Posted on 01/28/2016 5:41:31 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
The Tea Party movement began as a response to federal bailouts of Wall Street and auto makers in 2008 and 2009. These unprecedented government interventions in the economy padded the wallets of special interests by privatizing profits and socializing losses.
Where was Donald Trump on this? As it happens, he appeared on television more than once to discuss what was happening. And when he did, he came in favor of the bailouts that soured conservative voters, especially Tea Partiers, on both George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Of the auto companies, which were failing because of years of union intransigence and incompetent management, Trump said: "I think the government should stand behind them 100 percent...You cannot lose the auto companies. They're great. They make wonderful products."
Of the Wall Street bailout, Trump said on CNN: "I do agree with what they're doing with the banks. Whether they fund them or nationalize them, it doesn't matter, but you have to keep the banks going."
Keep this in mind when you hear Trump complain about how bad George W. Bush's presidency was; he supported some of Bush's worst policy decisions.
Yesterday, we looked at Donald Trump's sudden and convenient conversions on issues dear to conservatives, especially on abortion and gun control, but even on his signature issue of immigration. He makes even fewer pretenses about his lack of conservative beliefs on the topic of fiscal and economic policy.
For those intent on defending Trump no matter what, those who would vote for him, he boasted, even if he shot someone on the street, there might be some way of defending his advocacy of government bailouts of failing businesses. Some might argue that Trump is a changed man.
But Trump's current economic platform, if such a thing can be discerned from his statements and promises, is consistent overall with his past. There is a reason conservative economists such as Thomas Sowell strongly oppose Trump. Like President Obama, Trump believes the commander in chief should have the power to reshape private industries to fit his own vision.
Here's just one recent example: Trump recently said he would force Apple to move its manufacturing operations to the United States. For any conservative, that should be a decision Apple's management makes. It is not for Washington to dictate such things. Private control of private business is a big part of what made America great. But Trump, who says he will make America great again, wants the feds to interfere even more than they do now. And Apple isn't the only company he believes he is entitled to control.
Whatever means Trump deploys to force private businesses to do his will, it will prove costly to taxpayers and consumers. They will be forced either to subsidize industry, pay sharply higher prices for commercial goods, or (most likely) both. All that, in exchange for (at best) a few thousand jobs, none of which will pay as well as those in the glory days of American manufacturing. In practice, though, Trump probably cold not force even a single job to return to the U.S.; his promise was just good campaign fodder.
Trump also talks a big game on the national debt. At the turn of the century, he advocated a 14 percent wealth tax as a means of reducing it, a measure more socialistic and redistributive than anything the Democrats proposed then or since.
On the other hand, it's easy to conclude that he doesn't care much about debt any more. The tax plan he's campaigning on, even when scored dynamically to account for growth, would increase debt faster than everything President Obama has.
Trump also had some comments about the national debt when he was confronted in the October CNBC debate about his four business bankruptcies. "I came out great," he said of the bankruptcies. "That's what I'm supposed to do for the country. We owe $19 trillion. Boy, am I good at solving debt problems. Nobody can solve it like me."
This is the answer of someone who has not thought about the issue, an important one, and certainly not an answer the voting public should want to hear. The United States cannot just declare bankruptcy as if it were a failing business. Sovereign nations either pay their debts or default. There are several recent examples of banana republics doing just that. A sovereign default can be crushing for a nation's citizens, especially for the middle classes that Trump claims to represent. Default would not make America great again.
Americans have first-hand experience of life under an administration that believes debt doesn't matter and that government officials should manipulate private business decisions. They don't need four or eight more years of that, and that's just another reason they don't need Trump.
Well of course he couldn’t vote for it because he wasn’t elected.
So does this reasoning mean that just because somebeody clearly would have voted for something that it doesn’t matter? Does the evidence that they would have (or do) supported something we ignore it?
Suppose a pro-abortion Libtard makes abortion as their central platform and someone says they support abortion, am I supposed to ask for a link where they voted for a pro-abortion law?
C’mon. If we keep this up we’ll never have Conservatism again. It ... will ... die.
Trump s a disaster and WILL be a disaster. And I don’t need a link to know that.
The Washington Examiner is a homosexual.
Why not try dispelling the points in the article.
I see threads linked or posted by Trump supporters from CNN, MSNBC, ABC, Mother Jones, etc.
Your concern about the publication over the points in it, is a dodge.
“One of the key reasons the Tea Party movement was founded was out of frustration with this skyrocketing debt. Yet Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposed tax plan would increase the national debt by $10.1 trillion, according to scoring by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. And that’s after taking into account the increased economic growth that Trump’s plan would generate. (Without such growthâ€â€and liberal scorekeepers would say the Tax Foundation’s model is overly generous in projecting growthâ€â€Trump’s tax plan would increase deficits by $12.0 trillionâ€
http://www.weeklystandard.com/one-trump-policy-would-add-more-debt-than-seven-years-of-obama/article/2000749
OMG, you mean it goes around molesting other publications? ;) lol
Not sure what you are getting at. Where isn’t there objectivity? Give specific examples.
“When did Trump ever vote for a taxpayer funded bailout? Link please.”
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You really that uninformed? Where in the article does it say that.
August must have been very profitable. Do you get paid by the post or responses?
Take care.........pilgrim
(Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marilyn vos Savan)
Excellent tagline. What happened to your objectivity? Anything trump has ever said or done, so what?
Rubio changed on amnesty? Will never vote for him.
Cruz? He is a Canadian stealth supporter of all NWO who never wanted a wall til donnie said so, despite it being well documented Cruz supported the wall while trump promoted amnesty in 2012. But then trump is trying to win so all us lies are now your memes.
Objectivity where?
That's not the work of conservatives. It's the work of the same sort of people who got Obama into the White House.
Better yet, when did Trump EVER support a conservative? Link please?
Get used to it. We are entering the Age of Bailouts.
Ohhhh I see what you’re trying to do, you’re going to start posting favorable images and articles about Trump and try to inflict your political kiss-of-death on him, like you did to Rick Perry and Scott Walker!
You’re not foolin’ me!!
The ability of trumpees to abandon all logic and their previous standards still amazes me. They are supporting four more years of Bambi.
OTOH their trashing of all who don’t blindly follow the cult of donnie I am very used to.
Really?
THAT'S you reply your Trump's words out his very on large mouth? Wake UP!
Only 3 posting days until Iowa.
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