THE ERA OF TRUMP

[StCapps]

America First can mean anything, it's just sloganeering, it's not even Trump who said America First, that was Nixon, who Roger Stone worked for, Trump is lifting that from Nixon, via the Nixonian operator Roger Stone.

Nah that shit is straight out 1930's politics. The "America First" crowd wanted America to stay out of WWII, and were accused of being Nazi Sympathizers, sound familiar? Nothing ever changes in America, it's just the cycle come back around, culture is destiny.

Fair enough, but I think Trump is actually taking it from Nixon, everything Trump is doing is classically Nixonian, it's all of a piece, and it's all Roger Stone, who has been trying to get Trump to be his muse for decades now.

The Nixonian version of America First was quite different from the America Firsters of the 1930's, and the Trump version is the Nixonian version, not the 1930's version.

Neither Nixon nor Trump was/is actually an isolationist.

Indeed, just reminding you of the origin of the slogan. Caveat noted, I feel you. Trump shamelessly rips off Nixon and Reagan all the time, especially when it comes to sloganeering, America First; Nixon, Make America Great Again; Reagan.

[Smitty-48]

I think it's fair to say that both Nixon and Trump did/would like to pander to isolationist sentiment on the margins, but in reality, it's a bait and switch, the Nixtrumpian version of America First is actually to use American power promiscuously, America as First amongst world powers, which is not what the isolationists meant it to mean.

[StCapps]

I think it's fair to say that both Nixon and Trump did/would like to pander to isolationist sentiment on the margins, but in reality, it's a bait and switch, the Nixtrumpian version of America First is actually to use American power promiscuously, America as First amongst world powers, which is not what the isolationists meant it to mean.

Isolationism doesn't win elections in America since WWII, Trump won in part because voters thought he was the tough guy on foreign affairs compared to Clinton, the 30's style America First isolationism scored him far less points, despite what some folks on the MHF might tell you, because they are projecting their views on the electorate.

[Smitty-48]

I think it's fair to say that both Nixon and Trump did/would like to pander to isolationist sentiment on the margins, but in reality, it's a bait and switch, the Nixtrumpian version of America First is actually to use American power promiscuously, America as First amongst world powers, which is not what the isolationists meant it to mean.

Isolationism doesn't win elections in America, Trump won because voters thought he was the tough guy on foreign affairs compared to Clinton, not because of 30's style America First isolationism.

Indeed, American cognitive dissonance, on the one hand they like to throw up their hands and claim that they just want to be rid of the world, on the other hand they cannot stand to be ignored by the world and really do crave attention pathologically, isolationism is just a front, in order for them to get attention. "If you don't give us what we want, we're going to take our ball and go home, blah-blah-blah"

But notice that they never do? When the time comes to take their ball home; "oh wait, wtf, we love NATO naow".

NATO threw Trump a bone just to shut him up, and suddenly he was back on board, even tho he actually got jack shit from them in a practical sense. He changed his position to "Oh, what, NATO is for counterterrorism too? That changes everything, NATO is all good then" as if NATO wasn't that all along.

[Smitty-48]

Another case in point, Trump said in the campaign that South Korea and Japan should get their own nukes and pay America for the troops in theater, otherwise America was outta there, now he's threatening the North Koreans with America's "bigger nuclear button" and sending US carrier strike groups for a big exercise in the Sea of Japan, after practically jamming the American THAAD ballistic missile defense system down the South Korean's throats... and I missed the part where either the ROK or Japan has paid America one more dime for it.

Bait. and. switch.

[StCapps]

Another case in point, Trump said in the campaign that South Korea and Japan should get their own nukes and pay America for the troops in theater, otherwise America was outta there, now he's threatening the North Koreans with America's "bigger nuclear button" and sending US carrier strike groups for a big exercise in the Sea of Japan, after practically jamming the American THAAD ballistic missile defense system down the South Korean's throats... and I missed the part where either the ROK or Japan has paid America one more dime for it.

Bait. and. switch.

Pace. and. lead.
Once he convinced the isolationists that he was one of them, he was free to change his mind, and the mindless lemmings followed.

[Smitty-48]

Another case in point, Trump said in the campaign that South Korea and Japan should get their own nukes and pay America for the troops in theater, otherwise America was outta there, now he's threatening the North Koreans with America's "bigger nuclear button" and sending US carrier strike groups for a big exercise in the Sea of Japan, after practically jamming the American THAAD ballistic missile defense system down the South Korean's throats... and I missed the part where either the ROK or Japan has paid America one more dime for it.

Bait. and. switch.

Pace. and. lead.
Once he convinced the isolationists that he was one of them, he was free to change his mind, and the mindless lemmings followed.

And that doesn't take a political genius in the USA, the lemmings don't have anywhere to go anyways, they marry themselves to Red or Blue team, and there is no other team for them to shill for, so Trump can do whatever he wants, what are they gonna do, vote for the Democrats to punish him for it? As if he cares, if he loses in 2020, he can say the election was stolen and play the martyr, which was his original plan according to his campaign team.

[StCapps]

Another case in point, Trump said in the campaign that South Korea and Japan should get their own nukes and pay America for the troops in theater, otherwise America was outta there, now he's threatening the North Koreans with America's "bigger nuclear button" and sending US carrier strike groups for a big exercise in the Sea of Japan, after practically jamming the American THAAD ballistic missile defense system down the South Korean's throats... and I missed the part where either the ROK or Japan has paid America one more dime for it.

Bait. and. switch.

Pace. and. lead.
Once he convinced the isolationists that he was one of them, he was free to change his mind, and the mindless lemmings followed.

And that doesn't take a political genius in the USA, the lemmings don't have anywhere to go anyways, they marry themselves to Red or Blue team, and there is no other team for them to shill for, so Trump can do whatever he wants, what are they gonna do, vote for the Democrats to punish him for it?

Exactly, I've been trying to tell this forum that for a while and they call me the "Trump whisperer" sarcastically in response, or they say I'm making the "Trump is playing 5D-Chess" argument. Just a heads up, be prepared for those ridiculous retorts as a lame attempts to dismiss that argument.

[Smitty-48]

Trump will go back to Trump world, a Former President of the United States, for life, Trump has already won, he doesn't have to do another thing to secure the ultimate American legacy, on top of being Trump already, there's nothing they can do to Trump now, everything from here on out is gravy.

He has nothing to lose, he doesn't give a shit about an agenda, the agenda is already mission accomplished, there's nothing else to do, he's just having fun with it now, trolling the shit out of people and getting away with it, because he can.

[StCapps]

Trump will go back to Trump world, a Former President of the United States, for life, Trump has already won, he doesn't have to do another thing to secure the ultimate American legacy, on top of being Trump already, there's nothing they can do to Trump now, everything from here on out is gravy.

Even the consolation prize is super sweet, he can't lose, and he acts like it. Option B is just a slightly smaller win than Option A, he's not overly invested in either outcome, he's cool with either scenario coming to pass.