Trump Takes His Trade War To Iowa
President Donald Trump is going to attempt to pivot this week to domestic policy, after his disastrous summit with Vladimir Putin didn't exactly turn out as planned. Trump has a meeting with a European leader this week where Trump's proposed European automobile tariffs will be high on the agenda, and Trump will also head out to Iowa to hit the campaign trail for Republicans. Iowa is already one of the front lines of Trump's trade war, since a lot of soybeans are grown there. So far, his farm country base seem to be supporting Trump's trade war (for the moment), but their patience isn't going to be inexhaustible. At some point blind faith in Trump's dealmaking prowess is going to hit the brick wall of reality, in the form of a seriously depressed agricultural market.
Soybean prices have already dropped a full 20 percent. Orders from China -- previously one of the major importers of American soybeans -- have all but disappeared. Uncertainty is rampant in this particular market, obviously. If you're a soybean farmer, you might accept one bad harvest season if the promise of better times lies ahead, but two bad seasons in a row is likely to be the breaking point for many.
Trump reportedly started his trade war convinced (by the pro-tariff advisors he was listening to that day) that no country would dare retaliate against us, and that instead they would immediately break down our door to beg for a better trade deal with America -- which would then be granted only on Trump's terms. Trade wars are easy to win, after all, according to Trump. That was how things were supposed to go. Obviously, they instead went in an unexpected (by Trump) direction. When Trump started levying tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the rest of the world, they all retaliated with targeted tariffs on American products. This was entirely predictable, but apparently nobody Trump was talking to actually predicted it. Trump's only tactic to date is to double down by ratcheting up the trade war with ever-increasing tariffs.
The leaders of these foreign countries follow American politics pretty closely, and the products they chose to impose tariffs on were directly targeted at areas of the country where a lot of Trump voters live. China, just to give one example, announced tariffs on American nuts. This is not as obvious as their tariffs on soybeans (which are grown across large swaths of American farmland), until you start digging into the figures. California's biggest agricultural export to China is actually pistachios, and their second-biggest export to China is almonds. California is not generally seen as a Republican stronghold, so this might not make a whole lot of sense on first glimpse, but when you take a closer look at the state, the remaining few House districts that are represented in Washington by Republicans are all mostly in farm country -- the inland areas of the state that aren't dominated by liberal coastal urban areas. Incidentally, these districts are being heavily targeted by Democrats in the midterms, especially since in many of them Hillary Clinton beat Trump in 2016. In fact, control of the House could hinge on how many of these California districts Democrats are able to flip in November. When you add all that up, you can see why nut tariffs aren't really all that nuts after all.
There have been other microtargeted tariffs by foreign countries also designed to hit Republican states hard. Kentucky bourbon is, obviously, targeted towards a single state -- the same state Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hails from. Harley Davidson, another tariff target, is headquartered in Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's home state. The broader tariffs on agriculture hit a whole lot of farms across the entire Midwest and Plains region -- a lot of very red states, in other words. This is all by design.
So far, while there has been increasing anxiety in the farmlands, the farmers who backed Trump are still blindly faithful that it'll all work out in the end. They truly believe that Trump is the king of the dealmakers, and that his savvy bargaining will lead to better times not just for steelworkers, but for everyone -- including soybean farmers like them. They see the current market downswing as a temporary one that will swing right back up again after Trump secures great trade deals with the rest of the world. This feeling may indeed last throughout this harvest season and continue past the midterm elections, meaning Trump probably won't pay all that big a political price for his trade war in the short term. But as time passes without any actual deals appearing, this may eventually wear down. Trump shows no signs of relenting on his trade war, and no hopeful signs of imminent deals have appeared either -- quite the opposite. The rhetoric is ratcheting up and the tariffs being threatened now will dwarf what has already happened.
Trump has managed to achieve one thing -- he has united the rest of the world. Against America. At this point, they're all standing firm against Trump's trade war, and none of these countries (China especially) wants to be seen as the one that blinks first. Trade deals are still happening, mind you -- but America is excluded. Buried in all the fallout from the Trump-Putin summit was the news that Europe just inked a massive free trade deal with Japan. In remarks during the signing ceremony, the European leader couldn't resist pointing out that America risks being left behind while the rest of the world adjusts its trade policies accordingly.
When Trump arrives in Iowa, he may actually have a gambit to unveil. It's been rumored that the White House is looking at dipping into a reserve fund to offer special subsidies to soybean farmers negatively affected by the tariffs. These would be direct government payments to farmers who have lost money as a direct result of Trump's trade war. This could certainly alleviate the pain he's causing to some extent, but while it might work in the short term, in the long term it's problematic in the extreme. After all, if you announce special farm subsidies for soybean growers, that will help them but it won't help all the others targeted by the various retaliatory tariffs. Will the fund also be tapped to make payments to fired bourbon workers? Or nut growers in California? Or any of the other dozens of targeted industries?
It's a pretty slippery slope, and it could get completely out of control. Trump won't be able -- even if he tries -- to pay off everyone adversely affected by his trade war. Even attempting to do so is rather bizarre ideology for Republicans, since it means federal tax dollars going to pay off people that wouldn't be in any trouble if Trump hadn't begun this trade war. The GOP is normally against such "distributions of wealth" (as they sneeringly put it), although they do make regular exceptions for farmers. In the novel Catch-22, Joseph Heller describes Major Major Major Major's father with one pithy sentence that reflects this:
He was a long-limbed farmer, a God-fearing, freedom-loving, law-abiding rugged individualist who held that federal aid to anyone but farmers was creeping socialism.
That about sums it up, really. This disconnect has been around for a while. But even with those ideological blinders, tapping a fund to make such payments might work as a "Hail Mary" pass during this election season, but it is obviously not the best longterm economic policy, since such payments would only expand greatly over time (as the tariffs levied against American products multiply). So even if Trump does attempt to basically toss a bunch of money at the crowd in Iowa in an attempt to salvage the GOP's midterm chances in the heartland, it's going to give Republicans ideological heartburn eventually.
