So the Tiwanese call was planned! What surprised me was who orchestrated it.

[napi21]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/us/politics/bob-dole-taiwan-lobby-trump.html

Bob Dole Worked Behind the Scenes on Trump-Taiwan Call

WASHINGTON — Former Senator Bob Dole, acting as a foreign agent for the government of Taiwan, worked behind the scenes over the past six months to establish high-level contact between Taiwanese officials and President-elect Donald J. Trump’s staff, an outreach effort that culminated last week in an unorthodox telephone call between Mr. Trump and Taiwan’s president.
Mr. Dole, a lobbyist with the Washington law firm Alston & Bird, coordinated with Mr. Trump’s campaign and the transition team to set up a series of meetings between Mr. Trump’s advisers and officials in Taiwan, according to disclosure documents filed last week with the Justice Department. Mr. Dole also assisted in successful efforts by Taiwan to include language favorable to it in the Republican Party platform, according to the documents.
Mr. Dole’s firm received $140,000 from May to October for the work, the forms said.
The disclosures suggest that President-elect Trump’s decision to take a call from the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, was less a ham-handed diplomatic gaffe and more the result of a well-orchestrated plan by Taiwan to use the election of a new president to deepen its relationship with the United States — with an assist from a seasoned lobbyist well versed in the machinery of Washington.
“They’re very optimistic,” Mr. Dole said of the Taiwanese in an interview on Tuesday. “They see a new president, a Republican, and they’d like to develop a closer relationship.”

So we really ARE trying to piss of China! I'm still surprised that Bob Dole is at the heart of this mess. First, I though he was too damn old! Secondly, what's in it for him?

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Well, Dole's working for Taiwan now, so it's his job, and they see Trump as a patsy...

a doddering fool who has no clue, and no decent advisors, so it's their best chance to piss off China and get a foot in the door.

This is the way it's going to be for the next four years.

[Hortensis]

2. Dole says when you're paid by a company you're

Last edited Wed Dec 7, 2016, 06:57 AM - Edit history (1)

supposed to "respond" to their requests.

What is with conservative support for Taiwan and antagonism to China? I assumed money first, of course. We have a lot of economic interests in common with Taiwan, which is our ninth largest trading partner. We reportedly sell a whole lot of military armaments to Taiwan. American business has been expanding investment there, and Trump himself was reportedly looking into investing in Taiwan--during the campaign. China has far too much leverage over prices and other considerations, but Taiwan will be apparently increasingly dependent on us if the TPP is a no-go.

But then there's also the natural conservative high anxiety and bellicosity in response to other strong nations, no doubt exacerbated as China flexes its muscle. American Exceptionalism, with strong roots in conservative religion, really can't accept more than one strong nation--ours. I don't know how true it stands now, but while the right embraces and empowers Putin and Russia these days, one expert I read says there's still an image of Taiwan as an anti-communism bastion. So the plutocrats busy shifting power to themselves here imagine themselves freedom fighters...? In any case, whatever the rest of the fallout--and it would be very big, cutting back our trade with China would hurt the Chinese economy.

Oh, well. Regarding Trump's personal business relationship with Taiwan, just one more item on a whole smorgasbord of reasons the GOP could use to remove him from office.

[Skittles]

3. I call bullshit

BULLSHIT