They very well could be. So far they basically found more within a month than usually within a year. We will see the death toll at the end of Trumps term. I always measured previous candidates like that and they all failed.
US Politics the 2025 trump presidency thread
- Thread starter alasdairm
- Start date
disagree.
more generally, which objective metrics would you use to measure the goodness or badness of a presidency?
no way to know that.
she was a weak candidate, for sure.
alasdair
brokedownpalace10
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I did notice you said that. A bit harsh of you to put it that way. You do agree that the effects of Covid shutdown, the supply chain recovering from it, and the reduction in the workforce, were significant stressors on the economy?
And the international inflation and the domestic inflation do seem to be one and the same in this case, no? Peaking at the same time?
It was rising, 7% at passage and peaked at 9% exactly 6 months later in America.
Then began to drop, reaching slightly elevated levels of ~3% exactly one year after the peak. Worldwide inflation was ~5.5% at that time. Global inflation was still around 4.5% at the time of the November election, wasn't it? whereas we were at 2.7%
So, it may have had some effect either way.
I know the "vote buying" seemed to target the working and middle class.
It capped the price of insulin for seniors (capping for everyone was negotiated out by the Republicans.) It also eliminated the Donut Hole in drug plans for seniors which had been a huge problem apparently immune to fix for many years.
Other rather popular aspects included...
Universal preschool for all three and four-year-olds
Child-care cost cap of 7% of income for parents earning up to 250% of a state's median income (including faith-based child-care)
Hearing benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, including coverage for a new hearing aid every five years
One year of expanded child tax credits
More than one million new affordable housing units, and modernizing existing public housing
So, there's that.
What did you think of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed just four days ahead of Build Back Better? Did you agree with that?
The President has no control, but the Dems directly caused worldwide inflation. OK.
As to comprehension. I have repeatedly stated that the final stimulus packages may have been too much. Hell, the second or third one may have been too much.
I do know the IIJA has funded a critical freight corridor bridge, in dangerous condition, in my area. It carries around 3% of the nation's GDP annually, carrying 30,000 trucks and 160,000 vehicles per day. It was about to be privatized as a toll bridge to enable it's rebuilding.
So there's also that.
I guess I just think that, although America might have pulled out of inflation even more quickly without it, Build Back Better might not have been the direct cause of worldwide inflation you seem to think it was.
I know the Republicans certainly made every effort to message that at the time. Maybe the lack of business bailouts?
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fairnymph
Ex-Bluelighter
Is this true? Did Obama lie?
brokedownpalace10
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brokedownpalace10
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fairnymph
Ex-Bluelighter
Here’s a leftist content creator I enjoy:
i can't find any evidence that he said it.
of course, that doesn't mean he didn't say it.
but it's not on me to prove he didn't say it, it's on elon musk to prove that he did.
alasdair
fairnymph
Ex-Bluelighter
brokedownpalace10
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Trump said his Charlottesville statement was "debunked by Snoopes". But Snopes did add this statement to their fact check.
"Some readers have raised the objection that this fact check appears to assume Trump was correct in stating that there were "very fine people on both sides" of the Charlottesville incident. That is not the case. This fact check aimed to confirm what Trump actually said, not whether what he said was true or false. For the record, virtually every source that covered the Unite the Right debacle concluded that it was conceived of, led by and attended by white supremacists, and that therefore Trump's characterization was wrong."
We've been over this before and I don't feel like typing it up again. This article does a good job. The whole article is very good, in part it reads
"But Trump was suggesting that this racist event was not that bad because it included others. The rally, though, was organized by Nazis and white supremacists. It was not co-sponsored by Country Club Republicans for Robert E. Lee. There were no “very fine people” on the Nazi side. With that remark, Trump could only be referring to white supremacists and Nazis. Asserting good-hearted people were part of the Unite the Right hate-a-thon was a partial legitimization of this horrific gathering."
