r/politics • u/thenationmagazine The Nation Magazine • 14h ago
Soft Paywall A Cowardly Congress Is Letting Trump Crash the Economy
https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/trump-tariffs-congress-constitutional-crisis/158
u/IAmArique Connecticut 14h ago
Man, Trump and Putin gotta have some life-threatening Kompromat on Congress if they refuse to impeach or remove Donnie.
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u/oldnjgal 14h ago
Or they are just spineless cowards who care more about being primaried than actually doing their jobs.
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u/BJPark 14h ago
I've noticed however, that it's more than that. Politicians are human beings like everyone else, and no-one likes to admit - even to themselves - that they're doing the wrong thing. So they lie to themselves to square the circle.
They might have begun from cowardice. But over a period of time, their psyche makes them believe the nonsense. They're not all just cynical exploiters anymore, but actual believers.
Because without belief, they have to admit to themselves that they're either stupid, evil, gullible, or cowards. And none of those is an easy burden to carry. So to protect their pscyche's they've begun to actually believe the lies.
So when you see a politician, twisting themselves in pretzels, praising Trump, and you wonder if they're stupid, or gullible, cowards, or dumb, remind yourself that they actually believe what they're saying. At this point, they have made themselves believe it.
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u/ComprehensiveCoat638 11h ago
And it's so fucking odd to watch. Seeing people go that far into the depths of belief so far removed from reality that just their behavior appears so alien to me. It's fucking amazing what people can will themselves into believing.
When confronted by reality, they engage their fight or flight response because it's the only way to fight off the threat posed by reality.
This is why you constantly see trump supporters turn red and start yelling when confronted.
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u/Circumin 9h ago
They have an entire ecosystem built to enforce that and insulate them from any retrospection.
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u/Winterwasp_67 14h ago
It's worse than that. They believe in thier souls that he is all powerful. Those that have some doubts are terrified of being primaried and his cult like following.
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u/Lesurous Texas 10h ago
You forget the other hand up these puppets asses, they're funded by oligarchs who want what's happening so they can buy up stocks for cheap.
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u/SorryCashOnly 10h ago
They wanted this!
These people are shorting the stock market and they are making shit tons of money from the recent events
So why would they want to impeach someone who literally tells them which way the market will go?
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u/MaximDecimus 5h ago
Probably don’t need the kompromat. Trump could just tweet a senators home address and his followers will lynch their family.
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u/VoiceOfRealson 5h ago
Why do people keep saying "Congress" and not "Republicans"?
Not a single Democratic representative or Senator has voter for this shit. Senate Democrats have already voted to repeal Trump's "fentanyl" tariffs on Canada (along with 4 only 4 Republicans), and the only reason Democrats in the house of Representatives have not done the same is that the Republicans are blocking them from even voting on it.
This is not a "both sides" moment!
This is a "Republicans only" moment.
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u/Secure-Corner-2096 2h ago
They can’t even vote on it because of the bullshit rule in the CR that allowed a day to be a year long.
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u/VoiceOfRealson 5h ago
And yes. Russia has a ton of compromat on Republicans.
Russia hacked both parties, but only published the stuff from Democrats. Republicans relied on a "little black book" of family/career/life-breaking compromat to keep their people in place and Russia got it.
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u/jgasbarro America 14h ago
When do we move from cowardly to complicit?
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u/giabollc 9h ago
To be honest at some point we need to stop bailing him out. Like we need to make it so bad even the braindead are like “wow this guy sucks”. Congress steps in now and Trump has an out, “he’ll say ‘It was totally working, all the economist said it was great but Congress cancelled my tariffs’ and he will repeat it and everyone will end up blaming Congress instead
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u/elCharderino 14h ago
Reminder at any time Republicans in congress can step in and remove Trump's power over these tariffs. They don't.
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u/rndljfry Pennsylvania 1h ago
Not only that, they changed the meaning of “Calendar Days” so that they don’t have to respond to his “Emergency” power grab.
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u/reddittorbrigade 14h ago
SHAME on all the people who voted for Trump and his enablers.
Words cannot describe how despicable people you are.
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u/truck_de_monster 13h ago
Hey, they’re pissed to, this isn’t the told you so time, this is the class solidarity and fuck up the elites time.
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u/zappy487 Maryland 13h ago
No. No. They are directly to blame. They were told repeatedly what would happen. And don't kid yourself, they are overjoyed it is.
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u/NickConnor365 12h ago
Do not forget those that could have but did not vote.
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u/JugDogDaddy 10h ago
Tacit approval by non-engagement is definitely a problem, but not nearly as morally reprehensible as outright support
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u/No_Kangaroo_2428 9h ago
I disagree 100%. If someone runs for office on a platform that no American will ever live in a free country again - and that was what he promised - as a citizen, you have an obligation to vote against that. Allowing that to happen because you refused to say no when asked is no different morally than voting for it. Both are causal actions.
