Most Say It's NOT Acceptable For A President To Accept Gifts From Foreign Governments

The chart above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between August 14th and 17th of a nationwide sample of 1,611 adults (including 1,450 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.4 points for adults and 3.2 points for registered voters. 

Most Say Trump Is Profiting From His Public Office (And Shouldn't Accept Gifts)

 

The charts above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between May 16th and 19th of a nationwide sample of 1,710 adults (including 1,558 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.2 points for adults and 2.9 points for registered voters.

It's A Bribe - And Qatar Has A Wish List

 

Donald Trump is ecstatic over the "free" $400 million dollar jumbo jet the country of Qatar is giving him. But it's not free - it's a bribe. And Qatar has a wish list they want their "gift" to buy.

The following is from Judd Legum:

Qatar is not acting out of altruism. It wants policy concessions from the U.S. government to bolster its economic and national security interests. Trump is brazenly exploiting those needs to line his pockets.

Qatar's wish list

Appearing Monday on Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that she was "absolutely" sure that Qatar did not "want something in return" for the $400 million 747 airplane because "because they know President Trump and they know he only works with the interests of the American public in mind."

This is not a credible position.

Qatar is the second-largest purchaser of U.S. military equipment, just behind Saudi Arabia, and has a keen interest in ongoing access to high-tech weaponry. In March, the Trump administration "approved the sale of eight MQ-9B Predator drones and a large package of bombs and missiles to Qatar in a deal valued at nearly $2 billion." Arming Qatar with advanced unmanned aircraft, a development that may not be welcomed by all of its neighbors, marked a policy shift for the United States. Included in the deal were "200 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, 300 500-pound general-purpose bombs, 110 Hellfire II missiles, [and] Seaspray 7500 maritime radars." These transfers can be controversial due to Qatar's ties with several radical groups, including political and financial support for Hamas.

Qatar is also home to Al-Udeid Air Base, "the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East" with about 13,000 American troops. The presence of the base serves as a security umbrella for the country and enhances its diplomatic stature in the region. Qatar has spent about $1.8 billion to modernize the facility, reflecting its commitment to a long-term American presence.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump acknowledged the relationship between Qatar's gift and security guarantees. He said that Qatar offered him the plane because the United States "kept them safe."

The U.S. is also important to Qatar economically. Both countries are major liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters, and Qatar desires access to advanced U.S. technologies and energy markets. The government of Qatar has a 70% stake in a new $10 billion LNG export hub in Texas known as Golden Pass LNG. The deal required approval from U.S. regulators. Qatar also has a vested interest in ensuring that U.S. energy policy does not undercut global demand for LNG, a fossil fuel. The country plans to nearly double its LNG capacity by 2030.

Twice As Many 2020 Gifts Will Be Returned Than In 2019

AP news is reporting that retailers are expecting shoppers to return twice as many items this year than they did in 2019. It will be about $1.1 billion of returns. Part of those returns will be because of a wrong size or bad color, etc. But that can't account for a doubling of returned items.

Part of it has to be because of the recession -- and the government's refusal to help hurting people. Many people will find they need the money much more than they needed the gifts (no matter how much they liked and appreciated the gifts).

Much of the pain of this recession is because the federal government (mainly the Trump administration) badly mishandled the Coronavirus pandemic. It's time for the federal government to step up and help the people it hurt the most.

Health Care Was A Gift To Dems - But Not The Only One

Donald Trump recently joined the red-state effort to abolish Obamacare (Affordable Care Act). He seems to think such a move would appeal to most American voters. He is wrong. Americans want our health care fixed. They do not want to go back to the old broken system, and they know that neither the Republicans nor Trump have a plan to fix it.

Republicans quickly talked Trump into putting off discussing health care, because they know the issue is a loser for them (and one that clearly hurt them in the last election). They know that Trump's action was just a wonderful gift to Democrats (who really do want to fix health care) for the 2020 election.

But it was not the only gift Trump (and his GOP cohorts) have given Democrats. It feels like Christmas when you look at all the gifts Democrats have received from them. Let's look at a few:

* Social Security / Medicare -- Trump promised to protect both programs when he ran in 2016, but his latest budget proposal would make deep cuts to both programs. These programs work, and they are extremely popular with most Americans. Hurting them in any way is not going to be popular -- especially among seniors (who are the group most likely to support Republicans).

* Global Climate Change -- Trump pulled this nation out of the Paris Accords, and (with his GOP cohorts) continues to deny climate change is real. The American people disagree. A significant majority knows the change is real and is caused by human activity, and they want the environment protected -- not destroyed.

