Does Everything Trump Touches Really Die?

Matt Welch interviews Rick Wilson (and others) on Sirius XM Insight from 9-12 ET.

MSNBC

Today, like last Wednesday (and in fact this Wednesday and Thursday), I have the honor to be sitting in the guest-host chair for Stand UP! with Pete Dominick on SiriusXM Insight (channel 121) from 9-12 a.m. ET. Among my five scheduled guests is longtime Republican political strategist and popular #NeverTrump snark-tosser Rick Wilson, who will talk about his brand new bestseller, Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever.

Other guests are scheduled to include:

* Steven Hyden, author of Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock, who will talk about the Eagles' Greatest Hits recently overtaking Michael Jackson's Thriller as the best-selling record of all time.

* CNN Senior Political Analyst John Avlon, who will talk about the continuing crisis, plus whether centrism is really our ticket out.

* Richard "Balkans Bohemia" Byrne, who will talk about the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, and what the anti-communist philosophers can tell us about our current moment.

* CNN Senior Writer/Analyst Harry Enten, late of FiveThirtyEight, who will give his forecaster's snapshot of the midterms, hopefully some insight about the polling of Libertarians, and some explanation of his current piece, "Trump has gained among black voters since the 2016 election."

As ever, I welcome/treasure your heckling phone calls, at 1-877-974-7487.

Comments

[Rockabilly]

#NeverHillarytheSwornEnemyofIndividualLIberty!!!

[loveconstitution1789]

Trump is powerless as his legal fate spins out of his control
-CNN

This is what the Lefty media thinks and says. The Lefties still think Trump (1) committed an unnamed crime (2) is not going to pardon everyone that the Lefties try and take down in a witch hunt (3) is powerless to the tactics the Left is failing at.

Trump allowed for White House counsel Donald McGahn to be interviewed by Mueller. He could have claimed Executive privilege.

Lefties still think that Manafort's trial was proof that their narrative is working, even though the jury has not convicted Manafort in over 3 days of deliberation.

[loveconstitution1789]

Lefties have lost their minds.

To be fair, the minds of Lefties were weak to begin with.

[loveconstitution1789]

Trump's the best president in over 100 years.

Gorsuch
Lefty tears
Nominated over 73 federal judges
2nd SCOTUS pick
Hillary got her ass kicked
2 for 1 EO repeal
Federal Gov rollback
Back out of Paris accord
Rollback EPA rules
Rollback Obama rules
Rollback ObamaCare mandate
Reform VA
Tax cuts
lowest black-American unemployment in over 60 years
lowest American unemployment in over 60 years
Back out of TPP
Pressure trading partners for free trade
Enforce immigration laws
Travel ban
North Korea meeting for peace
North Korea returned 55 boxes of US Servicemen remains
Strongest economy in over 12 years
....

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

Actually, Drumpf has been terrible for the economy. Any good economic figures are still the result of the amazing Obama years.

Plus, there's the hacked and stolen 2016 election, the "shithole countries" comment, the white nationalist immigration policies (contributing to the bad economy), literally ripping black and brown children from their parents' arms, and so on.

Worst President ever.

#Resist
#StillWithHer

[vek]

Were you supposed to be making me not like Trump... Or like him even more? 🙂

[loveconstitution1789]

MAGA!

[vek]

It's pretty sad really, but I think he honestly has been the best president in MANY decades, if not a century. If he would stop putting his foot in his mouth that would be nice... But half of that is even worth it for the lefty freakouts he causes. LOL

[loveconstitution1789]

I am surprised that he has done this well even with RINOs and Democrat trying to block his every move.

I think he does the twitter stuff to keep Lefties preoccupied and it works beautifully. He must have decided to double speak as president or the Lefties will focus on his government rollbacks and completely block him.

Trump is a goddam patriot for saving America from Hillary.

[sarcasmic]

Eagles' Greatest Hits recently overtaking Michael Jackson's Thriller as the best-selling record of all time.

There's no accounting for taste.

[Restoras]

The Dude abides.

[perlchpr]

Don't be absurd. Of course blank CDs are going to sell better than any one particular album...

[TW]

ROTFLMAO!!

[Brett Bellmore]

"Everything Trump touches dies"; Could you ask for better proof that TDS is a real illness?

[loveconstitution1789]

The desperation is so clear that this is what they call journalism.

The media has to take the good with the bad. Trump is great for media sales and web traffic but he's rolling back the Socialist state.

[sarcasmic]

Trump has done some good things, like cutting taxes and regulations. Can't say the same about his protectionist and xenophobic policies

[Restoras]

So, you're saying he's not our first libertarian president?

[sarcasmic]

I thought this was an interesting ranking of presidents based upon libertarian standards.

The guy gives Martin Van Buren gets a high score of 34 and George W a low score of -332.