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u/truck_de_monster 13h ago
The ones I know personally are pissed, and feel like they were used. I really wanted to say I told you so, but that would feel good for me, and I’d rather help them obtain class awareness and understanding then gloat
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u/RubbrBbyBuggyBumpers 13h ago
He’s doing exactly what he said he was going to do. If your acquaintances are shocked or pissed about the consequences of their actions I would probably find some different friends
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u/truck_de_monster 9h ago
I said the ones I know, definitely aren’t friends…yet, I’ll turn em, just you watch
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u/Powerfist_Laserado 12h ago
I've run into ones who's faith is the cult is breaking and one's who are still devoted to the clown cause. The move, it seems to me, is to reach out to the ones willing to make any change and take any help we can get in building a coalition against trump administration/cult.
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u/truck_de_monster 10h ago
Then we’re on the same team, you and I.
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u/No_Kangaroo_2428 8h ago
You don't have to gloat to ask them to reflect on how they made this mistake, and, more importantly, what they intend to do to fix it. They're the only ones who can do anything about it. They alone can remove Republicans from office. The only people other than billionaires with any power in this country are Republican voters. This disaster gets worse by the hour until they make clear they will vote against it. So far, Republican voters are still partying aboard this hell-bound train.
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u/truck_de_monster 8h ago
Let’s hope we can move the needle to class solidarity against the billionaires. The more the working class in fight the better the billionaire classes position over us. We gotta not trigger people defenses, but encourage their anger at the actual problem, billionaires, oligarchs, and authoritarianism
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u/s0ulbrother 13h ago
No you fucking should. Look what happens when you don’t hold people accountable for their actions in Trump. It enables them to do worse next time.
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u/truck_de_monster 10h ago
The division is what they want us to want. Class solidarity is not, they don’t want us understanding that we’re hurting because of the oligarchs not each other
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u/neutrino71 37m ago
If you don't disable their Fox OANN Sinclair etc they will slip back into the bubble of lies
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u/RubbrBbyBuggyBumpers 13h ago
They voted for this. MAGA/GOP voters want the elite to stomp all over the middle class. They can fuck off
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u/truck_de_monster 9h ago
That is not accurate, a lot them voted because for him because they wanted cheaper eggs.
We’re going to working class solidarity if we’re going to move forward as a country and over throw the billionaires. The elites want you to say fuck the trumpets forever for bringing fooled, because it will keep the working class divided. But helping them to understand how this ain’t what they thought they were voting for, Elon mush taking their SS for instance, or crashing their 401k , they dont want this just as much as we dont.
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u/NewMidwest 14h ago
Cowardly Republicans. Put blame where it belongs.
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u/HumongousBelly Europe 14h ago
No. Don’t forget about Schumer and fetterman and several others.
They’re just as bad.
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u/SaintBellyache 10h ago
“BOTH SIDES!”
(pls ignore that it’s 99% one side)
Fuck off
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u/HumongousBelly Europe 8h ago
Republicans are despicable and vile. That’s the basis of any discussion.
What I said is an addendum that’s needed to understand how Senate even got to vote on expanding executive powers.
If we need to clarify that republicans are disgustingly for letting literal evil, like the maga movement and evangelical churches, define their policies, we’d be unable to concentrate on moving forward from a dysfunctional and aging/out of touch leadership.
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u/CloacaFacts 11h ago
I will focus on the majority of ones making a choice and not get lost in the minutia of the few. If a majority of republicans had morals and character; Trump would not be in power.
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u/NewMidwest 14h ago
That thinking is what gave us Trump.
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u/HumongousBelly Europe 14h ago
That thinking is what will give you AOC or Buttigieg or any other Democrat with a spine for potus in 28
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u/mightcommentsometime California 12h ago
If you think either AOC or Buttigieg have a chance at the presidency in 2028, you probably shouldn’t be wading into American politics.
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u/worksafe_Joe 14h ago
ffs. Republicans. It's republicans. A few could break from the party and vote with dems to impeach and then convict and this could all be over.
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u/The_Fugue_The 14h ago
How fucked is it that our biggest hope is “maybe the oligarchs will pay Congress to stop him?”
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u/Ok-disaster2022 11h ago
Republicans want to "wait and see" how those effects worj out ping term while being up in arms 6 months ago about the slow growth from the moderate Biden economic reforms and investments.
Trump left office crashing the economy and he came be into office crashing the economy.
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u/Cleanbriefs 9h ago
I’ll say it again: Trump won’t stop being Trump. There is nothing else to do but remove him from office. It’s like complaining about cancer in the hopes it stops being a cancer and hurting the patient.
If anyone protesting or angry at Trump thinks that telling to stop is actually gonna work… sorry folks trump is deaf to anyone but himself. You don’t lead Trump to anything, you pluck him and get rid f him there is no middle ground here.
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u/Mindless_Listen7622 Washington 14h ago
I really wish headlines would put the blame squarely where it belongs, with Republicans in Congress.
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u/Wolfman01a 12h ago
Let them keep going. Let them do their thing. MAGAs only learn through suffering it seems.
The blue wave approaching in the coming elections will make Noah wish he built a bigger boat.
