Don't bother about what he says or tweets, just watch what he does!

My title to this post more or less sums up my approach to President Trump.  It is not an easy stance to maintain given that so much of what he says and tweets is incomprehensible or, if you like, tweets as twaddle!  Equally, as a Brit viewing the scene 'over there' from way 'over here' it is not easy to catch much of the detail.  Thus, once again, I am grateful to Victor Davis Hansen at The National Review for resetting my American view-finder.  

He reminds us that both the 'freaky-shrieky' Left and the grumpy 'Never Trump' Right are incapable of seeing through the miasma that arises from the unstoppable conflagration of Trumpian verbiage, either verbal or keyboard.  Thus, neither of them are quite grasping the revolutionary - I use the word deliberately! - results of what Trump is actually doing.  In the title to his essay, Prof. Hansen, renames him "President Nobama" and that is a deadly accurate summation.  He is indeed the personification of the 'anti-Obama'!

For a start, by luck or by judgment, Trump's eccentricities have blind-sided his critics by offering them so many inconsequential outrages that in their inchoate fury they are missing the realities of what he is doing, bit by bit, as he dismantles the tentacles of the Obama-socialist machine.  If you want a prize example, take a look at The Carpentariat, a blog-site I visit fairly frequently and from which the late and very unlamented 'PeterG' emerged - yeeeeees, quite!  This blog actually prides itself on being a middle of the road, non-extreme 'Democratic Socialist' site but when you read their non-stop ravings you would be excused for thinking you had entered a 19th century loony-bin!

Of course, as they busy themselves fulminating across their spittle-flecked keyboards, the Trump deconstruction machine trundles on, as Prof. Hansen points out:

Yet for the most part, since 1989, we’ve had lots of rhetoric but otherwise no serious effort to prune back the autonomous bureaucracy that grew ever larger. Few Republicans in the executive branch sought to reduce government employment, deregulate, sanction radical expansion of fossil-fuel production, question the economic effects of globalization on Americans between the coasts, address deindustrialization, recalibrate the tax code, rein in the EPA, secure the border, reduce illegal immigration, or question transnational organizations. To do all that would require a president to be largely hated by the Left, demonized by the media, and caricatured in popular culture — and few were willing to endure the commensurate ostracism.

Happily, President Trump's response appears to be, "Bring it on!"  Of course, he is helped enormously by a Republican-controlled Congress but whether that will last through the forthcoming midterm elections no-one can tell for a certainty.  We must all just cross our fingers and hope for the best.

 

Comments

[Whitewall]

Our friend Diplomad has been on this track too:
http://www.thediplomad.com/2018/01/on-progressives-shthole-country.html

[mike fowle]

Tim Newman at White Sun of the Desert has been making this point for some time. Trump spends a few seconds tweeting and his critics spend hours venting their outrage while he simply gets on with the job.

[Bob]

Hanson is right that Trump represents a backlash to Obama, but fails to mention he's also a backlash against the Clintons, Bushes and, most of all, globalism. The rest of his ideas are exaggeration, wishful thinking, and trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Most who don't like Trump are neither freaky nor grumpy; they're sensibly offended by Trump's incompetence, vulgarity, and lowering of the presidency to the level of a reality television show or worse. Many Republicans have been publicly fearful Trump will take down the party with him. Over thirty congressional Republicans have already retired or decided to run for other offices in anticipation of the mid-term elections.

Carpenter doesn't just hate Trump. He hates any politician that dares speak anything other than pure "centrist" drivel. As far as I can tell, that includes nearly all politicians of any party. His heroes seem to be Never Trump conservative columnists like Andrew Sullivan.

[JK]

David,

Bob makes a fair point with his "Hanson is right that Trump represents a backlash to Obama, but fails to mention he's also a backlash against the Clintons, Bushes and [...]" though I'd disagree somewhat with his inclusion of "globalism" and his [Bob's] "they're sensibly offended by Trump."

If there's one thing I'd recommend to accompany Dr. Hanson's observations it'd be this:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/08/opinion/anti-trump-opposition.html

Then, illustrating my disinclination for Bob's "they're sensibly offended":

https://20committee.com/2018/01/13/donald-trumps-crazy-week-of-crazy/

(You'll need "make a jump from" that last site to finish the read - which I've done deliberately if only because "in another time" I've 'shared a few beers' (as the media would put it) with the fellow Schindler - US Naval War College.)

