Trump channels Gerald Ford: There is no Russian domination of the Ukraine

From Business Insider:

ABC host George Stephanopoulos corrected Donald Trump after the Republican presidential nominee claimed that Russia was “not going to go into Ukraine.”

In an interview on ABC’s “This Week” that aired Sunday, Trump asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not going to invade Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels — and some Russian special forces — have been operating for several years despite Putin’s reluctance to acknowledge any role.

“He’s not going into Ukraine, just so you understand. He’s not going to go to Ukraine,” Trump said.

You might recall that in the famous 1976 debate with Carter, the reporter actually gave Ford a chance to correct himself.  Stephanopolous was just as polite:

“Well, he’s already there, isn’t he?” Stephanopoulos replied.

George is a better man than I am. I would have been . . . I think the technical term is “ROFL”

Trump responded by simultaneously criticizing the US’s decision not to intervene to stop the annexation of Crimea, a former Ukrainian territory seized by Russia in 2014, and noting that many citizens of Crimea were allegedly supportive of Russia’s decision to invade.

And what does that actually mean?  What are we to think of all this?

“Well, he’s there in a certain way, but I’m not there. You have Obama there,” Trump said. “And frankly that part of the world is mess, under Obama. With all the strength that you’re talking about, and with all the power of NATO, and all of this, in the mean time, [Putin] takes Crimea.”

Well thanks for clearing that up!

So Obama is to be criticized for not trying to stop Putin.  He did use economic sanctions, so presumably Trump is referring to military steps that he thinks Obama should have used.  And his justification for arguing that Obama was too weak is:

He added: “You know the people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were, and you have to look at that also.”

I think the technical term here is “SMH”.

I can’t wait to see how the great deal maker does in his first face to face negotiation with Putin.  “You’re not in the Ukraine?  That’s good to know.”

PS.  Ford made one blooper, and lost narrowly to Carter.  Trump makes similar bloopers every single day, and is tied in the polls.


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58 Responses to “Trump channels Gerald Ford: There is no Russian domination of the Ukraine”

  1. Gravatar of Gordon Gordon
    31. July 2016 at 12:42

    “I think the technical term here is ‘SMH’.”

    I take this as evidence that you’re more than ready for Twitter. BTW, here’s an article you may find interesting:

    http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all

  2. Gravatar of Christian List Christian List
    31. July 2016 at 13:06

    Like I always said. Trump is an effect, not a cause. Obama failed in Ukraine, he failed in Syria and look what happens in Turkey now. Western countries pay billions of dollars to Turkey each year so that Erdogan makes democratic reforms but in fact he uses this money for the exact opposite. And this is happening for years now – without any consequences – except that the Western world is raising the sum even more every year. Compared to those fools a madhouse is a council of wise men.

    In 2012 Romney predicted that Putin’s Russia remains the most dangerous foe to the US and the Western world and what happened? Obama and the media ridiculed him like he was some kind of mentally instable basket case.

    Until this very day Gerhard Schroder counts Putin as one of his best buddies (rumours say he is even the Godfather of his adopted Russian children). Schroder’s statements that Putin is a “flawless democrat” are infamous. He will repeat this every time you’ll ask him – even in 2016.

    Few posts ago you criticized that George H. Bush should have made it 100% clear that he would respond forcefully to Saddam’s aggression in 1990. It was pretty astonishing that you mentioned this minor mistake that also happened so long in the past, especially when you consider how his son and Clinton and Obama failed after that.

    And now people like you – and the media of course – constantly focus on a man who wasn’t even in power so far. Instead of focusing on the people who are really in charge. With all this in mind (and many other stuff) I’m not really surprised that some voters act the way they are.

  3. Gravatar of ssumner ssumner
    31. July 2016 at 14:34

    Thanks Gordon.

    Christian, Wow, do you really have no sense of humor?

  4. Gravatar of Steve F Steve F
    31. July 2016 at 15:20

    Trump is de-escalating the military posturing against Russia.

  5. Gravatar of Benjamin Cole Benjamin Cole
    31. July 2016 at 15:59

    Gerald Ford? See, I was right, it was unfair what they did to Spiro Agnew. America’s chance at greatness was lost.

    I do wonder why when there is a problem on any square inch of the planet, it then becomes an American problem.

