Has Trump Crossed Your Line?
Just one quick remark on Trump’s disgraceful performance in Helsinki, in which he revealed that he believes Putin over every one of his own intelligence agencies vis-a-vis Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Everyone has a line, i.e., a moral line he will not cross. I know Trump still has supporters, but it’s not true, as he claimed, that he could walk down Fifth Avenue, shoot someone in the face, and not lose voters. Somewhere between where we are now, and Trump’s committing a random murder, he will lose the backing of very close to every American.
Trump crossed the line with me after the first few words came out of his mouth at the onset of his campaign. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing. On the other hand, again, everyone has a line, and Trump’s actions today crossed one hell of a lot of them.
To his supporters I ask: What will it take to cross yours? Stay tuned.
Craig,
Presidents aren’t candidates for Sainthood or seeking the chair of ethics at some liberal university.
Perhaps that’s one of the more outstanding arguments for Constitutional Monarchies. Prime Ministers don’t have the same expectations in minds of the voters.
President Trump is obviously not your sort of President ! He’s blunt, direct, undiplomatic, and given to personal eccentricities. He’s more like politicians of an older era, when personal foibles and flaws weren’t exposed to the 24 hour news cycle.
But, fair minded critics grant him his strengths. As President he has managed to break or ignore the imprisonment his predecessors suffered as captives of spin doctors, party heavyweights, large donors, and more importantly, an over-reaching media.
Previous Presidents were professional politicians who dared not break a rigid set of rules and protocols imposed on them by the expectations of powerful media organizations. They all tried to live up to an “image” largely invented by the media of how a President should think and behave.
Never having stood for office before, with little or no “party” or heavyweight donor support, he gained office despite the fiercest media opposition encountered by any candidate !
Along the way he defeated a number of formidable professional politicians including a heavily favored, experienced candidate, backed by the most professional, best funded, most resource campaign in the history of US elections.
It’s not so amazing he won office, what is amazing, he didn’t lose by a landslide !
It might help if you start considering President Trump outside of your preconceived perceptions. One of his virtues is plain speaking. For the first time, a US President lacks hypocrisy.
Russia probably meddled in the US elections, but that doesn’t mean the President knew or ‘colluded”. The President is quite correct, the indignation by the US at someone daring to do the US what the US has been doing for 50 years to everyone else, is risible.
Senior members of the FBI and US intelligence agencies do seem to have misbehaved. Sections of the media have lost all reason and seem to suffered a meltdown, while the hysteria of the “never Trumpers” has become totally unbalanced and rabid.
I know you have no wish to even try to understand the thinking behind the President’s actions, but President Trump does have a mandate and some policy objectives.
To understand this President it’s important to understand he is not bound by ideology, or party loyalties. The President is diligent in the pursuit of the objectives outlined in his campaign speeches.
They white house is not in “chaos” because of changes in personnel. Previous President’s appointed Cabinet Appointments and other powerful offices to powerful backers or party considerations, powerful factional leaders etc.
Trump runs things differently. He has no real party considerations, no legacy or succession planning. He’s operates much like the CEO of a large family controlled corporations, where only he and the shareholders are important. Executives come and go depending of usefulness.
His only concession to parliamentary governance is his conviction laws are the provenance of Congress and not Presidential decree or fiat.
Trump has a vision of the world and the role of America. His vision is radically different from previous post war Presidents. His view is a pragmatic vision of a reduced America, no longer the “leader of the free world” no longer an America living in shabby delusions of former glory, while the carcass is steadily being picked clean.
President Trump is a throwback to the days of aggressive Yankee competitive spirit. He boasts of being an American President openly for “America First”, not hypocritically mumbling about high minded ideals while behaving badly in secret. (Trump behaves badly for all to see !)
Trump has attacked German hypocrisy. Strangely, only the US media is truly outraged. Why? Because those still reading the leftist press are so accustomed to the US talking in terms of diplomatic ineffective politeness while allowing the US is the loser in any negotiations.
President Trump’s negotiating style is simple. Stop trying to pick Uncle Sam’s pocket, and I’ll be polite, even sweet. Try to take advantage and I’ll throw a tantrum which you’ll lose !
Crude, but effective !
President Trump deals with problems head on, always ready to be flexible, isolate, go past problems, only to return when conditions are more favorable and achieve his objectives. It’s a mistake to think he’s abandoned anything.
As long as the President is winning economically he will remain in power.
His popularity is increasing as millions of poorer Americans see his policies benefiting their lives. The general public have totally lost interest in Stormy Daniels and the Mueller Inquiry.
As the most recent polling reveals, 68 % of Americans think Robert Mueller’s inquiry should reach a conclusion, or wind up. For the first time, 52 % think Mueller’s inquiry has become politically motivated and should end.
Internationally, Trump’s message is striking home. Despite squeals of protest, the world is adjusting to a different America. American friendship must be earned, not asking the US to buy friendship at the expense of American taxpayers, consumers and workers.
As long as Trump stays on his mission, he will be supported by voters. His defects and oddities will be overlooked, even admired by millions.
