Bill, Bill, Bill..... as someone who suffers noteworthy anxiety, let me say some words. 'The difference between fear and excitement is support.' My therapist made offered this aphorism recently (I won't bore you with the particulars). But suffice to say, I generally live as though being in fear or anxiety will somehow assist me as a defence 'against the bad thing'. Like I'll 'be ready for it', or something. No. No. No. I've learned much about fear and the pessimism it generates. One thing remains indisputable, if the bad thing happens, it happens. The time you spend fearing it and being pessimistic is time you could have spent being hopeful, optimistic and excited. Good lord, lets not haunt ourselves with the dark possibilities when we can make a different choice. Life is too damn short. The Bulwark community is one of profound support. So let's be excited instead of frightened. Yes, there's work to do. The bad thing might happen, its true, but it might not. Let's spend these next few weeks excited with purpose. Being scared won't help so we might as well be together, support one another, stay positive and be grateful we have what we have.
Cynical me asks, "Which cabinet dept is she vying for?" Sorry, I am just overwhelmed by the evil in the world, and now we have AI-generated evil. I think the human experiment is about to come to an end.
Crypto has unfortunately created yet more black holes of wealth that are so vast and concentrated that they gravitationally suck more power and wealth into a few hands. The financial industry should only be an efficient mechanism for figuring out what's best to do in the real world. But over the past 40 years, the system rewards it's custodians with absurd amounts of wealth and power. Crypto structurally presents these problems on steroids -- ever complex ways to move money built on complex and unregulated deals. This is an industry that needs to be terminated asap for everyone's before our institutions get fully addicted and compromised by it.
Bill & all: Let me be your hope as you have been mine since 2018. The Dems and unions especially are incredibly good at getting out their vote. If you've never seen a union GOTV, it's a force of nature. Each person or group is given a list of likely dem voters and you call each one, knock on doors, drive them to the polls, give them water or even lunch (depending on the laws). This was why we kept the seat in Nevada. That's why Kamala had to do the tips tax (which is a really big deal to Unite Here). If this comes down to getting the vote, if we have money and volunteers, this is the thing that the Dems are best at. We need phone people, organizers, drivers and volunteers. Email your town/city's party organization if you'd like to participate in this country's most important election ever because we need you.
The effectiveness is seen in the result as evidenced in Nevada in 2020. That's why Bernie won the primary there. Whether or not unions are effective in the workplace is another topic.
As someone who sees a lot of doctors and nurses in both union and non union hospitals, I can tell you the workers in non union hospitals report being happier. My kids get embarrassed because I always ask workers what their job environment is like and then I thank them for their work. It amazes my kids just how many people are sincerely grateful for being thanked. Unite Here is a decent union. I hate the Teamsters. My zookeeper husband was a teamster for 10 years.
I believe we’re in a psychological war for sure. This isn’t about policies. It’s about grievances and scams. It’s about the worship of money, status, celebrity and greed coupled with fear of government, bigotry, and misogyny.I have decided to turn off the television, social media and co., roll up my sleeves and work to elect democrats up and down the ballot. The press keeps normalizing Donald no matter how off base and traitorous his behavior.Donald and his MAGA brethren have no place in a free society. I recognize the risks we are facing, but women and minorities are used to taking risks to protect their freedom from those who would squash them. This is a psychological, spiritual, and political battle. We must win it. Nobody is going to save us from ourselves.
This belief of “business community” talking heads and leaders, that Trump will be good for business, and that the economy can prosper without the rule of law is astonishing. I can say from experience, Trump has already shown that he is an adopter of the preferred economic policy of Latin American populists. Which is, even when the economy is hot, shower the market with liquidity by increasing budget deficits as much as you can get away with. Then try to hold the sugar high until after the following presidential election. (When FED/Central Bank reps talk about increasing interest rates, make bombastic public statements and try to interfere in their decision). The American industrial sector was already in recession before COVID hit us, and the overall economy was already showing signs of an upcoming downturn. (What would have been the possibility that Treasury officials had already alerted Trump for that possibility, and that contributed to his panic reaction trying to minimize the pandemic?). Well, COVID came and it’s impact masked the downfall that was going to come.
In Latin America, this strategy usually ends in stagflation, sharp recession and massive currency devaluation.