Trump is half-right in his facile view of trade wars -- they are actually very easy to begin. Trump has demonstrated this already, and the stakes for Europe and China are about to be raised through the roof. It's easy to start such a battle, and its also pretty easy to escalate, once begun. But the hard part is getting out of a trade war. So far, Trump has shown zero skill in doing so. The only country he managed to bully into changing their steel and aluminum export policy has been South Korea, who had separate reasons for appeasing Trump (this happened long before the Kim Jong Un summit). But Trump doesn't have that kind of leverage over China, Europe, or Canada.
Trump doesn't have even a basic understanding of how international trade works. He wouldn't know a good trade deal if one walked up and bit him on the hindquarters. A year and a half into his presidency, he shows no signs of increasing his knowledge on the subject at all. So he's not going to fly in personally and have a summit with the leader of China to resolve the whole thing (although he'd dearly love to, one assumes). The only thing he really knows how to do is act belligerent and ratchet the trade war up as high as he can. That's what he's about to do next, in fact.
Those who buy in to the "Trump as king of the dealmakers" are holding out hope that this is all part of a grand scheme which will bear fruit in the very near future. But that fruit has so far refused to appear. The longer things go on with no actual deals cut, the less people will be able to believe that the trade deal promised land is just around the corner. The rest of the world may indeed take the position that Trump simply can't be dealt with at all, and adjust their economies to survive until January of 2021, when they'll hopefully have a rational actor in the White House to deal with once again. At this point, that is seeming more and more like the likeliest outcome, in fact.
The politics of the situation is pretty dicey for Trump already. Not many soybean farmers are going to suddenly go out and vote for Democrats, one assumes, but if November rolls around with the Trump trade war still raging, a bunch of them could be so depressed by the situation that they stay home rather than vote. Voting to continue a policy that is directly hurting you and your family isn't exactly a big motivational factor, to put it another way. If this happens in enough key districts (like those in California full of almond and pistachio orchards), it could mean very good news for Democrats. Looking beyond the midterms, if Trump can't extricate himself from his trade war in some way over the next year or so (Trump is famously averse to backing down on anything, please remember), then the economy as a whole is going to start feeling the effects in a much larger way. If Trump is ultimately revealed to be absolutely clueless on trade and starts getting the blame for the pain the tariffs cause, then he's going to start bleeding support in the farmlands and everywhere else directly targeted by other countries. As more time passes and no trade deals are forthcoming, it's going to get harder and harder for anyone to convince themselves that Trump knows what he is doing and is on the brink of some supposed brighter future. Especially those trying to sell their harvest next year, in places like Iowa.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
The traditional terminology of international trade (that exporting more than you import constitutes a "favorable" situation), and the opposite (importing more than you export) constitutes an "unfavborable' balance of trade, has always led the economically-challenged (and the simple-minded), to draw totally erroneous conclusions about how economies actually function.
For instance, it should be prima fascia obvious even to the most simple-minded, that taken to its extreme (Exporting everything you produce while importing nothing whatsoever), would inevitably result in everyone in the country with the 100% "favorable" trade balance quickly succumbing to death by starvation!
The fact that Trump is likely far and away the most simple-minded (not to mention immature and incompetent) president in our country's history, obviously goes far to explain his ridiculous attitude toward foreign trade.
It's totally natural for special-interest groups to be against "free trade" when it involves them having to compete with foreign producers. That's simply a normal manifestation of self-interest (aka 'greed'). They are always in favor of that which benefits themselves, regardless of adverse effects on everybody else. But it's the responsibility of the president to represent the "everybody else", and Trump is too dumb to grasp that fact.
We export pieces of paper with nice designs on them that cost us nothing to create, and most of the rest of the World sends us nice things for them.
Why this is a problem is beyond me, because they keep wanting more and more of our pretty pieces of paper.
I've done the iPhone example to death around here, but I'll repost a segment culled from https://taxfoundation.org/impact-trade-tariffs-united-states/
Suppose an American business loads $100 million worth of goods it produced onto a cargo ship. When the ship leaves the country, it is credited to the current account as an export of $100 million. Now suppose that the business sells the goods to France; after shipping and other costs, the business makes a 20 percent profit selling to French customers.
The business now has $120 million it can use to make purchases in France. Suppose they decide to purchase wine, load it back on the now-empty cargo ship, and return to the United States; the value of the imported wine ($120 million) is debited from the current account. The business now sells the wine to its American customers, making another $10 million in profit. The business has made $20 million from the original sell of the goods in the cargo ship, and another $10 million from selling the imported wine, for a net profit of $30 million.
According to the current accounts, America has exported $100 million to France and imported $120 million from France—resulting in a so-called trade deficit of $20 million. But, we can see that the American business is clearly better off by having made these exchanges, $30 million better off.
Suppose in the next month, the American business sends another cargo ship to France with another $100 million worth of goods. But unfortunately, the entire ship sinks before it reaches France, leaving the business at a total loss. The $100 million export was credited to the current account; because there is no corresponding import, the national accounts show a trade surplus of $100 million. We can agree that no one has been made better off here, even though the accounting identity shows a trade surplus.
BTW, the Chinese currency has dropped from about 6.35 CNY to 6.81 CNY since Treasonous Trump announced the tariffs, basically eliminating the impact of the tariffs in CNY terms to the Chinese economy.
The dollar has climbed wrt to most other currencies as well in the same timeframe, so the blithering idiot in the White House has basically imposed about 5% export tariffs on all American goods.
You just can't make up how asinine this is. If 4 years ago I'd told you a Republican president would be doing this you'd be asking what I'd been smoking.
[2] neilm:
We export pieces of paper with nice designs on them that cost us nothing to create, and most of the rest of the World sends us nice things for them.
If you haven't stumbled across them before, I think you might enjoy Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Trilogy by Neil Stephenson.
Cheers - Chas
President Donald Trump is going to attempt to pivot this week to domestic policy, after his disastrous summit with Vladimir Putin didn't exactly turn out as planned.
