Trump to Unveil Even More Tariffs on Stuff You Buy All the Time
If you liked the steel and aluminum tax increase, you’ll love this tax increase!
During the meeting, which hasn’t been previously been reported, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer presented Trump with a package of tariffs that would target the equivalent of $30 billion a year in Chinese imports. In response, Trump urged Lighthizer to aim for an even bigger number — and he instructed administration officials to be ready for a formal announcement in the coming weeks, according to two people involved in the administration’s trade deliberations.
That sent senior officials at the White House, Treasury Department, State Department, Justice Department, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and other key agencies scrambling this week to finalize the proposal. Although the details are still in flux, aides said the administration is considering tariffs on more than 100 Chinese products ranging from electronics and telecommunications equipment to furniture and toys.
If you plug it in or put batteries in it, it’s Made in China. And it looks like it’s going to cost more now.
If you missed my posts about why tariffs are bad, trade deficits are good, and we should unilaterally abolish all tariffs, now’s a good time to take a look. (Bastiat makes an appearance in the first post.) The short answer is: when we impose tariffs on China, we hurt ourselves and not China. As pervasive as these tariffs look to be, we’re going to be hurting ourselves a lot.
[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]
If there is one thing that economists agree on, it’s that trade benefits both sides of a transaction. That’s why the trade takes place. I voted for Trump, but this pisses me off more than anything else he has done.
norcal (fcf70b) — 3/13/2018 @ 10:57 pmStarting a high-profile trade war with China is sure to help resolve the North Korea situation, too!
Dave (445e97) — 3/13/2018 @ 11:11 pmYawn.
BuDuh (fc15db) — 3/13/2018 @ 11:21 pmhttp://www.unz.com/pbuchanan/globalists-nationalists-who-owns-the-future/
Anon Y. Mous (6cc438) — 3/13/2018 @ 11:48 pmtariffs on more than 100 Chinese products ranging from electronics and telecommunications equipment to furniture and toys
I take it that Ivanka’s brands and the other Kushner enterprises do not include electronics, telecommunications equipment, furniture or toys.
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 4:52 am
Rev.Hoagie (1b0402) — 3/14/2018 @ 5:33 amIt says “ranging from” not limited to, nk. You carry a very negative view of human nature. Either that or you project your own motivations. Either way it’s not pretty. Do you really believe Trump would comb through the millions of products from China to make sure he didn’t put a tariff on Ivanka’s brands or Kushner enterprises? Would you if you were in his place? Or would you settle for sending the Greek cops over to make sure nobody patronized Dunkin Donuts?
Good news for #NeverTrump !!!
“Democrat Conor Lamb apparent winner in Pennsylvania upset, deals [MASSIVE] blow to Trump
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/pennsylvania-special-election-conor-lamb-rick-saccone-n856411
Colonel Haiku (f0e797) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:11 amthis is an interesting tactic at a unique historical time when business and energy costs in failmerica are falling while these costs are rising for the commie Chineser filth
happyfeet (28a91b) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:11 am“according to three people familiar with the internal discussions.”
This raises interesting questions…
Colonel Haiku (f0e797) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:13 amYou carry a very negative view of human nature.
Maybe I do and maybe I don’t, but what does that have to do with Trump?
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:15 am2… You’re way off, I say you’re way off this time, son…
Colonel Haiku (f0e797) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:16 am“If you plug it in or put batteries in it, it’s Made in China. And it looks like it’s going to cost more now.”
Would it not also include the rope used to hang us?
Colonel Haiku (f0e797) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:24 amI can’t believe I’m getting live coverage on every channel of a bunch of kids “walking out of school” to protest guns. Not only are the schools encouraging this nonsense but the networks are covering it like 16 year olds are now our policy makers and the true arbiters of the Constitution. This country is really being driven to hell in a hand basket by the radical left. Everything’s a protest and everybody’s an advocate.
Rev.Hoagie (1b0402) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:11 amThis is what ‘thought control’ is like, and remember both Xing ping and khamenei are in agreement
narciso (7fa266) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:32 amThey’re doing it… to the children
Colonel Haiku (f0e797) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:49 am. Do you really believe Trump would comb through the millions of products from China to make sure he didn’t put a tariff on Ivanka’s brands or Kushner enterprises?
I don’t know what nk thinks, but I certainly believe Trump would do it. Although since Ivanka’s mostly clothes and Jared mostly real estate, the question probably did not arise.
