The United States(!) of A
It’s curious that the collection of
Donald Trump
Elon Musk
Peter Thiel, and
JD Vance
Supposedly have the interests of ordinary Americans at front of mind. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
Heard a comment by Richard Wolf describing Trump's tarifs.
Said it is and i am paraphrasing it is like Trump is shooting himself in the foot, except for the fact that there are ordinary Americans in the way of his foot.
Antony Scarramucci has some interesting insights on the TRIP US podcast.
The Mooch is an interesting cat, but of all the commentators out there he probably gives some of the best insights into Trump’s mindset, approaches and inclinations. Based on personal experience.
Well I guess this rules out Trump using military force to take over the Panama Canal. It was never going to happen but some fake news websites get dollars for clicks . https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-panama-canal-beijing-hutchison-blac...
etarip wrote:Antony Scarramucci has some interesting insights on the TRIP US podcast.
The Mooch is an interesting cat, but of all the commentators out there he probably gives some of the best insights into Trump’s mindset, approaches and inclinations. Based on personal experience.
Agreed, the Mooch has some interesting and unique opinions on the Trump phenomenon, also. Trump’s early Attorney and fall guy
Michael Cohen has his own personal and sometimes bitter insights, after doing time for Trump , and then getting dumped.
Both seemed to have recovered from their Trump time .
Supafreak wrote:Well I guess this rules out Trump using military force to take over the Panama Canal. It was never going to happen but some fake news websites get dollars for clicks . https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-panama-canal-beijing-hutchison-blac...
Yes, Trump is slowly but surely getting what he wants. It’s no wonder that he’s so cocky. He thinks he’s on top of the world. But he’s oblivious to the fact that what he wants is what a lot of people don’t want. He doesn’t care if he burns people in the process.
Non related but I just realised that the last time the US had a budget surplus is 25 years ago. 25 years of running monster deficits. And people are surprised that assets got inflated and cost of living got so high.
Also, the last time the US had GOP House, Senate, Presidency and majority of State Governors was 1928.
flollo wrote:Supafreak wrote:Well I guess this rules out Trump using military force to take over the Panama Canal. It was never going to happen but some fake news websites get dollars for clicks . https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-panama-canal-beijing-hutchison-blac...
Yes, Trump is slowly but surely getting what he wants. It’s no wonder that he’s so cocky. He thinks he’s on top of the world. But he’s oblivious to the fact that what he wants is what a lot of people don’t want. He doesn’t care if he burns people in the process.
Non related but I just realised that the last time the US had a budget surplus is 25 years ago. 25 years of running monster deficits. And people are surprised that assets got inflated and cost of living got so high.
Really? I thought Trump wanted falling grocery prices and more jobs and prosperity, and tariffs that would help the US economy not free drop the stock market and have Republican farmers and Federal Employees hating on him !
Although one of the things Trump wanted ,
was for the Republican Congressmen to spinelessly bend over backwards and lick his boots, which he is getting.
Trump also got the least qualified and least competent cabinet picks that he wanted.
Confusion wrote:flollo wrote:Supafreak wrote:Well I guess this rules out Trump using military force to take over the Panama Canal. It was never going to happen but some fake news websites get dollars for clicks . https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-panama-canal-beijing-hutchison-blac...
Yes, Trump is slowly but surely getting what he wants. It’s no wonder that he’s so cocky. He thinks he’s on top of the world. But he’s oblivious to the fact that what he wants is what a lot of people don’t want. He doesn’t care if he burns people in the process.
Non related but I just realised that the last time the US had a budget surplus is 25 years ago. 25 years of running monster deficits. And people are surprised that assets got inflated and cost of living got so high.
Really? I thought Trump wanted falling grocery prices and more jobs and prosperity, and tariffs that would help the US economy not free drop the stock market and have Republican farmers and Federal Employees hating on him !