  6. Gravatar of Gary Anderson Gary Anderson
    31. July 2016 at 16:20

    Lol, Benjamin, Didn’t Spiro Agnew go to jail? NWO Ford before liking the NWO was cool. Well, if you like it.

    Victoria Nuland, husband of PNAC cofounder whats his name, said that we gave 5 billion dollars to the Ukraine opposition. That sounds like regime change to me.

    I won’t vote for Trump because he is a racist, but, Russia responded to our buying the Ukraine. You all know where Biden’s son works, the Ukraine, for an oil company.

    What is funny is this is one of the few issues Trump disagrees with the bigot billionaire from the Ukraine/Israel, Ihor Kolomoyskyi. Don’t tell me to spell it twice. It could be Eeyore.

  7. Gravatar of Richard A. Richard A.
    31. July 2016 at 17:42

    Victoria Nuland’s Admits Washington Has Spent $5 Billion to “Subvert Ukraine”

    https://youtu.be/U2fYcHLouXY?t=7m26s
    Victoria Nuland is the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State. She is married to neocon Robert Kagan–a war enthusiast.

    For the record, I view this election as between joker one and joker two.

  8. Gravatar of E. Harding E. Harding
    31. July 2016 at 17:49

    This post has no substance. Pointing and sputtering is not substance. Why not go look over at what Her says about Russia? Instead, you give us this crap, Sumner.

    I think Trump will be our next president. Her immigration policy is nutso.

    Make America Great Again!

  9. Gravatar of AIG AIG
    31. July 2016 at 18:28

    Yep, Trump makes all these gaffes and is still tied with Hillary. Imagine what that says about Hillary.

  10. Gravatar of engineer engineer
    31. July 2016 at 19:38

    Putin has a 85% approval rating and that is with an economy that is horrible. In the eyes of his countrymen he has restored some of the pride of mother Russia. Many in the west even admire him for being a Machiavellian master of the world political stage.

    The west had Russia in a box, and they thought the only way up was to become more like the west…but that all has changed now. We have stumbled into another cold war with Russia. I can think of many decisions made early in the Obama administration that helped let them out of the box. One was killing the missile defense program in Poland. No, they chose to make a stand on a Putin move that enjoyed 95%+ popularity, further discrediting the west in the eyes of Russians. Economic sanctions were not the right move, that only give Putin an excuse for Russian suffering. The right move was to build up defences on their border.

  11. Gravatar of Gary Anderson Gary Anderson
    31. July 2016 at 19:59

    Engineer, you are engaging in propaganda. The US screwed with Russia from the moment the other PNAC co founder, Bill Kristol, said there was only one superpower, in the 1990’s. Russia tried to pull it together.

    Now even Gorbachev, who was pro west working in a think tank, finally woke up to the fact that the west cannot be trusted. If you want to know about PNAC and the neocons, just know two things: Leo Strauss, from University of Chicago, said you lie to the masses and keep the shell of democracy. That is what the neocons have done to this nation. They have RUINED IT.

    If Trump was not an idiot, I would side with him, but he is a racist fool.

    But it is Gorbachev how correctly accused the US of drawing Russia into a new Cold war that makes everything you say, Engineer, just sickening. You make me sick. https://www.yahoo.com/news/gorbachev-warns-risk-armed-conflict-cold-war-100957248.html?ref=gs

  12. Gravatar of Christian List Christian List
    31. July 2016 at 22:36

    Scott, I laugh as soon as you make a good joke. You know what that is, right?

  13. Gravatar of Ray Lopez Ray Lopez
    1. August 2016 at 02:25

    As an impartial judge of this thread so far, I say: Christian List, Steve F, Gary Andersen, engineer, Richard A, Harding all score good point, while Sumner chokes.

  14. Gravatar of Art Deco Art Deco
    1. August 2016 at 04:15

    Putin has a 85% approval rating and that is with an economy that is horrible.

    Per capita product has doubled since 1999 and the share accounted for by natural resource rents has declined by about half. Russia’s been suffering a disagreeable recession since the end of 2014 triggered by changes in the terms of trade (4.4% contraction in annual domestic product), but unemployment rates are still normal range < 6%). The ratios of public debt and external debt to gdp are modest.

  15. Gravatar of Art Deco Art Deco
    1. August 2016 at 04:17

    Russia annexed the Crimea and Russian paramilitaries control portions of the Donbass where about 7% of the Ukraine’s population lives. There’s no indication that Russia ‘dominates’ the remainder of the Ukraine.

