BloggeRhythms

Today’s another where the new POTUS’s style and pace have once again kept the MSM focused on trivial political pursuits while the issues most important to those who voted him into office show improvement not seen in decades. 

Josh Mitchell and Jeffrey Sparshott inform us @wsj.com: “The U.S. trade deficit shrank sharply in February as overseas customers snapped up American products and services, the latest sign U.S. factories are benefiting from global economic stability.”

The Commerce Department said today that “the trade gap in goods and services fell 9.6% in February from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted $43.56 billion. Imports fell 1.8% while exports grew 0.2%.” 

This suggests that “the economy may have grown at a slightly stronger pace than previously thought in the first quarter and is positioned for stronger growth this spring, while exports of goods “reached the highest level on record in February. Exports of services also grew healthily.
“Overall exports have risen 7.2% this year compared to the same period a year earlier.” 

While first quarter economic growth “remained sluggish overall in the first three months of the year, in part due to the persistent trade deficit, growth is expected to rebound in the second quarter in part due to the recent increase in exports, which is leading factories to ramp up hiring and production to meet higher demand.” 

“Other reports suggest U.S. factories are registering a pickup in business. The Institute for Supply Management said Monday its closely watched index of manufacturing activity expanded in March for the seventh consecutive month. Export orders rose to the highest level since November 2013.” 

While the Journal is ordinarily anti-Trump, the article’s authors nonetheless observe that the “U.S. trade deficit has gained political significance over the past two years with the ascendance of Donald Trump to the presidency. President Trump made the nation’s trade deficit with China a key theme of his presidential campaign, accusing the Asian nation of manipulating its currency at the expense of U.S. exporters. 

“Tuesday’s report showed the value of imports from China declined at a record pace in February. The U.S. trade gap with China has fallen 4.9% this year compared to the same period last year. Still, the U.S.’s deficit with China is larger than it is with any other country.”

Illustrating that regardless of political preferences, entrenched bias or personal animosities of those leaning left, Trump’s undeniable achievements speak for themselves. 

Reader’s too, picked up on the underlying difficulties faced by the Journal writers having to report good news attributable to Trump.        

Christopher Moody commented: “Let's not give Trump any credit because this is just a coinkeydink.  His optimism, new way of looking at things and buy American push had absolutely nothing to do with this.  Just because the monthly trade balance rarely declines and has done so twice under Trump in his 10 weeks of being president, it is just unknown market forces that is causing this. 

“Move on, there is nothing happening here.” 

Geoff Kelly followed with: “Well, you certainly can't credit President Trump for the improvement in the economy. That would be ridiculous.” 

Reader Kelli Tome perhaps missed Geoff Kelly’s sarcasm’s subtlety, but certainly recognizes Trump’s proclivities by responding: @Geoff Kelly – “"You may not be able to credit President Trump, but having him as President lets other countries know that we have a leader leading from the front, not from behind.  It makes a difference.” 

The theme continued in an article by Bruce Stokes @pewresearch.org, who began: “What a difference a year, and possibly an election, makes. Nearly six-in-ten people in the United States (58%) say the economic situation is very or somewhat good, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted Feb. 16-March 15. Last spring, 44% of the American public described the economy as good. 

“This is the most positive assessment of U.S. economic conditions since 2007, and only the second time that half or more of those surveyed have given the economy a thumbs-up. Driving the latest increase is a jump among Republicans over the past year.” 

The statistical change is truly remarkable whereas the “14-percentage-point rise in overall public opinion about the economy since last year is the largest one-year improvement in public sentiment about economic conditions in the history of this survey. The current rosy assessment stands in stark contrast to where opinion stood immediately after the beginning of the financial crisis in spring 2008, when just 20% said economic conditions were good.”  

While there was no major partisan difference in public views of the economy, the more positive public assessment has been driven by changing Republican attitudes. “Roughly six-in-ten Republicans (61%) and Democrats (60%) say conditions are very or somewhat good, with sentiment among GOP supporters roughly doubling in the past year. More than half (54%) of independents agree. Just a year ago there was a 26-percentage-point partisan difference on economic conditions, with Democrats being far more bullish on the economy than Republicans. This was the case throughout the Obama administration.” 

Which interprets to Democrats giving their former president high marks despite the economy's miserable performance under his guidance. And that makes sense whereas, during that time roughly 50% of the nation received some sort of government financial assistance, most of the recipients tending to be leftists.    

And then, Cal Thomas offered an opinion @FoxNews.com in a piece he titled: “Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court and the ghost of Harry Reid” 

Mr. Thomas believes the Democrats presently have a choice between enough of them voting to get to the 60-vote majority currently required for a Supreme Court nominee, or playing to their liberal base that’s demanding a “no” vote. Meaning that if the vote falls short, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), would be forced to change Senate rules to allow Gorsuch to be confirmed by a simple majority. 

According to Mr. Thomas: “Democrats don’t have a credible leg to stand on in opposing a change in Senate rules. That’s because their former Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV), changed the rules to confirm federal judges nominated by President Obama by a simple majority over Republican objections.” 

Getting to his point, Mr. Thomas believes: "If the nuclear option is necessary to confirm Judge Gorsuch, Republican senators should use it. And they should keep it for all federal judges, just as Democrats did with President Obama’s nominees. This is what Democrats fear most, because with a clear conservative majority on the Supreme Court and more conservatives on lower courts they could no longer expect judges, rather than legislators, to advance their agenda and they would have to be accountable to voters.” 

In this case, while the voting alternatives are clear for both party’s, the ramifications of power abuses also become significantly apparent. Because it was Harry Reid who when able, tried to take every advantage he could regardless of who was harmed in the process. But now that power base has shifted.  And, as a result, Reid's short-sightedness has not only cost his party dearly, but he’s likely harmed his constituents overall more than Republicans have.     
 
And then, a comment from reader of Stirewalt’s daily Fox News column assessed the new POTUS in a different and entirely logical perspective than what’s been traditional in the past. 

“Is it possible that political commentators fail to distinguish between governing and legislating? Suppose Trump got nothing new through Congress for the rest of his term except conservative judges and departmental/agency staffers. Instead, suppose he continued his current pattern of nullifying the Obama legacy by executive order and/or inaction, blocked any new regulations, and enforced existing immigration laws vigorously.   Would that not constitute successful governing, from the perspective of those who elected him?” – Richard Dorsey, Orange, Calif.

[Ed. note: Mr. Dorsey, I think many conservatives who voted for Trump would be very pleased with the outcome you described. I have often said that volume is a poor measure for the performance of a legislative body. But, quality is in the eye of the beholder. I suspect before too long, however the log jam will break and we will see new laws cascading forth from Washington. They just can’t help themselves.]

That's it for today folks.

Adios