Although one of the things Trump wanted ,
was for the Republican Congressmen to spinelessly bend over backwards and lick his boots, which he is getting.
nah apparently he’s invading Canada & Mexico first
he did drop a line about panama... I forget, but something like... 'we're taking panama back.. however we do it...' ...just enough to keep the confused confused, and biting...
he dropped some great one liners actually
totally outrageous of course for a prez, but given 'the vibe' from the dems, pretty apt too...
got a chuckle out of pochohontis
my gawwwds the dems are in a mess, as evidenced through their absolute impotence on display throughout his speech, waving their little black (irrelevant) signs about, they looked pathetic... beyond pathetic...
which is a concern actually, as it takes a good opposition to keep a government honest, and they got nothing
like labor through the morrison years, but times 100!!
I'm American (well, dual citizen, fortunately as it will allow us to head out of the US soon) and I'd like to say that I hope that the brain virus that has affected the US doesn't spread to Australia. Like any country, you have your societal issues, but you've got a really good thing going. Over the past 15 years it's hard to overstate the level of lunacy that has developed here. The fervent belief in conspiracy theories, the F-everybody attitude and the love of guns are hard to believe.
I'll add that I started to type out some examples of interactions I've had in just the last few weeks, but it got way too long, and I don't know if anyone would believe them. (OK, I'll do one: A few Saturdays ago I ran into someone I knew. He recounted the previous evening: Sitting around with his GF, some beers and a bong., they got hungry and ordered a pizza delivery, after which they passed out. Startled awake by a knock on the door, he grabbed his Glock off the table, rushed to the door, threw it open and in his words "almost shot the delivery man." And he thought it was the coolest, funniest story ever.)
There are root causes, but probably best to leave that discussion for another day. If theories on the subject interest you, I'd suggest the book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire.
Welcome aboard old mate.
Some of us have thought that about the States long before Trump. The USA definitely have had a mind virus for too long.
Supafreak wrote:Confusion wrote:flollo wrote:Supafreak wrote:Well I guess this rules out Trump using military force to take over the Panama Canal. It was never going to happen but some fake news websites get dollars for clicks . https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-panama-canal-beijing-hutchison-blac...
Yes, Trump is slowly but surely getting what he wants. It’s no wonder that he’s so cocky. He thinks he’s on top of the world. But he’s oblivious to the fact that what he wants is what a lot of people don’t want. He doesn’t care if he burns people in the process.
Non related but I just realised that the last time the US had a budget surplus is 25 years ago. 25 years of running monster deficits. And people are surprised that assets got inflated and cost of living got so high.
Really? I thought Trump wanted falling grocery prices and more jobs and prosperity, and tariffs that would help the US economy not free drop the stock market and have Republican farmers and Federal Employees hating on him !
Although one of the things Trump wanted ,
was for the Republican Congressmen to spinelessly bend over backwards and lick his boots, which he is getting.nah apparently he’s invading Canada & Mexico first
Apparently you’re stuck in your own little void where you’re always right and can never be wrong, good luck with that.
Confusion wrote:Supafreak wrote:Confusion wrote:flollo wrote:Supafreak wrote:Well I guess this rules out Trump using military force to take over the Panama Canal. It was never going to happen but some fake news websites get dollars for clicks . https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-panama-canal-beijing-hutchison-blac...
Yes, Trump is slowly but surely getting what he wants. It’s no wonder that he’s so cocky. He thinks he’s on top of the world. But he’s oblivious to the fact that what he wants is what a lot of people don’t want. He doesn’t care if he burns people in the process.
Non related but I just realised that the last time the US had a budget surplus is 25 years ago. 25 years of running monster deficits. And people are surprised that assets got inflated and cost of living got so high.
Really? I thought Trump wanted falling grocery prices and more jobs and prosperity, and tariffs that would help the US economy not free drop the stock market and have Republican farmers and Federal Employees hating on him !
