Patterico's Pontifications

3/22/2018

Another Year, Another Trillion

Filed under: General — JVW @ 3:41 pm



[guest post by JVW]

You know the capitulation is nearly complete when the Big Dog makes feeble attempts to justify it:

Where do you suppose he “got” all that money he’s bragging about? Oh yeah, from the taxpayer in the form of increasing deficits that are driving us to fiscal ruin. This Administration may not end up adding $9 trillion to our total debt the way his predecessor did (then again, maybe he’ll add even more), but are we really going to have a warm and fuzzy feeling if they only jack up our debt by another $6 trillion or so?

And it wouldn’t be a normal work day without yet another puzzling, weirdly obsessive third-person tweet from the Commander-in-Chief to settle old scores or thump already-vanquished enemies. Behold:

But hey, he punches back, right?

Cross-posted at the Jury Talks Back.

– JVW

93 Responses to “Another Year, Another Trillion”

  1. But let’s not overlook the fact that the Administration “got” $1.6 billion for the border wall. Why, that represents as much as a 10% (though it may only be about a 7%) down-payment on the total cost! Of course, once funded the money will never disappear from our budget, so I guess we’re on the way to getting that sucker built sometime in the next 20 years. Marvelous.

    JVW (42615e)

  2. “Had to waste money on Dem giveaways.”

    Remind me again what a great negotiator this guy is.

    JVW (42615e)

  3. Got $1.6 Billion to start Wall on Southern Border, rest will be forthcoming.

    In pesos or Mexican Bitcoin, Captain, sir!?

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  4. #2

    A great one?

    AZ Bob (8ae6f9)

  5. Remind me again what a great negotiator this guy is.
    JVW (42615e) — 3/22/2018 @ 3:45 pm


    How about I remind you the truth is he wasn’t doing the negotiations, Ryan and the GOP were. Stop blaming Trump for what Ryan and weak GOPers do. They are the problem! They are killing the party and the country by allying themselves with leftist democrats. Trump has one choice only: sign or veto. If he signs it then b!tch and complain but kindly wait till he does something wrong before you join your leftist friends in damning him.

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402)

  6. How about I remind you the truth is he wasn’t doing the negotiations, Ryan and the GOP were. Stop blaming Trump for what Ryan and weak GOPers do.

    Sorry Hoagie. I like and respect you, but you can never get me to buy into this argument. Do you think Reagan sent in Bob Michel and Howard Baker in to fix the parameters of the deal, or do you think Reagan let them know definitively and decisively what he expected them to deliver? As I wrote in the other thread, there are no heroes here, but please don’t try to act as if the Trump Administration’s dysfunction and the President’s disinterest in policy isn’t a major handicap. At the very least, he should veto this mess because they are making him look like a clown on the border wall, but according to Trump’s tweet he’s pretty ok with it.

    JVW (42615e)

  7. I dunno about the rest of you, but I sure miss the good old days, when the $19T National Debt was going to be completely paid off in eight years, without tax increases. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, to almost exactly two years ago (March 31, 2016):

    Donald Trump: “We’ve got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt.”

    Bob Woodward: “How long would that take?”

    Trump: “I think I could do it fairly quickly, because of the fact the numbers…”

    Woodward: “What’s fairly quickly?”

    Trump: “Well, I would say over a period of eight years. And I’ll tell you why.”

    Woodward: “Would you ever be open to tax increases as part of that, to solve the problem?”

    Trump: “I don’t think I’ll need to. The power is trade. Our deals are so bad.”

    Woodward: “That would be $2 trillion a year.”

    Trump: “No, but I’m renegotiating all of our deals, Bob. The big trade deals that we’re doing so badly on. With China, $505 billion this year in trade. We’re losing with everybody.”

    Take a moment to savor the breath-taking ignorance proudly displayed here.

    And yet, Republicans – the alleged party of fiscal sanity and responsibility, the ones undeceived by utopian economic nonsense and quackery – still nominated this guy.

    Dave (445e97)

  8. So you would veto, then what, just another form of brinksmanship

    narciso (d1f714)

  9. DCSCA, I have to give you your due, Trump is at peak Steinbrenner with the 3rd person tweet and even more peak when he makes John Bolton shave it off.

    urbanleftbehind (ddcc04)

  10. “I thought he [Trump] was interesting and brilliant.” -Karen McDougal, Playboy model

    LOL

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  11. You have to read it like longform haiku,

    narciso (d1f714)

  12. “I thought he [Trump] was interesting and brilliant.” -Karen McDougal, Playboy model

    Well, if your basis of comparison is a doddering and decrepit old fool like Hugh Hefner. . .

