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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
March 17, 2020
From Brookings:
Trump’s failed presidency
Elaine KamarckMonday, March 16, 2020
Trump’s presidency is failing rapidly. Like others before him, modern American presidents fail when they cannot master or comprehend the government that they inherit. This is a hard concept to grasp in an age when non-stop media coverage leads us to focus on the president’s communication skills and when presidents themselves value spin more than expertise. But in the end presidential failure is about reality, not words—no matter how lofty and inspiring or how crude and insulting.
Contemporary presidents are especially prone to mistaking spin for reality for several reasons. First of all, they are nominated not by other elected officials who have some sense of what it takes to govern, but by activists and party electorates who value inspiration and entertainment. Second, the importance of mass communication leads presidents to believe that the words and activities that got them into office can work once they are in office: more rallies, more speeches, more tweets, and more television advertising.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
Presidential scholars have been aware of the disjuncture between campaigning and governing for some time now. More than a decade ago, Sam Kernell wrote a book called Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership (CQ Press, 2007), in which he showed that beginning with President Kennedy, modern presidents spent a great deal more time on minor presidential addresses and on domestic and international travel than their predecessors. All this communication, he argued, came at the expense of actual governing. Later on another presidential scholar, George C. Edwards III, writing in Overreach, Leadership in the Obama Presidency (Princeton University Press, 2012) argued that Obama thought he could go directly to the public to get support for his programs, an approach that placed communication over negotiation and that resulted in a stunning midterm loss for his party.
Reality still matters, and spin has its limits—even in an era of social media.
As long as things are going okay for most people, Americans tolerate a president’s verbal gymnastics. But when people are in trouble, even the most ardent government haters ask that famous question: “Where’s the government?” And for most Americans, the president is the government. Following the botched federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the collateral damage to the presidency of George W. Bush was extensive. His popularity never recovered and his second-term agenda, including bold changes to Social Security, was destroyed. Nearly a decade later when President Obama rolled out his signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act, the hugely embarrassing crashing of the computer systems meant to implement the act increased Republican opposition to it and undermined public confidence in the government’s ability to implement important executive actions. .......(more)
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2020/03/16/trumps-failed-presidency/
Trump's Failed Presidency
From Brookings:
Trump’s failed presidency
Elaine KamarckMonday, March 16, 2020
Trump’s presidency is failing rapidly. Like others before him, modern American presidents fail when they cannot master or comprehend the government that they inherit. This is a hard concept to grasp in an age when non-stop media coverage leads us to focus on the president’s communication skills and when presidents themselves value spin more than expertise. But in the end presidential failure is about reality, not words—no matter how lofty and inspiring or how crude and insulting.
Contemporary presidents are especially prone to mistaking spin for reality for several reasons. First of all, they are nominated not by other elected officials who have some sense of what it takes to govern, but by activists and party electorates who value inspiration and entertainment. Second, the importance of mass communication leads presidents to believe that the words and activities that got them into office can work once they are in office: more rallies, more speeches, more tweets, and more television advertising.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
Presidential scholars have been aware of the disjuncture between campaigning and governing for some time now. More than a decade ago, Sam Kernell wrote a book called Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership (CQ Press, 2007), in which he showed that beginning with President Kennedy, modern presidents spent a great deal more time on minor presidential addresses and on domestic and international travel than their predecessors. All this communication, he argued, came at the expense of actual governing. Later on another presidential scholar, George C. Edwards III, writing in Overreach, Leadership in the Obama Presidency (Princeton University Press, 2012) argued that Obama thought he could go directly to the public to get support for his programs, an approach that placed communication over negotiation and that resulted in a stunning midterm loss for his party.
Reality still matters, and spin has its limits—even in an era of social media.
As long as things are going okay for most people, Americans tolerate a president’s verbal gymnastics. But when people are in trouble, even the most ardent government haters ask that famous question: “Where’s the government?” And for most Americans, the president is the government. Following the botched federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the collateral damage to the presidency of George W. Bush was extensive. His popularity never recovered and his second-term agenda, including bold changes to Social Security, was destroyed. Nearly a decade later when President Obama rolled out his signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act, the hugely embarrassing crashing of the computer systems meant to implement the act increased Republican opposition to it and undermined public confidence in the government’s ability to implement important executive actions. .......(more)
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2020/03/16/trumps-failed-presidency/
March 16, 2020
.... all the things that stroke your incredibly fragile DSM-5 ego have disappeared. .... Mr. Trump, your raison d'etre is gone.
Resign.
The stock market is dropping. The MAGA rallies are on hold......
.... all the things that stroke your incredibly fragile DSM-5 ego have disappeared. .... Mr. Trump, your raison d'etre is gone.
