All Talk, Little Action, No Surprise

Good for you. Have a cookie. https://t.co/yP2CsCgTXF

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) December 16, 2020

President Trump once reveled in calling the then-novel coronavirus the "China virus" and generally talking tough about mainland China.  It's fitting, therefore, that the pandemic he has encouraged and the mounting death rate he considers "is what it is" has bound us more closely to mainland China. The New York Times now has reported

American imports from China are surging as the year draws to a close, fueled by stay-at-home shoppers who are snapping up Chinese-made furniture and appliances, along with Barbie Dream Houses and bicycles for the holidays.

The surge in imports is another byproduct of the coronavirus, with Americans channeling money they might have spent on vacations, movies and restaurant dining to household items like new lighting for home offices, workout equipment for basement gyms, and toys to keep their children entertained.

That has been a boon for China, the world’s largest manufacturer of many of those goods. In November, China reported a record trade surplus of $75.43 billion, propelled by an unexpected 21.1 percent surge in exports compared with the same month last year. Leading the jump were exports to the United States, which climbed 46.1 percent to $51.98 billion, also a record.

As one tweeter pointed out, Senator Blackburn should have typed "back down from Communist China" rather than "back down to...." She's recommending we not "back down to China," which would be displaying our rear end while saying  "kiss our a_ _ _." 

So maybe she's more diplomatic than President Trump has been. More effective, however, would have been ramping up domestic manufacturing, which Trump promised to do, but which probably would have cut into his ability to maximize financial profit from the mainland. Additionally, we would have missed out on Theater by Trump.

 

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