If we had political media stars who knew anything about, well, anything, they could explain how life in Hungary, Turkey, Russia—the countries Trump openly and explicitly prefers to this one—is not so great! But that would be “biased.”
I agree with Paul Krugman that rich people just want to “watch ‘em jump.” They have more money than they’ll ever need no matter what happens, but they’re personally offended by the notion that they have any responsibility to the rest of us, and they’ll vote for a dictator who will let them do whatever they want with no obligations. That’s what they consider proper respect to their awesomeness.
And in the end, most of the people who even know about Project 2025 are just shrugging and saying “Trump would never actually go that far.” To which I say “Show me a circumstance where Trump didn’t ’go that far’.”
He’s extremely stoppable, if our media and criminal justice systems would treat him like the common criminal he is and the America-hating would-be dictator he openly says he is.
I have come to learn I am a political junkie and part of an “informed elite.” I find this rich given how little I used to care about politics - but Trump will do that to you. I also have learned just how uninformed the vast majority of America is - and how willing they are to bet the American farm based on the few TikToks that crossed their path in any given week (hyperbole intended). I absolutely understand having other priorities - but in this day and age, I admit, I struggle to truly empathize / understand that sort of apathy.
But the behavior of these “business elites” surpasses all understanding. I truly don’t want to admit that American capitalism only rewards short-sighted ruthlessness over either talent or intelligence, but they are making an extraordinarily strong case.
Andrew Ross Sorkin (CNBC business correspondent) spoke to a number of many CEOs that met with Trump in DC yesterday. He said that many were quite concerned about Trumps ability to maintain a thought pattern. Ther was no through line in his comments, as he constantly jumped off topic before finishing with his original thought. When he told them he would drop the corporate tax rate from 21% to 20%, Trump was asked 'why 20%?'. Trump replied it was 'a nice round number'. This was viewed by some CEOs as the trivial BS it is. The more Trump talks, the more America is reintroduced to a candidate that is a shell of his former self. Many CEOs got the message yesterday.
CEOs - this guy is a lunatic. Ah but the tax cuts!
Christian nationalists - this guy is morally and spiritually corrupt. Ah! but the judges
The rest of us still vastly outnumber the above and it is incumbent on us to make sure each of us knows the stakes and get the rest of us to the polls.
It’s worth rewatching the movie The Big Short. At the end there’s a scene where the executive of Bear Stearns is defending the stock price as it’s cratering on the phones of the entire audience and Mark Baum said that corruption isn’t bad because it has any moral aspect that is better or worse for society. It’s bad because it always Fails society.
I have wondering about this ‘GOP wreck the economy, even for the rich’ scenario. They must know but it doesn’t convince them. One explanation: It’s is possible that the business elites know this but what they like is the ratchet effect. So for each GOP administration, regulations get scaled back, capital gets the advantage, monopoly advantage is increased and so on. The pesky hoi polloi gets put on the back foot, etc., etc.
That’s only a 4 -8 year cycle. It would be a disaster if allowed to continue. But what it does is it makes the Democrats more amenable to the demands of capital, and it always ratchets the situation in their favor. So maybe it is a way of playing the long game. Sometimes you opt for the GOP, even though the Democrats are decisively on your side, and only limiting your power. You yank back any inconvenient developments. Then, when things look they are close enough to be heading towards catastrophe, you favor the Democrats in to re-balance and protect the fundamentals. Everything is a win-win scenario mostly all the time this way.
They might be miscalculating this time because Trump is much more of a mafioso than an ideologue so the general trends could be rather different once he gets the reins. He will pick winners and losers and they could end up lackeys in a way they haven’t been before.
Didn't there use to be a debt counter in times square? Weren't there Y2K clocks that counted down to the second when the year 2000 dawned and time was supposed to end?
Wouldn't it make sense to have a Republican integrity counter counting down to midnight the night before election night? It would be the deadline for Republican's to declare their integrity to their oath of office. They would be put into three groups.
Country over party (vote for Biden): Adam Kinzinger, Geoff Duncan, Michael Steele, Sarah Matthews
Party over Trump (won't vote for Trump but haven't committed to vote for Biden, the only person who can beat Trump): Currently Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Liz Chaney, Mike Pence, Cassidy Hutchinson, Mark Esper, John Bolton, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson
Trump over country: Mitch McConnell and every GOP senator, Mike Johnson and every GOP congressman, everyone in Trump's satellite government
If we had political media stars who knew anything about, well, anything, they could explain how life in Hungary, Turkey, Russia—the countries Trump openly and explicitly prefers to this one—is not so great! But that would be “biased.”
