A brilliant post from Karnal:

Trump's business model - the one Americans hope will make Amerika great again - is borrowing huge amounts and, when the investment fails, writing it off as a corporate bankruptcy.

It's an elaborate pyramid scheme, and one that worked for Trump because of his other business strategy: branding. Here, Trump believes all publicity is good publicity. The important thing is to get his name out there - divorce settlements, fake PR (Trump used to call the tabloids to spread "fake news" under the name of John Barron), reality TV, all of it. The banks wrote off Trump's 1.8 billion dollar debt to keep the Trump name on Trump's failed casinos and hotels.

For Trump, this validated his personal brand. When Trump called up Forbes to argue his case to be on their rich list, he pretended the Trump name itself was worth billions. In this way, Trump overinflates his wealth.

When Forbes didn't buy it, Trump called them fake news.

This is exactly what Trump plans to do with the US economy. He has, on a number of occasions, argued that the US could print more money because of the "brand" value of the US dollar. His plans to slash taxes and spend big on infrastructure will require enormous government debt. Ultimately, Trump believes that the Trump name alone attached to the White House will restore confidence in the US economy. Presumably, this is what Trump means when he talks up the US economy after a month of being in office.

Trump plays the media in exactly the same way he did in business. He actively spreads fake news, getting staffers and even FBI agents to call reporters and give them "alternative facts" as background. Like Trump's John Barron character, Trump's staffers refuse to go on the record. Like Trump's hissy fits attacking the Forbes rich list, he blames the press for refusing to publish his fibs.

In a paradoxical display of transference, Trump calls them fake news outlets. He has even taken to locking media organizations out of White House press briefings. Their sin?

They published investigative reports on Trump.

Ultimately, Trump has no clear plan to make Amerika great again. His promises are a grab-bag of populist, protectionist and lasses-faire policies, and this is what makes Trump's own party - those who will need to vote for Trump's policies - panic. There is no consistency. Unlike Reagan, Clinton and Obama, there is no economic narrative. Trump, of course, has no plan to bring the congress and senate on side - a plan critical to all administrations. This is, after all, what makes a successful president: the ability to get his/her policies voted in. 

Trump has seen the futility of presidential executive orders. This was probably his biggest lesson in government to date. What Trump will need to survive is a coherent economic plan, along with a legislative plan to get it through government.

Original post here.

well said K.

I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Trump is the fake. The news is real.

John Smith wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 6:04pm:

well said K. I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.

x2

John Smith wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 6:04pm:

well said K. I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.

A very insightful post, deserving of its own thread.

greggerypeccary wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 6:15pm:

John Smith wrote on Feb 27th, 2017 at 6:04pm: well said K. I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. A very insightful post, deserving of its own thread.

Agreed. Well written...

Republished with Permission :)

longweekend58 wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 6:48pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Feb 27th, 2017 at 6:15pm: John Smith wrote on Feb 27th, 2017 at 6:04pm: well said K. I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. A very insightful post, deserving of its own thread. Agreed. Well written... Republished with Permission :)

When Karnal nails it, he really nails it.


Quote:

Trump's business model - the one Americans hope will make Amerika great again - is borrowing huge amounts and, when the investment fails, writing it off as a corporate bankruptcy. It's an elaborate pyramid scheme, and one that worked for Trump because of his other business strategy: branding. Here, Trump believes all publicity is good publicity. The important thing is to get his name out there - divorce settlements, fake PR (Trump used to call the tabloids to spread "fake news" under the name of John Barron), reality TV, all of it. The banks wrote off Trump's 1.8 billion dollar debt to keep the Trump name on Trump's failed casinos and hotels. For Trump, this validated his personal brand. When Trump called up Forbes to argue his case to be on their rich list, he pretended the Trump name itself was worth billions. In this way, Trump overinflates his wealth. When Forbes didn't buy it, Trump called them fake news. This is exactly what Trump plans to do with the US economy. He has, on a number of occasions, argued that the US could print more money because of the "brand" value of the US dollar. His plans to slash taxes and spend big on infrastructure will require enormous government debt. Ultimately, Trump believes that the Trump name alone attached to the White House will restore confidence in the US economy. Presumably, this is what Trump means when he talks up the US economy after a month of being in office. Trump plays the media in exactly the same way he did in business. He actively spreads fake news, getting staffers and even FBI agents to call reporters and give them "alternative facts" as background. Like Trump's John Barron character, Trump's staffers refuse to go on the record. Like Trump's hissy fits attacking the Forbes rich list, he blames the press for refusing to publish his fibs. In a paradoxical display of transference, Trump calls them fake news outlets. He has even taken to locking media organizations out of White House press briefings. Their sin? They published investigative reports on Trump. Ultimately, Trump has no clear plan to make Amerika great again. His promises are a grab-bag of populist, protectionist and lasses-faire policies, and this is what makes Trump's own party - those who will need to vote for Trump's policies - panic. There is no consistency. Unlike Reagan, Clinton and Obama, there is no economic narrative. Trump, of course, has no plan to bring the congress and senate on side - a plan critical to all administrations. This is, after all, what makes a successful president: the ability to get his/her policies voted in.  Trump has seen the futility of presidential executive orders. This was probably his biggest lesson in government to date. What Trump will need to survive is a coherent economic plan, along with a legislative plan to get it through government.

