Patterico's Pontifications

5/13/2018

President Trump Hard at Work on Restoring Lost Jobs…

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 10:19 am



…in China.

183 Responses to “President Trump Hard at Work on Restoring Lost Jobs…”

  1. Seems like the best use of our federal government to me. You?

    Patterico (115b1f)

  2. America China First!

    Patterico (115b1f)

  3. Watch the sycophantic Schlichterites line up to defend this move by Trump…

    Gryph (08c844)

  4. The company had defied sanctions on Iran and North Korea.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  5. Gryph, it’s 59-dimensional chess designed to achieve a phony peace with North Korea where they pretend to give up their nukes so Donald Trump can get a Nobel Peace Prize. He’s pissed that the black guy got one and he didn’t and he’ll do an unprecedented bit of interference or two with investigations conducted by his administration to right that wrong.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  6. 5. Ya don’t say…?

    Gryph (08c844)

  7. Isn’t it really strange how Trump’s always been so soft on Communist aggression? I’m talking about his comments bizarrely praising the Tienanmen Square Massacre, his praise of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as honorable, and his pursuit of another payoff scheme to the North Korean government (this nuclear weapons deal that we all realize will not stop the weapons, but will prop up the bad guys).

    Nobel Peace Prize and Ronald Reagan comparisons are just efforts to muddy the waters that Trump is at best conflicted. This is why presidents should divest. This is why we have an emoluments clause. The guy is a crook.

    We’ll hear that Hillary wouldn’t have been any better again, which from hyperpartisan Republicans, is an admission Trump is terrible on foreign policy.

    Dustin (ba94b2)

  8. Huh…almost 45 minutes, and no Schlichterites have shown up yet? I guess it’s getting difficult to defend the indefensible. Still, I’m sure they’ll find a way.

    Gryph (08c844)

  9. Huh…almost 45 minutes, and no Schlichterites have shown up yet? I guess it’s getting difficult to defend the indefensible. Still, I’m sure they’ll find a way.

    They need to figure out what the thing to parrot should be.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  10. I’m pretty sure my #5 will be a close approximation.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  11. Patterico (115b1f)

  12. As I said…

    Patterico (115b1f)

  13. 11. Yeah, I’d expect that. Twitter dalenda est, and all. But still, no Schlichterites here? There’s no shortage of those sycophants in the ranks of these very comments.

    Gryph (08c844)

  14. It seems you are unaware that there are many silicon companies in the U.S. who sell services/products to ZTE. That doesn’t mean I agree with this effort, but it is an uninformed opinion to say that this is to restore jobs in China. Yes, there are U.S. jobs at stake.

    Also, it seems odd to oppose restraints on trade, as this blog has, and then criticize Trump’s tweet. It seems exactly in line with what your position has been. Or, are you now abandoning it since Trump has come around?

    random viking (6a54c2)

  15. 14. BOOM! Took just over 45 minutes, but here we are. Thanks, Schlichterite.

    Gryph (08c844)

  16. 14. What part of “Too many jobs in China lost” did you miss, Random Viking? Or did Trump somehow mean something other than what he said, and I’m just too dumb to understand it?

    Gryph (08c844)

  17. With Bolton on task,I think it will turn out differently than with Condoleezza rice same with pompeo.

    narciso (d1f714)

  18. it is an uninformed opinion to say that this is to restore jobs in China.

    Who said this?

    “Too many jobs in China lost.”

    Patterico (115b1f)

  19. 18. I guess Trump is in the habit of spewing uniformed opinions. Just don’t tell the Schlichterites that. 😉

    Gryph (08c844)

  20. Also, it seems odd to oppose restraints on trade, as this blog has, and then criticize Trump’s tweet. It seems exactly in line with what your position has been.

    I’m sorry, did I say we need to undo penalties on companies that defy sanctions on North Korea and Iran and then lie about it? Could you go ahead and give me my quote on that, with a link?

    Patterico (115b1f)

  21. I can’t figure it do they want sanctions or not, is the attempt of skripal an attack of war or not, what is the alternative?

    narciso (d1f714)

  22. 20. Pat, I really hope you’re not over there in Cali pulling your hair out. I have more fun commenting here and watching the Trump humping Schlichterites beclown themselves. Thank you for giving me and people like me a real forum for a change.

    Gryph (08c844)

  23. Make Chinese Telecom Great Again! Trump ’20!

    Gryph (08c844)

  24. 24. John Kerry was a treasonous bastard long before anyone had any clue there would be a need for an “Iran deal.”

    And when I say “treasonous,” I mean so in the constitutional sense of giving aid and comfort to an enemy of the United States of America.

    Gryph (08c844)

  25. Back after a week off enjoying a nice nonpolitical week of peace.

    1) Capture 5 top ISIS terrorists. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5713603/Iraq-used-Baghdadi-aides-phone-capture-Islamic-State-commanders.html

    2) Russia collusion goes no where but we are reminded that Hillary demanded Russian collusion as an excuse for why she lost https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/4/how-russian-collusion-myth-was-hatched-team-hillar/

    3) Iran using Syria as a proxy to attack Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liberman-warns-iran-if-you-give-us-rain-you-will-get-a-flood/

    4) There was that post you were going to do about Comey and his duplicitous nature.

    5) Heck, there’s even nonpolitical options like the Yankees trouncing all the top teams in baseball to run amok at the top of the league again.

    But nah.

    NJRob (b00189)

  26. 26. And…so what?

    Gryph (08c844)

  27. Patterico: Here’s Trump violating his “America First” pledge.

    Schlichterites: Well, it’s still good for America or something. And here’s all this other s**t that’s been going on, too.

    Gryph (08c844)

  28. How have you been njrob?

    narciso (d1f714)

  29. But nah.

    6. Read comments from people who complain about the content.

    Nah.

    *adds name to comment script*

    Patterico (115b1f)

  30. 31. I beat you to it, Pat. NJRob was one of the first names I put on my blocking script. Wanna swap names?

