3 ms·

Please do explain how is Merkel the real thing? She is known in Germany to not offend anybody, because she doesn't do anything. She doesn't dare raise a questi

Please do explain how is Merkel the real thing? She is known in Germany to not offend anybody, because she doesn't do anything. She doesn't dare raise a question to China and the genocide they are doing, but she is sure willing to insult Poland, or trash America because of Trump's tweets.

jacquesm 6y ago
(1) Merkel is an accomplished scientist, Trump is a complete fraud. (2) Merkel tends to act from her principles, Trump doesn't have any that I've been able to detect. You may not agree with those principles but at least she has them. I don't always agree with her either but I can actually follow her reasoning and understand why to her these things make sense. (3) Merkel has an 88% approval rating from those in her own party, and 70%+ of those when polled across all of Germany. (4) The EU, not Germany in particular should take a much stronger stance on Human Rights issues in China, but realpolitik unfortunately seems to stand in the way of this. Insulting the Polish government (not Poland, you can't insult a country) is something that the Polish people that I know are going much further in than Merkel ever will, and with good reason. She doesn't trash America, she trashes Trump, and again, rightly so.
- theandrewbailey 6y ago
  > (1) Merkel is an accomplished scientist, Trump is a complete fraud. Trump is an accomplished businessman with a large array of enterprises built over ~50 years. > (2) Merkel tends to act from her principles, Trump doesn't have any that I've been able to detect. Trump's principles mean that he puts American interests first, even if it means being an bully about it. He has principles; whether they are good or bad is another question.
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    Trump being an accomplished businessman is up for debate, when you start with a large fortune and you keep it that way or shrink it you may have a lot of business but you are not very successful. Even doubling your money in 30 years is not 'good business'. Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Paul Graham and so on are 'good businessmen', Trump, not so much. Trump puts his own interests first. He doesn't give a damn about America as such as long as it serves his interest. I would think that by now this was clear.
    - theandrewbailey 6y ago
      > Trump puts his own interests first. He doesn't give a damn about America as such as long as it serves his interest. It would be in Trump's interest to not be controversial, as that would make it easier to be re-elected. Since Trump is rich, it would also be his (but not America's) interest to have a growing pool of cheap labor. A large part of his political platform is purposefully built to restrict the available labor pool (H1B limits, border wall).

jacquesm 6y ago

(1) Merkel is an accomplished scientist, Trump is a complete fraud. (2) Merkel tends to act from her principles, Trump doesn't have any that I've been able to detect. You may not agree with those principles but at least she has them. I don't always agree with her either but I can actually follow her reasoning and understand why to her these things make sense. (3) Merkel has an 88% approval rating from those in her own party, and 70%+ of those when polled across all of Germany. (4) The EU, not Germany in particular should take a much stronger stance on Human Rights issues in China, but realpolitik unfortunately seems to stand in the way of this. Insulting the Polish government (not Poland, you can't insult a country) is something that the Polish people that I know are going much further in than Merkel ever will, and with good reason. She doesn't trash America, she trashes Trump, and again, rightly so.

theandrewbailey 6y ago
> (1) Merkel is an accomplished scientist, Trump is a complete fraud. Trump is an accomplished businessman with a large array of enterprises built over ~50 years. > (2) Merkel tends to act from her principles, Trump doesn't have any that I've been able to detect. Trump's principles mean that he puts American interests first, even if it means being an bully about it. He has principles; whether they are good or bad is another question.
- jacquesm 6y ago
  Trump being an accomplished businessman is up for debate, when you start with a large fortune and you keep it that way or shrink it you may have a lot of business but you are not very successful. Even doubling your money in 30 years is not 'good business'. Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Paul Graham and so on are 'good businessmen', Trump, not so much. Trump puts his own interests first. He doesn't give a damn about America as such as long as it serves his interest. I would think that by now this was clear.
  - theandrewbailey 6y ago
    > Trump puts his own interests first. He doesn't give a damn about America as such as long as it serves his interest. It would be in Trump's interest to not be controversial, as that would make it easier to be re-elected. Since Trump is rich, it would also be his (but not America's) interest to have a growing pool of cheap labor. A large part of his political platform is purposefully built to restrict the available labor pool (H1B limits, border wall).