Monday, 24 August 2020

Trump's 50-point plan for a second-term is impressively hollow and meaningless.

The GOP's official 2020 platform is nothing but a loyalty pledge to Trump, and whatever it is that he believes in and plans to do.

And what he plans to has been detailed on his website in a document that looks like a last-minute homework assignment trying to fudge with the margins and fonts to make it seem more substantial than it is.

I'll copy the whole thing below and interject for a few parts that really stand out to me.

JOBS
Create 10 Million New Jobs in 10 Months
Create 1 Million New Small Businesses
Cut Taxes to Boost Take-Home Pay and Keep Jobs in America
Enact Fair Trade Deals that Protect American Jobs
"Made in America" Tax Credits
Expand Opportunity Zones
Continue Deregulatory Agenda for Energy Independence

So he plans to return 1/4 of the jobs lost to COVID-19 over the next 4 years. Okay, sure. That seems … sadly attainable. The rest of this is generic platitudes (although he does expand on the tax credits a bit).

ERADICATE COVID-19
Develop a Vaccine by The End Of 2020
Return to Normal in 2021
Make All Critical Medicines and Supplies for Healthcare Workers in The United States
Refill Stockpiles and Prepare for Future Pandemics

What's particularly notable here is the explicit acknowledgement that things are not normal — although in true Trump fashion, the goal is, as always, to go backwards, not forwards.

Also that last point was something the Obama Administration had already done, and that Trump destroyed. But I digress.

END OUR RELIANCE ON CHINA
Bring Back 1 Million Manufacturing Jobs from China
Tax Credits for Companies that Bring Back Jobs from China
Allow 100% Expensing Deductions for Essential Industries like Pharmaceuticals and Robotics who Bring Back their Manufacturing to the United States
No Federal Contracts for Companies who Outsource to China
Hold China Fully Accountable for Allowing the Virus to Spread around the World

Again, nothing surprising here — just repetitive padding out of the same Sinophobic agenda. Trump officially plans to plow forward with the racist terminology relating to COVID-19, which, ya know, is probably not the best way to unite the country, but I digress.

I'm sure that Trump and his cronies have put a lot of thought into the price inflations that will result should he actually succeed in bringing all those manufacturing and pharmaceutical jobs back to the US; of course, the expense deductions mean that Trump's corporate donors will all be taken care of, while passing increased healthcare costs down to the consumers, many of whom still won't have jobs while still dealing with a pandemic (and even if they do succeed in a vaccine, those increased consumer costs will mean that many people won't be able to afford it).

And speaking of healthcare costs…

HEALTHCARE
Cut Prescription Drug Prices
Put Patients and Doctors Back in Charge of our Healthcare System
Lower Healthcare Insurance Premiums
End Surprise Billing
Cover All Pre-Existing Conditions
Protect Social Security and Medicare
Protect Our Veterans and Provide World-Class Healthcare and Services

So…Single-Payer Healthcare? Government involvement in drug prices? That does probably appeal to his base; even if it doesn't quite fit with any known logic of the GOP Death Cult, nor their corporate sponsors. But sure. Maybe this time someone will actually know how complicated healthcare will be, and will … achieve a lesser version of Bernie Sander's vision for it?

EDUCATION
Provide School Choice to Every Child in America
Teach American Exceptionalism

This one's actually my favorite because it's only two bullet points that immediately contradict each other. "Government has no business being involved in education! Let parents decide how and what their kids should learn!…also this illogical and ahistorical propaganda is MANDATORY."

Nothing authoritarian or Nazish about forcing students to learn that America is PERFECT AND FLAWLESS AND MUST NEVER BE QUESTIONED.

DRAIN THE SWAMP
Pass Congressional Term Limits
End Bureaucratic Government Bullying of U.S. Citizens and Small Businesses
Expose Washington's Money Trail and Delegate Powers Back to People and States
Drain the Globalist Swamp by Taking on International Organizations That Hurt American Citizens

I mean, sure, this all sounds great — if these weren't the exact tactics the GOP relies on for money and power. But they always say this stuff. And it never comes true. Because they're the worst perpetrators of all these things.

DEFEND OUR POLICE
Fully Fund and Hire More Police and Law Enforcement Officers
Increase Criminal Penalties for Assaults on Law Enforcement Officers
Prosecute Drive-By Shootings as Acts of Domestic Terrorism
Bring Violent Extremist Groups Like ANTIFA to Justice
End Cashless Bail and Keep Dangerous Criminals Locked Up until Trial

More unsurprising virtue signalling. The ANTIFA stuff is deeply concerning, but it's something he's been pushing for a while. Drive-by-shootings as Domestic Terrorism is new to me, and sounds particularly Draconian — except, like with Antifa, it would be hard to enforce, seeing as there's no official US statute for designating domestic terrorist.

Also, "End Cashless Bail" is in direct conflict with all of those "Drain the Swamp" agenda items, as it will only punish poor people who are disproportionately people of color, and make it even easier for white collar criminals to get off the hook. But I digress.

END ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND PROTECT AMERICAN WORKERS
Block Illegal Immigrants from Becoming Eligible for Taxpayer-Funded Welfare, Healthcare, and Free College Tuition
Mandatory Deportation for Non-Citizen Gang Members
Dismantle Human Trafficking Networks
End Sanctuary Cities to Restore our Neighborhoods and Protect our Families
Prohibit American Companies from Replacing United States Citizens with Lower-Cost Foreign Workers
Require New Immigrants to Be Able to Support Themselves Financially

Blah blah blah

INNOVATE FOR THE FUTURE
Launch Space Force, Establish Permanent Manned Presence on The Moon and Send the First Manned Mission to Mars
Build the World's Greatest Infrastructure System
Win the Race to 5G and Establish a National High-Speed Wireless Internet Network
Continue to Lead the World in Access to the Cleanest Drinking Water and Cleanest Air
Partner with Other Nations to Clean Up our Planet's Oceans

I'm honestly surprised that he mentioned 5G in a positive light here, given its near-Satanic affiliation with COVID-19 in QAnon mythology (which is false and stupid, just to be clear).

Otherwise — Idunno, sounds like that overwhelming Trumpian climate denialism might cause some difficulty in achieving these other items?

AMERICA FIRST FOREIGN POLICY
Stop Endless Wars and Bring Our Troops Home
Get Allies to Pay their Fair Share
Maintain and Expand America's Unrivaled Military Strength
Wipe Out Global Terrorists Who Threaten to Harm Americans
Build a Great Cybersecurity Defense System and Missile Defense System

Again: sure, sounds good! And I'm sure we're going to invest all that money into all those defense programs and also wipe out global terrorists without perpetuating endless wars that needlessly risk the lives of our troops. Nah, I'm sure they want to build an enormous armed legion just for the spectacle of parades.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES PRESIDENT TRUMP'S 2ND TERM AGENDA: FIGHTING FOR YOU! [Donald J Trump Dot Com]

Image via Wikimedia Commons



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