“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Those famous words, spoken by US Navy Admiral David Farragut on his way to winning the Battle of Mobile Bay, might as well have come from President Trump this past weekend.
Trump has pressed Congress to compromise – for months – on a combination of personal and corporate relief for struggling Americans. His negotiators worked week on week – to no effect.
On the House side, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) thought she had him over a barrel. She got her leftist caucus to pass a massive $3.5 trillion bill. Disingenuously, she called it the “HEROES” act, another feckless Washington acronym, that fooled no one. It reeks of unfunded giveaways, inducements to dependence on government, in a word, socialism.
Ironically, the name was “to honor those on the front lines,” even as Democrats pressed defunding the police, which endangers everyone from state and local police to first responders and those trying to manage social unrest in the health, transit, and other sectors.
Beyond extending the $600 a week federal top-up of state unemployment benefits, which disincentivizes return to work, Pelosi used the bill to bail out bankrupt public unions in Democrat-led states, give up to $6000 to families, expand Obamacare, pay mortgages and rents, increase federal entitlements like “SNAP” (food stamps), and pre-set mail-in federal elections.
The 1,800-page Pelosi bill ramped up Post Office spending, underwrote a vote-by-mail campaign and same day registrations, textbook for mismanagement and fraud – as evidenced by Democrat primaries. To this, she added senseless, indefensible spending. On whose nickel? Yours.
President Trump issued a veto threat, explaining the bill amounted to a “longstanding partisan and ideological wish list.” Senator McConnell (R-Ky) called it “unsalvageable,” filled with “absurdities.” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-tries-to-rally-support-for-3t-coronavirus-relief-bill-in-face-of-veto-threat-gop-ridicule.
Pelosi ignored the Republicans. In fine Washington tradition, she pushed for everything – causing her caucus and Senate Democrats to crater everything. She and Senate Democrats blocked compromise on stimulus, while stiff-arming black Republican Senator Tim Scott’s (R-SC) attempt to secure a thoughtful police transparency bill. In short, dead and dead.
Pelosi and Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) thought they had Republicans – and President Trump – in a corner. They would get Trump to fold, win their goodies, advance socialism, dependence, and debt – or blame Trump for no stimulus and a wobbly economy.
Trump tried – he really did. He worked on a compromise for weeks, sent Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin, and half the Administration looking for light. But there was no light to be found or joy to be had. The Democrats refused compromise.
In truth, they had no interest. Pelosi doubled down, saying she would not put a price tag on the bill, then said Republicans did not “give a damn” about those in need, and flayed an NPR reporter who dared ask why she could not compromise, as Republicans were being “flexible.”
No, like her arrogant, intransigent, take-it-or-leave-it, socialist House caucus, Pelosi gave no quarter. She was happy to launch torpedoes, create a minefield that worked against the American people – if it would also impair the President. Her bloated stimulus package was a campaign document, never had a chance of passage.
So, what did President Trump do? After trying – with his top-tier negotiating team – to reach sensible compromise, he said “enough.” On August 8, he signed four executive actions into law. They will lift the economy, help taxpayers and businesses, save trillions in what would have been mass overspending – and give a firm “no” to Pelosi’s socialism.
Specifically, the four executive actions – which may be challenged, but to no end – will “extend unemployment benefits, suspend payroll taxes, and offer federal eviction and student loan relief,” while setting the stage for compromise on side issues. Call it, “art of the deal.”
As a result, “enhanced unemployment benefits” will continue at $400 per week, not the work-killing $600 dollars a week. States are authorized to cover 25 percent of that, from previously awarded federal aid. This will be a lifeline for some, help others return to work, and bridge the gap to recovery. Notably, the economy unexpectedly created 1.8 million new jobs in July.
Second, Trump directed Treasury “to allow employers to defer payment of employee-side Social Security payroll taxes through the end of 2020,” for those earning below $100,000. Third, he authorized forgiveness of deferred payroll taxes, and pledged to make permanent “payroll tax cuts” if reelected. Finally, responding to public urgency, he froze evictions from federal housing and “paused” student loan payments through yearend. See, https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/511186-trump-signs-orders-on-unemployment-benefits-payroll-tax-after-talks
So, what just happened – in practical, economic, and political terms? In practical terms, the President tried in good faith to reach compromise, demonstrating again that deals can only be made when both sides act in good faith – and congressional Democrats had no interest.
In practical terms too, Trump saved millions of individuals and families, small businesses, those in federal housing and struggling students continued stress. He offered real relief – because that is what they needed. He showed, when push comes to shove, he cares about people – not games.