[Cynical Asshole]

Unsurprisingly, none of the average or above presidents are after 1930.

[vek]

Didn't go through the whole thing, but poked around... It basically agrees with what I have kind of knee jerk asserted over the years: The best presidents we have ever had are the ones nobody gives a shit about. They didn't do big, crazy, dumb things. They just held the ship on course and let things do their thing. Which is all you really want or need!

I do have to disagree with him railing on Thomas Jefferson though... He faults him for the Louisiana Purchase! I mean it was spending a ton of money... But it was an obviously good idea. He was personally torn on it, but did it anyway against his own principles because it was so clearly a good thing.

As far as some of the other stuff other guys did... It was a different world. Warring with Indians was kinda inevitable, as were some of the other negatives on some of them I saw. Plus even though it's unlibertarian... Who doesn't like a badass like George Washington or Andrew Jackson?

[John]

Whether he is bad or good depends on what issues you think are most important. If you think reforming taxes, reducing the regulatory state, and having a foreign policy that pursues US interests rather than adherence to ideology or internationalism, Trump is by far the best President since Reagan. If you value open borders and having a President who never says anything mean about anyone, Trump is not so good.

Rick Wilson is just a clown. To call Trump "the worst President ever" just shows you what he values. Mostly Wilson values his own importance. People like Wilson are worse than the SJWs. The SJWs are nuts but they do have a belief system that consists of something other than "how dare you!" and "I am more important than you, so do what you are told", which is all Never Trump Republicans like Wilson have. They are just pathetic at this point.

[sarcasmic]

a foreign policy that pursues US interests rather than adherence to ideology or internationalism

I assume by that that you mean protectionist tariffs. Thing is, every economist for the last two and a half centuries disagrees, and every single government that has abandoned protectionism in favor of free trade, even unilaterally, has caused its citizens to prosper. No exceptions.

I know I can't change your mind. A good Party Man never listens to reason.

[John]

I assume by that that you mean protectionist tariffs.

No I mean the rejection of the US being the guarantor of collective international security. I mean telling Europe to start defending itself. I mean leaning on China to get them to do something about North Korea. I mean acting in the US's interests instead of thinking the US has some kind of a duty to ensure peace and collective security throughout the world even if doing so comes at the expense of its own interests.

[sarcasmic]

Well, shit. I can agree with that.

[John]

It is the commitment to international collective security or "US World Police" that has caused this country untold amounts of harm. Yes, Trump has not ended the wars he inherited. And that is a valid criticism. But he is trying to win them and go home. Whether he succeeds in that remains to be seen.

Whatever criticism he deserves for not ending those wars, he also deserves credit for not starting any new ones. If he continues that record, he will be the first President since Reagan to have that distinction unless you consider Grenada a "war", which I don't.

[vek]

The crazy thing is just the fact that he hasn't started any NEW massive wars is in fact a great improvement over the previous several presidents! God forbid he actually gets us out of any of our current messes by the time he gets out of office.

[John]

Thing is, every economist for the last two and a half centuries disagrees, and every single government that has abandoned protectionism in favor of free trade, even unilaterally, has caused its citizens to prosper. No exceptions.

The real history is more complex than that. Parts of the US has prospered because of these treaties but large sections of the population and the country have suffered mightily because of these policies. I will never convince you that it is not as simple as you think, but the fact remains it isn't. And countries like Japan and South Korea and China have gone from abject poverty to enormous economies while practicing protectionism. You can't say protectionism has failed because for many countries it has not. All you can say is "but it could have been better without it". Maybe, but "it could have been worse" is the refrain of everyone who ever supported a failed policy.

[Restoras]

Economies are always evolving though, and are organic, complex systems that are infinitely adaptable - if they are allowed to be. Yes, I agree that greater free trade creates disruptions that are harmful but this should be temporary. However, as long as the overall economy is as unfettered as possible - which isn't the case - then those that are disrupted into unemployment should be able to find alternative employment.

[John]

Yes, I agree that greater free trade creates disruptions that are harmful but this should be temporary.

Except that is isn't and it hasn't worked out that way. The claim that it is temporary relies on the assumption that workers are all fungible and can move from one industry to another and will thus take lower paying jobs but still be better off because of the access to cheap consumer goods. That was what was supposed to happen. I used to believe that as well. But that is not what has happened. Real wages and standard of living for most of the country has remained stagnant over the last 25 years. Yes, the top has gotten very rich and overall we are wealthier than before. But the middle and lower classes are worse off or at best stagnant. That is not how it was supposed to work. And the fact that it hasn't worked that way means you must reconsider your assumptions to fit the evidence.

