October 13, 2022

"The [January 6th] committee has focused on extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers that played an outsize role in storming the Capitol. But..."

"... their violence, coordination and resolution were not typical of the broader crowd. No firearms were found on those who invaded the Capitol. It was not a coup attempt. And even if you believe it was, Mr. Trump was not leading it. For someone supposedly bent on overthrowing the government, Mr. Trump did an awful lot of television-watching and surprisingly little seizing of broadcast centers, mobilizing of commando units and issuing of emergency decrees...."

Writes Christopher Caldwell in "The Jan. 6 Committee Has Been Almost Wholly Ineffective" (NYT).

"[T]he Jan. 6 committee’s members... have set themselves up less as investigators than as defenders of America’s democracy. This is the wrong venue for such a mission. The committee has wound up too partisan to carry it out.... The almost complete removal of oppositional checks leaves the committee ill suited to what is really a very delicate task. The Jan. 6 march on the Capitol was both a protest questioning the integrity of the 2020 election (protected by the First Amendment) and a violent assault on the integrity of the 2020 election (punishable by law).... The committee jumbles all these contexts together.... [T]he committee members have been too inclined to look at the Republican Party as a nest of subversives, much as certain anti-Communists did the Democrats at some of the colder points in the Cold War...."

96 comments:

RideSpaceMountain said...

"The Jan. 6 Committee Has Been Almost Wholly Ineffective"

What's their definition of ineffective? If the intent to was to get people to change their minds, lose the 'almost'...it was completely ineffective. If the intent was for leadership to keep TDS addicts hooked like drug-fiends waiting for their dealer to release discounted crack for Christmas, lose the 'wholly'...it was quite effective.

Richard Aubrey said...

When the term "ineffective" is used, the writer is presumed to have a goal or result in mind that should be happening, and whatever it is isn't getting there, to the writer's imputed goal.

wendybar said...

The Deep State is trying to silence and destroy Conservatives. What is up with Banks (Bank of America) deciding to cancel the accounts of people who voted for anybody but Biden? Catturd was punished, as was Kanye West. Talk about Fascism. This is it. Wake up American people. If you can't see it, YOU need help. https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/chase-bank-conservative-customers/

Saint Croix said...

"guest essay"

hire that fucker!

rhhardin said...

It might be asked what the Constitution thinks it's doing with this particular ritual certifying the election. Apparently it's for checking into something. That's what Trump thought too.

Witness said...

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"Mr. Trump did an awful lot of television-watching..."

He failed in the most basic duties a President has, and that's his *defense*.

Enigma said...

Zealots are zealous because they lack self awareness. Be they Communist hunters in the 1950s or the Jan 6 committee today.

Zealots are ultimately revealed for what they are, and then become objects of ridicule and hate. The Jan 6 committee was warned a thousand times not to do it that way. Their work now stands to undermine any future balanced efforts, except the unexplored failures of Capitol staff.

Leland said...

NYT believes in paywalls to keep people out, so I can’t read the whole article, but what is quoted seems a mess. In what way was the Jan. 6th committee ineffective? What was the intended effect? If the author recognizes that much of Jan 6th was a protest protected by free speech and Trump seemed to have no role in the criminal elements, then what was the committee’s purpose? If it was to investigate the event, it did. Was it predetermined to find guilt against the President? Probably so, but if so, then it was ineffective in that it likely violated the Constitution. If it was purely to investigate and provide evidence, then perhaps it was very effective in showing that January 6th was never an insurrection. I’m sure that is not the conclusion the committee members or the NYT wanted, but investigation should exonerate the innocent if that is what the evidence finds, and an effective committee would do so.

ccscientist said...

Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have never committed violence. The capitol cops removed barricades and opened the doors for the protesters. Pelosi has many times allowed HER protesters into gov buildings--women's march 1000 women let in by her to congressional office buildings. News media ignored it entirely.

Witness said...

When he was asked if he would tell the Proud Boys to stand down, he said "...stand back and stand by".

Kind of a weird phrasing, but I guess you could say he was having a "senior moment" instead of some effort at coordination. Just weird that people who would defend that behavior think that Biden's age is some kind of big deal...

Rabel said...

Speaking of the Cold War, have you noticed that Angela Lansbury passed?

I would hope she deserves a post, if only for the record.

MikeR said...

