I was onboard until the last sentence about his followers being the losers. You spent the whole podcast making the case that his followers know he's bullshitting them, but they like the message and delivery. I believe that you're correct, so his followers know exactly what they're getting, which is someone who advocates for their interests, unlike the coastal elites in the other party.
I understood Lake to be referring to a smaller subset of Trump's base that take their devotion far beyond the average GOP voter who supports him even if they don't take him literally. The ones who believe that he will deliver things that a president or government is not capable of could wind up feeling a lot of disappointment down the line.
I found this episode interesting in terms of the parallels it draws from other Presidents, but I don’t see how the final conclusion follows. Why are the people most harmed his followers if they understand he is bullshittin? Seems like the record of his prior Presidency is contrary to that conclusion. You were following the ethics of solid down the middle journalism until your conclusion and that is disappointing!
Is this why President Biden can go on national television and say that he inherited a 9% inflation rate, (inflation was running about 1% on the day he took office), and our press lets the remark pass without comment? One of the press’s primary jobs, and probably the primary reason for the first amendment to our constitution is that a free press is to be our national bullshit detector. It is indeed unfortunate that according to our coastal elite Democrat run media some bullshit smells like roses. However, we all know, bullshit is just bullshit.
Loved this, except for the last 15 seconds. Most conservatives are not "marks" and we are clear-headed on differentiating his bullshit from the left's constant lying. That's why this was such a good podcast. Then, Eli, you go ahead and show your stripes and call Trump supporters "garbage" (or was that Biden - hard to tell anymore).
Maybe some people can't distinguish between bullshit and lies. And some people simply can't stop lying which is usually a clear indication that the truth is not on their side.
What I think Eli misses is the difference between running for election and running the government. Progressives are great at running for elections, especially the ones that understand the value of bullshit. They clearly cannot run a government, even when they throw trillions of dollars at it.
The reason Harris is failing is because she can't do bullshit, so she lies. Many conservatives are not good at running for election because they are simply not good at bullshit. The ones like Trump, who are masters at it, typically win elections (except the 2020 election of course). Applying conservative values (limited government, the importance of family, following the Constitution, etc) is better for running governments.
Assuming and hoping that Trump wins on Tuesday, the difference between Trump I and Trump II will be to keep doing the good things he did (Abraham Accords, economy, etc.) and add more good things like blasting away at the excesses of government (to start).
And most importantly, begin to move the country back to the center by destroying progressivism and disdaining the far right.
Agree completely. What Eli calls "bullshit" is really the "entertainer" aspect of Trump. An entertainer who knows how to connect with crowds. Someone who has been in the public sphere for decades - look back at old Letterman appearances, participating in skits on SNL, commercials he did for various companies. He has comedic timing. He knows how to connect with crowds and can quickly integrate current social happenings. And to top it off, he's just not a politician. He has a background no candidate has ever had in recent history. I agree with all your points - I'm hoping we get a chance to see what he can do for 4 years with a focus on leaving this country better than when he started. His motivation is leaving a legacy of success.
(the fear mongering of "dictator" "autocrat" is sad - he's giving it 4 years and he's out).
There are the master bullshitters like Trump, whose schtick succeeds because he’s so far over the top as to be almost hilarious self-parody. Then there are the utterly incompetent bullshitters, like Tim Walz . . . who really just sort of spits our stumbling, self-aggrandizing lies that are inevitably revealed as such within about 24 hours of utterance.
I think the difference is that Walz is humor-impaired and takes himself far too seriously.
Trump has no such impediments . . . for good or ill.
Harris , seems to lacks the humor too, even Biden has had more humor then Harris and Walz , that is a sad fact . They say humor is a sign of intelligence , if true it says something .
Thanks for the background on SOME of the famous bullshitters, but a big irritant as you whistle past the graveyard of a massive industry of serious Democrat lies!
Tying up Trump’s first term with Russia-gate, from Hillary’s deliberate project of lies, Adam Schiff’s long running “I have evidence back in my office…” and the entire MSM / Big Tech complex manipulation of the world of information makes the barroom BS of Trump insignificant compared to what he accomplished IN SPITE of their best efforts.