  16. Gravatar of Art Deco Art Deco
    1. August 2016 at 04:19

    Victoria Nuland’s Admits Washington Has Spent $5 Billion to “Subvert Ukraine”

    No, that’s the nominal sum of aid extended over a period of 23 years.

  17. Gravatar of Scott Sumner Scott Sumner
    1. August 2016 at 04:55

    Everyone, If you can’t find Trump’s comments to be funny, then I feel sorry for you. I’d hate to be forced and sit in a room and try to have a conversation with you guys. Are you always this serious? Why can’t you just laugh at Trump?

    Hillary? There’s nothing funny about Hillary. Nothing. She’s just awful.

  18. Gravatar of Art Deco Art Deco
    1. August 2016 at 05:48

    Everyone, If you can’t find Trump’s comments to be funny, then I feel sorry for you. I’d hate to be forced and sit in a room and try to have a conversation with you guys. Are you always this serious? Why can’t you just laugh at Trump?

    You keep complaining that no one gets your jokes. You might just consider the possibility that you’re not funny and quit blaming the audience.

  19. Gravatar of Gary Anderson Gary Anderson
    1. August 2016 at 05:52

    Good point Scott. I think it is more absurd than funny, that Trump seems to have two positions on Crimea. He has many views the conflict, at the same time. Maybe he is able to have sex in two positions at the same time, as well.

  20. Gravatar of Tom M Tom M
    1. August 2016 at 06:20

    I have to admit- no matter what happens, at least the debates will be entertaining TV for once…

  21. Gravatar of Benjamin Cole Benjamin Cole
    1. August 2016 at 06:22

    It is amazing. Sumner is right, Trump is a terrible campaigner.

    Imagine how much Trump would win by if he didn’t needlessly alienate large voting blocks and shoot himself in the foot daily.

  22. Gravatar of Noontime Spender Noontime Spender
    1. August 2016 at 07:32

    If Trump is such an enjoyable to watch trainwreck now, just imagine the enjoyable to watch trainwreck he will be as President.

  23. Gravatar of Christian List Christian List
    1. August 2016 at 07:43

    Like Ray I assume that you have a very mild form of autism. This makes you a pretty lousy humorist but an ingenious economist, which is the better choice anyway. Just don’t try to tell any jokes because ungifted people like us won’t get them – mostly because there’s nothing to get.

  24. Gravatar of Scott Sumner Scott Sumner
    1. August 2016 at 08:21

    Christian, You said,

    “I assume that you have a very mild form of autism. This makes you a pretty lousy humorist but an ingenious economist, which is the better choice anyway.”

    You and Art are especially dense today. Yes, I agree with your description of me, but I wasn’t claiming to be funny, I said that Trump was funny. Art even quotes me explicitly saying that Trump was funny, and responded as if I were claiming to be funny.

    Yes, I have no ability to tell jokes, but I do know how to spot them.

  25. Gravatar of collin collin
    1. August 2016 at 08:47

    Trump makes similar bloopers every single day, and is tied in the polls.

    1) Actually, we have had 3 polls (CBS, PPP and a new one) with post-conventions and all three show a HRC boost closer to a 4%+ lead. Let us give it another week before drawing too many conclusions on the state of the race as well we need some state polls. Nate Siver has noted this election is closer in terms of movements of the 1970s – 1992 versus the modern elections. Also, the race will become a lot more clear after Labor Day.

    2) It is forgotten that Gerald Ford was over 10% (and some polls over 20%) behind Carter in 1976. We forget he almost pulled one out here.

  26. Gravatar of E. Harding E. Harding
    1. August 2016 at 08:47

    Trump isn’t being funny in the above remarks. He’s dead serious.

    “Hillary? There’s nothing funny about Hillary. Nothing. She’s just awful.”

    -Her tongue.

    -Her robotic manner of speech.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D1sW7tu6-s

    -Stuff like this:
    https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/759945704919949313

  27. Gravatar of Tom Brown Tom Brown
    1. August 2016 at 08:49

    I wish Trump would fully commit to channeling Ford, as in 100% of the time. I’ll take Ford over 80% of the GOP presidential contenders since 2004 (Bachmann, Carson, Cain, … etc). The people I prefer in GOP primaries rarely break 1% and generally drop out immediately after Iowa or New Hampshire.

