Writes Jonathan Last, reacting to a Wall Street Journal poll asking whether Trump or Biden had a better record of accomplishments — 51% said Trump, 40% said Biden — in "America’s Authoritarian Exceptionalism/Demagogues usually arise in times of chaos and privation. In America, our demagogues have become powerful during a period of peace and prosperity" (Bulwark).
So Last is offering "a lot of money" to name one more Trump accomplishment. I'm sure he'll want the power to deny that any particular thing deserves the designation "accomplishment" — e.g., Trump's efforts to secure the southern border.
ADDED: I'll name one that liberals are practically compelled to view as an accomplishment: the First Step Act.
Posts
125 comments:
Abraham accords
Reducing unemployment among black men
Keeping govt off the back of spacex and starlink
Boosting resdership of the new york times and washpost
Sending exec branch regulations to congress for review as required by law
He gave that 51% hope
Did you check out his list of so-called Biden accomplishments? Right off the bat - 'Beating' COVID? Is that why the mask mandates and the mail in voting are coming back?
If you parse that list I'd say you could start of a long list of Trump achievements with Trump's preventing the Democrats from the fuck ups of all those Biden accomplishments...
oil drilling?
oil exports?
a Really Hot first lady?
lower deficits ?
hilarious tweets, that united the country? remember those tweets? they were the talk of the town!
I'd much rather that he took that money and give it to the 51 people who said the Hunter Biden laptop was "Russian disinformation" and have them explain to us what was behind that.
OH! i now see that this was from Life Long Liberal Chuck's favorite pedophile pub: the Bulwark
Opening the African-American history museum
Are you better off than you were four years ago?
5. Locked. Her. Up.
1. Energy independence
2. Oil price reduction causing move from coal to natural gas due to surplus, and actually
REDUCING CO2 emissions more than any signatory to the Paris Accord
3. Abraham accords. for the first time in history Arab states recognized Israel
4. Isolating Iran & Russia in the middle East
5. embarrassing NATO members to step up
What about the First Step Act?
Keeping Hillary out of the White House.
What have the Romans ever done for us?
The #1 Major Accomplishment? He kept Hillary Clinton from being President. Badda boom, badda bing.
While trying to avoid repeating anything already identified by Last, Althouse, or J Melcher:
Energy independence
Increasing European funding of NATO
Only President in this century to prevent Russia from invading a neighbor
Most votes for a sitting President ever
Lowered income inequality
symbolic but.
Opening dialog with north korea
Exposing NATO 'allies' slack contributions to defense
First president to attend annual March for Life
Spoke nicely about brexit and free courts in hong kong
Allowed opposition protestors to freely asssemble
Abraham accords? If allowed to flourish by the Democrats we could have had peace in the Middle East?
Abraham Accords
Preventing War* and bullying by our adversaries
SCOTUS picks
Energy independence
Mexico cooperation on controlling the border
Sure there’s more, because even amnesiacs can remember the low interest rates and booming economy pre-WuFlu, but Last has been a jerk for a long time so I’ll stop at five. It’s enough to refute his dumb challenge.
*This is a big effing deal because he’s the only president in our lifetimes who did not start a war, he armed the Ukraine when it actually mattered (and Joe cancelled arms transfers on his Day One Anti-Trump Executive Tantrum), and he managed NoKo, Russia and the PRC in a way that preserved the peace.
5. Abraham accords.
Not too tough.
How much money is 'a lot of money', one wonders. Somebody's mouth is writing checks his ass can't catch - and I notice he isn't crowning much about Biden's 'accomplishments', #1 on the list: Selective dementia when it comes to the Family Business.
When talking about Kim Jong Un...
“As far as the risk of dealing with a madman is concerned, that’s his problem, not mine”
The First Step Act is the one that makes me the saddest.
Democrats could have gotten so many social and economic things passed during the Trump years if they just played ball with him.
They could have let him build a wall and at the same time gotten a comprehensive immigration policy upgrade. Drug addiction, police brutality investigation, homelessness, trans rights, corporate governance...you name it and Trump would have signed it as long as he got to put a big ol', gold-foil Trump sticker on something that would was popular with his base in exchange.
What a wasted political opportunity.
Abraham accords
Don't forget moving the embassy to Jerusalem. These two things were simply not possible before Trump.
The Saudi's and Israeli's were never going to accept diplomatic relations.
The embassy would always have to be in Tel Aviv.
For at least our lifetimes. That was the conventional wisdom.
