It's the ol' Bait and Switch.
How many times in the course of the 2016 campaign did Donald Trump promise he would build a beautiful wall on the border with Mexico and make Mexico pay for it?
And everyone with an honest bone in their bodies knew it couldn't be done. There is no way on God's green earth for one nation to force another soveriegn nation to pay for a construction project based on voter naivete and bigotry.
And good luck with that wall anyway given Trump doesn't follow ALT-Army-Corp-of-Engineers on Twitter. If he cared about science he'd have asked if there are foundation problems anywhere along the 1,954 mile border.
So yesterday Sean Spicer told reporters that the Trump Administration was proposing a 20% import tax on Mexican goods. He didn't mention that all of the wiring in a 757 is made in Mexico, or that last year we imported 192 million barrels of oil from our neighbor to the south.
Four dollar gas, here we come!
And Lindsey Graham noted that other important liquids matter, too:
Turns out the Koch Brothers think it's a bad idea too. Uh oh.
A group linked to billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch sent a letter to House Ways and Means chair Kevin Brady, urging Republicans to reverse their support for the border adjustment tax. Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips summarizes the Koch network position: "Border adjustability is nothing more than a tax on American consumers. We are against this approach because in the end, it is making life more expensive for all Americans, especially low-and middle-income families. Instead of picking winners and losers, Congress should pursue a simple, pro-growth approach that lowers rates, eliminates loopholes, simplifies the tax code, and above all, protects consumers from new tax increases."
Time for a flip flop and who do you call when you know you're going to appear weak anyway? MSNBC reports (video above)
Two hours after landing, the administration called reporters back into the West Wing to walk back what it just said, Reince Priebus saying the import tax is simply part of a buffet of options, not the final plan.
They. Don't. Have. A. Final. Plan. For. Building. The. Wall.
But Mexico does.