I half agree with him. He acknowledges some things that most Democrats refuse to acknowledge: That there was no actual coup attempt, not by the crowd and not by the President. That the Committee that was supposed to be investigating, was actually politically completely one-sided and intentionally excluded any oppositional point-of-view. Kudos, well done.
OTOH, he seems to be holding out things like "What the crowd did — to obstruct, through physical intimidation, the counting of votes — was a constitutional trespass of maximum gravity, for which the instigators deserve punishment." Maximum gravity? Really? They delayed the vote for a few hours. How is that anything but a protest, anything more than a trivial screaming tactic? If that's all you're calling it - ignoring, say, the threat to life for the Senators and the trespass into the Capitol - how is it different from what Democratic protestors have done half-a-dozen times?
Or, "This [the phone call to Georgia] was an unambiguous act of constitutional wrongdoing." Was it? Or if you read the transcript of the call, was it not an unambiguous act of a politician demanding that the official in charge of the election do his job? Trump may perhaps have been wrong about the facts, but that is what he was trying to do, and the transcript makes that pretty clear.
Progress, anyhow.

Mike Sylwester said...

How did that article get published in The New York Times ?

tim maguire said...

"The Jan. 6 Committee Has Been Almost Wholly Ineffective" (NYT)

We won't know for sure until November, but, yeah, probably. Thankfully.

Yancey Ward said...

Poor Mr. Caldwell- about to be cancelled. Literally everyone knows that it was only the killing of Ashlii Babbitt that prevented a real coup and Trump Dictator-For-Life, right?

Sebastian said...

No arguing with Caldwell, just piling on:

"supposedly bent on overthrowing the government"

Of course, the supposition was a partisan fabrication from the outset.

"[T]he committee members have been too inclined to look at the Republican Party as a nest of subversives"

Why "too"? No anti-GOP inclination is too extreme and destructive for Dems. The attempt at destruction of the opposition party is the point, to save "our democracy."

rcocean said...

"a violent assault on the integrity of the 2020 election"

No it wasn't. And how does one "assault an election?". Further, even if True, that makes the Assault on the white house in the summer of 2020, an attempted coup to unseat President Trump. And the riots on inaugeration day 2017, a "violent assault on the constitutional transfer of power". Does the NYT's agree? Of course not.

The D's and MSM Pravda just keeps pushing out the Jan 6th lies. We keep looking for the DC Republicans to push back, and fight for justice, but they're in on the scam. I'll never forget that McConnell and his gang said ZERO about the deaths of 4 peaceful protesters. One of whom was gunned down by the Captial hill police in cold blood. But why be surprised? Mitch probably jacks off over the thousands of dead Russians and Ukrainians.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Yancey Ward said...

rhhardin makes a point that many or most on the left have missed- the entire process for certifying the election is part of the Constitution for a reason- it allows a contest of the electoral result, and pressing for that publicly via protest is, or should be, protected speech as a redress for grievances.

Witless at 12:37 p.m. wrote:

"He failed in the most basic duties a President has, and that's his *defense*."

Trump offered Pelosi extra security for the Capitol Building, extra security that Pelosi explicitly refused. The breach of the building is entirely on Pelosi's head, not Trumps.

chuck said...

Ineffective! Is he saying it could have been worse?

Rusty said...

Witness said...
""I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"Mr. Trump did an awful lot of television-watching..."

He failed in the most basic duties a President has, and that's his *defense*."
You wouldn't suppose that the nonstop investigations and impeachment proceeding might have distracted him do you?
It isn't Biden's age. it's Biden's mental condition that is worrisome. But you voted form so enjoy the nuclear war.

Misinforminimalism said...

I don't know who's making fainting couches these days, but I'd say their stock is definitely a "buy" today.

Original Mike said...

"The Jan. 6 Committee Has Been Almost Wholly Ineffective"

IDK. I have a friend who tried to start a "I fear for our democracy…" conversation with me awhile back. My eyeroll stopped that conversation cold, but he was referring to "The Jan 6 Insurrection" which NPR (which is where he gets his "news") was pushing. So I think it has had the effective of keeping the sheep in the fold. Maybe not as much effect as the democrats hoped for, but it's not nothing.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The effect was the usual BS from the liars and partisan hacks - Ruin Trump. Ruin his supporters.

The Cheney-Pelosi-Kinzinger shit-show has been a leftist exercise is Soviet-Putinism.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
GRW3 said...

