Speaking of WSJ, it seems like Rupert Murdoch walks a fine line these days. WSJ is increasingly bold about how Trump is bad for US business. But for FOX News, Trump IS business.
For all my left leaning American friends that might assume a minority government is disappointing, I would like to note that the dynamics of the Canadian political system are very different and, rather than impeding progressive ideals, a minority government will force the Liberals to get the buy in of one of the more left leaning parties in order to pass its agenda. They will likely turn to the greatly diminished NDP for votes, which will give the NDP actual leverage. Minority governments (for either party) lean more left than majority because you are pretty much always looking to your left for the needed votes.
“publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.” - what we in Australia call a dog-whistle to supporters of the party stoking the fire. In America this is a scarier situation due to your citizenry being ridiculously over-armed, and the demonstrated violent tendencies of the MAGA cultists.
On the situation with the declining polls, you can tell how much your Criminal In Chief cares by his meltdown - calling polls illegal and the pollsters criminals. Truth hurts baby lol.
Don't undersell the possibility of a Trump-Modi meeting of the minds - the Autocrats that play together stay together!
Decision Day in Canada - Our mates in Canada decided that anything close to Trumpism (and basically so-called Conservatism as a brand), is a no go. We have our election here in Australia this Saturday and early chatter is the Trump factor isn't helping the right-wing Conservative party here either (funnily enough called the Liberals). Their Robocop leader Peter Dutton has been fending off comparisons to Trump for weeks, even whilst platforming some Trump-Lite policies. He's an ex-Qld copper and they are notorious here in Oz, so a loss couldn't happen to a more deserving bloke lol. Our local rich wingnut is trying his luck with the Trumpet of Patriots Party, but they have as much chance of winning as sniffing a fart in a hurricane. Looks like Trumpism might have damaged the Conservative brand internationally, but we'll see if it is the beginning of a trend come Saturday.
" Leaders should have the courage of their own convictions."
I suppose you can argue that these shih tzus that make up the Republican Party nowadays are doing that when they continue to support and defend glorious leader despite the anger his actions have engendered among the public. When they make fools of themselves trying to justify the way he's been trampling on just about everyone and everything that made America great, it beggars the imagination that they don't really believe the garbage they're spewing.
1) How Trump responds to them (because he is a notorious watcher of ratings and polls and cares a lot about them); and
2) The knock-on effects of herding. Polling can help create a cycle of belief, not necessarily attached to reality. It showcases the power of Vox Populi in the human psyche. If all of these people believe X, then X must be true--a logical fallacy, but it has persuasive power.
MEMO to Colin Carroll - you talk of Pete using his time wisely. Agree ...... AND take your own advice. Spend YOUR time wisely. Interviewing with (fired by NBC for the racist activity of wearing 'black face') Megyn Kelly won't end well. She's got JBPD - journalism bi polar disorder. And, as a devote Trumper she'll be signing Pete's praises any time now, for his war against this, that and the other thing.
So thankful, what an incentive to those that have not already voted, to get out and vote for the strongest leader and most knowledgeable about the world’s economy. Read Michael ‘s article on why we need that life experience to protect Canada from Trumpists.
Regarding the recent polls, I'm waiting for Trump to issue an EO or a DOJ directive aimed at investigating them all for election interference or some such nonsense.
Harvard faculty and their ilk just want an excuse to continue being left wing echo chambers. That doesn't mean the feds have a right to dictate what's taught there - though they're certainly entitled to stop subsidizing it. Whether that cure would be worse than the disease is a valid subject for debate. But don't kid yourself that those universities are acting in any better faith than Trump.
A good share of Harvard’s budget goes to the medical school, medical research, and their affiliated hospitals—Dana Farber, Mass General, and Brigham and Women’s. Curious to understand how those shake out as left-wing echo chambers. Cancer treatments don’t have a political leaning, do they?
This is another typical Right Wing trope--Universities as hotbeds of subversive activity and out of the norm political ideologies.
Strangely, all of this subversive activity and out of the norm political ideology doesn't seem to pan out much in the beliefs and behaviors of the graduates. How many of these consevrative legal minds are graduates of these institututions? How many major corporate leaders/CEOs?