Although one of the things Trump wanted ,
was for the Republican Congressmen to spinelessly bend over backwards and lick his boots, which he is getting.nah apparently he’s invading Canada & Mexico first
Apparently you’re stuck in your own little void where you’re always right and can never be wrong, good luck with that.
Nah mate you were the one repeating more than once that Trump was going to invade 4 countries , two that he happened to share borders with, you kept doubling down on this so FU .
Trump believes he will get Greenland one way or another . Population of 57,000 , just offer them a million bucks each might do the trick .
mick66 wrote:I'm American (well, dual citizen, fortunately as it will allow us to head out of the US soon) and I'd like to say that I hope that the brain virus that has affected the US doesn't spread to Australia. Like any country, you have your societal issues, but you've got a really good thing going. Over the past 15 years it's hard to overstate the level of lunacy that has developed here. The fervent belief in conspiracy theories, the F-everybody attitude and the love of guns are hard to believe.
I'll add that I started to type out some examples of interactions I've had in just the last few weeks, but it got way too long, and I don't know if anyone would believe them. (OK, I'll do one: A few Saturdays ago I ran into someone I knew. He recounted the previous evening: Sitting around with his GF, some beers and a bong., they got hungry and ordered a pizza delivery, after which they passed out. Startled awake by a knock on the door, he grabbed his Glock off the table, rushed to the door, threw it open and in his words "almost shot the delivery man." And he thought it was the coolest, funniest story ever.)
There are root causes, but probably best to leave that discussion for another day. If theories on the subject interest you, I'd suggest the book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire.
I agree mick66
I’ve always thought that every body having the right to bear arms, would create a sense of power and at the same time paranoia,amongst the general population,
Which manifests itself in the MAGA mindset.
Confusion wrote:mick66 wrote:I'm American (well, dual citizen, fortunately as it will allow us to head out of the US soon) and I'd like to say that I hope that the brain virus that has affected the US doesn't spread to Australia. Like any country, you have your societal issues, but you've got a really good thing going. Over the past 15 years it's hard to overstate the level of lunacy that has developed here. The fervent belief in conspiracy theories, the F-everybody attitude and the love of guns are hard to believe.
I'll add that I started to type out some examples of interactions I've had in just the last few weeks, but it got way too long, and I don't know if anyone would believe them. (OK, I'll do one: A few Saturdays ago I ran into someone I knew. He recounted the previous evening: Sitting around with his GF, some beers and a bong., they got hungry and ordered a pizza delivery, after which they passed out. Startled awake by a knock on the door, he grabbed his Glock off the table, rushed to the door, threw it open and in his words "almost shot the delivery man." And he thought it was the coolest, funniest story ever.)
There are root causes, but probably best to leave that discussion for another day. If theories on the subject interest you, I'd suggest the book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire.I agree mick66
I’ve always thought that every body having the right to bear arms, would create a sense of power and at the same time paranoia,amongst the general population,
Which manifests itself in the MAGA mindset.
What have you got against “ bear arms “ besides being a bit hairy ?
Confusion wrote:mick66 wrote:I'm American (well, dual citizen, fortunately as it will allow us to head out of the US soon) and I'd like to say that I hope that the brain virus that has affected the US doesn't spread to Australia. Like any country, you have your societal issues, but you've got a really good thing going. Over the past 15 years it's hard to overstate the level of lunacy that has developed here. The fervent belief in conspiracy theories, the F-everybody attitude and the love of guns are hard to believe.
I'll add that I started to type out some examples of interactions I've had in just the last few weeks, but it got way too long, and I don't know if anyone would believe them. (OK, I'll do one: A few Saturdays ago I ran into someone I knew. He recounted the previous evening: Sitting around with his GF, some beers and a bong., they got hungry and ordered a pizza delivery, after which they passed out. Startled awake by a knock on the door, he grabbed his Glock off the table, rushed to the door, threw it open and in his words "almost shot the delivery man." And he thought it was the coolest, funniest story ever.)