What do these talking heads and business “leaders” think is going to happen when Trump starts to publicly lambast FED officials and names somebody like Larry Kudlow to lead them? What will happen when, in the absence of the “adults in the room”, he puts agencies of Federal Government to punish companies led by people he doesn’t like (like he tried to do with AMZ. The fact he was not successful then absolutely does not mean that he won’t be successful in the future. This is the Putin / Orban playbook, after all).
I’m sorry to break the news to these uninformed pundits, but crony capitalism on steroids and subservient FED is a sure recipe for economic catastrophe.
The dread I've had in both elections of 2020 and now again this year is a note JVL frequently hits in that Trump is an obvious problem but the GOP voters who keep going back to the well and supporting him are worse. What kind of person watches a Trump rally speech and says, "that's my guy!" The disappointment in my fellow citizens is hard to get over.
Just a bit of personal feedback. YMMV. I find William Kristol's inside Trump's head posts to be uninteresting and not entertaining. If they are wearing to write as you seem to indicate, perhaps you should drop writing them and stick with straight analysis & commentary.
1) There were three things that struck me about the Toomey interview. The first is that Kernen is recycling all of the scare stories about the terrible (in his mind anyway) things that Democrats will do if Harris wins. Never mind that they made many of the same “dire” predictions in 2020 and exactly none of them have come to pass. But that doesn’t stop them from saying it again. The second thing is yet another incomprehensible argument (from Toomey) for not voting for either Harris or Trump. One of those folks is going to be President and I would think that someone like Toomey who has actually been in the game and should know more than almost any of us about how important the President is to our national well being wouldn’t decide that he’s not going to play because he’s not happy with the contestants (sort of like he’s not going to watch the Super Bowl because he doesn’t like either team – but, of course, who our President is is slightly more important than who wins the Super Bowl). And the last thing is how Kernan just dismisses the January 6 events so cavalierly. Because, apparently, tax cuts are so much more important.
2) My guess is that Vance was making a lame attempt at humor with his “Afghan interpreters” comment. He really wants to say that we shouldn’t let all of “those people” into this country (no more poisoning of the blood), but even he can’t say it quite like that. So he tries to make his point indirectly by making it sound like a lot of “those people” must be fakes.
3) “It’s no wonder rackets like these proliferate. Sifting truth and lies is an incredibly difficult task online these days, and that’s especially true on the astroturf get-rich-quick playground of crypto. And MAGA foot soldiers, known more for their devotion to the cause than their deductive reasoning abilities, make for excellent marks.” – While it is certainly true that determining what’s real and what’s fake is difficult, I think the second part of that paragraph tells us more. Trumplicants will support practically anything that Trump is sponsoring. They aren’t thinking much about the details. It’s almost as if they want to be scammed.
How the hell Joe Kiernan keeps his job is beyond me. He has a very unattractive personality, he shills for the right-wing and he has no obvious expertise in investment matters. Becky Quick is the only sentient being on that show.
Regarding Bill's writing, the reason this election is the most nerve wracking is that, for anyone who hasn't retreated into an alternate reality, there is simply no denying that if Trump wins, America will never be the same. And even if he loses, we'll almost certainly take the next step toward ruin of having a state attempt (or succeed) in giving their electoral votes to the candidate who lost.
I knew from the cold pit of dread in my stomach when Trump became the Republican nominee in 2016 that he’d win the election. Not just because Hillary was the worst campaigner on Earth, but because Republicans would line up to vote for a tree stump if it had an R next to it on the ballot.
I had a frisson of hope with the National Review magazine dedicated to why Trump shouldn’t be elected. But it was fleeting, and now pathetic to recall given the complete cave.
George W Bush refused to refute Trump. Ironically, the Koch Brothers turned out to be the only billionaires who did publicly refute Trump; the others salivated over the promise of tax cuts.
But, as the analysis of the votes after Trump won, Republicans “came home.”
Now it’s lighting candles, registering voters, and prayers for this great nation.
TC needs to retreat to the Maine woods and commune with nature or something FFS
How could anyone be surprised by Tucker’s draw to Nazism?
