Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. Most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.
Occasionally I break from the normal formatting and do a “sense check.” Auditing one’s own work is problematic but I try to be objective. Entries #300 and #301 are the most recent “sense checks.” Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments, please.
Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC, start of workday
Gelly: “Good morning, Jordan. Sorry I didn’t make it back from the conference yesterday. Long day. How was your visit with Walt?”
Jordan: “Visit was great. His thinking seems to have returned to normal.”
Gelly: “So his ‘de-brainwashing’ of Trumpism really helped. The whole idea of brainwashing someone or some group seems a bit odd to me but it must have worked.”
Jordan: “Worked on Walt and millions of hard-core Trump supporters. Say, what’s with the sling on your left arm?”
Gelly: “That’s why it was a long day yesterday. On the way out of the conference, I slipped on something and landed on my left elbow.”
Jordan: “Yikes that must have hurt? Go to ER?”
Gelly: “Yes, it did hurt. Fortunately my doctor’s office is close to where I fell. Went to the office and got an X-ray. PA said my elbow was fractured. Then I got this cast. Well, not really a cast but keeps me from moving my elbow.”
Jordan: “Any idea how long in the sling?”
Gelly: “Apparently 6-8 weeks.”
Jordan: “Can you work at all? Seems as if we should get someone in here to help…at least for a couple of months.”
Gelly: “Some help would be great. As far as work? I can hold a cup of coffee in my left hand but not much else. Serious typing, trying to file or even moving anything is out for a while.”
Jordan: “OK, then let’s get somebody in here no later than tomorrow morning.”
Gelly: “Now, back to business. At the conference there was a lot of discussion about the effect of government economic policies.”
Jordan: “Such policies as…?”
Gelly: “The topic for one of the sessions was Federal government economic policies following the Revenge Revolution. A couple of speakers kept touting that Trump’s economic policies in the first two years in office were highly effective and should be the basis for future government economic growth.”
Jordan: “You mean such policies as tax cuts for the wealthy, tearing up trade agreements with other countries that the US drafted after WWII, efforts to severely restrict immigration and then allow only people with money to get green cards and finally citizenship. Those kinds of policies?”
Gelly: “Yes, but the speakers seemed so convincing. In the past I’ve heard you debunk those policies. What I’d like to learn is a simple, but meaningful way to decide which government economic policies are appropriate for certain conditions. Can you help me?”
Jordan: “Of course. I have three guidelines – really basic questions that might help you. The first question is about tax policy. Ready?”
Gelly: “Yes, have on my thinking cap.”
Jordan: “If the Federal government is going to use personal income and taxes to help spur economic growth, to what kind of people should it direct most of the effort? Who, for example, is likely to spend say $1,000? A person or family making $35,000 per year with little savings or a person making say $235,000 with a decent stock portfolio?”
Gelly: “The person or family making $35,000. That person probably has 5-10 things the money could be used for. The person making $235,000 will likely never notice the $1,000 and just leave the money in the bank.”
Jordan: “Question #2. If the Federal government wants to stimulate employment, which policy would be more effective – trying to create even more new jobs when unemployment is already low or trying to create new jobs when unemployment is high and a lot of people ae looking for work?”
Gelly: “Why would the government try to create more jobs when unemployment rate is already low? That makes no sense to me. Create more jobs when unemployment is high.”
Jordan: “Question #3. If you’re the Federal government, when is a better time to save money and pay down the Federal debt? When Federal tax revenues are high and maybe likely to grow or when federal tax revenues are falling and likely to fall more?”
Gelly: “When tax revenue is high. That’s when government should pay down debt and save for a rainy day. When the economy starts to get bad is when the government should start spending more money and create more jobs.”
Jordan: “Gelly, you are on your way to becoming an economist.”
Gelly: “Those questions and answers seem so basic. But the left-over Trump supporters kept spouting exactly the opposite of what we just discussed. They kept taking about more tax cuts for the highest income people. Their argument was if the government doesn’t reduce taxes for people with the most money, they won’t invest, build new plants and create more jobs. A lot of people seemed to buy in to that argument.”
