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Trump Has Offered Foes His Head on a Platter, Says Stockman

By Rick Ackerman Posted on March 5, 2019, 6:46 pm EST Last Updated March 5, 2019, 10:51 pm EST

David Stockman‘s new book could prove to be a very timely read. The title leaves no doubt what it’s about: PEAK TRUMP: The Undrainable Swamp And The Fantasy Of MAGA. Could he be onto something? In my view, Trump’s fall could come not merely because Congressional Democrats are investigating nearly everyone in his past and every business deal he has ever made. No, that has become pretty routine, and probably half the country has tuned it out completely. What seems even more threatening is the possibility that a recession that has been brewing for years will hit, critically undermining the President’s most credible and laudable claim — i.e., that he has been great for the economy.

For the moment, however. with the stock market poised to make new record-highs, the danger of a Trump implosion is relatively low. But if and when Wall Street’s exuberant, ten-year celebration tops out, it is going to bring these relatively good times to a wrenching end. This is very likely in my view, even if stocks are about to move into record territory. That would only set the hook for the most destructive and painful bull trap in recent history.

A Big, Fat Bubble

Stockman sees Trump as particularly vulnerable — as handing his head to his enemies on a platter — “because he has bombastically embraced the ‘big, fat, ugly bubble’ that he so accurately harpooned during the campaign.” Just so. Here’s a link to Stockman’s book promotion and a subscription to his daily commentary, Contra Corner. I’ve never marketed anything here before except my own service, but I happen to agree with his thesis and wanted to bring it to a wider audience.  Read it and see for yourself why we should all be bracing for the worst.

  • none March 6, 2019, 1:38 pm

    WSJ………..Almost half of Americans say Wall Street banks have made the “American Dream” more difficult to attain, according to a national poll released Wednesday that also shows capitalism still has strong support.

    Trump has poor timing, Obama timing was the low end of a trading range.

    Nobody had better timing than FDR and Reagan. Of course Washington cannot be beat, even so in his 2nd term 25,000 french person show up to hang him at his door of business back then.

    Timing is what makes a great leader.

    Have a great day Rick and great job as you put in the hours each day to bring something to the table.

    Markets move like a turtle and then in a flash its all over, few have what it takes over the haul needed towards each new move dead ahead.

  • Buster March 6, 2019, 6:21 am

    Understanding that failure of DT to stop the Deep State swamp will be the end of life as we know it for planet Earth, any doubts I have in him are overridden by the fact that, failing a man on a white horse descending from the clouds singing hallelujah, sadly he’s all we’ve got against an organized, planet-wide, deeply embedded Cabal of questionable origins, who are guilty of crimes against humanity on an historic scale. The Patriots backing DT understand that this is a fight to the death & are planning to win whatever is of a lesser cost than the “agenda”.

    The senate is said to be a firewall against Demontard majority Congress shinanigans, & even that majority may crumble if/when the spotlight does a 180 turn back on them (let the enemy think they’ve won, right before their defeat!). Also, the blame for the economy diving was put, quite rightly, on the Fed Reserve. That threat is said to now be neutralised.

    Whatever the truth of these matters, it’s still early in the show….maybe just about the start of scene 3, with many more to come, from what I can see.
    I wonder how hard would any of us fight if we truly understand what is at stake? I suspect we would see things very differently if we did.

    My take is that DT & his backers are nowhere near being finished, as his opponents keep thinking he is, & if this fight against the Cabal & it’s pied Piper followers doesn’t end the “nice” Plan B way, it’ll just end the way Plan A was envisioned in the first place…..pistols at dawn! Either way, I still expect to be hearing ” Babylon the Great has fallen” in the, hopefully, not too distant future!…..but maybe I’m just an optimist.

  • John Jay March 5, 2019, 9:04 pm

    Donnie Trump still has things in his favor.

    1) The TDS crowd in Congress are all aglow about getting their hands on the tax returns of Trump. Those returns seemed to have passed muster with the IRS, and DT certainly has an army of paid tax attorneys to argue his case.
    And seriously, does anyone think Maxine Waters has the chops to pass judgment on thousands of pages of complex tax law? Her questions in a hearing would make Hank Johnson’s “will Guam capsize” comments seem erudite! And grilling 81 cowering low level Trumpies will only make them martyrs, and the Dims ersatz Roland Freislers.

    2) If a recession rolls in, DT has already established his excuse. Obama had eight years of essentially ZIRP , and DT has been quite vocal about his dislike of Powell and his rising interest rates.

    3) The Democrats have so far failed to produce anyone who is not a buffoon at some level to challenge DT in 2020.
    Warren? Beto? Biden?
    Clinton has said she is not running in 2020, and will strictly be kibbitzing, perhaps in her faux Southern accent! OMG!

    3) Whoever is pulling the strings on the distaff Che Guevara, Ocasio, has failed miserably.
    Crazy talk, first attacks Amazon, then flip-flops and says she “made a mistake”
    Green Deal anyone?
    She fails to even rise to the level of BIMBO!
    Body IMmaculate Brain Optional.
    She is at best halfway there, only demonstrating the Brain Optional qualifier!

    4) While the “Swamp” is still “Swampy” for sure, DT has achieved some level of clumsy success in his foreign policy, carbide tipped elbows and all! I believe he is slowly backing out of Syria by declaring “Victory”, and similar plans for Afghanistan seem to be in the works.
    Iraq looks fed up with us and close to kicking our MIC out at long last. DT is at least talking to North Korea, and very likely hoping there will be a North/South Korea reunification in slow motion of course.

    5) The soaring budget deficit is dangerous for him of course. But, as I have argued before, we can always make interest on US Treasury paper tax free. That would screw the muni bond market, but the Blue States would get screwed the worst. To me that is the biggest problem DT faces.

    6) If Ruthie G and one other left voting SC Justice retire/expire and DT can get a couple of Conservatives past the Senate that will be a big plus for his chances in 2020.

    Enough said for now, DT may be a fool, but he’s our fool! And the guy can still do a pretty good imitation of the “Kingfish”, good old Huey Long, in his rallies! Yay Kingfish, “Gimme that meat axe!”


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