And you just leave out Kamala who isn’t bullshitting -she’s lying about her past and Leftist goals. And you do this on the eve of an election that will decide if our Constitution holds or not.
I think that on the whole, Eli, you earned TFP a 10 yard penalty.
Yup. Agree. Bullshitting vs lying. Vs not even having an opinion. Vs not knowing enough about issues to have an opinion. vs changing your stance repeatedly and completely.
This was a great piece. I learned things I didn't know about Trump, and it pretty much crystalized my understanding of him. I'm constantly baffled how the left still criticizes him for "lies" like "Mexico is going to pay for it", utterly oblivious to the fact that he's intentionally being outlandish for attention. I'm astounded that intelligent people have not figured this out yet after 8+ years!
After reading the comments, I think a lot of you need to give it another listen. I thought jt was fantastic and explains why I went from never Trump in 2016 to all in. The only part I disagreed with is at the end where Eli says that Trump supporters will be the ones to lose out. I completely disagree. He’s exactly the one we need on the front lines with the crazy dictators and leaders of the world. We need his BS motors on full throttle to deal with them. We don’t need high minded intellectuals to deal with these bullies who only dish out BS. We need Trump back in the drivers seat bigly… it’s going to be so beautiful. The most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your life.
Let's talk about "BS". 'The Border is Secure'. 'If you get vaccinated, you can't get or spread COVID'. 'Men can get pregnant'. 'Bidenomics is working'. 'Crime is down'. Okay - I'm done.
Harris doesn't have the personality to bullshit - that takes someone being very clever, comfortable in front of a crowd, and having solid views that don't waver.
None of those things describe her.
That leaves you with lying, laughing, and word salad
Eli, welcome to the family, Bro! Best in class BS podcast here. But I am not sure I am buying what you're selling just yet.
Now tell the truth. Wouldn't you rather have a champion BS'er in the White House negotiating with the Russians instead of an unaccomplished liar? Time to switch cults, my friend. Trumpamania is waiting for you!
Eli, good job on differentiating between BS and lies. You fooled me into thinking you were looking at this somewhat objectively. That is, until the very end. When you refer to Trump supporters as his "marks" you tipped your hand that you think these voters are just suckers. You are no different than when Hillary calls them "deplorables" or Biden refers to them as "garbage."
You're right. I would rather go along with the con or BS or whatever, than have someone call me a rube for making a better choice in an election. An unaccomplished lier in the White House is a nonstarter for me. I will take the BS'er instead anytime.
Entertaining podcast but the assumption that we, Trump supporters, do not recognize his “bull shit” is laughable. The refreshing thing about Trump is we’re all in on the joke. In that sense, he was the most transparent president we’ve endured. The more interesting point, which you don’t seem to discuss fully, is every single man who achieved this office, is a “bull shitter”. Some may have possessed more morals and ethics, but in the end, they had a fair share of crap they had to do to and say to accomplish their goals. We learned under Bill Clinton that a used car salesman could be a decent president. But the elites were on his side. And with Barack O’Bama, we learned a once in a lifetime political character, with an amazing message and the delivery of Martin Luther King, could be a pretty lousy president. But the Elites were on his side. And now we’re faced with an openly flawed, undisciplined and outrageous person in Donald Trump who, we know from his tumultuous last presidency, kept our country moving forward in a positive direction. And he did this despite the Elites using every institution they control, handicapping h him in every way possible.
I just listened and he actually agreed with the point you make! He explains that the fallacy of the left is that they think Trump supporters take everything Trump says seriously and therefore wave their "fact checking" sheets as if that would make people "see the light." He also goes into how previous presidents used bs but Trump "perfected the art."
I was onboard until the last sentence about his followers being the losers. You spent the whole podcast making the case that his followers know he's bullshitting them, but they like the message and delivery. I believe that you're correct, so his followers know exactly what they're getting, which is someone who advocates for their interests, unlike the coastal elites in the other party.
I understood Lake to be referring to a smaller subset of Trump's base that take their devotion far beyond the average GOP voter who supports him even if they don't take him literally. The ones who believe that he will deliver things that a president or government is not capable of could wind up feeling a lot of disappointment down the line.