Jordan: “Here’s another question. Say you own a business and the government just reduced income taxes…but mostly for very wealthy people. And let’s say your factory produces chocolate candy bars. Are you going to increase production of candy bars in hopes that people will eat more chocolate?”
Gelly: “No, that would be stupid. Sounds like a waste of money.”
Jordan: “When would you add production capacity and hire more workers?”
Gelly: “When I kept having to produce candy bars on overtime and it was hard to keep up with demand.”
Jordan: “You’re right. The idea of ‘build it and they will come’ works only in the movies.”
Gelly: “Then why did Trump promote all those economic policies that seem illogical? And, even worse, why did the Republicans in Congress pass the legislation?”
Jordan: “Short answer is greed. The Donald was never, ever for anyone but the Donald. He did not care how economic policies affected the country as long as he and his family could make more money.”
Gelly: “What about the Republicans in Congress? Could they have been brain-washed like Walt was?”
Jordan: “Some maybe. I think the old adage about ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ applies to Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and some of the committee chairs.”
Gelly: “When you mentioned McConnell you know what popped in my head? The scene from ‘The Graduate’ where Elaine is in Benjamin’s rented room near Berkeley, she’s just screamed and the landlord is headed toward the room and turns to Benjamin. The landlord says to Benjamin, ‘You are scum.’ Seems to fit Trump, McConnell and some others.”
Jordan: “I’ll buy that.”
Gelly: “Have you got time to explain more economics to me, please?”
Jordan: “Of course. Keep in mind not all economics is as basic as we just discussed. And some parts are counter-intuitive. We can talk more about fundamentals…after I refill my coffee.”
Gelly: “OK and I’ll call the temp agency.”
Walt: “I agree it was an interesting experience. Yes, I’ve got time for a couple more questions, then I’m outta here.”
Walt: “Yes. Best I can tell, Woodward is about as credible a journalist as you can find. I’ve never heard what I call a true Washington journalist say he’s anything but top drawer. Forget what the talking heads say about him.”
Jordan: “How’d you react when Trump claimed the book was full of lies and made-up quotes?”
Walt: “Yes, and sometimes at myself for having believed him. Trump lied who knows how many times a day. He was a serial liar…even about stuff that didn’t really matter. He made Pinocchio look like a penny waiting for change. So the serial liar claims this highly respected journalist made up key parts of the book…and then the serial liar expects rational people to believe him. C’mon. At that time Woodward had written I think 7-8 books about presidents. And he’s going to make up quotes?”
Walt: “Woodward’s book title was spot on. The word ‘fear’ was a great descriptor. Fear among the White House staff and the agencies about what crazy stuff Trump might try to do and fear of the consequences for the country.”
Walt: “The scene from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ where the bad witch tries to bully Dorothy to give up her ruby slippers. Then the good witch – in this case Woodward rather than Glenda – shoos off the bad witch and protects Munchkin Land.”
Jordan: “When bad witch was shooed off, the Munchkins…aka Republicans…had the opportunity to return to normal.”
Jordan: “No. Trump’s actions made the polarization much worse. He allowed the wacko fringes to come out of the closet. In fact he seemed to promote the wacko far right. Maybe even worse, his economic policies and efforts to control the judiciary accelerated the country’s slide to becoming a banana republic.”
Walt: “Woodward…along with a few others…confirmed what a lot of people suspected about Trump. Except what Woodward showed the situation was much worse than most anyone thought.”
Jordan: “Or, as they say in Texas, ‘All hat; no cattle.’ That’s the same group who wanted staffers to resign if they didn’t totally agree with Trump. ‘Hail the king. He can do no wrong.’”
Walt: “I couldn’t come up with a good answer. I also thought if the president had been a Democrat and had done 1/10 what the public knew Trump had done, Republicans would have been ranting and raving, demanding impeachment and jail time. Just look at how long Republicans were obsessed with Hillary’s email server. Even when no one could find any evidence of criminal activity, they kept probing. They wouldn’t give up no matter what the evidence was.”
Jordan: “What about Nixon’s behavior?”
