Donald Trump wants a trophy for fixing the things that he broke. He's now looking at extending the Affordable Care Act, after our country suffered its longest shutdown in history. We're bonusing Air Traffic Controllers, after Musk decimated the system with DOGE. We're relaxing tariffs on foodstuffs from South America, after their flow was hampered by his wily nilly tariffs.
He tore down the East Wing, and now even his architect is becoming less than proud of the plans. Here on this blog, the partisans continue to defend the policies more, and the man less. They read the polls, and see the writing on the wall.
In this last local election, they got Charlie Dent to endorse Roger MacLean on their last mailing. It wasn't that many years ago that they were calling Dent a RINO, for not thinking that Trump could walk on water. Don't expect Ryan Mackenzie to seek Trump's endorsement by the 2026 midterms.
I'm not here to be polite or popular
I think by far the most disturbing thing Trump has done in this second term as President is that he has promoted the idea that the United States supports the transfer of soverign territory, and the lives of the millions of people who live in that territory from a democracy to a dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteThis is what Trump, through his envoy Steve Witkoff has proposed to the Russians in exchange for them halting their invasion of Ukraine.
Never before in the history of the United States has ending the freedom for millions of people become our national policy.
I am of course referring to Trump's proposal that Ukraine give land in exchange for the Russian invaders to stop invading and sending missiles and drones into Ukrainian cities, a war crime, killing innocent men, women, and children.
Russia, in exchange would surrrender $200 billion of its investments in western banks, currently frozen by financial sanctions, to a fund jointly managed by the United States and Ukraine for reconstruction of Ukraine's infastructure. In this arrangement, Trump, though his company and other countries which the Trump Oranization influences (Trump himself has severed his relationship with his former company, however his sons have not) would benifit from these contracts financially.
Remember, with Trump, it is always a 'deal'. In this case, it is a buisness deal.
Trading people's lives and their freedoms to make a buisness deal is quite vile and revolting. The United States has always stood for peace and freedom in the world. Not trading people's freedoms for financial gain.
Brent, I could switch out the words Russia for Ukraine and Zelenskyy for Trump. There's plenty of context to support that view, too.
DeleteI hear no alternatives, how about a move to have congress declare war on Russia? How about reinstating the draft to prepare for war with Russia?
DeleteLets hear some real alternatives to now save Ukraine from the mess that originated in Washington and London and has now gone very bad.
I expect silence, because this is an existential threat for Russia but not for Washington or London.
This situation was fueled by Hubris and delusion and it is going to end badly for Ukraine.
While you may feel better blaming it on Trump, it will not change the outcome.
Perhaps Brent can describe details on the Ukraine/Russia proposals sent out by the European Union. Those nations have been actively involved, too.
DeleteI'd like to see America back off here and let the European Union take charge. They won't.
@7:49 I'm not really concerned about what the Europeans do or do not do. @5:52 Everyone has a vew about Zelinskyy. And Ray@7:03 There are lots of alternatives.
DeleteWhat disturbs me is about Donald Trump, as he is our elected leader and his actions. A President of the United States is proposing that the people who live currently in a democracy and in freedom are being told that their land is being traded or given to a dictatorship and your freedom will be given away.
That is a new policy of our nation which throughout its history has always promoted freedom and liberty and democracy. Trump is saying we don't care about those basic values and they can be given away in a deal. They are no longer inviolate and they are no longer values that the United States cares about and can be traded away.
Just what in hell type of a foreign policiy is THAT ? To trade away other people's freedom ? Is that the new policy of the United States ?
It never has been the policy of the United States I was born in and grew up and lived in. Not of my parents, or my grandparents or any of my American ancestors going back to 1732 when the first of my ancestors arrived in Philadelphia from Germany as immigrants.
I find President Trump doing that quite discusting.
Then you advocate war with Russia, that is your option, I still didn't hear another option. You do not like Trump's proposals but offer no alternative.
DeleteNo I am not Ray and kindly do not put words in my mouth.
DeleteWhat I am saying is that Trump is treating other people's liberty and freedom like a commodity which can be barganed or traded. The last time that happened was at the 1938 Munich conference with regards to the Studentenland.