    PS. Ford made one blooper, and lost narrowly to Carter. Trump makes similar bloopers every single day, and is tied in the polls.

    Was he punished by the voters more for that or more for pardoning Nixon?

    Also I think that’s a symptom of living in the brave new world of “choose your own facts” confirmation-bias media environment. People don’t want to see other points of view, so they exclude them, and the media makes it easier and easier to do that.

    But this is a weird year: Phyllis Schlafly brought a ton of moral indignation down on Rockefeller for divorcing and remarrying in 1963, helping to quash his presidential ambitions. And this year she publicly broke with her own daughter (and would be Eagle Forum usurper) to pass over other candidates and endorse the proudly unrepentant thrice married serial adulterer and sexual braggadocio Donald Trump, a man who claimed his struggle with venereal diseases amounted to his own personal Vietnam.

  28. Gravatar of msgkings msgkings
    1. August 2016 at 08:50

    Posted this at MR, works here too:

    From Ezra Klein….the more partisan (read brain dead) among you will stop reading here, the smart ones will note this:

    “Putting Trump in the Oval Office would open a huge vulnerability in our national security. It’s much easier to bait Trump than it is to attack the United States. Our enemies’ aim is often to provoke us into overreacting and overcommitting abroad because they can’t hope to seriously hurt us here. With Trump in control of the armed forces, the path to manipulating us into that kind of overreaction would be clear.”

    He’s referencing how Trump is such a bully that he couldn’t just let Khizr Khan fall down the memory hole, he took the bait and made childish, rash, dishonorable comments instead and gave the Dems a news cycle gift. Our enemies will have a grand old time doing the same thing, only this time people will die thanks to Trump’s bizarre and immature temperament. Foreign policy is where presidents have most of their power. Trump would be a disaster.

  29. Gravatar of msgkings msgkings
    1. August 2016 at 08:56

    @Tom Brown:

    Partisans gotta partisan.

    This year is where the evil of blind partisanship is most apparent. Most years it’s not that different whether the D or the R wins. Romney would have been fine winning in 2012, Obama was fine too. But this year, Team Red is doing backflips to justify voting for a guy they would destroy if he was a Dem. And Team Blue is doing the same with Clinton.

  30. Gravatar of E. Harding E. Harding
    1. August 2016 at 09:12

    “He’s referencing how Trump is such a bully that he couldn’t just let Khizr Khan fall down the memory hole, he took the bait and made childish, rash, dishonorable comments instead and gave the Dems a news cycle gift.”

    -You know what was childish, rash, and dishonorable? Khan’s absolutely disgusting speech, exploiting his son’s death to advocate for the immigration of more Muslims, so that they can kill more U.S. soldiers. Absolutely disgusting.

    Her was godawful at foreign policy, though not as bad as the unintelligent Kerry. Trump seems to have a much better instinct for foreign policy than the rest of the DC establishment combined.

    “But this year, Team Red is doing backflips to justify voting for a guy they would destroy if he was a Dem. And Team Blue is doing the same with Clinton.”

    -Trump didn’t mishandle classified information on his email server or lie about doing so before the general public. He’s also flexible, not a committed ideologue. Just look at his VP pick, a man with very different policy views. Shouldn’t that give you comfort?

    BTW, I despised Mitt Romney, as he was an elitist and a bought robot -not a man of the people who can raise them up like Trump.

  31. Gravatar of engineer engineer
    1. August 2016 at 09:17

    “everything you say, Engineer, is just sickening. You make me sick.”

    I see my work is done here…I will return to my day job…

    We have a common enemy and should be able to work together

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-russia-idUSKCN10B0WI

    I think sanctions can only drive them further away and toward the Chinese and hurts eastern Europe as much as Russia. At the same time I support Poland, and the Baltic states increasing their defenses, including missile defense for Poland, if they want it. The Baltic states have large Russian minorities that could be used as an excuse go back to their Imperialistic past since Crimea proves that they do not respect the borders as they stood at the USSR collapse. They also need to keep building LNG terminals and get off of Russian gas…

  32. Gravatar of Tom Brown Tom Brown
    1. August 2016 at 09:24

    @msgkings, yes, but I don’t think there’s a equivalence between Trump and Clinton or their supporters. If Trump were running as a Democrat against Romney, McCain or even W [shudder] I’d still be strongly anti-Trump and I’d be highly critical of any Dems who supported him, however grudgingly. I don’t care what Trump claims his positions are (and I suspect he doesn’t either), he’s shown himself to be unfit for office in a myriad of ways. There have been few candidates from either party over the past 50 years that have demonstrated his level of unfitness. He’s an obvious fraud. A third rate grifter with the fragilest of egos. He’s like L. Ron Hubbard, but without the literacy, brains or attention span. Even if we knew ahead of time we were voting for dictator (rather than president), he wouldn’t appear anywhere on my list.