And yet, Trump's... er.. excuse me.. PRESIDENT Trump's approval numbers are going up and are comparable to Odumbo's numbers at the same point in Odumbo's presidency..
Funny how the FACTS are just so damned inconvenient for ya'all's HHPTDS...
Liberals and progressives are forever predicting Donald Trump’s political demise. After each purported outrage – Charlottesville, separating children from their immigrant parents, now Helsinki – they confidently contend that this latest event will finally force Trump’s supporters to abandon him. Yet not only does this not happen, Trump’s support has actually risen by 6% since late 2017. How do they keep getting it so wrong?
To quote Ronald Reagan: “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.” They presume that because Trump is so unconventional in style, his coalition must be equally unconventional. But it’s not. The data clearly shows that Trump’s political coalition is pretty much the traditional Republican coalition. And the often virulent behavior of anti-Trump partisans has made partisan Republicans especially unwilling to abandon their leader even when he stumbles.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/23/liberals-donald-trump-support
You liberals simply do NOT understand the facts or the reality.
And the more the Democrats try to beat President Trump at his own game, the more ya'all are going to lose... lose... lose...
The Democrats can't out-Trump President Trump. And the Democrats only make things worse for themselves when they try...
So, some moronic Democrats think the BEST solution is to hysterically run in the opposite direction, to full blown socialism..
They should keep thinking that.. :D
The Left simply can't beat President Trump at the game that he is the master of..
The Left will only hasten their demise when they try...
Damn Florida cops are so damn aggressive!! :D
https://www.facebook.com/mcsoflorida/videos/1908473992506533/
DH,
Didn't you notice the part where the retaliatory tariffs were specifically targeted to have an effect on areas where the Trump voters live?
Yea, but it's safe to ignore all the fear-mongering..
The Left has been screaming "THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!!! since tariff's were the new shiny back in January..
NOTHING they predicted has ever come to pass..
This is simply more of the same.. YYYAAAAAWWWWWWNNNNNNN
Next week, all the tariffs stuff will be ignored.. Just like the kids being separated from their parents is old shiny... School shootings are old shiny... Baby Hogg is (thank the gods) old shiny... Helsinki is old shiny..
Next, the Manafort trial will be the new HHPTDS shiny...
"And so it goes... and so it goes..."
-Billy Joel
It's all so laughingly predictable..
How could you miss this opportunity to point out how the Democrats are so upset about Russia interfering in ways that could have benefited Trump but don't seem to mind when foreign countries interfere in ways that might benefit Democrats?
That point's been made to death.. If they don't get it by now.... They never will... It's like I said above.. They just continue to ignore facts and reality that doesn't fit into their Party slavery...
The Memo: Dems grapple with Trump’s resilience
President Trump’s approval rating is largely unchanged in the first polls to emerge after his widely criticized performance at last week’s joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin — and Democrats are scratching their heads.
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday showed Trump’s approval rating rising to 45 percent, his highest level in that poll since taking office. And an Economist/YouGov survey showed no significant deviation from Trump’s numbers the previous week.
The polls included some responses before and some after Trump’s July 16 news conference with Putin in Helsinki, meaning it’s possible that a more pronounced negative impact could show up in the next wave of polls. But there is no evidence of such an effect so far.
http://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/398471-the-memo-dems-grapple-with-trumps-resilience
Inconvenient..
So inconvenient to the hysterical NeverTrump agenda.. :^D
The Greatest Hysteria in American History
By Dennis Prager
July 24, 2018
You and I are living through the greatest mass hysteria in American history. For many Americans, the McCarthy era held that dubious distinction, but what is happening now is incomparably worse.
For one thing, any hysteria that existed then was directed against the greatest evil in the world at the time: communism. Then-Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee notwithstanding, there really were Americans in important positions who supported communist regimes enslaving their populations and committing mass murder. McCarthy was on to something.
In contrast, the country is choking on hysteria over the extremely unlikely possibility -- for which there is still no evidence -- that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with the Russian government to meddle in the 2016 presidential election, and the absurdity that President Trump works for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For another, the mainstream media did not support McCarthy. Most in the media were highly critical of McCarthy. Today, the mainstream media are not the voices of caution. They are the creators of the hysteria.
There have been conspiracy theories throughout American history (e.g. Lee Harvey Oswald didn't kill President John F. Kennedy alone; the moon landing never happened). But this is the first time the media have created and promoted a conspiracy. Not surprisingly, they have dropped any pretense of objective reporting in the process.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/07/24/the_greatest_hysteria_in_american_history_137612.html
Pure, unadulterated hysteria..
That is all this is..
That's why ya'all can't explain President Trump's poll numbers that are comparable to Odumbo's poll numbers..
That's why ya'all can't explain why President Trump comes back after every hysterical issue the NeverTrumpers throw at him, stronger than before..
Because *ALL* ya'all have on your side is beet-red, irrational hysteria...
For ya'all, Trump using a nonsensical word like 'cofeve' is grounds for impeachment and requires several days of hysterical commentary...
This is why ya'all will never win.. Because ya'all simply are not connected to reality...
Which is rather ironic, considering the motto of Weigantia... :D
Let me take a poll here amongst Weigantians..
Is there ANYONE who honestly and sincerely believes in their heart that President Trump is an agent of Putin??
Is there ANYONE here who sincerely believes this is fact??
Anyone?? Anyone at all??
Is there ANYONE who honestly and sincerely believes in their heart that President Trump is an agent of Putin??
I think Putin has a dossier on the money laundering that Treasonous Trump really, really doesn't want made public.
Yes, Michale. The circumstantial evidence available to the public and Trump's actions attempting to advance major Russian geopolitical objectives convince me that he is wittingly (or half-wittingly) an agent of Russia. Mueller will release a report at some point with even more damning, documented and undeniable evidence.
I think Putin has a dossier on the money laundering that Treasonous Trump really, really doesn't want made public.
The fact that you avoid answering the question PROVES that you would agree with me that anyone who DOES actually believe that President Trump works for Putin is a drooling idiot..
