There are two real question facing the US as to what sort of president will Trump be.
1. Thus far he looks to me to be a man who will run a tight ship deciding major issues himself and will make deals with whomever has the power to enable him to reach his goals.
IMO that means that the Republicans in Congress will either go along with Trump's legislative proposals or see Trump go across the aisle to seek votes.
A good example would be whatever it is that Trump decides that he wants to do about the obvious failure that is the ACA, presently sinking under the weight of far higher costs than expected and smaller enrollments. Democrats understand that the law must be modified to survive and to preserve the increase in health care coverage that it has brought. The hardline Republicans in both Houses of Congress want to destroy Obamacare and they have no realistic alternative other than the usual blather about private health accounts. Trump will not want to alienate his working class followers. Why would Trump not make a deal with the Democrats to get what he wants and needs?
2. There is also a danger that the neocon faction among Trump's advisers will succeed in achieving power in his cabinet. The appointment of John Bolton to State, would be ,IMO, an unmitigated disaster. pl
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/donald-trump-barack-obama-transition/index.html
Colonel these protests were organized by Move ON Organization, they should be named The Sore Losers Organization
Colonel,
I’d like to know what you think about the rumors that James Woolsey will be advisor to Trump, while Steven Hadley might be at the DOD?
Also there’s talk of Guiliani at DOJ, Gingrich at State and a former G-Sax VP at the Treasury.
Your thoughts??
There’s a natural tendency to over extrapolate on the state of the progressive cause or liberalism in America from the election result. The election was lost by the democratic establishment which, while it has its liberal or progressive elements, is firmly a corporatist, statist organization. The presidency and the senate, though probably not the house, were lost by an ingrown and complacent party bent on crowning their seriously flawed queen. We will never know for sure – but if they had put up Biden instead of shoving him aside, we’d still be talking about the fate of the republican party. Bernie would have been a wild card, but the primaries showed him getting lots of votes in the places that put Trump into the whitehouse.
It will be interesting to see how positive everyone remains once the Republicans own the show for a few years. Will everyone on this board still be so glowing with what appears to be their apparent full embrace of Israel’s priorities? If we pull the Iran deal and start the air campaign? When those manufacturing and coal mining jobs don’t come flooding back?
It was a devil’s choice and not the outcome I would have wanted, however half heartedly, so I’m keeping an open mind. Trump has no fixed core beliefs and revels in pissing up anyone’s leg whenever he feels like it, and that might be a feature not a bug. At this juncture, I’m more concerned with the people to whom he’s going to delegate so much. Those guys we’ve seen in action for long enough to be very worried….
– Pitch
pitch pole
You must be very new here or have not paid attention. The committee is generally quite anti-Zionist. Hey! If you are uncomfortable here, leave! pl
plantman
Woolsey is an unmitigated disaster in any setting. pl
Colonel,
The profiles in this BBC report have the merit of brevity:
US election 2016 results: Meet President Trump’s possible cabinet – BBC News
Trump doesn’t really know anyone in foreign policy…so he will probably, at first, appoint people like John Bolton. After all, Bolton has been on lots of talk shows! Also there is this: But Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in an interview with the state-run Interfax news agency, said that “there were contacts” with the Trump team.
“Obviously, we know most of the people from his entourage,” Rybakov said. “Those people have always been in the limelight in the United States and have occupied high-ranking positions. I cannot say that all of them but quite a few have been staying in touch with Russian representatives.”
He denied allegations of Russian interference in the election, but said “maybe we helped a bit with WikiLeaks.”
So I imagine that Russia will weigh in on his foreign policy choices as well.
Dear Colonel,
Obamacare is a symptom of a bigger American health care cost problem. If How much larger portion of the US economy can healthcare take before the entire system collapses? Its currently 17% heading for 20%, while competitor nations spend half that. Obamacare, was a hail mary to continue the party for the health insurance and overall industry at tax payer expense, and it was so poorly conceived that as you note, it is falling apart.
I am hopeful that Pres Trump, who is not beholden to the insurance industry, unlike Obama, will take the side of the US (non-health care) business community and pull our costs to be more in line with those of the rest of the world.
I predict twitter storms against recalcitrant Repubs and Dems that mobilize via social media Trump’s constituency to =scare the bejeezus of them for the mid terms.
The whole idea of “not my president” makes me mad. Trump has been elected by the American people, whether the protesters like it or not. Do they think they are better than their countrymen? If so, that’d explain a lot of their attitude.
With regards what Trump’s real agenda, domestic and foreign might be, those two seem to be the immediate tests. Republicans don’t have good ideas, but without the partisan blinders, I don’t think they are averse to trying out something new and creative. That Trump has said nothing other than “something wonderful” can be something very constructive as it gives him freedom to pull out something completely new and just put his moniker on it, and Republicans in Congress owe him enough (I think) that they dare not refuse. Heck, Trump can even throw them red meat by offering them a very conservative SCOTUS judge appointment (sorry liberals–I don’t think SCOTUS is that big a deal, especially since it’s Scalia being replaced). If we can get a workable healthcare reform out of this, it’ll be worth it.
I’m really bugged by the mentions of Bolton and Ledeen. The sneaky Borg implants like these lurking in the Trump circles is one reason I’d been skeptical that Trump really is the peace candidate. We shall see how that goes.
Protests are fine. Rioting is not.
