We will never trust you again

[Remius]

I think it's less about "acceptable" solution than an "inevitable" conclusion. Power abhors a vacuum. And if the Americans withdraw from the world. Others will fill the void.

Others are in fact doing that.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

The hilarious thing is that Trump really doesn’t have to do anything…his rugrats and their spouses are out there grifting on his behalf. He and they learned their lesson during his first term……much better they stay out of the WH, the Oval Office and the public eye so they can quietly go about the business of using daddys position to enrich themselves and the whole family…daddy included.

Are you talking about biden? Because if you are talking about biden you hit the nail on the head. Milania and the kids don't use autopens either.

 

[Remius]

U.S. Soft Power Is Spiraling in Asia, With China Filling the Void

The Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. foreign aid apparatus has created a vacuum that China is rapidly filling, increasing its influence and soft power in regions like Southeast Asia.

www.cfr.org

China isn’t stupid. They saw how effective US soft power was. They are taking what they can while the getting is good.

MAGA didn’t get it though.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

No where near that level - full stop.

So its only a crime if it hits a certain threshold? Arrivescam, green slush fund, canadian investment bank not rich enough for you?

It is near that level if you take population and amounts in relation.

Full stop.

 

[Brad Sallows]

But hey, maybe I missed the memes talking about how much more Clinton & Obama were worth after their presidencies praising them for being such great businessmen.

Curious that Biden is not on the list.

Really accomplished grifters start "foundations" and then use the "foundations" much as some people use their companies to buy "company cars".

 

[OldSolduer]

And yet, many who complained about one side doing this haven’t complained about the other side doing the same thing.

Or some try whataboutism.

And that goes for all sides.

IMO anyone who grows wealthy while in government service is either really lucky on the stock market or…..
I am including political figures and bureaucrats here.

 

[ytz]

Others are in fact doing that.

U.S. Soft Power Is Spiraling in Asia, With China Filling the Void

The Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. foreign aid apparatus has created a vacuum that China is rapidly filling, increasing its influence and soft power in regions like Southeast Asia.

www.cfr.org

China isn’t stupid. They saw how effective US soft power was. They are taking what they can while the getting is good.

MAGA didn’t get it though.

And others have no choice. Imagine you're in Japan or South Korea. If the US won't back you, how much can you refuse a deal with China.

 

[Czech_pivo]

So its only a crime if it hits a certain threshold? Arrivescam, green slush fund, canadian investment bank not rich enough for you?

It is near that level if you take population and amounts in relation.

Full stop.

Which politicians were tied to those items you mentioned? Please provide names?

Edit:
And I’m talking about personal enrichment, not signing off on that crap.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

IMO anyone who grows wealthy while in government service is either really lucky on the stock market or…..
I am including political figures and bureaucrats here.

Pelosi?

 

[Czech_pivo]

<rant on>
It isn’t just the US though, this Canadian and I'm sure there’s a few more, is sick and tired about how our own government spends money around the world. Canadians living in tents at -30, using food banks, trying to live with our devalued dollar, out of control immigration, and, and. All the while, our millions and millions of tax dollars end up on feel good, woke initiatives that most of us don't support or want. Money that our government gives to foreign interests that will never bear fruit or come back to Canada.

I'm sure that this isn’t the convo you wanted Brad, and it doesn’t really fit here, but we should get our own house in order before complaining about the plight of foreigners in the US. We can't argue from a position of financial and resource stability when our own government is trying to tank our economy, livelihoods, patriotism and national pride. All the while driving us into a WEF, globalist, marxist state of existence, overrun by millions of people that don't share our values, draining our social welfare system. <rant off>

The only comment I’ll make here is in regards to the ‘Marxist state’ comment, as I know you’re from Windsor like I am originally, funny that Windsor routinely fields Marxist-Leninist candidates in pretty much every single Federal elections since 1984 onwards.

 

[Baz]

...
But let's not pretend that the Americans did this out of some sense of charity. They spent on their military and foreign policy to maintain their global power and influence. And even now as they are supposedly pulling back from Europe, it's not like more money is going to services that help the average American.
...

This.

The US wasn't just defending the free world. They were creating the conditions for their form of capitalism. Which benefitted mostly them.

They also weren't paying for NATO to be nice (and they were paying for it). They were paying for it so they could control it. And thereby control Europe.

Reading over the National Security Policy it becomes obvious that the administration absolutely does not get it. Especially the part that other countries "Making America Great Again" for the privelege of doing business with them is counterintuitive. Why not just make someone else great again and do business with them.

The repeated calls to "enlist" and "expand" friends seem to be invariably followed by once your our friend, and you increase your defence spending, we expect you to purchase your military stuff from us.

Even the anti-wokism calls... talk about playing to your base via international policy.

 

[Czech_pivo]

There's a specific turning point in all the polling that you can identify when America broke. 2003. Before the invasion of Iraq most polls said America was moving in the right direction.. Post-invasion Americans haven't had a single year where those polls said the country was moving in the right direction.

Iraq is the gift that keeps on giving. And unfortunately all the people involved in selling that terrible decision were mostly rehabilitated in public. Just imagine what the trillions wasted on Iraq could have done for the average American. Or how Afghanistan would have turned out if the Americans weren't distracted with Iraq.

It all leads back to my comment on Yellow cake uranium and Niger.

 

[Czech_pivo]

This.

The US wasn't just defending the free world. They were creating the conditions for their form of capitalism. Which benefitted mostly them.

They also weren't paying for NATO to be nice (and they were paying for it). They were paying for it so they could control it. And thereby control Europe.

Reading over the National Security Policy it becomes obvious that the administration absolutely does not get it. Especially the part that other countries "Making America Great Again" for the privelege of doing business with them is counterintuitive. Why not just make someone else great again and do business with them.

The repeated calls to "enlist" and "expand" friends seem to be invariably followed by once your our friend, and you increase your defence spending, we expect you to purchase your military stuff from us.

Even the anti-wokism calls... talk about playing to your base via international policy.

What he said.

 

[ytz]

Reading over the National Security Policy it becomes obvious that the administration absolutely does not get it. Especially the part that other countries "Making America Great Again" for the privelege of doing business with them is counterintuitive. Why not just make someone else great again and do business with them.

It's so ridiculous that it would have been better if they actually didn't publish anything. Imagine the glee in Beijing and Moscow to know that these clowns have completely set aside any consideration of national interest. It's only about their personal business and domestic political interests. The US is finished if this is the long term trend of American politicians.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Which politicians were tied to those items you mentioned? Please provide names?

Edit:
And I’m talking about personal enrichment, not signing off on that crap.

Go back and look for yourself. You don’t need names to know it happened. Some time watching Question Period over the last 10 years shows you it happened.

Trudeau put everything under Cabinet Confidence whenever the heat was turned up.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Curious that Biden is not on the list.

Really accomplished grifters start "foundations" and then use the "foundations" much as some people use their companies to buy "company cars".

The Trudeau Foundation.

 

[ytz]

This.

The US wasn't just defending the free world. They were creating the conditions for their form of capitalism. Which benefitted mostly them.

They also weren't paying for NATO to be nice (and they were paying for it). They were paying for it so they could control it. And thereby control Europe.

Everytime the Americans exported freedom somewhere McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Levis and Nike followed. It's been a minute since the Cold War, but people forget how much of a status symbol American brands were. And everything culturally American. From American cars to Hollywood movies. Even today, the world will watch YouTube videos on their iPhones while sipping Starbucks and flying on a Boeing to their next vacation. Being all about free markets enabled this. But if they become transactional like Russia and China, it's hard to imagine how this kind of model can be sustained.