Tariffs and a word about Snow White

Tariffs hit stock market, Senator Booker speaks all day, Snow White losing money and Doris Day (1922-2021)

Senator, you talk too much

Senator, you talk too much: Imagine being the guy in the Senate TV control room responsible for recording Senator Cory Booker's speech. How did he stay awake? Did he have co-pilot so that he could catch a nap? Yes, the senator from New Jersey decided to go long and so he…

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https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/04/senator_you_talk_too_much.html

Senator, you talk too much - American Thinker https://t.co/pc4LL1Xwib

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) April 3, 2025

 Imagine being the guy in the Senate TV control room responsible for recording Senator Cory Booker’s speech. How did he stay awake? Did he have a co-pilot so that he could catch a nap? Yes, the senator from New Jersey decided to go long, and so he did. This is the story:

Democrats have been struggling to energize their frustrated base since losing all three branches of government in the November 2024 election. 

Senator Cory Booker may have found a way.

For more than 25 hours, the New Jersey Democrat stood at the Senate lectern speaking against President Donald Trump’s policies in what may be the most dramatic and sustained public challenge to Trump’s agenda since his return to the White House.

Haven’t heard one that long since Senator Thurmond. At least Strom was talking about a specific issue: the 1957 Civil Rights Act.

Booker reminded us that this is not a partisan moment but rather a moral moment. Really, Senator? Well, many of us thought that it was a political speech intended to put your name out there at a time when Democrats aren’t crazy about anything except bashing Elon Musk.

Booker never gave a speech like this when President Biden opened the border or tolerated high crime rates. He didn’t mention any of that, which may explain what his fellow Senator Banks said about the party’s 27% approval.

Like a runner preparing for a marathon, the senator said that “…he did not eat for days and purposely dehydrated himself.” I guess that’s what you do when you want to spend 24 hours delivering a “moral” speech about how “immoral” the Trump policies are.

By the way, did anyone in the senator’s office remind him that he’d be doing this on April Fool’s Day? Maybe he can do another on April Fool’s Day 2026 and announce that he is thinking about running for President to make America like New Jersey again.

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Trump & tariffs plus more

Trump tariffs, Senator Booker speaks plus Pope John Paul II died in 2005 and more stories......

Give Trump a chance

Give Trump a chance: My sense is that too many people are talking about tariffs from a political perspective or looking at everything as if we were in an Economics 101 class. It may turn out differently when we actually implement tariffs. Maybe President Trump will turn ...

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https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/04/give_trump_a_chance.html

So let's give Trump a chance. Maybe he is right. I'd like to find out because we don't have a level playing field now.

Give Trump a chance - American Thinker https://t.co/apPpj15BuY

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) April 2, 2025

My sense is that too many people are talking about tariffs from a political perspective or looking at everything as if we were in an Economics 101 class. It may turn out differently when we actually implement tariffs. Maybe President Trump will turn out to be right, as he has in so many other issues. Maybe he will succeed because he holds the big cards: the largest GDP and market in the world. In other words, everybody wants to sell here and will likely adjust to whatever we demand. 
Let’s check this from Peter Navarro in a post written by Jeff Croure:

Inflation is not a concern, Navarro claimed because “foreigners” will “cut their prices” to “absorb” most of the additional cost because “we’re the biggest market in the world… and they have to be here.”

According to Navarro, the automobile tariffs will generate “$100 billion,” while the other tariffs will generate “$600 billion.” He maintained that it would lead to “The biggest tax cut in American history for the middle class.”

As Navarro explained, one of the major goals of the Trump administration will be to encourage American consumers to buy vehicles made in this country. He said there will be “tax benefits, tax credits to people who buy American cars.”

That sounds right to me. If a European car maker wants to sell in the U.S. he will have to persuade his government to treat the U.S. car maker equally. What other options does he have? Sell to another market? Shut down his plant because the cars cannot be sold in the U.S.? What about a winemaker? He can sell his wine in another market, have his countrymen consume the wine, or persuade his government to treat California wine the same way.

My guess is that tariffs will force other countries to negotiate with the Trump administration. The net result could be the “free trade” environment that many of us love to see. I supported NAFTA because I wanted free trade, but it hasn’t really turned out that way. Maybe tariffs will do what we always wanted to do.

So let’s give Trump a chance. Maybe he is right. I’d like to find out because we don’t have a level playing field now.

Once upon a time, we financed most of the federal government with tariffs. I’m not saying that we will return to that, but I do feel that we should give tariffs a chance. If it works then we will find out. If it does not then election night 2026 will be rough on the GOP.

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Remember The Supremes!

Our family came to the US in 1964. It didn't take long for my brother and I to get into Top 40 radio, which is what they used to call AM radio stations back then.