As they try to rewrite history and make this the "Charlottesville hoax, hoax", we need to remember the Tiki torch carrying neo-Nazis chanting, "Jews will not replace us" encircling peaceful protestors and beating the snot out of them the first night. And the neo-Nazi the next day plowing his car through the crowd killing one young lady and injuring many others.
Hard to find good people on both those sides.
"Some readers have raised the objection that this fact check appears to assume Trump was correct in stating that there were "very fine people on both sides" of the Charlottesville incident. That is not the case. This fact check aimed to confirm what Trump actually said, not whether what he said was true or false. For the record, virtually every source that covered the Unite the Right debacle concluded that it was conceived of, led by and attended by white supremacists, and that therefore Trump's characterization was wrong."
We've been over this before and I don't feel like typing it up again. This article does a good job. The whole article is very good, in part it reads
"But Trump was suggesting that this racist event was not that bad because it included others. The rally, though, was organized by Nazis and white supremacists. It was not co-sponsored by Country Club Republicans for Robert E. Lee. There were no “very fine people” on the Nazi side. With that remark, Trump could only be referring to white supremacists and Nazis. Asserting good-hearted people were part of the Unite the Right hate-a-thon was a partial legitimization of this horrific gathering."
As they try to rewrite history and make this the "Charlottesville hoax, hoax", we need to remember the Tiki torch carrying neo-Nazis chanting, "Jews will not replace us" encircling peaceful protestors and beating the snot out of them the first night. And the neo-Nazi the next day plowing his car through the crowd killing one young lady and injuring many others.
Hard to find good people on both those sides.
brokedownpalace10
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What Obama said was totally accurate. There were not fine people on both sides. It was white supremacist, neo-nazi rally. Not a bunch of little old ladies protesting a statue removal
Here's a poster for it
Rainman1964
Bluelighter
You have NO idea what the Nazi party was or is about. Read a fucking book on WWII history or some biographies about Hitler. What a comparison! Democrats are the party of hurt feelings and aggressive hate. No matter what, Dems will listen to the echo chambers and criticize and hate on Republicans. I will never subscribe ever to being a "MAGA" supporter. I am a conservative Republican in the sense that I agree with the deep digging into where the money is going. Dems keep spending money that does not exist. I believe in family, the sanctity of marriage, and believing in God and trying to live a good life. I agree with the attitude that we DO or did have too many federal agencies and employees. The way the firings happened out of the blue sucked. But who the fuck gets an 8 month severance? No one. So at the end, they still get stroked. I think they need to run the agencies more efficiently and be grateful you have a government job-- any job -- and go into the office if you must and quit bitching. The entitlement is epic. I have been in bad times throughout my life and someone stole my identify 4 years before the pandemic and a few times I need SNAP. But, I only used when I needed it and got off of it very quickly. I have gone to college at 50 and got a degree to which with my years of experience in my field, it brought up my salary. However, I live in the most high-priced area of California, and I'm the breadwinner, I have a student loan which I am going through an income base program, not a Biden program. Look how it is all a mess now.
A few things about me is that I believe in social services, but not in the way they trap people where they can't get out of it. If someone gets a job, they should start reducing cash aid and wait 6 months before taking any food stamps away. Most of all they need to help people get on their feet by showing them how to do this. Free school and training, etc. Not keep them trapped when they have a job so it's the job or aid. That is the government's fault. They created this mess. The Democrats created this mess. They took the dignity away from people and gave a message of you don't have to work if you don't want to -- some really can't -- because we will give you what you need. You do not depend on the government. We are supposed to depend on community. I believe this. All of the agendas and policies that Democrats push are to break up and discourage family, spirituality in the right way, abortion on the federal level, and taking the trans issue to an obnoxious level. You create problems and fuel them with your hate without any critical thinking. I am disgusted with this. I like to listen to others and what they believe in, I learn from everyone.
