This is a rich statement coming from the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, who admitted and apologized for helping to ruin the economy and create the 2008 financial crisis by promoting fraudulent toxic assets. But, listen, Goldman Sachs’ “retired” CEO explains, “Look, it’s crazy not to acknowledge the economy has expanded under Trump. Some of this is related to tax reform. The cheapest stimulus is getting rid of dopey regulations.”
Blankfein’s thoughts on the tax cuts helping to expand the economy is an interesting bit of bullshit. It has been proven over and over again that the tax cuts have been pocketed by the tippy-top percentile of wealthy Americans—like Blankfein—while nothing has been reinvested in building up and expanding business in any way that provides great new jobs. If anything, things are slowing down and contracting.
But Blankfein is a special kind of rich hypocrite—something of a Michael Bloomberg Democrat (and a friend of his). If you turn back the clock a couple of years, you might remember Blankfein and others whining about the need to “Fix the Debt.” Of course, there is zero talk of our ballooning debt now (though I suspect there will be for the next Democratic president), and Blankfein and other “Fix the Debt” blowhards all shut their pie holes the moment Republicans offered them free taxpayer money.
I guess having a president that actually believes climate change is real isn’t good enough business?
When Luce points out that billionaires like Blankfein are obviously worried about Sanders because he wants to tax people like Blankfein more, Blankfein gives this amazing response: “I don’t like that at all. I don’t like assassination by categorisation. I think it’s un-American. I find that destructive and intemperate. I find that just as subversive of the American character as someone like Trump who denigrates groups of people who he has never met. At least Trump cares about the economy.”
I guess the clear dismantling of our government’s checks and balances by a wannabe dictator is better for business than free state college?
There are just over 600 billionaires in America. There are well over 300,000,000 people in America. There have been thousands of children taken from their parents and detained in crappy centers through which private companies make billions from detaining those families and not providing simple and important medical interventions such as flu shots. But, yes, Lloyd Blankfein, you are the oppressed person in need of protections from [checking notes] … higher taxes.
