Stephen Moore’s total lack of qualifications, expertise, and independence for the Federal Reserve has been well documented, though Donald Trump apparently wants him on the Board of Governors anyway. But as CNN reported, we’re not done learning about the Republican pundit’s background.
Stephen Moore, who President Donald Trump announced last month as his nominee for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, has a history of advocating self-described “radical” views on the economy and government.
In speeches and radio interviews reviewed by CNN’s KFile, Moore advocated for eliminating the corporate and federal income taxes entirely, calling the 16th Amendment that created the income tax the “most evil” law passed in the 20th century.
Among other things, Moore has called for the elimination of several federal cabinet agencies, argued that there’s no need for a minimum wage, and condemned Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme” that should be privatized.
The same CNN report pointed to comments Stephen Moore told filmmaker Michael Moore in 2009, in which the Republican said, “Capitalism is a lot more important than democracy. I’m not even a big believer in democracy.”
In 2015, meanwhile, Moore suggested the Federal Reserve shouldn’t exist.
Remember, as far as GOP senators are concerned, Stephen Moore is the better of the president’s two choices for the Federal Reserve board. CNN ran a separate report yesterday noting that Moore once criticized Trump’s positions on immigration, describing them in August 2015 as “extreme nativist” and calling them “crazy” and “dangerous.” Moore soon after switched gears, embraced Trump, and helped advise the Republican’s 2016 campaign. For more on why Moore’s nomination — which is not yet official — is so controversial, there’s plenty to review in our earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