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u/nvmenotfound 11h ago
putin couldn’t have dreamed of such a useful idiot. he’s destroying our country and everyone in congress is just watching like it’s not their country also. republicans could do something but they won’t bc they are cowards.
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u/dispelhope 14h ago
Correction to this headline: The Republican Party's headed by Micheal Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives is allowing Trump to crash and burn the economy.
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u/aslan_is_on_the_move 13h ago
Republicans, not Congress
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u/No_Kangaroo_2428 8h ago
Senate Democrats enabled this. It could not have occurred without their votes to allow it.
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u/Onlytimewilltellthen 13h ago
Maybe they’re all worried about accidentally finding themselves in a 30 story high rise building and accidentally walking out onto the 30th story balcony, and then accidentally falling over the railing, coincidentally leaving a suicide note that Fox News receives a copy of the day before it happened, accidentally of course.
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u/skit7548 Pennsylvania 13h ago
Keep at it GOP, as some of you said just the other day, the last time Republicans fucked up this bad, Democrats had a tight grip on both chambers of congress for 60 years and held the presidency for 20.
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u/SUNTAN_1 12h ago
The Hollywood Ending to this whole thing has Mango and Musk ending up in jail.
Unfortunately, we're in a TWILIGHT ZONE episode.
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u/coreychch New Zealand 12h ago
It’s quite obvious Republicans in Congress put themselves before the American people, as they are terrified of retaliation from Trump if they even suggest trying to stop him. What a gutless bunch of parasites. Vote the fuckers out the first chance you get … but I guess that’s assuming there’s ever free-and-fair elections ever again.
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u/LongStriver 5h ago
Correct.
Congress has totally abdicated its constitutional duties. Nominations too, letting complete unqualified wackos like RFK and Hegseth, and are blowtorching assets wily-nily since day 1.
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u/Professional-Can1385 14h ago
Republicans are destroying the federal government and crashing the economy.
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u/bluebird-1515 14h ago
This isn’t “home renovations.” It is destroying your house — and your neighbors’ — without a plan and just believing it will rebuild itself, better.
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u/Brytnshyne 13h ago
We have a triple whammy going on, a neon yellow Democratic leadership except for a few brave souls, a complicit Supreme Court and a demented sociopath for a president. The enemy is at the core of our government and they are all allowing it to happen. A lot of innocent people are going to be hurt and totally unnecessarily.
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u/donkeybrisket 12h ago
Congress should have smacked him down on day 1 for unconstitutionally usurping their power over tariffs (among other things).
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u/Pake1000 11h ago
Unfortunately the only way to get rid of his ass for good will be if everyone suffers for a bit longer, just until his supporters start eating each other alive.
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u/BallBearingBill 11h ago
What's worse than being primaried? Maybe Trump sicking MAGA cult on you and he removes your security details.
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u/New-Dealer5801 10h ago
There are so many heads up the orange ones ass, nobody can get out to see what’s going on! And this is what Putin wants!
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u/Troll_in_the_Knoll 14h ago
Roy Batty from Blade Runner: Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
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u/Initial_Abrocoma_642 11h ago
I just don't get why Congress is so okay with it. They are all not maga. What are they afraid of
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u/SpanktheElephant 11h ago
Get the title correct. Cowardly congressional republicans is letting Trump crash the economy!
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u/LetMePushTheButton 8h ago
Much of Congress make more per year than their constituents. On top of a generous salary that rises with the cost of living - they benefit from all sorts of shit the very people they represent are not allowed to do.
Something something… no taxation without representation…
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u/urbanlife78 5h ago
I am curious how bad they are gonna let it go before Republicans do something about this
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u/RattlinDrone 3h ago
I am already seeing MAGA take down their signs from the houses. I wonder if that is because they no longer support Dear Leader or they realized they only make up 31% of the population and 59% may want to get their money back from the people that caused this mess that was and is totally avoidable.
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u/GeneralCommand4459 2h ago
This happens in workplaces, you get a tyrannical boss that everyone fears and although collectively the staff could stand up to the boss none of them individually is sure the others would join them if they took a stand so they don't make the first move. That's where the courage comes in. You have to be willing to risk not being backed up by the others. Usually they wait until there is a collective move that looks certain, but this is normally when things have got to the absolute limit.
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u/Secure-Corner-2096 2h ago
He’s not just crashing the economy. He is making the entire world hate the US. The only good thing to come of this is that the MAGA cult will finally fall apart. Too late to save much, but at least it will be gone.
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u/Certain_Event558 54m ago
Congress is filled with slovenly pigs on both sides of the aisle who have fed from the trough of taxpayers money for decades . Time for a change everyone . Out they all must go.
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u/DCLexiLou 36m ago
Daily Change -$20,142.16. Single day loss from retirement account thanks to this insane buffoon and his enablers.
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u/No_Kangaroo_2428 9h ago
I'm so tired of everybody saying Nazis are Nazi-ing because they're afraid of Hitler. Republicans are not bad people doing bad things. They're victims!
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