Look at the opinion pages of the New York Times. Here are some titles:
“Being American in the Trump Years”
“A Time to Keep Fighting”
“Ten-Step Program for Adjusting to President-Elect Trump”
“Gritting Our Teeth and Giving President Trump a Chance”
“America Elects a Bigot”
If you tell people to fight and then they fight, don’t be surprised if they fight. If you tell them to be afraid and they become afraid, don’t be surprised if they’re afraid.
Trump’s just gonna be the guy who signs the bills that the GOP present to him. What he gets in return’s a question, but what he gets in return will be from the GOP, not Dems — they will be shut out. There’s some talk of an infrastructure bi-partisan effort, but apparently a lot of people are unaware that Trump wants to partly pay for it by privatizing bridges, roads, etc. Dems will not go for that.
https://www.wired.com/2016/11/trumps-plan-american-infrastructure-get-people-spend-trillion-dollars/
Obamacare can be killed in a reconciliation bill that can pass the Senate with a simple majority. Medicaid can be block granted. Let’s see if they dare.
I’ll repeat my earlier post: meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Robert C.
My understanding about Trump’s plan for the ACA is that he wants to give each American not on Medicare/Medicaid the ability to opt in to a health savings account with catastrophic insurance.
Eric Newhill probably knows more about all this though.
I think Senator Sessions and Steven Miller are going to act as a massive brake on any influence of the neocons in his administration, IMHO. Their “invade the world, invite the world” mantra and their liberal social polices are antithetical to what they have been espousing throughout their careers.
Not new, been around for some time. Not often commenting. I do pay attention and that’s exactly what I mean: everything I hear from the president elect, the republican party and all the people tapped as close advisors/potential cabinet members indicated deep and broad support for Israel’s zionist factions. So I’m confused as to where the committee is deriving it’s enthusiasm.
And no, I don’t get uncomfortable with argument or opinion, whether I agree with it or not. I do like to see arguments linked to more rational evidence – that’s a big help when proving them out.
Colonel, I thought this piece from the Poynter Institute might interest you. It points out the failures in journalism while covering this election, and seems to arrive at the same conclusions you came to months ago.
http://www.poynter.org/2016/how-the-media-missed-president-trump-and-what-comes-next-for-journalism/438665/
Mr. Lang,
—
RE: “There is also a danger that the neocon faction among Trump’s advisers will succeed in achieving power in his cabinet.”
—
Trump made a display of presenting himself as THE authority on matters of foreign policy.
On a practical basis, if he wanted to, could he practically oversee the key decisions these men make?
Or is their not enough time in the day?
Best,
Paul
With Move On on the move, it seems that America could ironically be experiencing its very own Color Revolution. The Last Color Revolution on Earth! Which I suppose is poetic justice.
As for the progressives, Bernie already seems to be putting the message out. And after their major defeat, I doubt if the neo-con and neo-liberal Clintonistas will have much sway within the party. Bernie’s chosen successor and Elizabeth Warren would both be serious challengers.
I’d like to know what is it the Zionists really want. Would they be satisfied with the West Bank? Would they be satisfied with the part of the Golan Heights they grabbed or do they want all of it? Will they quit trying to grab the waters of the Litani River in Lebanon since reportedly through desalination they have more water than they need?
You are dealing with a country that refuses to fix its borders? If it were given what it wanted, would it then let its neighbors go in Peace? Why did they not accept the Saudi Beirut Peace initiative? Why was Rabin assassinated? Why did Olmeret suddenly get removed due to a criminal inquiry?
I used to read Haaretz at one time until it went behind a paywall. I get some insight from Uri Avnery, b/ I’m truly lost at what they really want. Is it from the river to the river? Wadi-el-Arish to the Euphrates?
Do they really want to continue as the Lacedomnians lording it over the Helots? The Israeli Firsters have destroyed secular Irak, now working on Syria, and would love to destroy Lebanon and turn it into a choatic non-functioning state. They would love to destroy Iran as a semi-secular civiliazton. Trump advisor Gen Michael Flynn, for all his good qualities, has a hard-on for the Persians. So does Trump. Really worrying. You cannot have a concert of nations resolution w/o bringing Iran to the table.
Of course, Trump will make them concessions. Adelson gave him some $30 mil for his campaign and Ivanka has converted to Judaism. He will recognize Jerusalem/Quds as the capital of Israel. that’s a foregone conclusion.
But the glimmer of hope is that he has said, that he would try to be neutral and work out a Peace agreement.
Again I quote from George Mitchell:
“First, I believe there is no such thing as a conflict that can’t be ended. Conflicts are created and sustained by human beings. They can be ended by human beings. No matter how ancient the conflict, no matter how much harm has been done, peace can prevail.”
Colonel
I just hope Mr. Trump and his close family, are as smart as they manage to win this election, against all odds, and keep the Dick Cheney’ cabal away from his white house and any important security position.
Sir
IMO, Trump can’t be successful and deliver relief to his working class supporters unless he takes on the fattened hogs. That means ensuring real competition in the marketplace and breaking up the cartels that have used the power of big government to fatten themselves at the expense of the Deplorables. This means the FTC, FCC and other agencies created to ensure real competition have to change their recent DNA which has been to be an arm of big business. They will have to regenerate and take to heart once again the ethos of Wright Patman and enforce the Robinson-Patman Act with the intensity of a wounded water buffalo. This will be vigorously opposed by both parties and all the K Street lobbies and the powerful financial interests. The same interests that opposed his candidacy and pulled out all the stops to manufacture the election result. He will have to run a permanent campaign to rally the Deplorables and the Sanderistas to fight the vested interests of the Borg who will oppose the loss of their gravy train with all the power they have.
