Trump 2.0

[deborah]

I think it’s important to dwell on the important stuff, rather than to get bogged down in the silly stuff. An executive order for plastic straws seems trivial, but is important because straws cause environmental harm. Targeting Canada is hugely important because you are a sovereign nation. The Gulf of Mexico appears to me to be an own goal that only diverts money (to rename it) within the USA itself, as no one else is going to change the name.

[blue_green_sparks]

I think it’s important to dwell on the important stuff, rather than to get bogged down in the silly stuff. An executive order for plastic straws seems trivial, but is important because straws cause environmental harm. Targeting Canada is hugely important because you are a sovereign nation. The Gulf of Mexico appears to me to be an own goal that only diverts money (to rename it) within the USA itself, as no one else is going to change the name.

You are rational and failing to think like the opposition. You will never win like that.

[RetiredAt63]

And he really really wants Canada as the 51st state.  It's not funny any more.  Apart from not wanting to be a state at all, we would demand to be 10 states (1 province = 1 state, 1 territory = 1 territory), with 20 senators and the appropriate redistribution of seats in Congress.  So given how socialist/communist we are (that was sarcasm) I guess he would only want us as one state, or even better we could join Puerto Rico as a territory.  No thanks.

Not even to mention that I'm sure you and all your neighbors would be absolutely thrilled to pay about $1000 per month per person for health insurance, so that you can then spend the first $10,000 per year of health care expenses as your deductible, before the private insurance company covers anything!

We're just dying to do that.   /s

Pun intended.

[reeshau]

Geographical names (particularly of bodies of water) have always varied from country to country. I don’t see the name change of the Gulf of Mexico as being a significant thing. In Australia, we have always called the ocean on our southern shores the Southern Ocean. Most other countries have called it the Pacific. I remember that some years ago, some geographic society decided that the Southern Ocean existed, but that it started further south. Until then maps from places like the USA didn’t have the Southern Ocean at all. So our school children were always told that there was one more ocean in the world than many other school children. After a lot of push back from a lot of countries, google has just gone with the flow and varied geographical names too.

I agree, out of all the things Trump is doing, the gulf renaming is irrelevant and not worth dwelling on.

Like the CFPB is dead, but apparently talking about renaming the gulf is the real issue.

Yes, but we must recognize the distraction strategy. Maybe liberals can learn a lesson.  I'm certain dozens of voters had major issues with paper straws or new toilets, but now that they are such a big deal on Fox, it actually becomes a big deal and Trump knows it.

I just presumed that he pushed his Diet Coke button, and it came with a paper straw.  He tries it, then says, "WTF is this?!?" Then he learns what paper straws are, for the first time.

Like George Bush Sr. being fascinated with grocery store scanners, back in the day.  Only this one is a rabid squirrel, so he goes ballistic instead of just smiling at it.

[ixtap]

Does anyone think we'll ever get past the "formerly known as Twitter" portion?

If the rebranding forever requires clarification, was the rebrand successful?

X was such a dumb thing to rebrand to, I don't think the clarification will ever go away.  Like, they're still called 'tweets' not 'xs'.

The artist formerly known as Prince is generally referred to as Prince...

[Travis]

Trump sitting with with King of Jordan telling the reporters that he knows best, the Palestinians will be happy being deported, and it's totally not ethnic cleansing if he's kicking them all out to build hotels on top of their former homes.

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lhwbbngk3g2m


https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lhwbbqje3o2c

[sixwings]

I love how he thinks theres a magical location where he can move 2 million people to that have new homes and is a beautiful perfect place. I guess this is what passes as serious foreign policy for conservatives these days.

[Fru-Gal]

I know I have said to focus on your circle of control and not look back to cast blame, but I keep coming back to this question of why Trump was allowed to run again. Why did the whole 14th amendment “can’t have participated in an insurrection” deal briefly take hold but was then silenced/memory-holed? Maybe because oligarchs own the papers? Or our own lack of focus?

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/

I also do feel anger at the two-party system in general, which likes the circus and uses the outrage to drive votes for the next election cycle.

And while the news media is reaping (I assume) the benefits of more eyeballs as they report on Trump’s every movement, it makes me so frustrated that they lacked the incentive to do investigative journalism just a few months ago, when it could have made a difference.

Having said all that I do believe in America and our ability to “do the right thing after we’ve tried everything else”. But I have to safeguard that belief a bit against the media because they are doing their best to destroy all hope, amplifying cynics, losers, depots and loonies. Same as it ever was.

Rant over.

[GuitarStv]

I know I have said to focus on your circle of control and not look back to cast blame, but I keep coming back to this question of why Trump was allowed to run again. Why did the whole 14th amendment “can’t have participated in an insurrection” deal briefly take hold but was then silenced/memory-holed? Maybe because oligarchs own the papers? Or our own lack of focus?

