Posted on 10/06/2020 3:33:15 PM PDT by Olog-hai
Der Spiegel: Who is the greatest threat to the free world at the moment? Russia, China — or Donald Trump?
McMaster: It is certainly the revisionist authoritarian regimes of Russia and China. But maybe even a bigger threat may be the loss of confidence in democratic institutions and processes. This problem existed before Trump. He reflects more than amplifies divisions in our society. Our loss of confidence is due in part to unchecked globalization that left many American workers without jobs. Many felt abandoned by the political establishment. Then came the financial crisis that made a bad situation worse. […]
Der Spiegel: Many of the U.S.’ partners view the man in the White House and not China and Russia as the main threat. According to a poll published just a few months ago, Germans trust Vladimir Putin and Chinese ruler Xi Xinping significantly more than they do Trump. How do you explain this rather sobering finding?
McMaster: I think it expresses a remarkable level of self-loathing and moral equivalency that is the bane of the West these days. We all live in democratic countries. We enjoy the rule of law, a free press and a market economy that rewards initiative — and at the same time, we fail to recognize how much autocratic countries stifle human freedom. […]
…There is a strange tendency in the U.S. to hold Trump responsible for all evil. He certainly contributed to the division in American society, but he is more a symptom than the cause. If Republicans and Democrats are constantly at each other’s throats, we will not be able to solve our country’s most pressing problems or strengthen our response to adversaries. …
(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...
Here’s a couple I found:
Trump’s tweet about Pelosi: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3891153/posts
Announcement that negotiations called off until after the election: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3891147/posts
Enjoy!
The division in this country is the MSM vitriol, hatred and rage for Trump the media is 1000% responsible for the division in the country!! Trump has done NOTHING to create this division NOTHING!! Obama was FAR MORE divisive!!
I guess Coop is right. Even the guy who posted the article didn’t bother to read it.
Actually, I did.
Do you believe that there was a conspiracy by Breitbart and Steve Bannon to get McMaster fired?
Yes!Its called a mental illness. Trump Derangement Syndrome.
I see your points- but actually, I think the president IS a symptom, or reflection, of our country, four years ago AND today. Trump wouldn’t have been elected without a profound disgust on the part of millions of us with our government. He reflects our extreme frustration with the status quo. A Romney or McCain or Bush would have lost to Hillary.
As far as wanting to see cooperation between the two parties McMaster may not realize how deep the divide has become.
Der Spiegel did what the media does- ask leading questions hoping for reaction.
I’m not a huge fan of McMaster, but given the hysteria we see from many public figures, he seemed reasonable to me.
Gee, it's almost as if he's a symptom, not the cause.
You might be on to something here.
That distorts what Trump is about and has achieved.
Never mind McMaster being mendacious about Republicans and Democrats being “at each other’s throats” when they cooperated from 2017 to 2019 to stymie Trump’s promises.
If there was a divide, then Paul Ryan would have been behind Trump 100 percent and very grateful for his support.
It’s good that McMaster did not take the bait with many questions, but he was not as defensive of the USA as he could (should) have been.
I read through the entire interview and concur with most all of how LTG McMaster answers the questions. I had my doubts about our quick with drawl from Europe, especially after Putin came into power.
McMaster got caught by the trap laid in the 3d question from the end, because I don’t think he has realized that the Dems are screaming that lie, because if Trump would say so, as Rush says, they would broadcast it as announcement by the President that he can’t win re-election:
“DER SPIEGEL: Are you not to blame if you refuse to warn against a president who clearly has no respect for the democratic rules and who does not even want to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power in the event that he loses?
“McMaster: I clearly condemned the president’s words. They are wrong and a danger to our democracy.”
Yes, the “democracy” canard. The USA is a republic.
That makes me believe that McMaster was not caught in a trap there. He most likely actually believes that.
I concur per leading questions, but a good interview answers overall with the exception I mentioned. See my post #30.
Absolutely true, but in context McMaster was talking about between the parties.
The trap I alluded to was this portion of the last question “...who does not even want to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power in the event that he loses?”
All my lib relatives are Constantly citing the great HR McMaster on Facebook as evidence of Trump being unfit to be president. I despise him. Opportunist bullshit peddler. That is all.
Mc Master and his deep state ilk are the reason for “the divide”.
Hot Civil War will equal a bullet in your head McMasters.
Exactly.
It’d be a trap if McMaster replied in a fashion that made him seem like he was on the defense, but instead he was readily openly critical of the President.
And his use of the word “democracy” makes him look to be on the left side of the equation, particularly lacking any attempt to demonstrate the distinction between democracies and republics.
It is certainly a loaded question.
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