The real point is that tariffs make sense only if the products are competing with stuff made here in the US. How many of these things are being made in the USA already?
Kishnevi (1b8c69) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:53 am“Tillerson Fired Over Rogue Bid to Save Iran Nuke Deal”
“In the weeks leading up to Tillerson’s departure, he had been spearheading efforts to convince European allies to agree to a range of fixes to the nuclear deal that would address Iran’s ongoing ballistic missile program and continued nuclear research.
While Trump had prescribed a range of fixes that he viewed as tightening the deal’s flaws, Tillerson recently caved to European pressure to walk back these demands and appease Tehran while preserving the deal, according to these sources. The Free Beacon first disclosed this tension last week in a wide-ranging report.
White House allies warned Tillerson’s senior staff for weeks that efforts to save the nuclear deal and balk on Trump’s key demands regarding the deal could cost Tillerson his job, a warning that became reality Tuesday when Trump fired Tillerson by tweet.”
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/tillerson-fired-rogue-bid-save-iran-nuke-deal/
Colonel Haiku (f0e797) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:57 amThis raises some very interesting questions…
Colonel Haiku (f0e797) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:58 amGo into a hardware and try to find a us made product
narciso (7fa266) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:02 amThose who’ve been so wrong about Donald Trump for so long ought to take a few deep breaths, count to 10, and stifle the goading urge to announce the sky is falling again.
Learn from failed assumptions, President Trump is working diligently to rebuild our nation and return the US to strength and prosperity: MAGA.
So, let’s have done with the reflexive grousing, the petty insults, and the divisive catherwauling. We’re the USA, we’re all in the same boat, Trump’s our captain, he’s in command, and he has every right to expect our faithful support.
Americans elected Donald Trump to lead the nation, he can best do that in the full knowledge of our unwavering support, so cut our premiere trade negotiator a little slack (he’s earned it), and wait to see if his skills bring an improvement in our unsustainable trade imbalances, it’s really the only sensible option.
ropelight (9e532a) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:11 amI’ll believe the sincerity of free trade proponents when they push to remove trade barriers that prevent anyone off the street or from, say, India/Bangladesh from practicing law or just about any other profession in this country. (Just imagine how low fees could go, and wouldn’t this benefit everyone?). Until then, it’s just the typical hypocrisy.
random viking (6a54c2) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:27 amThe tariffs are meant to be coercive, not a permanent policy. They might result in retaliatory tariffs in response — or they might not. They might have the intended effect of lowering barriers to trade in the countries targeted.
China is a good example of a country that keeps trade barriers high in order to protect its domestic production capacity, and then subsidizes that very capacity in order to artificially lower prices in order to capture market share until its able to dominate world supplies of certain key infrastructure devices.
Like high end computer servers, which it is poised to dominate the world market in the next decade.
Got any concerns about that?
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:51 amRopelight
Kishnevi (1b8c69) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:03 amSo when Captain POTUS steers us directly into the iceberg, we are supposed to cheer him on?
@ the Colonel, #7:
Do kindly grow up. Lamb winning is good news for no one.
Demosthenes (378adf) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:11 am@ ropelight, #20:
One wonders if you’ve always maintained this position. Last year, for example.
For my part, I have not…and for good reason. The leader of America does not have a natural right to our “faithful support.” Neither does America herself, if she is in the wrong. God first, all others second.
Demosthenes (378adf) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:18 amPatterico remarked Family Before Country after the Cruz RNC Mic Drop. And whose to say Lamb doesnt pull a Jim Justice after the finalization of the new districts.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:21 am@ swc, #22:
I might agree with you, were it not for my belief that China’s economic house of cards cannot stand forever, or even for much longer. Projections into the future based on the supposition that “this trend will continue even unto the end of days” are very rarely right. And the Gods of the Copybook Headings will always return to balance the ledger.
Demosthenes (378adf) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:23 amI’ll agree in part. When it comes to foreign relations, we need to present a united front. I was genuinely pissed at the Republicans, and I mean Ted Rand and Paul Cruz, during the Snowden affair when they were aiding and abetting Putin’s propaganda coup in order to embarrass Obama.
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:25 amI agree differentials tariffs are stupid. By “differential” I mean that one imported commodity being favored or restricted by imposing different rates of tax than other imported commodities, often from the same source. So putting a higher tax rate tariff on steel from China than, for instance, copper or drywall or solar panels is a stupid policy.