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/

I also do feel anger at the two-party system in general, which likes the circus and uses the outrage to drive votes for the next election cycle.

And while the news media is reaping (I assume) the benefits of more eyeballs as they report on Trump’s every movement, it makes me so frustrated that they lacked the incentive to do investigative journalism just a few months ago, when it could have made a difference.

Having said all that I do believe in America and our ability to “do the right thing after we’ve tried everything else”. But I have to safeguard that belief a bit against the media because they are doing their best to destroy all hope, amplifying cynics, losers, depots and loonies. Same as it ever was.

Rant over.

Trump's Supreme Court appointees ruled that a sitting president is a God King and above the law.  So nothing wrong ever happened because nothing the president does can ever be wrong.  Elegant, and headed off the problem at the pass.

[Travis]

FEMA Director freezing payments despite court orders and firing employees who oversaw programs the administration decided over the weekend they don't like.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fema-official-ignores-judge-order-freeze-grant-funding-rcna191674

[sixwings]

I know I have said to focus on your circle of control and not look back to cast blame, but I keep coming back to this question of why Trump was allowed to run again. Why did the whole 14th amendment “can’t have participated in an insurrection” deal briefly take hold but was then silenced/memory-holed? Maybe because oligarchs own the papers? Or our own lack of focus?

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/

I also do feel anger at the two-party system in general, which likes the circus and uses the outrage to drive votes for the next election cycle.

And while the news media is reaping (I assume) the benefits of more eyeballs as they report on Trump’s every movement, it makes me so frustrated that they lacked the incentive to do investigative journalism just a few months ago, when it could have made a difference.

Having said all that I do believe in America and our ability to “do the right thing after we’ve tried everything else”. But I have to safeguard that belief a bit against the media because they are doing their best to destroy all hope, amplifying cynics, losers, depots and loonies. Same as it ever was.

Rant over.

Republicans don't have morals so they don't care, and Biden didn't even attempt to fight misinformation, and then ran again instead of letting a dem primary that drives headlines and fights misinformation to happen. Biden just sat silently until his horrible debate in June, by then it was baked.

Biden is IMO the worst president of the modern era. While he got good legislation done he allowed misinformation to spread and didn't even attempt to fight it and that's probably going to cause the collapse of the country.

[dandarc]

I know I have said to focus on your circle of control and not look back to cast blame, but I keep coming back to this question of why Trump was allowed to run again. Why did the whole 14th amendment “can’t have participated in an insurrection” deal briefly take hold but was then silenced/memory-holed? Maybe because oligarchs own the papers? Or our own lack of focus?

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/

I also do feel anger at the two-party system in general, which likes the circus and uses the outrage to drive votes for the next election cycle.

And while the news media is reaping (I assume) the benefits of more eyeballs as they report on Trump’s every movement, it makes me so frustrated that they lacked the incentive to do investigative journalism just a few months ago, when it could have made a difference.

Having said all that I do believe in America and our ability to “do the right thing after we’ve tried everything else”. But I have to safeguard that belief a bit against the media because they are doing their best to destroy all hope, amplifying cynics, losers, depots and loonies. Same as it ever was.

Rant over.

Republicans don't have morals so they don't care, and Biden didn't even attempt to fight misinformation, and then ran again instead of letting a dem primary that drives headlines and fights misinformation to happen. Biden just sat silently until his horrible debate in June, by then it was baked.

Biden is IMO the worst president of the modern era. While he got good legislation done he allowed misinformation to spread and didn't even attempt to fight it and that's probably going to cause the collapse of the country.

I mean, 2nd worst maybe. First would be the guy directly causing the collapse of the country.

[GuitarStv]

FEMA Director freezing payments despite court orders and firing employees who oversaw programs the administration decided over the weekend they don't like.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fema-official-ignores-judge-order-freeze-grant-funding-rcna191674

So, violating court orders . . . does that mean the FEMA guy gets in legal trouble?  And if so, how does someone prevent Trump from simply nullifying any legal consequences with pardons?  Does that give Trump a way to completely bypass the will of the courts?

[OzzieandHarriet]

Biden is IMO the worst president of the modern era. While he got good legislation done he allowed misinformation to spread and didn't even attempt to fight it and that's probably going to cause the collapse of the country.

Oh, so you blame him for other people and organizations spreading lies and for the idiots who believed them? How was he supposed to fight that beyond his many addresses to the nation, press conferences, social media posts, etc.? Tell us, maybe someone can use the help now.

[deborah]

The Danes have offered to buy California. In a petition, to be crowdfunded.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/denmark-california-greenland-california

[GuitarStv]

The Danes have offered to buy California. In a petition, to be crowdfunded.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/denmark-california-greenland-california

I think California should take them up on that offer.  The rest of the US has been dragging them down for years.

