The hand wave emoji is there because this post is his way of saying goodbye to his job. - ThreadSky

kevinmkruse.bsky.social • 65 days ago

The hand wave emoji is there because this post is his way of saying goodbye to his job.

👋Fellow Democrats, the party needs to rethink all the anti-tariff absolutism. I’m a Rust Belt Democrat from swingy Western PA—where lousy trade deals like NAFTA stripped us for parts. Democrats need to break free from the zombie horde of neoliberal economists who think tariffs are always bad. 🧵

Comments

darylberg.bsky.social•65 days ago

He's right; opposing the other party because they are the other party's ideas is bad. At the very least, let him make a cogent argument and have a real conversation. Tariffs may very well and likely be bad but knee jerk dismissal and judgement of legitimately well thought out ideas is worse.

prosediva.bsky.social•65 days ago

Please show us the “well thought out idea” part.

crewless.bsky.social•65 days ago

You guys really think Lucy is gonna let you kick the football at some point. Adorable.

danloney36.bsky.social•65 days ago

I agree with you - not that you should care, you’ve never heard of me - but with this particular party and leader, knee-jerk opposition is the more prudent course. Trump only does something to line his pockets or pay off a favor. Give him nothing, and make him plead for the nothing he gets.

joshfrai.bsky.social•65 days ago

Or at least his party.

a-pasta-sea.bsky.social•65 days ago

Are we pointing our ratios on here, or was that just a Twitter thing? Because damn.

a-pasta-sea.bsky.social•65 days ago

*out

panagonia.bsky.social•65 days ago

It was the neoliberal economists who removed the tariffs thirty years ago.

wingfoot1618.bsky.social•64 days ago

Jared Bernstein on his substsck had a more moderate take

mikewilsoninoz.bsky.social•65 days ago

So now neoliberal trade policies are a good thing?

lindavt.bsky.social•64 days ago

Dude needs to enroll in an international economics class.

darbyogill.bsky.social•64 days ago

Chris Deluzional

msm6794.bsky.social•65 days ago

The responses were inspiring.

nservantes.bsky.social•65 days ago

00johndillon00.bsky.social•65 days ago

Was there anti-tariff absolutism, or do we just think the Trump admin is chaotic and stupid. The point of the chaos and stupidity is to consolidate power and earning potential into Trump's hands.

markstg.bsky.social•65 days ago

Seriously, wtf is wrong with these guys 🙄

jesseny.bsky.social•65 days ago

Here's a gift link to his OpEd:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/opinion/tariffs-democrats-mexico.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2U4.DFDH.OpgOrQ3GMXRT&smid=url-share

othurone.bsky.social•65 days ago

One can hope…

curtismharris.bsky.social•65 days ago

More like Chris Delusional, amirite?

thammerlund.bsky.social•64 days ago

Cue N Sync

thehyyyype.bsky.social•65 days ago

more like chris deluzional, am i right

nickel76.bsky.social•65 days ago

This might be a rational position and discussion about the role of tariffs but the discussion is so ill timed and such a self-own that he couldn’t have done it better if he was a GOP plant.

strangernalps.bsky.social•65 days ago

I wish the Democrats would actually do this, but for price controls

dawnalene.bsky.social•65 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/heathermoandco.bsky.social/post/3ljtai3hx6k2k

eieino.bsky.social•65 days ago

Who is against ALL tariffs? The issue is that Trump isn't trustworthy to decide which tariffs to employ.