Resign.
March 16, 2020
Anti-science, alternative-reality evangelical types are a danger to all of us......
(HiffPost) What coronavirus pandemic? The National Collegiate Wrestling Association defied the urgings of health officials and held its national championship over the weekend in Allen, Texas.
“I think a lot of this is driven by fear,” Jim Giunta, the association’s executive director, told the Dallas Morning News. “We’re going to do everything in our power to create an environment that’s more than safe for our athletes. But after we do everything we can do, we’re going to operate on faith rather than fear” .......(more)
http://huffp.st/k6TWktn
"But after we do everything we can do, we're going to operate on faith rather than fear"
Anti-science, alternative-reality evangelical types are a danger to all of us......
(HiffPost) What coronavirus pandemic? The National Collegiate Wrestling Association defied the urgings of health officials and held its national championship over the weekend in Allen, Texas.
“I think a lot of this is driven by fear,” Jim Giunta, the association’s executive director, told the Dallas Morning News. “We’re going to do everything in our power to create an environment that’s more than safe for our athletes. But after we do everything we can do, we’re going to operate on faith rather than fear” .......(more)
http://huffp.st/k6TWktn
March 12, 2020
Why Donald Trump needs to let competent people take charge of the COVID-19 pandemic response
(Market Watch) As we all grapple with what the novel coronavirus means for various aspects of our lives, ranging from canceled public events to closed schools and volatile financial markets, it’s worth asking a fundamental question. What would a normal president say and do in response to this crisis?
It’s painfully obvious that no normal person — let alone any typical president — would respond in the way President Donald Trump has. ...... (more)
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-time-has-come-for-trump-to-resign-2020-03-11
Opinion: A commander-in-chief who cannot do the job 'must resign -- immediately,' writes scholarl
Why Donald Trump needs to let competent people take charge of the COVID-19 pandemic response
(Market Watch) As we all grapple with what the novel coronavirus means for various aspects of our lives, ranging from canceled public events to closed schools and volatile financial markets, it’s worth asking a fundamental question. What would a normal president say and do in response to this crisis?
It’s painfully obvious that no normal person — let alone any typical president — would respond in the way President Donald Trump has. ...... (more)
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-time-has-come-for-trump-to-resign-2020-03-11
March 10, 2020
(Detroit Metro Times) Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to surge ahead of Tuesday’s primary election in Michigan, where he now holds a 24-point lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to a new poll.
The EPIC-MRA survey shows Biden leading 51% to 27%, his biggest margin over Sanders since both candidates entered the race. ...... (more)
https://m.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2020/03/09/biden-holds-significant-lead-over-sanders-in-new-michigan-poll
Biden holds significant lead over Sanders in new Michigan poll
(Detroit Metro Times) Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to surge ahead of Tuesday’s primary election in Michigan, where he now holds a 24-point lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to a new poll.
The EPIC-MRA survey shows Biden leading 51% to 27%, his biggest margin over Sanders since both candidates entered the race. ...... (more)
https://m.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2020/03/09/biden-holds-significant-lead-over-sanders-in-new-michigan-poll
March 9, 2020
I was just watching a clip of him on msnbc and he sounded hammered.....but it occurred to me he always sounds like that.
Is it just me or does Larry Kudlow always sound drunk?
I was just watching a clip of him on msnbc and he sounded hammered.....but it occurred to me he always sounds like that.
March 8, 2020
Detroit Free Press) With Michigan abruptly thrust into a potentially decisive role Tuesday in a two-man race for the Democratic presidential nomination, voters are scrambling to recast absentee ballots, clerks are bracing for high volumes, and Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are searching for any late edge in a crucial battleground.
Michigan is unusual in allowing voters to retrieve and cancel absentee ballots and fill out new ones. More than 28,000 "redo" absentee ballots had been cast as of Saturday afternoon, presumably most of them by voters who saw their first choices drop out of the race.
Offering Michigan voters a chance for a redo is working to the advantage of Biden, the former vice president, who has been endorsed by four former Democratic presidential candidates and is seen by many voters as the candidate with the best chance to beat President Donald Trump. .......(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/03/08/michigan-primary-election-joe-biden-bernie-sanders/4967511002/
New voting rules could help both Biden, Sanders as Michigan's primary election looms
Detroit Free Press) With Michigan abruptly thrust into a potentially decisive role Tuesday in a two-man race for the Democratic presidential nomination, voters are scrambling to recast absentee ballots, clerks are bracing for high volumes, and Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are searching for any late edge in a crucial battleground.
Michigan is unusual in allowing voters to retrieve and cancel absentee ballots and fill out new ones. More than 28,000 "redo" absentee ballots had been cast as of Saturday afternoon, presumably most of them by voters who saw their first choices drop out of the race.
