Besides everything else, there’s this:

[pdq]

You know who, a couple of years ago: wrote:

"[Balancing the federal budget] can be done. ... It will take place and it will go relatively quickly. ... If you have the right people, like, in the agencies and the various people that do the balancing ... you can cut the numbers by two pennies and three pennies and balance a budget quickly and have a stronger and better country."

Yeah, that didn’t go so well.

The US gross national debt – the total of all Treasury securities outstanding – jumped by $1 trillion over the past five weeks, from May 4 through June 8, and by $2.5 trillion for the 11 weeks since March 23.

No, not (all) his fault, though the trillion-dollar corporate giveaway that was going to “supercharge our economy” (remember that?) didn’t help...and it’s currently probably unavoidable, to keep the whole thing from imploding under the Orange Menace.

But then I hear Deplorables going on about how He keeps his promises and He gets things done.

Is this what they mean?

[S. Pupp]

pdq wrote:
He gets things done.

"Getting things done" is not a good reason to reelect a sociopath; there are consequences. Just ask Germany and Italy; Hitler and Mussolini accomplished much for their countries, but at one heck of a cost to the world, and to their own countries in the end.

[Dennis S]

What about the "tax and spend" liberals?

[rjmacs]

This is a prelude to a 'Shock Doctrine'-style economic disasterism from the GOP as soon as the economy stabilizes under the next Democratic president. There will be cries for deep cuts and reforms to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security - without which the economy will collapse and everyone will starve.... If a GOP leader thereafter comes to power, or Sweet Potato Saddam is reelected, we will see massive efforts to privatize all things public, to move all remaining utilities, services (like the US Post Office, etc.), and attractions (national parks, etc.) to the ownership or management of private corporations, to reduce public spending.

This is what we have perpetrated on much of the rest of the globe, imposing what are euphemistically called 'austerity measures,' which means cutting public aid programs for the poor, and for public safety nets, and broadly for matters like culture, art, and social good.

[Sarcany]

rjmacs wrote:
This is what we have perpetrated on much of the rest of the globe, imposing what are euphemistically called 'austerity measures,' which means cutting public aid programs for the poor, and for public safety nets, and broadly for matters like culture, art, and social good.

I think the problem is that extreme privilege turns people into sociopaths and sociopaths don't have a good answer to the question, "why should other people have food, art, education or health care?"

[Rolando]

Thanks Obama!

[sekker]

Sure showcases what a historical inflection point we are in.

[AllGold]

pdq wrote:
No, not (all) his fault, though the trillion-dollar corporate giveaway that was going to “supercharge our economy” (remember that?) didn’t help...

Hard to say how much of it was intentional, but the tax giveaway did supercharge the stock market, although anyone who has a brain knows the stock market and the economy are not one and the same.

[mattkime]

Sorry, but this is the right move

[pdq]

mattkime wrote:
Sorry, but this is the right move

It probably is, given the dire circumstances we find ourselves in.

I was just trying to make a point about the Guy Who Keeps His Promises. In fact, he almost never has, whether it’s releasing his taxes, suing those who accused him of sexual assault, never settling the Trump U lawsuits, coming up with a wonderful medical plan that would cover everyone for less, saving American manufacturing, saving “beautiful clean coal”, and on and on.

The only time he’s really kept his promises was being gratuitously cruel to desperate people for the sick edification of his base.