Trump's FP speech?

Fire away.  pl

http://www.peoplespunditdaily.com/policy/2016/04/27/donald-trumps-america-first-foreign-policy-speech-full-transcript/

Comments

[Tpinlb]

Protectionism did work for the United States in the nineteenth century. We grew our industries and protected them against cheap imports from the British empire. In that century, under the American System policies, we grew from small republic to become the greatest economy in the world.

Trump should pursue cooperative investment with the Russians and the Chinese in developing the new Silk Road economic corridor projects, including rail tunnel linking Siberia and Alaska. Shifting to investment in big infrastructure projects could sustain employment if we move to less war and less employment in the military industrial complex.

[Babak Makkinejad]

There is no such thing called a post-Industrial economy - there is a pre-industrial economy the achievements of which you can see in much of Africa and parts of Asia.

A service economy, has to be based on a robust manufacturing economy, just as a robust manufacturing economy is predicated on a robust farm economy - which, itself needs to be squarely based on government-supplied finance.

US was so rich and so industrialized that decades of selling her industry abroad did not make an impression until the proverbial camel's back was broken by 2008.

Even prior to 2008, US standard of living was being supported by debt - and that also crashed and burnt.

Observing to one of my colleague who was being let go a few years ago - I said: "I am one of the most highly educated and skilled people on this planet. But if this job is also shipped abroad, what am I going to do? What subject matter could I study to get me a job?"

And that is just for me.

There are tens of millions of people who cannot even do Algebra II - the Gatekeeper to Good Jobs - what are they going to do?

There was something that US Government could have done and that was to delay and retard the flow of jobs from US to other countries - by hook or by crook; through taxation, regulation, or any and all dirty tricks in the book.

That was not to be.

[steve]

Or then again, perhaps they liked parts of his speech and disliked other parts.

[Babak Makkinejad]

Japan was the worst offender before China was even on the radar screen.

[Babak Makkinejad]

What on Earth are you talking about? Another Climate alarmist?

How many people live near the arctic?

They can all move to Edmonton or Calgary.

Even the large mammals can be relocated.

There is global warming of the planet but I cannot see any reasons to panic.

[turcopolier]

tyler

The moans and cries of rage are clearly audible from across the river. pl

[John Halligan]

Trump is smart. He said no longer would the US put other countries interests above our own .I believe that applies to Israel as well as some others .He can't make that explicit since the Jewish lobby is the most powerful in Washington and could deliver a fatal blow to his campaign .I believe He means that we will no longer fight Israel's wars but any changes will not be revealed until He wins the election .

[pob2]

Yep - got a tight lock on the the feather rustler vote.

[Miranda]

Amen. That is indeed the crux of the matter.

[The Twisted Genius]

After a quick read of the transcript, I thought it was a damned good first effort. How can one argue with a call to not make the same mistakes we've been making since the fall of the Soviet Union? The call to seek cooperation with Russia is music to my ears. And to declare an end to our nation building... brilliant.

However, I still view Trump as a consummate con-man. Why the emphasis on building up a more powerful military, including the nuclear arsenal, if you want a more restrained foreign policy? Maybe it's a reference to Reagan's policy of peace through strength. But the purpose of that policy was to confront the Soviet Union and spend them into submission. We don't need a more powerful and expensive military unless we want to intimidate Russia and/or China.

Trump called for an end to ISIS. Good. I've called for a formal declaration of war on the IS and it's allies. However, he still maintains a stance of vitriolic belligerence towards Iran, a nation doing more than most to destroy the IS.

Even with these criticisms, I look forward to Trump developing the ideas he touched on in this speech. I have little doubt he will be the Republican nominee and we will see if he can resolve contradictions and develop realistic details to flesh out his refreshingly different foreign policy aphorisms.

[eakens]

Trump is a deal maker. Iranians are deal makers. Everything will be fine.

[Brunswick]

http://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/

[John Halligan]

Trump took Pat Buchanans playbook from 1992 off the shelf dusted it off and deleted the social conservative issues such as gay marriage and abortion .The Evangelicals came to realize that the party was using the issues like boob bait for the uninformed .The promises were forgotten as soon as the election was won. And not revived until the next election .With Pat we could have had a beautiful wall and lower levels of legal immigration .We also would have had fair trade not free trade and most importantly we would not have invaded Iraq, participated in the destruction of Syria occupied Afghanistan for nation building or helped in the destruction of Libya.Unfortutanely He was called anti-sematic.

[oofda]

He was incoherent- saying one thing and a few minutes later contradicting it.
For example: "Our allies are not paying their fair share... Our allies must contribute toward their financial, political, and human costs, have to do it, of our tremendous security burden. But many of them are simply not doing so.... The countries we are defending must pay for the cost of this defense, and if not, the U.S. must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves. We have no choice."

