Friday, November 08, 2024

Hard Circle to Square

Heather Cox Richardson: Trump won the election in part by promising everything to everyone, but the actual policies of the MAGA party are unpopular, even with many Republican voters.

Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 09:30 PM | 16 COMMENTS | permalink

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FTA:

Notably, Trump has said he will appoint Musk to head a new government efficiency commission, and Musk has vowed to cut "at least $2 trillion" from the federal budget. Such cuts would decimate government services, including food programs and Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Supplemental nutrition programs disproportionately benefit rural areas, and Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are used much more heavily in counties that support Trump than those that don't.

That will be a hard circle to square.

So will Trump's promise to lower consumer costs while also putting tariffs of 10% to 20% on all foreign imports and of 60% on imports from China. Tariffs are borne by consumers, so by definition they will drive prices up. These two promises cannot be reconciled.

#1 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-11-08 12:08 AM

Barb McQuade
@BarbMcQuade

While voters have many reasons for their choices, and I respect their right to make them and accept the outcome of the election, so much of what I hear from Trump supporters is that "the left" looks down on them. 1 / 4

This is an us-vs-them narrative spun by Trump, who has convinced some voters that he is the proxy for their grievances. He tells voters, "they" are not after me, they are after you. I'm just standing in the way to protect you. 2/4

In fact, Democrats support unions, higher minimum wages, middle class tax cuts, and other policies for working people. GOP policies will only widen income disparities. 3/4

Trump's mastery of disinformation has caused people to vote against their own self-interest.
His playbook is the same as Russia's: promote declinism, demonize and scapegoat, stoke outrage, divide and conquer. 4/4 END

threadreaderapp.com

#2 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-11-08 01:42 AM

@#2 ... "the left" looks down on them. ...

Is it "the left" looking down on them, or the person they have chosen to lead the Country?


That is, imo, an important distinction.

#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-08 10:00 PM

" so much of what I hear from Trump supporters is that "the left" looks down on them."

I will admit in my case that is true. they had a choice between a centrist democrat prosecutor ...

and a rapist lunatic felon, and they chose the felon. so yeah ...

#4 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2024-11-08 10:08 PM

I look down on them.

Not because of their education or economic status, for that I love them.

I look down on them because they voted for a rapist.

Yes, I am better than magat scum who voted for a rapist.

They WILL suffer under -------.

They WILL come crawling on their hands and knees for a liberal to save them

They won't admit that, but it will happen.

In the meantime, they can kiss my hairy ass

#5 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-11-08 10:20 PM

Here are a few simple facts

1. Our economy is the envy of the world
2. Biden was the most pro-union president in decades
3. Biden's economy was the first in decades to actually shift wealth from the top to the bottom and middle class
4. Real wages were up and greater than inflation
5. Employment is through the roof.
6. The IRA invested heavily in red areas
7. The CHIPS Act resulted in incredibly tech and manufacturing investment.
8. The BIDEN stimulus bill helped low and middle class families get through he end of the pandemic.
9. The Stock Market was booming.

These are what are called facts.

Biden, for all his faults, actually tried and succeeded in beginning, to overthrow the neoliberalism free market system that has been in place since Reagan that saw all of the wealth gains go the rich. Biden actually achieved what lower and middle class people WANT

Was it perfect? NO. Was he able to fix 40 years of vulture capitalism? NO.

Were prices high? Yes. Was housing high? Yes
There are no simple fixes for those things

The solution to inflation is NOT deflation- it is wage increases-which he accomplished
the solution to high housing prices is to increase the number of housing units-this is NOT a quick process.

These are all facts

Biden was restrained from doing more by Republicans. He tried, multiple times, to forgive student loans-which would greatly aid the economy! Young people would e able to AFFORD ----.

He tried, belatedly admittedly, to solve the immigration issue through more border security and more asylum judges-----LER stopped him.

These are all simple and irrefutable facts.

Let's consider what ----ler has to offer

1. Tariffs
2. Deporting a significant part of the labor force
3. Lower taxes for rich people.
4. ummm that is just about it.

Oh excuse me, some lie about not taxing tips, I bet that is something he doesn't follow up on.

Harris' plan mirrored Biden's and would continue the BOOMING economy with some additional stuff to lower prices and housing costs

Yet, most voters thought ----ler was better for them.

And unfortunately ----ler is going to inherit a great economy and will of course claim credit.

#6 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-11-08 10:31 PM

Yeah, there seem to be some who are trying to exploit Pres-elect Trump's victory to further divide the Country.

Why?

One thought that pops into my mind...

Pres Putin knows that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

I'll leave it at that for now.



#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-08 10:37 PM

You do that.

#8 | Posted by YAV at 2024-11-08 10:41 PM

@#8 ... You do that. ...

Is my assessment wrong?

#9 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-08 10:50 PM

That Putin benefits by us being divided against each other?
No, that's absolutely true.

That we're going to come together, right now, after this?
That isn't going to happen.

The only hope is things calm down over the next few months. How? only if trump doesn't do 1/10th of the shht he's said he's going to do, saner heads on the Republican side prevail, the Democrats take the House, we get out of the next four years without our economy collapsing because we elected a narcissistic criminal idiot that thinks he knows more than anyone else in the room.

If that doesn't happen then I'm perfectly fine with giving the trumplicans everything they want. Let them burn this nation to the ground.

#10 | Posted by YAV at 2024-11-09 08:36 AM

It's going to get ugly starting on Jan 20th.

#11 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2024-11-09 08:37 AM

but the actual policies of the MAGA party are unpopular, even with many Republican voters.

Republican voters are going to have to learn that if you prefer democratic policies you will have to stop voting for republicans! Voters deserve to get the policies promoted by the candidates that they voted for. Vote MAGA, get MAGA policies.

Trump has said that he will pardon Jan 6 participants. It will be interesting to see if he gets any blowback if he pardons Jan 6 rioters that were convicted of assaulting police officers. If he doesn't pardon those that attacked the police, it will likely be regarded as having reneged on a promise.

Hey republicans! You took the WH, Senate and likely the HOR. Democrats will not be able to save you from the wrath of the people once you implement those MAGA policies. You will have to save yourselves. But don't worry, many (most?) Americans seem to have a very short memory.

#12 | Posted by FedUpWithPols at 2024-11-09 08:52 AM

Exactly.

Democrats will, however, do all they can to save this nation. They will work tirelessly, with tenacity and purpose, to save this nation. I don't know how I feel about that, to be honest.

#13 | Posted by YAV at 2024-11-09 09:04 AM

Screw the duolopy into the dustbin of history.

#14 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-11-09 11:44 AM

#4 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2024-11-08 10:08 PM | Reply
These are what are called facts.

"When people don't like facts, they ignore them."
Michael Specter

#15 | Posted by SomebodyElse at 2024-11-09 12:12 PM

It's going to get ugly starting on Jan 20th.

#11 | Posted by Alexandrite

It
already
is

#16 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-11-09 12:31 PM

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