Obamacare is the disaster it is because it did nothing to lower health care costs. We spend twice per capita on health care compared to other western nations and our health care costs have been rising at a CAGR of 9%, which means costs double every 8 years. So cosmetic changes like health savings accounts is not going to do anything. It will require busting all the monopoly practices, which means allowing the importation of pharmaceuticals and requiring Medicare and other plans to negotiate the lowest prices for drugs by purchasing them anywhere in the world. It will require legislation that requires complete transparency by health providers. It means getting to the bottom of the costs and knocking it down. IMO, he should appoint a presidential commission to do a study and recommend a new health care delivery architecture that reduces cost by at least half. That may mean a system like Germany or Canada.
Similarly, he should instruct the FTC and FCC and the DOJ to break up the media, banking and Wall St cartels. Draining the Swamp must be his first priority or else the Borg hydra will stymie any reform.
You are right Sir that if the ziocons like Bolton and Woolsey and all the others burrow into his national security decision making team it would be an unmitigated disaster.
Trump is in an unique position. The Borg opposed him with all they got. He owes them nothing. He can fight a lonely fight with the Deplorables to drain the swamp. We know it can be done as it has been done in our history. He’ll need a few allies in Congress. We need the Wright Patman of this generation to work with President Trump. He’ll need a guy like David Stockman to be the point man to simplify, rationalize and slim down our bloated government. This will be an uphill battle but he ran an improbable campaign and defeated the Borg. Will he run another hard fought campaign to truly Drain the Swamp and reduce the size and scope of the federal government?
Colonel,
Your item #2 is really the only important question. Will Pat Buchanan and other anti-Zionists going to have the president’s ear, or is it going to be just another four-year episode of As the Borg Turns?
Nuff Sed.
Or Soros, allegedly its primary beneficiary, could rename it “Won’t Move On.”
Medicare for all would solve the crushing ACA problem at once – and this would endear Trump to the working class, progressives, small-business owners… to the absolute majority of the US citizenry. A process of reorganization from the current mess of viciously-profiteering middlemen (insurance companies) toward the Medicare for all could be achieved in one year. The reorganization must be approached as a nationwide emergency that demands a swift, drastic solution. There can be no restoration of the middle class and its purchasing power without first solving the scandalous healthcare crisis. The current system of penalties for not buying a health insurance is in fact a clear case of taxation without representation. Moving to a Single-payer system is perhaps the most urgent task for the US government
On Trump seeking Democrat support in Congress:
“Sanders: I’m ‘Prepared To Work With’ Trump On Economic Issues
“Donald Trump tapped into the anger of a declining middle class that is sick and tired of establishment economics, establishment politics and the establishment media,” Sanders said in a statement. “People are tired of working longer hours for lower wages, of seeing decent paying jobs go to China and other low-wage countries, of billionaires not paying any federal income taxes and of not being able to afford a college education for their kids – all while the very rich become much richer.”
“To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him. To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him,” Sanders added.”
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sanders-prepared-work-with-trump
“Sore Losers Organization”, kinda rhymes with Soros. lol
Interesting suggestion I read today on nakedcapitalism of Trump’s sister for supreme court.
Does anyone know who the members of Trump’s transition team are? All I know is Chris Christie. In which orbit does he travel? Wall St? neocon?
All
IMO all you Trump haters do not understand the man. I do not include Edward Amame in this larger group. He thinks like Mika B. that the end of the world has come and a Stalinist dusk is falling over the US. Actually EA suggesting that Trump will enrich himself and his family while in office is funny considering EA’s support of the Clintons. The business guys here may want to argue with me but in my experience Trump is typical of the large scale entrepreneurial “live by your wits” deal closer. What he says while he is stroking your leg to make the deal matters not. What matters for these people is getting to closure. After that he wants to make nice, as today with Obama, so that the arrangement reached can go forward. The specifics of what he said don’t matter at all to him. What matters to him is survival. He will want a second term. He knows that his Army of Deplorable descamisados would be essential to making a deal for a second term. He is not a party man and doesn’t give a damn for the Republican Party and its petty ideology about killing entitlements, etc. You all mistake him for the image he created during the campaign. IMO he will dominate his cabinet and those who thwart him will be removed. We do not have a parliamentary form of government. The cabinet officers are his subordinates, not a committee of his peers. If you think he is a Zionist go look at the Israeli fear of his inauguration. pl
Some positions to be filled are going to require confirmation hearings and that means Trump can suggest but doesn’t get the final say. Ask Obama how that works out. The nut case Carter certainly wasn’t his first choice. What will Trump have to trade away to get the people he does care about confirmed?
The art of the con?