Unforgiven wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 6:06pm:

Trump is the fake. The news is real.

Thats $5 - just for a one line post! Wow!

Send off enough posts and you could double what you receive from the dole.

Being a Trump hater is good business.

greggerypeccary wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 5:50pm:

A brilliant post from Karnal: Trump's business model - the one Americans hope will make Amerika great again - is borrowing huge amounts and, when the investment fails, writing it off as a corporate bankruptcy. It's an elaborate pyramid scheme, and one that worked for Trump because of his other business strategy: branding. Here, Trump believes all publicity is good publicity. The important thing is to get his name out there - divorce settlements, fake PR (Trump used to call the tabloids to spread "fake news" under the name of John Barron), reality TV, all of it. The banks wrote off Trump's 1.8 billion dollar debt to keep the Trump name on Trump's failed casinos and hotels. For Trump, this validated his personal brand. When Trump called up Forbes to argue his case to be on their rich list, he pretended the Trump name itself was worth billions. In this way, Trump overinflates his wealth. When Forbes didn't buy it, Trump called them fake news. This is exactly what Trump plans to do with the US economy. He has, on a number of occasions, argued that the US could print more money because of the "brand" value of the US dollar. His plans to slash taxes and spend big on infrastructure will require enormous government debt. Ultimately, Trump believes that the Trump name alone attached to the White House will restore confidence in the US economy. Presumably, this is what Trump means when he talks up the US economy after a month of being in office. Trump plays the media in exactly the same way he did in business. He actively spreads fake news, getting staffers and even FBI agents to call reporters and give them "alternative facts" as background. Like Trump's John Barron character, Trump's staffers refuse to go on the record. Like Trump's hissy fits attacking the Forbes rich list, he blames the press for refusing to publish his fibs. In a paradoxical display of transference, Trump calls them fake news outlets. He has even taken to locking media organizations out of White House press briefings. Their sin? They published investigative reports on Trump. Ultimately, Trump has no clear plan to make Amerika great again. His promises are a grab-bag of populist, protectionist and lasses-faire policies, and this is what makes Trump's own party - those who will need to vote for Trump's policies - panic. There is no consistency. Unlike Reagan, Clinton and Obama, there is no economic narrative. Trump, of course, has no plan to bring the congress and senate on side - a plan critical to all administrations. This is, after all, what makes a successful president: the ability to get his/her policies voted in.  Trump has seen the futility of presidential executive orders. This was probably his biggest lesson in government to date. What Trump will need to survive is a coherent economic plan, along with a legislative plan to get it through government. Original post here.

so proud of Donald.

as you say, he means to destroy the power in washington, thereby putting the power back in the hands of the strong, powerful, dynamic and entrepreneurial american people.

i suppose washington will suffer
the washington hangers-on will suffer
the intellectual elite will be side-lined
those sucking on washingtons titties will be weaned off and have a little sook.

all in all, its just the most brilliant news i have ever heard .

http://s21.postimg.org/oqjhb1x5j/Grumpy_Trumpy.jpg

liberty  ....  the only liberty you want is the liberty to whine and complain and remain a chode.

what most "real' americans want is...
SUCCESS.

and they know the policies of the pussies like obama and clinton, the bending over and taking it up the ass that america has had to endure under these soft co*ks was so submissive, so weak sauce, so mediocre.

they are so relieved to have a MAN  like donald to stick it to the white ant socialists at home and the parasites abroad.

Why freedumpster allows for you to continually troll your racist poo is beyond me. Unless he is one, too. 

Marla wrote on Feb 28^th, 2017 at 6:59am:

Why freedumpster allows for you to continually troll your racist poo is beyond me. Unless he is one, too.

whats racist in that?

are the dynamic, entrepreneurial, aspirational "real' americans a "seperate race"  ??

