Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host
I am thoroughly enjoying watching Trump make the establishment, the media, and the Never Trump jerks squirm. They don't understand him, and are trying to criticize his every move, and in the end Trump will likely make them all look like chumps.
While the opponents of Donald Trump fail to understand his moves, and are all over the place trying to make him look bad, the truth is to understand Donald Trump's "unorthodox" methods is as simple as turning a page.
In other words, if they were to read his book, "The Art of the Deal," they'd understand what Trump is up to.
But, they'd rather squirm and complain and scream and shout in ignorance.
Some of those knuckleheads, especially the so-called economic minds, are attacking Trump over his threat of tariffs and his manhandling of China. These are the same people who believe that Smoot-Hawley, an act sponsored by Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Willis C. Hawley and signed into law on June 17, 1930 (an act that raised U.S. tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods to record levels), was the cause of the Great Depression, and therefore if Donald Trump chases higher tariffs as he's been promising it will cause a trade war similar to what plunged the world into an unrelenting global depressionary period.
While the raised tariffs did not help, and may have played a role in worsening the Great Depression, the "trade war" was not the cause. The cause of the Great Depression was the Federal Reserve, and the manipulation of currency by international bankers. As for the worsening of the Great Depression, Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt took care of that themselves, with failed keynesian economic tactics that included higher federal spending, and a gluttony of public works programs that did nothing but lengthen the depression an additional seven years. While historians claim World War II is what brought us out of the depression, it was actually the sudden entreprenurial spirit of Americans as the men returned, and the war became nothing more than a nightmarish memory.
Prior to the rise of direct taxation, and its evolution into an income tax against wages, tariffs were among the primary sources of revenue for the Federal Government. I am not suggesting protectionist laws and tariffs should be at the forefront of Trump's endeavors, necessarily. After all, in life it's important to keep everything in moderation. But, tariffs at a nonextreme level can be beneficial to revenue, and balancing the trade balance. It takes a skillful hand, and a strong disposition, to pull it off, but it can be done. The first hundred-plus years of American History reveals that.
Free trade is a wonderful thing. I believe it is important to freely trade with our global neighbors. However, the conditions and provisions of the agreements have to be written in such a way that they don't give the advantage to our trading partners, because it they do, those players will take advantage of those provisions to the detriment of our own interests. Trade, business, and a free market is all about getting the upper-hand, and it does not do a country well if the rules of an agreement are already tilted against them. Trump understands this, hence, the reason he wants to revisit our trade agreements, and tweek them in a way that changes the conditions just enough to stop the screwing of America.
The United States and China opened the doors of trade during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. We had somehow convinced ourselves that the Chinese were the good communists, as if it is possible for there to be such a thing (a good communist, I mean). Since then, China has manipulated its currency to gain the upper hand, and have taken a galaxy's worth of jobs from Americans. On top of that, China owns much of our debt, and has emerged as one of our greatest economic foes. Yet, there is little we seem to be able to do about it. It is as if we are under their control, exploited at their every whim, whether we like it, or not. Besides, why would we dare mess with the relationship we have with China when we can buy so many inexpensive products made in Chinese factories filled with children and underpaid adult workers? Yes, I get it. We, meaning the United States and China, have become necessary for the other's survival, and vice versa. We are told the relationship is one of mutual necessity, and if China and the United States were to clash, the world would pay for it... not because the clash would be a bloody and destructive military war, but because the financial battle would plunge the world into an economic dark age.
China has set the stage perfectly, enabling the United States, and the rest of the free world, to be fearful of daring to stand up to the Chinese Communists.
Communism is a parasite. It uses capitalism (a term coined by Karl Marx, by the way) to fuel its tyranny, and the warm body covered with leeches at this point in history is us.
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump called out China, explained to the voters how China is taking advantage of us, and the United States is getting the raw end of the deal. Public opinion, thanks to Trump, has further turned against China, fuming about the jobs lost to the Far East superpower.
One wonders if, through his techniques explained in "The Art of the Deal" (Trump's book, once again, that pretty much explains everything he is doing), The Donald is capable of doing more than just squaring off with China. Perhaps, just perhaps, using a business acumen not normally applied in the political world, Trump may even be able to not only return jobs to the United States, but create a demand for American goods in China.
The fact is that China has experienced incredible economic growth after inserting just a bit of capitalism into their communist system. But, the high ride of success is about to pop. China knows it, and Trump knows it. China needs the United States, and they need to get along with Trump. Trump is well aware that in this new game of chicken, China cannot afford to be the last to flinch.
China has been playing hardball, so shouldn't the United States? To play the game, however, American politicians need to be fearless, and Trump proved that by getting everyone up in a twitter when he answered the phone call from Taiwan. The call also showed the political establishment, and China, that they don't have the kind of control over Trump as they would have over any of your run-of-the-mill professional politicians.
