Thai editorial: Trump is risking a diplomatic disaster

[selftaopath]

1 hour ago, rkidlad said:

Democracy is the best of a bad bunch. At present there is no better system. If you want to have democracy, you have to educate your people to a certain level. You can't complain when they fall for people's lies. Trump elected, the Brexit, these are things people voted for, and boy are we learning as we go along. 

 

In the US they have the electoral college. This is supposed to ensure that America doesn't vote in a mad man,  but ironically 'Trumped' the popular vote that Clinton won. We now have Trump and are learning the hard way. Trump is also learning the hard way that he can't simply do whatever he likes. Checks and balances. 

 

Democracy will never function well in a country where there are no checks and balances. It's up to the people to speak out and fight against corruption and injustice. Sad but true. As for dictators, you get an unhappy peace. You'll never develop as a country with a dictator in charge. 

I feel Don the Con is/has installed a gang around him that will strip away all our constitutional checks and balances. The Republican party will allow him to do whatever he wants b/c they benefit, and choose party over country. I am increasingly glad to be an Ex Pat.

[Krataiboy]

5 hours ago, Canceraid said:

Now do people realise that true democracy does not work especially when majority of the population are either uneducated or plain stupid! Just look at the US, they could an idiot into the office via democracy and elections. This is why Thailand does not need an election. Let Khun Prayuth and the NCPO remain in power for another 20 years. At least they are doing something things that no other government could do ...taming the thai population. Look ...no more street vendors blocking the pathways, beaches are being cleaned etc, drug dealers being caught, policemen running prostituition rings being caught, etc etc.  So what if there is even any signs of corruption. Tell me who is without sin.

 

 

 

 

Reading your first couple of sentences, one is tempted to ask in which of the two categories of individuals you mention on whom "true democracy" is wasted you would place yourself.

 

Or are you just another tamed (and shabby?) tiger?

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2017 by Krataiboy

[tigermoth]

good article. All the people i know, without exception, laugh at the usa and in particular, at Trump. That he is an outright liar is universally accepted and along with the laughter and scorn he has caused to the USA is an underlying sense of fear that this phsycotic person is going to involve us all in nuclear world war. Russia and Putin have gained enormously in the popularity polls.

[pentap]

Personally, I like Trump, not as a political leader, but saying that, I feel he has more go in him than previous Presidents, but as a person.

The administration he leads, has a lot to deal with. So sure, his every move will be monitored and pulled apart.

But to be honest, its just the same old BS that's been flying around for decades.

Humans destroying each other, on their own turf, and yet we have nowhere else to go.

What a crazy environment we humans have created!

[Jingthing]

Quote

FROM OP
...
What the American public doesn’t realise at present is that US creditability abroad has been reduced to ashes since Trump’s inauguration.
...

Well, sure, but actually many do, but the focus with Americans is understandably the great damage 45 is doing domestically.

 

Hopefully, though certainly not definitely, much of the world will be heartened by the massively popular and persistent internal RESISTANCE movement against the new American demagogue-autocrat, and realize that he didn't even get the majority of votes, and his horrifically tragic ascendancy is a temporary ABERRATION in the foreign policy theme of the USA over many decades. 

 

Quote

 

Trump is turning other countries against the United States
 

There has been much focus on President Trump’s erratic foreign policy — the outlandish positions, the many flip-flops, the mistakes. But far more damaging in the long run might be what some have termed the Trump effect: his impact on the domestic politics of other countries. That effect appears to be powerful, negative and enduring. It could undermine decades of U.S. foreign policy successes.

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-turning-other-countries-against-the-united-states/2017/05/04/40bbe7a6-310b-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html

 

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, pentap said:

Personally, I like Trump, not as a political leader, but saying that, I feel he has more go in him than previous Presidents, but as a person.

The administration he leads, has a lot to deal with. So sure, his every move will be monitored and pulled apart.

But to be honest, its just the same old BS that's been flying around for decades.

Humans destroying each other, on their own turf, and yet we have nowhere else to go.

What a crazy environment we humans have created!

Bizarre. Most normal people if they had a neighbor as obnoxious as trump, would MOVE. It's no coincidence that in his home area, Manhattan, trump got a TINY percentage of the vote. They know him best and they know a CON MAN when they see one. 

[JHolmesJr]

Con man? 

 

Mr Trump is going all out to keep his promises….just got the repeal obamacare bill through the house.

 

 

[EnlightenedAtheist]

 

Corporations are running the show here and in many countries. Democrats/Republicans,... that's to confuse the crowd in thinking that something is being done about it every 4 years or so. Any decent person interested in cleaning "corruporation" gets plutonium or a bimbo delivered to his door.