    JVW (42615e)

  13. “I thought he [Trump] was interesting and brilliant.” -Karen McDougal, Playboy model

    “First you get the money. Then you get the power. Then you get the women.” – Tony Montana

    Dave (445e97)

  14. Take a moment to savor the breath-taking ignorance proudly displayed here.

    Yeah, no kidding, Dave. But guess what? Obama said that his health plan would provide universal coverage, reduce premium costs, improve efficiency of delivery, and cut the deficit by lowering Medicare costs. And Dems swallowed that bunkum whole in the same way that many Republicans swallowed Trump’s bunkum whole. Newsflash: politicians promising something for nothing tend to do very well with our ignorant and shallow electorate.

    JVW (42615e)

  15. I have told urban how much I hate that film, which was written by Oliver stone there were some characters like medardo Cruz, who owned
    a hair salon as his legit operation, there was another tabraue, that was rybios inlaw, who was a significant playerm

    narciso (d1f714)

  16. Newsflash: politicians promising something for nothing tend to do very well with our ignorant and shallow electorate.

    Hard to judge the extent to which Obama believed his own promises. If he did, then it speaks poorly of his intelligence, and if he didn’t it speaks poorly of his honesty. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle (he’s a card-carrying SJW, so he believes government can wave a wand and re-write the laws of economics, but he also probably also knew that he was presenting an optimistic scenario).

    But Trump flat-out believed – and still believes – the nonsense he spouted during the campaign. And he’s making decisions affecting all of our well-being on the basis of that ignorance.

    Dave (445e97)

  17. Ha you’re hilarious juche Dave, he only made the ‘you can keep your doctor 33 times

    narciso (d1f714)

  18. So the argument he wouldn’t dare tiuch china because of ivankas geegaws and his so soft on Russia so he picks the most outspoken hawk for a war cabinet

    narciso (d1f714)

  19. you can keep your doctor 33 times

    The vast majority of people did.

    An example of presenting an optimistic scenario, as I said.

    Dave (445e97)

  20. Trump hamstrings any ability of the GOP to make responsible decisions by signalling what he will accept at critical times in the negotiations. He does it repeatedly and typically in the Democrats’ favor.

    Remember the DACA deal? What about his vacillations on ObamaCare repeal? The GOP has to negotiate with the Democrats and Trump simultaneously, and the Democrats know it. No wonder the Democrats stall and every deal is rushed/last minute. The Democrats know Trump has no patience and will push the GOP to cave so he can get a deal. But the GOP doesn t have my sympathy because they picked Trump over Cruz. They thought they could use Trump, and they can, but they will lose in the long run.

    DRJ (15874d)

  21. The vast majority of people did.

    If they had employment-related healthcare, probably they did. But people with individual policies weren’t generally so fortunate.

    DRJ (15874d)

  22. Now those policies were vaporized because they didn’t conform, what dacha deal in the end Jeff flake didn’t prevail. But cornyn and Mcdonnell did.

    narciso (d1f714)

  23. How do I contribute to Leviticus’ daughter?

    And Leviticus. I never liked you.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1siwMVrS0qE

    Don Rickles Roasts Bob Hope Man of the Hour

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  24. 13, at least the bad stereotypes are in a good film, n.1 on my shyite list in that vein is Next Friday

    urbanleftbehind (ddcc04)

  25. 17, it only took 3 times for a certain cock to crow…consider this a reminder to attend your Christian/Catholic church on Sunday, that’s my favorite mass of the year.

    urbanleftbehind (ddcc04)

  26. Did the line item veto get sent to Planned Parenthood in 1986?

    Can somebody give me a quick rundown as to why congress made it against the law for the president to impound funds? I think they did that to Nixon as I recall. What’s up with that and was it really a bad thing?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  27. Well it was one of pfeiifers worst performances, as for the late Robert loggia or f Murray Abraham, hay dios mio.

    narciso (d1f714)

  28. dacha deal…
    narciso (d1f714) — 3/22/2018 @ 6:05 pm

    Hastert’s dacha deal was an 8×8 cell somewhere in the country.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  29. Steven Bauer went from Cuban to Israeli in one generation.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  30. “Hillary’s large and sophisticated staff” is the big dog hiking his leg on the Facebook analytic company data mining is good when Obama or Hillary did it, a terrible crime and tragedy when Trump and Steve Bannon does it, story rolling through the gi tract of the news cycle currently.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  31. Don’t forget wrath of god, where he played the Eric bana role
    in Munich, the same fellow who gave the deep state angle to Panama 103his grandfather was Jewish, his grandmother Italian

    narciso (d1f714)

  32. The GOP has to negotiate with the Democrats and Trump simultaneously, and the Democrats know it. No wonder the Democrats stall and every deal is rushed/last minute. The Democrats know Trump has no patience and will push the GOP to cave so he can get a deal.

