Donald trump. what is your take on him?

[miszt]

I find it strange socialism is considered "radicle", when infact it is simply the middle ground between the two extremes of economic policy, free market capitalism and totalitarian communism; both of which have produced massive inequality, poverty and crime.

I think people are misunderstanding what socialism actually is and how it would benefit everyone... (as it does here in Europe )

 

[DaveP]

I'm going to stick my head above the parapet and suggest that Trump will be the next US President.

My reasoning is not based on any of the arguments in this thread, but on underlying trends and human nature.

Voila:-

1.    People are sick of being told what to think and who to vote for by the main parties.

2.    Political Correctness has run it's course and the backlash against it is growing everywhere, that mitigates against the Democratic party.

3.    Parties are rarely re-elected after two terms in office, they are judged as stale and bereft of ideas and out of touch with the public.

4.    Trump has a character that people can identify with, (not saying its a good character or not) Hillary is judged as part of the ruling elite.

5.    Populism is on the rise everywhere not just in the US, it supports points1 & 2.

6.      Neither Hillary or Sanders are particularly endearing, they are not in the same league as JFK in terms of charisma.

7.      Trump is viewed as someone who can make deals and compromises to get business done, in short he is successful.

8.      Trump and Putin like and understand each other and that will help get the partnership job done instead of a return to the cold war which no-one wants,  Trump will get a deal on the Ukraine.

9.      GOP establishment and Palin are starting to get behind Trump because a tipping point has been passed.

10.    He has voiced the fears of many over unfettered migration and appears to have the balls to act.

I live in France so it's none of my business,  but the distance does help one to see the wood despite the trees.

Best
DaveP

 

[dmp]

I think it is pretty obvious to people in the usa who are paying attention, but it's hard to see a path for Trump to win the main election. He's so polarizing and has so many poorly thought out statements, that more centrist voters will not have much enthusiasm for him. Polling shows he has the far right base wrapped up, but has very little support beyond that.
It is interesting to see mainstream conservatives (who think of themselves maybe as higher information voters) start trying to see how they can support him though without totally compromising their principles.
I'm enjoying watching the Republican party try to deal with this. The Republican party after all is a strange coalition of rural, red state, anti gov religious conservatives - combined with wealthy, anti gov (low tax) fiscal conservatives. Generally the wealthy powers-that-be have been able to get there candidate through the primaries, by appealing to religious conservatives with strategic statements.
As far as some of the specific points that are getting Trump support, the PC thing seems to be coming up a lot this week.I heard some interviews of members of "the silent majority" saying this. I'm a little incredulous because it is all just playing politics. There are plenty of sacred subjects for conservatives: religious, patriotic, etc...  I don't really see rural red state voters as the protectors of free speech. 
Reminds me of the 'judicial activism' mud being thrown around by conservatives a few years ago - plenty of Scalia led decisions have had a healthy dose of judicial activism. The conservative propaganda machine has the negative connotation of 'socialism' similarly in control - but it is nice to see Sanders out fighting the good fight on it.
The other thing that comes up is no more hand-outs to poor people, which is especially ironic coming from rural red states, since they a statistically high beneficiaries of gov handouts. 

I'm surprised more hasn't been made of the anti gov terrorists occupying the wildlife refuge out west. Doesn't seem like a good issue for the Republicans? I feel like the Dems could be tougher sometimes.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I'm going to stick my head above the parapet and suggest that Trump will be the next US President.

The polls support that, but it is still early and a lot can happen between now and Nov.

My reasoning is not based on any of the arguments in this thread, but on underlying trends and human nature.

Voila:-

1.    People are sick of being told what to think and who to vote for by the main parties.

very strong anti-establishment feelings.

2.    Political Correctness has run it's course and the backlash against it is growing everywhere, that mitigates against the Democratic party.

Yet PC refuses to die, glad to see it blink..

3.    Parties are rarely re-elected after two terms in office, they are judged as stale and bereft of ideas and out of touch with the public.

a valid pattern.