The phone call from Taiwan, a free province that Mainland China refuses to recognize the sovereignty of, and a country the United States has denied to recognize as well ever since we tried to normalize relations with the Chi-Coms back in the seventies, was from Taiwan’s new president, Tsai Ing-wen. She called to congratulate Trump. I am sure she appreciates his willingness not to bow down to the communist Chinese.
Trump also congratulated Tsai on her own victory in the Taiwanese elections earlier in this year, a victory not only for liberty in Asia, but a special victory because she is the first woman leader in Asia who isn’t the daughter or wife of a previous leader.
Aside from angering the Chinese communists, the call also revealed that Trump was honest when he told us during the campaign that he intends to expand America's communications with foreign leaders who want good relations with the United States. It showed courtesy, and unwillingness to bow to the leftist global community's so-called "conventional wisdom."
While experts claim the move could start a domino effect that could lead to a loss of peace in the Pacific, thus, disrupting decades of diplomacy (considering that China wants to bring Taiwan back under mainland rule), Trump revealed that in reality all of this is a large Poker Game, and he just called China's bluff.
Trump has also communicated with other world leaders, moves that have also ruffled the establishment's bureaucratic feathers.
For example, the Philippines' president Rodrigo Duterte is considered to be a vicious actor with an alleged list of gross human rights abuses. He has been no friend to President Obama, and after declaring his country's separation from the U.S. complete, he paid the Chinese leadership a recent visit. Duterte has been merciless against the drug problem in his own country, a move that is stirring the pot with the local Muslim jihadist population. The fractured landscape of the Philippines, spread over thousands of islands and a multiplicity of ethnicities, languages, cultures and economic developmental stages, has made rule over the country difficult and most often ends in failure. Clans, oligarchs, industry barons and militias maintain an iron fist over local power, manipulating political, business and security matters in a way that better serves their criminal empires than the country as a whole. These local stakeholders are among those who Duterte has been targeting, in the hope to force their hands, rather than enabling them to use their power to weaken institutions and undermine law and order. Like Trump, Duterte (from the southern region of the Philippines) is seen as an outsider, and a disruption to the established balance of power. His war on crime and drugs, he hopes, will be a uniting influence in the long run. That all said, Duterte's appointments of communists to some of his cabinet seats, as well as the visit to Beijing, has many of his countrymen worried that the new president may wish to lead the country towards communism. He claims, however, his interests are to lead the Philippines towards a more federalist style of system, returning local control once the riffraff has been removed.
Trump's communication with Kazakhstan’s president since 1991, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, has also raised alarms. Nazarbayev is a dictator that is not appreciated by the establishment. Mr. Trump, however, said that under the leadership of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has enjoyed a fantastic success that can be called a "miracle." While the world seems to be upset with Trump's discussions with Nazarbayev, we must remember what happens when brutal dictators are removed and the Muslim Brotherhood, or other Islamic jihadist groups, move in (Hussein in Iraq, Morsi in Egypt and Quadaffi in Libya are a few examples). In fact, due to its geo-political position, for Trump Kazakhstan may prove to be a vital tool in combating both ISIS, and Russia. So, while Trump has been criticized for talking to Kazakhstan, I say it's better to work with Nazarbayev in that region, than a puppet of the Muslim Brotherhood, or worse.
China has set the stage perfectly, enabling the United States, and the rest of the free world, to be fearful of daring to stand up to the Chinese Communists.
Communism is a parasite. It uses capitalism (a term coined by Karl Marx, by the way) to fuel its tyranny, and the warm body covered with leeches at this point in history is us.
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump called out China, explained to the voters how China is taking advantage of us, and the United States is getting the raw end of the deal. Public opinion, thanks to Trump, has further turned against China, fuming about the jobs lost to the Far East superpower.
One wonders if, through his techniques explained in "The Art of the Deal" (Trump's book, once again, that pretty much explains everything he is doing), The Donald is capable of doing more than just squaring off with China. Perhaps, just perhaps, using a business acumen not normally applied in the political world, Trump may even be able to not only return jobs to the United States, but create a demand for American goods in China.
The fact is that China has experienced incredible economic growth after inserting just a bit of capitalism into their communist system. But, the high ride of success is about to pop. China knows it, and Trump knows it. China needs the United States, and they need to get along with Trump. Trump is well aware that in this new game of chicken, China cannot afford to be the last to flinch.
China has been playing hardball, so shouldn't the United States? To play the game, however, American politicians need to be fearless, and Trump proved that by getting everyone up in a twitter when he answered the phone call from Taiwan. The call also showed the political establishment, and China, that they don't have the kind of control over Trump as they would have over any of your run-of-the-mill professional politicians.
The phone call from Taiwan, a free province that Mainland China refuses to recognize the sovereignty of, and a country the United States has denied to recognize as well ever since we tried to normalize relations with the Chi-Coms back in the seventies, was from Taiwan’s new president, Tsai Ing-wen. She called to congratulate Trump. I am sure she appreciates his willingness not to bow down to the communist Chinese.
