The Failure Of President Trump's Trade Policy and Wars Continues.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign made a big issue of the U.S. Trade deficit and policy and said if elected would change the country's trade policy, especially toward China to reduce America's foreign trade deficit.  But as President, for almost four years, failed and in fact cost the federal government more money for bailing out the American farmers for the harm Trump's trade wars inflicted.

Now comes the U.S. Department of Commerce in a October 7 report that America's foreign trade deficit for August was up 5.9% or $67.1 billion dollars.  It was the largest increase since August 2006, fourteen years ago.  Also reported that the total foreign trade deficit January - August 2020 was $421.8 billion dollars, up 5.7% from the same period in 2019.  So Trump's promise to eliminate America's trade deficits was just another fairy tale and a part of Trump' fake news like he would create 25 million new jobs.

Trump, the self promoted boss of every one has allowed China to eat his lunch.  And like most of Trump's decisions, his corrupted persona does not allow for real plans and policy on the issues facing America.  History will not be kind to the impeached and mentally unfit President and rightly so.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

 

The LSU Football Season of 2020

 It's a flip of the coin season for LSU football and no one yet knows how it will end, not even the coaches and surely not the sports writers.  Too much thought about last years national championship and their 15-0 record and little objectivity about the 2020 season.  LSU is no where close to the consistent winning level of play Clemson and Alabama achieved in the past 10 years and only  qualified for the BCS playoff system once since it has been created.

Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini is taking a hit from sports writers for LSU's poor defensive performance to date but was praised by coach O and sports writers when his hiring was announced.  They bragged about his so called "attack" type defense like it was the perfect defense when all it represented was a catch word.  Pelini who was a defensive coordinator for LSU years ago and then served as a head coach since then, just may have not been up to date on all the offensive and defensive changes that has taken place over the years.  But this writer does not remember any sports writers question that thought when Pelini was hired.

Another factor concerning the 2020 LSU team is the loss of the offensive mind of Brady.  Steve Ensminger,  LSU's offensive coordinator obviously does not have the offensive mind of Brady nor the thinking of play calling.  We know that because Ensminger has performed before Brady was hired.  Ensminger certainly knows the plays Brady developed but knowing when and how to use those plays during the game is another function.

This writer in commentary dated 1/17/20 after LSU won the national championship wrote that winning the national title was for the past and that the success of LSU's future has not been written yet.  This season may provide a clue.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The President Gambled With The COVID-19 Virus And Failed

President Trump's reckless flaunting of the CDC guidelines to control the spread of the coronavirus caught up with him and he now finds himself in Walter Reed Memorial Hospital for treatment of the virus.  Around the same time other people close to Trump also tested positive for the virus.  

The President allowed his own staff to meet regularly without wearing masks and ignoring social distancing and put all at risk.  He also held rallies and other functions in close gatherings and disregarded the safety factors that should have been in place.  And to add insult, at the Trump-Biden debate in Cleveland, Trump's family and friends refused to wear masks while Biden's family and friends did so.  

The recklessness of this President during the pandemic has been documented many times over and includes misinformation, disinformation and out right lies concerning the risk to the public and recommendations of the CDC.  And he has chosen to show his divisiveness by making fun of democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden because he wears a mask in public and practices social distancing.  Don't expect President Trump to be a changed person when he is deemed free of the virus.  He will be the same Donald Trump and mentally unfit to be President of the United States.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

 

The Commission of Presidential Debates Should Cancel The Remaining Debates.

 And the first Presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden tells the story why they should be cancelled.  Trump's maniac performance in the first debate brought enough shame and discredit to the White House and the Presidency and should never be allowed to repeat itself.  Civility should be the first order of business in the debates but everyone knows Trump has no respect for the word or for anyone or anything.

The Commission's response for changing the format for the next debate is unacceptable and unworkable because Trump will still be the maniac he is and disregard any changes.  Closing off his mike as a suggestion is a fairy tale.  No mike is necessary for him to continue his ravings, interruptions and bullying tactics.  There simply won't be any civil debate, the people will be viewing a rerun and nothing will be gained.