Trump just did it. In the words of another President: "Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not."
Comparing the lists however, I notice that Last's list are mainly things that help the beltway embezzle money from the country. Biden's list are also things that are mostly Congressional items as well. Whereas Trump's actions are largely executive functions.
Just another inside the beltway person trying to maintain the gravy train.
The Bulwark list of Biden accomplishments:
> Beating COVID
> American Rescue Plan
> Bipartisan gun reform
> Bipartisan infrastructure
> Inflation Reduction Act
> CHIPs
> Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri
> Managing the allied support of the war in Ukraine
I look at the above and laugh. This guy is in Oz. Beating Covid? According to his fellow Commies, Covid is making a comeback. Inflation Reduction Act? A handout to the Greenies. Gun Reform? No impact. Ukraine? The US populace is against it.
Trump? Energy exporter. Stronger military. Inflation under control. Making NATO pay. No Wars.
Abraham Accords. Keeping Rocket Man in check. Low energy prices. The sections of the Wall that were built.
And I do consider the First Step Act an accomplishment.
Exposing the press for the socialist cheerleaders that they are, de-escalating tensions with NoKorea, concerted efforts, with success, at reducing regulations...
Biden's first accomplishment - "beating Covid."
Can anyone tell me anything Biden actually did, other than continue to follow the Trump policies to a T?
Trump opened our eyes to the everyday corruption of the ruling class. We can't unsee it now.
Trump's overarching and era-ending accomplishment was to draw out the creepy deep state players and propagandists. He ripped the masks off of people who thrive on shadowy corruption. Before Trump, "USA #1" patriotism helped control the right and hide and enless pile of dirty tricks. After Trump's election, after two impeachments, after all sorts of "trumped-up" allegations, and after January 6, the establishment's scheming and lies were laid bare.
USA exceptionalism? We are certainly no different than the UN, EU, Russia, and China for backroom scheming and corruption. Don't drain the swamp, flush the global toilet.
The first step to solving a problem is to admit that you have a problem. Replacing juvenile Trump with puppet Biden...proof positive that the Eyes-Wide-Shut-Jeffrey-Epstein-COVID-madness establishment knows that its secrets are out, and it is bullying/scrambling to hang on to power as it edges toward Nazism and Stalinism and Maoism.
They Live (1988) sunglasses scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjw_DuNkOUw
5. Did not start a new war. It turns out that this is amazingly difficult for US presidents, given our history.
Where's my money?
Energy independence
Trump Accomplishments
Seriously, why is this even a discussion?
Abraham Accords.
No new wars.
Not doing any prog BS.
I think for many people on "the right", Donald Trump's greatest achievement is that he really, really pissed off "the left".
Getting rid of the SALT deductions, so that limousine liberals in high tax cities and states finally paid their fair share.
Real wage growth among the people not at the top end of the economic ladder.
Turned the US into a net energy exporter.
Engaged China in a tariff war and forced them to capitulate.
Defeating ISIL
I see that the Abraham Accords and First Step Act were already mentioned upthread. The comment about a hot (hawt) First Lady was no doubt meant in jest, but the contrast between Melania’s good taste, particularly in clothing, and Jill Biden’s dresses that resemble cheap curtains is quite substantial.
In a hat trick, he renegotiated NAFTA, blocked Chinese dumping of product into the American economy, and strengthened union efforts in Mexico.
He played actual hardball with the Chinese on Trade, something that no politician has done for 25 years. Actual tariffs on meaningful products. As part of the NAFTA renegotiation he eliminated the ability for Chinese (or other countries) to export nearly finished product to Canada, let a "Canadian" company finish the product and ship it into the United States as part of the free trade. After this change the GDP of Canada barely grew for one or two quarters - and I am not happy about this, I want Canada to do well, but so much China finishing processes were stopped it had an impact on the entire Canadian economy. Side note, Trump negotiated the NAFTA replacement with just Mexico and then told Canada what the replacement would look like take it or leave it.
Also as part of the NAFTA replacement he made it easier for workers in Mexico to unionize.
For most of the United States' history presidents ignored Mexico, Trump did not.
Here's a colossal failure rarely mentioned: Trump backing us out of the TPP. That treaty was a solid way to have leverage over China. Trump traded aces and face cards for twos and threes.
Many people would be more inclined to give credit where it’s actually due during his administration if there weren’t so much smoke and mirrors, lies, distractions, about-faces, revolving door appointments and acting heads of this or that, and general incompetence, not to mention support for bad actors abroad. So there’s that.
