What's your thoughts on Trump?

[downbeatplumb]

From what I've seen by Trumps first few days as president elect is that he has no idea how to be president.
He appears to be trying to rule by twitter rant alone.
Its like the angry taxi driver with the racist views was actually put in charge.
I don't know whether to laugh or start digging a bunker.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I don't know whether to laugh or start digging a bunker.

I say dig that bunker while laughing maniacally.

[Amarok]

I don't know whether to laugh or start digging a bunker.

I say dig that bunker while laughing maniacally.

Bring lots of distractions it's going to be a long 4 years 

[downbeatplumb]

I say dig that bunker while laughing maniacally.

Bring lots of distractions it's going to be a long 4 years 

Yeah WW2 only took 4 years to.

[Zenith]

I didn't get the time to read all of your replies, but I'd thought it might be useful to share my own opinion now anyway (I'll read the rest later),

1. Despite the many things Trump did, I don't consider him a racist, a xenophobe, etc.
He's a man of "business" whose sole responsibility - in order to survive in business - is to sale dreams to people (like a guy appearing on TV telling you how you NEED to but the newest shampoo because it'll make your life perfect). I believe that he made use of people's prejudices and fears to bring shock and surprise, and thus to propel him politically. It's like a play in a theater: the actor must surprise the audience with something new, something different, even shock them with smth nobody could've seen coming, while the voters are simply people coming for entertainment. That's the way it goes in theater, that's how it goes with sales & marketing, that's what people want. I also noticed how he said everything different (that is, even the complete opposite) of what everyone else said, and that I believe, brought him votes. I don't believe he meant much of what he said, they were only for the effect.

2. I also believe Trump took advantage of the terrorist attacks that happened this year. That is, people were afraid for their lives, their safety, and that can unleash the "fight or flight" mechanism, which you could translate as a form of xenophobia. The Left (Hillary, Obama, etc.) didn't come soothing the people with "everything's gonna be alright! we have it all under control"  -- though solving this is terribly complicated. Trump instead took advantage of the public fear and assured all that he would "remove" the terrorist threat. Now whether his method would be effective, or even possible to apply, or would only make things far worse than they are now, that's a totally different matter.

3. I am completely surprised of the fact that Americans (I hear) tend to complain that lobbyists control the government (i.e. the government works for corporates and for very rich people, not for common citizens), but they decide to put as president a lobbyist - a very rich person who most surely shaped USA laws to benefit his own business. I mean, if this election was a rage of the common citizen ("labor" people) against the "rich" people, it is very odd that they put their faith in a very rich person to save them. By the way, this whole struggle of the "labor" people against the rich people (aristocracy?) sounds very much like a communist slogan.

4. I keep thinking at this as a symbol for what kind of Hero people seem to cry out for:




We can all agree that no man from the real world can be a hero like Arnold Scharzeneger in Commando. Also, anybody remember Chuck Noris? The ide is the same: A guy who comes all alone to fight against most powerful and evil forces, and by his own might, brightness, and courage does everything that no real human can hope to achieve: Beat all enemies without getting any hit, and bring peace, prosperity, and justice to the common folk.

What frightens me the most is that this is how Hitler was being perceived by those who trusted in him. And IMO it wasn't, as it is simplest to imagine (and irresponsible, perhaps), that Hitler was the evil genius and the german people innocent believers, but rather it was people who craved for a hero to come and save them all from their miserable lives, caused by the perceived evil enemy (which was, all the rest). It was the people who needed a hero - a Hero like Chuck Noris or Arnold in Commando, in movies - it was they who brought the deaths and suffering of so many innocents. And that means, that even today, it would not be a diabolial Hitler-like person the cause of great suffering, but people like us (american, europeans, russians, etc.) - people who crave for a hero to save them and bring to them a perfect happy life.

And I believe Trump managed to sell himself as the Long-awaited Hero from the old books of prophecies (anybody reading/watching fiction?) with bold statements and promises that are probably impossible to fulfill. But "Don't worry, just sit back, I'll do the impossible just because I care for you, don't ask me how I'm gonna do that!" is what such a fairytale prophecied Hero would tell.

5. I don't fear that Trump would start WW3.
Instead, I believe his inaction might allow Putin's Russia to invade Europe, and that later could be the cause of WW3. I fear that countries such as Poland or Romania may suffer the same fate as Ukraine, while Trump's USA would do nothing about it, just let it happen. If I remember well, USA won the Vietnam war, until they decided to step back and stay away from "killing people", where the russians pushed forward, so USA finally lost that war.

