I was musing over the recent Putin win with Trump trying to give Ukraine to Putin for the fee of Ukrainian natural resources. The question:
Has any Trump foreign policy move significantly hurt Putin or Russia in any way?
Here is a list of Trump’s foreign policy actions in his previous time in office. The list is pro Trump and written that way. After a quick perusal I don’t see anything that’s bad for Putin.
I don’t care to discuss whether his actions are good or bad for America, it’s a mixed bag, just their effect on Russia. Is there a reason why this occurs from years of foreign policy, other than the obvious Trump beholden to Putin?
As I have remarked elsewhere, there seems to be a disconnect between the way Trump deals with Putin versus the leaders of America’s traditional allies.
Trump will insult his allies and take extreme antagonistic positions with them to get a deal (Canada and Greenland come to mind). However he does not do this with Putin. Best recent example is Ukraine where he basically takes Putin’s position as a given in the “negotiations”. Where is the Art of the Deal man when it comes to dealing with Putin?
It may just come down to the fact that Trump is a bully so is only tough with the leaders of smaller countries who have no nuclear weapons.
Totally agree and this is what concerns me with American voters. Trump clearly has authoritarian aims for himself but was still elected despite this threat. One could conclude that enough Americans are comfortable with a dictatorship rather than a democracy provided THEIR man was in charge.
Exactly. We used to joke about “at least the trains run on time” because we figured it couldn’t actually happen here.
I know people who would rather live in a dictatorship that banned abortions than a democracy that allowed abortions. They wouldn’t say that openly, they may have never said it to themselves, but if they really had the choice, that’s the way they would decide. But, abortion is about life and death for them.
Now a working majority will give up democracy for some one who will “get tough with” migrants, our allies, the federal bureaucrats, poor people who live in foreign countries, people who favor diversity, and apparently mapmakers as well.
I think, for now, that there will be more of the leaning left to come to the right. And more far leaning left to become louder and more dangerous/outrageous/in-your-faceous. I’m going to sign up for another gun safety class.
when i hear of well armed militia groups (and not the “well regulated” types of 2A lore) they are universally hard right.
@T-roy can you name an actual group on the far left that has shown up both armed and organized? i mean something similar to proud boys, or 3%ers, or oath keepers, or the wolverine watchmen (alleged to have tried to kidnap a governor), etc. or is the main stream media complicit by never naming them?
There was an attempt to get a BLM-adjacent group going, but they didn’t seem to get much traction.
I’m aware of pockets of liberal folks who have said they are arming, and have sought to collaborate in finding suitable environments for self-defense training. However, I’m not aware of any of those groups having risen to being analogs to militia / Proud Boys / 3%ers. But such efforts take time, and hopefully they have the wisdom to maintain a low profile.
I wonder if the Pink Pistols might be able to regain some traction.
The far left is never armed in my experience. But they are loud and won’t engage in me learning their issues. They spew words I do not understand and when I ask questions they’ll just say how ignorant I am and call me a nazi or racist. So yeah. Sort of turned off from them.
Ex: One group here is against the 750 new upscale condos/townhomes going up. I think they’ll sell 100% before they are even built. They’re complaining that it’s unaffordable. I say people want nice and new. They’ll upgrade. Lower income housing will be available. But then I become a nazi in their eyes. Then the name calling commences. They don’t answer my sincere questions.
Ex: I live by Liberty University. There is a lot of people against them. This city wouldn’t exist with the amenities without them. But the left sure likes to shit on the students. I’ve interacted with the students. A little naive but very friendly and they work hard and are considerate to a fault. Need people to lead them too. They really don’t bother anyone. They may be a bit brainwashed from sin, but, I think, that’s a good thing!
I grew up Regonomics. I think I am still there. There is plenty of stuff I support on the left and on the right. So I am at best a balancing act. Here’s a fence T-Roy. Stuck jam splat on the FLICKING middle.
I think, for now, that the same things would have happened if Kamala was in office. Just not as fast or as up your ass. End of the day. Something is different. And I am supportive.
Transparency - yes
Government Waste - yes
Wait till they see the healthcare provider charge master! And the PBMs. Yeah. Good luck. You’re next
If my taxes are lower - yes
If my safety is higher - yes
If something isn’t right I know who to go to and voice my opinion that no one will berate me - ok
If I can afford things, if everyone else can afford things and adjust their spending if not - YEP
If farmers are making money - yes
If I can avoid advertising and the media - GeeZus FLICK yes
I’ll think of more. For now these are on top of my mind. More will come as I engage in adult conversations and concerns.
And I thank each and every one of you for challenging me in a coherent and safe way!
You think Kamala Harris would have halted USAID and PEPFAR?
Appointed herself director of the Kennedy Center?
Threatened to take over Gaza?
Capitulated to Putin on … everything?
Removed the word “transgender” from the Stonewell monument?
Fired nuclear site managers, the U.S. Archivist, the FEC chair, FBI Agents who investigated January 6, Inspectors General, park rangers, forest rangers, and so many others I’ve lost track?
Appointed an anti-vaxxer to head the DHS?
Renamed Denali and the Gulf of Mexico?
Antagonized Denmark and Canada and Panama?
I could go on, but no… I don’t think Harris would have done even one of those things let alone all of them.
She probably would have been softer on immigration than I would have liked and maybe not as tough as I would have liked on getting other NATO countries to step up to the plate on their national defense budgets (although a lot of them were already voluntarily shoring up their militaries in light of everything going on). I mean, I did have to hold my nose to vote for her. But… I don’t think she would have just started burning the federal government to the ground on day one.
I expected Trump to be pretty bad but he’s been vastly worse than I even remotely imagined.