re: #79 BlueSpotinAL

How many Americans know what the Belt and Road Initiative is. Conspicuously absent: the USA.

I would guess maybe a couple of dozen. China is working on knitting together an economic sphere of influence stretching across Asia toward Europe. Meanwhile, it’s expanded into Africa, funding projects there in return for generous land grants and contracts. (And access to natural resources.) It’s not just an effort to become a geopolitical powerhouse. It’s an effort in self-preservation. The Party needs a strong economy to keep 1.4 billion people happy and relatively complacent. If the Chinese economy goes sour, the people will get restive, and the government values political stability above all else.

This lesson is one the GOP ignores at its own peril. Skewing the US economy to favor only the top dogs will lead voters to ask (demand) answers to awkward questions. It’s already happened with the public pushback against repealing the ACA. If the GOP screws up Social Security, Medicare and the rest of the safety net programs, even Trumpistas are going to get angry.