Bill, Bill, Bill..... as someone who suffers noteworthy anxiety, let me say some words. 'The difference between fear and excitement is support.' My therapist made offered this aphorism recently (I won't bore you with the particulars). But suffice to say, I generally live as though being in fear or anxiety will somehow assist me as a defence 'against the bad thing'. Like I'll 'be ready for it', or something. No. No. No. I've learned much about fear and the pessimism it generates. One thing remains indisputable, if the bad thing happens, it happens. The time you spend fearing it and being pessimistic is time you could have spent being hopeful, optimistic and excited. Good lord, lets not haunt ourselves with the dark possibilities when we can make a different choice. Life is too damn short. The Bulwark community is one of profound support. So let's be excited instead of frightened. Yes, there's work to do. The bad thing might happen, its true, but it might not. Let's spend these next few weeks excited with purpose. Being scared won't help so we might as well be together, support one another, stay positive and be grateful we have what we have.
More humane? WT ever-loving F?
The news just broke: Liz Cheney has endorsed Kamala Harris!!!!
Cynical me asks, "Which cabinet dept is she vying for?" Sorry, I am just overwhelmed by the evil in the world, and now we have AI-generated evil. I think the human experiment is about to come to an end.
WOW! Such great news on an otherwise emotionally shaky day. 👏
Crypto has unfortunately created yet more black holes of wealth that are so vast and concentrated that they gravitationally suck more power and wealth into a few hands. The financial industry should only be an efficient mechanism for figuring out what's best to do in the real world. But over the past 40 years, the system rewards it's custodians with absurd amounts of wealth and power. Crypto structurally presents these problems on steroids -- ever complex ways to move money built on complex and unregulated deals. This is an industry that needs to be terminated asap for everyone's before our institutions get fully addicted and compromised by it.
Bill & all: Let me be your hope as you have been mine since 2018. The Dems and unions especially are incredibly good at getting out their vote. If you've never seen a union GOTV, it's a force of nature. Each person or group is given a list of likely dem voters and you call each one, knock on doors, drive them to the polls, give them water or even lunch (depending on the laws). This was why we kept the seat in Nevada. That's why Kamala had to do the tips tax (which is a really big deal to Unite Here). If this comes down to getting the vote, if we have money and volunteers, this is the thing that the Dems are best at. We need phone people, organizers, drivers and volunteers. Email your town/city's party organization if you'd like to participate in this country's most important election ever because we need you.
My union member wife used to slam the door in their faces because they were always the workers whose slack she had to pick up. Her words, not mine.
The effectiveness is seen in the result as evidenced in Nevada in 2020. That's why Bernie won the primary there. Whether or not unions are effective in the workplace is another topic.
As someone who sees a lot of doctors and nurses in both union and non union hospitals, I can tell you the workers in non union hospitals report being happier. My kids get embarrassed because I always ask workers what their job environment is like and then I thank them for their work. It amazes my kids just how many people are sincerely grateful for being thanked. Unite Here is a decent union. I hate the Teamsters. My zookeeper husband was a teamster for 10 years.
I love any scam that separates Trumptards from more of their money. Keep them coming!
I believe we’re in a psychological war for sure. This isn’t about policies. It’s about grievances and scams. It’s about the worship of money, status, celebrity and greed coupled with fear of government, bigotry, and misogyny.I have decided to turn off the television, social media and co., roll up my sleeves and work to elect democrats up and down the ballot. The press keeps normalizing Donald no matter how off base and traitorous his behavior.Donald and his MAGA brethren have no place in a free society. I recognize the risks we are facing, but women and minorities are used to taking risks to protect their freedom from those who would squash them. This is a psychological, spiritual, and political battle. We must win it. Nobody is going to save us from ourselves.
This belief of “business community” talking heads and leaders, that Trump will be good for business, and that the economy can prosper without the rule of law is astonishing. I can say from experience, Trump has already shown that he is an adopter of the preferred economic policy of Latin American populists. Which is, even when the economy is hot, shower the market with liquidity by increasing budget deficits as much as you can get away with. Then try to hold the sugar high until after the following presidential election. (When FED/Central Bank reps talk about increasing interest rates, make bombastic public statements and try to interfere in their decision). The American industrial sector was already in recession before COVID hit us, and the overall economy was already showing signs of an upcoming downturn. (What would have been the possibility that Treasury officials had already alerted Trump for that possibility, and that contributed to his panic reaction trying to minimize the pandemic?). Well, COVID came and it’s impact masked the downfall that was going to come.
