[sphinx]

George Will is right about the deficit. And he is correct that Trump doesn't care about the deficit. Trump is a populist, not a conservative. The fight over deficits has two important elements: (1) a commitment to economic growth, which Trump has; and (2) entitlement reform, which Trump ignores because populists don't talk about cutting popular spending. But without entitlement reform, we will end up bankrupt, and probably with a vastly larger government, expanded yet again to cope with the crisis. I think Trump knows this but figures he will be out of the White House when the collapse occurs.

Democrats have always been ok with bankrupting the country as a prelude to full-blown socialism. Republicans used to have a principled strategy, but not the votes to implement it. The odds of salvaging a free country have never been especially good. They are getting steadily longer.

[Kickaha]

Would those odds be better with H. Rodham C., Jeb! Or the mailman’s kid?

[SauronOfMordor]

The socialist dream is to have the collapse happen when one of their own is in charge, like Woodrow Wilson, who could say the system has broken down and we have no choice but to implement Socialism.

The socialist nightmare is to have the collapse happen when the President is someone who would respond with a declaration that we can no longer pay for the welfare state, and orders the Army to round up illegal invaders and deposit them across the border.