My biggest takeaway from this is the grotesque wealth concentration we have — and which will worsen. The 12 richest Americans recently surpassed $2 trillion in wealth. Yes, 12 people. So we’re a society now of a handful oligarchs and millions of serfs. We’re in darkness.
I suppose the test is; when everyday Americans realize that they have become serfs, will they rebel or buy into that alien concept? Only time will tell.
Here's an idea to reach the people who voted for Trump and were/are snookered by Fox News, internet algorithms that feed true believers the garbage they ingest, and the portion of MSM that has been steamrolled and doesn't adequately cover or opine on what is happening at the Trump administration. Start a billboard campaign along America's most populated highways. Prepare now but don't install the messages until some of Trump's most popular promises show distinct signs of cracking. The messages must be quick to read, stark, black and white. Ask the questions: Did he do what he said he would do? How are you doing now? Is this the America you wanted? What has Trump/Elon Musk done for you?
This campaign would be low tech and relatively cheap. It would reach a lot of people as they go about their lives.People who never get any Dem messaging because of algorithms, could not ignore seeing these on the side of the road.
This is good thinking, and a reach-everybody method I've been wanting more of for years. Very effective solution for when a wide broadcast of facts and simple, visceral rhetorical questions is needed. Everybody reads billboards on the roads. In a car the eye/brain biology is constantly seeking environmental information, and billboard info goes right into the reptilian and higher processing regions.
Much of the media is the enemy of the people, and swung the last election to Trump via daily barrages that overlooked a felon, a sexual abuser, a grifter, a noted crook as if equal to the other candidate. This was criminal, and they should be treated as such. Boycotted. ABC has pointed Trump to a very lucrative market where people obey in advance. Sue the media, a brand new market for the grifter. Graft is Donald Trump’s agenda and intention. Legal graft is best, but not the BIG buck$. That is a distraction from what is really in play. How about privatizing the post office? An illegal graft pipeline. How about privatizing schools? An illegal graft pipeline. How about building and operating detention centers? An illegal graft pipeline. Kickbacks that you will never see: the bitcoin exchange, the Kushner-Saudi lashup, etc. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/rape-the-us-treasury?r=3m1bs
The American public wanted this shitshow. And they’ll be so bewildered and blindsided and taken aback that I don’t know if they’ll be able to marshal any kind of pushback for what is coming. Which will be a dystopian hellscape helmed by oligarchs who have no fucks to give about anything other than amassing more and more at the expense of all of us and our health and our environment and the futures of our children and grandchildren. Fuck these guys.
Although I agree with your sentiments, my concern is that with the oligarchs controlling a huge portion of the media, any negatives, and there will be many very painful ones, coming out of the Trump administration will be blamed on Biden, Harris, the Ds, etc, ad nauseam. And who's there to stop them? Steve and others, as we saw with the warnings raised for months heading into the election, only have so much reach and end up preaching to the choir. And it's only going to get worse once these fuckers are in power.
You’re right. There is no one to stop them. And this Elon thing is totally off the chain. He wants the government to shut down until 1/20/25. SHUT DOWN. So that all federal employees are SHUT DOWN for Christmas. He’s all over Holy Mike Johnson for the passing of the military funding bill. Elon doesn’t know shit about any of this. He’s just blowing off his entitled billionaire mouth because Donald Trump is simply a puppet for the worst people in the world. Just wait until Elon and Viv start calling the shots and pulling Don’s strings and moving his mouth. Now, if the Democrats were standing in front of every microphone they could find, Nancy Mace style, more of the public would KNOW how they are going to be screwed.
This can't be stated enough. That Steve and others who are fighting the good fight and joining the good resistance reach a very limited audience of people already thinking as they do. The uber-existential question is: how to effect a rapid, wide, fact-based, mind-changing reach to independents and those who didn't vote and those who were seduced by fascism. The entire MAGA demographic are unreachable, rationally unpersuadable. But how do decent, empathetic, altruistic Americans reach all the other Americans? Billboards? Podcasts? Community activism? Ten million women/men marches? Mass resistance?
I have much respect and appreciation for Steve and others with similar messaging and platforms, but if he (and they) truly "made all the difference", we'd be excitedly looking forward to a Harris administration, not the coming nightmare at hand. He is wonderful and has a way with words and a grasp of history and context that few have, but sadly has a limited reach. The messaging and platform that has been co-opted by Trump and MAGA is sadly extremely effective, powerful, and has a reach that is unmatched. That has to change, but with so many already bending the knee, I have my doubts.
