trump trying to enjoy the benefits of incumbancy and buy votes in Maine... of course, if this was a Democrat they would be crying about socialism or Obama phones, er, lobstaaahs... and gee, in this time of global pandemic I know everyone is most worried about where there next steak and lobster dinner may come from... Trump signs executive order designed to help Maine lobster industry https://www.wmtw.com/article/trump-...igned-to-help-maine-lobster-industry/32963481 President Trump tweets about Maine lobster, orders financial help for industry https://wgme.com/news/local/preside...ne-lobster-orders-financial-help-for-industry
Unfortunate that the lobster industry was hurt but I agree with the idea of bail-outs for the losses that were completely beyond their control and unhedgeable (now, who knows if the execution is agreeable -- hopefully it was done better than the PPP). Maybe it's supposed to be hypocritical or something that Republicans would support a president who is so profligate with US tax dollars, but I think it's the smart thing to do. I also don't disagree, in principle, with the economic sparring with China to try to get better trade rules. I just don't trust Trump to do a good job. I attended a lecture by a polisci professor during the Obama years and he was saying "Would you trust Obama to haggle the best price for a Persian rug?" I didn't know at the time he as presaging the Trump allure (and he's probably part of the intellectual front for Trumpism today, if I had to guess). And because he's a well-reputed professor at an elite university, no one in the audience dared disagree, including me. Even if (though) the professor is wrong, he'll probably still argue circles around people who are intuitively right because this is his profession, after all. But, negotiating international trade agreements is not like haggling a price for a Persian rug. It's not a zero-sum game. We should want both sides to win. But that's how Trump approaches these negotiations -- like it's just another business contract where you might give and take but you're looking to maximize your own financial benefit. But, since he's dropped us in it, he should go ahead and bail out the lobster fishers.
This may help the President retain that 1 electoral vote he got in Maine a few years ago, which basically means he's got a chance to hold off Biden......from getting 400 electoral votes.
How much did Susan Collins's concern level play into this decision? I'm assuming she's less concerned today, which is important.