So, this Republican stand for this: I do not believe, nor like abortion. It needs to stay with the states. A woman's right in this is not gone. You can go to a state that has it. I can comment on this because I had an abortion when I was 27 and it is the single regret of my life. It was too easy to get and noone offered me options. I will never comment on anyone, nor judge, on a decision to get an abortion. It is here and it will stay. Fuck anyone who thinks they have a right to comment on some one else's life. Being a mother and wife is not a bad thing, when you find the right guy. I chose not to have children because i wanted the hariett and ozzy thing, but the mean are not like the men my father was because women fucked them up. Poor guys don't know whether to shit, come, or bleed.
But because I never married a man who would not love me for being a major slob, not housekeeper who hates and will not do the dishes, and teaches them to treat me like a goddess -- real pain in the ass -- I worked when I wanted to work, not because I had to. I am unconventional. I love the whole family thing. We have ALWAYS had the power, and the day women realize it and stop letting them think they have the power, women will always be a bunch of whiny bitches who will never find a guy or girl to spend their life with. Behing every fucked up man is the woman who fucked him up. But behind every great man is the woman who made him.
Men are simple. Feed him, fuck him, nurture him, support him -- teach him how to be a great man. If he is hopeless, move on. Don't let his inadequacies make who you are.
I believe that homosexuality is a beautiful thing in that I see same sex couples everywhere and many in my life, including a brother in law and a few cousins. But I don't identify them as just being gay. I see love between two people bringing up families that are living and strong. They have every right to have the same rights, health insurance, etc., and be the one who has the authority to hold their hand when they get sick or die, not get booted out of a 30 years relationship over a piece of paper. It is criminal. I adore trans people and support their life. However, I completely am against trans women in women's sports. it's a fucking joke. Only a total dickhead who couldn't make it in a man's world as a man would compete with a woman. Biologically, it's ludicrous. I don't give a shit who goes into what bathroom. If there is a stall, I'm okay. Trans women are not violent like that. Please, learn about the people and show any story where there are serial rapists or attackers running rammpant in ladies room.
The border needs to get the immigration department in order. Not deport -- only verified criminals -- and stop any new arrivals for several years and restructure the department for best way to run and efficient. Absolutely NO MONEY should be given to anyone who comes to America! My parents and there family came with nothing and made their way. If someone gets sick, there should be free clinics or a program to pay for healthcare on a sliding scale, but in California, we are taxed to death to pay for people I never met. If i wanted to pay for other people this way, I wouldve had children. They cut my mother's alzheimer's program to pay for immigrant's new life. If everyone did things right, jobs and the pay would be right way. Fuck wanting to pay under the table. These pay are human beings. And you are the reason we are in this mess!
I think that is all I have to say for now. Just because we have different ways we want our country to do things does not make us enemies. The Democrats started this hate over a president who will be gone in a few years. I hate it when Dems are in office. But I still respect and never tell one they are wrong in anything they believe.
Last thing -- fucking religion needs to stay out of government. they do not belong there. Separation mother fuckers.
V
lol. from the party of "fact checking is fake news". irony abounds.
let's assume he never said fine people...
almost every time he's given an opportunity to disavow white supremacists and literal nazis, he finds a way to fumble it, to equivocate, to send a muddled message.
at the first presidential debate he was invited to condemn white supremacists. a golden opportunity to say, simply and clearly, "the proud boys are a disgrace to america and i condemn them in the strongest possible terms". boom! problem solved.
what did he go with on the night? "proud boys. stand back and stand by." wtf?
when does anybody tell somebody to "stand by"? "stand by" means "wait there, we'll need you later." yeah, like on january 6th 2021?
when the white supremacists align themselves with you and you're given opportunity after opportunity to condemn them and you don't, well, don't get bent when people accuse you of racism.
alasdair
brokedownpalace10
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They twist and turn and change the narrative until eventually they have rewritten history. Trump said, basically "Neo-Nazis bad, but fine people on both sides".
