Friday, April 3, 2020

Businessman-In-Chief


My upcoming newspaper column:
If it wasn’t clear before, it is now, to all but the contentedly Foxified: putting a multi-failed businessman ostensibly in charge was a bad idea. What was the Electoral College thinking when it gave him tenure? 
This week, our businessman-in-chief finalized his killing of automotive fuel standards, gifting oil companies at the expense of public health and the future of our planet. Those are things about which he’s never cared, of course. This was well-known before his “election.”  
In one of his recent, beautiful press conferences, the ratings of which he’s touting like he once did his sexual escapades, Trump shared his idea for saving the restaurant industry: let businesses resume deducting expenses of sending their execs to lunch. He was serious.  
Nor is it surprising, having scammed his way through life, that he’d accuse hospitals of doing something fishy with the equipment they’re receiving. Long suspected of laundering mob money, Trump figures everyone’s as dishonest as he. And he needs scapegoats to distract from failure. Hospitals. Democratic governors. China. Impeachment, laughably.  
Republicans were once outraged when Rahm Emmanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Now, as Trump follows the script, they’re silent. His EPA is using Covid-19 as an excuse to relax pollution rules. William Barr wants judges to suspend habeas corpus till further notice. Texas has banned abortions during the outbreak. And, as predictable as it’s cruel, Trump rejected an extended Obamacare signup for the millions who’ve just lost their jobs. People about whom we’ve always known he couldn’t care less.  
Made more challenging by Trump’s unnecessary, business-friendly, trillion-dollar-deficit-creating tax cuts, the too-small economic rescue package is larded with giveaways to large businesses, including – surprise – real estate investors; while sending a comparative pittance to low-income people, who Steve Mnuchin said can live on $120 a week. Democrats managed to force oversight for the half-trillion dollars heading toward corporations. Forthwith, Trump announced he’d not abide by it. Never been his thing, rules. But he wants his name on the checks.  
Also not his thing: reality. While declaring his “decisive” embargo of flights from China saved us all, figuring he’d done everything necessary because the rest was hard, Trump sent tons of supplies to China in January: the very materiel of which there’ve been shortages ever since. Masks, PPE, even ventilators. In early February, Senators met with White House officials, who rejected offers to fund stockpiling supplies. Why? Not good business? Meanwhile, his initial foot-dragging and denial, reinforced by Fox “news,” lingers in many red states, where Trumpism is literally killing people.  
But he just praised himself for not listening to “those” who said Covid-19 was like the flu. “Those” were he, repeatedly. Astounding. If he sold people on Trump University, in Trumpworld, he figures he can sell that lie, too. Also, only in Trumpworld, where facts are anathema, a truth-teller like Dr. Fauci receives death threats.  
After months of ignored warnings, rejecting the pandemic team and plans President Barack Obama left him, and after irresponsibly wasting time downplaying the threat, which Trump wants you to forget, and which the Foxified already have, some things are improving. Where followed, social distancing is working. Still terribly inadequate, testing is ramping up. That’s because, while Trump was claiming there was no crisis, smart people knew better and began preparing. 
PPE shortages remain, including locally; and, notwithstanding Trump’s continual disinformation, struggling states are having to pay inflated prices to outbid the federal government and each other to obtain them. But, hey, it’s good business. What was it Rahm said, again?  
But Trump’s self-praise-fests are getting beautiful ratings, like no one has ever seen (“I’m number one on Facebook,” he said, mid-crisis. Another lie. President Obama has more). Some watch because when he stops congratulating himself, experts speak. For the rest, is it the scripted sycophancy or the made-for-TV attacks on journalists? When a reporter directly quoted him admitting he told Pence not to call governors who aren’t nice, Trump lied he never said it. It’s on tape! 
Trumpists must love the politicization of aid to blue states, though. Perfectly normal. Remember how President Barack Obama did it with Chris Christie after Hurricane Sandy?  
The effort it took to dissuade Trump from declaring victory on Easter to boost his electoral chances confirms his unfitness. Dead people, he had to be told, could threaten reelection as much as a recession. Not the first thought, evidently, of a businessman.

[Image source]


27 comments:

  1. > Republicans were once outraged when Rahm Emmanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Now, as Trump follows the script, they’re silent.

    PMH (Politically Motivated Hypocrisy) rears its multi-faced head yet again, as it did during the impeachment hearings.

    > the too-small economic rescue package is larded with giveaways to large businesses, including – surprise – real estate investors; while sending a comparative pittance to low-income people, who Steve Mnuchin said can live on $120 a week.

    Yeah, I'd like to see Meanie-uchin put the pittance where his mouth is and try it himself. Or he can just back off making such stupid and callous statements. And if he won't play ball with either alternative, then I suggest he stick the pittance someplace where the sun doesn't shine and it'll take a proctologist to retrieve it. Hmmph!