We better get better at letting everyone we know what a sick Corrupt LIAR, Traitor, Criminal Moron Trump IS, because some Mainstream news sources are failing. His Depraved MAGA Morons are Very Wealthy Corrupt Autocratic people!
Steve! Listen up! Forget X. Forgery the others. Head over to Blue Sky and plant youself there. It’s maybe the liberal answer to X and everyone associated with it.
There are very few trolls, if any, and we just ignore or cancel them until they get bored. Seriously. Consider it! I have no interest in Blue Sky btw.
By forgetting X and heading over to Blue Sky, he'll be doing more "preaching to the choir" that is achieved here and on YouTube. Not so sure that's what is needed to counter the powerful MAGA messaging platform.
We are quickly becoming a 3rd world country .. the oligarchs are being put into power .. the middle class in America is already forgotten .. especially those who voted him in …the oligarchs should study Putin and Shi for a bit .. they will be burned by the orange bumpkin, it’s just a matter of time
Jimmy Kimmel is on leave now for his holiday break. He lambasted Trump in almost every monologue. Will he return tamed and avoid political humor? Colbert last night avoided Trump jokes entirely. Something is going on with the major networks. They are afraid of more lawsuits. The beginning of taking control of free speech when it is not to trump’s liking is going to be the new norm. Our country is in for a world of hurt at the hands of this lunatic crook and his merry band of crazies, including Elon Musk. Will the brain dead Trump voters even realize that they are the frogs in the slowly heating pot?
One of the most obvious scams Trump engaged in was never adequately exposed in the media. Why is it when he or someone he supports wins, the election is not questioned, presumed to have been free and fair, but when he loses it was rigged against him? Steve, I hope you are right; I believe you are right; the American public will wake up and see the disaster they have brought upon themselves and reject Trump/Maga. But he has gotten away with so much, so many times I have thought he could not survive the latest scandal or idiotic statement, that I have to wonder what will be the nature and magnitude of the disaster that will finally wake America up.
Or a dictator. Somehow they feel comfortable withdrawing from decision-making and leaving their fate in the hands of someone in whom they place unwarranted trust; that is why so many Christian fanatics support Trump and Maga. They have been conditioned to accept the authority of "those on high."
Thank you Steve, great post. I think, I hope, you are right about everyday Americans being the hero’s of this fight to save our democracy from the spineless, totally out of touch, US minted oligarchs.
OK - here's my position - people are too STUPID to realize any of this. The enemy within is STUPIDITY You can't fix stupid. Like you can't fix crazy. And so this brings us full circle back to "The final solution". The MAGGOTS don't read, they are not educated, they are not cognitively capable of the critical thought process. They do not understand the concept of "rule of law" - just drive around on any public street in any city or town in this country and you'll see what the average person thinks about laws and rules. My dogs are smarter than the Maggots. You tell us we can't have this attitude, we cant look down on others, it's wrong to consider oneself above anyone. But damn it they are stupid and they're breeding more stupid and with Linda McMahon in charge of education they're gonna get more stupid and stay that way. That is probably part of Donny's plan. Honest to God I was having a "conversation" on-line with a MAggot in which I was trying to reference a historical similarity and suggested she read some history. Her reply: "I don't need to read no damn history book." So, what can we do? I am at a loss. There are more of them than us. And that includes all the senators/congress. I feel as if I've been diagnosed with end stage cancer.
We had our chance. Senate refused to find guilty for J6 (thanks Mitch!) and then we as a country had our best chance on 11/05 and failed miserably. So, "get this man out of here" is sadly, wishful thinking.
My biggest takeaway from this is the grotesque wealth concentration we have — and which will worsen. The 12 richest Americans recently surpassed $2 trillion in wealth. Yes, 12 people. So we’re a society now of a handful oligarchs and millions of serfs. We’re in darkness.
I suppose the test is; when everyday Americans realize that they have become serfs, will they rebel or buy into that alien concept? Only time will tell.
