There’s just one problem, if you look at how the bond-holders got screwed (including a lot of middle income retirees), it’s clear that they DID do it for the unions.
Suppose I go rob a bank. Suppose the next day I buy some bling for my mistress. Then suppose I get caught and say “I did it for my mistress”. It’s hard for me to argue that that statement was a “joke”, given that it describes what actually happened.
Yes. There should be an English word or phrase to describe a perfectly serious statement that is deceptively labeled as a joke in order to prevent a serious response.