Monday, March 26, 2018
While Rush Limbaugh keeps trying to find a way to rationalize Trump's signature on the omnibus, Laura Ingraham minced no words
On her radio show this morning she called this a betrayal.
And that's what it was.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Robert Shiller: Great Depression tariffs did not plausibly, directly affect economic growth in a major degree
Everywhere we turn we hear the opposite. It's standard operating procedure to blame protectionism for the Great Depression. Shiller knows it can't be demonstrated from the data. Hence the psychological argument.
Quoted here:
Shiller said he did not believe there would be a significant inflationary effect to the U.S. from steel and aluminum tariffs, but he warned that heated trade rhetoric from both sides could send the American economy reeling into a recession.
"When you ask about the size of the impact on the economy, I think a lot of it is more psychological than direct, unless they really slam on tariffs," he said. The Yale economist pointed to the "most famous tariff war of all" during the Great Depression, which he said did not "plausibly, directly" affect economic growth "in a major degree," but it may have helped "destroy confidence" and willingness to plan for the future.
"It's exactly those 'wait and see' attitudes that cause a recession," he explained.
Freedom who loves must first be wise and good
Freedom who loves, must first be wise and good;
But from that mark how far they rove we see,
For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood.
-- John Milton (1608-1674)
Saturday, March 24, 2018
CNBC story on conservative anger with Trump deliberately omits the centrality of differences over illegal immigration policy
That's what Laura Ingraham and Ann Coulter are all about, after all, but CNBC just dances around this as if it didn't really exist.
Ann Coulter only tweets almost every day a "border wall lack-of-progress" update.
Conservatives are outraged also that Trump would trade a wall for DACA-type amnesty. DACA is illegal. Obama's executive order was unconstitutional. Trump acts like it's no big deal, just like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin becoming dictators for life is no big deal to him, either.
Conservatives are outraged also that Trump would trade a wall for DACA-type amnesty. DACA is illegal. Obama's executive order was unconstitutional. Trump acts like it's no big deal, just like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin becoming dictators for life is no big deal to him, either.
It's a propaganda technique: Pretend something doesn't exist, and it doesn't. It's called marginalization. The communist Alinsky made it one of his rules for radicals. To talk about what your enemy wants to talk about is to assist your enemy by publicizing his issues, so don't do it.
See for yourself here.
There were 167 votes against the omnibus in the US House: 90 Republican, 77 Democrat
The House Roll Call is here, the Senate here. There were 32 votes against in the Senate: 23 Republican, 8 Democrat, and Bernie Sanders.
For all the previous action on HR 1625, see here.
87% of the Michigan Congressional Delegation, both Republican and Democrat, voted "Yea", except for good guys House Republicans Justin Amash and Jack Bergman.
Notable "Yea" votes included Republican goodfellas:
Kevin Brady of Texas, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, Duncan Hunter of California (ouch), Darrell Issa of California, Will Hurd of Texas, Peter King of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Kevin McCarthy of California, Michael McCaul of Texas, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Devin Nunes of California, Peter Roskam of Illinois, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, of course, Steve "Bullseye" Scalise of Louisiana, and Joe "You Lie!" Wilson of South Carolina.
Say it isn't so, Joe!
The line of the week was Rush Limbaugh's: "Whenever you see the word omnibus, think trash can"
Here:
So on this, for example, this omnibus, whenever you see that word, folks, just think of a trash can. No! In fact, think of a Christmas tree with anything you want gift wrapped underneath it. That’s what omnibus means.
He had it right the first time. A conservative's trash can is a liberal's Christmas tree.
Mark Levin yesterday said he thinks we've reached the point of no return
If that's true then it's down to us or them.
Friday, March 23, 2018
Like all the other Baby Boom presidents Trump has squandered his power and opportunities
And his closest enemies sat quietly by and let him do so, convincing him that war is the father of everything.
Winning means you have political capital.
In Washington you either spend that as soon as you get it or you lose it.
For not delivering Trump is already finished, but he will be the last to know.
Republican spending bill re-empowers agencies, not just courts, to decide if someone is competent to buy a gun or possess one
Reported here:
Unfortunately, the spending bill passed Thursday allows the ban to be reinstituted because it reauthorizes the 2007 National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act. This act allowed government agencies, not just the courts, to determine if someone is mentally incompetent to buy or possess a gun.
House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said during testimony late Wednesday that he was “disturbed” that the bill would undo part of Republicans’ good work. But by Thursday morning, the House leadership had decided to go ahead with the measure.
Despite the name Fix-NICS, the bill is likely to cause more problems than it is worth.
Nancy Pelosi is quite content for Trump to think he's getting his wall, and urges him to sign the spending bill
Quoted here:
". . . if you want to think you're getting a wall, you just think it and sign the bill."
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