[Fru-Gal]

Biden is IMO the worst president of the modern era. While he got good legislation done he allowed misinformation to spread and didn't even attempt to fight it and that's probably going to cause the collapse of the country.

Oh, so you blame him for other people and organizations spreading lies and for the idiots who believed them? How was he supposed to fight that beyond his many addresses to the nation, press conferences, social media posts, etc.? Tell us, maybe someone can use the help now.

That's a ridiculous statement and an example of useless blame. Biden made the largest investment in US rail in history, chose the first Black & woman & Indian VP, the first Native American secretary of the interior (that one is amazing all on its own), made massive green energy investments, undid a ton of Trump's BS, appointed more federal judges than any other president in recent history, managed to avoid Ukraine conflict expansion and negotiated the Gaza/Israel peace.

I preferred @GuitarStv  's answer to my question of why we allowed the 14th amendment question to dissipate. Biden was the man for the job at the time. Harris came very close to winning. She must have known from the polling all along that it was likely not going to work out. In that respect, I'm glad that we can finally put to rest this idea that if only we choose a "likable" woman we will win (ignoring that Trump is petty and unlikable -- at best).

[Fru-Gal]

Ultimately, our mettle is going to be tested and either we are going to prove that the American experiment continues a little longer or we won't. But you don't get stronger without being tested.

[Sailor Sam]

I know I have said to focus on your circle of control and not look back to cast blame, but I keep coming back to this question of why Trump was allowed to run again. Why did the whole 14th amendment “can’t have participated in an insurrection” deal briefly take hold but was then silenced/memory-holed? Maybe because oligarchs own the papers? Or our own lack of focus?

I have a lot of anger and judgement towards McConnell. His motives have puzzled me for a long time. How could a career servant of democracy be so determined to tear democracy apart?

What I’ve concluded is that his hubris is based on wanting to be the Senate Majority Leader. He got to be the minority leader twice, but that wasn’t good enough for the pride burning in the chest of Mrs. McConnell’s boy. So he played shenanigans to ensure the GOP got power, and he got to be Majority leader, and then he broke things to stay Majority Leader.

I don’t think McConnell ever believed his own bullshit (*cough* Merrick Garland *cough*). The bullshit was just a means to keeping his iron control over the Senate. Except, whoops! Turns out his bullshit, which “everyone” knew was inherent dross, ended up breeding a new generation of true believers. Ones who believe McConnells shenanigans are the true way, and not just fuck-fuck games used to cheat.

I don’t think McConnell actually wanted Trump to be president in 2016, but he was willing to ride the tiger given to him. And he refused to impeach in 2020, because he still didn’t realize the true momentum of the vicious idiots/racists/nationalists/fascists his methods ushered into office. Then Trump ran, and Trump was nominated, and only then did ol’ turtle face realize that he’d had the tiger by the tail.

I thing the US would be in a very different place if Mitchie hadn’t been such a raving motherfucker. History may prove me wrong as to “how we got here,” but that’s my personal analysis.

[mtnrider]

Republicans don't have morals so they don't care, and Biden didn't even attempt to fight misinformation, and then ran again instead of letting a dem primary that drives headlines and fights misinformation to happen. Biden just sat silently until his horrible debate in June, by then it was baked.

Biden is IMO the worst president of the modern era. While he got good legislation done he allowed misinformation to spread and didn't even attempt to fight it and that's probably going to cause the collapse of the country.

I hear your frustration.

As they say: MAGA speaks in exclamation marks while Democrats speak in commas.

I don't think this makes Biden the worst modern president.  Hoover, of "Hooverville" infamy?  I-am-not-a-crook Nixon?  GWB started a needless war that killed ~15k US troops, 100s of thousands of civilians, etc...  And Trump, despite starting Warp Speed, let hundreds of thousands of US people die of COVID through poor leadership.  And he is now changing the US government as if he were a king.  I'd put those people in line first.

But to your point, while Biden was a calm hand on the tiller, he didn't effectively use the bully pulpit.  That was a part of the problem.

[mtnrider]

Something I've been puzzling over recently: Has MAGA realized that by wielding the proverbial flaming sword, they are setting a precedent? 

When Democrats get power again, they could use that flaming sword.  Arguably, they will have to.  And then we're in the back and forth of a banana republic until the public learns to elect leaders who can moderate their actions.

[NorCal]

Republicans don't have morals so they don't care, and Biden didn't even attempt to fight misinformation, and then ran again instead of letting a dem primary that drives headlines and fights misinformation to happen. Biden just sat silently until his horrible debate in June, by then it was baked.

Biden is IMO the worst president of the modern era. While he got good legislation done he allowed misinformation to spread and didn't even attempt to fight it and that's probably going to cause the collapse of the country.

I hear your frustration.