The fact is that Trump wants the Russian invasion of Ukraine off his desk and the war to end. Trump doesn't give a damn about Ukraine and getting them to capitulate is the fastest way to end the war so he can make some money with Putin.
The reality is that Putin is not going to stop his invasion of Ukraine and Zelinskyy is not going to give up any land. This war will continue and people will continue to die until Putin is dead.
If Trump would act Presidential, he would give Ukraine the armament that it needs to win the war and its people can live in peace and freedom.
That's too much to expect from a President that sells his Bitcoins and watches and all of his other Trump trinkets on television to make money. Trump has aleady had his son-in-law dealing and cutting a $2 billion deal with the Saudis, and getting a $400 million jet from the Emeratis. We have never had a President before who wants to make money out of US foreign policy.
Brent, you don't seem to understand, Donald Trump is NOT the one who will sign any final agreement. He's merely throwing out suggestions.
DeleteBrent said: “We have never had a President before who wants to make money out of US foreign policy.”
DeleteBrent - I know you probably don’t remember this because it goes back all the way to 2020-2024, but we had a president who was taking kickbacks on deals that his family members were negotiating deals based on US foreign policy.
It was all exposed when the son’s laptop was left at a computer repair shop and ultimately confiscated by the business owner because of non-payment. That president’s FBI then confiscated the laptop in an attempt to cover it up. But the truth eventually came out.
Again, you may have missed all that since it was all of two years ago, and it doesn’t seem like your memory goes all that far back. But that president’s name was Joe Biden.
As to the Ukraine, here are the alternatives:
1). Arm them with missiles capable of hitting deep into Russia, which will certainly lead to the US and Russia being at war;
2). Continue to arm the Ukraine like we currently are, and continue to watch Ukrainian die as they lose the war of attrition. This will lead to continued losses of land and people by the Ukraine, to the point where Russia will eventually control the entire country; or
3). Try to find some sort of deal that allows the Ukraine to survive in some manner.
All Trump is doing is trying to facilitate Option 3, and it’s ultimately up to Zelensky and the Ukrainians to accept or reject any proposal.
Last I hear the Russians put forth their plan to the US, who then took it to the Ukrainians. They rejected that and came up with their own plan, which the Russians rejected.
No agreement yet, but the only way to get to one is to have the two sides talking about what they want. So I don’t see how you can fault Trump for trying.
With all due respect, Mr. Moll, your views on the peaches and cream history of U.S. foreign policy is the stuff of pure fiction. It doesn’t hold up under the most casual scrutiny.
DeleteUkraine cannot win, and if we go to their aid, we will end in a nuclear confrontation. Russia's history with the French, Napoleon, the British Crimean war, and Germany ww2 made it clear to anyone willing to be objective, that Russia will never tolerate NATO in Ukraine, western troops in Ukraine or western missiles in Ukraine. Just as we would not tolerate the reverse in Canada or Mexico or Cuba.
DeleteIt is not Putin's policy, it is Russia's policy. It will continue to be the policy.
Our genius foreign policy experts and intelligence all knew this was the case, but believed they could prevail, but they cannot, without all out WW3.
Nuland, McCain and Graham did not give a damn about he dead Ukrainians, they were a disposable tool for their foreign policy dreams.
I still only hear platitudes and complaints, no alternative solutions.
I suspect this war will not end by negotiations, but by unconditional surrender. Putin's deal before the war was the best, the deal in April 2022 was good, and Trumps deal will look good when this is all over. Ukraine will exist, but much smaller and likely landlocked. They will indeed fight to the last Ukrainian.
DeleteCalm down!
ReplyDeletePolitics everywhere in the world IS dealmaking. You are criticizing a multi-page, still under development, document you don't have in hand, nor read in entirety. Whatever the final document looks like will be agreed to exclusively by Ukraine and Russia. The United States is merely making suggestions and trying to keep the dialogue between those two nations going.
There will be a negotiated settlement now or there will be a negotiation settlement later after thousands more die. Ukraine can’t continue its losing effort even with the support of NATO and all the slightly outdated US, MIC, weaponry.
