(05-03-2019 06:15 AM)swagsurfer11 Wrote: (05-02-2019 08:19 AM)SoMs Eagle Wrote: (05-02-2019 08:11 AM)swagsurfer11 Wrote: (05-02-2019 08:05 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: I don't think anyone has surrendered to Donald Trump. It's just than when presented with two bad alternatives, take the least objectionable.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I wish my enemy had better enemies, but for now I'll take what is available.
I’ve been on this board for a while. There is a lot of surrendering going on.
I don’t think you even understand what you are saying here. Point some “surrendering” out please.
Support of policies is not “surrendering” just to help you avoid stumbling into that pot hole.
I see this as just more cult of personality from the left. Simple people believe others think as they do. Just because the left loved Barry’s pleat in his pants doesn’t mean the right loves Trump’s hair style.
Suddenly you don’t care anymore about deficits.
I cannot speak for anyone else, but I for one still care about deficits. AFAIK, I am the one poster who as actually proposed an approach that would actually reduce or eliminate the deficit.
I also understand the numbers. Of the current deficit, which is approaching $1 trillion per year, about 80-90% of it is attributable to policies inherited from Obama. The "Trump tax cuts" account for maybe $100-150 billion per year. The left makes this big deal how Obama "decreased the deficit." But three things:
1) That's kind of like taking an item that is priced at $5, raising the price to $10, and then putting it "on sale" for $8. The deficit in Obama's last year was bigger than the last deficit that GWB signed off on. And total deficits in 8 years under Obama were roughly equal to total deficits in the first 220 years of the republic, and twice as much as under any other president. The deficit did not begin to be reduced until republicans retook the house, and later the senate.
2) Of course, the large deficits under Obama are rationalized as being necessary to deal with the recession of 2008 (an assertion I question) but somehow the deficits continued after the recession was supposedly "over." I think it is more accurate to say that the recession was used an excuse to plug in a bunch of social welfare spending that became institutionalized.
3) This is not as well known or publicized as it should be, but the downward trajectory of the budget in the later Obama years was not expected to continue, even had Trump done nothing. The CBO does periodic forecasts of future budget deficits and debt levels. In January 2017 (before any Trump policies could possibly have been put in place, so we are talking strictly Obama policies) CBO projected that the annual deficit of $587 billion in 2016 would increase to $600 billion in 2019, and roughly $700 billion in 2020, $800 billion in 2021, $950 billion in 2022, and $1 trillion in 2023, and continue to increase thereafter, as revenues remain roughly 18% of GDP and expenditures grew to 22%. CBO forecasted debt to grow from under 80% of GDP to roughly 90% of GDP by 2027. See
https://www.cbo.gov/system/files?file=20...look_1.pdf for this forecast. Hmm, I wonder why this has not received much press attention as it should have? I can think of a reason, can you?
I do not agree with Trump on many issues--the wall, tariffs, and the deficit among them. But I do not disagree with him--on these issues or others--as sharply as I disagree with democrats. So the enemy of my enemy has to be my friend, for now. I just wish my enemies had better enemies.
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How conservatives rationalize their surrender to Trump
