November 15, 2024

Quick Takes (v73): The Trump Economy

When folks talk about the reasons they were voting, the economy was high on most lists.

For example, 81% of registered voters said the economy would be 'very important' to their vote, according to a Pew Research poll from September.

According to another September poll, this time from Gallup, the economy was the only issue where a majority said a candidate's positions were an 'extremely important' influencer on how they were going to vote.

A post-election survey from AARP found that more than half of aged 50+ voters 'prioritized economic issues.'

Many other pre- and post-election surveys, and a few boatloads of TV hosts and other pundits (perhaps I should refer to them as potential cabinet members?) have said the same thing, using many more words to explain it than James Carville gave us back in 1992.

There's one part of the economy that may have defied expectations: the 'support your favorite billionaire' part. You know, the political Name, Image, and Likeness, or NIL, sector. And nobody does NIL better than Donald Trump, the Once and Future President (OAFP).

If you ask me, the person who shouted the loudest about our horrible economy and how it contributes to our becoming a failing nation is doing pretty darn well with his followers. On his Bibles alone, he made $300,000, for heaven's sake.

Don't believe me? Take a look at all these things you can get with his political brand - and remember that this is separate from all the stuff emblazoned with the Trump name sold by the Trump Organization. And that merch is separate, of course, from all of the buildings, golf courses (with and without burial plots near the first tee), the winery, and so on.

Hats

Ties

Pins

Pens

Flags

Elves

Coins

Shirts

Access

Bibles

Knives

Decals

Scarves

Wallets

Watches

Magnets

Stickers

Jewelry

Pardons

Banners

Sneakers

Troll dolls

Tote bags

Yard signs

Keychains

Backpacks

Sunglasses

Ornaments

Corkscrews

Dish towels

Shot glasses

Medallions

Wristbands

Golf towels

Cigar boxes

Money clips

Tee holders

Beer glasses

Cigar cutters

Beach towels

Garbage bags

Playing cards

Rubber ducks

Laptop covers

Ear maxi pads

Trading cards

Bottle openers

Books for kids

Cutting boards

Pieces of a suit

Greeting cards

Stuffed animals

Digital 'artwork'

Framed pictures

Bumper stickers

Books for adults

Beer can koozies

Funny eyeglasses

Cabinet positions

Cartoon drawings

Zippered pouches

Government secrets

License plate covers

Orange-haired visors

Talking Trumpinators

White privilege cards

Masks (oh, the irony!)

Mugs (beer and coffee)

Commemorative cigars

Oddly-crafted figurines

Pet attire and accessories

Framed newspaper articles

French fry counter trinkets

Bronze busts (made of resin)

Signed mug shot photo pictures

Decanters (with/without glasses)

Bobbleheads (too many to count)

Two-dollar bills (several versions)

Bronze bust (on sale - save a penny!)

Wine glasses (stemmed and stemless)

Personalized artwork (your name here!)

Personalized merchandise (your religion here!)

Glasses (golf ball- and bullet-impaled versions)

Imagine how much money people are spending on this stuff, in this 'horrible' economy, and imagine how much money he's making off them.

If you're interested, here's a fun bit I found on Quora where someone valiantly tries to figure out if there's a way to figure out how much money the OAFP makes on all of this nonsense.

November 13, 2024

Wondering on Wednesday 11/13/24

 


Ready... Set... Wonder!

It's been a while since I've published my mid-week Wonderings, but today seems like as good a time as any to get back in the saddle. Let's dive in!

Our once and future president (OAFP) visited the White House today to shake hands with President Joe Biden. Current presidents welcoming incoming presidents is all about putting our best feet forward and letting the country know there'll be a smooth transition between administrations. 

I don't wonder, at all, why Biden invited the guy to stop by, even though he was denied the same courtesy four years ago. After all, one of these men is a decent human being, and the other threw paper towels to hurricane victims he didn't even know were Americans. 

Why the OAFP showed up is open to question. I doubt he cares about the transition; I'm sure it was for the cameras, and nothing else. I wonder if we'll see him selling trading cards of him standing over Biden during their handshake. 

