I’m not an ideologue of really any sort. I just believe that any president needs to be smart, qualified, and have a mature vision of America’s leadership role in the world.
Donald Trump is obviously somewhat smart or else there’s no way he could have kidnapped the National Republican Party and won the presidency. So, with some reluctance I’d have to say from a purely secular view of how to con people—Donald Trump is a smart guy.
As far as being qualified, so far he hasn’t shown me anything. Not one piece of meaningful legislation has been passed to date. No repeal or repair of health care, no tax reform , and nothing with deregulation except the shameful appointment of Oklahoma’s own Scott Pruitt to head EPA. No wall. Nothing from Congress to Mexico to suggest they would pay for the wall. No real concessions from China. No redos to date of any trade treaty except for the U.S. pulling out of the Trans Pacific Agreement. No new deal with Iran on the nuclear deal. No concession to date from North Korea. A failed Muslim ban hasn’t helped assuage the feel of failure as well.
On to jobs. After the economy collapsed in 2008 under W, the U.S was losing 800,000 jobs a month. In the aftermath of the meltdown, the Obama presidency had a period of sustained growth of around 200,000 jobs a month which carried over into the first two months of Trump’s presidency until the March report when 98,000 jobs were created. Trump’s first quarter GDP report was released and it was a paltry .7 per cent. Trump has clearly stated that a 3-4% real GDP growth would be a walk in the park for his presidency. What I think someone in the Trump camp might want to understand is the whole world economy isn’t growing at real GDP in excess of 2%. It’s a global thing, as in we’re all connected. I know Trump followers don’t read Thomas Friedman or buy into climate change or globalization—but it is what it is. Even places like Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi have to acknowledge some degrees of math and science at some point.
Trump’s appointments of Jeff Sessions, Scott Pruitt, Betsy Devos, and Tom Price are all shameful. What else could be written?
Michael Flynn was fired 24 days into Trump’s presidency and will either serve some prison time or cut a deal at some point with the Feds.
The one bright spot to date has been some mature person other than Donald Trump picked Generals Mattis, McMasters, and Kelly to keep an eye on Donald Trump. They’ve gotten rid of Bannon pretty much, and seem bent on educating Donald Trump on the importance of things like NATO, alliances, treaties, and the fact the U.S. won WWII and the Cold War to protect freedoms from dictators like Vladimir Putin. The generals are to date the only part of the first hundred days which aren’t a shameful disgrace unless you’re convinced Mitch McConnell going nuclear to affirm Neil Gorsuch some how saves the Republic.
Trump did bomb a Syrian air field and closed it for 24 hours, but I’m not sure what that really accomplished. As I’m not sure what dropping the MOAB did for the world either.
Trump has yet to leave the country once on a diplomatic trip. He’s no Nixon in that regard. He’s not that deep. He only sees the world thru a lense which ultimately enriches Donald Trump. He loves Alex Jones. He reads the National Enquirer. He loves playing golf in Florida. He loves talking furniture store sport fucking with Billy Bush or anyone else willing to buy his bullshit.
In the end of these first hundred days, if you played the market you did well. If you didn’t, then not one meaningful thing to date has been done in any way which has made your life better or easier or fairer. Not one thing. Funny, one of the first things Trump did was raise the rate of FHA loans a quarter of a per cent. I’m not exactly sure how that helps struggling Americans, but there it was. But then again, those who squeal Build the Wall or Lock Her Up probably didn’t notice.
America, are you tired of winning too much yet?
For those still aspiring to attain furniture store sport fucking zenmaster status—-this is for you.