Most Polite White House in History

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  • #1925711
    Ex-CTLawyer
    Participant

    Everyone is saying “Pardon Me” or “I beg your pardon”

    #1925744
    Goldilocks
    Participant

    I beg your pardon, but I disagree.

    #1925755
    ujm
    Participant

    Senile folks are often polite.

    #1925767
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    They have not yet requested a pardon for Barron for cheating on his algebra exam

    #1925761

    CTLawyer, while this is funny, you are – pardon me – wrong here.

    Previous administration was much more polite – they apologized for all the bad stuff America did to the world. They did not even ask anyone for pardon, they mostly excused themselves. As Mr Biden said recently: they could not do prison reform because – o, horror – there were Republicans in the Senate (by the time they got to it, as they could not do two things at the same time). And nothing can be done with Assad or ISIS because … and we pivot to China but they ignore us … and we could help Ukrainians but Russians …

    It looks like the biggest lesson from this administration is that things can be done. For example, reports of possible Biden’s China policy – continue Trump’s policy but in a nicer way.

    #1925798
    akuperma
    Participant

    An innocuous, polite, harmless president. Hopefully ineffective. That’s the best we can hope for from a Democrat.

    #1925872
    Goldilocks
    Participant

    Akuperma, I think that CTLawyer was talking about Trump 😉

    #1925877
    catch yourself
    Participant

    You get no points for originality on this one.

    It was actually Trump’s line in 2016. Speaking at the Al Smith dinner, he said (not a verbatim quote, but close enough):

    Hillary and I really are very cordial with each other. In fact, when we bumped into each other, she said, “Pardon me,” and I told her, “Let’s talk about that once I’m in office.”

    #1925880
    Abba_S
    Participant

    This is the first time I have heard anyone calling Trump and or his administration polite. Even his biggest fans don’t consider him polite.
    The White House is a building, which can’t be polite or abusive.
    The US government isn’t a hasidic sect like Satmar or Belz, only one person can be president at a time and right now that is Trump. That is assuming the OP is refering to Biden

    #1925918
    Goldilocks
    Participant

    Catch Yourself, it was new to me. CT Lawyer, thanks for injecting some humor into the coffee room!

    #1925925
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    I call myself Reb Eliezer to encourage respect to the elderly as brought up in Hungary calling Uncle and Aunt as a title even though there is no relationship.

    #1926054
    huju
    Participant

    To Gadolha the Explorah: Even if you are kidding, leave Barron Trump out of this – he has kept his mouth shut, and he is still a kid. And even if you are kidding, don’t say he cheated on any tests. As for Junior, Ivanka, Eric, Jared – they will get the pardons they surely need.

    #1926064
    Ex-CTLawyer
    Participant

    @RebEliezer
    I was brought up in CT, 5th generation American. Those adults with too close a relationship (such as our next door neighbors for the first 15 years of my life) to be called Mr X or Mrs X were addressed and referred to as Uncle X and Aunt X.
    No Hungarian in our background, this came from the German (maternal) side of our family.

    BTW, I don’t appreciate non-social friends calling me by my first name, I find it very distasteful and lacking respect. Last Tuesday morning I had a Doctor’s appointment. A twenty something female came into the waiting room and called out my first name. I ignored her, After 4 attempts, she went back into the office and told the manager that Mister Y isn’t here. The office manager started laughing and asked: Did you call for Mr, Y? The young female said no. The office manager said, he’s old enough to be your grandfather, how dare you call him by first name, He’s not your friend, he’s a patient.
    She came back out and asked for Mr. Y and I responded.
    The doctor referred me to a specialist for some tests. I went that afternoon, Filling out the paperwork, it asked for my preferred first name, I wrote down ATTORNEY.

    #1926075
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    We find this week from the Chasam Sofer that the Satan said to Yaakov Avinu when he asked his name,
    don’t befriend me as I am not good for you. In the book How to Make Friends and Influence People, is writen that people would use the first name to make friends.

    #1926078

    @catch, you are right. Seems like our esteemed attorney indeed re-purposed Trump’s joke, whether intentionally or not. Give that CTLawyer always dislikes anything President says, this may be an interesting admission … This illustrates ow often we make judgement based on our prior opinions rather tan facts.

    #1926081
    gadfly1
    Participant

    CTLawyer:

    There’s a well-known story told from before the Holocaust. Each morning a young man and his Rav would walk past their non-Jewish neighbor and the neighbor would call out “nice day Herr Rabiner, do you agree?” The young man turned to his Rav and said, “did you ever notice how polite the Germans are, always ending their greetings with “Yes?” or “do you agree”? The Rav just nodded and said nothing.

