If Only This Were a Movie

"If." And if a cat were a dog, it could bark.

Geraldo Rivera: "The family did visit Japan... we did not see a single American car on the road in Tokyo — not a Caddy, not a Buick, not a Ford, not a Chevy... I have an innate sense that there's something unfair going on... if they are screwing us, we got to tax them." pic.twitter.com/awkaHEQaVS

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 3, 2025

The positive comes in the form of Rivera's qualification with "if."  He argues "if these numbers are correct, so if some fraction of them, you know, if the trend is, if there is not an essential lie being told here, and if we are getting screwed by these foreign producers, then.... "

What are the odds that a chart blessed by Donald Trump will have an underlying accuracy? Donald Trump? Really? As with most of the President's assertions, the dishonesty should be treated with something well beyond skepticism. Journalist and The Guardian financial editor Nils Pratley explains

....  analysts noted the simplistic- or plain perverse- formula behind the administration's tariff arithmetic. It seems to have taken a country's trade deficit in goods with US, divided it by its exports to the US and called the resulting number a trade barrier that deserves a "reciprocal" US tariff. The underlying logic, it would appear, is that every country should always have a perfect trade balance with the US- never mind the impossibility of achieving that outcome, and never mind that the tariffs don't affect trade in services.

Also, Geraldo Rivera: not an economist. "If they are screwing us, we got to tax them." However, tariffs are federal taxes,, set by Congress,  as aa "percentage of the price a buyer pays a foreign seller." They are "applied to  goods at the border" and are collected by customs and Border Protection agents at the 328 ports of entry across the USA. We are not taxing them; the US government is taxing domestic buyers, which are then inclined to pass most of the additional cost on to consumers.

"Screwing us?" Yes, someone is screwing us. But the screwing is being done by the guy who at a Cabinet meeting said the country is "bloated, fat, and disgusting" and is taking his revenge upon that country and the people, immigrants or otherwise, within it. The call is not coming from foreign countries. The call is coming from inside the house.

Share |

Outspent and Victorious

Republicans, even the one who steps away from Donald Trump, can be very slick.

Ingraham: Why did the Republicans lose that judicial race in Wisconsin?

Miller: You got to remember, candidates do matter. In this case, we did not have a particularly good one. Democrats also have a ton of out-of-state money that came in pic.twitter.com/mczSlQwOQN

— Acyn (@Acyn) April 2, 2025

Democrats did raise a lot of money from out-of-state. However 

With ideological control of the court again at stake, the race shattered the record set just two years ago. Through today, WisPolitics had tracked $107 million in overall spending through independent expenditure filings with the state, data from AdImpact, information from media buyers and sources with knowledge of the efforts. That includes $58.2 million by Schimel and those supporting him and $48.8 million by Crawford and those backing her.

The spending was dominated by big donors. George Soros donated $2 million to the state Dem Party, while Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker chipped in $1.5 million. The party then poured $11.4 million into Crawford’s campaign.

On the GOP side, Beloit billionaire Diane Hendricks has given $3.6 million to the state Republican Party since Jan. 1, while Illinois businesswoman Liz Uihlein kicked in $2.2 million, and her husband Dick Uihlein gave the party another $1.7 million. It transferred $9.5 million to Schimel’s campaign.

Still, no donor was more influential than Musk, who appeared in Green Bay over the weekend.

The billionaire business owner and top aide to Trump plus two aligned PACs put in more than  $24 million, according to the WisPolitics tally. That includes $12.6 million by America PAC and another nearly $8.7 million by Building America’s Future PAC.

Musk personally gave the state GOP $3 million. And the $24.3 million doesn't include what America PAC handed out to registered voters who signed a petition opposing "activist judges." Those who did that- and provided personal information the PAC could use for GOTV efforts- received $100 per person.. The PAC offered other incentives as part of its turn out the vote efforts, including three $1 million awards to people who signed the online petition.

In the land of Trump- with which Jason Miller no longer is directly involved- Miller is nowhere near the most vial nor most dishonest. He's not even the most vial Trump acolyte named Miller because that honor clearly goes to Stephen.  But complaining about spending by Democrats when Elon Musk is on the other side is a little rich.

Share |

Simply One Step in the Inevitable Direction

NBC News reported Sunday

President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of seeking a third term in the White House, which is prohibited by the Constitution under the 22nd Amendment, saying in an exclusive interview with NBC News that there were methods for doing so and clarifying that he was “not joking.”

“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump said in a Sunday-morning phone call with NBC News, referring to his allies. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”

“I’m focused on the current,” Trump added, in some of his most extensive comments to date about serving a third term.

Coyly

When asked whether he wanted another term, the president responded, “I like working.”

“I’m not joking,” Trump said, when asked to clarify. “But I’m not — it is far too early to think about it.”

When asked whether he has been presented with plans to allow him to seek a third term, Trump said, “There are methods which you could do it.”

NBC News asked about a possible scenario in which Vice President JD Vance would run for office and then pass the role to Trump. Trump responded that “that’s one” method.

“But there are others, too,” Trump added.

Asked to share another method, Trump simply responded “no.”

Not joking and not diverting attention from anything else. This is floating an idea to see if it flies. There are at least four ways Trump can possibly occupy the Oval Office sometime beyond January 20, 2022. While more sanguine than I am of keeping King Trump from doing so, Chris Cillizza (video below) explains

There is clearly a will for it. He wants this to happen. He is making very clear that he wants it to happen. He talked about this in his first term. He's talked about it now in his second term. It's moved from "oh, I'm joking" to "I am not joking" and, you know, this is a step in that direction.

   

This is a step in that direction. If Trump waited, till, say, December of 2027 to declare his intention to hang on to the presidency or return to it, it might come as a shock to the public and the mainstream media. Therefore, he has decided to normalize the possibility. At this point, it sounds preposterous to many people but as he consolidates power and periodically raises the possibility of a third term, the notion will become more mainstream, hence more acceptable.

There won't be a constitutional amendment erasing the limit of the number of times an individual can be elected to the presidency. A Vance-Trump ticket is an option. Alternatively, martial law may be declared or Trump will cling to power by initiating a war or claiming one is under way. National emergency. If he has no other choice, he will refuse to leave office or force a confrontation with the U.S. Supreme Court. If he loses there, his rallying cry will be: you and whose army?

The Overton Window will continue, perhaps subtly, to shift. Whatever route he eventually takes, the President, Bannon, and others will periodically float the idea that Trump will serve one or more additional terms.. Donald J. Trump may not survive the remainder of this term, but will not give up power willingly otherwise.

Share |