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Ad will collapse in seconds CLOSE / the national interest August 24, 2017 08/24/2017 2:56 pm By Jonathan Chait@jonathanchait Share

One of the unnoticed ways in which American politics has changed under Donald Trump is the quiet disappearance of the budget deficit as a fixation of the news media and the business and political elite. During Barack Obamas two terms in office, terror about deficits positively consumed the discourse. A terror of doubt inspired an endless stream of presidential debate questions (none of which bothered with climate change), bipartisan commissions, supercommissions, panels, and op-eds. The concern transcended partisanship indeed, it usually manifested itself as a concern about partisanship, expressed as the hope that the two parties could work together, the purpose of which was assumed axiomatically to be the prevention of fiscal calamity.

No figure in Congress, save former deficit saint Paul Ryan, played as important a role in fomenting deficit hysteria in the Obama era as Judd Gregg. The Republican New Hampshire senator was an especially credible messenger because he briefly accepted a position in the Obama Cabinet before withdrawing under partisan pressure, and he co-sponsored the bipartisan bill to create what became the hallowed Bowles-Simpson commission. Greggs warnings of civilizational peril were thus taken with the utmost seriousness.

The practical implications of [Obamas budget] is bankruptcy for the United States, he warned in 2009. People will not buy our debt, our dollar will become devalued. It is a very severe situation. No less than the dissolution of American government lay ahead: Youre running a banana republic is what it comes down to. You cant afford to pay those debts. And even as the deficit fell, Greggs terror of banana republicdom did not. At some point and if the CBO numbers are anywhere near right, it will be in the not too distant future we as a nation will have a fiscal crisis of potentially apocalyptic proportions, he predicted last year.

The coming fiscal apocalypse no longer grips the minds of the business community or spokesmen like Gregg. Abelsons reporting finds that Greggs about-face is fairly typical of the financial industry. Wall Street was ground zero for deficit panic in the Obama era, and its response to Trump has been largely positive in general, bordering on giddy at his economic proposals. Max Abelson reports that Lloyd Blankfein, Jamie Dimon, and Brian Moynihan are all veterans of Fix the Debt, a powerful voice for austerity in the Obama years, and have all endorsed Republican tax-cut plans.

Developments since the Obama administration departed have clarified some of the controversies during it. The debt scolds professed panic at looming fiscal insolvency turns out to be, in large measure, cover for a panic at a government that would redistribute too much income from people like themselves.

Indeed, Gregg himself, according to Abelson, says it wouldnt be so terrible if slashing taxes added $1 trillion or $2 trillion to the $20 trillion the U.S. already owes. Whats another trillion or two between friends? Especially when as the CEO of a Wall Street lobbying group you are one of the friends poised to enjoy its lucre?

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Convicted killer Mark James Asay lost his last appeal, and was executed on Thursday night.

Weeks ago, nearly 50 counties had no insurer selling Obamacare plans. Despite Trumps many acts of sabotage, that number is now zero.

So long as the president has an internet connection, hes bound to read and, occasionally retweet all manner of far-right wing nuts.

Weve had the time of our lives, and we owe it all to him.

If Trump were to be removed from office via impeachment, the GOP would continue to rule with much the same policies. So why all the talk of a coup?

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Its an acknowledgement that the sailors are not expected to be found alive.

History shows the party in the White House struggles to knock off incumbent senators in midterms. Its one of many cross-cutting factors for 2018.

Fix the Debt is now fixin to get paid.

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A primer on how the Houses struggle to pass a 2018 budget could blow up tax reform and Americas credit rating.

The White House chief of staff is controlling the flow of information to the president and presenting him with decision memos.

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The reported plan gives Mattis six months to figure out what Trumps tweets mean for service members and by then the courts may have weighed in.

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The Obama-Era Deficit Scolds Want Big Tax Cuts Now - New York Magazine

The most popular Democratic leader by far is still former President Barack Obama. Despite this popularity, many of the signature accomplishments of his modest legacy are being brutishly unraveled being repealed , suspended or slated for extinction by the Trumpsters. Donald Trump seems to revel in the destruction of consumer, investor, environmental, work and public land protections and standards. Whether at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration or the Securities and Exchange Commission, Trumps big-business friends are running the very agencies tasked with regulating them.