AND,
Differential sales taxes, imposed by the states, are EQUALLY stupid. For example, California taxes the same hamburger cooked by the same chef from the same inventory differently depending on whether the customer orders that burger to “eat in” or “to go”. https://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/soup-to-nuts-crazy-food-taxes-penalize-the-poor-benefit-the-rich/Content?oid=2184608
Which crazy policy has worse outcomes?
pouncer (915d55) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:31 amBecause the news article / citation is old, here is an official guide line from the state of California that is more current.
Not, in my opinion, more “Helpful” in interpreting or understanding the intent of the California legislature and tax-collectors — though the publication is intended and designed to be as “helpful” as possible. Still, what does such a small scale “tariff” avoid in distorting markets and the economy that an import tariff accomplishes?
http://www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub22.pdf
pouncer (915d55) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:37 amAnd when it collapses then what, well we know who the new warlords will be.
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:41 amCNBC reports Larry Kudlow to be named Cohn’s replacement tomorrow.
‘In 1987 Kudlow was rehired by Bear Stearns (the global investment bank, securities trading and brokerage firm that failed in 2008 as part of the global financial crisis and recession) as its chief economist and senior managing director. Kudlow was fired in 1994 after abuse of cocaine caused him to skip an important client presentation. Kudlow later admitted to a $10,000 a month cocaine habit.’
“Snowman, you got your ears on?!” – Bo “Bandit” Darville [Burt Reynolds] ‘Smokey And The Bandit’ 1977
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/14/2018 @ 10:19 amKudlow appears to be eminently qualified to advise Trump
https://www.nationalreview.com/blog/kudlows-money-politics/bush-boom-continues-larry-kudlow/
Narrator’s voice: The great recession started later that month.
Davethulhu (fab944) — 3/14/2018 @ 12:23 pmSTUNNING STUNNING report from NBC News.
The Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility, which investigates non-criminal misconduct by DOJ employees, is recommending that former FBI Dep. Director Andrew McCabe be TERMINATED for misconduct, PRIOR to his becoming eligible for his pension.
As I’ve explained before, FBI agents have no “partial” vesting of pension benefits. They must either reach 25 years of service (McCabe does not have that yet), or reach age 50 with 20 years of service. McCabe has the 20 years of service, but doesn’t turn 50 until the end of this month.
If he is terminated by Sessions pursuant to the recommendation — and I think only Sessions can do this, maybe Rosenstein — and it happens before he turns 50, McCabe best ZERO pension benefit.
I’ve never heard of this happening before, certainly not to someone as senior as McCabe.
For OPR to make this recommendation, McCabe’s misconduct must have been huge — and I think we’ll get a much fuller picture when the OIG report comes out, rumored to be by the end of this month.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 3/14/2018 @ 12:50 pmReading further — the termination is recommended on the basis that McCabe was untruthful with OIG investigators over whether he had contact with reporters concerning the FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation.
When Dir. Wray removed him from his No. 2 position, Wray said it was based on information received from the OIG.
We now know that OPR has followed up on that by recommending that he be fired.
The article says he will become eligible for his pension this coming weekend.
This will be interesting to watch. McCabe’s pension calculation likely puts him somewhere between $125,000 and $150,000 a year for life.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 3/14/2018 @ 12:55 pmAnyone, including the POTUS, who tells you that any POTUS, including this one, “has every right to expect our faithful support” is a lickspittle and a moron who’s gotten exactly backward the whole concept of “public servant” and “public.”
Beldar (fa637a) — 3/14/2018 @ 1:00 pmMr. McCabe needs to understand you don’t always need to have fancy brands like Hellman’s and Tito’s and Colgate – the Costco brand’s just fine Mr. McCabe!
ok bye enjoy your retirement
happyfeet (28a91b) — 3/14/2018 @ 1:02 pmWhat if the information he disclosed was unfavorable to the Clinton Foundation?
Wouldn’t that make it OK?
Dave (445e97) — 3/14/2018 @ 1:07 pmhello?
he’s a sleazy fbi flunky what grotesquely abused his position
he was trying to interfere with a US election
which is supposedly exactly what FBI turdslut Robert Mueller got appointed to investigate
happyfeet (28a91b) — 3/14/2018 @ 1:15 pm@36- could be he was speaking about the old (and now wildly unpopular) adage that politics stops at the waters edge.
