||| FROM DOUG MARSHALL |||

Sometimes what is NOT said is more interesting than what is said. The political discussion of the past few months surprised me by largely ignoring four issues that until recently had been very contentious.

What Budget Deficit? From 1980 through the Tea Party elections of 2010 and 2012, the budget deficit and growth of our national debt were big issues. Even though our debt has ballooned during the past 10 years, and especially the past 3, neither R’s nor D’s were talking about it this year – perhaps because both parties are culpable.

What Trade Deficit? Last fall and winter, the President increased tariffs on China in an effort to force the Chinese government (the folks who finance our budget deficits) to sign a favorable trade agreement that would improve our unfavorable balance of trade with China by promoting US manufacturing and agricultural exports. It didn’t work, and was so hard on agriculture that billions of dollars of US taxpayer funds were then given to help our ag sector. If this was a campaign issue, I missed it.

What War? Four years ago candidate Trump promised to bring the troops home from the Middle East, but found it was “complicated”. During the recent Presidential and Senate campaigns neither party was arguing that we should leave . . . nor, on the other hand, were they arguing that we should fulfill the promises we once made to our allies in Iraq and Afghanistan to be there for them. A year ago, most Dems and many Republicans criticized the President for suddenly abandoning our loyal and reliable
Kurdish allies, pointing out that walking away damaged our country’s credibility as an ally. Even that wasn’t a campaign issue.

What Wall? Even when the President had Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, he couldn’t interest them (or Mexico) in building more than a few new miles. By the fall of 2020, candidates seemed not to have cared (either way). Perhaps their polling indicated the voters weren’t concerned.

The budget deficit, the international trade deficit, the wars in the Middle East, and a wall along our southern border all were recently major issues in Presidential and Congressional races. One wonders whether these issues are settled, at least for now, and whether both parties are now comfortable with increasing the national debt, with an unfavorable trade deficit, with continuing our military presence in the Middle East, and with addressing illegal immigration without more wall.

Like the weather, politics is always changing.


 

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