Ben Carson Is Inspiring, but Not for President...Nicholas Kristof

[sinkspur]

If Trump were a novice, I wouldn't want him there either.  But he's not.

Trump's got the business, management and international experience it takes.  Plus he's not owned by any person or any interest group----And he's got moxie!! 

I like him.  I like him a lot.   ^-^

"International experience"?  Are you kidding?  He's accustomed to throwing his weight around.  Putin doesn't give a damn that Trump fired people on TV. 

Trump has ZERO experience in elective office.  He has no idea about the give and take of politics, nor does he have a natural constituency.  He will not necessarily have the obeisance of GOP Congresspeople, especially with some of his positions on immigration, taxes, and foreign policy.  I have no doubt Trump would turn to the Democrats to get his taxes on the wealthy passed though, as long as the House stays in GOP hands, there is ZERO chance of those being enacted.

The last president who had never held elective office (Eisenhower doesn't count because he was a WWII hero who actually did very little as president except play golf) was Herbert Hoover.  How'd that work out?

I will not vote for someone who has never held a single elective office but wants to cut his political teeth on the presidency.

[sinkspur]

And don't forget, he's been preparing for the presidency for over 15 years. See the book he published in 2000, The America we deserve.

Wow.  Trump wrote a book, so that prepares him for the most powerful position in the world. 

Haven't we had enough of unqualified people? Obama never did anything either and the position of the US is a wreck because of him. 

All of the Trumpkins think their man is another Ronald Reagan, but Trump is no conservative and he doesn't say he is.  He thinks he can "Make America great again" by enacting Bernie Sanders' type protectionism.   He, of course, cannot do this without Congress and a GOP Congress will never go along with him.

[aligncare]

There's plenty of give-and-take in business deals.

When Trump said he wanted to build a golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland, the usual suspects like environmentalists, government and civic groups came out to try to kill the project. But he negotiated with all of them and won them over. (The Aberdeen course was recently ranked by Golf World magazine as the 4th best out of the top 100 golf courses.)

If you check his history you'll see he generally makes deals that accrue to his benefit. I'm assuming he'll do the same for the America he loves.

Multiply the above by the number of projects worldwide he's done and you see the picture of a hands-on CEO with a lot of negotiating experience at all levels of civic life - from citizen groups to government.

[aligncare]

I'm sorry. I can't believe how off-topic the thread has become. It seems all political threads eventually come round to Trump. 

[sinkspur]

There's plenty of give-and-take in business deals.

When Trump said he wanted to build a golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland, the usual suspects like environmentalists, government and civic groups came out to try to kill the project. But he negotiated with all of them and won them over. (The Aberdeen course was recently ranked by Golf World magazine as the 4th best out of the top 100 golf courses.)

If you check his history you'll see he generally makes deals that accrue to his benefit. I'm assuming he'll do the same for the America he loves.

Multiply the above by the number of projects worldwide he's done and you see the picture of a hands-on CEO with a lot of negotiating experience at all levels of civic life - from citizen groups to government.

What other projects has Trump done worldwide? 

I know you love the guy. And that's fine.  I'm just afraid that he would be the same kind of embarrassment that Obama has been.  And never, ever forget, that Donald Trump has been a Democrat his entire life UP UNTIL he knew he couldn't run as a Democrat because of Hillary.

The man is an opportunist, a Democrat, and is out for himself, first and foremost.  He's made boatloads of money so, like Ross Perot, all that's left is for him to run for the most influential office in the world.

Most of what Trump has proposed will never happen.  He's in his Reality Show world, and this is the ultimate Reality Show:  the Presidency of the United States.

[sinkspur]

I'm sorry. I can't believe how off-topic the thread has become. It seems all political threads eventually come round to Trump. 

Don't worry. Ben Carson is never going to be president either.

[Oceander]

If Trump were a novice, I wouldn't want him there either.  But he's not.

Trump's got the business, management and international experience it takes.  Plus he's not owned by any person or any interest group----And he's got moxie!! 

I like him.  I like him a lot.   ^-^

Yeah, taking investors for their money and then dumping them, four times (at least) into bankruptcy - while your personal fortune remains untouched - is really the sort of transcendental "leadership" we need.

And as for experience - when did I miss Trump's being elected to political office, ever?  Oh wait, yeah, I never missed it because he's never been elected so much as dog catcher.  He is as much a neophyte as Dr. Carson.

[Oceander]

I'm sorry. I can't believe how off-topic the thread has become. It seems all political threads eventually come round to Trump. 

'

Trump and the trump-fetishists wouldn't have it any other way.

[alicewonders]

I'm sorry. I can't believe how off-topic the thread has become. It seems all political threads eventually come round to Trump. 

They almost always do end up about insulting Trump - no matter who the topic is really about.  I'm finding it creepy - the stalking of threads to insert Trump.  I hope he has good bodyguards because there are a lot of people that hate him to the point of obsession.  I really don't think they can stop themselves from doing it anymore. 

[Oceander]

They almost always do end up about insulting Trump - no matter who the topic is really about.  I'm finding it creepy - the stalking of threads to insert Trump.  I hope he has good bodyguards because there are a lot of people that hate him to the point of obsession.  I really don't think they can stop themselves from doing it anymore. 

You're as full of Trump as he is of himself.