Walt: “Trump, on the other hand, set a new standard for illicit behavior. OK, most everybody can overlook being in bed with porn stars. But in bed with the Russians? No way. Think about it. The president of the United States, and much of his immediate family, in bed with the Russians. Some of his sleaziness was well-known and not a surprise. So, with his known background, why did Republicans let him on the ticket, let alone get nominated? When the info on the Russian connection started to come out, why did Republicans sit on their hands and do nothing to get rid of him? I admit I’m not innocent…for a while I retweeted some of his stuff. But what about Republican leaders in the House and Senate? They had access to confidential information and did nothing with it. They’re still in denial. Bunch of whims.”
Jordan: “You know why they’re in denial.”
Walt: “If I read this chart correctly, in about 1900, GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita was about the same in the US and Argentina.”
Walt: “At the same time, we had Trump trash talking, claiming the judiciary was crooked. Remind you of someone from the 1930’s? Anyway, when I suggested it was important to rebuild confidence in the judiciary, I never considered that without a fair judiciary, sustained economic growth was not possible.”
Walt: “That’s it. Todd looked more dumbfounded than a deer in headlights. Then he tried to let Giuliani correct his mistake. But Giuliani in true Trump fashion, refused to admit an error and proceeded to straight-jacket himself.”
Walt: “Hadn’t thought of it exactly like you phrased it but Giuliani’s comment was so stupid an alarm bell went off in my head.”
Walt: “Probably. But I’m still embarrassed to talk about my brainwashed state. I mean, when I was brainwashed, Kellyanne Conway’s claim about ‘alternative facts’ never caused me to pause.”
Walt: “I asked him if he was calling me a liar. He asked again for the source of information. I repeated my claim he was calling me a liar…then I left.”
Walt: “Nothing. What still makes me smile was when the owner of the National Enquirer was granted immunity.”
Walt: “Once the brainwashing cap got penetrated, I started to look at the flood of Trump’s tweets a lot more critically. What I noticed was that virtually every tweet laid the blame for a problem on someone else or on some Federal agency. Trump seemed to forget he was in charge.”
Jordan: “OK, now we’re in a new era. Trump is gone and the country has gone through the Revenge Revolution. And you’re more open to crossing party lines. What about other former Trumpsters?”
Gelly: “Nice to be back. Had lots of fun but sorta, kinda missed the office.”
Jordan: “Right. Walt’s coming over sometime late morning.”
Walt: “We had a great time and the fireworks at the club were sensational.”
Walt: “I thought Trump was a blowhard. More of a flake real-estate salesman than a conservative Republican.”
Walt: “Guess I never really considered the experience. Was more intrigued with the idea of change than the quality of the people involved or what they had to do to implement change. Sort of the ends justifying the means.”
Walt: “We’ll talk about troubling later. As I said, I did my own studying trying to understand if Trump was real or not. I spent lots of time watching Fox – mostly Hannity and O’Reilly before he got unfairly railroaded out – and I’d catch Limbaugh on the radio a couple of times a week. The more I listened to these guys the more convinced I was Trump was on the right track.”
Jordan: “Did your studying include reading newspapers – let’s say the Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, Washington Post, NY Times?”
Jordan: “If I understand correctly, your primary sources of info were Trump, Trump’s tweets, probably the White House press secretary – Sarah Huckabee – and a couple of commentators on Fox. No print media other than an occasional read of the Journal. And no other networks such as PBS, CBS, and say MSNBC.”
Walt: “OK, but you have to buy coffee…and I want a bagel, too.”
Greenie: “I agree the president and cabinet need to pass the same end-of-year test given to 8th graders. Let me add another, ‘Duh, are you serious?’ idea.”
JC: “You mean the idea of treating your neighbor the same way you want to be treated?”
Greenie: “I don’t know if Sessions had kids or grandkids but do you think he’d want his kids or grandkids separated from their parents?”
JC: “Maybe there would a cabinet officer or some high-ranking staffer whose job it is to go around and ask ‘Would you want this whatever-idea-is-being-discussed to happen to your family?’ The person could be titled the ‘sanity-check maven.’”
JC: “Let’s hope going brain-dead is past tense. We have a new opportunity to begin rebuilding American values post Revenge Revolution. Even if it is kindergarten like, using ‘treat thy neighbor’ as a check mark for policies and legislation seems like a good way to keep things from getting too out of control again.”