 

[darksidedog]

Just now, JHolmesJr said:

Con man? 

 

Mr Trump is going all out to keep his promises….just got the repeal obamacare bill through the house.

 

 

"just" got it through the first house, might be more accurate. 4 votes is hardly comfortable. The fun in the Senate is still to come, so it's not law yet.

[JHolmesJr]

4 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

"just" got it through the first house, might be more accurate. 4 votes is hardly comfortable. The fun in the Senate is still to come, so it's not law yet.

 

lol…..always something to complain about….let us know your preferred margin of victory for a win t be a win…..lol.

[Jingthing]

"just" got it through the first house, might be more accurate. 4 votes is hardly comfortable. The fun in the Senate is still to come, so it's not law yet.

Actually trump promised health care for all. Better and cheaper. trumpcare if it passes does the opposite. Yes. Con man.

[selftaopath]

22 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Bizarre. Most normal people if they had a neighbor as obnoxious as trump, would MOVE. It's no coincidence that in his home area, Manhattan, trump got a TINY percentage of the vote. They know him best and they know a CON MAN when they see one. 

New Yorkers HATE Don the Con. Soon he will be the most hated man on earth.... well maybe in the top 5.

[riclag]

The editor wrote and I quote their misspelling and all, that

"What the American public doesn’t realise at present is that US creditability abroad has been reduced to ashes since Trump’s inauguration."

 

I'm American,  in my opinion  he inherited a global mess .This has been festering for 40 years.So that should take care of blaming  the left and the right in America.

[Yann55]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Under Trump, the US risks facing a world that is entirely anti-American.

I suppose he means even more anti-American.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Yann55 said:

I suppose he means even more anti-American.

That's fair enough. There is always a lot of anti-Americanism in the world, and certainly not all of it has been irrational. But, yes, trump is making it MUCH WORSE. 

[daveAustin]

Now do people realise that true democracy does not work especially when majority of the population are either uneducated or plain stupid! Just look at the US, they could an idiot into the office via democracy and elections. This is why Thailand does not need an election. Let Khun Prayuth and the NCPO remain in power for another 20 years. At least they are doing something things that no other government could do ...taming the thai population. Look ...no more street vendors blocking the pathways, beaches are being cleaned etc, drug dealers being caught, policemen running prostituition rings being caught, etc etc.  So what if there is even any signs of corruption. Tell me who is without sin.

I always cringe when I see a Khun inserted before the 'pm'.
You're kidding right? Thailand is a mess. The entitled still get away with murder, the roads are worse than ever and it has never been as expensive. I wonder if you'll be as switched off when he starts ripping into visa policy.

[daveAustin]

Regards Trump inviting over little people, it's likely a ploy to get the Chinese to not look irrelevant and thus do more about Kim, and a South China Sea thing.

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, JHolmesJr said:

Con man? 

 

Mr Trump is going all out to keep his promises….just got the repeal obamacare bill through the house.

All his promises?  Better health care for all at much lower cost?  Declaring China a currency manipulator?  Economic growth of 4% a year?  A wall on the border with Mexico that Mexico will pay for?  The list goes on.  During the campaign he said that fixing these things would be easy.

 

He's already switched to plan B, announce "______________________ is more complicated than anyone knew." 

[Redvic]

Who writes this rubbish? I've seen some bad reporting over the years but this!!!! Pure garbage, back to journalist school dimwit. 

Edited May 5, 2017 by Redvic

[heybruce]

6 hours ago, Canceraid said:

Now do people realise that true democracy does not work especially when majority of the population are either uneducated or plain stupid! Just look at the US, they could an idiot into the office via democracy and elections. This is why Thailand does not need an election. Let Khun Prayuth and the NCPO remain in power for another 20 years. At least they are doing something things that no other government could do ...taming the thai population. Look ...no more street vendors blocking the pathways, beaches are being cleaned etc, drug dealers being caught, policemen running prostituition rings being caught, etc etc.  So what if there is even any signs of corruption. Tell me who is without sin.

The majority of Thailand's population is inadequately educated because the majority of Thailand (outside of Bangkok) does not receive adequate funding for education.

 

No one knows if democracy will work in Thailand since it's never been given a real chance.  Since 1932 Thailand has had 12 coups, 20 constitutions, and one elected PM allowed to finish his term in elected office.  All the problems you write about are problems cause by the ruling elite and military, and they aren't going away under Prayut.  At best this government is re-organizing corruption.

[heybruce]

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

yardrunner,   while i respect your opinion, i find many thais are ok with the present government. In fact only last night while out at a party, a group of 20-30yr olds were discussing this exact thing and majority concluded that the Junta in power was better than the previous protests, road block and insecurity.

