Donald Trump is a 'Pragmatist'

Brilliant observations on President Donald Trump. Love him or hate him, this is who he is. Opinions written by Mychal Massie and published to his web site in January 2016. Recently resurrected and being falsely attributed to Charles Krauthammer, this lengthy op ed is worth reading even if Krauthammer only penned the opening paragraph.

https://mychal-massie.com/trump-is-not-conservative-hes-a-pragmatist/

Your thoughts?

 

Trump is a nutcase, a self obsessed narcissistic egomanic. Nothing else. And stupid as well.

 

It certainly seems to be the case. One of the apparent strategies of the Trump Administration to identify when it comes to dealing with other nations, is that he first presents them with the worst case scenario(IE: This is what we're going to do if we can't get along). And then he slowly dangles out the carrot(the best case scenario) and tells them what'll happen if the two sides can cooperate.

The nation in question can choose, prosperity or ruin, war or peace. Trade agreements or tariffs. And either way, Trump's prepared to deal. Our adversaries are not. For them, they'd like to avoid that worst case scenario. Launching the MOAB, striking the Syrian space was evidence that the administration was prepared.

That position is unique because US mainstream politics tends to stick to a 'mainstream position' and is atypically unwilling to move from there. That's not Trump's MO at all, as this article demonstrates.

It is pragmatic, and it's a very needed skill in a political leader. Who would've thought we'd say that about Trump though? He's grown wonderfully on the job.

 

Yes Trump is a pragmatist and since most of conservative ideology is built upon the foundation of logic most often Trump's decisions happen to reflect conservative traditions, values, and general policies. It's not rocket science, because it doesn't need to be rocket science.

 

More cacophonous memes, I see.

 

I believe this article is spot on but I will go one step further.

Every president that comes into the job is green, every single one of them has to learn it from scratch, nothing in life prepares you for that role. Being in congress, a lawyer, a doctor, a business man or a peanut farmer doesn't.

We see each and every administration grow and become better at the job as the time goes by in everything to policy decisions to how they handle the media.

Its a reason we put term limits on these guys.....so they don't and never learn the job too well as someone like FDR did.

Trump came in like a whirlwind and made a ton of mistakes, we are seeing those mistakes less and less as he learns the role.

He has been fortunate in having a lot of positive things happen but that won't last forever without his doing it.

He is now learning how to deal with Congress.....that in my opinion will be his biggest test and will ultimately define how successful he is.

When he started he was making all of these demands because he wasn't sure how the system worked and we saw lots of pushback from congress from both sides.

As he learned the job, and is learning the job, that becomes easier and the traits of Trump, will begin to shine through.

His ability to negotiate a deal, we already have seen evidence of, will make dramatic differences but its up to him to decide if those choices were good for America or not.

Obama wasn't a pragmatist, he was a visionary and he really didn't get much done.

Bush was interrupted by a war so its hard to define exactly what he was.

Clinton was an internationalist, putting the idea of working with everyone else first.

We can define each person who has sat in that chair as something different.

With Trump however I think we will get what he promised, there will be a wall, trade imbalance will get better, there will be an infrastructure fix in our nation...…..they are important to him, so much so that the only thing stopping that from happening is his lack of knowledge on how to get it done at this point.

We know his agenda, what is important to him but that will change as time goes on and new issues pop up.

The big question is what he ultimately decides to take action on, its not a question of if he will take it on.

 

My thoughts are that this article nailed it. Spot-on as to his motivation, his identity, his objectives.

It's also exactly what the left can't grasp, in that the left focuses on peripheral causes they perceive are responsible for the world not being perfect and fair in the way they want it to be, and therefore them not being happy- Which is precisely the way small children see their world. All children grow up, but maturity of body is not maturity of mind. The mind is a powerful tool, but it only works well in the hands of a mature person who understands how to use it well. Lacking that training, it remains the gratuitous and illogical weapon of spoiled children demanding to be made happy.

You don't negotiate with spoiled children, it only encourages them. Part of the basis of the left's Trump hate is just that- he doesn't give them an inch.
The time to make adults of spoiled brats is when they are small and first decide they can get their way by punishing the world with bad behavior.
The proper class is Character 101 applied firmly at the Woodshed University. Their parents failed them by not doing so, and they have failed to grow up on their own.

Thanks for the post!

 

I am afraid the OP makes much more common sense than your partisan knee jerk.