There are root causes, but probably best to leave that discussion for another day. If theories on the subject interest you, I'd suggest the book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire.I agree mick66
I’ve always thought that every body having the right to bear arms, would create a sense of power and at the same time paranoia,amongst the general population,
Which manifests itself in the MAGA mindset.
That manifested itself long ago numbnuts. Long before your maga obsession.
seeds wrote:Confusion wrote:mick66 wrote:I'm American (well, dual citizen, fortunately as it will allow us to head out of the US soon) and I'd like to say that I hope that the brain virus that has affected the US doesn't spread to Australia. Like any country, you have your societal issues, but you've got a really good thing going. Over the past 15 years it's hard to overstate the level of lunacy that has developed here. The fervent belief in conspiracy theories, the F-everybody attitude and the love of guns are hard to believe.
I'll add that I started to type out some examples of interactions I've had in just the last few weeks, but it got way too long, and I don't know if anyone would believe them. (OK, I'll do one: A few Saturdays ago I ran into someone I knew. He recounted the previous evening: Sitting around with his GF, some beers and a bong., they got hungry and ordered a pizza delivery, after which they passed out. Startled awake by a knock on the door, he grabbed his Glock off the table, rushed to the door, threw it open and in his words "almost shot the delivery man." And he thought it was the coolest, funniest story ever.)
There are root causes, but probably best to leave that discussion for another day. If theories on the subject interest you, I'd suggest the book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire.I agree mick66
I’ve always thought that every body having the right to bear arms, would create a sense of power and at the same time paranoia,amongst the general population,
Which manifests itself in the MAGA mindset.That manifested itself long ago numbnuts. Long before your maga obsession.
How come you couldn’t understand what Wax 24 was talking about regarding deportation raids in school the other day ?
Don’t numb nut me” dead head”
seeds wrote:wax24 wrote:andy-mac wrote:On a side note, was talking to a Californian mate yesterday and asked him what it was like with Trump.
He basically said that Californian authorities are just ignoring federal orders etc
ICE are not getting any cooperation by local authorities as one example.Think Trump will hit some domestic roadblocks sooner than later.
My best friend’s 10 yr old daughter was sent home from school with a memo to parents to please speak to their kids to prep them to see their peers being taken away from campus.
Hi Wax
What does that mean? Why?
Shows your low level of comprehension
Dumb nuts.
Some fallout from the Oval Office ambush.
Michael Popok
“A tremendous win for democracy and the rule of law “. as the Supreme Court votes against the Trump administration, and orders them to turn the funding back on to USAid.
What has shaped Twumpy?
Where can I get some right wing bias for Trump? Fox News? Everything I keep seeing/reading sounds fucked what he is saying and doing, but perhaps that’s all coming from left wing outlets, I don’t know.
Wish I was more versed in this stuff, but it really makes me uncomfortable what appears to be happening over there.
Nick Bone wrote:Where can I get some right wing bias for Trump? Fox News? Everything I keep seeing/reading sounds fucked what he is saying and doing, but perhaps that’s all coming from left wing outlets, I don’t know.
Wish I was more versed in this stuff, but it really makes me uncomfortable what appears to be happening over there.
Because everything Trump is saying and doing is fucked up .What part of Project 2025 and wannabe dictator don’t you get?
If you want everything to be normalised and comfortable try Fox News, they’ll give you some nice right wing bias, to make you feel more self righteous.
Your not the only one that is in bewilderment.
Nick Bone wrote:Where can I get some right wing bias for Trump? Fox News? Everything I keep seeing/reading sounds fucked what he is saying and doing, but perhaps that’s all coming from left wing outlets, I don’t know.
Wish I was more versed in this stuff, but it really makes me uncomfortable what appears to be happening over there.
Trust me it's only a left wing take on things, there is so much positive news stories and takes, on a whole variety of things that are being done, but yeah Fox i guess is the main media channel but others also report it as an example this video below from today.
