Trump did something good! He's dismantling the American empire

[Underseer]

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/09/trump-accelerating-death-american-empire/

Trump has made America the laughingstock of the world, alienated our allies, and cozied up to deranged dictators. The rest of the world is starting to move on without us and they are finding out that they can get important things done without any participation from America at all.

Of course, what Trump is doing to dismantle the American empire and destroy America's ability to influence other nations is probably being done because it benefits Russia, but in the long run, this is a good thing. Maybe we can start closing down many of those overseas military bases, pay those stupid contractors less, and finally get that post-Cold War "peace dividend" that the taxpayer never got.

Once the American empire is dismantled, the fact that our government serves the very wealthy and large corporations instead of voters will still cause harm here at home, but we will no longer have this or that industry dictating our foreign policy and causing massive human suffering in other countries just so that a few corporations can have temporarily-boosted profits.

And maybe if those large corporations make less money because the American government has less influence over the world, maybe they will have less money available to spend on bribing free speechifying politicians.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Unfortunately, both China and Russia are interested in military expansion. If we abandon the world we are handing it to them.

 

[Politesse]

Unfortunately, both China and Russia are interested in military expansion. If we abandon the world we are handing it to them.

For us, this would be really bad. From the perspective of said world, is that necessarily a bad thing? If I set aside the propaganda I was raised with, I kind of understand why Africa for instance has rolled out the 欢迎的迹象 for China. We came as slavers and left as highly selective regime changers with a controlling interest in the local sweatshop magnates. Our "reign" was mostly terrible and violent, and entirely selfish on our part. It would be really hard for the People's Republic to mismanage African affairs worse than we have done for the past two centuries. We always promised them stability and democracy and, well, food. But somehow none of those things ever seemed to appear for most people most of the time.

 

[phands]

The orange bastard never did anything good, and never will...unless he kills Pence. McConnel, Ryan and Graham and then suicides.

 

[untermensche]

Unfortunately, both China and Russia are interested in military expansion. If we abandon the world we are handing it to them.

They are first and foremost interested in self defense.

Like everybody.

The US has outspent virtually the rest of the world for decades.

It has satellites looking at the entire planet.

It has a demented madman for a president.

Self defense.

When you see a powerful nation with an insane president that wields a lot of that power, especially overseas, what do you do?

Bend over and take it?

 

[untermensche]

The orange bastard never did anything good, and never will...unless he kills Pence. McConnel, Ryan and Graham and then suicides.

Talk of killing people is emotional talk. Even if it is talk of Trump killing stupid people.

It is letting your emotions get away from you.

Trump wins on the emotional level. He is a master of it.

He is a master con-man that uses emotion. It is the easiest motivator.

In his life he used the greed of those he lied to.

 

[Underseer]

Unfortunately, both China and Russia are interested in military expansion. If we abandon the world we are handing it to them.

If that's a problem, you made political arguments over the past few decades that made this inevitable. Why aren't you more happy about your victory? We are now making decisions based on conservative propaganda instead of listening to those damn smart people you hate so much.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

Why is having an empire assumed to be a good thing by default?

 

[Underseer]

The orange bastard never did anything good, and never will...unless he kills Pence. McConnel, Ryan and Graham and then suicides.

Stupid libtard.

Trump won, you lost. Get over it.

Trump won because he is smarter than you libtards.

Was Killary smart enough to conspire with America's enemies to win the election? No. Of course she wasn't smart enough to use treason to win an election. That's because she's a stupid libtard and not a genius like Trump, who will make America great again by alienating all of our traditional allies and starting trade wars with our trading partners and through the glories of ethnic cleansing! Ethnostate! #MAGA! [/conservolibetrarian]

 

[Politesse]

Why is having an empire assumed to be a good thing by default?

Because the people who own empires have a lot of money and power to invest in forcing you to agree that their reign is just. That they, the empire, are responsible for all of the artistic flowering, technological advances, scholarly discoveries, and diplomatic victories that occurred within their borders.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Unfortunately, both China and Russia are interested in military expansion. If we abandon the world we are handing it to them.

For us, this would be really bad. From the perspective of said world, is that necessarily a bad thing? If I set aside the propaganda I was raised with, I kind of understand why Africa for instance has rolled out the 欢迎的迹象 for China. We came as slavers and left as highly selective regime changers with a controlling interest in the local sweatshop magnates. Our "reign" was mostly terrible and violent, and entirely selfish on our part. It would be really hard for the People's Republic to mismanage African affairs worse than we have done for the past two centuries. We always promised them stability and democracy and, well, food. But somehow none of those things ever seemed to appear for most people most of the time.

You're comparing old times with modern times here.

For a more modern comparison, look at how Russian client states fared. I've been in several (back when they were still clients)--they didn't fare well at all. China doesn't really have client states for comparison.

- - - Updated - - -

Unfortunately, both China and Russia are interested in military expansion. If we abandon the world we are handing it to them.

They are first and foremost interested in self defense.

Like everybody.

The US has outspent virtually the rest of the world for decades.

It has satellites looking at the entire planet.

It has a demented madman for a president.

Self defense.

When you see a powerful nation with an insane president that wields a lot of that power, especially overseas, what do you do?

Bend over and take it?

We have no satellites. We have allies but they could leave if they chose to.

I do agree we have a madman for a president but presumably that's temporary. Russia has what amounts to a mobster in charge.

 

[Politesse]

You're comparing old times with modern times here.

For a more modern comparison, look at how Russian client states fared. I've been in several (back when they were still clients)--they didn't fare well at all. China doesn't really have client states for comparison.

- - - Updated - - -

Unfortunately, both China and Russia are interested in military expansion. If we abandon the world we are handing it to them.

They are first and foremost interested in self defense.

Like everybody.

The US has outspent virtually the rest of the world for decades.

It has satellites looking at the entire planet.

It has a demented madman for a president.

Self defense.

When you see a powerful nation with an insane president that wields a lot of that power, especially overseas, what do you do?

Bend over and take it?

We have no satellites. We have allies but they could leave if they chose to.

I do agree we have a madman for a president but presumably that's temporary. Russia has what amounts to a mobster in charge.

Old times? When did things improve? Our relationship with the African nations has never been anything but exploitative as far as I am aware. We genuinely value the things we say we do, I'm sure - freedom, democracy, free enterprise - but for the most part we keep them for ourselves, we do nothing to ensure that our allies have the same.