Liz Cheney would have more moral authority if she pushed hard to find out why Nancy kept the National Guard away, who were all the unnammed co-conspirators and for whom did they work, why there was no serious review of the murder of an unarmed protestor.

narciso said...

its a travesty of two mockeries of a sham, a line from vintage woody allen, well bananas was perhaps his apex,

it was such a violent insurrections, they left the guns in the hotel, in another state, or in at home,

Beasts of England said...

’He failed in the most basic duties a President has, and that's his *defense*’

Didn’t Pelosi take an oath to defend the Constitution? Her branch; her responsibility.

Michael K said...

He failed in the most basic duties a President has, and that's his *defense*.

So, the best economy since 1985, energy self sufficiency, no wars, Middle East peace were failures ? What a pitiful specimen you are.

BIII Zhang said...

Wholly ineffective?

Who is in charge? How many political prisoners are in DC jails? Who controls all narratives in the United States in conjunction with a bunch of foreign-born CEOs in Silicon Valley? Banks are now shutting down the bank accounts of anyone spouting anything conservative? Pay-Pal has elected itself to the Judiciary of the United States, with the power to "fine" people $2500 for saying the wrong thing (even though that thing will shortly be proven to be true).

The January 6 hearing is to let the people know that the Deep State is UNTOUCHABLE. Protest for one second against it and you will lose your job, your entire life, and your freedom.

It's extremely effective. Its goal is to eliminate their political enemies. It's working like a charm.

Why should they stop if they know we won't do anything?

BIII Zhang said...

Wholly ineffective?

Who is in charge? How many political prisoners are in DC jails? Who controls all narratives in the United States in conjunction with a bunch of foreign-born CEOs in Silicon Valley? Banks are now shutting down the bank accounts of anyone spouting anything conservative? Pay-Pal has elected itself to the Judiciary of the United States, with the power to "fine" people $2500 for saying the wrong thing (even though that thing will shortly be proven to be true).

The January 6 hearing is to let the people know that the Deep State is UNTOUCHABLE. Protest for one second against it and you will lose your job, your entire life, and your freedom.

It's extremely effective. Its goal is to eliminate their political enemies. It's working like a charm.

Why should they stop if they know we won't do anything?

Readering said...

TDS? Read the comments here every day to see the effects of BDS.

FWBuff said...

At this moment (2:00 pm Central on Thursday), there are 7 articles on the front page of the online NY Times with "Trump" in their headlines. There is 1 article with "Biden" in the headline. The Jan. 6 hearings (and the media coverage of them) have been more about deflection away from the disaster that is the current president than about "protecting democracy".
If our newspaper of record and the other media really wanted to protect democracy, they would report on what is (or isn't) happening with the current administration.

Jim at said...

Just weird that people who would defend that behavior think that Biden's age is some kind of big deal...

It's not Biden's age we have a problem with. It's his stupid, non-stop lying while making up stories out of whole cloth.

Weird you defend that type of behavior yet take Trump's comments completely out of context in order to make some sort of bullshit point.

Darkisland said...

A question for constitutional experts

What happens if the Vp refuses to certify ever? If Kamala refuses to certify Trump in 25 for example. I would not put this past her. To save democracy, of course.

Can any action be taken against them for not certifying? Can they be forced to certify?

Absent certification, can the president elect ever take office?

If not, who tends the store? Speaker of the house?

John stop fascism vote republican Henry

Jupiter said...

It does seem strange that the committee investigating an incident during which two women were murdered did not take any evidence about those murders.

Karen of Texas said...

For those who would like to read but are stymied by the paywall, have a go at the archived version:

https://archive.ph/zoolU

(I'd use html to do a link but the last time I tried that blogger ate it. Is that a thing?)

Christopher B said...

As with the earlier chin-stroker attempting to explain away Biden's extensive history of serial fabrications, I'm assuming this piece is also advanced preparation for explaining the beat-down the Democrats are going to get in November, and how 'mistakes were made' but it's really the voter's fault for not understanding what Democrats were attempting to do.

Original Mike said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
James K said...

By "ineffective" I suspect he just means Trump isn't in jail yet.

James K said...

Read the comments here every day to see the effects of BDS.

BDS = Biden Dementia Syndrome? It's real and worth writing about. He also happens to be the current President, damaging the country every day. Trump is a private citizen still living rent-free in the left's heads.

Mike said...