[Bob]

JK,

I can't see how either article refutes the fact Trump offends sensible people. Both admit his stupendously bad habits and personality. Neither mentions his (dis)approval numbers here and around the world. The defense that there are good people in the White House too is thin and off point.

There is certainly a backlash against globalism. You can see it most in the urge to literally build a wall between the US and Mexico and to stop immigration from anywhere but Western Europe.

[David Duff]

Tut-tut, Bob, you obviously failed to read the original article:

"Republicans have not seriously attempted to roll back the administrative state since Reagan. On key issues of climate change, entitlements, illegal immigration, government spending, and globalization, it was sometimes hard to distinguish a Bush initiative from a Clinton policy or a McCain bill from a Biden proposal. There was often a reluctant acceptance of the seemingly inevitable march to the European-style socialist administrative state."

You also failed to read me - er, that's as in, ME, ME, ME! -

"both the 'freaky-shrieky' Left and the grumpy 'Never Trump' Right are incapable of seeing through the miasma that arises from the unstoppable conflagration of Trumpian verbiage, either verbal or keyboard.  Thus, neither of them are quite grasping the revolutionary - I use the word deliberately! - results of what Trump is actually doing."

Or to put it another way, Trump is using, successfully, the old magician's trick of distraction. In the meantime, do tell us what it is about:

"tax increases, federalizing health care, massive new debt, layers of more regulation, zero-interest rates, neo-socialist regulatory appointments, expansionary eligibility for entitlements, and constant anti-free-market jawboning"

that you 'lurve' so much.

[JK]

Bob,

What David said.

And I'd humbly suggest were you to make a slight change to Dr. Hanson's last sentence of his first paragraph replacing the word "seriously" with my suggested "sensibly" there might be some possibility of a Spockian mind-meld.

Do exercise some caution Bob, where the Star Trek shit is concerned, as I've a quart of Barney's Mountainous Medicimalicious set upside the ol' cpu looking to bedazzle the nominally-virginal.

[JK]

From the Wayback Machine - tho' barely four years.

https://warontherocks.com/2014/09/congress-can-fix-dhs-but-needs-to-fix-itself-first/

[Whitewall]

JK, speaking of the US Naval War College,
Did you ever meet or read about a lecturer there named Thomas P. M. Barnett?

The Never Trump Repubs have joined the Liberals as today's useful idiots. The R party can be the solution to our ongoing rot or it can die away and get out of the way. Pick one.

[Loz]

I think it Missred who first commented on Trump's tweeting tactic as being a great distraction technique a la conjuring trick.

And also the cute observation as to the huge amount of legislation he had removed from the statute books, while the MSM were going nuts that he hadn't actually done anything, including the stuff he'd said he'd do.

The outrage inspiring tweets and grandiose wall building projects have succeeded in selling a dummy to the MSM and left.

Meanwhile the Don gets on with ripping up red tape legislation and slashing taxes.

Is the Don the Ron in disguise?

As with the Ron, we have to hope the economy's in the right place on the Laffer curve, otherwise that $1.5 trillion on the deficit due to the tax cuts looks a tad ugly.

But if you're gonna load up the deficit, better do it on tax cuts that statist projects.

Reminds me of good ol' Dave Cam & Georgie Osborne. They rabbited on about "the Big Society" and Dave hugged a hoodie, blah, blah, distract, distract, and it got the votes in and they did none of it. Rather, they reduced the state as a proportion of GDP from near 50% to near 40%, shrunk the deficit, and implemented austerity.

SoD

[JK]

Yup Whitewall, observant fellow, kind. Tenacious too.

I'd already picked if you'll recall, even parroted it back to you whenever it was that Malcolm posted along the same line '... the Ds take ground and the Rs hold it til the Ds get back.'

Sumpin' sech as thet anyway.

[Whitewall]

Trump is like a lot of us on the Right- we keep score.

[JK]

Yes Lawrence, Missred.

