re: Vance Disparages Friedman, Reagan

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Vance is a shapeshifter. I have no idea what he really believes in

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I prefer Vance infinitely over any Democrat, however, from day one I have been a bit squeamish about him because he was a senator. Especially contrasted with Trump, who wasn’t a politician when he got into this and is a businessman. Trump is what Reagan would’ve been if Reagan had been a businessman. Not throwing shade at Reagan, but having not had extensive experience trying to run and grow a big business dealing with big government puts anyone that runs for president at a big disadvantage and it hurts their judgment as they too often default in favor of big government as opposed to small government

Nothing worse than a smart dumb mother fricker

TLDNR

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but having not had extensive experience trying to run and grow a big business dealing with big government puts anyone that runs for president at a big disadvantage and it hurts their judgment as they too often default in favor of big government as opposed to small government

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Case in point.

Trump is not about small government.

Concentrating government in the Executive Branch during his second term so that he can do and control whatever he wants, yes. Uncovering corruption so that he can get revenge on the party who attempted to destroy him personally from 2020-2024, yes.

But tariffs are not small government. Kidnapping the president of a sovereign country is not small government. Using the tax code and regulatory priority to pick winners and losers is not small government. Spending like he signs off on regularly is not small government. Taking corporate equity is not small government. Using regulatory pressure to control universities is not small government.

Populists think anything they'd like to see is "small government," or "conservative."

By definition, it's not. Not necessarily.

Trump is arguably "bigger government" than every Republican POTUS in my lifetime and "bigger government" than at least one Democratic POTUS (Clinton).

And yeah, that doesn't take away from some good things that he's done that probably no one else would have the balls to do. But even those things weren't done because of a commitment to "small government."

Hell, most of what has seemed to motivate Trump this second time around has been (in no particular order):

1. Revenge
2. Desire to enrich himself and his family
3. Ego

I don't think he does a single thing out of a commitment to any principle like smaller government.

my boy is doing EVERYTHING he can to try to take himself out of the hotseat in 2 years...

Capitalism works fine in non Christian countries.

What he is saying is true. What happened in England happened here. We all know the leaders of the GOPfrom Reagan forward went along to get along until the people had enough.... and then Trump.

Reagan was talked into amnesty with the agreement that the borders would be secured. That never happened.

Friedman, on paper, is very sound. But we don't live in a world that allows for it. There is ZERO doubt that there were issues with free trade that nobody thought would happen, but here we are.

Very well put.

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I was a lot better off financially, politically, and definitely more optimistic during the 80's and early 90's than I am today.

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And the policies of that time led the USA to where it is now. Just because times were good, it does not take away from the results of policies from that era that we live with today.