I’m A Really Smart Guy
By D. S. Mitchell
Behind My Desk
Calamity Politics is a political news blog reacting to the world around us through analysis, and commentary. The topics change, but my passion for the news and political policy remains hot. I hope that never changes. The activities in Washington, D. C. affect our lives in a wide range of ways. When those results are harmful to the citizenry emotions run hot. Information is important to keep us informed and involved. If you do nothing else, stay tuned in and participate.
Donald Says
Donald Trump claims, “I’m a really smart guy”. Self evaluation by a diagnosed Narcissistic Personality Disordered person must be measured by the facts, not his bellicose statements.
Grow Into The Job
Today, I want to talk about Donald Trump’s “growth.” A widespread pundit theory has it that Donald Trump is “learning and growing” into the job. Apparently, some people feel comfortable watching Trump learn on the job. I do not. He is the president of the United States, not an apprentice grocery checker.
Campaigning
On the campaign stump, Trump often said running the country was, “so easy, folks.” The fast talking New York con artist told audiences that Washington wasn’t working because, all those people are “too stupid” and “too corrupt,” to make it work. Finishing with, “I can make it work”. Big claims for a guy who was a historic failure at most everything. He went through bankruptcy six times, married three times and avoided military service with doubtful claims of “bone spurs”. Even more important, he never served in government, and was never elected to office, not even in high school or college.
Lots Of Drama
Trump’s simplistic claims resonated with a lot of people. The speeches ginned up and excited the attendees. “Lock her up.” “Drain the swamp.” Heated rhetoric spun by a know-nothing television celebrity drew big crowds across the country. The violent overtones of the rallies were palpable. Drama, lots of drama. It never seemed real. But, it was. And Trump is now president. The hell with government policy. The hell with experience and knowledge. Who cares that people are suffering around this country. These are vulnerable people who depend on good government to help them with housing, health care, education and food security.
The Power Of Familiarity
Just because a guy comes into the family room via television, once a week reading from a script does not mean he is qualified to run the world’s largest government. The phenomenon of familiarity is powerful. This single factor, has not been adequately explored in the 2016 presidential election. It’s almost, like the next door neighbor became President of the United States. “Yeah, guys, he’s now running the country. He’s one of us.”
It’s A Fraud
Hold on. Trump is not one of us. Unless you are a fake and a phony. Get rich schemes, such as his Trump University, were proven frauds. The “easy” solutions Trump announced for big government problems are fraudulent as his Trump University. I do not believe, the average American, myself included, has a true grasp of the size and capacity of the United States government.
It’s Big
Its size, and functioning systems are beyond the comprehension of most of us. In the Trump vernacular the U.S. is nothing more than a small country store. But honest to God, folks, we are talking about the world’s largest economy with a Nominal GDP of 25%. We have a vigorous, diverse population of 318,000,000 people and the most technologically advanced military apparatus in military history. And now, because of the Electoral College system we have elected a guy as President of the United States, that has trouble assembling a five word sentence.
Resorting To Twitter
In the midst of the recent health care controversy, Trump complained on Twitter, for Heavens sake, “Nobody, knew it was so complicated.” Yes, Donald, most of us knew it was complicated. That is why it has been a hot button issue since after WWII. It was immediately after the war when much of the modernized world adopted a single payer health care system. In effect most countries acknowledged that health care was an innate “right” granted to all of its citizens.
Give It To Someone Else
When Trump realized health care was “complicated,” he threw it into the lap of Paul Ryan. Ryan then tried to slam a Draconian bill through the Congress. The House bill was written by the most far right-wing of the Republican Party. The bill died before any vote was held. The bill polled a 17% approval rating across the country. It was so bad Ryan could not secure enough votes to even bring it out of the House.
Undermine The ACA
Trump emphatically refuses to work with a bi-partisan coalition and repair the ACA. Trump is threatening to undermine health insurance by de-funding, or under-funding necessary elements of the ACA. Just another “eat cake” moment, for a man without a moral compass, or compassion for the most vulnerable in our society. Medicaid provides nursing home care for nearly 65% of the elderly that receive those services. Cuts to Medicaid, really will hurt Grandma and Grandpa. Not everyone can, or wants to take Grannie into their home.