Remember this was one of the major election issue's.
Poll on Trump's 2025 joint address to Congress finds large majority of viewers approve
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-speech-joint-address-congress-poll-2025/
Not sure if this has been mentioned earlier but 538 is being shut down. Accurate data is going to be harder to find.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/disney-abc-news-job-st...
indo-dreaming wrote:Nick Bone wrote:Where can I get some right wing bias for Trump? Fox News? Everything I keep seeing/reading sounds fucked what he is saying and doing, but perhaps that’s all coming from left wing outlets, I don’t know.
Wish I was more versed in this stuff, but it really makes me uncomfortable what appears to be happening over there.
Trust me it's only a left wing take on things, there is so much positive news stories and takes, on a whole variety of things that are being done, but yeah Fox i guess is the main media channel but others also report it as an example this video below from today.
Remember this was one of the major election issue's.
A whole variety of things , like the border,
Not the crashing stock market or increasing inflation since the tariffs, or thousands of vital Federal Employees terminated indiscriminately, or important agencies being axed and $800 billion cut from Medicaid , or farmers going broke, because they’re losing overseas markets because of tariffs and their undocumented employees not turning up any more for fear of deportation.
Not to mention the US is now aligned with their traditional adversary Russia , thanks to Trump’s ideological views.
Yes Fox definitely won’t be mentioning them if they can help it,
isn’t that reassuring?
blackers wrote:Not sure if this has been mentioned earlier but 538 is being shut down. Accurate data is going to be harder to find.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/disney-abc-news-job-st...
Yeah that sucks. 538 is one of the greatest data sources on the web. The only positive that I can think of is that individuals/teams won't just dissaper, they will start new startups and projects that will hopefully be as good as this one.
The only stupid question is one that isn’t asked.
Cumquat
Confusion, Trump's share market is mainly flat as of today. It's volatile, but flat since Trump took the office. Nasdaq is 3% down from peak I think. Bitcoin is on $90k, hardly a crash. I do expect it to get a lot worse, 2025 is a write off and a buying opportunity.
Biden killed the market in 2022. S&P lost more than a 1,000 points which was a 25% drop. Tech got slaughtered, 40-50% drops. But I don't blaim Biden for it. In isolation, this looks shocking. But everyone who persisted in the market during these crashes would've made big gains since covid. President certainly influences the markets but it's not the only factor. I'll judge Trump at the end of his presidency.
flollo wrote:blackers wrote:Not sure if this has been mentioned earlier but 538 is being shut down. Accurate data is going to be harder to find.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/disney-abc-news-job-st...Yeah that sucks. 538 is one of the greatest data sources on the web. The only positive that I can think of is that individuals/teams won't just dissaper, they will start new startups and projects that will hopefully be as good as this one.
Also the National Weather Service and NOAA are being drastically cut , just before a predicted super tornado season,
Probably to do with Trump’s other policy of climate change denial!
How about the fact checking of Trump? Isn’t there blatant lies coming out of his mouth.
How/why was it that Ukraine invaded Russia off the top of my head?
Im not speaking in a matter of fact but it sure didn’t seem like it played out like that when it kicked off.
Hilarious how the brainwashed Trump disciples lap up the lies and alternate reality propaganda and cling to the few good points while completely ignoring the mountain of shit his chaos is creating.
MAGA is at the expense of Australia and the rest of the world, so in effect they are cheering on the opposition.
The ASX is down 3.3% in the last month and millions of retirees are watching their hard-earned super funds drop while hoping Trumps clueless tariff policies don't go through the world financial markets like a wrecking ball.
Many Trump supporters are jealous low life bottom feeders with fuck all to lose and would love to see the whole system crash so they can smash and grab a pair of Nike Air Jordans.
Nick Bone wrote:How about the fact checking of Trump? Isn’t there blatant lies coming out of his mouth.
How/why was it that Ukraine invaded Russia off the top of my head?
