Not only is Trump dumb as shit; half the American people are dumb as shit too. Of course the media has a large role to play, but ultimately each voter has personal responsibility to understand what they are voting for, and half of them have not tried very hard.
Can we please take long view of last 30 years and consider the pattern in what various POTUSes have been handed and have passed forward? Step back from the “me, here, now” gaslighting and disinformation from the right…
Americans, after decades of GOP tax breaks to wealthy - drip drip, wealth shifting from most to the very very few - drip drip, a R-wing-nut SCOTUS legislating from the bench - drip drip, fully corrupt pay-2-play legislator incentives - drip drip, money buying elections - drip drip, corporate greed delivering top shelf results for execs and shareholders- drip drip. Society has been left with deep daily struggles, systems lifting workers are gutted, hands UP to the poor diminished, regulations protecting the people hammered, crime increasing of course, healthcare and education decreasing naturally. America, inch by inch, she’s become the plutocratic misogynistic oligarchy of the uber-wealthy and powerful, enabling a continued money grab / more for them and less for a healthy functioning society. Dems have become the only party trying to lift from the middle and bottom. Face it.
Zoom out a bit, take a 30,000 foot point of view. In all big government decisions there is a natural “lag effect” — good and bad. If we don’t pull back we can’t see the gaslighting, cognitive dissonance enabled.
Dems blamed for outcomes of GOP deficit spending, massive debt increases, regulation cutting, gerrymandering and more, while GOP falsely claims they care about debt and deficits. GOP cuts regulation, which (ahem) results in epic train crashes (E. Palestine OH) or bank failures (Silicon Valley Bank implosion).
Remember:
1. Clinton handed Bush 2 “surplus money in the coffers” - a good economy after he inherited Regan and Bush 1 debt.
2. Bush 2 and early 2000’s “spend our kids’ money congress” plus Allen Greenspan drove America and globe to brink, giving us ‘08 global financial crisis.
Here you go, Barack - a welcome gift on the eve of 2008 election.
3. Obama does heavy lift, pulls us from the brink of financial cliff and hands Trumpler a healing economy, ready for gentle interest rate increases.
4. Trumpler, king of debt, lies and bankruptcies, jams his knee on Jerome Powell’s (apolitical Federal Reserve) neck and Powell demurs. Covid comes and we borrow $10 trillion more from the kids future.
5. Biden inherits from Trumpler - without even one day of “secure nation” transition between administrations - a nation 3 weeks shy of a Capitol insurrection by sitting POTUS, an economy shut down amidst a pandemic, unhealthy way low interest rates, epic $30+ trillion in debt. He does not sit on Powell’s neck, he enacts additional debt but this time to infuse money to the middle for long term investment in workers, national security and infrastructure.
When we miss the nuanced understanding of lag effect in government, we can be sold a bag of sh*t by the very fox who is raiding the henhouse. Misinformation, disinformation and lies are sown by the right and thrust at the people. Media is not helping here!!
Do we know that national debt is for emergencies, not continuous annual budget deficits, not to goose an economy to make POTUS look good?
Can we please take a long view of last 30 years and consider the pattern in what various POTUSes have been handed and have passed forward?
I enjoyed listening to Steve's conversation with the free-wheeling and smart Medhi Hasan. While I'm not quite on the same page with Medhi on the horrific middle east conflict, I also find myself at odds with myself. There are many conflicting truths, so I respect his opinions.
A few other loosely connected thoughts at the moment:
I hope Kamala's closing messages all hammer Trump for his role in overturning Roe vs. Wade and his promises to gut Social Security and the Affordable Care act.
On another note...Can we have a short moratorium on negative "gut checks" about the election from the anti-Trump pundit class? I'm hearing a chorus of these in recent days. Borrowing the Dragnet theme song, humming "doom-de-doom-doom" is counterproductive in the reverse way that an overdose of hopium might inspire why-bother-to-vote overconfidence. I know pessimism is a natural self- protection mechanism, but we have no idea yet how this will play out, and the early vote tea leaves are blowing in different directions with partisan spinners twirling like tops. We'd as well break out the Ouija board to predict the outcome right now.
