I’ve never had one of those ‘Alexa’ thingys. Refused to even consider it and wouldn’t even if it weren’t an Amazon device. However there’s an actual Alexa person that happens to be on the staff of a news outlet I frequently cite. With the new administration her newsletter Economy Hate Watch has gotten her a promotion. So, now there is an “Alexa” I actually want to have handy to provide answers to basic questions about the economy that affect most of us every day. If as I hope this real-person Alexa becomes widely known it will drive Trumpty batsh*t insane which is a bonus!
Alexa Lisitza was a staff writer for Buzzfeed when she started to track Trumpty’s promises during the campaign on economic stuff (inflation, the Dow, the price of eggs and gas etc.) against what happens each month now that he’s back in the White House. In addition to writing Buzzfeed’s Economy Hate Watch newsletter she’s become a Deputy Editorial Director and the Politics Lead. Her article today has a tongue-in-cheek headline warning you not to show it to Trump loving relatives unless you want to start a fight at the dinner table!
The article is filled with images of month-to-month comparisons of basic economic stuff most of us easily understand and tend to pay attention to. (I mentioned those already) There’s way too much to include here, and I’m a tech luddite and still haven’t learned how to insert images into the text of my posts. However it’s an easy to follow piece and well worth a couple of minutes as it provides some solid information. What I will provide for you here is her lede, which explains why she does what she does:
Hi there, my name is Alexa, and for each month of Donald Trump’s presidency, I’m tracking the real numbers achieved by his administration on BuzzFeed.
(AKA, the unemployment rate, cost of eggs, gas prices, inflation, the Dow Jones, whether citizens received a stimulus check, and Trump’s overall approval rating.)
Why am I doing this? Because Trump and his campaign positioned itself, and perhaps largely won on, being the “economy vote” — a title that seems ironic now as his global tariff war seems to be hurtling us straight toward a recession…
All of which, Trump referred to as a “transition period” when pressed about how his tariffs could financially hurt Americans — a far cry from his original campaign promise to “immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.”
That last part really drives the point home. I’m sure you remember all those bigly promises (remember how he used to always say “Believe me”?) about what would happen on “Day One” of his new Presidency? Over 48% of us saw though his bullshit all along. Tragically 1.5% more either were played for the “suckers and losers” WE know Trump considers them to be (look he PAINTS HIS FACE ORANGE and they still take him seriously!), or they simply couldn’t accept the thought of a woman, or a non-white (again) President, or both.
But we are stuck with the President we’ve got. And a GOP in control of both chambers of Congress that has mostly been afraid to stand up to him. That might be changing but if as I wrote yesterday when I cited Robert Reich they are way too slow in doing so. Trump’s promises were worth as much as his character which means they weren’t worth a warm bucket warm bucket of spit. They are more like a Trump fake gold toilet full of steaming sh*t.
I never thought I’d say this (again, I don’t trust Amazon any further than I can throw my apt. building) but there’s finally a “version of Alexa” I’m willing to allow into my home. Or at least my email’s inbox! I’ve signed up for this real, live and actual person version of Alexa’s newsletter. You can too if you want to do so. Just remember good ole Politizoom having given you the suggestion. Please. In the meantime check out Alexa Lisitza’s April newsletter. If Trumpty learns about this his “human printer” will have to work extra hard to hand him stories he can use to delude himself into thinking he’s as awesome as he only thinks he is…
***From Ursula*** Zoomers, if you’re able to contribute in any way, we could use help. I’ve been ill and recuperating from a brief hospitalization. Times are tough for political commentary to begin with, and that’s been the case since November 5. Half the country is in a major depression. But we need to keep on keeping on. This too shall pass and there will be a brighter, post-Trump day if we work for it. Please join us and help if you can. Thank you. Ursula
I read up to her first listing and *immediately* went and subscribed. This is GREAT! Thank you for sharing!