Are you starting to see the pattern?
Desperate people do desperate things. Trump’s need for control is reaching unprecedented levels, and it’s doing substantive damage to our institutions and our pocketbooks.
Let me explain.
The President has been growing restless over the disastrous results of his economic policy. Unemployment is up, job growth is down, prices at the grocery store are sky-high, and some of our closest allies are less willing – or completely unwilling – to trade with us because of the asinine tariffs he’s implemented.
What’s most frustrating to him, though, isn’t the pain he’s put working families through, but his plummeting poll numbers.
This anxiety, frustration – whatever you want to call it –has seen him make some desperate moves to paper over the cracks in the state of our economy. First, he fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after falsely accusing her of doctoring a less-than-favorable jobs report. Then, he turned to the Federal Reserve, repeatedly making statements blaming the bank for the economy’s lackluster performance.
The Federal Reserve is supposed to be an independent institution, totally insulated from partisan politics. Their single goal is maintaining the economic health of our country, regardless of who lives in the White House or who controls Congress.
Are you starting to see the pattern?
But as we’ve seen in recent years, Trump doesn’t do well with little things like “independence” and “free will.” He demands absolute obedience and loyalty from everyone around him.
There’s just one small problem: public servants don’t work for you, Donny Boy. We work for the American people.
And it’s hardworking Americans who pay the price for Trump’s desperation: threats to the Fed’s independence lower global confidence in the US Dollar. When that happens, our mortgage rates go up, and our dollars don’t go as far at the grocery store.
To sum it all up: Trump makes a mess, says there is no mess, gets mad when people notice the mess, and then fires anyone who tries to clean up the mess. Like I said, Trump can’t fire me (or any other member of Congress). So we (meaning the ones who aren’t totally under his thumb) will keep fighting the good fight and trying to clean up his mess.
More soon,
Jim McGovern