In Latin America, this strategy usually ends in stagflation, sharp recession and massive currency devaluation.
What do these talking heads and business “leaders” think is going to happen when Trump starts to publicly lambast FED officials and names somebody like Larry Kudlow to lead them? What will happen when, in the absence of the “adults in the room”, he puts agencies of Federal Government to punish companies led by people he doesn’t like (like he tried to do with AMZ. The fact he was not successful then absolutely does not mean that he won’t be successful in the future. This is the Putin / Orban playbook, after all).
I’m sorry to break the news to these uninformed pundits, but crony capitalism on steroids and subservient FED is a sure recipe for economic catastrophe.
Wonder what those business leaders think of what Goldman Sachs had to say today comparing the economy under Trump and under Harris,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-03/goldman-sees-us-gdp-hit-from-trump-win-boost-if-democrats-sweep
The dread I've had in both elections of 2020 and now again this year is a note JVL frequently hits in that Trump is an obvious problem but the GOP voters who keep going back to the well and supporting him are worse. What kind of person watches a Trump rally speech and says, "that's my guy!" The disappointment in my fellow citizens is hard to get over.
Just a bit of personal feedback. YMMV. I find William Kristol's inside Trump's head posts to be uninteresting and not entertaining. If they are wearing to write as you seem to indicate, perhaps you should drop writing them and stick with straight analysis & commentary.
A few comments...
1) There were three things that struck me about the Toomey interview. The first is that Kernen is recycling all of the scare stories about the terrible (in his mind anyway) things that Democrats will do if Harris wins. Never mind that they made many of the same “dire” predictions in 2020 and exactly none of them have come to pass. But that doesn’t stop them from saying it again. The second thing is yet another incomprehensible argument (from Toomey) for not voting for either Harris or Trump. One of those folks is going to be President and I would think that someone like Toomey who has actually been in the game and should know more than almost any of us about how important the President is to our national well being wouldn’t decide that he’s not going to play because he’s not happy with the contestants (sort of like he’s not going to watch the Super Bowl because he doesn’t like either team – but, of course, who our President is is slightly more important than who wins the Super Bowl). And the last thing is how Kernan just dismisses the January 6 events so cavalierly. Because, apparently, tax cuts are so much more important.
2) My guess is that Vance was making a lame attempt at humor with his “Afghan interpreters” comment. He really wants to say that we shouldn’t let all of “those people” into this country (no more poisoning of the blood), but even he can’t say it quite like that. So he tries to make his point indirectly by making it sound like a lot of “those people” must be fakes.
3) “It’s no wonder rackets like these proliferate. Sifting truth and lies is an incredibly difficult task online these days, and that’s especially true on the astroturf get-rich-quick playground of crypto. And MAGA foot soldiers, known more for their devotion to the cause than their deductive reasoning abilities, make for excellent marks.” – While it is certainly true that determining what’s real and what’s fake is difficult, I think the second part of that paragraph tells us more. Trumplicants will support practically anything that Trump is sponsoring. They aren’t thinking much about the details. It’s almost as if they want to be scammed.
How the hell Joe Kiernan keeps his job is beyond me. He has a very unattractive personality, he shills for the right-wing and he has no obvious expertise in investment matters. Becky Quick is the only sentient being on that show.
Regarding Bill's writing, the reason this election is the most nerve wracking is that, for anyone who hasn't retreated into an alternate reality, there is simply no denying that if Trump wins, America will never be the same. And even if he loses, we'll almost certainly take the next step toward ruin of having a state attempt (or succeed) in giving their electoral votes to the candidate who lost.
I knew from the cold pit of dread in my stomach when Trump became the Republican nominee in 2016 that he’d win the election. Not just because Hillary was the worst campaigner on Earth, but because Republicans would line up to vote for a tree stump if it had an R next to it on the ballot.
I had a frisson of hope with the National Review magazine dedicated to why Trump shouldn’t be elected. But it was fleeting, and now pathetic to recall given the complete cave.
George W Bush refused to refute Trump. Ironically, the Koch Brothers turned out to be the only billionaires who did publicly refute Trump; the others salivated over the promise of tax cuts.
But, as the analysis of the votes after Trump won, Republicans “came home.”
Now it’s lighting candles, registering voters, and prayers for this great nation.