Im not speaking in a matter of fact but it sure didn’t seem like it played out like that when it kicked off.
Exactly, that’s what everyone is complaining about, his blatant lies to the world,
It doesn’t worry @ Indo though, he can explain it all to himself.
Do the Trump lovers here agree that climate change is a hoax started by China, so drill baby drill and burn that liquid gold and reopen coal power stations.
@Nick Bone. Get a cup of coffee and watch @john_c's Bernie Sanders clip on this thread above, posted at 7:30am. Bernie has too many opinions to ever get up, but he's really great, like watching a jim henson creation who is intelligent and has the right idea about things, but has spent 100 years down a hole writing a book about it and has a short audience with us humans to explain the gist.
seeds wrote:Welcome aboard old mate.
Some of us have thought that about the States long before Trump. The USA definitely have had a mind virus for too long.
Hey thanks.
You're correct, the US has had the ingredients that have brought us to its current state since before it was even a country. That said, things have changed radically in the last 20 years. You can trace a path from Rush Limbaugh, to Newt Gingrich, to Fox News, to the Tea Party, and finally to Trump. None of them would have had a place without a welcoming segment of the public, which they all exploited.
I'd say Trump is more the dabs of peroxide, and the general public the resin, but either way, it's kicking off white hot at the moment.
Last week I watched as a jacked up pickup truck did circles around the block with two giant flags streaming. One was Trump 2024, Make America Great Again, and the other was from 2021: "Trump WON!!!". Trump gives meaning to people with otherwise pointless lives.
btw, there was a mobile home (trailer home)just off one of our busier highways that was so decrepit that you could see the pink insulation as you drove by. In late 2020, the owner planted a "Trump 2020, Keep America Great!!!" flag.
Trump's 4 years had obviously done nothing to improve his life, but at least he knew Trump would keep dishing out the pain.
Even if they lost their jobs, and homes and had to become a Nazi , they’d still vote for Trump!
I'm even surprised that so many people feel outraged as Americans want to isolate themselves? Isn't that what everyone wanted?
dead right flollo...
also, the very same people who constantly complained for decades about american hegemony and american influence...
are now the ones wigging out the most
about a loss of american hegemony and american influence
strange times indeed...
related, but different, an interesting perspective from this guy, another former democrat...
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2025/03/04/americans_can_no_l...
The wait time to receive a disability , social security, pension , after applying in the US
Has gone from an average of
28 minutes in 2024 , to an average of 230 days now under the Trump administration.
So social security is already being cut,
Confusion wrote:The wait time to receive a disability , social security, pension , after applying in the US
Has gone from an average of
28 minutes in 2024 , to an average of 230 days now under the Trump administration.
So social security is already being cut,
Jeff, whatever happened to the USA invading Canada, Mexico and Greenland?
flollo wrote:blackers wrote:Not sure if this has been mentioned earlier but 538 is being shut down. Accurate data is going to be harder to find.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/disney-abc-news-job-st...Yeah that sucks. 538 is one of the greatest data sources on the web. The only positive that I can think of is that individuals/teams won't just dissaper, they will start new startups and projects that will hopefully be as good as this one.
Yes Nate Silver is hopeful.
https://app.smartmailcloud.com/web-share/QSzkVW7JLs9ZR1surdo40YW0I8HFrOt...
Nick Bone wrote:How about the fact checking of Trump? Isn’t there blatant lies coming out of his mouth.
How/why was it that Ukraine invaded Russia off the top of my head?
Im not speaking in a matter of fact but it sure didn’t seem like it played out like that when it kicked off.
It's actually wild how much he gets away with telling enormous lies. His supporters don't care though, as shown by how polls show they lapped up his speech to congress. Here's a fact check video from said speech.
https://www.factcheck.org/2025/03/video-factchecking-trumps-address-to-c...
Note: Dave Portnoy luurves Trump.
Septic Tanks are going to Septic Tank