America First - As A Guiding Principle

America First - As A Guiding Principle. What does that mean? What does it look like in practice?

Should “America First” be the guiding principle for policy?

Why or why not?

Absolutely it should be the guiding principle for every policy.
To me it means hopping off the globalist train and while we can have free trade and commerce with other nations, we do not need to be giving up our sovereignty to multinational groups that don’t give a damn about American citizens. Our military also needs to leave most of the countries where we are located (especially the Middle East) because all it does is foment hatred and expose us to the blowback of terrorism. No more world police.

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Currently reading, Superintelligence Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom. He makes a fairly compelling case that work on AI should be an international effort with an international enforcement arm. It’s that or risk some very horrific possible outcomes if one state or corp does it first and fails to contain it.

So my answer would be America First unless that risks worse outcomes for Americans.

Who gets to decide?

What policies are we talking about with America first?

Allan

Yes, America First should guide our policy.

What is best for America is where the arguments start.

Also, what timeline should current policy consider when deciding what is best for america is contentious.

Ideally the people through their elected representatives.

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And what exactly is America first?

What about our allies?

Cast them aside?

Allan

Not so much cast them aside, just politely tell the French “Australia really didn’t want your crappy subs, they just didn’t want to be rude by telling you so”.

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It means your govt is here to make your country wealthy and prosperous. And should protect it’s borders.
It’s an anti globalist principle. And all countries should be saying that same thing. Certainly China is all about China first.

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I think all things need continual review and reevaluation, including allies and alliances. Countries get new leaders, new governments, and their norms change along with policies and interests.

We should always prioritize American citizens when it comes to international politics. Always.

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No. Our “close traditional allies” are second in line.

Don’t have to throw them away. Just we should focus primarily on American citizens when it comes to international agreement. If an agreement will help other nations while harming american citizens, we shouldn’t do it.

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So name a biden policy that doesn’t put American citizens first.

Allan

I never said he was doing so.

In the past (and I assume today, need to read into it more), a significant portion of climate policy involved what was essentially reparations from the west to the developing world. Contracting our power generation while allowing the second world (who was burning carbon alongside us for the entire 20th century) “more time” to get their affairs in order. While the 1st world cut its standards far beyond what they have already cut.

Those policies would directly harm American citizens in terms of economic factors. While allowing second world nations, such as the former Warsaw Pact states and China to improve their economic standing before the cuts were due to start for them.

That’s just bad policy.

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His pipeline policy made OPEC able to make Americans poorer…

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Not to mention his illegal immigrant policies

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Yeah his policy on illegals absolutely blows.

Democrats need to learn to stop encouraging them to come over.

For instance Israel. It helps American citizens to have a stable Middle East.

So aid to keep them stable helps America.

So they are first in line. Right?

Other allies share intelligence with us. And we share ours with them. Are they first on line?

Allan

Those are all mutually beneficial things. Mutual benefit is good for everyone involved. That doesn’t violate an American first mindset.