Texas Politics and Alabama’s plea for tariff relief

Texas Politics and Alabama’s plea for tariff relief

Texas Politics

Rove is right

I feel sorry for Texas voters. In the Senate race, they’re choosing between a rather strange socialist on the democratic side and an ethically challenged republican. Texas republican voters clearly don’t care much about ethics, since they voted for Paxton over John Cornyn by overwhelming numbers. But what has gotten interesting is that Karl Rove, a prominent republican voice, has come out and said he won’t vote for the republican candidate for railroad commissioner (it’s a Texas thing) and will instead vote for the democrat, calling the republican candidate a “racist.” Right-wing media blew up, and so did the president. Here is what the president posted on “Truth” Social:

Rove is just one of many despised by the president simply because he has the nerve to question Trump’s behavior and decisions. But millions of voters cross party lines every election. We’re about to see this in my home state of Georgia, where I suspect Jon Ossoff (D) will win his Senate race while Rick Jackson (R) wins the governorship. Do you always vote a straight ticket? I voted for Phil Bredesen for governor but not for Senate. The fact is that not every politician deserves my vote simply because of party affiliation. Attention! I will never vote for JD Vance under any circumstance. I cannot imagine a worse president.

Cornyn is right too

John Cornyn is also under attack from right-wing zealots for posting this:

It is the truth and he is only stating the obvious and quoting the Wall Street Journal. Yet he’s getting pilloried for it. Vance’s populism is hardly distinguishable from Bernie’s. It’s just one of many reasons to disqualify Vance. The MAGA press insists that Vance isn’t out to upend our political system but implies that Cornyn must feel otherwise. That is idiocy and misses the point. Both Bernie and Vance favor government interference in the marketplace and government control of resources. Both would have government meddle in private business and dictate its decisions. Yes, MAGA-folk, JD and Bernie are basically bros and Vance may be one of the least knowledgeable presidential candidates ever.

Here’s the one I want the MAGA media to explain. The vice president was discussing the impact of artificial intelligence on an appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast when he was asked about wealth inequality. “We already have crazy, crazy inequality. How do you think about redistributing that wealth? Bernie Sanders is saying people need to own 50% of these AI companies,” podcast host Stephen Bartlett asked the vice president. “Which the president, by the way, likes that idea too. He likes that idea,” said Vance. “I don’t know that he would say 50%, but he does like that idea.” So now Trump wants to seize private wealth and redistribute it too? Good grief.

I call this “neosocialism” and is the bridge linking Trump and Vance on the “right” with Bernie and the socialists on the left. Now will Bernie show up at a Vance speech and raise his hand too?

Alabama’s Britt’s tariff plea

Hey, Mr. President, your tariffs are wonderful, but could you make just a small exception? So says Alabama Senator Katie Britt, who some readers consider the best-looking senator — a low bar indeed. The senator has said, “What the media won’t tell you is that President Trump’s tariffs work. We are not going to return to the status quo of allowing American jobs and manufacturing to be sidelined in exchange for cheap junk from foreign adversaries.” There’s little reason to parse those words closely, since I find little truth in them — they’re simply political talk meant to stay on the president’s good side in a state where he remains hugely popular. Even so, the senator is seeking private exemptions for Alabama businesses to ease the pain her constituents are feeling.

First, there’s TNT Fireworks. We’ve all seen their stores off the interstates. As it turns out, they don’t manufacture their own merchandise — they source it from China. The senator writes: “Unfortunately, there is no domestic firework manufacturer, and over 99% of firework products are produced in China.” While TNT has tried other sources, “the quality and safety is not close,” and imported fireworks “pose no threat to America’s broader trade or national security interests.” TNT is also “preparing for the United States Semiquincentennial.” And what’s a semiquincentennial without fireworks? https://www.tntfireworks.com

Then there’s Novelis, an aluminum company “currently building a $4.1 billion recycling and rolling plant,” expected to “create 1,000 new direct jobs.” However, it imports from Canada, South Korea, and Brazil, and the president’s tariffs have created “cash flow problems” that threaten their not finishing their new plant in Alabama. Or take Kronospan, a maker of wood panels undertaking a $600 million expansion that requires “highly specialized equipment that is not available from domestic manufacturers.” The extra tariff cost? About $60 million — enough to threaten the project’s viability. Finally, there’s Airbus (yes, Airbus), which was “building its third final assembly line” in Mobile, creating 1,000 jobs. That expansion has been suspended indefinitely, with tariffs making the project financially unviable.

Senator Britt’s problems are hardly unique to Alabama — most states face the same squeeze. Tell you what: here’s a modest suggestion, didn’t Trump cut off FEMA aid to democratic states? Why not waive all tariffs for republican states since this is all political theater anyway? I’m sure Senator Britt wouldn’t object. And hey, if the president can go to Ireland and announce he’s suspending tariffs on Irish whiskey, why not have him travel to Alabama and announce the same? Is there such a thing as Alabama whiskey?