    Gryph (08c844)

  31. If I wanted to policies of Jane Fonda I guess I could have voted for Trump. They both hate Vietnam POWs and love communist dictators.

    Dustin (ba94b2)

  32. The interesting about that story anc and CBS refused to cover, was they were hiding out in Turkey, which along with qAtar forms an supper base for Islamic state, as the telegraph noted today.

    narciso (d1f714)

  33. Doing well narciso. Had a nice vacation with friends and family.

    Glad you and swc are back.

    NJRob (b00189)

  34. I’m sorry, did I say we need to undo penalties on companies that defy sanctions on North Korea and Iran and then lie about it? Could you go ahead and give me my quote on that, with a link?

    Your quote on where you outlined your exceptions to free trade? No, can’t find that. I do recall several commenters arguing for exceptions, and you having none of it. I can provide many links.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  35. I can’t believe that’s a real tweet. Just how demented is he?

    nk (dbc370)

  36. 36. Line ’em up, Vike. Let’s see you make your case, you blithering Schlichterite. Regardless of Patterico’s opinions on trade barriers, I think you just want to distract from the now-proven fact that Trump’s “America first” bulls**t was nothing but meaningless political rhetoric. That much ought to be obvious to any but the most diehard of knob polishers.

    Gryph (08c844)

  37. 37. An even better question: Just how far can he go before the Schlichterites give up defending him?

    Gryph (08c844)

  38. Second question: How many ZTE executives have “invested” in the Kushner family ventures? Nicole, Jared’s sister, she say: “May I take your order? With $500,000 you get free green card.”

    nk (dbc370)

  39. 40. Ah yes. The EB5 cartel rears its ugly head once again.

    Friendly reminder: If a company receives an EB5 investment and promptly tanks, the foreign investors still get their green cards. If that’s not buying green cards, I don’t know what is.

    Gryph (08c844)

  40. Maybe this will help. As they say, read the whole thing (relevant bit in last paragraph).

    the Bas (3bcea0)

  41. 42. Okay. I skimmed most of it and skipped ahead to the last paragraph. If you are so desperate to polish Trump’s knob that you actually believe his lack of coherent foreign policy is a net-positive…

    I just can’t. I got nothing.

    Gryph (08c844)

  42. 43- “I got nothing

    Well, you’ll always have “knob polisher”. It kinda defines you.

    the Bas (3bcea0)

  43. Most likely there will be a pledge that they don’t break the sanctions so they don’t lose their shirt to the tune of 4 billion for deripasha and 1.5 for vekselberg, those were expensive partnerships.

    narciso (d1f714)

  44. 44. If the shoe fits. Anyhow, if that makes you feel uncomfortable, there’s always “Schlichterite,” “sycophant,” “lickspittle,” “Trump humper,” and scores of other similarly juvenile insults.

    45. Yeah, cause pledges like those worked so well in the past. Remember when the Norks promised President Bill Clinton they wouldn’t use their breeder reactor to make weapons? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

    Gryph (08c844)

  45. 8th Grade MeanGurlzScript™ remains in play. Nice job, NJRob… 👍

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  46. Now Colonel Haiku
    Feels very persecuted
    Because Gryph blocked him

    Gryph (08c844)

  47. Haiku is so fun
    Intelligent Poetry
    Colonel not so much

    Gryph (08c844)

  48. Thanks Colonel.

    Just imagine if this was the past with only network tv and they played the same game that’s going on here. Just a constant negative drumbeat while ignoring any successes. Well, we know what would happen.

    Thankfully, we have multiple venues out there that report the news.

    NJRob (b00189)

  49. 50. “…ignoring any successes…”

    Do we need to drag out the list of times Pat has indeed actually praised Trump? Odd that your memory is just as selective as you accuse ours of being, Trump humper.

    Gryph (08c844)

  50. Its problematic because Zoe’s partners with mtn a south African firm, and ouredoo, a Qatar based firm:

    https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/01/zte-partners-with-mtn-and-ooredoo-to-bring-5g-to-the-middle-east-and-africa/

    Mtn tried to break into the Iranian market in 2012, re plouffe, and well Qatar which has other unwelcome tines

    narciso (d1f714)

  51. Follow the links and mtn is in partnership with Ericson, so unlessyou sanction the third firm down the line

    narciso (d1f714)

  52. The other partner is also problematic

    http://telecoms.com/472224/nokia-lands-ooredoo-qatar-network-expansion-deal

    See we still haven’t reached a us partner.

    narciso (d1f714)

  53. Watching #NeverTrumpers grasp at every possible opportunity to trash Trump is like watching drowning men grasping at straws.

    Trump has the wind at his back, his willingness to help ZTE demonstrates the reemergence of our longstanding friendship with China, one of our most important trading partners, and the established dominant military power in Asia.

    Cooperation, when it’s mutually beneficial, rather than kneejerk denunciation, is the sensible way to conduct US foreign policy.

    If you don’t understand that, you ought to sit down and shut up while the adults work to improve international goodwill.

    ropelight (cf0332)

  54. So do we bar Ericson and Nokia and whoever they are partnered with You tell me.

    narciso (d1f714)

  55. 46…

    din·gle·ber·ry
    ˈdiNGəlˌberē
    nounvulgar slang
    1. a foolish or inept person.
    2.a particle of fecal matter attached to the anal hair of an animal.
    Also see gryph

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  56. Constitutional conservative presidential favorite and natural born Canadian Ted Cruz…“Trump humper”?

    the Bas (3bcea0)

  57. Hmmm, let me try again

    the Bas (3bcea0)

  58. In the game of carrots and sticks with the Chinese, one must use the stick, and one must then be willing to switch back to carrots if, but only if, the stick has had its desired effect. This was a particularly robust, which is to say, effective, application of a stick. It may have had the desired effect of pointing out to the Chinese kleptocracy that the U.S. has lots of sticks that can indeed reach into the Chinese economy in ways that make it painful (read: unprofitable) for the kleptocracy.