Overall, it's mentally healthier to stay positive and positivity is just as contagious and more productive. Aretha is right:
I agree, I'm having to watch how politics I focus on at this point, since my personal options are limited if it all goes south. I've seen several places that a glut of right-driven trash polls are likely responsible for scary tightening of the margins, but we should be highly motivated to SPREAD the margins regardless. If my NCAA team is ahead by 20 end of 3rd quarter, I want them to keep scoring & defending till time runs out! And this election could be life changing so let's "take it to the limit one more time".
Mehdi Hassan made a critical point in this discussion that had not fully developed in my own mind. That is a message to people who are devoted to a cause, any cause, from stopping the flow of American arms to Israel because they are engaged in genocide to the need for serious and rapid legislation to combat climate change: YOU WILL LOSE THE RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE AND PETITION THE GOVERNMENT, SPEAK OUT FOR YOUR CAUSE, OR TAKE ANY OTHER ACTION TO ADVANCE ANY CAUSE TRUMP/MAGA DO NOT SUPPORT!!! If you want to fight to stop genocide, or climate change, or to end abortion restrictions in your state, you must vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz: DON'T STAY HOME; DON'T WASTE YOUR VOTE ON A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE LIKE JILL STEIN!!!!
Also, journalists and elected officials who refuse to speak out against the real and enormous threat Trump represents, out of fear, will be in perpetual fear if he is elected, or suceeds in a second insurrection to gain power through violence. SPEAK UP!!!!
Today, the NYT reported that the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times have declined to endorse a candidate in this year's presidential election--reversing decades-long traditions.
Apparently, both editorial boards were prepared to endorse Kamala Harris--but were 'nyetted' by the two principal owners; Jeff Bezos owner of the WP, and Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the LAT's owner.
Speculation is that Bezos was motivated to protect federal contracts. No clue about Soon-Shiong, other than my wild guess that he;'s South African and may be Musk's buddy, lol, but I am clueless.
Several LAT journalists resigned in protest. Kudos to those patriots.
This was amazing, Steve, thanks for the recording! I'm guessing the format/venue was defined by Substack, but would be great to do something similar again with YouTube Live. I just watched a recording of a group live chat there yesterday that accommodated almost 100k people from what the speakers indicated. The technical problems here were a bummer, but you and Mehdi really went nitty gritty to the end. Thanks again for doing this.
I must be a glutton for punishment. There's no joy in it being Friday after listening to Medhi and Schmidt today. Medhi confirms everything Schmidt says about the peril facing us and amplifies it by ten. I have friends talking seriously about leaving the country. I'm not brave but I'm staying and fighting if it comes to that. If the US of America becomes the US of Trump, I don't think becoming a British citizen is going to save them from anything.
In November 1963 I was 7 years old. Kennedy had been assassinated and his funeral procession was running on live television. My dad and I were sitting in front of the TV watching. At some point I looked over at my dad and he was sobbing into his hands. Although the totality of the situation with regards to the assassination escaped me, seeing my strong father break down frightened me. Choose well people.
This Discussion is The Bottom Line, The Whole Ball of Wax, if he gets elected His Vengeance We Will Feel, as Silly as it is, Not Yours as a Citizen Now, Your Grievance Will Definitely Not Matter Anymore, How Much Blood are You Willing to Spill and Lose To Take it Back? Mind You it Will not be Quick or Easy as We see in Movies.Your Voice Will
Be Absorbed by Him and Them For Generations. Great Show Both of You!!!!!
Not only is Trump dumb as shit; half the American people are dumb as shit too. Of course the media has a large role to play, but ultimately each voter has personal responsibility to understand what they are voting for, and half of them have not tried very hard.