The January 6 committee has been ineffective because they've been trying to turn a minor molehill into a Mt. Everest of Insurrection. And by now even the dumbest truly non partisan voter out there has figured out that when a Democrat screams "we are preserving our democracy" they are really saying, "Whatever it takes, I'm staying in power".

Pelosi's partisan poodles on the witch hunt really haven't been able to bite.

n.n said...

Security rejected, an invitation extended, a rug haphazardly pulled, two unarmed women summarily aborted, one in a prone position, the other lying on the ground, a riot forced, a probable Whitmer-event, JournoLists bray. Democracy dies in special committee.

Jupiter said...

"(I'd use html to do a link but the last time I tried that blogger ate it. Is that a thing?)"

Well, it is a thing, but I don't think it has anything to do with using html to make a link. Blogger just freaks out from time to time. Which is probably why you see so many double-postings. Since the blog is moderated, there is no way to tell whether your comment made it through the Blogger crash. A lot of people therefore enter it again. My impression is that the comments get in, even if Blogger crashes, but I haven't made a study of it.

minnesota farm guy said...

Regardless of the number of "Trump" headlines in today's NYT. Over the last two days we have had article that examines Biden's verbal fabrications and an article that says, basically, that the Jan. 6 committee is illegitimate and useless. Who the hell is editing the Times these days to allow those stories to get into print?

Left Bank of the Charles said...

“It was not a coup attempt. And even if you believe it was, Mr. Trump was not leading it.”

The attempted coup was thwarted by Pence refusing to participate, with help from McConnell and McCarthy. So Trump turned the mob he had gathered to support the coup against them.

Trump said he was going to lead the attack on the Capitol during his speech at the Ellipse, but then he couldn’t get a ride to the Capitol and didn’t want to walk, so he went back to the White House and watched it on TV.

Ambrose said...

I think people have already figured out this is a show. I have trouble imagining a single person anywhere changing their mid term vote from Republican to Democrat over J6

Robert Cook said...

"NYT believes in paywalls to keep people out...."

No, the NYT uses a paywall to ensure those who want to read their content--which costs the Times money to pay people to research, write, and publish to sell to interested readers--are paying to read that content. You know...kind of like stores requiring people to pay before they go home with items for sale on the store shelves or movie theaters requiring payment from those who wish to enter their premises to watch the movies on exhibit, and etc., etc.

Big Mike said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gusty Winds said...

The J6 Committee are going after lies and promoting false propaganda to cover 2020 election fraud and upcoming mid-term shenanigans in the same states. Even if they are ineffective...they sure are determined and committed to their cause.

All of the committee members sold their souls long ago.

Big Mike said...

I would argue that the January 6th Committee has not been “wholly” ineffective. It led to a near total purge of NeverTrumpers like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger from the GOP. I read somewhere that every televised Committee hearing generates more support for Trump. I don’t know whether that’s true, but the fact that it’s even plausible should scare crap out of Dumbocrats.

Butkus51 said...

Simple solution

Have Ray Epps take the stand.

Lets talk to good old Ray.

Drago said...

Readering: "TDS? Read the comments here every day to see the effects of BDS."

readering believes Biden really can see dead people.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Wow, who allowed such an almost honest article in the NYT?

Greg The Class Traitor said...

a violent assault on the integrity of the 2020 election

In Fulton County, GA, election workers kicked out poll watchers and the press on the grounds they weren't going to count any more ballots that night, then immediately resumed counting ballots.

The States that flipped the election from Trump to Biden all had changes to voting and poll watching imposed by judges / Democrat officials, without any changes in the law.

The 2020 election had no "integrity", so there was nothing there to "assault"

Achilles said...

The efforts of the flailing illegitimate regime are not working to maintain their power.

Biden will almost certainly be out of office before Republicans set up the Hunter Biden Committee in January.

David53 said...

It was not a coup attempt.

I'm surprised the NYT printed that sentence. I would like to know how many articles they've printed that say it was a coup attempt vs articles that say it wasn't.

Drago said...

There are rumors the New Soviet Democraticals (which includes Liz "Abraham" Cheney (D-DC/Pelosi/Northern VA)) have superimposed Trump's face onto the famous Dukakis tank ride video and have green-screened a pic of the Capital behind him and will be introducing that into "evidence" for the next set of Articles of Impeachment against Trump for leading an entire armored Division against the innocent, peace-loving peoples of DC.

Robert Cook said...