    I don’t think we know enough about the hidden moving parts in our relationship with China to micromanage the carrots and sticks in the court of public opinion. I genuinely don’t know if this was a smart or a craven pull-back on Trump’s part; I can see evidence to support both hypotheses.

    I can extend that observation to most of Trump’s foreign policy. If Pompeo is playing the Danny Glover “sane cop” role and Trump’s being the Mel Gibson “crazy cop,” and they actually have a plan, and they’re reading the other side correctly — which none of us, including Pompeo & Trump, can do more now than guess about — then maybe there will be advantages to be secured, measured in improvements in Chinese economic behavior around the edges and Chinese pressure exterted on the Norks. I have no faith that Trump himself is capable of playing Nixon to Pompeo’s Kissinger; that’s ridiculously beyond Trump’s capacities. But his inadequacies don’t necessarily mean that everything his Administration tries to negotiate on a world stage will fail.

    As far as giving Trump credit for a promise made and kept, though, I will do so without reservation in the case of the completed relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. I said when he announced the move that I’d believe it when I saw it, and now we can see it. So, too, can the Palestinian “leaders,” among others:

    The opening of the relocated U.S. embassy here this week fulfills a campaign promise of President Donald Trump’s while dialing up tension around another administration goal: peace in the Middle East.

    Mr. Trump’s decision to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, which opens Monday, has faced fierce criticism from European and Arab officials who say it could hamper any future peace negotiations. Palestinians are refusing to meet with representatives of the Trump administration and say they no longer recognize the U.S. as the main broker of peace talks with Israel.

    To which my response is: That’s fine. The Palestinian “leadership” therefore need not stop by the new U.S. Embassy to pick up any more foreign aid, and we can just stop making those payments. If they want to cut off their noses to spite their faces, I say we should hand them bigger scissors.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  59. 60. and 61.

    You’re barking up the wrong tree with me, Bas. All politicians — regardless of party or philosophical affiliation — have the same utility to me: They only seek to increase their own power and decrease the people’s freedom. I did not vote in the 2016 Republican primaries, and ergo I did not vote in the primaries for Cruz. Try again, Schlichterite.

    Gryph (08c844)

  60. I did not vote in the 2016 Republican primaries, and ergo I did not vote in the primaries for Cruz. Try again, Schlichterite.

    The typical anti-Trumper bit: Don’t affiliate yourself with any candidate — so you never have to defend your pick, and you can always attack someone else’s. Man up, Gryph — but then, you block people, so never mind….

    random viking (6a54c2)

  61. I like Cruz. Always have. It’s just my principles wouldn’t let me vote for a guy I believe the constitution disqualifies. That’s just me, Its not my concern if you disagree.

    Besides, I think he is way better suited to be a SCJ than president.

    But then I’m a Schlichterite, so feel free to disregard my opinion.

    the Bas (3bcea0)

  62. 64. I didn’t realize that I had to hitch my horse to a politician’s cart in order to be a good American citizen. Thanks for the advice, but no thanks. With every electoral cycle and every vote, we’ve only slouched further towards Gomorrah.

    But since you seem to asume so much, I did vote in the general election. And it wasn’t for Hillary, either; there was a third choice available on all 50 state ballots. The idea that if you didn’t vote for Trump, you must have automatically supported Hillary, is just about as dishonest as it gets.

    Gryph (08c844)

  63. Stand in line behind mg on Sclichterism.

    urbanleftbehind (7e2245)

  64. 64. Being blocked doesn’t mean you can’t share your opinion. It doesn’t actually mean you can’t share your opinion with me. It just means I don’t have to listen to you if I get tired of doing so. If you’re going to complain about me blocking you (which I haven’t actually done yet), I’m surprised you haven’taken your mad commenting skillz elsewhere; I got the blocking script from Patterico, and he uses it too.

    Gryph (08c844)

  65. Perhaps I should define “Schlicterite” again. It is someone who takes pleasure in immoral behavior as long as it makes Trump’s detractors uncomfortable, even if that immoral behavior includes things they criticized Dems for doing in past electoral cycles.

    Gryph (08c844)

  66. 63

    You’re barking up the wrong tree with me, Bas. All politicians — regardless of party or philosophical affiliation — have the same utility to me: They only seek to increase their own power and decrease the people’s freedom. I did not vote in the 2016 Republican primaries, and ergo I did not vote in the primaries for Cruz. Try again, Schlichterite.

    So Trump is no worse than any of the others?

    James B. Shearer (a9b467)

  67. What is Aleppo?

    random viking (6a54c2)

  68. Patterico,

    The Nobel Committee is more likely to give the prize to Kim.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  69. 70. That’s a fair way of putting it, though an inaccurate characterization of my feelings on the matter. You could also say (in order to frame my feelings more accurately) that Trump is no better than any of the others. ANY of the others, from either party.

    Gryph (08c844)

  70. 72. After Obama got it for precisely jack-s**t, it wouldn’t surprise me.

    Gryph (08c844)

  71. So far, it looks like Trump approaches politics and diplomacy as if he was conducting closed-door NYC development negotiations. He starts off by assuming everyone is as crooked as he is (a fair bet), that they each want something, and then attempts to get all he can while giving up as little as possible. I don’t know if this is a productive or realistic way to look at things, but I can name presidents who have used worse models.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  72. 75. That depends on what you mean by “worse models.” I don’t know if Woodrow Wilson was an adulterer or depended on an inherited fortune to fuel his political career, but he was almost certainly among the *worst* presidents in the history of the republic, in terms of raw progressivism and setting the stage for our nation’s decline in the decades to come.

    My distaste for Donald Trump starts with Trump being a politician, but it doesn’t end there. It is absolutely mind-boggling to me how he got as large a percentage of the “evangelical Christian” vote as he did. His transactional approach to his multiple marriages, his rank vulgarity, and his intellectual INcuriosity are practically open secrets among everyone that truly knows him. To hear Republican voters explain away their votes for Trump in the primaries often sounds to me like they have to convince themselves, first.

    Does that mean he’s done nothing right? No, it does not. It doesn’t bother me that he depends on a large group of advisers to make most of his decisions. How he treats those advisers and talks to them behind closed doors is another matter altogether.

