05-19-2016, 10:08 AM
(05-18-2016, 10:30 PM)Cynic Hero Wrote:(05-18-2016, 04:55 PM)Mikebert Wrote:(05-17-2016, 11:56 AM)Cynic Hero Wrote: You do not get it; the democrats are not going against the neocon, pro-free trade, Randian GOP that we have known since 1980. They will be going against the new populist, economic protectionist GOP that Trump is creating.
You don't know what Trump is creating because they is no evidence of what Trump believes. You cannot go by what he says, because he says diametrically opposing things all the time. For example some think Trump is promoting a more isolationist policy. One can find lots of things that Trump says that supports this idea. But then there is that hat Trump wears, displaying his slogan Make America Great Again (like the Donald is). When asked when was America great, Trump responds with periods when the US was kicking ass militarily overseas. Kicking ass overseas and isolationism are mutually incompatible. So what does Trump really want to do, withdraw from the world, or kick ass?
So if he can't fully disclose what he intends to do, then most likely he
(1) knows what he wants to do but dares not say it, or
(2) has no idea of what he will do
This is not the excusable situation of 'fog of war'. This is either a muddled or dishonesty.
"Make American Great Again" is just another slogan -- deliberately vague, easily interpreted many different ways. David DuKKKe has his idea of how to Make America Great Again (white supremacy, of course). So does the head of the NAACP. Would you expect them to have the same agenda?
Say what you want about Barack Obama, but he has gone far beyond "kicking ass" when it comes to murderous terrorists. He has been signing off on getting them killed, and he has kept his mouth shut about it except on Osama bin Laden.
Quote:Trumps signature policy is his wall. But now he is saying maybe half a wall, or maybe the wall with have a door in it. Is he really serious about the wall, or is this just a talking point? After all, everybody uses them.
His wall is impossible except as a wealth-draining project. The Great Wall of China, built to keep the barbarians out, was such a fiscal drain that it created internal strife due to sacrifices necessary for creating it.
Quote:One thing I think Trump is serious about is restricting trade. He expressed this same position in the 1980's and at various times since then. It's the one thing on which he has been consistent.
China is specializing in manufacturing due to far cheaper labor. America is doing services. Is there more money in selling the cell phones or selling the cell-phone service? General Electric sold off its manufacture of televisions long ago and kept NBC. Comcast bought NBC. Which sale made more money for General Electric?
Let's put it this way: Comcast has far more revenue from cable TV than the television manufacturing division of General Electric ever got.
Services can of course be dirt-cheap if the labor has little investment in it, which explains why domestic servants have often been slaves and prostitutes are treated much like slaves. But they can be very expensive if they are creating value out of sophisticated thought. CPA's and admen don't come cheaply. The solution for America is to create a more sophisticated workforce.
Quote:As for social issues, Trump is both pro-life and pro-choice at the same time. He is pro-gay and anti-gay at the same time. He is anti-Muslim or pro-Muslim, depending on the situation. As he says, he makes deals and will be whatever he needs to be to make deals.
In other words, which way does the wind blow today? Promising one thing to one audience and the diametric opposite to a different audience with no real change in the situation other than the sentiments of the audience implies that one lies at least half the time. No, you do not say one thing in San Francisco and its opposite in Amarillo the next day. The news media are good enough to catch onto that when one does that, and even at catching those who insult a large part of the American public in front of a very different crowd.
Quote:One thing is pretty clear. Trump knows little about policy, suggesting a lack of interest. It is unlikely he will develop an interest in policy, which means he will have no particular policy beliefs (with the possible exception of trade). Since he is a Republican, I would expect him to pretty much go along with whatever the GOP establishment wants, once in power. He will probably make a deal with them to do whatever they want in exchange for some project that will establish his own greatness. And maybe that will be the wall, or a major war against ISIS that will consumer his administration like it did with Bush II, who knows.
Whether Trump wants to be isolationist or Kick ass overseas? He wants to do both, he wants a temporary withdrawal while economic and military reforms are implemented, THEN he wants to kick ass overseas afterwards.[/quote]
What I highlighted in bold red explains his complete unfitness to be President. A lack of contemplation and study indicates that he could be the new George W. Bush, except with much more of a mean streak. Isn't policy everything before the deed? After eight years of an above-average President who has mostly undone the damage of his Predecessor we can go to someone far, far worse than the one who created the mess that Barack Obama inherited.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.