We know Joe "China owns me!" Biden's accomplishments:
- Cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline
- Cancelation of the border wall
- Cancelation of the border protection
- Massive waves of illegal aliens
- Huge inflation
- Massive deficit spending
- Doubling and tripling of mortgage rates
- Illegal student loan relief
- EPA/Energy war on home appliances, including ceiling fans
- War on natural gas
- War on ICE cars
- Budget-busting subsidies for polluting/bird & insect destroying wind and solar energy
- Budget-busting subsidies for Emission Elsewhere Vehicles. Otherwise known as rolling fire traps
- Attacks on the Supreme Court
- Election interference actions against Donald Trump
This is just a short list on Biden's accomplishments.
Trump biggest accomplishment was forcing the swamp rats to the surface. He exposed them and boy are they recoiling.
Abraham accords! Pay up.
I would aks Putin bout war free era and see list match with supporters??!!
Meade said...
5. Locked. Her. Up.
I don't think anyone really expected Trump to lock her up. It was just a fun thing to chant at rallys, but he did shut her down.
For a lot of voters, that was job 1. That was the reason they voted Trump. That was mission accomplished right there. Everything else was icing on the cake.
Reduced the number of regulations overall.
Ann Althouse said...
What about the First Step Act?
Last owes you money. A lot of money.
Don't hold your breath.
Apparently even the Right finds the Muslim ban a bit too much.
"So Last is offering "a lot of money" to name one more Trump accomplishment. "
Is this guy an idiot? Because he sure seems to be an idiot.
Ann Althouse said...
What about the First Step Act?
Blogger Mr. Forward said...
Keeping Hillary out of the White House.
Blogger Heartless Aztec said...
The #1 Major Accomplishment? He kept Hillary Clinton from being President. Badda boom, badda bing.
ALL GOOD CATCHES!
Meade (corrected): 1. Locked. Her. Out. From ever becoming President of the United States.
First and best achievement, making all the dozens of others nice but insignificant in comparison.
All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health…what did he ever do for us???
Energy and the Abraham Accords.
The Biden accomplishments are not accomplishments unless you like inflation.
He made me realize what hack frauds Last and his compadres are. There's something so incredibly puerile and off-putting about the way all these people talk (write). The remark quoted here, it just makes you want to slap the fillings out of his teeth and see if he actually learns something from it.
I'll cite the most important economic achievement- Trump moved the US government from the 'New Normal' Obama era of stagnant growth in standards of living due to Obama policies of Chicago-style threats and shakedowns of private enterprise, socialization of the banking system and investment crushing taxation to reducing the tax and regulatory burden which led to historically strong economic growth within six months of his taking office, record breaking improvements in standard of living for all US households, including the the lowest unemployment rates for blacks since black unemployment was measured...
My sons were able to buy homes with 2.5% and 2.7% mortgages, respectively. Does that count?
Yeah, "The Bulwark", so "a lot of money" is relative to their "large distribution and influence". For example, their YouTube channel has 55K subscribers (if you round up a little). For comparison, Vivek Ramaswamy has 220k YouTube subscribers.
The Bulwark list of Biden accomplishments:
> Beating COVID - His wife currently has Covid.
> American Rescue Plan - East Palestine? Lahaina? Nope, $2 Trillion in spending that didn't help either of those communities. Maybe San Francisco? Philadelphia? Not them either.
Trump changed the perception of China from partner to rival, if not enemy. He imposed sanctions and restrictions on important industries. I believe this is one of his major achievements, and doesn't get enough attention.
On the other hand he utterly failed to reverse the rot in the military. He also failed to effect any lasting change in immigration: everything he tried was immediately undone by the Biden admin.
And yes I agree the Muslim immigration ban was a stupid stunt.
A couple more off the top of my head... reversing Title XI "guidance" for those accused of sexual assault, thereby restoring due process for alleged offenders; reversing stupid regulations governing toilets & shower heads, as well as other business-hampering environmental regulations; unleashing the US energy industry to provide cheap and abundant energy.
Also...NOT promoting the ridiculous goals of the "climate change" cult.
He "would pay a lot of money." accomplishments
So many weasel words. He's not promising to do anything. That's why he'll spot you four. I could name 10 without even thinking too hard.
The most important thing about the poll is confirmation that 40% of the polled population are leftmedia brainwashed ignoramuses. Jonathon Last can count himself among them. Brainwasher and brainwashed quite an accomplishment.
