Stupid Trump Idea Of The Day

[GIGObuster]

Two stupid ideas in the same day:

Trump Risks Angering China With Impromptu Call With Taiwan’s President

President-elect Donald Trump risked upending the United States’ delicate relationship with China by speaking with the president of Taiwan by phone on Friday.

The call with President Tsai Ing-wen marks the first time a U.S. leader has spoken directly with Taiwan’s leadership in over 30 years, and is a violation of the “One China” position implemented to improve diplomatic relations with Beijing. The call was first reported by the Financial Times and later confirmed in a readout from Trump’s transition team.

State Department officials have urged the President-elect to consult with their experts before speaking to foreign leaders in order to avoid blunders. As of Thursday, however, a spokesman for the agency said that Trump has not received briefings from the department before any of his calls to world leaders.

The Friday call represents an impromptu opening in U.S.-Taiwanese relations after they were formally suspended in 1979. Evan Medeiros, former Asia director at the White House national security council, told the Financial Times that “Chinese leadership will see this as a highly provocative action, of historic proportions.”

“Regardless if it was deliberate or accidental, this phone call will fundamentally change China’s perceptions of Trump’s strategic intentions for the negative,"

Oh, and Chronic human rights violator Duterte from the Philippines recently said thathe would follow Hitler’s footsteps. Why, it is just about the right person to invite to the white house!: [Sarcasm]

Another Friday phone call also raised concerns among international relations experts.

Trump this morning spoke with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in a call Duterte’s aides called “very engaging and animated.” Duterte’s aides also said Trump extended an invitation to the White House; Trump’s team did not confirm that in its readout of the call.

President Barack Obama recently canceled a scheduled meeting with Duterte after the Philippine leader called him a “son of a bitch” at a press briefing. Since taking office in May, Duterte has launched a crackdown on illegal drugs that has led to spike in extrajudicial killings, and has threatened to withdraw the Philippines from the United Nations.

[carnivorousplant]

The USA does not talk to Taiwan? The hell would Truman think of that?

[dropzone]

Not pres-pres. Blame St Ronnie.

[Defensive_Indifference]

There was one diplomatic bright spot, though. According to Politico (http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trumps-call-with-taiwan-president-risks-diplomatic-dispute-232146):

Trump’s Wednesday call with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawz Sharif, for instance, raised eyebrows after a readout from Pakistan’s government suggested that Trump — who called Pakistan “a fantastic country, a fantastic place of fantastic people” — was unprepared for the call, particularly when he volunteered to “play any role” to help solve the nation’s problems.

Now, you may say he was unprepared. Oh, pish-posh. I say he was going for some Kissinger style constructive ambiguity. To Pakistan, this was probably a welcome change of pace, after the last two presidents. GWB called them Pakis, and Obama invaded the country to get Bin Laden. Merely showing up for a call and looking clueless might be an improvement from Pakistan’s point of view.

ETA: Jesus, we’re going to get our asses handed to us in every international political crisis, aren’t we? Is there going to be anyone in the Trump administration who has any skill in international diplomacy?

[elucidator]

So that story about him inviting the cray President of the Philippines to the White House, that’s been debunked? Good. A relief.

[running_coach]

Trump threatens another company with tax breaks.

“Rexnord of Indiana is moving to Mexico and rather viciously firing all of its 300 workers,” the president-elect tweeted. “This is happening all over our country. No more!”

Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is the outgoing governor of Indiana, played a key role in offering Carrier state tax breaks.

Maybe Trump should take the lead in bringing back jobs by starting with his own products.

[Defensive_Indifference]

Less a stupid Trump idea and more a stupid Trump supporter, but a woman who voted for Trump on the promise of his helping struggling Americans is heartbroken that Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary is the guy whose bank foreclosed on her. You mean Donald Trump’s populism was just a big lie? No way!

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-voter-lost-home-steve-mnuchin

[elucidator]

He had no direct connection to that poor woman’s misfortune, he has people for that, people eager to prove that they are “team players” by brushing aside any moral qualms they may have felt. If ever they did. Only rats win rat races.

