How The New York Times’ Anonymous Op-Ed Helps Trump
Bizarrely, The New York Times op-ed supposedly written by an “anonymous” White House official helps President Donald J. Trump (R-New York).
The op-ed benefits Trump in three obvious ways the media refuses to acknowledge:
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The op-ed sends moderate Republicans, conservatives, and moderate corporate executives, intellectuals, and journalists that only value low tax rates an important message.
The message is: “Unfortunately, bozo the clown is still in the Oval Office, but don’t worry folks. We have him contained and controlled. Trump is only signing the legislation we want and mostly doing what we tell him. More importantly, the Donald is still putting on a great act to bamboozle the hayseeds in the sticks. So don’t worry.”
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The op-ed contains a not-so-subtle message for Trump true believers.
That message is: “Trump is still in there fighting for tariffs and America but he’s being sabotaged and betrayed by the traitors surrounding him.”
This gets Trump off the hook by allowing him to blame the failure of his agenda on the “traitors” around him. The chaos is in the administration is the fault of the traitors not the man in the Oval Office who hired them. It was Trump who an hired incompetent and unethical staff -we need to hold him accountable.
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The op-ed bullshit distracts the media, voters, the blogosphere, social media and the chattering classes from real issues that affect real people in the real world, and might hurt Trump. Those issues include; poverty, income inequality, low wages, lack of health care, education, growing labor unrest, Climate Change, the Emerging Markets Currency Crisis, and the looming retirement crisis in America.
It is easy to see why Trump is doing everything in his power to promote this op-ed. It helps him on every level and does little or no damage.
What is the Real Purpose of The New York Times Op-Ed?
We need to ask ourselves many important questions here. Those questions include:
- Why did The Times run this stupid op-ed and give it credibility?
- Why is The Times trying to help Trump by promoting his agenda?
- What is the real agenda of The New York Times?
- Is The Times’ mission to report the truth or promote the interests of America’s ruling classes? America’s ruling classes benefit from some Trump policies such as tax cuts.
The New York Times Loves Trump because he’s for the Rich
It is no coincidence that The New York Times published the op-ed less than two months after the Trump administration floated a $100 billion capital gains tax cut proposal.
Disturbingly Vox’s Emily Stewart described that scheme as “a $100 billion tax cut for the rich he wants to enact without Congress.” The government collects capital gains taxes from the proceeds of stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies and other investments owned by the affluent.
The current capital gains tax is around 23.8%. It includes a 3.8% tax to support Obamacare and a 20% tax on investment income. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reportedly wants to adjust capital gains taxes to inflation.
Trump’s $100 Billion Plan to Buy the Support of the Rich
Here is how The New York Times described it:
“If a high earner spent $100,000 on stock in 1980, then sold it for $1 million today, she would owe taxes on $900,000. But if her original purchase price was adjusted for inflation, it would be about $300,000, reducing her taxable “gain” to $700,000. That would save the investor $40,000.”
I cannot think of a better way to bribe America’s upper classes into supporting Trump, or least staying silent about his behavior. It is disgusting and it needs to be exposed. Note how little media attention this got.
The Times publicized both the Trump tax cuts for the rich and an op-ed that promotes Trump. The Times is still a great newspaper responsible for a lot of great journalism but some of its behaviors are very suspect.
America’s Permanent Ruling Class owns The New York Times and Trump
Both Trump supporters and opponents need to be leery of media outlets like The New York Times. At the end of the day, their agenda is simply to help the rich make money.
A remark that former President Barack Hussein Obama (D-Illinois) made at the University of Illinois on 7 September 2018 is well worth repeating here:
“The point Washington made; the point that is essential to American democracy. Is that in a government of and by and for the people, there should be no permanent ruling class.”
It looks as if we have a permanent ruling class; The New York Times is its mouthpiece, and Trump is its puppet. Worse we have a government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.
Obama’s speech is well worth reading here is a transcript courtesy of our friends at Vox.