Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Missing The Point

Trump continues to lead our traditional media by the nose and they still don't get it.

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau asked Trump in a testy phone call how he could justify imposing tariffs based on national security concerns.
source: cnn.com

CNN reports in its "Exclusive: Trump invokes War of 1812 in testy call with Trudeau over tariffs"

"According to the sources, Trudeau pressed Trump on how he could justify the tariffs as a "national security" issue. In response, Trump quipped to Trudeau, "Didn't you guys burn down the White House?" referring to the War of 1812.
The problem with Trump's comments to Trudeau is that British troops burned down the White House during the War of 1812."

But Trump's historical accuracy or lack thereof, going back 200 years, is completely besides the point. So what if the War of 1812 reference is inaccurate. Even if true, it would still be irrelevant. CNN and others are so stuck on defining reporting as fact-checking, that they have lost sight of reporting as conveying meaning in proper context.

Trump's power to impose tariffs is limited by law as an exception that only applies in certain cases. As Krugman explains in a recent column:

"...the conditions under which such actions are allowable are limited — with one big exception. Both the international rules and domestic law — Article XXI and Section 232, respectively — let the U.S. government do pretty much whatever it wants in the name of national security.

Historically, however, this national security exemption has been invoked very rarely, precisely because it’s so open-ended. If the U.S. or any other major player began promiscuously using dubious national security arguments to abrogate trade agreements, everyone else would follow suit, and the whole trading system would fall apart. That’s why there have been only a handful of Section 232 investigations over the past half century — and most of them ended with a presidential determination that no action was warranted."

So, when Trudeau asks Trump the relevant question - please explain how Canada constitutes a national security threat - he is trying to force Trump to justify his actions on serious legal grounds. A serious response could be subject to a serious challenge and lead to meaningful discussion - something Trump must avoid at all costs because he does not have a leg to stand on. But a ridiculous response effectively ducks the question. Accurate reporting by CNN and others would point out that Trump evaded the question because he can not justify his actions on legal grounds. When reporters fall for the distraction - "Trump confuses Canada with Britain", they are playing into Trump's hands




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