Quote:

Trump's business model - the one Americans hope will make Amerika great again - is borrowing huge amounts and, when the investment fails, writing it off as a corporate bankruptcy. It's an elaborate pyramid scheme, and one that worked for Trump because of his other business strategy: branding. Here, Trump believes all publicity is good publicity. The important thing is to get his name out there - divorce settlements, fake PR (Trump used to call the tabloids to spread "fake news" under the name of John Barron), reality TV, all of it. The banks wrote off Trump's 1.8 billion dollar debt to keep the Trump name on Trump's failed casinos and hotels. For Trump, this validated his personal brand. When Trump called up Forbes to argue his case to be on their rich list, he pretended the Trump name itself was worth billions. In this way, Trump overinflates his wealth. When Forbes didn't buy it, Trump called them fake news. This is exactly what Trump plans to do with the US economy. He has, on a number of occasions, argued that the US could print more money because of the "brand" value of the US dollar. His plans to slash taxes and spend big on infrastructure will require enormous government debt. Ultimately, Trump believes that the Trump name alone attached to the White House will restore confidence in the US economy. Presumably, this is what Trump means when he talks up the US economy after a month of being in office. Trump plays the media in exactly the same way he did in business. He actively spreads fake news, getting staffers and even FBI agents to call reporters and give them "alternative facts" as background. Like Trump's John Barron character, Trump's staffers refuse to go on the record. Like Trump's hissy fits attacking the Forbes rich list, he blames the press for refusing to publish his fibs. In a paradoxical display of transference, Trump calls them fake news outlets. He has even taken to locking media organizations out of White House press briefings. Their sin? They published investigative reports on Trump. Ultimately, Trump has no clear plan to make Amerika great again. His promises are a grab-bag of populist, protectionist and lasses-faire policies, and this is what makes Trump's own party - those who will need to vote for Trump's policies - panic. There is no consistency. Unlike Reagan, Clinton and Obama, there is no economic narrative. Trump, of course, has no plan to bring the congress and senate on side - a plan critical to all administrations. This is, after all, what makes a successful president: the ability to get his/her policies voted in.  Trump has seen the futility of presidential executive orders. This was probably his biggest lesson in government to date. What Trump will need to survive is a coherent economic plan, along with a legislative plan to get it through government.

aquascoot wrote on Feb 28^th, 2017 at 6:38am:

so proud of Donald. as you say, he means to destroy the power in washington, thereby putting the power back in the hands of the strong, powerful, dynamic and entrepreneurial american people. i suppose washington will suffer the washington hangers-on will suffer the intellectual elite will be side-lined those sucking on washingtons titties will be weaned off and have a little sook. all in all, its just the most brilliant news i have ever heard .

Oh, I know. Mr Trump wants to cut health, education and welfare to increase the military.

One for the people, eh?


Quote:

US President Donald Trump has said he is seeking a "historic increase" in military spending of more than 9 per cent to be funded by cuts elsewhere in government. Mr Trump will seek to boost Pentagon spending by $US54 billion ($70 billion) in his first budget proposal and slash the same amount from non-defence spending, including a large reduction in foreign aid, a White House budget official said. The President does not have the final say on federal spending. His plan to ramp up military spending is part of a budget proposal to Congress, which, while it is controlled by his fellow Republicans, will not necessarily follow his plans. Mr Trump told state governors at the White House that his budget plan included a "historic increase in defence spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-28/trump-seeks-historic-increase-in-us-defense-spending/8309134

Big Donger wrote on Feb 28^th, 2017 at 8:42am:

aquascoot wrote on Feb 28th, 2017 at 6:38am: so proud of Donald. as you say, he means to destroy the power in washington, thereby putting the power back in the hands of the strong, powerful, dynamic and entrepreneurial american people. i suppose washington will suffer the washington hangers-on will suffer the intellectual elite will be side-lined those sucking on washingtons titties will be weaned off and have a little sook. all in all, its just the most brilliant news i have ever heard . Oh, I know. Mr Trump wants to cut health, education and welfare to increase the military. One for the people, eh? Quote: US President Donald Trump has said he is seeking a "historic increase" in military spending of more than 9 per cent to be funded by cuts elsewhere in government. Mr Trump will seek to boost Pentagon spending by $US54 billion ($70 billion) in his first budget proposal and slash the same amount from non-defence spending, including a large reduction in foreign aid, a White House budget official said. The President does not have the final say on federal spending. His plan to ramp up military spending is part of a budget proposal to Congress, which, while it is controlled by his fellow Republicans, will not necessarily follow his plans. Mr Trump told state governors at the White House that his budget plan included a "historic increase in defence spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America". http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-28/trump-seeks-historic-increase-in-us-defense-spending/8309134

K

you would like trump to be a touchy feely sensitive type of guy.   you seem to get upset because trump pulls off a few dodgy deals, is a bit sly, is "rat cunning"
you would prefer him to be a bit of a plodder, a bit more methodical and beige, a bit like a highly paid 'civil servant", a bit cautious and more prone to naval gazing and consultation.

i admit, he is not your stereotypical politician.