Greenie: “You mean like when public pressure force king Trump to stop separating children from families at the border?”
JC: “Don’t make me laugh? Not know what an 8th grader know? Still not sure what you’re talking about.”
JC: “Now I think I see where you’re headed. What about Trump implying…or at least asking…if Canada burned down the White House in 1812? No that was the British. Gee, Donald, in case you didn’t know Canada has been a long-time friendly neighbor. Canada is north of the continental US, except for one area near Detroit, and a major trading partner until you tried to ruin the relationship.”
Jordan: “So, Greenie, exactly what are you proposing?”
Greenie: “I don’t know how we’d test for some things but by forcing candidates for Federal office and Cabinet nominees to take 8th-grade end-of-year exams, you can assume that those who pass at least paid some attention to teachers along the way. And anyone who failed…”
Greenie: “Why not be straightforward? No reason to sugarcoat. I think we give some examples of basic information that Trump and the Cabinet members did not know. There are lots of examples where it looked as if they hadn’t graduated from 8th grade and/or should have been wearing dunce caps. It was embarrassing for the country.”
Greenie: “He retired from the House. I guess you call it retired if not seeking in November 2018 qualifies as retiring.”
JC: “C’mon, you love it. Now what’s the idea?”
Greenie: “Let’s keep in mind the past does provide some guidance to the future. You do agree with that, don’t you, Jordan?”
Jordan: “For one, Greenie’s articles about the Revenge Revolution. We might have more understanding about the causes of the Revenge Revolution than anyone in Congress, especially incoming members or staffers.”
(Following is the list from the brainstorming session about how to really make America great again. Over the coming blog entries, a number of these ideas will be discussed in more detail.)
Greenie: “You got it.”
JC: “We were trying to be more diplomatic post revolution. Won’t laying out the bare facts open old wounds?”
Greenie: “Good question. Why? If the article is about lack of Republican leadership in the House and Senate, why hold back? Mitch McConnell did the country a major disservice by not squashing some of the cabinet nominees.”
Greenie: “The guy had been awarded some medal by the Russians. Look, I have no qualms about the head of ExxonMobil, or another oil company, working with the Russians. But don’t take the guy and put him in as Secretary of State. At State, he needs to protect American interests and not be concerned about personal or company interests. Making him Secretary created an immediate and obvious conflict.”
JC: “DeVos to be head of Department of Education was another lightweight. During the Senate hearings, Betsy, bless her little heart, couldn’t answer the most fundamental questions about how the education system works.”
Greenie: “But McConnell didn’t tell Trump. So Trump took the upper hand, berated McConnell publicly and McConnell shrank like a violet. In the process, McConnell became an enabler for Trump’s wacko behavior.”
Greenie: “The Speaker of the House appoints many of the committee chairs. Ryan could have gotten Nunes replaced with someone willing to pursue the investigation. It’s possible…and we need to check this for the article…it’s possible Ryan could have appointed Adam Schiff, a Democrat to lead the investigation.”
Greenie: “OK, now that we’ve solved the mystery of the creation of the universe, I have another topic.”
Jordan: “Because by early 2018 it had become clear Trump was in the hands of the Russians…at least financially. They had him by the you know what.”
Greenie: “So why did Trump have Sessions fire McCabe? Firing McCabe accomplished nothing. Then Sessions got fired by Trump soon thereafter.”
Greenie: “Do you guys think Trump really understood who held all the cards? In the Washington poker game, Trump didn’t have a pair of deuces and Muller had a full house, yet Trump thought he could bluff Mueller.”
JC: “Pissing off mama bear is not smart. And doing so never has a good outcome.”
Greenie: “Most serious adults in the US…and worldwide…have great admiration for the FBI. I think it’s fairly well-known that when joining the agency you pledge to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.’ The people who I know connected with the Agency take the pledge very seriously.’ Trump’s behavior violated the pledge and effectively left them no choice.”
Jordan: “I’d like to ignore your last comment but you’re correct. Anyone with a modicum of gray matter could have seen what was going to happen when you mess with Mama-Bear FBI.”
Greenie: “Even after the transition from Trump, the country had the Revenge Revolution. Granted a few years later but probably a lot more peaceful that it might have been.”