“Trump aides said to tell Arab states to ignore anti-Muslim campaign rhetoric
Months after call to ban Muslims from US, staff reportedly reach out to embassies to say he would not govern in accordance with promises”
http://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-aides-said-to-tell-arab-states-to-ignore-anti-muslim-campaign-rhetoric/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/muslim-ban-culled-from-trump-website/
BraveNewWorld
“The art of the con?” Childish naiveté. pl
Trump has praised single-payer healthcare, on many occasions, even acknowledging that others in his party won’t like it. As recently as December 2015. As a business owner he has had to sponsor health insurance for a lot of people, for a long time, at great expense. I imagine that he understands the cost savings as only a businessman can.
PFC Chuck:
Soros you say. I wondered why it reminded me of the “Color Revolutions” of eastern Europe. I suppose they’d be banging pots and pans together except their utensils of choice are Styrofoam take-out containers.
There are probably many powerful people who believe they won’t be able to manipulate our president-elect. I suspect that Tel Aviv would much rather deal with Mike Pense than the Donald. I’m not a religious person but I think I’ll start praying for Trump’s health.
I remember Nixon supposedly saying he selected Agnew as his vice president because no one would try to assassinate him because they’d get Spiro. Seeing the winner of his first presidential campaign getting shot probably made him much more aware of that possibility than the average citizen. I don’t know if he chose Spiro for that reason but it was interesting that Agnew was removed just before his administration came to an end.
Colonel (and anyone else):
Where does Mike Pence fall on the neo-con scale, regarding Russia in particular ? More specifically, if something were to happen to Trump and Pence were to become President would we be in the same situation as with Clinton as President ?
Thank you.
Col Lang
I don’t know Mika B from Adam. And where did I say that “Trump will enrich himself and his family while in office.” Frankly, I could not give a sh*t about that — it’s not even on my list of Trump concerns. My main concern, as I have recently written, is that he will wind up simply turning over the reins of gov’t to the GOP-run House and Senate, as Grover Norquist as suggested should happen. However, I agree with you that entitlement “reform” would be off the table. Trump is, as you say, a survivor and not interested in seeing his admin self-immolate.
As for foreign policy, how can anyone know where we’re going until advisors are appointed?
Dear Colonel, I would also add he has a reputation for paying back his enemies (neocons, establishment, conventional media), as an object lesson for future negotiations, and he never made an secret about this. He said over and over, we never win in negotiations with China, you have to be willing to walk. Of course he will use the same approach on congress.
Hear, hear. In terms of the opportunities and risks, Trump is in position to be either the greatest president since, or even including, FDR, or be the greatest disaster since James Buchanan. I think we have the duty as citizens to set aside silly embitterment of the past and to help him become the former.
that’s a total joke and you know it. That shall not occur. How do I raise a child with no coverage, again I am not a Billionaire as arr his fans. HSAs are for the very very rich….Hello? I went to Heller, sorry I know what’s up on this.
we don’t do solutions this is the USA./
“You all mistake him for the image he created during the campaign.”
Well said, Sir!
All those that opposed him and said he would flame out are at it again. They have yet to recognize that he single handedly defeated the Borg and it’s Queen despite all the resources they threw and the media/pundit class onslaught of every conceivable attack.
I bet he resigns by this coming Monday.
The individuals speaking out against the ACA do not have insurance under that program. They are medically secure under Medicare, Tricare, Corporate care, etc. The 6 people I know personally that have ACA insurance are happy with it within limits compared to their choices if any before the program.
The excuse that the finances are out of whack is a nonstarter. Every government program that subsidizes an area loses money–Medicare, Medicaid, the Military commissary system, the Farm program, AFDC, food stamps. All these were supposed o be self sustaining but as usual politicians lied about them. The ACA deficit is just more of the same. I am sure that it will evolve into a better system in time. In the meantime 20 million US citizens have some health insurance, same as the rest of us.
Colonel, on this blog I supported Mr. Trump perhaps for different reasons, then Tyler did, and I called him a buffoon, I was wrong, I could not see or understand his new creative and very effective technique of campaigning. IMO for a true successful businessmen like him, what matters is the end result, on how to increase the profits, and move the compony forward, in that, he just proved to the world how innovative he is, which many of us didn’t understand. Thinking/hoping in this same line, I hope like any CEO, in his new position, he work for the benefit the compony and its board, which in this case is 300 million board members.
“Do they think they are better than their countrymen?” Short answer: Yes, they do think that, to the extent that they consider middle Americans their countrymen at all.
“Why would Trump not make a deal with the Democrats …?”
Trump will be very different from anything we have seen since at least LBJ. First, Trump doesn’t need Democrats. The few that he needs will come crawling on their knees to kiss his ring.
Second, Trump is beholden to no one. When someone comes asking for favors, the question, stated or not, will be: ‘what will you do for the Donald?’ Going along to get along, mutual back-scratching, all for one and one for all that has become the dominant mode of the borg will all be replaced by hard ball negotiations to a degree not seen in our lifetimes.
And what will the career politicians do when Trump refuses to lavish favors on them? Smear him? After all that’s been said, Trump has proven that he has a Teflon coat.
Resist him on something that is important to him? Americans will soon see the power of the bully pulpit as they have rarely seen it used in our lifetimes…and virtually forgotten in the Obama administration.
FYI
“Some of the most controversial proposals Donald Trump made during the campaign have been removed from his website”
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-muslim-ban-removed-from-website-2016-11
You’re absolutely right about the neocons, especially Woolsey, however, Bolton was and is perfect for the U.N., like Farage in the European Parliament!
