Clapper, Cruz, Romney - and Other Predictable Trump Stuff...

President-Elect Donald Trump thinks bigger than any politician in modern American history…

♦ James ‘I-responded-in-the-least-untruthful-manner‘ Clapper’s resignation as Director of National Intelligence is a no-brainer and a nothingburger, being spun as a media narrative (talking point):

[Clapper’s ] formal letter of resignation was issued in response to a White House request that all Obama administration political appointees submit resignations effective at noon on Jan. 20, a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said. (link)

♦ Ted Cruz meeting with Donald Trump is also quite predictable. BIG PICTURE = Trump’s immigration policy -as it is carried out- will clearly push “birthright citizenship” (aka “anchor babies”, aka 14th amendment definition) into the federal courts and will be fast-tracked, ultimately ending up in SCOTUS.
While we do not have any ‘insider’ information, it is more likely Cruz is viewed as a Scalia replacement candidate, not Attorney General. Ted Cruz’s specific argumentative skill-set more apt to a long-term SCOTUS benefit. When combined with the Trump policy toward immigration, ie. law and order, the importance of determination/interpretation of the 14th Amendment is key to enforcement. This is unsettled law. This is a legacy issue.

♦ Mitt Romney can be an essential element in Trump’s ‘America-First’ economic position from the perspective of Treasury Secretary and monetary policy (Fed Reserve). Remember, it is going to be painful to put Main Street ahead of Wall Street.
We are talking about reversing 30+ years of globalist redistribution which has resulted in: #1) the removal of U.S. manufacturing wealth (raw material, jobs and affiliated economics), and #2) repositioning that economic benefit in other nations to the benefit of Wall Street and massive multinational corporations and banks.
We have already noted the finance ministers of several nations state they are willing to subsidize their own industrial efforts in order to offset a shift in U.S. economic policy. Example South Korea. In essence, competitive nations are willing to fund the cost of their private industrial efforts in order to keep the U.S. dependent on imports.
Those expanded economies (S Korea, Vietnam, China, India, etc.) are all willing to use the power of their nation states’ to flood the global market with ever cheapening goods in an effort to keep the consumer (U.S. Market) dependent. Nation States are willing to lower their own currency value as the U.S. Dollar grows to keep importing as the best option for multinational corporate profitability (Wall Street).
Taking this action is how the multinational corporations (globalists) fight back against nationalist economics.
Intellectually think about how OPEC responds when alternate energy prices drop or become more cost effective to develop. OPEC floods the market with cheap oil, to keep global markets dependent. Nation states subsidizing their manufacturing base(s) is no different than the historical behavior of OPEC with oil.
This is where you recognize there is no such thing as “free markets“, there are only various degrees of state control over those markets. [Free Markets exist in consumer markets, NOT in production markets.] This is an economic paradigm shift.
This is an economic outlook well understood by Donald Trump who has been amid a select group talking about this for decades.
Knowing how those production states are likely to respond, you can see where Trump needs a keen set of economic intellectuals, business insiders, to offset the challenge and counter the economics of the self-interested nation states.
President Trump will have industrialist minded people on board. Economic patriotism is going to be a new era for a new generation.
People like Carl Icahn understand the nuts and bolts, but they need people who can execute on the day-to-day challenges.
Enter Mitt Romney as a valuable resource as Treasury Secretary.
Fully utilizing the U.S. energy sector ASAP is part of the immediate offset to counter the natural inflationary impact of the U.S. market as Trump’s America-First economics take effect.
Remember, full energy development (2nd or 3rd highest cost of goods) can offset some of the inflationary pressure resulting from a natural rise in the value of the dollar which makes exports more expensive. Enter Rick Perry as the type of guy Trump will need to go full wolverine on U.S. energy development and drive down the associated costs.
In order to compete against nation-states who will subsidize their exports (our imports), Trump needs our energy sector to generate a higher output at lower cost than our global competitors. This counters inflation in other sectors as wages rise.
Remember, there is going to be an economic chess match AND, more importantly, a global economic game of chicken. Who will last (holdout) the longest. President Donald Trump is positioning his policy to make domestic investment the best play for a financial return.
There is going to be a period of turmoil and pain, we should all be aware of this. However, at the end of the effort we will exit the era of being a dependent service economy, and become a more balanced independent production and consumer economy again.