4.    Trump has a character that people can identify with, (not saying its a good character or not) Hillary is judged as part of the ruling elite.

Yes it's insiders vs outsiders and insiders are not in favor with many.

5.    Populism is on the rise everywhere not just in the US, it supports points1 & 2.

yup different flavors of populism...

I thought it was remarkable that Cruz spoke out against ethanol in Iowa... inside the farm belt and against their self interest.

6.      Neither Hillary or Sanders are particularly endearing, they are not in the same league as JFK in terms of charisma.

Sanders is drawing huge crowds, far more endearing than Hillary. At least with Bernie you can believe that at least he believes what he is saying, Hillary not so much.

7.      Trump is viewed as someone who can make deals and compromises to get business done, in short he is successful.

He isn't shy about promoting himself. I guess you believe he believes his own BS too,

8.      Trump and Putin like and understand each other and that will help get the partnership job done instead of a return to the cold war which no-one wants,  Trump will get a deal on the Ukraine.

Have they even met? Of course Trump thinks that.

9.      GOP establishment and Palin are starting to get behind Trump because a tipping point has been passed.

Palin is not establishment, more like queen of the tea party movement.

10.    He has voiced the fears of many over unfettered migration and appears to have the balls to act.

What he says he will do and what is remotely possible are two very different things,

I live in France so it's none of my business,  but the distance does help one to see the wood despite the trees.

Best
DaveP

Filtered by your media... While trump is impossible for media to ignore, so it helps him even when they try to hurt him.

I'd say both parties have a rough road ahead, but hopefully a few primaries will reduce some of the clutter.

I won't bet against you, but repeat it is still too early to predict outcomes.

JR

 

[DaveP]

Filtered by your media... While trump is impossible for media to ignore, so it helps him even when they try to hurt him.

Not my media, world media.  I check BBC, ITV, Sky, Reuters, Al Jazeera and France 24 everyday.  It's amazing what some editors leave out and others leave in, as you say.

I understand that Senator Dole has endorsed him now, not just Palin.  The other candidates don't have a chance now and the GOP do not like Cruz, so Trump's nomination is almost sewn up.

DaveP

 

[miszt]

Trump get a deal on Ukraine? do people really believe that? honestly I think he is more likely to turn the whole situation into WWIII; Ukraine isn't just about Ukraine, and unfortunately I do not believe Trump has the capacity to understand the complexity of the situation and approach it with the caution that is required... allot of cogs are hinging on the situation with Russia, Middle East, Europe, and by every other on the sage

 

[JohnRoberts]

Filtered by your media... While trump is impossible for media to ignore, so it helps him even when they try to hurt him.

Not my media, world media.  I check BBC, ITV, Sky, Reuters, Al Jazeera and France 24 everyday.  It's amazing what some editors leave out and others leave in, as you say.

what I meant... When I was a kid i listened to short wave radio and there was spin a plenty (propaganda)  in the english language broadcasts from different countries. Arguably the Voice of America, was presenting a view point too.

A tidbit about Al Jazeera, they bought a US cable channel from Al Gore, and now because of the persistent low oil prices, the oil money behind it is giving up. A lot of snarky selective presentation from them, but i can't even watch the BBC news, while I liked the Top Gear, and original Dr Who (camp). 

I understand that Senator Dole has endorsed him now, not just Palin.  The other candidates don't have a chance now and the GOP do not like Cruz, so Trump's nomination is almost sewn up.

DaveP

Glad it seems so clear to you, while the polls seem to agree with you.

Like i said i won't bet against you.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

Trump get a deal on Ukraine? do people really believe that? honestly I think he is more likely to turn the whole situation into WWIII; Ukraine isn't just about Ukraine, and unfortunately I do not believe Trump has the capacity to understand the complexity of the situation and approach it with the caution that is required... allot of cogs are hinging on the situation with Russia, Middle East, Europe, and by every other on the sage

It seems like Trump has only a superficial understanding of many important topics, but that doesn't stop him from bloviating, about any subject when asked. 

