It’s Thursday. I had a wild idea the other day and there are a bunch of things that don’t constitute a full article (in one case yet) but that I wanted to cover. How to resolve my dilemma? Why not combine them? Let’s explore.
My wild idea was predicated on Donald Trump being a loyal Republican therefore the chances of it becoming a reality are slim and none. If Trump were a loyal Republican he would “take one for the team” and resign in October to rid the GOP of the “Trump referendum” aspect of the mid-term election. That would be like Christmas in October for Republican candidates! Trump knows the longer he “keeps the clock running” the more money he amasses and that is his number one priority.
Having just come through Florence (thankfully on the periphery and without incidence of significance) I watched a lot of storm coverage. I am among those who question whether some of the live shots where the on air personalities are in what appears to be danger are necessary. I also realize that the coverage is selective (much like the examples politicians utilize) and it shows the worst and most sensational situations to boost ratings. (If the networks are to be believed they also use those shots to scare away “adventurers” who would only complicate the jobs of the first responders.) This is the same “editorial decision making” that got Trump billions in “earned media” during the primary.
In any event Donald Trump, Jr. tried to seize the opportunity to help out his dad. He tweeted out a photo ridiculing Anderson Cooper of CNN for his coverage of Florence. Keep in mind that CNN is one of his father’s favorite targets and that Cooper is openly gay. Gays are another right wing target worldwide. There is one major problem with Jr’s tweet: the photo was taken in 2008 not 2018 and in Texas not North Carolina. Also in the photo was Cooper’s cameraman who passed away in 2017. Unless you believe that the Trumps have the power of reincarnation I’d say Jr. got caught lying.
It is still developing (or should I say continuing to develop?) but at this writing President Trump further escalated the tariff war with China after the markets closed on Monday by instituting more tariffs. As of Tuesday morning China has already retaliated. The losers in this war are the working and consuming men, women and children of America. Tariffs on goods imported into America are paid by American consumers. If the imported goods are priced out of the market their domestically produced (or imported from a different country) replacements will cost more than the targeted imported goods they replace. The American consumer loses. When China adds a tariff to goods imported from the US it makes them cost more to the Chinese consumer. Often when that occurs the Chinese look to an alternative (non-American) supplier and crop prices decline or factories manufacturing those goods close causing Americans to lose their jobs. There is an old saw about when you are in a hole to stop digging; could somebody tell Trump that one?
Trump has ordered the Justice Department to release documents pertaining to the ongoing Russiagate investigation of which he is a subject. At this point all I will say is that I sincerely hope the Justice Department says No!
With the flood waters and death toll still rising in the Carolinas FEMA Administrator Brock Long is now the subject of a criminal probe. Trump didn’t drain the swamp; he repopulated it with even more vile creatures.
On the international citizenship, morality and humane fronts the Trump administration continues facilitating America’s mercurial decline. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that America would further reduce the number of refugees it would take in from 45,000 to 30,000 in the coming fiscal year. Consider two facts to put this in perspective. The ceiling was 110,000 when Trump took office and there are currently approximately 69 million displaced people in the world.
Trump loves to brag about his robust economy. Let’s take another look at that. Earlier this month the Congressional Budget Office said that the federal government had spent $895 billion more than it took in in taxes during the preceding 11 month. That is 33% more than in the corresponding period the prior year. How’s that Trump Tower Tax Cut working and where is the outcry from all the fiscally conservative Republicans?
There is a market for a center-right political party in America. Despite many electoral victories the Republican Party began an inevitable decline when in the aftermath of the 2008 elections they embraced the Tea Party. That movement (relabeled and with some foreign assistance) brought the plague commonly known as Donald Trump on them. A surprise Trump resignation in October would be a huge step toward a healthy, center-right Republican Party reincarnating itself.
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