Posted on 09/15/2015 10:11:29 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In Jim Geraghty’s “Morning Jolt” email, he talks about the praise bestowed on Donald Trump by Rush Limbaugh:
Rush read aloud a good portion of last week’s article, “The Words Donald Trump Doesn’t Use,” and concluded . . .
I must say, as the Mr. Big of the vast right-wing conspiracy, the headline, the words Trump doesn’t use, in my humble — and I do have humility — opinion, misses the point about Trump. I will admit, Trump doesn’t talk about liberty. But he sure as hell practices it, doesn’t he? I mean, there doesn’t seem to be any limits or boundaries out there. He’s not constrained by political correctness. He has escaped the surly bonds of that. That’s liberty and freedom. He’s not constrained by onerous local, state, federal laws. He’s made billions of dollars despite them. He’s made millions of dollars with a reality TV show, which is the belly of the pop-culture beast. I mean, he’s swimming around in the bowels of it in there, folks, doing a reality TV show. I mean, that’s like living with Jerry Springer.
He doesn’t avoid the media. He goes wherever they throw a camera or microphone in his face. Rolling Stone, he’ll go anywhere. He engages when some would suggest that he head for the bunker. I think to his supporters — and I’m not trying to be contentious here — I think to his supporters, Trump embodies. I think people wish they had the courage and the guts or whatever to be as free as Trump is. Free to speak his mind. Free to do what he thinks. This is before people start judging it.
Limbaugh repeats the carefully crafted narrative about Trump — the fearless buccaneer tycoon, who through brains, skill, and sheer chutzpah has amassed a fortune that few can match.
In the immortal words of Defense Secretary Albert Nimzicki from the film Independence Day, “That’s not entirely accurate.”
In essence, Trump represents everything that’s wrong with capitalism today. He did not beat the market by means of his superior negotiating skills, or any gifted insights into business opportunities, although like all successful people, he lucked out on occasion.
He got rich by gaming the system, using government as club at times to destroy the competition, or remove obstacles to his goal. He is, like most of the rich today, a crony capitalist who uses rigged rules to play a game ordinary Americans aren’t even invited to.
Geraghty offers a few examples:
“He’s not constrained by onerous local, state, federal laws. He’s made billions of dollars despite them.” Some might say he made billions because of them. Trump tried to seize private property through eminent domain, working with the government to claim other people’s homes. As Ilya Somin put it:
Trump did not merely claim that the Kelo vs. New London decision was legally correct; he argued that it was “good” to give government the power to forcibly displace homeowners and small businesses and transfer their property to influential developers on the theory that doing so might promote “economic development.”
Trump lobbied hard to restrict the opening of new casinos in New York State, which would have competed with his Atlantic City casinos. Some would argue that’s using “onerous local, state, federal laws” to impede other people from opening up their own businesses.
Trump Tower is enjoying $163 million abatement on commercial property taxes, a deal that began in 2004 and ends in 2016. Some of his development projects thrived from earmarks from New York members of Congress. He received federal loan guarantees to underwrite what were planned as luxury apartments.
Does Trump’s record in the world of business count as “practicing liberty”? Or is it closer to what you and I would call “crony capitalism”?
Trump should not be singled out for using government to bend the rules in his favor. It’s how amassing wealth is accomplished these days. Very few entrepreneurs earn success based solely on their insights into providing a product or service that is better and at a cheaper cost than the other guy.
Instead, Trump has legions of lobbyists plying their trade in Washington and state capitols, giving him an advantage unknown to others.
Of course, these charges are nothing new. They’ve been part of the anti-Trump mantra since he announced he was running. The fact that it has had no bearing on his popularity and support shows how irrelevant the truth is when placed against the myth of Trump. People don’t believe because they don’t want to believe. It doesn’t help that the sources from which this damning information is coming have lost much of their credibility.
If Trump was upfront about how he really got rich, it wouldn’t matter. Instead, he has created a brand where he portrays himself as a swashbuckling king of the free market, his brilliance and daring the reason for his immense wealth. In truth, Trump has no more idea about how to ease the way for entrepreneurs and other small business people than the socialist Bernie Sanders.
And at least Sanders has the honesty not to pretend otherwise.
I searched high and low, near and far. But nowhere could I find any evidence of Trump casting a single vote to give taxpayer money to himself or anyone else.
Trump is a Crony Capitalist.
And he makes no apologies about that fact. He went through bankruptcies and he gamed the system like any fat cat Wall Street banker cause it was legal.
Another turd tossed against the wall. This.one doesnt stick.either. you know this.is.fun.
There is no ‘crony capitalism’ only ‘crony socialism’ (and the ‘crony’ is redundant).
This is like criticism of conservative farmers using crop subsidies- that’s the rules of the game they had to play by- they had no choice.
Spot on
Regarding the first two examples, Trump wasn’t successful using eminent domain the two times he tried it. In fact, eminent domain has to be initiated by the government, not a private developer like Trump. Trump offered a lady 4 times what her property was worth before the city tried eminent domain.
Regarding the third example, Trump wasn’t successful at blocking the Sulivan Casino either.
Is that all you got? More lame attacks on the only candidate that really understands the economy and can make America great again.
Unlike the author, I see a clear distinction between “negotiating” the system, and being “dependent” on it for one’s success.
Even so, to what does the author attribute Trump’s “about-face” assuming his thesis is correct?
*YAWN*
Another day of anti-Trump stories. Get a life.
OH, for a minute there I thought you said what he did was legal...as in, within the law....my bad.
Trump is at least HONEST about being a crony capitalist.
Unlike all the rich Dim-o-crap scumbags who dump their money towards Obama and Hillary.
But why does there never seem to be even the merest inkling "they" might NOT be correct?
RE: But nowhere could I find any evidence of Trump casting a single vote to give taxpayer money to himself or anyone else.
But he did support the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to allow a city to take private property away from private individuals in order to give it to private corporations to build condos and hotels.
BTW, it’s been 10 years and nothing came out of the Eminent Domain grab.
SEE HERE:
and here:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/kelo-revisited_776021.html
There’s no such thing as “crony capitalism.” Only UNCONSTITUTIONAL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT that attracts and invites business through the feds unconstitutional bribes and interference in the free market.
Bottom line: He sincerely wants to make America great again and he means to do it.
His supporters love America and want it back, and we mean to get it back.
Any more questions?
RE: Trump is at least HONEST about being a crony capitalist.
And that’s OK for conservatives to vote for him?
Just as Bernie Sanders is honest as a Socialist, and that’s OK too?
LOL, you stole my line. It’s all so obvious, isn’t it? I wish he’d skip the debate - that would give the anti-Trumps another week or so to trash him.
As you read this guy you quickly come to some conclusions that the writer didn’t mean to imply, but unquestionably did.
Good businessmen shouldn’t utilize every right they have working within the legal system that they operate in.
Good businessmen should take losses rather than utilize legal moves that would prevent them.
Good businessmen should never look for tax breaks, even if those tax breaks increase what would otherwise be the local, state, and federal receipts. Is something worse than nothing?
It is better to have your business go belly up, all your employees go unemployed, the property your business stands on and adjacent properties turned into a slum, all tax base destroyed, than to utilize legal means to keep those entities open, operating, and sound.
Gosh that Trump is a bastard. All those legal things he did! Screw him!
/s
RE: He sincerely wants to make America great again and he means to do it.
So does Bernie Sanders. He sincerely believes that socialism is the way to make America great.
So, is Crony Capitalism the way to make America great again?
Sincerity in and of itself ( why a good virtue ) is NOT ENOUGH. what we need are WISE POLICIES.
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