1/Thread on Trump's reckless tariff and trade strategy. Below a smart take on where China - and the EU, Canada and Mexico - are targeting their retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump's aggressive attacks on their economies nytimes.com/interactive/20…
2/The effectiveness of these foreign efforts to cause pain in Trump county has shown up in polling. Tariffs are very unpopular everywhere, even in states like PA and WI. ndn.org/blog/2018/09/d… Tariffs are among least popular initiatives of entire Trump Presidency.
3/Consider that Rs trail in all the competitive Sen/gov races in IA, WI, IN, OH, MI and PA. R candidates for Sen/gov in core Rustbelt states in MI and PA are n the 30s. Repudiation of Rs here huge story. ndn.org/blog/2018/09/s…
4/Which is why it is fair to read NAFTA 2.0 as Trump caving on his trade agenda to help reduce the damage these policies are having in the fall election. He got very little in the deal and in exchange embraced both NAFTA and the TPP. ndn.org/blog/2018/10/q…
5/But dangerously, today the Trump Administration escalated its charge these retaliatory tariffs are a form of "election meddling," and that China is in fact now working to throw the election to the Democrats this fall. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/white-h…
6/And on this day when our govt is saying "its China not Russia" Europe/UK took some of its strongest steps to call out and condemn relentless Russian interference in other countries. So by not pulling the speech Pence undermined these efforts.
7/Trump's acceptance of illicit Russian help has aligned American with Russia and against Europe on these fundamental matters. Imagine that on the day Europe took these steps we not only did not stand by them but actively worked to undermine them?
8/Trump and the GOP need the 2016 Trump Putin collaboration which undermined our democracy to be thrown into the memory hole and disappear. Pence's speech made it clear where they going. If successful w/Kavanaugh they now have fresh playbook to use against Mueller probe.
9/And have also now laid the groundwork to challenge legitimacy of a Democratic victory this fall. yahoo.com/news/mike-penc… Timing and substance of Pence speech should be clear warning shot at what may come now. No one should be surprised.
10/GOP now far more the party of Putin than the party of Reagan. Long past time for the Democrats to find their voice on these matters and engage the American people to help us defeat the rise of illberalism here and abroad.
