Trump's statements were not exaggerated...they were frequently outright lies and/or gratuitous, intentional insults.

Trump is not "not that bad". If that's the best that you can say about a man, then he is indeed "bad". The only question is "how bad". He is still a bad man and a poor choice.

Whether raw power or international law is dominant is irrelevant. Raw power ie, bullying on a grand scale, is not preferable to the absence of bullying. International law won't simply disappear because someone says that this is so... it might be ignored by some and for a while, but this was always so.

This situation is actually normal. Nothing much has changed, except that a know-nothing, loudmouth, arrogant, sexist, racist, stupid man will soon become President of USA. He will learn on the job some of the limitations to his fantastical vision of his own omnipotence. Where he does not learn, he will fail.

We, on the sidelines will also learn much... but will we understand?

You've got this all wrong!

Trump doesn't have any personal power, just assigned power placed in his hands by the voters!

He is not an elected dictator like Putin and unlike Putin, if he oversteps his assigned authority, he can be, like an impeached (you're fired) Nixon forced to resign!

That said, Trump and the republicans who back(ed) him will live or die politically, based on delivered outcomes! Not even the dumbest republican, will allow the Constitution to be altered so as to entrench Trump, who will live or die with them politically, on delivered results!

One of which cannot be ripping affordable health insurance from around 20 million voters!

Simply put, the Republicans can look forward to a very long time in the political wilderness if Trump fails to deliver on "Great" expectations!

And if that occurs and he wants to hold onto seductive power? What's left? Plunging the world into an unwinnable by anyone, war?

You're clearly not as bright as you think you are? Or is think a misnomer? A thinking man would have replaced the word power, with duty and or, servitude!
Alan B.

you can tell that Trump has much going for him by the people he upsets. Overpaid actress's who are happy to applaud rapist, Israel haters and the green religion are all highly threatened.

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is anything but affordable.
- That's what they do in America; name things in the way they should be perceived but now how they are.
Many examples of this in legislature.

"As a small business that employs about 20 people, the company and our employees are paying twice what they paid for health insurance just two years ago, and are getting less for it," says Brad Chandler, CEO of Virginia-based home buying company Express Homebuyers, in a blog post Manta wrote about their poll results. "We are hopeful that the Trump administration can find a way to lower health insurance premiums while maintaining or increasing coverage benefits."

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/17/small-business-owners-optimistic-about-trump-and-repeal-and-replace.html

I wonder whether Armchair Critic, having asked the question, has something in mind, or whether, like Trump, he is long on opinion and short on answers.

Surely, since USA has long been recognised as the centre of profit-driven privately owned health care industry and simultaneously the highest cost western nation for health services, his answer will include introducing competition into a broken marketplace, or perhaps government overview.

These sound like essential components of the Affordable Care Act, about which I know very little.

So, come on, AC, tell us what precisely you have in mind. We Australians might learn a lot from America's experience.

JohnBennetts, Alan B. take heed from Armchair the sage!

Trump's negotiating flair, his ability to wield power, amount to gifts any doubting Thomases would give their right n-ts for. Sorry ladies.

Trump's has built a great career making comments full of shock and awe, instilling fear followed by alarm. Putin and some of the more extreme Chinese colonels# do it all the time - with success and respect.

Trump's business brinkmanship* will prove effective in the military arena, a nuclear Iran vs Israel? North Korean backdown or the little red button?

Mark my words. An exciting ride awaits.

# see retired Chinese PLA colonel, Yue Gang's comments on the East China and South China Seas http://www.news.com.au/world/belligerent-beijing-combat-air-patrols-over-south-china-sea-escorted-fishing-fleet-in-the-east-china-sea/news-story/1752ce3d63cc5cb8d5d4176dfa48510e

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brinkmanship

Pete

Runner.

Trump isn't flavour of the month at the ABC either.

By the weeping and fury coming from that lot , you may be forgiven for thinking that Marx , Engels and Lenin had all arisen and died again !