As they say: MAGA speaks in exclamation marks while Democrats speak in commas.

I don't think this makes Biden the worst modern president.  Hoover, of "Hooverville" infamy?  I-am-not-a-crook Nixon?  GWB started a needless war that killed ~15k US troops, 100s of thousands of civilians, etc...  And Trump, despite starting Warp Speed, let hundreds of thousands of US people die of COVID through poor leadership.  And he is now changing the US government as if he were a king.  I'd put those people in line first.

But to your point, while Biden was a calm hand on the tiller, he didn't effectively use the bully pulpit.  That was a part of the problem.

Biden spent four years being a perfectly adequate senator.  He stayed out of the limelight, negotiated legislative and executive actions without much fanfare, and made a few forgettable speeches.

His policy accomplishments were adequate and maybe slightly above average.  They were not noticed by 60%+ of the population.

He never effectively communicated with the American people or provided any level of inspiration.  This is probably the most important part of the job.

I'll give him a C+.

[bacchi]

Something I've been puzzling over recently: Has MAGA realized that by wielding the proverbial flaming sword, they are setting a precedent? 

When Democrats get power again, they could use that flaming sword.  Arguably, they will have to.  And then we're in the back and forth of a banana republic until the public learns to elect leaders who can moderate their actions.

Some of them are hoping that there won't be any precedent. There will be no Democrats getting power again.

[GuitarStv]

Something I've been puzzling over recently: Has MAGA realized that by wielding the proverbial flaming sword, they are setting a precedent? 

When Democrats get power again, they could use that flaming sword.  Arguably, they will have to.  And then we're in the back and forth of a banana republic until the public learns to elect leaders who can moderate their actions.

While I love the 'continuation of democracy' optimism, I'm not entirely convinced that Republicans ever plan to allow another transfer of power.

[Gremlin]

Something I've been puzzling over recently: Has MAGA realized that by wielding the proverbial flaming sword, they are setting a precedent? 

When Democrats get power again, they could use that flaming sword.  Arguably, they will have to.  And then we're in the back and forth of a banana republic until the public learns to elect leaders who can moderate their actions.

Some of them are hoping that there won't be any precedent. There will be no Democrats getting power again.

There's a very real possibility that at the next free and fair elections held in the US that neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party will be represented on the ballot.  For very different reasons.

[Travis]

I know I have said to focus on your circle of control and not look back to cast blame, but I keep coming back to this question of why Trump was allowed to run again. Why did the whole 14th amendment “can’t have participated in an insurrection” deal briefly take hold but was then silenced/memory-holed? Maybe because oligarchs own the papers? Or our own lack of focus?

I have a lot of anger and judgement towards McConnell. His motives have puzzled me for a long time. How could a career servant of democracy be so determined to tear democracy apart?

Mitch McConnell yearns for the politics of the 1990s and they're never coming back. He's a Cold Warrior and appears like he's trying to do the right thing most of the time, but stops short whenever it might make his party look bad. He opposed Trump in the early days until he realized how far the pendulum had swung and then shut up for four years. He opposed Trump's impeachment both times because he didn't want his party to be on the losing side. He literally cried on the floor of Congress on the evening of Jan 6th talking about how democracy had been attacked, but as soon as it started to look like most of the Republican members of Congress were at least complicit in what happened that day he suddenly shifted gears and was opposed to any investigations.  He's falling down a lot these days because a couple decades of not having a spine is finally catching up to him.

[Travis]

Trump signed an EO today empowering DOGE to reshape the entire federal government.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative/

Highlights:

OMB will hire one new person for every four eliminated.

DOGE will have liaisons in each agency who will approve of new hires. Commissars, anybody?

If the position isn't mandated by law, it's on the chopping block.

And a reminder that the Chief Information Officer of every federal agency is now an appointment rather than a merit-hire so DOGE will be able to hand-pick and shape how every agency runs its IT, data, and cyber security programs.

[Travis]

Probationary employees at Small Business Administration are out

https://x.com/business/status/1889528028675367182

Election security officials who specialize in foreign influence and misinformation placed on leave

https://bsky.app/profile/reuters.com/post/3lhxc2x7aa22w

Probationary employees at CFPB are out

https://bsky.app/profile/ddayen.bsky.social/post/3lhx3sg6kwl2x

[Fru-Gal]

Republicans don't have morals so they don't care, and Biden didn't even attempt to fight misinformation, and then ran again instead of letting a dem primary that drives headlines and fights misinformation to happen. Biden just sat silently until his horrible debate in June, by then it was baked.

Biden is IMO the worst president of the modern era. While he got good legislation done he allowed misinformation to spread and didn't even attempt to fight it and that's probably going to cause the collapse of the country.

I hear your frustration.

As they say: MAGA speaks in exclamation marks while Democrats speak in commas.

