Trump Presidency Round 2

IrishLax

IrishLax

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Things I want to see:
-Elimination of DEI in federal government
-Legislation or defunding of higher ed that does DEI or otherwise implements racial discrimination
-Elimination of terrorists in Gaza, bring back the remaining Americans
-Toughest border crack down possible
-Get tough on Iran
-Family tax credits for all income brackets
-Deport violent criminals as a priority, don’t go overboard on other “mass” deportation that seems crazy expensive and possibly infeasible

Thing I hope he avoids:
-Crazy tariffs
-Some of the tax code changes that will do nothing but balloon the deficit by trillions
-Destroying NATO
-Acquiescing to Putin in a way that leads to additional Russian fuckery in Eastern Europe
-Putting RFK in charge of anything
 
NDVirginia19

NDVirginia19

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IrishLax said:
Things I want to see:
-Elimination of DEI in federal government
-Legislation or defunding of higher ed that does DEI or otherwise implements racial discrimination
-Elimination of terrorists in Gaza, bring back the remaining Americans
-Toughest border crack down possible
-Get tough on Iran
-Family tax credits for all income brackets
-Deport violent criminals as a priority, don’t go overboard on other “mass” deportation that seems crazy expensive and possibly infeasible

Thing I hope he avoids:
-Crazy tariffs
-Some of the tax code changes that will do nothing but balloon the deficit by trillions
-Destroying NATO
-Acquiescing to Putin in a way that leads to additional Russian fuckery in Eastern Europe
-Putting RFK in charge of anything
Click to expand...
I think almost everything on your first list will happen.

I think the crazy tariffs may be temporary and lead to better trade negotiations, but sort of a wild card there.

I don't think he will destroy NATO, and again I think the rhetoric is largely negotiation strategy to get continued increasing defense spending by our partners. World leaders genuinely believe he is a mad man and I think that is largely beneficial to our negotiation standing.

I think we will probably see peace in Ukraine but not in a way that makes people happy. I think there is zero chance that Ukraine has the manpower to actually retake that lost territory, so continuing the war is a waste of human life and resources. They stopped Putin's primary goal of taking Kiev, but the fanciful idea of Ukraine alone being able to retake the east is fanciful thinking. Ending the war benefits humanity.

Unfortunately RFK will probably be tapped to a role in HHS. I think he's kooky, but he was pretty instrumental in Trump's win so I can't see how he isn't rewarded somehow.
 
RDU Irish

RDU Irish

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IrishLax said:
Things I want to see:
-Elimination of DEI in federal government
-Legislation or defunding of higher ed that does DEI or otherwise implements racial discrimination
-Elimination of terrorists in Gaza, bring back the remaining Americans
-Toughest border crack down possible
-Get tough on Iran
-Family tax credits for all income brackets
-Deport violent criminals as a priority, don’t go overboard on other “mass” deportation that seems crazy expensive and possibly infeasible

Thing I hope he avoids:
-Crazy tariffs
-Some of the tax code changes that will do nothing but balloon the deficit by trillions
-Destroying NATO
-Acquiescing to Putin in a way that leads to additional Russian fuckery in Eastern Europe
-Putting RFK in charge of anything
Click to expand...


Like your first list and give high probability of being pleased with outcomes there, possible exception of deportation that will have media and dems highlighting every Elian Gonzales, kids in cages over the top narrative they can latch on to.

As for the avoid list -
1) All tariffs are crazy by your definition so you should already be disappointed
2) Make permanent the current income tax sunsetting with some extra provisions for family tax credits and reduced taxability of SS, tips and OT - I don't think they will be able to go far enough b/c that will look terrible on the budget and budget hawk Rs will get in the way. Cutting spending has to be in tandem with this move to have any chance of working. I agree Rs probably go too far and lose credibility in the process.
3) Holding them accountable is not "destroying NATO" - calm down. Adding Ukraine is the bigger risk and thankfully Trump isn't going there
4) where TF was this lamentation over Crimea? All the "acquiesce to Putin" hyperbole in context of Obama and Biden making that mess is absurd. WW3 b/c Putin took over some corn fields, jfc.
5) RFK will be given a lot of leeway no doubt - big wild card but fully expect him to make A LOT of swamp things uncomfortable and for that I will gladly grab some popcorn and enjoy the show.

My top "avoid" is that Trump will expand military spending b/c he loves projecting the tough guy USA thing. I think we could cut the military budget 20%, force some efficiency and still be more dominant than ever.
 