We put no more emphasis on Trump than he puts on himself and his overinflated ego.

But then again, what else do you expect, since you refuse to deal with questions on the substance of the matter, where Trump is clearly and sorely lacking.

[aligncare]

What other projects has Trump done worldwide? 

You're kidding, right? If you want to conduct a fact-free critique of Trump, that's up to you. As long as you're not insulting me or other members directly, have at it. But, I'm not doing research for you.

He's done many projects worldwide. From China to the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.

[Fishrrman]

I'm with you, 240b (in post #15 above).

I'm inclined to vote only for white males for president.

I could make an exception for Bobby Jindal. I like him as much as anyone else out there.

But I would have a hard, hard time trying to find reason to vote for a black for president.

If that makes me a "bigot", "racist", "hater", or whatever -- fine, say whatever you wish...

[Right_in_Virginia]

Trump has ZERO experience in elective office.

If you mean Trump doesn't kneel at the alter of K Street or billionaire contributors ---then we agree.  President Trump will be a free man who knows how to work a deal---and he will have no reason to suffer the fools in our Congress.  And this will be good for him and good for us!!!   

[Right_in_Virginia]

You're kidding, right? If you want to conduct a fact-free critique of Trump, that's up to you. .../ He's done many projects worldwide. From China to the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.

Yes, yes he has.  And he's done good!!   ^-^

[sinkspur]

If you mean Trump doesn't kneel at the alter of K Street or billionaire contributors ---then we agree.  President Trump will be a free man who knows how to work a deal---and he will have no reason to suffer the fools in our Congress.  And this will be good for him and good for us!!!   

Of course. Ignore Congress the same way Obama has ignored Congress. 

Since he has no natural constituency in the Republican Party (he has, after all, been a Democrat ALL OF HIS LIFE), Republicans will have no hesitancy in running his ass out of office via impeachment and conviction if he decides he's going to freelance.  So whomever he chooses as VP would be all important.

But what am I talking about?  Trump will never be president.

[Right_in_Virginia]

I will not vote for someone who has never held a single elective office but wants to cut his political teeth on the presidency.

Sink, look at where and how Trump has "cut his teeth".  Politics may be a blood sport, but the real, private, international arena makes politics look like a fun day at Disneyland.

Trump isn't cutting his teeth on the presidency, he will bring the unique experiences of a man who's dealt with the real--global--world and done so successfully.

We'll be lucky to have him in the oval office.

[Oceander]

If you mean Trump doesn't kneel at the alter of K Street or billionaire contributors ---then we agree.  President Trump will be a free man who knows how to work a deal---and he will have no reason to suffer the fools in our Congress.  And this will be good for him and good for us!!!   

President Trump won't get a damn thing done because he won't have any allies in Congress - unless he acts through executive order, in which case he's just as much an abomination as president Obama is.  I can't stand Obama and I don't want Obama in white face, aka Donald Trump.

The only thing Trump knows about a deal is screwing everyone else to get his.  As President, part of that "everyone else" will be you and I.  One consolation I suppose:  we've been so badly screwed by Obama for 8 years we'll barely notice the extra little bit of political K-Y needed to "accommodate" Trump.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Of course. Ignore Congress the same way Obama has ignored Congress.   

No worries, Sink.  Ignoring Congress is not Trump's style.  He will engage them, he will debate them and he will win.

It's the art of the deal.   ^-^

[Right_in_Virginia]

President Trump won't get a damn thing done because he won't have any allies in Congress -

  

President Trump will have the people.  President Trump will have the will.  President Trump will have the know-how.  So President Trump will have more Congressional allies than he'll know what to do with.

Count on it.

[Oceander]

No worries, Sink.  Ignoring Congress is not Trump's style.  He will engage them, he will debate them and he will win.

It's the art of the deal.   ^-^

/snicker


I have to say that your belief in the holiness of Trump is matched only by the democrats who believed in the holiness of Obama and his ability to slow the rise of the seas.

But that would make him beholden to people.  Something you say he'll never be.  You can't have it both ways.

[Bigun]

Can't wait  for the day that Trump supporters wake up and realize that Donald Trump is nothing more than a good New York con man.

Until then I'll  do my best to avoid Trump threads but that is getting REALLY difficult when threads that start with titles like Ben Carson... wind up being Trump threads!

[Oceander]

Can't wait  for the day that Trump supporters wake up and realize that Donald Trump is nothing more than a good New York con man.

Until then I'll  do my best to avoid Trump threads but that is getting REALLY difficult when threads that start with tiles like Ben Carson... wind up being Trump threads!

Indeed.

[aligncare]

 

President Trump will have the people.  President Trump will have the will.  President Trump will have the know-how.  So President Trump will have more Congressional allies than he'll know what to do with.

Count on it.

I like your optimism. At first I had a hard time taking Trump seriously. But, after I started looking into him I became impressed with his drive to succeed.

Like so many others, I like Ben Carson but I don't think he can beat the Hillary crime syndicate.

[sinkspur]

 

President Trump will have the people.  President Trump will have the will.  President Trump will have the know-how.  So President Trump will have more Congressional allies than he'll know what to do with.

Count on it.

He will do it without my vote in the primary and the general.

[Right_in_Virginia]

He will do it without my vote in the primary and the general.

I both "get" and respect your feelings. 

Let's talk again soon.