Your ABC.. that mirrors Australia....

Hey JonBennets,

My comment itself was not in regards to what should be done with the US health system, I was making a comment that kind of related to Alan B's statement "...ripping affordable health insurance from around 20 million voters".
I was simply stating a counter argument that Obamacare is not in fact affordable; and I added a link to an article that outlined an increase in premiums.

My other point was in regards to the way it is named 'The Affordable Care Act" and that it is actually the opposite of what it says it is.

Like for example 'The Patriot Act' is about going after Patriots (veterans who swore an oath to the constitution) and who oppose the government because they are not following the constitution.
https://news.vice.com/article/move-over-jihadists-sovereign-citizens-seen-as-americas-top-terrorist-threat

I've come across a few other examples that fall into this 'opposite of what they're called' category, (which was why I made the point) but I can't remember them right now.
I'll probably remember in a few days time when it won't matter anymore...

- From what I understand Obamacare was written in consultation with - and for - the benefit of the insurance companies themselves.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertlenzner/2013/10/01/obamacare-enriches-only-the-health-insurance-giants-and-their-shareholders/#715cba2968c8

http://www.infowars.com/insurance-giants-that-wrote-and-lobbied-for-health-law-cash-in/

Also I think much of Trumps character (attack, counter attack, never apologise) goes back to his days with Roy Cohn and Studio 54
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/21/us/politics/donald-trump-roy-cohn.html?

Ah so, man with itchy trigger finger on nuclear Armageddon, needs less shock and awe BS and more delivered by the dozen, promised outcomes! Least we are obliged to say, we who are about to die, salute you!

Happily it won't be the cannon fodder/grunt sent to the front!?

But Trump, his family and all his moribund, as thick as two planks, believers? And any poor bar steward unlucky enough to be in their ground zero district neighborhood?
Alan B.

I must admit Trump's "foreign policy" habits, so far, have proven defective in the real world.

Quickly thought up brainwaves (without consultation) leading to late night phone calls, TV sound-bites and especially TWEETS, are no way to avoid foreign hurt feelings or even conflicts.

Trump is skilled at asking good questions and laudably distrusts "experts" even "Intelligence" officials, but Trump needs to adjust to some intergovernment processes because other people can't keep up.

Trump's US may find preferences shift even more quickly to China if Trump is too offensive.

Armchair, who appears to be in the US is right when he says Obama Care
had the effect of increasing greatly the monthly payments.
I read an article where a woman complained that her monthly charge
went from US$400 to US$900 a month. Many were leaving the insurance.
How many of us could afford that.
The republicans passed legislation to scrub it and Trump signed it.
When Bill Clinton was president Hilary looked at the Australian Medicare
system and recommended it but it went nowhere.
Anyway as far as Trump etc is concerned read this;

http://tinyurl.com/zok6gr8

Interesting contrasting the actual OLO article

with

yet another small "l" liberal herd commentary http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/opinion/sunday/how-to-listen-to-donald-trump-every-day-for-years.html?_r=0

liberals should note the world is still intact

Alan B said;
and all his moribund, as thick as two planks, believers?

You mean the deplorables do you ?

One thing you can say for President Trump -
he'll certainly go down in history!

Can he deliver on his promises?

It seems hardly unlikely - But we'll have to wait and see.
Fingers crossed that his attitude of "Is it for sale?"
won't have a devastating effect on the rest of us.

Hi Foxy

Trump's shenanigans may easily be the bread & butter subject for http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/ for the next 4 years.

He is at heart an attention getting entertainer.

By adding "President" to his list of characters, he has a guaranteed audience of 340 million/week in the US alone. Add 4 Billion non-Americans.

In our region maybe he'll sell Tasmania and NZ to the Chinese running out of Lebensraum and farmland.

Pete

Hello Pete,

Interesting times ahead that's for sure.

However, I hope and pray that Congress does not
allow him a free hand - especially as far as
his obligations to American allies are concerned.
Also I am concerned about Mr Putin's interest
in his neighbours namely Ukraine and the Baltic
States. Trump's admiration for Putin is a worry.