I don't think this makes Biden the worst modern president.  Hoover, of "Hooverville" infamy?  I-am-not-a-crook Nixon?  GWB started a needless war that killed ~15k US troops, 100s of thousands of civilians, etc...  And Trump, despite starting Warp Speed, let hundreds of thousands of US people die of COVID through poor leadership.  And he is now changing the US government as if he were a king.  I'd put those people in line first.

But to your point, while Biden was a calm hand on the tiller, he didn't effectively use the bully pulpit.  That was a part of the problem.

If Trump had lost, we wouldn’t even be rehashing Biden’s presidency, we’d be praising the calm leadership and effectiveness.

The only person who can save us from Trump is Trump. There is no other communicator who is going to break through to the people, faced with a guy like this. He and Musk aren’t normal, just like how cancer isn’t normal. We don’t have any nice-but-malignant types who can counter them with “better messaging”. These are our elected and unelected leaders and we better fuckin figure out how to manage up — and fast.

And BTW, while I understand the frustration, in a survival situation, negative attitudes are not helpful.

[reeshau]

Something I've been puzzling over recently: Has MAGA realized that by wielding the proverbial flaming sword, they are setting a precedent? 

When Democrats get power again, they could use that flaming sword.  Arguably, they will have to.  And then we're in the back and forth of a banana republic until the public learns to elect leaders who can moderate their actions.

This was actually the source of a good degree of "traditional" conservative anger at Texas' abortion ban.  It gets around limits of government power by deputizing citizens for enforcement.   But you can put any agenda payload in that wrapper.  Should it survive court challenges, California (or a future minority-majority Texas) could enact all the things they hate, with the same mechanism.

Of course, it's ugly and dirty.  Maybe deserved--hoisted by their own petard, indeed--but it really should be prevented in the future, or we will just swing between extremes as different regimes come into power.

[Just Joe]

There's a very real possibility that at the next free and fair elections held in the US that neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party will be represented on the ballot.  For very different reasons.

Please expand on this.

[LennStar]

btw. when was the last free and fair election?
If this election had been fair, and everyone who was (under fair rules) eligible had actually been able to vote, Trump would have lost. Like any other Rep president since the 90s.

edit: This looks like an article that every American should read. Just to know at what to look out for.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/hitler-germany-constitution-authoritarianism/681233/

How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days

I really want to know how much the Project 2025 authors looked at that when drafting.

[dividendman]

Something I've been puzzling over recently: Has MAGA realized that by wielding the proverbial flaming sword, they are setting a precedent? 

When Democrats get power again, they could use that flaming sword.  Arguably, they will have to.  And then we're in the back and forth of a banana republic until the public learns to elect leaders who can moderate their actions.

It's much easier to tear things down than build them up. Even if Democrats regain the white house, you can't just hire hundreds of thousands of people in a month - you can fire that many though.

[sixwings]

Republicans don't have morals so they don't care, and Biden didn't even attempt to fight misinformation, and then ran again instead of letting a dem primary that drives headlines and fights misinformation to happen. Biden just sat silently until his horrible debate in June, by then it was baked.

Biden is IMO the worst president of the modern era. While he got good legislation done he allowed misinformation to spread and didn't even attempt to fight it and that's probably going to cause the collapse of the country.

I hear your frustration.

As they say: MAGA speaks in exclamation marks while Democrats speak in commas.

I don't think this makes Biden the worst modern president.  Hoover, of "Hooverville" infamy?  I-am-not-a-crook Nixon?  GWB started a needless war that killed ~15k US troops, 100s of thousands of civilians, etc...  And Trump, despite starting Warp Speed, let hundreds of thousands of US people die of COVID through poor leadership.  And he is now changing the US government as if he were a king.  I'd put those people in line first.

But to your point, while Biden was a calm hand on the tiller, he didn't effectively use the bully pulpit.  That was a part of the problem.

Biden spent four years being a perfectly adequate senator.  He stayed out of the limelight, negotiated legislative and executive actions without much fanfare, and made a few forgettable speeches.

His policy accomplishments were adequate and maybe slightly above average.  They were not noticed by 60%+ of the population.

He never effectively communicated with the American people or provided any level of inspiration.  This is probably the most important part of the job.

I'll give him a C+.

The problem with Biden though was the timing. America NEEDED a leader who could effectively use the bully pulpit more than any time since WW2. Misinformation was sweeping the country and he just could not communicate anything. Not only that, but then he decided to run again when it was already very clear that he was not up to the moment that was required. I think that is why Trump won and america is facing collapse, I'm not convinced Trump wins if there's a dem primary and a winner selected from that.

Anyway, we don't need to rehash Biden and I shouldnt have brought that up, as a poster above mentioned, it's really not helpful or relevant at this point.

