Trump's True Politics

[alfred russel]

As I posted long ago, I concluded Trump was among the most contemptible human beings alive when he came through town with one of the phony get rich quick real estate scheme hucksters many years ago. The kind of programs where you pay guys who have figured out the system a bunch of money to teach you their tricks--they are only teaching the classes out of a desire to give back since the techniques they have learned have made them super rich already though the programs will bilk you out of thousands.

There may be salvation for the scum bags pitching those programs to the invariably undereducated and poorer clientele. But for a billionaire to do it? Of course Trump may not be so well off, in which case what a fraud.

I remember interviews with him saying the democratic way works better, and of course Hillary came to his wedding.

So when he ran for president, it wasn't that surprising: he was a scumbag playing a populist card to get votes.

But as time has gone, is that the case? I can see a few scenarios:

a) he doesn't have political beliefs, and because his efforts to get elected alienated everyone but the right, he is just playing to his base,
b) he has really become a reactionary as he has become senile,
c) these were always his politics to some extent, but he pretended to be moderate previously to protect his brand/businesses

A combination is of course possible. To an extent however, a) indicates self awareness and political insight, b) is that he is just senile.

[Valmy]

He has always had old fashioned instincts so I do think at his age he has become more reactionary as time has gone by. I mean he genuinely seems to latch onto whatever silly idea the olds are into these days. Like how the darn kids playing Doom are what leads to shootings and shit.

But even if he was over on my side I would still dislike him immensely on a personal level. He represents the kind of entitled and smug and self-serving idiocy that thinks it knows everything that I find most loathsome about my country's character. But even more than that he has actually done scummy and ethically questionable things, as you note.

[dps]

I've always thought it was A.  Hence my frequent assertion that Trump doesn't have policies, he has whims.

[Valmy]

I've always thought it was A.  Hence my frequent assertion that Trump doesn't have policies, he has whims.

I agree. Whatever feels right to him is right.

[The Brain]

He probably isn't fully sentient. I suppose A) is closest to the truth.

[frunk]

I've always thought it was A.  Hence my frequent assertion that Trump doesn't have policies, he has whims.

I agree. Whatever feels right to him is right.

I think that's true for many issues but not all.  Gun control, abortion, some parts of foreign policy, he really doesn't care and is taking the line of whoever he last heard from.  However on things like international trade, immigration, racism, reducing taxes on the wealthy he is very consistent.

[crazy canuck]

I've always thought it was A.  Hence my frequent assertion that Trump doesn't have policies, he has whims.

Agreed.  Just listen to one of his press conferences. His whims can change in mid sentence.

[Razgovory]

I'm going with A.  He has some gut feelings about things but it would be a stretch to call them coherent political beliefs.  Hatred for Blacks and Hispanics isn't really a political belief.

[Ancient Demon]

I don't know how seriously Trump takes his political beliefs, but I don't think his positions would be considered extreme prior to the current social justice paradigm. Remember, it wasn't until recently that even most of the Democratic party didn't support open borders, free healthcare for illegals (even before medicare for all), and slavery reparations.

[grumbler]

I don't know how seriously Trump takes his political beliefs, but I don't think his positions would be considered extreme prior to the current social justice paradigm. Remember, it wasn't until recently that even most of the Democratic party didn't support open borders, free healthcare for illegals (even before medicare for all), and slavery reparations.

[Valmy]

We support open borders, free healthcare for illegals (??), and slavery reparations?  And is Trump defined by his opposition to those positions? Of course not. How ridiculous.

I think his positions (or policies I guess) are poorly thought out and counterproductive and generally just bad ideas, not really extreme...I don't think unless you have a particular point in mind.

But AD you have a weasel politicians talent for not answering a question and instead shifting the conversation to something else. With dishonesty like that you might consider public office.

[Ancient Demon]

I just don't agree with the premise that Trump's political views are necessarily reactionary or not moderate as per the scenarios suggested by alfred russel.

[Barrister]

We support open borders, free healthcare for illegals (??), and slavery reparations?  And is Trump defined by his opposition to those positions? Of course not. How ridiculous.

You have numerous Presidential candidates who believein:

-disbanding ICE and decriminalizing illegal border crossings
-many who believe in universal health care, while at the same time not testing for citizenship in providing social services; and
-who support "studying" reparations

[Admiral Yi]

Decriminalizing illegal immigration is the status quo ante.

[Valmy]

We support open borders, free healthcare for illegals (??), and slavery reparations?  And is Trump defined by his opposition to those positions? Of course not. How ridiculous.

You have numerous Presidential candidates who believein:

-disbanding ICE and decriminalizing illegal border crossings

I thought the idea was that ICE had abused their authority and become corrupt so previous ways of handling the issue were to be restored. Oh and that it is not currently a crime but a civil offense.

In any case I have made it pretty clear that my opinion is that the current immigration laws fail because they are completely and hopelessly out of touch with the economic realities of labor needs. Our economy is dependent on these people, ergo why enforcement will usually fail. I would like to see some reasonable reform a la what GWB tried. But I was under the impression with collapsing birth rates all over Latin America this problem was solving itself. So excuse me if I am not freaking out about it like apparently I should be doing for some reason. It is not even in my top 10 issues. But in any case those suggestions seem like administrative reforms and reversing the human rights violations of the current Presidency not just throwing the borders open to everything and everybody. So just a tad misleading.

But maybe I have that wrong.

-many who believe in universal health care, while at the same time not testing for citizenship in providing social services;

So not, in fact, a policy of providing free health care to all illegals but rather a series of policy decisions that might do so. Lots of unknowns there. I have a hard time believing that a bone crushingly expensive program like universal health care would not care at all about who gets what.

and -who support "studying" reparations

So not, in fact, being for them. Heck I would appreciate knowing what exactly reparations would even mean, what exactly is even being asked for here? A symbolic act? I don't know. It would probably be over-optimistic to hope that such a study would produce clear answers to those questions.

And certainly in no case is this so universally common held opinions that Donald Trump represents the radical voice being opposed to them.