The Trump Presidency

[Jaw]

The problem with the stimulus package is that after nearly 40 years since someone more liberal than Obama was in the White House, there was a lot of pent-up demand for some oddball pet projects that the Congressional Dems threw out there. Cash for Clunkers comes to mind. The direct money into state budgets was a fairly good idea as it kept state programs afloat that the states were in no position to fund given the recession (and also kept property taxes in line). But the only other part of the stimulus package should have been infrastructure. That universal access to broadband got such short shrift is really astonishing. Most important economic tool in the new economy that could have helped a lot of rural areas somehow got almost totally ignored.

Not a lot of political support in rural areas for the people who were writing the stimulus checks. The stimulus was such a mess simply because Pelosi and Co. used it for special interests as much as possible. Have we already forgotten the famous turtle underpass?

[50PoundHead]

Not a lot of political support in rural areas for the people who were writing the stimulus checks. The stimulus was such a mess simply because Pelosi and Co. used it for special interests as much as possible. Have we already forgotten the famous turtle underpass?

Right. Those are the things that should have been avoided. The stimulus package should have been used for state government support and universal infrastructure initiatives, including broadband. In Minnesota, there was quite a bit of road improvement in rural areas that came out of the stimulus package. I think it varied state-to-state as to how well the money was allocated.

[57Brave]

Hugh Gitlin ‏@SkiUMahGopher 3m3 minutes ago

Hugh Gitlin Retweeted Greg Sargent

Bringing back industrial jobs is like putting toothpaste back in the tube. Automation has taken more American jobs than outsourcing.


The first sentence is a given. Agreed ?

The second - on it's face seems ~ right ~ but
if anyone has data ????

[57Brave]

Kyle Griffin ‏@kylegriffin1 51m51 minutes ago Manhattan, NY

Bob Dole's law firm, which reportedly helped organize Trump's Taiwan call, was paid $20K/month to lobby for Taiwan:

#draningtheswamp

[goldfly]

[goldfly]

his boeing tweet btw

holy ****, he obviously doesn't have any clue what this job is

[BedellBrave]

Interesting moves on Taiwan, bitching about Boeing (with their latest big deals with China), and the Japanese bank announcement. We can at least say, he ain't making the same old moves. We've been in a trade and cyber war with the Chinese for a long time. It's taking a new turn now.

[Oklahomahawk]

Interesting moves on Taiwan, bitching about Boeing (with their latest big deals with China), and the Japanese bank announcement. We can at least say, he ain't making the same old moves. We've been in a trade and cyber war with the Chinese for a long time. It's taking a new turn now.

Except that we by and large haven't been fighting back.

[Julio3000]

Interesting moves on Taiwan, bitching about Boeing (with their latest big deals with China), and the Japanese bank announcement. We can at least say, he ain't making the same old moves. We've been in a trade and cyber war with the Chinese for a long time. It's taking a new turn now.

It is often forgotten that the most salient point of Bush foreign policy pre-9/11 was hawkishness on China. I think John Bolton among others was driving it--not as it relates to trade so much as the Taiwan stuff. Nobody really remembers anything between Bush v. Gore and 9/11/01, but before the neocon FP crowd got the pretext for the ME wars they wanted, it was definitely a thing. Not necessarily relevant to this conversation, but worth noting in the "nothing new under the sun" column.

[The Chosen One]

I'm completely cool with him talking to Taiwan.

I want him to troll China a bunch.

If they don't want to do business the right way then we'll just keep opening shops in Mexico instead of importing from China.

[thethe]

his boeing tweet btw

holy ****, he obviously doesn't have any clue what this job is

Who defines what the job is?

[57Brave]

Me giving Trump a chance.

he selects a fossil fuel advocate and suer of EPA to head, the EPA

Me shaking my head coming to realize we are all climate change deniers until our Mar a Lago is underwater
....

from NYT report

Mr. Pruitt, 48, who has emerged as a hero to conservative activists, is also one of a number of Republican attorneys general who have formed an alliance with some of the nation’s top energy producers to push back against the Obama regulatory agenda, a 2014 investigation by The New York Times revealed...


At the heart of Mr. Obama’s efforts to tackle climate change are a collection of E.P.A. regulations aimed at forcing power plants to significantly reduce their emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide pollution. It will not be possible for Mr. Trump to unilaterally cancel the rules, which were released under the 1970 Clean Air Act. But it would be possible for a legally experienced E.P.A. chief to substantially weaken, delay or slowly dismantle them.

[57Brave]

Me giving Trump a chance Pt II

Ari Berman ‏@AriBerman 7m7 minutes ago

Trump cabinet picks:
EPA against science
AG against justice
Ed against public education
Hud against fair housing
HHS against healthcare


llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllll

Kurt Eichenwald ‏@kurteichenwald 51m51 minutes ago

Trump naming a key politician fighting against climate change action as head of EPA. Good thing Bernie-or-Busters voted their "conscience."

[sturg33]

Who defines what the job is?

Seriously?

[thethe]

Seriously?

The constitution obviously dictates the guidelines but that is not what was referenced.

[57Brave]

Me giving Trump a chance Pt II (a)




#draintheswamp

[57Brave]

Me giving Trump a chance Pt III


Reuters U.S. News Verified account
‏@ReutersUS

JUST IN: Trump chooses pro wrestling magnate Linda McMahon to head Small Business Administration - transition team.

nah, I ain't makin' this **** up

[goldfly]

i'm sure he will help level this out:

[thethe]

i'm sure he will help level this out:

This is a huge problem aND that's what globalism and automation has done. Hopefully we will finally address globalisation and end the massive outsourcing of US jobs.

[jpx7]

Kurt Eichenwald ‏@kurteichenwald 51m51 minutes ago

Trump naming a key politician fighting against climate change action as head of EPA. Good thing Bernie-or-Busters voted their "conscience."

Liberals blaming the real left for this White House loss, and their losses throughout state and federal governments over the past six years, is going to utterly sink the viability of the (D) party if they don't wise up soon (which they almost certainly won't).