"So, the best economy since 1985, energy self sufficiency, no wars, Middle East peace were failures?"

Trump's economy was just the continuation of the healthy economy Obama created from the ashes of the Wall Street crash at the end of Bush's second term. If the economy under Trump was "the best since 1985," (by what metrics?), Trump can thank Obama for his success in salvaging the economy to such a degree that its growth momentum continued after Obama's term in office ended and Trump's commenced. (Trump failed to bring manufacturing back to the states from abroad, as he had promised, let it be noted. It's unlikely any president will ever accomplish that, at least not until it is cheaper to manufacture good here than in China and other foreign nations.) We're still "energy independent" by the criteria by which that is defined. We were still involved in wars during Trump years. "Middle East Peace" is what they're calling an alliance of villains.

Michael K said...

Blogger Readering said...

TDS? Read the comments here every day to see the effects of BDS.


The difference is that it is Biden who is deranged. Thanks for that own goal.

Amadeus 48 said...

Christopher Caldwell is the son-in-law of the late Robert Novak. His daughter was the campaign manager for a genuine goof, Joe Walsh, who tried to primary Trump in 2020 and is otherwise not employable (I mean Walsh). Caldwell was a regular at the Weekly Standard and now is at the Claremont Institute.

In light of all that, I am glad to see him throw a few bricks at the J6 Committee. It is a target-rich environment.

Mary Beth said...

Witness said...

I think you have a typo.

mikee said...

The second Trump inauguration is gonna be wild. And nobody will say the Antifa goons are seditious insurrectionists. Nobody.

effinayright said...

Left Bank of the Charles said...
“It was not a coup attempt. And even if you believe it was, Mr. Trump was not leading it.”

The attempted coup was thwarted by Pence refusing to participate, with help from McConnell and McCarthy. So Trump turned the mob he had gathered to support the coup against them.

>>>>>>>>>>>I guess the part in the NYT article about Trump having not taken over the organs of communications, the military and the like sailed right past you. Pence isn't the CINC, so he didn't have the authority of the POTUS.

Trump said he was going to lead the attack on the Capitol during his speech at the Ellipse, but then he couldn’t get a ride to the Capitol and didn’t want to walk, so he went back to the White House and watched it on TV.

>>>>>>>>>>>> Yeah. People leading insurrections ALWAYS go home to watch them on TV. Got it. SNORT

Witness said...

"Will you condemn David Duke?" and "Will you commit to the peaceful transfer of power in the event that you lose?" are two of the easiest softball questions the press *ever* asks a Republican.

But, just like the Proud Boys question, he managed to get them both wrong. He was never very good at any of this.

PB said...

It was a joke from the very beginning. Improperly constituted.

~ Gordon Pasha said...

Jan 6 Committee
Postures ineffectively
No bang, a whimper

Jamie said...

He failed in the most basic duties a President has, and that's his *defense*.

Witness made that statement immediately after quoting the part of the piece about Trump's watching a lot of TV. I read Witness's statement as referring to the TV watching, don't y'all?

Which TV watching was the NYT writer's way of saying, "Trump wasn't leading any charges or fomenting anything - he was just watching the inauguration on TV." Witness, your statement is just dumb.

I do agree with Cook about the NYT's paywall. They have every right to charge people to read their work product. I'm grateful to our host for addressing some of what they write, with sufficient excerpting that I don't have to spend money on a product I don't like or trust. They are in fact still the Paper of Record for quite a lot of influential people, so it's worth my exposing myself to their very liberal/progressive and East Coast biases in order to stay informed of the actions and opinions of those whose will to power outweighs any other commitments or principles

FleetUSA said...

Several times a day I will switch to MSNBC to see just how long it takes them to mention "Trump" or flash the name on the screen. It never fails that it is often seconds. A one trick pony station.

Drago said...

Left Bank: "The attempted coup was thwarted by Pence refusing to participate, with help from McConnell and McCarthy. So Trump turned the mob he had gathered to support the coup against them."

LOL

Drago said...

Left Bank: "Trump said he was going to lead the attack on the Capitol during his speech at the Ellipse, but then he couldn’t get a ride to the Capitol and didn’t want to walk, so he went back to the White House and watched it on TV."

LOL

These lefty lunatics really do believe this stuff. No wonder they swallowed the Russia Russia Russia hoax and pee tape hoax without a second's hesitation.

Yancey Ward said...

