So imagine it’s January 2025 and, after a surprising victory in November 2016, 8 years of a glorious Trump presidency are coming to an end. So, what happened? What did he do right?
Left after 8 years, rather than pull an Obama and declare Martial Law and anoint himself “Dictator for Life.”
Please, this is a positive thread. Political slams have no place here.
I’m an Obama supporter. That was tongue in cheek.
He caused the reformation of the Republican Party, dedicated to principles instead results at all costs.
He managed to start a new Cold War instead of a new Hot one.
After 8 years the radiation levels are dropping enough that humans can cautiously return to the surface of the Earth for brief visits.
Hooray!
Nobody makes fun of Canada any more.
In fact, black market Canadian passports are very popular with American tourists travelling abroad.
The under 100 points IQ-crowd finally is a voters group to be reckoned with. They are emancipated, in a way, and won’t be ignored anymore.
After eight years of increasingly irrational decisions on both domestic and foreign fronts, American power is sapped with domestic police abuses and fighting a proxy war with Russia in Syria. In an increasingly moribund economy, a renewed interest in labor unions arises but is suppressed with scabs and shotguns as in the days of J.H. Blair. America’s allies desert her and a revived Franco-German alliance emerges as the West’s leader. Americans unite behind a progressive leader promising to pursue the enlightened policies of Europe, and a young candidate in the footsteps of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is elected in a landslide. By the early 2030’s a re-invigorated America emerges, with saner policies, more prosperous and respected than ever.
I took my lead from “Panglossian” in OP. Voltaire was poking fun at a great philosopher, but Leibniz was not some Pollyanna who thought unicorn turds transmute into tangerines, but accepted a more realistic world:
He leads a massive infrastructure program, including the Great Wall of Trump. His family actually does clear $10 billion given kickbacks. He also appoints loose money folk to the Fed.
The economy booms. Best among developed countries - really! Inflation peaks at 5%, then settles down to 3% when tighter money people gain more prominence.
He stays out of foreign wars. Allies distrust us. He learns that they are basically paying for our foreign bases anyway, so he keeps them. By some miracle, NATO doesn’t collapse nor is Putin empowered.
While I’ve sketched the best case scenario, I’ve ignored Trump’s deadly combination of ignorance and self assuredness. In other words, I’m assuming that a non-historical amount of luck will make Trump’s underlying temperament irrelevant. There are aspects of Trumpism that I find less objectionable than the typical Republican President. But simply sweeping his glaring weaknesses under the carpet is silly.
I don’t think it would happen…but it could… He could actually listen to people. He could get the best advisers, the best. He could actually pay attention to what they say.
He doesn’t have a clue, for instance, whom he’d nominate for Supreme Court or Federal Reserve, or even Secretary of the Interior. He’ll have to listen to people who come up with lists for him.
If the guys who make up his “to do” list are competent, and if he actually listens to them, he could be a perfectly average President.
He ignores the politics and does things that make sense. He gets rid of anti-competitive regulations while maintaining those necessary for the public good. He renegotiates trade agreements so we are on equal footing with other nations. He implements the revolving door deportation process he initially talked about so that immigrants already here will be documented if they meet reasonable eligibility requirements. He exposes the politicians who play with our country for their personal gain and uses the bully pulpit to break the congressional log jam. He strictly regulates campaign contributions, telling the rich to go fuck themselves. He gets rid of Obamacare and replaces it with Medicare for all. He makes America greater. Our enemies abroad collapse when faced with the growing economic might of our country.
That assumes he has good intentions and has simply been campaigning to win so far, and the American people aren’t as stupid as I generally consider them to be and don’t decide to cut off the country’s nose to save it’s face.
Trump is stymied at every turn by the saner members of Congress, the courts, and our NATO allies. After 6 months of frustration he takes his ball and goes home, and we get 3.5 years of the Pence Administration. Which is not much better, but we run less risk of nuclear armageddon.
The “Panglossian” view is that no matter what happens it’s the best of all possible worlds. I think you just mean, “What’s the best possible scenario for a Trump presidency?”
My answer: he’s inept, but does no damage, and is not re-elected.
Нет!
Мы никогда не должны допросить или губернатора провинции или его странно нежитью волосы …
One of those CIA mind control things actually works… Turns out that Reagan didn’t have dementia or Alzheimer’s. He’d been drugged to make him more pliable. The same thing happens to Trump, thus having others run the government. The Democrats actually get a majority in both houses, and keep any conservatives from getting on the Court. Perhaps Trump nominates a crony friend who happens to be liberal before the drugs take full effect. One liberal and two moderates would be enough to keep the political balance mostly intact.
As for what the Republicans do as president? Not much. Congress does all the heavy lifting. And the economy picks up because some new technology goes boom–and the liberals know how to actually keep it from busting.
Voluntary entered a medically-induced coma for 8 years.
I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but half our population may be gone due to relocating, war or both. Would be bad for us, but would make room for our future insect overlords.
He makes corrupt deals with business leaders who realize just how disastrous his intended policies are and so they bribe him to do the right thing. Therefore, he achieves nothing he campaigned on, but he does end up with a lot of extra hotels and golf courses.
After learning that Congress cannot be dictated to, and they are too time-consuming and contentious to manage so he throws up his hands and pretty much signs whatever they pass. Which also means he has to find Court appointees that are palatable enough to the middle.
He announces plans for The Apprentice: West Wing to begin filming in 2025.
He will mainly be remembered as the first President to get divorced during the Presidency, but he just can’t be expected to sleep with anyone over 50, can he? Be reasonable, people!