The Washington Post editorial board is vexed. See, the economy is doing pretty darned good under President Trump, and they just can’t have that, because that’s bad for Democrats
The economy is strong, as Trump says. But at what cost?
AS CONGRESS gathered for the annual State of the Union address Tuesday, there was no denying that the state of the national economy is good indeed, although President Trump, predictably, exaggerated how good. The broadest measures — gross domestic product growth, wages and labor force participation — all point in varying degrees in the right direction, with the most sensitive indicator, unemployment, at a 50-year low of 3.5 percent. The laws of politics decree that incumbent presidents take the blame for negative economic conditions and the credit for positive ones. In that sense, Mr. Trump’s posture, in an election year, is entirely conventional. But the true State of the Union after three years of this otherwise unconventional presidency cannot be measured so straightforwardly.
Of course, while the economy was blah to middling under Obama, but slowly, ever so slowly getting better, the WPEB never complained about being measured so straightforwardly, nor did the so-called straight news section.
One question is whether Mr. Trump’s policies deserve the credit he axiomatically takes for the economy. On that point, the answer is mixed at best: Economic growth under President Obama after the Great Recession ended in 2009 averaged 2.2 percent annually, so Mr. Trump’s 2.5 percent annual average is a modest improvement over what he inherited, partially attributable to Federal Reserve policy — and partially to the stimulus from the hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts Mr. Trump’s policies created over the past two years. At the same time, the Trump tariff wars with China, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan and Europe (did we miss anyone?) generated countervailing uncertainty that slowed growth. Also, the tax cuts, heavily weighted toward businesses and the well-to-do, probably exacerbated after-tax income inequality, notwithstanding the wage increases among lower-income workers Mr. Trump touts as a “blue-collar boom.â€
See, back then they gave Obama all the credit, but, now, it apparently only has a little to do with Trump.
More consequential is whether the current prosperity has been built on a sustainable basis. Again, the jury is out: Mr. Trump’s corporate tax-rate cut represents a structural change in favor of investment that even many Democrats advocated, albeit not to the degree Republicans have enacted. Nevertheless, productivity growth rates remain stubbornly sluggish, and Mr. Trump has failed to deliver on his promises of major new infrastructure spending, which might have enhanced the economy’s growth capacity. The sheer growth of the labor force is another key factor in economic dynamism, but Mr. Trump’s anti-immigration stance works against that, too.
If the Democrat controlled House won’t vote on infrastructure, there’s nothing Trump can do. If they’re shirking their Constitutional duty to vote, what does Trump do? But, hey, what about those illegals? Are we supposed to care? Are they suggesting that we need to prioritize illegals over Americans?
Finally, even if the economy were performing as well as Mr. Trump says, and even if he deserved all the credit, this unsettling question would remain: At what price? The president, of course, has not only changed economic policy since 2017; he has tried to change the presidency — from a focal point of national unity to a bully pulpit for partisan and personal rancor, up to and including the search for foreign-dug dirt on a political rival for which he faces an impeachment trial in the Senate. Mr. Trump overtly asserts his total innocence in all respects, even as he implicitly tempts Americans with a subtly different proposition: to accept his behavior, and his conscious efforts to divide the country, as somehow necessary trade-offs for prosperity. This is as false as it is Faustian; trust and consensus are essential ingredients of a modern, efficient economy, not to mention indispensable to a thriving, durable Union.
Um, what does that have to do with the economy? Little to nothing, of course, this is just Trump Derangement Syndrome in print. Democrats, when forced to admit that the economy is pretty darned good, will still attempt to find ways to knock it. “Oh, hey, it’s good now, but, can it last? It’s going to crater soon.”
tRump 1st 3 yr vs Obama final 3 yr…
Job growth has slowed under tRump compared to Obama
Wage growth has slowed under tRump compared to Obama (lower end wage growth up from minimum wage increases!)
GDP growth 2.5% under tRump, 2.4% under Obama (remember, trump promised 3, 4, 5, even 6%! growth)
The ‘tRump Economy’ is a continuation of the Obama economy with an added bonus of succor for the rich and for corporations, and an unnecessary explosion in yearly deficits.
At least tRump hasn’t ruined the 11 year recovery. Yet.
Dow has gone up only 6 % in the last 2 years
GDP has been close to 2% not the 4% Trump promised
Wages have not gone up adjusted for inflation
Farm income had been slashed and farms survive only because of socialistic welfare payments
American economy is now based on debt
Federal Reserve Bank must give 100 billion dollars every month to banks to keep the Ponzi scam alive
Nice starting date, John. Dow is up about 46% since Trump took office
Not to mention that since Feb. 2018 the DOW is up over 17%, NASDAQ up over 25% and S&P up over 16%
But, liars have to lie I guess.
