The 2024 Election: A Singularity of Stupidity
As the nation slouches the last seven weeks to the election, the stupidity metastasizes. We are approaching a singularity of stupidity.
Trump’s latest brainwave is to impose (by executive ukase, apparently) a “temporary” cap of 10 percent on credit card interest rates:
Where to begin?
First consider the embrace of executive fiat to implement major policies which undermines his main substantive virtue as someone who will restrain government power.
Then remember what Milton Friedman said about “there is nothing so permanent as a temporary government policy.”
But most importantly, er, controls on interest rates are price controls. And unless I’m hallucinating I remember Trump attacking Harris’ rather lame price gouging proposals (since abandoned, apparently) as full on socialist price controls. In fact, what Trump is proposing is far more socialist than what Harris did.
Maybe he’ll say he’s not a socialist but a convert to traditional Catholicism and therefore an advocate of usury laws. But regardless, his latest foray into off-the-cuff economic policy making completely undercuts his previous rhetoric and actually provides cover for Harris to propose real price controls just as she has aped other Trump policy ideas.
This is an example of the downside of economic populism, and a not immaterial one. And like many populist economic measures it would damage those it is intended to help (or at least, to appeal to). Such restrictions would essentially result in the loss of credit and credit cards by large numbers of low and low-middle income individuals.
Trump also said he will impose (again by fiat evidently) 200 percent tariffs on Chinese EVs imported from Mexico. This appeal to the autoworker vote (especially in Michigan) would be rendered completely unnecessary if he just eliminates EV mandates as he’s promised. He is right that EVs suck, and that no one will buy them unless forced to. So eliminating the mandate will mean EV imports from China–or Mars–for that matter will pose no threat to American autoworkers.
Just look at Europe, HQ for the EV Fluffers.
I would truly love to be evenhanded here and find some Harris policy proposal to bash. But I can’t. Because she hasn’t any. Her’s is a candidacy for the times, however–a drag queen story hour by somebody pretending to be someone they are not. A mash up between Mean Girls and Miss Congeniality:
You think I exaggerate? I think not!
We have to hope that Bismarck (“There is a special providence for drunkards, fools, and the United States of America) and Adam Smith (“there is a great deal of ruin in a nation”) are both right.
Of course the other major news is the second assassination attempt on Trump. (Or as the regime and its media sockpuppets insist on saying the “apparent” assassination attempt). I have to admit that I was wrong about the effects of the first attempt: it did not stop the Democrats (and their media sockpuppets) from demonizing Trump. Indeed, the latest attempt has led them to ramp up their demonization, and to add to it by blaming the assassination attempt (sorry, sorry, “apparent” assassination attempt) on Trump’s and Vance’s rhetoric.
I can’t even.
It’s truly weird to see every politician campaigning for more government.
“i” will fix this by law or decree… regardless of the polls showing that the wishes of the vast majority is for less interference in their lives.
Comment by philip — September 19, 2024 @ 3:08 pm
In some ways, what we’re experiencing is worse than Idiocracy.
At least President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho had sufficient intelligence to 1) recognise what his country’s most pressing problem was, 2) recognise that the smartest person on the planet was the best person for addressing it, and 3) get that person working on the problem, and motivate him to find a solution, tout de suite.
Trump *may* be able to do these things, but as you describe above, it’s not guaranteed.
Harris would just censor/suppress the person for spreading disinformation, and pretend nothing was wrong (reminiscent of the joke about Stalin, Kruschchev and Brezhnev sitting on the stopped train – ‘just pull down the blinds and pretend we’re moving’).
We’re not literally at our ‘irrigating crops with Brawndo’ moment, but I would argue that flooding small town USA with Haitians flown in directly from Port au Prince is functionally equivalent, in terms of outcomes (we’ve already had our ‘Haitians – they’ve got what industry needs!’ moment).
The only good news (sorta) is that we’re not yet anywhere near the Singularity of Stupid yet: there’s a long way still to go. Fully invested in Brawndo yet? Strap in!
Comment by Ex-Global Super-Regulator on Lunch Break — September 19, 2024 @ 3:22 pm
This is a reminder of what a bloody awful candidate Trump is. Yet he has been vastly superior to his opponents – H Clinton, Lezgo Brandon, and Dromedary Harris.
“If you can keep it.”
Comment by dearieme — September 19, 2024 @ 3:22 pm
@All–Yes, sad but true. Daniel Klein at George Mason University has an open letter for academics: “Professors Statement in favor of voting for the Republican in the Presidential Election 2024.”. It’s available at lesserevil.info. The name of the website says it all.
Comment by cpirrong — September 19, 2024 @ 5:48 pm
Using the “outrun you, not the bear” concept, we might be a singularity of stupidity, but Super Mario has been sucking into a black hole of stupidity.
Comment by The Pilot — September 20, 2024 @ 6:23 pm
There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who worry about unintended consequences and those who don’t.
Comment by Andrew Stanton — September 21, 2024 @ 9:36 am
There are no economic liberals any more. At one point, voting right at least avoided the most self-destructive tendencies of politicians. Those days are gone.
Here in Europe Ursula (ostensibly center-right) has just appointed her team and has managed to give the big economic positions to countries of the “southern” block – who are gung-ho for more borrowing and centralized interventionism. The prof has already covered the stupidity of Draghi’s grand plan.
It’s beyond parody that the EU now has set its hopes of economic revival by providing the reigns to people who believe in the economic approach of Italians and French. “If only the rest of Europe were run like Italy” isn’t something you hear often… yet this is effectively the path we’re on.
The attempt to out-China the Chinese by pouring billions into battery production – Northvolt – is already imploding but apparently Draghi thinks we need more of this.
Comment by derrizanile — September 22, 2024 @ 10:29 am
That clip of Kamala is hilarious.
It does not even rise to the level of a tautology (she would have to propose slightly different wording to qualify)
Biden is articulate when reading from the teleprompter.
Will Kamala make more sense if she does the same?
Might I respectfully suggest to the great American electorate that, in future, you vote for the guy/gal writing words for the teleprompter and give the puppet mouthing what they read a pass?
Just saying …
Comment by Simple Simon — September 22, 2024 @ 11:26 am
No disagreement from me. The only response I have is sometimes you can’t look for upside, you have to limit downside risk. Trump might not have much of an upside with some of his polices (tariffs and the one you highlighted) but the downsides to a Harris/Walz presidency are tremendous. Much larger than Trump who only will have 4 years.
Comment by Jeff Carter (@pointsnfigures1) — September 23, 2024 @ 8:23 pm
I hope Trump wins. I want to see the headline Trumpster Trumps Strumpet.
Comment by dearieme — September 25, 2024 @ 3:50 pm
@Jeff Carter. I agree.
Comment by cpirrong — September 26, 2024 @ 6:01 pm