Not that I’m disagreeing with you on your general point, and I might be wrong about his intent, just saying…
the Bas (3bcea0) — 3/14/2018 @ 1:25 pmStrZok and page prespun that story to devlin barrett, to cover up he was running interference for red queen for at least three weeks
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 1:33 pm@ Demosthenes #24
It’s good news for #NeverTrump, madam, and certainly good news for Lamb. It’s also good news for the Resistance, which #NeverTrumpers are aligned with.
Colonel Haiku (33b771) — 3/14/2018 @ 1:42 pm38 — in fact Dave, the disclosures he is claimed to have authorized was that there was a dispute between FBI investigators and DOJ attorneys over whether there was a prosecuteable case against the Clinton Foundation that was worth pursuing. The FBI wanted to continue the investigation, and DOJ attorneys — including Obama political appointees — wanted to shut it down less than 3 weeks prior to the election.
So, it is the case that what he is alleged to have leaked in violation of DOJ policy was information harmful to Clinton and potentially helpful to Trump.
That doesn’t get him off the hook for a policy violation.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 3/14/2018 @ 2:12 pm@ the Colonel, #42:
Fair enough on Lamb. But I am #NeverTrump, and I don’t consider this good news.
You keep saying this line, and you keep calling me “madam.” Neither is true. Repetition doesn’t make them any more true. They just make you look more ignorant.
Demosthenes (03953a) — 3/14/2018 @ 4:01 pmTrump’s our captain, he’s in command, and he has every right to expect our faithful support.
Umm. . . No. He is a civilian public official. He works for us, and we have every right — indeed, a civic duty — to criticize him if we think he’s wrong. (For the right, see U.S. Const., Amdt. I.)
gwjd (032bef) — 3/14/2018 @ 4:47 pmwe have every right — indeed, a civic duty — to criticize him if we think he’s wrong
if that day ever comes I’m a do criticize on him for sure
you know why cause it’s my duty
happyfeet (28a91b) — 3/14/2018 @ 4:49 pmWhackoffpedia says McCabe’s birthday is May 5. I would not fire him before that just so he would lose his pension. It would be petty and vindictive. I understand that he is now out on vacation or accumulated leave or something, so it’s not like it’s urgent to strip him of his authority.
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 4:54 pmI would not fire him before that just so he would lose his pension.
the full extent of his corruption and criminality has not yet been made public
happyfeet (28a91b) — 3/14/2018 @ 4:56 pmLike FLynn having to sell his house and liquidate his kids college fund after 35 years, revenge is best served coldm
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 4:59 pmI can’t bring myself to feel sorry for Flynn. He brought it on himself. In the worst possible way. By going after power and position. Without assessing his vulnerabilities. There’s a Greek saying: Silk drawers are for white (clean) butts.
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 5:29 pmLike Thomas Pickering who sold his soul to niac, and stepped over the lives of Stevens, doherty Smith and Co?
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 5:33 pmPerhaps we can get serious about punishing the Thieving Chinese for their theft of technology and intellectual property!
Colonel Haiku (33b771) — 3/14/2018 @ 5:35 pmHow aboutthe 20 million missing opm files,
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 5:36 pmThe mossad might help us out here:
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/u-s-monitoring-possible-north-korean-military-base-syria
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 5:40 pmYou keep saying this line, and you keep calling me “madam.” Neither is true. Repetition doesn’t make them any more true. They just make you look more ignorant.
Demosthenes (03953a) — 3/14/2018 @ 4:01 pm
He could be an Orson Scott Card fan.
Pinandpuller (7bbd2f) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:36 pmI think we’ve established that in the past.
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:41 pmIt’s a serious disappointment to me that you guys know the Orson Scott Card “Demosthenes”, whom I only learned about at this site, and not the real Demosthenes, the famous Athenian orator who opposed Alexander the Great and killed himself so as not to fall into Alexander’s hands.
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:43 pmDo kindly grow up. Lamb winning is good news for no one.
Demosthenes (378adf) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:11 am
It’s good news for Lamb.
Pinandpuller (7bbd2f) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:46 pmStarting a high-profile trade war with China is sure to help resolve the North Korea situation, too!
It’s leverage. As in, “If you continue to use your catspaw to eff with us and our friends you can take your chachkas and stick them where the sun don’t shine.”