"A question for constitutional experts

What happens if the Vp refuses to certify ever? If Kamala refuses to certify Trump in 25 for example. I would not put this past her. To save democracy, of course."


The newly seated Congress is the final arbiter of the challenges to the electoral slate, including any challenges by the VP. The Congress as constituted on January 6th always has the power to reject an electoral vote or slate of votes.

boatbuilder said...

Cookie--If Obama was responsible for Trump's great economy, why has the Biden Administration (which discarded all of Trump's policies and re-instituted Obama's) cratered the economy?

I will give partial credit for "Never underestimate Joe's ability to fuck things up," but its not a real answer.

boatbuilder said...

"Trump said he was going to lead the attack on the Capitol during his speech at the Ellipse, but then he couldn’t get a ride to the Capitol and didn’t want to walk, so he went back to the White House and watched it on TV."

And somhow the January 6th Committee didn't pick up on this.

It's a mystery.

Original Mike said...

"Trump's economy was just the continuation of the healthy economy Obama created from the ashes of the Wall Street crash at the end of Bush's second term."

Slowest recovery on record.

" We're still "energy independent" by the criteria by which that is defined. "

Look at that graph. It turns around about Jan 2021. What happened in Jan 2021?
The article was written in March this year. Hazard a guess where we are now? I'll give you a clue; Biden is begging the Saudis and Venezuelans to pump more oil.

Original Mike said...

"Trump said he was going to lead the attack on the Capitol during his speech at the Ellipse, but then he couldn’t get a ride to the Capitol and didn’t want to walk, so he went back to the White House and watched it on TV."

Do you know how nuts you sound?

Beasts of England said...

’Trump's economy was just the continuation of the healthy economy Obama created…’

Name a single policy signed by Obama which helped the economy. Just one.

Jim at said...

But, just like the Proud Boys question, he managed to get them both wrong. He was never very good at any of this.

When did you stop beating your wife?

alanc709 said...

The biggest extremist group threatening the existence of democracy in America is the Democrat party

Gospace said...

Coming soon from the committee: Pelosi refused the offer fro Trump to activate the National Guard for security on January 6 because she saw the proof from Adam Schiff that the personnel in those units were specifically selected for their loyalties Trump and were going to arrest Congress and seize control of the government…

As realistic a scenario as any saying the crowd gathered on January 6 and the political prisoners still in jail with no set trial dates, prohibited from mounting any defense, with all official video of January 6 hidden from them or their lawyers, were engaged in violent insurrection.

walter said...

How are we doing re releasing all those camera hours of footage?
Yep.

Lurker21 said...

People suffering from Biden Delusion Syndrome believe that Joe is competent and doing a good job.

Lurker21 said...

I give Obama credit for cleaning up after Bush, and Trump credit for the boom during his term, which benefited even groups that had been left out in past periods of prosperity. I give Biden the blame for the mess he created.

Iman said...

TrumpWatch: 2,165 days and counting.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Robert Cook said...
"So, the best economy since 1985, energy self sufficiency, no wars, Middle East peace were failures?"

Trump's economy was just the continuation of the healthy economy Obama created


Now that's an impressive pile of bullshit
1: Obama's "recovery" sucked. it's normally the case that the bigger the crash, the better the recovery. not in Obama's case, because his shit policies made everything worse
2: The economy was headed for a recession before Trump won and turned it around

So, other than getting everything wrong, great job!

Trump failed to bring manufacturing back to the states from abroad, as he had promised, let it be noted
https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-9/forty-years-of-falling-manufacturing-employment.htm

Manufacturing employment peaked under Obama in Jan of 2016, and headed down until after Trump was elected. By Feb 2017 it was back above the Obama high, and kept on going up until Covid

So, once again, good job getting everything wrong

Achilles said...

Robert Cook said...

"So, the best economy since 1985, energy self sufficiency, no wars, Middle East peace were failures?"

Trump's economy was just the continuation of the healthy economy Obama created from the ashes of the Wall Street crash at the end of Bush's second term.

You are just economically illiterate.

Here is a brief explanation of what real wages actually did for the last few decades.

The fact is I can draw straight lines to the policies that describe this graph.

1. Trump massively reduced illegal immigration. This reduced the supply of illegal laborers that companies could take advantage of.

2. Trump shifted the tax burden from working class and employment to rich blue state people in the top 10% who were writing off their massive state tax burdens as a means to not pay federal income tax.