But shortly he said: "To our friends and allies, I say America is... going to be a great and reliable ally again. It’s going to be a friend again."

So are we going to let 'deadbeat allies' fend for themselves, or be a 'great and reliable ally' ourselves?

Or this: "America no longer has a clear understanding of our foreign policy goals. Since the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union, we’ve lacked a coherent foreign policy."

But late: "We must as a nation be more unpredictable. We are totally predictable." Which is it- having a coherent foreign policy or being unpredictable."
And so on....

[Max]

Yeah, the wall will be built once Americans learn the details of how Mexican drug cartels were connected to the Ohio murders.

[MRW]

Ibn Khaldun, another Islamic genius whose inventions the Europeans--in this case the Italians--purloined and told history they invented.

[Max]

Carly makes Gen. Buck Turgidson look like Gandhi.

[Mark Logan]

It's a amazing how Trump gets away with contradicting himself. It's natural for people to only remember the bits they liked, and his job is to pack the pie with all kinds of cherries so everybody has one to pick. Optimism is a hell of a drug, and he's an expert deal-closer.

I think if he gets the job the most accurate predictor of how he will act will be who his advisers are.

[Robert C]

No wall will be built. American's need for cheap pork, beef, cauliflower, apples, and asparagus will garentee that.
Who's going to do that work? You Tyler?... Certainly no white Americans. I'm almost in my 5th decade and the same people do all the scut work in this country....and the white people in flyover country...complain....and vote for politicians (Trump et al) who promise the moon. Never underestimate an Americans ability to vote against their best interest.

[William R. Cumming]

I listened to his address. In his heart and head he believes that America has declined. But it still consumes 25% annually of the world's resources [so I have been told or read] and I assume Trump believes that can continue? Am I correct?

E.G. I have read that Home Depot, IKEA, and Lowes consume 1/3 of the world's limber each year! Will that continue?

No enunciation of why America was great in the past and how making it great in that vein again might be accomplished except by continuing domination of world.s resources and supply chains.

Any know how Trump and Carlos Slim get along? Would Slim contribute to Trump's wall project?

[Walrus]

The moans and cries of rage can also be heard in Australian ivory towers.

[Mark Pyruz]

Saw a necon from Hoover Inst. respond to speech on PBS today. Neocons are in full tilt over the threat of an independent Trump positing conflict resolution with Putin and Russian Federation, as well as any hint of United States possibly relinquishing the outrageously expensive posture as leader of unipolar global security order.

[JLCG]

Ibn Khaldun describes the process you mention but he gives also a reason for the process and that is the development and disappearance of group feeling. The development and permanence and disappearance of group feeling is something metaphysical.I subscribe to the idea
of history being metaphysical. Discussion of actual politics is simply discussion of accidents but not of the Idea of history which is dialectical.

[Jag Pop]

At AIPAC they laughed when Trump displayed chutzpah, he did a book promotion from the podium.

Here are the eleven guidelines from "Art of the Deal".

Do you see his campaign in here?

1. Think big

"I like thinking big. I always have. To me it's very simple: if you're going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big."

2. Protect the downside and the upside will take care of itself

"I always go into the deal anticipating the worst. If you plan for the worst--if you can live with the worst--the good will always take care of itself."

3. Maximize the options

"I never get too attached to one deal or one approach...I keep a lot of balls in the air, because most deals fall out, no matter how promising they seem at first."

4. Know your market

"I like to think that I have that instinct. That's why I don't hire a lot of number-crunchers, and I don't trust fancy marketing surveys. I do my own surveys and draw my own conclusions."

5. Use your leverage

"The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it. That makes the other guy smell blood, and then you're dead."

6. Enhance your location

"Perhaps the most misunderstood concept in all of real estate is that the key to success is location, location, location...First of all, you don't necessarily need the best location. What you need is the best deal."

7. Get the word out

"One thing I've learned about the press is that they're always hungry for a good story, and the more sensational the better...The point is that if you are a little different, a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you."

8. Fight back

"In most cases I'm very easy to get along with. I'm very good to people who are good to me. But when people treat me badly or unfairly or try to take advantage of me, my general attitude, all my life, has been to fight back very hard."

9. Deliver the goods

"You can't con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on."

10. Contain the costs

"I believe in spending what you have to. But I also believe in not spending more than you should."

11. Have fun

"Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game."

(eleven points as found in an article by Peter Economy, http://www.inc.com/peter-economy/11-winning-negotiation-tactics-from-trump-s-art-of-the-deal.html )

[LeaNder]

Sorry, I shouldn't have chattered here: Air Force One, I meant.