DeleteUkraine is playing a losing hand and ultimately the political settlement will reflect that.
This was supposed to be Hillary’s proxy war against Russia.
ReplyDeletePity.
Kiev was the first capital of the Rus.
ReplyDeleteThe Russians lost a few million people driving the Nazis out of the Ukraine.
As for the Crimea consider the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War and the Second Siege of Sevastopol in WWII.
Crimea has always been Russian.
The West, ie the United States, has consistently lied about pushing NATO east, now Ukraine pays the piper for U.S. and E.U. hubris.
The Democrats played chicken with the only legitimate policy gambit they have, health care. (Identity Politics and DEI can only get the party so far.)
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats blinked.
That’s obvious.
Obama Care, National RomneyCare, conceived by Bob Dole, is preforming precisely as designed - a profit center NOT a care center. It’s been a sop for Big Insurance from jump street.
It IS the Republican plan.
Has the ACA benefited some people?
Certainly.
It’s got winners and losers and sustainably was never baked in.
As Biden was finishing his term over 28 million Americans had zero health insurance.
Zero.
Where was the wailing and the nashing of teeth then?
(Yes, Jill Stein cared.)
Millions more had insurance with high premiums and draconian copayments which effectively eliminated their access to necessary health care even though they were “insured “.
Medical bankruptcy continued.
I voted for Buck Hemphill for DA in NORCO,
1972. Bob Lovett for Mayor of Allentown and for one Republican for POTOS one time.
I always vote.
Always.
I was at the Democratic Party Philadelphia Convention in 2016. I finally reregistered Independent when I returned home.
It’s difficult to dismiss me as a “partisan Republican”.
mj adams
At some point, we all need to understand how CORRUPT the nation of Ukraine has been. Ever since the Obama Administration, and possibly earlier, Ukraine has been used to MONEY LAUNDER foreign aid dollars back into the personal hands of their own criminal leaders and politicians here in America! The same money transfer scheme was used with other politicians in several NATO countries.
ReplyDeleteMany in our dysfunctional American Congress from BOTH political parties DO NOT want the Ukraine/Russia war to end! The lives lost over there are not the big concern for these types of Representatives and Senators!
Get it now?
Arm the Ukrainians at the least. Obama and the European block failed to aid Ukraine and Trump is failing them now. In 1994 Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons, which were inherited from the Soviet Union. This was part of the Budapest Memorandum, where Ukraine transferred its nuclear warheads to Russia for dismantlement in exchange for security assurances from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia.
ReplyDeleteWe are showing that our word is as worthless as Russia's. Now we want the Ukrainian's to negotiate with those whose promises are not kept. Fool me once?
Perhaps the Ukrainians memory of how Stalin starved millions to death have kept them fighting with the realization that there will be another genocide of their people if they surrender. What options do they have but to fight for survival or lay down and die? And if our promises to stand up for other countries is worthless, how long will it be before we are standing alone?
Millions of Russians died to push the Nazis out of the Ukraine.
DeleteThe Red Army won WWII.
Kiev was the first capital of the Rus.
The Donbas region of Ukraine is overwhelmingly Russian ethnics and Russian language speaking.
Putin repeatedly warned the West agains pushing NATO east and the West repeatedly promised that it would not push NATO east.
Victoria Nuland is a war criminal.
Actual history doesn’t matter to these lightweights. So long as they can create in their own mind another avenue to attack Trump, anything goes!
DeleteRepeated Liberal PROPAGANDA has taken hold of America.
Of “our word” had any integrity the West would not have continued to push NATO east.
ReplyDeleteYour trust in the honesty of the US, NATO and the West is precious.
That the West’s word is worthless has been absolutely confirmed for many decades.
However tenuous Trump has brokered a ceasefire in Gaza and he has no signature war.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Germans first invaded Russia thru Ukraine they were welcomed as liberators from Stalins policies. Only after it became obvious the Nazis regarded Slavs as subhuman and the atrocities against intellectuals, political figures, Jews, Ukrainian nationalists and others did partisan restiance groups start fighting the Germans before the Red Army counterattack. There have always been Ukrainian nationalists who yearned for a non Russian or Soviet control.
ReplyDelete