    I’m not sure we could have done better by way of the body-politic, since politicians aren’t going to vote themselves *less* power as a rule. But if character really does count, it wouldn’t have been difficult for the electorate to put a better person in the oval office. Trump’s ascendancy is just a mirror image of what is wrong with the American electorate.

    Gryph (08c844)

  73. He’s pissed that the black guy got one and he didn’t and he’ll do an unprecedented bit of interference or two with investigations conducted by his administration to right that wrong.

    The black guy? Whose racism is on display there? Any evidence that Trump has a racist bone in his body, or is that just the way Patterico prefers to describe Obama?

    Anon Y. Mous (6cc438)

  74. 69, that’s a biased take. Schleicher said “he’s getting to the point” (meaning he’s not there yet), he’s glad Trump used Stormy “because” (not as long as) it provokes liberals tears. So, he’s taking pleasure in liberals tears, not the immoral act.

    But, that’s my take, not trying to convince you because convincing the biased is nigh impossible.

    It’s like Dustin upthread asserting Trump hates POW’s, presumably because of McCain. Another mischaracterization motivated by bias.

    But of course trying to convince the biased of their mischaracterizations is fruitless, I’m just setting the record straight for the unbiased. Trump does not hate all POW’s, and Schleichter does not take pleasure in immoral acts.

    the Bas (3bcea0)

  75. 77. Here. Let me help you out, Mous.

    Gryph (08c844)

  76. President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!

    Memo to AT&T: next time, use direct bribe.

    Confucius say he who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  77. 78. So Schlichter didn’t say what he said: “…actively glad that Trump used Stormy Daniels…”

    GLAD that TRUMP USED STORMY DANIELS. You can argue all day long that he didn’t say what he plainly said. Schlichter is absolutely cheering behavior that we criticized Bill Clinton for a generation prior. And you’re lining up to defend Schlichter because Schlichter is defending Trump. But keep on polishing that knob, Trump humper. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

    Gryph (08c844)

  78. A former hotel executive said Trump criticized a black accountant: “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. … I think that the guy is lazy. And it’s probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks.”

    No names, as usual. Not the name of the executive, nor the accountant, nor the name of the person who heard the statement not the date… nothing. Fever swamp bulls!t from the left. That’s all they have. Lies and innuendo.

    Anon Y. Mous (6cc438)

  79. You guys can laugh, but Trump likes to play this way.

    He’s showing the world that China’s economy can be hurt, he’s showing Xi that he “cares” about the relationship.
    We can argue about whether he’s doing it on purpose or he is a chaotic idiot unfit for the job.

    I think that Trump is chaotic, but very capable of identifying advantage created and very capable of exploiting that same advantage.

    A developer former client of mine couldn’t build a polo field, so he built an experimental sod farm for grass that could stand up to polo. But in order to come up with that, he had to have navigated stupefying red tape and bureaucracy, then found the niche to exploit. And hit it hard.
    Another client used to have his helicopter land him at his home in spite of the fine levied. It was cheaper, faster and more convenient to pay the fine than it was to send an armed driver to pick him up. The neighbors all hated it, but he absolutely did not care.

    steveg (a9dcab)

  80. It is absolutely mind-boggling to me how he got as large a percentage of the “evangelical Christian” vote as he did

    *Sigh* No, Being A Christian Does Not Require You Meekly Submit To Leftist Tyranny

    Looking at your #63, seems you think Christians shouldn’t vote at all.

    the Bas (3bcea0)

  81. DCSCA

    AT&T didn’t have sway with North Korea.

    I think it is entirely sensible for Trump to do EVERYTHING in his power to avoid H-bombing the Norks, which is what would happen if push came to shove and they used one of their nukes anywhere. No matter what you think about Trump, killing every living thing in a 30-mile radius doesn’t go down well.

    As for a Nobel … Reagan didn’t get one for negotiating a dial-back of the Cold War (and the end, as it turned out). Obama got one for not being W. I said before I thought they’d give it to Kim instead. That wasn’t snark.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  82. At last! A president who cares about the price of rice in China!

    Confucius say man on top of hill not on level.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  83. Watch the sycophantic Schlichterites line up to defend this move by Trump…

    Ad hominum in advance. “Anyone who has another view is evil.”

    Kevin M (752a26)

  84. Compare Trump’s foreign policy to Carter’s. On Iran, for example. Or North Korea (as a ex-prez buttinski).

    Kevin M (752a26)

  85. @85. AT&T didn’t have sway with North Korea.

    =ring-ring= Kevin… it’s for you:

    AT&T International calling options from the U.S.A:

    Destination: North Korea
    Country Code: 850
    World Connect Advantage: wireless & landline- $3.45/min.
    World Connect Value: wireless & landline- $3.45/min.
    Pay-Per-Use: wireless & landline- $3.49/min.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  86. 84. Okay. You can quit putting words into my mouth. I don’t think it matters who votes, or how. If voting mattered, the politicians would figure out a way to ban it.

    Gryph (08c844)

  87. Yes its generally a worthless prize, ask kissinger how useful It was they gave arias one in 87, the results were born out by the soviet collapse.

    narciso (d1f714)

  88. 87. Since a Schlichterite is someone who, like Kurt Schlichter, lauds behavior in Trump that would be abbohrent coming from Bill Clinton, this is not an ad hominem. Unless you, like Kurt Schlicter, take joy in Trump’s adulterous liaisons, you are not in this group. But I generally find that the most defensive among the Trump humpers usually are.

    Gryph (08c844)

  89. Trump humpers

    I thought the settled term was “Deplorables”.

    random viking (a30bec)

  90. 93. I find Trump humpers pretty deplorable, but the amount of overlap with Hillary’s deplorables is rather uncertain. I was one of Hillary’s deplorables, after all.

    Gryph (08c844)

  91. Mr. P, why do you rise to Trump’s bait? He blats some random note on his foul twitter horn, and it triggers instant ridicule from you. ZTE is a mote that flew thru Trump’s brain, occupied it for 17 seconds, never to return, and yet it requires instant ridicule. Why do you feel you have to compete with Samantha Bee?