That was obviously wrong and also "both sides-ed" it to legitimize the Neo-Nazis.
But, also and most importantly, he was trying to act as if the counter protestors (who were attacked viciously) fighting back against the Neo-Nazis were also in the wrong. Remember that this had culminated in the car being driven into the crowd. That was the big news. He was trying to act as if the counter protestors were at fault in some way for the violence.
So now, they are acting as if he never even said, "fine people on both sides" trying to rewrite the history. People forget and if you repeat your narrative long enough and often enough they remember differently.
Oh, and the Steele Dossier was an opposition research report where not all is expected to be true. A starting point for further investigation. And it was not all found to be false, parts of it were. It was not, "completely debunked".
I will admit that it was given way too much publicity as if it was all true. But c'mon, pee tapes?
What's the difference between a Chickpee and a Garbanzo Bean?
Trump wouldn't let a Garbanzo Bean on his face.
And also, Mueller found cooperation between Trump and Russia, just not enough evidence for conspiracy (collusion is not a legal term).
He also found Obstruction of Justice but said that impeachment was the proper avenue since he could not prosecute a sitting President.
Barr released his "summary" of the Mueller Report on March 24. Mueller sent him a letter on Mar 27 requesting the immediate release of the whole report stating, in part,
"I am requesting that you provide these
materials to Congress and authorize their public release at this time.
As we stated in our meeting of March 5 and reiterated to the Department early in the
afternoon of March 24, the introductions and executive summaries of our two-volume report
accurately summarize this Office's work and conclusions. The summary letter the Department
sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24 did not fully capture
the context, nature, and substance of this Office's work and conclusions. We communicated that
concern to the Department on the morning of March 25. There is now public confusion about
critical aspects of the results of our investigation."
So, the morning after Barr released his summary, Mueller was contacting him saying that it wasn't right.
Barr drug his feet for 4 more weeks so the story could blow over in the public's mind before he released the full (redacted) report.
The PDF was full of noise and hard to wade through but I did so at the time. So I'm going by what I read, not a news report on the subject, although honest commentators did find the same.
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4DQSAR
Bluelighter
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The ONLY source you have ever deemed to provide us with is social media - regarded as the MOST unreliable class of source available. Because there is absolutely NO fact-checking. Eventually other users can add context, but that takes days.
Then you choose to ONLY repost messages posted by Elon Musk and Donald Trump!
Are you really that stupid? Do you think that people who directly benefit from propaganda even care if what they say is a provable lie?
So forgive me for suggesting that in no way are you attempting to find unbiased sources - you are merely 'conclusion shopping'. The posts align with your prejudices so you uncritically believe them.
with which decades-long friend and ally will the u.s. pick a fight today because of the thin skin of some trump lackey??
answer: poland!
Rubio and Musk turn on Polish foreign minister in spat over Starlink use in Ukraine: ‘Be quiet small man’
"Secretary of State presses on with Trump administration’s efforts to make European nations profess gratitude
The Trump administration’s top diplomat joined DOGE chief Elon Musk in picking a fight with Poland’s foreign minister on Sunday as the three squabbled over Musk’s Starlink system and its use in Ukraine.
Sunday’s three-way exchange was just the latest example of American foreign relations turning into a blame game as Marco Rubio, the secretary of State, reiterated the White House’s position that Europe was insufficient with its praise and gratitude after three years of US support for Ukraine’s defense.
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, responded to the Tesla and X/Twitter CEO on social media after Musk barked back at a self-identified MAGA fan who rebuked him and Donald Trump for not treating Russia as the aggressor in the conflict. Musk’s tweet highlighted that his Starlink satellite program was crucial to Ukraine’s defense, and in doing so speculated about the consequences of him turning it off."
every day a new elon musk conflict of interest...
and marco rubio is our country's best an brightest diplomat? how about he tries a little, er, diplomacy?
jfc.
alasdair
answer: poland!