And retards are gonna retard.
Lolgfy Johnny
John,
Don’t know what planet you are on, but the US is doing great. We are winning, America is great again. I don’t know what you desire to achieve but you come across as ill informed and fairly stupid, much like the other communist here.
John
This is such a distortion of reality that it is no wonder the current batch of Democrats and leftists cannot accept Trump won the election. Since 2003 the left has been marching in the streets, burning down everything in sight and throwing hissy fits until Bush was finally gone.
Then it was 8 years of bliss for them with Obama to be followed by 8 years of HRC to be followed by 8 years of Michelle Obama and on and on it goes.
Your side convinced themselves that a Republican could never be elected again after Bush Jr. lied us into wars all across the Middle East whose misery only ended because the constitutional clock ran out on him.
Now we have Trump. A guy who fights back with the same deranged lunacy your side uses and the leftist have no clue what to do. You have no idea what to do. So your side once again broke out the Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals and went to work. Only this time its not working.
Why?
Because the right, blindsided with its perfect usage by Obama and his minions for 8 years, has had all that time to practice, prepare and understand how you fight Rules for Radicals and so that leaves you with no choice but to become even more radical.
I present John and Elwood as examples of the delusion within the Democratic party. Nancy Pelosi belittling a hallowed institution by tearing up the president’s SOTU speech on live TV in front of millions. Chuck Schumer declaring that his institution conducted a kangaroo court because they lost the impeachment vote. This is where the left has sunk to thanks to Donald J. Trump.
Saul Alinsky doesn’t work anymore and the more temper tantrums you throw the more Trump’s numbers keep going up.
And you gotta love how Elwood accuses us of “whining” when the leader of his “party” tears up a speech like a spoiled brat not getting her way. Now I guess they’ll start marching in the streets again and setting shit on fire.
Sanders The Red also has their party all fuked up. They keep trying to out-commie a life long communist instigator and they can’t. They actually think Americans ar gonna vote for a clown who “honeymooned” in the Soviet Union and who says people standing in line for food is a good thing!
The Democrat party keeps moving left to capture the immature pasty feminized males while their old constituency has no where to go but Republican. As the Dems get redder their traditional constituency leaves.
Trump 2020 Cause we still aren’t tired of WINNING!
John, you do realize we all can Google, right? Your numbers are all wrong 2/4/18 the DOW was @ about $25,000 two years later, TODAY, it’s about $29,000. That’s a shit load more than 6% which would be $1500. BTW, I creamed the market over the last three years more than doubling a few of my IRA’s. Of course I short term trade but even my stable Index Mutual funds have produced over 12%. So eat me.
All you lefties have are lies and hate. You need a reformation in your party.
Trump 2020 Keep the market perkin’.
Stories like this are troubling. Ignoring the Jeff/John trolls, the news media is keeping up a steady drum beat of “the sky is falling” every single day and every day Americans go to work and the sky is still there. Without regard to political perspectives, eventually even hard core leftists have to know that their credibility suffers when they keep ignoring obvious truths and instead printing obvious lies. Other websites have gone down this path. They have become footnotes in journalism like tabloids and should be labels, “for entertainment purposes only”. The big media labels honestly don’t see this happening to themselves, day after day? If getting rid of Trump really so important that they are willing to so beclown their professions that few of them will ever work again?
The right has so many fine whines.
The lazy media repeat every economic lie that tRump and his minions tell.
Lolgfy Jeffery
Indeed, how does that work, chickenhawk? Put on your thinking cap.
Lolgfy Porter Good’s LilCrotchSniffer
Because you lied about joining the Army, little sissybitch, in 1971 durine the Vietnam war.
Lolgfy Jeffery
Your lies will never go away.
You poor, desperate lil thing.
I volunteered. For which war that you supported did you volunteer?
Lolgfy Porter Good’s LilCrotchSniffer
“The right has so many fine whines.”
Let’s see, you assholes have been bitching about Trump since BEFORE he was elected and when we dispute you we’re “whining”?
Your failure to launch is amazing. So is your inability for self awareness and your natural propensity to project is pathological.
Trump has been acquitted on both phony up charges so what now? Another impeachment? Perhaps another deep IRS investigation?
Thank you very much for the new popularity. My own sister who “couldn’t bring herself” to vote for Trump is now one of his newest supporters. She now believes all Democrats are liars. Gee, how’d that happen?
Trump 2020 We’ll discuss 2024 then.
The right whines constantly about the media, even as they ignore tRump’s dishonesty, greed and immorality.
Of course decent people bitched about the asshole, tRump, accurately assessing he was unfit to be our president. He’s been an asshole as long as he’s been in the public eye. Name a single favorable quality the asshole possesses. Honesty? Compassion? Loyalty? Intelligence? Hair? Humility? Curiosity? Generosity?