It is striking that Last distinguishes himself from leftmedia gaslighters by establishing that TDS actually has eaten his brain cells.
JVL is the worst
Try asking a lefty the three worst policies of Trump. You will get a death stare. You will get someone affronted. You will get one or two personality foibles. But you will not get three policies. You will not get one.
"I would pay a lot of money to sit down with that 51 percent of respondents and ask them to tell me five things ...... "
I would pay a lot of money to sit down with the 51 intelligence officials who blatantly lied about the Hunter laptop. How much is your reputation worth? Apparently nothing.
"not to mention support for bad actors abroad."
Rich thinks that the president should not work with other world leaders, but simply provoke wars with them, and then empty our arsenals in futile wars, apparently.
Trump talked to North Korea, Biden has forced Russia, China, and North Korea into a de-facto military alliance. Biden strong armed South Korea into giving Ukraine half a million artillery shells, and now Putin is handing over advanced military tech to Kim. What are we going to do to Russia? More sanctions? If we decide to fight a war with China over Taiwan, look for things to get awfully hot for South Korea, because, you know, they had to follow the orders of Joe Biden, the diplomatic equivalent of Fire Marshall Bill.
As for Putin, would the world be a better place, had the US President picked up the phone in Jan of 2022?
"Rich" misunderstood and listed Biden's accomplishments.
Many people would be more inclined to give credit where it’s actually due during his administration if there weren’t so much smoke and mirrors, lies, distractions, about-faces, revolving door appointments and acting heads of this or that, and general incompetence, not to mention support for bad actors abroad. So there’s that.
Thanks, "Rich" that's an impressive list. Now do Trump.
All these (mostly good) suggestions and no one has mentioned what I think the most remarkable, though I've mentioned it myself in these pages more than once:
When Trump was inaugurated, the Islamic State controlled half of Syria and a third of Iraq and was openly selling Christian and Yazidi women as sex-slaves at public auctions in their capitol at Raqqa. By the time he left office, the few IS survivors were hiding out in caves along the Syrian-Turkish border, afraid to look out, because when they did they were zapped with drones.
The ground fighting was mostly done by local allies (Kurds and others) and some of the air support came from other local allies (e.g. Saudis), but the U.S. seems to have led the effort and provided most of the logistics, intelligence, and air support. And it was all done with few, if any, American casualties.
Of course, Biden has squandered much of the victory, and IS has regained much of what they lost, but they still don't sell slaves in public where anyone can see, which is a good thing.
And not one American in fifty has ever heard of this campaign.
He loves our country, and led tens of millions of people to believe in it’s promise again - the age old American values of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. I’d add respect for rule of law, independence, and Federalism. As Donna Brazil noted this past weekend, Trump’s built a substantial movement not often seen in American politics. So when Biden comments that Trump hasn’t built anything, well, he’s just so wrong…
LOL the Bulwark. You mean the Liberals who pretend to be some sort of Conservative? They are Joe Biden Republicans. They wanted Hillary in 2016 and Biden in 2020, will be OK with Biden in 2024.
They don't care about implementing a populist or conservative agenda, just hating trump and the Center-right. OH wait, that's not correct. They do have an agenda they want to implement, its just Joe Biden's agenda with maybe some tax cuts for the rich and some more defense spending.
Trump gave us peace and prosperity. Inflation took off when Biden took over. Trump damped down on illegal immigration and at least TRIED to enforce the immigration laws. Biden is giving us open borders.
Re the American "Rescue" Plan and Inflation "Reduction" Act as accomplishments?!?!
Got Democrats to unleash a firehose of cash without worrying about consequences. Bet he had to work real hard on that.
He only needed to do one thing and he did it: fixed SCOTUS
Since Last doesn't see the Abraham Accords as an accomplishment, does he see Biden having alienated the Arabs AND the Israelis and facilitating a nuclear Iran as an accomplishment?
Lefty logic abides even among RINO journalists.
He built that damn wall-
So is Last going to pay anyone or was it just a really dumb turn of phrase?
Didn't ISIS used to be a thing?
Re the American "Rescue" Plan and Inflation "Reduction" Act as accomplishments?!?!
More on that here: A nationwide shortage of power grid transformers is causing delays across the US for everything from infrastructure for electric vehicles to new homes (New Scientist)
@Rich (8:27), if there’s something you see in the TPP that is a positive but Trump saw as a negative, I would say that given Trump’s track record on macroeconomics he’s almost certainly right and therefore you’re almost certainly wrong.
