Don't Argue

The merits don't matter

The MAGAs have two defaults for every objection to the current run of Trump outrages, fentanyl and DEI.

Every wacked-out trade or tariff measure is justified with the magic word “fentanyl.” Every assault on the public sector is waved off with the invocation of “DEI” (diversity, equity, inclusion).

In popular discussions, MAGA supporters often pass along these one-word defenses. I do not think they believe them, so it does no good to argue the facts, namely that the tariff measures have nothing to do with fentanyl (Canada? Really??), and that cuts in Federal spending have nothing to do with DEI policies, whatever you think of them.

The DEI bit has the further perversity of racist undertones: public spending and the workers who administer it are just blacks and Hispanics who don’t deserve basic civil rights.

When one confronts an argument made in bad faith, the appropriate responses are abuse and invective. You can’t debate liars.

The best way to understand all this is as a performance, the only thing the president really knows anything about. Tariffs can be useful in certain circumstances, expertly applied. But we are not ruled by experts, but by chimps playing with assault rifles. Moreover, these types, a few names that should be circulated, have taken control of the Federal payments systems.

In the case of tariffs, the performance works like this. A tariff is announced, followed by wringing of hands on both sides. Even the Wall Street Journal described the latest moves in headlines as “The Dumbest Trade War in History.” Then we are told of talks between the U.S. and the foreign target. The target, in this week’s case Mexico, announces a showy gesture that suggests that Trump has prevailed. The gesture and the original tariff amount to nothing. Theater. It’s all to buttress Trump’s self-image as a strong man/boss-of-the-world, which is really all his presidency is about.

So what is a better thing for us to do? The Democratic Party establishment is brain-dead. I would recommend following the most likely sources of ideas and action: Indivisible, the Working Families Party, and Justice Democrats. It would be nice if there was a well-organized democratic socialist group to show some leadership, alas. A few blue states have governors showing signs of life, and midterms are looming. I would also keep this in mind:

Virginia, last December. This morning it said $3.05, but it’s still early days. It’s crude, but that’s politics now.

Have fun!