Statistically, a group of 20-30 year olds in a bar do not represent a proper sample of the population in a country.  You are also guilty of a highly biased question, what do you think the answer would have been if you asked if the military should support or subvert a democratically elected government when a violent minority is trying to topple it?

 

I assume you are in Bangkok of somewhere nearby.  Under the elites Bangkok controls all power and wealth in Thailand, the majority of the population remain poor and uneducated because the country outside of Bangkok is starved for infrastructure and education funding. 

 

Of course given the chance the majority of Thais will elect a government promising a more equitable distribution of government investment.  Democracy threatened this system that is so advantageous for Bangkok.  This is why it is easy to generate protests against elected government in Bangkok and to get the generals, who are part of the elites, to support the anti-democrats and re-impose autocracy.

 

[heybruce]

5 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

I feel the Nation is being a little harsh and unrealistic in it,s article, that,s why I never buy it. Donald was elected president of the U.S.A. so why not assist him in doing the things that promising to do got him voted in ? At the present moment in time the whole world is being rather undemocratic.

"Donald was elected president of the U.S.A. so why not assist him in doing the things that promising to do got him voted in ?"

 

Many reasons, but I'll go with the easiest to understand:  People who object to Trump's plans for America (assuming he really has a plan) oppose him for the same reasons that people who opposed Obama's plans fought him every step of the way.  That's how representative government works.

[sanukjim]

6 hours ago, tomwct said:

One sided article! I love President Trump and he'll be in office for almost 8 more years. Drain the Swamp!

The writer of this article sounds like one of those poor rioting losers in LA or Chicago.He should have stated that this was just his uneducated  opinion because it sure is not an article that seems to have any intelligent investigations in it's content.

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, sanukjim said:

The writer of this article sounds like one of those poor rioting losers in LA or Chicago.He should have stated that this was just his uneducated  opinion because it sure is not an article that seems to have any intelligent investigations in it's content.

I get it. If it's anti-trump, out come the ad hominem insults. Cheap. 

[chainarong]

After 100 days in the White House this is  about all U could do is invite an unelected Junta leader from the Kingdom of Thailand , then again it has been noted ,  the current erratic twitter President of America isn't particular who he makes friends with....................... 

[steven100]

Khun Prayuth Chan O Cha ....     a good PM.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, chainarong said:

After 100 days in the White House this is  about all U could do is invite an unelected Junta leader from the Kingdom of Thailand , then again it has been noted ,  the current erratic twitter President of America isn't particular who he makes friends with....................... 

He favors strong men. No secret. He backs fascist Le Pen in the current French election. Do the math or meth, or whatever. 

[heybruce]

9 minutes ago, steven100 said:

Khun Prayuth Chan O Cha ....     a good PM.

Smart post. After all, General/Coup Leader/Self-appointed PM Prayuth has made it illegal to criticize him.

[stephen tracy]

7 hours ago, Canceraid said:

Now do people realise that true democracy does not work especially when majority of the population are either uneducated or plain stupid! Just look at the US, they could an idiot into the office via democracy and elections. This is why Thailand does not need an election. Let Khun Prayuth and the NCPO remain in power for another 20 years. At least they are doing something things that no other government could do ...taming the thai population. Look ...no more street vendors blocking the pathways, beaches are being cleaned etc, drug dealers being caught, policemen running prostituition rings being caught, etc etc.  So what if there is even any signs of corruption. Tell me who is without sin.

 

This is a joke, right?  Let me interpret what this post actually says: Destroying small local business and with that destroying the unique urban landscape of Bangkok, making going to the beach pointless cause there's nowhere to sit and no place nearby to eat, drug dealers that aren't tied to the military are being caught (but since when have drug dealers not been arrested anyway?), policemen running prostitution rings are being caught but state officials involved in the rings are spared arrest, as are any military personnel involved, and prostitution goes on with gay abandon all over the country anyway, (Taming) Subjugating the Thai population, and those who dare to express concern over this are jailed for Lese Majeste (on other words, daring to criticize the junta).  Oh, and finally, corruption continues unabated, it has simply been reorganised, and should anyone dare to question why the junta top brass are so obscenely wealthy... well Lese Majeste and throw away the key.

[heybruce]

7 hours ago, tomwct said:

One sided article! I love President Trump and he'll be in office for almost 8 more years. Drain the Swamp!

"Drain the Swamp!"

 

Seriously?  You have not been keeping up on events.  Self-enrichment, ignoring established ethical standards, a staff full of Wall Street bankers and billionaires, nepotism and lots of investigations into ties with Russia, oligarchs, spy masters and criminals.  Trump is making the biggest, greatest, most beautiful swamp ever!