In economic terms, even if challenged, the move is a shot in the arm for America’s economy – in two ways. First, people will have a backstop, less worry, with more seeking jobs, finding work, spending, and creating jobs with new consumption. Second, by forestalling more federal debt – Trump gave the Federal Reserve and future generations less to fret.
In political terms, Trump took the initiative, showed leadership. Some will say that was bold, but Trump is Trump. Trump’s patience – with dissembling Democrats, who impeach and implore, pretend they are for the front lines but defund police, pass “unsalvageable” bills – ran short.
If Pelosi and Schumer want to play games and lay mines, let their anti-Trump animus run wild, so be it. Trump will keep getting things done. In a nod to Admiral Farragut and the Battle of Mobile Bay, President Trump seemed to say: “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
AMAC the conservative alternative to Aarp!
A true leader! Well done President Trump! Thank you!
This president is all about the good of the country and the working people, and getting things done. The dems are not. There has never been such a distinction between candidates in the next election. God bless President Trump.
As my wife and I watch this debacle unfolding and running rampant before us, we thought of “Nero fiddled while Rome burned”….same thing happening with the Democrats watching America burn.
Now sit back and watch as the moronic dims fight him on this tooth and nail. They despise the thought of A) Allowing him a victory that benefits American citizens and B) Helps struggling Americans without the encumbrance of a $3,000,000,000,000 bill heaped full of leftist pork. Well done Mr. President.
Maytag speech: President I heard recieved 28+ threats thus gone” underground” for safety
Threats have to be credible for Pres to hide out IE No rallies.
See Company Portl for hologram communications for White House & AMAC use
Plain to see why the Democrats want to dump Trump! He doesn’t play their childish games. Because of the Dems continued antics, they will find they are being dumped not President Trump.
Darn the Democrats….full speed ahead! The Commander and Chief did the right thing for America. Most Americans saw the Marxist-laden bill proposed by Pelosi. Can’t bail out the weak and failing Democrat cities around the country that can’t get their acts together. That does not cut it for those taxpayers and states that did things right over the years. Watch them try to get on board with the proposals in the next few days to turn the story in their favor.
Thank you President Trump!
Excellent article. I am so proud of Trump. We should be able to fire these traitors. We need term limits for sure. I am so sick of Pelosi and Schummer and their BS. They think they will get everything they want with socialism and the rest of the American people will get nothing but misery. They should be thrown out on their you know what. Enough as Trump has said. It is absolutely ridiculous and amounts to sedition. No excuse for such behavior.
The Democrat attempted coup, (the Russian collusion frame up), failed. Now the Democrats are openly working to crush the economy as a way to defeat President Trump.
I’ll say it right now, the Democrat Party has become a front for Marxism, and the people who support it are unworthy to be citizens of the wonderful country that the Founding Fathers bequeathed to all of us. Political opposition is one thing, outright sabotage of the economy is quiet another.
Most politicians are somewhat despicable, the Democrat ones are worse, they are enemies of the Bill of Rights.
What Trump did is characteristic. Yet, it is precisely what the otherwise feckless Barack Hussein Obama would have done had the shoe been on the other foot. Pelosi, Schumer and their Merry Pranksters have been,,,well…”Trumped”.
Some how this needs to spread to all the uninformed watching and supporting the left and the socialism. Praying for America and sending blessings to our President.
Executive orders I believe are not constitutionality granted in this state matter, but being a Michigan resident with a socialist governor, I would rather close my ears then plug my nose . Full steam ahead, Mr. President ! ?
That is awesome President Trump, keep doing what you’re doing for ALL Americans to keep America from turning into a Socialist State. God bless Pres. Trump and God bless America
That President Trump continues to find ways to circumvent the obstructionist Democrats, who if we are to be completely honest don’t care one bit about the American people they claim to care so much about, is yet another example of why we need to stop electing career politicians going forward. What we’re seeing is the difference between how a decisive, intelligent business leader addresses impediments laid out to solving a problem versus how your typical, weak-kneed career politician would have reacted to the extortion demands of the left.
Any other President would have either capitulated to the insane demands of Pelosi and Schumer or would be sitting silently in the White House blindly hoping the Democrats show some small mercy on the American people and moderate a few of their extortion demands. Neither of these typically bad choices would yield a positive result for the American people, as the Democrats would simply get a majority of what they demanded and then be emboldened to press for even more ruinously, financially destructive demands in the near future. That is how the Democrats have always responded to any show of weakness (some RINO’s on our side continue to call it “reaching across the aisle” or “being more moderate and accommodating to the other side”) or inaction from a Republican administration.