North Korea is ENTIRELY China’s fault and their failure to resolve it DESERVES our contempt. This isn’t about tariffs, this is about “WTF are we dealing with you assh0les?”
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:49 pmLamb winning means very little except that loudmouth goons make poor candidates. Also, kiddie rapers, Nazis, …
The two candidates were light-years apart in quality and not everyone votes “party”. A better GOP candidate would have won handily, since the worst one they could find broke even.
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:53 pmI don’t know which I regret more: Romney’s loss to Obama, or Cruz’s loss to Trump. I think the former as we got the heel of the loaf with Trump, but man! if Cruz had been president the last year….
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:56 pmI actually knew of the real one before the OSC plot device but the Valentine Demosthenes was a madam so it seemed appropriate. I grew up in a house full of books.
Pinandpuller (7bbd2f) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:56 pm@Demosthenes #44…
I had thought you were female, my apologies, sir.
Colonel Haiku (33b771) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:59 pmIs Lamb the guy who is going to vote “no” for Pelosi and “yes” for impeachment? Sounds like a republican to me.
Pinandpuller (7bbd2f) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:03 pmThe only lamb I care for is on a plate with mint jelly.
His opponent could’ve done himself good if he’d have played up the Nancy Pelosi as Shari Lewis and Lambchop angle…
Colonel Haiku (33b771) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:04 pmHe probably did, but you know how the press hides the real story, with a pillow.
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:07 pm‘…Shari Lewis and Lambchop angle…
=Haiku!= Gesundheit!
Check your expiration dates; that’s in the freezer next to Mister Magoo.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:07 pmYesterday, Hoagie challenged me when I said today’s TrumpWorld talking points would be to dump on Saccone. And today…
Always trust content from “ConDave”!
Meanwhile, in the real world, Saccone won election with 60% and 70% of the vote his last two races in one of the same counties. Mittens carried the district by 20 points, just like Spanky. So it seems to be quite a new development that “not everyone votes party”.
I hate to see Democrats elected, but I also hate to see Trump sycophants elected. So it’s lose/lose AFAIC.
In the unlikely event Lamb actually votes like a moderate, it will be a positive lesson for the Dems to see that running less liberal candidates can help them – the Overton window, etc.
Thanks to Trump’s incompetence and toxicity, I imagine the Democrat electorate will be quite a bit more centrist than in recent elections, as independents and even former Republicans flee from him in droves.
Dave (445e97) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:11 pmthe famous Athenian orator who opposed Alexander the Great and killed himself so as not to fall into Alexander’s hands.
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 6:43 pm
So the lead #NeverAlexander’s weren’t running for their lives through New Hampshire?
Pinandpuller (7bbd2f) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:14 pmI wonder if their respective names made a difference, the margin being so small, with the casual voters. Lamb sounds nice and harmless and fuzzy and cuddly (and delicious, Haiku), while Saccone is the kind of name you see in a federal indictment.
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:19 pmCheck your expiration dates; that’s in the freezer next to Mister Magoo.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:07 pm
That’s right in your Nixon Strata, Professor Peabody.
Pinandpuller (7bbd2f) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:20 pmSaccone is the kind of name you see in a federal indictment.
nk (dbc370) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:19 pm
Probably why Madonna dropped the Ciccone.
Pinandpuller (7bbd2f) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:23 pm71… ha! Goood one! Another fave! What’s next… Clutch Cargo?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:29 pm#36, Beldar, you’re wrong. Face it, Trump’s our leader, he’s fulfilling his campaign promises, his policies made the economy boom lickity split, we’re steadily moving beyond the cultural malaise Obama fostered, and every day we get closer to exposing the corruption Obama and the dirty Democrats embedded deep within our governmental agencies.
Trump is leading the nation in the direction most of us approve. He’s earned our respect, and he deserves our faithful support. Of course we’ll always have nay sayers, half-steppers, grumblers, and those who broadcast their disapproval among us, as well as good citizens who simply disagree. They’re good Americans too, and also deserve our respect up to the point they lose prospective and become quarrelsome.
Tell the truth, if Ted Cruz was POTUS and doing everything Trump is doing wouldn’t you be singing a different tune?
ropelight (1e4bbe) — 3/14/2018 @ 7:34 pmThe article says he will become eligible for his pension this coming weekend.