Just like the drooling idiots who claimed Odumbo worked for the Iran Mullahs..
Thanx for that concession... :D
Michale [15] - so you are glad that Putin only has control over Treasonous Trump against his will instead of him willingly being a traitor.
Speaks volumes.
Yes, Michale.
Like I said. :D
The circumstantial evidence available to the public and Trump's actions attempting to advance major Russian geopolitical objectives convince me that he is wittingly (or half-wittingly) an agent of Russia.
Ahhh.. So, you believe that "circumstantial evidence" is sufficient to convict someone of a Capital offense, eh??
I have to wonder if "circumstantial evidence" would be sufficient for you to convict someone of a "Death Penalty" offense if said someone had a -D after their name...
Actually, no.. I don't have to wonder at all.. :^/
Whirlpool, whose CEO was excited when Treasonous Trump put tariffs on imported washing machines ("This is, without any doubt, a positive catalyst for Whirlpool") has changed his tune after the $350M impact of the steel and aluminum tariffs on his business hit his profits and today his stock dropped 12% in a rising market:
"The global steel costs have risen substantially, and in particular, in the US, they have reached unexplainable levels."
Boo hoo. If you can't stand the heat, don't let Treasonous Trump anywhere near the kitchen.
Real people work for Whirlpool. The clown they have aw CEO has no money worries for the rest of his, his kids, and his grandkids lives.
Not so the regular workers there who he has sold down the river by encouraging the idiot in the White House that tariffs are good things.
Not so the regular workers there who he has sold down the river by encouraging the idiot in the White House that tariffs are good things.
Any word from them??
Of course not.. Just in your feverish hysterical NeverTrump imagination.. :D
Michale [15] - so you are glad that Putin only has control over Treasonous Trump against his will instead of him willingly being a traitor.
It's only in your feverish hysterical wishful thinking imagination that Putin has control over Trump..
Not in reality...
But the fact that you WISH Putin had control over President Trump is very telling..
It indicates you don't care what happens to this country as long as you can blame it on Trump..
#sad...
Networks' coverage of Trump immigration policy 92 percent negative
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jul/24/networks-coverage-trump-immigration-policy-92-perc/
Imagine how awesome things could be if the Lamestream Media actually gave the President a fair shake..
I am not even talking a fawning lap dog like they were under Odumbo..
Just a fair shake..
No wonder no patriotic Americans would trust the MSM...
Oh.. And...
California power grid urges consumers to conserve energy in heat wave
https://www.yahoo.com/news/socalgas-issues-natgas-curtailment-watch-ahead-california-heat-143930810--finance.html
Enjoy ya'all's power rationing and planned blackouts this summer.. :D
Michale [17]
You asked if I think that Trump is acting as a Russian agent. I do.
Your conclusions about my thoughts concerning circumstantial evidence are
illogical. Not that I expected anything different.
Your conclusions about my thoughts concerning circumstantial evidence are
illogical. Not that I expected anything different.
How are they "illogical"??
You believe that the President Of The United States is guilty of treason..
And you believe that SOLELY on the basis of "circumstantial evidence"...
These are facts..
And, given these FACTS, my "wonder" as to whether or not you would believe such a thing about a DEMOCRAT based on "circumstantial evidence" is a very logical and rational....
But hay.. I'll play your game..
Put the following crimes in order of severity from worst to best.
Murder
Rape
Treason
Arson
Armed Robbery
On the subject of Trump soybean subsidies. What percentage of the total soybean economy occurs after the soybean leaves the farm? If the farmer is paid not to grow, will the truck driver be paid not to drive? The combine and tractor sales and service not to sell and service? Monsanto not to process and make herbicide? I have no idea of how big the "hoe to tail" ratio is, but I have major, major, major, major concerns that subsidies will mostly benefit the big farmers and do nothing for a huge chunk of those working downstream from the farm.
TS,
Let me get this straight..
By your OWN admission, you say you have "NO IDEA", yet you admit you have "major, major, major concerns"...
So, you admit that you are ignorant, but you STILL claim to have major x3 concerns...
Political bigotry at it's finest... :^/
but I have major, major, major, major concerns that subsidies will mostly benefit the big farmers and do nothing for a huge chunk of those working downstream from the farm.
So... You disagree with CW and Neil that the farmers will be screwed...
Ah Ah Ah, Stig... Yer not toeing the "I HATE TRUMP, EVERYTHING BAD IS BECAUSE OF TRUMP AND EVERYONE GETS SCREWED BECAUSE OF TRUMP!!" line...
Shame on you!!
Keep it up and the hysterical NeverTrumpers will take back their I HATE TRUMP decoder ring and kick you out of the I HATE TRUMP club...
Ya'all really need to get on the same page..
Why, a person who actually thinks logically and rationally and objectively might think ya'all are just throwing and spewing Anti-Trump shit against a wall in hopes that something... ANYTHING.... sticks!! :D
But hay.. I'll play your game..
Put the following crimes in order of severity from worst to best.
Murder
Rape
Treason
Arson
Armed Robbery
Awwwww, you don't want to play anymore.. :D
I understand.. You realize the folly of yer position and you don't want to be embarrassed any further..
But I will give you credit.. At least you had the cajones to take a stand and declare yourself..
No one else had such strength of their convictions to come out and admit they are willing to convict an sitting American president without ANY FACTS that prove their position..
So, in that, I commend you...
Kudos...
ya'all are just throwing and spewing Anti-Trump shit against a wall in hopes that something... ANYTHING.... sticks!
Oh no. If we were really throwing all of the anti-Trump shit against a wall that we could, there'd be a lot more shit on it.
We still, for instance, haven't seen his tax returns, or seen the NBC Tapes. We haven't been allowed to hear from the Helsinki translator, yet.
Don't worry Michale, still lots of fun to come.
Oh no. If we were really throwing all of the anti-Trump shit against a wall that we could,
"Cofeve"....
'nuff said..