I don’t think the more damaging problems, inside and outside of the US, will come in any way from how Trump and his team will manage the governement but from the “roting zeitgeist” of overall populations (again, both inside and outside the US), people are getting more and more polarized on variety of issues and seem unable to actually discuss the possible compromises over any disagreement.
This both on the right and on the left, though my impression is that this is more a problem on the left.
I have been dumbfounded to see a large number of people I follow on the web on many topics not at all political to reveal themselves, upon Trump election, to be hard core delusional lefties bordering on insanity.
Welcome back Edward.
Anna
Do you remember why there was no banking reform in the aftermath of the 2008 crash? A very frustrated Sen. Dick Durbin admitted on the radio, “And the banks, hard to believe in a time when we’re facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created, are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place.”
Likewise with health insurance reform. HRC ran into an insurance industry/health care industry firestorm when she tried to reform the system in the early 1990s.
That’s how we got Obamacare. Democrats had the full support of most of the base because the other side and the the insurance industry/healthcare industry were not willing to even entertain the idea of Medicare for all. We thought Obamacare was something that could get passed in a bi-partisan way because it was a “market-based” solution birthed in the Heritage Foundation that the insurance industry/healthcare industry got sort-of behind.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2011/10/20/how-a-conservative-think-tank-invented-the-individual-mandate/#7380f885621b
Obamacare got passed without the public option because the insurance industry, the GOP, and some Blue Dog Dems demanded it be gone and yet the final version of Obamacare did not get a single GOP vote.
Based on what do you think Trump and the GOP House/Senate would even consider a major new entitlement like Medicare for all?
I should have added that I didn’t think Trump can win, I thought they will not allow him to win.
Well I remember Congressional leaders stating their goal was to make President Obama a failed president shortly after his first election so perhaps some are following previous example.
EA
Oh, come on. “Mornin’ Joe?” Really? IMO there is no reason to think Trump would do the Republican lairds’ bidding. They opposed his nomination, did not support him in the campaign, mocked him publicly and he detests them. He doesn’t need them. They need him. He has a history of obnoxious resistance to authority. No. He will not do their bidding. Trump also doesn’t give a s–t about Grover Norquist. Advisors are just advisors unless you are inattentive or disinterested like Obama. Remember he can fire anyone in the Executive Branch. pl
Jennifer Green
I’ll bet he has a nice talk with Pelosi and Schumer soon. pl
Ah, the new crop of Soros hasbarahas arrived and the people who were totally wrong during the election continue to be spectacular in their wish to appear foolish.
Edward, you should have put your money where your mouth was. GCP had that conviction at least.
Soros hasbarahas or deplorable mouth-breather, all the same to me. His vaunted survival instinct and exaggerated sense of self is hardly a basis of governing, indeed self interest might be antithetical to leadership in general. If HRC and the rest of the dems had less self interest, they would have likely feilded a much better candidate to carry the flag and everyone would be singing a different tune.
I’m going to keep an open mind on the trump option of the two terrible choices we were offered. I seriously doubt it will end well. But anyone claiming to have voted for him on any rational basis aside from sticking a finger in the establishment’s eye – well, explain that to me given the fact that you have said to treat every word out of his mouth as bullshit, not to mention his serial business failures and given his manifest lack of knowledge or interest in anything related to the job. Speculation as to what he will do is just that, speculation – no one has a clue, most likely including him.
“So I imagine that Russia will weigh in on his foreign policy choices as well.”
For what reason? Just because “…quite a few have been staying in touch with Russian representatives?” Then you were not aware of Mr. Morell, the Kagans’ clan, AIPAC, and other still quite powerful policy makers. You may also want to learn about the violation of a ceasefire by the US in Syria, which produced dozens of deaths among military personelle (perhaps including a Russian or two) and some 200 wounded; moreover, the violation was followed immediately by an attack by ISIS. Just read carefully the following: “French journalist and Middle East expert Christian Chesnot noted that the duration of the attack (50 minutes), the number of planes involved and the fact that 62 Syrian servicemen died as a result cast doubts on the Pentagon’s claims that the Deir ez-Zor attack was a mistake. Like many others, he also pointed to the Pentagon’s technical capabilities that seem to indicate that the airstrike could not have been unplanned.”
The best the Russians can dream of is a coordination between RF and US in a fight against Daesh.
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201609201045509532-us-syrian-army-warning/
Please stop the nonsense.
Is it possible that Trump’s win was not such an upset? That only faulty polling and the clamour of the media made it seem so? An historical model suggests that it might be so.
Deep inside the NYT, where many of the most interesting stories are buried, is an interview with political historian Allan Lichtman, co-creator of a non-quantitative, historically-based model for predicting outcome in presidential elections. In September he anticipated the likelihood of Trump’s election.
The dynamic of history always appeals to me, of course, but I had not imagined it engaging in quite this way.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/arts/yes-he-thought-trump-would-win-no-he-didnt-use-hard-data.html?ref=politics&_r=0
“How do I raise a child with no coverage, again I am not a Billionaire…”
Single payer. There is no other sensible solution. Where had been Madame Secretary on this topic? — Ah, she is accustomed to her personal medical team.
eakens
I deleted several of Shaun’s comments. They were just nasty BS. pl
Anna
It is really funny to hear this talks of the Trump campaign’s discussions with the Russian government when you consider how far up Israel’s a-s all other candidates are. pl
Pete Deer
All presidents are “bullys.” They run the Executive Branch. What do you want PTA or League of Women Voters meetings? pl
Look who has been one of the important supporters of Trump – Adelson!
