# Great things about a Trump presidency. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 9, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204 "2016-11-09T14:50:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/41 "2016-11-09T22:23:25Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Here’s the problem with that analysis. With the complete disregard for the Austrian School, Side note: complete disregard for the Austrian School is to be expected at this point. > [@](#): > > pretty much ALL economists believe in the mantra “In good times spend a shit-ton of money and fuck deficits. In bad times spend even more.” That’s not really a strategy is it? More of being at a bar on payday. …Who, exactly, is proposing that we perform excess deficit spending during “good times”? Maybe certain politicians as a matter of course (see also: George W. Bush) but I have yet to see an economist propose that as a reasonable solution. > [@](#): > > So let’s say I agree with you that at the time the stimulus package helped a la Marriner Eccles and later John M. Keynes. That still does not address that today - **8 years later** - the economy is stagnant, it is impossible for most people to get a loan, corporations “move” to Ireland to avoid taxes leaving more of a burden on individuals and that jobs are flowing to countries where labor is cheaper. And pray tell what Obama’s plan has been? Well, remember back in 2012 he proposed another stimulus package to help create more jobs and bring demand back into the economy? That didn’t make it through congress. I wonder why… And for what it’s worth: unemployment is down, wages are up in a big way (particularly in the last few months), hyperinflation still hasn’t shown up (no apology or retraction incoming from Greenspan on that one I suppose), interest rates on US debt are still incredibly low (again: no apology or retraction incoming from the many people who were very, _very_ wrong about this), and this despite countless significant fuckups and market shocks which continue to drop demand and the spending power of the very poor coming from Congress in the intervening time. Obama’s plan, by all accounts, _worked_. It didn’t work as fast as he wanted it to, it wasn’t magic, and he couldn’t improve on it with an obstructionist congress, but the idea that he didn’t understand economics is laughable, even without the less laughable\* additional claim that Trump understands economics. \*Only because it’s just _sad_ at this point ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/42 "2016-11-09T22:40:18Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The closest I can come up with is that he will prove that there are no easy answers to the complex situations, and hopefully make people slightly less inclined to fall for cons in the future. I wish I could believe that, but I’m not sure I do. For whatever reason, Trump was elected. I don’t know if any of the old rules of politics apply; going forward, I don’t know who will work with whom to pass what. All I ask is that the people who worked to make this happen will learn from the next four years. If we cut great new trade deals with China, et al., and all the manufacturing jobs come back, you can crow about it all you like. But if those things (or whatever you dream of in a Trump presidency) don’t happen, you gotta own that, too. If he fucks things up, you don’t get to wash your hands of it and say “the system is broken”. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/43 "2016-11-09T22:42:30Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I wish I could believe that, but I’m not sure I do. For whatever reason, Trump was elected. I don’t know if any of the old rules of politics apply; going forward, I don’t know who will work with whom to pass what. All I ask is that the people who worked to make this happen will learn from the next four years. If we cut great new trade deals with China, et al., and all the manufacturing jobs come back, you can crow about it all you like. But if those things (or whatever you dream of in a Trump presidency) don’t happen, you gotta own that, too. If he fucks things up, you don’t get to wash your hands of it and say “the system is broken”. I feel like voters can be divided into two camps: 1. People who knew Trump university was a fraud 2. People who fell for the fraud Basically it is all a big con, it is just that some of us already know it and some do not. Trump the president of the US is no different than Trump the president of Trump U. He is running a con. But sadly millions of us know it is a con job before it even starts, but can’t do anything about it. You guys may be right, it is too easy and tempting to blame special interests, elites, blacks, latinos, poor people and immigrants when Trump’s policies fail to make life better. I’m sure that is what’ll happen. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/44 "2016-11-09T23:14:09Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > If anything, satire is dead and Trump killed it. Satire usually involves taking relevant features and exaggerating them or putting them in a different context. You can’t do this with Trump because he’s already maxed out. Hey, remember how only Nixon could go to China? What’s the equivalent for Trump? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/45 "2016-11-09T23:23:09Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Early in his run he said that medicare should be able to negotiate Rx drug prices. But that will not happen because congress doesn’t want it (neither party wants it). I remember that. Despite the fact that Medicare only spends 79 billion on Rx drugs, he promised savings of 300 billion by negotiating. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/46 "2016-11-09T23:39:31Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Hey, remember how only Nixon could go to China? > > What’s the equivalent for Trump? I don’t know. Things are so gridlocked that it might be fair to say that only Trump can accomplish anything. I’m just worried about what things he will try to accomplish. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/47 "2016-11-09T23:44:47Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Hey, remember how only Nixon could go to China? > > What’s the equivalent for Trump? Well, he got freepers to basically throw mainstream Republicanism under the bus. That was kind of special. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/48 "2016-11-09T23:45:49Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I remember that. Despite the fact that Medicare only spends 79 billion on Rx drugs, he promised savings of 300 billion by negotiating. “Mr. Trump, how will you accomplish this?” “Volume”. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/49 "2016-11-09T23:49:47Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > “Mr. Trump, how will you accomplish this?” > > “Volume”. He’ll get louder and louder and louder… ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/50 "2016-11-09T23:59:46Z")
Alec Baldwin has a steady gig for a few more years… ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/51 "2016-11-10T00:05:50Z")