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  2. Soooo...This happened. It's a FOX thing again...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KY83kAepHE

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  3. "Trumpists must love the politicization of aid to blue states, though. Perfectly normal."

    I find it quite telling that the alt right can see the nuances w/o having to actually spell it out.

    But somehow that nuance is lost when they, the alt right, are called racists.

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  4. Oh and finally...

    "Trumpists must love the politicization of aid to blue states, though. Perfectly normal. Remember how President Barack Obama did it with Chris Christie after Hurricane Sandy?"

    Yeah, ironic isn't it?

    Remember when the Democrat asked Chris Crispy for something and Crispy shut the bridge down in response? People got popped for that fiasco.

    The only thing Drumpf likes more than walking in on naked teen girls is laundering money and the "meth-lite" he carries with him everywhere.

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  5. Yeah, the "Easter" thing was stupid, never got the appeal of an Undead Saviour("Passion of the Christ" is really just a religulous Zombie movie)
    I'm looking more at a Late June re-opening, early enough for baseball, NFL/College Football and the Virus, Economy will peak in October, Surprise!(October, Surprise, get it?)
    It'll be "Bar Rescue" on a National Scale(with special attention to PA/Ohio/FL/MI/WI), making "Sleepy" Joe's escape from his Delaware Basement(wondered whatever happened to Wayne & Garth's set) even more pitiful...
    PGICOTUS won't even need help from Pooty-Pute, he's sparring daily with the Palooka's I mean, WH Press Corpse, Joe hasn't debated since...

    Frank "Voted already"

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  6. "Dead people, he had to be told, could threaten reelection as much as a recession. Not the first thought, evidently, of a businessman."

    Yet he has the audacity to call himself a "wartime president". I hope that he hangs onto that incommensurate moniker into the election. The "wartime president" knew that the invasion was coming and did nothing. The invasion began and the "wartime president" dismissed it for months. Casualties are mounting and the "wartime president" has done less than nothing...

    Screw that title to his chest!

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  7. Off-topic but of definite interest to the comment community:

    https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/heraldnet/obituary.aspx?pid=195876543

    Gene F. Miller passed on March 25th.

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  8. The obituary for Gene Miller was in the Herald today. He passed on March 25th. Gene was an constant supporter of the current occupier of the White house and a consistent critic of Dr. Schwab's column. Many good people disagree with my political view point, Gene was one of them. May he rest in peace.
    I am sick and tired of watching the Impeached-One driveling during the daily covid-19 press conferences. Worse yet is the boot-licking by his supporting cast of ass-kissing staffers standing behind him shaking their heads to show their agreement for every lie he spews.

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  9. I saw that obit, and figured it must have been him. Interesting guy.

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  10. I am sorry to see that Gene is gone. Had we been neighbors I am certain that we would have been friends and avoided politics and divisive issues. By the time the Herald first dumped Disqus, I had Gene figured for one of the more reasonable conservatives. But the recently cancelled season of Disqus was evidently more revealing. I was continually disappointed by his refusal to accept absolutely factual information, information that knows no red or blue, liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat. I attribute his rejections to none other than the wholly unworthy occupant of the White House.

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  11. Thanks for finding and posting that H_Y=>M
    It awaits all of us, no matter what views we have.
    Based on things he wrote, he rests in surety. (not political things, i.e. things that matter)

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  12. I hope he goes to a place with pidgeons

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  13. For Doc SL: Gene was a truly affected individual, I liked reading his earlier views, but thought him overboard on his "2nd Disqus" views, in the same way Centerfire went over the type like when you put a lid on making spaghetti noodles.
    I'm searching now on SciAm type article(s) regarding psychology of people taking on views as truth because others hate them so much, even though those views are known ridiculous. My thought being it's not so much the acceptance of something stupid, but rather something a bit more complicated than just trying to aggravate another. I'm sure I'm not being clear here, but perhaps I'll find something at SciAm. And, not so obvious as Picard's "there are 3 lights!".
    I wouldn't give the current occupier any credit for knowing of that and playing it, rather, he just falls into the lap of that type of thing through his effervescence (think Pompeii, and the victims, stone shapes left where the person was).
    [all for fun though. always]

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  14. You're clear, Anonymous, even if the subject itself is fuzzy.

    I went to Skeptical Inquirer to check out their library of past articles, but the interface is designed for searching. So if one can't characterize the subject well, it's not likely to produce useful results. You need to be a subscriber for access, which I am.

