What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[The Minsky Moment]

I don't know if Trump is self aware enough to identify with the snake, even subconsciously.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/02/24/the-snake-how-trump-appropriated-a-radical-black-singers-lyrics-for-refugee-fearmongering/?utm_term=.c5af88da0240

He wrote the lyrics for drummer Max Roach's 1960 album "We Insist! Freedom Now Suite,"

Good album.  Abbey Lincoln sings (and screams) on it. 

[The Minsky Moment]

White house contradicts Trump's claim that trade with Canada does not benefit the US.  Who did it - Trump himself.  But in fairness he likely didn't read the document he signed.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/trump-trade-white-house-1.4552362

The president regularly bemoans a trade deficit with the northern neighbour. Once again Monday, he was complaining about Canadian trade, saying: "We lose a lot with Canada. People don't know it. Canada's very smooth. They have you believe that it's wonderful. And it is, for them. Not wonderful for us."

Far less smooth is the consistency of U.S. messaging.

A far more positive story about trade appears in the newly released 2018 White House "Economic Report of the President" — it's an annual document prepared by the president's team, with Trump himself signing the introductory foreword.

The document smashes at a few of the president's favoured themes.

One involves the supposed trade deficit with Canada. While Trump keeps talking about it, and insisting it exists, the document he signed states the opposite — that Canada is among the few countries in the world with whom the U.S. runs a surplus.

The document states this at least three times.

He's an idiot.  Doesn't know the difference between merchandise trade balance (Canada in surplus) and the overall current account balance (US in surplus).  US has a favorable balance on services - a big one.

In Trump's mind an economy means bashing pieces of metal together and digging shit out of the ground.  Mentally he's just about catching up to the mid-19th century.  Ironic considering his own "contributions" to the US economy.

[mongers]

White house contradicts Trump's claim that trade with Canada does not benefit the US.  Who did it - Trump himself.  But in fairness he likely didn't read the document he signed.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/trump-trade-white-house-1.4552362

The president regularly bemoans a trade deficit with the northern neighbour. Once again Monday, he was complaining about Canadian trade, saying: "We lose a lot with Canada. People don't know it. Canada's very smooth. They have you believe that it's wonderful. And it is, for them. Not wonderful for us."

Far less smooth is the consistency of U.S. messaging.

A far more positive story about trade appears in the newly released 2018 White House "Economic Report of the President" — it's an annual document prepared by the president's team, with Trump himself signing the introductory foreword.

The document smashes at a few of the president's favoured themes.

One involves the supposed trade deficit with Canada. While Trump keeps talking about it, and insisting it exists, the document he signed states the opposite — that Canada is among the few countries in the world with whom the U.S. runs a surplus.

The document states this at least three times.

He's an idiot.  Doesn't know the difference between merchandise trade balance (Canada in surplus) and the overall current account balance (US in surplus).  US has a favorable balance on services - a big one.

In Trump's mind an economy means bashing pieces of metal together and digging shit out of the ground.  Mentally he's just about catching up to the mid-19th century.  Ironic considering his own "contributions" to the US economy.

Presumably some figure could be teased out to show the surplus generated by US hotel chains and property companies doing business with Canada?

[Razgovory]

Are trade imbalances even a problem?  I thought that was 18th century thinking.

[The Brain]

If you didn't become poorer by buying stuff why would people buy stuff?

[The Larch]

Trump Reportedly Considering His Personal Pilot To Captain FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration has been without a permanent chief since early this year when former President Barack Obama's appointee, Michael Huerta, stepped down. Now, according to reports, President Trump has a nominee in mind: his personal pilot.

John Dunkin flew Trump around during his campaign in 2016, piloting a Boeing 757 dubbed "Trump Force One." The president clearly thinks highly of Dunkin, telling airline executives he was a "real expert" at a White House meeting a year ago.

"My pilot, he's a smart guy and knows what's going on," Trump said in February 2017. "He said the government is using the wrong equipment and instituting a massive, multibillion-dollar project, but they're using the wrong type of equipment."

Trump was referring to a plan he supports to modernize the air traffic control system, in part by privatizing it. The measure, however, has stalled in Congress and was not part of the FAA's reauthorization last year.

The FAA administrator oversees an agency in charge of all civil aviation in the U.S. with a budget of some $16 billion and 47,000 employees. Former acting FAA Administrator Lynne Osmus noted it has often been led by a pilot in the past.

"Some came from the airline industry, some were military pilots, some had general aviation certificates, but they understood the system" and the way the FAA operates, Osmus said.

Trump's consideration of Dunkin was first reported by Axios, which quoted an unnamed administration official touting Dunkin's experience, saying he managed airline and corporate flight departments, certified airlines from startup under FAA regulations and oversaw the Trump campaign's air fleet.

But it's not a job requirement that the FAA administrator be a pilot. In fact, Osmus pointed out that she and other nonpilots who have headed the FAA found plenty of in-house experts to present the pilots' point of view and that there are many other issues to be considered by the agency's leader.

Foremost, the FAA is a "safety agency," Osmus said, and relies on decisions "based on safety data."

Max Stier, head of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, argued that personnel decisions for such key government positions should, above all, be based on merit.

"It's really important to understand that it's vital that the people picked for these positions actually are the very best in class," Stier said, and that "they have the capabilities to perform at the highest levels because the consequences are so large."

A White House official would say only that there are no personnel decisions to announce at this time.

[celedhring]

I suppose that's the XXIst century equivalent of appointing your horse as consul. 

[Sophie Scholl]

Ben Carson living it up in the soon-to-be palatial HUD offices.  31k on a dining room set, attempts to circumvent rules to spend more than 5k on a chair, all kinds of fun graft and corruption!

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/us/ben-carson-hud-furniture.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

[Oexmelin]

...and yet, no one cares.

[Sophie Scholl]

...and yet, no one cares.

People care, just not the right people.  The people who could and should care.  Alas.

[frunk]

I assume the swamp was government spending and it was being drained into their pockets.

[Jacob]

...and yet, no one cares.

A whole lot of suburban moms care, and that may have a serious long-term impact: https://democracyjournal.org/arguments/middle-america-reboots-democracy/

[Jacob]

Apparently other countries' representatives find Kushner easy to manipulate:

Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter.

Among those nations discussing ways to influence Kushner to their advantage were the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, the current and former officials said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/kushners-overseas-contacts-raise-concerns-as-foreign-officials-seek-leverage/2018/02/27/16bbc052-18c3-11e8-942d-16a950029788_story.html?utm_term=.13c5331c9d63

[jimmy olsen]

Kushner's security clearance has been downgraded.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/us/politics/jared-kushner-security-clearance-trump.html?action=click&module=Ribbon&pgtype=Article

[DGuller]