Hello. My name is Gary, and I have Trump Derangement Syndrome.
I had never heard of TDS until this very morning, but apparently I have a case of it. I am not being a wiseguy here. In hindsight I realize I’ve suffered from this affliction for decades (I never liked the questionable businessman>tabloid star>reality TeeVee star as a human, let alone as my president).
The above TDS diagnosis was received in response to my retweet (and dismissive note) of this by John Fogerty…
So the Twitter machine caught my attention this morning when I saw a great (IMO) American songwriter (and a military veteran, which alone gives him the right to speak his mind) put out a humble message about his song being used by a presidential reelection campaign that he does not agree with and by a man who is antithetical to much of what Creedence was about.
My dislike for the human known as Donald Trump has been obvious over the last few years. Unlike other professional services that would never speak a word of political bias for fear of not gaining every last customer/subscriber possible, I do once in a while speak my own non-market related mind (although truly, has not Trump inserted himself into the market/economy realm? Eh Bueller?) here on the public site, but not in said professional service, which even Trump supporters/subscribers (yes, NFTRH has them) would agree keeps all political bias out of the work.
Still, I know that I repel some would-be (or have been) subscribers. That’s show biz if you’re going to keep it real. And that is what a good public blog does; keeps it real. Along with providing nuts & bolts market analysis it shows who the writer actually is, rather than treating you like children who cannot handle distasteful information.
I have a sometimes email pen pal named Robert who seems to watch over me a little. He’s an accomplished man with quite a resume. He’s conservative (which is the political bias I identify with, fiscally and economically at least) and seems to care a bit when I get too anti-Trump or otherwise political. He appreciates unbiased viewpoints. I appreciate it when thoughtful people look over my shoulder and even nudge me when need be.
Backing out the damage the Democrat and now increasingly the Republican parties have done over the years and watching the compounding Trillions in debt (well before COVID-19 provided inflationary afterburners) that Trump has lusted for and levered us into (continuing a tradition on both sides of the aisle), please do not call that man conservative. He is a Republican, and sadly for that party he is turning it increasingly into a reflection of himself.
Lots of Trump supporters actually dislike him as a person but believe he is holding to conservative ideals. He is not. He is jingoing on about making America great and lusting for the devaluation of US Dollar (Larry? Larry “King Dollar” Kulow, you paying attention?).
Great America is going… well, you know. It’s going Bananas. That is what scares me. A time tested (and repudiated) macro parlor trick is being used to make a lot of people think “great again” even as the (likely) coming inflation stands to further disenfranchise them. Trump’s policies give them hope, but inflation eats away at regular peoples’ earning power and enriches asset owners and the investment classes. Eh, Bueller? Trump’s own base stands squarely in the cross hairs of this inflation gun.
So yes, my name is Gary and I have TDS. I also don’t put out pap in order to be popular with as many people as possible. But I would say that the huge number of Trump supporters who actually don’t like him is emblematic of another modern condition, DHS (Democrat Hatred Syndrome). So it goes both ways, guys. I’ll dislike whoever is in that office screwing up my country because I am American. I am an Independent voter with few acceptable options, currently.
The more mentally tough Trump supporters take me with a grain of salt and don’t feel threatened. Just as I don’t go crying when I receive critical input. I realize I am one human holding one set of opinions. Then I get to work on the weekend and keep all of this crap out of it.
So in that regard I am a TDS survivor because man, I hate modern politics and the inherent grift and bullshit running through it on all sides. Inflation is the politics… on both sides, with the Federal Reserve showing no favorites.
