Well, congratulations to Larry Kudlow!
He’s now officially in the “stable genius” advisory business.
- TRUMP TO NAME KUDLOW NEC CHAIRMAN, CNBC REPORTS, CITING SOURCES
- TRUMP TO NAME KUDLOW NEC CHIEF AS EARLY AS TOMORROW: CNBC
We’ve spent more time than we ever imagined we would over the past three days talking about Larry and on the off chance you’ve missed this discussion, you can peruse the backstory at your leisure in the following posts:
- Jim Cramer Says Larry Kudlow Is Getting Gary Cohn’s Old Job And We’re Like ¯\_(ツ)_/
- Here Are The ‘Cascading Effects’ Of The Global Trade War Larry Kudlow Is Going To Save Us From
- Rex Tillerson Rolls Eyes At Larry Kudlow As They Pass Each Other Inside Trump’s Totally-Not-Chaotic Revolving Door
The bottom line here is that we now live in a world where “Larry Kudlow takes over U.S. economic policy” is the most bullish headline possible and that says a whole lot about the dire straits we’re in politically.
We’re talking about subbing in an 80s relic, complete with suspenders, french cuffs and a contrasting white collar — Trump might as well just go to eBay, look up “Gordon Gekko doll, original, in box” and plop it down in a chair with a pack of Merit Ultra Lights in front of it.
Here’s what CNN thinks:
Trump will surely see this as a move that reinforces his imagined spiritual connection with The Gipper and as for the rest of us, I guess we can take comfort in knowing that Peter Navarro won’t be completely free to run roughshod over global trade and commerce.
Ultimately, we wish Larry well – after all, his life experiences mimic our own in certain respects that we won’t discuss here.
That said, we imagine his tenure will prove to be just as fleeting as everyone else’s in the Trump administration.
BREAKING: Rick Santelli to be named NEC director when Larry Kudlow is fired in December 2018.
— Thornton McEnery (@ThorntonMcEnery) March 14, 2018
Oh, and to Gary Cohn: we’re really sorry man. Because now, you’ve not only lost the Goldman CEO spot to a guy who moonlights as a D.J., but also your economic advisory role to Larry fucking Kudlow.
Damn, Gary. Just… damn.
Well, trying to find a silver lining, at least he’s not Goldman. It woulda gone under ten years ago along with Bear and Lehmann, but for the Goldman alumni in the admin. And it woulda been a better world.
Well, we need a shout out to a real stable genius the late great Stephen Hawking who passed away on Pi Day. Probably the day he would have chosen to leave us. Thanks SH for so many contributions to our world, you absolutely made it a better place. You will be missed.
Arrested development: Everything about Trump makes sense once you realize his sense of self and worldview are still stuck in 1985
trump owes him for all this support — “In 2016, Kudlow endorsed Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. He later defended Mr. Trump’s plans to build a wall along the border with Mexico and to prevent terrorists from entering the United States, declaring that the United States was at war with ISIS and Trump was going to do what was necessary to protect the country. He also penned an article for Real Clear Politics advocating for conservative unity in the election and asking his conservative peers to stop criticizing Trump and instead help him become a stronger candidate.” (from Wikipedia)
Oh, another thing they have in common — each is still with his 3rd wife.
And then there’s this — “Kudlow opposes estate taxes, as well as taxes on dividends and capital gains. He also advocates that employees be compelled to make greater contributions to their pension and medical costs, suggesting that these expenses are an undue burden on businesses and defends high executive compensation as a manifestation of market forces and opposes most forms of government regulation” (also from Wikipedia) HA! No wonder trump loves him!
Bits and Pieces of his life: Kudlow was born and raised in New Jersey; his family is Jewish; Kudlow attended private schools; he graduated from University of Rochester in Rochester, New York in 1969 with a degree in history; known as “Kuddles” to friends; he was a star on the tennis team; was a member of the left-wing Students for a Democratic Society at Rochester; in 1971, attended Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, studied politics and economics but left before completing master’s degree; 1987 Kudlow was hired by Bear Stearns as its chief economist and senior managing director and was fired in 1994 after abuse of cocaine caused him to skip an important client presentation; Kudlow later admitted to a $100,000 a month cocaine habit; in the mid-1990s, Kudlow entered a twelve-step program in order to deal with his addiction to cocaine and alcohol and he subsequently converted to Catholicism; he was one of 250 economic experts to sign an open letter dated February 12, 2003 endorsing George W. Bush’s policies on economic growth and jobs. (data from Wikipedia)
PLEASE. Kudlow is a guy searching for something big to talk about, not a guy capable and able to think about big things. His brain is fried and as H writes we won’t discuss that here. Nevertherless, it’s one thing to sit on TV or tand at a podium and wax eloquently about all things wordly and entertain but he’s always been a low-level cog, and when put under stress of higher office he chokes. You can expect no different or worse under the stress of Mr. Destructo who proves with everyday that his only skill is exclusively in the field of destroying things and not building things for the sake of good. It’s his inner being. #so sad.
The ones that Mr Destructo tears down are usually already damaged and he really likes hurting those — there is something really wrong with trump. He takes great joy in hurting or humiliating people, he especially likes to find a weak spot and work on it. Probably some shrink would tie it in to the way his father constantly “challenged” him and criticized him. It looks like he may have Andrew McCabe in his sites now.
I’m not sure that pudgy little freak Brian Stelter has much insight into the economy – he’s too busy trying to keep his job by keeping his nose planted squarely on Jeff Zucker’s butt.
Seriously. He’s pro free trade, wants a strong dollar instead of the almost-weakest currency on Earth, and opposes the metals tariffs. So, being policy opposites, why’d Trump pick him and why’d he accept?
Why? Because after speaking with Kudlow countless times at night for a very long time whereby Kudlo flattered and persuaded him that he’d back him up on his policies 100% and not do to him what Cohn did to him, Destructo knew he found his man!
from my post above — these are a few of trump’s most “favorite things!” I used that term as a quote from Oprah – who would beat the tar out of him if she ran (but I don’t think she should).
And then there’s this – “Kudlow opposes estate taxes, as well as taxes on dividends and capital gains. He also advocates that employees be compelled to make greater contributions to their pension and medical costs, suggesting that these expenses are an undue burden on businesses and defends high executive compensation as a manifestation of market forces and opposes most forms of government regulation” (also from Wikipedia) HA! No wonder trump loves him!
OK, now that President Dennison has got Kudlow he can add Santelli in as Treasury Secretary.
Rick Santelli is way too young – minimum age 70 to join the Trump NEC