This was written before his inauguration. Now, after a week in office would this author stick by his assessment?

Definitely sticking by.

Trump has the good sense to back away from a goodly part of his more unsustainable positions.

This is after Trump's well chosen Cabinet persuades him to the sensible.

Its those who don't like a white man* running America who cannot accept Trump.

* Not screeching Hillary or apologetic Obama the Moor.

I think it is illustrating a number of non pc matters that have been
swept under the PC carpet.
We have a few years to sort ourselves out before we have to start
dealing with European asylum seekers.
So far, except for only a very few, it has only been Jews looking for
a safe haven. Of those leaving France about half have gone to Israel
and half to the USA.
We need to get our policies sorted out before it becomes a flood
of French, Italians and Germans.

Germany, having second thoughts, may certainly want to pass on many Muslims to third countries like Australia.

A million in one year to Germany was Merkel's Main Mistake. This drew many economic "refugees" to countries all over Europe. This also included IS sleeper cells and solitary killers mixing themselves into the "refugee" flow.

Merks clearly has not recognised HER error http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/donald-trump-muslim-ban-germany-angela-merkel-immigration-refugee-executive-order-a7551641.html

Oh, I think Merkel is enough of a politician to realise her blunder.
However she is enough of a politician not to admit her mistake.
Still further problems, a report from an African organisation that
warns that there are 15 million Africans likely to start moving to Europe.

its amazing that the thing lefites seem to hate the most is when pollies deliver on promises. Remember 'stop the boats'and scrap the carbon tax'. It can't be done, it won't be done, the world won't survive, its impossible and on it went. What the lefties hated the most was when it was done. I suspect the sick days at the abc went up dramatically due to the stress that a pollie would do what he said he would do. On the other hand they love pollies who promise Gonski, NDIS, Broadband knowing quite well that despite tears and tantrums they can never deliver on these things because they know the money is not their for such things.

It is puzzling that Trump did not include Saudi Arabia when he drew up the list of the seven Muslim-majority nations whose immigrants and refugees are blocked from entering the US.

Those seven countries are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya. Maybe the seven have insufficient oil or too few US Treasury Bonds to make them exempt?

It would appear the US has a submissive attitude to Saudi Arabia, the nation that supplied 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijackers_in_the_September_11_attacks

The ranks of Islamic State, terrorising Iraq and Syria, are full of Saudis.

Oil is not the key item that many think. The US uses almost no Saudi oil.
In any case in Saudi's stringent circumstances they will sell oil to anybody.
I have not seen any indication of a reappearance of the Marquis in Rural France.
Perhaps the rural areas have not been affected much yet.
Once the rural people are affected they will react.

Another likely inconsistency of Trump's block Muslims policy is that the US would still be allowing the US's Kurdish allies (against IS) into the US.

"Kurdistan" covers territory in Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey.

Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim, although probably see themselves as Kurds first http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurds#Religion

plantagenet,

The Muslim countries not included in Trump's ban list are the ones he has business ties with.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/donald-trumps-muslim-ban-excludes-countries-in-which-he-has-business-ties-20170128-gu0ptl.html

Thanks AJ

Looks like by Trump's acts the US will lose the middle ground of civilised countries (Australia, European countries, UK, Canada, Mexico etc). Doubtful Trump has ever heard of ANZUS.

America's loss is China's gain.

Certainly most Southeast Asian countries (Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, East Timor) are steadily looking to China for economic assistance and strategic relations.

Another inconsistency with Trump's block Muslim entry US Presidential Executive Order.

This has had unforeseen consequences on military aviation. Senator McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, highlighted an issue Trump may not have thought about: “What about the Iraqi pilots training in Tucson, Arizona learning to fly the F-16?”

The Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing began training Iraqi pilots on F-16 in 2012. The ones already in the USA are now afraid of leaving, fearing they will not be authorized to come back