2/Devin thinks Trump's accomplishments since taking office have been real, and mostly positive. I disagree.pic.twitter.com/oIDJblGRK0
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2/Devin thinks Trump's accomplishments since taking office have been real, and mostly positive. I disagree.pic.twitter.com/oIDJblGRK0
3/First, the economy. Have the tax cuts raised wages or employment? Industry-by-industry analysis says not yet, no.https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-10-10/trump-puts-supply-side-economics-to-its-final-test …
5/So I think the most we can say for Trump on the economy is that his policies have not yet derailed it. Tax cuts will exacerbate inequality, and the trade war may yet derail us, but Trump hasn't managed to crush the boom that began under Obama.
6/Devin lists "two Supreme Court appointments" among Trump's accomplishments. This is weird, because the President always gets to do Supreme Court appointments. It's just his job. And Trump doesn't seem to have done a very good job of it, with Kavanaugh.
7/Devin says that there has been "progress on trade relations with Canada and Mexico". In fact, Trump tore up NAFTA and replaced it with something very similar to NAFTA. Other than Canada slightly opening its dairy market, not clear how this is a "win".
8/Meanwhile, Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs hurt U.S. manufacturers, so overall, trade with Canada and Mexico seems to have had regress, not progress.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-31/trump-s-new-tariffs-anger-u-s-manufacturers-and-business-groups …
9/On China, yes, Trump is definitely putting the U.S. more on a "Cold War" footing. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-edges-toward-new-cold-war-era-with-china-1539355839 … It remains to be seen what will come of this. Since the effects are completely unknown at this point, I'd say we shouldn't list this as an "accomplishment".
10/As for North/South Korea peace, it'll be good if it happens, but so far there's nothing concrete. Nor does North Korea show any sign of wanting to denuclearize.https://www.vox.com/2018/9/19/17878428/north-south-korea-kim-moon-declaration …
11/Devin's declaration of progress on the Korean peninsula seems, at this point, like wishful thinking and unjustified optimism. But we'll see!pic.twitter.com/DoA25ZlvN7
12/Now, let's talk about some Trump failures. He failed to help Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria.https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/us/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-deaths.html …
13/His "zero tolerance" family separation policy drew near-universal condemnation, forcing him to mostly reverse it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_administration_family_separation_policy …
14/He has contributed to a rapid deterioration in global opinions of the U.S. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/09/how-the-world-views-the-u-s-and-its-president-in-9-charts/ …pic.twitter.com/h4PS3UmFPY
15/Now, it is clear that Trump could get a LOT worse. We haven't yet had an economic crisis, war, or breakdown of social order under Trump! Yet!
16/The truth, as I see it, is that so far Trump's impact has been mostly symbolic. He has served as a locus for partisan anger and hatred - a symbol of the deep divisions that afflict America.
17/If and when America faces a major economic or geopolitical shock, I don't have confidence in Trump to handle it well...but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! In the meantime, Trump is less of a leader than a trollish internet meme come to life. (end)
Thanks for highlighting my essay. The point of my essay, however, is to describe Trump’s foreign policy style and the cultural shift taking place. I defer to you on the economics.
And if the Dems don’t get a broader understanding of these changes, they won’t be able to regain political power.
Changes on foreign policy?
Changes in the international order. Dems must stop living in the 90s.
Now that's an interesting thesis. I didn't get that from your piece at all! But I kind of agree. Then again, I don't know if foreign policy is that electorally important...
Did you read the whole thing? ;)
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