[Loz]

When you move away from the distractions, attendant hot air, and MSM hysteria, and try to discover what has been done, and importantly, what has been un-done, a different story emerges ...

"Best first year prez, ever" ...

https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2017-12-21/donald-trump-is-the-most-successful-first-year-president-of-all-time

"One-in, two-out", and "zero net cost" rules for new regulations, going well ...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeleef/2018/01/15/when-students-demand-relief-from-their-loans-how-should-the-feds-respond/#3159ea93e6e4

https://www.theregreview.org/2017/11/08/bellos-international-trump-order/

"And quiet flows the Don".

SoD

[Whitewall]

SoD, you're on to something!

[David Duff]

I forgive 'SoD' everything in exchange for "Is the Don the Ron in disguise?"

Where did he get his way with words, er, well, modesty forbids and all that!
I may leave him my overdraft after all!

[Whitewall]

David, maternal influence can be long lasting.

[Whitewall]

AussieD, Andra,
Are you aware of this?

[Whitewall]

Oops! https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/aussie-complaints-to-be-filed-with-fbi-on-clinton-foundations-dealing-down-under/

[JK]

Something else Lawrence included on his 18:24 rang a bell - Do Not Ask! ... (Well I could relate a "little funny thing" that happened in the general timeframe - on a bright sunny day a group of guys with the exception of an individual who unfortunately had his back turned, noticed a guy who looked remarkably like Mike Wallace approaching "the jig was up" when the camera crew got noticed and the group "mainly scattered" leaving the poor unfortunate to his fate. Later the poor guy was sorely pissed (mad/angry) that his compatriots had left him to his reward for being caught unawares.)

So ... in a way SoD's "Is the Don the Ron in disguise" makes me chuckle!

http://newsok.com/informant-pulled-wool-over-fbi-eyes/article/2217325

I sure hope the Executive Twitter Machine don't read D&N! Or come to think of it, the FBI!

[missred]

missred is very wise...
;)

[JK]

Heading y'all off at the pass ...

https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=1988&country=1

Didn't want anybody thinkin' I was pullin' anything understand ...

[jimmy glesga]

Trump is right on the border. The Mexicans need to govern and stop unloading their surplus labour. On the issue of muslims Trump is right. Muslims are on the rampage all over the globe so why take the chance in allowing potential mass murderers into your country. And those muslim countries are failed over populated states just like Mexico.
Why should the Yanks take the brunt. If Trump used the word shitholes then that is true and the truth is people are leaving the shitholes to go elsewhere.

[AussieD]

G'day Whitewall,

In answer to your question I wasn't aware of it. I'll do a bit of extra digging and see what turns up locally.

Bit busy at the moment so it will have to be in the few moments I get to sit at the 'puter.

[JK]

Bob?

Regarding "Sensible."

Exhibit 1,A - Questions put to Rear Admiral R. Jackson MD USN 1/16/2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOlwdJCTopM

[Peter Whale]

"And quiet flows the Don" hardly quiet but his actions are. Great comment Sod, also a magnificent book I read in my teens when I could remember all the characters in play.

[Bob]

Trump has been successful on a range of right/conservative ideas, no argument there. However, he's done it mostly through executive orders and by staffing departments with people who are enemies of those departments. The executive orders will probably be no more sustainable than they were for Obama. Along the way he's made a lot of enemies, including in his own party, and probably all Republicans will pay a price this November.

Another government shutdown could be coming up. It's being driven by the House right wing, though Republicans are trying to blame it on Democrats' being inflexible on DACA. We'll see if that argument sticks with anyone outside the 35% or so who still support Trump.

[JK]

Eh ... Bob?

Hold position (in the naval sense) while the auxiliaries are maneuvered to get your platform into more favorable conditions. I'd like your take on the last ... you being more familiar with gummit dollar applications (NASA) than I. But first ...

"However, he's done it mostly [...] by staffing departments with people who"

If I may Bob [thanks SoD] I'd suggest another course reminiscent of The Ron's to wit:

https://audioboom.com/posts/6596070-the-empty-chairs-of-the-trump-administration-frosedc

***

Okay Bob, ships're in position. The "requested input"

I'm figuring at least a couple million dollars worth but, I also am aware that government tendered "problem solving" tends to cost overruns on the original predicate and then, there're the usual spin-off projects requiring additional monies. As an example - Kansas City's "Court remedied" schools problem circa 1980s. Not at issue now but, background to that:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-06-22/news/9506220051_1_kansas-city-schools-performance-of-minority-students-national-norms

Now where was I ... oh yeah.

