Trumps Base Goes Ballistic Over His Unlimited War

[babylonsister]

Trump’s Base Goes Ballistic Over His ‘Unlimited War’
The president has escalated fights in six countries. Now his supporters are wondering what happened to ‘America First.’
Lachlan Markay
Sam Stein
08.21.17 11:02 PM ET


President Donald Trump acknowledged on Monday night that the new Afghanistan strategy he unveiled is a reversal of his long-held objection to the very idea of having a U.S. military presence in the country.

But in announcing a ramp up of U.S. forces with no defined timeline for their departure, Trump tailored and mangled and obscured the policy to such a degree so as to make it both difficult to understand and—he hopes—palatable to his base. At one point, he asserted that his strategy was to have no publicly-stated strategy at all.

“We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities,” Trump told a crowd of servicemen at Virginia’s Fort Myer on Monday.

Presidents have made abrupt foreign policy reversals before, often breaking with campaign pledges when presented with a new set of geopolitical realities. Trump’s reversal stands out not just for the outright vehemence with which he previously argued that America needed to put an end to its 16-year-long war—Trump has called for total US withdrawal from Afghanistan and for handing the country over to an army of mercenaries—but also because of what it says about his foreign policy at large. In the seven months since taking office, Trump has expanded military operations in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Libya and, now, Afghanistan. And that’s in addition to an escalated nuclear standoff with North Korea.

snip//

Link to tweet

“Why did we even have an election?” wondered Mike Cernovich, a popular far-right internet media personality generally supportive of Trump. He mockingly tweeted a photo of a flak jacket-clad Jared Kushner, the president’s senior adviser and son-in-law, during a trip to Afghanistan this year, with the caption “General Jared.” In another tweet, he wrote, “Congratulations to President McMaster!” a derisive reference to White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who pressed the president to boost troop levels in Afghanistan.

The pushback that came after Trump’s speech was apparent in the process leading up to it as well. Inside the White House, the draw-down and ramp-up camps battled over the president’s plan, in an internal debate that contributed to the departure last week of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, the West Wing’s most vocal critic of escalation in Afghanistan.

more...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-s-base-bewails-unlimited-war-after-his-afghanistan-policy-speech

[FSogol]

1. If all you have are generals, everything looks like war.

[WePurrsevere]

2. Cry me a river, SUCKERS. You traitorous idiots bought & resold...

Trump's big ole pile of stinky gold leafed pig poop and helped brainwash others into believing that it was a garden of roses.

ART of the Deal... more like Art of the CON.

[Vinca]

3. Trump's base would follow him to Jonestown and drink the Kool-Aid.

If they start to walk away over this betrayal it will be very surprising.

[DFW]

5. That's how I see it, too

There will be some initial surprise by the Trump base, but a few reassuring incoherencies from Fox Noise and Breitbart will set them straight, and day can become night again.

[Vinca]

14. I just listened to a few minutes of the Washington Journal on CSPAN.

There was a gushy, GOP woman from California on who - besides worshipping the Donald - thinks we should all hold hands and sing kumbayah as Don saves the country. I couldn't decide whether to knock myself out banging my head on the patio or go straight to a jump off a bridge.

[DFW]

16. Trying to reason with people like that is like arguing with an eager ISIS recruit

This is the kind of voter Trump was talking about--the ones he wouldn't lose if he shot someone dead in broad daylight on 5th Avenue. The Trump voters would say that the victim probably deserved it, and if it turned out to be their own child, then it was God's will, and Trump would still be blameless.

[Cosmocat]

19. I know a LOT of really good people

who are gone relative to politics, conservatives ...

And, they share these takes on "instead of constantly criticizing him, what if people prayed for him?" memes.

They just don't get how people can't give this russian owned, disgusting, incompetent ogre the chance they never gave the classy, decent and extraordinarily competent guy who was in the office for 8 years prior.