    I’m not a Bernie fan nor a Cruz fan: I think they’re both far too extreme, but I’d gladly take either one over Trump. Clinton is better still, despite her faults, IMO. Who really is worse than Trump this cycle? Carson perhaps? Just because he seems to be even more ignorant (outside of brain surgery)? At least Trump probably doesn’t take the Book of Revelation seriously (I doubt he’s even heard of it or has the least bit of interest in it, which is a plus)… but then again, Carson is probably less likely to obsess about personal vendettas. And there’s no evidence that Carson is entirely unable to experience shame. So I suppose I might even favor Carson over Trump. Trump is the only one that makes me worry this might be our last more or less fair election.

  33. Gravatar of E. Harding E. Harding
    1. August 2016 at 09:30

    “Trump is the only one that makes me worry this might be our last more or less fair election.”

    -You have a fertile imagination. And you know what people say about fertilizer.

  34. Gravatar of Tom Brown Tom Brown
    1. August 2016 at 09:31

    @msgkings, I would be willing to entertain a comparison between Trump supporters and the Bernie or Bust crowd. I see a lot of similarities there.

  35. Gravatar of Justin Justin
    1. August 2016 at 09:35

    This is a low-energy analysis of the interview. Conflating rhetoric and dialectic, too beep-bop-beep.

    Obviously Russia is in Ukraine (but then so is USA, just ask Victoria Nuland). Russia is slowly raising the cost for the Ukrainian oligarchs and public, in an effort to get them to go back to the old system of being a de facto Russian vassal. But that’s not what this interview was about.

    The mission for Trump in this interview was to get through it without suffering any damage (a hostile interviewer to be sure), and secondarily, to boost his imagine as a sensible foreign policy candidate. In that regard he did well. Everyone liked this interview.

  36. Gravatar of Tom Brown Tom Brown
    1. August 2016 at 09:47

    Everyone liked this interview.

    That’s a boldly false assertion. Similar in scope to “Everyone likes wearing nipple clamps.”

  37. Gravatar of E. Harding E. Harding
    1. August 2016 at 09:54

    “Russia is slowly raising the cost for the Ukrainian oligarchs and public, in an effort to get them to go back to the old system of being a de facto Russian vassal.”

    -Not quite; it just doesn’t want Ukraine getting too close to the West. Letting Ukraine keep Krim and Donbass would have made it much more likely Ukraine would elect pro-Russian parties in competitive elections. After Euromaidan, the Russian leadership decided (for obvious reasons) electoral politics weren’t worth anything and force must be used if fair play on the electoral field is absent.

    “Everyone liked this interview.”

    -Except the neocons and the knee-jerk partisan Democrats. But who cares about them?

  38. Gravatar of msgkings msgkings
    1. August 2016 at 10:00

    @E. Harding: can you please take your 96 IQ back to your blog and leave this one to the grownups?

  39. Gravatar of Art Deco Art Deco
    1. August 2016 at 11:00

    Yes, I agree with your description of me, but I wasn’t claiming to be funny,

    No, you were claiming to recognize humor while others could not. You overestimate your insight, and the quality of your taste.

  40. Gravatar of Justin Justin
    1. August 2016 at 11:58

    @E. Harding

    I will be in Ukraine in 3 weeks, Lviv and Kiev, hoping to gain some perspective on what’s really going on. It’s very complicated and both sides (or are there more than 2?) seem to be spinning things, for good reasons no doubt. You’re right, not quite *everyone* loved it!

  41. Gravatar of Jeff Jeff
    1. August 2016 at 12:41

    Ford made one blooper, and lost narrowly to Carter. Trump makes similar bloopers every single day, and is tied in the polls.