    Now look at the jobs situation. There are help wanted signs throughout America. POC unemployment is at record lows. Obscure China jobs policy notwithstanding, the USA is now at full employment. What are you kicking about? Why does a silly tweet distract you so radically from reality?

    gp (0c542c)

  92. 95. So Trump is done with his “America First” blather? All that is wrong in America is cured? News to me, Trump humper.

    Gryph (08c844)

  93. You may be right, Beldar. It doesn’t even require a great deal of charity to interpret Trump’s tweet as: “ZTE violated the North Korea sanctions, and we sanctioned ZTE. However, that hurt China — its workers and its economy — and we want them to work with us to leash Rocket Man. If that happens, we’ll forgive ZTE.”

    Okay, okay, maybe a little charity.

    nk (dbc370)

  94. As for the Nobel Peace Prize, I’d worry if Trump got it. It would mean that in the eyes of the Scandinavian Socialists, he had sold out America.

    nk (dbc370)

  95. 98. Trump has already done more to deserve it than Obama ever did. Something > Nothing.

    Gryph (08c844)

  96. That’s not gonna happen, as pointed out it would indicate he had accomplished nothing.

    narciso (d1f714)

  97. Trump should work on his communication skills because no one ever seems to know what he means. Maybe there is an old copy of “How to Communicate Effectively” in the Trump University archives that someone could read to him.

    DRJ (15874d)

  98. “All that is wrong in America is cured?”
    I didn’t say that. You did.

    Mr. P’s post is about jobs policy, is it not?
    Employment in America is good right now, is it not?
    Trump won’t even remember what ZTE stands for by tomorrow.
    In the face of the reality we actually live in, his tweet means nothing more than a discarded tissue.

    Are you _really_ afraid that an imminent new Trump ZTE policy is afoot that will _cost_ Americans their jobs?
    No.
    You’re just trying to be the next Jon Stewart, polishing your hate amulet.

    gp (0c542c)

  99. 102. “We’re going to help China” is not the same as “America First.” In fact, it sounds supsiciously to me like “We’re putting China above America.” But then I guess I have my spin, and you have yours.

    Gryph (08c844)

  100. Whereas we know exactly where Kerry lies:

    http://powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/05/kerrys-logan-act-crime-spree.php

    narciso (d1f714)

  101. “We’re going to help China” is not the same as “America First.”

    They are not the same. They are also NOT mutually exclusive. WHAT are you b!tching about?

    Cripes, put at least two minutes thought into your posts.

    gp (0c542c)

  102. I suspect Obama’s Nobel Prize was a token of good faith that if he was a good socialist as President, he would become a very rich man from speaking fees and book deals after he stepped down.

    nk (dbc370)

  103. No its in the same vein they gave it le duct tho and yasir arafat

    narciso (d1f714)

  104. 105. Actually, yeah, from a stricty logical perspective they really are mutually exclusive. Unless you seek to twist Trump’s words to put him in the best possible light. But that “America first” bulls**t was just what he said to get elected, right? Politicians and communists lie (but I repeat myself).

    Gryph (08c844)

  105. I didn’t say that Trump was *hurting* America. That would remain to be seen. And it is indeed true that helping China and a “first do no harm” policy towards America are not mutually exclusive. That’s not what Trump promised in his campaign, though.

    “From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first — America first! Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.”

    It strains credulity that mourning lost Chinese jobs and seeking to replace them somehow could be characterised as “only America first.”

    Gryph (08c844)

  106. 101.Trump should work on his communication skills because no one ever seems to know what he means.

    LOL Or as savvy Wharton grads know, just hire a John Barron to make some calls. 😉

    ‘You Get What You Pay For …’

    knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/truth-quotas-get-pay

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  107. 101. I’d beg to differ. Every time I assume that Trump’s plain words mean what he really said, scores of Trump humping Schlichterites line up to set me straight and educate me about what he *really* meant.

    Gryph (08c844)

  108. And besides that, if you really want leverage over China viz-a-vis Nork negotiations or any other reason, America doesn’t have to go through layers of diplomacy and sino-industrial bureacracy.

    Our real leverage can be summed up in two words: Wheat, soybeans.

    If we cut off American exports of wheat and soybeans to China, Mao’s Great Leap Forward ensured that there would be nothing to replace them. But that’s too simple, isn’t it, Schlichterites?

    Gryph (08c844)

  109. The same person who said this:

    In the face of the reality we actually live in, his tweet means nothing more than a discarded tissue.

    Also said this:

    Cripes, put at least two minutes thought into your posts.

    Apparently blog commenters have a greater responsibility to think about what they say and try to make sense than a President.

    DRJ (15874d)

  110. And furthermore, if you want to see what Chinese prosperity looked like pre-Mao, just look up the engineering specs for the buildings in the old Forbidden City. It’s all pre-cultural revolution, sure, but the beauty and stability of those buildings rivals anything that ever had the Trump name put on it.

    Gryph (08c844)

  111. It’s going to be interesting to see Trump campaigning for Cruz to protect his speech.

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  112. 113. Correction: Trump critics have a greater responsibility. The knob polishers get a pass.

    Gryph (08c844)

  113. Protect Cruz’s seat

    Thanks otto

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  114. this new fellow gryph’s
    verbal diarrhea recalls
    rear admiral burns

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  115. It’s like Dustin upthread asserting Trump hates POW’s, presumably because of McCain. Another mischaracterization motivated by bias.

    Why presume that? It’s because Trump, the draft dodger, bashed being captured on the field of battle, and also because he loves commies.

    Dustin (ba94b2)

  116. I don’t think beto will be much of a challenge, for 30 yeArs we have watched china industrial policy on steroid, stripmmuch manufacturing from this country, first component parts then larger projects. Their labor management system wee the laogai paired with their understanding of robber bacon capitalism.

    narciso (d1f714)

  117. Maybe Trump’s move was to reward the Chinese for launching their first aircraft carrier?

    Remember, there were no Chinese aircraft carriers under the black guy!

