Comment by 1a527dd5
6 hours ago
I mean at first glance, this doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy. But ignoring my initial reaction; I don't think this is any different from lobby groups keeping tabs on what congressmen say vs do.
Just this time it's the government tracking which companies are pro-government currently.
It's not nice, but this government is transactional at best.
While I choose not to play games; it's hard not to play when the other side is the government.
This does explain all the random gifts the government is getting.
>I don't think this is any different from lobby groups
for starter, lobby groups cannot issue executive orders just start and stop tariffs and government grant willy nilly
> It's not nice, but this government is transactional at best.
Is it? Will it remain so? Things sometimes are until they aren't and the difference is sometimes impossible to distinguish. Better not to give fascism the benefit of the doubt it doesn't deserve.
Lobby groups are private actors rating elected Congressional reps. This is government officials rating private actors (with an implied threat to punish those who don’t comply).
I don't think "transactional" is the right word at all. There's no durable deal you can make with the government that will stop them from demanding more. The President's open, explicitly stated position is that the American economy belongs to him, and you have no right to conduct your business in a way he doesn't like.
You can't appease bullies. They always come back for your lunch money again on some future day. Any promises they make are worthless.