The Trump Presidency 2.0

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

On Trump's change in demeanor toward Canada, I think we are going to see much softer rhetoric until after the elections there. The Conservative party poll numbers have completely ranked since Trump started his trade war and I fully expect him to play nice in hopes of allowing a more favorable government to take power.

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I agree with this take. Carney stepping in for Trudeau is a good opportunity for Trump to tone it down for a bit without looking weak. They can focus on Greenland or one of the 40 other evil plates they have spinning in the meantime. By May he'll be back to calling us nasty.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I've said on here multiple times the waste really isn't where people assume it is. It's also cleaned up a great deal since the 80s and early 90s.

Jon Stewart had Ezra Klein on his podcast a few days ago and the first half is an amazing deep dive into the self-imposed bureaucratic lunacy that exists on some government initiatives (specifically the rural broadband one is looked at here in depth). If you consider each item in isolation it sounds totally reasonable, but when you lay them all out and look at the whole it is nuts. But it's the kind of stuff that would never show up in whatever AI-and-ketamine-fueled data scraping the DOGE-ers are doing.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

We really are the baddies. Absolutely appalling stuff said by Vance in Greenland.

100% yes, you (well, your government and at least 75 million of your fellow citizens) are indeed the baddies. The rest of America is going to have to decide if they want to stand up and fight for what's right or become the 21st century Germans.

[JPhillips]

I'm sure this will turn out poorly.

The top vaccine official at FDA was told to resign or be fired. He resigned today.

“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary [RFK Jr.], but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

We really are the baddies. Absolutely appalling stuff said by Vance in Greenland.

Have been since WW2.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Mota

I'm sure that Elon will get a pardon on Trump's way out as well.

It looks like a pardon costs 1.8 million dollars. You have to wonder what Elon will be able to buy.

Nikola founder Trevor Milton pardoned after $1.8m bribe to Trump (Updated)

[RainMaker]

One of the funny gags is them revoking Biden's security clearance that he never had. They've done it 5 times now.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

One of the funny gags is them revoking Biden's security clearance that he never had. They've done it 5 times now.

I don't think anyone they recently announced revoking security clearances for had an active clearance.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Jon Stewart had Ezra Klein on his podcast a few days ago and the first half is an amazing deep dive into the self-imposed bureaucratic lunacy that exists on some government initiatives (specifically the rural broadband one is looked at here in depth). If you consider each item in isolation it sounds totally reasonable, but when you lay them all out and look at the whole it is nuts. But it's the kind of stuff that would never show up in whatever AI-and-ketamine-fueled data scraping the DOGE-ers are doing.

He conveniently leaves out the part that ist big business throwing up these roadblocks. He can't say that because he's funded by those groups.

Most of the way through the book and its libertarian trash. I don't get why people on the left still trust people like this who have been wrong on everything. But maybe that's the point. It's right wing stuff being sold as left wing stuff.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Have been since WW2.

But it has been a new low for the president of the USA (and in this case Trump's minion) to talk about invading fellow NATO members so shortly after NATO went to war with the Bush jr administration in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

He conveniently leaves out the part that ist big business throwing up these roadblocks. He can't say that because he's funded by those groups.

Most of the way through the book and its libertarian trash. I don't get why people on the left still trust people like this who have been wrong on everything. But maybe that's the point. It's right wing stuff being sold as left wing stuff.

I'm not American so maybe I don't know how this all works, but Klein indicates that those 14 steps to get approval for the rural broadband were written into the bill by the democrats. Where do big business roadblocks come in?

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I'm not American so maybe I don't know how this all works, but Klein indicates that those 14 steps to get approval for the rural broadband were written into the bill by the democrats. Where do big business roadblocks come in?

This bill, like others in the past that promised to bring broadband to rural areas, includes all these roadblocks to protect corporations servicing the area. Democrats are largely subservient to their corporate donors.

For instance, in this bill, if a company is thinking of expanding broadband to an area, they can file and block the government expansion. They don't have to follow through on it. They just have to tell the government that they plan to bring broadband to the area in the near future. This is used to block any potential competition and continue to charge exorbitant fees to rural users for inferior non-broadband connections through their local monopoly.

Internet providers demanded this be included in the bill. And in fairness, the Republicans pushed for these restrictions to be included. Democrats went along because they wanted it to be bipartisan, but the Republicans ended up not voting for it anyway.

Klein can't say that stuff because he's funded by these corporations and part of that wing of the party. Which is why he sort of dances around who's at fault and even throws environmental groups under the bus. His book is really embarassing.

[Atocep]

One of the interesting things about the whole Greenland thing is that it's an admission from people that publicly deny global warming and climate change that it's real and happening.