Should the American people indeed be smart enough in November to re-elect President Trump to a second term, the main lesson that most people hopefully learn from 8 years of a non-career politician in the White House is that this is the model that the Founding Fathers envisioned for this country. To elect people from the private sector, who truly care about the long-term well being of the country and the constitution to devote a few years to public service to help ensure the country’s future before returning back to their private lives. The idea of constantly electing career politicians, who for the most part have accomplished little to nothing of real value in the political careers, aside from giving empty, rhetorical speeches filled with promises they never keep and getting themselves re-elected multiple times by a public too apathetic to notice, simply means returning control of the country back over to the swamp. Think America.
I am so proud of our President. May God Bless him , lead & guide him. Keep a hedge of protection around him. America pray for this man because he is up against so much evil.
Although all of these provisions are exactly what needed to be done, doesn’t this seem like unconstitutional executive overreach? I’m a dyed-in-the-wool conservative and support President Trump, however I am concerned about executive overreach.
Leaders act, dissemblers just talk. We elected a leader. We love that guy!
Once again President Trump is showing true leadership. He totally knows how to get things done! That’s the reason I voted for him in 2016; I will vote for him this November. Great article, AMAC!
The Democrats show, once again, that they are the Enemy of the American People. Make no mistake about it, Democrats are Communist at heart, their front groups, BLM, Antifa, KKK, all Soros organizations want to plunge us into a Civil War & a thousand years of Darkness. The Dems are Evil personified & MUST be cast out of every public office from the Town Hall to DC, if not, the Constitution is toast!
What an unbelievable mess. Our governors and mayors have caused damage that some people will never get over. So many DC politicians, present and past, are blatantly corrupt. I’m still waiting to see a bunch of them with their fannies in a jail cell. The big city mayors are also guilty. It’s called treason. Used to be a jail sentence for the actions we have been witnessing since the Clinton era. Why not now?
Trump is made of tough stuff. His executive orders for COVID relief were exactly what was needed.
As for our big cities burning, let them burn. If I were a cop, I’d walk away. If Lightfoot and the rest don’t give a hoot, why should we? No federal funds to rebuild either. As for federal troops, I think they should go in shooting. It’s time to put an end to this hell. MAGA.
I absolutely love this President who is utterly anti-political and for the American People… especially the overburdened working – or hopefully working again soon – tax paying Middle Class. Let the LEFTISTS sue these Executive Orders in their federal leftist appointed, leftist clerics appellate courts. There’s no way Communist Pelosi can sue for injunctions… and still put on airs about supposedly caring for the poor and downtrodden.. i.e., those that the Democrats have made and kept poor and those the Democrats have consistently scorned and trodden down for at least the last six decades.
What President Trump did was great for the American people. Except for cutting the payroll taxes that only helps people who are working and hurts people who are on social security and medicare and means both systems will go broke sooner than expected. Unless Congress decides to pay back what they took.
May God protect our President. All pray every day for this wonderful gentleman.
If the democrats try to take the emergency executive orders to court, when the emergency is obvious to so many voters, they will look bad (again). My guess is that they thought they had him cornered and will find out November 3, they are marching down the street with no clothes.
One of the prime rules in psychology/psychiatry in dealing with dysfunctional behaviors is to deny the payoff to the perpetrators. In this case, President Trump’s compassionate Executive Orders have denied Pelosi, Schumer, and their allied Demsheviks any payoffs whatsoever for their shenanigans and obstructionism. Hey, Crazy Nancy, time to go pound sand (use your face since it could only improve your looks)!
Our POTUS is 100% on target! No doubt the ‘Crats will try every trick in the book to keep any part of his plan to work for the benefit of our citizens. HOPEFULLY, the sheeple are beginning to wake up to what the treasonous dumbocrat party has in store for them. We’ll certainly see come 03 November 2020!
The media, pelosi and her democrats are whining, gnashing their teeth and crying wold. This being the case it would appear that President Trump is on the right track and has the best interests of hard working Americans foremost in his thoughts, deeds and actions. God Bless President Trump. ps. keep draining the swamp.
Just think about how the future would look if we replace carreer politicians with more people that think like PRESIDENT TRUMP, that would SERVE AMERICA for a few years and return to thier private lives, and replace them with more like-minded AMERICANS. THAT IS THE AMERICA I WANT! VOTE FOR AMERICA! VOTE FOR TRUMP!!
