by Jeffrey A. Rendall
Five percent growth?
You’re forgiven if you thought you’d read it wrong. According to one of the president’s most trusted advisors Donald Trump isn’t happy with the economy the way it is. Make no mistake, Trump was ecstatic that growth broke the four percent mark earlier this year but isn’t content to rest on his well-deserved laurels.
No, Trump wants five percent growth and is apparently obsessed with getting there.
Paul Bedard reported at The Washington Examiner, National Economic Council Chairman Larry Kudlow, one of President Trump’s top policy advisors and an architect of the 2017 tax cut, said that Trump stays awake because he is obsessed with rebuilding the U.S. economy and reaching 5 percent growth.
“I can tell you after a few months on the job, this man is indefatigable. Donald Trump doesn’t stop. He barely sleeps. It’s almost impossible to keep up with him. He is truly obsessed with restoring American greatness,’ he wrote in the insider book Trumponomics, Inside the America First Plan to Get Our Economy Back on Track.”
Think about it. While most Americans hit the hay at night exhausted from a hard day’s work – which Trump helped foster with his populist economic policies that blew a huge hole in the stale Republican establishment paradigm formed by nearly three-decades’ worth of big government GOP “conservatism” in the post-Reagan era – the president is wide-awake mulling over his next move to Make America Great Again.
Ever since the New York billionaire initiated his run for president one of the media’s favorite fixations was reporting on his legendary energy level and the unusual way he plans his days. Numerous stories dished on Trump’s unusual diet, including the fact he sometimes eats only once a day with a menu fashioned straight out of America’s most beloved fast food joints such as McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken. The man’s diet is recognizable to most “common” (deplorable?) folks – and earned doctors’ scorn – but Trump’s simple cuisine tastes apparently don’t detract from a personal drive that’s virtually unmatched by anyone, anywhere.
Take that, celery stick pushers! The president likes real food and his vitals are good too!
Trump’s been chastised numerous times for his 3 o’clock in the morning tweet storms as well, mostly by judgmental people who think the leader of the free world should be getting much needed (for most humans at least) shuteye rather than expressing every thought that enters his brain via social media. The problem with the doubters’ notion is Trump’s typical day probably begins at about that hour and lasts late into the night (who knows, maybe it’s indigestion from all the Big Macs and Filet-O-Fish sandwiches).
At any rate, we gather Trump’s desire to grow the economy is fueled by something other than saturated fat and sugar highs. Kudlow, along with his economist friends marveled at Trump’s passion for making things bigger and better even if they don’t always agree with the methods he uses to achieve them (namely tariffs and trade protectionism).
Bedard continued, Kudlow’s foreword in the book by Stephen Moore and Arthur B. Laffer, his partners in the 2016 kitchen cabinet of Trump economic advisors, makes the case that while his tactics are unconventional in Washington, Trump is scoring big wins on the economy, trade, taxes and energy.
The duo revealed over 300 pages that Trumponomics has 10 key points: Put America first, reject globalism; Restore American patriotism, like former President Reagan did; End the nanny state by empowering Americans to make their own decisions on issues like education and health care; Rebuild inner cities with a focus on curbing crime; Secure U.S. borders and end sanctuary policies that lure in illegal immigrants; Promote U.S. businesses; Attempt to eliminate polarizing identity politics; Reject declinism,’ and promote an agenda to better the future on several issues, including ending cancer; Promote democracy and free enterprise abroad, and, Speed economic growth.
Regular followers of American politics appreciate each of Trump’s ten points – he’s endlessly mentioned them in statements and policy proposals. There isn’t anything surprising here and that’s part of the beauty of it all – it doesn’t take a 300-page whitepaper to explain most of these ideas and reveals that a man who’s mercilessly criticized (by the media, Democrats and #NeverTrumpers) for lacking specifics or details understands the big picture better than anyone since Ronald Reagan.
All of these topics fit squarely within the confines of a campaign speech, too, and suggests why Trump doesn’t need a teleprompter when speaking to supporters from the stump. Why not? Because he’s preached most of these themes his entire life; if Trump looks natural in his choice of language and delivery it’s because he’s already memorized the content by heart.
No one teaches Trump to love America – the feeling is genuine and heartfelt. It’s his and his family’s story, even if he’s gamed the system on occasion to get ahead. No wonder Trump’s backers are so dedicated to him…there’s nothing phony about him. And maybe it’s about time we elevated a successful man to lead the nation rather than a politician with a weak resume who looks good in a suit and possesses a golden the chosen one voice.
Needless to say not everyone’s a fan of Trump’s hard-edged style but even his critics would begrudge him respect for being good at what he does. Everyone wishes we possessed Trump’s energy and work ethic – if that were the case maybe we’d all be billionaires. Of course, the medical community feels Trump’s burning the candle at both ends – but could it be the president’s unusual lifestyle means he’s onto something (don’t try this at home, necessarily)?
Not to suggest Kudlow’s mistaken but by appearances five percent growth isn’t what Trump’s truly obsessed about; no, the president believes growth will occur when his complete agenda is enacted. First and foremost, Americans lost the ability to believe in themselves and their country after Reagan left Washington. Kudlow, Moore and Laffer argue Trump is no libertarian at heart – unlike Reagan – but he still believes government should clear out of the way and allow individuals to forge their own paths in life.
“Trumponomics” may be more or less fiction but the spirit behind it isn’t. “Reaganomics” was an actual theory based on low taxes, limited regulation and maximum individual liberty. Trump, like Reagan did, believes in the greatness of America, which is as authentic as the country itself. Here’s thinking the president will do everything possible to ensure the economy reaches his five percent goal – and hopefully Congress will support him along the way.