[RainMaker]

It's also weird because it's such an unpopular position. Only 30% of this country supports it. Less than 5% of Greenland supports it. If there was an opposition party in this country, they'd be all over that.

[dubb93]

Just a random anecdote about rural internet as I live in one of the most rural counties in Indiana (not a single interstate passes into the county) and I don’t live within the limits of any town. There isn’t even a Wal-Mart in the county!

When I first moved into my house 8 years ago I had one option for real internet and it was Comcast at a max 100 mbps download(several local providers offered service at a max of up to 2 mbps or similar speeds.) Over time they have increased that up to 300 (after T-Mobile started offering 4g home internet.) Just recently a company ran a fibre optic line down my road and is promising gig speed internet. The line is ran but service isn’t operating yet. Not coincidentally, I have an email from Xfinity saying on 4/2 I won’t have internet due to upgrades being done in my area. I checked the website and I can now sign up for speeds up to 1.5 gbps speed.

The only thing that has improved broadband in my area is competition.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Just a random anecdote about rural internet as I live in one of the most rural counties in Indiana (not a single interstate passes into the county) and I don’t live within the limits of any town. There isn’t even a Wal-Mart in the county!

When I first moved into my house 8 years ago I had one option for real internet and it was Comcast at a max 100 mbps download(several local providers offered service at a max of up to 2 mbps or similar speeds.) Over time they have increased that up to 300 (after T-Mobile started offering 4g home internet.) Just recently a company ran a fibre optic line down my road and is promising gig speed internet. The line is ran but service isn’t operating yet. Not coincidentally, I have an email from Xfinity saying on 4/2 I won’t have internet due to upgrades being done in my area. I checked the website and I can now sign up for speeds up to 1.5 gbps speed.

The only thing that has improved broadband in my area is competition.

Keep an eye on the company that ran the fiber optic line and see what their first adopter offer is. I live in small town Iowa where mediacom was the only provider with decent speed. There was a couple of others with low rates and very low speed.

Fiber came to the area and their offer was "price for life" and they'd run the line to the house and do the installation for free. My bill before fiber had grown to almost a $120 per month (IIRC maybe 250mb/sec). My lifetime price for fiber is $91 with tax. 1 gig per second hardwired , easily runs at 600 mb wireless in my house. They ran fiber to the whole county with the same free install offer. They would even run service to the house for free, even if you didn't sign up for the service. Most of my neighbors turned this down.

My installer told me of a farmer that turned down the offer. Some time later he talked to his nearest neighbor who did switch to the fiber and the guy told him how great it was. The farmer called to ask if he could still get free install. They had moved out of his area so the answer was no. Instead of free install the cost would be $1500 as the house sat far back from the road and they'd have to trench down the side of his long lane.

[Ghost Econ]

I don't get why conservatives would be against rural internet expansion. It just gives them greater access and control over their base.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

I don't get why conservatives would be against rural internet expansion. It just gives them greater access and control over their base.

They already get Fox News and conservative radio. Why would you give them internet?

[JPhillips]

Navarro says the tariffs on April 6 are going to amount to 600 billion a year. That's easily the biggest peacetime tax hike in terms of percentage of GDP.

Now they won't be able to get 600 billion because markets will be fucked sideways, but the initial shock is going to be something. If this really is the plan the markets will tank this week.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

One of the takeaways from the DOGE stuff is that the government is actually a lot less corrupt than almost everyone thought. I knew it was a cynical way to justify tax cuts for the rich, but I did expect them to find some low hanging fruit to make an example out of.

I agree with Fidatelo (below) that the problem is likely that fraud tends to be hidden or at least somewhat obfuscated and expecting a bunch of young men in their 20s without anyone experienced directing them to find any was never likely to succeed.

Originally Posted by Atocep

I've said on here multiple times the waste really isn't where people assume it is. It's also cleaned up a great deal since the 80s and early 90s.

This too.

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

If you consider each item in isolation it sounds totally reasonable, but when you lay them all out and look at the whole it is nuts. But it's the kind of stuff that would never show up in whatever AI-and-ketamine-fueled data scraping the DOGE-ers are doing.

I could get behind a grown-up adult audit of the entire federal government, but it's also super hard to believe it wouldn't be politicized into meaninglessness.

[cuervo72]

Re: internet speeds. I swear my Xfinity still tops out at 50Mbps despite getting multiple “we’ve upgraded your speed!” alerts. I mean, it probably has gotten faster but they haven’t exactly been quick about it.

Oh…tomorrow we’re having Glofiber installed.

[GrantDawg]

Not the thread, but dumping Xfinity tomorrow after nearly a decade. Raised our prices, then lied to me when they tried to talk me out of canceling by just lower the speed to reduce the price when they claimed they weren't. Really dumb considering AT&T fiber is $40 a month cheaper.