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/05/30/trump-is-clearly-a-zionist-puppet/
r whitman,
Oh come on, do you really think that poorly of Americans that we are incapable of doing as poorly as the vast majority of European countries (if not sabotaged by crony capitalism), which have better health outcomes that the US? If we could do as well as Belgium (forget Denmark) costs would be half and people would live years longer.
Its not rocket science. Its that Obama was the single largest receiver of donations of any senator by a factor of TWO from the health insurance industry. Deplorable USA sent a message – the pay to play corruption of the establishment sucks. Expect the same message again in two years if their voice is ignored.
optimax
Thank you!
I am also worried of names like Bolton, Juliani, Gingrich, Wolseley, Leeden etc. they are dangerous figures, whom I called the Ceheny cabal, in my view Israeli firstera who operate under a fake American nationalism mask. For those who don’t know, the names mentioned are all paid speakers for MKO
which was undeclared of it’s previous terrorist organization by Obama state department at the time of HRK. MKO, back in 70′ was responsible for assassinating American servicemen in Iran, currently they survive and are paid for, jointly by Israel and SKA, they were instrumental through HRC and Obama to remove them from terrorist organization list.
pitch pole
“I seriously doubt it will end well” Perhaps you should flee. There may be fighting in the streets of Waltham. pl
O’Bryan
Maybe Trump has praised single-payer healthcare, but that’s a bridge way too far for Ryan/McConnell and company. Not gonna happen.
@ BNW
As a businessman, he knows that Ivanka needs the golf market in the Emirates. Thus he says one thing and does another thing.
Look even that Billionaire Saudi prince is crawling back
Edward Amame
Is there some sort of radiation wall around Manhattan? He has repeatedly stated his willingness to compromise with the Dems. Why do you think he cares what Ryan and McConnell want? pl
Col Lang
I NEVER watch cable TV news and I don’t watch Morning Joe.
All they need Trump for is to sign the budget bill which he will after he gets something in return. Much of the junk that’s in Ryan’s budget bill (big tax cuts for the wealthy, big increases on military spending) is already in Trump’s too, so why do you think he’d balk?
Do you really think he’ll understand half the stuff he’ll have to digest as president, written or otherwise? His advisors will lead him around by the nose, GWB-style, IMO anyway.
Being still on some of the so called democratic organization mailing list, last night I got an email for move on asking supporters to attend anti-Trump demonstrations all over the country.
They even had a zip code link to where you could find. Demonstration/ gathering near you some in private residences. Their agenda and Is to pressure Trump early on, from what I learned on how Trump beat them on the poles, I don’t think or hope they can succeed.
EA
“Do you really think he’ll understand half the stuff he’ll have to digest as president?” You don’t know that. You are a leftist bigot. Are you going to join your comrades in the streets? pl
No- they were spontaneous after the election- the kid of a friend of mine at one of the California universities reported that.
The Colonel is spot on about Bolton- appointing him to State would be an unmitigated disaster. Check his history- in addition to being an incompetent manager- he is one of those who puts the interests of another country ahead of the USA>
kooshy
What do the people in the streets think, that they will overturn the election? If so they should get ready to bleed. pl
Start getting worried if you see Victoria N cookies in Time Square
Trump is obviously very charismatic and good with the one on one. I expect he will flip a few as he seems to have done with Preibus etc. I also do not think he will be dominated, he has made clear his positions and will not back down, he will find the advisors who line up with his thinking in that area as with Flynn on FP or Sessions/Miller on immigration.
Colonel, the people I saw on TV marching in streets last night,were mostly young and IMO the Bernie’ not coming out to vote for Clinton supporters. IMO they should be let to cool it thier soreness is from the democratic parties cheating and incompetence the Move On is trying to direct it to Trump sort of hoping to kill 2 birds with one bullet. IMO the polic is doing the right thing let them cool off, at the end they will go back to DNC and empty thier anger there.
You miss my point. These people have health insurance. They did not have it before. They are reasonably happy with it. Do not confuse it with the cost. The USA always has the highest cost of government programs, health care or otherwise.
This.
Triangulation buys Trump the ability to accomplish his agenda, bend the die-hard conservatives to his will and shape the future of the Republican Party.
This is why conservatives fear him.
I have a bit of soft spot for Gingrich: I’ve found him, at least in his Congressional career, to be very unprincipled in a good way, meaning that he is willing to negotiate and cut deals when he feels is necessary, rather than hold on to his “principles” like a madman to the end, and ironically, is willing to pay a high personal price for the sake of compromise. That, plus, his usually good read of the political terrain can make him a very good advisor, although his total lack of tact and uncanny ability to stuff both feet into his mouth make for a bad front man.
I realized this during the Clinton impeachment fight: he basically lost speakership because he tried to go behind other Republican leaders’ backs to work out a compromise for censure with the Democratic leaders, rather than go ahead with the impeachment vote. Other Republican leaders did not take kindly to it and ousted him, but, however much that act of spite–the impeachment vote supported only by Republicans–might have satisfied their self-righteousness, it did the Republicans no good, while a bipartisan censure might have carried real political bite in the long term.
