Trump: “China is laughing” at us.
Trump: “I have the best brain.”*
Trump: “I think I know more about foreign policy than anybody running.”
[Taiwan calls. Trump the takes call.]
China: Um . . . you’re not supposed to do that.
Diplomats and all the rest of us who follow politics**: Um . . . doesn’t that threaten 40 years of policy?
Trump: It’s Taiwan’s fault! They called!
China: We’re not actually that upset about it. We know you have no idea what you’re doing, Mr. President-Elect. [not subtle tittering]
Thus, the prophecy is fulfilled.
Conservatives tell Democrats to stop freaking out. They say we can only be upset if we’re upset at Obama’s and Hillary’s foreign policy decisions.
Democrats stop rolling their eyes long enough to point out that this wasn’t a decision so much as a gaffe & a logical consequence to someone getting a job he’s not prepared for.
Trump’s team: Umm, no. We totally planned that. This was well thought out. You know, even though Trump said it was Taiwan’s fault–it was in the plan all along.
*I wanted to paraphrase these lines too–but there really wasn’t a way to dumb them down any further.
**This statement doesn’t take a side in the dispute–it just acknowledges there is one.
A few weeks ago, I published this on Facebook, but it’s another useful paraphrase:
Republican story: Obamacare is awful in every way. We’re gonna get rid of it and give you something better.
The story I’ve lived through: Republicans do nothing to help people get care for years and years. Millions and millions uninsured, sometimes because of pre-existing conditions.
Republican think tank comes up with a plan to cover everyone.
It gets implemented in Mass.
Republicans don’t want it to spread.
Obama basically uses that plan when he has to compromise & not give us a single payer option.
It gets called Obamacare.
It gets called evil.
Republican states sue so they don’t have to cover their poor people, even though the plan will SAVE them money.
They bitch, while my family and friends finally get healthcare.
Their new leader says it’s the worse thing that’s ever happened to America.
Their new leader gets elected.
He googles Obamacare, admits that most of it is awesome.
He and Ryan are going to “keep” a lot of it, but do some interesting things that will likely make premiums go way up.
They pretend to save us.
(Remember when they didn’t didn’t care about this problem at all? It took Obamacare to get them to DO ANYTHING.)
I also recommend my recent post/manifesto, if you haven’t read it yet.