3. Trump restrained the bureaucratic DC mandarin class with his regulatory reform.

4. Trump opened up US energy production and made the US energy independent. Additionally he drove down the price of energy and the profits of the giant oil companies.

5. Trump negotiated trade deals that benefited the average working class American instead of the corporate cronies that DC republicans/democrats negotiate for.

You can't name a single Obama policy that explains why wages went up under Trump and went down under both Obama and Biden.

But I can explain why wages fell under Obama and Biden. Not only is the proof in the pudding. There are specific reasons why Obama and Biden have fucked up the economy and are killing the middle class.

1. They reduce taxes on wealthy people.

2. They raise taxes on rich people.

3. Open Borders brings more cheap labor.

4. High crime.

5. High energy prices and inflation.

6. Expanding the Bureaucratic Sector.

You can say something stupid like Obama's policies caused that wage growth. But you can't back it up.

Because in the end you are just kinda dumb and you don't know your ass from your elbow.

Mikey NTH said...

That firecracker turned out to be a damp squib, so much so that the NYT is easing into pushing that committee off into the dustbin of history.

gadfly said...

Chris Caldwell, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute makes these claims in the article:

"It was not a coup attempt. And even if you believe it was, Mr. Trump was not leading it."

Recall that strategy surrounding Trump's January 6 coup was developed largely by Claremont senior fellow Dr. John C. Eastman, the Founding Director of the Claremont Institute's Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence (right!). But Caldwell forgot to tell us about this coincidence.

"No firearms were found on anyone in the Capitol."

Perhaps, but three people were charged after photos showed them carrying a gun at the Capitol. And of course, rooms full of weapons were cached at an Arlington Motel in advance of the putsch attempt by Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who jointly planned the violence at Trump's request. Leaders of these gangs are pleading guilty to seditious conspiracy charges and are blowing the whistle on the preplanned overthrow attempt.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Richard Aubrey,

When the term "ineffective" is used, the writer is presumed to have a goal or result in mind that should be happening, and whatever it is isn't getting there, to the writer's imputed goal.

Bingo. Chesterton wrote somewhere that to say "This is effective" is to mean "This effects _____." In the same way, "This is unfit" prompts questions: Unfit to live? Unfit to see? Unfit to grow? Unfit to eat? Unfit to sleep on? Unfit to use as a sailing vessel? Unfit to present as a doctoral dissertation? (I'm making up the examples, natch, but they aren't far removed from GKC's own, which I can't remember at the moment.)

Crazy World said...

Going on record, the Biden’s are the worst thing to happen to my beloved America

wendybar said...

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

·
14h
Why didn’t Crazy Nancy Pelosi call out the “troops” before January 6th, which I strongly recommended that she do. It was her responsibility, but she “didn’t like the look.” Crazy Nancy failed the American People!

wendybar said...

"Questions about the role of the FBI and other prominent government agencies in the events of January 6, 2020 remain unanswered because they were not asked."


https://amgreatness.com/2022/10/13/the-broken-promises-of-the-january-6-committee/

wendybar said...

Real Violence and threatened violence ALWAYS seem to come from Progressives like Nancy the liar Pelosi, who was the one who refused the 10,000 National Guard troops that Trump requested....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11314419/January-6-footage-not-aired-Thursdays-hearing-shows-Nancy-Pelosi-threaten-HIT-Trump.html

Cappy said...

Coincidental to upswing in Cartoon Network ratings.

Paul said...

"The Jan. 6 Committee Has Been Almost Wholly Ineffective"...

Well at 'getting Trump'? yea.

And finding the truth? yea.

And showing the hypocrisy of the Democrats? no.

Gordon Scott said...

"rooms full of weapons were cached at an Arlington Motel in advance of the putsch attempt by Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who jointly planned the violence at Trump's request."

Rooms! Rooms full, I tell you!

Execept all of those rooms full were to be brought by the guy judged to not have the stamina to walk from the rally to the Capitol. Yeah, that was some super duper planning, wasn't it?

Oh, and for your coup: Assume they succeed. The Capitol is now occupied by a few hundred people with about 20 guns. Now how, exactly, have they accomplished anything? Congress can meet anywhere. There's nothing special about that big white building.

What's more, there are over 2000 Capitol police, all of whom are well armed. I'd put my money on the cops. After all, they killed two that day. The protesters killed no one.