    #MAGA

    Dave (445e97)

  118. Narcisco,

    Cruz is really untested, Dewhurst, despite being conservative was easily branded an elite and refused to stand up 7 years ago for the voter ID law that was approved finally just last month by the courts that angered his base, and showed that the businessman was a terrible politician.

    Cruz, almost lost the first round of his senate primary, had there been a 4th major candidate, he most likely wouldn’t have made the cut.

    In other words, like rick Perry’s run for a second term, this is Cruz’s big test.

    From the last few months in Texas, listening to central Texas conservative talk radio, he’s not popular.

    Let’s hope the democrats are open and honest about what they are going to do to us, then with trumps massive help, Cruz will have another 6 years in DC

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  119. Remember, there were no Chinese aircraft carriers under the black guy!

    Maybe because they knew they didn’t need them. Obama let them take the Spratlys and Paracels with tugboats.

    random viking (fd790d)

  120. The same person who said this:

    In the face of the reality we actually live in, his tweet means nothing more than a discarded tissue.

    Also said this:

    Cripes, put at least two minutes thought into your posts.

    Apparently blog commenters have a greater responsibility to think about what they say and try to make sense than a President.

    Indeed. LOL. The double standards live on.

    Mr. gp, why do you rise to my bait? I put some random note on my blog, and it triggers instant ridicule from you. My post took me 30 seconds to write, yet requires instant ridicule from you. Why do you feel you have to compete with Gateway Pundit in taking up for Trump?

    What are you kicking about? Why does a short blog post distract you so radically from reality?

    Those are rhetorical questions. Answer them if you like, but a small adjustment in my comment script means I won’t see your response unless someone who doesn’t spend all their time complainining about the content here quotes it.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  121. “Apparently blog commenters have a greater responsibility to think about what they say and try to make sense than a President.”

    They don’t. All I expect from YOU blog commenters is to b!tch about job policy in an era of full employment, and to mindlessly live in the comedic knee-jerk reaction chorus that dominates media and debate and everyday life today. I hope you all get that late night show host gig you’re angling for. And better joke writers.

    I don’t expect Mr. P to yawp hysterically over nothingburgers. He’s a smart guy and a great host, and I don’t understand why he bats at every shiny tweet he sees. Maybe for the clicks.

    I’ve stipulated that Trump is a boor, vulgarian, liar, adulterer, scatterbrain. I’d never want to do business with the guy. Still I’m called a “Trump Humper.”

    There’s plenty to criticize about the guy. Do you really need to feast on nonsense clickbait about JOBS when the job market is so good? Hit him where he’s weak, not where he’d strong.

    We’re stuck with Trump for a while, unless you have some kind of plan, that you never reveal, to change that. Stop the damn wailing-laughing-absurdity, and tell us the plan.

    gp (0c542c)

  122. Dave,

    The ship took 7 years to build

    Maybe steve57 who is extremely knowledgeable about this can weigh in on your comment.

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  123. 125. “Those are rhetorical questions. Answer them if you like, but a small adjustment in my comment script means I won’t see your response unless someone who doesn’t spend all their time complainining about the content here quotes it.”

    Cue the colonel to complain about 8th grade mean girls! LOLOLZOR

    The Colonel Haiku
    and the eighth grade mean girls clique
    they don’t get along

    Gryph (08c844)

  124. “a small adjustment in my comment script” Of all the trash you allow here, you’re going to block MY posts? I’m the bad guy, and Gryph isn’t? WTF?

    gp (0c542c)

  125. 126. As a free individual, you are free to polish Trump’s knob. Just as I am free to put your sorry ass on my block list as well, and continue pointing out that Donald J. Trump is in no way shape or form fit for the American presidency.

    Gryph (08c844)

  126. One upside of Trump’s unconventional behavior is how it brings the strange personality quirks of his legion of detractors to the surface.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  127. 129. Buh-bye. Say hi to the colonel for me. 😉

    Gryph (08c844)

  128. 131. …that’s to say nothing of the horrendous double standards and sellout behavior of his supporters!

    Gryph (08c844)

  129. The ship took 7 years to build

    The unemployment rate has been falling for more than 7 years, and Trump takes credit for that.

    So why not the Chinese aircraft carrier too?

    Dave (445e97)

  130. Beto beats the spread, not that that really matters. He should have ran as a “wall builder for a price” rather than checking off every bad box. And Cruz owes Craig James a solid.

    urbanleftbehind (7e2245)

  131. Strange, and in some cases, deranged.

    But it takes all kinds.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  132. and continue pointing out that Donald J. Trump is in no way shape or form fit for the American presidency.

    If only the country could be run by those “fit”, without elections getting in the way.

    random viking (fd790d)

  133. Flattery will get you everywhere with Trump…apparently Xi Jinping has learned the art of harnessing narcissists with lavish praise, then grabbing the reins in order to drive them his direction.

    LJ (d845d1)

  134. 101 — and I thought you didn’t accept the “Art of the Deal” hypothesis.

    shipwreckedcrew (56b591)

  135. 137. Well, since you mention it, I am a proponent of subsidiary. We aren’t practicing it, and we do have elections. There’s nothing sacrosanct about the vote, particularly since we get demonstrably less free with every election cycle depiste being told how important voting supposedly is.

    Gryph (08c844)

  136. 140. Subsidiarity. Pardon.

    Gryph (08c844)

  137. 122 – Oct. 1, 2015: Satellite images show Chinese shipyard workers working on first domestic built aircraft carrier.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/satellite-images-suggest-china-building-1st-indigenous-aircraft-carrier-n436741

    shipwreckedcrew (56b591)

  138. Dave, everyone

    Look at this chart, see if you think Obama “improved the economy, nearly doubling the unemployment rate then watching it crawl down for 8 years, to me, isn’t crediting Obama with anything more than stressing the economy

    http://www.multpl.com/unemployment/table

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  139. Dewhurst couldn’t get elected to the Senate in the first place epjw

    narciso (d1f714)

  140. Republicans in 1992: Character matters.

    Republicans in 1998: Character matters.

