RAN

On Election Day, Talking Points Memo posted a major at-length analysis well worth review by leftists: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/get-ready-for-a-post-election-push-to-slash-social-programs Get Ready For A Post-Election Push To Slash Social Programs Following last year’s tax cut, Republicans have been plotting to cut social insurance in the name of debt reduction — but wanted to wait until after the election to do so. Here are some key excerpts: Those last couple of paragraphs, in my view, encapsulate realistically much of the danger that I hinted at in my previous post about the Democrats' gushing willingness to collaborate now with Donald Trump – Thug-in-Chief, Liar-in-Chief, Manipulator-in-Chief, and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of U.S. imperialism.

In the Nov. 7th Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/07/rapprochement-not-impeachment-democrats-likely-approach-to-trump Democrats’ policy agenda likely to include cooperation with Trump With Nancy Pelosi at their head, the new House majority is likely to pursue a policy agenda that may include cooperating with the White House The story reports that "Pelosi laid out six legislative priorities she said Democrats would [pursue]." What should be of concern to the left is this excerpt: So what's the problem? Think about it – Trump's the top gorilla, the King of the Mountain. He takes credit for anything that benefits him or his political ambitions and reactionary agenda. While screwing the working class horribly, he's always seeking anything that furthers the illusion that he loves "the workers". Pelosi and the Dems live in this perpetual cloud-liberal-lala-land where they imagine they can reap some kind of public acclaim from having some peripheral role in Trump's version of an infrastructure program (remember the last fiasco?) and who-knows-what pharma legislation. Trump and his now vast and powerful support base and infrastructure will somehow wangle this to his own great credit (and probably prove in the process that the Dems are a bunch of quivering wimps and violent leftwing socialists out to destroy his good works).

On Hallowe'en the Washington Post published an article on U.S. wage growth: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-workers-see-fastest-wage-increase-in-a-decade/2018/10/31/3c2e7894-dc85-11e8-85df-7a6b4d25cfbb_story.html The headline proclaims "U. S. workers see fastest wage growth in a decade, but inflation takes a toll". OK, so what about this inflation? Read further down into the report, and you learn: So this is Trump's great accomplishment to benefit the working class? Wage growth well under 1% in a year?