Plan B Forum

This makes so much sense, I have to share it.

This was originally a Twitter thread. I found it posted on Facebook as a series of images of a series of tweets and I went to Twitter and scrolled backwards through Matthew Chapman's numerous tweets until I found the ones in this thread. I hate hate HATE *HATE* the very concept of a "Twitter thread" and the way it converts a series of connected thoughts into a series of disconnected sentences (but that's another rant for another time)...so I've copied and combined the individual parts (and added emphasis) to make it into a more coherent whole:

• Matthew Chapman wrote:
  Believe it or not, Trump's insane proclamation that he will keep tariffs in place until there are no more Mercedes on Fifth Avenue gave me a moment of clarity.
  
  I think I finally understand Trump's economic philosophy now. And we are absolutely screwed.
  
  The one thing that you need to understand about Trump is that he is, at his core, a con man with no empathy. Therefore, he assumes that all other people are also con men with no empathy, and every exchange of goods and services that exists in the world is, on some level, a con.
  
  Trump assumes every transaction in the world — between people, businesses, nation-states, even between two different agencies of the same government — has a winner and a loser, a scammer and a sucker. He believes if you're not ripping someone off, you're getting ripped off.
  
  From an economist's perspective, this is complete nonsense. Unless there are major information asymmetries or distortions of market power, and often even then, most transactions are generally to the mutual benefit of both parties. Otherwise no deals would ever get made.
  
  But Trump — the man who created a fake university, stiffed contractors, hired the mob, and filed for bankruptcy six times — cannot believe this.
  
  So he goes out of his way to cherrypick how he sees the world, so that everything we do looks like either a ripoff or a steal. It's not simply that Trump *doesn't* think the Paris Climate Agreement, Iran nuclear deal, TPP, NAFTA, or luxury cars from Germany are a good deal for America. It's that he *can't* think that. It's an alien concept to him that a deal other people want with us could also help us.
  
  To Trump's mind, the mere fact other countries sought out these deals with us, and that their own economies benefit, is unassailable proof we got ripped off. He can't see the evidence they helped us too. His mind will only cherry-pick potential ways it could be bad for us.
  
  This is why Trump will never, ever, be able to negotiate with the rest of the world. He doesn't believe in mutual benefit. The second anyone tells him "this is your end of the deal" he'll rip it up. He believes only one party can have an end of the deal, and it shouldn't be him.
  
  So folks, I hate to tell you this, but he's only getting started.
  
  He will forego billions, maybe trillions, of dollars in world trade. He will forego bilateral security agreements. And if he ever gets something from another nation it will be by force.
  
  As I said: we're screwed.
  
  And we're not just screwed on foreign policy, but domestic. This explains his behavior over DACA, spiking two bipartisan deals even though they were what he asked for. He assumed if Democrats were willing to talk, his deal wasn't ripping them off, ergo it would rip him off.
  
  That implies if Democrats win Congress, we are going to enter an all-out legislative standstill like we've never before seen. Our system is entirely reliant on compromise and compromise isn't compatible with Trump's beliefs. We will struggle to pass even basic reauthorizations.
  
  So yeah: our nightmare is not going to end until we get this pathological con man out of office.
  
  He is not just bad at being president, he has a defective way of seeing the world that is not compatible with being president.
  
  And we will pay for it.

Sadly, that looks like an excellent analysis...

Yet Drumpf's core base -- 24% -- remains unfazed.

Lord Dampnut's approval rating with probably skyrocket after his meeting with North Korean dictator, Menta Lee Il, today.

I bet the Nobel Piece Prize is back up for grabs, too.

Sad.

And I see no way out. The Trump machine (I think it is fair to call it that now) is in control. His daughter and son-in-law pulled in $82 mill while in their first year as public servants. POTUS has not, now will he ever, make public his tax returns. Kim offered to build a Trump hotel/resort in North Korea. Congress will not pass anything to his desk he does not want. Gerrymandering is almost universally organized to the GOP.

