Playing the Trump Card
There are times when rhetorical skill can take on an almost symphonic quality, carrying us to dizzying heights. And from those heights in the nose-bleed section of utopian grandiosity we can see the twin cities of paradise, Hope and Change, where sea levels subside, and where an army of windmills silently spin with the bloviating blast from confident if vacuous leaders who talk much but say precious little. And then there is Donald Trump.
Pugnacious, unapologetic, defiant, pulling no punches, and quintessentially American. Those were the words that came to mind while watching Donald Trump on Bill O'Reilly's show tonight. Put aside the specific policy prescriptions for just a moment, step back and look at Trump's basic message which was nicely encapsulated in this exchange:
O'Reilly: Iran is trying to get a nuke. You gonna stop them if you're president?
Trump: I wouldn't let them have a nuke.
O'Reilly: How would you stop it?
Trump: I would do what I had to do.
O'Reilly: Which is?
Trump: They will not have a nuke.
O'Reilly: What do you mean, you gonna level them?
Trump: I will stop. They will not have a nuke. Look, our weak president, that kisses everybody's ass, is in more wars than I've ever seen! Now he's in Libya, he's in Afghanistan, he's in Iraq. Nobody respects us, and...
O'Reilly: So no nuke for Iran.
Trump: ...and nobody respects our leadership.
O'Reilly: Okay, so no nuke for Iran.
Trump: I mean what, can I do worse? …
This, I believe is the kind of language people are craving. Plain spoken and unabashedly American. This is a guy who won't be bowing to despots, won't be taking dictation from the U.N., and genuinely seems to understand that the light we see in the distance isn't the star of utopia, but rather the freight train of fiscal ruin speeding toward our children and their children. Whether or not he can be a serious candidate remains to be seen, but to listen to him tonight was to be reminded of the characteristics implanted in our national DNA. His is the kind of blunt talk that resonates in the social circles I frequent, at least. And it is the kind of brutal honesty that would eviscerate President Professor in any debate. Trump is one to watch and, for other candidates, to take notes from.
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Jul '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
I just can't get past his hair....
Re: Playing the Trump Card
Well, okay, but I don't want to hear any more talk about Newt Gingrich's ex-wife baggage if this takes flight.
May '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
I couldn't make it all the way through the interview. It would have been nice if Mr. O'Reilly had stopped talking long enough for Trump to finish his answers.
Oct '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
These interviews with O'Reilly indicate that Trump may actually be serious about campaigning for the presidency. I haven't seen that much red meat for the conservative base dished out in quite some time. Now as to whether Trump actually believes what he is saying, I'm still skeptical.
Jul '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
Dave Carter: Put aside the specific policy prescriptions for just a moment, step back and look at Trump's basic message which was nicely encapsulated in this exchange:
O'Reilly: Iran is trying to get a nuke. You gonna stop them if you're president?
Trump: I wouldn't let them have a nuke.
O'Reilly: How would you stop it?
Trump: I would do what I had to do.
O'Reilly: Which is?
Trump: They will not have a nuke.
I'm sorry Mr. Carter, but before I can even start having some confidence in a potential candidate, I need some specific policy prescriptions. While I appreciate Trump's attitude, I think he was just covering up for the fact that he didn't have the foggiest idea how to actually go about keeping Iran from getting nukes. It's a well-practiced sales technique to be more bold than specific when you're low on specifics, and that's what we're seeing here.
Nov '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
I like his determination and unwillingness to bend on an issue he believes in. But I wouldn't call this forthright. While I'm no fan of O'Reilly's interview style here, he is hammering this point because Trump is avoiding the question, which is not "what" but "how". We don't need leaders who are unable to connect the dots between what must be accomplished and where we are now. They have to be able to answer "How" questions, not just show us that their heart is in the right place. The road to hell etc. etc.
Oct '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
here's the first part of his interview 2 days ago.
Jun '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
So China is manipulating to keep its currency low, and The Donald wants them to stop. Has anyone around Donald Trump asked what the implications of revaluing the Chinese Renminbi might be. Here's an example: Currently $1 USD buys 6.56 ¥. If China revalues its currency so that $1 USD now buys, say, 4.0 ¥ everything we buy from China becames more expensive. If I owed China 1000 ¥ under the old exchange rate it will cost me $152.44 to settle the debt and $250 USD to settle the debt under the new exchange rate. The situation for the Chines would be reversed: If they owe me $1000 USD they would need 6,560 ¥ to settle under the old exchange rate and 4,000 ¥ under the new exchange rate. The result is that I'm paying more for Chinese goods and the Chinese are paying less for American goods. The economic impact for both economies is that we end up buying less for more and they buy more for less. So the Chinese computer I want costs me more and the microprocessor that goes into that computer that the Chinese buy from me becomes cheaper. /2
Jun '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
When it comes to consumer goods the Chinese only have an advantage as far as labour is concerned. Under the old exchange rate let us say a Chinese works for 1000 ¥ or $152.44 USD per week. The Chinese worker's wage is not likely to go up because the Renminbi rose. Now let us assume that the worker produces 30,000 ¥ worth of flat screen televisions per week.Under the old exchange rate those flat screens would sell into the US market for about $4,573. Under the new exchange rate let's assume the Chinese can only sell 25,000 ¥ worth of flat screens in to US Market because there is elasticity in the demand for flat screens. At the new exchange rate the 25,000 ¥ would be worth $6,250 USD (25,000 / 4). The only thing that has changed is the exchange rate. As for the Chinese, they can now buy the components that go into the flat screen for less per flat screen while their labour cost remains unchanged. The price of shipping for the Chinese would drop also as they would pay fewer ¥ per USD of sipping cost.
