I’ve been thinking about these questions:
>So knowing what you know about Harris and Trump, who do you think has the potential to make more terrible decisions as president?
Trump has the bigger up side and down side.
Do you think project 25 will be implemented?
About as much as any think tank plans get implemented (modestly).
Do you think some of the checks and balances on power will be dismantled by trump and his team?
They will try. Civil servants donate 99-1 for Democrats. More political appointments and fewer veteran civil servants might lead to a reduction in the competence of government. My biggest fears about Trump are incompetence and corruption, and nothing he’s done since the election has reduced these fears. Like Reagan, Trump is more interested in performance than in the nuts and bolts of governing. His cabinet picks do not indicate a preference for competence.
Do you think Trump will place his people in DoJ and FBI to neutralize checks and balances on power?
Yes. He has some basis for believing the deep state is trying to thwart him, so I have an open mind that he might have some success here and that might lead to better governance, or it might be a disaster.
Will the lives of the working poor be better or worse on balance?
During Trump’s first term, the least educated Americans had their first substantial relative income increase in 70 years… so I think that trend will continue.
Will he do what he has openly stated?
He’ll do some. Trump is simultaneously the biggest liar and the most honest politician ever.
Do you think increased tariffs will make inflation better or worse?
There’s a difference between the threat of tariffs and the implementation of tariffs. During his first term, Trump had low inflation. Higher tariffs will lead to higher inflation but Trump will also drive down energy costs, which will reduce inflation.
We are entering a fascinating era in history – will we rue the day we are part of it?
Events, my dear boy, events will determine everything.
I forgot how exhausting and exciting living under Trump can be. There’s just a water cannon of news every day.
I’ve been pro Trump for nine years, but I acknowledge that most criticisms of him have substantial validity. A normal person could look at Trump’s behavior after losing the 2020 election, and look at January 6, and regard that as disqualifying. Trump’s behavior was horrible.
NYT: “Higher levels of news consumption track with higher levels of income and education. In big cities, where information is currency and knowledge is status, there are social costs to not keeping up.”