[jrhampt]

Idk how anyone can communicate effectively when we are flooded with lies.  I can't even convince my parents to get vaccinated, so...

[sixwings]

Idk how anyone can communicate effectively when we are flooded with lies.  I can't even convince my parents to get vaccinated, so...

They need to 1) pass laws to fight it, like bringing back the fairness doctrine, which is obviously hard to do when one side that is required to go along with it is the group spreading the lies and 2) flood the zone with truth, which is what Biden was incapable of doing. This isn't the first time americans have face an assault on truth from conservatives. For instance during the depression and WW2 there was a TON of misinformation circulating from conservative news outlets about nazism and there was a growing pro-nazi movement in the US, FDR brought in the fireside chats where he frequently directly addressed the american people to fight that issue and many others.

"On radio, he quelled rumors, countered conservative-dominated newspapers, and explained his policies directly to the American people. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireside_chats

This is where Biden completely and totally failed when it was more needed than any time since WW2.

But I need to take my own advice and stop lol.

[Fru-Gal]

There's a very real possibility that at the next free and fair elections held in the US that neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party will be represented on the ballot.  For very different reasons.

Please expand on this.

Well, in Mexico, a new social democratic party came to light called Morena. The current president is the second one from this party.

The oligarch-driven parties there have merged in desperation since the new ruling party is so loved by the people.

[Fru-Gal]

Idk how anyone can communicate effectively when we are flooded with lies.  I can't even convince my parents to get vaccinated, so...

They need to 1) pass laws to fight it, like bringing back the fairness doctrine, which is obviously hard to do when one side that is required to go along with it is the group spreading the lies and 2) flood the zone with truth, which is what Biden was incapable of doing. This isn't the first time americans have face an assault on truth from conservatives. For instance during the depression and WW2 there was a TON of misinformation circulating from conservative news outlets about nazism and there was a growing pro-nazi movement in the US, FDR brought in the fireside chats where he directly addressed the american people every single day to fight that issue and many others.

"On radio, he quelled rumors, countered conservative-dominated newspapers, and explained his policies directly to the American people. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireside_chats

This is where Biden completely and totally failed when it was more needed than any time since WW2.

But I need to take my own advice and stop lol.

Trump and musk are malignant. This isn’t a normal situation and we are at this point victims of people who committed multiple crimes against the electoral process and in the case of Trump participated in an insurrection which should’ve disqualified him from the job.

Just like a rapist with his victims, these people aren’t going to stop. That’s why we are going to need new strategies.

One of the new strategies is going to have to be to deal with what these people want and appear to give it to them. Not by collaborating, but buying time while we work as a unified force to understand their weaknesses and take them down — or wait them out.

We have now a lot of experience dealing with their weaknesses and there have been many consequences for both of them. sadly, they also have a lot of resources that enable them to experience a vast number of consequences and keep getting up for more. Further, their own history has shown that the people in their immediate circle will experience a terrible amount of consequences.

It is victim-blaming to say that there have been no consequences. The truth is there have been. And there will continue to be because of brave people who serve our constitution. It’s up to all of us. And none of us can turn our heads and say we aren’t part of this. We are in the situation.

Peaceful protest and malicious compliance are going to be our best weapons.

[Fru-Gal]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

Peaceful movements are the most effective. Read the article for reasons all it takes is 3.5% of the population to participate.

[jrhampt]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

Peaceful movements are the most effective. Read the article for reasons all it takes is 3.5% of the population to participate.

So that translates to 11.5 million people in the US.

[GuitarStv]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

Peaceful movements are the most effective. Read the article for reasons all it takes is 3.5% of the population to participate.

So that translates to 11.5 million people in the US.

There must be at least that many Americans who have filed a lawsuit against Trump during his lifetime.  :P

[jrhampt]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

Peaceful movements are the most effective. Read the article for reasons all it takes is 3.5% of the population to participate.

So that translates to 11.5 million people in the US.

There must be at least that many Americans who have filed a lawsuit against Trump during his lifetime.  :P

Not to mention the ~70 million who voted for Harris.

[LennStar]

Idk how anyone can communicate effectively when we are flooded with lies.  I can't even convince my parents to get vaccinated, so...

They need to 1) pass laws to fight it, like bringing back the fairness doctrine, which is obviously hard to do when one side that is required to go along with it is the group spreading the lies and 2) flood the zone with truth, which is what Biden was incapable of doing. This isn't the first time americans have face an assault on truth from conservatives. For instance during the depression and WW2 there was a TON of misinformation circulating from conservative news outlets about nazism and there was a growing pro-nazi movement in the US, FDR brought in the fireside chats where he frequently directly addressed the american people to fight that issue and many others.

"On radio, he quelled rumors, countered conservative-dominated newspapers, and explained his policies directly to the American people. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireside_chats

This is where Biden completely and totally failed when it was more needed than any time since WW2.

