Debate Now True, somewhat true, not true, misunderstood, misspoken....

[320 Years of History]

Yesterday, Mr. Sanders referred to Trump as a "pathological liar." Evaluating that statement from the context of a clinical psychologist/psychiatrist making a diagnosis, no, Trump is not a pathological liar. "Inveterate liar" would have been a more precise phrasing that would not require that a professional psychologist/psychiatrist have evaluated Trump and concluded that his misrepresentation of the truth rises to the level of being a pathology.

That said, a clinician's articulated diagnosis and conclusion that one is a pathological liar is one thing, and a non-clinician asserting that one is a pathological liar are not at all the same things. Most people have the sense to realize that Mr. Sanders isn't a psychoanalytic clinician and that even if he were, he's certainly not evaluated Trump and that nobody who may have done is going to Mr. Sanders disclose the results of their examination. Accordingly, they realize he could not have been claiming Trump is clinically a pathological liar and that his turn of phrase must have meant, at most, that "Trump, more frequently than most politicians, misrepresents the truth."

Thread Questions and Information:

1. If you were held at gunpoint right now and forced to choose one or lose your life, which Presidential candidate would you choose?
2. Do you think the person you identified in the preceding question, in comparison to their competitors for the office of President of the United States, is more or less often makes factually accurate statements?
3. Have you bothered to find out whether the remarks made by the person you identified in question #1 are more often and mostly true?
4. Have you bothered to find out whether the remarks made by the opponents (Dem and GOP) of the person you identified in question #1 are more often and mostly true?
5. Information: Here is a high level discussion of the overall accuracy of the statements made by each of the remaining Presidential hopefuls.
   1. PolitiFact | Fact-checking the 2016 GOP presidential candidates
   2. PolitiFact | Fact-checking the 2016 Democratic presidential candidates
6. After looking at the information found at the preceding links, would you like to change your answer to question #2? If so, why? If not, why not?

Thread Rules

1. The allowable answers for questions 2, 3, 4, and the first question in #6 are: "yes" or "no." Period. Answer "yes" or answer "no," but not both, to each of those questions. If you are not sure, you just aren't, but you must nonetheless "go with your gut" and answer "yes" or "no" to each.
2. You must answer questions 2, 3, 4 and the first question in #6 in order to also discuss why you answered any of the thread questions as you did. Use the remaining two questions in #6 to discuss, to the nature and extent you feel necessary, the "whys, whatnots, and wherefores" pertaining to your answers to questions 2, 3, 4, and the first part of #6. If you were not sure, but given the rules forced to answer binarily, parts two and three of question #6 provide you the opportunity to discuss/explain/identify that fact.
3. Discussion of how you answered questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 is optional, but it is also prohibited if you don't directly and explicitly answer those questions as instructed above.

 

[320 Years of History]

1. If you were held at gunpoint right now and forced to choose one or lose your life, which Presidential candidate would you choose?
   
   My answer: Mr. Sanders
   
2. Do you think the person you identified in the preceding question, in comparison to their competitors for the office of President of the United States, is more or less often makes factually accurate statements?
   
   My answer: Yes, I think Mr. Sanders more often than his competitors makes factually accurate statements.
   
3. Have you bothered to find out whether the remarks made by the person you identified in question #1 are more often and mostly true?
   
   My answer: Yes.
   
4. Have you bothered to find out whether the remarks made by the opponents (Dem and GOP) of the person you identified in question #1 are more often and mostly true?
   
   My answer: Yes
   
5. Information: Here is a high level discussion of the overall accuracy of the statements made by each of the remaining Presidential hopefuls.
   1. PolitiFact | Fact-checking the 2016 GOP presidential candidates
   2. PolitiFact | Fact-checking the 2016 Democratic presidential candidates
      
      [Not a question. No answer given.]
      
6. After looking at the information found at the preceding links, would you like to change your answer to question #2? If so, why? If not, why not?
   
   My answer: No.

 

[jwoodie]

Yesterday, Mr. Sanders referred to Trump as a "pathological liar." Evaluating that statement from the context of a clinical psychologist/psychiatrist making a diagnosis, no, Trump is not a pathological liar. "Inveterate liar" would have been a more precise phrasing that would not require that a professional psychologist/psychiatrist have evaluated Trump and concluded that his misrepresentation of the truth rises to the level of being a pathology.

That said, a clinician's articulated diagnosis and conclusion that one is a pathological liar is one thing, and a non-clinician asserting that one is a pathological liar are not at all the same things. Most people have the sense to realize that Mr. Sanders isn't a psychoanalytic clinician and that even if he were, he's certainly not evaluated Trump and that nobody who may have done is going to Mr. Sanders disclose the results of their examination. Accordingly, they realize he could not have been claiming Trump is clinically a pathological liar and that his turn of phrase must have meant, at most, that "Trump, more frequently than most politicians, misrepresents the truth."

Thread Questions and Information:

1. If you were held at gunpoint right now and forced to choose one or lose your life, which Presidential candidate would you choose?
2. Do you think the person you identified in the preceding question, in comparison to their competitors for the office of President of the United States, is more or less often makes factually accurate statements?
3. Have you bothered to find out whether the remarks made by the person you identified in question #1 are more often and mostly true?
4. Have you bothered to find out whether the remarks made by the opponents (Dem and GOP) of the person you identified in question #1 are more often and mostly true?
5. Information: Here is a high level discussion of the overall accuracy of the statements made by each of the remaining Presidential hopefuls.
   1. PolitiFact | Fact-checking the 2016 GOP presidential candidates
   2. PolitiFact | Fact-checking the 2016 Democratic presidential candidates
6. After looking at the information found at the preceding links, would you like to change your answer to question #2? If so, why? If not, why not?

Thread Rules

1. The allowable answers for questions 2, 3, 4, and the first question in #6 are: "yes" or "no." Period. Answer "yes" or answer "no," but not both, to each of those questions. If you are not sure, you just aren't, but you must nonetheless "go with your gut" and answer "yes" or "no" to each.
2. You must answer questions 2, 3, 4 and the first question in #6 in order to also discuss why you answered any of the thread questions as you did. Use the remaining two questions in #6 to discuss, to the nature and extent you feel necessary, the "whys, whatnots, and wherefores" pertaining to your answers to questions 2, 3, 4, and the first part of #6. If you were not sure, but given the rules forced to answer binarily, parts two and three of question #6 provide you the opportunity to discuss/explain/identify that fact.
3. Discussion of how you answered questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 is optional, but it is also prohibited if you don't directly and explicitly answer those questions as instructed above.

These questions are entirely devoid of any qualitative analysis, failing to distinguish between political hyperbole and serious proposals for dealing with serious problems (and weighting them all equally). However, I will humor you with the following answers:

1. Trump

2. Approximately equal.

3. No, I do not spend my time researching meaningless and/or irrelevant statements.

4. No, I have enough knowledge and intelligence to make that determination without relying on PolitiFact.

5. See above.

6. No, see above.