    Republicans in 2008: Character matters.

    Republicans in 2016: All that matters is pissing off Trump’s critics

    Republicans in 2020: ??

    Gryph (08c844)

  141. Narcisco, I agree, but now Cruz has an opponent, well spoken, photogenic, the debates could be damaging if Cruz loses or even draws. The liberal hosts are going to go after ted in these debates and Cruz’s popularity rating are underwater.

    He’s going to need trumps help imo

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  142. 146. You mean the same people that didn’t back Trump in the 2016 primaries? I can only hope that Trump isn’t really as petty as he looks most of the time. For Cruz’s sake.

    Gryph (08c844)

  143. A day ending in y, what’s betos hold card data, give me a break.

    narciso (d1f714)

  144. There’s nothing sacrosanct about the vote

    Seems to be a view shared by many in the DOJ and FBI.

    random viking (fd790d)

  145. 91.Yes its generally a worthless prize…

    Except it’s not. Nobel Peace Prize: a winner receives a large monetary award which is included with the Nobel Prizes, along with a Diploma… Currently about 10 million Swedish Kronor (slightly more than one million Euros or US dollars is awarded to the winner). [The gold content value of the medal itself is nothing to sneeze at either.] Nobel peace prize winners and recent cash awards: •In 2009 Barack Obama was awarded 1.4 million dollars • In 2007 the cash award was 1.5 million dollars. – answers.com

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  146. For what it’s worth

    The commentary from rcp:

    Today the Republicans have controlled the governorship for 18 straight years, and both Senate seats for 19. The Democratic Party still maintains strength, and may even regain majority party status in the future. Sen. Ted Cruz faces a credible challenge against Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and the state swung heavily toward Hillary Clinton last fall. The state is also, contrary to many expectations, heavily urban, so a swing toward Democrats in the suburbs could have an outsize effect here. O’Rourke starts as the underdog, but this one is worth watching.

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  147. Without merit disco, it’s like the Olympics to a municipal balance sheet la Sarajevo athens

    narciso (d1f714)

  148. @152. And our cash craven Captain will laugh all the way to the bank. $ talks; narcissy squawks.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  149. On, Donner! On, Blitzen! On, Chief! On, Tavo!
    C’mon, Beto!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  150. That makes him rudolph,

    narciso (d1f714)

  151. So the podesta group among others was lobbying for ZTE or at least supposed to.

    narciso (d1f714)

  152. 156

    Great find…

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  153. And guess who the lead lobbyist there lobbies for as well.

    narciso (d1f714)

  154. Tell us pleeeease

    EPWJ (4bfcb9)

  155. Russia russia, russia, so in the long line of creditors going after tion podesta.

    narciso (d1f714)

  156. 145 Gryph,

    Republicans in 1992: Character matters.

    Republicans in 1998: Character matters.

    Republicans in 2008: Character matters.

    Republicans in 2016: All that matters is pissing off Trump’s critics

    Republicans in 2020: ??

    You said it. They turned from ethical offense to toleration of Trump’s unethical antics because he’s “not Hillary” to sympathetic defense of Trump against “attacks” by people who hate his vices to revenge against anyone who decries Trump’s antics.

    What’s next? I’ll let Alexander Pope answer that one:

    “Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
    As to be hated needs but to be seen;
    Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
    We first endure, then pity, then embrace.”

    They will embrace vice – wholesale. We are already seeing some of that. I shudder to think how much worse it will get. Already I don’t recognize what used to be my political party and am glad I escaped it in 2016 by climbing off the Grand Old Elephant at the circus before the worst of the victim-blaming, abuse-defending, immorality-embracing, xenophobic rage-driven shows were on.

    LJ (d845d1)

  157. On so far as hhs is crAcking down on planned parenthood education is blocking the educational witchhunts , doj is enforcing immigration law,

    narciso (d1f714)

  158. 164. A few good things happening here and there, of course. Can’t deny any of that. But notwithstanding, just a few things sadden me: The fact that much of the good stuff going on is due to Congress, some of the good ideas Trump has proposed (read from his teleprompter?) will never make it through congress, and what good has been done can just as easily be undone by future congresses and/or administrations.

    Gryph (08c844)

  159. ZTE’s other lobbyist
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Lynn_Christensen
    (follow the links from narciso @ 156)

    Kishnevi (91d450)

  160. 130

    … and continue pointing out that Donald J. Trump is in no way shape or form fit for the American presidency.

    But you have conceded he is no worse than any of the other politicians so you must motivated by something else. Perhaps you just don’t like the type of people who support Trump (and would go on despising them even if they stopped supporting Trump).

    James B. Shearer (a9b467)

  161. 101

    Trump should work on his communication skills because no one ever seems to know what he means. Maybe there is an old copy of “How to Communicate Effectively” in the Trump University archives that someone could read to him.

    Politicians rarely want to communicate clearly their thoughts and plans.

    James B. Shearer (a9b467)

  162. Loving the insular neverTrump team. Says a lot about them and how they advance conservative goals.

    NJRob (9d9100)

  163. They’ve fallen victim to the Repetitive Baloney Disorder, Rob. They hear the bullschiff that the left, the media and the Democrats put out there so much they start to believe it and begin spreading it themselves.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  164. #122, Dave, #MAGA dittos. If you’d have read as far as the 3rd sentence in your linked article you wouldn’t have written:

    Remember, there were no Chinese aircraft carriers under the black guy!

    When in fact the Chinese did have one, this is their second carrier. The giveaway is in the headline. This is their first homegrown carrier.

    ropelight (35d238)

  165. ZTE was buying components from American manufacturers. Helping ZTE get back in business preserves both American and Chinese jobs.

    ropelight (35d238)

  166. Gfy grifter

    mg (9e54f8)

  167. 168. In terms of enhancing our freedoms, he isn’t. I didn’t vote for him OR Hillary in the general election. But the kind of behavior that Republican voters are now excusing because they think that Trump is so much better policywise than Hillary is indeed concerning to me.

