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What Is the Democratic Alternative to Trump?
RealClear Politics ^ | 22 Aug, 2025 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 08/23/2025 5:22:21 AM PDT by MtnClimber

The Pavlovian Left goes berserk at the mere prospect of each new Trump initiative.

Its escalating reactive venom and hysteria are calibrated to the success of Trump's latest policy.

Yet the new hard-left Democratic Party offers no counter-agenda to explain its furor. Still less do Democrats attempt bipartisan efforts to craft shared legislation.

Take foreign policy.

Democratic senators trashed the recent Trump-Putin Alaskan summit as a failure. Then they became depressed when, just days later, an entourage of European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suddenly flew to the White House.

The Euros praised Trump for offering some sort of negotiated pathway to peace after over three years of war and some 1.5 million dead, wounded, missing, and captured on both sides -- on Europe's doorstep.

So why did Democrats object to such negotiations by Trump?

Was the reason that no such thing occurred during the Biden administration, when Putin invaded Ukraine, after his earlier invasions during the Obama era?

What is the left's alternate plan? The old Biden idea of supplying Ukraine with enough money and arms to keep fighting and dying, but with no path to either victory or a negotiated peace?

Would they prefer a fourth, fifth, or sixth year of war, or an additional one million casualties?

The more Trump pressed almost all NATO members to pay their promised two percent of GDP on defense, the more Democrats grew irate over Trump's overseas influence.

NATO members now want to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP and gush that Trump is "Daddy."

Democrats steamed at that, since Europeans are supposed to hate Trump, not admire him for rebooting NATO.

Would they prefer the old, disarmed NATO?

Under the Biden administration, over 10 million illegal aliens flooded the country, sometimes 10,000 a day at the southern border.

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


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bloggers; vdh; victordavishanson
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1 posted on 08/23/2025 5:22:21 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: texas booster

VDH ping


2 posted on 08/23/2025 5:22:46 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Mayor Buttplug...of course


3 posted on 08/23/2025 5:23:21 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Import The Third World,Become The Third World)
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To: MtnClimber

Their alternative??? LOL. Hari-Kari and we should assist them by providing them the blades.


4 posted on 08/23/2025 5:27:16 AM PDT by lgjhn23 ("On the 8th day, Satan created the progressive liberal to destroy all the good that God created...")
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To: MtnClimber

Yes, what would be the alternative to bringing jobs back to America along with law and order? Hmmmm


5 posted on 08/23/2025 5:31:33 AM PDT by albie
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To: MtnClimber

Democrats are hanging on the hope that one more round of anti Trump hate and historical mid term election gains will put them back in the cat bird seat. As reported on TV Democrat focus groups are telling politicians that they don’t hate Trump and MAGA enough.


6 posted on 08/23/2025 5:36:07 AM PDT by DeplorablePaul
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To: MtnClimber

“What Is the Democratic Alternative to Trump?”

A socialist Democrat controlled government forever.


7 posted on 08/23/2025 5:37:33 AM PDT by antidemoncrat
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To: MtnClimber

Much of the post WWII democrat directed foreign policy was naive and misguided, but everything collapsed when the collapse of the Soviet Union undermined the career prospects of all of the Soviet studies PhD who became irrelevant unless we could keep the Russia is a threat to our vital national security affairs going. That sad sack Bolton is a cautionary tale about all of them. It seems that the whole point of the National Security Deep State with their own idea of their constitution protecting them is to prevent a sovereign president from any rapprochement with Russia undermining their “cosa nostra.”


8 posted on 08/23/2025 5:59:18 AM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: 5th MEB; 6ppc; agondonter; Alberta's Child; AndyJackson; Aria; artichokegrower; ...
Ping! Out to the Victor Davis Hanson list

Nothing seems to destroy him -- not the raid on his home, not 93 lawfare indictments, not efforts to strike him from state ballots, not two impeachments, not even two assassination attempts.

An excellent Prof Hanson article for your Saturday morning!

FR Index of his articles: Victor Davis Hanson on FR

Town Hall: Victor Davis Hanson on Town Hall

American Greatness: Victor Davis Hanson on American Greatness

His website: Victor Davis Hanson The Sword of Perseus

One of his sponsors' website: The Daily Signal

Please let me know if you want on or off this new VDH ping list.

As a reminder, Professor Hanson has asked that we do not post the full article of his writings. Thank you for following the link to finish his article.

Content created by the Center for American Greatness, Inc. is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a significant audience.

https://freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index

9 posted on 08/23/2025 6:08:21 AM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: MtnClimber

They think Pelosi’s nephew is the same as Trump.


