Posted on 08/18/2023 8:09:26 AM PDT by Fiji Hill
Republican 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy evoked lessons from centuries of "American exceptionalism" as he outlined his foreign policy plans for the United States during a speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library Thursday night.
Speaking before a crowd of about 900 people, Ramaswamy opened up by touting his story of success as "the American dream" but noted that present circumstances might prohibit that dream from being possible for his two young children. Amid pressing scrutiny over his foreign policy plans, Ramaswamy detailed what he believes the U.S. must do to shore up its prosperity.
Ramaswamy fashions his foreign policy as a "modern Monroe Doctrine," where the U.S. is happy to work with other countries that serve its long-term interests and will "cut them off" if they don't.
The conservative entrepreneur aims for "realism, not moralism" in his vision of the U.S.'s future, and in his speech, disavowed "liberal hegemony" and "a rules-based international order." With common conservative principles leading the way, Ramaswamy wants the driving objective of his foreign policy plans to be "America comes first."
The unconventional GOP presidential candidate summoned past presidents and their contributions to the nation. To Ramaswamy, George Washington's 1796 Farewell Address provides a template for focusing on only the world's regions where the U.S. has a direct stake. And Richard Nixon, a leader Ramaswamy praised repeatedly, and his visit to China in 1972 illustrates how the U.S. must face its two greatest foes.
"The Russia-China alliance represents the single greatest military threat the U.S. faces today," Ramaswamy said. And much like Nixon soured relations between China and the U.S.S.R. in the 1970s, Ramaswamy believes Washington can do this with the present-day powers. However, instead of working through China this time, he sees Russian President Vladimir Putin as the key.
With a chuckle, Ramaswamy admitted he is against the bipartisan compromise of the U.S. providing billions in aid to Ukraine. He sees an agreement with Russia as far more essential, but how to achieve this? In his view, Russia can trust the U.S. by trusting that it is following its own self-interests, and the U.S. can trust Putin by doing the same.
The presidential contender would ease Moscow's economic burdens and guarantee the Kremlin that Ukraine will never be a NATO member. In return, he would demand that Russia drop its military presence in the Western Hemisphere and remove its nuclear weapons from Kaliningrad. He said he would "end the war in Ukraine on terms that require Vladimir Putin" to end his relationship with China.
With his opinions on Ukraine clearly stated, it would not surprise many that Ramaswamy is not Taiwan's biggest defender either. He believes we must cut the ambiguity with Taiwan and be direct with them. Should their continued aspirations of independence prevail in the island's next election, they must bolster their defense spending, Ramaswamy said. And semiconductor independence, to him, must be ensured so that the U.S. does not need to rely on an island or China halfway across the world.
Ramaswamy's speech came just days after he appeared to cut an interview short after he floated a plan to let China attack Taiwan after 2028, when he believes the U.S. could have semiconductor independence. He was heavily criticized for the comment, and it led many people to question whether he could effectively manage the U.S.'s foreign policy.
By preaching a nationalist theme and stressing the U.S.'s need to rid its reliance on other countries, Ramaswamy's speech followed many conservative tenets. But he refused to follow the rhetoric of decline that many of his Republican foes echo and former President Donald Trump used to help get him elected in 2016.
To Ramaswamy, even if the U.S. is in an identity crisis, especially among the younger generations, that does not mean the ship is sinking. Maybe the stage the U.S. is in is just the adolescence of a relatively young country, he pondered, and what if, with the question of where we are and where we're going, "we are stronger for it when we reach our adulthood on the other side."
"I believe we can still be a nation on our ascent ... That is our obligation to the world to be strong at home."
Ramaswamy's speech was part of the Richard Nixon Foundation's 2024 Presidential Policy Perspective candidate series.
He is rising steadily in the polls, sitting at third place in most national polls behind former Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), with a RealClearPolitics average of 6.7%.
But his main focus was on foreign policy. He promised a "new Monroe Doctrine" to deal with anyone who "messes with us," including the Red Chinese. He promised to eliminate Red Chinese spy balloons, spy bases in places like Cuba, and the illicit fentanyl being smuggled across our borders.
Ramaswamy also spoke highly of President Trump and of Richard Nixon, whom he dubbed a "George Washington conservative."