Excellent!
I found this episode interesting in terms of the parallels it draws from other Presidents, but I don’t see how the final conclusion follows. Why are the people most harmed his followers if they understand he is bullshittin? Seems like the record of his prior Presidency is contrary to that conclusion. You were following the ethics of solid down the middle journalism until your conclusion and that is disappointing!
Is this why President Biden can go on national television and say that he inherited a 9% inflation rate, (inflation was running about 1% on the day he took office), and our press lets the remark pass without comment? One of the press’s primary jobs, and probably the primary reason for the first amendment to our constitution is that a free press is to be our national bullshit detector. It is indeed unfortunate that according to our coastal elite Democrat run media some bullshit smells like roses. However, we all know, bullshit is just bullshit.
I’m trying to fathom why we accept politicians as liars? Storytellers, benders of reality through particular lenses, to illustrate a point, yes.
Is lying now a feature of being a politician? An acceptable norm? The same for businessmen. Lying is an acceptable feature of our social contract.
How depressing.
Loved this, except for the last 15 seconds. Most conservatives are not "marks" and we are clear-headed on differentiating his bullshit from the left's constant lying. That's why this was such a good podcast. Then, Eli, you go ahead and show your stripes and call Trump supporters "garbage" (or was that Biden - hard to tell anymore).
Maybe some people can't distinguish between bullshit and lies. And some people simply can't stop lying which is usually a clear indication that the truth is not on their side.
What I think Eli misses is the difference between running for election and running the government. Progressives are great at running for elections, especially the ones that understand the value of bullshit. They clearly cannot run a government, even when they throw trillions of dollars at it.
The reason Harris is failing is because she can't do bullshit, so she lies. Many conservatives are not good at running for election because they are simply not good at bullshit. The ones like Trump, who are masters at it, typically win elections (except the 2020 election of course). Applying conservative values (limited government, the importance of family, following the Constitution, etc) is better for running governments.
Assuming and hoping that Trump wins on Tuesday, the difference between Trump I and Trump II will be to keep doing the good things he did (Abraham Accords, economy, etc.) and add more good things like blasting away at the excesses of government (to start).
And most importantly, begin to move the country back to the center by destroying progressivism and disdaining the far right.
Agree completely. What Eli calls "bullshit" is really the "entertainer" aspect of Trump. An entertainer who knows how to connect with crowds. Someone who has been in the public sphere for decades - look back at old Letterman appearances, participating in skits on SNL, commercials he did for various companies. He has comedic timing. He knows how to connect with crowds and can quickly integrate current social happenings. And to top it off, he's just not a politician. He has a background no candidate has ever had in recent history. I agree with all your points - I'm hoping we get a chance to see what he can do for 4 years with a focus on leaving this country better than when he started. His motivation is leaving a legacy of success.
(the fear mongering of "dictator" "autocrat" is sad - he's giving it 4 years and he's out).
There are the master bullshitters like Trump, whose schtick succeeds because he’s so far over the top as to be almost hilarious self-parody. Then there are the utterly incompetent bullshitters, like Tim Walz . . . who really just sort of spits our stumbling, self-aggrandizing lies that are inevitably revealed as such within about 24 hours of utterance.
I think the difference is that Walz is humor-impaired and takes himself far too seriously.
Trump has no such impediments . . . for good or ill.
Harris , seems to lacks the humor too, even Biden has had more humor then Harris and Walz , that is a sad fact . They say humor is a sign of intelligence , if true it says something .
one might also call this charisma. I don't think Harris has any.
Thanks for the background on SOME of the famous bullshitters, but a big irritant as you whistle past the graveyard of a massive industry of serious Democrat lies!
Tying up Trump’s first term with Russia-gate, from Hillary’s deliberate project of lies, Adam Schiff’s long running “I have evidence back in my office…” and the entire MSM / Big Tech complex manipulation of the world of information makes the barroom BS of Trump insignificant compared to what he accomplished IN SPITE of their best efforts.