Fuck this guy.

andrewagill.bsky.social•65 days ago

Says he's from PA-17. Let's see… oh yeah that makes total sense. Suburbs north & west of Pittsburgh, to the borders of Ohio & West Virginia. Close enough to PGH that it's blue, but most of the area would be very rural & heavily influenced by WV politics I'm guessing.

paulkva.bsky.social•64 days ago

Under normal circumstances, it could make sense for him to post a long, nuanced view on tariffs. But not while the constitution and the fabric of our society are burning in a dumpster fire.

chiprogressive.bsky.social•65 days ago

Milton Friedman, that raging neoliberal economist, said tariffs mainly and largely benefit the business, not consumers.

chiprogressive.bsky.social•65 days ago

Joseph Stiglitz said in January. “Virtually all economists think that the impact of the tariffs will be very bad for America and for the world, They will almost surely be inflationary.”

algi.bsky.social•65 days ago

"I have very deep theories about tariffs, I totally didn't bring them up just because Trump introduced tariffs."

folgers.bsky.social•65 days ago

Unfettered free trade hollowed out our manufacturing base and set the middle class back 30 years. But across the board tariffs,at this point, would finish it off.

ozarkgraphic.bsky.social•65 days ago

I could give a month long tour of the shuttered little factories in small town/city Missouri that made all kinds of things and gave people in those places a way to make ends. All gone.

serenity318.bsky.social•65 days ago

Same for rural small town Tennessee. Corporate farms drove small family farms under in the '80s and factories closed in the '90s.

berserkercoach.bsky.social•65 days ago

he's not wrong about breaking free from neoliberal economists, but seems to have learned precisely the wrong lesson

champagnecrone.bsky.social•65 days ago

These assholes couldn’t read a room if it was plastered with single syllable words in 9,000 point type.

kevin2170.bsky.social•65 days ago

I understand why people check out of politics and stop voting now.

kevin2170.bsky.social•65 days ago

Like sure poke your base in the eye, that’ll earn some moderate votes maybe? But what it will do is convince people that there really isn’t a point and they may as well just stay home because why bother if it’s a choice of shit or crap

kevin2170.bsky.social•65 days ago

Which is why Trump is going to do his best to ruin mail voting or ballot boxes or pass national id because if the other party is still offering a plate of crap, and now it’s slightly inconvenient to vote? Well, no thank you, there’s an episode of next level chef on

kevin2170.bsky.social•65 days ago

Meanwhile the “moderate” voter they’re catering towards sees that maybe the right was right about immigration and DEI if this party offering crap is backtracking on everything so why not vote for the pure version of that instead of this squish who sounds like a dumb bitch

erichamilton.bsky.social•65 days ago

I may regret this, but I read it was:

Stop saying: "All tariffs are bad because they raise prices-- that's what got us de-industrialization."

Start shouting: "Trump's unhinged on-again off-again tariffs on our staunch allies are unconstitutional, illegal, AND they raise prices & kill export jobs.

wittyretorthere.bsky.social•65 days ago

True but like it or not, giving any kind of tariffs cover right now (especially when the overwhelming majority of calls is not all tariffs are bad but all tariffs being done NOW are bad) while this is going on is one of the dumbest things to do. Trying to force context when none is needed right now.

ysosidious.bsky.social•65 days ago

Ugh, this is what sucks about Trump’s tactics. He can lie because he doesn’t care and the media helps him. A lot of folks like the vibes of tariffs and too many people think tariffs are taxes we don’t even pay. Democrats have to combat this beyond simply “Trump bad.” Context and nuance here matters.

wittyretorthere.bsky.social•65 days ago

I agree with context and nuance mattering but in my mind nuance doesn't work until the education part of what tariffs actually are sinks in with at least a chunk of those who don't know (which isn't easy obviously) and politicians, especially moderate D ones, trying to do a "this is bad BUT" at 1/

wittyretorthere.bsky.social•65 days ago

this time remind me of similar politicians who say they aren't against transgender people but we should seriously take the girls sports complaint part seriously in that what is going on is so far beyond that and it's just a shield to appear moderate while being actually ok with it kind of thing. 2/2

ysosidious.bsky.social•64 days ago

I agree on rights. Human rights and neoliberal policies are not the same thing. I don’t see how the two are reminiscent for you. Lots of folks are upset about neoliberal policies, for some good and obviously some pretty dumb reasons, and continuing after 10 years to pretend they aren’t isn’t helping

keithfitzgerald.bsky.social•65 days ago

"Maybe we should call it the Gulf of America, because a good architect is hard to find."