I don’t see how you can, with a straight face, complain about Trump’s lies without acknowledging the fabulism of his successor. His son Beau did not die in Iraq, he died of a brain tumor here in the States. The truck driver involved in the accident that killed BIden’s first wife had not had a “liquid lunch,” the accident was entirely her fault. His house did not almost burn down and he did not almost lose his wife and his 1967 Corvette, he had a minor kitchen fire that was quickly put out. Should I go on? There’s a lot more where that came from (i.e., Joe’s mouth).
Why are we giving all this good stuff away for free? Let Last pay up first, as he promised.
Bulwark? You're quoting some ambulatory piece of self-excreting shit from Bulwark?
It is pretty funny -- "I'd pay a lot of money ...". Sure you would, Jon-a-thon, you lying sack. You'd bet your left nut, too, wouldn't you? Next you'll be swearing on your sainted Mother's grave, and giving your eyeteeth. What a toy human. What he actually means, is "I am paid a lot of money. To babble these idiotic cliches. But not so much money that I'm going to waste time trying to think of a true statement or a logical argument that supports my position. Life is way, way too short for that".
I'm a fan of JVL's podcast - The Sub Beason - where they don't talk politics. Otherwise, he's insufferable and blinded by his hatred of all things Trump. He's a Catholic as well and so you'd think that Biden's stand on abortion would temper JVL's adoration of all things Biden. Nope. And that tells you all you need to know about JVL.
wendybar said...
"Trump opened our eyes to the everyday corruption of the ruling class."
Sad but true.
And yes I agree the Muslim immigration ban was a stupid stunt.
Stupid because it didn't happen or stupid because you forget many of the countries on his list were not even majority muslim? Please clarify your bleat.
As for Rich IDK why he even tries. It's such weak shit. And as long as we are enduring the only president who has apologized repeatedly for plagiarism yet still does it as a counterpoint to inserting his dead son or scorched kitchen cabinet into every disaster appearance, you lefties should give the "drumpf iz lyar!" whining a rest. I mean at least start up the WaPo lie counter again to give the appearance of fair handed if bumpish treatment.
Uh, Abraham Accords vs. Ukraine War?
He failed to imprison his political opponents...
He ended the second Iraq war, and ethnic Spring series, almost. He made tangible steps to emigration reform. He opened, but did not follow through, with medical pricing and treatment reform of Obamacares, etc. He stood up to the performance of human rites for social, clinical, political, criminal, and fair weather progress. He recognized the dysfunctional blight pattern of the Green deal(s).
Did Trump actually ban Muslim immigration, or is that just one more lie about him. Primary source responses only.
The Abraham Accords were the first thing that came to mind.
It is generally not a good idea to declare a challenge that identifies yourself as an ignoramus in your self-declared area of expertise.
A more subtle issue (and frankly I'm not sure of all details, BUT, why should that stop anyone from commenting here?)
Trump and Biden and I think all US presidents sometimes try stunts that the federal courts soon rule to be unconstitutional. It seems to me that Trump more often complied with the courts' rulings and backed off of ideas -- for instance, outright bans on immigration from Islamic enemy nations -- where as Biden tends to go ahead and do what he intende despite the courts -- recently, student loan forgiveness.
Is this impression supported by the numbers?
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
I'd pay no money to ask, because everyone familiar with JVL's work back then would be able to answer, the nearly unlimited ways he's been corrupted by Pierre Omidyar's billions. It's seriously disturbing. And sad.
Ann: Wiki describes the First Step Act as:
The First Step Act, formally known as the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act, is a bipartisan criminal justice bill passed by the 115th Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in December 2018.
Everyone knows that all bills passed by Congress require the president's signature, but, in this case, the word "bipartisan" says it all - just like the Budweiser Song.
So it is likely that Trump turned to staff member #1, asked about this strangely titled bill, received a "no problem" response, and signed it unread. There may be a #5 (see below about my disagreements with conservative writer Jonathan Last's first four), but it ain't this apparent waste of time bill.
Also, Trump's spending of billions of dollars to build unsubstantial walls along and in the wandering Rio Grande river and his failure to stop incursions from the South while separating migrant children from their ill-advised parents was simply stupid.