[oppressedproletarian]

25. C-SPAN Washington Journal a real eye opener

And sometimes depressing as hell. Hear the right wing trump-worshiping crazies in full cry as they call in to support their "man". Fortunately the program gets a spectrum of callers but I never realized how many crazy people were in this country until I began listening to this show.

Often the ugliness becomes too much for me to bear and I have to change channels.

[emulatorloo]

26. Nope, Breitbart is attacking Trump for flip-flopping on Afghanistan as well

Bannon's Breitbart tears into Trump after Afghanistan speech
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029500201

See also the headlines from Breitbart posted by Hab911 below:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029500053#post13

[Proud Liberal Dem]

39. Doesn't mean much

Even those angry with him over ACA would still vote for him again

[raven mad]

4. There was a DECENT tweet from Ingraham? How...................... odd.

The Coward-in-Chief just made sure more young Americans will die.

[Bluepinky]

9. Too bad Donald Jr and Eric don't volunteer to go to Afghanistan.

They both like to kill things, but they are cowards, as is their father. They wont fight an adversary with a gun; they like to kill innocent things with four legs, it makes them feel powerful.

[raven mad]

11. Since I'm in Alaska, I meet a lot of assholes like them.

Big game "hunters" who get flown in to where the game has been baited to come; get their trophy, leave the meat to rot, and leave.

We boo them at airports. I support subsistence hunting, for Native and all other residents, according to our state laws, which are quite comprehensive. Hunting for FOOD is one thing, for FUN? You're a sick sonofabitch.

[Bluepinky]

36. I totally agree with you.

Thank you for standing up against irresponsible hunting.

[Doug the Dem]

6. Remember the Roman Garrison in Britannia 2,000+ Years Ago?

We're not leaving Afghanistan. My view is that Kabul will be established as a "free" zone for Afghans who can make their way to the city, defended by Uncle Sam.

[Raven123]

7. DT just threw the base under the bus -- for now

But don't worry. Once the going gets rough, the Donald will do a 180, blame his advisors and get on his rhetorical knees and court the gullibles again.

[raven mad]

12. Nah, he'll blame Obama. n/t

[Hortensis]

8. Good grief. THESE people aren't dumping him for talking war.

He won them mainly by his authoritarian, xenophobic strong man noise. They will be somewhat disappointed that this speech wasn't more in the "fire and fury" style, but big deal.

A harsh reality of any democracy is that their strong right's strength and danger arise from their mostly unquestioning, tenacious loyalty to any leader they've already committed to.

When moderate Republicans reject both Rump and his base America will get back on the right course, but loyalty and uberpartisanship aren't exactly weak points for them either.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. But his mouthpieces ARE dumping him

(at least for now)

The "base" only follows what they "hear" on their vaunted stations from their favored personalities. Some of the more extreme like Coulter have suddenly bailed on this idea.

There is a big difference between the Darth Cheney neocons and the more libertarian/isolationalists, which is how he portrayed himself to his "base".

It will be interesting to see if any of them fall back into line...

[Hortensis]

37. Not entirely. Kind of like herding pigs, sometimes they go

where they're being pushed, sometimes they insist on heading back to the trough. Sometimes they bolt or dig in just to be stubborn.

These particular pigs have a huge investment in AND gut disposition for staying loyal to Rump. They don't move that easy.

For W they stayed extremely loyal about 7 11/12 years, only turning on him at the very end when they realized he wasn't going to finally pull a miracle out of his pocket and become the "winner" they thought they were following.

In any case, overnight from that speech, NO ONE can say how "the base" would react. All those who claim to are LYING. And their target market is not only on the right.

[BumRushDaShow]

38. Right - they usually go into instinctual reflexive reactions

and then eventually settle on a standard set of talking points. The "base" must be fed the talking points to make sense of the gobbledy gook that Drumpf normally spouts. But you have noticed that factions have set up - notably the anti-W ones who are balking at this.

Will have to see where it all goes.

