In a marvelous display of hypocrisy, even for a thrice married family values candidate, Newt Gingrich was for the Libya no-fly zone, before he was against it. Let’s watch the videotape:
Even by Gingrich standards this was a pretty quick about face.
The other GOP candidate rising in the current polls is Donald Trump, also coincidentally thrice married. Is there a pattern here? It says something about the lack of enthusiasm regarding the Republican field that a reality TV star is favored by 10% of voters. I guess it’s a sign of progress from 2008 when a TV star in fake shows, Fred Thompson, generated excitement among primary voters until he actually , you know, ran.
Trump may be the ultimate snake oil salesman in the field of potential candidates. He wants to run based on his ability to create jobs and turn the economy around, something the Republicans claim to be good at.
Yet this is a man who has twice led casino companies into bankruptcy. In the process Trump, the champion of the working man, stiffed his suppliers and contractors who received less than 10 cents on the dollar for the work they did to build the Trump Taj Mahal. Casinos are the greatest license to print money since Bernie Madoff’s Rolodex yet “The Donald” managed to lose money at this endeavor; and now he wants to do the same for America?
- Would you buy a used steak from this man?
A few years ago Trump sold his own line of steaks. Now he’s just progressed from selling bulls to bullshit. Hopefully America isn’t buying.
For the Republicans to take back the White House they need a candidate who has core beliefs and sticks to them. To get the vote of Independents like me, those core beliefs have to go beyond “if Obama is for it, them I’m against it.”
You’re all wet about Donald Trump. You take pieces of his business life and knock his failures. Meanwhile, he’s a billionaire, so he must know something about finance and economics. It’s as though you labeled Warren Buffet a fraud because his Berkshire Hathaway went down more than 50% in the 2008 market correction.
More important – Donald knows how to do the math, which you and most politicians do not. The US trade deficit is about 500 billion dollars. Most of it to China. Each 100 billion dollars of trade deficit is a loss of one million jobs. If we cut out our trade deficit, we would gain five million jobs and thus bring back prosperity. All it takes is the raising of tarrifs where necessary.
Donsld Trump is the only political figure who advocates this and thus the only one who will bring America back.
He says frankly that China is laughing at us all the way to the bank as they export everything to the US. We simply repeat the false mantra, “international trade”. This has brought us thegreatest recession.
Do the math.
Irving Gerber
Posted by Irving Gerber | March 24, 2011, 9:03 pmI wasn’t aware that Berkshire Hathaway had declared bankruptcy twice, I must have missed it. How much of Trump’s “billionaire” status is borrowed on margin? Billionaire status alone does not qualify one for president, Mark Cuban comes to mind. Trump is an entertaining buffoon, but still a buffoon. But thanks for your comments.
Posted by Thomas | March 24, 2011, 10:08 pm(Trump started out with a large inheritance from his father.)
I suppose Irving, you compare him to Buffet (no comparison, sorry) cuz Buffet is a Democrat?
In any case, Trump isn’t running. Trump is chasing free publicilty. He knows our cable media lacks news judgement and he uses that. He plays them. It’s about him. It always is. Further, anyone with such appalling taste shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the White House. He’d gild the drainpipes!
Posted by Moe | March 25, 2011, 11:18 amBut the First Lady would be hotter so that would get a few votes.
Posted by Thomas | March 25, 2011, 3:16 pmFunny thing how the replies to my blog about Donald Trump concentrate on his publicity seeking, his inheritance, his narcissism etc., but ignore the fact that he is wise enough to know that our huge unemployment numbers, fifteen million or more, can be attributed to one thing, we don’t make things in the US any more. If we don’t make TV sets, computers, most electronic devices, clothing, steel products, etc., there’s no work, no jobs.
Why President Obama can’t see that, why Congress can’t see it, why the “Freakin” bloggers can’t see it,is a mystery. Why are Germany and China enjoying full employment and an economic annual growth rate two to five times ours? Simple, they have trade surpluses,we have a five hundred billion dollar trade deficit. Their people are making things and exporting them. We are importing everything. You don’t need workers to import things. One outrageous example – Hewlett-Packard closed factories in the US putting thousands out of jobs, and reopened the factories overseas. They are now importing their own computers into the US. Do you think China would allow them to do this? Only our feckless, lobbyist controlled politicians allow it.
If Obama would do the math (one hundred billion dollars of trade deficit equals one million lost jobs) he would institute tarrifs which would start factories humming in America. Only Donald Trump and Ross Perot have spoken out forcefi;;y on this trade defifit problem. That’s why Trump is the candidate who will get us out of the recession. I don’t care how he fixes his hair or he names everything after himself. I care that he sees that jobs are our main problem,and is the only one who has the solution.
President Obama and Congress are obsessed with their mantra, “only international trade will bring prosperity”. Note how much prosperity it has brought us.
Irving Gerber
Posted by Irving Gerber | March 25, 2011, 2:32 pmPerhaps you should start a blog to get your message out there. It is a lot of fun. As to Trump, I am not a single issue voter. Plus I never even mentioned his hair.
Posted by Thomas | March 25, 2011, 3:13 pm[he is wise enough to know that our huge unemployment numbers, fifteen million or more, can be attributed to one thing, we don’t make things in the US any more.]
Irving – I can’t think of a public figure in the last decade who hasn’t lamented this fact. You credit Trump for joining in the conventional wisdom? That’s a pretty low bar.
And neither Thomas nor I mentioned his hair, although . . .
Posted by Moe | March 25, 2011, 4:22 pmI must reply more directly to Thomas and Moe who were kind enough to reply to me.
Thomas — I never said billionaire status qualifies one for the presidency. I said it means Trump understands economics and finance.
If you call a man a buffoon give some meaningful examples of what he did to show buffoonery. Something important and more far reaching than three marriages or involvement in a steak enterprise which some look at as buffoonery.
You may not be a single issue voter, but to all of America, huge unemployment is the single most important issue, with others in a minor capacity. If Obama loses in 2012 it will be because he was too dumb to take effective action against unemployment. Remember Clinton’s mantra, “It’s the economy stupid.”
Moe– I never compared Trump to Buffet. I pointed out that losing money in an enterprise is a natural occurrence with smart investors and gave an example using Buffet.
To use taste as a criterion for the White House is as
silly as using height or good looks. Stick to salient issues.
Yes, Trump seeks publicity. But publicity is often the lifeblood of success in business as well as politics.
As for the issue of trade deficits, to use your own words, “I can’t think of a public figure who hasn’t lamented the fact.” That’s the point – they all lament the fact of trade deficits, but like Obama, they do nothing. I was impressed with Trump because he will take action, he will raise tarrifs to eliminate the deficits and give us millions of more jobs. Obama and others lack the courage. They are afraid of being labeled isolationists, anti-trade advocates. Obama prefers to plead with the Chinese to raise the value of their currency and to give their president a state dinner. Note how effective that has been.
Irving Gerber
Posted by Irving Gerber | March 25, 2011, 5:34 pm