March 18, 2020

A little history...

During George Bush's presidency, the world had a total global financial collapse that turned world economies into rubble and led to millions upon millions of people losing their jobs and their homes because of it.

As Obama was being elected, the U.S. was losing over 600,000 jobs a month.

After he won, the Democratic-led Congress took up the task of a massive stimulus package that would help the US worker, create jobs and rescue the financial institutions and the Recovery Act, passed in February 2009.

It was a Keynesian inspired project and Republicans in Congress and conservatives on television like Fox News attack and criticized the government for intervening, trying to save jobs and the economy by declaring the free markets should decide who lives and dies in this type of environment.

Because of Republicans and some other factors, the stimulus should have been far greater as Paul Krugman wrote and told us many times.

It also spurred on (along with Obama's election) the bigoted tea party movement, which was funded by the Koch Brothers and fueled by many Fox News programs and hosts like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and many others who immediately jumped on that bandwagon.

Eleven years later, and we have a pandemic in the United States and a Republican in the Oval Office. Can you guess what is happening?

Suddenly, Fox News and conservatives around the country are in favor of a Keynesian stimulus type package to help the crashing economy. (It's mostly about trying to get Trump re-elected)

Watch your neck because the whiplash of their hypocrisy is palpable.

During Tuesday's Fox News' The FIVE, Nicole Saphier, M.D, Fox News' new "It Girl" during these times of COVID-19 uncertainty joined the program.

She's been roving around to many of their shows, giving advice on how to proceed and deal with the virus in a pleasant and reassuring tone, but suddenly she has turned into a Nobel prize-winning economist.

Who knew?

While The Five hosts, except Juan Williams were defending and praising Trump, Nicole Saphier made these incredibly ridiculous remarks and tried to rewrite 2009.

Saphier said, "I think it's important to remember that this needs to be differentiated from the financial crisis of 2009."

Oh, do tell.

"That was a bailout," she said.

Saphier continued, "What we're dealing right now is a rescue mission of our small businesses, of our travel industry all of which we not only depend upon for personal reasons but for professional reasons..."

As with most Fox News right-wing pundits, there was no mention of the impending suffering of the working class and their families who depend upon a paycheck each and every week that cannot go to work now and have no savings, backup or health insurance.

It's all about Trump's base.

How is bailing out the airlines and many other businesses today different than 2009?

It isn't, but since Trump is the preznit, Dr. Saphier has to come up with a unicorn for dear leader.

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