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  15. I found three interesting in my search so far:
    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/patternicity-finding-meaningful-patterns/
    https://www.europeanbusinessreview.eu/page.asp?pid=3186
    https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/i-heard-it-before-so-it-must-be-true/
    I found in reading various possible articles, the easiest and most obvious utterly true thing is anthropogenic climate change, for the purpose of evaluating what the writers were offering. I prefer to not think of those who don't "believe" ACC as not so much deniers, but rather they fit a pattern of _______ , which is an effect I'm interested in naming. It's behavior not unlike wildebeests crossing a raging and crocodile infested river to get to the other side, or lemmings to the sea (overused), or other natural phenomenon that are contrary to good sense.
    I think its clarification could be beneficial, and that it would be good for "good guys" to use that, rather than the ilk using it now.
    The animals have an excuse in that they can't reason. We, supposedly, can.

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  16. It's hardly coincidence that climate change deniers are, pretty much exclusively, the same people who idolize Trump, who've claimed, repeatedly, when The Herald allowed comments on my column, that he's never lied, that he's fulfilled all his promises, that he rescued the economy after Obama ruined. Same ones who deny evolution, who believe their god put Trump in office. The same who believe homosexuality is a choice.

    The common denominators are the need to deny all things that make them uncomfortable or require making tough choices, or entertaining the possibility of being wrong about anything. The need to educate themselves. And watching Fox "news."

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  17. I should add that I've had several "conversations" with people who write to criticize my columns (not "criticize" exactly: call me names and ignore the subject, more like), and when it comes to climate change I've sent them links similar to those above. Without exception, they refuse to read them. Not a one. Not ever.

    Whatever the word for that kind of willful ignorance is, it's a universal trait among Trumpists.

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  18. It was always a mystery to me why anyone would have wanted to watch his TV show.
    But then, TV is a complete mystery to me these days. So I don't watch much of it.

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  19. Ever wonder why Trump is so obsessed with hydroxychloroquine? He's always been selling snake oil to the marks.

    https://thebulwark.com/why-is-trump-obsessed-with-hydroxychloroquine/

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  20. He's definitely selling snake oil, Skyriver, as your link attests.

    Like his reckless encouragement that Sid mentioned in last week's column ("Other Republican leaders, too, arguing, because they’re only about money, that people should be willing to die for the economy."), Trump doesn't care how many people might die just as long as some are "saved" by the drug. He's that desperate. And we're the marks.

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  21. Doc SL said:
    > Trump doesn't care how many people might die just as long as some are "saved" by the drug. He's that desperate. And we're the marks.

    MAGA = Magnifying America's Graveyard Acreage

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  22. > Whatever the word for that kind of willful ignorance is, it's a universal trait among Trumpists.

    I don't think you can boil it down to only one word, but the technical phrase for that phenomenon is "aversion to cognitive dissonance". It's yet another trait that is present in everyone to some degree, but to an alarming degree among the Trumpenkleinkopfen Schafenvolk.

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  23. Or, more specifically, the Dunning-Kruger effect.

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  24. > It was always a mystery to me why anyone would have wanted to watch his TV show.

    When The Apprentice first came out, it stood out from the morass of reality-TV tripe because, like Survivor, its premise was a straightforward competition rather than being based on a con. Trump also commanded respect back in those days. While the degree of his success and the caliber of his ethics were certainly debatable, there was no question that when it came to business savvy he knew what he was talking about. I watched a good portion of the first season and I thought it was pretty good, even though it was obvious that some aspects were being deliberately played for drama.

    I just finished reading Omarosa's book Unhinged and one theme she touches on repeatedly is how much Trump was on his game back in the Apprentice days and how that sharply contrasts with what he's like now, when the stakes are a lot higher and he comes off as physically and mentally falling apart.

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  25. "... there was no question that when it came to business savvy he knew what he was talking about."

    Then, according to reporting from 2018 like the link below, clearly the editors and producers of The Apprentice managed to successfully sprinkle fairy dust on him back then.

    "Apprentice Producers Struggled to Make Trump—and His Decisions—Seem Coherent"
    http://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/mark-burnett-profile-in-the-new-yorker-apprentice-producers-struggled-to-make-trump-and-his-decisions-seem-coherent.html

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  26. Doc SL said:

    > Then, according to reporting from 2018 like the link below, clearly the editors and producers of The Apprentice managed to successfully sprinkle fairy dust on him back then.

    Well, to give Trump the minimum due credit, he was sufficiently coachable back in the day to make it look like he knew what he was doing. These days, he doesn't even have that, and the longer the coronavirus situation goes on, the worse he gets. Omarosa's point about Trump's decline is spot-on.

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  27. Thinking there's another of Sid's article coming soon, and, that comments have slowed down, another for Doc SL to consider. Discovered during my search(es): https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/08/if-everyone-ate-beans-instead-of-beef/535536/
    I still think we should plant trees, too.
    [not trying to "do diversion", but, am trying to save the world.
    This is Science, with a capital "S".
    I also like it because it addresses "NH's" issues with soybeans...

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