Don't worry Michale, still lots of fun to come.
Ya'all have been saying that for over 2 years and yet..
It is STILL President Trump..
BIG YAAAAAWWWWNNNNNNNN :D
But you keep dreamin', Blathy.. It's all ya'all got left.. :D
they are willing to convict an sitting American president without ANY FACTS that prove their position..
And yet, when Democrats try to look for facts, the Republicans block, distract, and dissemble. Still haven't heard from the Helsinki translator. What are Republicans so afraid of that they won't allow her to be subpoenaed?
they are willing to convict an sitting American president without ANY FACTS that prove their position..
And yet, when Democrats try to look for facts, the Republicans block, distract, and dissemble. Still haven't heard from the Helsinki translator. What are Republicans so afraid of that they won't allow her to be subpoenaed?
And yet, when Democrats try to look for facts, the Republicans block, distract, and dissemble.
Even if that were factually accurate, yer solution??
Just ASSUME that everyone is guilty...
You know what happens when you make an ASSUMPTION, right??
You make an ASS out of U.... and UMPTION...
What are Republicans so afraid of that they won't allow her to be subpoenaed?
The same thing Odumbo was afraid of when he exercised Executive Privilege over FAST AND FURIOUS subpoenas....
Duh....
Face reality, Blathy..
ALL of ya'all's whining and crying and hysterical screaming is because of one thing and one thing only..
Your ridiculously moronic and pathetic excuse for a candidate LOST...
THAT is the ONLY thing that motivates ya'all....
Ya'all don't care about Russians, ya'all don't care about tariffs, ya'all don't care about America or Americans..
Ya'all are simply pissed off that Donald Trump beat yer pathetic excuse for a candidate and because of that, ya'all are going to break everything about this country..
That is the ONLY thing that motivates ya'all..
Hysterical sour grapes writ large...
Ya'all lost... Get over it already...
But,
RUSSIA!!!! COLLUSION!!!! RUSSIA!!!! COLLUSION!!!! RUSSIA!!!!
in 3.... 2.... 1.....
Ya'all don't care about Russians, ya'all don't care about tariffs, ya'all don't care about America or Americans..
...or so hopes the GOP.
COLLUSION!!!!
Conspiracy to Defraud America.
Now that the GOPee is being run like a Sicilian Mob, we need keep our legal terminology straight.
The GOP doesn't need to hope..
Democrats are screwing things up all by themselves..
Massive tack to the Left... Encouraging mob violence and harassment against government officials..
Democrats are making themselves un-electable all by themselves..
:D
Conspiracy to Defraud America.
Ahhh So that's the NEW label, eh??? :D
Just remember..
It's well documented that the "Conspiracy to Defraud America" got it's start with the Odumbo Administration.
Are ya'all willing to throw your Messiah under the bus to get at Trump?? :D
Even if that were factually accurate, yer solution?
November.
The same thing Odumbo was afraid of when he exercised Executive Privilege over FAST AND FURIOUS subpoenas..
Interesting - all of the news reports from that date, June, 20, 2012, say that it was the first time that Obama asserted Executive Privilege.
His reasons for doing so were summarized in a letter sent from DOJ to the committee:
The documents responsive to the remaining subpoena items pertain to sensitive law enforcement activities, including ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions, or were generated by Department officials in the course of responding to congressional investigations or media inquiries about this matter that are generally not appropriate for disclosure.
Sound familiar? Yep, the same play that GOP toadies are making against the DOJ today. Same shit, different day.
Y'know, it's really a shame that your party shows so little respect for law enforcement professionals.
It's well documented that the "Conspiracy to Defraud America" got it's start with the Odumbo Administration.
Whataboutism sure is ingrained in you. Do I sound worried to you? I'm not. Republicans tried for eight years to get something - anything - on Obama, and couldn't come up with a hangnail.
Even if that were factually accurate, yer solution?
November.
Yea.. THAT was your solution in 2016...
Tell me.. How did that work out for ya'all???
Over 1000 political seats lost in the past 8 years under Odumbo...
Worked out GREAT, didn't it...
Interesting - all of the news reports from that date, June, 20, 2012, say that it was the first time that Obama asserted Executive Privilege.
Nice dodge...
But the question STILL remains.. What was Odumbo afraid of???
What was Odumbo afraid of when he didn't release his school records??
What was Odumbo afraid of??
Y'know, it's really a shame that your party shows so little respect for law enforcement professionals.
I have no Party.. So, right off the bad, you are full of shit..
Further, we're not talking about LEO professionals..
We're talking about Political sychophants who gave up all semblance of honor and integrity when they shit on their badges and their oaths to serve the AMERICAN PEOPLE and not Party agendas...
Do I sound worried to you?
Yea, you sound VERY worried.. Terrified, in fact.. :D
And I am lovin it!!! :D
Over 1000 political seats lost in the past 8 years under Odumbo..
Including dogcatchers, I presume. Times change.
But the question STILL remains.. What was Odumbo afraid of?
I answered: compromising ongoing investigations. Breaking precedent. Allowing Issa to go on fishing expeditions. Lots of things. The GOP has no respect for the rule of law.
Further, we're not talking about LEO professionals..
Yes, we are. Many of them are lifers, like Strzok. The GOP will tarnish anyone's reputation just to get dirt on their opponents, because that's the only way they think they can win.
Yea, you sound VERY worried..
You should see me. Spa pools are not as calm.
Including dogcatchers, I presume. Times change.
Of course you presume wrong.. Naturally :D
Yes, we are. Many of them are lifers, like Strzok.
A scumbag who cheated on his wife.. If he can't honor THOSE vows, it's EASY to break his oath to the country..
You should see me. Spa pools are not as calm.
Whatever you have to tell yourself to make it thru your day :D
A scumbag who cheated on his wife.. If he can't honor THOSE vows, it's EASY to break his oath to the country..
Says the guy defending Trump. Amazing.
$12 billion in farmer welfare to make good the hits the grain and meat producers are taking and facing from the tariffs.
