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Samizdata quote of the day Incidentally, for once Trump himself was spot on when it came to the question of Taiwan. Anyone finding it horrifying that he talked to the Taiwanese leadership in supposed breach of protocol needs to pull themselves together. The Chinese government has had it its own way for far too long, whether it is in terms of Western leaders humiliating their countries by kow-towing or with Chinese companies stealing intellectual property and technology and exploiting open markets in the West that it will not open properly at home to Western firms. Terrible Trump is onto them, which is a rare shaft of light in the darkness.
– Iain Martin. The article is actually mostly about Boris Johnson, another politician who commits lots of “gaffes” (MSM-speak for stating uncomfortable truths or comments deemed offensive for some reason, either valid or not.)
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Is it only me or do we have some politicians who don’t lie to us as a matter of course now?
Trump may be bombastic, but I do believe he is a patriot….
Boris seems to say what he actually thinks much of the time too, haha
“Gaffe” does indeed surely mean “This politician told the truth: how foolish and naive he must be!”
That the MSM has created its own pejorative for telling the truth says quite a lot for their own values.
Mary:
If that’s true, it’s this election cycle’s equivalent of “Swiftboating”, although it lacks the ‘crowdsourcing’ element of the latter.
Should we be that surprised by the prospective leader of thirteen rebel colonies treating with the incumbent leader of a renegade province?
For many years the establishment elite have told us that trade and a policy of diplomatic concessions (for example not speaking to the leaders of Taiwan – a policy started by President Carter) would make the People’s Republic of China regime like the West – but they do not like the West, they hate us and they seek to do us harm. If the establishment elite still do not understand this (after PRC expansion into the Pacific and their support of such regimes as the Islamic Republic of Iran) then these “intellectuals” are so utterly demented that it is astonishing to behold.
Now the establishment elite talk of “managing” the “inevitable decline” of the United States and the “inevitable rise” of the People’s Republic of China. One does not have to be a fan of Donald Trump (and I am NOT a fan of Donald Trump) to understand that the “intellectual” establishment elite (who control so much in the culture – from the education system to the government bureaucracy, to many large “financial industry” enterprises) are traitors.
Yes I did use the “t” word – those people who go beyond thinking the victory of a foe (and the PRC is a foe) is “inevitable” to actively trying to “manage” this enemy victory (to “ease the birth pangs” of the PRC domination of the world) are traitors. Even if they do go to nice conferences in Switzerland and are very “civilised”.
None of the above is “ethnic” or “racial” matters (at least on my side – the PRC actually has a very strong Han “racial nationalism”) – it is about “Freedom Rights”. If the People’s Republic of China was just a very large version of the Republic of China (democratic Taiwan) things would be quite different – but it is not. The P.R.C. is a vicious dictatorship which seeks to do us harm, it seeks domination. We must guard against it – not “manage” its “inevitable” victory.
Trump is crazy like a fox. The Left can’t figure him out nor destroy him, so they keep to the same play book and when their machinations don’t work, they double down on stupid. (See the NYT).
Right now, he’s playing them again, playing Mr. Novice and making nice, asking Al (blood and) Gore and even “no alegence whatsoever” Romney to “consult” and supposedly consider for a place on his cabinet. Obama actually thinks Trump is listening to him, which is a hoot. Trump is going to DESTROY every leftist program and executive order Obama created. After Trump is sworn into office, I give the honeymoon Left-courting two months at best. But then again, why not have the Soros paid shills riot in NYC in January? That would be a treat. I hope it snows.
Right now, I’m enjoying the hell out of Leftist Snowflake Cultists with Trump Derangement Syndrom losing their minds, thinking that Trump’s going to put LGBTQ’s in workhouses and eat their babies. (Presuming they have babies). Trump is going to cause the atmosphere to burst into flames and we’ll all be dead in 5 years, tops!
Fucking idiots, I can’t get enough of them. (Except on the highways, lol).
You can’t pay for entertainment like this, but Soros can.
PS And I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed Jill Stein taking money from Slithery Supporters like taking candy from deranged babies. Fools and their money…
I am really quite confused by what Trump is doing. As @Thailover said he does things like meet with Gore and then appoints a “climate denier” to head the EPA. And I agree that his relationship with Obama is bizarre. I assume he is playing his standard deal making thing and I don’t have enough data to determine what is going on.
What is funny is to watch the media try to interpret it through their prism of politics. It is like trying to understand the workings of a nuclear reactor through the prism of deconstructionist feminist semiotics.
I don’t think that Trump has a comprehensive, coherent and logical plan of action. He is not that kind of person (a rare bird). His actions are instinctive and haphazard. There is no point in seeking deep meaning in any of his particular moves, like the talk with Taiwan’s President or meeting with Al Gore.
Judging by his appointments – announced so far – his instincts point in the right direction.
I am inclined to agree with Jacob for once, Trump is a wild card: you do not know what it is until it is played. ❓ ❓ ❓
Hell, and no one is quite sure even which card game Trump is playing 😀
He’s using an OODA loop.
While everyone tries to work out what he’s doing, he’s already doing something else. He’s not playing by their rules. It seems incredible that (in their haste to call him a bigot) the Clerisy have forgotten the one defining thing about Trump: He’s a salesman!
He will do anything, say anything, endure anything, to make his sale.
His opponents main disadvantages are that they don’t know what it is he actually wants. And they don’t have anything he wants.
“He is not that kind of person . . . “
He is also not Hillary.
Let’s not lose sight of what’s important in our lives.
“He’s a salesman!”
Absolutely. And what does he sell? (besides himself?).
“He will do anything, say anything, endure anything, to make his sale.”
maybe he is shrewder than that. If he can’t sell you A maybe he’ll switch and try to sell B.
We don’t know…
It seems to me that Trump is gathering huge amounts of information. Directly, by meeting with guys like Gore, and indirectly by listening to reactions when he does things, like meeting with Gore.
Knowledge is power.
Both Democrats and Republicans, left and right, have become quite insular and mostly lost touch with the other side’s small fry.
I am becoming inclined to believe that Dilbert’s Scott Adams has understood Trump better than anyone.
‘Scuse me for saying so, but Yaron shoulda read these comments before his LH lecture.
(And just for the record yet again, I echo Paul. I was never a Trump supporter. Still am not. Just thought there was a small chance, say 10^^-95 or some such, that he’d be less disastrous than “Slithery” (good nomenclature, Thai).
. . .
And I see he’s charged with choosing Tillerson of Exxon, a dreadful awful evil company that DENIES CLIMATE !!!, for Secy. of State:
http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2016/12/trump-rex-tillerson-secretary-state-exxon-mobil
Not to mention Politico and, I daresay, others among the usual suspects, who also worry that Tillerson would give the U.S. to Putin.