Gent, given that Trump announced that he would clean house - and it appears that to some degree he did so - I would have to say that his win was not at all scripted by the powers-that-be. It's sort of like the old joke about unemployment. To a government economist, an "acceptable level of unemployment" means that the economist still has HIS job. And with Trump, that economist would probably claim an unacceptable level of unemployment. Except that nobody would believe him since USA unemployment is at a 49-year low.
Voting is pointless
- Thread starter Jon
- Start date
I am pleased Trump won. Let's disregard left/right politics for a second. The huge disruption he has brought upon America is the kind of shake up complacent politicians need. They get too cosy with the status quo, too comfortable with slow rates of change. Trump comes in and drops his chaos bomb, but it gets things done!
Jon, I agree, and it was one of his campaign promises - which I believe he is upholding, given the chaos that surrounds him as he dismantles stuff and the Democrats go ballistic trying to silence him or neuter him. That old Biblical-related phrase applies here: Discover "whose ox has been gored." (THEN you can assign the blame.)
I think he operates well in his bubble of chaos. It doesn't seem to phase him, which is remarkable. Non-military wars on multiple fronts, such as the Paris Climate agreement, Mexico, Canada, EU tariffs, Chinese intellectual property abuse, Syria, expulsion of Russian diplomats, unemployment reduction, the economy booming, NATO GDP percentage underpaying, solving North Korea and so on. He ignores history protocol and dives straight in there. It is all very well having a policy of not meeting with the North Korean leader, but where did that get anybody?
Also, I like the slashing of bureaucracy. One new law in? Two out!
Also, I like the slashing of bureaucracy. One new law in? Two out!
I'm going to offer my two cents' worth on the issue of the need for disruption.
The Democrats (and, to an only SLIGHTLY lesser degree, the Republicans) were entrenched back-room deal-makers. There was a growing discord in the country, a sense that we needed someone to dismantle the layers of bureaucracy between the people and their government. DJT promised (and to a large degree, HAS delivered) reductions in government regulations. He has "upset the apple cart" in that he looks at deals with other countries based on whether it's sole purpose was appeasement or whether there actually was some non-ethereal benefit to the USA. So he stepped away from some trade agreements. He has told Russia to comply with a particular nuclear arms reduction treaty or the USA would back out. Since Russia was non-compliant anyway, they have said they would back out, thus inviting re-escalation of the Cold War - a "conflict" that Russia lost when it could not afford to keep up. He has told people around the world that we cannot afford to subsidize their fight for freedom at our current levels and they have to shoulder some of that burden for themselves.
In essence, he is looking at the business end of a lot of situations and finding that it is bad business for the USA. I can't begin to tell you how many people have said for so many years that we should reduce our payments to NATO, to the UN, and to other treaty organizations. It is time to take the gloves off and see whether those partners like us just for our money or whether they actually believe in some measure of self-reliance. To the world of appeasers, he is a nightmare because those appeasers are the "roll over and play dead" type.
This is going to be a slightly bonkers digression, except that I think it is not. THAT far afield. Stay with me on this for a moment...
Think of the old Star Trek episode, "A Taste of Armageddon," in which the Enterprise visits a planet that has been at war with its neighbor for several hundred years. But there is no devastation on either planet, because they wage their wars with computers and people line up like lemmings to enter a disintegration chamber. They've made war so neat and clean and sterile that they just go on about their business rather than attempt armistice. So to fix things, Kirk destroys their war simulation computers. The leader of the council is aghast because he fears that their enemy will resume bombing with REAL thermonuclear weapons and FINALLY listens to the idea that armistice is possible.
What Trump is doing resembles this tactic - force the appeasers to actually LOOK at what is going on and realize that it is just an example of appeasement and diplomatic bribery. But when faced with that tactic, the other side of those "appeasement" agreements realizes they might do more to help themselves after all, because they don't want the REAL war to approach them. They SEE the approaching Armageddon and are suddenly willing to consider alternatives.
The Democrats (and, to an only SLIGHTLY lesser degree, the Republicans) were entrenched back-room deal-makers. There was a growing discord in the country, a sense that we needed someone to dismantle the layers of bureaucracy between the people and their government. DJT promised (and to a large degree, HAS delivered) reductions in government regulations. He has "upset the apple cart" in that he looks at deals with other countries based on whether it's sole purpose was appeasement or whether there actually was some non-ethereal benefit to the USA. So he stepped away from some trade agreements. He has told Russia to comply with a particular nuclear arms reduction treaty or the USA would back out. Since Russia was non-compliant anyway, they have said they would back out, thus inviting re-escalation of the Cold War - a "conflict" that Russia lost when it could not afford to keep up. He has told people around the world that we cannot afford to subsidize their fight for freedom at our current levels and they have to shoulder some of that burden for themselves.
In essence, he is looking at the business end of a lot of situations and finding that it is bad business for the USA. I can't begin to tell you how many people have said for so many years that we should reduce our payments to NATO, to the UN, and to other treaty organizations. It is time to take the gloves off and see whether those partners like us just for our money or whether they actually believe in some measure of self-reliance. To the world of appeasers, he is a nightmare because those appeasers are the "roll over and play dead" type.
This is going to be a slightly bonkers digression, except that I think it is not. THAT far afield. Stay with me on this for a moment...
Think of the old Star Trek episode, "A Taste of Armageddon," in which the Enterprise visits a planet that has been at war with its neighbor for several hundred years. But there is no devastation on either planet, because they wage their wars with computers and people line up like lemmings to enter a disintegration chamber. They've made war so neat and clean and sterile that they just go on about their business rather than attempt armistice. So to fix things, Kirk destroys their war simulation computers. The leader of the council is aghast because he fears that their enemy will resume bombing with REAL thermonuclear weapons and FINALLY listens to the idea that armistice is possible.
What Trump is doing resembles this tactic - force the appeasers to actually LOOK at what is going on and realize that it is just an example of appeasement and diplomatic bribery. But when faced with that tactic, the other side of those "appeasement" agreements realizes they might do more to help themselves after all, because they don't want the REAL war to approach them. They SEE the approaching Armageddon and are suddenly willing to consider alternatives.