And I don’t think either one of us has any way to know what Obama would have done had he still been in charge through 2017. He was no military mastermind either.
Well, Here are some more. Besides, it’s not a position I’m arguing, just one that hard to argue against. Sure, you can say the raises weren’t big, or the bonuses aren’t much, but they are something. And for the most part, the businesses quote the new tax law as the reason for doing it.
Sure, that’s an argument that you can make. But it prevents you from ever using the unemployment rate as a statistic in favor of Obama. That’s up to you.
The people I know are basing it on their 401k and investments as the stock market climbs. I myself got a raise and a bonus. And I don’t even agree with the tax cut. But the economy seems to be chugging right along.
Then stop blaming Obama and crediting Trump.
The fact is, someone thought the strategy that was followed by the Obama military was working and it was continued by the Trump military until an option that was previously unavailable became possible.
Reacting to new developments is not the same as changing a strategy.
I guess Trump’s secret plan to defeat ISIS was to follow Obama’s lead for a while.
Please, stop digging that hole. You were wrong on a minor point. Just admit it. No one is asking you to praise Trump. Just don’t post stuff about him that is factually incorrect.
You were wrong, and your inability to admit it is unbecoming. Here is another link with some additional information:
If your takeaway from that is that “Trump made no change in the way the war was [prosecuted]”, I’m flabbergasted. I don’t think we’re even living in the same universe anymore.
Again, that was May 19. What was being done for the five months before? Maybe following the previous strategy?
You’d have a point if this was dated Jan 21. Then Trump could claim he changed the course.
Yes, you are correct. Doesn’t negate the fact that they gave out bonuses and raised wages, which is what I said. And is what I hear from Trump supporters. When the companies in question directly quote the tax cut as the reason they are giving bonuses and raises, it’s really hard to argue that they are not doing it because of the tax cut.
Emphasis added. Yes. Thank you. THAT is the whole point!
That’s the part that’s so hard to understand. Why are these educated, intelligent, employed people buying the bullshit that thump is selling? I see why the bitter, rural, unemployed, FOX-News crowd believes him–they are too stupid to know any better and the only news they get is the news that thump & co. put out. But why are these people falling for his line?
I strongly suspect that if you followed up with the letter-writers and asked them something along the lines of “yeah, I know you said Trump did all these good things, but are there any thing he’s done that you didn’t like, or things that you think were bad?” many of them would give you reasonable responses cataloging some of his shortcomings and missteps. Yes, the letters are “looking at one side of a teeter-totter”, but that’s because that’s exactly what the NYT asked for: “their best case for him”.
I strongly suspect that the reasoning behind the “good things” is shoddy at best. I watched an interview with just such an individual this morning. She liked the way Trump talks because he, “…Says it like it is. He talks like normal people talk. Not polished. I’m sick of polished! I want my country back!!”
I wish someone would spend time trying to get Trump supporters like her to elaborate on what they find objectionable about a “polished” speaker, or what it means to have their country back. We can speculate. But I’d prefer if they articulated.
Well, to be fair, and to look at the other side of the teeter-totter, it’s kind of hard to have concrete, specific reasons why the tax cut is bad for me. After all, I’m saving upwards of $5,000 next year in taxes. Calling me “too stupid to know any better” is probably not going to change my opinion.
Another one would be that, from reading this message board and other on-line and off-line sources, a lot of complaints about the President are simply about things he says, or how he says things, or what he tweets - there is a whole thread on that in the Pit. Many people believe it doesn’t matter what he says, only what actually results from policies that he signs. Many people don’t hold the “President must be Presidential” view. Me, I just think it’s funny. I don’t get all hurt about the things he says.
Now, if you have a good reason why the President shouldn’t talk that way, other than “They shouldn’t”, maybe people would listen. Calling them “too stupid to know any better” is probably not going to change their minds.