He’s right about the tariffs, and Trump is wrong... but Trump’s trying to get the union vote away from Hillary... so as usual, Trump says what people want to hear. If he actually did it, without doing what Levin and fiscal conservatives be they Republican or Libertarian know needs to done, the economy would tank further than it is now.
The problem is the regulations and minimum wage laws that drove companies overseas, and also the high taxes everyone pays that keep us from having much, if any, disposable income. Punishing the companies and US stockholders and small businesses reliant on inexpensive products to sell to overtaxed consumers with very limited disposable income... just to try to keep companies here by coercion... raises costs for everyone and hurts people who don’t have the option of magically increasing their earnings to match the skyrocketing prices needed to make products made by high-paid union labor profitable.
Levin has said Trump’s tax plan is good...so Trump is probably thinking of the real issues but not saying anything because as soon as you give details you just draw more fire. It’s just irritating to see a dumbed down message work so well because of what it says about the state of the country.
But Trump can’t talk about much or he’ll scare off the Democrats that are responding to him because they feel awkward with what their party has become.
That said, I don’t think Trump means most anything he says, but he still he has a few things going for him that Hillary can’t match:
He doesn’t have the “hate America” attitude that other libs have...[neither did any GOP candidate.]
His rules of engagement are going to be WAY better than hers or anyone else’s would be... let’s face it, if you have a soldier in the family the Trump ROE are likely to be the best thing since sliced bread. [True of all GOP candidates save maybe Lindsey Graham, or Huckabee, or Rand Paul.]
He can do that Bill Clinton wink and grin thing when he lies so long as he lies in a YUGE way, and people think it’s cute because he’s just a rascal, while Hillary just comes across as a grumpy witch.
And he’s impervious to political correctness darts.
[He’s pretty much the only guy impervious to those.]
But ideologically, and constitutionally, Levin is still right. If we’re really going to get the country turned around to small government, Trump’s not going to be the guy to do that. Problem is, you can’t explain ideas or the Constitution to world wrestling fans or people whose eyes glaze over while reading “long” tweets. So Trump’s hyperbolistic bullspit and popular conspiracy theories will have to do to break PC’s demoralizing and paralyzing grip .... and afterwards maybe we can get back to figuring out how to put more shackles on the federal government’s ability to bribe and coerce so we can restore power to the states and people, and sell that to formerly reluctant folks.
Nice post.
Now I know that there are at least 2 of us here on FR who agree that Trump is wrong on tariffs and trade. There are probably many others but I'm thinking we are the 1%.
I'm going to keep working to move that up to at least 2%. You should too.