Charles Krauthammer and David Brooks tried today to find a solution to the GOP problems. They are both grasping at what I hope are long shots low in probability to a Democratic victory that shows the GOP that the public does not buy into trickle down economics and hyper-partisan politics any more.
Link to CK column
Link to DB column
The problem with David Brook's hopeful path, is that I don't believe that GOP exists anymore. Moderate Republicans have been driven into the Democratic Party being called RINO's and having their moderate positions ridiculed.
I have a good number of GOP friends, and while only RedStateVT has a blog, where you can track his beliefs (He wishes Dick Chaney were running for President), I know MC and RM hold similar beliefs on many issues. RR might fall into David Brook's slip stream, but I haven't discussed politics with him in a while and he definitely voted GOP in the last two elections and has been none to very Bush II like in his approach to the world. As for the rest of them, the only place I can track them is Facebook and most seem to like Donald Trump believing that immigration and trade are the reason the working class have it so tough. So I don't think David Brook's path has a chance in hell of occurring.
I sympathize with the working class, but I believe immigration and trade mitigate the stress that technology, growth in global labor forces with sufficient education for manufacturing and slavishness to corporate shareholder and management income is the primary cause of that stress. You cannot offset comparative advantage with a wall, you need domestic policies that improve your comparative advantage and maintain the overall architecture of the economic base (i.e. infrastructure and a level playing field for competition).
And lastly, suddenly Putin is saying the Panama Papers are a CIA plot against Russia. What poppycock!!! Why would the CIA go after the President of Iceland or David Cameroon's family?
The fact that Putin is so sensitive to the Oligarch's use of global financial manipulation can only mean one thing, even though he is not named in any of the documents, Putin is on the take somehow. It is well hidden, but make no doubt about it. Money is being skimmed off the Russian economy and it is being funneled by Putin cronies to him. Maybe not today, but in the future. Otherwise, why would he try to protect them by calling it a CIA plot?
And lastly, while I support work requirements for people to receive support, and I think the government has to more closely examine disability claims, the fact is that hungry people without jobs tend to find it hard to find a job and are more likely to commit a crime to get some money to feed themselves. Isn't that what Les Miserables is all about? But compassion is not a hallmark of this GOP Congress.
Link to column on the Do Nothing Congress as Prime Example 1 of Receiving a paycheck for not working
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