(...) (Reagan's) foreign policy was uneven—I think his proxy war against the USSR in Afghanistan was a good idea but his support of thugs in Latin America was foolish. The Iran-Contra scandal should have brought him down. (...)
Yes he would. I'll tell you what I have been keying on Trump the whole time, ever since he got Obama to produce his actual birth certificate.(sidebar, I am not a birther, nor do I believe is Trump, with Trump its exploiting an opportunity / weakness). He showed his clout and gravitas with that accomplishment. I've only ever seen a half a dozen Apprentice show's, so I am not a fan. But I have keyed on how how Trump adjusts, how quick he learns and his ability to turn lemons into lemonade. He has done well, very well, especially while doing everything on the fly. And without help, its been all Trump. Its really a window into his mind. Then when things went south in Wisconsin, he did stop and ask for help and got it. He demonstrated that he knows what he does not know and is not afraid to be that way and not be afraid to ask for help, unlike so many who think they already know all the answers. He quickly assembled a real team to fix things and make necessary adjustments to get back on track. He demonstrated loyalty as well with Lewandowski when anyone else would have thrown him under the bus.
Trump has clearly demonstrated that he can lead and instinctively. We are theoretically trying to elect a leader not a Boy Scout for POTUS. We have had, imo, only two natural born leaders since Truman, Kennedy and Reagan. They do not grow on trees. This country desperately needs a leader to fix it so that it can survive as it was intended when founded. The reactions and challenges to a leader help shape and define priorities. This is where dissent is a good thing, but only if its constructive, of course.
On the adjustment of the GOP ... Trump is finally forcing the social issue wing into the back seat and putting finances back in the front seat. His positions go against the Evangelicals, yet even they realize what he brings to the table and have put their needs behind them to deal with what is more important. Imo, Trump doesn't give a rat's ass about social issues, except to leave it mostly to settled law and let others figure things out. The GOP screws itself and alienates so many such as myself on its refusal to bend on abortion. Trump will force or has promised to try to get exceptions for abortion into the platform and if he does so, that will forever change the GOP and for the good of all. Their are more people who align themselves or try to with the GOP who think that abortion is between a woman and her doctor; that being pro choice does not make you pro abortion, just that its a private matter that should be medically safe.
Eh ?
Wait, what?
"He showed his clout and gravitas with that accomplishment."
Frankly, I never followed that birther bullshit so I can't respond to your assertion that Trump got Obama to "produce his actual birth certificate." IIRC you're talking about Obama's long-form birth certificate which really didn't add much info. That entire "controversy" was PATHETIC. The GOP was desperate to make Obama unqualified to be President. Dinesh D'Souza was probably the worst offender, writing a book that claimed Obama was driven by his father's "anti-colonial rage" to enact policies that D'Souza claimed were destructive to America.
Who gives a crap about the birth certificate?!? Everyone knew that Obama was born in the US. The GOP AND Hillary would have used that like issue a sledgehammer against Obama's campaign in '08 if there were the slightest possibility that Obama was not eligible to be POTUS. Trump kept bringing it up long after the issue had died down. Trump was far more interested in keeping his own name in the news.
"He has done well, very well, especially while doing everything on the fly."
In a normal election cycle, Trump would have had his ass handed to him well before Christmas. I'll admit that he's brilliant at tapping into and understanding voter anger, but his act would have gone nowhere in '08 or even '12. Remember that he briefly flirted with running for POTUS twice before but those efforts went nowhere.
"He quickly assembled a real team to fix things and make necessary adjustments to get back on track."
Really great that he made a mid-campaign correction but a lot of candidates do that. As for his proposed team of advisors on foreign and domestic policy, the New York Times reported that the provided names left most experts baffled as to who these people were. His understanding of foreign policy is a badly confused mess. His plans for overhauling the ACA are at best a sketch that look a lot like Obamacare. Good luck on figuring out how he's going to generate all the jobs he's promised, because Trump hasn't said anything that's provided clarity. Trump as POTUS would not have the authority to force US firms like Carrier to bring jobs back to the US or the authority to build the wall along the Mexican border.
Donald Trump has no clue that it takes years to prepare to be POTUS, and I'm not talking just about campaigning. Almost every modern President has said that there is NO time to learn on the job. Trump's lack of preparation, his inability to find common ground and areas of compromise with other people, and his runaway narcissism would make him a disastrous President, far worse than Carter and worse even than GW Bush.
"We have had, imo, only two natural born leaders since Truman, Kennedy and Reagan."
Not sure what your yardstick for being a natural born leader is, but a President needs to do more than look and sound good on TV. Most historians rate Eisenhower pretty highly these days as POTUS. Kennedy wasn't even in office a full three years and made a hash of the Bay of Pigs—not his original plan, but he should have called it off. His efforts at pushing the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts went nowhere while he was alive: it was Johnson who got those major laws passed and made a strong effort to fight poverty in this country. LBJ was also one of the best Senate Majority Leaders of all time before he became VP. I loathe Nixon but he did open relations with China, pushed forward nuclear arms talks and created the EPA. I'll leave off with Reagan: the man looked the part but does not deserve credit for ending the Cold War. His foreign policy was uneven—I think his proxy war against the USSR in Afghanistan was a good idea but his support of thugs in Latin America was foolish. The Iran-Contra scandal should have brought him down. He was excessively committed to government deregulation and his lack of response to the AIDS crisis was astounding.