Can we please take long view of last 30 years and consider the pattern in what various POTUSes have been handed and have passed forward? Step back from the “me, here, now” gaslighting and disinformation from the right…
Americans, after decades of GOP tax breaks to wealthy - drip drip, wealth shifting from most to the very very few - drip drip, a R-wing-nut SCOTUS legislating from the bench - drip drip, fully corrupt pay-2-play legislator incentives - drip drip, money buying elections - drip drip, corporate greed delivering top shelf results for execs and shareholders- drip drip. Society has been left with deep daily struggles, systems lifting workers are gutted, hands UP to the poor diminished, regulations protecting the people hammered, crime increasing of course, healthcare and education decreasing naturally. America, inch by inch, she’s become the plutocratic misogynistic oligarchy of the uber-wealthy and powerful, enabling a continued money grab / more for them and less for a healthy functioning society. Dems have become the only party trying to lift from the middle and bottom. Face it.
Zoom out a bit, take a 30,000 foot point of view. In all big government decisions there is a natural “lag effect” — good and bad. If we don’t pull back we can’t see the gaslighting, cognitive dissonance enabled.
Dems blamed for outcomes of GOP deficit spending, massive debt increases, regulation cutting, gerrymandering and more, while GOP falsely claims they care about debt and deficits. GOP cuts regulation, which (ahem) results in epic train crashes (E. Palestine OH) or bank failures (Silicon Valley Bank implosion).
Remember:
1. Clinton handed Bush 2 “surplus money in the coffers” - a good economy after he inherited Regan and Bush 1 debt.
2. Bush 2 and early 2000’s “spend our kids’ money congress” plus Allen Greenspan drove America and globe to brink, giving us ‘08 global financial crisis.
Here you go, Barack - a welcome gift on the eve of 2008 election.
3. Obama does heavy lift, pulls us from the brink of financial cliff and hands Trumpler a healing economy, ready for gentle interest rate increases.
4. Trumpler, king of debt, lies and bankruptcies, jams his knee on Jerome Powell’s (apolitical Federal Reserve) neck and Powell demurs. Covid comes and we borrow $10 trillion more from the kids future.
5. Biden inherits from Trumpler - without even one day of “secure nation” transition between administrations - a nation 3 weeks shy of a Capitol insurrection by sitting POTUS, an economy shut down amidst a pandemic, unhealthy way low interest rates, epic $30+ trillion in debt. He does not sit on Powell’s neck, he enacts additional debt but this time to infuse money to the middle for long term investment in workers, national security and infrastructure.
When we miss the nuanced understanding of lag effect in government, we can be sold a bag of sh*t by the very fox who is raiding the henhouse. Misinformation, disinformation and lies are sown by the right and thrust at the people. Media is not helping here!!
Do we know that national debt is for emergencies, not continuous annual budget deficits, not to goose an economy to make POTUS look good?
Can we please take a long view of last 30 years and consider the pattern in what various POTUSes have been handed and have passed forward?
Very well said!!!
I enjoyed listening to Steve's conversation with the free-wheeling and smart Medhi Hasan. While I'm not quite on the same page with Medhi on the horrific middle east conflict, I also find myself at odds with myself. There are many conflicting truths, so I respect his opinions.
A few other loosely connected thoughts at the moment:
I hope Kamala's closing messages all hammer Trump for his role in overturning Roe vs. Wade and his promises to gut Social Security and the Affordable Care act.
On another note...Can we have a short moratorium on negative "gut checks" about the election from the anti-Trump pundit class? I'm hearing a chorus of these in recent days. Borrowing the Dragnet theme song, humming "doom-de-doom-doom" is counterproductive in the reverse way that an overdose of hopium might inspire why-bother-to-vote overconfidence. I know pessimism is a natural self- protection mechanism, but we have no idea yet how this will play out, and the early vote tea leaves are blowing in different directions with partisan spinners twirling like tops. We'd as well break out the Ouija board to predict the outcome right now.