IOW, the strange or out of the ordinary ideas of some members of the faculty (particularly in the social sciences) don't seem to get much traction. Most students (particularly those in Law or STEM or Business) probably never encounter them--so the college/university experience is not the huge ideology shaping thing people like to play it up to be.
The current ScotUS justices hail from either Harvard or Yale (with the exception of Barrett--Notre Dame). Seems like a mixed bag.
Like with most things, you have the meme/propaganda version of the thing and then there is the actual thing.
Having watched the MAGA echo chamber take over the GOP and enforce its own mythology, and now seeing its psychopathic cult leader trying to use the power of the state to stifle criticism of himself and seeing his cheerleaders exploit his despotic ambitions as a way of commandeering the culture and forcing it into a reactionary Christan nationalist mold - for which Orban's Hungary and even Putin's Russia are viewed as exemplars - I don't believe that MAGA-world is offering a "valid," good-faith cure for whatever is wrong with the universities.
You mean the "left wing echo chamber" that graduated Marxists like Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton?
"But don't kid yourself that those universities are acting in any better faith than Trump."
This is such right-wing drivel. Are these universities dismantling democracy and due process and actively subverting the rule of law? Are these universities led by psychopaths who lie literally every time they open their mouths? Are these universities weaponizing the FBI, DOJ and DHS to KIDNAP people who are in this country LEGALLY and sending them to a death camp in El Salvador? Are they manipulating the markets with tariff chaos, pumping and dumping their way into hundred of millions of dollars while working people watch their retirement accounts crater?
O come on! Do you really think that the recipients of the majority of the $2B in federal grants are committed to left wing ideology? Think again - most of them are scientists and may be left leaning (open minds to scientific inquiry!) but are largely apolitical. Been there, done that!
Decades ago there was roughly an even split in the science world between conservatives and liberals. Then with the republican war on science beginning under Reagan, things began to change so now there has been a major shift from rough equality to primarily liberal. The evangelical presence on the right doesn't help the right to immerse itself in reality either.
Probably worth noting that Karoline Leavitt ran for the republican nomination in the 3rd district in the State of New Hampshire. She lost substantially in the primary. I might not she was the only candidate who failed to pick up her street signs around North Conway. So it's no surprise that she would wind up as a stray cat in the Trump program. No skills, no vision, no future I'll wager.
Did she pay off her campaign debt? In January Yahoo News reported that “ Leavitt made changes to 17 financial reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Leavitt’s campaign had hid $300,000 in campaign debt from her failed 2022 congressional campaign. Nearly two-thirds of the new debt derives from mandated refunds to donors who gave more than the campaign contribution limit.” No wonder why she fits right in with Felon Trump’s administration.
Actually, Leavitt won the primary and was the GOP candidate for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in 2022. She lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas.
There's an element affecting Trump's polls that I think we've been waiting for and that is for the right-wing media bubble to crack a little. Negative reactions to Trump are starting to come from inside the house and that is the one thing we needed to happen in order to move people away from this guy. If every story on Fox & other MAGA media channels (Rogan, Kirk, etc.) were still spouting his lies and defending him, his poll numbers would still be strong. The veil is perhaps starting to drop from some MAGA eyes.
They're claiming - Trump's not the same person, he's changed. We were lied to! We didn't think he was going to do THIS! However they're rationalizing their change of heart, because the disenchantment with Trump is starting to come from voices Trump supporters listen to, this understanding of his incompetence is getting through and I think once that dam breaks, his numbers are going to implode even more.
The Wall Street Journal has been leading the way. Felon Trump always overreaches. This time there are few people to keep him focused, and when they start leaving, the dam will be breached.
And this is where I hate to admit I'm actually a little happy that the stock market is tanking because it's the one thing that will get the money people who supported him to realize they made a bad bet. Seeing the business community speculating about whether Trump is just plain nuts does get through to voters.
The don't care a whit about his trampling of the Constitution and his threat to our democracy, but when it hits their pocketbooks it's a different story.
That's what I've been hoping for. A handful of people on the right could make a huge difference, and the media would be the most persuasive to others.
I mean, as far as I can tell, Republican senators will continue to do NOTHING unless and until they 1) lose high-dollar donors and 2) find their re-election in jeopardy. It could happen, I guess, but the media abandoning Trmp would be the catalyst.
This disenchantment is helped by the fact that Republican elected officials refuse to hear complaints in town halls for the most part. When they have not handled it well.
