Romney the next American president? Options

[Liang1a]

Romney's poll numbers have shot up perceptibly after the debate. Many of the polls have Romney now leading Obama by a significant margin. I felt strongly that Obama would win 4 years ago. But now I'm beginning to get a feeling that maybe Romney will win this time. Four years ago Obama looked like he was really enthusiastic about winning the presidency. This time he looks like he doesn't really care. I think 4 years of presidency has wore him down. Everything he did seems to have gone wrong. Or at least not to have gone right. And all the controversy over his birth place must have upset him. No man can feel loyal to a country where a large number of the people, if not the majority of them, consider him an outsider. He must ask himself sometime why he should be loyal to a country where he might not even get a taxi ride because of his skin color. Of course, I don't know how the election will end. But I think whoever gets elected the margin will be small. I think all the democrats will vote for him. But a majority of the independents may feel that he is wrong man to tackle the economic problems. And it is the independents that will determine the outcome. So, as of now, I think the election will be a very close one.

How will the election result impact China? 4 years ago I had predicted that Obama will concentrate on domestic problems with relatively little belligerence. To the extent that Obama had pulled American troops out of Iraq and is winding down the Afghan War my prediction has come true. Some might argue that Obama is heating up the military situation in East Asia. But I think Obama is actually doing as little as he can. The problem is that he is doing the wrong thing. So even though he has done as little as he thinks he can, he is still making the problem more dangerous. His ill-advised "pivot to Asia" has only given the righteous excuse for China to ramp up its militarization. His ambiguous attitude over Diaoyu Island has emboldened Japan to use it as a political football for domestic politics. Also many right wing Japnese now feel it is a good time to rearm Japan and become the dominant military power in Asia and finish what they had started 100 years ago of conquering Asia. Some even talk about arming Japan with nuclear bombs. If America allowed Japan to become a nuclear power then it could easily challenge America. It could become too powerful for America to control. Japan has the technologies to make the most advanced fighters, submarines, missiles, etc. At least enough of them to keep America out of the Western Pacific.

Therefore, it seems Asia is now transforming into a new era. If China can develop into its full potential then it could easily be 20 to 30 times bigger than Japan economically. This economic power can then be transformed into a correspondingly more powerful military to keep Japan in check. But if China failed to develop or its development were controlled by Japan so that China's wealth is sucked dry to enrich Japnese corporations then Japan would become even more dominant than it was 100 years ago. With China's productive power, Japan can become 2 to 3 times richer and therefore more militarily powerful than America. In that case, Japan can even dominate the world while keeping America subjugated. Remember "Japan can say no"?

If Romney got elected then he will be faced with the problem of balancing China and Japan. In either case, America's dominance of Asia will wane. The question is who will dominate Asia? If Japan dominated then it will surely revive its old imperialism because that is the direction dictated by its culture. If China dominated then with its historical benevolence it will create a relatively peaceful and prosperous Asia. Given America's historical antipathy against China, it is almost certain that America will allow Japan to rearm as a means to "balance" against China. Hopefully, the next team of Chinese leaders will have the courage, intelligence, and wisdom to take China out of the WTO and concentrate on developing the domestic economy and so prevent Japan from turning it into an economic colony. Otherwise, China will quickly become an economic colony of Japan and the Japnese conquest of China will quickly follow.

[Suijen]

Japan trying to become the dominant power in Asia? It had that chance decades ago but blew it. Now it can't even get pass the hall without fatass China blocking the way.

In most cases, the presidents, despite their rhetoric, fall into a sort of pattern when dealing with the realistic issue of, well, dealing with China. Obama's pivot to Asia is shocking, but it also makes little sense. You withdraw from the Muslim world and then reposition to East Asia to do what? Enter into a passive-aggressive arms race with China when you're flat broke?

I really see Obama's pivot to Asia as maintaining, rather than increasing, a presence. We have that new base in Australia, but at the same time you don't see a strong bolstering of American forces. The US is going around reaffirming its commitment to the region, but that's quite natural.

You see the US shrinking, in both its presence in the world and in its defense budget. I don't see how or why it will bother doing it for East Asia.

[Suijen]

Japan trying to become the dominant power in Asia? It had that chance decades ago but blew it. Now it can't even get pass the hall without fatass China blocking the way.

In most cases, the presidents, despite their rhetoric, fall into a sort of pattern when dealing with the realistic issue of, well, dealing with China. Obama's pivot to Asia is shocking, but it also makes little sense. You withdraw from the Muslim world and then reposition to East Asia to do what? Enter into a passive-aggressive arms race with China when you're flat broke?

I really see Obama's pivot to Asia as maintaining, rather than increasing, a presence. We have that new base in Australia, but at the same time you don't see a strong bolstering of American forces. The US is going around reaffirming its commitment to the region, but that's quite natural.

You see the US shrinking, in both its presence in the world and in its defense budget. I don't see how or why it will bother doing it for East Asia.

Japan trying to become the dominant power in Asia? It had that chance decades ago but blew it. Now it can't even get pass the hall without fatass China blocking the way.

In most cases, the presidents, despite their rhetoric, fall into a sort of pattern when dealing with the realistic issue of, well, dealing with China. Obama's pivot to Asia is shocking, but it also makes little sense. You withdraw from the Muslim world and then reposition to East Asia to do what? Enter into a passive-aggressive arms race with China when you're flat broke?

I really see Obama's pivot to Asia as maintaining, rather than increasing, a presence. We have that new base in Australia, but at the same time you don't see a strong bolstering of American forces. The US is going around reaffirming its commitment to the region, but that's quite natural.

You see the US shrinking, in both its presence in the world and in its defense budget. I don't see how or why it will bother doing it for East Asia.

[baal]

China is helping American conservatives who believe in limited govt. by making the Blue Model of Society impossible to sustain.