Your mission Bob, reckon an ending approximate tally (in millions $) after a natural event considering the initiating occurrence had landed approximately 80 miles SSW and rendered somewhere in the neighborhood of probably at least $5.5 in capital improvements:

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us2000ck7p#region-info

Let your imagination run wild Bob but, make it snappy!

[Bob]

David & JK,

I also agree with the premise that Trump is using rhetoric and chaos as misdirection, wittingly or not, to further the Republican program that's been in place since Reagan, including in the administrations of the two Bushes. However, I realize politicians aren't necessarily sincere about their real goals and that the president isn't a king and doesn't actually run the country. Referring to Trump doing this or that is only a common form of shorthand. In a democratic republic there are a lot more people involved and it's a lot more complicated.

Hope you're over your hangover, JK.

[Bob]

JK,

You can read about the earthquake warning system here:

https://www.wired.com/story/the-united-states-needs-an-earthquake-warning-system-already/

It's about $16M/year but earthquakes are a lot more expensive. I live about 300 miles from the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The last time it let loose it rang church bells in the state of New York because the Midwest is something like a bowl of jelly with clay covering bedrock. We have a $20 trillion ecomony. Draw your own conclusions.

[JK]

"In a democratic republic there are a lot more people involved and it's a lot more complicated."

No shit. (Blessings be to Mr. Durbin and CNN making it acceptable for Arkies succinctness.)

You've Bob, perhaps noted the timeframe of the above (16 Jan 22:48) whereby it can be deduced that any process changes within "the puzzle palace" had to've occurred under the guiding hand of subsequent administrations?

Mainly Bush I's single term (major distraction: ME), Clinton's two, Bush II's (boosted by the process of setting up DHS), Obama's two (during which, we witnessed the successful weaponization of additional federal bureaucracies).

***

You noted the obvious root-word of "Medicimalicious" Bob? David's advising me a few posts back to take to Barney's a'cause I'd worried I'd been exposed to Man-Flu?

Barney's product is thus purely medicinal Bob and thus, hangover-free!

[Bob]

JK,

Yeah, it's obvious about how complicated politics can be. That wasn't meant for you in particular. Reading some of the above comments made me think it worth pointing out. It's also worth pointing out that as civilization, such as it is, becomes more complex more oversight is needed. That doesn't necessarily mean government oppression, though it might. And it doesn't necessarily mean oppression by an elite ruling class, though it might.

Maybe Barney's medicine can fix Washington:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Z5Ti9OEH4

[JK]

Bob, Wireds' unaware of USGS's original purpose (nuke detection) being re-purposed to already do that? (I haven't read your link.)

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

AS I'm closer to the actual town of New Madrid - well, not tooting my own horn but the CERI guys and I have exchanged abit more than mere pleasantries.

Admittedly those were (mostly) pre-Internet. I have some piddling acquaintance with Geology, academically speaking.

[Bob]

JK,

There's an old saying in engineering that you don't re-invent the wheel. If there's already a system developed to detect ground shaking you can put it to work in other ways. It would probably need tweaks but still save money.

[JK]

Bob,

True enough:

https://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-02/ear-nuclear-underground

You, perhaps more than many Bob, might be interested to know over on Dip's site I stuck my neck out a bit in the early hours of that Indonesian airliner going down in the very early hours of the Search efforts positing that, "Rather than search the whole of the Indian Ocean and up far as Madagascar they might concentrate efforts off the southwestern coast of Australia."

It just so happened I'd been communicating with (redacted) that I knew existed. Something some years before promising more refined redundancy.

And if memory serves I believe that's, generally, where the efforts wound up.

[JK]

Moving along to Page 9 (Section II of the olden times) I'm thinking we should give et al D&N's a rest: Bob.

The glacier that's kept the little red pickup appears "willing" to allow a bit of movement toward that.

Carry on