I am an educator in the Dewey tradition. Dewey believed people had to have experiences that helped them to understand how things worked. For some of us, a book, or article can suffice, or a lecture or discussion; for others it needs to be the catastrophic results of bad decisions on their own lives, like job loss, health care loss, and no more access to cancer treatment, life saving medications, etc... It will be really eye opening for many when the schools in the fall are depleted from lack of funding. So, for many personal experiences are necessary for them to understand that some things are bad. It is unfortunate because this administration is bringing lots of suffering to many, many people.
In today's Daily Beast there is an article about Trump telling Republicans to crack down on dissent at town hall meetings and to kick out agitators. Trump truly does not understand that these Representatives and Senators, even though elected by mostly Republican votes, are still there to serve ALL their constituents, whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents and they ALL have the right to attend town meetings and ask questions. They are further justified in expecting their Congressmen and Congresswomen to represent their economic and social needs while serving their districts. Joe Biden knew this. Trump and his fanatic loyalists do not.
This is so true. When Trump is hurting others, it doesn't matter as much. When he's hurting you, it does. And they can't spin away the pain his actions are causing.
It's been a minute since anyone on The Bulwark has written about Israel and Gaza (if that's not true, someone please point me to the latest piece). It's starting to look like strategic silence. If the news is as bad as it looks, please say so. If Israel's actions are defensible, can someone defend them? If not, can someone condemn them? I appreciated Will's write up on India and Pakistan, but it did highlight this glaring silence on the other major conflict that America has an interest in.
Speaking of WSJ, it seems like Rupert Murdoch walks a fine line these days. WSJ is increasingly bold about how Trump is bad for US business. But for FOX News, Trump IS business.
For all my left leaning American friends that might assume a minority government is disappointing, I would like to note that the dynamics of the Canadian political system are very different and, rather than impeding progressive ideals, a minority government will force the Liberals to get the buy in of one of the more left leaning parties in order to pass its agenda. They will likely turn to the greatly diminished NDP for votes, which will give the NDP actual leverage. Minority governments (for either party) lean more left than majority because you are pretty much always looking to your left for the needed votes.
Didn’t get Morning Shots today? Anyone else?
“publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.” - what we in Australia call a dog-whistle to supporters of the party stoking the fire. In America this is a scarier situation due to your citizenry being ridiculously over-armed, and the demonstrated violent tendencies of the MAGA cultists.
On the situation with the declining polls, you can tell how much your Criminal In Chief cares by his meltdown - calling polls illegal and the pollsters criminals. Truth hurts baby lol.
Don't undersell the possibility of a Trump-Modi meeting of the minds - the Autocrats that play together stay together!
Decision Day in Canada - Our mates in Canada decided that anything close to Trumpism (and basically so-called Conservatism as a brand), is a no go. We have our election here in Australia this Saturday and early chatter is the Trump factor isn't helping the right-wing Conservative party here either (funnily enough called the Liberals). Their Robocop leader Peter Dutton has been fending off comparisons to Trump for weeks, even whilst platforming some Trump-Lite policies. He's an ex-Qld copper and they are notorious here in Oz, so a loss couldn't happen to a more deserving bloke lol. Our local rich wingnut is trying his luck with the Trumpet of Patriots Party, but they have as much chance of winning as sniffing a fart in a hurricane. Looks like Trumpism might have damaged the Conservative brand internationally, but we'll see if it is the beginning of a trend come Saturday.
" Leaders should have the courage of their own convictions."
I suppose you can argue that these shih tzus that make up the Republican Party nowadays are doing that when they continue to support and defend glorious leader despite the anger his actions have engendered among the public. When they make fools of themselves trying to justify the way he's been trampling on just about everyone and everything that made America great, it beggars the imagination that they don't really believe the garbage they're spewing.
I agree with Sandra.
I expect billion dollar lawsuits of these media companies any day now.
Based on ABC caving on the Stephanopoulos lawsuit I'd count one down already.
The polls only really matter in two ways:
1) How Trump responds to them (because he is a notorious watcher of ratings and polls and cares a lot about them); and
2) The knock-on effects of herding. Polling can help create a cycle of belief, not necessarily attached to reality. It showcases the power of Vox Populi in the human psyche. If all of these people believe X, then X must be true--a logical fallacy, but it has persuasive power.
