Tom Toles for August 20, 2019

  1. Ddwiz avatar
    DD Wiz Premium Member over 4 years ago

    Increasingly, the leading economic indicators portend a coming recession, as always happens when Republicans inherit prosperous economies from Democrats and then run them into the ground.

    Last week, the inverted yield curve surfaced for the first time since 2007. The inverted yield curve (when short term bond yield rates rise higher than long term bond yield rates) is one of the strongest indicators of a coming recession.

    On the Sunday morning talk shows:

    Trump economic advisor Peter Navarro, former economics professor at University of California, Irvine, insisted that the inverted yield curve is not that significant, and bragged that he should know, because he has “written books on the bond yield curves.” The moderators did not challenge him. But on Monday night’s “Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” O’Donnell was joined by several economics experts. Unlike the moderators who let Navarro off the hook, they referred to economist Navarro’s books. In them, contrary to what he implied on the talk shows, he does emphasize that an inverted yield curve is one of the most reliable predictors of a recession. So yeah, we can trust economist Navarro, but only in what he said BEFORE HE SOLD OUT to the Trump elitists.

    Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow promised that, regardless of how bad it looks, he guaranteed there would be no downturn. The moderators showed him his own video clips from the economic talk show he was hosting on Faux “News” at the time, when he said exactly the same thing just before the Bush economic market meltdown in 2008 (in contrast, there is video of a PBS with Elizabeth Warren, who predicted accurately the exact economic meltdown). Kudlow has never gotten one economic prediction right and has zero credibility.

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    Dtroutma  over 4 years ago

    A lot more like Daffy Duck than Wile e, but bonespurs can’t fly.

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    wolfiiig  over 4 years ago

    Why listen to economists when the sage advice of an old multiple bankrupt is to be had?

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    comixbomix  over 4 years ago

    He must know how everything works…Otherwise, how could he manage to do the opposite so consistently?

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    Masterskrain Premium Member over 4 years ago

    Talk about Looney…

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    Kilrwat Premium Member over 4 years ago

    Only Trump “economists” would follow him off the ledge.

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    Cerabooge  over 4 years ago

    I’ve been learning about the Green New Deal. It has been derided for its job program components, but that jobs program is a superlative “stimulus” program, with a critical difference from previous stimulus programs; it directs money to the “99%”. The 2008/2009 stimulus did a good job of saving rich bankers, but not so much for regular people.

    Maybe if we started directing money to actual people, who will spend it while making worthwhile contributions, instead of corporations, which use it to buy back stock and gobble up smaller companies, the economy will actually benefit.

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    Cerabooge  over 4 years ago

    E-cons-o-the-mists.

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    morningglory73 Premium Member over 4 years ago

    WATCH OUT BELOW! Here come the grand piano.

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    Richard S Russell Premium Member over 4 years ago

    Here’s one thing you can rock-solid count on 100% of the time: Whatever happens to the economy, a couple of years from now there’ll be somebody who predicted it and is now looking for suckers to give him money based on his insight and acumen. That’s because these guys are like fortune tellers and mind readers; they make a zillion predictions but only remind you of the ones that happened to come true.

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    Alberta Oil Premium Member over 4 years ago

    trump denies everything so why would gravity be any different?

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    Bendarling1  over 4 years ago

    Perhaps they mean the theives will profit greatly from the recession 1/2 of too much is still more than half of a middle class wealth and earnings( worse if teachers are consider middle class and Drs & lawyers aren’t included)

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    Radish the wordsmith  over 4 years ago

    Dear Glorious Leader Trump:

    As one of the crowned princes of #Greenland, I am excited by your offer to buy our country. Please wire $125,000,000 to PrinceofGreenland@Paypal.com

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    Bookworm  over 4 years ago

    Good news! “I don’t think we’re having a recession,” Trump told reporters on Sunday in an attempt to quell fears over a potential market crash. “We’re doing tremendously well. Our consumers are rich. I gave a tremendous tax cut and they’re loaded up with money.”

    I just verified my bank balance, and I’m not “loaded up with money.” I got no “tremendous tax cut” being one of the lower 90%. So I guess my “check is in the mail.”

    https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-recession-denial-panic-conspiracy-873239/

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    yimhere  over 4 years ago

    “I’ll tell ya this…… I’m bungling this bigly …. but don’t mention it to anyone else….!”

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    todyoung  over 4 years ago

    ECONOMIC GRAVITY!! There. I said it. Look out below!

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    robnvon Premium Member over 4 years ago

    It’s the Republican miracle: Nixon scuttling peace before an election; Reagan arms for hostages; Bush his invasion (I mean he had the perfectly neat military so handy and nearby) of Iraq. And clear the swamp Trump … tea pot dome served up on the newest WH China service.

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    Concretionist  over 4 years ago

    I love that his brief case is labeled “Econo Mists”. A clear reminder that they see the future through a cloud, just like the rest of us… though they do have records of which of their techniques have worked in the past. Which they ignore when they have a political agenda…

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    kballweg Premium Member over 4 years ago

    Sadly the way this administration can snatch total catastrophy from the jaws of defeat, (think Puerto Rico, easy to win Tariff Wars) Trumps reactions to a recession will probably be to up the ante and make it a full blown Great Depression.

    At least Putin will be happy with his hand puppet’s damage to America. May regret when it impacts Russia as well.

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    danketaz Premium Member over 4 years ago

    Trump’s too full of hot air to fall, even with no visible support.

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    Charlie Tuba  over 4 years ago

    Yes, I know how cartoons work. You walk out on thin air, look down, run like crazy, and then plummet straight down followed by an ACME anvil.

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    bakana  over 4 years ago

    If only the show “Preacher” hadn’t already done the guy with the “puckered” Mouth.

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    benjamineyal  over 4 years ago

    However, talking about a recession does increase one’s likelihood. I suggest we all close our eyes and repeat: “The Economy is Great, and Will Never Falter. Look at Australia, they haven’t had a recession in a couple decades, I’m sure we can be like that too! The Economy is Great!”

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    theoldidahofox  over 4 years ago

    Trump has zero everything.

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    moosemin  over 4 years ago

    It is mostly ECONOMISTS and a few financial wizards who are warning about a possible recession, unless some changes are made, but some of the political cartoonists on this site take their cue from Trump to draw wild, crazy donkeys crying “RECESSION! RECESSION” !

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    moosemin  over 4 years ago

    Alan Greenspan: We haven’t heard from you in a while. Let’s keep it that way, please!

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    Nantucket Premium Member over 4 years ago

    Funny thing is all of the “products” from Donald and Ivanka are made in China and she is getting trademarks from China by the dozen.

    Trump is now saying there might be a “short” recession – about 2 months.

    “I am doing this whether it’s good or bad for your statement about, ‘Oh, will we fall into a recession for two months?’ The fact is, somebody had to take China on.” As far as I could tell, no one claimed “2 months” at the press conference except Trump.

    “Whether it’s good for our country or bad for our country, short term, it had to be done,whether it’s good or bad, short term, is irrelevant.”

    Now which direction is the silly “payroll tax” claim going? Like getting a few dollars in a paycheck is going to prevent a recession. Not to mention that people will just owe those taxes on April 15th.

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