asahi:
We could elect Jesus Christ and it wouldn’t matter, because the lack of confidence isn’t rooted in the failure of a qualified candidate to appear; it’s rooted in a lack of confidence in the American people themselves. Everyone else around the world knew that there was something seriously wrong with American democracy when Donald Trump won the Republican nomination - and then he went on to defeat a decorated career public servant in Hillary Clinton!
I could be cynical and say that I hope at least this time around nobody will think that merely Not Being The Other Guy is worth a Nobel Prize. And I was an Obama contributor!
But Trump is a refutation of exceptionalism at the POTUS level as in , really, why WOULD the US Presidency be immune to populist nationalism and reality-show politics?
octopus:
Never said he was. I’m just saying that the political writing and communication of folks like Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton etc isn’t going to be as effective today as it was back in the day due to the changing electorate. Merely being 18 years of age and a US citizen doesn’t make one an expert on what one is voting for. Needing to pander to the population as a whole is problematic.
The Founders’ writings did include a lot of skepticism of “democracy” mentioning a fear of mob rule and pandering. But soon enough the system was pandering to some of the population.
Kimstu:
Pssst: “Lewinsky”.
:smack:
Greenberg, Iceberg… what’s the difference?
To let them in would’ve shown weakness. Nothing projects strength like caving to a taunting tweet from an unstable bully halfway around the world.
CurtC:
The problem is identifying when you need to sell and then buy again. The vast majority of people lose money by trying to time the market - you should just take the strategy of riding out the ups and downs, and not even try to play poker with the people who know much more than you do.
There are lots of people who sold right after the market went down in 2008-2009, and then missed the recovery that happened immediately after it. That’s the danger, missing the upswing.
In my case, the vast majority of my 401k holdings were acquired during/ after the recession, and it has been mostly one long upswing ever since. So for me, shielding my money is pretty much locking in my gains. I expect a downturn and so am comfortable with this move.
People in different circumstances might see it differently
QuickSilver:
Monica or Corey?
Kimstu:
Pssst: “Lewinsky”.
I assumed it was a commentary on Trump’s mental faculties. If you can’t tell an origin from an orange, how are you going to keep those two names straight?
Well, the only real difference between Lewinsky and Lewandowski is which dick is being sucked.
Alessan
August 15, 2019, 7:45pm
35493
That, and it’s Bibi being the Republicans’ bitch again, as usual.
asahi:
Mutual respect is not one of Bibi’s (or Trump’s) values.
That being said, even with someone less polarizing than Netanyahu, I can’t think of too many things guaranteed to piss off a mostly Jewish population than threatening to participate in political boycotts against them. They shouldn’t have expected a welcome mat. They can bash Israel policy all they want, but that’s probably crossing a line.
.
Support for my position from a surprising source.
“We disagree with Reps. Omar and Tlaib’s support for the anti-Israel and anti-peace BDS movement, along with Rep. Tlaib’s calls for a one-state solution. We also believe every member of Congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel firsthand,” AIPAC tweeted early Thursday afternoon.
Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland.
In meetings, at dinners and in passing conversations, Mr. Trump has asked advisers whether the U.S. can acquire Greenland, listened with interest when they discuss its abundant resources and geopolitical importance and, according to two of the people, has asked his White House counsel to look into the idea.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-eyes-a-new-real-estate-purchase-greenland-11565904223?mod=e2tw
If the US purchases Greenland, can we send Trump there to live? If so, I will help chip in to the GoFundMe campaign.
JohnT
August 15, 2019, 11:38pm
35497
With all those Danes, the Democratic party can use all the blue senators Greenland could produce. I suggest we break it up into about 20 Wyoming-sized pieces.
Seems like a poor decision on Netanyahu’s part—I can’t imagine that Trump Tweets & Bibi Obeys
If that’s the sort of thing he’s looking for, I hear the estate of Jeffrey Epstein has an island they might want to unload.
asahi
August 16, 2019, 2:05am
35500
I didn’t say I agreed with the decision – far from it. But I can understand why Israelis in particular don’t want Tlaib and Omar in their country. Never thought I’d agree with Ben Shapiro, but I actually found myself nodding in agreement when he pointed out that it would have been smarter to just let Tlaib and Omar visit and grandstand; instead Israel looks like it’s heavy handed and anti-democratic.
Trump is clearly scared about the economy — and he’s already picked his fall guy
…It’s possible the bigger threat to Trump’s presidency is now the economy, which is showing increasing signs of instability. And just as before, Trump appears genuinely worried and has found one man on which to focus his blame: Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome H. Powell.
Powell could be in for a world of pain ahead of the 2020 election — especially if things do go south.
With the stock market tanking following Trump’s announcement of new China tariffs — amid other warning signs — the Trump administration on Tuesday gave itself a mulligan and delayed some of the more high-profile tariffs until late this year. That was the first sign there was real concern; Trump after all, had announced the tariffs less than two weeks earlier, and pulling back on them could easily be seen as a sign of weakness in his standoff with the Chinese.
That precipitated a rally in the stock market Tuesday. But then Wednesday, the inverted yield curve — which is generally acknowledged as one of the most prescient indicators of a recession — delivered more bad news. The markets fell again.
And Trump’s reaction to it all should erase any doubt about how concerned he is. He has spent much of the past 24 hours bashing Powell for not cutting the Fed’s interest rate fast enough — even as Powell has already given him some of the cutting he desires.
“Even now, you know, you see the interest rates,” Trump said Tuesday afternoon in Pennsylvania. “I’m paying a normalized interest rate. We should be paying less, frankly. This guy has made a big mistake. He’s made a big mistake — the head of the Fed. That was another beauty that I chose.”
Trump then took Powell to task on Twitter on Wednesday, after the inverted yield curve news.
“The Great [Fox Business host] Charles Payne … correctly stated that Fed Chair Jay Powell made TWO enormous mistakes,” Trump began. “1. When he said ‘mid cycle adjustment.’ 2. We’re data dependent. ‘He did not do the right thing.’ I agree (to put it mildly!).”
Trump then returned to the subject a couple of hours later, arguing explicitly that his China trade war, which economists have spotlighted for their increasingly dour forecasts, is not to blame — Powell is.
It’s always somebody else’s fault. Even when they do what I tell 'em.
asahi
August 16, 2019, 2:06am
35502
He could be governor (or viceroy?) of Greenland for life!
We’ll even rename it: Trump Land.
asahi
August 16, 2019, 2:12am
35503
The Fed is critical in helping the US recover from recessions. As I said in earlier posts, recessions happen, but it’s how a president responds to a recession that matters. If Trump uses a growing economic slowdown to push out neutral Fed members, we’re in some serious shit.
He knows some great Danes.
