How Many Dems Agree With Bill Maher's Recession Wish?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Politics: Rather than rooting on the strong economy, Democrats have taken to ignoring it, belittling it or, like Bill Maher did over the weekend, rooting for a recession. The extent to which Trump critics will go is truly mind-boggling.
The unemployment rate is at 49-year lows overall, and lower than ever for African-Americans. Household incomes are at record highs. The U.S. reclaimed its No. 1 rank in competitiveness. Economists are revising their growth forecasts upward. Optimism is at levels not seen in more than a decade.
Clearly the economy is doing well. And what's more, the public is increasingly crediting President Trump for it — as they should, since much of the turnaround is due to his dumping Obamanomics.
But what's a Democrat hoping to reclaim the House majority in November to do?
One is to ignore the economy altogether. So, Democrats are trying to turn attention to things like ObamaCare premiums or alleged corruption in the Trump administration.
Ignoring the economy will be tough, however, particularly if GDP growth comes in strong in Q2 and unemployment continues to fall.
The second option is to belittle it.
Nancy Pelosi, having dismissed the tax-cut-fueled raises and bonuses that millions of workers received as "crumbs," is now dismissing the good economic news as no big deal. Why? "Because of the wage stagnation."
"Our economy," she said, "will never fully reach its possibilities unless we increase the consumer confidence."
The army of media fact-checkers must have been asleep when she said this, since her claims are so easy to debunk.
Average hourly wages climbed 2.7% in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And as we noted in this space recently, median household income is at historic highs.
Meanwhile, every survey shows confidence levels at or approaching new highs since Trump took office.
The IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index, currently at 53.9, has averaged 53.5 under Trump, compared with 47 during President Obama's entire second term. (Anything over 50 is optimistic).
The Consumer Confidence Index is currently at 128, which is 25 points higher than it ever reached under Obama, and higher than it's been in 17 years.
Dismissing this good economic news as meaningless — after spending eight years proclaiming how great the stagnant economy was under Obama — isn't going to dispel the notion that Democrats are out of touch with working families.
Bill Maher's Wish
The third option is to admit openly what many Democrats no doubt feel privately: That a good recession is what the party needs to reclaim its former glory. After all, it did get Obama elected president.
Over the weekend, HBO talk show host Bill Maher spoke the words out load.
"I feel like the bottom has to fall out at some point," he said, talking about the booming economy. "And by the way, I'm hoping for it because one way you get rid of Trump is a crashing economy.
"Sorry if that hurts people, but it's either root for a recession or you lose your democracy."
Let's leave aside the glaring logical fallacy Maher commits with his false dilemma, and ponder what he is saying.
Maher would, if he could, throw millions of people into unemployment and poverty, watch as hard-earned savings vanish, wages stagnate and hope gets crushed, if that might keep Trump from winning re-election.
Wow.
Of course, it's easy for Maher to wish that, since he's already made his millions attacking Republicans. But just how many of his fellow Trump-loathing Democrats secretly feel the same way?
Reporters love to force Republican politicians to answer for anything outrageous that a conservative says. Shouldn't these same reporters, to prove their lack of political bias, press every single Democrat running for office in November to condemn Maher's economic death wish?
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Meh, it is coming soon whether you root for it or not.
Funny shit. The economy has been on the rise for 9 years, but somehow, the right literally thinks that all of this economic growth all happened since trump took office. Trump and his supporters may want to pretend that Obama did nothing, trashed the economy, etc.. But unfortunately, the numbers don't lie. I will give trump partial credit for the economy TODAY, but when he first took office and he was screaming about how great the economy was doing, (when a month earlier he was screaming how horrible it was), sorry, that goes to Obama.
The US economy isn't something that changes over night, and when it does change over night, it's ALWAYS a disaster, (think 1929). Trump has actually done very little to grow our economy, some would say nothing at all. The economy was trending upwards when he took office, it has continued that trend.
Like I said, I will give trump some credit, but all of the credit? No. The economy takes YEARS to fix, and fixing bush's epic fuck up's has literally taken a decade of work.
Also, the debt.... How odd that the right has suddenly stopped whining about the debt, like they did DAILY while Obama was in office. As predicted, the debt under trump will climb MUCH more, and he doesn't even have a recession to deal with...
Trump suspended the debt ceiling? Gee, I wonder why he would do that? So he can spend....spend....spend... You thought the debt exploded when Obama was in office? You ain't seen nothing yet...
If you go by GDP, the economy was stagnant under Obama. He never had more than 2 quarters in a Fiscal Year that were at 2.2% or better growth. Yet, every single quarter that Trump has been President has had at least 2.2% growth. Remember, the President takes office in the 2nd Quarter of the Fiscal Year in the odd year after an election due to the Fiscal Year starting in October.
The above link should be a chart from Q1 of 2008 to Q1 of 2018. Note that Obama's GDP growth was 2.2% or better in only 16 quarters of his Presidency. He had 3 quarters of negative economic growth Q2 of 2009, Q1 of 2011, and Q1 of 2014. His quarters of positive growth but less than 2.0% growth were: 2009: Q3, 2010: Q1, 2011: Q3, 2012: Q2, Q3, and Q4, 2013: Q2, 2015: Q3 and Q4, 2016: Q1 and Q4, 2017: Q1. 2014's Q4 was at exactly 2.0%. Remember anything below 2.0% growth is anemic at best. Considering the fluctuations in GDP growth, the economy never really recovered under Obama.
Been there, done that, right teapublicans?
What most refuse to understand is that average wages have been flat for some time. Things cost more yet people are not earning more. The divide between the wealthy and the poor is widening and has been for some time.. It is not sustainable.
Also the stock market seems to be artificially inflated. I don't wish for any thing bad to happen, I am just waiting for the inevitable.
Plus the deregulation on banking and lending institutions, we are asking for the same things that got us into trouble to begin with.
I live pretty close to the border, and I can go to Canada and buy a vehicle (snowmobile, motorcycle, boat, car, RV, truck) and as long as it's made in North America, I pay no tariffs on it to bring it back to the state. It is not the same for Canadians. They in fact do have to pay tariffs to do the same in America and bring stuff home. It is unfair to them and to us. We have several large malls around us and the Canadians wear their oldest nastiest clothes here, buy new clothes, change in the parking lot and wear the new clothes home so they don't have to pay tariffs. The President is right:
Uhhh. No.
Not sure what kind of bullshit you're trying to pass off but.
The rules on both sides are quite similar.
I've traveled extensively and up until last year went to work everyday as an owner of an import/export company.
You may have some NAFTA loophole you're working through and don't realize it but Canadians have Zero duty if the are coming across the border to shop and do not stay overnight in the USA. If they stay 48 hours they have a $200 cad limit before duties are paid. A week and they have a $800 limit duty free. Alcohol and tobacco have set limits.
In the USA If you leave for 48 hours you have an $800 limit every 31 days you can do it again. After that you pay a percentage.
When I came back from the ME I brought 3 Persian rugs with me it cost me $31 because I was $1500 over my limit.
As a business my duties and customs started from the first dollar and fluctuated depending on what I was importing. Same if I was exporting, I paid a percentage to that country.
I'm on my phone so if you want to confirm just google US duties rates and the same for the canadian.
What a pig Maher is. What an evil sentiment. In a recession, real people lose jobs, homes, retirement savings. Real people miss out on college, important medical procedures. Businesses close.
Another wealthy, elitist showbiz prick gleefully wishes evil on his fellow Americans - fellow human beings - knowing that the recession he hopes for won't affect him in the slightest. Because politics.
no one listened to what the lunatic left wanted before the election and there is no reason for anyone to start now.