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Benedict Arnold

I confess to a wicked pleasure today :P

No don't get excited it's not that exciting! It's Trump related, politics related...

 I was listening to BBC radio 4, Any Questions which is where they get a bunch of politicians, important people etc and ask them questions related to current affairs, (as in news).  And they had a question about our friend Trumpet :P  The question poser asked the panel did they think that Trump would start acting responsibly by starting to listen to the intelligence service once he had gained more "experience". 

I positively sniggered at the panels comments about Trump :P  Seriously, when i say no one here likes him - I am not lying. I have only ever heard one person say they like him here... and to be fair that guy was a couple of bricks short of a pallet, not the most intelligent if you know what i mean :P  oh and we know there's Nigel Farage.. but no one takes Farage seriously and even he made derogatory comments and tried to distance himself from Trump when he thought Trump wouldn't win.. so I think his love of Trump is motivated by attention seeking. 

SO anyway... it amused me to hear the panel talk about Trump... the words "distasteful and unpleasant", "his comments brought great shame on him", "see him for what he is, absolutely ghastly,"  

When another panel member was asked whether Trump would now pay more attention to his advisers than Putin, the panel member said that Trump should but that, "the question should be whether he is capable of that, scary times because I don't think he is" He goes on to say,  "we've elected a games-how host to run America, that's full of racism bigotry and stupidity.. " He confessed that he just wanted to "sleep for 5 years and wake up in 5 years time.. ..."  

The next panel member said when he heard that the American vice president told Trump to grow up, that this was insulting to children.  He questioned the wisdom of a man who is about to run the united states.. who doesn't believe, trust the American intelligence services.. but who, instead, trusts wikileaks more than the studied opinions of the specialists, and someone who is a climate change denier, is " a terrible way to start a presidency.. bad for the world and bad for America.. "

To be fair there was one who was trying to be kind; he mentioned that Trump made some good appointments.. but everyone absolutely fell about laughing at this... . the poor deluded soul was an optimist.. and thought that Trump would let Teresa May guide him!  No chance!!  

If you want to go check it out the bit on Trump is 26 minutes in...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b086tgyl

Posted - January 7, 2017
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Responses


  • The problem with this, is it's the usual talking heads and politicians making the statements. Politics often takes a back seat to common sense. Trump's main issue is being an outsider to status quo, and thinking he can run the government like a business. Others have found this to be a challenge, and I'm sure he'll have an eye opener. I doubt he's going to have much tolerance for failure in his cabinet.

    That said, there is another perspective in business along these lines (and I'm paraphrasing the parable). 10 people arrive at an office, and find the front door locked. They all stand around trying to figure out what to do. One calls the super (who isn't answering). Another tries to pick the lock. Someone suggests smashing in the door glass with a brick. While the arguing ensues, one guy says "how about trying another door", but is stifled by the other 9. Eventually, he goes 'round the back, finds the door open and goes in.

    Is Trump the 10th person? I don't know, but career politicians in the US haven't done anyone any favors over the years except for propping up the 2 party system and kicking the middle class in the teeth. Especially the last guy, who thankfully will be gone in 13 days. I just hope the last guy, who's enemies were everyone who didn't identify with a "D", didn't leave us with another 9/11 on the horizon.
      January 7, 2017 2:21 PM MST
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  • Aww bless you for your optimism... i have seen that echoed a time or two - it's very sweet and heartwarming.. but, I am afraid your hope is misplaced.. Your optimism is misplaced.. The man doesn't have a clue.. and that makes him dangerous.. to ignore the CIA and intelligence services in favour of a RUSSIAN and WIkileaks is not just silly, it's dangerous.. and it's dangerous to YOU and your country..   There's times when it's good to be hopeful, to hope for the best... but there are times when it's just not a good option :(  

    I understand why people wanted someone different but not HIM!!  He's the last person who should have been chosen :(  

    It's one thing to want to run the country like a business.. but, but, and it pains me to say this.. Trump isn't even a good businessman.. his businesses are forever ending up in court, many fold or go bankrupt, his business style is bullying rather than smarts.. 

    I do appreciate your response and that it was polite and presented your thoughts.. but i honestly believe optimism is not warranted here - and I am sorry to say that :(
      January 7, 2017 2:56 PM MST
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  • Thanks, but I am not being optimistic, I am being realistic based on what I know. For instance, everyone is suddenly surprised that Russian (and China) are hacking us? I've been in briefings with a cyber-security FBI agent surrounding corporate security measures years ago. For the most part, they're after corporate secrets they can give to their own businesses. American Corps spend billions on cyber-security. Nothing new here, move on if you haven't adequately protected your assets.

    As for business acumen, I've worked with and personally known several CEO's and business people, both bad and good. Some had several failures before finding a sweet spot. Some failed never to return. I know someone personally right now, who filed bankruptcy at one time, who started again and is doing pretty good. It's a matter of perspective ( and personally, the US's bankruptcy laws are way too lenient, but that's a debate for another day).

    I think the 2 most important aspects to me for someone in charge is 1) having a vision and 2) having people aligned and working towards the vision. I've been in situation where a CEO made a statement (back when the economy was cooking) that we needed to be aware of the signs of economic duress. He also challenged groups to save 10%, so we could avoid any impacts.  Guess what? His lieutenants ignored financial signs, and while they got the 10% savings, they ended up spending the savings on pet projects that went nowhere. He failed.

    Sometimes the tactics are questionable. I'll give you an example, a CEO of a local Corp was upset when a bullet went through a conference room window (the corp is in a fairly bad neighborhood). This was the last straw in a string of car break-ins, and muggings of employees. He went to the mayor, and told him, fix this or we move. Thing is, he would have moved.

    The mayor and the police chief increased patrols, and made it a priority to be more responsive to the local businesses. In turn, the business also increase it's level of security through fencing and cameras. Was that tactic bullying, or what needed to be done and get the message across?

    Believe me, if Make America Great Again, turns into another Hope and Change, I'll be the first to stand up and criticize. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at January 7, 2017 3:50 PM MST
      January 7, 2017 3:48 PM MST
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