CitizenBBN
12-03-2016, 03:08 PM
To borrow from Star Wars, watching the "Beltway Mentality" with people makes me feel like Yoda seeing the Force in people.
OK, so the Taiwan President pulls a fast one and after 40 years of US Presidents not talking to the Taiwanese President she calls Trump, figuring she has a chance. She was right, Trump took the call and they chatted.
Well in the DC world, the Beltway, they're acting like nuclear war is around the corner b/c we dared offend the Chinese.
You know what, I'm going to really enjoy this Presidency I think, b/c he is NOT strong with the Beltway at all, nada, zilch.
For some background, they're upset b/c since Nixon went to China and started a dialogue we formulated a policy that in NAME says there is "one China" and that Taiwan is part of China, BUT we actually have binding agreements with Taiwan for security, trade, etc. So the whole thing is just a face saving falsehood. We have been Taiwan's biggest ally this entire time, we arm their military, do a LOT of things, but it's all technically "non-diplomatic". FWIW it is all codified in the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
Anyway, there's NOTHING in there about the idea that a President can't talk to them. it was just observed as part of not offending the Chinese, but you know what? Trump is a cage rattler, a guy who is FINE offending people as part of his negotiation strategy, so he's fine to offend them a little. He didn't insult their mothers, so this is just a tweak, not a declaration of war.
What I love in this is watching the groupthink of The Beltway, b/c many on the left and right so stuck in "this is how we do it" that they just can't imagine doing it some other way is anything but a disaster. Even those on Fox and elsewhere who have talked about the blinders of the Left and the DNC show those same blinders on this issue.
Trump is so very out of the box, and that's a good thing.
Also, for those of us alive in 1979 we will remember that it was Jimmy Carter who gave in on this issue, b/c PRIOR to 1979 we had formal relations with Taiwan and they were a member of the UN. So we existed just fine when we actually recognized Taiwan, and IMO we'd get along fine if we did again. Not that Trump even went anything like that far.
I love also the irony that the Left was fine to go start relations with Cuba, a viciously repressive regime, and are aghast that we would even TALK to a FAR more democratically run nation that we were largely responsible for keeping from being overrun for decades.
IN short: Trump is bringing some straight shooting and common sense to a Beltway world of political duplicity and form over substance.
I'm all for it, including standing up to China. The US should do what is in the best interests of the US, and if China wants to blow up their entire economy by not trading with us, let's see how that works out for them. Call their bluff.
OK, so the Taiwan President pulls a fast one and after 40 years of US Presidents not talking to the Taiwanese President she calls Trump, figuring she has a chance. She was right, Trump took the call and they chatted.
Well in the DC world, the Beltway, they're acting like nuclear war is around the corner b/c we dared offend the Chinese.
You know what, I'm going to really enjoy this Presidency I think, b/c he is NOT strong with the Beltway at all, nada, zilch.
For some background, they're upset b/c since Nixon went to China and started a dialogue we formulated a policy that in NAME says there is "one China" and that Taiwan is part of China, BUT we actually have binding agreements with Taiwan for security, trade, etc. So the whole thing is just a face saving falsehood. We have been Taiwan's biggest ally this entire time, we arm their military, do a LOT of things, but it's all technically "non-diplomatic". FWIW it is all codified in the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
Anyway, there's NOTHING in there about the idea that a President can't talk to them. it was just observed as part of not offending the Chinese, but you know what? Trump is a cage rattler, a guy who is FINE offending people as part of his negotiation strategy, so he's fine to offend them a little. He didn't insult their mothers, so this is just a tweak, not a declaration of war.
What I love in this is watching the groupthink of The Beltway, b/c many on the left and right so stuck in "this is how we do it" that they just can't imagine doing it some other way is anything but a disaster. Even those on Fox and elsewhere who have talked about the blinders of the Left and the DNC show those same blinders on this issue.
Trump is so very out of the box, and that's a good thing.
Also, for those of us alive in 1979 we will remember that it was Jimmy Carter who gave in on this issue, b/c PRIOR to 1979 we had formal relations with Taiwan and they were a member of the UN. So we existed just fine when we actually recognized Taiwan, and IMO we'd get along fine if we did again. Not that Trump even went anything like that far.
I love also the irony that the Left was fine to go start relations with Cuba, a viciously repressive regime, and are aghast that we would even TALK to a FAR more democratically run nation that we were largely responsible for keeping from being overrun for decades.
IN short: Trump is bringing some straight shooting and common sense to a Beltway world of political duplicity and form over substance.
I'm all for it, including standing up to China. The US should do what is in the best interests of the US, and if China wants to blow up their entire economy by not trading with us, let's see how that works out for them. Call their bluff.