[Restoras]

I'd point out that the standard of living has risen drastically in the last 25 years, just based on technological advances alone, and while real wages may be stagnant the fact that you can buy more with those wages would indicate that the standard of living has also risen. Also, I believe that disposable income has risen as well - giving more people more wealth to do with as they please. I'd also point out that the fungible nature of economies as a whole is partly a reflection of government interference - taxes, regulations, and yes tariff and trade policy. There are always people that will be disrupted out of work and while that is unfortunate it is also foolish to try and protect jobs that are better done by either machines or other people. Populations shouldn't be stagnant either.

[John]

Disposable income has not risen for the majority of the country. It has risen overall because it has exploded for the class of people who benefited from these policies.

[sarcasmic]

Yes, the top has gotten very rich and overall we are wealthier than before. But the middle and lower classes are worse off or at best stagnant.

Not so.

[sarcasmic]

I will never convince you that it is not as simple as you think

When did I say it was simple? The economy is infinitely complex. Throwing a monkey wrench into it in the form of some tariff or other trade restriction has a cascading effect that is practically impossible to fully measure. People who think they can manage the economy with government force are the ones who think it is simple.

And countries like Japan and South Korea and China have gone from abject poverty to enormous economies while practicing protectionism.

Actually, those countries have dramatically lowered trade restrictions since the 70s, and that's when their economies really started to prosper.

[Shirley Knott]

There is no such thing as "US interests" except as a diffuse aggregation of the interests of US citizens.
The vaccuity of the political 'we' is never more apparent than when analyzing a rhetorical marker such as "country x's interests."
Countries have no interests as such. It is important to remember that.
It is, I think, particularly important for libertarians to remember that.
Arbitrary lines on a map do not and cannot define a set of interests or intents held by all within those lines. Persons have interests. States do only as a rhetorical trick used by those who would subsume everyone else's interests to their own.
The state needs to get out of the way and let each person pursue their own interest as they see fit while providing recourse against force and fraud when such occur.

[John]

Countries have no interests as such. It is important to remember that.

Yes they do. The people who elect and fund a government have a right to expect that government to protect their interests over the interests of everyone else. If there is no such thing as "national interests" then there is no reason to have a national defense or worry if one country invades and conquers another or embargoes its ports or murders its citizens abroad.

you are just screaming that there is no such thing as the nation state. Sorry but there is and wishing there wasn't isn't going to change that fact.

[GoatOnABoat]

Lots of people that the Clintons touched died mysteriously...

[Ken Shultz]

"Does Everything Trump Touches Really Die?"

What the hell kind of headline is that?

P.S. Deregulation.

[John]

He killed the "conservative movement Ken". You know the movement that gave us No Child Left Behind, a national project to turn the Middle East into a western democracy, and stood around with their thumbs up their asses why Fannie Mae and Goldman Sachs ran the world economy into the ground in 2008. But they had great cruises. Don't you care about the cruises Ken?

[John]

What exactly has Trump killed other than the importance of losers like Wilson?

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

He's killed the US's sovereignty, since he's a puppet of a hostile foreign power.

He's killed our status as a world leader by alienating allies and praising tyrants.

He's killed the spirit of the Statue of Liberty with his draconian immigration crackdown.

He's in the process of killing the fantastic economy he inherited from Obama.

He's in the process of killing the Constitutional wall of separation between church and state, as he transforms the country into a theocratic dictatorship just like The Handmaid's Tale.

Need I go on?

[John]

C- trolling. It is deranged enough but lacks a certain sense of humor and wimsicalness to be really good.

Not your best work.

[Restoras]

C-? Grade inflation remains a serious problem...

[John]

It does. But in fairness, leftists have gotten so hard to parody that I think you have to give some credit for the difficulty of the source material.

[vek]

"He's killed the spirit of the Statue of Liberty with his draconian immigration crackdown."

Well, that French slut and her shitty poem were a bunch of bullshit to begin with... Who wants the dregs from the whole world? We didn't take in the dregs when we had massive immigration from Europe, it was a cross section of the entire society. And they were societies as advanced, as educated, or very nearly so, as we were. Big difference from JUST importing from the lowest strata of nations vastly less educated and advanced as our own...

[damikesc]

I know Rick Wilson is one of the more Libertarian neo-cons out there. Good job, Welch.

[John]

Don't most neo cons give you open borders to go with the endless wars?

[damikesc]

They seem to like doing so. And massive increases to Medicare for, you know, compassion.

Because compassion is easy when you make others pay for your compassion, amirite Welch?

[vek]

"Does Everything Trump Touches Really Die?"

No. A lot of things he's touched have been doing pretty damn well. I wouldn't quite say he has the Midas touch, but he seems to be fucking up less stuff than the last several presidents... AND he's like the best troll ever! That's gotta be worth something!

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

It really is the height of chutzpah for a con artist like Pissdad Wilson, whose consulting career is marked more by its failures than successes, to accuse anyone of killing off anything.