Trump also congratulated Tsai on her own victory in the Taiwanese elections earlier in this year, a victory not only for liberty in Asia, but a special victory because she is the first woman leader in Asia who isn’t the daughter or wife of a previous leader.
Aside from angering the Chinese communists, the call also revealed that Trump was honest when he told us during the campaign that he intends to expand America's communications with foreign leaders who want good relations with the United States. It showed courtesy, and unwillingness to bow to the leftist global community's so-called "conventional wisdom."
While experts claim the move could start a domino effect that could lead to a loss of peace in the Pacific, thus, disrupting decades of diplomacy (considering that China wants to bring Taiwan back under mainland rule), Trump revealed that in reality all of this is a large Poker Game, and he just called China's bluff.
Trump has also communicated with other world leaders, moves that have also ruffled the establishment's bureaucratic feathers.
For example, the Philippines' president Rodrigo Duterte is considered to be a vicious actor with an alleged list of gross human rights abuses. He has been no friend to President Obama, and after declaring his country's separation from the U.S. complete, he paid the Chinese leadership a recent visit. Duterte has been merciless against the drug problem in his own country, a move that is stirring the pot with the local Muslim jihadist population. The fractured landscape of the Philippines, spread over thousands of islands and a multiplicity of ethnicities, languages, cultures and economic developmental stages, has made rule over the country difficult and most often ends in failure. Clans, oligarchs, industry barons and militias maintain an iron fist over local power, manipulating political, business and security matters in a way that better serves their criminal empires than the country as a whole. These local stakeholders are among those who Duterte has been targeting, in the hope to force their hands, rather than enabling them to use their power to weaken institutions and undermine law and order. Like Trump, Duterte (from the southern region of the Philippines) is seen as an outsider, and a disruption to the established balance of power. His war on crime and drugs, he hopes, will be a uniting influence in the long run. That all said, Duterte's appointments of communists to some of his cabinet seats, as well as the visit to Beijing, has many of his countrymen worried that the new president may wish to lead the country towards communism. He claims, however, his interests are to lead the Philippines towards a more federalist style of system, returning local control once the riffraff has been removed.
Trump's communication with Kazakhstan’s president since 1991, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, has also raised alarms. Nazarbayev is a dictator that is not appreciated by the establishment. Mr. Trump, however, said that under the leadership of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country has enjoyed a fantastic success that can be called a "miracle." While the world seems to be upset with Trump's discussions with Nazarbayev, we must remember what happens when brutal dictators are removed and the Muslim Brotherhood, or other Islamic jihadist groups, move in (Hussein in Iraq, Morsi in Egypt and Quadaffi in Libya are a few examples). In fact, due to its geo-political position, for Trump Kazakhstan may prove to be a vital tool in combating both ISIS, and Russia. So, while Trump has been criticized for talking to Kazakhstan, I say it's better to work with Nazarbayev in that region, than a puppet of the Muslim Brotherhood, or worse.
Pakistan came calling after Trump won the presidential election. Pakistan has been an interesting puzzle peace in Middle Eastern affairs. To be too friendly with Pakistan creates a risk of alienating India, but ignoring Pakistan places us in a position of allowing the Muslim radicals to finish their engulfment of the country, leaving us without a valuable ally (though a tenuous one at best) in the region that we not only need, but would rather have on our side because of their nuclear capabilities. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif invited Mr. Trump to visit. A visit may be seen as rewarding Pakistan’s recent pro-Islamic jihad behavior, but it may be necessary so as to better manage the volatile situation in the region. While the mainstream media calls the call "ignorant," "dangerous," and even "bizarre," I see it as a step in the right direction in dealing with ISIS, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Again, one must read "The Art of the Deal" to help one understand the strategy. There's also an old saying, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"... or at least for a little while.
The Trump team called the call "productive," and said it was misrepresented by the Pakistani version of the news regarding the phone call.
Trump's offering of a meeting with the British prime minister is a sign that it is important to keep a relationship with the longtime ally, but the media and political class was bothered by the fact that Mr. Trump spoke to nine other leaders before communicating with British Prime Minister Theresa May. Trump met with Nigel Farage, former leader of the United Kingdom's Independence Party, an anti-establishment party that was behind the Brexit eventuality, before telling Ms. May that if she found herself in America, give him a call. It was not a problematic thing to do, in my opinion. Instead, it sent a message to Britain that Trump's plans are to be cozy with the Brexit politicians, rather than the globalists and leftist establishment that largely controls the European Union from which Britain voted to estrange itself from.
Which brings us back to China, and the art of Trump's moves. He is messaging. He is positioning. And, he is rejecting business as usual. While the unorthodox methods of Trump is upsetting the establishment, and their claims of normality, Trump is actually already doing what he was elected to do. He is upsetting the establishment's apple cart, and positioning the United States to divorce globalist conditioning, and reestablish our sovereignty that, while on the surface never wavered, has been at risk under the radar due to connivance by various anti-American actors and leftist collusion.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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