Monday, April 18, 2011
A rare bit of actual debate
99% of what we call "debate" on TV and radio is pointless cheering and jeering, with each "team" repeating its official talking points and its official insults.
Every now and then we get a real direct confrontation on a serious question.
Laura Ingraham pulled off a serious debate with Haley Barbour last week. Ingraham asked Barbour about China, and Barbour ran the standard establishment line:
China is our dear dear friend. We need to try much harder to sell stuff there. Just imagine, a billion potential customers!
Ingraham wouldn't have any of it, came back hard with the facts. China is fighting a trade war and we haven't started to respond.
Barbour hemmed and hawed, said something like "Well, if God forbid China should ever stop being our dear lover and sweetheart, perhaps we may need to consider options to advise them of our dainty and delicate disapproval."
While he was running this servile crap, Ingraham repeated over and over: "How about a 25% tariff? How about a 25% tariff?"
Barbour simply didn't respond, appeared to lack all understanding of economics and national interest.
Point made, Laura! Well done.
This is why Trump is gaining so much ground. He does understand real economics, knows (at least verbally!) the difference between friends and enemies.
I'm puzzled that the other candidates haven't even tried to compete. Typically when an outsider shows where the public stands, one or two insiders will try to grab the message. In this case the insiders are either totally beyond all contact with reality, or totally enslaved by Wall Street. One way or another, they are totally incapable of speaking the truth. ¶ 6:21 AM
Every now and then we get a real direct confrontation on a serious question.
Laura Ingraham pulled off a serious debate with Haley Barbour last week. Ingraham asked Barbour about China, and Barbour ran the standard establishment line:
China is our dear dear friend. We need to try much harder to sell stuff there. Just imagine, a billion potential customers!
Ingraham wouldn't have any of it, came back hard with the facts. China is fighting a trade war and we haven't started to respond.
Barbour hemmed and hawed, said something like "Well, if God forbid China should ever stop being our dear lover and sweetheart, perhaps we may need to consider options to advise them of our dainty and delicate disapproval."
While he was running this servile crap, Ingraham repeated over and over: "How about a 25% tariff? How about a 25% tariff?"
Barbour simply didn't respond, appeared to lack all understanding of economics and national interest.
Point made, Laura! Well done.
This is why Trump is gaining so much ground. He does understand real economics, knows (at least verbally!) the difference between friends and enemies.
I'm puzzled that the other candidates haven't even tried to compete. Typically when an outsider shows where the public stands, one or two insiders will try to grab the message. In this case the insiders are either totally beyond all contact with reality, or totally enslaved by Wall Street. One way or another, they are totally incapable of speaking the truth. ¶ 6:21 AM