NDVirginia19

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RDU Irish said:
Like your first list and give high probability of being pleased with outcomes there, possible exception of deportation that will have media and dems highlighting every Elian Gonzales, kids in cages over the top narrative they can latch on to.

As for the avoid list -
1) All tariffs are crazy by your definition so you should already be disappointed


My top "avoid" is that Trump will expand military spending b/c he loves projecting the tough guy USA thing. I think we could cut the military budget 20%, force some efficiency and still be more dominant than ever.
Click to expand...

I think tariffs make sense in small number of cases, such as protecting key critical national security manufacturing, and I definitely support the CHIPS act to deter the advance of China's domestic chip manufacturing industry and promote high end manufacturing of Chips in the US.


And I am 100% biased as a dude who currently works in military budgeting, but a 20% cut in military budget would be absolutely catostrophic given the current geopolitical situation around the world. We could not contend with China's rapid militaristic growth in the INDOPACIFIC if we have a 1/5 cut in the military budget. I certainly think there are some efficiencies that we can find and cutting down inflation has and will stop the bleeding, but if we want to deter China from invading Taiwan and gaining un-contested hegemony in the region, we cannot afford the cut. Now you could argue whether or not we need to deter China and contest their increaseing hegemony, but a new NDS would need to come out to make sure we are strategically aligned with a reduced budget otherwise we are being set up for failure. That being said, I don't think we want to live in a world where China has hegemony in the INDOPACIFIC.
 
Sea Turtle

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DOJ is dropping the cases against Trump.

Also, 51 former intelligence officials have signed a letter stating that last night's election results have the hallmarks of Russian disinformation.
 
Giddyup

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Sea Turtle said:
DOJ is dropping the cases against Trump.

Also, 51 former intelligence officials have signed a letter stating that last night's election results have the hallmarks of Russian disinformation.
Click to expand...
“In the final weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign, 51 former top intelligence officials signed a lettersaying that the alleged contents of Hunter Biden's laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."

The brilliant 51 are on call.
 
IrishLax

IrishLax

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RDU Irish said:
Like your first list and give high probability of being pleased with outcomes there, possible exception of deportation that will have media and dems highlighting every Elian Gonzales, kids in cages over the top narrative they can latch on to.

As for the avoid list -
1) All tariffs are crazy by your definition so you should already be disappointed
Click to expand...
What! Some tariffs are great! The Biden tariffs on Chinese electrical vehicles and semiconductors was smart. A lot of the Trump tariffs on China were also well-targeted, even if it did lead to a trade war affecting US soybeans, etc. There's a reason Biden kept most Trump tariffs. I'm skeptical of the blanket tariffs he talked about on the campaign trail which I would categorize as "crazy."
2) Make permanent the current income tax sunsetting with some extra provisions for family tax credits and reduced taxability of SS, tips and OT - I don't think they will be able to go far enough b/c that will look terrible on the budget and budget hawk Rs will get in the way. Cutting spending has to be in tandem with this move to have any chance of working. I agree Rs probably go too far and lose credibility in the process.
3) Holding them accountable is not "destroying NATO" - calm down. Adding Ukraine is the bigger risk and thankfully Trump isn't going there
4) where TF was this lamentation over Crimea? All the "acquiesce to Putin" hyperbole in context of Obama and Biden making that mess is absurd. WW3 b/c Putin took over some corn fields, jfc.
Click to expand...

2. The tax things I'd like to see him avoid, specifically, are things like "no tax on tips" which would just lead to widespread tax evasion.
3. If he just makes Europeans pay more money, great! If he withdraws from NATO, bad. He's said he's open to the latter which IMO would be a large mistake that is hard to walk back. NATO is important to curbing Chinese influence, not just for keeping Russia in check.
4. You don't think it's a bid deal if Putin starts going after additional Eastern European countries? Where do you draw the line? Appeasement doesn't work, isolationism doesn't work. Putin has been pushing propaganda through Tim Pool, Rubin, etc. for years because a weak America is good for him and bad for us. America has never been safer and more prosperous than in the decades after Reagan broke the Soviet Union.
 
GATTACA!

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1. Make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday.
2. Expand nuclear energy.
3. Annex Michigan.

Avoid
1. Blanket tariffs like he proposed.
2. Bending over for Putin.
3. Installing RFK in any meaningful role.
4. Another incompetent idiot like DeVos as the Secretary of Education.
 
Sea Turtle

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GATTACA! said:
1. Make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday.
2. Expand nuclear energy.
3. Annex Michigan.

Avoid
1. Blanket tariffs like he proposed.
2. Bending over for Putin.
3. Installing RFK in any meaningful role.
4. Another incompetent idiot like DeVos as the Secretary of Education.
Click to expand...