Here's an idea to reach the people who voted for Trump and were/are snookered by Fox News, internet algorithms that feed true believers the garbage they ingest, and the portion of MSM that has been steamrolled and doesn't adequately cover or opine on what is happening at the Trump administration. Start a billboard campaign along America's most populated highways. Prepare now but don't install the messages until some of Trump's most popular promises show distinct signs of cracking. The messages must be quick to read, stark, black and white. Ask the questions: Did he do what he said he would do? How are you doing now? Is this the America you wanted? What has Trump/Elon Musk done for you?
This campaign would be low tech and relatively cheap. It would reach a lot of people as they go about their lives.People who never get any Dem messaging because of algorithms, could not ignore seeing these on the side of the road.
Great idea but rather than stark B&W, use images of his rallies or the Trump or Bust lawn sign/flag as backdrops for the questions.
Great idea.
This is good thinking, and a reach-everybody method I've been wanting more of for years. Very effective solution for when a wide broadcast of facts and simple, visceral rhetorical questions is needed. Everybody reads billboards on the roads. In a car the eye/brain biology is constantly seeking environmental information, and billboard info goes right into the reptilian and higher processing regions.
Much of the media is the enemy of the people, and swung the last election to Trump via daily barrages that overlooked a felon, a sexual abuser, a grifter, a noted crook as if equal to the other candidate. This was criminal, and they should be treated as such. Boycotted. ABC has pointed Trump to a very lucrative market where people obey in advance. Sue the media, a brand new market for the grifter. Graft is Donald Trump’s agenda and intention. Legal graft is best, but not the BIG buck$. That is a distraction from what is really in play. How about privatizing the post office? An illegal graft pipeline. How about privatizing schools? An illegal graft pipeline. How about building and operating detention centers? An illegal graft pipeline. Kickbacks that you will never see: the bitcoin exchange, the Kushner-Saudi lashup, etc. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/rape-the-us-treasury?r=3m1bs
Detention centers? Aren't those better described as concentration camps?
The American public wanted this shitshow. And they’ll be so bewildered and blindsided and taken aback that I don’t know if they’ll be able to marshal any kind of pushback for what is coming. Which will be a dystopian hellscape helmed by oligarchs who have no fucks to give about anything other than amassing more and more at the expense of all of us and our health and our environment and the futures of our children and grandchildren. Fuck these guys.
Although I agree with your sentiments, my concern is that with the oligarchs controlling a huge portion of the media, any negatives, and there will be many very painful ones, coming out of the Trump administration will be blamed on Biden, Harris, the Ds, etc, ad nauseam. And who's there to stop them? Steve and others, as we saw with the warnings raised for months heading into the election, only have so much reach and end up preaching to the choir. And it's only going to get worse once these fuckers are in power.
You’re right. There is no one to stop them. And this Elon thing is totally off the chain. He wants the government to shut down until 1/20/25. SHUT DOWN. So that all federal employees are SHUT DOWN for Christmas. He’s all over Holy Mike Johnson for the passing of the military funding bill. Elon doesn’t know shit about any of this. He’s just blowing off his entitled billionaire mouth because Donald Trump is simply a puppet for the worst people in the world. Just wait until Elon and Viv start calling the shots and pulling Don’s strings and moving his mouth. Now, if the Democrats were standing in front of every microphone they could find, Nancy Mace style, more of the public would KNOW how they are going to be screwed.
This can't be stated enough. That Steve and others who are fighting the good fight and joining the good resistance reach a very limited audience of people already thinking as they do. The uber-existential question is: how to effect a rapid, wide, fact-based, mind-changing reach to independents and those who didn't vote and those who were seduced by fascism. The entire MAGA demographic are unreachable, rationally unpersuadable. But how do decent, empathetic, altruistic Americans reach all the other Americans? Billboards? Podcasts? Community activism? Ten million women/men marches? Mass resistance?
All of the above.
I pray Steve can continue with the information he provides You have made all the difference Im a proud subscriber
I have much respect and appreciation for Steve and others with similar messaging and platforms, but if he (and they) truly "made all the difference", we'd be excitedly looking forward to a Harris administration, not the coming nightmare at hand. He is wonderful and has a way with words and a grasp of history and context that few have, but sadly has a limited reach. The messaging and platform that has been co-opted by Trump and MAGA is sadly extremely effective, powerful, and has a reach that is unmatched. That has to change, but with so many already bending the knee, I have my doubts.