Polls only matter when the question is "is Joe Biden old"?
The last election cycle kind of points out the herding effect that you can get from polls WRT the Biden is old or the economy is bad.
It also highlights the potential to shape public perception through the targeted use of polls.
And this is why Trump cares and is calling the polls illegal & election interference. Bad numbers make his hair glue melt.
MEMO to Colin Carroll - you talk of Pete using his time wisely. Agree ...... AND take your own advice. Spend YOUR time wisely. Interviewing with (fired by NBC for the racist activity of wearing 'black face') Megyn Kelly won't end well. She's got JBPD - journalism bi polar disorder. And, as a devote Trumper she'll be signing Pete's praises any time now, for his war against this, that and the other thing.
So thankful, what an incentive to those that have not already voted, to get out and vote for the strongest leader and most knowledgeable about the world’s economy. Read Michael ‘s article on why we need that life experience to protect Canada from Trumpists.
Regarding the recent polls, I'm waiting for Trump to issue an EO or a DOJ directive aimed at investigating them all for election interference or some such nonsense.
You got it!
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-demands-investigations-into-pollsters-after-humiliating-results-they-are-sick/
Harvard faculty and their ilk just want an excuse to continue being left wing echo chambers. That doesn't mean the feds have a right to dictate what's taught there - though they're certainly entitled to stop subsidizing it. Whether that cure would be worse than the disease is a valid subject for debate. But don't kid yourself that those universities are acting in any better faith than Trump.
Tom Cotton
Ted Cruz
Ron DeSantis
Vivek Ramaswamy
Peter Navarro
Why would they go there if it's just a left-wing echo chamber?
A good share of Harvard’s budget goes to the medical school, medical research, and their affiliated hospitals—Dana Farber, Mass General, and Brigham and Women’s. Curious to understand how those shake out as left-wing echo chambers. Cancer treatments don’t have a political leaning, do they?
This is another typical Right Wing trope--Universities as hotbeds of subversive activity and out of the norm political ideologies.
Strangely, all of this subversive activity and out of the norm political ideology doesn't seem to pan out much in the beliefs and behaviors of the graduates. How many of these consevrative legal minds are graduates of these institututions? How many major corporate leaders/CEOs?
IOW, the strange or out of the ordinary ideas of some members of the faculty (particularly in the social sciences) don't seem to get much traction. Most students (particularly those in Law or STEM or Business) probably never encounter them--so the college/university experience is not the huge ideology shaping thing people like to play it up to be.
The current ScotUS justices hail from either Harvard or Yale (with the exception of Barrett--Notre Dame). Seems like a mixed bag.
Like with most things, you have the meme/propaganda version of the thing and then there is the actual thing.
Having watched the MAGA echo chamber take over the GOP and enforce its own mythology, and now seeing its psychopathic cult leader trying to use the power of the state to stifle criticism of himself and seeing his cheerleaders exploit his despotic ambitions as a way of commandeering the culture and forcing it into a reactionary Christan nationalist mold - for which Orban's Hungary and even Putin's Russia are viewed as exemplars - I don't believe that MAGA-world is offering a "valid," good-faith cure for whatever is wrong with the universities.
You mean the "left wing echo chamber" that graduated Marxists like Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton?
"But don't kid yourself that those universities are acting in any better faith than Trump."
This is such right-wing drivel. Are these universities dismantling democracy and due process and actively subverting the rule of law? Are these universities led by psychopaths who lie literally every time they open their mouths? Are these universities weaponizing the FBI, DOJ and DHS to KIDNAP people who are in this country LEGALLY and sending them to a death camp in El Salvador? Are they manipulating the markets with tariff chaos, pumping and dumping their way into hundred of millions of dollars while working people watch their retirement accounts crater?
What the hell are you talking about.
O come on! Do you really think that the recipients of the majority of the $2B in federal grants are committed to left wing ideology? Think again - most of them are scientists and may be left leaning (open minds to scientific inquiry!) but are largely apolitical. Been there, done that!
Decades ago there was roughly an even split in the science world between conservatives and liberals. Then with the republican war on science beginning under Reagan, things began to change so now there has been a major shift from rough equality to primarily liberal. The evangelical presence on the right doesn't help the right to immerse itself in reality either.