I do not take him literally unless he is talking about real estate development, or reality TV shows.  If you think about it politics is the ultimate reality TV. 

JR

 

[mattiasNYC]

2.    Political Correctness has run it's course and the backlash against it is growing everywhere, that mitigates against the Democratic party.

Quite frankly I think this meme is both a bit tired and a bit inaccurate. While I agree that some dissent is attempted to be "squashed" by accusing it of being inappropriate, and some will call that "political correctness", there is and has been a great deal of political "INcorrectness" for a really long time, and in addition to that sometimes it's actually not about being politically correct, it's about not being a bigoted a-hole.

For example; I think it's true that calling someone who is anti-Islam a racist is possibly an expression of political correctness seeing that "Muslim" isn't a race, but a set of opinions. On the other hand, people pointing fingers at ethnic/racial groups and tying that race to a behavior, when no such tie exists, are wrong and deserve being called on it. The problem here is that the term "political correctness" is really used to try to automatically shut down criticism of ones views. So rather than having to justify one's bigoted opinions one labels any call for justification "PC gone awry" or whatever, and thereby try to avoid inconvenience. So in general I have very little 'respect' for the discussion around PC. I think it' silly.

8.      Trump and Putin like and understand each other and that will help get the partnership job done instead of a return to the cold war which no-one wants,  Trump will get a deal on the Ukraine.

I don't understand the above at all. What is the US' role in a conflict halfway around the world between Russia and the Ukraine? If anything, the most difficult issue moving forward would be China's inroads in international water territory. That to me seems like a hugely difficult issue.

10.    He has voiced the fears of many over unfettered migration and appears to have the balls to act.

I'm going to assume that the above is simply a description of the sentiments of part of the US population, rather than a statement of fact on the issue of immigration.

 

[DaveP]

Let's be clear here,

I don't actually like loud brash men like Trump, (probably because I'm a reserved Englishman) but it appears he strikes a chord for many.

The Ukraine issue is not too complicated for Trump to understand, but maybe Syria might be.  Putin being an ex KGB man, would like Russia to get back to the influence it had when he was younger.  He has reclaimed Crimea after it was given away foolishly by Khrushchev in 1954.  He did it in a clever way to avoid out and out conflict with Nato, so he does not want that.  If Trump has any skill at all it must be cutting deals, you find out what the other guy wants and you do what you can to make him happy with his end of the bargain.  It will not hurt Trump or the US to cut a deal with Putin and give them the partnership and kudos they are after and it will be a foil against China, which as you say is a bigger problem.  The Democrats have too many high ideals to do a deal with Putin, I suspect that Trump will not be so encumbered.

I guess most of you are snowed in, I hope you can keep warm and stay safe ;D

DaveP

 

[miszt]

The situation in Ukraine is not an isolated situation, it is tied to Syria, and Georgia, the EU, ISIS, Nato... Etc etc

 

[mattiasNYC]

The situation in Ukraine is not an isolated situation, it is tied to Syria, and Georgia, the EU, ISIS, Nato... Etc etc

Explain.

 

[DaveP]

The situation in Ukraine is not an isolated situation, it is tied to Syria, and Georgia, the EU, ISIS, Nato... Etc etc

That may be true but some of those ties are much looser than others.  Ukraine will be made to accept the situation with some compensation and sweeteners no doubt.  Ukraine will never be allowed into Nato until their parliamentary government has a few more decades under it's belt, they have fighting in their parliament for goodness sake!  Turkey is an example of what hot headed allies could do under the Nato umbrella. (shoot first, ask questions later) .  The EU does not count for anything, it is under enormous strain with barely controlled immigration and asylum seekers sexually assaulting women en mass.

ISIS will not be an issue for much longer in Syria because Obama has finally realised the public are behind a limited war against them because of the domestic threat.  The US has followed the Russians by extending a runway in Kurdistan to bring in heavy equipment.  Watch this space.