My disagreements: The tax cut was aimed at giving wealthy real estate taxpayers, like Trump, a monstrous tax cut wherein Trump actually increased spending despite reduced revenues; Supreme Court vacancies are the luck of the draw and have nothing to do with Trump appointing SCOTUS justices sponsored by the now obviously biased Federalist Society headed by gift-grabbing Leonard Leo; As for the pandemic, Trump didn't want the blame, so he interfered with scientists gaining control by lying to his MAGA crowd about miracle cures such as drinking bleach, thus turning daily update broadcasts into his personal political campaign, and declaring that Dr. Fauci knew nothing, but if naming Operation Warp Speed is an accomplishment, he did that. And since when is the assassination of a foreign leader and accomplishment?
So zero accomplishments is my call.
None of us mentioned ...
(Hanna Barbara announcer voice) SPAAACE FOORRCE !
Right to try
I would pay a lot of money to sit down with the 51 intelligence officials who blatantly lied about the Hunter laptop. How much is your reputation worth? Apparently nothing.
Their reputation is intact. Do you know any of their names? Have they been interviewed about their "inaccurate" findings?
They served their function. Rubber stamping the media narrative. "51 intelligence officials said today..."
If Journalism were still alive today, they'd be interviewed at least once on this topic.
As an example, Tim Russert (RIP) would have taken at least one of the names on the list and asked him about it:
1. Who set up the letter
2. What did you look at.
3. How do you feel about being wrong?
4. Do you feel responsible for potentially affecting the election?
Instead... Crickets...
(I approve of that damn wall)
Reading about the FIRST STEP ACT, it seems Trump's only involvement in it was to sign it into law, rather than to veto it.
Is this the feeble standard for claiming "Trump did it?" Bullshit.
If Trump (or any president) wants to claim credit for their mighty and beautiful achievements, I expect the president to have been more actively involved in some way, advocating for it, either directly to key congresspeople or publicly (or both), convincing key legislators to support it, perhaps even requesting that a bill addressing a specific problem be developed, etc. (e.g., one can justly say LBJ--following Kennedy's lead--got the CIVIL RIGHTS ACT passed into law.) Just passively signing off on a bill in which he had no active participation is not sufficient for any president to claim credit that he did it.
Do we know if Trump had any such involvement of getting the bill passed?
Apparently even the Right finds the Muslim ban a bit too much.
It wasn't a Muslim ban (and this source is no Trump lover), except in the sense that the "Don't Say Gay Bill" forbade the saying of "gay." (That is, only in the fevered dreams of the media.)
Initially it blocked travel and resettlement for 90 days from seven countries known to harbor terrorists and sponsor terrorism - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, wasn't on the list, nor were the other 19 countries whose state religion is Islam. Venezuela and North Korea were added to it, along with, later, several African nations and Kyrgyzstan, some but not all of which were majority Muslim.
Should Saudi Arabia have been on the list? Probably. Leaving it off always seemed to me to be realpolitik, which, eh, what are you gonna do? And if Saudi Arabia had been included, since at the time one objection I seem to recall from the left was, "Well, if it's all about terrorism, 19 [or however many it was] of the 9/11 terrorists were from there!", would the left have been satisfied and accepting, or would they have doubled down on their shrieks of "Bigot!"?
Was it a "stunt," as a commenter said above? Maybe, but who cares? Judge policies by comparing their effects to their stated aims. I can't remember specifically how this EO was sold, but my guess would be that it was intended to keep terrorist actors out of the US. Has it done so? I'm not sure, but we haven't had any significant, organized terrorist attack on our soil since then, have we? (I'm not ruling out the possibility that I'm forgetting something, so please correct me if I'm wrong.)
"Inflation Reduction Act," for God's sake?!
"Trump gave us peace and prosperity."
Really? I'll grant he managed not to get in the way of the prosperity that had been on the rise steadily throughout the previous 8 years of Obama's administration, (following the collapse of the economy at the tail end of Bush's term). But he did not bring in a dramatic new leap in our prosperity, one that could only be explained by his actions. (He failed to bring jobs back to America from China and elsewhere abroad.) He just presided over the rise in prosperity already underway.
As for "peace," how do you figure? He maintained our involvement in the wars that were started by previous presidents, and he even increased our troop rates, expanded drone use and the level of bombing, etc.
And since when have the Republicans been peaceniks? If we have to put a date on it, it would be day one of Biden's presidency. Odd that, since he did withdraw us from Afghanistan, an act Trump had promised but reneged on. Of course, Biden was condemned for "not doing it right," leading to the Taliban reclaiming control of Afghanistan. Well...that was going to happen regardless of when we withdrew our troops and halted all military activity. That's one reason (in my opinion) the futile and purposeless war was maintained for 20 years--no one wanted to be the president who would be blamed for the loss of Afghanistan to the Taliban.