Trump vehemently supports breaking the Iran nuclear accord one of Obamas highpoints that cooled off what could have been a rush to military conflict in that turbulent region. Abysmally ignorant about its contents, Trump is nonetheless impulsively determined to do just that in last years presidential campaign, alarming leading military experts.

What should Barack Obama be doing about the unfolding Trumpian nightmares dangerously enveloping so many defenseless and anxious Americans? Tradition has it that outgoing presidents go quietly, do not assail their successor in office, if only because the latter is in a position to strike back. Already, Trump has been actively waging war against his predecessors legacy.

But there are many other ways in which Obama can respond without getting into a messy Twitter war with the unstable Tweeter-in-Chief. Granted, Obama is spending time laying the groundwork for his presidential library to preserve his past. It is the future of this country that needs his high profile attention. Word has it that he is working with his former Attorney General, Eric Holder, to get candidates and voters ready for next years crucial Congressional elections. If so, he needs to be more media-visible to get the attention of millions of people.

Here are some ways Obama can strengthen the peoples resistance to many of Trumps destructive efforts which harm his own voters as well as those citizens who opposed his candidacy.

There needs to be additional civic groups to propose good directions and to oppose Trumps forthcoming reduction of taxes for the rich, and, very importantly, to organize prominent retired military, national security and diplomatic officials who are against aggressive wars and seek dynamic diplomacy to wage peace, and to move toward full Medicare for all with free choice of doctor and hospital with more efficient and better outcomes.

The reality is that Barack Obama is a big draw. No one comes close to playing such a role. He can get big media, attract large audiences and raise large sums of money for the civic groups. The civil society has built and protected our democracy throughout history. Moreover, he can surely elevate public morale in an era of Trumpian gloom, flakery and attract new leadership to invigorate a leaderless Democratic Party down to the local levels.

If you agree, start petitions with your own ideas for Obama getting with Americas future and not just chronicling his eight year presidencys past. His silent withdrawal has been astonishing and disturbing. He doesnt yet realize what a historically crucial role he can play in the next few years.

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What's Obama Waiting For? - HuffPost

The meme was shared by YouTube personality Jerry Travone, who had previously shared an extremely anti-Semitic tweet on Sunday. This is not the first time that Trump has retweeted content from users known for making anti-Semitic statements.

On Monday, some parts of the United States experienced a total eclipse where the moon completely blocked the sun for a short time.

Trump watched the celestial event from the White House with first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron.

Amid the excitement, eclipse jokes flooded social media -- and some Trump critics shared a different version of the presidential eclipse.

The meme of Obama eclipsing Trump below was shared by radio host Charlamagne Tha God on Monday along with a string of laughing emojis.

Pictures of Trump appearing to look directly into the sun during the eclipse also generated a slew of jokes.

"'But president, you need special glasses to look at the eclipse' Trump: FAKE NEWS," one user tweeted.

According to a White House pool report filed by the Guardian's Ben Jacobs, "At approximately 2:39, the President initially gesticulated to the crowd below and pointed at the sky. As he did so, one of the White House aides standing beneath the Blue Room Balcony shouted 'don't look.'"

Eventually, the first family stood together, wearing protective eyewear, to watch the eclipse.

Read the original:
Trump retweets meme of his Obama 'eclipse' - CNN

A White House official said on Thursday that Mr. Trump was specifically referring to a bill to extend emergency funding to the multibillion-dollar Veterans Choice program, which pays for veterans to receive care from private doctors if they face long wait times or travel distances.

Congressional aides said on Thursday that there had indeed been a short-lived effort late last month to tie the debt ceiling language to the Choice bill. But with the veterans program set to run out of money by mid-August, apparent opposition from conservative budget hard-liners and a congressional recesses looming, the idea was never given serious consideration.

The Choice legislation ultimately passed both the House and the Senate unanimously, shortly before each chamber began its summer recess. Mr. Trump signed it into law on August 12.

Mr. McConnell said on Monday that there was no chance Congress would fail to raise the debt ceiling by the end of September. The relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. McConnell has been disintegrating over the summer and could jeopardize urgent legislation when Congress returns from its August recess. Mr. Trump has been publicly critical of Mr. McConnell for not being able to repeal and replace President Barack Obamas signature health care legislation. He repeated his criticism in another tweet on Thursday: The only problem I have with Mitch McConnell is that, after hearing Repeal & Replace for 7 years, he failed! That should NEVER have happened!