    Very keen insight, DRJ. Yeah, that’s exactly the way I would negotiate against him: dilly-dally right up until the deadline and then count on his desire to be done with the task.

    George HW Bush screwed up 28 years ago when he signaled in advance that he would be willing to raise taxes in order to get a spending deal. He could have capitulated in the end, and even though it still would have been a betrayal of his promises he probably could have gotten more upfront spending cuts in return. Maybe it would have saved his Presidency; we’ll never know. Trump is like the opposite; he keeps going back-and-forth on his demands (there has to be a border wall/the wall doesn’t necessarily have to span the whole border/we want it fully funded/we’ll take incremental funding) so the GOP leadership, who is already pretty spineless, is left to wonder until the very end where the President will wind up on the issue.

    It sounds from Ted Cruz’s tweets that DRJ referenced earlier that GOP negotiators did manage to do some good: they blocked Dem attempts to bail out Obamacare insurers, they blocked new airline taxes and eCommerce taxes, and prohibits funding for the Palestinian Authority as long as it pays reward sums to terrorists and their families. But considering the whole status-quo flavor of this budget it’s going to be hard for the GOP to sell themselves as agents of change this fall.

    JVW (42615e)

  33. Because Nixon, next question, its much the same reason behind visa, because that could never be abused.

    narciso (d1f714)

  34. narciso, it’s beyond me why so many people find that movie to be a classic of the gangster genre. I can’t stand it: 180 minutes of Al Pacino just chewing the scenery.

    JVW (42615e)

  35. Good point about Bush 41, JVW.

    DRJ (15874d)

  36. So everytime Mccain or flake or murkowski emerged like feral groundhogs what part did that play in scuttling the repeal bill?

    narciso (d1f714)

  37. It’s where Al Pacino the man became Al Pacino the caricature. Boy, they could remake Dog Day Afternoon where the man robs a bank to pay for his third grader’s sex change.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  38. We need to focus group is it his third grade son or third grade lover.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  39. Yes although his latest preference is bad southern accents from devils advocate to the recruit, not bizarre enough.

    narciso (d1f714)

  40. Narciso and JVW… I knew a guy who tried to get hired on as a stunt nose in that Al Pacino showcase. He had no luck with that.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  41. This is CNN:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/CNNMoney/status/976974837003509760

    So when he makes the right choice, its not in his purview, when our honorable gentleman make the wrong choice, hes responsible, Como?

    narciso (d1f714)

  42. JVW @ #6.

    I am saying that bad mouthing Trump now is premature. I’m also saying if he fails to veto this monstrosity and signs a bill that dies not fund the Wall and defund Planned Parenthood then as far as I’m concerned he broke his promise and whatever he does after that will be of little consequence. It will also me he loses reelection. BUT, if the GOP loses the mid terms and Congress flips it’s THEIR fault, not Trump’s. If they had shown solidarity with Trump like they would have with any other Republican presidential winner we would not be in this place at this time.

    A lot of you guys here seem to think I’m a blind supporter of Trump. I’m not and never have been. Remember I was for Scott Walker till Trump won. What I am is a blind opponent of all things leftist and since the democrat party went so far left it cannot be divided from the communist party I’m blindly against the democrat party. I’m a partisan. A rabid partisan and a rabid anti communist so anything that sounds like it came from the syphilitic mind of Marx I’m against.

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402)

  43. But considering the whole status-quo flavor of this budget it’s going to be hard for the GOP to sell themselves as agents of change this fall.

    JVW (42615e) — 3/22/2018 @ 6:35 pm

    Not to mention that the TOP controls the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. Something is very wrong when GOP and Democratic aides are helping put the finishing touches on a GOP spending bill.

    DRJ (15874d)

  44. GOP not TOP.

    DRJ (15874d)

  45. If I correctly understand the tweets from Cruz, “they” did some good, but he refuses to vote for something that isn’t good for the country.