“Like garlic at Dracula.” What a line!
Probably worth noting that Karoline Leavitt ran for the republican nomination in the 3rd district in the State of New Hampshire. She lost substantially in the primary. I might not she was the only candidate who failed to pick up her street signs around North Conway. So it's no surprise that she would wind up as a stray cat in the Trump program. No skills, no vision, no future I'll wager.
Did she pay off her campaign debt? In January Yahoo News reported that “ Leavitt made changes to 17 financial reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Leavitt’s campaign had hid $300,000 in campaign debt from her failed 2022 congressional campaign. Nearly two-thirds of the new debt derives from mandated refunds to donors who gave more than the campaign contribution limit.” No wonder why she fits right in with Felon Trump’s administration.
Actually, Leavitt won the primary and was the GOP candidate for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in 2022. She lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas.
There's an element affecting Trump's polls that I think we've been waiting for and that is for the right-wing media bubble to crack a little. Negative reactions to Trump are starting to come from inside the house and that is the one thing we needed to happen in order to move people away from this guy. If every story on Fox & other MAGA media channels (Rogan, Kirk, etc.) were still spouting his lies and defending him, his poll numbers would still be strong. The veil is perhaps starting to drop from some MAGA eyes.
They're claiming - Trump's not the same person, he's changed. We were lied to! We didn't think he was going to do THIS! However they're rationalizing their change of heart, because the disenchantment with Trump is starting to come from voices Trump supporters listen to, this understanding of his incompetence is getting through and I think once that dam breaks, his numbers are going to implode even more.
The Wall Street Journal has been leading the way. Felon Trump always overreaches. This time there are few people to keep him focused, and when they start leaving, the dam will be breached.
And this is where I hate to admit I'm actually a little happy that the stock market is tanking because it's the one thing that will get the money people who supported him to realize they made a bad bet. Seeing the business community speculating about whether Trump is just plain nuts does get through to voters.
The don't care a whit about his trampling of the Constitution and his threat to our democracy, but when it hits their pocketbooks it's a different story.
Absolutely. Unfortunately they have money to give them a soft landing. Not so much you and, myself, and a few million others.
Nobody, but nobody, likes to take a loss.
From anecdotal evidence the more you have the more you hate to take a loss. Very Rich people don't seem to be able to easily accept losing money.
"once that dam breaks"
That's what I've been hoping for. A handful of people on the right could make a huge difference, and the media would be the most persuasive to others.
I mean, as far as I can tell, Republican senators will continue to do NOTHING unless and until they 1) lose high-dollar donors and 2) find their re-election in jeopardy. It could happen, I guess, but the media abandoning Trmp would be the catalyst.
This disenchantment is helped by the fact that Republican elected officials refuse to hear complaints in town halls for the most part. When they have not handled it well.
I am an educator in the Dewey tradition. Dewey believed people had to have experiences that helped them to understand how things worked. For some of us, a book, or article can suffice, or a lecture or discussion; for others it needs to be the catastrophic results of bad decisions on their own lives, like job loss, health care loss, and no more access to cancer treatment, life saving medications, etc... It will be really eye opening for many when the schools in the fall are depleted from lack of funding. So, for many personal experiences are necessary for them to understand that some things are bad. It is unfortunate because this administration is bringing lots of suffering to many, many people.
In today's Daily Beast there is an article about Trump telling Republicans to crack down on dissent at town hall meetings and to kick out agitators. Trump truly does not understand that these Representatives and Senators, even though elected by mostly Republican votes, are still there to serve ALL their constituents, whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents and they ALL have the right to attend town meetings and ask questions. They are further justified in expecting their Congressmen and Congresswomen to represent their economic and social needs while serving their districts. Joe Biden knew this. Trump and his fanatic loyalists do not.
This is so true. When Trump is hurting others, it doesn't matter as much. When he's hurting you, it does. And they can't spin away the pain his actions are causing.
The gored oxen are plentiful.
It's been a minute since anyone on The Bulwark has written about Israel and Gaza (if that's not true, someone please point me to the latest piece). It's starting to look like strategic silence. If the news is as bad as it looks, please say so. If Israel's actions are defensible, can someone defend them? If not, can someone condemn them? I appreciated Will's write up on India and Pakistan, but it did highlight this glaring silence on the other major conflict that America has an interest in.