Rush Speaks
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@Horace said in Rush Speaks:
I am not quick to buy the notion that other nations used to venerate the pre-Trump USA.
Every leader of every foreign country has a lot more respect for Mr. Trump than for his predecessor.
Most leaders realize that it is their job to preserve, protect and defend, or at least like, their country.
Mr. Trump clearly understands this.
Other leaders, without doubt, know this and respect it.
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First off, there is no doubt the the US is the greatest country in the world. The combination of riches, People skills, innovation, smarts, resources, etc. make that and I don’t see that changing in the near future.
However, as someone who has lived and worked in multiple countries outside the US over many years, my impression is that the respect for the US by the “average” foreigner person is lower than it had been.
Does this mean any thing in the big picture? Potentially it could. But probably not.
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Gee, if I was a foreign leader, particularly one not particularly friendly with the U.S., wonder who I would rather deal with...Biden or Trump?
Now, if I was an American, which of those two men would drive the hardest bargain for America?
As for respect? That and $1 will buy you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.
Countries don't have friends, they have interests. Mutual interests create working relationships, some better than others.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
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Gee, if I was a foreign leader, particularly one not particularly friendly with the U.S., wonder who I would rather deal with...Biden or Trump?
Now, if I was an American, which of those two men would drive the hardest bargain for America?
As for respect? That and $1 will buy you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.
Countries don't have friends, they have interests. Mutual interests create working relationships, some better than others.
@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
Now, if I was an American, which of those two men would drive the hardest bargain for America?
Driving the hardest bargain for USA is not always best for USA.
Diplomacy does not (and should not) be a win/lose situation. In my small opinion, I think this it what President Trump follows. He wants to win, but if he wins, the other side has to lose.
There is nothing wrong with a win/win situation, whether in diplomacy or life.
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Gee, if I was a foreign leader, particularly one not particularly friendly with the U.S., wonder who I would rather deal with...Biden or Trump?
Now, if I was an American, which of those two men would drive the hardest bargain for America?
As for respect? That and $1 will buy you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.
Countries don't have friends, they have interests. Mutual interests create working relationships, some better than others.
@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
Gee, if I was a foreign leader, particularly one not particularly friendly with the U.S., wonder who I would rather deal with...Biden or Trump?
Now, if I was an American, which of those two men would drive the hardest bargain for America?
As for respect? That and $1 will buy you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.
Countries don't have friends, they have interests. Mutual interests create working relationships, some better than others.
How cynical. I remember the genuine outpouring of emotion across Canada after 9/11. I don't think people were crying for their own economic self-interest.
Canadians also felt that more acutely than tragedies in other countries.
A country is made up of people. People have friends.
Despite what Trump says, most countries typically aren't out to "pull a fast one" on America. Especially its traditional allies.
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@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
Gee, if I was a foreign leader, particularly one not particularly friendly with the U.S., wonder who I would rather deal with...Biden or Trump?
Now, if I was an American, which of those two men would drive the hardest bargain for America?
As for respect? That and $1 will buy you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.
Countries don't have friends, they have interests. Mutual interests create working relationships, some better than others.
How cynical. I remember the genuine outpouring of emotion across Canada after 9/11. I don't think people were crying for their own economic self-interest.
Canadians also felt that more acutely than tragedies in other countries.
A country is made up of people. People have friends.
Despite what Trump says, most countries typically aren't out to "pull a fast one" on America. Especially its traditional allies.
@xenon said in Rush Speaks:
@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
Gee, if I was a foreign leader, particularly one not particularly friendly with the U.S., wonder who I would rather deal with...Biden or Trump?
Now, if I was an American, which of those two men would drive the hardest bargain for America?
As for respect? That and $1 will buy you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.
Countries don't have friends, they have interests. Mutual interests create working relationships, some better than others.
How cynical. I remember the genuine outpouring of emotion across Canada after 9/11. I don't think people were crying for their own economic self-interest.
Canadians also felt that more acutely than tragedies in other countries.
A country is made up of people. People have friends.
Despite what Trump says, most countries typically aren't out to "pull a fast one" on America. Especially its traditional allies.
Go back and read what I said and try thinking.