Lol, I actually agree. 4 more years and he's gone my man. That's what I told my daughter and every Harris supporter.

I'm trying not to rub this in anyone's face. I know it sucks when your guy/gal loses. It's gonna happen. Obama for 8 years, Biden for 4 and I came out just fine.

We'll all be ok.
 
Giddyup

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Didn’t Zelensky tweet a big Ol congratulations to trump too? Everyone is happy in their superficial comments.
"I appreciate President Trump's commitment to the 'peace through strength' approach in global affairs," said Zelensky adding that this idea "can practically bring [a] just peace in Ukraine closer."
 
Irish#1

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NDVirginia19 said:


This is so sick, it’s going to be awesome to see the media tell me this is literally what Hitler did
Click to expand...

Pretty cool idea IMO. We are far from the "United" States of the past when people were proud of our country.

LMAO
 
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RDU Irish

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IrishLax said:
What! Some tariffs are great! The Biden tariffs on Chinese electrical vehicles and semiconductors was smart. A lot of the Trump tariffs on China were also well-targeted, even if it did lead to a trade war affecting US soybeans, etc. There's a reason Biden kept most Trump tariffs. I'm skeptical of the blanket tariffs he talked about on the campaign trail which I would categorize as "crazy."


2. The tax things I'd like to see him avoid, specifically, are things like "no tax on tips" which would just lead to widespread tax evasion.
3. If he just makes Europeans pay more money, great! If he withdraws from NATO, bad. He's said he's open to the latter which IMO would be a large mistake that is hard to walk back. NATO is important to curbing Chinese influence, not just for keeping Russia in check.
4. You don't think it's a bid deal if Putin starts going after additional Eastern European countries? Where do you draw the line? Appeasement doesn't work, isolationism doesn't work. Putin has been pushing propaganda through Tim Pool, Rubin, etc. for years because a weak America is good for him and bad for us. America has never been safer and more prosperous than in the decades after Reagan broke the Soviet Union.
Click to expand...

Fair on tariffs - I mistook your position and largely agree with what you say here.

2) tax on tips is pandering and buying votes, just like no tax on Social Security or overtime. After reforming the income tax code to effectively simplify things dramatically and eliminating loopholes in the process - he is conceding to traditional politics of pandering and playing favorites which is annoying and shallow, IMO.
3) You can't force change at NATO without carrying a stick. Beta begging and pleading doesn't work on the world stage. Much like tariffs, I fully expect his words and "threats" are necessary to affect meaningful change. You may not like the tactics but others are disingenuous when they claim he isn't working for USA in this process. He strengthened NATO but people won't give him credit because he was mean about it.
4) Eastern European countries are in NATO which negates all of your handwringing. #3 works out fine then #4 is a non-starter. Going to WW3 over ifs and buts is a total GWB/Cheney energy move. Ukraine ain't getting their land back and I'm not sending my sons over they to try and get it. It isn't isolationist to think Europe should sack up and defend themselves.
5) Best way to break the Soviet Union is to crater oil prices, same with middle east violence. They sure shut up quick when oil is under $50/barrel and they are having trouble paying the bills. Energy independence and peace roll hand in hand.
 
A

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I think "most" of what Trump says concerning tariffs is bluster. He throws out wild crazy high tariff amounts while campaigning because he thinks it gives him some kind of leverage later on. That, plus he thinks it will appeal to voters. I think we will continue to see movement on tariffs. All the crazy high across the board stuff he was throwing out isn't going to happen.
 
NDVirginia19

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Very curious who will lead State for Trump. Pompeo makes sense as the guy who was there at the end and still is in Trump's good graces. Rubio is also an interesting choice, he has a great deal of Senate diplomacy experience and campaigned hard for Trump.
 
IrishLax

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NDVirginia19 said:
Very curious who will lead State for Trump. Pompeo makes sense as the guy who was there at the end and still is in Trump's good graces. Rubio is also an interesting choice, he has a great deal of Senate diplomacy experience and campaigned hard for Trump.
Click to expand...
Rubio would be good for State, hadn't thought of him. Pompeo or Cotton would be good for Defense, IMO.
 
Sea Turtle

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NDVirginia19 said:
Very curious who will lead State for Trump. Pompeo makes sense as the guy who was there at the end and still is in Trump's good graces. Rubio is also an interesting choice, he has a great deal of Senate diplomacy experience and campaigned hard for Trump.
Click to expand...

I'm hearing Ric Grennell.
 
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