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I Watched Donald Trump Blow A Hole Through The European Elite’s Minds
The Federalist ^ | 11-17-16 | Anonymous

Posted on 11/17/2016 7:46:37 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic

I work in the former industrial heartland of America in operations management for an iconic American brand owned now by a multinational, European-headquartered company. About a year ago, we were informed that our plant and city would host the yearly operations conference and achievement awards for the division to which we belong. Three hundred executive-level guests from all over the world, Asia, South America, and Europe would descend upon the aging brownfield facility we had turned into a state-of-the-art manufacturing showplace. I am proud of this place, and was thrilled at the news. Just five years ago, I was down in Mexico planning the logistics for the plant that was slated to replace ours by the early 2020s. Through hard work and lean methodologies, however, we rejected that fate—and with a unionized workforce.

The world was now coming to us to figure out our recipe. There was just one problem: The conference was scheduled for November 9 and 10, 2016. I begged and pleaded with my Western European colleagues and superiors, “Can’t we do this a week earlier? A month later or earlier?” I held back on the reason for my hesitation, but finally was forced to admit it, “The U.S. presidential election is scheduled for that week—and you know politics doesn’t always make for a great backdrop.” They told me the date was impossible to move, so I threw myself into the prep work.

“Of all the people in the United States, he was the best the Right could do?” I thought. “How can I in good conscience vote for this joker?” Around drinks one night that week, my European colleagues began to “jammer.” “What a joke—can you imagine Trump standing at a podium next to Merkel?” “Have the Americans gone mad?” “He’s an entertainer. He will ruin the...

(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 201611; business; europeanelites; rustbelt; trump; trumpforeignpolicy; trumptransition
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Best line:" Looking out on a valley in the Schwarzwald surrounded by posh European men with pants tight enough to ensure they could never procreate, my mind embraced Donald Trump.
1 posted on 11/17/2016 7:46:37 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

This reminds me of when I was an exchange student in Germany in 1984. I was at a party with a bunch of German adults and they were asking me about the election. They though Jackson was going to win. They really didn’t think Reagan was going to win and thought Americans were going to vote for Jesse Jackson. It was surreal.


2 posted on 11/17/2016 7:53:45 AM PST by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: afraidfortherepublic

I loved how the farmers from a small Midwestern town talking at coffee hour at the Luthern Church were elated about the win. They had beaten the liberal elites and it felt good.


3 posted on 11/17/2016 7:53:47 AM PST by WashingtonSource
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Great article! Thanks for posting it!


4 posted on 11/17/2016 7:55:55 AM PST by sneakers (It's DEMOCRAT - and not DemocratIC. There's nothing Democratic about the DEMOCRAT party)
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To: WashingtonSource
I loved how the farmers from a small Midwestern town talking at coffee hour at the Luthern Church were elated about the win. They had beaten the liberal elites and it felt good.

It sounds just like my husband's Monday morning Men's Group meetings at the Catholic Church.

5 posted on 11/17/2016 7:58:55 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic ( “Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them.”)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
an iconic American brand owned now by a multinational, European-headquartered company.

What is 'InBev'?


6 posted on 11/17/2016 8:02:37 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: afraidfortherepublic

This article almost perfectly captures the disdain the average European businessman has for average Americans.

I used to work for an American subsidiary of a Swiss Company. The self pride and arrogance of these people know no bounds. We’re just a bunch of stupid cowboys. (they didn’t seem to notice that in the 18 years I was there, my division of the company went from $2mm to almost $300mm in sales)

I hope all these Eurotwits get their collective attitudes handed to them and I hope it hurts


7 posted on 11/17/2016 8:07:11 AM PST by cyclotic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

A good story.


8 posted on 11/17/2016 8:07:59 AM PST by karnage
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To: afraidfortherepublic

They will be taken over by Islam and become dhimmis or be killed in a few decades at this rate. They need to remember that the Crusades were for a damn good reason.


9 posted on 11/17/2016 8:12:43 AM PST by Vaquero ( Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
I sent two of our most talented people to pick our guest of honor, a board member and head of our division, up from his private plane. He glossed over them, thinking them hired drivers (as if I could find multilingual chauffeurs with advanced degrees in international business to drive company cars anywhere). When he arrived, he also began to complain about our ridiculous presidential choice.

