Source: Cato Institute
by Scott Lincicome
“Easily one of the worst and most cynical plays in modern politics is the practice of ‘nutpicking.’ Partisans will treat the loopy utterance of some random member of the other team as broadly representative of the entire movement, thereby seeking to discredit it (and its saner and stronger players) and to reassure their comrades that everyone on the other side is a whackadoodle freak not worth engaging. … the nutpickers have found their way into the tariff debate, as fans of the president’s trade policies — including the vice president himself — have seized on a few recent events to declare victory over all ‘the economists’ who, blinded by ideology and ivory tower groupthink, confidently predicted this spring that the tariffs would usher in economic doom for the country. The victory dance, however, is proving not just cynical and myopic but alarmingly premature.” (08/21/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/no-economists-didnt-botch-trumps-tariffs