* Taxes -- Trump and Republicans thought their recent tax cuts would be popular. They were wrong. Most Americans saw that the real benefits of that tax cut went to the rich, and they don't like it. They feel the tax system is designed to favor the rich (to the detriment of everyone else).

* Minimum Wage -- Trump has said he thinks wages are too high, and the Republicans have repeatedly refused to raise the minimum wage ($7.25 an hour, which is a poverty wage). But a huge majority of Americans would like the minimum wage raised significantly, and a smaller majority would like to see it at $15.00 an hour. The voters think anyone willing to work hard at a full-time job should make a livable wage.

These issues are all gifts that Trump and the Republicans have bestowed on Democrats. The smart Democrat running for office in 2020 should beat the drum loudly and repeatedly on every one of these issues!

Is "Repeal & Replace" A Huge Gift For Democratic Party ?

(Cartoon image is by Nick Anderson in the Houston Chronicle.)

The Republicans in Congress have been screaming for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) for years now, and claiming that they could replace it with a better plan. The problem, of course, is that they could not agree on any plan to replace Obamacare even though they had years to come up with one. It was really just a bit of political theater designed to keep their base happy, because they never expected to be in a position to actually accomplish repeal.

But they (and everyone else) got a surprise last November when Trump won the White House. Now they control the White House and Congress, and their base is demanding they do what they had been promising for years -- repeal Obamacare. So, after a few months of party infighting, the Republican leadership came up with a plan. It's not a good plan, and would result in at least 15 to 20 million Americans losing the health insurance they had gained through Obamacare (while doing nothing to control medical or insurance costs).

While this "plan" would be good for rich people (giving them a big tax break), it would not be good for most Americans -- and that includes Trump voters. Those benefitting from the repeal composed only 10% of Trump voters, while half of Trump voters were white voters without a college degree (the group that would be hit the hardest by a repeal). Are these people going to remain loyal to Trump (and the Republicans) after they lose their health insurance? Probably not, since that would put their families at risk.

I'm beginning to think the Republican's "repeal and replace plan" may be the biggest gift the Democratic Party has received since the Great Depression. And it really doesn't matter whether the plan is passed or defeated.

Nothing can bring voters to the polls as fast as a danger to their families -- and that's exactly what this plan represents. If the plan is passed, millions of angry voters will show up at the polls -- and they'll want to take that anger out on those who took their insurance away from them.

If the plan is not passed (and there's a decent chance it won't be passed), then a different set of angry voters will be ready to take their anger out on the Republicans -- the teabaggers in their party. They'll be ready to kick the incumbent Republicans out of office, and replace them with even more extreme right-wingers (making the party unpalatable to most Americans. Or they could even split off and form their own political party (splitting the conservative vote, and electing Democrats even in red districts).

The Republicans have put themselves between a rock and a hard place, and they don't have a clue as to how to fix that. I don't want Obamacare to be repealed, but whether it is or not, I am starting to enjoy the dilemma the Republicans have created for themselves -- and I am thankful for their "gift".

Most Parents Don't Worry About Toy Safety

I thought this poll was appropriate for today -- the one day of the year when more children receive toys than any other day. It is from a recent Rasmussen Poll -- released on December 23rd. It seems that only 37% worry about the safety of toys sold in this country, while 60% do not.

This does not mean parents don't care about toy safety at all -- just that they think two things. They think there are sufficient laws on the books to control toy safety, and they think it is their responsibility to supervise the toys their children receive (making sure they are safe and age appropriate).

I have to agree. My children are adults now, but I never worried much about the safety of their toys. I did pay attention to what I bought them (and to what others gave them), making sure they were not given something that could hurt them (like a toddler getting a toy with tiny pieces, since toddlers are known to put everything in their mouths).

I just hope all the children receiving toys today have responsible parents.

Another Indication Of A Poor Economy

This is not good news for retailers this year. According to a new Rasmussen Poll (taken on November 18th and 19th of 1,000 nationwide adults, with a 3 point margin of error), about 45% of all American adults say they have made arrangements to not exchange gifts this christmas, while only 46% say they will exchange gifts. Another 9% have not decided yet.

This is an indication that while Wall Street may be doing well in this "recovery", Main Street is not. Most Americans are still struggling to recover from the Bush recession, who effects linger as worker wages continue to decline, masses of workers are still jobless, and the ranks of the poor continues to grow as the middle class shrinks.

A Change In Giving

While the super-rich celebrate their massive tax cuts and enormous bonuses in this holiday season, many other Americans are still in the throes of the continuing recession.   They are jobless and having trouble just putting food on the table for their families.   The Department of Agriculture recently announced that nearly 43 million Americans are currently receiving food stamps -- about 14% of the total population in this country (and the number is rising each month).