But we must ask oursleves , whats best for "america". whats best for the "american family".

i would like you to go read the "art of war" and robert greens "48 laws of power".

If trump is sneaky, devious , cunning, wheels and deals and gets ahead by whatever means neccessary, then thats simply the best way to "play the game".

other nations are very "machievelian" and only interested in advancing their own position, by whatever means neccessary.  if trump seeks to throw out the rule book, at least this now puts america on an equal footing.

can you imagine the outcry if the USA started building islands in the south china sea and weaponising them. yet we accept this from the chinese because the chinese are just, well, pretty ruthless.

And if trump is a bit ruthless and cunning and out foxes them, then he is using all those business skills to "beat them at their own game"

he is far more likely to be successful at this then a career civil servant like Obama or a career intellectual like Hilary.

and , in the end, success is what the american people are used to and what they vibe with. they adore a winner and will not tolerate a loser

aquascoot wrote on Feb 28^th, 2017 at 8:59am:

K you would like trump to be a touchy feely sensitive type of guy.

Not at all, A. The American people would like Mr Trump to be a touchy feely kind of guy. Remember? He was going to bring government back to the people. He was going to smash the Establishment. He was going to make Amerika great again.

He's now saying he wants to cut funding to the American people and give it to the Pentagon Establishment. Just think, he wants to end nearly universal health care and pass the savings onto the biggest military power in history.

During the erection, Mr Trump claimed that his opponent was a war monger. He said she'd build up the US military and start invading other countries. Mr Trump said he was all about peace, about keeping Amerika out of the world's problems. He claimed he was going to be an isolationist.

Now I don't know about you, but if I was the American people, I'd feel a little cheated.

And being an Australian, I feel a little threatened. Mr Trump has questioned treaties like NATO and the ANZUS alliance, saying "all bets are off." He's suggested an alliance with Russia, neither a friend of Australia or our trading partners. When I look at the world, I'm not asking myself what's best for "America", I'm asking what's best for Australia.

And when I'm wondering what's best for the "American family", I've never considered the expansion of the Military Industrial Complex funded by cuts to social programs to be in its interest at all.

What does Robert Green's 48 Laws of power have to say about that?

America needs to re-establish unchallenged technological superiority as a precondition for convincing Russia and China to behave responsibly. We should speak softly and carry a big stick. The problem is the stick. America's edge has eroded alarmingly during the past twenty years. The temptation is to shout shrilly and wave a small stick. That will get us nowhere].

Russia, China and America never will be friends; at best they will be peaceful competitors rather than warlike adversaries. To maintain the former rather than the latter circumstance is the proper goal of American policy.

It would be dangerous for America to pursue the Wilsonian (and neo-conservative) vision of internal transformation of Russia and China, with the goal of turning them into American-style democracies.

The second-most dangerous thing America could do would be to abandon the world stage. World stability depends on a strong America, that is, an America that is economically vibrant and technologically superior,




Read the rest here https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2017/01/09/america-should-speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick-but-we-need-a-bigger-stick/

Frank wrote on Feb 28^th, 2017 at 4:38pm:

America needs to re-establish unchallenged technological superiority as a precondition for convincing Russia and China to behave responsibly. We should speak softly and carry a big stick. The problem is the stick. America's edge has eroded alarmingly during the past twenty years. The temptation is to shout shrilly and wave a small stick. That will get us nowhere]. Russia, China and America never will be friends; at best they will be peaceful competitors rather than warlike adversaries. To maintain the former rather than the latter circumstance is the proper goal of American policy. It would be dangerous for America to pursue the Wilsonian (and neo-conservative) vision of internal transformation of Russia and China, with the goal of turning them into American-style democracies. The second-most dangerous thing America could do would be to abandon the world stage. World stability depends on a strong America, that is, an America that is economically vibrant and technologically superior, Read the rest here https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2017/01/09/america-should-speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick-but-we-need-a-bigger-stick/

I like Danish.

