The ridiculous audacity of Donald Trump

There doesn’t seem to be a single element of the status quo the President finds acceptable and whenever he happens to determine something is unacceptable, he has not hesitated to put his entire Presidency and its ultimately legacy on the line.  In some other universe, Donald Trump retook office on January 20, 2025 and proceeded… Continue reading The ridiculous audacity of Donald Trump

The Supreme Court’s unsatisfying decision to cut the IEEPA baby in half on tariffs

Taxes have been considered a form of regulation since the Founding. Concluding one doesn’t come with the other amounts to believing Congress delegated the use of economic nuclear weapons, but only nuclear weapons, even when a scalpel might better serve the same purpose. In principle, I agree with the notion that our constitutional order does… Continue reading The Supreme Court’s unsatisfying decision to cut the IEEPA baby in half on tariffs

Trump and the sad truth about the deficit and the debt

It was Ronald Reagan who once quipped that the deficit was big enough to take care of itself. We can rightly criticize Trump for spending too much, we can encourage and cajole him into cutting more, but we cannot hold him accountable for a problem for which there is no politically viable fix.  Last week,… Continue reading Trump and the sad truth about the deficit and the debt

Trump is simply an another level than other politicians, love him or hate him, for better or worse

Last week he launched TrumpRx.com. If you were to ask me to trade his accomplishments – many like revitalizing the Monroe Doctrine or being instrumental in overturning Roe Vs. Wade that I had only previously dreamed of – for less boorish and at times offensive behavior, I’d take the accomplishments every single time. Whether you… Continue reading Trump is simply an another level than other politicians, love him or hate him, for better or worse

Democrats are all in against President Trump, but they might find themselves boxed in later this year

Progressives are betting entirely on hatred of the President and a disaster of any kind, but what if that disaster never occurs?   While it is normal for the opposition party to oppose, I don’t think many would argue that opposition to President Trump is on an entirely different level than anything we have seen… Continue reading Democrats are all in against President Trump, but they might find themselves boxed in later this year

The clock is ticking on the economy, but there are certainly positive signs as the new year rolls in

The border is secure, the government has been slashed, tariffs are in place, Most Favored Nation status has been achieved with major brands, and the Big Beautiful Bill is law.  That leaves only two questions that matter:  Will this work and will Americans feel the positive impacts in time for the midterms?  Last week, President… Continue reading The clock is ticking on the economy, but there are certainly positive signs as the new year rolls in

Reminder: The Constitution doesn’t actually mention tariffs and the Supreme Court ruled in 1928 that the power can be delegated to the President

Rather than looking at the Constitution, the history, the law, and the facts, many automatically assume President Trump will not prevail at the Supreme Court or anything else, but what else is new? Last week, Supreme Court pundits and watchers were convinced the Justices were set to overturn President Trump’s global tariff policy because several… Continue reading Reminder: The Constitution doesn’t actually mention tariffs and the Supreme Court ruled in 1928 that the power can be delegated to the President

Trump’s Asia triumph and the enduring, under appreciated art of constant dealmaking

If you aren’t willing to make adjustments, and you aren’t continually grinding it out, day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and year in, you are unlikely to achieve anything except blather. “We have a deal,” President Donald Trump declared after meeting with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping in… Continue reading Trump’s Asia triumph and the enduring, under appreciated art of constant dealmaking

Trump and some hard truths about the piss poor jobs report

Though the President himself warned there would be short term disruption, it doesn’t matter who or what is to blame.  It could be tariffs, it could be Trump, it could be that the job fairy is taking a vacation, or a mass delusion that the economy is worse than it is, numbers like this can’t… Continue reading Trump and some hard truths about the piss poor jobs report

Reminder: Democrats should love tariffs because they have wanted to raise taxes for years

While we might forgive politicians for a little politicking, it’s more than a little ironic for Democrats to abandon a core tenet of their philosophy and pretend higher taxes haven’t been a long term goal. On December 1, 2010, Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles concluded President Barack Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform… Continue reading Reminder: Democrats should love tariffs because they have wanted to raise taxes for years