And you can be sure that is only a part of the families that are having difficulty these days.   There are others whose pride will not let them ask for help -- at least not yet.   This new recession-born economic reality is altering the gift-giving habits of many Americans.   Instead of some kind of entertaining or luxury gift (or some ugly reindeer sweater), a lot of Americans are giving their family members or friends a gift born of necessity this year -- groceries.   Read this excerpt from the Los Angeles Times:

"With the nation's unemployment rate still high and the economy sluggish, a growing number of people are giving food this holiday season. But it's not fruitcake, eggnog or Christmas cookies. Instead, the quiet voice of frugality is prompting consumers to wrap up baskets of kitchen staples, boxes of meat and grocery store gift cards to help loved ones stock dwindling pantries."

It seems that for many the grocery store has become the place to shop for gifts for loved ones.   It could be a gift basket of staples or a grocery store gift cards.   In fact, industry analysts say grocery stores will rank fourth in gift cards this year (behind only discount, department and drug stores).   With the unemployment situation not expected to get better anytime soon, maybe for years, they could keep moving up that list in coming years.

Is it any wonder that many Americans are very angry with both political parties?   Instead of concentrating on creating jobs to help ordinary Americans, the politicians would rather waste time arguing over how much money they will give away to the rich and how they can help corporations to continue to export good American jobs.   And now they want to cut the few programs that actually help people, like Social Security.

It looks like the politicians have forgotten why they were elected.

Where Is The Line ?

During the time that I was off sick, a bit of a brouhaha was created among Texas progressive bloggers. While I don't think anyone did anything wrong or meant to do anything wrong, it does bring up a serious issue that all bloggers everywhere should think about -- especially political bloggers.

A small group of progressive bloggers had arranged to do a teleconference interview with ex-comptroller John Sharp, who has announced his intention to run for Kay Bailey Hutchison's senate seat when she resigns to run for governor in 2010. Obviously, Mr. Sharp was hoping to convince these bloggers to support him in the 2010 primary (where his opponent would be Mayor Bill White of Houston).

But there were technical problems and the teleconference call was unable to be completed. To make up for it, Sharp invited those bloggers to meet with him in an Austin steakhouse. They had a lively political discussion, where Sharp's political past and future was discussed, along with his stand on issues important to Texas. Sharp paid for the steaks and drinks.

That's where the problem starts. Another Texas progressive blogger took those at the meeting to task for accepting the dinner from Sharp. At this point, I must confess to you that I personally know and respect all of the bloggers involved on both sides of this issue. I don't, even for a minute, believe that any of them could be "bought" for a steak dinner and a few drinks.

But it just doesn't look good, and in politics sometimes perceptions are as important as truth. Many bloggers have long complained that they aren't taken seriously, and bloggers have fought long and hard for the respect they are beginning to be given. As an example, bloggers are now sent press releases by many politicians and even given interviews. The Texas and National Democratic parties even gave many bloggers press credentials last year.

I asked myself, would I respect a mainstream journalist who accepted dinners or small gifts from politicians he/she covered? Frankly, it would make me question their coverage -- especially if that coverage was positive. Now this is not unheard of. Both Lyndon Johnson and John McCain were known for the barbeques they threw for the press that covered them, and they were sometimes very lavish affairs. Now I don't know that these affairs ever produced any good press for these men, but isn't it obvious that both men were trying to purchase a little good will at least from the journalists?

Now I think we can all agree that if a journalist (or a blogger) was given a gift costing over a $1000, then their credibility would be damaged. But where is the line to be drawn? Just where between a dinner or a t-shirt and a much more expensive gift, do we decide the person has been bought?

The only thing most readers know about journalists or bloggers is what they read from them. They must be able to trust the writer, or they will stop reading what they write. After all, who wants to read something a person has been paid to say? That's why I was surprised that these bloggers would take any chance with the reputation they've worked for years to establish. As I said, I know these bloggers and know they are too proud and honest to be bought, but many readers don't know them. What false perception have these readers been given?

Now I don't claim to be a journalist. If you come to this blog for news, you'll be disappointed. The only thing I have to offer is my honest opinion honed by years of experience. My reputation is everything. To protect that reputation, I take nothing from anyone I might write about. In fact, I don't even accept paid advertising (although I don't condemn those who do). You may not like or respect my opinion, but it is my honest opinion and that's important to me.

What do you readers think? Is it OK for a blogger to accept a dinner or gift? Where is the line to be drawn? How much could a blogger accept before you stopped reading their blog? I would appreciate your honest opinion on this matter (even you lurkers who've never commented before).