Is Trump Keeping his Promises?

[Larry Cotrell]

Hey there folks, haven't posted in a while but I was having a discussion the other day and thought I should take the question to my friends at MormonHub.

Is Trump Keeping his Promises?

• Build a wall and make Mexico pay for it
• Temporarily Ban Muslims from entering the US
• Bring manufacturing jobs back
• Impose tariffs on goods made in China and Mexico
• Renegotiate or withdraw from NAFTA and the TPP
• Full repeal of Obamacare
• Renegotiate the Iran deal
•  Cut taxes
• Bomb and take oil from ISIS
• Put Clinton behind bars
• The list goes on

[NeuroTypical]

Heh.  I notice the biggest thing he promised to do, the most-voiced reason I hear people not comfortable with Trump give for holding their nose and voting for him, doesn't show up on your list, Larry.  That is, of course, he promised a staunch constitutional conservative pick for the Supreme Court.  Judge Gorsich, Larry, Judge Gorsich.   Larry, would you care to comment on why this (arguably) biggest, most important, main promise isn't on your list?

For the rest, this is a relatively reasonable link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/us/politics/trump-agenda-tracker.html?em_pos=large&emc=edit_trmp_20170130&nl=&nlid=78010559&ref=img&te=1&_r=0

 

Edited July 5, 2017 by NeuroTypical

[my two cents]

He hasn't even been in for 6 months - so really think a tally of promises kept is premature.  This is a marathon, not a sprint.

[Guest]

The only thing I really care about is North Korea.

If Trump fixes North Korea but fails at everything else, his presidency is a smashing success.

If Trump fails at North Korea but succeeds at everything else, his presidency is an utter failure.

North Korea is the issue of our time.  Kim Jong Un is the equivalent to Hitler back in 1938.  That is how serious the situation is.  Everything else is a sideshow distraction.

Edited July 5, 2017 by DoctorLemon

[person0]

10 minutes ago, Larry Cotrell said:

Hey there folks, haven't posted in a while but I was having a discussion the other day and thought I should take the question to my friends at MormonHub.

Is Trump Keeping his Promises?

• Build a wall and make Mexico pay for it                      Nope.
• Temporarily Ban Muslims from entering the US          He's trying to do some things to keep the wrong people out, I will give him credit for that.
• Bring manufacturing jobs back                                    No, I don't see a way he can realistically accomplish that anyway.
• Impose tariffs on goods made in China and Mexico    Nope.
• Renegotiate or withdraw from NAFTA and the TPP    He's got people working on it.
• Full repeal of Obamacare                                            Not even close.
• Renegotiate the Iran deal                                            I'm confident he wants to, not sure much progress is or will be made.
•  Cut taxes                                                                    Nothing of substance yet.  I expect it will come, hopefully.
• Bomb and take oil from ISIS                                       Do I care about their oil?  Bombing started before him and will continue.
• Put Clinton behind bars                                               No, and I doubt it will happen.
• The list goes on

[Vort]

Just now, DoctorLemon said:

The only thing I really care about is North Korea.

If Trump fixes North Korea but fails at everything else, his presidency is a smashing success.

If Trump fails at North Korea but succeeds at everything else, his presidency is an utter failure.

North Korea is the issue of our time.  Everything else is a sideshow distraction.

Actually, I think that I do not agree. Enemies come and enemies go. And as far as enemies go (see what I did there?), North Korea is the smelly, booger-eating kid who kicks the kindergarteners and picks fights with people three times his size. NK does have the potential to cause highly unpleasant situations, but it is not an existential threat to us. I think Gorsuch will prove to have been a far bigger item in Trump's presidency than NK.

[Larry Cotrell]

5 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Larry, would you care to comment on why this (arguably) biggest, most important, main promise isn't on your list?

I pulled nearly word for word from this article with one exception (Clinton Behind Bars)

It was PolitiFact's list, not mine.

[Vort]

PolitiFact is a left-wing site. They should be studiously ignored.

[person0]

Just now, Vort said:

PolitiFact is a left-wing site. They should be studiously ignored.

That's why the list said 'ban Muslims', instead of people from radicalized areas.

[unixknight]

5 minutes ago, person0 said:

That's why the list said 'ban Muslims', instead of people from radicalized areas.

Yeah that one caught my attention too.  It's not a "Muslim ban."  There are something like 49 or 50 Islamic nations in the world.  The ban would affect travelers from 7 (and those 7 come from a larger list of high risk nations compiled during the Obama Administration).  If it's intended to be a Muslim ban, it's a pretty poor one.

[Larry Cotrell]

9 minutes ago, person0 said:

That's why the list said 'ban Muslims', instead of people from radicalized areas.

(First of all @person0 nice to meet you [insert handshake])

His exact quote during his campaign was "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United State." Here's the video of him saying it if you don't believe me.