I really don’t think I hate someone enough to wish their lives destroyed. He talked out of turn to the press and he lied about it. Surely there is some intermediate punishment. Prosecute him for lying and leave it at that. Maybe negotiate a pension reduction. But to fire someone a day before their pension vests is pretty nasty. If I was ordered to do it, I’d forget.
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:03 pmOh really?
China declared currency manipulator … when?
Hillary Clinton locked up … when?
Mexico writing us a $25B check for a wall … when?
Executive order imposing death penalty on every cop-killer … when?
Obamacare replaced with something better that covers everyone at a “tiny fraction of the cost” … when?
$19T national debt still on track to be completely paid off by 2024?
Summary executions of mothers, wives and children of suspected terrorists … when?
Crime and violence end … when?
Crippling torture of suspected terrorists institutionalized … when?
Japan, Germany and South Korea making payments to us for their defense … when?
Bowe Bergdahl thrown out of helicopter over Afghanistan without a parachute … when?
Tax returns released … when?
Yes, he is truly a miracle worker. So awesome are his economic skillz that the economy was booming even before he was elected, when it appeared likely he would lose.
I have a hard time envisioning Ted Cruz sending his attorneys into court to sue a porn star he f*cked when his kid was 4 months old and later paid $130K in hush money.
Dave (445e97) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:05 pmYesterday, Hoagie challenged me when I said today’s TrumpWorld talking points would be to dump on Saccone. And today…
What a bold prediction since people have been dumping on this clown for WEEKS. And you seem to take a “If you’re not willing to die to get rid of Trump, you’re a Trumpster” attitude, which is pretty much the way the John Birch Society viewed mere fascists.
Trump is a fact of life. I accept facts and try not to pretend I live in fantasy worlds. YMMV. I want the GOP to hold on to as much as they can, despite Trump, because the man will work with a Democrat Congress, too. I want judges confirmed. I want the military to have funding. I want a number of things that Democrats will not vote for, and would avoid much of what they want.
The idea that this election is a harbinger of NOTHING is not pro-Trump in the least. It’s just a fact. This guy was a turkey, he didn’t raise money, he didn’t campaign, he had the charisma of a wet towel. THIS IS WHY the party panicked. It was Saccone’s to lose and by gum he was doing it. He came close ONLY because of party support.
It wasn’t enough, but IT WAS NOT ABOUT TRUMP. But Dave, you and the rest of the Democrats go ahead and wish real hard.
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:13 pm#36–
I agree with that for the most part, except that there ARE times when POTUS ought to be supported. Wartime, for example. Americans should not, say, side with the enemy, or refuse to support the war effort. Plenty of time after to sort that out.
We may see this in more detail when (godhelpus) Trump has use force in Korea.
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:20 pmDave is ignorant of many things including history.
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:21 pmBrilliant strategy, in a race that turned out to be decided by 600 votes.
How many votes do figure Spanky’s ritual humiliation on the stage, before descending into 55 minutes of his usual narcissistic miasma of hate and ignorance, cost him?
The guy won re-election by huge margins his last two elections to the state house.
Here are the results of all the elections that were harbingers of NOTHING since President Snowflake was elected (courtesty of fivethirtyeight.com) (formatting unfortunately impossible to preserve):
2017
April 4 California 34th D+69 D+87 +18
April 11 Kansas 4th R+29 R+6 +23
May 25 Montana At-Large R+21 R+6 +16
June 20 Georgia 6th R+9 R+4 +6
June 20 South Carolina 5th R+19 R+3 +16
Nov. 7 Utah 3rd R+35 R+32 +3
Dec. 12 Alabama U.S. Senate R+29 D+2 +31
2018
March 13 Pennsylvania 18th R+21 0* +22
The first number is the electoral district’s historical partisan lean in the last two presidential elections, weighting 2016 75% and 2012 25%.
The second number is the special election result, and the third is the swing.
The average swing in these “harbinger of NOTHING” elections is 16.8%. If you exclude the CA race (where the GOP had no chance) and the Alabama senate (where there were undoubtedly candidate-related issues) the average of the rest is “only” 14.3%.
But yeah, must be just a coincidence, Mr. I-don’t-live-in-fantasy-worlds.
Nothing to see here – move along!
Dave (445e97) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:41 pmI don’t jump to the outrage every 30 seconds, because that’s old news, also Lawrence tribe, Matt taibbi and Michael Moore are jackalopes but they atleast understand what drives trumps support.