As with so much else, what people think is true about Trump regarding our "peace and prosperity"...isn't.
"Trump changed the perception of China from partner to rival, if not enemy."
You say this as if it is a good thing.
(It's not.)
"Trump opened our eyes to the everyday corruption of the ruling class. We can't unsee it now."
Oh, please. People who didn't already see that either weren't bothering to look...or are fucking imbeciles.
Others beat me to it but Abraham Accords.
Although not necessarily a positive accomplishment, not alienating nations such that they cozy up to China. In terms of international relations Biden is showering with the dog.
Robert Cook says: “People who didn't already see that either weren't bothering to look...or are fucking imbeciles.”
There are plenty of people who are non political. In fact the hallmark of a limited government would be that more not less people would be disinterested in politics. It’s the fact that government is reaching more and more into every aspect of our lives that is forcing people to be political. And yes, President Trump opened the eyes of a lot of these non political citizens “to the every day corruption of our ruling classes.
BTW, why would you presume that people talk politics while having sex?
Robert Cook said: "Trump changed the perception of China from partner to rival, if not enemy."
You say this as if it is a good thing.
(It's not.)
It’s always better if the perception matches reality.
He missed the biggest one.
Hillary will never be president.
So Last is offering "a lot of money" to name one more Trump accomplishment.
He really, really pisses off people like Jonathan Last.
I was playing golf with my annoying lefty friend who thinks he is a "moderate," and insists on raising political issues during the round (a no-no under any circumstances). In any event, for some reason he decides that he needs to talk about where people stand on the "libertarian/authoritarian" spectrum, and he posits Rand Paul as a classic libertarian and Donald Trump as a classic authoritarian. This of course pisses me off, and I ask him to name a single thing that Donald Trump did or promoted which is "Authoritarian." I argued that he is the opposite of authoritarian, in that everything he supported was in favor of freeing Americans from the burdens of government. He didn't identify anything, then claimed that he was merely suggesting Trump as an example of someone who is authoritarian as opposed to libertarian, and then said that Trump is "personally" authoritarian, in that he is out for power for himself.
I said--this is why we can't have political discussions--your basic premises are based on fantasy and projection. (Then I won the last 4 holes of the match.)
The idea that Trump is some sort of authoritarian dictator is liberal projection at its worst.
Wiki describes the First Step Act
Wikipedia is as bias as The Bulwark and perhaps even less credible. Can we get trolls that can pass middle school research requirements?
Blogger Robert Cook said...
"Trump changed the perception of China from partner to rival, if not enemy."
You say this as if it is a good thing.
(It's not.)
Still longing for Comrade Mao, Cook ? China was given every chance to be a responsible trade partner. Instead they blatantly stole secrets and ignored patents. There is a pretty good argument that, without patent law, there would have been no Industrial Revolution. Of course the crazies running Biden think the Industrial Revolution was a bad thing.
Blogger Robert Cook said...
"Trump gave us peace and prosperity."
Really? I'll grant he managed not to get in the way of the prosperity that had been on the rise steadily throughout the previous 8 years of Obama's administration,
Hilarious ignorance but I will give credit to the Marxist propaganda folks. Remember all those "Recovery Summers"? Of course not. History began yesterday for you.
I see Cook and gadfly have infested another comment thread. Bye.
Trump changed the terms of trade with China.
Tariff policy is now pushing importers like myself to finally move production away from China. He also negotiated a decent trade deal that Covid and Biden ruined/ignore....they shouldn't.
"Trump changed the perception of China from partner to rival, if not enemy."
You say this as if it is a good thing.
(It's not.)
----
so you think we should be partnering up with Xi.
might as well do so with Putin then, too, right?
CCP has headed more and more to the North Korean side of thinking and you somehow think Americans "waking up" to this is a bad thing?
LOL, the 90's called.
The "Muslim Ban" simply imposed higher levels of travel restrictions on those countries which were already subject to the highest levels of travel restrictions under Obama, because of terrorism concerns.
Those countries had already been "singled out" as being most likely to harbor and produce terrorists. By the Obama Administration.
So why wasn't Obama denounced as an anti-Muslim racist?
If he were a Democrat, the Abraham Accords alone would have won him the Nobel Prize and months of wet kisses from the news media.
