FF Podcast, Special Edition Trump
On this special edition of the podcasts of the Fleming Foundation, our founder, Dr. Thomas Fleming, shares his impressions of the first Presidential Candidates’ Debate of the 2016 Election. If you’re new to the Foundation and our work, please register as a free user and get access to some of our content.
Show Sponsor: Members Who Support Our Work
Original Air Date: September 27, 2016
Show Run Time: 37 minutes
Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming
Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner
The Fleming Foundation Podcast℗ is a Production of the Fleming Foundation. Copyright 2016. All Rights are Reserved.
“It’s like liking vanilla ice cream and not liking chocolate ice cream. I couldn’t care less what people think they think, because very few people think at all.”
Laughter was provoked here, as well as other points such as the discussion of Mr. Obama’s favorite church.
A most excellent podcast. As someone who had asked for a podcast on this most improbable of campaigns, I thank the Fleming Foundation for this, and I am informing cheapskate friends of this special edition.
I sincerely saw Trump as being surprisingly good in the first thirty or so minutes of the debate, which saw him truly run circles around Hillary in the realm of trade. Hillary’s efforts to both take credit for the economic salad days of her husband’s presidency and distance herself from the long-running ill effects of NAFTA were patently disingenuous. The rest of the debate was generally a scrum with Lester Holt providing some interference. Dr. Fleming’s point of other media forces pushing Holt into that direction seems accurate.
Due to reading “The Politics of Human Nature” I recognized the need to read Henry James Sumner Maine’s “Ancient Law.” The prescience of his writings cannot be denied, as Dr. Fleming notes.
Bravo.
Trump dwelt too much, as he always does, on his own personal history of getting rich. I would imagine that the blue collar middle Americans he is trying to win over, are growing sick of hearing about how rich he is. Also, Trump seems to have picked up some 80’s-era Jack Kemp leaflet about trickle-down economics. I, for one, am sick of hearing about the Gipper’s failed economic policies and the thought of reviving them is going to cost Trump votes. Perhaps he was making an effort to appeal to the Bush/Rubio/Cruz Republicans who are on the fence about going out to vote. What Trump seems to have backed away from is his criticism of the banking/Wall Street scoundrels who have rigged the economy and money and are bleeding the middle class dry. There is little money to be saved, but what is there earns such paltry interest that you might as well just squander it… He mentioned the Fed and low interest rates, but he didn’t really lampoon the criminals behind the fix. When he talks about tax cuts, he should distinguish between the robber-baron wealth of the Buffets/Gates/Zuckerberg cabal and the moderately wealthy small businessman who might earn several hundred thousand dollars a year. Hillary wants to soak the guy who owns a small business and earns 400K a year. She calls him “rich” and she wants to tax him to the hilt. At the same time, the super rich control the show and she can’t and won’t touch them. Trump would really score some points by pointing this out. The larger point is that the big business of the Fed/corporations and global elite is inherently anti-small business.
Unfortunately, candidates have to appeal to women voters, so Trump was in a very awkward position when Hillary attacked his treatment of women, and he acknowledged it by taking a sunken, but somewhat higher road. He could have said: “How dare you lecture me about my treatment of women, when you are married to, and have run interference for, a serial adulterer and sexual abuser.” Maybe he should have.
Excellent, succinct summations on practically every subject addressed. Really cheerful to at least hear the voice belonging to the thoughtful soul — a “virtual” friend I miss seeing in the flesh!
Thanks to all. Personally, I thought I should not have brought the third cup of coffee up to my study. When I finished the show, I thought I was a bit over-wraught.
New technologies are a joy to Stephen Heiner and a big pain to me. We are triple recording these programs and twice in a row have had to rely on the Skype version as opposed to my direct recording via Rode microphone into iPhone. Yesterday, the big problem was my internet server dropped its level to about 20%–the download rate was at most 1–as opposed to nearly 30, when I restarted. Not only am I too old to learn this stuff, it bores me to tears. It’s like learning a new language, yes, but the new language in this case is ValleySpeak and one can only communicate with people you don’t want to know.
The good news is that with AudioHighjack, I believe I can now record programs with other people at a distance. I am starting with family–my daughter is teaching Latin and wants to discuss problems, and son Garret the chef has many things to say. My former radio colleague Paul Youngblood has agreed to do some political podcasts with me, and I have a plan for perhaps doing a show or two in which a Charter Subscriber asks the questions on a pre-arranged topic. Anybody game?
Dr. Fleming,
Thank you for taking the time to discuss current issues of importance for our country this election year. I agree with Trump on the three issues brought up – immigration, free trade and the VAT tax.
I wonder though why build a wall? Illegal immigrants will somehow find a way here and companies who hire them because they are willing to work for less money will continue to hire them.
On immigration: To build a wall will cost us billions and unless it is not allowed, it makes sense to me that Mexico will benefit greatly by having illegals enter our country for the simple reason that they may send back billions of dollars back to their country for their family members. I think that somehow Mexico has to pay because it is costing us and Mexico benefits.
On NAFTA: Our country is the looser in this. The last I new (a few years back) we import more from other countries than we export and we probably still do and our national debt keeps growing. I get the impression that the only thing we export is bourbon.
However, the widening of the Panama Canal may benefit us. It was supposed to be completed in 2015 or 2106.
The Panama Canal: The Panama Canal is to be widened and deepened in order to accommodate larger ships. China built or is building an island out in the Pacific in the south China sea. It will have easier access to the Panama Canal and also to the western Canadian border for crude oil. Venezuela also produces oil. China needs the oil because the county itself produces very little for the size of the population. I can’t recall if Pres. Obama vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline. This pipeline was to transport crude to the Gulf for refining.
The widening of Panama Canal is important for all because it reduces the cost of goods being delivered from other parts of the world.
I read some on the VAT tax a few years ago and wondered why we didn’t implement it.
I nominate Dr. Robert Peters.
Dot, if I may drop into dialect: Trump ain’ gonna build no wall no how no way. The wall is an easy-to-understand metaphor for hardening the border. It may involve here and there a wall and fences but would certainly also include electronic surveillance, more agents, etc. The threat of a wall probably began as rhetorical overkill, but it aroused such a fervor on both sides, it is a good way of forcing people to take sides for or against the people of their own country.
Dr. Fleming: Thanks. Now I can drop that off my conspiracy theory list.
I second Mr. Rosenberger’s nomination.
Trump has talked about how high the wall will be, but with the proficiency of Mexican drug tunnelers, I’d like to know how many stories underground the wall will extend. Symbolically, even if it costs twenty times the highest estimate, I’d like to see the wall built.
Financing the wall is the only time liberals even consider tightening the purse strings… Trillions squandered on war and welfare are just fine, but the wall is way too expensive.
James D. is correct. The liberals who mismanage the American regime are interested in spending tens of trillions to destroy civilization, not preserve their own nation.