Cont: The Trump Presidency Part IV

[Travis]

I vaguely remember my old civics classes talking about how people from poorer nations would come to some "land of opportunity" I guess that was wrong. They are just from ****hole countries and are apparently just ****heads with no worth.

 

[Segnosaur]

You know, one thing about Trump, he's really giving internet censors a real workout. Think of all the words and phrases involving Trump that might normally be blanked out, but many news outlets show freely

- Grab em by the pussy
- Golden showers
- ****-hole country

 

[Checkmite]

After today, I don't think it can credibly be denied any longer that Donald Trump is a racist; I not just in a "casual way", but to an extent that he allows it to inform his policy decisions as president.

 

[Pixel42]

Haiti is a ****hole country.

He could have asked why we seem to bring in so many people from poor countries instead, which is a question many Americans ask. He said ****hole instead (allegedly), which again, is exactly the way many Americans phrase it. I'm sure nobody here has ever said that though, of course.

I agree with his general sentiment - immigration is out of control. We bring in too many people we can't afford to take care of. I have said it in exactly the same way. ****hole countries. Doesn't make someone a racist. If you think it does well too bad for you. Russia is a ****hole country, I think.

I love some of the media hysteria over this: "If Trump said this then he is absolutely a racist!" bla bla bla. Same ol' same ol'. The more people bitch the more - nothing. It hasn't helped one bit. It really hasn't, has it?

Pick and choose your outrage and maybe I'll listen, but it's just white noise these days (no pun). We aren't always defending Trump - a lot of the time we are just sick of hysterical ninnies hogging all the news sites.

Making assumptions about people based on the country they come from rather than judging them on their individual merits is racist. The fact that someone comes from a poor country tells you nothing whatever about how much contribution they would make if they came to yours.

Judging people based on their gender/race/nationality/whatever rather than their individual merits is the definition of unfair discrimination. It's also very stupid.

 

[Civet]

Making assumptions about people based on the country they come from rather than judging them on their individual merits is racist. The fact that someone comes from a poor country tells you nothing whatever about how much contribution they would make if they came to yours.

Judging people based on their gender/race/nationality/whatever rather than their individual merits is the definition of unfair discrimination. It's also very stupid.

However vile his motives, Trump has suggested a move toward a merit-based immigration system. He seems to like some variant of the RAISE Act proposal IIRC. Whatever Trump's personal biases, the proposed law would not discriminate based on race.

 

[Segnosaur]

However vile his motives, Trump has suggested a move toward a merit-based immigration system. He seems to like some variant of the RAISE Act proposal IIRC. Whatever Trump's personal biases, the proposed law would not discriminate based on race.

Except of course that's not what he was talking about when he made his '****-hole' comments.

When he made those comments, he was referring to their country of origin only, rather than the qualifications of individuals coming from those countries. "You're a hard-working doctor from Haiti, but since your country is a ****-hole we aren't going to let you in".

 

[BobTheCoward]

what makes it racist, dear ignorant writer, is that he asks why we're not taking people in from say, Norway.

There is only one real difference. And if you can't see it and acknowledge it, you're part of the problem.

Gdp per capita

 

[Civet]

Gdp per capita

Huh. Here I thought it was the much higher Muslim population in Norway.

 

[Pixel42]

Except of course that's not what he was talking about when he made his '****-hole' comments.

When he made those comments, he was referring to their country of origin only, rather than the qualifications of individuals coming from those countries. "You're a hard-working doctor from Haiti, but since your country is a ****-hole we aren't going to let you in".

"We're going to let Anders Breivik in instead, he must be OK because he's Norwegian".

 

[Mumbles]

However vile his motives, Trump has suggested a move toward a merit-based immigration system. He seems to like some variant of the RAISE Act proposal IIRC. Whatever Trump's personal biases, the proposed law would not discriminate based on race.

Again, the most educated group of immigrants, by country, are Nigerian. Dolt 45 bashes them for the same reason he bashes "Mexicans", the same reason he's openly hostile towards Puerto Rican recovery efforts, the same reason he insists that Obama isn't really American, and the same reason why he thinks the plainly guilty Joe Arpaio should not go to jail, while the long-since cleared "Central Park 5" should still be in jail.

He's a white supremacist. This has been obvious for years now.

 

[Foolmewunz]

'Fire & Fury' author admits he did not interview anyone in Trump's cabinet.

Even though he attributes "revelations" to cabinet members in his book.

TFW your source of truth is yet another liar.

Wow! Someone's getting desperate. You are citing a right wing YouTube channel. That's their headline of the big reveal in a lengthy interview. That's not CBS's take and it's certainly not mine. It was a good interview - they weren't pandering to him and they asked him a direct question because various cites have criss-crossed. "Did you interview anyone in the cabinet or V.P. Pence?" "No, I did not!"

Q.E.D. it's all a pack of lies??? How sad. He never claimed he interviewed the cabinet for the book. All the rest of the information in the interview is insignificant to you because all you want to do is back Trump by attacking his attackers?

YouTube? Really? Fake news (headline). Sad.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

After today, I don't think it can credibly be denied any longer that Donald Trump is a racist; I not just in a "casual way", but to an extent that he allows it to inform his policy decisions as president.

It took you this long to figure that out?

