The Ick Factor

Moore Ickiness:  We already knew that former Judge Roy Moore, the Republican running for Jeff Sessions’ old Senate seat, was a pretty despicable fellow.  He’s a homophobic, evangelist who believes that Muslims shouldn’t be allowed to serve in Congress, who refused to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling permitting gay marriage and also refused to remove a ten commandments monument from court grounds. Yesterday, we learned that he also has a thing for much younger women and girls, he preyed on at least four of them when he was in his thirties.  One of those girls was fourteen when Moore cozied up to her outside of family court in Alabama.  None of this is particularly disturbing to Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News.  Even before the Washington Post published their detailed, disturbing and convincing story, based on interviews with four women who came forward independently, Breitbart was out slamming the accusations, with one of their editors making the cable rounds to say that Moore’s history was just fine because some of the women were over sixteen, the age of consent in Alabama and what’s the big deal, men prey on young women all the time. For his part Moore attacked the “Obama-Clinton liberal media lapdogs” for “their viscous and evil attacks.”  Ballots have already been printed for the December special election and at least so far Moore has no intention of pulling out of the race.  His Republican colleagues aren’t all that happy about him and his polarizing views but to date have tolerated him because they are desperate to keep his seat Republican so most have said something along the lines of “if the accusations are proven true, then Moore should step down.” A White House aide ironically said that “Trump won’t support him if the allegations are true.”  Only Senator McCain has come out and said that Moore should leave now.  Senator Murkowski who won her last election as a write-in candidate is calling on outgoing Senator Strange who lost to Moore in the primary to rev up a similar campaign.  There’s also a chance that Doug Jones, Moore’s Democratic opponent could eke out a victory if Moore’s voters stay home or switch their votes in disgust, but this is Alabama, many worship him and don’t think hanging out with young girls is a big deal so I wouldn’t bet on it. It’s hard to tell what will happen, after all sixteen women have accused Trump of inappropriate behavior and he’s president.  Don’t be surprised if more women come forward, don’t be surprised if no one cares.    

Tax Reform for CEOs: Economic Advisor Gary Cohn proved once again why he will never succeed as a political spin master by saying that “the most excited group out there are CEO’s.” He’s right CEOs love the tax reform plan, the rest of us, not so much, unless of course you believe that the trickle-down economics theory that Cohn also advocates is true even though virtually every credible economist thinks it’s a bunch of bunk. Cohn’s CEOs are probably not as happy about the Senate’s version of the tax plan because it delays their coveted corporate tax cuts until 2019.  In summary the Senate plan expands the zero individual tax bracket while maintaining a lowest tax rate of 10 percent; creates a 38.5 percent bracket for high earners; increases standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples; expands the child tax credit from $1,000 to $1,650 and lifts existing income caps; keeps the adoption tax credit and the charitable contribution deduction; maintains the mortgage interest deduction for homes up to $1 million but eliminates state and local tax deductions; preserves the medical expense deduction; repeals the alternative minimum tax; doubles the exemption from the estate tax; and once it goes into effect permanently lowers the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. At this point the details are still in flux, the House and Senate plans differ, lobbyists are still working the phones, Democrats are out talking up the inequities between individual and corporate benefits and many high tax state legislators and residents are fuming. Fearful of their longevity, Majority Leader McConnell and Speaker Ryan are pushing forward on an accelerated schedule that may or may not be delusional. Tax reform is complicated.

The Diplomat in Chief:  The tweeter in chief spent the week in Asia exercising his diplomatic chops.  He should probably stick to tweeting.  During the presidential campaign Trump accused China of raping the US with its trade policies.  He softened his approach during his Beijing speech by “lavishing” praise on Chinese leader Xi and refusing to blame him for the US-China trade balance.  He said that the US trade relationship with China is a very one-sided and unfair one but doesn’t “blame China.  Who can blame a country that is able to take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens? I give China great credit.”  Instead he stood in front of the Chinese assembly and railed against past US administrations “for having allowed it to get so far out of kilter. We’ll make it fair, and it’ll be tremendous for both of us. My feeling toward you is incredibly warm. We have great chemistry. I think we’ll do tremendous things, China and the U.S.” He didn’t say what those tremendous things would be, nor did either side take any questions from reporters after the speech, the typical practice of the autocratic Chinese, but against US precedent. Consensus in China was that Xi had gotten the upper hand.  Democratic Senator Schumer was left furious that Trump, who had played mister tough guy on the campaign trail against Hillary wouldn’t extend his criticism to Xi, letting him off the hook for China’s trade practices.  Trump continued on to Viet Nam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit where he continued with his theme of blaming prior US administrations for trade imbalances but was also more heavy handed in his criticism of the other attendees, saying “we are not going to let the United States be taken advantage of anymore, I am always going to put America first, the same way I expect all of you in this room to put your countries first."  The other countries are putting their interests first, they are planning to meet and go forward with the Trans Pacific Partnership, the trade agreement that Trump abandoned as soon as he was inaugurated.  While Trump was traveling his ”liddle” nemesis, Senator Corker, growing increasingly concerned about Trump’s propensity for saber rattling, called for a Senate hearing to reassess Trump’s nuclear authority.

Russia, Russia, Russia:  Trump’s former bodyguard, Keith Schiller, told the House Intelligence Committee that Trump’s Russian hosts offered to send five prostitutes to his room when he was in Moscow for the Miss Universe contest.  Schiller told the committee that he declined the offer on Trump’s behalf, that he thought it was a joke and that he told the Russians that “we don’t do that kind of thing.”  Some of what he testified was consistent with what was reported in the infamous Steele dossier, except for the part about turning the women away.  The dossier also referred to an “unusual” event in St Petersburg but nothing about whether or not Trump ever went to St Petersburg was addressed in any of the “leaked” press reports about Schiller’s testimony.  Little Stevie Miller, Trump’s close aide and speech writer has spent some time in the Special Counsel Mueller hot seat.  He is the highest Trump official to have been interviewed so far.  Miller was responsible for writing the first draft of the memo justifying the firing of former FBI Director Comey, the version that White House Counsel McGann found totally objectionable, and should have been able to shade some light on Trump’s decision process and the others present during the Comey discussions.  In all likelihood, Mueller asked him a few probing questions about son-in-law Kushner’s role. 

Trumpman Kelly:  On Monday Acting Homeland Security Elaine Duke decided to defer a decision about the Temporary Protected Status for 60,000 Hondurans who have lived in the country for twenty years or more for another six months but her decision didn’t go over well with her bosses. Apparently, Chief of Staff Kelly called from Japan to try and pressure her to rescind the Hondurans status asap, partly because he agrees with Trump’s views on immigrants and partly because he wanted to be able to spare his anointed pick for Head of Homeland Security, Kirsten Nielsen, from having to address the sticky situation at her confirmation hearing.  Duke was furious about the interference and reports are that the 28-year government vet is considering resigning.