Its past time to control the mentally unfit President and deny him another platform to continue his unacceptable behavior.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Unemployment and Job Numbers For September 2020

 The U.S. Department of Labor reported 661,000 jobs returned to the economy in September, down from the 1.4 million jobs that returned in August.  It was the third straight month where the number of returning jobs fell.  September's unemployment rate came in at 7.9%, down from August 8.4%.  But the Department noted the September rate was actually higher because more people stopped looking for work and the Department counts those who are actually looking for work as being unemployed.  

So as of September 30 a little over 10 million workers have yet to return to work out of the 21,501,999 million workers who lost their jobs.  The unemployment rate for January 2017 when Trump took office was 4.7% and when Trump's first term in office ends on January 20, 2021 he may very well become one of the many republican Presidents who finished his  term in office with an unemployment rate higher then when they took office.  In fact in the last 60 years Reagan is the only republican President who finished his term with a lower unemployment rate than when he took office.

The larger problem stems from Trump and his republican controlled U.S. Senate's failure to come up with a true economic and stimulus plan to address the economic recession and pandemic problem.  History and precedent tells us it is a republican party pattern because of their ideology and a lack of policy and plans on the issues that affect the country and the people.

And at this late date before an election, Trump and his party are still in denial.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

No End In Sight For Greedy Corporate America.

J.P. Morgan Chase has agreed to pay $920 million in fines after admitting to manipulate the markets for precious metals and U.S. Treasurys.  U.S. financial regulators and the Department of Justice said traders at J.P. Morgan used tactics know as "spoofing" to move a market in one direction or another, according to a report published in the New Orleans Advocate of 9/30.

J.P. Morgan Chase is one of corporate America's big boys bank and financial institutions aligned with republican administrations and republicans in congress who believe massive tax cuts, tax breaks and little or no regulation is good for America and business, yet, they still disregard what little regulation is left as J.P. Morgan did with this market manipulation.  The greed of corporate America is never satisfied and the public should always remember that despite the Reagan, Bush 43 and Trump tax cuts, the reduced regulations by all three Presidents, each of their administrations suffered an economic recession that damaged the average American.  But corporate America and J.P. Morgan Chase did well during those recessions.  And as noted in past PolitiDose commentary  and in several internet reports, over the last 40 years corporate America, their CEO's and executives increased their earnings over 900% while the average worker saw an increase of only 12% in their earnings.  The big boys never get enough and their greed knows no bounds.

Note;  During the 2008 economic recession J.P. Morgan Chase received $25 billion from the U.S. Governments TARP program.

 This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Presidential Debate Of 2020.

For those who tuned into the debates during the Presidential campaign of 2016 knew how the Trump-Biden debate of Tuesday night would unfold because of precedent.  During the republican candidates debate and Trump's debate with Hillary Clinton during 2016 Trump ignored the rules of the debate he agreed to follow, constantly interrupted and berated his opponents and the moderators and displayed his lack of civility.  He was an unrestrained loud mouth.

Tuesday's night debate with Biden was no different and in fact Trump sounded and acted like a maniac and confirmed once again his mental unfitness to be President and his mental decline as the days go by.  Democratic nominee Joe  Biden had the upper hand, was calm, called out Trump's lies and destroyed Trump's attempt to blame others for his own failures.  Biden was also able to smile and laugh at Trump's antics, told Trump to shut up and called the President a clown.  It was a good night for Biden who spoke directly to the people and said they can end the Trump disaster with their vote on November 3.

 Trump's terrible debate performance confirms what this writer commented about in PolitiDose and what Nancy Pelosi said about why Biden should not debate Trump.  You can not debate a liar who has no civility or moral values concerning the debate process.  The debate process is broken and the moderators share in the blame.  Chris Wallace did not do his job as moderator on Tuesday night and this writer believes the last two Trump-Biden debates should be cancelled and that future Presidential debates should be predicated on a different process and settings with controlled responses from each candidate.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Mitch McConnell and The Silent News Media.

 Mitch McConnell, Republican Senate Majority Leader as usual came up with an excuse that denying President Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland a hearing and vote was justified.  Other ditto head republicans in congress picked up the fake news and tried their own lies and excuses to defend the position they created themselves in 2016.

