. And when you're worried about being judged by others or feel embarrassed, you may freeze up or struggle to talk.

https://www.webmd.com/brain/sudden-s...roblems-causes

Right. But that's also a trivial matter to solve using any number of medications he has access to 24/7. If he chose not to avail himself of them before one of the most important speeches of his life then that's almost worse!

Maybe it's not dementia. But *something* is wrong for him to speak like he did in the video I linked. That it is mere fatigue is not plausible and wouldn't explain all the other times he's done the same thing.

It would be nothing short of admirable to say "I think he's the best President since Lincoln but something is wrong with him which wasn't wrong in 2016."

[DivineOb]

Looks like 350 doctors that lack medical ethics.

Right. If I say it looks like a problem you challenge me for not being an MD. Then I point to not just one but many and you want to throw their opinions out.

TAS claims another one :poursouta40:.

[lilpixieofterror]

Right. But that's also a trivial matter to solve using any number of medications he has access to 24/7. He chose not to avail himself of them before one of the most important speeches of his life then that's almost worse!

Maybe it's not dementia. But *something* is wrong for him to speak like he did in the video I linked. That it is mere fatigue is not plausible and wouldn't explain all the other times he's done the same thing.

It would be nothing short of admirable to say "I think he's the best President since Lincoln but something is wrong with him which wasn't wrong in 2016."

There is a whole list of things, including stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep. Your problem is you jump to conclusions instead of putting a bit of thought into this.

[lilpixieofterror]

Right. If I say it looks like a problem you challenge me for not being an MD. Then I point to not just one but many and you want to throw their opinions out.

TAS claims another one :poursouta40:.

[DivineOb]

And *I* thought you would do me the courtesy of at least opening that link before commenting. I guess we're both in for disappointment.

He has the world's top doctors on call 24/7. He'll manage.

If Trump can't deal with a sleepless night because his body is too fragile then sucks to be him, I guess. Obama seemed to deal with them just fine.

There is a whole list of things, including stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep. Your problem is you jump to conclusions instead of putting a bit of thought into this.

Are you saying Donald "Tough as Nails" Trump isn't up to the most stressful and anxiety inducing job on the planet? If only he had realized how hard it was to be President before he volunteered!