Should Canada Be Preparing for a Destabilized USA?

[drew]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Even before this latest "crisis in confidence", CNN was increasingly slipping towards the infotainment trap anyway.

(Note that I was only referring to CNN as my main go-to for U.S. news, not for news in general.)

Me too. I click in every now and again to see how CNN jives with what I am hearing regarding US news on the CBC etc.

But CNN doesn't ever seem to offer any news. Just panel type shows that really offer up no meaningful information or insight.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by drew

Me too. I click in every now and again to see how CNN jives with what I am hearing regarding US news on the CBC etc.

But CNN doesn't ever seem to offer any news. Just panel type shows that really offer up no meaningful information or insight.

The difference between Canadian and US news channels is really quite amazing... CBC and CTV News Networks still default to actual news reporting and in CBC's case documentaries, with talking head shows other than CBC's Power and Politics, CTV's Question Period and maybe a couple of others being the exception to the rule.

By contrast, talking heads are just about all you ever seem to catch on the US news channels. I've never been a big consumer of US news channels, but that's mostly because there is so little news on them to begin with. Just lots of punditry, chatter and talking points but so little news. It might be good entertainment, but I suspect you'd get more news by scanning the NY Times website for 20 minutes than you would get from watching CNN for 5 hours.

What's really jarring is when you go abroad and see CNN International... outside of North America, CNN still behaves like a quality news channel. So why is their domestic product such incredible dross? Even CNN's app verges on people.com schlock and little actual news.

During my last trip to the US, I had to resort to watching One America News to see actual reporting instead of watching three people at a table droning on about the same thing for an hour on the main news channels.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

This whole Russia stuff is getting out of hand. Why is the established class so bent on reviving the cold war...

What is the correct response of a democratic republic when an autocratic state attempts to bugger around with their elections? Nemo me impune lacessit, as they say. I wait to see what follows if Russian interference is fully and finally confirmed.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

What is the correct response of a democratic republic when an autocratic state attempts to bugger around with their elections? Nemo me impune lacessit, as they say. I wait to see what follows if Russian interference is fully and finally confirmed.

These days, Americans appear to be more concerned with sticking it to rival domestic factions than with any external threat. Hasn't Trump's stance on the Russia issue thus far been evidence enough of that for you?

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by esquire

These days, Americans appear to be more concerned with sticking it to rival domestic factions than with any external threat. Hasn't Trump's stance on the Russia issue thus far been evidence enough of that for you?

My concern is what happens if/when he can no longer deflect and evade on the Russian interference issue? Given the position he has staked out until now (due to misplaced fear over possible doubt as to the legitimacy of his election, istm), he's going to look like a chump if the proof is convincing and accepted by the American public. This is a man who does not countenance being made to look like a fool, even when it's a situation of his own creation. His lashing out in reaction cannot be dismissed, and he has the full array of U.S. lashing out tools at his disposal, if one can put it that way.

[esquire]

^ I'd like to think you are right, but for all the high-minded rhetoric about American exceptionalism it does seem to me that these days, the power brokers there are not particularly concerned with who they go to bed with so long as they can parlay it into some short term advantage. This issue has been hanging around for months, and I just don't see why Trump would suddenly start taking it seriously if he hasn't up to now.

It is really jaw dropping, but the Russians stand a pretty good chance of getting away with this one. If the US doesn't stop them, who will?

[SteelTown]

We ain't got nothing to worry about, transcript from Trump revealed today during phone conversation with Mexican President Nieto

Nieto:
.....I think we can continue working towards building the construction of a new framework to continue our trade relationship among the three countries that are part of NAFTA.

Trump:
Well, Canada is no problem – do not worry about Canada, do not even think about them. That is a separate thing and they are fine and we have had a very fair relationship with Canada. It has been much more balanced and much more fair. So we do not have to worry about Canada, we do not even think about them.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...=.3c2fede9c5a0

[Loco101]

I feel that Trump is actually helping Canada unintentionally. Many foreign investors/companies will likely choose to do business and invest in Canada instead of the U.S. because of the uneasy climate Trump is creating.