But if Nancy Pelosi crawls back into the Speaker’s chair nothing will be accomplished. If it wasn’t already evident from eight years of Obama’s presidency it’s crystal clear now that Democrat control of government soars like a lead balloon on ordinary citizens’ psyches. Whenever political correctness supplants good common sense it forces everyone to hesitate, which ain’t good for innovation, creativity and willingness to sacrifice.
Incredulously, despite Democrats’ recent post-Kavanaugh hit in the polls Pelosi still thinks she’ll be Speaker again come next January. Al Weaver reported at The Washington Examiner, “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi predicted Monday that she would be the next speaker once Democrats take control of the House, and said Democrats would choose her again because of her years of experience in the House…
Pelosi recently told the Los Angeles Times that she sees herself as a transitional speaker if she retains the gavel, but declined to put any time frame on how long she would serve atop the party.
I am not going to make myself a lame duck. I wouldn’t advise that, my sisters,’ Pelosi said. ‘I think that I have a special understanding, institutional memory, knowledge of the substance, knowledge of the legislative process, that holds me in good stead for now. We will see what happens in the presidential coming up.
That’s right, Pelosi assumes she’ll be Speaker in a few months just like Hillary Clinton presumed she’d be president after the 2016 election. Opinion surveys back then suggested Hillary would win easily and a good many generic ballot polls indicate Pelosi has a better than average chance to grasp the gavel again with a new Democrat House majority.
We’ll know for sure in a week whether Pelosi’s correct, but Democrats would be nuts to choose her for another go-round regardless (then again, being “nuts” is a defining characteristic of Democrats in general). Democrats’ arrogance and embrace of a radical leftist budget-busting and cultural altering agenda turned off voters in 2016 and signs warn they’re doing it again. Generic ballot polls also don’t reveal what’s happening in individual races and many smart people predict Democrats won’t retake the House either.
Pelosi’s ultra-leftist viewpoint certainly reflects the ideological drift of today’s Democrat Party but her age and the fact she’s been around forever (having taken over as Democrat House leader in 2003) doesn’t lend itself to the image makeover the party desperately needs. It doesn’t matter Pelosi considers herself transitional because that would be the case anyway. Not even Democrats are dumb enough to cling to an unpopular aged dinosaur as their leader for long.
Pelosi’s intimation she doesn’t consider herself the de facto lifetime Democrat leader may quell the worries of party faithful but here’s predicting she’ll stay as long as she dang-well feels like and maintain power by showering the Congressional Black and Hispanic caucuses with goodies and favors galore. There won’t be enough intra-party opposition to deny her either. Lord knows the most rabid liberals love her.
And some speculate Democrat freshmen will owe Pelosi a favor, too, since the Minority Leader’s sprinkled so much cash on would-be lawmakers. Money talks, right? Hopefully we won’t have occasion to find out.
Many realistic conservatives think the Democrats’ blue wave is sinking fast in a sea of nonsense. David Catron wrote at The American Spectator, Combined with a wide-ranging program of deregulation, a variety of energy programs that will reduce the cost of living and doing business, and a rate of economic growth that is projected to exceed 3 percent over the calendar year — for the first time in a decade — these tax cuts are not likely to cause the same level of consternation among suburban voters as they have among Democrats.
Nor are the initiatives that freed some Americans from the bonds of Obamacare: The elimination of the individual mandate tax, and the repeal of IPAB (a health care rationing board known as the death panel).
So, if the midterms are going to be a referendum on Trump’s tenure in office thus far, it seems a little implausible that the GOP is going to sustain huge losses because angry suburbanites want higher taxes, more regulation, expensive energy, slow economic growth, high priced Obamacare plans, health care rationing, and federal funding for abortion on demand. Nor does it seem likely that they want the House Democrats to spend the next two years impeaching Trump. If there is a ‘suburban tsunami’ in November, the Democrats had better start heading for higher ground right now.
Yes indeed, there are the economic factors discussed above, but Catron also addresses the commonly spread media myth suggesting “suburban” voters will reject the GOP in droves this year due to Trump’s personality excesses and therefore Republicans should expect a hailstorm of bad news on November 6… just like they did a year ago in New Jersey and Virginia.
Early voting evidence doesn’t support the Democrats’ and media’s GOP whitewash theory as Republican strongholds are showing high turnout – and these absolutely include suburban areas – you know, the ones with grocery stores on every corner and public athletic fields dotting the landscape to make soccer moms happy and supposedly turn them into big believers in government services and benefits.
But these suburban inhabitants also realize the value of an American economy that’s bursting at the seams thanks to Trump’s pro-growth strategies and immigration policies that put their communities first rather than pandering to a certain ethnic constituency. Things like Trump reiterating last week he’d cut off foreign aid to central American countries that didn’t cooperate to disband the caravan of would-be aliens heading north.
It’s the right campaign issue at just the right time. Trump tweeted, Every time you see a Caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our Country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change our pathetic Immigration Laws! Remember the Midterms! So unfair to those who come in legally.
That’s the point. Voters who punish Republicans for Trump’s un-presidential behavior only open themselves up to more travesties like the caravan moving unhindered through a foreign country headed for the U.S. border. These people don’t even hide their aims anymore – they’re brazen. And Trump’s right, Democrats enable all of it.
Some may not like Trump’s style but he gets results. Instead of equivocating like so many American leaders before him Trump states his positions and backs them up with unrivaled energy and action, qualities conservatives used to only dream about. November 6 couldn’t come soon enough.