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:48 pmDiversity what a quaint concept:
http://reason.com/blog/2018/03/14/controversial-law-professors-comments-on
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:50 pmI’ve heard of rent control, ConDave, but you really need to get at least $1 from Trump, to at least make an attempt to keep things above board. And get a cleaning deposit, as him to back date teh check. He’s playing you for a chump. Smarten up!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 3/14/2018 @ 8:52 pm@ Pinandpuller, #55:
I don’t know if he is, but I hope you’re right. That would give us one thing in common, at least.
@ nk, #57:
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I do know both. The first made me read up on the second, and the second is why I took the name. Well, yes, okay. The first too.
@ the Colonel, #63:
With regret, I must admit to not believing a word of this sentence. That’s terribly uncharitable of me, I know. Nevertheless…
Demosthenes (09f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:02 pmPick a position Dave, and defend it. Don’t fly over to the other side when the first argument fails.
Saccone was a schlub up against a perfect political resume. This race, and the Alabama one turned on the individuals not the party. In both cases the unconvincing loudmouth populist ran against a buttoned-down “centrist”, and they both narrowly lost.
If you want to say it’s a statement on TRUMP-style candidates, fine. But it depends also on their opponents. Trump, after all, won, which was as much Hillary’s doing as Donald’s.
But it is NOT about PARTY. Everything else being equal, a Republican wins both those races handily.
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:02 pmIt’s not so much the ignorance, narciso, it’s the ongoing drama of witnessing ConDave’s OCD and the knowledge that the real estate tycoon/POTUS is living rent-free in hConDave’s spacious and empty melon.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:02 pmWell I can only go by what I see here, he says he was a professor at uc Irvine, where navarro taught, that seems dubious.
narciso (d1f714) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:07 pmDemosthenes,
In the “Ender” series of books, Ender Wiggins brother and sister became pseudonymous commentators on politics on the web, and soon became very influential even though they were children.
The brother took the name “Locke” and the the sister took the name “Demosthenes.”
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:08 pmOh, I guess you knew that. Always Read the Whole Thing.
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:10 pmI’m allegedly obsessed with the President of the United States, because I voice my concerns about the damage he’s doing to our country.
You’re clearly obsessed with me.
What does that say about you?
Dave (445e97) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:13 pm#76, Dave, I’ve watched you go back and forth with others here and you don’t impress me much. In fact you remind me of the usual stereotypical leftist apologist this site seems to attract. They usually hang around for awhile picking disputes as their ire escalates and their composure crumbles and they either go away on their own or get banned.
So, you’re obviously not stupid, you’re willing to mix it up, and if you’d up your game, temper your resentment, remain civil, and quit harfing there are more commenters here who would engage with you on the issues.
Harfing: making assertions so patiently stupid and preposterous as to generate widespread mockery.
(Harfing is named in honor of State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf with an honorable mention to Baghdad Bob. Harfing is closely related to disassembling, deciving, misleading, and misdirection.)
ropelight (1e4bbe) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:25 pmhis policies made the economy boom lickity split,
Tell that to people who work for Toys ‘R Us….
Kishnevi (8adcb8) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:26 pmturdlord jeff bezos and tranny target and walmart cannibalized toys r us
there was nothing Mr. Trump could do to save them
happyfeet (28a91b) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:31 pmNot sure how you think I’ve changed my argument.
I think Saccone is probably a roughly average candidate. He was reasonably successful and popular as a state rep – enough so that he was planning to run for senate before he switched to running for this seat. He didn’t do or say anything completely self-destructive like Richard Mourdock or Todd Akin to hand the race to his opponent. He wasn’t a joke candidate like Sharron Angle. He wasn’t radioactive like Roy Moore. I’m not saying he was above average. (Fun fact: about half the candidates that run are below average!)
You’re almost certainly right, that in a race that appears to be decided by 600 votes, a candidate even slightly better (i.e. capable of winning 600 more votes out of over 200k cast) would have prevailed. But in a +20 district it shouldn’t have ever been close.
Dave (445e97) — 3/14/2018 @ 9:35 pmYou’re entitled to your opinion, but admonishing me – the target of near continuous unprovoked AND unanswered personal insults – to “remain civil” is next-level projection.
I don’t plan to stop using humor in my posts.
I hereby suggest to you, in the most civil way imaginable, the appropriate scatological act if you can’t take a joke.
Dave (445e97) — 3/14/2018 @ 10:04 pmDave, if it is any comfort, the party bigwigs picked him because they thought their voters wanted someone like Trump, when in fact they had reached peak Trump.