The news media carried their sorry excuse as if it was justified.  They completely ignored the republican record of dirty tricks.  They forgot to mention that it was Mitch McConnell who said in public when President Obama was first elected President he and his party wanted to make Obama a one term President and would not support any of his policies.  In other words, Obama was a democrat and that is why he would not support his administration.  It is the same reason McConnell would not advance Obama's Supreme Court nominee, simply because it was a democratic President who nominated him.  McConnell used the election year as an excuse and his actions on Trump's nominee is proof. 

The general news media is frozen when it comes to answering the republicans lies, fake news and hypocritical actions.  They feel they have no responsibility to report the republicans dis-information and propaganda.  Yet, it is the news media that floods the news cycle every day with Trump and the republicans rhetoric.  And Mitch McConnell is the ultimate un-American person serving in congress.  And he demonstrates it every day.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

 

Trump Is Playing Out What Russia's Putin Taught Him.

 The world knows how Putin interfered in the U.S. 2016 Presidential elections and how they are currently doing it again now in the upcoming November 3 election and that they are doing so in favor of Trump.  Our intelligence community and the FBI has the proof to back it all up and have reported so to congress.

Putin and his cronies use all forms of misinformation, disinformation and lies to affect the election outcome.  And we now see Trump using those same Putin tactics to claim election fraud before the election even takes place and even planting the seed that the courts will have to determine the outcome.  Even more un-American, un-democratic and un-Presidential was Trump's boast that his Supreme Court nominee would help him be reelected if the court has to step in.  That statement is  corruption of the Supreme Court and any Trump nominee should step up to the plate and withdraw their name for consideration and not risk Trump's toxic infection of the Court.

Trump's actions tell us he believes Biden will win the election, probably by a large margin so he is following Putin's game plan and advise.  Trump and Putin are one and the same and Trump's enablers have failed to stand up for democracy and the constitution.  On November 3, the American people who have always stood up for America in it hour of need have another chance to do so and wash away the dark clouds that engulf the White House.  The lawless President has to be removed from office the democratic way.

This  commentary written by Joe Lorio

Another Reason Why PolitiDose Commentary Continues To Be Valid Concerning The Abortion Issue.

Now comes republican conservative journalist Michael Gerson in commentary dated 9/20 in the New  Orleans Advocate titled, "Why a pro life voter should balk at thought of Trump's reelection."  In his commentary Gerson tells why he is voting for Joe Biden and the reasons why so called pro lifers should also do the same.  Gerson it should be noted is pro life but prior to Trump's election never said the things he said in the above commentary to this writers knowledge.

For instance, he noted that the number of abortions have gone down on the democratic watch as it has on the republican watch and that the assumption that abortion would increase on Biden's watch was found to be inadequate and the numbers prove it.  He also pointed out that the abortion rate fell each year of President Obama's two terms in office.  Gerson noted that the abortion rate today is lower than it was when Roe Vs. Wade was decided.

Gerson took the time to explain that abortion is only one issue in the campaign and that treating the election as a referendum on abortion is a way to live with Trump's moral ugliness.  Many of Gerson's comments mirror what this writer commented many times over in PolitiDose over a number of years.  Namely, that a real debate has never taken place concerning Roe vs. Wade and abortion and all the related factors.  And PolitiDose took the time to talk about those factors.

Gerson's commentary is appreciated by this writer even though through the years the republicans in congress, past republican Presidents and many republican conservative journalists used the abortion issue to divide the country and used it as the lone and most important issue during elections.  They also failed the test on abortion by pushing the absurd concept that if one is pro choice, they are also pro abortion.

The larger problem lies in the comments made by republicans and conservatives over the years concerning abortion and the fact that they try to make abortion a democratic issue and problem and never find the time to remind the people that Roe vs. Wade was decided by a republican conservative appointed Supreme Court and by their majority vote.  The vote was 7-2 and 5 of those votes were by Justices appointed by republican Presidents.

Perhaps Gerson's commentary will help people understand what is really at the heart of Presidential elections and how important are the many issues that face the country.  PolitiDose will continue to do its part to keep the people up to date with commentary that really matter and make a difference.

So stay tuned to PolitiDose, your daily dose of political commentary.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio