Objectivity Rules: Well, I won't back down
Canada and Mexico channeled Tom Petty
Objectivity Rules: February 7, 2025
Objectivity Rules: February 7, 2024
President Trump is the threat master who waxes poetic about what he’ll do to countries, even allies, if they don’t bend the knee.
Sometimes it works, as it did with Columbia. The South American country refused to accept two planes of immigrants deported from the United States. In response, Trump threatened crippling tariffs, forcing Colombia to back down and let the planes land.
Canada and Mexico, larger and more powerful countries, had different outcomes.
The Trump administration announced tariffs against both countries starting on February 5, and he sat back and waited for a capitulation that never came. Instead, both countries announced retaliatory tariffs and figuratively said, “Bring it on.” The Dow Jones suffered a day of losses, Republican senators started asking for carve-outs to exempt their constituents from certain taxes, and even Trump said Americans would suffer economic “pain” after promising tariffs wouldn’t have an impact on consumers here.
When tariff day came, Trump announced he had reached “deals” with Canada and Mexico to put tariffs on hold for a month. As usual, he claimed victory. But a closer look at the steps each country promised to take includes stuff they are already doing.
This isn’t a Trump victory. It’s a deal for him to save face. He can claim that he got “concessions” and talk tough. But, Canada and Mexico stared him down, and Trump blinked.
Canada and Mexico have shown other countries how to deal with Trump. Stand firm. Once you call his bluff, once the bluster works, he backs down.
But what about China? What a mess. Trump revoked a rule that allows companies to ship items directly to buyers duty-free, so long as the purchases cost less than $800. China has had explosive growth with websites like Temu, which sell low-cost (i.e., sometimes cheaply made) items and ship them to hungry American bargain hunters. In addition to the revocation, Trump levied a 10% tariff on most Chinese goods. Trump seems to believe that Chinese companies will gladly pay the tariffs, but no. American consumers will likely see the cost of laptops, cell phones, car parts, and more increase. Moreover, small businesses are already complaining the tax hurts them since products cost more. China retaliated by placing tariffs on liquefied natural gas products, crude oil, agricultural machinery, and more. Trump made this mess, and it’s going to hurt a lot of working-class people who voted for him.
LIES AND THE LYING LIARS WHO KEEP LYING
It may only seem as if we live in a time of lies. Lies, especially concerning politics, are as frequent as rain in Miami (which gets more than any city in the country.)
Lyndon Johnson used a naval attack in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964, to justify expanding the Vietnam War. Only problem —- that attack never happened. Amid the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon famously said, “I’m not a crook,” though we later found out that was a whopper. In more modern times, Joe Biden lied when he said wouldn’t pardon his son Hunter if he was convicted of federal firearms charges and tax charges. Biden did just that.
Sadly —- and this isn’t unusual —- voters buy into the lies if they make their preferred party/candidate look good or reinforce their point of view.
President Trump and his acolytes have lied repeatedly about DEI ever since the tragic helicopter/commercial plane crash that killed 64 civilians and three members of the military. For example, in 2019, the Trump administration put in place a DEI program to hire people with disabilities —- a program Trump now insists he dismantled.
It’s inaccurate to hold up Trump as the King of Liars. But it is accurate to say that people need to verify the veracity of anyone’s comment. Fact-checking takes time, but it’s the only way to get the truth.
LIMP AS A WET NOODLE
That’s what the Democrats are right now. They’re the puppies lost in the woods waiting for a kind soul to wrap them in a blanket and make them feel safe and warm. The Democrats, as of now, have no strategy to combat Trump, no leader with a vision, and nothing on the horizon to fix either issue.
Not only that, the party’s old guard remains in control. The new DNC chairman, Ken Martin, is a long-time operative who hasn’t shown he’ll make real change in the party. The Democrats have a bunch of stuck-in-mud septuagenarians and octogenarians who don’t want to give up power. Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) is 87. Powerful party stalwarts Steny Hoyer is 84, and Maxine Waters is 85. There’s no indication any of them plan to make way for new blood and a new party direction. Same-old isn’t going to work.
But, maybe it’s the people?
On Wednesday, protests against Trump’s policies broke out in six states. The crowds weren’t huge —- a few hundred here, a reported 1,500 in D.C. —- but protests tend to start small before growing. While it’s true that more than 77 million voted for Trump, 75 million voted against him. The histories of sit-ins, demonstrations, and protests show that when properly organized, the people can make politicians act, even those as recalcitrant as Trump. Right now, Democrats lack a plan and spine. They need to push back before the Trump takeover turns the federal government into Departments of Obedience with fidelity only to the emperor. As of now, citizens are doing more than Democrats to create a sense of urgency in combating Trump’s policies. On one hand, it’s always good to see people passionate about a belief stand up and try to make a change. On the other, the protests highlight Democrats’ current ineptitude.
But, maybe it’s the courts
Maybe. This week, federal courts put on hold Trump’s order to deny children of illegal immigrants birthright citizenship, as guaranteed under the 14th Amendment. Courts also put a temporary halt to his buy-out plan to trim the federal government. The left’s rejoicing but don’t. The court’s wise court rulings could be short-lived. Opponents appear to have engaged in a concerning tactic —- judge shopping. The orders came from judges in Seattle and Massachusets, Democratic strongholds. The GOP plays this game, too, often finding conservative-leaning federal judges to rule on cases in its favor. It’s a hideous practice that weakens and cheapens the rule of law. Yes, the rulings were good ones. But that doesn’t change that judge shopping is wrong and we need to figure out a way to stop it.
HERE AND THERE:
Isn’t this something? Trump proposed expelling 2.2 million Gazans and having them migrate to Jordan and Egypt. (The administration quickly said, Nah, just kidding). At the same time, he’s getting rid of immigrants in the United States. He should take care of the home turf and butt out of others’ affairs….. The U.S. isn’t “taking over” Gaza. It’s not ours to “take” unless we’re going to send in troops as an invasion force (Trump says he’s not). It’s another instance of Trump spouting nonsense knowing it will get him the headline attention he craves before he moves to something else … In less than a month, the Trump tide will start to turn. The debt ceiling is going to tie the GOP in knots. Musk will demand cuts, and so will Trump, but lawmakers won’t give up their pet projects that play well back home … Super Bowl prediction: Kansas City 31, Philadelphia 27.
My other writing
Last week, my column in the Dayton Daily News noted that the state GOP proudly boasted it hoodwinked voters on the purpose of an anti-gerrymandering amendment. The GOP, with the approval of the Republican-dominated state Supreme Court, changed ballot language to make it appear the measure would create an unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy that could do as it pleased. That wasn’t the case. If the measure passed, an independent commission —- not politicians —- would have drawn maps for redistricting.
“A lot of people were saying, ‘We’re confused! We’re confused by Issue 1.’ Did you all hear that? Confusion means we don’t know, so we did our job,” Alex Triantafilou, chair of the Ohio Republican Party, said in remarks reported by the Freemont Messenger. “Confusing Ohioans was not such a bad strategy.”
This week, I’m writing about the anti-DEI and anti-LGBTQ movements, how it’s no different than what we’ve seen in the past (that doesn’t make it right), and why it won’t last.
I also published the monthly edition of The Bourbon Resource, with news on a once-vibrant industry that’s now hurting.
Ray Marcano has more than 40 years of experience as a reporter, editor, executive, and leader. He’s worked for some of the country’s biggest brands, including CNN, ESPN’s Andcape, and USAToday. His award-winning column appears each Sunday in the Dayton (OH) Daily News, and he’s a frequent contributor to the Columbus (OH) Dispatch. He’s the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright Fellow.