Trump’s Short Game

So much to destroy, so little time. It is the end of our world as we know it.

A myopic vision yields devastating consequences at every level. Donald Trump’s impulsiveness and lack of foresight in controlling his verbal vomit messages will culminate in his political demise. However, the consequences of his tax policies and his abdication of global leadership will have long-lasting and potentially irreversible negative repercussions.

Twitter-Talk

Oh yeah, this will be the death of Trump. No time to proof read? Sloppy errors! Covfefe. Slow down, Donny Boy. Take your time.

“I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI.”

Oops! You said it. No, your lawyer said it. No, I think it was really you, and your lawyer, John Dowd, is looking at disbarment at the very least. While not the first Trump associate to be thrown under the bus, Dowd will certainly not be the last. Jared’s future looks dim, and unlike Flynn, I doubt that Trump will fall on his sword to protect Donald Jr. While I am happy to witness Trump’s self-destruction, I am heavy-hearted contemplating the inevitable consequences of his tax policies, which were designed to enrich the elites by bankrupting the masses, and his brazen determination to abandon our role of global leadership – both of which will lead to our demise as a nation.

Tax Cuts for the Wealthy

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!

Gimme my money. Gimme your money. Bankrupt the nation!

So let me get this straight, let’s give give the poor and middle class short-term and nominal tax relief, while the very wealthy get record-breaking tax cuts. We will trick the plebeians with the promise of a side-dish of trickle-down bullshit.

Wait, it will be okay, it will be great. The wealthy are going to reinvest their extra cash to create jobs. Right? I seriously can’t believe that the same Republic leaders who decried the deficit threat under Obama are now ready to increase it exponentially. Can you say hypocrites? Who needs taxes anyway. The private sector will repair infrastructure, and help the poor, and educate the young, and fight the wars. Trump’s plan is intent on bankrupting our nation of financial and environmental resources in an effort to line the pockets of the oligarchs. A special thanks to Rex Tillerson; no one knows the business of exploiting nature for financial gains like this oil man. Short-term economic gain for the chosen few = long-term financial devastation for the 99%.

Relinquishment of Global Dominance

I willingly confess to having a critical view of the United States’ imperialist practices in the 20th century and our disastrous wars in recent decades. However, like all Americans, I want the United States to be the world leader. I just want us to behave our best and earn our place at top the fair way, instead of rising up by sabotaging and manipulating smaller nations. We all want to be winners, after all. Donald Trump ran his campaign with the promise of winning so much that we would get sick of winning. That hasn’t happened. Instead, under President Trump, we are losing our position of global leadership to the Russians and the Chinese.

Trump’s time at the helm will hopefully be a limited affair. Even if Mueller does not do him in, his fast food habit most certainly will. However, the effects of his presidency will have long-term consequences. Russia and China are poised to overtake our position. The Donald has been eager to acquiesce to Vladimir Putin – for whatever reason. Rather than maintain American hegemony, Trump has given Putin the keys to the kingdom. The United States under Trump has willingly relinquished our global leadership role. We literally gave it away. As if being Putin’s bitch is not enough, we have opened the door for a stronger China.

The Long Game

Both Russia and China are masters of the long game. Once Ivan the Great finally drove out the Mongols in 1480, the czars kept a stranglehold on the Russian people and their subjugated neighbors. The communist revolution certainly shook things up, even marginally raising the living conditions for the proletariat. However, basic freedoms never materialized. The fall of communism in 1991 did not bring long-lasting liberty, and older Russians longed for a return to communism rather than face the deprivation of the post-communist era. The kleptocracy of the Putin regime has solidified the master class of Russian oligarchs. This arrangement seems to be the model for Trump.

As the longest-lasting civilization in world history, China plays the long game even better than Russia. This nation has survived changing dynasties and a communist revolution whose integrity was predicated on eliminating Western influence. The rebound came with Deng Xiaoping who revolutionized the economy by embracing capitalism. In the 40 years since the death of Mao Zedong, China has clawed their way to the top of the global economic pile, and they are poised to economically overtake us. Trump’s dereliction of duty has cleared the path for these powerful and skilled adversaries to dominate the 21st century.

With centuries of totalitarian control under their belts, Russian and Chinese dictators have mastered the art of exploiting the masses for the good of the state. The critical difference is that Russia and China did not sell out their nations the way Trump is selling out the United States. Our adversaries are strong, determined, and committed to the long game, while Trump is determined to reap short-term economic gain for his family and other wealthy patrons.

Donald: What is the master plan? Do you have one?

As State Department positions go unfilled, you have placed your loyal supporters – despite their incompetency – in Cabinet positions. These people were selected explicitly to destroy the very agencies they were appointed to. Hello Betsy DeVos, Rick Perry, Scott Pruitt, and friends. Our government is rotting from the inside out and from the head – Trump. I get that the people who elected you (some are members of my own family) supported your promise to drain the swamp. Fed up with politics as usual, they wanted change. However, instead of draining out government corruption, special interest groups, and Wall Street, Trump and company are draining every last dime and natural resource from the nation.

Rome did not last forever, but 800+ years is a good run. The British Empire dominated the world from the 17th century until WWII. I knew United States’ hegemony would not last forever, I just did not think our demise would occur in the dawn of the 21st century and a reality TV host would literally sell out and give away our power and position.

© Joyce O’Day 2017. All Rights Reserved.