We better get better at letting everyone we know what a sick Corrupt LIAR, Traitor, Criminal Moron Trump IS, because some Mainstream news sources are failing. His Depraved MAGA Morons are Very Wealthy Corrupt Autocratic people!
Brilliant analysis Steve! Keep the faith!!!
Steve! Listen up! Forget X. Forgery the others. Head over to Blue Sky and plant youself there. It’s maybe the liberal answer to X and everyone associated with it.
There are very few trolls, if any, and we just ignore or cancel them until they get bored. Seriously. Consider it! I have no interest in Blue Sky btw.
By forgetting X and heading over to Blue Sky, he'll be doing more "preaching to the choir" that is achieved here and on YouTube. Not so sure that's what is needed to counter the powerful MAGA messaging platform.
We are quickly becoming a 3rd world country .. the oligarchs are being put into power .. the middle class in America is already forgotten .. especially those who voted him in …the oligarchs should study Putin and Shi for a bit .. they will be burned by the orange bumpkin, it’s just a matter of time
Jimmy Kimmel is on leave now for his holiday break. He lambasted Trump in almost every monologue. Will he return tamed and avoid political humor? Colbert last night avoided Trump jokes entirely. Something is going on with the major networks. They are afraid of more lawsuits. The beginning of taking control of free speech when it is not to trump’s liking is going to be the new norm. Our country is in for a world of hurt at the hands of this lunatic crook and his merry band of crazies, including Elon Musk. Will the brain dead Trump voters even realize that they are the frogs in the slowly heating pot?
Sickening when even comedians are harnessed. Solution? Turn off the TV.
Another word for these kinds of lawsuits is "slapsuits." That is when you cannot afford to hire good lawyers and so you cave.
Well, they can afford it, but by obeying in advance and bending the knee, they are showing their cowardice and fealty. It's sickening.
One of the most obvious scams Trump engaged in was never adequately exposed in the media. Why is it when he or someone he supports wins, the election is not questioned, presumed to have been free and fair, but when he loses it was rigged against him? Steve, I hope you are right; I believe you are right; the American public will wake up and see the disaster they have brought upon themselves and reject Trump/Maga. But he has gotten away with so much, so many times I have thought he could not survive the latest scandal or idiotic statement, that I have to wonder what will be the nature and magnitude of the disaster that will finally wake America up.
The only explanation that fits all this together seamlessly is "About 50% of the American people want or are willing to live under a king."
Or a dictator. Somehow they feel comfortable withdrawing from decision-making and leaving their fate in the hands of someone in whom they place unwarranted trust; that is why so many Christian fanatics support Trump and Maga. They have been conditioned to accept the authority of "those on high."
Thank you Steve, great post. I think, I hope, you are right about everyday Americans being the hero’s of this fight to save our democracy from the spineless, totally out of touch, US minted oligarchs.
Thank You, Steve, for sharing your wisdom with us today. A lot of people can't afford to Pay for their News, and will reStack ASAP 🙏💯
OK - here's my position - people are too STUPID to realize any of this. The enemy within is STUPIDITY You can't fix stupid. Like you can't fix crazy. And so this brings us full circle back to "The final solution". The MAGGOTS don't read, they are not educated, they are not cognitively capable of the critical thought process. They do not understand the concept of "rule of law" - just drive around on any public street in any city or town in this country and you'll see what the average person thinks about laws and rules. My dogs are smarter than the Maggots. You tell us we can't have this attitude, we cant look down on others, it's wrong to consider oneself above anyone. But damn it they are stupid and they're breeding more stupid and with Linda McMahon in charge of education they're gonna get more stupid and stay that way. That is probably part of Donny's plan. Honest to God I was having a "conversation" on-line with a MAggot in which I was trying to reference a historical similarity and suggested she read some history. Her reply: "I don't need to read no damn history book." So, what can we do? I am at a loss. There are more of them than us. And that includes all the senators/congress. I feel as if I've been diagnosed with end stage cancer.
Get this man out of here. Before he tears this country apart. Send him to Siberia. Maybe Putin could join him there. They deserve each other.
We had our chance. Senate refused to find guilty for J6 (thanks Mitch!) and then we as a country had our best chance on 11/05 and failed miserably. So, "get this man out of here" is sadly, wishful thinking.
Happy to share with Family and Friends!!