Rubio and Musk turn on Polish foreign minister in spat over Starlink use in Ukraine: ‘Be quiet small man’
"Secretary of State presses on with Trump administration’s efforts to make European nations profess gratitude
The Trump administration’s top diplomat joined DOGE chief Elon Musk in picking a fight with Poland’s foreign minister on Sunday as the three squabbled over Musk’s Starlink system and its use in Ukraine.
Sunday’s three-way exchange was just the latest example of American foreign relations turning into a blame game as Marco Rubio, the secretary of State, reiterated the White House’s position that Europe was insufficient with its praise and gratitude after three years of US support for Ukraine’s defense.
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, responded to the Tesla and X/Twitter CEO on social media after Musk barked back at a self-identified MAGA fan who rebuked him and Donald Trump for not treating Russia as the aggressor in the conflict. Musk’s tweet highlighted that his Starlink satellite program was crucial to Ukraine’s defense, and in doing so speculated about the consequences of him turning it off."
every day a new elon musk conflict of interest...
and marco rubio is our country's best an brightest diplomat? how about he tries a little, er, diplomacy?
jfc.
alasdair
arrall
Bluelight Crew
That's pretty much how it goes with the far-right on this website.
Any rebuttal or appeal to common sense is going to be ignored, and tomorrow they will be spouting the same debunked talking points as mindless drones instrumental to far-right ideology.
It feels like interacting with bots, and honestly gives their Dead Internet Theory some credence.
fairnymph
Ex-Bluelighter
Factually untrue. Twitter (and YouTube) both have fact-checking - contrary to your claim. YouTube is pretty shoddy, but Twitter has excellent and fast fact checking. I’m part of the community notes program so I know how it works. It’s very balanced and even Elon gets fact-checked regularly.
I’ve been linking to specific videos of primary source material, because I can’t upload those videos here. If we’re talking about Elon then videos of Elon are appropriate, regardless of where they came from. If we’re talking about what Trump said then messages Trump posted are appropriate, regardless of where they came from. Unless you’re disputing that those videos and messages are somehow fake? Most here are posting social media as well - if they post any sources at all. You may not like my sources, but at least I post some!
I’ve also posted YouTuber content from both ‘sides’ of the spectrum - which no one has bothered to respond to. And just because I post a Tweet from someone, doesn’t mean I agree. Like at the top of the page, where I was asking a question?
I also JUST posted a message from the post millennial higher up on this page. This is a shamefully slanderous post, and everyone who liked it should feel ashamed as well.
4DQSAR
Bluelighter
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Twitter has 'excellent and fast acting' fact-checking?
Elon Musk’s Main Tool for Fighting Disinformation on X Is Making the Problem Worse, Insiders Claim
X is promoting Community Notes to solve its disinformation problems, but some former employees and people who currently contribute notes say it’s not fit for that purpose.
So only 5 people in 24 hours have to ask for a community note to be added (which one may consider a low threashold but ANYONE can add such a note)? It then goes to some unknown human agency who decides IF a note is appropriate and if so, it then goes through a process of all of the notes being prioritized and the one with the highest 'rank' is used (after a second round of human agency checking) - but they don't get to see any other note to compare. BUT at any stage, it's possible for someone or the algorithm to decide no communuty note is required PURELY BASED on how many people LIKED the post. Again, who is doing the liking also plays a part in ranking how visible a post is. A handful of people with a lot of followers can, in effect, prevent a community note from being added.
Posts with misinformation on X become 'ineligible for revenue share' says Musk | TechCrunch
X posts that are corrected by Community Notes, the platform's crowd-sourced fact-checking system, will become "ineligible for revenue share," Elon Musk
techcrunch.com
Elon Musk EXPLICITLY stated that once a community note is added, a tweet is demonitized - forgetting to mention that neither he not Donald Trump ARE monitized. But look at the source-code and once demonatized, the algorithm changes. It becomes a pure popularity contest.