Overall, it's mentally healthier to stay positive and positivity is just as contagious and more productive. Aretha is right:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDXnqmgtp7s
I agree, I'm having to watch how politics I focus on at this point, since my personal options are limited if it all goes south. I've seen several places that a glut of right-driven trash polls are likely responsible for scary tightening of the margins, but we should be highly motivated to SPREAD the margins regardless. If my NCAA team is ahead by 20 end of 3rd quarter, I want them to keep scoring & defending till time runs out! And this election could be life changing so let's "take it to the limit one more time".
Funny you used the Line from that song. I've been listening to a LOT of Eagles music trying to stay calm.
Mehdi Hassan made a critical point in this discussion that had not fully developed in my own mind. That is a message to people who are devoted to a cause, any cause, from stopping the flow of American arms to Israel because they are engaged in genocide to the need for serious and rapid legislation to combat climate change: YOU WILL LOSE THE RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE AND PETITION THE GOVERNMENT, SPEAK OUT FOR YOUR CAUSE, OR TAKE ANY OTHER ACTION TO ADVANCE ANY CAUSE TRUMP/MAGA DO NOT SUPPORT!!! If you want to fight to stop genocide, or climate change, or to end abortion restrictions in your state, you must vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz: DON'T STAY HOME; DON'T WASTE YOUR VOTE ON A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE LIKE JILL STEIN!!!!
Also, journalists and elected officials who refuse to speak out against the real and enormous threat Trump represents, out of fear, will be in perpetual fear if he is elected, or suceeds in a second insurrection to gain power through violence. SPEAK UP!!!!
Today, the NYT reported that the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times have declined to endorse a candidate in this year's presidential election--reversing decades-long traditions.
Apparently, both editorial boards were prepared to endorse Kamala Harris--but were 'nyetted' by the two principal owners; Jeff Bezos owner of the WP, and Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the LAT's owner.
Speculation is that Bezos was motivated to protect federal contracts. No clue about Soon-Shiong, other than my wild guess that he;'s South African and may be Musk's buddy, lol, but I am clueless.
Several LAT journalists resigned in protest. Kudos to those patriots.
This was amazing, Steve, thanks for the recording! I'm guessing the format/venue was defined by Substack, but would be great to do something similar again with YouTube Live. I just watched a recording of a group live chat there yesterday that accommodated almost 100k people from what the speakers indicated. The technical problems here were a bummer, but you and Mehdi really went nitty gritty to the end. Thanks again for doing this.
I must be a glutton for punishment. There's no joy in it being Friday after listening to Medhi and Schmidt today. Medhi confirms everything Schmidt says about the peril facing us and amplifies it by ten. I have friends talking seriously about leaving the country. I'm not brave but I'm staying and fighting if it comes to that. If the US of America becomes the US of Trump, I don't think becoming a British citizen is going to save them from anything.
I appreciate you two men very much. Thank you.
In November 1963 I was 7 years old. Kennedy had been assassinated and his funeral procession was running on live television. My dad and I were sitting in front of the TV watching. At some point I looked over at my dad and he was sobbing into his hands. Although the totality of the situation with regards to the assassination escaped me, seeing my strong father break down frightened me. Choose well people.
Excellent, educational, and enlightening (albeit frightening) conversation! Thank you, Steve and Mehdi!
Mehdi. You are a good guy. No, you are wrong though - Trump loses.
This Discussion is The Bottom Line, The Whole Ball of Wax, if he gets elected His Vengeance We Will Feel, as Silly as it is, Not Yours as a Citizen Now, Your Grievance Will Definitely Not Matter Anymore, How Much Blood are You Willing to Spill and Lose To Take it Back? Mind You it Will not be Quick or Easy as We see in Movies.Your Voice Will
Be Absorbed by Him and Them For Generations. Great Show Both of You!!!!!