Well, if anything, the administration has done an excellent job of dividing their own party and uniting Republicans.
:dubious: Republicans are united? The Trumpsters and the NeverTrumps? Do tell.
I think what you meant is that the incoming administration has done an excellent job of reassuring “economic conservative” Republicans that the Trump Presidency will be Republican-crony-capitalism-as-usual, while gingering up their family-values/racism/sexism base with a little simulated economic populism.
For the remaining three weeks in which he doesn’t actually have to do anything, policy-wise, this is a shrewd strategy for keeping Republicans in general sort of happy. After that, of course, things get trickier.
Trump is a deeply caring and compassionate person, which should be obvious to all. He truly puts others above himself.
Obama has united Republicans in their hatred for Obama. Close to the truth. More truthful: Republicans did that by themselves. Republicans can’t agree right now if the soon to be President should be openly welcomed. Some unity.
Fittingly, adaher misses the point
When come back, bring relevance and cohesion.
Hate to do this in the Pit, but cite?
Trump has never respected anyone or anything in his entire life. Also, his word has always been worthless. He always was and always will be a con man and a thief and a liar.
I’m not sure that’s completely true. He appears to have great regard for people he believes are both competent and loyal. Of course those loyal to him can never really tell whether he actually believes them competent or is just playing them. But I’ve heard a couple of stories (haven’t been able to track the cites down) of him spending time and capital helping someone he trusts out of a jam.
I agree with you that his “friendship” with Israel will last right up to the point that he believes it is personally advantageous to flip. But I don’t see that happening any time in the next four years.
Begin and Sadat weren’t independent fair-minded arbitrars. Neither was Carter.
Carter, as a fair-minded Israeli ally, thought that peace would be good for Israel. The Nobel committe, and a fair number of other people, agreed.
IN retrospect, I wish that Australia, a dyed-in-the-wool, rusted-on American ally, had not been supportive of the Second Gulf War. Sometimes the best thing your friends can do is to say no.
The problem with that for the adahers of the world is that after eight years of knee-jerk anti-Obamaism, the parts of the brain required for rational analysis have atrophied from non-use.
Bill Clinton promised and G.W. Bush promised. So did Romney. Barack Obama, in a speech before he was elected in 2008: “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.”
:dubious: That’s not the same thing as a President promising to officially recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. That’s a Presidential candidate listing requirements for a hypothetical future two-state solution:
Any politician, whatever they may think about the ultimate desirability of having Jerusalem or some part of it as the officially recognized Israeli capital in some future stable resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict, would be a fool if they believed that automatically required the US to officially recognize it now, without regard for any other political issues.
I don’t disagree that Trump might indeed believe that. But then, Trump in many crucial respects is a fool.
Meanwhile, Palestinians are coming to accept the one-state solution, now seemingly inevitable, however and whyever you may think that may be.