    Two possible and not mutually exclusive explanations for this:

    1. Hillary Clinton is a really horrible candidate, and/or

    2. Trump supporters think all politicians lie, it’s just that some of them are smoother about it than others. Trump fans prefer the less-smooth liar because at least you can usually tell when he’s lying. With most pols, the only clue you’re being lied to is the moving lips. The politicians and their sycophants in the media have been lying to us so long that there’s a certain perverse delight in watching them complain about Trump lying and getting away with it.

  42. Gravatar of Christian List Christian List
    1. August 2016 at 13:13


    I said that Trump was funny.

    That was exactly my point. You wrote this article claiming: “Look I found something that is so funny, I really need to share this with world, it’s so funny”. And we keep telling you: “No, it’s not that funny, what are you even seeing in the first place!?”

    So again: You aren’t the best humorist and that especially includes spotting funny things that aren’t nearly as funny as you insist they are, not even close.

    I find Trump’s hair funny. Or his reaction when you insist that his hands are small. They aren’t small but this makes it even funnier. Or Hillary’s reactions when she is really excited and/or surprised about something. Now that is funny.

    Or to stay in politics: Obama’s reaction when Ukraine asked for weapons in the combats to the death vs. pretty well-equipped Russian elite soldiers in Ukraine. Obama basically told them: Yeah sure, I’ll help you, we’ll send you “non-lethal weapons”. Maybe. Or maybe not even that, I don’t know yet.

  43. Gravatar of Massimo Heitor Massimo Heitor
    1. August 2016 at 14:45

    I’d be curious on Sumner’s reaction to economist Peter Navarro that seems to be behind much of Trump’s viewpoints.

  44. Gravatar of Steve F Steve F
    1. August 2016 at 17:31

    Scott, I did all my laughing at Trump when I supported Cruz in the primaries. But after Cruz lost, it became time to understand Trump enough to determine if I could support him or not. As it turns out, I’ve learned there is much more going on than his detractors think. Reading Scott Adams is a good place to start. On Russia, google the Stephen Cohen interview from a couple days ago. Trump is playing a much, much smarter game than people think.

  45. Gravatar of Gary Anderson Gary Anderson
    1. August 2016 at 18:21

    @Engineer, damn it, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. But you should read about Pat Buchanan’s foreign policy views towards Russia. He makes a strong case that the neocon war party is really screwing up. If he were not a bit of a racist, from what I can see, I would support him as a pundit and even a politician.

    He is brilliant at foreign policy.

    As far as that new info you passed along, thanks. Remember, as far as I know the only nation not being attacked by ISIS is Israel. I don’t think that is a mistake on the part of ISIS. I think that is the plan. I think Israel is a really evil nation.

  46. Gravatar of ssumner ssumner
    1. August 2016 at 18:40

    msgkings, Yes, Ezra is right. It’s hard to even imagine a personality less suited to be President.

    Harding, Trump must chuckle a bit inside when people like you call him a “man of the people”. You do know it’s all a con, don’t you?

    Justin, You said:

    “Obviously Russia is in Ukraine”

    Not obvious to Trump.

    He does this sort of thing almost every day. Doesn’t that concern you? Can they all be innocent bloopers? No pattern here?

    Jeff, Most Trump fans are so dumb they don’t know where the Ukraine is. Why would they be shocked?

    Christian, Nice try liar, but your earlier comments are still listed above, and you have no way to erase them.

    “Scott, I laugh as soon as you make a good joke.”

    And now:

    “I said that Trump was funny. [me]

    That was exactly my point.”

    Pathetic. No wonder you like Trump.

    Trump said:

    “Well, he’s there in a certain way, but I’m not there. You have Obama there,” Trump said. “And frankly that part of the world is mess, under Obama. With all the strength that you’re talking about, and with all the power of NATO, and all of this, in the mean time, [Putin] takes Crimea.”

    Come on, you don’t find it funny that a guy running for President doesn’t even know how to talk? That’s just baby babble.

    Massimo, I know nothing about Navarro.

    SteveF, You said:

    “it became time to understand Trump”

    Check out the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, and then inspect your home closely to make sure there are no large pods. Either version of the film will do.

    I was probably reading Cohen before you were born. I don’t need to “check him out”, as I already know what he will say.

  47. Gravatar of E. Harding E. Harding
    1. August 2016 at 20:18

    “You do know it’s all a con, don’t you?”

    -How do you know it’s a con? Again, all politicians lie.

    “Most Trump fans are so dumb they don’t know where the Ukraine is. Why would they be shocked?”