But I need to take my own advice and stop lol.

Things like fireside talks only work if people listen - and don't listen to just bullshit him. But MAGAs are so disconnected from reality, besides not switching that on, they would just ignore it.
A big part of that problem is that anti-intellectualism that was always strong in the US (and is strong in e.g. the German AfD). If there is someone with a Prof. title that has worked 30 years in the field tells you that you are wrong... way too many people, instead of thinking about his arguments, will just tell themselves he is bought by XYZ.
And then beleive someone who is actually, proofable bought by XYZ because that is a little bit more comfortable.

[Travis]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-republicans-budget-resolution-trump/

House budget proposal:

Extend Trump's first term tax cuts (which has to be listed as lost future revenue since they were temporary measures)
Cut $2 trillion in spending in a single year
Raise debt ceiling by $4 trillion, which will not have any philosophical arguments or threats by the GOP to shut down the government I'm sure

[neo von retorch]

Not to mention the ~70 million who voted for Harris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidential_election

75,017,613

[mtnrider]

Things like fireside talks only work if people listen - and don't listen to just bullshit him. But MAGAs are so disconnected from reality, besides not switching that on, they would just ignore it.
A big part of that problem is that anti-intellectualism that was always strong in the US (and is strong in e.g. the German AfD). If there is someone with a Prof. title that has worked 30 years in the field tells you that you are wrong... way too many people, instead of thinking about his arguments, will just tell themselves he is bought by XYZ.
And then beleive someone who is actually, proofable bought by XYZ because that is a little bit more comfortable.

Related:

Last summer I spent a lot of time with young men.  I was taken aback how many of them were spouting right-wing talking points without really understanding them.  It turns out that almost all of them watched Joe Rogan's videos, as soon as they came out.  They'd parrot what he said, similar to Limbaugh listeners in the 90s.  (I had thought Rogan was a Bernie supporter, but apparently he had taken a hard right turn.)  There was also a lot of right-wing TikTok going around, but I don't know how influential it actually was, they were just sharing the clips like Millennials would share memes.

I think the left and center need something similarly compelling for younger guys.  Something that will make them feel like they are getting inside knowledge, fresh ideas, etc...  These two youtubers were making the rounds recently:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqiUU8dT95c (Secular Talk)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpPTRcz1no (Blonde Politics)

I'm sure there are more, possibly better ones out there.

[ChpBstrd]

Things like fireside talks only work if people listen - and don't listen to just bullshit him. But MAGAs are so disconnected from reality, besides not switching that on, they would just ignore it.
A big part of that problem is that anti-intellectualism that was always strong in the US (and is strong in e.g. the German AfD). If there is someone with a Prof. title that has worked 30 years in the field tells you that you are wrong... way too many people, instead of thinking about his arguments, will just tell themselves he is bought by XYZ.
And then beleive someone who is actually, proofable bought by XYZ because that is a little bit more comfortable.

Related:

Last summer I spent a lot of time with young men.  I was taken aback how many of them were spouting right-wing talking points without really understanding them.  It turns out that almost all of them watched Joe Rogan's videos, as soon as they came out.  They'd parrot what he said, similar to Limbaugh listeners in the 90s.  (I had thought Rogan was a Bernie supporter, but apparently he had taken a hard right turn.)  There was also a lot of right-wing TikTok going around, but I don't know how influential it actually was, they were just sharing the clips like Millennials would share memes.

I think the left and center need something similarly compelling for younger guys.  Something that will make them feel like they are getting inside knowledge, fresh ideas, etc...  These two youtubers were making the rounds recently:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqiUU8dT95c (Secular Talk)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpPTRcz1no (Blonde Politics)

I'm sure there are more, possibly better ones out there.

Exactly. MAGA ideas are everywhere on social media, humor sites/apps, and gaming culture.

All the Democrats I know, on the other hand, want to talk about the latest series they're watching on whatever streaming service (if not what book they've read). They aren't as into humor, short videos, or gaming like young people are doing, and to the extent they're on social media, like Facebook or Reddit, the algos insulate them from the prevalent culture there. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Democrats have assumptions from the old age of broadcast television/radio, and can't imagine how the people who disagree with them make the decisions they make with all the same (assumed) information.

I've suggested the Democratic Party invest in creating a social media service connecting people who are nominally democrats with local "friends", physical gatherings, grassroots organizations, non-right information sources, etc. This would only be catching up to where the conservatives were doing 20+ years ago, but the cost is now minimal. Would it be more appealing to young people than X? Maybe not, but it would at least be a start and an attempt. Plus it's what you'd need to rebuild those whithered local communities, grassroots organizations, and local networks which could lead to greater commitment from people with busy lives who'd like to help or join something.

