Saturday, January 21, 2017

Trump and his phony claims of job savings

Robert Reich
1.18.2017

This morning Trump bashed NBC, tweeting: “Totally biased NBCNews went out of its way to say that the big announcement from Ford, G.M., Lockheed & others that jobs are coming back to the U.S., but had nothing to do with TRUMP, is more FAKE NEWS. Ask top CEO’s of those companies for real facts. Came back because of me!”

Here’s what you should take from this:

1. As usual, Trump has his facts wrong. Analysts say Ford’s decision to expand in Michigan rather than in Mexico had mostly to do with the company’s long-term plans to invest in electric vehicles. It’s easier for companies to find highly skilled workers to build new products, such as electric cars, in the United States than in Mexico. GM said its plan was approved before the election, but it was "accelerated" under pressure from Trump. Relatedly, Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler chief executive, said Chrysler’s plan to build some cars in the U.S. had been in the works for more than a year and had nothing to do with Trump. Marchionne credited the decision to talks with the United Auto Workers. GM isn’t bringing back any jobs. (See Ben Popkin’s NBC report, below.)

2. Once again, all Trump can think of about is “TRUMP,” which he capitalizes in his tweet, then insists “Came back because of me!” This is the rant of a child wanting attention and praise, not someone who in two days will be President of the United States.

3. Trump’s outrage at NBC – like his condemnation of other specific press and media outlets for not reporting what he wants -- is the raving of a thin-skinned, two-bit dictator. It's harmless now, but it could threaten press freedom in two days when Trump has power over regulators at the FCC and antitrust division who could make life difficult for targeted media outlets.

4. Trump’s view that getting Americans good jobs is about making specific deals with particular companies is a bizarre joke. He wants to deflect attention from the big stuff: For example, repealing the Affordable Care Act will leave at least 18 million Americans without health insurance next year; Andrew Puzder, Trump's anti-labor pick for the Labor Department, wants to repeal Obama's overtime rule and he's against the minimum wage; the huge corporate tax cuts and military buildup Trump's pushing will likely require cuts in Medicare and Social Security. A few jobs "saved" is nothing compared to the hardships Trump will be imposing on working Americans.

What do you think?

Source
https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf

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