GOP Midterm Strategy: “Break government — run on platform that government doesn’t work”

GOP plan to “get out the vote” in areas for a 100% secure lock

(Some say: Voter suppression — they'd be right)

Second update on: “Trump bailing out farmers hurt by the stiff tariff war that he stated.”

So, his other favorite pastime, other than watching FOX and tweeting, is apparently alive and well – “The Trump Blame Game” title: “Blame everyone except me” – and now he is at full bore. No big surprise either.

Story from Reuters here via MSN:

Trump accused China of targeting American farmers in a “vicious way using them as leverage to get concessions on trade.”

He tweets, of course: “China is targeting our farmers, who they know I love & respect, as a way of getting me to continue allowing them to take advantage of the U.S. They are being vicious in what will be their failed attempt. We were being nice - until now!”

(I note: Another infamous Trump threat, too.)

Background: American farmers have been a particular target in the global clash over trade policy (now harshly expanded by Trump) as other countries seek to retaliate for U.S. duties on Chinese goods as well as on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union, Canada, and Mexico (our close allies, too).

The affected countries have in turn targeted U.S. agricultural products, including soybeans, dairy, meat, produce, and liquor.

Noteworthy: The United States exported $138 billion in agriculture products in 2017, including $21.5 billion of soybeans, the most valuable export.

China alone imported $12.3 billion of U.S. soybeans last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Trump said he will use a Great Depression-era program (CCC from 1933) to pay up to $12 billion to help U.S. farmers weather the growing trade war – which by most accounts they see as welfare and in essence don’t want that – they want fair and free trade and no handouts.

See remarks below from various key Republicans in the original post that follows.

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Original update (from the Financial Times) is of the main article below:

A number of key Republicans who are “free-trade proponents” criticized this Trump move harshly and expressed concern that access to markets lost under Trump’s trade war won’t be restored.

Samples:

·       “This is becoming more and more like a Soviet-type of economy here with Commissars deciding who’s going to be granted waivers, commissars in the administration figuring out how they’re going to sprinkle around benefits,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).

·        “Our farmers have been in nonstop, saying they want trade, not aid, and now they’re being put on welfare,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN).

·        “If tariffs punish farmers, the answer is not welfare for farmers — the answer is remove the tariffs,” tweeted Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

·        “This trade war is cutting the legs out from under farmers and White House plan is to spend $12 billion on gold crutches,” said Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE).

·        “The administration’s move was encouraging for the short term. What farmers in Iowa and throughout rural America need in the long term are markets and opportunity, not government handouts,” said Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA).

Why it matters: The aid package could have far-reaching economic consequences and will likely play a role in the elections this fall for GOPers who are up for reelection and worry about their personal political survival and to get a nice sound bite for back home.

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ORIGINAL POST FROM THE Washington Post:

The White House announcing today a plan to extend $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers – Farmers caught in the middle of the Trump trade/tariff war.

Background: A growing number of farm groups have complained that moves by China and other countries in response to Trump’s protectionist trade stance could cost them billions of dollars. That is spooking Republicans who fear a political and economic blowback to Trump’s approach in the upcoming midterm elections.

The funds will come through direct assistance, a food purchase and distribution program, and a trade promotion program from the Depression-era program called the “Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC),” a division of the Ag Department that was created in 1933 – that offers financial aid to farmers in dire straits.

My 2 cents: Short and sweet and totally dumb policy shuffle – so, gets burned?

First, the farmers originally due to the tariff policy, and then the taxpayers who will have to bail them out due to Trump’s tariff policy that harmed farmers in the first place – how ironic and pitiful is that – “Art of the Deal” right or “Art of the Con?”

Two-word spelling Quiz: Identify of Donald J. Trump

Unbelievable anyway we can discuss this – except how Trump now can go to big farm states or big Ag PAC donors and say, “See how I am helping you.”

Trump is a pitiful, pathetic man, yet daily his base keeps falling for his stunts. Amazing. 

This is a very big example, so: “What's in your wallet?” ®

Thanks for stopping by.