As it stands, the Dems have lost generations X, Y, and Z by being the old folks who think of the world in terms of broadcasting.

[Travis]

OMB and DoJ to Congress: "We've decided that independent agencies are unconstitutional."

https://bsky.app/profile/jamieson.bsky.social/post/3li2spez7u22u


Probationary employees at OPM out, and it looks like orders went out to clean the rest of the slate.

https://bsky.app/profile/marisakabas.bsky.social/post/3li3idiqt2k2z

https://x.com/ChrisMegerian/status/1890141624597914076

[Fru-Gal]

Things like fireside talks only work if people listen - and don't listen to just bullshit him. But MAGAs are so disconnected from reality, besides not switching that on, they would just ignore it.
A big part of that problem is that anti-intellectualism that was always strong in the US (and is strong in e.g. the German AfD). If there is someone with a Prof. title that has worked 30 years in the field tells you that you are wrong... way too many people, instead of thinking about his arguments, will just tell themselves he is bought by XYZ.
And then beleive someone who is actually, proofable bought by XYZ because that is a little bit more comfortable.

Related:

Last summer I spent a lot of time with young men.  I was taken aback how many of them were spouting right-wing talking points without really understanding them.  It turns out that almost all of them watched Joe Rogan's videos, as soon as they came out.  They'd parrot what he said, similar to Limbaugh listeners in the 90s.  (I had thought Rogan was a Bernie supporter, but apparently he had taken a hard right turn.)  There was also a lot of right-wing TikTok going around, but I don't know how influential it actually was, they were just sharing the clips like Millennials would share memes.

I think the left and center need something similarly compelling for younger guys.  Something that will make them feel like they are getting inside knowledge, fresh ideas, etc...  These two youtubers were making the rounds recently:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqiUU8dT95c (Secular Talk)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpPTRcz1no (Blonde Politics)

I'm sure there are more, possibly better ones out there.

Exactly. MAGA ideas are everywhere on social media, humor sites/apps, and gaming culture.

All the Democrats I know, on the other hand, want to talk about the latest series they're watching on whatever streaming service (if not what book they've read). They aren't as into humor, short videos, or gaming like young people are doing, and to the extent they're on social media, like Facebook or Reddit, the algos insulate them from the prevalent culture there. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Democrats have assumptions from the old age of broadcast television/radio, and can't imagine how the people who disagree with them make the decisions they make with all the same (assumed) information.

I've suggested the Democratic Party invest in creating a social media service connecting people who are nominally democrats with local "friends", physical gatherings, grassroots organizations, non-right information sources, etc. This would only be catching up to where the conservatives were doing 20+ years ago, but the cost is now minimal. Would it be more appealing to young people than X? Maybe not, but it would at least be a start and an attempt. Plus it's what you'd need to rebuild those whithered local communities, grassroots organizations, and local networks which could lead to greater commitment from people with busy lives who'd like to help or join something.

As it stands, the Dems have lost generations X, Y, and Z by being the old folks who think of the world in terms of broadcasting.

I disagree with this take. If Dems weren’t on social media of all forms, who would be fighting with Musk, Tate, etc? Who would have heard of AOC or Bernie Sanders? Obama pioneered the use of social media, but underestimated Putin’s resolve. Ultimately our freedoms were used against us and more and more outrageous content became the norm. Extreme identity-questioning went haywire on social media and was amplified by the right (horseshoe theory). Very “leftist” ideas were extremely widespread on social media and perhaps hit an inflection point with a certain Budweiser spokes”girl”. Everyone should question ALL forms of propaganda, not wish for better propaganda from “the other side”.

[mtnrider]

...

I disagree with this take. If Dems weren’t on social media of all forms, who would be fighting with Musk, Tate, etc? Who would have heard of AOC or Bernie Sanders? Obama pioneered the use of social media, but underestimated Putin’s resolve. Ultimately our freedoms were used against us and more and more outrageous content became the norm. Extreme identity-questioning went haywire on social media and was amplified by the right (horseshoe theory). Very “leftist” ideas were extremely widespread on social media and perhaps hit an inflection point with a certain Budweiser spokes”girl”. Everyone should question ALL forms of propaganda, not wish for better propaganda from “the other side”.

I'm not a fan of propaganda either.  I think *both* the in-person outreach and the social media outreach are needed.  And better critical thinking, civics, and ethics education.

But you need to meet people where they are.  Some of the older (but still younger middle aged) guys did nod slightly in the direction of Sanders, but ultimately the Trump/Rogan show spoke to them more - or maybe it was just more recent.  Absolutely no one wanted to hear about AOC.  (I was disturbed by the amount of "women should be home, not at work competing with me" I heard.  I'd bet that comes from the right-wing podcasts too.)

My point is that, while it doesn't have to be propaganda, not having something sane for these guys to get excited about looked like unilaterally disarming.