It just amazes me that people want to believe that Democrats are in “trouble” for this midterm election. It certainly may be one of those self-fulfilling “prophecies,” but why? What have we learned about the other side of the aisle the past few weeks? Remember when Donald Trump made this statement: "You know what else they say about my people? The polls, they say I have the most loyal people. Did you ever see that? Where I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay? It’s like incredible.” And this guy was actually elected president?
This is same person who during a deposition in a lawsuit against him apparently lied under oath that he ordered Trump Tower security to manhandle protesters in 2015, and yet at the same time offered “justification” for doing it by claiming that he feared he might be “hit” by various articles of fruit, which he likened to “dangerous objects,” and you could “get killed by those things.” As they say, cowards lurk behind the façade of bullies; the only thing that would have been “killed” by a wayward tomato would have been Trump’s ego if photos circulated on the Internet with tomato on his face. We also learn that Trump is being fined $10,000 a day for failing to abide to a subpoena for financial documents by the New York Attorney General’s office, which of course is par for the course for a man for whom laws are just for “suckers.”
Meanwhile, more scrutiny is being given to the Trump administration’s passing out 95 percent of currently outstanding loans under the Cares Act meant for “businesses considered crucial to national security” to the Yellow trucking company. The Defense Department—which had a “history” with Yellow that it didn’t want repeated—strongly objected to the loan, stating that the money was being wasted for use on a business “non-critical” for national defense. But the Treasury Department took control and overrode the DOD objection. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis reported that the Trump administration “directly engaged with Yellow and its representatives regarding the company’s application” and “took steps to communicate with Treasury officials” about the loan.”
Misusing pandemic relief funds isn't "new," although it sometimes passes under the radar; an example of this is what I wrote about here (1) in regard to a local business. Although under scrutiny a year ago, the Yellow loan has received renewed interest as it has been revealed that Yellow—which was nearing bankruptcy even before the pandemic—went from paying “0” dollars for lobbying to almost $600,000 in an effort to secure the $700 million loan under false pretenses; the 10 other companies under the “national security” loan policy received only a combined $36 million.
Under the loan agreement, the government is assuming a 29.6 percent equity share of the company. This allegedly “protects” the public against the high risk deal, but in reality it puts American taxpayers on the hook if “given the company’s long-term non-investment grade rating and previous close calls with bankruptcy over the years, it is not clear that an equity stake in YRC will provide much, if any, compensation or protection to taxpayers.” The company claims $5.1 billion in revenue for 2021, $109 million in operating losses, $1.6 billion in outstanding debt and, curiously, $10 million in cash compared to $122 million in 2020.
Although Yellow reported a profit in its last quarter, it is carrying considerably less total freight in an effort to improve “yield”—meaning taking only pallets with heavy loads and refusing to haul those with light loads that don’t bring in as much money in freight costs, which is allowing LTLs to survive higher operating costs for now. But others speculate that the current “boom” will collapse as the post-pandemic rise in freight will return to pre-pandemic levels, and companies like Yellow will be forced to take less profitable low yield freight just to stay in business.
We have been told that Trump was eager to approve the loan because he thought it would help gain him support with union voters for “saving” their jobs in 2020 election. But the House committee notes that the bailout mainly benefits share and stockholders—and that is certainly the principle interest of Yellow’s management; they will lay-off workers to keep the pockets of management lined well. This loan was also allowed despite the fact that federal prosecutors were investigating Yellow for overcharging the DOD by “millions of dollars” by falsifying weights and creating artificially higher freight charges. The company eventually agreed to pay $6.8 million to settle the claim.
But lying under oath—a trait that has apparently been passed on to “first daughter” Ivanka—and corruption are not as “entertaining” as being named Marjorie Taylor Greene, who in the past week has been the butt of ridicule on cable news and late night talk shows. Greene—presently in a “spat” with the Catholic Church—was forced to attend an administrative hearing in Atlanta last Friday, meant to determine if she should be allowed to run for reelection this year, given the rule in the Constitution that states that no person should be allowed to run for federal office if they have committed or supported treasonous activity or attempts to stage a “coup” that threatened constitutional government; Greene is accused of such in regard to the January 6 insurrection.
Greene’s performance was perhaps to be expected from an ignorant bigot who looks and talks like your typical frumpy blond trailer trash. She lied about this, she lied about that. She didn’t “remember” saying this, and she didn’t “remember” saying that. She has pedaled QAnon “pedophile” conspiracies, but she claimed she didn’t know anything about QAnon. There was some laughter about the use of the line from the film Independence Day about not “going quietly in the night,” but it wasn’t that funny; Greene no doubt knew the “connection” and used it, even if it was provided to her by another party.
Steven Benen on MSNBC writes that
Did Greene urge Trump to invoke martial law in order to claim illegitimate power? The Republican testified that she doesn’t remember. Did Greene speak with White House officials about Jan. 6? There’s video of her exiting the West Wing, boasting about a “great planning session,” but the Republican said she doesn’t remember that, either. Did she ever hear anyone at the White House mention that Jan. 6 could turn violent? Once again, the Republican’s memory failed her. Pressed on her own record of extremist rhetoric, Greene simply couldn’t recall her own comments from last year. Asked about conversations with her GOP colleagues, the congresswoman once again drew a blank.
Benen speculated that all this denying and forgetting was part of “a carefully planned legal strategy” to avoid straight up perjury, since that is “difficult” to prove even when it is obvious. Since this is an administrative process, neither side can force the other to produce relevant documents, and the judge in the case has already overruled forcing Greene to sit for a deposition which would open up the possibility of prosecuting her for perjury. It seems unlikely after the hearing that the judge will rule against Greene so close to the primary, so it will be up to voters to make the final judgment on her fitness for office. However, Greene’s lack of “honor” and candidness should tell against her with voters who wonder who exactly she “represents.”
What should be most concerning to voters across the country is that if Republicans retake Congress in 2020, it may very well be that truly psychotic creatures like Greene. Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert and Madison Cawthorn will be the ones who “define” the Republican Party and its agenda in the House, and Josh Hawley and Rick Scott in the Senate. Voters need to takes this into consideration when they vote. Keeping these people from the levers of power will leave the message that the moral and ethical corruption of Trump and his cultists is unacceptable and has no place in the political discourse of this country. Keeping Trump’s foot soldiers from taking control of Congress this year is the next step in rejecting Trumpism/fascism in this country after first having voted out Trump in 2020.
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