August 25, 2019: Tariff War with China Hurting Farmers

 

8/25/19: President Trump gets confused at the G-7 summit and garbles his message. A reporter asks him if he thinks he can force U.S. companies to leave China. He could if he wanted, he says, channeling his inner Benito Mussolini. 

Still, he adds, “I have no plan right now. Actually, we’re getting along very well with China right now. We’re talking.” 

A reporter puts another question to him. Does he have any second thoughts about raising tariffs on China? 

“Yeah, sure, why not?” Trump replies. “Might as well. Might as well. I have second thoughts about everything.” 

(Including wedding vows.)

 

Trump keeps insisting that America’s farmers are doing great. For some strange reason farm groups which have protested Trump administration tariff policies include: 

The American Farm Bureau Federation

The National Pork Producers Council

Farmers for Free Trade

The Dairy Business Association

Concerned Brussel Sprouts Council

National Corn Growers Association

National Association of Wheat Growers

American Soybean Association

National Farmers Union 

Okay, one of those is made up.

 

The collateral damage resulting from the Trump Trade Wars may be difficult to repair, even if China buckles. “Last year,” Bloomberg reported, “farm debt-to-income was at the highest level since 1984.”

 

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TO BE FAIR, we should note that many farmers continue to support the president. All respect to the hard-working farmers of America. 

Although this blogger still hates beets. 

This blogger should also make clear: He does not believe all Trump fans, farmers or not, are racists or chuckleheads. Nor does he believe Trump supporters are bad people, generally. Still, one must ask why it is that decent human beings refuse to acknowledge an underlying current of virulent hate in the president’s messaging. It should be clear he’s tapping into dangerous currents in American political thought. “Thought” being broadly defined. (See: 8/6/19 and 8/20/19.)

 

For example, these guys gathered for fun in Hillsborough, North Carolina this weekend. Note their banner: 

 

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WE ALSO LEARN that President Trump has been kicking around the idea that we could use some of our nuclear weapons to blow up hurricanes before they hit the U.S. coast. Aides are reluctant to tell him the truth. 

Coming soon: radioactive fish!!!!