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Xenon, you're a business person. Do businesses have friends among other businesses, or interests? Does that relate to how countries should operate?
Actually the law frowns on businesses operating as friends, in some senses. Price fixing would seem a friendly thing to do.
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Xenon, you're a business person. Do businesses have friends among other businesses, or interests? Does that relate to how countries should operate?
Actually the law frowns on businesses operating as friends, in some senses. Price fixing would seem a friendly thing to do.
@Horace said in Rush Speaks:
Xenon, you're a business person. Do businesses have friends among other businesses, or interests? Does that relate to how countries should operate?
Actually the law frowns on businesses operating as friends, in some senses. Price fixing would seem a friendly thing to do.
Business is designed to be ruthless (or at least I think that's an ok construct to run it). It's fine to aim to run your competitors (neighbors?) into the ground and annihilate them. I don't know if that's a good way to approach foreign relations (people used to).
That said, the business I'm in is highly relationship-oriented - so it is best when my client sees me as a friend. I can be "ruthless" and minimize the amount of work I need to do to satisfy the minimum set of deliverables we set out in our contract.
Or - I can approach it in the sense that I'll have an unspecified number of potential future contacts with my clients. I don't know the tangible future benefits I'll get from any individual client - but it's good if our relationship isn't transactional. I aim to be actual friends (to a degree) with my clients.
In my business - being able to "drive a harder bargain" with your clients won't be the main thing correlated with long term success.
EDIT: I think Trump's mindset is very real estate - where you don't give a crap about the party on the other side of the table. You're never going to see them again.
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@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
You don't think nations are ruthless?
Genghis Khan was ruthless - we've toned down a bit since.
@xenon said in Rush Speaks:
@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
You don't think nations are ruthless?
Genghis Khan was ruthless - we've toned down a bit since.
Ghengis Khan was one of the greatest rulers and military minds the world has ever seen...
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@xenon said in Rush Speaks:
@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
You don't think nations are ruthless?
Genghis Khan was ruthless - we've toned down a bit since.
Ghengis Khan was one of the greatest rulers and military minds the world has ever seen...
@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
@xenon said in Rush Speaks:
@Jolly said in Rush Speaks:
You don't think nations are ruthless?
Genghis Khan was ruthless - we've toned down a bit since.
Ghengis Khan was one of the greatest rulers and military minds the world has ever seen...
No doubt, and he was also an order of magnitude ahead of everyone on military tech.
But don't think you think we should be emulating him today.
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@Horace said in Rush Speaks:
Xenon, you're a business person. Do businesses have friends among other businesses, or interests? Does that relate to how countries should operate?
Actually the law frowns on businesses operating as friends, in some senses. Price fixing would seem a friendly thing to do.
Business is designed to be ruthless (or at least I think that's an ok construct to run it). It's fine to aim to run your competitors (neighbors?) into the ground and annihilate them. I don't know if that's a good way to approach foreign relations (people used to).
That said, the business I'm in is highly relationship-oriented - so it is best when my client sees me as a friend. I can be "ruthless" and minimize the amount of work I need to do to satisfy the minimum set of deliverables we set out in our contract.
Or - I can approach it in the sense that I'll have an unspecified number of potential future contacts with my clients. I don't know the tangible future benefits I'll get from any individual client - but it's good if our relationship isn't transactional. I aim to be actual friends (to a degree) with my clients.
In my business - being able to "drive a harder bargain" with your clients won't be the main thing correlated with long term success.
EDIT: I think Trump's mindset is very real estate - where you don't give a crap about the party on the other side of the table. You're never going to see them again.
@xenon said in Rush Speaks:
@Horace said in Rush Speaks:
Xenon, you're a business person. Do businesses have friends among other businesses, or interests? Does that relate to how countries should operate?
Actually the law frowns on businesses operating as friends, in some senses. Price fixing would seem a friendly thing to do.
Business is designed to be ruthless (or at least I think that's an ok construct to run it). It's fine to aim to run your competitors (neighbors?) into the ground and annihilate them. I don't know if that's a good way to approach foreign relations (people used to).
That is how things have worked since the dawn of man.
Don't reject it out of hand.