This doesn't take that annoying Congress to approve it. And thanks for that, because every time Rand Paul swears up and down that he opposes something and then votes for it, it annoys me as much as a fire ant on my leg. I admit that I have some empathy for his neighbor.
These welfare checks will be covered by funds DoAg already has, which they are already authorized to use for this kind of emergency.
Good thing, too; net, commercial hedging was zero when soybeans were well over $9.00 back in early June. So, the fall down to around $8 during the last two weeks meant producers were facing real - not hedged away - losses if the harvest were priced there.
Trump tariffs are subject to Pottery Barn rules: what they break, they have to pay for.
chaszzzbrown
4
If you haven't stumbled across them before, I think you might enjoy Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Trilogy by Neil Stephenson.
Charles Brown, Esquire... so good to "see" you. :)
Don Harris
8
Didn't you notice the part where the retaliatory tariffs were specifically targeted to have an effect on areas where the Trump voters live?
Isn't this foreign countries interfering in our election process?
I see Don Harris has succumbed to the false equivalency terminal illness that has befallen Michale.
No, Don, retaliatory tariffs by foreign countries with which the United States does trade and taking their business elsewhere in response to the Trump tariffs placed on them under the guise of being "a threat to national security" is not remotely equivalent to a foreign adversary criminally hacking the computers of your opponent at your request, but thank you for playing.
If the Trump administration can justify tariffs on soybeans, cars, and __________ [fill in the blank] as a threat to national security, then every country on the planet can likely justify restrictions on almost any product using a similar claim. Nice try, though.
A scumbag who cheated on his wife.. If he can't honor THOSE vows, it's EASY to break his oath to the country..
Wow! It’s amazing that you can say this without being struck by lightning! You defend Trump in the face of overwhelming evidence, and then attack the credibility of a person investigating Trump for committing the same actions Trump has been guilty of tenfold!
Michale
9
It's all so laughingly predictable..
Said the redundant trolling-type poster whose comments are the most "laughingly predictable." :)
Michale
12
Let me take a poll here amongst Weigantians..
Is there ANYONE who honestly and sincerely believes in their heart that President Trump is an agent of Putin??
The heart is simply the muscle that pumps blood to the brain wherein everyone's beliefs are formed. No one actually believes anything "in their heart." Duh. :)
Classification 97 a.k.a. FARA -- "Foreign Agents Registration Act" was established to document violations of the Act which requires "agents of a foreign principal" or "foreign propagandists" to register with the US State Department.
The sad fact is that the Trump campaign seems to have been inundated with persons in violation of FARA and a quite obvious discernible pattern of personnel and friends with ties to foreign governments, including but certainly not limited to Flynn, Giuliani, Manafort, and Gates.
Is there ANYONE here who sincerely believes this is fact??
Many of this cast of characters have now registered as foreign agents as required by law under penalty of perjury, and if you won't take their word that they are indeed agents of foreign powers... what exactly will it take to convince you? :)
Michale
21
It's only in your feverish hysterical wishful thinking imagination that Putin has control over Trump..
Not in reality...
In reality, the world watched and laughed as Benedict Donald "took a knee" at groveled at Putin's feet at the Helsinki summit. In one fell swoop, Treasonous Trump's [props to Neil] taking a knee in disrespect of the United States took on a completely new meaning, the irony of which I would wager was not remotely lost on several of the athletes of the National Football League. :)
Michale
25
You believe that the President Of The United States is guilty of treason..
And you believe that SOLELY on the basis of "circumstantial evidence"...
These are facts..
What kind of self-respecting "law enforcement officer" would make the ridiculous claim that asking Russia to hack your political opponent is "circumstantial evidence." Not only is that direct evidence, but it's just one of a long list of similar such irrefutable proof.
Your proof of LEO bona fides is again nonexistent, while your ignorance is once again determined to reveal itself on a regular basis. :)
TS: On the subject of Trump soybean subsidies. What percentage of the total soybean economy occurs after the soybean leaves the farm? If the farmer is paid not to grow, will the truck driver be paid not to drive? The combine and tractor sales and service not to sell and service? Monsanto not to process and make herbicide? I have no idea of how big the "hoe to tail" ratio is, but I have major, major, major, major concerns that subsidies will mostly benefit the big farmers and do nothing for a huge chunk of those working downstream from the farm.
Michale: By your OWN admission, you say you have "NO IDEA", yet you admit you have "major, major, major concerns"...
So, you admit that you are ignorant, but you STILL claim to have major x3 concerns...
That was x4, Michale, and regardless you've ignored the substance of the comment of TS in favor of your standard operational and repetitive bullshit.
So Michale keeps whining incessantly that he is an "intelligent LEO," yet in his haste to twist the words of another poster yet again and for the millionth time, Michale can't seem to accurately count the number of instances of the word he has chosen to twist in order to fit his ridiculous political agenda and prove his own preeminent ignorance.
Hoisted yet again by his own petard. :)
Michale
28
So... You disagree with CW and Neil that the farmers will be screwed...
So your inability at reading comprehension rears its ugly head yet again.
Why, a person who actually thinks logically and rationally and objectively might think ya'all are just throwing and spewing Anti-Trump shit against a wall in hopes that something... ANYTHING.... sticks!! :D
A person who thinks logically and rationally would have obviously understood that TS listed a number of citizens in addition to farmers who would likely suffer due to the tariffs imposed by Treasonous Trump. Additionally, a person who thinks logically and rationally can generally count to 4. So there's that. :)
Balthasar
30
Oh no. If we were really throwing all of the anti-Trump shit against a wall that we could, there'd be a lot more shit on it.
Yes, sir. It would be near impossible to find any direct evidence of the existence of a wall under all that shit. If the United States had a dollar for all Trump refuse, we "sure shit" wouldn't need Mexico to pay for that wall.
Don't worry Michale, still lots of fun to come.
Buckle up and bring a nose clip; the stench is fixing to get real. ;)
Michale: A scumbag who cheated on his wife.. If he can't honor THOSE vows, it's EASY to break his oath to the country..