hfb7.bsky.social•64 days ago

He is about to get a history lesson that need not have happened.

londonnn.bsky.social•65 days ago

I think dems need to stop fighting the issues as if there’s any good faith on the other side. wait till you’re in power to articulate that

Just go wild, say instead of 5 million for citizenship gold cards, rich people who want a gold card have to buy 10 homes for American citizens

weshlovrcm.bsky.social•65 days ago

We are never going to see democracy again if Dems keep deciding that aspects of theofascism are good. We already know it doesn't work--look at Germany's and Italy's history.

whistlingbatter.bsky.social•65 days ago

he's flipping GOP here. he's going the distance, he's going for speed (ketamine)

cfoh.bsky.social•65 days ago

your reply takes the Cake

thekrakensays.bsky.social•65 days ago

fergdawg.bsky.social•65 days ago

No kidding.

hanagirl.bsky.social•64 days ago

How many factories is he planning on building?

tatianar312.bsky.social•65 days ago

He clearly loves the poorly educated too. And is begging to be primaried.

marleywrites.bsky.social•65 days ago

The whole post is written for people who had never heard of a tariff before.

ysosidious.bsky.social•65 days ago

Ah, yes, let me introduce you to all the US citizens who think they are taxes foreign countries pay. This will take some time.

haethre.bsky.social•64 days ago

neoliberals are to blame for selling us trickle-down economics in the first place. I don’t think Dems are listening to them.

keithdonovan.bsky.social•65 days ago

Engaging it on its own level, there is a careful, measured leftist response that utilizes tariffs, but these require several parallel investment programs, programs to help those affected, and are mostly focused on manufacturing, not resources.

keithdonovan.bsky.social•65 days ago

of course even entertaining that discussion gives the Trump admin some air of legitimacy or seriousness it does not deserve whatsoever

thatac.bsky.social•65 days ago

He had a job??

I hadn't noticed him doing anything.

davekearnjr.bsky.social•65 days ago

retiredwhitelady.bsky.social•64 days ago

Targeted tariffs to promote specific industries (as Bidenomics included) has absolutely nothing to do with WTAF #FirstFelon is doing/undoing/doing/undoing....

mommablue1922.bsky.social•64 days ago

NAFTA was a bad deal. But tariffs aren’t the way to rebuild factories and trades. But getting some of that trillion dollars that the rich have hoarded in offshore accounts and recouping the taxes they have avoided paying can be used to invest in American jobs that pay a decent wage. Right?

hojoonh.bsky.social•65 days ago

He’s right about the neoliberal love affair with free trade and the need to reject it. Industrial policy can be great if administered with low levels of corruption and a high degree of competence.

agileaussie.bsky.social•65 days ago

Neither of which are evident in this administration.

hojoonh.bsky.social•65 days ago

Biden pursued industrial policy, a welcome departure from the neoliberal orthodoxy. He used domestic manufacturing requirements, but tariffs are another tool in the box. You should of course be honest with consumers about how they affect them.

cixceven.bsky.social•65 days ago

It's really hard reading idiocy like this as a Canadian.

stinkythebear.bsky.social•65 days ago

I'm fine with goods and capital moving freely across boarders, but only if labor is free to do so too.

eruanion.bsky.social•65 days ago

I'd love to see some "good" tariffs

arrpeeohh.bsky.social•65 days ago

I can't with people who look at any piece of the fuckery and strain to find a way to see "well they have a point on _____"

Grant admin costs, funding for specific programs, tariffs... whatever the thing. Just because you see corn in a 💩 doesn't mean it's food

everythingisgrate.bsky.social•64 days ago

tariffs as a way to inflict petty revenge and to extort money and weaken democratic governments are bad.

trump enacts tariffs like a guy trying to stick his hand up a woman’s skirt.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply