Barry Kay's blog

One would think that among the easiest policy changes to sell in the United States is a tax reduction. This should be particularly true for a tax cut directed to the middle class, where the majority of voters are found. Whatever one thinks of Donald Trump's presidency, one must acknowledge that he has a remarkable gift for marketing and sloganeering. Whether apocryphal or not, the phrases "Make America Great Again," "Drain the Swamp" and "America First" have resonated with a significant slice of the U.S. electorate.

The chorus of criticism facing President Donald Trump's reluctance in condemning the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, is only the tip of the frustration confronting Republican officials. The president's inclination to pick fights with almost everyone around him (Russian President Vladimir Putin excepted) and to consistently ignore mainstream advice is leading to increased skepticism and disillusionment even among erstwhile supporters.

It is the best of times (for France), it is the worst of times (for the United Kingdom), it is the age of wisdom (for Emmanuel Macron), it is the age of foolishness (for Theresa May), it is the spring of hope (for the French), it is the winter of despair (for the British). It doesn't require a great deal of imagination to see how France and Great Britain would be juxtaposed on these contrasts, some 160 years after Charles Dickens first penned this most famous literary introduction.

As Donald Trump's bizarre administration continues to lurch from one crisis to another, the "impeachment" word is increasingly being speculated about.

One of Donald Trump's most revealing quotes was to say, "Who knew health care was so complicated?" He has now made a similar acknowledgement about North Korea, stating that a 10-minute conversation with the Chinese leader has illuminated him upon that subject as well. What these comments really indicate, of course, was how poorly prepared he was to accept the mantle of the presidency in the first place. His naivete and arrogance were evident in thinking that making public policy was the same as negotiating New York City real estate deals.