Balthy: Says the guy defending Trump. Amazing.
Critical thinking skills are not exactly the strong suit of the Trump cult. :)
Russ
50
Wow! It’s amazing that you can say this without being struck by lightning! You defend Trump in the face of overwhelming evidence, and then attack the credibility of a person investigating Trump for committing the same actions Trump has been guilty of tenfold!
Yes, sir... totally agree. It's quite obvious that Michale is the poster boy for his own oft spewed and driveled "political slavery" argument, and it would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic.
If Strzok or Page had wanted to throw a monkey wrench into the Trump campaign, either of them could have easily used their phones to communicate the facts regarding that which they were only a handful that knew versus texting their personal beliefs amongst only themselves. Ask Jason Chaffetz what happens to your position in the United States when you knowingly leak confidential information to the press, but of course Strzok is still on the job while Chaffetz is long gone. Pity that. ;)
Chaszzzbrown
Hello buddy! Glad to see you are still around. Hope all is good.
Neil
If Strzok or Page had wanted to throw a monkey wrench into the Trump campaign, either of them could have easily used their phones to communicate the facts regarding that which they were only a handful that knew versus texting their personal beliefs amongst only themselves. Ask Jason Chaffetz what happens to your position in the United States when you knowingly leak confidential information to the press, but of course Strzok is still on the job while Chaffetz is long gone.
Well said!
Wow! It’s amazing that you can say this without being struck by lightning! You defend Trump in the face of overwhelming evidence, and then attack the credibility of a person investigating Trump for committing the same actions Trump has been guilty of tenfold!
You see no difference between a one night stand with a porn star and an ongoing affair that last years??
Further, how do you know Melania wasn't PART of Trump's one night stand??
It's not cheating if the spouse participates.. :D
I know that from personal experience.. :D
But I am glad to see that Russ & Blathy agree with me about the scumbaggie-ness of Storkze...
Common ground is a wonderful thing.. :D
but of course Strzok is still on the job while Chaffetz is long gone.
No, Storkse is NOT still on "the job". He was fired from the Russia probe, removed from AA status and put in HR pending dismissal...
The only "job" he is "on" is sharpening pencils and emptying the garbage in the HR office, waiting for the ax to fall..
So, once again, your "FACTS" are wrong, as per the norm..
No, Storkse is NOT still on "the job". He was fired from the Russia probe, removed from AA status and put in HR pending dismissal...
He was pulled off of the Russia probe, not “fired”. He still is employed by the FBI. If he were going to be fired, it would have happened already. Trump needs him to be employed by the FBI so Trump can use him to attack Mueller’s investigation by saying there are those at the FBI that are “out to get” Trump.
He was pulled off of the Russia probe, not “fired”.
You can charaterize any way your Party slavery tells you to.. He was fired from the Russian probe..
FBI agent Peter Strzok fired by Robert Mueller played a role in Clinton email and Trump-Russia investigations
San Diego Union Tribune
He still is employed by the FBI.
He is assigned to HR and has been taken off of AA status...
If he were going to be fired, it would have happened already.
And your vast experience with the FBI tells you this???
If he is still "with" the FBI, why did he have to be escorted from the FBI building??
Embattled agent Peter Strzok escorted from FBI headquarters
By JOSH GERSTEIN 06/19/2018 05:39 PM EDT
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
An FBI agent who has been pilloried by President Donald Trump and was sharply criticized in a new Justice Department watchdog report was escorted from the FBI building Friday as a disciplinary process plays out, a source familiar with the episode said.
-Politico
You can spin it all you want..
The FACTS are the facts..
Stokeski has been shit-canned from the FBI... All that's left is the paperwork...
You are wrong. You just won't admit it...
On June 15, 2018, the day after this IG report was published, Strzok was escorted from FBI headquarters as part of the bureau's internal conduct investigations.[40] The move put Strzok on notice that the bureau intends to fire him, though he has appeal rights that could delay such action.[41] On June 21, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that Strzok had lost his security clearance.[42]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Strzok
You're wrong, Russ...
Accept it graciously and we can move past it...
He has not been terminated. He still works for the FBI. But yeah, I moved past it a while back!
Michale
64
No, Storkse is NOT still on "the job". He was fired from the Russia probe, removed from AA status and put in HR pending dismissal...
I didn't say he was still on the Russia probe, moron, I said he was still "on the job," and he is.
The only "job" he is "on" is sharpening pencils and emptying the garbage in the HR office, waiting for the ax to fall..
Wrong again. You should make it your job to get an education. :)
So, once again, your "FACTS" are wrong, as per the norm..
He has not been terminated. He still works for the FBI. But yeah, I moved past it a while back!
He has been fired from his duties... He is in administrative status, pending dismissal..
I know it kills you that you and your biatch were so utterly and blatantly wrong and I was dead on ballz accurate correct..
But the facts ARE the facts..
On June 15, 2018, the day after this IG report was published, Strzok was escorted from FBI headquarters as part of the bureau's internal conduct investigations.[40] The move put Strzok on notice that the bureau intends to fire him, though he has appeal rights that could delay such action.[41] On June 21, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that Strzok had lost his security clearance.[42]
You both were wrong.. You and fatty were wrong..
"These are the facts of the case. And they are undisputed"
-Captain Smilin' Jack Ross
I didn't say he was still on the Russia probe, moron, I said he was still "on the job," and he is.
And he is NOT "on the job".. He is in administrative limbo, pending dismissal
His badge and his weapon have been taken from him..
You were wrong, but your too stoopid to know it..
As is per your norm..
Michale
71
And he is NOT "on the job".. He is in administrative limbo, pending dismissal
Anyone with a keyboard and an Internet connection can find a story by a "media puke" (your term) that fits their worldview and post it here and claim it's the "facts," wouldn't you say? Besides, what part of the word "pending" has confused you? Strzok is still "on the job" and employed by the FBI and collecting a paycheck. If losing your security clearance meant you lost your job, then Jared Kushner and several others in the Trump administration were terminated long ago. Actually, they really should put a revolving door at the White House, metaphorically speaking, of course.
