Well, the rich get richer - no matter what. Let's look at the million rust belt jobs saved when most in Congress wanted "the market to take care of the situation", meaning, "You're fired, million auto workers. In my case, my securities investments are at an all-time high, while inflation remains minimal. So yes, the GDP gains mostly went to the top 1%, or 0.1%, and Big Finance is minting money for itself, as usual. There at a lot more jobs than in January 2009. They pay lower than when 25% of labor was in union-protected manufacture, but the unions are gone, and the jobs won't return even if manufacturing does, owing to automation and other efficiency gains.

Our presence in the Middle East is of a different character and a far lower presence. Everyone has Obama to blame for ISIS filling the vacuum, while at the same time demanding we get out of the region entirely.  That's contradictory, you know. Soon that mess will belong to Trump and everyone can blame him, stay or withdraw.