    Isn’t that a condemnation of House Republicans? And, eventually, a condemnation of Trump if he signs it?

    BuDuh (fc15db)

  46. Exactly the wall want my major priority, foreign policy was, and
    Pompeo and Boston are very good on that score, I hold throwing general Lynn under the bus against him, because it was the wring signal to send to your followers and threw blood in the water. I have a similar view on hope hicks.

    https://climateaudit.org/2018/03/21/dnc-hack-due-to-gmail-phishing/

    narciso (d1f714)

  47. Top men, like the ones examining the ark, who made that decision drj

    narciso (d1f714)

  48. the sleazy weaksuck mattis military’s pigging out on debt

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  49. Since the Ides of March is past us, the GOP should finalize this abomination and have the President sign it on Holy Thursday, to commemorate another great betrayal.

    JVW (42615e)

  50. Trump is continuing the Bush foreign policy, happyfeet. Obama did, too. They both campaigned like Bush was a terrible leader but when it came to being President, apparently they both also decided Bush had the best foreign/military policies.

    DRJ (15874d)

  51. Excellent idea, JVW. I wonder how many Americans would recognize either date?

    DRJ (15874d)

  52. Nobody can do foreign policy as badly as murderously as incompetently as lil boy bush

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  53. The heck you say?

    On March 17, 2018, U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Texarkana worked jointly with the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – Air and Marine Operations and other state and local partners to execute a state search warrant involving an illegal cockfighting organization.

    The search warrant was the culmination of an 18-month investigation. Based on previous investigative work, agents expected 30-40 individuals to attend the event and suspected a portion of those attendees to be illegal aliens. Upon execution of the state search warrant, agents encountered an overwhelming 134 people attending the event, 120 were taken into custody. Numerous people attempted to flee the scene on foot which made the assistance of CBP Air an integral part in apprehending suspects.

    ICE.gov

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  54. This federalist bimbo says by tearing up obama’s iran deal President Trump is keeping the bush obama policies that america hates in place

    srsly she actually says this

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  55. No, w used drones and interrogation protocols sparingly, he spared both Iran and north Korea, swamp denizens like pillar had some effect but neither Powell nor rice, were interested in eather, which were frankly tougher nuts to crack, Obama was more about retreating from both theaters of operation, while opening up a front, against Libya, Egypt and tuna.

    narciso (d1f714)

  56. Or, apparently, as well.

    DRJ (15874d)

  57. Tunisia, but we must be willing to engage if confronted.

    narciso (d1f714)

  58. Prior to this, former speakers of the house was a position reserved for the most bat guano crazy, or sexual deviated [mentally challenged] member that raised their hand first.

    Invariably they were riders of the short bus, hailing from deliberatedly neutered, unisexual districts, who couldn’t give a flying rat [edit] about the health of the country, or much of anything else that would interupt their sitting in the corner picking boogers.

    So how is it that the stupidest most backstabbing navel gazer n congress, declared such by popular acclaim, is trusted in any compacity, however figurative or ceremonial, With the countries budget process?

    Someone explain the logic of that one? The majority leader is the rightful author of spending bills in a Republican congress.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  59. 49, 51: where on the agenda would be the washing of the feet part?

    urbanleftbehind (847a06)

  60. Well previously we had boehner who had the ruddy complexion common to Von Michel, then hastert, enough said, Livingston for amilisecond (he came from the family of Hamilton’s mistress) newt, who had some impulse control issues, and Jim wright who could have been played by CD spraflin

    narciso (d1f714)

  61. Yes I blocked out tip Neil from Boston and Nancy alessandi from Baltimore.

    In trump is more on Reagan’s vein, limited but aggressive use of force.

    narciso (d1f714)

  62. Pro Life Walkout April 11, 10 AM.

    Tweet

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  63. You forgot Tom Foley between Newt and Jim Wright

    urbanleftbehind (ddcc04)

  64. be cool stay in school

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  65. Someone explain the logic of that one? The majority leader is the rightful author of spending bills in a Republican congress.

    papertiger (c8116c) — 3/22/2018 @ 8:03 pm

    What do you mean, “prior to this”?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  66. Yes I did, hews only famous focommussioning the October surprise investigation, similar snipe hunt to today.

    narciso (d1f714)

  67. The only one I can name from Boston is Tom Scholz. The guy who killed himself’s name escapes me.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  68. Sorry this was the series, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092038

    Juval Aviva claimed to be Avnet, the character played by Bauer and bana

    narciso (d1f714)

