4 ms·

Trump is down 10+ points in the polls. That’s what this is about and TikTok only needs to run out the clock to the 2nd week of November at which point this whol

by ponker 6y ago

Trump is down 10+ points in the polls. That’s what this is about and TikTok only needs to run out the clock to the 2nd week of November at which point this whole thing will go away for them.

shrimpx 6y ago
Yes Trump is probably using this as political leverage, but the US being concerned about Chinese govt possibly spying on Americans using Chinese companies dates back to the late 2000s. Cynically dismissing it as a Trumpian fluke masks the prior art/implies there’s no issue whatsoever. Edit: clarification.
- pm90 6y ago
  That by itself doesn't mean that decision making in this case is not being influenced by political concerns of the current POTUS (rather than being driven by long term geopolitical interests of the nation).
- ponker 6y ago
  Yes, China vs. the US is 50 years in the making, but Trump’s interest in the issue is 0% policy, 100% politics.
bleah1000 6y ago
I think you need to update your knowledge of the polls, as much as you may dislike Trump, he isn't down by 10+ points any more. Regardless, the media has convinced people that only the Republicans and Trump want to see something done about TikTok, but, in fact, there are plenty of Democrats who are also wary of TikTok. Maybe they don't want an outright ban, but they want something done. But since that doesn't garner as many clicks, there will be a bunch of stories claiming it's a bad idea because Trump did it. There are real reasons we should be worried about the CCP right now. If you track the news, you'll see lots of people being found to be CCP spies and charged. There is a big problem with the CCP having spies and/or people friendly to the CCP in government and academia. Don't let your hatred for Trump blind you to the fact that the CCP is rapidly becoming an issue.
- ponker 6y ago
  Rapidly becoming an issue? The US has been ignoring China’s burgeoning power for 50 years and allowed US CEOs to get gazillion dollar payouts by shipping American manufacturing jobs to China. That doesn’t change the fact that 1) an isolated spasm against TikTok accomplishes nothing if not part of a broad and permanent portfolio of initiatives, 2) whether Trump wins or loses this election he doesn’t give a shit about anything but his own political and financial fortune, and is too dumb, too lazy, and too corrupt to actually lead this soft power war. If you think Donald Trump is up at night worrying about China exfiltrating the data of US teenagers data... I can’t help you but please wear a mask.
  - michannne 6y ago
    Vitriol aside, I suggest you adopt a more objective view of politics, instead of allowing your personal emotions to guide your view of governmental affairs. For one, TikTok is not the target, it is just the first domino of many, intended to lay the groundwork of how the government will deal with similar cases in the future. Secondly, you should at least make an attempt to not project your personal bias onto others - unless you somehow have firsthand knowledge of what goes on in the mind of the president, I'd hesitate to take you seriously, especially considering your implication that the half of the country that voted for him relates to dumb, lazy, and corrupt people. Finally, I have no idea what keeps Trump awake at night, but it is clear to not only to him, but also Xi Jinping, the military establishment, and intelligence agencies, the subversive capability of Chinese intellectual labor and services. Whether or not they'll pull the trigger on utilizing those capabilities is yet to be seen, but I imagine it must be stressful knowing that at any time, a foreign government can capture insane amounts of data on every US citizen who has the app, and their intentions will likely not align with ours.
    - ponker 6y ago
      Sure sure, 5D chess, and the verbal nonsense oozing out of him on camera and on Twitter has no relevance to his 250-step master plan. Yep yep yep I’m waiting with bated breath, what I think is most important is making sure he figures out just what pizza parlor it is.

by ponker 6y ago

Trump is down 10+ points in the polls. That’s what this is about and TikTok only needs to run out the clock to the 2nd week of November at which point this whole thing will go away for them.

shrimpx 6y ago

Yes Trump is probably using this as political leverage, but the US being concerned about Chinese govt possibly spying on Americans using Chinese companies dates back to the late 2000s. Cynically dismissing it as a Trumpian fluke masks the prior art/implies there’s no issue whatsoever. Edit: clarification.

pm90 6y ago
That by itself doesn't mean that decision making in this case is not being influenced by political concerns of the current POTUS (rather than being driven by long term geopolitical interests of the nation).
ponker 6y ago
Yes, China vs. the US is 50 years in the making, but Trump’s interest in the issue is 0% policy, 100% politics.

bleah1000 6y ago

I think you need to update your knowledge of the polls, as much as you may dislike Trump, he isn't down by 10+ points any more. Regardless, the media has convinced people that only the Republicans and Trump want to see something done about TikTok, but, in fact, there are plenty of Democrats who are also wary of TikTok. Maybe they don't want an outright ban, but they want something done. But since that doesn't garner as many clicks, there will be a bunch of stories claiming it's a bad idea because Trump did it. There are real reasons we should be worried about the CCP right now. If you track the news, you'll see lots of people being found to be CCP spies and charged. There is a big problem with the CCP having spies and/or people friendly to the CCP in government and academia. Don't let your hatred for Trump blind you to the fact that the CCP is rapidly becoming an issue.

ponker 6y ago
Rapidly becoming an issue? The US has been ignoring China’s burgeoning power for 50 years and allowed US CEOs to get gazillion dollar payouts by shipping American manufacturing jobs to China. That doesn’t change the fact that 1) an isolated spasm against TikTok accomplishes nothing if not part of a broad and permanent portfolio of initiatives, 2) whether Trump wins or loses this election he doesn’t give a shit about anything but his own political and financial fortune, and is too dumb, too lazy, and too corrupt to actually lead this soft power war. If you think Donald Trump is up at night worrying about China exfiltrating the data of US teenagers data... I can’t help you but please wear a mask.
- michannne 6y ago
  Vitriol aside, I suggest you adopt a more objective view of politics, instead of allowing your personal emotions to guide your view of governmental affairs. For one, TikTok is not the target, it is just the first domino of many, intended to lay the groundwork of how the government will deal with similar cases in the future. Secondly, you should at least make an attempt to not project your personal bias onto others - unless you somehow have firsthand knowledge of what goes on in the mind of the president, I'd hesitate to take you seriously, especially considering your implication that the half of the country that voted for him relates to dumb, lazy, and corrupt people. Finally, I have no idea what keeps Trump awake at night, but it is clear to not only to him, but also Xi Jinping, the military establishment, and intelligence agencies, the subversive capability of Chinese intellectual labor and services. Whether or not they'll pull the trigger on utilizing those capabilities is yet to be seen, but I imagine it must be stressful knowing that at any time, a foreign government can capture insane amounts of data on every US citizen who has the app, and their intentions will likely not align with ours.
  - ponker 6y ago
    Sure sure, 5D chess, and the verbal nonsense oozing out of him on camera and on Twitter has no relevance to his 250-step master plan. Yep yep yep I’m waiting with bated breath, what I think is most important is making sure he figures out just what pizza parlor it is.