10 Comments
Nov 16, 2022·edited Nov 16, 2022

You have fooled yourself and your readers for long enough. Trump never changed, he was always this way. And the damage he caused is anything but forgotten. Replicans have a long way to go before they are trusted in the public again, but by all means, keep nominating people like Dr. Oz. Look back at your posts on FB for the past 6 years, you've been bamboozled. You should be both embarrassed and ashamed

Expand full comment
author
Nov 16, 2022·edited Nov 16, 2022Author

Well! Who is this well balanced blast from the past? I can tell you who it sounds like... the venom feels remarkably familiar as does the relatively well written vitriol. Still making everyone around you miserable? I see you are still up and drunk in the middle of the night.

I thought I had deactivated my The Facebook but I am just going to set all my old posts to private because I don't feel the need to explain myself to sociopaths who I don't know anymore. I don't want to fully deactivate because I enjoy getting messages from folks on the messenger app.

Either way, go sit on a tack, asshole. I couldn't begin to care less about how you feel regarding any subject, anywhere, ever.

Expand full comment

Virgil -

1. I must disagree that Trump acted like "...all GOP Presidents act."

Trump formed a superb Cabinet with incredibly successful industry stalwarts like Wilbur Ross (billionaire investor) and Rick Perry (Texas Gov with intricate experience and knowledge of the energy business).

The most powerful thing he did to propel business forward was to slice through regulation with a left handed machete. (It is hard to wield a machete left handed and they are hard to find.)

Trump insisted on two regs being eliminated for every new reg. This set a tone which encouraged investment and the energy industry heard it loud and clear.

Trump was the only President to ever have used tariffs as they were intended - to protect American manufacturing interests.

The tax cut was not chopped liver. It was huuuuge and Trump drove it through.

2. World peace sets the tone for the entire economy and Trump's direct confrontational style lulled the world to sleep. This was a personal triumph.

3. The Trump economy was not just "good" or cyclical -- it was the bloody best freakin' economy since Geo Washington. Low cost of capital, investment confidence, business investment are all a product of confidence in the leader.

In addition, he engineered a winning combo of a strong dollar, low interest rates, and incredibly low inflation that drove real gains in income.

This was not a cyclical performance; this was a once in a lifetime experience.

4. As to the SCOTUS., Trump did what a good President would do - identified candidates for appointment before he was elected and stayed true to that commitment whilst backing them through insanely difficult confirmation hearings with unwavering loyalty. It was a strong performance.

5.

6. Trump is the only President in US history to take on the Deep State as he did. He ran off an AG and the head of the FBI. In retrospect I am sure he wishes he had been even more aggressive.

Frankly, the Deep State performance is the craziest thing in my lifetime. It was a paper coup. And it was far worse than we will ever know.

With the benefit of reflection, I think the GOP lacked leadership at the funding level. I think McConnell and McCarthy failed to support the right candidates and allowed their egos to get in the way. I would love to see both of them gone going forward.

The GOP has to find better candidates. Walker being an inferior candidate is certainly true. Our challenge is to do what the Dems did - elect a Fetterman.

JLM

www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

Expand full comment
author

I appreciate your thoughtful and logical response. I agree with some of what you said and for the sake of this argument will grant you every one of your other points without further argument. Let's say that DJT was singularly great in the chair for MOST of his tenure. Unfortunately you and I both know that wasn't the end of the story with Prez Trump.

Time didn't stop on January 1st of 2020 for Donald Trump or for the United States of America and several things have taken place since that date.

First, as I mentioned in my article, his handling of Covid was abysmal. We all know that Democrats played on his weakness there and we can, did, and will again complain about how unfair the press was to him. However the Press didn't make him give Fauci free rein. The press didn't cause him to act insane with unhelpful and uncalming daily shouting sessions where he was easily goaded into making increasingly bizarre statements. The press didn't make him so thoroughly combative with everyone, everywhere... that the virus and the health crisis became political with different sides believing different things and trying to enforce their view on the other.

He is not alone in the blame here, but he does bear the blame. I weep for the thought that a better man, someone with the political capital to have sat at the resolute desk at the onset of the crisis and calmly explain to the country and the world that the United States is prepared for this crisis. That we had the worlds sharpest minds on the case and that we would be taking incremental steps with regard to recommendations based on research that would be made public. Further, that those recommendations would be coming from him, the President, and not some diminutive little bureaucrat. Instead we got a man with no friends left, visibly panicking and raging... and a horrible little leprauchan finally became prom queen.

His Covid policy destroyed that economy that he built. Destroyed it and salted the earth. Then it set the stage for the next failure.

In November of 2020, Donald Trump became the first Republican President to be elected and not reelected without a 3rd party spoiler since HERBERT HOOVER. He lost to a demented, corrupt old man who never left his basement. Trump loyalists like to claim "only he could have beaten Hillary" and while I don't agree with that, the opposite was true in 2020. Only he could have lost to Biden. Cheating and shenanigans be damned... Win, damnit.

Then, only a few months later... enraged and crazy. Furious with Brian Kemp who refused to fabricate republican ballots and commit felonies with all the world watching... he came to GA and told MAGA to stay home. He gave the Democrats the Senate and the GOP's ONLY ability to stymie the excesses of AOC and the leftists.

Out of that fateful decision... if it was even a decision, given the fact that the man had lost all faculties in his rage... We got the spending that has led directly to this inflation crisis. We got the economic hardships we are dealing with right now. We got it all because we didn't get the Senate. We didn't get the Senate because Trump intentionally gave it away.

Finally, we have 2022... which I won't rehash as it was adequately explained in the article above.