Between 1964 and 1967, the US music charts were dominated by British bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark 5, The Animals and so on.   It was called "The British Invasion"!

Who stood up for the US during that period?  What US group battled the British for the top of the charts?

The answer was The Supremes from Detroit with 12 # 1 songs, many gold records and regular TV appearances.  They were huge! 

Who else but The Beatles had that many # 1 songs? Again, it was The Supremes.

They were Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. They used to call it "The Motown Sound"! 

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). 

 

I love the "doo wop" chapter of rock music!

(You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, drop a dime here.)

In the 1970's, I took an interest in the "doo wop" chapter of rock music.  It happened because of the American Graffiti soundtrack and a "Sha Na Na" concert that I attended with friends!

I fell in love with the songs and the harmonies.   (It was also the music that some of our parents danced to in the late 1950s!)

"Doo wop" was a great period in the history of rock music.  The format was great songs, super singers, spectacular harmonies and the kind of music that every girl wanted to dance to!  

What more do you need?

The Beatles: 3 of my favorites songs!

How do you pick your favorite Beatles' songs?  Let me try these three, although I have to confess that it was not easy.

These songs are not in any particular order.

My first choice is "Day Tripper". I love the guitar rift and the way that John and Paul sing this song.

My second selection is "Paperback Writer". This song was a single released between the "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" LP's. 

It sounds like a better fit for "Revolver" because of the heavy electric guitar.   "Rubber Soul" was more melodic.

My third selection is "Hello Goodbye", a very catchy tune released between "Sgt. Pepper's" and "Magical Mystery Tour". 

In a future post, I will recall some of my favorite ballads.

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US Civil War: The battle of Antietam with Barry Jacobsen

A podcast from 2013...........Th US Civil War...... 

The battle of Antietam with Barry Jacobsen...........

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Listen to "US Civil War: The battle of Antietam with Barry Jacobsen" on Spreaker.

Democrats 2024, Trump tariffs & more

The NY Times on Democrats, Trump approvals, Tariffs and trade plus Happy # 86 Ali McGraw

I'm looking through you -- where did you go?

I'm looking through you -- where did you go?: The New York Times has decided to get serious for a change. They wrote an editorial about the status of the Democrat Party and it goes like this, according to Matt Margolis: It’s a stunning rebuke from a paper that typically carries…..

Click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/04/i_m_looking_through_you_where_did_you_go.html

Will the party learn from this editorial? Well, time will tell. It depends on 2026. If they lose again, or fail to pick up the U.S. House, then maybe there is hope. At the same time, identity politics and Trump Derangement Syndrome are very addictive. It's so easy to blame…

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) April 1, 2025

 The New York Times has decided to get serious for a change. They wrote an editorial about the status of the Democrat Party and it goes like this, according to Matt Margolis:

It’s a stunning rebuke from a paper that typically carries the water for Dems. The Times finally admitted the obvious: Democrats' obsession with identity politics and their "scolding, censorious posture" have driven voters straight into Republicans' arms.

“In the aftermath of this comprehensive defeat, many party leaders have decided that they do not need to make significant changes to their policies or their message,” the editorial board writes. “They have instead settled on a convenient explanation for their plight.”

They then point out that Democrats are in denial about their electoral struggles, clinging to the idea that they are merely victims of post-pandemic inflation and poor messaging rather than deeper political failures. Party leaders insist their policies are popular but that voter apathy -- rather than a genuine shift toward Trump -- led to their losses. DNC Chairman Ken Martin claims Democrats simply need to “connect” their message better, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz dismisses the idea of winning over Trump voters, instead focusing on mobilizing those who stayed home.

“As comforting as these explanations may feel to Democrats, they are a form of denial that will make it harder for the Democratic Party to win future elections,” they warn.

Well, what an amazing conclusion. You mean that people between the coasts are not obsessed with race, men playing in women's sports, or open borders? Better late than never, but it's amazing that it took the election of 2024 for people to see the light.

The editorial reminds us that the party is at 27% approval which means that the only people voting for you are your grandparents after extracting a promise to take them to the "senior special discount" buffet at the local restaurant.

Another problem was refusing to see President Biden's cognitive decline. It was there for all to see except Democrats and many in the media obsessed with keeping Trump from a return to the White House. That was more than an oversight. It was foul play and an attack on our common sense as voters.

Will the party learn from this editorial? Well, time will tell. It depends on 2026. If they lose again, or fail to pick up the U.S. House, then maybe there is hope. At the same time, identity politics and Trump Derangement Syndrome are very addictive. It's so easy to blame everything on Trump and that's a hard habit to break.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.