[Nicko999]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I feel that Trump is actually helping Canada unintentionally. Many foreign investors/companies will likely choose to do business and invest in Canada instead of the U.S. because of the uneasy climate Trump is creating.

According to...

If you want to see how investors feel about Trump and the US, look at the NY Stock exchange. It is at an all-time high.

Now compare that to Trudeau's "everyone is welcome" (including illegal immigrants) policy and it is a recipe for disaster.

[MolsonExport]

Sad.

[jmt18325]

Originally Posted by Nicko999

According to...

If you want to see how investors feel about Trump and the US, look at the NY Stock exchange. It is at an all-time high.

Now compare that to Trudeau's "everyone is welcome" (including illegal immigrants) policy and it is a recipe for disaster.

Actually government policy is that illegal immigrants are not welcome. Government representatives say so regularly.

If you want to see what that idea is based on, it might be worth looking at the actual growth numbers - Canada's are two percentage points higher than those in the US, and the best in the G20.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Nicko999

According to...

If you want to see how investors feel about Trump and the US, look at the NY Stock exchange. It is at an all-time high.

Now compare that to Trudeau's "everyone is welcome" (including illegal immigrants) policy and it is a recipe for disaster.

Then why has the U.S. dollar fallen against other major currencies?

[geotag277]

Some more news about that destabilized country down south:


Under Trump, gains against ISIS have ‘dramatically accelerated’

From the article:

Nearly a third of territory reclaimed from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria since 2014 has been won in the past six months, due to new policies adopted by the Trump administration, a senior State Department official said Friday.

Note, McGurk, the source of the statement, was an Obama appointee.

Outside of dysfunctional congress, pertaining to what the executive branch actually has control over south of the border, Trump seems to be doing a bang up job.

Funny how while all this is going on - huge wins in terms of foreign policy and counter terrorism, securing the borders of his country, making irreproachable supreme court nominations, and record highs for the stock market and business sentiment and economic strength - all his detractors, including those pious Canadians, are so obsessed with puerile gossip.

Calling him an orange clown and other juvenile high school insults. Repeatedly talking about his twitter account, and unironically being obsessed with such things in a manner that they make fun of the President for it.

All very amusing. Anyway, carry on with your criticism. "Send in the clowns"

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I feel that Trump is actually helping Canada unintentionally. Many foreign investors/companies will likely choose to do business and invest in Canada instead of the U.S. because of the uneasy climate Trump is creating.

Not if Trump delivers on tax reform and deregulation. So far he hasn't delivered on much so who knows how successful he will be in those fronts.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by Doug

Not if Trump delivers on tax reform and deregulation. So far he hasn't delivered on much so who knows how successful he will be in those fronts.

Unless he passes them through executive orders, it is nearly impossible to get them through the Senate. Now if the Republicans can get a super-majority after 2018, that may be different...but despite an extremely favourable map, major gains are rare for the President's party in a midterm unless you are extremely popular across the board.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by geotag277

Some more news about that destabilized country down south:


Under Trump, gains against ISIS have ‘dramatically accelerated’

From the article:



Note, McGurk, the source of the statement, was an Obama appointee.

Outside of dysfunctional congress, pertaining to what the executive branch actually has control over south of the border, Trump seems to be doing a bang up job.

Funny how while all this is going on - huge wins in terms of foreign policy and counter terrorism, securing the borders of his country, making irreproachable supreme court nominations, and record highs for the stock market and business sentiment and economic strength - all his detractors, including those pious Canadians, are so obsessed with puerile gossip.

Calling him an orange clown and other juvenile high school insults. Repeatedly talking about his twitter account, and unironically being obsessed with such things in a manner that they make fun of the President for it.

All very amusing. Anyway, carry on with your criticism. "Send in the clowns"

Oh please, a large part of that is just due to momentum that occurs when you have an enemy on the run. And the other part of what you're celebrating is relaxation of civilian oversight. Sounds great, until you think of what that brings down the road. The notion that they will "totally annihilate" ISIS fighters is simplistic, a good number will escape, and as we saw with Mujahadeen in Afghanistan, will grow and morph into a movement even more resentful against the West for our support or lack thereof of their factions.