John Bolton?
I know that Col. Lang has no use for him, BUT put him in a high position and scare the wits out of the rest of the world.
God, I honestly hope that kind of cooperation works out–Democratic deplorables working together with the Republican deplorables, for the betterment of the country. The stage is set for that kind of enterprise, now that both parties’ elites lie in wreck humbled.
Listen to this final Trump ad.
Except for the illegal immigration sentence, this is vintage Sanders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vST61W4bGm8
Pat–
“If you think he is a Zionist go look at the Israeli fear of his inauguration”
Can you expand or point us in the right direction for further self-study.
Trump may not be a Zionist, but his underlings?
If the only sensible solution to the healthcare crisis – the Single payer system – were not implemented, then Trump’s other important projects will be destined for failure.
EA–
You underestimate Trump’s ability to use the base to make these two kiss the ring.
shaun,
Medicare, SCHIP and the state run programs cover this. You are attacking strawmen and already being disingenuous. Tsk tsk.
I get a President Trump AND a counter revolutionary action in my backyard.
I thought it was one or the other, by my cup runneth over.
A bunch of professional protesters and easily triggered college students with a sprinkling of the worst ghetto thugs versus law enforcement organs made up of veterans who voted for the President Elect in urban street fighting.
Hmm. I wonder this will turn out.
Agree. And yet it would be so great to hear “you are fired” towards Ryan/McConnell & CO if and when they attempt at trying to impose on Trump their style of governance
“The individuals speaking out against the ACA do not have insurance under that program. They are medically secure under Medicare, Tricare, Corporate care, etc.”
Could you conceive an idea that the majority of people that are against the ACA are very unhappy with paying the racket money to insurance companions while, at the same time, having no real coverage because of the exorbitant deductibles? The ACA is going to be more expensive next year – up at least 25% and to the whooping 144% – with zero (0) improvement in the coverage. But the most insulting aspect of the program is the penalty for not buying an insurance from the national racketeers; in some states the federal penalty has an additional state penalty. Instead of imposing an honest tax and providing the citizenry with universal health care (at least on the basic level), the racketeering class managed to tax the populace without representation. This is an act of murder of small businesses in the US.
I don’t think Trump really matters at the moment. What happened to the Borg (my first use of this term, still not sure) is what is important. It doesn’t matter if Trump is a Sheldon Adelson lap dog, the MSM has been shamed, the Anglo-Zionists have coped a reversal, and the American people have woken from a long slumber. Stop following the bouncing ball, the world has caught up to itself is a giant leap, the future is no longer written.
This is what hope feels like.
People that think that his advisors will make decision have not undersatnd TRUMP psyché, this guy is truly ” a boss”. Second point he came from real business not from an official “sinecure “.
It is IMO a big difference.
You trust Time of Israel ?
And maybe CNN, NYT,WP and all ?
Will – Israel wants strategic depth in spades. Israel feels, legitimately or not, insecure. I’ve heard politicians in Israel give an outline of Israel’s “needs”. Yes, they want the West Bank but leaving the Palestinians autonomy in their cities. They are going to keep the Golan and yes want enough of Lebanon to control the headwaters of the Litani and it’s water. You are correct that Israel does not need the Litani water but they want it to weaken Lebanon and especially Hizballah. Last but not least they want the Sinai back.
This would give them strategic depth in the North, South and West. They are growing their Naval capabilities to cover the East.
Dear Host, you know the Left doesn’t have it in them; all flash and no bang. In their limited defence, the Left has been strong against the Empire and Wall Street while the Right slept. Now that the Right is awake, we are going to see some movement. The time to legislate is over, now it is time for executive action.
I would ask everyone to stop using Left-Right; the elite were behind both ‘sides’ the whole time. There are two sides, Occupy taught us; the People vs the Elite. It is the Nationalists vs the Globalists. The old nationalist-patriotic Left/Right are one now, and the Global Left have joined the enemy. While Nationalism is playing with fire, the hour is late and we need all the force we can muster. Let’s keep our patriotism focused inwards, resist with all out might their next play, which is to direct it outwards. The enemy is inside the gates.
Didn’t he say he would agree to Jerusalem as Capitol of Israel after his powow with Bibi? What that is worth who knows as he’s been on several sides of every issue.
It’s my country as much as anyones – I’ll not flee, thanks very much. As for Waltham, it can fend for itself – IP’s aren’t as precise as you might think. As for the protesters in the streets, they are exercising their constitutional right to express their views and freely, peacefully assemble – pretty red blooded american, really. Or are we going to go down the “knock the crap out of them” school of argument?
Seems to me Shelly and the Ziocons own him lock stock and barrel. But I’ve been wrong before. They are something like the Borg in that resistance is futile. J
That it is. But medical care has always been for the priveleged historically. Emergency care and first aid excepted. Believing politicians actually care about the public is sort of like thinking parents will be around forever to look out for you, or worse. Egotist desire for a legacy is the best bet.
Soon to be the emperor Nero administration? Just kidding but for the people looking to do him in, what a clever idea. If he starts with that stuff he will be toast in no time.
Anna,
Madame Secretary had always been aGAINST single payer. I remember her saying near the start of this campaign something like ” whatever system of health care we have will HAVE to have Private Insurance at the very core.”
