To start with the easiest one first Ms Cruz is not an low-level employee who has the opinions that please her employer. She was a vice-president, who ran GS's Houston wealth-management unit, which handles portfolios for clients with an average net worth of $40 million.
The CFR website further specifies she served in the George W. Bush White House under Condoleezza Rice as the economic director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council. She previously served as the director of the Latin America office at the U.S. Treasury Department and as special assistant to Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick, U.S. trade representative. Her opinions are intimately tied to her not her employers and she is on record as championing Governments being marginalized and merged.
The CFR report’s introduction went on to say that the task force “is pleased to provide specific advice on how the partnership can be pursued and realized,” noting the SPP “established ministerial-level working groups to address key security and economic issues facing North America and setting a short deadline for reporting back to their governments.” Critics of the plan have pointed out the European Union began as a free-trade agreement, much as the SPP was a further development of NAFTA.
In Europe, internationalist thinkers such as Jean Monnet helped develop the 1958 European Coal and Steel Agreement into a predecessor of the European Union, which operates today as a supranational regional government.
As to your second point: In the building industry there is graft, called by other names. If you look the amounts were mostly small, especially after 2011. This amount of money was peanuts and did not enable anyone. At the same time Donald Trump gave heavily to John McCain and many conservative politicians and organizations. Clearly he helped the conservatives more than the liberals if you want to evaluate it in those terms.
We went to two authoritative databases of campaign finance data to examine Ferguson’s numbers: OpenSecrets.org, to find federal donations, and FollowtheMoney.org, for state-level donations.
Trump has actually been relatively evenhanded in doling out cash to the two parties, but since 1989, he’s contributed over $350,000 more to Republicans running for federal and state offices, campaign finance records show. Data from the Federal Election Commission and state elections offices provided by the two websites show that Trump has given $584,850 to Democrats and $961,140 to the GOP over the last 26 years. (Politifact)
I appreciate your response and apologize for not replying earlier. I had some work that could not be delayed.
I am certain that you are aware that GS has many vice presidents and while Mrs. Cruz was an operational manager of one unit, she was not involved in management of the corporation. I doubt she managed any of Mr. Trump’s investments but she did deal with some wealthy individuals. It is certainly a fact that she was a very accomplished and successful woman in her own right. I would hope that success in her chosen field would not be held against her husband any more than the success in their chosen field of the wife of any of the other two candidates.
As to Mr. Trump advocating for and contributing to liberal causes and candidates my source is none other than Mr. Trump himself. In several debates, he clearly acknowledged past support for and contribution to liberal causes and politicians. He justified that by stating that it was to further his business interest and to buy influence. His candor might be admirable, but it does little to bolster his creditability as the leader of our government. The old phrase, do we want the fox guarding the hen house, might be applicable.
This race needs to be about the two candidates, their policy positions and demonstrated knowledge and ability in those areas necessary to carry out the duties of a president. Their ability to build a hotel, argue a case in court, or for that matter to fly a kite or walk a dog, is irrelevant to me. What their wife looks like or what job she holds in also not an issue. At a minimum, I want to be confident that they have the good judgment to select able individuals to manage the government and the knowledge to oversee those managers. Also, I want them to have the philosophical understanding necessary to formulate and implement sound policy and the temperament to deal rationally when confronted with adversity. Both candidates may possess those characteristics, but so far this campaign has been more about tearing down opponents that demonstrating abilities.