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Are you unaware that Trump wants to increase military spending?: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/06/politics/donald-trump-defense-spending-sequester/index.html http:

by hsitz 10y ago

Are you unaware that Trump wants to increase military spending?: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/06/politics/donald-trump-defense-spending-sequester/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/06/politics/donald-trump-defense-...

trendia 10y ago
> History shows that when America is not prepared is when the danger is greatest. We want to deter, avoid and prevent conflict through our unquestioned military dominance My suspicion is that he wants less direct military involvement and a greater threat if military involvement is required. That is, he's proposing that we replace the "World Police" model with the Swiss model.
- eru 10y ago
  That's a somewhat rational reconstruction of his argument. I am not sure that's the only possible reading. (At least one other one is that he was or is simply not coherent.)
  - cloakandswagger 10y ago
    It goes hand in glove with his push for nuclear rearmament. Trump wants a strong, military deterrent but wants to stop nation state building and proxy wars. I don't think those two things are mutually exclusive.
    - serge2k 10y ago
      They aren't. I just don't understand why people were convinced the US military is so weak and shitty and needs rebuilding.
      - eru 10y ago
        Nostalgia perhaps? Russia has it even worse---they went from world wide (perceived) number 2 and scary antagonist to `also-ran in decline'.
- 7952 10y ago
  There could be some detterant benefit in having someone like Trump. With Obama enemies always knew that he would take a rational approach anf try and avoid war. An irrational President is potentially more scary. He will attack even when logically it is a bad idea.
  - jessaustin 10y ago
    Sort of like Luo Ji as the "Swordholder"? That's kind of scary, but actually it's less scary to imagine a single person making occasionally irrational decisions, than a slow inexorable buildup of media hype and intelligence service bullshit with no obvious cause but one possible result. Actually it feels like the election interrupted one of the latter, and I'm glad because I'd prefer we not go to war with Russia.
braveo 10y ago
That doesn't really go against what he said.
SwellJoe 10y ago
Every Trump supporter seems to see exactly what they want to see of Trump's candidacy. I just had a conversation with someone who believes Trump will be great for LGBTQ equality. No awareness that the campaign has specifically, and emphatically, said, it would roll back almost every bit of progress that has been achieved over the past eight years. Trump, apparently, won because Trump is whatever people want him to be, even if he has clearly and repeatedly said he is the opposite.
- unimpressive 10y ago
  >No awareness that the campaign has specifically, and emphatically, said, it would roll back almost every bit of progress that has been achieved over the past eight years. Source?
  - SwellJoe 10y ago
    Here's one, pretty well-cited, article on the subject: http://www.hrc.org/2016RepublicanFacts/donald-trump-opposes-nationwide-marriage-equality http://www.hrc.org/2016RepublicanFacts/donald-trump-opposes-... And, look at the legislative record of the people he has chosen to be part of his team. They are among the most anti-LGBTQ legislators at the national level (and his VP has been a nightmare on LGBTQ and women's issues). I guess it is Trump's lack of legislative record that allows people to make him a grab bag of whatever they want to see. But, when you check the history of who he's got on the team, the story is pretty clear.
- ajross 10y ago
  And meanwhile those of us in the centrist technocrat left are dodging post-election spitballs thrown by progressives and hoping beyond hope that what Trump ACTUALLY wants to do is just sit on his ass in the oval office and play emperor and DOESN'T try to actually get anything done.
  - SwellJoe 10y ago
    The spitballs are because what America (and the world) desperately needs right now is an opposition party. The centrist (actually, center-right, or even just right wing, compared to European politics) Democratic party has no power against right wing extremist ideologues. If the response of leading Democrats, thus far, is any indicator, there will be literally no effective opposition to Trump and the GOP leadership. This is why progressives hate the Democrats so much lately.

by hsitz 10y ago

trendia 10y ago

> History shows that when America is not prepared is when the danger is greatest. We want to deter, avoid and prevent conflict through our unquestioned military dominance My suspicion is that he wants less direct military involvement and a greater threat if military involvement is required. That is, he's proposing that we replace the "World Police" model with the Swiss model.

eru 10y ago
That's a somewhat rational reconstruction of his argument. I am not sure that's the only possible reading. (At least one other one is that he was or is simply not coherent.)
- cloakandswagger 10y ago
  It goes hand in glove with his push for nuclear rearmament. Trump wants a strong, military deterrent but wants to stop nation state building and proxy wars. I don't think those two things are mutually exclusive.
  - serge2k 10y ago
    They aren't. I just don't understand why people were convinced the US military is so weak and shitty and needs rebuilding.
    - eru 10y ago
      Nostalgia perhaps? Russia has it even worse---they went from world wide (perceived) number 2 and scary antagonist to `also-ran in decline'.
7952 10y ago
There could be some detterant benefit in having someone like Trump. With Obama enemies always knew that he would take a rational approach anf try and avoid war. An irrational President is potentially more scary. He will attack even when logically it is a bad idea.
- jessaustin 10y ago
  Sort of like Luo Ji as the "Swordholder"? That's kind of scary, but actually it's less scary to imagine a single person making occasionally irrational decisions, than a slow inexorable buildup of media hype and intelligence service bullshit with no obvious cause but one possible result. Actually it feels like the election interrupted one of the latter, and I'm glad because I'd prefer we not go to war with Russia.

braveo 10y ago

That doesn't really go against what he said.

SwellJoe 10y ago

Every Trump supporter seems to see exactly what they want to see of Trump's candidacy. I just had a conversation with someone who believes Trump will be great for LGBTQ equality. No awareness that the campaign has specifically, and emphatically, said, it would roll back almost every bit of progress that has been achieved over the past eight years. Trump, apparently, won because Trump is whatever people want him to be, even if he has clearly and repeatedly said he is the opposite.

unimpressive 10y ago
>No awareness that the campaign has specifically, and emphatically, said, it would roll back almost every bit of progress that has been achieved over the past eight years. Source?
- SwellJoe 10y ago
  Here's one, pretty well-cited, article on the subject: http://www.hrc.org/2016RepublicanFacts/donald-trump-opposes-nationwide-marriage-equality http://www.hrc.org/2016RepublicanFacts/donald-trump-opposes-... And, look at the legislative record of the people he has chosen to be part of his team. They are among the most anti-LGBTQ legislators at the national level (and his VP has been a nightmare on LGBTQ and women's issues). I guess it is Trump's lack of legislative record that allows people to make him a grab bag of whatever they want to see. But, when you check the history of who he's got on the team, the story is pretty clear.
ajross 10y ago
And meanwhile those of us in the centrist technocrat left are dodging post-election spitballs thrown by progressives and hoping beyond hope that what Trump ACTUALLY wants to do is just sit on his ass in the oval office and play emperor and DOESN'T try to actually get anything done.
- SwellJoe 10y ago
  The spitballs are because what America (and the world) desperately needs right now is an opposition party. The centrist (actually, center-right, or even just right wing, compared to European politics) Democratic party has no power against right wing extremist ideologues. If the response of leading Democrats, thus far, is any indicator, there will be literally no effective opposition to Trump and the GOP leadership. This is why progressives hate the Democrats so much lately.