Speaking of a smooth transition, Congress passed The Presidential Transition Enhancement Act a while back; the law requires the Democrat and Republican nominees to submit, no later than October 1st of a presidential election year, Memorandums of Understanding with the government related to transition activities, including 

(1) ...an agreement that the eligible candidate will implement and enforce an ethics plan to guide the conduct of the transition beginning on the date on which the eligible candidate becomes the President-elect.

47's team has yet to sign the overdue documents, so while the OAFP is busy lining up his minions, no official transition stuff can happen. If you're wondering what the holdup is, reports point to the ethics requirements. Shocked? I didn't think so. 

Speaking of minions, the joke is he doesn't have a Cabinet, he has a junk drawer, so there's no wonder it's shaping up to be a doozy:

  • NY Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has been tapped to be the next Ambassador to the United Nations.  She's not known for her reasonable, even-tempered demeanor, and she's made a name for herself in two ways: her unwavering attacks on anyone who speaks ill of Israel and/or supports Palestinians, and for sucking up to Trump. 
  • Another New Yorker, former Congressman Lee Zeldin, has been tapped to head the Environmental Protection Agency. His most notable qualification for this role, it seems, is his 14% approval rating from the League of Conservation Voters
  • Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is Trump's pick for Ambassador to Isreal. The first non-Jew to be chosen for this role, he believes that there's no such thing as 'the West Bank' and said that "of course" the annexation of that land is a possibility under the new administration.
  • Fox News host (and husband of another Fox News host) Pete Hegseth has been picked to be the new Secretary of Defense. Now, he's not completely without qualification for the role - he is a veteran, after all. And he's got more than a passing familiarity with weapons of war, like these aromatic grenades.  How much of a shock was this, you might be wondering? Well, even his cohost was stunned. 
  • Ethically challenged Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has just been picked to be the Attorney General. This is so absurd, the only thing I'm wondering is if Rep. Jim Jordan turned it down first. 
  • Also joining the administration from Florida are Secretary of State pick Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Mike Waltz, who's been chosen to be National Security Advisor.
  • And moments ago, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who's also a former Democrat and a big friend of Russia, was tapped to be the Director of National Security.  
Honestly, you can't make this stuff up.  If this first round of appointments is indicative of what's to come, I can't help wondering whether our allies are laughing or crying right now.

On the plus side? Most of these appointments will require the advice and consent of the Senate. But there's a catch here, that the OAFP is already lobbying for: recess appointments. Given the Rs are now in control of the Senate,  it seems unnecessary - and contrary to the principle of the Legislative branch being separate from but equal to the Executive.

Other presidents have used this mechanism to get stalled appointments through, but the OAFP seems to be plotting to have this be the rule, not the exception, even demanding that whoever became the new Senate Majority Leader had to agree to this foolishness.  I wonder if all the voters who thought they were electing someone who 'believed in the Constitution' had any idea who they really voted for? 

Speaking of the Senate Majority Leader, say hello to Sen. John Thune, the gentleman from South Dakota. He might be the most reasonable announcement of the day.

What's got you wondering these days?

November 4, 2024

The 2024 Election Eve Post

 It's that time again, folks. It's Election Eve, and time for me to do my absolute best to encourage you to vote. 

Every election is 'consequential' in some way, and everyone likes to say that 'this' election - the current one - is the most consequential vote we've ever had.  I don't know for sure if that's true; I'd love to ask my Dad, who was an American History teacher, but he's not here to help me with that. He did, however, teach me the importance of voting, and that I keep with me always.   

This is the first year I've heard a candidate say that if a certain subset of voters cast their ballots for him, they'd never have to vote again. I think that's an extremely poor message to send, and I hope all registered voters, regardless of demographic cohort, plan on voting in every election for as long as they live - that's a small price to pay to support our country, I think, and it's a pretty easy commitment to meet if you think about it.

Oh, I get it - sometimes people have a hard time making a choice. I'd love it if that happened because the candidates were all so good the choice was difficult; sadly, too often we're faced with choosing the lesser of however many evils are in the race, and for many, that might be the case again this year. 

I also get that some people think that politicians don't give a hoot about them and their issues, and so they don't vote as a protest. I wish that weren't the case, because I believe one thing that's going to get candidates to pay attention to you is to vote, especially when we're talking about the people who want to represent you at the local and state level. Your voice is never more important than in those races - but it's also important to vote at the top of the ticket in presidential years; you never know how your protest will impact the race. 