Anna,
Then again, perhaps Adelson will discover himself to have been a strung-along. Time will tell.
KHC,
Yes, Trump is the legit POTUS – just as Obama was before him.
People are mad because when the blah guy was elected, it was the Repub side saying that not only was his presidency not legit but he wasn’t even an American. And they even said “He’s not my president”. Remember the “Kenyan, socialist, muslim, usurper”?
And the little cherry on top is that Trump was one of the lead ‘birthers’.
So it’s possible that some lefties will be bent for a while about certain hypocrites. They’ll calm down after a while. Hopefully then we can get around to dismantling the Democratic party and building a tool more appropriate for the job.
On a lighter note, I think Bill Clinton will end up being Trumps favorite ex pres advisor. They’ll hang out in the warroom drinking Scotch and moaning about their wives and the Israelis.
Makes sense. I thought the 8 year pattern (8 years of one Pres implies next Pres is from other party except for 1988 and FDR) was, so compelling that any decent political scientist might have been surprised if the Republican did Not win. But we we’re told the R was Trump, a manifest Bozo, and thus it could not happen. But Brexit wasn’t supposed to happen either. Zillions of people have been shafted over the last decades and hatred for their leaders (who actually called them deplorable, right to their faces in front of God & everyone). . . . The elite became jackasses in addition to ruthless tyrants hovering up all created wealth if financial manipulation can be called creation. Maybe Trump intuited or fathomed all of that Zeitgeist, who knows, but he must have known he had a damn good chance if he could win the nomination if even a nitwit like me, can see a simple pattern like that. Those other rubrics are fascinating. I suspected there were more patterns to be discerned.
Here is the link on email I got from the pathetic Move On,
http://act.moveon.org/event/Solidarity_gatherings/?source=couragecampaign
Col Lang
The guy who ghost-wrote his book “the Art of the Deal” said Trump had no attention span and little curiosity. The accountant who did his taxes said it was Ivana who asked all the questions. So no, I don’t KNOW that, I just SUSPECT that. And to answer your last question, I’m a grown up, so hell to the no.
Col Lang
What’s triangulating gonna get him? The GOP’s already wary of him. Why alienate them further? They have all the power. They can shoot down any deal they don’t like. Compromising with the Dems is not how the GOP does biz and the Dems can’t stand him. That would leave him a president without a base of support.
And what exactly would he be going to the Dems to get? A wall? Tax cuts for the rich? More $$$ for the military? Term limits? A hiring freeze to reduce the federal workforce?
Isn’t it wonderful how the Remoaners here in the UK and the Clintonistas over there are so unwilling to accept that they lost both the elections. Do they believe, like the bureaucrats in the EU, that a democratic decision by their electorates should only apply when THEY win and that the vote should be re-run until the “right” decision is reached?
Trump’s one of the cleverest guys to come down the road in quite a while; he was picking up on the troubles of the middle class at least 20 – 25 years ago. Anybody developing real estate at his level would’ve been blind not to catch it.
Somewhere along the way – maybe after his 3rd or 4th billion – he got bored with it and got distracted into reality tv. And his RT experience taught him a lot: he learned how to turn on an audience, and keep ’em turned on for years. The more outrageous he was the better his ratings. When he got bored w that what next? He was in a wonderful position – the perfect position – to become the ultimate outsider. Tons of money and access to the best brand marketers.
And his audience, now called constituents, had grown enormously – every turn of the corporate screw created more. And nobody was doing a damn thing for any of them; instead the pols who should’ve been helping had joined up with the guys sticking it to ’em.
Watching him go all politically incorrect was to watch a thing of beauty – every time he let a good one fly the media dolts started sputtering like wet hens. But he amused them so they gave him endless coverage. The worse the gaffe, the more airtime.
But those gaffes were calculated – he did the thing a 1,000 guys wished they had the guts to do, and they love him for it.
The other benefit was the media thought him totally daft, like some lout who went out in public and scratched his hemorrhoids with a potato brush and howled – hey, this guy ain’t serious. So he kept building his appeal among the Deplorables. Under the radar.
A while back he showed up in Detroit at the Detroit Economic Club and harangued a roomful of auto execs, Ford’s among them, and told the Ford execs point-blank if they moved a plant to Mexico he’d slap on a helluva tariff and nobody would buy their cars. Nothing like that had ever happened before. And before the day was out every working stiff in the country knew about it. And the rest as is said is history.
I’m not sure what he plans to do, but nobody should underrate him. I think we’ll have a very interesting few years ahead. Think I’ll invest in popcorn.
Are you an ACA participant?? There you go with the cost again. Forget the crooked government costs. The ACA people have health care which they did not have before. Several small businesses that I know have sent their employees to the ACA for health insurance and subsidize their premiums instead of screwing with insurance companies.
You need to divorce actual health care from the cost of health care. Health care is beneficial and in some cases curative. The cost is a racket like most government subsidy programs
Documentation:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/11/11/trump-woolsey-was-there-a-bait-and-switch/
“Why would Trump not make a deal with the Democrats to get what he wants and needs?”
Flawed as it is, any Democrat who works with Trump to gut the ACA should be run out of office. We’ve had 4+ years of GOP obstructionism, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Huntly
Your assumption that he will want to “gut” the ACA is unjustified until you see what he proposes. As for the rest that is merely revenge at the expense of the Republic. This is not a game. pl