Jun '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
To summarize: The cost of Chinese labour remains constant, while all other components going into the finished product drop as it takes fewer renminbi to buy them on international markets. Overall the Chinese economy continues to gain wealth for the simple reason that they are an "efficient" producer of the products they sell abroad. There is no doubt that Americans will buy fewer Chinese goods as these will become more dear after the new exchange rates begin to bite, but as the rough calculations above indicate the volume of sales would have to fall a long way before the Chinese are in a revenue neutral financial position.
When it comes to the repayment of debt the Chinese want to see a stable USD relative to the renminbi while the US wants the renminbi to devalue (i.e. Chinese inflation which would cause the ¥ to decrease in value relative to USD). Adjusting exchange rates so that the renminbi increases in value relative to the USD is the exact opposite of what the US treasury, as debtor, would want.
Aug '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
Remember when McCain and Palin started saying, "Drill, baby. drill!" ? The price of oil plummeted because the speculators knew the artificial shortage would soon end if they were elected. Pricesetters - and savvy nations like China - are always looking ahead, anticipating events, like every good chess player does.
Trump in the campaign with his bellicose threats could accomplish more in a few months than all the phony politicos of either party; assuming his message catches on.
Edited on Apr 1, 2011 at 3:32amMay '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
Trump would be an excellent foreign policy President precisely because he doesn't sound like a diplomat. And because he has no sense of shame. I honestly don't think he'd even bother consulting the UN, which would be unprecedented. People would demand he consult the UN, and he'd simply ask "why?" ere blowing them off.
The man knows how to come out on top, and that negotiation doesn't mean giving away the store.
Nov '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
It's always a bracing realization that one can be a terrific businessman and yet a terrible economist.
And perhaps being made of stern stuff is a necessary condition for being a good president; but it is hardly a sufficient one.
May '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
He's refreshing. Ask a question, get an answer. They won't have a nuke. That's enough of an answer for me. Somehow I think he can figure the rest out. Our current President would blather for 20 min and tell everyone what we wouldn't do, i.e. when we will pull out of Afganistan, no boots on the ground. And finally someone with enough guts to shove "birther" down O'Reilly's throat.
Trump has never been a favorite of mine but have to admit, he's got me thinking. The contrast with what we have now is appealing to me. I'm going to keep an open mind.
Jun '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
Cas.s explanation is more complex than mine, because I am a very simple guy. But basically if the Chinese $Y (as I understand it) is valued higher relative to the US$ than Chinese products purchased with US$ would cost more. The Chinese could lower their prices to compensate, but then their profits would tank. Now that we have accomplished making Chinese imports (which is just about everything an American consumer buys) more expensive, what next? At first, we won't be able to buy stuff because it will cost too much. Certain types of admittedly not great sales and clerk jobs will be lost and small businesses may have to close. American manufacturing will not just reappear. It will take time and an end to our regulations that inhibit the building of factories. These good jobs will not appear over night. A great deal of thought needs to be given to this proposition of Mr Trump.
As far as the debt owed the Chinese, I am not as concerned. There is a saying around business, "If you owe the bank a little money, they own you. If you owe the bank a huge amount of money, you own them."
Aug '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
Tonsorial or visceral ? Take a stand, once it was reindeer and now it's comb-overs . You trying to find depth, decisiveness, and direction in a candidate ?
Just think of the confirmation hearings, ala The Apprentice . Recess appointments ? You ain't seen nuthin' yet !
I imagine that "Best Sex Ever " would sink anybody. Except somebody is trying to sell soap, or whatev...
Jun '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
To finish my comment at #15 concerning the Debt. Future debt is the problem because no one will buy it. That is why we must get our spending under control immediately. What we already owe, we can work on later. The Chinese do not want to lose their money that they lent us, for sure. As long as we make payments, they will be happy. They will not "call" the notes.
Oct '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
I already have Trump's slogan: "Obama, YOU'RE FIRED!"
He can have a new Apprentice show to pick his running mate.
Aug '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
I think Dave is onto something here. It's not Trump's specific political pros & cons. It's about a straightforward approach to communicating that has long been disappearing in American politics, culture, media, etc. Seems like everybody on TV is more interested in sounding "smart" than speaking plainly.
I'm with Kenneth. I could never get past the Donald's hair long enough to vote for him. But it would be invigorating to the public discourse if a few more candidates spoke more plainly about what they really think.
Jun '10
Re: Playing the Trump Card
I'd rather see someone recruit Steve Forbes.