Trump spent much of his life as a democrat. No way he could have ever won in the democratic primaries if he had run as one, for those primaries are rigged to keep out anyone but establishment democrats. The GOP was not rigged as they never had any fear of a populist, grassroots candidate. And not being rigged he beat the hell out of his competition because he was telling the forgotten americans things that gave them hope. The dems despise working americans, and no longer represent them nor does the GOP. Trump won because of neither party representing these people. I have said that from day one. It is the truth.

Instead of the dems recognizing why trump won, they went into denial and tried to make this election about racists. But that position will not serve them well going into the future. Trump may very well be the pragmatic catalyst that reverses the madness of decades of nothing positive for the People coming from either party. He may change the political landscape especially if he decides to run again and wins. This may be a turning point in politics that will play out over the next couple decades.

 

Trump being a pragmatist has been brought up before and that is why he is hated by malcontent leftie socialists, strongly disliked by those in the democrat party, feared by traditional republicans, treated with cautious optimism by a number of libertarians, and embraced by so many working Americans.

 

Trump is a unique man. Like all of us he has a few warts but he is already a historic figure in his lifetime. What this man has achieved is amazing. Those who call him names and say he is dumb are embarrassing themselves.

 

Trump is a PROPAGANDIST. All about his megalomania.

 

Actually, the fears these people have of Trump reminds me of a line from the Ghostbusters movie-
"You don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector. They expect results!"

 

First sentence correct. The rest is completely off the mark. He makes his predecessors look like amateurs.

 

As much as I've had misgivings about President Trump at first, especially considering I like a "bull in the china shop" approach, I agree. He's grown and matured into the job quite well. This recent summit with NK may prove to be one of his greatest Foreign Policy successes.

 

I don't know how anyone who has read The Art of the Deal or heard the man speak can really see him as a pragmatist. He hates the practical details. A pragmatists deals in the truth, not projecting fantasy, overpromising and underdelivering, and "truthful exaggeration." His focus is more on style than on substance, which is the opposite of pragmatism. I do agree, for the most part, that he is a man who is free of ideology . . . including even a basic concept of integrity.

Perhaps the most flatly false claim of the entire piece: "As a pragmatist, Donald Trump hasn't made wild pie-in-the-sky promises of a cell phone in every pocket, free college tuition, and a $15 hour minimum wage for working the drive-through at Carl's Hamburgers." Trump lives-and-breathes wild pie-in-the-sky promises. He prides himself on it. It was a big theme in The Art of the Deal, and it was even part of the marketing/sales materials for Trump University: sell the fantasy, feels over facts.

 

Sometimes you need a nutcase to shake up the establishment.

 

Oh they say that about all Great Men, thanks for your complimentications sweet heart

 

And the classification of nutcase is that he doesn't fit the mold that people expect, he is indeed the rule breaker.
He makes his predecessors look like amateurs because they were- in terms of doing the real job. Acting like you are in charge is not the same as being in charge. Talking about solutions is not the same as creating and executing solutions. Trump addresses problems, where Obama addressed popularity.

 

I can't disagree, and I also fully embrace the observation made:

"…doesn't see the problem as liberal or conservative, he sees it only as a problem. That is a quality that should be admired and applauded, not condemned."
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After many years running a business, the most productive way to operate is described above. One learns very quickly to temper the emotional approach, forget the agendas, and focus squarely on the solution.

I can see where that type of approach would frighten some.

 

You forgot to add "so there!"

 

Then as far as A Presidency goes, he's settling right in perfectly with all those before him

 

My sister and I were talking about the NK deal this morning. I alluded to the fact that Reagan was also excoriated (but not to the level of vitriol that Trump is) by the Left. Seems that Washington insiders hate it when the outsiders like Reagan and Trump manage to get things done.

 

I like Na-Na-Na best of all

 

People who don't like Trump -- they just call him names. People who like Trump -- they list his successful accomplishments.

 

Throughout history, the people who changed the understanding, the perceptions, the accomplishments of man have been dismissed and called fools by the people who are unable to see past their own limitations, and who fear change or the prospect of being wrong like they fear the deadliest disease. Fortunately, those exceptional people do not let the nay-sayers deter them, and so we are blessed with so many benefits- from having a free nation, to medical miracles, to pocket computers, to men walking on the moon.

"1500 years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was flat. And 15 minutes ago, you knew that people were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."
(Agent K, Men in Black)