Speaks volumes about those in power, but says nothing positive.

I've no real desire to rise above my current position in my company. However, should events conspire to have that happen, there's absolutely no way I would become like this man. People like him make me ashamed to be in management.

And I would never, ever mention politics at work, even though I suspect most of the people I work with would agree with me. And to go to another country, and have the chutzpah to complain about *their* politics? Bossman sounds like a arrogant ********.

Otherwise, an interesting article. Sounds like the author is a local honcho in a really big company.

10 posted on 11/17/2016 8:13:50 AM PST by wbill
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To: afraidfortherepublic

That tight pants thing, euw, explains a LOT.


11 posted on 11/17/2016 8:19:29 AM PST by mewzilla (I'll vote for the first guy who promises to mail in his SOTU addresses.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
...You have all heard the results—but the sun still rose this morning.” I immediately texted my boss, with whom I shared a secret support of Trump: “And it was somehow brighter and the air smelled like freedom.”

nailed the landing. 10.0
12 posted on 11/17/2016 8:21:32 AM PST by stylin19a (obama = Fredo smart)
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To: Buckeye McFrog
What is 'InBev'?

That was the name that came to my mind also.

13 posted on 11/17/2016 8:27:17 AM PST by Steely Tom ([VOTE FRAUD] == [CIVIL WAR])
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Great stuff!


14 posted on 11/17/2016 8:30:24 AM PST by SaxxonWoods (Ride To The Sound Of The Guns)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Watching 70- and 80-year-olds high-fiving one another had me laughing. Seeing their pride restored because they had struck a blow to restore the American identity also made me cry a bit, too.

*****************************************************

I know one 94 year old WWII vet who was mighty happy .... if Hilly had won, I think he would have been so overcome by depression that he wouldn't have been much longer on this earth. Seriously.

15 posted on 11/17/2016 8:32:37 AM PST by Qiviut (In Islam you have to die for Allah. The God I worship died for me. [Franklin Graham])
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To: WashingtonSource

“...Lutheran Church...”

The fact that this happened at a Lutheran Church speaks volumes to me. I, too, am a Lutheran but out here on the left coast, the ELCA is dominated by liberals and homosexuals who have embraced the left-wing and its agenda “hook, line and sinker.” It has gotten to the point where I prefer to attend Catholic services rather than Lutheran because I can’t stand to listen to the left-wing, limousine liberal zealots during coffee hour after church.

My point is that even though they belong to the same Christian sect, West Coast Lutherans and Flyover Country Lutherans couldn’t be more different.


16 posted on 11/17/2016 8:34:56 AM PST by Roger Kaputnik (Just because I'm paranoid doesn't prove that they aren't out to get me.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
I was quietly jubilant. A colleague from North Carolina slapped me on the back and said, “It’s gonna happen!”

this is my favorite part... it was my experience election night as state after state was called for DT... i am one of a handful of Conservatives in a large mega-family of Liberals... in the days following the election, my niece, who is from North Carolina and my best friend, was visiting us in California... she and i from time-to-time would look at each other and jubilantly say, "He did it! He won!" But we didn't say it too loud... we didn't want to gloat... :)

17 posted on 11/17/2016 8:42:28 AM PST by latina4dubya (when i have money i buy books... if i have anything left i buy 6-inch heels and a bottle of wine...)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

“... Through hard work and lean methodologies, however, we rejected that fate—and with a unionized workforce....”

Saved a plant and hundreds of families

Now thats a Hero !


18 posted on 11/17/2016 8:52:08 AM PST by vooch
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To: wbill; afraidfortherepublic

I read quite a few of the comments and I was impressed. There wasn’t a single name calling idiot amongst them. That’s a nice change from FR’s normal thread pattern.


19 posted on 11/17/2016 9:08:56 AM PST by B4Ranch (Conservatives own 200,000,000 guns and a trillion rounds of ammo. If we were violent you'd know it.)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

My first thought as well but I’m not sure. He talks about a company that caters to providing status symbols to the elite and I don’t think beer fits that description. It might not have been his own company just those attending the conference he mentions so I don’t know.


20 posted on 11/17/2016 9:15:02 AM PST by xp38
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