Predictions? Let's Have It!

This doesn’t bother me in a POTUS.

In fact, I’m not sure the recent idea we need some sweetheart niceguy, rockstar leading the nation is the right idea. I have very little problem if he is a colossal prick, as long as the results are there.

But again, you very well may be right, and dude is going to be a shit show… We’ll see.

What you are saying is that Trump would only listen to Conway if she was on TV? No…am I misunderstanding you?

That’s what she said. On several occasions. I’ll try to dig up further links.

Here’s one vignette or an anecdote if you wish - an American, worth low-mid nine figures, over sixty. A beautiful resort venue in the tropics. The guy flew in, had spent two days from 8 am to 2-3 am next day negotiating, flattering and cajoling assorted Central Asian and Gulf imbeciles into signing modest maintenance contracts, nothing major or life changing. I was one of the lesser minions present at those meetings. Was driven back to his jet waiting for him at the airport without once glancing at the majestic surroundings.

I asked his PA and received a reply that that’s his usual schedule for over 300 days a year.

Meanwhile, I was frantically trying to find a break in the daily schedule to do some pullups and pushups and do some swimming at the beach. Pretty much explains why I’m not worth nine figures and he is.

Loppar isn’t wrong, some of these people are fucking insane, no doubt.

That said… I don’t hold it against them to the degree he does. I am a recovering workaholic myself, and work for a couple too. I get it. I have clients that are like that, and it’s tough.

I just don’t think it’s a bad thing for a POTUS outside the obvious heart attack issues.

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Lol, not that a TV show should be taken all that seriously as it pertains to the Real World, but my wife and I were chatting about this exact topic as we close on the finish of season 4 of House of Cards.

Definitely. Just to be clear, I’m not buying into the “new Hitler” hysteria of the left but I believe there are many issues where one has to be very concerned with Trump.

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I’ve never seen the show, but I’m at the point were honestly, the fact Hillary was a huge fucking shitbag douche and there were reports a massive asshole to work for was a redeeming quality for me.

Obama (and Bush) both had their over versions of the “down home everyman’s man” persona. Bush the rough and tumble Cowboy you’d have a beer with, and Obama the Street Smart Urban Wrangler you’d want to sit down and listen to his audio version of the Three Musketeers.

I don’t want to listen to Trump or Hillary say a god damn thing, and don’t want either near my kids. I’m actually preferring that.

Maybe we need a douche rocket for a POTUS?

No man, I get you. Please don’t take my arguing as not thinking you’re legit.

It’s so refreshing to see valid criticism and not the whole “but hez da racistz” nonsense you get everywhere else.

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Not the least of which is Trump’s acknowledgment that his brand has never been “hotter” and his suggestions about his DC hotel being the place to be now for the dignitary crowd. There’s a reason the Emoluments Clause exists, and Trump’s adamant refusal to disclose any potential conflicts of interest or distance himself from his businesses will start being a scandal day one. We don’t have to wait and see to know this will be a problem.

They are very much linked. It seems 80% of medicine is drugs. Drug cost directly effects cost of care.

You make some good points. It may very well be wishful thinking in terms of progress as I have concentrated more on what got us to that point vs. what to do now.
To take on Syria/ Russia now is a major escalation. Where it would have been a minor one during the opportune time.
I think one thing we need to do is be done with ISIS. They are too much of a distraction and we need to engage in the hybrid warfare will not only extract them from Syria and Iraq, but also Somalia, Lybia, Afghanistan and the other places it has arisen. Then we can deal with the greater geopolitical problem of Russia and Syria.
I don’t really know what is going to happen or even what necessarily should happen at a granular level. It’s stupid to pretend there is no problem or that we are not at war.
Can it get worse in Syria? Sure I guess it can rain. What I mean is that decisions that got us to where we are today could not have been more ill conceived then they were. Wishing it away was a poor policy position. It required early military intervention followed by an aggressive detente. Allowing Russia to intervene with their chemical weapons, rather than taking decisive, coercive action designed on isolating Assad and separating him from his traditional supporters. Instead we brought them together.

I also agree with dismantling our support for wahhabist states. We need to stand apart from all of radical islamic ideology, even if they pretend to be on our side, while at the same time being the greatest financiers of terror throughout the world.


As for Iraq, I think people’s memories are very murky when it comes to Iraq. There seems to be this belief, that if we did not attack Iraq then all these problems in the ME would not have happened.
Stop for a minute and drink in the lunacy of that thought. That leaving a complete tyrannical, maniac alone in the cradle of civilization would render peace in the world.
Whether or not you agree with the Iraq war at the time when it happened. It’s nuts to think that we would not have ever gone to war with Iraq, nor that Saddam would have been the stalwart of peace in the ME. This guy violated every Security Counsel resolution with respect to the condition to allowing him stay in power following the first Iraq war. And he repeatedly did so. He was egging the U.S. on all the time. And all he had to do, to avoid war all he had to do is allow inspectors in to confirm that he did not have WMD’s. In fact he went out of his way to make it look like he did have WMD’s because he wanted Iran to believe that as he said in his trial. So he was counting on our threats being a bluff and getting away with yet another example of a violation.
Whether or not you agree with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, you cannot say that we would not have gone to war with Iraq at some other point. Further, there is no evidence that Iraq under Saddam, would render a peaceful ME.
The ME is crumbling under its own weight, Iraq or no Iraq, there is no peace and would not have been any peace in the ME.

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