As for the current administration having Strzok escorted from the building, that is all part of the "reality TV shit show" that has moved to DC and is flailing miserably in their attempts to discredit those who are investigating them. Administrations come and go, while the majority of the IC remain on the job. It's not illegal for an FBI officer to have a personal opinion regarding a political candidate or the POTUS, and believe it or not they are citizens of the United States who are afforded all the same constitutional rights as everyone else.
For somebody who claims to be a "law enforcement officer," you seem blissfully unaware of a well-know "fact" that you likely won't find written anywhere yet however is a fact nonetheless: Once FBI... always FBI. Setting aside the fact that Strzok is still collecting a paycheck and remains an employee of the FBI at the present time, a 20+ year agent like Strzok being used by the current occupant of the White House in order to obfuscate an investigation into himself could never change that fact. :)
Russ
65
He was pulled off of the Russia probe, not “fired”. He still is employed by the FBI. If he were going to be fired, it would have happened already. Trump needs him to be employed by the FBI so Trump can use him to attack Mueller’s investigation by saying there are those at the FBI that are “out to get” Trump.
Yes, sir... your expertise in your field is once again apparent and is so refreshing versus the ravings of the board moron a.k.a. destitute fat gullible goober overdosing on the Kool-Aid in his doublewide trailer located in the swamps of Shithole, Florida.
Strzok as well as Comey are long-serving representatives of the United States who have seen many an administration come and go and now find themselves scapegoats for the current tools in office who are attempting to shift the blame for their own actions to law enforcement and Mueller's team performing the investigation into Trump and his campaign cohorts, but who doesn't understand Trump's desperation since he finds the noose tightening daily as he watches multiple of his campaign cohorts plead guilty to their crimes and getting locked up in prison? Yes, sir, that consciousness of guilt is a powerful motivator when life starts catching up with you and your co-conspirators.
It wasn't Comey or Strzok who:
** Held a meeting with Russians in June 2016 at Trump Tower and conspired with others to cover it up later, dictating a false statement in attempt to cover it up.
** Fired the Director of the FBI and met with Russians in the oval office the following day and informed them the pressure was "taken off."
** Informed Lester Holt of NBC two days after firing the Director of the FBI: "I was going to fire Comey knowing there was no good time to do it. And in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself — I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story."
** Asked Russia to hack his political opponent on live television.
Yes, sir. If you had done all of that and much, much more and your coconspirators were getting arrested and jailed all around you, wouldn't you do everything you could to discredit the guys investigating your actions and hope to hell that the gullible morons would eat up that bullshit as if it was manna from heaven? :)
Once FBI... always FBI.
Disgraced FBI..
He had his badge, his gun and his security credentials pulled..
You can tap dance all you want..
You were wrong.. AGAIN..
Michale
74
Disgraced FBI..
Yes, FBI. We thank you for finally conceding that obvious and irrefutable fact.
Agent Strzok is still employed by the FBI and collecting a paycheck as I type this, and while his employment status with the FBI can change at any time, there is absolutely nothing that an uneducated, uninformed, and gullible goober could ever type from his doublewide trailer in Shithole, Florida, that could change the fact that he currently remains "on the job."
In short: Your opinion that Strzok is "disgraced FBI" does not change the fact that he is still "on the job" at the FBI exactly like we said and is a career Agent of the FBI and will remain ever thus.
So I "boldly" repeat: If Strzok or Page had wanted to throw a monkey wrench into the Trump campaign, either of them could have easily used their phones to communicate the facts regarding that which they were only a handful that knew versus texting their personal beliefs amongst only themselves. Ask Jason Chaffetz what happens to your position in the United States when you knowingly leak confidential information to the press, but of course Strzok is still on the job while Chaffetz is long gone.
The good news is that it's never too late to allow yourself to crack a book and get in touch with the reality on Earth I while there's still time. You're suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome along with all the other gullible morons who believe whatever outright lies and bullshit that comes flying out of the Orange Blowhole of Benedict Donald a.k.a. Treasonous Trump and Comrade Trump, even when it contradicts itself frequently and produces terminal whiplash. :)
In short: Your opinion that Strzok is "disgraced FBI" does not change the fact that he is still "on the job" at the FBI exactly like we said and is a career Agent of the FBI and will remain ever thus.
And your semantical mewlings doesn't change the fact that Storke is NOT "on the job" as an FBI agent. His badge has been taken, his gun has been taken and his clearances have been pulled..
As an Active Agent, Storke is a eunich..
These are all facts..
He is in administrative limbo pending discharge..
These are all facts...
The ONLY "job" that Storke is on is at HR where he empties the garbage cans, sharpens pencils and mops the floors...
In other words, Storke is on "A" job... He is not on "THE" job...
Dance lil puppet, dance!! :D
Michale
76
And your semantical mewlings doesn't change the fact that Storke is NOT "on the job" as an FBI agent. His badge has been taken, his gun has been taken and his clearances have been pulled..
He's still an employee of the FBI, and you're still nobody.
As an Active Agent, Storke is a eunich..
Your projection of your personal problems on him doesn't change the fact that he's still an employee of the FBI.
He is in administrative limbo pending discharge..
Yet remains an Agent of the FBI exactly like I said, and you projecting your personal problems on him will not change that fact. Nobody wants to hear about your personal problems vicariously through your posts.
The ONLY "job" that Storke is on is at HR where he empties the garbage cans, sharpens pencils and mops the floors...
Again, nobody wants to know this much about your daily life. Your projection onto him is painful to watch.
Dance lil puppet, dance!! :D
As I've said on many occasions, nobody here wants to know about the size of your little puppet. Or is this your lame attempt to change the subject to the Helsinki summit and Putin's orders to Benedict Donald a.k.a. Treasonous Trump, which he carried out as ordered while we all had to watch as he danced dutifully at the end of his master's strings? #Pathetic