 

Edited July 5, 2017 by Larry Cotrell

[Guest Godless]

35 minutes ago, Larry Cotrell said:

Hey there folks, haven't posted in a while but I was having a discussion the other day and thought I should take the question to my friends at MormonHub.

Is Trump Keeping his Promises?

• Build a wall and make Mexico pay for it     Fortunately, no. That was policy showboating of epic proportions and hopefully it continues to go nowhere. 
• Temporarily Ban Muslims from entering the US    Yes, from "hostile" nations. SCOTUS sided with him. No word yet on "extreme vetting" procedures from non-hostile nations, but his presidency is still young. 
• Bring manufacturing jobs back        Not much yet in this area that I'm aware of.
• Impose tariffs on goods made in China and Mexico    I doubt this will happen. The GOP (probably) isn't stupid enough to let POTUS start a trade war with two of our biggest trade partners. 
• Renegotiate or withdraw from NAFTA and the TPP    Still a work in progress, but I believe it's on the agenda.
• Full repeal of Obamacare               Could still happen, but progress seems to be slow and public support for the replacement plan is abysmal. Last I heard, Trump was pushing for repeal without replace, which goes against everything he said in the campaign and early days of his presidency. 
• Renegotiate the Iran deal                       I believe this was sidelined at Matthis' urging. 
•  Cut taxes                                               Not yet, but I have no doubt that it's coming. 
• Bomb and take oil from ISIS                   Not much on this front. The one major attack in Yemen was conceived under Obama if I'm not mistaken. Other than that I think we have one MOAB strike and that's about it. 
• Put Clinton behind bars                          LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
• The list goes on

 

 

Edited July 5, 2017 by Godless

[person0]

Just now, Larry Cotrell said:

(First of all @person0 nice to meet you [insert handshake])

His exact quote was "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United State." Here's the video of him saying it if you don't believe me.

 

Pleasure to meet you as well.

I know that's what he said; I watched him say it.  How many times do people, even just in this forum, make blunt statements for effect and then clarify later?  (granted Trump does it way too much, and even flip flops)  What he's doing with the travel ban is his intention behind his words, and is an appropriate way to achieve the intended objective.

See, now you've got me defending him, and I didn't even vote for the guy!  

[Vort]

23 minutes ago, person0 said:

See, now you've got me defending him, and I didn't even vote for the guy!  

I find myself in that same position far more often than I'd like. The wholesale media attack on the sitting president is unprecedented in my lifetime. Nixon did not receive such treatment from the press, even after Watergate broke.

[NeuroTypical]

I know, right?  CNN has become the new National Enquirer for pete's sake.   It would be laughable if it weren't so serious.  But they've had three journalists (including a Pulitzer prize winner) resign in the last month, and just now they're engaged in possible criminal conduct, threatening to expose private citizens for doing things that are not illegal unless they tow the CNN line.  

Any way Larry, so, ok then, you are parroting what you hear the lefties say about Trump, and then using that as your defense/excuse.  Ok then, permit me to change one word and ask the same question:

Larry, would you care to comment on why this (arguably) biggest, most important, main promise isn't on your their list?

[unixknight]

5 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

I know, right?  CNN has become the new National Enquirer for pete's sake.   It would be laughable if it weren't so serious.  But they've had three journalists (including a Pulitzer prize winner) resign in the last month, and just now they're engaged in possible criminal conduct, threatening to expose private citizens for doing things that are not illegal unless they tow the CNN line. 

CNN: The most trusted busted name in news.

(I wish I could take credit for that joke, but it isn't mine.  Andrew Klavan came up with it.)

[Guest MormonGator]

38 minutes ago, Vort said:

I find myself in that same position far more often than I'd like. The wholesale media attack on the sitting president is unprecedented in my lifetime. Nixon did not receive such treatment from the press, even after Watergate broke.

Not really. Bush got the same treatment, in particular after Bush v Gore. It's obvious the media goes after republicans much, much harder than they do democrats. You don't have to be hardcore, breakdown lane conservative to see that. 

Edited July 5, 2017 by MormonGator

[Vort]

7 minutes ago, MormonGator said:

Not really. Bush got the same treatment, in particular after Bush v Gore. It's obvious the media goes after republicans much, much harder than they do democrats. You don't have to be hardcore, breakdown lane conservative to see that. 

Even Bush 2001 didn't get the unending vitriol to the extent of Trump. And while Bush might be considered a conservative of sorts, it's stretching the point to claim Trump as any kind of real conservative, notwithstanding Gorsuch's nomination.

Which is to say: I agree with you that the media barely disguises (if at all) their palpable hatred for all things conservative, but their ongoing and unending diatribe against Trump supersedes even that. It's extremely personal with Trump. The media is doing its best to destroy him on a personal level. Yes, they have consistently done that with conservatives and Republicans and have studiously avoided doing so with leftists and Democrats. But what they have done and are doing with Trump is unprecedented in scope, intensity, and duration.