No Solutions
Being President of the United States includes being confronted with complicated domestic policy decisions, while at the same time dealing with hazardous world problems, every day. Now that Trump is in the Oval Office, he is “learning on the job”. Particularly frightening, in the light of his distaste for intelligence briefings, and the mainstream media. He instead likes to pick up his intel in 10 minute phone chats with “that very nice guy”, the President of China. Apparently, Xi Jinping, took some time to explain that the Korean and Chinese linked histories are “complicated.” On North Korea, he now says, “It’s not so easy.”
Incredible And Bizarre
No, shit, Sherlock. Why do you think American forces have been stationed in South Korea, since the end of the Korean War in 1953? It’s complicated. There’s that word again, “complicated”. But, why did it take the President of China to get that message through to Donald Trump? This is serious, folks. Our president feels more comfortable accepting the Chinese view of the situation, or the Breitbart News version of the world, or some other conspiracy theory tabloid, over the on the ground/and satellite information, offered daily by our own government. Incredible. Bizarre. Disturbing.
Trump Does Not Know
After shooting 59 missiles into Syria, and dropping a MOAB on an ISIS stronghold in Afghanistan, Lindsey Graham said, “He (Trump) has the instincts of Reagan.” Really, Lindsey? I have said and thought a lot about President Reagan. And it hasn’t all been good, but I never saw Reagan as impulsive, and undisciplined. Trump is a guy, that truly does not know, that he is ignorant. It doesn’t need to even be serious and complex issues, it can be as simple as closing an umbrella. Instead of learning facts, he blusters, and blows gas. His habit of blasting out proclamations and pronouncements without evidence, is inexcusable for a president of the U.S. Trump, always so sure of his “gut instincts” requires no knowledge on an issue. Our “evolving” president was one of the first people to publicly defend Bill O’Reilly. Without any knowledge of the case specifics, Trump jumped with both feet into the O’Reilly sexual harassment controversy.
Touting Reversals
Republicans are touting the recent reversals on Trump’s campaign statements, such as NATO, being “obsolete.” Now Trump states, “NATO is no longer, obsolete.” All in three months, amazing turnaround for such a large organization. As usual Trump is taking credit for their rapid revitalization. His charge that China was “a currency manipulator,” was basically false. A decade ago that was probably true, when China was desperate to forestall a deep recession. So, again after those “informative phone discussions” with Xi Jinping, Trump decided to back off his unfounded claims. Tweeting, “why would I call them currency manipulators, when China is going to help us with North Korea?” His lack of knowledge and his ignorance about the monetary process that caused his confusion. It too, of course, is “complicated.”
What Dennis Had To Say
By published reports, Trump, decided after talking to Boeing CEO, Dennis Muilenburg, became “enlightened” about the importance of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Suddenly the Bank is “Good.” Wow, Dennis, I suppose you accomplished that in less than ten minutes. I’m sure there days when Trump wishes he was back at Trump Tower. Where, tweeting policy instructions to Obama, or lobbying for particular actions had no real impact on the country. Things often seem very different close up, than when on the 58 floor of a New York penthouse.
Freshman Chief Executive
Some pundits are telling us the Trump agenda is coalescing. I guess if they are talking about the walk backs and the attacks on Syria and Afghanistan, he’s got some shit going on. That isn’t a good thing for an understaffed government, and a freshman chief executive. He keeps saying he “is not going to announce his intentions.” Risk I say that he has no plan. I’d say if Trump has a policy he’s doing a damn good job of hiding it from the world. I’d say the more likely truth is, “No plan, no worries, I’m used to flying by the seat of my pants.” Its worked for him up until now attitude.
Twitter Lunacy
The casual tweeting, of diplomatic intentions and State matters, is inappropriate and extremely dangerous. Tweets per Twitter should unnerve anyone watching this President’s behavior. I’m hoping when he’s gone the Congress will pass a Bill that forbids a President to tweet policy thoughts over the internet. Trump does not know how the government actually works. He has no concept of process and procedure between the branches of government. We not only elected an outsider, we elected a man who doesn’t seem to understand that staff takes care of the little issues and the President of the United States gets handed the “complicated stuff.”
In Training Slow
The darkening cloud in Asia, the deteriorating Syrian situation, and the longest war in American history, drags on in Afghanistan, and we have a president “in training”. Trump is a full-blown narcissist who beats his chest and makes nonsensical proclamations without knowledge or empathy.
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