He started his adult life with $419 million from his father. He has fathered at least 5 children by three different baby-mamas. He’s cheated on each of his wives. He’s been accused by 25 women of sexual assaults included rapes. He has bankrupted 6 businesses. 25! He bilked thousands of students out of millions through his fake ‘Trump University’. He tried to corrupt the 2020 election. He has lied to the American people over 15,000 times at last count. Before the 2016 election, he paid hush money to a porn star to keep her quiet over his sexual liaison with her – his lawyer/fixer is in prison for it – tRump is Individual One in the indictment. Several of his campaign associates were convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes. His so-called charitable scam, The Trump Foundation, had so many deficiencies that it was ordered shut down by the courts, and force to pay $2 million in penalties. His kids have made many 10s of millions of dollars from overseas ventures since his election. His continued violations of the emoluments clause (at least 22 countries, including Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey) have spent money at Trump properties). The scammers and skimmers from his administration, Price, Skulkin, Manafort, Zinke, Pruitt, Flynn, forced out or in jail.
And on and on and on and on… tax improprieties, shady foreign business deals, payoffs and bribes. A lifetime of sleazy grifting – and now president.
What made anyone think that a man as greedy, immoral and dishonest as tRump would be any different as president?
His most rabid base, Evangelical Christians, have exposed themselves for the vile hypocrites they are. They’ve traded their souls for the restoration of Christianity as a state religion. No more abortion, white Christian dominion, obligatory Christian prayers in schools, gays as second class…
Your entire rant is written proof of your mental instability. Evangelical Christians want a state religion, no more abortions, Christian domination, Christian prayers in schools and gays as second class… You are a paranoid schizophrenic nut job. You see generous, loving, tolerant life affirming loyal and patriotic Christians as some sort of cult like the mooslems that want to go around and kill everybody who isn’t a Christian. You’re off your meds Elwood. Your rant sounds live a stinking raving lunatic which is what I assume you are.
Trump 2020 Keep the crazy Elwoods out of power.
Kye,
Why do the evangelical Christians love tRump as if he were the Second Coming?
His Christian kindness? His family values? Living his life by the Ten Commandments? His character?
Every personal characteristic of tRump screams evil. So why do evangelicals support him without question?
This is why the left will committ suicide after Trump wins again.
They make up lies. Lie after lie. Tell themselves those lies a billion times a day and then begin to believe them.
Once the voters go to the polls with a bulging wallet and 401k and their communist candidate loses, the poor will breathe a sigh of relief they wont be hearded back onto the plantation, the freedrom underground is still running far away from the Democrats and they left will be like WTF?
SCREAMMMMAAMAMAMAMAMAMAM. TRUMP IS EVIL. Everyone says so.
No everyone in their little bubble world and that in a nutshell is what is wrong with the lies they tell themselves.
Americans Ignore Elwood and John. They just make shit up and then post it all over the web a billion times a day and pretty soon if your not careful you start to believe it.
Just remember one thing. If your life really does suck under Trump then by all means VOTE FOR WHATEVER COMMUNIST THE DEMOCRATS PUT UP TO RUN. Then you will get a real chance to see what a sucky life is all about.
Cc typed: If your life really does suck under Trump then by all means VOTE FOR… THE DEMOCRAT…
Financially, I don’t recall ever doing better! But then, grown-ups recognize there’s more to America than the well-being of any individual. The rich are doing fine. The poor still struggle.
Hey Elwood, in any society whether socialist, communist, capitalist or whatever anywhere on earth “The rich are doing fine. The poor still struggle.”. But under our system there ar more doing well or very well compared to the others. Name one socialist or communist country that has as large, as prosperous, as secure and as happy middle class as capitalists do. Cuba? Venezuela? N.Korea? China?
I want Bernie to be the Commiecrat candidate because I want the people to see what a fraud he and his communist theory are. When we talk people like Bernie we’re talking full blown communism. We’re not talking post offices, and public parks. we’re talking a dictator running our entire life from cradle to grave because THAT is the nature of socialism.
Trump 2020 Lets Keep America Great
Kye,
So it’s not American so-called ‘socialism’ (libraries, parks, public schools and universities, Social Security, unemployment payments, Medicare, post office, Medicaid, armed forces, fire departments etc) that troubles you, it’s the potential for authoritarianism?
Do you believe the so-called ‘socialism’ of Europe and other advanced nations is oppressive? Are Denmark, France, Norway, Israel, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, England and Australia dictatorships? The residents of most of these nations are more satisfied with life than are Americans.
It seems as if the evidence doesn’t support your claims. Do you think that Bernie Sanders is more likely than tRump to become a violent dictator?
