Can we Americans agree that both Obama and Trump are good presidents with good economic leadership styles?
No, I don’t think we can agree on that.First, distinguish between “leadership styles” and “policy.” Obama and Trump have massively differently leadership styles. Obama was far more likely to appoint people with strong credentials and background to provide direction and advise. Trump is more likely to go to cable TV (see: Kudlow and Navarro). Obama is more inclusive, more likely to operate on hard data, more likely to have a discussion involving a lot of people then reach a consensus and move forward. He was less likely to ask for powerpoint presentations than George W. Bush, more likely to read material while Clinton was more likely to want to have a long discussion about topics. But ultimately all 3 of our previous Presidents bought in good people with strong credentials on finance and economics, then tried to develop comprehensive and aligned policy. Their “styles” in this area were different but had some similar elements. Not so for Trump. You may like his style but it’s very chaotic, doesn’t rely on a lot of staff, isn’t very strategic or big picture and it isn’t clear what the economic priorities are.Second, as for “policy”…I’m sure there are some conservatives who didn’t like some of Obama’s economic policies. But there are very few pure Republicans who would say that a trade war is a good thing—especially with your allies. Right now, it looks like we’re implementing tariffs with Canada and our NATO allies. I know conservatives would criticize Obama for raising the national debt. With Trump we now have a trillion dollar deficit in our budget and a $21 trillion national debt—using optimistic projections—if we get inflation or a recession we can expect it to jump even higher.I think it’s too soon to judge Trump’s economic performance. Unemployment has dropped—how much of that is due to the 7 previous years of consecutive job growth, how much is due to Trump actions that will be sustainable, and how much is temporary? Until we know that answer we can’t really speak. Have the Trump tax cuts produced inflation or will businesses end up raising wages but not increasing prices (so we see some action on wage inequality)? What’s going to happen with the stock market—in 2017 it went gang busters but until about a month ago it was negative for all of 2018. So we honestly can’t judge Donald Trump’s economic policy at this point. It’s too soon to tell.
Out of the two US presidential candidates which one do you think is worse, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton?
Strange as it may sound, the question evokes in me a conflict between my gut and my heart. My gut reaction is the country is going into a period of anarchy where the better angels of our nature are betrayed and lost from sight. In that country, I suppose someone like Donald Trump is the better president, although I’m at a loss to say why.I don’t see Trump holding the country together, unifying or building. He seems intent on doing the exact opposite. I do see his movement as a reaction to the excesses of political correctness but for all the rhetoric, that seems trivial.Hillary I see as the president if I feel the country will last another hundred years. That there will be a United States to lead the world further in the directions of the Founders and the Age of Reason. That may sound opposite or obtuse to some who’ve internalized the rhetoric of Originalists, but I feel and think it’s accurate.The conflict between these two impressions sorrows me overall.