Posted on 09/14/2015 2:56:54 PM PDT by Kaslin
Marc Ambinder, writing at The Week, seems to have taken the next leap in the evolution of American politics this season and – at least as an exercise in theory – asked us to consider what a Trump presidency would look like. While the primary could still play out in any number of interesting ways, it seems well past the point where such a future can be entirely written off so Marc isn’t submitting this to some science fiction outlet. It’s true that supporters of the more “conventional” candidates could all coalesce around one Anti-Trump over the fall and winter and set up for a sweep of many early states in the primary, but that’s hardly a sure thing. And if he makes it through that process and Hillary Clinton somehow remains out of jail long enough to be the Democrat nominee, there are early indications that he could pull off what seemed completely impossible only 90 days ago.
So what would happen? Marc’s first bit of prognostication includes the idea that Democrats would be placed in the position which their opponents held previously… they would become the Party of No.
So if he became president, he’d face unprecedented and implacable opposition from the Democratic Party, which might be tempted to pilfer from the playbook of the pre-2015 Republicans and become the anti-governing party, so toxic to their sensibilities would Trump be by the time he’s inaugurated.
But some of the opposition would be petty. If Trump made a move on immigration and Democrats blocked it, fine. If Trump proposed and found a coalition to reform entitlements and reconfigure the tax code, Democrats would find themselves opposing Trump just because he’s an offensive, not-nice person of privilege. They’d have descended to his level to spite him.
One of the bigger questions that will no doubt be on people’s minds is the matter of war and peace. Trump talks tough to everyone, foreign and domestic alike. And if other nations didn’t toe the line to his satisfaction would he be ready to literally pull the trigger?
Can you imagine Donald Trump’s finger on the button? Today, a president can execute an emergency war order in less time that it takes to get a cheeseburger at McDonald’s. Russia is once again baring its teeth, and a President Trump might have to contend with its incursions into NATO countries, triggering, one presumes, some sort of military response.
Despite all of his bombast, Trump hasn’t called for nuking anyone. In fact, he seems to understand that effective foreign policy requires some continuity. He opposes Obama’s Iran negotiations, but he’s said that, as president, he’ll make damn sure than Iran keeps its word.
Frankly, while I don’t agree across the board with Ambinder’s conclusions, a hypothetical Trump presidency probably wouldn’t be all that scary in terms of End Times scenarios. Conservatives would probably be unhappy when he wound up supporting some tax increases and going wobbly on gun control bills. Liberals would be furious with him on the policy front regarding… well, just about everything else. But for all the bombast he loves to display before the camera Trump doesn’t strike me as somebody who would go into full suicidal, plunge off the cliff mode. He’d be lambasted in the international press for his rough edges when talking to foreign leaders but not to the point of kicking off a new world war. He’s just not that stupid.
The real issue with a Trump presidency (at least in my dark little heart) is the question of whether or not he’d even finish his first term. Facing the reality of being unable to get anything substantive done without the blessing of Congress – at least on the policy front – would probably drive The Donald to distraction. And when he finds out that we actually would have to pay for a wall on the southern border (or at least most of the cost, anyway) he would likely be glum. How long would Donald Trump stick around in a job if he grew to hate it?
And now I’ll have to go off and begin pondering who Trump might pick for his running mate. It might become important.
Chickens haven’t even hatched, much less come....home....to ROOST!
And at last...the steel will come from the USA or we'll "make a deal" with China...a trade balance of some kind....and we will have almost instantly......10,000 jobs.
I also anticipate some new technology so if they tunnel below the wall....electrocution!!!!
Contrast the difference:
Dim candidate Sanders abandons the podium.
Jebbie shouted down and scuttles out
It is funny to see all the Trump supporters coming here with tingles going up their legs after reading the title!
Funny, he didn’t mention that Trump could issue presidential directives and bypass the obstructive dimrats who would still likely be a minority in both houses.
One thing’s for sure. Trump has no losers in his Rollodex.
I’m reluctantly on the Trump team but, I worry about:
- him turning into another “Arnold”
- his supreme court appointments
“Evidence that the RAT class is panicking.”
Interesting. You may be right. Their “unthinkable” might be thinkable. And a lot of those “rats” have jobs threatened by immigrants.
So... you couldn’t even come up with something original ?
Well... that’s because there is a big reward for the first one to “Take Him Down”.
I think Trump would find his first term very frustrating. For a man used to getting his own way he isn’t going to like facing a Senate where the Democrats can filibuster everything in sight and a court which may not think a whole lot of some of his proposals.
Well, Arnold's following in Trump's footsteps and taking on the Celebrity Apprentice ('cause Arnold's such a business powerhouse? Man, NBC has fallen into the dumps if that's the best they can do...)
As for your concerns, Arnold had little executive experience, and pretty poor business skills, so I'm not surprised that Kennedy influences pretty much ruled the roost. Credit to Arnold, he fought back against just about every gun control bill that came to his desk.
As for Trump's court appointments - I'd imagine he'd pick appointments which wouldn't come back to bite him in the rump. Choosing pro-government (and other liberal ideologies) would likely hurt him in the long run, so they at worst would be Kennedy style, but far more likely to run the gambit of Thomas & Scalia.
Oh, and as for the thoughts of others that he'd run things just through executive fiat - I will note that there are already laws on the books for physical border control (just no one bothers to follow them), laws against illegal aliens, laws regarding deportation - Less a need to run by fiat, and far more a case of a president actually following the laws that are already there. Should be interesting, if this is what comes to pass, to see how it goes.
So if he became president, hed face unprecedented and implacable opposition from the Democratic Party, which might be tempted to pilfer from the playbook of the pre-2015 Republicans and become the anti-governing party...,
Pilfer the playbook for the pre-2015 Republican party???
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.........
Almost as funny as watching something else trickle down Trump hater's legs every time his poll numbers go up.
Erik is not taking Walker’s tanking very well......
Some people think Trump is riding in on a white horse to save our country from permanent tyranny. He’s not.
He’s riding a velociraptor wielding two machine guns with Braveheart face-paint!!
Thank you. You have good points.
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