The man... even if he was the President you describe, which I maintain is described though rose colored glasses... can not and should not be forgiven for every day of his life from 1/1/20 until and including today. And I won't be forgiving him for it.

IMHO and with all the respect this old Keydet can muster!

--V

Expand full comment

Well said. I could find fault w/ some of your utterances, but I think the issue is this:

How much baloney would we be willing to put up with if the dividend is the best US economy since 1776 and world peace?

I find little fault w/ the man's policies as measured by the objective and quantifiable outcomes whilst still denying him the Miss Congenality award.

The challenge of life and politics is that more than one thing can be true at the same time - a politician may be a great operator within the ring and a horse's ass outside it.

I often wonder what might have happened if the Old Boy hadn't been fighting the Deep State, the intel community, the Dems, the FBI, the DOJ, and the media full time?

Be well and Happy Thanksgiving.

JLM

www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

Expand full comment
author

To answer your question, we would put up with quite a lot of baloney for a great economy. Unfortunately we didn't get a great economy that lasted. The baloney is still here.

In the end, we certainly agree on your last statement. Trump leaves us all wondering what might have been. What could have been done if he wasn't unfairly attacked. What wonders we could be enjoying right now if he was more skilled at deflecting attacks. It's sad. It's not all his fault... but much of it is.

At any rate, it's obvious that it's time to move on... and he is like a bad employee who knows company secrets. He will try to hurt us again rather than leave. And we are like an abused wife who has been hit for the last time... He can do his worst, it doesn't change anything now. Forward is the only way.

Happy Thanksgiving to you too! I always enjoy your insight. I usually agree with you more than your agree with yourself!

--V

Expand full comment
Nov 9, 2022Liked by Virgil

I’m optimistic that the GOP base will see Trump for what he is and will choose DeSantis to back instead. I’m also optimistic that the Dems will be emboldened by this election, will continue to try and ram their BS woke fuckery down the throats of normal Americans and will loudly and expressly blame the GOP-led chamber of Congress for obstruction of their stupid, destructive agenda.

Other than that, I had a bad feeling in the run-up to this election when lots of people were giddy and taking a premature victory lap. I couldn’t really tell you why, but something gave me pause when others were celebrating their impending victory. I think lots of other people quietly had that doubt too, because I really haven’t seen today the kind of shock and surprise that would result from having literally every one of your deeply-held expectations proven so incredibly wrong.

Expand full comment
author

I agree

Expand full comment

The optimist in me hopes Trump will wake up, see his "sell by date" has expired, and do the right thing. Maybe Melania can play a role here.

While capturing Trump's negatives expertly, you give him short shrift on his enormous achievements -- that is, of course, the great paradox with the man. He did a lot of great stuff while being a maniac.

1. Best economy since Geo Washington isn't chopped liver, amigo.

2. World peace, also not chopped liver.

3. Incredibly low unemployment, interest rates and inflation -- see "best economy since GW" above.

4. The Sup Ct is placed for the long run due to this Donald Trump character. McConnell gets credit for this also.

5. The USA was energy independent and had a fat thumb on global energy pricing with a small amount of exported crude. This single feat was unachievable by all of his predecessors.

6. Smoked out and defeated the GOPe and the Deep State. Lost to the Deep State.

Crazy and genius co-exist in many real achievers. It is their crazy, their unwillingness to take NO for an answer, their ignorance of why all the experts say it can't be done which is the real secret sauce of self-made and entrepreneurial men.

We elected a thin skinned man from Long Island and we got a thin skinned, temperamental, raging boy from Long Island. He never stopped being that guy.

He passed his "sell by date" and he has to deal with that, but he did a lot of great stuff.

IF DJT doesn't decide to seek the Presidency, then this all self-corrects, but if he does, then it will take a kick in the nose to dislodge him.

The trick for the Republicans is to get DJT off the playing field without losing the fans in the cheap seats.

JLM

www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

Expand full comment
author

While I normally agree withy you on almost everything, I am not willing to be as kind to DJT as you. I'll address your points in order and hope for your thoughts.

1. The simple fact is that all Trump did for the economy was act in the same way that all GOP Presidents act. We had exited 8 years of over-regulation and climate nonsense holding the incredible engine of the American economy back. He was good on trade and he did get a tax cut passed (Thanks Mitch). I give him half credit for the economy... and full blame for ruining it with his idiotic Covid policy.

2. World peace is not chopped liver. He was passable at foreign policy.

3. Again, regarding low unemployment and a good economy... He gets half credit for not screwing up a naturally good cycle and full blame for destroying it like everything else since March of 2020.

4. SCOTUS was literally nothing more than picking judges from a list an actual conservative gave him and counting on Mitch to push them through. Was he better at it than Bush? Yeah, but low bar.

5. Yes... he resisted the call of the climate change hysterics and pushed domestic energy production. I'll give you that.

6. He didn't smoke out shit as far as the deep state is concerned. He was then and remains now their bitch.

Conclusion: I am being hard on him right now because he, ONCE AGAIN, wrecked the GOP for his own ego and idiotic need to have his royal ass kissed. Him pushing Mastriano killed his other bad pick Oz in PA. Masters was a bad pick... even if he miracles a win. Lake accidentally turned out okay. His congressional choices are a disaster. Walker is a dum dum. Need I go on?

We can't get into a thing where this cult of personality forces us to make decisions we all know are damaging to both the country and the party.

And in the end... Even if he was defensible as POTUS before Covid... which I think is barely arguable... The string of decisions made by him since March of 2020, to the election, to the GA runoffs, to the insanity since, to the idiotic endorsements... Any one of those is permenantly disqualifying.

He is a singularly destructive force. He needs to go and never return.

Expand full comment