In general I think you give Trump far, far too much credit when it comes to intelligence, preparedness and the ability of personality to work effectively at national-level politics. Spouting bigotry, hatred, anger and vague promises of good policy before vetted primary audiences isn't the same as being the President or helping to run the country. Donald Trump truly is a 24/7 narcissistic blowhard buffoon. I can understand why some people like Trump but he would BADLY disappoint them if ever became President.
Bokes, that's low. These are competent adults, managing their way in the world much like you, who see different signs and patterns than you do. Doesn't make them stupid or even wrong. No need to insult anyone. And that goes for both sides.
It's not about sides Hon.It's about us.All of us.The world is a big place.
Yes he would. I'll tell you what I have been keying on Trump the whole time, ever since he got Obama to produce his actual birth certificate.(sidebar, I am not a birther, nor do I believe is Trump, with Trump its exploiting an opportunity / weakness). He showed his clout and gravitas with that accomplishment. I've only ever seen a half a dozen Apprentice show's, so I am not a fan. But I have keyed on how how Trump adjusts, how quick he learns and his ability to turn lemons into lemonade. He has done well, very well, especially while doing everything on the fly. And without help, its been all Trump. Its really a window into his mind. Then when things went south in Wisconsin, he did stop and ask for help and got it. He demonstrated that he knows what he does not know and is not afraid to be that way and not be afraid to ask for help, unlike so many who think they already know all the answers. He quickly assembled a real team to fix things and make necessary adjustments to get back on track. He demonstrated loyalty as well with Lewandowski when anyone else would have thrown him under the bus.
Trump has clearly demonstrated that he can lead and instinctively. We are theoretically trying to elect a leader not a Boy Scout for POTUS. We have had, imo, only two natural born leaders since Truman, Kennedy and Reagan. They do not grow on trees. This country desperately needs a leader to fix it so that it can survive as it was intended when founded. The reactions and challenges to a leader help shape and define priorities. This is where dissent is a good thing, but only if its constructive, of course.
On the adjustment of the GOP ... Trump is finally forcing the social issue wing into the back seat and putting finances back in the front seat. His positions go against the Evangelicals, yet even they realize what he brings to the table and have put their needs behind them to deal with what is more important. Imo, Trump doesn't give a rat's ass about social issues, except to leave it mostly to settled law and let others figure things out. The GOP screws itself and alienates so many such as myself on its refusal to bend on abortion. Trump will force or has promised to try to get exceptions for abortion into the platform and if he does so, that will forever change the GOP and for the good of all. Their are more people who align themselves or try to with the GOP who think that abortion is between a woman and her doctor; that being pro choice does not make you pro abortion, just that its a private matter that should be medically safe.
Eh ?
I agree with everything you posted above. It comes down to money always. "It's the economy stupid".
There is no point.These are intellectual children.
Bokes, that's low. These are competent adults, managing their way in the world much like you, who see different signs and patterns than you do. Doesn't make them stupid or even wrong. No need to insult anyone. And that goes for both sides.
Ya sure, the USA now is identical to Germany in 1930. We lost a World War, have a boatload of Jews to blame for everything that is wrong and runaway inflation with prices doubling in one day, every day.
Can't argue with you history scholars ...
There is no point.These are intellectual children.
Ya sure, the USA now is identical to Germany in 1930. We lost a World War, have a boatload of Jews to blame for everything that is wrong and runaway inflation with prices doubling in one day, every day.
Can't argue with you history scholars ...
Who's claiming the U.S. is identical to Germany in 1930? (I smell straw)
Ya sure, the USA now is identical to Germany in 1930. We lost a World War, have a boatload of Jews to blame for everything that is wrong and runaway inflation with prices doubling in one day, every day.
“Voters were not really looking for anything very concrete from the Nazi Party in 1930. They were, instead, protesting against the failure of the Weimar Republic. Many of them, too, particularly in rural areas, small towns, small workshops, culturally conservative families, older age groups, or the middle-class nationalist political milieu, may have been registering their alienation from the cultural and political modernity for which the Republic stood, despite the modern image which the Nazis projected in many respects. The vagueness of the Nazi program, its symbolic mixture of old and new, its eclectic, often inconsistent character, to a large extent allowed people to read into it what they wanted to and edit out anything they might have found disturbing.”
When I take my dog for a walk, he will unfortunately find garbage and trash lying on the ground to be appealing (guinea pig feces is particularly favored), and worthy of picking up/ingesting (only to be subsequently evacuated in even fouler condition hours later).
Apparently, Trump has the same sort of relationship with crap he finds in the National Enquirer.
I'm sure you point it out to the dirty dawg, in no uncertain terms, that his behaviour is utterly disgraceful.
When I take my dog for a walk, he will unfortunately find garbage and trash lying on the ground to be appealing (guinea pig feces is particularly favored), and worthy of picking up/ingesting (only to be subsequently evacuated in even fouler condition hours later).
Apparently, Trump has the same sort of relationship with crap he finds in the National Enquirer.