    Years later during the War, this young man was arrested by the SS and was brought before none other than his ex-neighbor. He had him tied up and he as he pulled out his fingernails one by one, he would say “It hurts Herr Rabiner, does it not?” “Very painful, yes?”

    No I’m not comparing Biden to the Nazis, but to point out that polite speech does not guarantee
    civility. In fact let’s look at who the “polite” Biden White House is considering appointing for key positions, in just the first week alone: Karine Jean-Pierre for White House spokesperson and Reema Dodin for Director of Legislative affairs, both of BDS-fame. And no denouncement yet of several Anti-Semitic statements from many other corners of his party just this past week. “I beg your pardon, but Israel is an oppressor and does not deserve our support.”

    #1926100
    DovidBT
    Participant

    A President who says what he really thinks has been a refreshing change from the usual many-faced politicians.

    #1926220
    Ex-CTLawyer
    Participant

    @Gadfly1
    President Elect Biden was not the subject of the post, your attempt to deflect is ridiculous.

    #1926224
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    There is what a program indicating how the Hitler ym’s came to power by blaming the Jews using conspiracy theories how they lost World War I.

    #1926223
    Ex-CTLawyer
    Participant

    @Always ask questions

    You are jumping to conclusions and asserting facts not in evidence.
    You have no idea if I always dislike anything Trump says……………………
    You are not with me 24/7
    I don’t post comments on everything Trump utters.

    I did not dislike his announcement that the US Embassy in Israel would be moved from TA to Yerushayim.
    I did not dislike him saying Resign to Atty General Jeff Sessions.
    I din not dislike his saying you’re fired to Deputy Atty General Sally Yates

    Game, set, match

    #1926370
    gadfly1
    Participant

    ah ok, I apologize, I took didn’t get the joke. An easy conclusion to jump to since Democrats have been so focused on restoring civility to the White House.

    With that said, pre-emptive pardons are necessary for all the vindictiveness of Democrat prosecutors who won’t rest until they’ve found something, anything to convict the Trump clan for their sins of un-political correctness.

    Interesting today how the NY Times had the time to research every single stock dealing of the past 5 years of the two Georgia Republican senators, but couldn’t be bothered to look into Hunter Biden. (Wait I thought it was just about getting rid of Trump? Or must all Republicans be destroyed?)

    #1926404
    Ex-CTLawyer
    Participant

    @Gadfly1
    You need to get it through your head: Hunter Biden is not and was not a candidate for public office. The two Georgia Republican Senators are candidates for re-election. As such their financial dealings are subject to public scrutiny,

    I don’t believe in pre-emptive pardons. The US Supreme Court stated in 1915 that the acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt. You have no idea who will bring charges against the Trump Clan in the future. If it is a federal prosecutor it may well be a career DOJ employee who has nothing to do with your perceived political vindictiveness.

    NO Pardon issued by the POTUS will have any bearing in state charges brought in the future. Why do you think Trump and Melania moved their official residence to Florida? To avoid the NYS Atty General and investigations, to a state that has no income tax and no returns that can be subject to scrutiny and prosecution and to avoid paying taxes due NYS and NYC.

    #1926419
    a pashute yid
    Participant

    @ctlawyer while I agree with you that you should check into the details of the canditates. Can you explain to me why they do not look into the past of these democratic canidates.

    #1926528
    Ex-CTLawyer
    Participant

    @apashuteyid
    OK………………….
    Which Democratic Candidates are “these?”
    Who should looked into their past?

    I am on the local Democratic Town Committee, and have been on the State Democratic Committee and have sat on committees that investigates potential candidates, We have rejected candidates because of things in their backgrounds.

    5 years ago, the Republicans in my town didn’t do a good job checking out their candidates. They ran a man for Town Council who was under indictment in another state for vehicular manslaughter. He won the election, but before he was sworn in was convicted and sent to prison.

    The Democrat mayor of Bridgeport, CT is garbage, He is a convicted felon who served many years in federal prison for stealing money the first time he was mayor. BUT, since convicted felons can get their vote back if they serve their time and pay all monies due, he ran again, He past was known and the idiots in Bridgeport reelected him twice.

    #1926555

    CTLawyer You are jumping to conclusions

    My sincere apologies. But if you borrow liberally (sic!) from the President you dislike, you got to see it coming 🙂 In all seriousness, it is good that we all acknowledge the positive sides of the people we disagree with. It is a basic premise of Jewish communications. Boring to see here people parroting news shows.