    -Neither do most voters for Her. Her wouldn’t have won without the Black vote. Do most Blacks know where Ukraine is? Almost certainly not. What’s your point?

    “That’s just baby babble.”

    -It’s called New York City English. The fact it’s not how you speak does not make what Trump says any less truthful or legitimate. Typical academic. Confuses cultural features with competence.

    “It’s hard to even imagine a personality less suited to be President.”

    -Hers.

    “Not obvious to Trump.”

    -Enough of this pretending to not understand what Trump says, Sumner.

    “as I already know what he will say.”

    -Impressive. How you read him and still hold your idiotic views on Russia befuddles me.

  48. Gravatar of Massimo Heitor Massimo Heitor
    2. August 2016 at 03:38

    @sumner

    “I know nothing about Navarro.”

    Shouldn’t you know the main intellectual economists behind Trump? Your an economist, this is your field, Navarro is a successful published economist. You want to see some consistent ideology behind Trump, Peter Navarro is exactly that. The fact that you know nothing of Peter Navarro or the ideas behind Trump hurts your case.

  49. Gravatar of mbka mbka
    2. August 2016 at 05:55

    Scott,

    sorry but Trump is just using the method he always used. It’s plain as day. He stays in the media spotlight by saying the most outrageous things possible. “Truth” of these things is besides the point. The more outrageous, the better. He’ll come around later and soften it up or reverse it. No matter. Monopolising media by daily outrage, that’s his method ™. The medium is the message. His medium is outrage. His presidential bid’s brand is outrage. He is completely on message with that. Content is besides the point. It is chillingly effective. He can’t be criticized on content because content never was the issue. The only possible countermeasure is to expose his own personal corruption and hypocrisy. Turn outrage against him. Not, criticising him on facts. His only possible mistakes are running out of hyperbole too soon. It’s hard to pile on “devil” so he may have overreached now, for the first time. Who knows, maybe he can still best that too. What’s stronger than the devil as a rhethorical device?

    Side note, to all those who diss the Obama administration’s reaction to Syria and Ukraine and its stance on Iran etc. There’s a lot of plays going on that the media don’t pick up on, I suspect. As soon as the Ukraine matter went down, the Syrian war escalated, and Iran looked like getting a nuclear deal, oil prices collapsed. Syria, Russia and Iran are on one side, and are being disproportionally hurt by low oil prices. Saudi Arabia and the US are on the other side with substantial leverage on supply. Therefore, I don’t believe the oil price collapse coincidentally around the same time of Ukraine, Syria, and Iran deal, was a complete matter of markets, demand and chance. I also don’t believe the hack into 30 Russian government offices just now, days after the DNC hacks went public, was a coincidence. These waters are way deeper than the press has it.

  50. Gravatar of Benny Lava Benny Lava
    2. August 2016 at 06:35

    More funny than Trump is the trumpters who are now towing the neocon foreign policy line. Obama is weak because…we didn’t get into more wars in the Middle East? Laughable and pathetic lines yet they repeat them ad nauseum. Or maybe they don’t want us to get into more wars but still Obama’s foreign policy is bad because…he’s weak? Yeah that’s the ticket. At least criticizing Obamacare is a substantive argument. On foreign policy conservatives have nothing.

  51. Gravatar of ssumner ssumner
    2. August 2016 at 07:06

    Harding, You said:

    It’s called New York City English. Then why don’t Bloomberg, Guiliani, Koch, etc. talk that way?

    You said:

    “How you read him and still hold your idiotic views on Russia befuddles me.”

    Read his stuff written back in the 1980s, on the Soviet Union. See how it holds up today.

    Massimo, You said:

    “Shouldn’t you know the main intellectual economists behind Trump?”

    Is this a joke? Either Trump ignores him, in which case he doesn’t matter, or Trump’s program is Navarro’s in which case he’s an idiot. My assumption is that Trump ignores him. Surely even you would agree that Trump’s proposals are idiotic.

    mbka, Good comment as usual. I’m agnostic on the oil price question-I don’t know enough to comment.

    Benny, I wish Harding would read your comment. He thinks Trump’s being dovish in that quote above.

  52. Gravatar of Tom Brown Tom Brown
    2. August 2016 at 09:40

    Again, all politicians lie.

    Everybody lies. That doesn’t mean all people are equally honest.