[Dulcinea]

10. Follow the money.

Defense contractors are big GOP donors. They need wars to grow their businesses. There will be no winning, just perpetual conflict for profit.

An army of mercenaries? Sure, why not??

[HAB911]

13. Breitbart headlines today

Trump Reverses Course, Will Send More Troops to Afghanistan

Defends Flip-Flop in Somber Speech

Trump Echoes Obama ‘Blank Check’ Rhetoric in Afghanistan Speech

[Johnny2X2X]

15. His base loves this

The fools who thought he would end the wars make up a small portion of his voters. His base of Deplorables loves that he is ramping up how effort to kill even more brown people.

[Javaman]

17. perpetual war is profitable.

we are nothing more than a war based global economy.

[bagelsforbreakfast]

33. +1

[Not Ruth]

18. Locking up that military vote

[yuiyoshida]

20. What is it with Republican Presidents always taking to war??

[MoonRiver]

21. You were conned, morAns!

[BumRushDaShow]

22. When you are a RW loon like Drumpf and lose both Laura Ingraham & Ann Coulter

Link to tweet

TEXT
Ann Coulter
✔
@AnnCoulter

Whereas I see Trump as a threat to his re-election. Report: More Troops to Useless Human-Grinder in Afghanistan. https:// twitter.com/thehill/status/899852655979311105 …
1:04 AM - Aug 22, 2017

Link to tweet

TEXT
Ann Coulter
✔
@AnnCoulter

It doesn't matter who you vote for. The military-industrial complex wins. Only difference: GOP presidents pronounce "Pakistan" correctly.
9:13 PM - Aug 21, 2017

well....

[moonseller66]

23. Advisers and Sons as Right-wing fodder first

I have no problem with conscripting FIRST the sons and daughters of ALL the Right-Wing politicians regardless whether they are in the House, Senate, State or Local positions (and especially school boards) in addition to the Righteous Evangelicals and their offspring and sending them before any others. That includes the Pajama Boys, Bake Sale Buddies and Envelope Stuffers from the Bush years, Breitbart, Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC Employees. Get them out of their mother's basement and off the Sunday Talk Shows and make them make us proud!

As for the Republican politicians themselves, wouldn't they be better serving our country as front line advisers in Afghanistan? I mean they could act as forward observers, call in drone strikes, go on night patrols, recon enemy positions (They don't need guns or IDs just like allegedly a few certain groups in Vietnam).

I would love to see King and Duncan and Issa and Cruz and especially McConnell(!) et. al. doing their duty on the front lines getting good info to their patriotic serving sons and/or grandsons so they could continue the fight for whatever the hell it is they're fighting for.

Then my stock in Depends would allow me to afford Trumps Health Care!

[NCDem777]

29. Why should we have advisers of any stripe in that country?

We've been "advising" the Afghanis for 16 years. They won't take it. It'd be a waste of money flying them out there.

As much as I dislike GOP, pols, they'd do better service digging ditches.

[dalton99a]

27. "We cannot be the policeman of the world"

[NCDem777]

28. Hey National Dems

Time to adopt a strict anti-war platform. Cut the Afghanis loose.

Not like they're capable of running a country anyway.

[superpatriotman]

30. Not what I'm hearing on cspan this am

I'm hearing American arrogance. 3000 years Afghanistan has been in some state of turmoil, but old Twitler gonna fix it with a few thousand warriors.

[lunasun]

31. They will all be fine after his racist rally in Phoenix. All forgiven and trump god again

[SweetieD]

32. Trump supporters to the front lines first. They signed up for this.

[nocoincidences]

34. Not this shit again!

I started my adult life as a college age anti-war activist.

Am I now going to spend my golden years being an antiwar activist AGAIN?

NOTHING has changed since the 60's, that's how it feels.

[Soxfan58]

35. Oh my god!!!!

I agree with Laura I, and the alt-right, the day after a eclipse.