    As R Sacks ZT”L pointed, we are deluded if we think we can fulfill our obligation to the world by selecting and relying a politician based on “debate between conservatives who claim past that never existed and progressives who promise future that will never exist”.

    #1926875
    Avram in MD
    Participant

    CTLAWYER,

    “Last Tuesday morning I had a Doctor’s appointment. A twenty something female came into the waiting room and called out my first name. I ignored her, After 4 attempts, she went back into the office and told the manager that Mister Y isn’t here.”

    I agree with you regarding younger people referring to their elders by title or a more formal name. That is how I was raised, and I remember feeling uncomfortable when friends’ parents would invite me to call them by their first names, and I would continue to call them Mr or Mrs So-and-so. In this case, however, I feel your response to the receptionist was rather ungracious. She may well have been trained to use first names to develop a rapport with patients in order to help them feel at ease. She certainly intended no disrespect and was simply trying to do her job. Even if it was rude, two rudes do not make a polite, and forcing her to make four attempts to get you back into the exam room made everyone’s wait to be seen longer. And it garnered her a public reprimand which may have soured her day. If what you are called is that important to you, make sure it is on your chart and politely point it out if it is missed.

    #1927017
    catch yourself
    Participant

    CTLawyer –

    “Why do you think Trump and Melania moved their official residence to Florida? To avoid the NYS Atty General and investigations, to a state that has no income tax and no returns that can be subject to scrutiny and prosecution and to avoid paying taxes due NYS and NYC.”

    There is nothing wrong with moving to avoid having to pay taxes on future income, and the accompanying potential scrutiny and prosecution. I don’t doubt that this is a big part of why the Trumps moved. They have plenty of company in moving to Florida for that reason.

    Unless I misunderstand something, the move will not protect them from the tax liability and accompanying scrutiny and prosecution from prior to their move.

    #1927118
    Ex-CTLawyer
    Participant

    @Avram in MD
    My chart says that I am to be addressed as Mister Y
    I was the only patient in the waiting room, so no other was delayed.
    The employee deserved a dressing down, it took place in the office, perhaps the office manager should not have been so loud, or maybe the office manager wanted me to hear this.
    I had complained about this to the office manager in the past.

    #1927138

    I’m with Avrum, you seem way off here. Even if you don’t think so, I don’t think you’ll get anyone to back you on this.

    #1927152
    Avram in MD
    Participant

    CTLAWYER,

    “My chart says that I am to be addressed as Mister Y”

    Explicitly in a section for nickname/preferred name? Then yes the receptionist made a mistake, but a pretty small one in the grand scheme of things. If it’s not explicit, then that’s on the office manager or whoever set up your chart, not the receptionist who called you back.

    “I was the only patient in the waiting room, so no other was delayed.”

    Then why would the receptionist call out a name three more times to a room empty except for you who didn’t answer the first time? And even if nobody was actively there at the moment, your appointment got off to an unnecessarily later start, which does impact those coming after you.

    “The employee deserved a dressing down, it took place in the office, perhaps the office manager should not have been so loud, or maybe the office manager wanted me to hear this.
    I had complained about this to the office manager in the past.”

    No she didn’t. A simple response of “Mr Y is here and ready to go back” along with a smile in response to her “Is X here?” would have politely and clearly gotten the point across. You didn’t score a win for politeness in the world; all you got was a receptionist and office manager who don’t like you so much.

    #1927157
    Avram in MD
    Participant

    Reb Eliezer,

    “I call myself Reb Eliezer to encourage respect to the elderly”

    There’s a story of Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT”L (I think I read it in the Artscroll biography) where he was walking down a street, and a man drove by and called out “Hey Moshe, come here!” to his young son who was also on the street. Rav Moshe walked over to the car, greeted the man, and asked what the man wanted. The driver was floored, and said that he would never refer to the Rav by his first name, or make him walk over to the car. Rav Moshe was completely nonchalant and assumed the man was calling him over!

    #1927174
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    There is a story with Rav Moshe ztz’l and Rav Yanoson Steif ztz’l where they would stand up for each other when talking on the telephone.

    #1927230

    Maybe the receptionist followed this halakha:
    Greater than being called ‘Rabban’ is to be called by one’s own name

    #1927386
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Rebbi, Rav and Shmuel were so great that did not need any titles but we we are not on their level.

    #1939783
    commonsaychel
    Participant

    WH sources say there will be one list released tomorrow that will include all the final pardons of the Trump presidency, the is is some 100 names and includes 3 Orthodox people

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