And the true-believers agree with Sean Hanity--they will continue to believe the holy savior, despite any quantity of facts to the contrary.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/joh ... 52063.html

John Oliver ‘Last Week Tonight’ on the complete separation from reality by Trump supporters

snailgate, in his pessimistic old coot persona.

From Robert Reich (on Facebook):

• Trump promised to be America’s dealmaker in chief, touting his “extraordinary” ability to negotiate. But so far – whether he’s dealing with foreign governments or with Congress – Trump has shown that he can’t make a deal. Here’s the list of no-deals:
  
  1. No deal with North Korea. Following his summit with Kim Jong Un, Trump declared on Twitter that “there is no longer a nuclear threat” from North Korea. But in fact, there’s no deal. Kim conceded nothing on weapons and missile programs. Recent satellite imagery shows the North is actually improving its nuclear capability.
  
  2. No deal on NAFTA. Mexico and Canada won’t budge.
  
  3. No deal with China on trade. Instead, we’re on the brink of a trade war with China, which is retaliating against U.S. tariffs.
  
  4. No deal on steel and aluminum imports. Europe has imposed retaliatory tariffs on several products exported from the U.S. to Europe.
  
  5. No deal to save jobs at Carrier. Since Trump promised to save jobs at Carrier’s Indianapolis plant, the company has outsourced hundreds of jobs to Mexico.
  
  6. No deal on Syria.
  
  7. No deal on Russia. Even though Trump and Putin will soon meet, Trump has given away any bargaining leverage by playing right into his hands.
  
  8. No deal on Iran. Trump announced America’s exit from Iran nuclear deal. Since then, no negotiations.
  
  9. No deal on climate change. Trump simply pulled out of the Paris accords. There have been no negotiations since.
  
  10. No deal on Cuba. Last year, Trump reinstated travel and trade restrictions on the island nation lifted by the Obama administration, promising to strike a better relationship. Since then, talks have gone nowhere.
  
  11. No deal with Group of 7 leading economic powers.
  
  12. No deal on DACA or immigration. Trump promised to sign what he called a "bill of love" to extend protections for DREAMers. No deal.
  
  13. No budget deal. Trump promised he wasn’t “going to cut Social Security like every other Republican and I’m not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid.” But he has proposed cutting Social Security disability programs, Medicare, and Medicaid, all while increasing the federal deficit. So far, no deal on any of this.
  
  14. No deal on replacing the Affordable Care Act. Trump and the Republican Congress never agreed to a new plan.
  
  15. No deal on gun control. After the Parkland shooting, Trump promised to tighten background checks for gun buyers and said he’d consider raising the age for buying certain types of guns. Instead, he bowed to the NRA.
  
  Bottom line: Trump can’t make deals. He can only pull out of deals already made, or pretend he’s made deals that soon evaporate. He’s perfected the art of the no deal.

RayThom wrote:Yet Drumpf's core base -- 24% -- remains unfazed.

Lord Dampnut's approval rating with probably skyrocket after his meeting with North Korean dictator, Menta Lee Il, today.

I bet the Nobel Piece Prize is back up for grabs, too.

Sad.

I thought America worked on the principle of majority rule, while still respecting the rights of the minority.  So tell me how (or why) it is that 'We the People of the United States of America' are letting someone that 76% of the people — that's three out of every four persons — do NOT support run this country into the ground.

We took up arms against King George and ran him and the redcoats (hmmmm..... red is also the color representing the Republicans, too — interesting, no?) outta town for the same sort of shit that Trumpty-Dumpty and his red hats (there's that color again) claims will "Make America Great Again".  How long before the 76% takes up the pen — which we are told is mightier than the sword — and through the power of the ballot sends Trump, his lackeys and toadies, and their disruptive and divisive policies packing as well?

-"BB"-

is that the "new math"

must be Common Core

thanks Obama.....

He can only pull out of deals already made, or pretend he’s made deals that soon evaporate.

He's also perfected "The Art Of Make Concessions And Get Nothing In Return"

(Obama was also pretty good at that, but Trump is even better...)