Kevin M (752a26) — 3/16/2018 @ 12:27 amEconomist Is Said to Enter A Six-Month Drug Program
By SYLVIA NASAR, NYT, 7-4-95
Lawrence A. Kudlow, the former Wall Street economist, went to Minneapolis yesterday to check into a long-term, residential drug treatment program at Hazelden Foundation, his wife, Judith, said.
Mr. Kudlow, 47, agreed to undergo the six-month Hazelden program, where Kitty Dukakis, Eric Clapton and other well-known people have sought help, after three shorter treatments in the last two and half years for cocaine and alcohol habits, his wife said yesterday.
Fifteen months ago, Mr. Kudlow made a highly public confession of his drug problem shortly after he was forced to resign as chief economist at Bear Stearns. He also made a fresh career start as a conservative political commentator for television and magazines and said he believed that he had overcome his addiction.
But over the weekend, court papers filed by Mrs. Kudlow indicated that he may have lost his battle against cocaine. In a filing on Thursday, she petitioned the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan for a divorce and an order to prevent Mr. Kudlow from tapping their Bear Stearn’s retirement account to pay for a weeks-long cocaine binge. “The defendant will use such money to buy cocaine,” she stated in an affidavit, “and in so doing will likely suffer a fatal overdose and will dissipate the only remaining liquid marital assets.”
Mr. Kudlow could not be reached for comment yesterday. A Hazelden spokesman said the treatment center could not say whether or not a patient had checked in because of Federal regulations.
Mr. Kudlow’s apparent setback comes a time when he appeared to have turned his career around. After losing his $800,000-a-year Wall Street job, Mr. Kudlow landed quickly on his feet. His disclosure of cocaine problems in an interview with The New York Times prompted an outpouring of sympathy. He landed a consulting position at Montgomery Securities in San Francisco.
And Mr. Kudlow, who was President Ronald Reagan’s budget director and considered one of the brighter lights in the New York Republican Party, regained his political footing. He became economics editor of the conservative magazine National Review and started dispensing political advice again, sharing a platform with Gov. Christine Whitman of New Jersey. Indeed, Mr. Kudlow had urged her to cut taxes sharply, an issue that helped sweep her into office.
As recently as several weeks ago, Mr. Kudlow seemed to have regained his former professional stature. He shared a dais last month with Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, when he addressed New York’s financial elite. A few weeks earlier, Mr. Kudlow was appointed by Jack F. Kemp, Secretary of Housing under President George Bush, to a commission to study how best to cut taxes. Always immaculately dressed and ready with a clever line, Mr. Kudlow seemed always to be racing between television studios and from speech to speech.
There were occasional signs of stress: the client presentation at Montgomery Securities that he missed or missed deadlines at the National Review. In the end, the occasional slip turned into something far more frightening.
“He had slips but he was sober for big intervals,” Mrs. Kudlow said in a telephone interview. “He was doing everything. He was going to A.A. He was going to church. He was seeing his counselor. He was determined to overcome this, but it just overpowered him.”
According to Mrs. Kudlow, her husband initially resisted the idea of long-term treatment, which is expensive, disruptive and almost impossible to hide, even though two month long and one weeklong treatment program had not been enough. Instead, he turned more to drugs.
In the end, she said she decided to act. Mrs. Kudlow, a former press secretary for the Department of Justice and now a painter, said she did not intend to end her marriage to Mr. Kudlow. The divorce action, she said, was a legal device to keep him from using the money to buy more cocaine. As it turned out, she added, it also helped convince Mr. Kudlow that he had to take drastic measures.
“It came down to saving his life,” she said. “I have no intention of divorcing him, but I had to take a hard line.”
What happens now? Mrs. Kudlow said she looks forward to life together with him but a very different one from the fast-paced, high profile existence the couple shared in Manhattan. She said in the affidavit that she planned to sell their apartments to pay for Mr. Kudlow’s treatment and to begin a new life outside of New York City with her husband.
https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/04/business/economist-is-said-to-enter-a-six-month-drug-program.html
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/16/2018 @ 12:37 amNational Review and the WSJ reporting that Trump’s daft tariff-shill, Peter Navarro, and his Commerce Secretary, among others, are bought and paid-for by the steel lobby:
Dave (445e97) — 3/17/2018 @ 1:41 pm