[Guest MormonGator]

1 minute ago, Vort said:

Even Bush 2001 didn't get the unending vitriol to the extent of Trump. And while Bush might be considered a conservative of sorts, it's stretching the point to claim Trump as any kind of real conservative, notwithstanding Gorsuch's nomination.

Which is to say: I agree with you that the media barely disguises (if at all) their palpable hatred for all things conservative, but their ongoing and unending diatribe against Trump supersedes even that. It's extremely personal with Trump. The media is doing its best to destroy him on a personal level. Yes, they have consistently done that with conservatives and Republicans and have studiously avoided doing so with leftists and Democrats. But what they have done and are doing with Trump is unprecedented in scope, intensity, and duration.

Perhaps. I think supporters of Trump (no, not you @Vort, I know you are lukewarm towards him at best) love playing the victim card about the evil media. Oddly, they hate seeing anyone else play the victim card but it's okay in their case. 

[Vort]

Just now, MormonGator said:

Perhaps. I think supporters of Trump (no, not you @Vort, I know you are lukewarm towards him at best) love playing the victim card about the evil media. Oddly, they hate seeing anyone else play the victim card but it's okay in their case. 

You might be right. But if you are, then in this case they are fully justified.

[Guest MormonGator]

3 minutes ago, Vort said:

You might be right. But if you are, then in this case they are fully justified.

They are partially justified in this case-sure, it's true, but saying that Trump is a victim of media persecution when he generally acts like a grade A idiot with his Tweeting and unpresidential behavior won't exactly make me rush to get out my violin for him. 

[Guest Godless]

1 minute ago, MormonGator said:

They are partially justified in this case-sure, it's true, but saying that Trump is a victim of media persecution when he generally acts like a grade A idiot with his Tweeting and unpresidential behavior won't exactly make me rush to get out my violin for him. 

This is pretty much my sentiment. Yes, he's taking way more heat than any other president before him. Bush took a flogging for Iraq, but you can't help but respect the way he dealt with the adversity. The same can be said for Obama and the nonsense he had to deal with from Fox News, not to mention influential billionaires trying to delegimitatize his presidency with talk of birth certificates. He rose above the noise and did his job without creating public distractions. Trump is taking the opposite route. His war with the media, which he fuels on a daily basis, is overshadowing everything else about his presidency. No, he's not being treated fairly. Politicians seldom are, and the more conservative you are and the higher you are on the food chain, the more true that becomes. But things aren't going to get any better for him so long as he keeps giving the press Twitter tantrums and whiny soundbites to report on. He needs to block out all that extra noise like Bush and Obama did, but his ego won't let him.

[Guest MormonGator]

10 minutes ago, Godless said:

This is pretty much my sentiment. Yes, he's taking way more heat than any other president before him. Bush took a flogging for Iraq, but you can't help but respect the way he dealt with the adversity. The same can be said for Obama and the nonsense he had to deal with from Fox News, not to mention influential billionaires trying to delegimitatize his presidency with talk of birth certificates. He rose above the noise and did his job without creating public distractions. Trump is taking the opposite route. His war with the media, which he fuels on a daily basis, is overshadowing everything else about his presidency. No, he's not being treated fairly. Politicians seldom are, and the more conservative you are and the higher you are on the food chain, the more true that becomes. But things aren't going to get any better for him so long as he keeps giving the press Twitter tantrums and whiny soundbites to report on. He needs to block out all that extra noise like Bush and Obama did, but his ego won't let him.

Trump, (and a lot of his followers really) are high school bullies. Teasing and belittling you then when you call them out on it and stand up to them, they run and tattle to the teacher, play the victim, and expect sympathy.  It is a very sad life truth that the bullies usually win. 

Edited July 5, 2017 by MormonGator

[NeuroTypical]

Yeah, character matters.  Conservatives/Republicans/Folks-on-the-right who value character are in a tough spot here.  Trump has many right-leaning policies for which we have no small amount of support, but his character leaves a crapton to be desired.   Jay Nordlinger says it well.  http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/449114/latest-names-character-donald-trump

That said, all the other stuff we're saying in this thread is still relevant.   It is possible for CNN and other left-leaning institutions to be horribly in the wrong, and for Trump to be a bully of questionable character too.  Both of those things can exist as true in the same universe.  

Edited July 5, 2017 by NeuroTypical

[unixknight]

The eagerness with which Conservatives jump on the media for the way it treats Trump has more to do with the recent overall history of media bias than any specific desire to defend Trump himself.  I'm not a Trump voter either but I am very much enjoying watching the pasting the mainstream media has been receiving lately.  They pushed too far and became complacent, assuming they wouldn't be challenged, and now they're getting their comeuppance. 

If nothing else, Trump has shifted the culture to a point where it became possible to reveal the bias in the media for what it is.  It's been very, very good.  Heck, even MSNBC is going to have a Conservative commentator now.