    173. Okay, Rope. What CAN Trump do that wouldn’t be “America first” in your addled brain? We do business with most countries, save the few that we have sanctions on.

    Gryph (08c844)

  168. Poison yourself

    mg (9e54f8)

  169. 174. 176. You first, Trump humper.

    Gryph (08c844)

  170. EPWJ wrote (#123):

    Cruz, almost lost the first round of his senate primary, had there been a 4th major candidate, he most likely wouldn’t have made the cut.

    What alternate-reality version of Texas are you looking at? Here are the actual results of this year’s GOP primary in Texas:

    Ted Cruz (I) – 1,322,724 – 85.36%
    Stefano de Stefano – 44,456 – 2.87%
    Bruce Jacobson, Jr. – 64,791 – 4.18%
    Mary Miller – 94,715 – 6.11%
    Geraldine Sam – 22,887 – 1.48%
    ———–
    Race Total 1,549,573

    You, sir, are not a reliable observer of even very recent history. In no universe is 85% “almost losing,” and there were indeed five candidates, only one of whom (Cruz) remotely qualified as a “major candidate.”

    Beldar (fa637a)

  171. Beldar

    Looking at 2012, sorry i was unclear

    EPWJ (474eb2)

  172. ZTE was buying components from American manufacturers. Helping ZTE get back in business preserves both American and Chinese jobs.

    ropelight (35d238) — 5/13/2018 @ 10:35 pm

    In addition, may have also been a part of securing China’s agreement to put pressure on the NoKos to cease and desist.

    Colonel Haiku (8f010c)

  173. Ah. Okay, that makes more sense, EPWJ, and I see you were indeed discussing Craig James & David Dewhurst (two of Cruz’ 2012 primary opponents) earlier in comments. Your opinion about the 2012 primary is a fair one. Thanks for the civil clarification.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  174. Dunno if anyone’s still following this thread, but re Cruz’ 2018 GOP primary results:

    This time, Cruz did to four other candidates what Dewhurst was predicted to do to Cruz and three other candidates in 2012. Cruz’ 2012 race was a textbook example of how a longshot must angle first to force (and of course, to make) a runoff.

    This year’s result was essentially foreordained when, in mid-September 2016, Cruz made a politician’s peace with Trump and provided the conspicuous endorsement of the party’s ultimate nominee to which he and every other GOP candidate (except Trump!) had committed themselves during the GOP primaries. At the time, our host wrote of his disappointment with Cruz, in posts like this one: . I disagreed, believing instead that Trump had salvaged the very most important thing anyone could have from the wreckage of the 2016 GOP primary season, Trump’s public written commitment to choose SCOTUS nominees exclusively from an announced list of 20 (expanded to 21 to include Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in an explicit nod, not to Lee, but to Cruz):

    You & I both know, and I’m sure Ted Cruz knows, that Trump’s word on everything is worthless. Smith grilled Cruz on precisely that point, to which Cruz’ response was that the “exclusivity” commitment is important, and that it’s importance is independent of the question of whether Trump’s word is trustworthy, because now that it’s been made publicly and it writing with clarity, Trump would have to pay a political/public opinion price if he breaks his commitment.

    The appropriate counter to that argument — which you also didn’t mention, since you didn’t mention the whole “exclusivity” subject at all — is that Trump gets away with everything. But while that seems true, and while it’s certainly true that he gets away with things that are outrageous, it’s actually an exaggeration to say that he gets away with everything. He’s had to change course and backtrack several times precisely because he’s gone so far that he’s beginning to seriously hemorrhage support at the margins, as with the Gold Star Families screwup.

    I do agree with you that this is mostly a fig leaf. In other words, it would certainly not have been enough to justify Cruz’ decision if Cruz hadn’t also made his own promise — not to Trump, but to the RNC, the GOP generally, and the voting public — during the primaries. But if, as I believe, Cruz had concluded that he was indeed going to keep his own commitment, then identifying this “exclusive list” publicly, and committing Trump to it, was indeed probably the best and most reasonable “ask” he could have expected Trump to entertain when relayed back through Pence. Cruz was very, very explicit in painting this as a deliberate and overt quid-pro-quo, with Pence (not Trump) able to confirm that in the future; neither Pence nor Trump have challenged anything Cruz said about the discussions; and thus, having Pence in this loop was essential and very, very smart.

    If Trump wins, but deviates from the commitment, then Cruz certainly would have laid now as good a foundation as can be laid for holding Trump politically accountable in the future. Yes, it ain’t much in context, but it was indeed something of some value, something worth bothering to do, in addition to the fact that it gave Cruz the fig leaf to point to as something “new,” “important,” and “post-convention.”

    Does that mean Trump will behave himself and be accountable? Of course not, but that’s beyond anything anyone, including Ted Cruz, can do to affect him.

    This was a dead-stick landing. Any of those you can walk away from is, by definition, a good one, even if you’re pretty bloody.

    I stand by that opinion.

    What if Cruz had withheld a good-faith endorsement, and stood instead on the clenched and deliberately unenthusiastic one he sorta-kinda-not-really made at the GOP convention back in July 2016?

    Trump would still have carried Texas, of course. But Trump would be holding a grudge against Cruz the size of Texas, regardless of whether Trump won or lost. And with the peace made between them, Cruz essentially ensured back in September 2016 that he’d face no serious primary opposition in 2018, regardless of whether Trump won or lost.

    This foreseeable and foreseen result pleases me: Cruz didn’t have to spend all his time fundraising during primary season, and when he exposes Beto O’Rourke’s voting record and callow immaturity to Texans as the general election approaches, I don’t think the general election will be any closer than Abbott-Davis in 2014. O’Rourke’s trajectory is closely tracking hers, in fact, meaning she peaked when nominated and went steadily downhill as voters figured out who she was. (Greg Abbott, they already all knew pretty well from his long, distinguished, and politically canny service as Texas AG.)

    Beldar (fa637a)


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