And while I am inclined to believe that it is good enough to deal with a feckless, flipflopping Democratic contender -- say, a Cory Booker, a Kirsten Gillibrand or a Kamala Harris -- what makes me think twice is how Trump continues to smash the rungs of the ladder that he used to climb to the White House.
The Border Wall: Trump's chief of staff John Kelly told members of the Hispanic Caucus yesterday that the wall is kaput; that the president has undergone an evolution since he has been in office. Trump is denying it this morning, but Kelly is telling the truth. One year on where's the wall?
NAFTA: Trump has been promising to tear up NAFTA for over a year, yet negotiations continue. Trump can't walk away from the agreement because the tariffs on U.S. agriculture that would result would deal a blow to the foundation of Trump's support, which is rural.
Foreign Wars: As Gardiner Harris reminds us in a story ("Tillerson Says U.S. Troops to Stay in Syria Beyond Battle With ISIS") devoted to Tillerson's proclamation of a U.S. protectorate where part of the caliphate once stood, Trump promised less foreign entanglements:
Mr. Tillerson’s comments were the first time a senior Trump administration official pledged to keep American troops in Syria well after the current battle ends. They also marked another step in President Trump’s gradual evolution from a populist firebrand who promised to extricate the United States from foreign military entanglements to one who is grudgingly accepting many of the national security strategies he once derided.
During the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump said that “at some point, we cannot be the policeman of the world.”Combine this with stories about administration chagrin over reconciliation flowering on the Korean Peninsula, and the inevitable confrontation with Iran, not to mention the arming of Ukraine, and it is obvious for all to see that Trump is even more bellicose than Obama.
At this point my guess is that even a feckless Democrat can beat a Trump who has reneged on just about every single populist promise.
I am not sure how much Trump has changed versus how much the Deep State has made him change. That is, being a sociopathic narcissist and a pacifist is not a good match. I think that Trump initially saw working with Russia as a good way to make money, ignoring the last hundred years of anti-Russian policy in the West. That the DOD, NATO et al are rearming Ukraine no one on his side of the political spectrum notices, maybe even Trump. In fact, on his side of the political spectrum most of his supporters see that Joe's still buying seed and people are still buying widescreen TVs and game boxes. When granny dies in the streets, when the economy flattens, they'll notice. For them, a war in Ukraine is just another reason to salute the flag before the game.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Democrats is that coming out of the London School of Economics et al their candidates seldom have the ability or desire to even formulate populist policies, because it is directly opposite of their economic interests. I haven't seen much movement in the DNC away from that.
I never thought Trump would seriously mess with the deep state. I think the deep state freaked out when he won because the power elite didn't see it coming. Pax Americana was already crumbling. But I think the fear among CFR types is that the collapse of U.S. global hegemony will accelerate with Trump as president. That hasn't been the case, has it? So far so good for the deep state.
ReplyDeleteBig trouble is brewing to be sure. Trouble with Turkey, with Germany, with South Korea -- trying finding a part of the map that isn't a hot spot. But Trump with his tweets has muddled along as ably as Obama. In fact his corporate tax cut is probably as noteworthy as anything the Dems accomplished in Obama's first year.
Sunny news for all of us is that the Dems are overdue for a housecleaning. The upcoming fratricide should be vicious and prolonged. At least the GOP knows where its bread is buttered -- militaristic white nationalism. The DC Dems still think it's the soccer mom shepherding the kids to Costco in the Chrysler minivan.