So let's see - a handful of people can agree that a certain context needs to be added and request such. Once added, it cannot be altered. See the problem here? It's not based on a majority - only the first FIVE people! The source-code is in the public sphere:
communitynotes/sourcecode at main · twitter/communitynotes
Documentation and source code powering Twitter's Community Notes - twitter/communitynotes
github.com
Why don't you make the effort to READ how scoring works (run_scoring.py) because it has a MASSIVE problem. Actually it has several massive problems but it ASSUMES a post is true until PROVEN otherwise. How it decides whose posting a truthful statement is in no way based on the NUMBER of people who agree but on a ranking system. Someone with a 'loud voice' will be believed over many people who provide a different correction. When the ranking system actually REDUCES someones rank because they have previously requested a community note, what does that tell you? That anyone who actually sets out to fact-check will experience there corrections being ignored. Do you think that's a good idea or a bad idea?
That's why critical analysis of Twitter has taken place to put it's weaknesses into a more digestable form.
Community Notes and its Narrow Understanding of Disinformation | TechPolicy.Press
Nadia Jude and Dr. Ariadna Matamoros-Fernández find "Community Notes" is ill-equipped to address harmful narratives often deeply entwined with disinformation.
www.techpolicy.press
So other platforms have analysed the Twitter algorithm and realized that it's only of value within very narror parameters. I'm under no illusion that Meta is also in the business of making money but if you analyze the code, you can see how they arrived at those conclusions.
And you still ONLY provide posts by Elon Musk (owner of Twitter) and his boss, Donald Trump. Yet you see no conflict of interest?
It just re-enforces my statement that you aren't interested in a balanced coverage - you uncritically bleat whatever thay say. You haven't provided ANY reference other than social media.
I don't know if you are a programmer, but it's fairly easy to read. It's a high-level language although you need to look at the global definitions to understand what elements of a users profile is used to rank them. I spotted that reposting is considered i.e. you can gain rank by doing nothing more than reposting.
Yet you still do not see that every single post you have made on this thread merely re-enforces the fact that you uncritically believe people who have a vested interest in lying! Incredible! You have ONLY EVER used social media - an information source NOBODY uses. Posts are sometimes made, but only to highlight how ridiculously BAD social media IS. For humour value alone.
But you ARE simply conclusion shopping. EVERYONE can see that.
BTW you may assert that the huge number of Twitter users are a safety-feature. But who are they?
Over 80% of Twitter accounts are likely bots: Former FBI security specialist
Amidst the ongoing legal jabs from both Twitter and Elon Musk’s legal teams, it becomes pretty easy to lose the narrative. But while media coverage would likely give the impression that Musk is simply trying to weasel out of a $44 billion deal, the two parties’ conflict is actually based on a...
www.teslarati.com
Well, 80% of them are bots - so they all follow each other to built up that 'loudest voice' I mentioned. So remember that - 4 out of 5 likes and reposts (at least) were not made by people. In fact, most bots are far more active that human users.
GitHub - cybera/tweepy_bot: Home of a basic twitter bot for DS4A workshops
Home of a basic twitter bot for DS4A workshops . Contribute to cybera/tweepy_bot development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
I enclose the source-code for a Twitter bot. There are DOZENS of them on-line. They even make use of AI to overcome any 'Are you Human' tests.
So remember that - chances are if someone likes or reposts something YOU write, it's a bot, not a person. Of course, it's flattering if you don't realize it's a bot.
Can you detect bots? Yes.
Secure Your Website with Bot Blocking and Prevention
Keep malicious bots at bay with our advanced bot blocking technology. Detect and block harmful bots using in-depth behavior analysis and multi-layered fingerprinting, ensuring a secure browsing experience for real users.
fingerprinting-api.com
It's free - so why not take a post by Elon Musk and look at all of the LIKES and REPOSTS. I did.
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