I agree with Paul Krugman that rich people just want to “watch ‘em jump.” They have more money than they’ll ever need no matter what happens, but they’re personally offended by the notion that they have any responsibility to the rest of us, and they’ll vote for a dictator who will let them do whatever they want with no obligations. That’s what they consider proper respect to their awesomeness.
And in the end, most of the people who even know about Project 2025 are just shrugging and saying “Trump would never actually go that far.” To which I say “Show me a circumstance where Trump didn’t ’go that far’.”
Agree! Trump is an unstoppable crime machine!!
He’s extremely stoppable, if our media and criminal justice systems would treat him like the common criminal he is and the America-hating would-be dictator he openly says he is.
(Sigh) Which I guess means he’s unstoppable.
I have come to learn I am a political junkie and part of an “informed elite.” I find this rich given how little I used to care about politics - but Trump will do that to you. I also have learned just how uninformed the vast majority of America is - and how willing they are to bet the American farm based on the few TikToks that crossed their path in any given week (hyperbole intended). I absolutely understand having other priorities - but in this day and age, I admit, I struggle to truly empathize / understand that sort of apathy.
But the behavior of these “business elites” surpasses all understanding. I truly don’t want to admit that American capitalism only rewards short-sighted ruthlessness over either talent or intelligence, but they are making an extraordinarily strong case.
American capitalism has been ruthlessly turned on Americans.
Andrew Ross Sorkin (CNBC business correspondent) spoke to a number of many CEOs that met with Trump in DC yesterday. He said that many were quite concerned about Trumps ability to maintain a thought pattern. Ther was no through line in his comments, as he constantly jumped off topic before finishing with his original thought. When he told them he would drop the corporate tax rate from 21% to 20%, Trump was asked 'why 20%?'. Trump replied it was 'a nice round number'. This was viewed by some CEOs as the trivial BS it is. The more Trump talks, the more America is reintroduced to a candidate that is a shell of his former self. Many CEOs got the message yesterday.
CEOs - this guy is a lunatic. Ah but the tax cuts!
Christian nationalists - this guy is morally and spiritually corrupt. Ah! but the judges
The rest of us still vastly outnumber the above and it is incumbent on us to make sure each of us knows the stakes and get the rest of us to the polls.
Are you with me!!
God, I hope so…
It’s worth rewatching the movie The Big Short. At the end there’s a scene where the executive of Bear Stearns is defending the stock price as it’s cratering on the phones of the entire audience and Mark Baum said that corruption isn’t bad because it has any moral aspect that is better or worse for society. It’s bad because it always Fails society.
So you think he could get a national sales tax thru Congress?
I have wondering about this ‘GOP wreck the economy, even for the rich’ scenario. They must know but it doesn’t convince them. One explanation: It’s is possible that the business elites know this but what they like is the ratchet effect. So for each GOP administration, regulations get scaled back, capital gets the advantage, monopoly advantage is increased and so on. The pesky hoi polloi gets put on the back foot, etc., etc.
That’s only a 4 -8 year cycle. It would be a disaster if allowed to continue. But what it does is it makes the Democrats more amenable to the demands of capital, and it always ratchets the situation in their favor. So maybe it is a way of playing the long game. Sometimes you opt for the GOP, even though the Democrats are decisively on your side, and only limiting your power. You yank back any inconvenient developments. Then, when things look they are close enough to be heading towards catastrophe, you favor the Democrats in to re-balance and protect the fundamentals. Everything is a win-win scenario mostly all the time this way.
They might be miscalculating this time because Trump is much more of a mafioso than an ideologue so the general trends could be rather different once he gets the reins. He will pick winners and losers and they could end up lackeys in a way they haven’t been before.
Hey Brian
Didn't there use to be a debt counter in times square? Weren't there Y2K clocks that counted down to the second when the year 2000 dawned and time was supposed to end?
Wouldn't it make sense to have a Republican integrity counter counting down to midnight the night before election night? It would be the deadline for Republican's to declare their integrity to their oath of office. They would be put into three groups.
Country over party (vote for Biden): Adam Kinzinger, Geoff Duncan, Michael Steele, Sarah Matthews
Party over Trump (won't vote for Trump but haven't committed to vote for Biden, the only person who can beat Trump): Currently Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Liz Chaney, Mike Pence, Cassidy Hutchinson, Mark Esper, John Bolton, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson
Trump over country: Mitch McConnell and every GOP senator, Mike Johnson and every GOP congressman, everyone in Trump's satellite government
Maybe call it the Patriotism Clock?