I can get behind the move not to try and nation build, but the West needs to move beyond oil so we can disentangle ourselves from this part of the world. Let the warring Islamic factions fight things out amongst themselves without the West's involvement.

[Nicko999]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Then why has the U.S. dollar fallen against other major currencies?

It's all Trump's fault... had you looked 2 months ago, you would have seen the CAD down against the USD compared to Jan 2017.

There are factors other than Trump affecting the fluctuation of currencies believe it or not.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by geotag277

Some more news about that destabilized country down south:


Under Trump, gains against ISIS have ‘dramatically accelerated’

From the article:



Note, McGurk, the source of the statement, was an Obama appointee.

Outside of dysfunctional congress, pertaining to what the executive branch actually has control over south of the border, Trump seems to be doing a bang up job.

Funny how while all this is going on - huge wins in terms of foreign policy and counter terrorism, securing the borders of his country, making irreproachable supreme court nominations, and record highs for the stock market and business sentiment and economic strength - all his detractors, including those pious Canadians, are so obsessed with puerile gossip.

Calling him an orange clown and other juvenile high school insults. Repeatedly talking about his twitter account, and unironically being obsessed with such things in a manner that they make fun of the President for it.

All very amusing. Anyway, carry on with your criticism. "Send in the clowns"

I find that Trump simply isn't a leader. He isn't suited for politics. Oddly, I do feel that Canada will be one of the few countries that benefits because of Trump being the U.S. president for a few different reasons.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Nicko999

According to...

If you want to see how investors feel about Trump and the US, look at the NY Stock exchange. It is at an all-time high.

Now compare that to Trudeau's "everyone is welcome" (including illegal immigrants) policy and it is a recipe for disaster.

The New York Stock exchange is quite diverse. You have companies like GE, Boeing, Coke, who are global players. Looking at the biggest percentage gainers at the last close, it is companies such as: Yelp, Weight Watchers, Arista Networks, Aerojet, Fairmount, Oasis Petrolium, Hertz, RE/MAX, Intelsat. These are all global companies.

The TSE is dominated by large Canadian companies, big banks (including TD and BMP that have vast networks of US branches), and natural resource plays.

[rousseau]

China. North Korea. Now Venezuela. Trump the Infant is threatening everybody. But Hillary is the neocon?

I was just about to write a vituperative post about how fucking enraging it is that this stupid, stupid idiot elected by stupid, stupid idiots in the U.S. is in charge of the world's most dangerous military and is holding the world captive, and how bloody enraging it is that people who are in effect the alt-right's useful idiots, some of them on this website who otherwise add posts of thoughtful intelligence, actually thought that Clinton was more the warmonger and was more likely to get the U.S. involved in foreign entanglements as part of a "neocon project."

But then I vaguely remembered that I'd already posted to that effect after the election. So, tacky as it is, I'll quote myself:

Originally Posted by rousseau

Of all of the unrelievedly idiotic things said by those who either support(ed) Trump or gleefully welcomed this "change to the paradigm," or whatever moronic phrase they used to justify their puerile stupidity, what really gets my dyspepsia boiling is the ludicrous notion that Clinton was a "warmonger" in comparison to Trump, who was supposedly going to disengage the US from foreign entanglements.

The attacks of September 11th and the "Muslim peril" will be remembered as little more than a millennial sideshow once the world begins to come to a true reckoning with China's place in the world. The future is all about China and how the rest of the world deals with it.

That's the reality, not supposed sleeper cells of Islamic terrorists hiding among Syrian refugees. It's amazing that butt-hurt Midwestern crybabies afraid of Mexican and Muslim immigrants and sobbing about robots replacing their manufacturing jobs have brought the world to this point.

Did you really want an idiotic 12-year-old mouthing off, throwing temper tantrums and, oh, by the way, having his fucking fingers on the nuclear buttons?

You stupid fucking morons. You were rubbing your hands with glee at how Trump was going to shake things up and kick over the apple cart, as if this was all just a reality show on TV. But now things are starting to "get real," which has probably got half of you thinking "uh-oh," while the other half are wanking yourselves into furious paroxysms of bloodlust at all the military shit you're going to splooge over.

Stupid-ass right wing keyboard warriors...