Kye,
It will be fun watching the Democratic party openly promoting communism and pretending it is one of their core values.
Yeah, they were communists when communism wasn’t cool!
We’re not sure you lads know anything at all, except your hatred.
Should America end the ‘communistic’ functions of public education, Social Security, Medicare et al?
Hate to break it to you Elwood.
Under Trump.
“Very close to 160 million people are now working in the United States. Nobody’s ever even come close to that number.†Trump
Polifact….Mostly True.
“We have an America where … hard-working families have flat wages.†Lizzy Warren
Polifact…False
“Under my administration, 7 million Americans have come off of food stamps, and 10 million people have been lifted off of welfare.â€
Polifact….Half True.
“I have also overseen historic funding increases for high-quality child care, enabling 17 states to help more children, many of which have reduced or eliminated their waitlists altogether.â€Trump
Polifact….Half True
“Earnings for the bottom 10% are rising faster than earnings for the top 10%.†Trump
Polifact…half true.
Polifact cant bring themselves to admit Trump is actually doing things to help ALL people and not just the poor at the expense of the rich or the rich at the expense of the poor.
He asked Pelosi for a prescription drug bill and would sign it immediately. Trump allowed the democrats to put stuff into the USMCA to get it passed and was popular on both sides of the aisle.
This hatred for Trump is not about his policies. Its about his character and his crass, asshole attitude. Reminds me of people all over the internet.
“Elwood P. Dowd says:
February 5, 2020 at 9:39 pm
Kye,
Why do the evangelical Christians love tRump as if he were the Second Coming?
His Christian kindness? His family values? Living his life by the Ten Commandments? His character?
Every personal characteristic of tRump screams evil. So why do evangelicals support him without question?”
You ignorant asshole. Do you know what the second coming is? If you did you would know that no Christian, Evangelical, Catholic or Quaker would think Trump is it.
Unlike you brainwashed fools who have denounced God and now worship at the altar of big government, we Christians pick our politicians on how well they reflect and respect our politics. We were not voting for a god, we were voting for a President. You guys can’t seem to separate the two. To you Hussein was the Great Hope a god of sorts.
Now you judge all men in the Hussein mirror. None of us expect Trump or anyone else to be perfect and quite frankly I’d rather have someone who is what he is rather than people like you who feign virtue, kindness and all the other shit you spewed.
Elwood, you know no god and have no gravitas preaching the tenets of Christianity to us. Since you don’t believe in God, heaven or as you’ve put it “demons and angels” you are looking forward into eternal nothingness. A metaphor for your life.
Trump 2020 Because he is the best man (not god) for the job.
Kye the Asshole,
What are the policies that tRump espouses that make evangelicals fervently support him?
Tax cuts for the rich and corporations? Massive debt? Adding 20,000 troops to the Middle East? Opposition to minimum wage increases? Eliminating coverage for pre-existing conditions? Cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Disability, NIH, CDC… or are there others?
You’re right on one thing – tRump is hardly perfect. President Obama wasn’t perfect either, but he was never accused of sexual assault, didn’t cheat on 3 wives, didn’t lie 15,000 times to the American people, didn’t rig an election, construct a fake University, run a fraudulent charity etc. No, tRump is not perfect, he’s not really close is he?
Certainly Christians can’t condone repeated adultery, lying 15,000 times in 3 years, sexual assaults, stealing, cheating, not rendering unto Caesar…
So what are the top policy positions from tRump that make white evangelical Christians ignore their own beliefs and support him regardless?
You do exactly what idiot leftist always do “Tax cuts for the rich and corporations? Massive debt? Adding 20,000 troops to the Middle East? Opposition to minimum wage increases? Eliminating coverage for pre-existing conditions? Cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Disability, NIH, CDC… or are there others?” is not a legitimate question because so many items there are just plain bull shit. But YOU believe them with 1000% conviction because you never listen.
“So what are the top policy positions from tRump that make white evangelical Christians ignore their own beliefs and support him regardless?” As I explained to you before you fukin retard Christians, Evangelical or not do not “Ignore their own beliefs” they vote for the guy who gets shit done. To us Trump is not some High Holy Being like you make your political folks. We believe in God and He will take care of any problems Trump has not us! Our job is to look at all the great things he’s doing for America and vote for him not Canonize the bastard.
When your religion is your politics like you and the rest of your commie comrades and mooslem barbarians you can’t seem to differentiate between SINS and POLICIES!
Trump 2020 Keep the crazies out!
But Trump didn’t lie about joining the Army during the Vietnam war like the little sissybitch.
Lolgfy Jeffery
Cadet Bone Spurs said not contracting AIDS from banging girls was his “own personal Vietnam”.
When did you volunteer?
Lolgfy Porter Good’s LilCrotchSniffer