And I get that it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, as the song goes, when we're bombarded with mailers and phone calls and texts and ads and folks knocking on our doors and the signs we see all over the place. But the truth is out there, if you're willing to look for it. 

We can find it in our own echo chambers, comfortably enjoying the validation of our own views, but we'll be better prepared to vote if we look outside our comfort zone to learn what's really happening. We owe it to ourselves, at least, and really to our country, to do that. 

And I hope that, at some point, that's going to be the norm, not the exception. 

Anyway, as one recent former presidential candidate so often says - anyway, I offer below my annual motivational message, in case you're still on the fence about voting.
After some thought, “I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians." (1)  Actually, “The idea of an election is much more interesting to me than the election itself…the act of voting is in itself the defining moment.”(2) And why is it that “When the political columnists say ‘every thinking man’ they mean themselves, and when candidates appeal to ‘every intelligent voter’ they mean everyone who is going to vote for them”?(3) 
We know it’s true that “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who didn’t vote(4), and that “A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won’t cross the street to vote in a national election.”(5) Do we still not realize, after all these years, that “lower voter participation is a silent threat to our democracy… it under-represents young people, the poor, the disabled, those with little education, minorities and you and me”? (6) 
After all, “the vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men” (7) and “to make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not just observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.” (8) 

And complain we do, after every election when 'the wrong guy' wins. If the only people who complained were the ones who voted, it’d likely be a lot less noisy, don't you think? 

Some folks may not vote because they don't know how to decide who to vote for, or they're afraid they'll vote 'wrong.' There are a couple different schools of thought on that. On the one hand, some might think that

Politics is the art of the possible” (9) while others may subscribe to the thinking that “politics is not the art of the possible, it consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable. And it is true that the great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter the chance to do something stupid.” (10) 

Said another way, a “Vote (is) the instrument and symbol of a freeman’s power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.” (11) But that’s OK – “personally, I believe that our American system works as long as you participate in it. You must vote and make your voice heard; otherwise you will be left out.” (12) 

I like that part, about our system working as long as people participate. If enough people vote - and vote every time they have the chance to - sooner or later, the people running for office will have to pay attention to us, not just to their donors.

It’s generally true that if you “ask a man which way he’s going to vote and he’ll probably tell you. Ask him, however, why – and vagueness is all.” (13) But voting’s really easy; and “all voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong.” (14) And just about everyone likes to play a game every now and then, right? 
The bottom line is, “voting is simply a way of determining which side is the stronger without putting it to the test of fighting;”(15) “voting is a civic sacrament;”(16) and “the future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.”(17) 

And remember, if all of that seems like too much pressure, you have an out. 

Vote for the man who promises least. He’ll be the least disappointing.” (18) 
Please, vote. It really does matter, this year and every year. Honestly, "there is no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter."(19) Besides, "not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender." (20)  

My final pitch?  "Talk is cheap, voting is free; take it to the polls." (21)

If you need information on where to vote, help on 
your ballot, or any other assistance,  
contact your local Board of Elections. 
Lots of people are out there, ready and willing to help

If you're an early voter and have already done your civic duty, thank you. 

If you're not going to be around on Election Day and voted by absentee ballot, thank you. Be sure to get your ballot in before the deadline! 

And if you're planning on voting the old-fashioned way, by showing up at your polling place on Election Day like I do, thank you. 


(Thanks to these folks for their words of wisdom: 1 - Charles De Gaulle; 2 – Jeff Melvoin; 3 – Franklin P Adams; 4 and 13 – Andrew Lack; 5 - Bill Vaughan; 6 - Nancy Neuman; 7 - Lyndon B Johnson; 8 - Louis L’Amour; 9 – Otto Von Bismarck; 10 – Art Spander; 11 – Ambrose Bierce; 12 - Mari-Luci Jaramillo; 14 – Henry David Thoreau; 15 – H.L. Mencken; 16—Theodore Hesburgh; 17 – Dwight D. Eisenhower; 18 – Bernard Baruch); 19 - Barack Obama; 20 - Keith Ellison; 21 - Nanette L. Avery