If you happen to like rubble, there should end up being a whole lot of rubble. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/52 "2016-11-10T00:07:14Z")
Not to mention rubles. We will probably get a lot more photos of Putin without a shirt, too; warmer relations means more photo sharing! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/53 "2016-11-10T00:08:04Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Even the part where he wants bondholders to take a haircut? And his claims to be able to eliminate the debt in – what was it? – a year? IANA economist, but I’m pretty sure those ideas are what economists call “batshit insane”. You forgot the promise of Botswana\*-like growth percentages. \*Meant to represent developing countries with, like, 5% annual growth rates ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/54 "2016-11-10T00:23:24Z")
**Poysyn** , can you watch SNL up there in the Great White North? Expect that to change. 😉 A co-worker tried to get on the Canadian immigration site, but it was overloaded. I told her that, when she succeeds, to move to Victoria, BC because it’s adorable and housing prices are no worse than Chicago or Seattle. On a double-decker tour bus (totally cute) my brother (Seattleland real estate guy) and I did mental exchange rate calcs and nodded, “Not bad.” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/55 "2016-11-10T00:32:43Z")
For me, in one day the number that used to go to Trump Plaza now goes to the Trump Campaign, though I had called before and verified who I needed to talk to. Sorry, lady, no new pest services for you! Wrong number. ---
**Author:** ![DerekMichaels00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/56 "2016-11-10T00:33:12Z")
hopefully the end of safe spaces, trigger warnings, etc. ---
**Author:** ![ganthet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@ganthet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ganthet)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/57 "2016-11-10T00:45:17Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > 1. We will finally have a president that won’t cave into the Chinese on every issue whether it’s fake territorial claims, lead in baby formula, IP violations, etc. Which territorial claims of China did Obama cave into? Was it when he [authorized](https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-asserts-freedom-navigation-south-china-sea) [freedom of navigation](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-ruling-idUSKCN0ZY0FJ) exercises around the claimed Chinese man-made islands within their claimed territorial waters that showed a deliberate non-recognition of those claims? The big [Chinese baby formula scandal](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-ruling-idUSKCN0ZY0FJ) happened in 2008. _Before_ Obama took office. And there doesn’t even appear to be any American victims of that. It appears that only Chinese babies actually suffered/died. Regarding the IP violations, since this existed before Obama and will likely exist after him, how did he “cave” on this issue? > [@](#): > > 1. Better relations with Russia. Despite what you may think about Putin, the world as a whole would function better if the Americans and Russian could work with each other. What’s happening in Syria proves that. Putin’s mindset is apparently viewing the world as a zero sum game, where if Russia gains, then Americas loses and vice versa. There is no deal that could be worked out that would not result in greater demands being made later. Appeasement doesn’t work with authoritarian strongmen. And yes, Obama and his administration were naive to the extreme in their dealings with Putin as well and only came to realize this very late in the game. And no, what is happening in Syria wouldn’t prove that since the vast, vast majority of Russian bombing and their military assistance to Assad has been geared at fighting the opposition, not Da’esh. Russia has made some perfunctory bombing missions aimed at Da’esh for apparent PR purposes only. > [@](#): > > 1. A president that understands the economy. Obama has really had no idea how to jumpstart this economy beyond tax and spend and spin. In his debates with McCain he offered no plan besides “I’ll consult with economists.” He supported giving banks free money and you can read about the [RFC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_Finance_Corporation) to see how well that worked out the first time (Hint: the banks took the money and invested it for themselves and didn’t lend it out. Sound familiar?). A president who seems to think that a country can run exactly like a business is one that does not understand the economy. A country can’t just default on loans and renegotiate debt the same way a business can through a bankruptcy proceeding (since the bankruptcy proceeding is governed, protected, and administered via national laws and a national court system). A whole country doing so would not be on the basis of any national or international laws or any national or international court system that would provide protections, predictability, and stability to all involved. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/58 "2016-11-10T01:28:29Z")
No Trump News Network Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/59 "2016-11-10T01:55:22Z")
This isn’t something Trump himself will do, but maybe Trump’s election will let both political parties know they can’t ignore the economic interests of the middle class and working class. I feel like the democrats feel like they can offer lip service to the economic concerns of the middle and working class, maybe a few token reforms, but nothing major. Whatever reforms they do provide are mostly for the poor, not the working or middle class. The republicans know they can totally ignore and be outright hostile to their economic interests, just so long as they keep them distracted with god, guns, abortion and religion. Trump came out and got more votes than the establishment republicans, as well as the democratic candidates. So maybe both parties will try harder to appeal to economic concerns of working people in future elections. But who knows. It could also get even worse on that front. ---
**Author:** ![ganthet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@ganthet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ganthet)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204/60 "2016-11-10T01:59:05Z")
One of the actual (great? good?) things about a Trump presidency is one of his [stated top goals](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/10/18/donald-trump-calls-for-congressional-term-limits-to-end-cycle-of-corruption/) is to introduce a constitutional amendment to create Congressional term limits. That wouldn’t go down too well with his Republican Congressional acolytes, but would probably be pretty popular overall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-about-a-trump-presidency/771204.md?page=4)