Mr. Trump shifted his focus on Twitter briefly to the Obama administration on Thursday. The president shared a post from one of his supporters that was critical of Mr. Obama.

And Mr. Trump called out Mr. Obamas director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., who has publicly questioned whether Mr. Trump is fit to be president.

I really question his ability to his fitness to be in this office, Mr. Clapper said on CNN this week.

Mr. Trump also lashed out at Fake News on Thursday for reports on the different styles of his recent public speeches.

Several news outlets, including The New York Times, wrote articles comparing his speaking style at recent appearances, including in Arizona at a campaign-style rally on Tuesday and at an American Legion convention on Wednesday night.

Kitty Bennett contributed research.

A version of this article appears in print on August 25, 2017, on Page A13 of the New York edition with the headline: Taking Aim At Obama, Republicans And Others.

See the article here:
Trump's Morning Targets: McConnell, Ryan, Obama and the Media - New York Times

I recognize and respect your deliberate approach to navigating these fraught times, but this relentless subtlety has become wearisome. Mr. Obama, now is not the time to follow the keep-quiet rules while the new administration plays moral equivocator to a much aghast nation.

Its time for you to come back.

I love that, after you posted on Twitter about the violence in Charlottesville, Va., you set a record for the most-liked tweet. But my joy at the news of your weighing in was complicated by your using a quotation, even one from Nelson Mandela. I looked to you for your good words. Ill keep waiting because I know they will be worth it. But where are they?

In April, you spoke to students at the University of Chicago and identified your post-presidential calling to help prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton as the single most important thing I can do. I entirely agree. But your distance remains a weight on my mind.

At first, and despite the seismic tonal shifts of early 2017, it was a joy to watch you on a deserved, extended holiday. Gelato. Kitesurfing. Taking pictures of natural-haired Michelle on a yacht. You were being carefree, and it was wonderful. Then came a deeper quiet. You came back, wore your collar open, signed a book deal. I was still happy for you, but there was an ache to it.

Dont get me wrong Ive enjoyed your few public engagements so far this year. You spoke meaningfully on climate change in Milan. You eloquently repudiated the continuing attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It was heartening to see the people of Berlin receive you so warmly, and to watch you speak with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Mr. Obama, you were, as ever, subtle, insightful and measured. But I know that you know that we cant be hiding behind walls.

As a rule, I do not speak back to the television when I am alone. Or I didnt used to. And then, around the time of James Comeys firing, I listened to Alan Dershowitz basically announce that the apocalypse weve been dreading is upon us. I started to feel actual panic. I found myself yelling at the screen, and into the universe: Barack! Where are you?

By early August, this same phrase had turned into a bewildered mutter, as I listened to Representative Maxine Waters tell Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski that she thinks were nearing a constitutional crisis. The fallout from Charlottesville has rendered my call to you a tired and heartbroken whisper.

As a black Southern woman, I have grown accustomed to navigating a many-voiced universe. In the past months, however, I have felt keenly the absence of two voices: the collective sound of my sane Republican friends calling for inquiry and, more important, the voice of my president. Lately, the former crowd has begun to stir. Somehow, this has made the hope for your voice more urgent.

Are Mr. Dershowitz and Ms. Waters right about the jeopardy of our Constitution? Will hate groups continue to claim more space on the national stage? Regarding the former, I refuse to believe that television testimony to Robert Muellers integrity is my only respite in all of this. And regarding the latter, it beggars belief that we must address this at all, but here we are. Some of us never trusted politics until you found your way to the top job. Coming to grips with any new administration would have been hard, let alone this Kremlin-addled, Klan-endorsed turmoil we are being forced to watch.

Weeks ago, I was moved to tears (of relief) watching Senator John McCain give a thumbs-down on the Republicans health care bill. In no world could I have imagined this. But then, I could not have imagined this world.

I made phone calls for you in 2008. I worked in Nashvilles Democratic headquarters for much of the summer. I registered people to vote. I felt heard. In the intervening years, your voice has been one of gravity, good sense and honesty. By 2009, my president was black, and the House majority was blue.

My generation graduated from college, got our first jobs and became adults all under the auspices of that truth. We learned to experience politics through the lens of your eloquent presence in the White House. In this respect, you raised us. So we are unaccustomed to all of this wildness. Just because were grown doesnt mean we dont need to hear from the man who brought us up.

Read more:
President Obama, Where Are You? - New York Times