The fact that he was the first president since Ford not to get us into any new wars would be approvingly noted in every story that touched on his legacy for the next fifty years.
How much you wanna bet Last takes friendly fire for suggesting Trump appointing 3 SCOTUS judges is an accomplishment?
I said: "I would pay a lot of money to sit down with the 51 intelligence officials who blatantly lied about the Hunter laptop. How much is your reputation worth? Apparently nothing."
Brian asked: "Their reputation is intact. Do you know any of their names?"
Many, but the one infuriates me is my hometown boy Michael Hayden.
Energy independence, The Abraham Accords, Lowest Black unemployment in 50 years, Stable economy. Not in a proxy war with Russia.
But by all means vote Democrat again. Loser.
To Cook it will always be 1956.
I'm surprised that the newest US territory, Greenland, hasn't been mentioned. The Bulwark fellow would appreciate that, I think.
I've never read anything at Bulwark.
Biden has shown how far a cognitively impaired pedo can go.
Hard to believe some feel his sheen has dulled, given his elecctoral performance.
I'm curious as to what exactly Biden did to "beat" COVID. COVID is a seasonal problem like the flu and we will have to live with it for a long time. The thing that "beat" COVID was more that people developed either an immunity or died. Those that died are not around to die again and those that developed an immunity are less susceptible to adding to the death toll so naturally the deaths are going to go down. It seems like COVID has been "beaten" by the natural cycle of any disease - the first wave in a previously uninfected population is always the deadliest. After that the population adjusts and medicine finds more effective counters.
This would be like Biden is trying to take credit for the sun coming up every day. It will regularly happen no matter what he does.
And since when have the Republicans been peaceniks?
@Cookie, not all of us are. Liz Cheney is one example of a (formerly) prominent Republican who gets pissed off at no more aluminum coffins coming home on Angel flights into Dover, since it means Halliburton doesn’t make its annual numbers. I should ask when lefty loonies like yourself fell in love with Halliburton? (I get that you have always been happy with the idea of dead American soldiers.)
If we have to put a date on it, it would be day one of Biden's presidency.
That’s historically inaccurate. Most of us peacenik Republicans regard Joe Biden as a warmongering fool, for good reason.
Odd that, since he did withdraw us from Afghanistan, an act Trump had promised but reneged on. Of course, Biden was condemned for "not doing it right," leading to the Taliban reclaiming control of Afghanistan. Well...that was going to happen regardless of when we withdrew our troops and halted all military activity.
The issue for us peacenik Republicans isn’t that the Taliban took over. The question is how many American citizens were left behind in Biden’s clusterf**k of a withdrawal. Last year the Senate — then as now under Democrat control — issued a report estimating that upwards of 9,000 US citizens were left behind. That’s just citizens; it doesn’t count Afghan interpreters and others who worked with our troops and to whom we pledged that we would get them out if things fell apart. Things did but we didn’t.
"Odd that, since he did withdraw us from Afghanistan, an act Trump had promised but reneged on."
That's a lie. Trump told the joint chiefs to come up with a plan for an orderly withdrawl from Afghanistan. They did and were starting to implement it.
I'll bring this up again. The military has a plan for everything. They are also accountable for every bootlace and bomber they bring into theater. IOWs it takes them just as long if not longer to withdraw with all of the equipment they came with as it did to deliver it.
"Odd that, since he did withdraw us from Afghanistan, an act Trump had promised but reneged on."
That's a lie. Trump told the joint chiefs to come up with a plan for an orderly withdrawl from Afghanistan. They did and were starting to implement it.
I'll bring this up again. The military has a plan for everything. They are also accountable for every bootlace and bomber they bring into theater. IOWs it takes them just as long if not longer to withdraw with all of the equipment they came with as it did to deliver it.
For all those incapable of research that requires going beyond Wikipedia;
here is a search of YouTube showing videos of Trump promoting the First Step Act. Here's AP: "(14 Nov 2018) President Donald Trump hailed the first major rewrite of the nation's criminal justice sentencing laws in a generation. Lawmakers reached agreement this week on the bipartisan First Step Act, but it still needs to be voted on by Congress."
@Rusty, the information I read was that the Pentagon was dragging its feet, correctly perceiving that a planned, orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan would bolster Trump’s re-election chances. In the end thet got Joe Biden as CinC and found themselves forced into implementing a withdrawal that was anything but planned and orderly. Most of the blame has blown back on Biden, as it should. However I would say that the Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and the senior generals look pretty bad, too.
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