And you just leave out Kamala who isn’t bullshitting -she’s lying about her past and Leftist goals. And you do this on the eve of an election that will decide if our Constitution holds or not.
I think that on the whole, Eli, you earned TFP a 10 yard penalty.
Yup. Agree. Bullshitting vs lying. Vs not even having an opinion. Vs not knowing enough about issues to have an opinion. vs changing your stance repeatedly and completely.
This was a great piece. I learned things I didn't know about Trump, and it pretty much crystalized my understanding of him. I'm constantly baffled how the left still criticizes him for "lies" like "Mexico is going to pay for it", utterly oblivious to the fact that he's intentionally being outlandish for attention. I'm astounded that intelligent people have not figured this out yet after 8+ years!
After reading the comments, I think a lot of you need to give it another listen. I thought jt was fantastic and explains why I went from never Trump in 2016 to all in. The only part I disagreed with is at the end where Eli says that Trump supporters will be the ones to lose out. I completely disagree. He’s exactly the one we need on the front lines with the crazy dictators and leaders of the world. We need his BS motors on full throttle to deal with them. We don’t need high minded intellectuals to deal with these bullies who only dish out BS. We need Trump back in the drivers seat bigly… it’s going to be so beautiful. The most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your life.
Let's talk about "BS". 'The Border is Secure'. 'If you get vaccinated, you can't get or spread COVID'. 'Men can get pregnant'. 'Bidenomics is working'. 'Crime is down'. Okay - I'm done.
Except those are just lies that fall flat and piss everyone off. BS entertains its intended audience.
Joe Biden is sharp as a tack.
The Hunter laptop has all the earmarks of a Russian hoax.
Why isn't it Harris and the Art of the Bullshitter? What happened to the Bari that was so fair and impartial the other day?
Harris doesn't have the personality to bullshit - that takes someone being very clever, comfortable in front of a crowd, and having solid views that don't waver.
None of those things describe her.
That leaves you with lying, laughing, and word salad
Bari: This isn’t the quality of your Honestly interviews. Clearly needed your comments and questions.
Eli, welcome to the family, Bro! Best in class BS podcast here. But I am not sure I am buying what you're selling just yet.
Now tell the truth. Wouldn't you rather have a champion BS'er in the White House negotiating with the Russians instead of an unaccomplished liar? Time to switch cults, my friend. Trumpamania is waiting for you!
Eli, good job on differentiating between BS and lies. You fooled me into thinking you were looking at this somewhat objectively. That is, until the very end. When you refer to Trump supporters as his "marks" you tipped your hand that you think these voters are just suckers. You are no different than when Hillary calls them "deplorables" or Biden refers to them as "garbage."
You're right. I would rather go along with the con or BS or whatever, than have someone call me a rube for making a better choice in an election. An unaccomplished lier in the White House is a nonstarter for me. I will take the BS'er instead anytime.
Entertaining podcast but the assumption that we, Trump supporters, do not recognize his “bull shit” is laughable. The refreshing thing about Trump is we’re all in on the joke. In that sense, he was the most transparent president we’ve endured. The more interesting point, which you don’t seem to discuss fully, is every single man who achieved this office, is a “bull shitter”. Some may have possessed more morals and ethics, but in the end, they had a fair share of crap they had to do to and say to accomplish their goals. We learned under Bill Clinton that a used car salesman could be a decent president. But the elites were on his side. And with Barack O’Bama, we learned a once in a lifetime political character, with an amazing message and the delivery of Martin Luther King, could be a pretty lousy president. But the Elites were on his side. And now we’re faced with an openly flawed, undisciplined and outrageous person in Donald Trump who, we know from his tumultuous last presidency, kept our country moving forward in a positive direction. And he did this despite the Elites using every institution they control, handicapping h him in every way possible.
Also ,obama is one helleva teleprompter reader. David Jisha ,Beaumont Texas
I just listened and he actually agreed with the point you make! He explains that the fallacy of the left is that they think Trump supporters take everything Trump says seriously and therefore wave their "fact checking" sheets as if that would make people "see the light." He also goes into how previous presidents used bs but Trump "perfected the art."