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[RainMaker]

Xfinity has data caps in areas where there is no competition to prevent cord cutters. In areas with competition, you get unlimited.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Navarro says the tariffs on April 6 are going to amount to 600 billion a year. That's easily the biggest peacetime tax hike in terms of percentage of GDP.

Now they won't be able to get 600 billion because markets will be fucked sideways, but the initial shock is going to be something. If this really is the plan the markets will tank this week.

Will be a fascinating week. Still seems like most of Wall Street thinks he's bluffing and he does typically puss out at the end. But $600 billion in new taxes is massive for consumers and would have to be like 20%-25% on everything being imported (assuming imports don't change).

Not sure how the markets don't drop 10-20% if he follows through. Basically kills any hope of a rate cut later in the year and brings in some nasty stagflation.

[JPhillips]

This is insane for a policy they want to announce on Wednesday.

White House econ adviser Kevin Hassett admits on Fox News Sunday that on tariffs "I can't give you any forward-looking guidance on what's gonna happen this week. The president has got a heck of a lot of analysis before him, and he's gonna make the right choice I'm sure."

[flere-imsaho]

The president has got a heck of a lot of analysis before him, and he's gonna make the right choice I'm sure.

I wouldn't trust Orange Fuckwit to analyze a Big Mac wrapper.

[Ksyrup]

"It's unbelievable the Dow is going to hit 40,000!" ... I said about 10 months ago.

[Atocep]

Marine Le Pen banned from running for office for 5 years for embezzlement. Another country thst actually punishes it's politicians when they break the law.

[Kodos]

That’s crazy! How can you punish our Overlords?!

[Atocep]

There's a solid chance that Judge Kacsmaryk is going to rule HIPAA unconstitutional because it's being challenged as part of an abortion privacy suit.

[wustin]

Tariffs on China and potential tariffs on East Asia led China, South Korea, and Japan to sign a free trade deal with each other lmao.

Domestic automobile industry in the rust belt not looking too swell.

I should've redone my retirement accounts to focus more on international index funds before all this stupid crap happened.

[Lathum]

MAGA goes crazy if Taylor swift is shown for 5 seconds on a football game but is totally cool with kid rock giving foreign policy advice wearing a clown suit in the oval office.

[Ksyrup]

In what alternate universe is the Trump administration living? Isn't "Americans love to buy cheap stuff" our unofficial motto and on one of our coins or something?

President Trump’s sweeping tariffs are expected to raise the cost of cars, electronics, metals, lumber, pharmaceuticals and other products that American consumers and businesses buy from overseas.

But Mr. Trump and his advisers are betting that it can sell an inflation-weary public on a provocative idea: Cheap stuff is not the American dream.

I've had this conversation with a few people at work - essentially, we're a victim of our own success. We've raised the standard of living so high in this country that we've priced ourselves out of most jobs. Everyone wants to make 6-7 figures, but no one wants to pay for the goods or services at jacked up rates to afford to pay everyone well. This idea that I'm suddenly going to become the #1 fan of Ford/Chevrolet (does Chevy still make cars?) because of tariffs and some sense of national pride is ridiculous.

I read an article the other day putting an even finer point on how fucked we are - everyone is focused on overseas manufacturing and the easy targets like call centers being housed in other countries, but corporations are swiftly moving white collar jobs overseas as well. India, in particular, because they have a lot of smart people with better work ethic who are willing to work for much less than Americans. Some major corporations have entire finance teams based in India. No amount of tariff-raising is going to cure that.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

In what alternate universe is the Trump administration living? Isn't "Americans love to buy cheap stuff" our unofficial motto and on one of our coins or something?



I've had this conversation with a few people at work - essentially, we're a victim of our own success. We've raised the standard of living so high in this country that we've priced ourselves out of most jobs. Everyone wants to make 6-7 figures, but no one wants to pay for the goods or services at jacked up rates to afford to pay everyone well. This idea that I'm suddenly going to become the #1 fan of Ford/Chevrolet (does Chevy still make cars?) because of tariffs and some sense of national pride is ridiculous.

I read an article the other day putting an even finer point on how fucked we are - everyone is focused on overseas manufacturing and the easy targets like call centers being housed in other countries, but corporations are swiftly moving white collar jobs overseas as well. India, in particular, because they have a lot of smart people with better work ethic who are willing to work for much less than Americans. Some major corporations have entire finance teams based in India. No amount of tariff-raising is going to cure that.

In other words, all of the high paying jobs are being sent overseas while they trying to bring back the low paying blue-collar jobs. All the while raising prices beyond what a blue collar worker could ever afford. I posted earlier that article that layed out how majority of consumption right now is done by the upper 20% of income. Everything made is soon going to be catering to a smaller and smaller group of people as the rest of us slave to serve them for scraps.

