Helsinki--the Tipping Point?

[Benton]

(07-17-2018, 02:26 PM)Dill Wrote: Questions for discussion:

Does congressional condemnation indicate a permanent realignment of Congress' relation to the president, which Trump must henceforward take into account? 

At this point, it largely doesn't matter. There's a decent chance of midterm mashup (growing more in the left's favor every time Trump curtsey's to a foreign power). And, for the GOP, that's probably largely ok. They've got their tax breaks through, pork shoveled out, shown lobbyists they can still get the job done and gotten some very pro-business seats locked down on the SCOTUS. It's probably in their best interest to take a back seat and let Dems get some seats so that when the economic train derails (and it's going to soon judging by the writing on the wall), they can blame it on the Dems and that unstable Trump agenda, which wasn't theirs. 

Losing a relationship with the President isn't a big deal with what they've gotten done, especially if the Dems come in and he starts having to make deals to get things like his wall done. If anything, that helps them when it comes time to push a traditional RHINO.

Quote:Will individuals be more willing to speak out about other issues? People on the foreign relations and intel committees HAVE to be concerned (with the possible exception of Nunes). 

I would say they have been.

Quote:Will this resistance and the public perception of failure endure speed up the downward spiral of Trump's behavior rather than correct it? (I think the former; He does not learn from errors and lashes out at friends as well as enemies. Why would that lessen rather than increase?)

His base has been largely easily manipulated. As long as that continues, the grass-roots blind eye, I don't think it matters. 

Quote:What is the effect of Helsinki on foreign policy--e.g., combined with the erratic ill-treatment of our NATO allies? It has to be clear that the leader of the free world and the world's most powerful military and military alliance cannot adequately prioritize foreign policy issues or distinguish friends from enemies.  He called for a summit which embarrassed him and showed of Putin's skill at manipulation--and came away calling it a "victory."


Related to the previous question--what will be the effect on the EU and NATO. No papering it over anymore.  They have to be planning how to go it alone, or nearly alone, unable to count on US leadership and resources to the degree they used to. (I know Trump defenders want that; but outside that bubble, and outside Russia, China, and NK, that is generally bad thing)

Those kinds of relationships are — in my limited experience — beyond the scope of the president. Take the Obama years, and the link below.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/us/politics/isis-centcom-intelligence.html

There are powers-that-be that need an end which may be completely different than what an administration wants. And they're going to make sure that end comes to pass. In that case, it was altering intel reports regarding the effectiveness against ISIS. If Trump wants to flip a switch and tell NATO to figure out its own problems, there's going to be pushback from intelligence and military communities that have worked for decades to develop allies and communication.