  53. Gravatar of Tom Brown Tom Brown
    2. August 2016 at 09:42

    Check out the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, and then inspect your home closely to make sure there are no large pods. Either version of the film will do.

    And people say you don’t have a sense of humor! =)

  54. Gravatar of Massimo Heitor Massimo Heitor
    2. August 2016 at 09:48

    “Is this a joke? Either Trump ignores him, in which case he doesn’t matter, or Trump’s program is Navarro’s in which case he’s an idiot. My assumption is that Trump ignores him. Surely even you would agree that Trump’s proposals are idiotic.”

    Sumner,

    Is Peter Navarro a nut job? Maybe. Your analysis of Peter Navarro’s ideas would be more interesting and educational (productive?) than your analysis of Trump’s publicity shenanigans.

    In general, you should debate the public intellectuals behind Trump rather than Trump himself. Debate Peter Thiel, Arthur Laffer, Larry Kudlow, and Stephen Moore who all support Trump. Also, Ilana Mercer and Alain Finkielkraut.

    When politics is about policy ideas, you have a unique advantage. For example, your post on “free” (or government pay) college was both entertaining and informative. When politics is about reality show media circus insanity, which completely predates Trump, you have less of a unique advantage in analyzing or commenting.

  55. Gravatar of Steve F Steve F
    2. August 2016 at 11:41

    Scott, I mentioned the specific Cohen interview because he addresses Trump’s Russia statements. Cohen’s read is the kind of insightful analysis of Trump that is missing among his detractors who focus on laughing.

  56. Gravatar of E. Harding E. Harding
    2. August 2016 at 11:58

    “Then why don’t Bloomberg, Guiliani, Koch, etc. talk that way?”

    -They’ve read too many books, so they speak in sentences, as though they’re something beyond constructs of the written word.

    “Or maybe they don’t want us to get into more wars but still Obama’s foreign policy is bad because…he’s weak?”

    -Obama deliberately created ISIS, and only killed Bin Laden to personally take control of the global jihadist movement. This is made abundantly clear by the recent decision of al-Nusra to split off from al-Qaeda at a time when Russia has agreed to stop bombing all rebels except those affiliated with al-Qaeda or ISIS. Of course, I doubt Russia will take this bait. Trump alluded to these facts a few times this year, but never made this explicit. Instead, he has correctly condemned the foreign interventions in Libya and Syria that made this possible. He condemns Obama’s “weakness” solely because it’s better persuasion than saying he’s competent, but evil. Obama’s “weakness” is also a common (if untrue) conservative trope.

    If Trump was genuinely toeing the neocon foreign policy line, he’d have picked Rubio, Giuliani or Christie as his VP.

    “Read his stuff written back in the 1980s, on the Soviet Union. See how it holds up today.”

    -That’s before the Internet. Where can I find it on the Internet?

    “Surely even you would agree that Trump’s proposals are idiotic.”

    -Is NGDP targeting idiotic? Just because it’s outside your comfort zone does not mean it’s idiotic.

    “When politics is about policy ideas, you have a unique advantage. For example, your post on “free” (or government pay) college was both entertaining and informative. When politics is about reality show media circus insanity, which completely predates Trump, you have less of a unique advantage in analyzing or commenting.”

    -Bingo, bingo, bingo.

    On foreign policy, Hillbots have nothing.

  57. Gravatar of Art Deco Art Deco
    2. August 2016 at 12:05

    -That’s before the Internet. Where can I find it on the Internet?

    He wrote columns for The Nation back in the day, in addition to his published monographs and scholarly articles. You’ll have to hit the library. Back issues of The Nation would typically be on microfilm most places, because it was printed on cheap paper. However, they built a digital archive a while back and some academic libraries subscribe. If you get a membership in Friends of the Library at an institution near you, you’ll have access to the digital archive. Research universities and liberal arts colleges likely subscribe. More vocationally-oriented state colleges likely do not.

  58. Gravatar of ssumner ssumner
    3. August 2016 at 05:46

    Massimo, You said:

    “When politics is about policy ideas,”

    Yeah, let me know when the Trump campaign becomes about policy ideas. Send me to his proposal to reduce the budget deficit. Is there a link?

    Harding, You said:

    “Obama deliberately created ISIS, and only killed Bin Laden to personally take control of the global jihadist movement.”

    The prosecution rests its case.

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