Ramaswamy is running for a cabinet position. Notice he doesn’t ever come out against Trump other than saying we need a new generation. That’s the giveaway.
Vivek is the flavor of the day for Fox’s anyone but Trump campaign. He is not a serious candidate.
Or VP.
I rather like him, to be honest.
My take is that most of these candidates are running on the non-zero possibility that something horrible happens and Trump does not run. I love the guy, but a 79 year old with a terrible diet, living a high stress life, and surrounded by treachery could have a significant health crisis, no matter HOW tough they are. Being number two can be a good strategy; there is always a chance something happens to number one.
And he’s wisely not alienating MAGA; whatever his true views he’s at least that smart.
The New York Times front page today:
“Ramaswamy Rides Wave of Support, but Rivals Are Eager to Pounce”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/18/us/politics/vivek-ramaswamy-ron-desantis-republican-primary.html
I believe that is true. Vivek Ramaswamy doesn’t expect to win. However, he does expect that running for the highest office in the land will give him media exposure and audiences, where his articulate expression of ideas and concepts will impress many MAGA voters that he could be the future of America First leadership.
We need as many MAGA faithful in office as possible. I like him and dismiss the attempts by some on our side to paint him as a Soros stooge. Ridiculous.
Did Vivek Ramaswany Just Get Exposed?
Here is Vivek supporting masks and being upset at conservatives that opposed them If you look back more than 6 months into this guy’s past, you’ll see he’s a soft, mushy clown who learned to say a bunch of buzzwords conservatives love in 2023 Supporting Masks
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) July 17, 2023
This tweet is even worse:
Here is Vivek cheering on Biden for making vaccines available to all adults in 2021
Biden would try to force them into every man, woman, and child
Some of us were against these untested vaccines from day 1
Others cheered on Biden
Eyes open to who Vivek truly is Biden says all adults will be vaccine-eligible by May 1. That’s good news. Give credit where due.
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) July 17, 2023
Conservatives need to wake up.
These are the two Vivek slip-ups that I have.
Vivek in his 2022 book: “It was a dark day for democracy. The loser of the last election refused to concede the race, claimed the election was stolen
Link: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4172393/posts
And:
GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called Juneteenth a “useless” holiday during a campaign event with voters in Iowa on Saturday.
Ramaswamy’s remarks, first reported by NBC News, come after he celebrated the holiday earlier this year on June 19, saying it is about honoring how far the country has come and how people can advance through hard work, commitment and dedication.
Link: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4173451/posts
I don’t trust Vivek as far as I could throw him.
The guy is a phony. But he is smart enough, at least most of the time, to say things he thinks people will buy into.
I could never turn my back to Trump, but for awhile I thought this guy probably had a future.
In fairness to the guy, it was not yet clear that the vaxx was as big a problem as it is. There's nothing wrong about giving credit where (you think) credit is due, even to an enemy. Did he subsequently back off from it?
Politicians tend to do that. I suggest that all candidates be subjected to a lie detector test with a standard set of questions for all plus individual-specific questions for each. Any who decline are disqualified from candidacy.
But why should Biden get any credit whatsoever? He didn't develop it, he didn't get it to be produce on a reduced schedule, he did nothing in other words to warrant any credit whatsoever. Furthermore, it is illegal to make a vaccine that has been approved for EUA only mandatory. We knew well enough by then to realize that only .03% of those who contracted the virus actually died from the virus. Thus there was no need to make it mandatory on top of it being illegal to make it mandatory under threat of losing your livelihood if you refused to take it.
So no, Vivek does not get a pass, even if he thought Biden was deserving of praise.
You can get away with a terrible diet if you are straight edge: no smoke, no drink, minor medications (I think a statin, but I don't think President Trump takes a diabetes drug), and the world's best doctors.
There's a reason they are not admissible in courts of law. Besides that, there are people who can control their emotions to the point of not being detected by the normal signs being examined.
He’s writing a book ffs. The whole thing is a book report. As if the GOP would put a red-dot Brahmin goon at the top of the ticket or even second lofl...
So what? Donald Trump wrote a book. Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, LbJ, JFK, Eisenhower and many other presidents wrote books.
I'm amazed at what he has accomplished, including earning degrees in both biology and law from Harvard.
Let us hope and pray.
Lord knows I would have stroked out dealing with 1/100000 the crap that President Trump has had to.
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