And again about WW3, I keep thinking about how WW2 started: The cause was not as much a "Hitler invading Poland" but "UK and France doing nothing while Germany broke all rules and expanded." And that's how I fear WW3 might start, by Trump's USA doing nothing while Putin's Russia breaks rules and expands its influence and power. It might not be Trump deciding to launch nukes at Russia, but Trump's Russia struggling to fend for itself in the very last hour.

6. Finally, I believe Trump's election, along with UK's Brexit, proved to a lot of people (me among them), that Democracy is all fucked up (I'll open a new thread for this, to explain).

[Secular Elf]

My thoughts on Trump is that he and his administration will prove to be a disaster for both the United States and the rest of the planet. I personally can not stand the man. I think he is a demagogue and self-centered wealthy piece of shit. He said things that most people, both thoughtful and non-thinking wanted to hear. Everything the man said rubbed me the wrong way and I see him becoming a dictator, if given a chance too.

A Republican controlled government scares me, quite frankly. The Dominionists will use Trump to help them establish a theocracy in America. The programs that the new government will enact will hurt a lot of people, including those who voted for Trump. I see some dark days ahead. I see a civil war coming, and I encourage my fellow Progressives and Secularists to prepare for it.

[Loading Please Wait]

It's funny people are shocked so much that half of the country disagrees with them on politics.

Also, believing in a god has nothing to do with my political viewpoint. I am not an opponent of gay marriage but I do believe it is not natural. I will not support it, but at the same time I'm not against it. I'd say indifferent.
Anyways.

Trump is for America.

[Faith No More]

47 million is actually less than 1/6 of the population.

Trump is for Trump. He doesn't give a shit about you or anyone that isn't his family or a billionaire. He's just using rubes to put himself in a position of greater power, as evidenced by his cabinet picks.

[Zenith]

I would gamble on America winning a war against China.

Based on the battle experience and history of both countries plus the military spending of America.

Anyone who's done anything competitive ever knows the value of experience, and America has a fuck load of experience of fighting across the world and experience with all kinds of weaponry ranging from nukes to subtle espionage.  

It would be interesting to see what alliances would be made.  Russia would probably be laughing along with a large majority of the Muslim middle east.  
Based on what I remember from my days in the Islamic forums they would pray for horrible things to happen to China nearly as much as America.

I remember watching a video about this a few weeks ago. Obviously the video probably isn't entirely accurate, but it suggests that China would have an advantage at the beginning but eventually the US would have the upper hand, and that's just on their own - If a war between the US and China were to actually happen, no doubt the entire West would back the US.

I wonder what Russia would do in this case.

My opinion is this:
a) If USA fights China, it's WW3. Russia will probably wait until the end - not interferring - and at the end boast itself as the most developed country on earth.
b) If USA fights Russia, it's WW3. China will probably wait until the end - not interferring - and at the end itself as the most developed country on earth.

As about which of the two win the war, I think that is impossible to say. For the time being USA can boast itself as the greatest military power on earth. Fame matters a lot in international politics & influence, until a big war begins. At that point, you can expect anything.

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If a war between the US and China were to actually happen, no doubt the entire West would back the US.

No doubt? Depends on who's starting it and why. I would remind you that not even in the case of Iraq the whole west backed the US. Because it was considered an unjustified war of agression by most of the larger western powers. Only the UK and Spain remained, apart from the usual suspects in Eastern Europe. And Micronesia, of course.

Also, I'd add, with all the muslim terrorists and syrian refugees, I hear lots of people blaming it all on USA, as if it's the devil on earth - and as if Russia were better.

You only need demagogues in the far-right taking positions of power in the European countries, and that "backing up" would probably go to shit. If you add how much trade goes on between Europe and China, you'd only have to wonder whether the people citizens would risk nuclear missles from China, grave economic trouble, and an economic dependency to Russia, just to be "honorable" and help an ally in need.

And in any war, it matters terribly to convince the world that you're the innocent one, and the other the aggressor. If the world sees you as the bully, you're likely to get no help at all.

---

It's funny people are shocked so much that half of the country disagrees with them on politics.

Also, believing in a god has nothing to do with my political viewpoint. I am not an opponent of gay marriage but I do believe it is not natural. I will not support it, but at the same time I'm not against it. I'd say indifferent.
Anyways.

Trump is for America.

I can hardly believe that any politician is heart & soul for his country.

[Brian37]

What are my thoughts on Trump? Celebrity Despot is a fucking pile of shit.