The US public endorses his policy to disengage US forces from engagement in foreign wars, but supports the President’s threat of war as a negotiating tactic. (The US public will support this President if he considers no alternative but deploying massive and overwhelming strength to remove a threat to the US).
Curiously, people believe the President’s assessment credible, since he has proved himself loath to use such power, but ruthless enough to win.
While the economy continues to improve,the President is safe. Comey, Clinton, and to a lesser extent Mueller and Obama are now very discredited figures in public life. No one cares about sex accusers, (all of whom seemed dubious), no one ever believed the CIA always tell the truth, no one cares any more about such issues. The public have moved on.
People have become inured to the daily news cycle of anti-Trump propaganda and wild claims. That’s the problem with hysteria, eventually when all the hype dies down, he’s still President and no one can remember old scandals.
The real test will come in November. If the mid-term elections go badly for the GOP the Presidents job will become more difficult, but not impossible,in fact,it might be a blessing! the President can blame future failures on Congressional opposition.
If the mid-terms don’t produce a ” blue wave” , the Democrats will be in deep trouble. The GOP will be forced by their rank and file to more fully support the President, and an emboldened President Trump will believe he’s been vindicated to carry out his agenda with a vengeance .
Unless the President makes a bad mistake, or the US economic recovery falters in the next 12 weeks, no “blue Wave ” will occur, leaving the Democrats in disarray.
We live in interesting times !
You write: “President Trump is obviously not your sort of President ! He’s blunt, direct, undiplomatic, and given to personal eccentricities.”
That’s not the problem. Nobody objects to his being blunt and direct, and God knows nobody could possibly care less what type of president appeals to me. Here’s the issue: He’s a criminal, essentially the whole world knows it, and he’s losing (maybe lost) what’s left of his pathetic support base.
Today may have been a watershed event as Fox News, the American Pravda, tore him to shreds almost as aggressively as the left.
He’s toast.
I was just explaining to my 25-year-old son about the final hours of the Nixon presidency, who thought he could ride it out, fire prosecutors, and so forth, as there was no precedent for a U.S. president’s being expelled from office and imprisoned. But in a very short period of time, he lost his political support, he resigned from office, and was a helicopter to God knows where all within a matter of hours.
I don’t think this will happen as smoothly, as Trump doesn’t have anywhere near the intellectual capacity or sanity that Nixon had, but, again, he’s toast.
Craig,
Thank you for your reply.
In your reply, I see the reason why the President is gaining ground.
You claim the President is a “criminal”. Now, by any definition that is patently untrue isn’t it ? The President is not charged, or has ever been convicted of a crime, has he ? So, your statement, like many of his, confuses your opinion with fact.
You are guilty of the same hyperbole and rash claims as those you so vehemently despise in the President ?!
The polls don’t bear out your assertion “He’s toast”. In fact the polls show the opposite.Fox News and the President don’t always agree. The reason is obvious, the President doesn’t always share the same objectives as Fox.
Again, this is because the President has no real ideological bias, right or left. He’s a pragmatist with different positions on different issues. Even Fox journalists expect politicians to be ideologically consistent and become confused and outraged when a political leader ‘plays against type’.
The US political system doesn’t allow for the removal of unpopular Presidents. The Mueller inquiry has more or less run out of steam. Mueller is beginning to realize this for himself and is very conscious of the loss of support among the American people.
With respect, I think you are clasping at straws, desperately clinging to the delusion that somehow the 2016 election result can be reversed.
From my observation, I believe the President’s meeting with Putin was a political error from a PR perspective. There was no crisis or any real reason to meet other than oil prices.
In view of all the accusations, it’s an unnecessary distraction for the President. The President is undoubtedly convinced the meeting is necessary and essential. For Trump, the meeting is a brave, but foolhardy mistake. Not insurmountable, but unnecessary.
Until now the President’s containment policy on Russia has been restrained, but effective. I think Trump’s real worry is maintaining Russian support for low oil prices. Politically, that’s important for Trump but not Putin.
The real problem for the President is both the American right and American left both hate Russia and Putin. Fear of Russia is deeply ingrained in the American psyche which is odd because China is a much bigger problem.
Removing energy, the Russian economy is very small, not much larger than Australia and without nuclear weapons Russia would pose no threat at all.
Trump’s attempts to gain Russian support against china, Iran, North Korea, OPEC etc, is understandable, Russia still has influence and a seat on the UN Security Council, but it won’t be understood by the hard right of the GOP, while the left will go nuts.
It’s these times when not being shielded by party loyalty is a disadvantage ! It will be very telling if the President can continue to sell his foreign policy objectives to his base.
In the last 44 years, a great deal has changed. The dynamics of Nixon’s fall from grace were very different. Nixon was only guilty of trying to cover up an act by his followers, Trump would have thrown them under a bus, and moved on !
Putin may be lying about his role in his nations iniquities, or more likely simply believe he’s acting in the beat interests of National Security , (that’s not an uncommon delusion among government leaders!).
Polling over the next few weeks with be very interesting.