Haha, yes! Footnote 5 gave me a good laugh. Well done JVL, both in terms of cultural references and as always in terms of meaningful observations and insights.
Yep. All of this. If Trump is a toddler with a gun (and yes, he is) then Musk is a toddler with a bazooka. When we start rooting for Loomer and Bannon, God help us all.
If I'm forced to choose--and I guess we all are--I'm more comfortable with nakedly self-serving authoritarians whose motivations are not obscured behind ideological zeal. What made Hitler, Mao, and Stalin the greatest monsters of the 20th century was the fact that they embued their megalomania with a conviction that they were serving a greater purpose than themselves, and got others to believe it.
If I understand the odds, Bannon expects Trump to choose the unwashed masses over Elon's money and power. Does he not know Trump after all this time? Plus it's my belief that Elon knows precisely how Trump won the election, and if either of them split from their compact, it would not be pretty.
For many years, as a hiring manager in technology, I prioritized applicants who were citizens. Spefically citizens who weren't white, northeast Asian, or Indian and male. Such hires are much faster to get through HR and also improve my performance evaluation. However, there aren't any.
The absence of qualified Black or Hispanic citizen applicants would be solved within two generations if we Americans as a people provided quality health care and education to the children of citizens that are poor. But we don't, and appearently, starting Monday, we won’t.
I'm confused by a point of view that criticizes companies for not hiring Black or Hispanic applicants but also cuts the programs that would produce them. That's buy-side economics. That's not Reagan.
I’ve finally watched the Bannon clips, courtesy of Seth Meyers, and I agree with JVL. If I didn’t know how terrible most of his politics are, I too would want to have a sit down with Bannon. I really hope he can take Elon down. I only wish he’d have a conversion experience and switch to our side. We could use someone like him.
I keep thinking that Trump's...uh...trump card is that if Elon gets too out of line he can just start canceling/neutering his government contracts while holding the guillotine of a treason charge over Musk's head.
Iran-Contra was Ronald Reagan's moment of treason. He should have been so tried. He knowingly sold weapons to Iran, which was officially designated at the time as an American enemy. Reagan was the 1980s Benedict Arnold. Except Reagan lied about it. This was just one of Regan's reprehensible acts as President. It's amazing he got away with being a traitor. Because he told good jokes?? He should have been condemned, not lionized. But, America loves its rueful rogues. Did forgiving Reagan's treachery lead to a First Felon?
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. American foreign policy since the French helped us win that war against the British. But always play both sides if you can. That is also the American way.,
Trump's first term will look serene and coherent compared to version two. As there will be no third term, I think, the pigs at the trough will be fighting for every bit of slop they can get. There will be an aging, imbecilic, easily swayed leader with no interest in policy, an administration of liars, cheats, and grifters each out for riches and relevance, a bevy of oligarchs and corporate leaders currying favor in order to maximize share prices, federal judges overturning decades or centuries of legal precedent to please their benefactors and facilitate their receipt of favors and cool vacations, a compliant legacy media straining for relevance in an information environment driven by micro-dopamine hits, a comprehensive attack on the social safety net, the destruction of NATO, a laissez-faire posture in the face of Russian and Chinese expansionism, and essentially a subversion of the entire post-war, rules-based international order.
If it wasn't so tragic, it would be fun to watch these ghouls consume each other, to watch each of them advocate for positions based solely on their own self-interest, and to witness the inevitable serious internal conflicts that arise. We can only hope that these conflicts will minimize the ability of the Trump administration to upset the status quo too much. One thing I am pretty sure of is that the Democrats will not figure out how to be an effective opposition party any time soon, so MAGA self-destruction is our only hope.
Iran-Contra wasn't probably illegal, JVL...it *was* illegal. Love the Boland Amendment or hate it, it was the law at that time, and the Reagan Administration was violating that law.
This is a bit after the fact JVL, but worth noting that Israel was Iran's largest military arms supporter during the Iran-Iraq War (hence the US using Israel as a cutout during Iran-Contra), so it wasn't just the NorKs that Tehran had on their side:
Haha, yes! Footnote 5 gave me a good laugh. Well done JVL, both in terms of cultural references and as always in terms of meaningful observations and insights.
Yep. All of this. If Trump is a toddler with a gun (and yes, he is) then Musk is a toddler with a bazooka. When we start rooting for Loomer and Bannon, God help us all.