Another helpful and insightful article by Robert Charles!!
Heavenly Father, We bring President Trump before You, and ask that You will lead him to do what is right in Your eyes, support and obey the constitution, and make decisions that will be best for America, and bring honor to You.
The Constitution gives the House the rights to budgeting; not the Presidency. they can fight him in court. Now how are states ready to declare bankruptcy going to give 100 to each person???? how Stupid and UNCARING. The only reason he did this was to make him look good as a candidate. Stop all federal aid to other countries except for disasters and use that money for Americans. He’s still holding rallies with unmasked idiots; now in NJ, he wants us to have more virus cases. he’s really out for himself. Now he’s going to bring all the supplies to make our drugs here and that means prices go up but he hasn’t frozen them. Every time he has a rally; more cases happen in the crowd. Our country is in a state of shock. folks can’t pay their rent or mortgages. the ones they pay it to can’t pay their bills. loans and credit cards can’t get repaid. jobs folks got laid off from may not be there to go back to. Businesses are closing up for good. Evictions may start in places. we have enough homeless now. Food bank lines go for miles. Now the NE doesn’t have power.
no fans, no ACs, no PCs, no running water in well areas, no lights, think about how much we depend on electricity. But count how many trees are down. they came right out of the ground, roots and all. branches broke off and flew around. i had two that were bigger than me but i was able to drag them off the street. if they are on your property, either you or your town has to clean them up.
We are hearing there are no bed ICU beds in a few states from the virus but we still have idiots who don’t think it is dangerous.
now we have little kids down with it. teens and young adults with it. And where did he take part of this money?
OUR SOCIAL SECURITY FUND= THE FICA TAX THAT PUTS THE MONEY INTO SS. how many baby boomers are retired and living on their SS????? no pension. the prices are taking away all our savings. medication, taxes.
Now the question remains; when was the last time the ‘democrats’ went to work on Saturday? The ‘dim wits’ will complain however! Why were they not ‘just beside themselves’ with worry over the country? Hope the legislature was having a good time by the pool; whilst the country was precariously balancing on a cliff. President Trump gets up, puts his suit and tie on; and goes to work on Saturday! ‘Dims’ can make time for frivolous activities; (like removing ‘politically incorrect’ portraits and statues.) But, and however, they cannot make time for serious negotiations!.. However, they will be the first to complain!…
no compromise…no deal! trump 2020
Our God has a plan and a purpose and He is in control. Take heart, trust Him. He will see us through this time of crisis!
More people need to see this. I hope all of you post this on your facebook account, which I just did. Keep up the good fight President Trump!!!
Guess we can all see just WHO cares about the American PEOPLE and this COUNTRY and who doesn’t!!!
Executive Orders are end runs around Congress & only for things one side wants. The threat of veto was out there, and why does not the POTUS let bill go on and then veto it. Also comments on Crazy Nancy surely cannot help negotiating on bills. Quit fighting like children.
Do I understand that tax cut will be FICA out of payroll. Why this, as Social Security will go broke sooner with thinking like this. Who else supports Trump on deferring money from SS fund ????? Need to go through Congress/House for approval & not one person Executive Order. The entire lawmaking system is being circumvented with Orders.l
I am disappointed that no money was allocated for Federal funding for testing for all states. The way to get schools open/jobs back is to control the virus which needs to be done before vaccine is ready .
how to vote pelosi and schummer out of office and when?
President Trump has the stones to go his own way, screw Pelosi and Schumer, AOC and the rest. He is FOR our country and capitalism, NOT socialism. Way to go, President Trump!! We the people are behind you!
Wow! Talk about smart strategy and what a great set of actions. Trump is smart and competent.
Great article!!!! I heard us seniors on Soc Sec will not be getting our 2and $1200!?????? But I agree with all comments!
Of course the articles I have seen in the Dem run newspapers paint a total different picture of the President’s bold move. They tout is as hurting people by cutting benefits. Wish I could share this article to FB so it could be compared side x side to their report so people could see for themselves the wolf in sheep’s clothing
Americans extend our thanks to all those who remain focused on not only managing this China virus, but managing business and citizens. Let the selfish traitorous deep-state socialists eat dirt for all we care. Their motives are not focused on Americans (and haven’t been for decades) rather are on their march toward globalization and autonomous power.
As usual Mr Charles is right on with his blunt and direct opinions..with a bit of history thrown in !!.
Thank you President Trump! May the Lord be with you!
They’re trying to buy the Election! By Hook and Crook?