[running_coach]

@Bayard

Less a stupid Trump idea and more a stupid Trump supporter, but a woman who voted for Trump on the promise of his helping struggling Americans is heartbroken that Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary is the guy whose bank foreclosed on her. You mean Donald Trump’s populism was just a big lie? No way!

Trump Voter Who Lost Her Home To Treasury Secretary Pick Mnuchin Feels Betrayed By Pick - TPM – Talking Points Memo

Less than a month after his presidential win, Trump’s populist appeal has started to clash with a Cabinet of billionaires and millionaires that he believes can energize economic growth.

Left off the ending to that sentence: “for themselves.”

[UberArchetype]

Another cathartic little leftist circle jerk? Isn’t that special?!

On a side-note: China’s been put on notice. Maybe you should re-check your economic indicators if you don’t think that’s a good idea. :smack:

[k9bfriender]

@UberArchetype

Another cathartic little leftist circle jerk? Isn’t that special?!

On a side-note: China’s been put on notice. Maybe you should re-check your economic indicators if you don’t think that’s a good idea. :smack:

Who exactly is hurt more if China stops selling us stuff? Yeah, we keep the money here, but even if we could instantly retool and build the factories to replace the manufacturing that is done in China (which we can’t), it would increase the prices of those items substantially.

The world’s a big place, I am sure China can find consumers for it’s products. It has well over a billion citizens of it’s own that would love an Iphone. Can we find the manufacturing capability to make those ourselves?

Tell me, when you typed your comment, did you happen to notice where your computer was made? Chances are, it was made in China.

[UberArchetype]

@k9bfriender

Tell me, when you typed your comment, did you happen to notice where your computer was made? Chances are, it was made in China.

Yep - right along with piles of other low-quality crap I’ve learned to fix and frequently replace in recent years.

[running_coach]

@UberArchetype

Yep - right along with piles of other low-quality crap I’ve learned to fix and frequently replace in recent years.

Then stop trying to save a buck and buy something of higher quality.

[k9bfriender]

@UberArchetype

Yep - right along with piles of other low-quality crap I’ve learned to fix and frequently replace in recent years.

So, the I-Phones made in the US are of higher quality? How much more do you think they cost?

Are you trying to say that being made in the USA automatically means it is of a higher quality?

[carnivorousplant]

@k9bfriender

So, the I-Phones made in the US are of higher quality? How much more do you think they cost?

Are you trying to say that being made in the USA automatically means it is of a higher quality?

You get good quality if you can beat your slave labor.

[k9bfriender]

@UberArchetype

Yep - right along with piles of other low-quality crap I’ve learned to fix and frequently replace in recent years.

Oh, also to add, even though these devices are made in China, many of them are made under specification from American companies.

It’s not the fact that they are made in china that makes them low quality, it is the fact that they are made cheaply that they are low quality.

Making the products here will not change that.

[Euphonious_Polemic]

@UberArchetype

On a side-note: China’s been put on notice. Maybe you should re-check your economic indicators if you don’t think that’s a good idea. :smack:

“on notice”. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Trust me - Trump is going to do a 180 on China once someone explains in his ear using little words that China will be putting a MAJOR hurt on Trump’s business and profits if he does not do exactly what they tell him.

[running_coach]

@Euphonious_Polemic

“on notice”. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Trust me - Trump is going to do a 180 on China once someone explains in his ear using little words that **China will be putting a MAJOR hurt on Trump’s business and profits **if he does not do exactly what they tell him.

Trump is planning on moving the manufacture of his products back to the States any day now so it really doesn’t make a difference.

laughter induced convulsions

[elucidator]

But not the hats. Very sentimental about the hats.

[voltaire]

Just like his new buddy, Dirty Duterte, Trump will eventually snuggle up to China. When he gets a peek at how they operate, he’ll want to be their apprentice.