If I'm forced to choose--and I guess we all are--I'm more comfortable with nakedly self-serving authoritarians whose motivations are not obscured behind ideological zeal. What made Hitler, Mao, and Stalin the greatest monsters of the 20th century was the fact that they embued their megalomania with a conviction that they were serving a greater purpose than themselves, and got others to believe it.
If I understand the odds, Bannon expects Trump to choose the unwashed masses over Elon's money and power. Does he not know Trump after all this time? Plus it's my belief that Elon knows precisely how Trump won the election, and if either of them split from their compact, it would not be pretty.
For many years, as a hiring manager in technology, I prioritized applicants who were citizens. Spefically citizens who weren't white, northeast Asian, or Indian and male. Such hires are much faster to get through HR and also improve my performance evaluation. However, there aren't any.
The absence of qualified Black or Hispanic citizen applicants would be solved within two generations if we Americans as a people provided quality health care and education to the children of citizens that are poor. But we don't, and appearently, starting Monday, we won’t.
I'm confused by a point of view that criticizes companies for not hiring Black or Hispanic applicants but also cuts the programs that would produce them. That's buy-side economics. That's not Reagan.
I’ve finally watched the Bannon clips, courtesy of Seth Meyers, and I agree with JVL. If I didn’t know how terrible most of his politics are, I too would want to have a sit down with Bannon. I really hope he can take Elon down. I only wish he’d have a conversion experience and switch to our side. We could use someone like him.
I keep thinking that Trump's...uh...trump card is that if Elon gets too out of line he can just start canceling/neutering his government contracts while holding the guillotine of a treason charge over Musk's head.
I agree with...Bannon? 2025 is too weird so far.
My thoughts exactly... who knew???
Iran-Contra was Ronald Reagan's moment of treason. He should have been so tried. He knowingly sold weapons to Iran, which was officially designated at the time as an American enemy. Reagan was the 1980s Benedict Arnold. Except Reagan lied about it. This was just one of Regan's reprehensible acts as President. It's amazing he got away with being a traitor. Because he told good jokes?? He should have been condemned, not lionized. But, America loves its rueful rogues. Did forgiving Reagan's treachery lead to a First Felon?
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. American foreign policy since the French helped us win that war against the British. But always play both sides if you can. That is also the American way.,
"Vaguely psychosexual desires" Love that phrase! Can you expand on it?
In the fight between Bannon and Musk, I'm rooting for the fight. The more time they spend on their infighting, the better off the country will be.
Trump's first term will look serene and coherent compared to version two. As there will be no third term, I think, the pigs at the trough will be fighting for every bit of slop they can get. There will be an aging, imbecilic, easily swayed leader with no interest in policy, an administration of liars, cheats, and grifters each out for riches and relevance, a bevy of oligarchs and corporate leaders currying favor in order to maximize share prices, federal judges overturning decades or centuries of legal precedent to please their benefactors and facilitate their receipt of favors and cool vacations, a compliant legacy media straining for relevance in an information environment driven by micro-dopamine hits, a comprehensive attack on the social safety net, the destruction of NATO, a laissez-faire posture in the face of Russian and Chinese expansionism, and essentially a subversion of the entire post-war, rules-based international order.
If it wasn't so tragic, it would be fun to watch these ghouls consume each other, to watch each of them advocate for positions based solely on their own self-interest, and to witness the inevitable serious internal conflicts that arise. We can only hope that these conflicts will minimize the ability of the Trump administration to upset the status quo too much. One thing I am pretty sure of is that the Democrats will not figure out how to be an effective opposition party any time soon, so MAGA self-destruction is our only hope.
I hate that I agree with everything you've said. Nice job wrapping it all up, though.
Iran-Contra wasn't probably illegal, JVL...it *was* illegal. Love the Boland Amendment or hate it, it was the law at that time, and the Reagan Administration was violating that law.
This is a bit after the fact JVL, but worth noting that Israel was Iran's largest military arms supporter during the Iran-Iraq War (hence the US using Israel as a cutout during Iran-Contra), so it wasn't just the NorKs that Tehran had on their side:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_support_for_Iran_during_the_Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_war#:~:text=Israeli%20arms%20sales%20to%20Iran%20totaled%20an%20estimated%20%24500%20million,parts%2C%20artillery%2C%20and%20ammunition.
Great article JVL. It may be time for "the enemy of my enemy ........"