Thursday, June 30, 2016

So Mrs Epa and I went to the Donald Trump Rally in Bgr

The Cross Insurance Center was nearly full as we arrived and Howie Carr was speaking. Capacity 8,500, population of Bangor ~26,000

Empty seats were only below, behind and in the corners of the TV/Press stand which totally obscured views

Protestors - 8 in 3 groups who stood up, yelled (frankly in a good natured way), and were quickly escorted out to Trump stating we had the nicest protestors in the nation. We saw ONE group of 3-5 people outside with Hillary t shirts, laughing and pointing at themselves. TV showed some group (5-10) with the Trump/Racist/HATER meme.

Trump’s Stump - 90% of what he talked about was jobs and the economy, and trade. He was VERY effective rebutting the criticism of the Chamber of Commerce, ‘what,… are they against better trade deals for the US?’

He had a list of what he would do or trade which was relatively specific, INCLUDING the promise that if Mexico and Canada rejected renegotiating NAFTA, he would being the withdrawal process.
He had a list of acts on how to end Chinese currency manipulation, cyber thefts of intellectual property etc, and INSISTED that China was NOT engaged in free trade.

He stated over and over he had NOTHING against the Mexican or Chinese govt, but against OURS for being incompetent, corrupt or both.

He mentioned the WALL, ONCE about 85% of the way thru the talk.

He mentioned military power was there to be a deterrent/respected not to PUSH THE BUTTON.
He outined the commonality in his observations and Bernie’s

Other than that, his talk was about the American economy recovering through industries MAKING THINGS here. He returned to this over and over and over.

The crowd was WAAAAAAY younger than we expected.

12 comments:

Ciccio said...

As for Nafta, I think you will find that both Canada and Mexico would very much out of they, I can tell you that in Canada we were well and truly fucked by Fee Trade USA. Most American manufactureers wanted to do business in Canads, under the old rules they set plants here, With Nafta a lot of those - P$G, S.C. Johnson, J7J just shut the doors, it is far cheaaper tp tack on an extra 10$ capacity than to run a seperate plant and that's what most did. Canada is resource rich, it hs more land and forsets than the US with 10% of the population. Canadian forsts bolong mainly to the crowm, you lease to cut, but the US considwrs it unfair ans slap 40% duty on iy. You have all seen it with the oil, when the US needed it got it on te best terms, now that there is some surplus, fuck you Canads. The US has just about stopped selling leaded gas, the addatve is a health hazzard but the Free trade allowed the US manufacturer to sue the Canadian government for trying to stop it.The Mexicans have a similar litany of woes starting with the US corn imports that are putting all their small farmers out of busiess, all they can now do is try hop the border. Bring it on.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for giving us the perspective of the meeting.

Epaminondas said...

Thanks for view ciccio, the buckazoids are in the GP of making things. So to that end NAFTA is about things like Ford investing another $1.5bn in an already existing plant so it's large enuf to replace the US plant and make Ford's MOST PROFITABLE PRODUCT, the F-150

Epaminondas said...

Adding on to comment.. So that means Mexico. I also know what happened to 🍁 breweries. But what matters is that while free trade was SD as a benefit to all, in fact the margin gain of lower costs went primarily to the 1%.Now they will argue ending this perverted system will hurt the people THEY DISPLACED via increased costs. But a growing economy and manufacturing jobs, expertise, and engineering will float all boats. Free Trade as the USA has practiced it us an #EPICFAIL

Epaminondas said...

Adding on to comment.. So that means Mexico. I also know what happened to 🍁 breweries. But what matters is that while free trade was SD as a benefit to all, in fact the margin gain of lower costs went primarily to the 1%.Now they will argue ending this perverted system will hurt the people THEY DISPLACED via increased costs. But a growing economy and manufacturing jobs, expertise, and engineering will float all boats. Free Trade as the USA has practiced it us an #EPICFAIL

Epaminondas said...

Thanks for view ciccio, the buckazoids are in the GP of making things. So to that end NAFTA is about things like Ford investing another $1.5bn in an already existing plant so it's large enuf to replace the US plant and make Ford's MOST PROFITABLE PRODUCT, the F-150

Ciccio said...

When you look at your free trade deals, look at sugar. The US have the highest retail prices in the world just so that some Cubans in Florida have got millions to give to their buddies in the senate. It is not only the Canadian and Mexican peasants that get fucked, your leaders will do you the honours as well.

Anonymous said...

Confession: I was a free trade proponent for many years. What could be wrong, it's free, right? If Reagan was for it, how could I be against it?

But these trade deals were never "free". They were all about micro controls and secret side deals. Enriching the Barons, impoverishing the rest of us.

Time to rethink. Even a clod like Bernie can figure it out. Things need to change. I'm happy to give Trump a shot.

Epaminondas said...

What the dems are missing is that entire voting attitude.

'give Trump a shot'

Let the dice fly.

Unless he punches the button because his ass is itchy, he CANNOT BE WORSE.

Ciccio, fuck sugar. Screw commodities. Those are the products advanced nations have ALWAYS imported as part of finished goods or as foodstuffs
I'm talking avionics boards in the F-18 (AND YOURS) made in Shenzen.
F-150's in Mexico
Carrier in Mexico
Apple in China
Seagate in Singapore
Dell in Tolucca
Nike in South Asia
LL Bean in ***PAKISTAN*** and Sri Lanka

I'm talking the largest retailer in the world, HQ in Arkansas, doing more business IMPORTING from China than the size of the GDP of all nations except the 9 or 10 most developed.

And I am HAPPY to see Molson brewed independently again

And I 'm talking free trade not being what was sold to the consumers, what was sold to the consumers was the swapping of their jobs, the national economy (as a 2nd and 3rd degree falloff of spending of manufacturing and its employees here) for slowed price increases of SOME electronics, and nearly invisible gains across most of the board, while the boards of the large corps, and others at the top sucked the margin gain until the richest 100 or so in the world now own as much as the bottom 62% or some ridiculous number like that.

It's worldwide..and that's why Obama et al were anti Brexit, and China is SUPREMELY confident they can kick the USA around in SCS...because america's national interest is in the value again of chinese labor costs, NOT in previous ideas of national security.

Anonymous said...

Epa,

Jealous here. I had to tune into the rally via the internet. I use trumptube.tv Next time, wear a funny hat so that we can identify you in the crowd.

Tammy

Epaminondas said...

I will be the ONLY guy wearing a 1930's NYY cap and a Yankee uniform shirt on the back of which is the number 20 with BF Dent for the name

Age check ..1978 one game playoff and the curse

Pastorius said...

Nice. Bucky Dent.