Frank wrote on Feb 28^th, 2017 at 4:38pm:

America needs to re-establish unchallenged technological superiority as a precondition for convincing Russia and China to behave responsibly. We should speak softly and carry a big stick. The problem is the stick. America's edge has eroded alarmingly during the past twenty years. The temptation is to shout shrilly and wave a small stick. That will get us nowhere]. Russia, China and America never will be friends; at best they will be peaceful competitors rather than warlike adversaries. To maintain the former rather than the latter circumstance is the proper goal of American policy. It would be dangerous for America to pursue the Wilsonian (and neo-conservative) vision of internal transformation of Russia and China, with the goal of turning them into American-style democracies. The second-most dangerous thing America could do would be to abandon the world stage. World stability depends on a strong America, that is, an America that is economically vibrant and technologically superior, Read the rest here https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2017/01/09/america-should-speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick-but-we-need-a-bigger-stick/

America has always has and retains significant military superiority over Russia. To pretend otherwise is simply wrong. The russian military is poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly motivated. The last generation of Russian ICBMs were so unreliable that half of them would never fly and the other half couldnt find the right country, nevermind the right target.  Maybe NOW they can find the right country, but that's about it.

longweekend58 wrote on Mar 1^st, 2017 at 3:45pm:

Frank wrote on Feb 28th, 2017 at 4:38pm: America needs to re-establish unchallenged technological superiority as a precondition for convincing Russia and China to behave responsibly. We should speak softly and carry a big stick. The problem is the stick. America's edge has eroded alarmingly during the past twenty years. The temptation is to shout shrilly and wave a small stick. That will get us nowhere]. Russia, China and America never will be friends; at best they will be peaceful competitors rather than warlike adversaries. To maintain the former rather than the latter circumstance is the proper goal of American policy. It would be dangerous for America to pursue the Wilsonian (and neo-conservative) vision of internal transformation of Russia and China, with the goal of turning them into American-style democracies. The second-most dangerous thing America could do would be to abandon the world stage. World stability depends on a strong America, that is, an America that is economically vibrant and technologically superior, Read the rest here https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2017/01/09/america-should-speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick-but-we-need-a-bigger-stick/ America has always has and retains significant military superiority over Russia. To pretend otherwise is simply wrong. The russian military is poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly motivated. The last generation of Russian ICBMs were so unreliable that half of them would never fly and the other half couldnt find the right country, nevermind the right target.  Maybe NOW they can find the right country, but that's about it.

Russia is still big and strong enough to make trouble in Europe. China is the new global competitor with hegmonic ambitions in Asia and beyond.

YOU  WANT THE TRUTH PEC?  YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH

---

Karnal nails it again:

What's more worrying, perhaps, is the Republicans just ignoring Trump and getting on with business. This is already happening, particularly as Pence travels around the world smoothing things over with foreign leaders.

Some Republicans are a real worry, and as competent and sensible as Pence presents, I'd include his Bible Belt bent.

Trump is an urban liberal by nature. He's had to reverse many of his views to get through the Republican primaries. He's gone from soft on drugs to hard on drugs, pro-choice to pro-life, for sensible gun laws to against any reform whatsoever, advocating universal health care to smashing Obamacare. Trump's liberal bent has been twisted to fit the Republican agenda.

As for the "Establishment", Trump's staffed his administration with the most corporate-friendly Establishment Republicans he could find. He'll hand policy over to the big lobbyists as all Democrats and Republicans do - as the Bushes, Clinton and Obama did. Junk food, the pharmaceutical industry, weapons manufacturers, fossil fuels, the banks and hedge funds will continue to write their own rules, no matter what Trump says about making Amerika great again.

As Trump carries on about returning government to the people, the Republicans will continue to quietly cede power to their friends. When they retire from politics, they'll continue to be given jobs as highly-paid lobbyists. Trump's already started the process, demanding that for every new regulation proposed, two regulations be scrapped.

Wall Street and the banks - those who created the GFC - are loving it. They'll happily nod and chuckle over Trump's anti-globalist rhetoric. Corporate globalization is based in the US. With the US essentially running the World Trade Organization, headquartering the US patent office and the Therapeutic Drugs Administration, globalization is an Amerikan phenomenon.

Sure, American workers and consumers might not benefit from this; the corporations do. Sure, the US tax department might not benefit from this, the corporations do. And as Trump carries on about acting in the interest of America, his administration, the Congress, the Senate and all the federal agencies quietly get on with the business of lining the "globalists" pockets.

Meanwhile, Trump will carry on correcting the public record on everything from the size of his election win and his inauguration crowd to how he doesn't wear a wig. The Establishment, while hesitant at first, now know they've never had it so good.

Original Karnal post.