10 posted on 08/23/2025 6:14:43 AM PDT by bray (It's not racist to be racist against races the DNC hates.)
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To: All

Putin invaded Ukraine, after his earlier invasions during the Obama era. The left’s solution?
<><>Biden’s idea was handing Ukraine billions of US tax dollars
<><>and depleting US defense weaponry that protected American families to supply ukraine
<><>Biden kept the fighting going and the casualties mounting
<><>there was no path to victory
<><>a negotiated peace wasnt even contemplaed


11 posted on 08/23/2025 6:29:32 AM PDT by Liz (May you be in Heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead (Irish blessing))
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To: MtnClimber

Pain!


12 posted on 08/23/2025 6:29:54 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: All

Note: Biden and the Democrats are OK with arming foreign countries but grabbing guns from Americans is an obsession w/ them. The same lefties that gleefully trample 2A rights, are hell bent on supplying weapons to foreign countries.


Not content w/ the mega billions already in his pocket, after a visit w/ Netanyahu, Zelensky says
he wants US tax dollars to Ukraine “according to the Israeli model”......here’s what he means:

Read:Congressional Research Service
US Foreign aid to Israel
60 page detailed report
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL33222/44

The concerned Israeli lobby made sure Congress is required by law to ensure that U.S. military aid in the Middle East region doesn’t damage Israel’s military superiority over its neighbors. That requirement enjoys broad bipartisan support and has served as a benchmark for ensuring Israel receives robust U.S. support.

Biden keeps gaslighting Americans about the “need” for
American foreign aid tax dollars to Ukraine and Israel.
Here’s why they DONT need it:

About $113.1 billion in tax dollars were authorized in 2022 for Ukraine, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Most of it–about $67.1 billion–was defense-related. The other $46 billion included:
<><>$26.9 billion for economic support;
<><>$7.9 billion for international disaster assistance;
<><>$6.6 billion in assistance for refugees;
<><>$1.5 billion for assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia;
<><>plus $3.1 billion for other non-defense spending.

US tax dollars helped Ukraine
<><>pay the salaries of 618,000 educators, 517,000 health workers, and 56,500 first responders
<><>helped sustain critical healthcare services,
<><>helped meet pension responsibilities for 9.8 million people,
<><>assisted 1.3 million internally displaced persons,
<><>provided housing assistance to 4.1 million people,
<><>provided social assistance to 240,000 low-income families
<><>helped subsidize 480,000 persons with disabilities,
<><>bought supplies for farmers,
<><>financed finding markets for small business.


This is what we have to look forward to w/ Ukraine

Backstory: Since 1973, Israel has received more than $120 billion US tax
dollars in MILITARY assistance alone, including “three special aid” packages.
<><>billions for signing the Israel-Egypt peace treaty
<><>billions for Israel’s withdrawal from the Sinai.
<><>billions for redeployment of Israeli forces
<><>rebuilding Israeli air bases in the Negev cost $5 billion.

Besides weaponry, Israel also receives economic and humanitarian foreign aid, which supports broad economic development and sociopolitical stability and can include non-military support related to the country’s pressing security needs.

Military aid from US taxpayers has blanketed wealthy, high income Israel. They have more than enough US resources to nail Hamas and Hezbollah. Wealthy Israel has very low debt, and had a budget surplus, while the US is $33 trillion in debt, a debt which future generations are saddled with.


13 posted on 08/23/2025 6:39:40 AM PDT by Liz (May you be in Heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead (Irish blessing))
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To: Liz

Democrats need a new JFK—a new leader who can inspire people who is not cut from the same old cloth. A new leader with new ideas untainted by the past Obama, Biden, Clinton terms in office. Maybe a Governor? Maybe an actor, maybe a billionaire? He must be fresh and with no baggage—unlike Newson of California. Someone to inspire not hector. someone new and fresh—a new generation to take over from the old guard. He must be a man with ideas, fresh ideas not a recast set of Communist ideals. But, who that man is, I can not say—But I know who would be a good VP for him—Senator Fetterman.


14 posted on 08/23/2025 6:53:16 AM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (. War is Hell, War IS a Crime.)
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To: MtnClimber

Hitler, of course.


15 posted on 08/23/2025 6:56:25 AM PDT by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It
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To: MtnClimber

The alternative: A 78 yr-old woman with purple hair wearing clothes from the ‘60’s.


16 posted on 08/23/2025 6:57:48 AM PDT by SaxxonWoods (Annnd....TRUMP IS RIGHT AGAIN.)
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To: MtnClimber

If there is a list for VDH, please add my name.


17 posted on 08/23/2025 7:08:45 AM PDT by EliRoom8
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To: MtnClimber

Wow, RCP says “792 vendors request your consent” (to get marketing junk).


18 posted on 08/23/2025 7:39:45 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: MtnClimber

Outstanding piece by Prof Hanson. It’s an oft discussed thing, but nobody can figure it out. VDH himself is stumped


19 posted on 08/23/2025 7:49:49 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: EliRoom8

I forwarded your request to the holder of the ping list.


20 posted on 08/23/2025 7:52:27 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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