By ann summers

November 8, 2016 could signal the end of the Republic when the American people anoint King “Amazing” Trump and his Political Communication by Twitter — while beginning National Recession and Global Depression by neoliberalism.

Will we see the Trump Presidency of 2017 continuing neoliberalism’s onward path from the final apocalyptic project of charismatic Reaganism — to achieving minimal government in preparation for its Grover Norquist bathtub drowning, just make sure you’re in the correct bathroom when you’re doing it.

TRUMP HAS CERTAINLY BEEN THIS ELECTION CYCLE’S MOST RIVETING FIGURE. HE INITIALLY FOCUSED HIS ATTENTION ON IMMIGRATION REFORM, CALLING FOR A WALL TO BE BUILT BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES AND DEMANDING THE DEPORTATION OF 11 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. 

He has since rolled out other policies and positions: a major tax code overhaul; repeal and replace Obamacare; renegotiate or “break” NAFTA; stop hedge funds from “getting away with murder” on taxes; reforming the Veteran’s Administration; and impose import tariffs as high as 35%. All while keeping the deficit in check, growing the economy and leaving entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security untouched. Immigration remains a major pillar of his campaign, and he has now moved on to the question of Muslim immigration as well. He has finally laid out a plan to make Mexico pay for the wall, too…

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“That off-the-cuff, gruff, tell-it-like-it-is approach that Donald Trump has may be great for headlines and a stadium full for supporters, but what unguarded comments like that from a president do is make dramatic fluctuations in the world economy, in stock markets in the United States and in the world,” said John Hudak (Brookings Institution). “Think about how much the market reaction is to the choice of two or three words from the Federal Reserve chairman.”

The words chosen by American officials can have serious economic repercussions, and the country — and the world — have equally high expectations for their commercial and diplomatic capabilities. The blunt way of speaking that has made Trump so popular among Republican voters could be detrimental once he’s in the Oval Office.

“His brand of rhetoric would actually make for profound economic instability,” Hudak said. In an October interview with The Hill, Trump warned of a looming recession and stock market bubble and targeted Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen in his comments. “She’s keeping the economy going, barely,” he said. Such comments coming from a presidential candidate are one thing — coming from the president of the United States they would be another.

And weren’t Bush43 and rMoney supposed to be the “business” presidents. And even Clinton42 promoted deregulation and privatization of some public or common resources including “welfare to work”; this goes back to Teddy Kennedy’s support of transportation deregulation in the 1970s.

The same Republicanism that even failed to overthrow FDR in a coup was motivated by such neoliberalism against the backdrop of America First nativism.

“This is despotism, this is tyranny, this is the annihilation of liberty,” one senator wrote to a colleague. “The ordinary American is thus reduced to the status of a robot. The president has not merely signed the death warrant of capitalism, but has ordained the mutilation of the Constitution, unless the friends of liberty, regardless of party, band themselves together to regain their lost freedom.”

The above is Republican Sen. Henry D. Hatfield of West Virginia, bemoaning the policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933, not Ted Cruz whining about PBO in 2016.

The main points of neo-liberalism include:

1. THE RULE OF THE MARKET. Liberating “free” enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Greater openness to international trade and investment, as in NAFTA. Reduce wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers’ rights that had been won over many years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. To convince us this is good for us, they say “an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone.” It’s like Reagan’s “supply-side” and “trickle-down” economics — but somehow the wealth didn’t trickle down very much.
2. CUTTING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES like education and health care. REDUCING THE SAFETY-NET FOR THE POOR, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water supply — again in the name of reducing government’s role. Of course, they don’t oppose government subsidies and tax benefits for business.
3. DEREGULATION. Reduce government regulation of everything that could diminsh profits, including protecting the environmentand safety on the job.
4. PRIVATIZATION. Sell state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools, hospitals and even fresh water. Although usually done in the name of greater efficiency, which is often needed, privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.
5. ELIMINATING THE CONCEPT OF “THE PUBLIC GOOD” or “COMMUNITY” and replacing it with “individual responsibility.” Pressuring the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves — then blaming them, if they fail, as “lazy.”