[Ghost Econ]

Booker is probably just doing this to rehab his profile, but he's doing something that might push a Democrat into the headlines briefly.

[Ksyrup]

Reading a Substack blog, I think this is an underrated aspect of the criticism of the tariff policy and especially, how Trump is going about it.

Speaking of cycles, the final accursed aspect of this policy — and the reason it’s so nutty of the UAW to endorse it — is that if you’re hoping to shift investments in factories and outputs, you need to be making credible long-term commitments. There is probably some universe in which you convince people that they should move their spring and brake pad factories back from Mexico to the United States. But are these tariffs that Trump announced going to be in place in three weeks? In three months? In three years? Does Trump actually want to erect high tariff barriers around the United States, or is he doing coercive diplomacy and aiming to extract concessions on other issues?

It’s not just that the president’s decision-making is erratic and mercurial (although it is). His team keeps offering different explanations for the goals of his trade policy. That’s not a formula for reshaping any kind of business investment decisions, it just induces paralysis.

[Ghost Econ]

Good thing Congress changed the meaning of a day so Trump can still get the war resolved in 24 hours.

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-cann...-plans-2053585

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I read an article the other day putting an even finer point on how fucked we are - everyone is focused on overseas manufacturing and the easy targets like call centers being housed in other countries, but corporations are swiftly moving white collar jobs overseas as well. India, in particular, because they have a lot of smart people with better work ethic who are willing to work for much less than Americans. Some major corporations have entire finance teams based in India. No amount of tariff-raising is going to cure that.

Of course you know what jobs can't be outsourced overseas?

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Good thing Congress changed the meaning of a day so Trump can still get the war resolved in 24 hours.

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-cann...-plans-2053585

Is that the wrong link? And didn't Congress just change what a day means a few weeks ago?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by wustin

Tariffs on China and potential tariffs on East Asia led China, South Korea, and Japan to sign a free trade deal with each other lmao.

Domestic automobile industry in the rust belt not looking too swell.

I should've redone my retirement accounts to focus more on international index funds before all this stupid crap happened.

The world really didn't know how to react to the first Trump administration. They were so used to the normal way of diplomacy and the US leading the world that this dipshit coming into office and treating it like it was the apprentice threw them off.

This is like a political sim where the player takes advantage of a game engine that didn't anticipate a world leader treating his allies like shit and purposely trying to tank his own economy with stupid trade deals and other nonsense. The game creator has now had 4 years to patch the engine and fix the flaws in the game engine so that countries properly respond to nonsense from players that are bad at the game.

[JPhillips]

Sen. Bill Cassidy: "Is there some way that we cut Medicare so that it's-- excuse me, reform Medicare."

It's hard to keep the mask on 24/7.

[Ksyrup]

Po-tat-oh, you-die-oh!

[Thomkal]

Was going to post in this thread I said I was not going to post in for an April Fool's joke about Trump firing Musk or some such nonsense, but alas my mother fell for it "Did Trump fire Musk today? it was all over You Tube"

[dubb93]

Imagine a year or two ago Biden coming out and saying, "I couldn't care less if [insert product here] is more expensive." How is Trump just getting a pass on that? I very much care if anything is more expensive and I don't feel like that is a partisan issue.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Imagine a year or two ago Biden coming out and saying, "I couldn't care less if [insert product here] is more expensive." How is Trump just getting a pass on that? I very much care if anything is more expensive and I don't feel like that is a partisan issue.

When prices went up under Biden, they just said the economy was great and people were too stupid to realize it.

I don't think Trump is getting a pass. There will be considerable outrage when prices skyrocket after tariffs go into place. Ultimately, people will vote in 2 years on their own experiences.

I do think Democrats should be coming out with some sort of opposition and plan to bring down prices that isn't this "Abundance" crap which is just trickle-down economics for liberals. Especially if they want to re-take the House in 2 years.

[RainMaker]

I guess LIHEAP was just gutted by Elon and company. That program mostly benefited rural Republican voters.

[JPhillips]

Meghan McCain is shocked, shocked I say, that Trump/RFK zeroed out money for glioblastoma research.

[RainMaker]

Meghan McCain is arguably one of the dumbest human beings on the planet.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Booker is probably just doing this to rehab his profile, but he's doing something that might push a Democrat into the headlines briefly.

He got a chance to make a big move, but my bet is he is too soft and likes his corporate sponsorship too much. If he can take this opportunity and become the face of the opposition, hard pivot more to the Left. Start courting small donors and actually condemning some of the big money he has danced with over the years, he has the charisma to be the front runner in 2028.

[JPhillips]

Booker's filibuster isn't the biggest thing, but it's good to make media moments. More Dems should do things designed to get eyeballs. Most people aren't paying attention and need to be specifically targeted.