 

[Civet]

Again, the most educated group of immigrants, by country, are Nigerian. Dolt 45 bashes them for the same reason he bashes "Mexicans", the same reason he's openly hostile towards Puerto Rican recovery efforts, the same reason he insists that Obama isn't really American, and the same reason why he thinks the plainly guilty Joe Arpaio should not go to jail, while the long-since cleared "Central Park 5" should still be in jail.

He's a white supremacist. This has been obvious for years now.

Sure. And, like lots of his ilk, he probably assumes that a merit-based immigration system would be pretty much whites and certain types of Asians. As long as he doesn't build those racist biases into the law, though, other well-qualified immigrants (like all those Nigerians) can benefit very heavily from a merit-based system.

 

[Foolmewunz]

Donald Trump visit to London called off amid fears of mass protests
President will not now open new US embassy next month, with secretary of state Rex Tillerson likely to take his place

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...off-amid-fears-of-mass-protests?CMP=edit_2221

Hey, maybe the idiot Congressman turned ambassador to the Netherlands could go over and cut the ribbon. I'm sure Nigel would love to have such an upstanding representative of the Now Great-Again America. (It's done, right? I'm sure Donnie Johnny said it would be completed his first week in office and he's had a year.)

This visit is becoming as much fun as anything he's got going. Every six/eight weeks Theresa says the visit is on. The press and the masses rip them a new posterior portal and they make up excuses. "We're concerned about security?" Hail, Brittania! The government of the UK can't offer the King of the Known Universe security? How did Maggie the Tee get around? She was probably as hated by the same factions.

Translation: We can't be arsed to spend all that money just to bring your squishy ass to England. The Queen is washing the corgis that day, Charles and Camilla are planning to be out of town (they'll come up with something) and William, Kate and the kids have a cold. Harry and his high yaller fiance would be happy to meet with you but only if they can tear themselves away from the Eastbourne Croquet Cup. Priorities, you know old chap!

Does Theresa May actually think she'd gain anything from a Trump visit? Unless she's having a "Love, Actually" fantasy of telling him off in front of the national press, maybe?

 

[Foolmewunz]

Sure. And, like lots of his ilk, he probably assumes that a merit-based immigration system would be pretty much whites and certain types of Asians. As long as he doesn't build those racist biases into the law, though, other well-qualified immigrants (like all those Nigerians) can benefit very heavily from a merit-based system.

Oh, horse hockey! Your if is put to the test with his first tightening of immigration and visas. A direct target to Muslim countries... all citizens thereof, and many very well-educated ones.

Mumbles will recall the old standard: What do Mississippians call a black MIT graduate with a PhD in Molecular Biology? A ******, of course.


(And forumites should note... you let in Norwegians and pretty soon Hawk_One will be applying. Oh, wait.....)

As anyone who's worked in a multinational company with a diverse ethnic work force in the USA can tell you, the most overqualified people, largely due to degrees not being recognized, are the people from the Indian sub-continent. India doesn't compare in percentages to the USA but there are, by number, 70,000,000 college grads there, 4% of whom are unemployed.

Let's see how they word the rules to make sure to exclude those people. (They ain't Muslim, for the most part. They'll have to come up with some other excuse.)

 

[Pixel42]

I think Civet has a point, in that Trump and other racists probably do believe that a merit based immigration system would produce pretty much the same result as a blanket ban on certain countries/ethnicities. It would be amusing to see their racism used against them.

 

[Minoosh]

After today, I don't think it can credibly be denied any longer that Donald Trump is a racist; I not just in a "casual way", but to an extent that he allows it to inform his policy decisions as president.

I am one of those literal-minded pedants who cringe a little when remarks like Trump's are strongly characterized as racism. Though racism may well be at the root of the remarks, slurring people based on national origin or religion is not exactly the same thing as slurring people based on race.

To me the more disturbing point is that he truly can't grasp the practical benefits of allowing immigration from underdeveloped countries. For starters, his lack of empathy makes him oblivious to how the U.S. gains from creating loyalty to the U.S. His ignorance keeps him from seeing why remittances can be a powerful form of fully taxed, legally earned "foreign aid" that goes directly to families, therefor can be used to make conditions better in poor and/or corrupt nations.

But the worst thing, IMO, is that he doesn't understand that trying to keep the world rigorously segregated into "haves" and "have-nots" isn't going to work. I'm not saying the U.S., Europe and Australia have to solve every humanitarian crisis; they definitely have to pick and choose, but it's in our own interests to have a fairer, more prosperous planet.

ETA: One reason is that industrialization generally causes birth rates to plummet, and increases consumer spending. That's the line The Economist pushes, which is where I get some of the ideas above.

 

[Cain]

But in fairness, they are ****-hole countries. I have it on good authority that the people Trump's talking about "all have AIDS," and "live in mud huts."

 

[TofuFighter]

But in fairness, they are ****-hole countries. I have it on good authority that the people Trump's talking about "all have AIDS," and "live in mud huts."

"Fake News™, i made those comments to sources that don't even exist which also, you can ask Hucks, I never said. Why would I?"

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Trump seems to believe that Immigration is a vegan all-you-can-eat buffet: you don't really any of like it, but you know that some of the stuff is necessary for your health and, if you pick the right things, they might even taste a bit like cheeseburger...