  69. One of the problems, which it i noticed in the primary, the budget cutting forces, that ostensibly includes national review, couldnt get together behind a single candidate, whether that was Paul singers doing, we can surmise.

    narciso (d1f714)

  70. Bow Kevin williamson is showing his true colors going over to the
    atlantic, holding a certain contempt last displayed by Conor f

    narciso (d1f714)

  71. What do you mean, “prior to this”?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5) — 3/22/2018 @ 8:18 pm

    I only suspect Paul Ryan hangs by his feet from the rafters picking his nose, but have no direct evidence?

    papertiger (c8116c)

  72. 49, 51: where on the agenda would be the washing of the feet part?

    The budget will include $4 billion in tax credits for foot cream and baby powder, as well as a new pair of cotton socks for every American citizen.

    The members of Congress are really looking forward to the part where they each get 40 pieces of silver.

    JVW

    JVW (42615e)

  73. Yes tom tillis teamed up with clem, to expand the h2b program, yay (sarc)

    narciso (d1f714)

  74. Did you see a report of a terrorist attack at Travis AFB? Same M.O. as the muslim terrorist attack on the Broward County Police Dept. sub station the other day.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/travis-air-force-base-gate-possible-attack-new-details/

    papertiger (c8116c)

  75. Biggest Congressional mistake of the past six years: a retiring Boehner agrees with Reid and Obama to end the budget sequester in order to give Ryan “a clean slate” in the budget process. The “gift” (to Washington spenders) that keeps on giving.

    JVW (42615e)

  76. far and away the people what lobbied most enthusiastically to end the sequester were cowardpig war hero John McCain and the dirty corrupt panty-wearing pentagon piggies

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  77. They were prime offenders, happyfeet, but let’s face it: the Dems were whining that people were on the verge of starving in the streets because aid to farmers and foodstamp payment expenditures weren’t rising at the usual 5% per year. The sequester was one of the few Washington deals that was great because both sides hated it so much.

    JVW (42615e)

  78. Who came up with the sequester, Obama, and then they called bob Woodward senile for pointing that out.

    narciso (d1f714)

  79. the sequester was probably the apex of the fiscal responsibility we’ll see in our lifetimes

    but you have to deeply seriously wonder at a scummy scummy pentagon what thinks climate change is a national security threat but just farts dismissively in its tranny panties at the thought of a 30 trillion dollar debt

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  80. but you have to deeply seriously wonder at a scummy scummy pentagon what thinks climate change is a national security threat but just farts dismissively in its tranny panties at the thought of a 30 trillion dollar debt

    Well, the President is pleased as punch to have found $700+ billion for them in this budget deal, so expect those panties to be really high quality from here on in. Maybe lacy Victoria’s Secret instead of that trashy Frederick’s of Hollywood.

    JVW (42615e)

  81. Pikachu spent too much time in Austin,
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/22/andrei-zheleznyakov-soviet-scientist-poisoned-novichok?CMP=share_btn_fb

    Defense is a critical priority, but try explaining to the eloi snowflakes

    narciso (d1f714)

  82. you have to wonder if he’s buying the corrupt pentagon trash off so they don’t do a coup all up in it

    especially in light of rabidly anti-semitic US Army general HR McCmaster being exposed today as a foreign agent

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  83. McCmaster

    yeah I don’t know what i was trying to do there

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  84. Yes its ironic, considering the kerfluffle over general Lynn, both he and pompeo are pro Taiwan figures

    narciso (d1f714)

  85. Feels good to know im not the only one to have kinda sorta dug the sequester.

    urbanleftbehind (ddcc04)

  86. Russkies or Little Nikita must not get much play either.

    urbanleftbehind (ddcc04)

  87. Probably not, I think I did see little Nikita on BBC America.

    narciso (d1f714)

  88. This was always more about brexit then trump:

    http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2018/03/20/scl-a-very-british-coup

    narciso (d1f714)

  89. So Eric Garcetti is about to throw his hat in the 2020 ring but his mom and maternal grandfather are of Russian derivation. How is that going to play out?

    How is LA running, BTW?

    Pinandpuller (07c360)

  90. I only suspect Paul Ryan hangs by his feet from the rafters picking his nose, but have no direct evidence?

    papertiger (c8116c) — 3/22/2018 @ 8:42 pm

    Somebody has footage of Ryan taking a bear out of season…from behind.

    Pinandpuller (07c360)


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