Al Jazeera is too biased for general use, agreed, but it has useful snippets the others leave out.  The BBC has lost a lot of credibility over the last 20 years because it employs mostly left wing liberal journalists.

The Political Correctness issue was used by liberals for a long time to stamp on anyone who questioned immigration levels.  It was only necessary to call them racist to stifle debate.  In the UK, this type of argument has been finally abandoned because the voices against immigration became so loud that they threaten the UK leaving the EU.  Most people realise that the UK is for all intents and purposes full up.

DaveP

 

[miszt]

The situation in Ukraine is not an isolated situation, it is tied to Syria, and Georgia, the EU, ISIS, Nato... Etc etc

Explain.

Well why do you think Russia got involved in the first place? Because it is a strategic position (crimes); its no coincidence that they shortly after (in relative terms) jumped into the Syrian conflict.

The idea that the US is going to sort ISIS out, would be hilarious, if it wasn't for the horrors that are now happening out there.

As long as any country, including my own, insists Tha bombs are the only way to deal with ISIS, there will be no solution to the problem.

 

[Gold]

so Trump's nomination is almost sewn up.

No one has voted yet. The best word to describe Trump is Fascist.

 

[DaveP]

Well why do you think Russia got involved in the first place?

They got involved in Syria because Assad told them he was on the point of collapse and that their only base in the Mediterranean would be overrun.  They also have lots of Russians/Chechens fighting for IS that they want to eliminate.  This exercise is also to demonstrate to the world that Russia must be taken seriously.

The idea that the US is going to sort ISIS out, would be hilarious, if it wasn't for the horrors that are now happening out there.

IS only hold two cities Raqqa and Mosul of any significance,  They have only a limited number of armoured vehicles , militarily it is not on the scale of the Iraq war.  The major problem is to hit the fighters without killing civilians.  Russia has made the US look slow off the mark, so expect a game changer next to restore US credibility.

DaveP

 

[dfuruta]

Some political positions & politicians are labeled "racist" not out of some sort of misguided political correctness, but because they are, in fact, racist...

 

[DaveP]

No one has voted yet. The best word to describe Trump is Fascist.

So who else are they going to vote for?

I'm not sure he fits that description, but I can see why you would say that.  That would mean that a lot of Americans are Fascists too, are you happy with that?

I think a rich egotistical populist is a more accurate description.

DaveP

 

[JohnRoberts]

The situation in Ukraine is not an isolated situation, it is tied to Syria, and Georgia, the EU, ISIS, Nato... Etc etc

Explain.

Well why do you think Russia got involved in the first place? Because it is a strategic position (crimes); its no coincidence that they shortly after (in relative terms) jumped into the Syrian conflict.

Assad was losing the Syrian civil war and Putin doesn't want to lose his only port in the ME. It's not like Putin feels threatened by Obama.

The idea that the US is going to sort ISIS out, would be hilarious, if it wasn't for the horrors that are now happening out there.

ISIS already went underground to escape routine bombing, and now have settled in around Syria's Tabqa dam based on the fair assumption that the west will not blow that dam and flood citizens in the area.

As long as any country, including my own, insists Tha bombs are the only way to deal with ISIS, there will be no solution to the problem.

Agreed... ISIS needs to be killed the old fashioned way,,, boots on the ground. 

Some are weary of sending more US soldiers to take out the middle east's garbage.  Iraq is finally getting some of their own special forces trained up to where they can take back land from ISIS, but not enough yet to do the whole job.  Kurdish peshmurga are very capable fighters, but others in the region don't want the Kurds gaining too much power, so they remain under-supplied.

JR 

 

[Gold]

No one has voted yet. The best word to describe Trump is Fascist.

So who else are they going to vote for?

I predict Rubio will be the Republican nominee.

I'm not sure he fits that description, but I can see why you would say that.  That would mean that a lot of Americans are Fascists too, are you happy with that?

I'm thinking more in the South American style. I don't think that Fascism is strong in the American character. Especially the Libertarian strain of the Republican party.