Offering Michigan voters a chance for a redo is working to the advantage of Biden, the former vice president, who has been endorsed by four former Democratic presidential candidates and is seen by many voters as the candidate with the best chance to beat President Donald Trump. .......(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/03/08/michigan-primary-election-joe-biden-bernie-sanders/4967511002/
March 5, 2020
(Detroit Free Press) Just four weeks after Iowa’s dysfunctional caucuses left Democrats in splintered confusion, the Democratic presidential race has abruptly narrowed to two candidates who propose to take the party, and ultimately the nation, in different directions.
The election of either former Vice President Joe Biden or Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would signal the resurgence of endangered democratic norms — allegiance to the rule of law, respect for career public servants, and human decency chief among them — that have been under relentless attack since Donald Trump’s inauguration.
But the nation, and our closely divided state, would be far better served by the succession of JOE BIDEN, whose four decades of experience in Congress and the West Wing have uniquely prepared him to meet the challenges awaiting the next president ....... (more).
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/03/05/joe-biden-endorsement-free-press-michigan-primary/4882845002/
Detroit Free Press: Joe Biden is Michigan's best choice in Democratic primary
(Detroit Free Press) Just four weeks after Iowa’s dysfunctional caucuses left Democrats in splintered confusion, the Democratic presidential race has abruptly narrowed to two candidates who propose to take the party, and ultimately the nation, in different directions.
The election of either former Vice President Joe Biden or Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would signal the resurgence of endangered democratic norms — allegiance to the rule of law, respect for career public servants, and human decency chief among them — that have been under relentless attack since Donald Trump’s inauguration.
But the nation, and our closely divided state, would be far better served by the succession of JOE BIDEN, whose four decades of experience in Congress and the West Wing have uniquely prepared him to meet the challenges awaiting the next president ....... (more).
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/03/05/joe-biden-endorsement-free-press-michigan-primary/4882845002/
March 2, 2020
(MarketWatch) The coronavirus is like a terrible hurricane heading for the coastline — it’s gaining momentum but the public health and economic consequences are still quite tough to predict.
What is easier to say is that anything the Fed can do to assist the economy will be palliative—calls for the Fed and other central banks to act quickly are misplaced at best and more likely downright dangerous.
The most important thing to recognize is that fiscal and monetary policy—a quick tax cut or jolt of infrastructure spending and Fed interest rate cuts and bond purchases—will be akin to passing out candles. They won’t bring back electric power any quicker when the lines go down if utility companies don’t have enough trucks and crew. And shortages of what we need—not consumers and businesses unwilling to spend—is the coronavirus economic challenge.
Coronavirus is causing a recession in China—Beijing’s statisticians who serve the Communist Party’s political bosses will likely tell us growth sank from about 6% to 3% in the first quarter of this year but those numbers will be about as legitimate as the claims of a used car salesman about an old clunker. .........(more)
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/theres-not-a-lot-the-fed-can-do-about-a-coronavirus-recession-2020-02-27?mod=home-page
There's not a lot the Fed can do about a coronavirus recession
(MarketWatch) The coronavirus is like a terrible hurricane heading for the coastline — it’s gaining momentum but the public health and economic consequences are still quite tough to predict.
What is easier to say is that anything the Fed can do to assist the economy will be palliative—calls for the Fed and other central banks to act quickly are misplaced at best and more likely downright dangerous.
The most important thing to recognize is that fiscal and monetary policy—a quick tax cut or jolt of infrastructure spending and Fed interest rate cuts and bond purchases—will be akin to passing out candles. They won’t bring back electric power any quicker when the lines go down if utility companies don’t have enough trucks and crew. And shortages of what we need—not consumers and businesses unwilling to spend—is the coronavirus economic challenge.
Coronavirus is causing a recession in China—Beijing’s statisticians who serve the Communist Party’s political bosses will likely tell us growth sank from about 6% to 3% in the first quarter of this year but those numbers will be about as legitimate as the claims of a used car salesman about an old clunker. .........(more)
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/theres-not-a-lot-the-fed-can-do-about-a-coronavirus-recession-2020-02-27?mod=home-page
March 2, 2020
3 Die in dry ice incident at pool party
Three people have died after dry ice was poured into a swimming pool at a party in Moscow on Friday.
The victims were connected to Instagram influencer Yekaterina Didenko, who was celebrating her 29th birthday at the pool complex in the city's south.
Dry ice had been dumped in the pool after guests exiting the sauna complained it was too warm.
Ms Didenko's husband is reportedly among the dead. ......(more)
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-europe-51680049
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