1hundredsixty8

Two dizzying weeks of the Trumpapalooza left my head spinning. It’s been a shock-and-awe assault on reason and truth. Having calmed myself with a few shots of tequila, I feel sufficiently composed to offer some random thoughts. Here goes:

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In these troublesome times, we need a few good men or women to step forward. Robert Reich presented one simple idea in this tweet:

“If just 2 GOP senators switched from R to Independent, and caucused w/ Dems, the the Senate would flip right now -- and be a check on tyrant Trump. Flake, Corker, and McCain should follow the noble example of Jim Jeffords, and put nation above party. It's time to do this. Now.”

It would be an act of courage and honor if McCain, Flake and Corker emulated Jeffords, the Senator from Vermont who left the Republican Party in 2001 over policy differences and caucused with the Democrats. Putting principle over party would not only be a novel act in these hyper-partisan times, but would allow the Senate to escape the thrall of Trumpism and rigorously exercise its Constitutional obligation of oversight of the Executive. Bonus: Mitch McConnell would be deposed as Majority Leader.

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“I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.”

Will Rogers

This quote from the early 20th Century American humorist comes to mind whenever the Democrats offer another uninspired campaign slogan (“We’re Better Together”, “A Better Deal”. Seriously?). Last week, the House Dems rolled out their new slogan for November’s midterms- “For the People”.  “For the People” is the slogan of Morgan and Morgan, a nationwide personal injury law firm, so it seems the Dems are angling to capture the ambulance chaser vote. Upside: They’ll retain the support of trial lawyers.

I have no idea how the Democrats come up with their messaging but they need a serious injection of pizazz. With the Party’s attempts at branding falling flat, I have a few suggestions for a punchier slogan :

“It’s Your Turn”

“Vote the Truth ”

“Vote American, Not Russian“

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Ever wonder what would happen if Trump no longer had access to his Twitter account? While there is zero possibility of it happening, the thought is appealing. Of course, if he could not spew-tweet, we would have never learned about “covfefe”.

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Republicans are not talking about tax cuts much as they gear up for the midterm elections. Perhaps it’s because the wage increases they promised have not materialized. Or maybe it is because capital investment only increased a modest amount while businesses pumped much of their windfall into stock buybacks. With GDP growth slowing in a near-full employment economy, the one demonstrable effect of last winter’s tax bill is a federal budget deficit growing more rapidly than original projections.

It is not “trickle down”- it’s “vacuum up”.

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And speaking of the economy, Trump’s trade war seems to going just peachy. Besides driving up prices for certain manufactured goods, retaliatory tariffs by other countries are hitting American producers hard. China, for instance, slapped a tariff on imported US soybeans, driving down the domestic price farmers could charge. Adding insult to that injury, China will import soybeans from Brazil. Some experts warn US soybean producers will not regain that market. There are reports of meat surpluses piling up in cold storage as the export market shrinks. There have been scattered layoffs and businesses are signaling they intend to cut back on production.

Trade war? “Easy,” the man said.

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To finish the economic roundup, Trump has lashed out at the Federal Reserve for raising interest rates. Trumpanomic trade policy has resulted in a stronger dollar, ironically adding to the trade deficit and blunting the effect of his tariffs. The Fed is focused on keeping inflation in check. In the realm of unintended consequences, the GOP tax cut not only adds to the budget deficit, but acts as a fiscal stimulus to an already-robust economy. This is the recipe for inflation. To put it drolly, the Fed is playing chess while Trump eats his checkers.

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Russians, Russians, everywhere. Who can keep track? It’s like Whack-a-Mole: just when you figure out who one of these people is, up pops another. If this were a police procedural TV show, there wouldn't be enough red string to connect all the photos on the Special Counsel’s bulletin board.

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Speaking of Robert Mueller, the investigation grinds away in the background, occasionally tossing a few grenades at the anxiety-ridden Trumpkins: Twelve Russian military officers indicted; Manafort trial begins. And there are the separate Federal investigations into Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen and alleged Russian agent Maria Butina. The whiff of scandal is wafting from the NRA and The National Enquirer. Porn star Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti is masterful at playing the Trump Twitter/media game better than the Donald. The pressure is building on Trump and there is a sense he cannot cope with it.

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Seven Republican Senators and a Republican Congresswoman spent July 4th in Moscow. Is it possible the Russians have kompromat on them, also? Were they invited there so the Russians could read them their own emails and show them videos?

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It’s Monday afternoon and I need to catch up on the last few days of craziness. I better buy more tequila.