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I thought that Democrats were in trouble after the midterms, with Covid in the rear view mirror. I think that they tried to sell the economy, but they should have pushed some attempts to get control of the border. At that time inflation was slowing, but border crossings were surging.

I also think that the pushing of the student loan forgiveness so hard was alienating many. I still don’t know who all benefited and how much. But it really offended many young people that paid off their loans recently. A good intention that was really poorly executed with no plan ever proposed to address underlying problems.

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This is an excellent piece. It shows the need for Democrats and others opposing the policy of "mass deportation now" to begin immediately to shape the bleak and fascistic narrative on this issue so that they can mobilize public opinion as quickly as possible once the policy begins. Also, I heard that yesterday on the Don Jr. Podcast, I think, Homan referred to The deportation actions on day one as being "shock and awe". Not good.

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If he knew enough to make the comparison to Hitler, it’s unfortunate that he didn’t connect the rest of the dots. And it also shows the poor state of American education. But in the words of someone “there are good people on both sides.”

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Musk and Vivek leading DODGE is going to be a disaster. Government functions should be evaluated, low value programs eliminated, cost structures streamlined. But you have to know what you are doing, and they don’t.

Just look at Elon’s reorg of Twitter. Lost the good employees. Kept the poor ones. Killed content moderation, and advertising with it. Drove off higher income users and devalued the demographics. As a business, its the walking dead.

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Musk at the head of X/Twitter is a cautionary tale of what happens when (he is high &) leading something he doesn't fundamentally understand.

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What I'd love to see is for draft-dodger Trump to institute the draft. No, not to send soldiers to Russia to fight against Ukraine, but to enforce the mass deportation plan. That's quite a labour intensive project so it'd be wonderful to see those that voted for MAGA actually doing the grunt work required. The white women who voted for him, the latinos & black voters, the union workers and all the rest - have them be the ones kicking in doors and ripping families apart.

Yeah I know, wishful thinking but it would be a nice reality check for them - looking into the eyes of the people whose lives they voted to destroy.

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I say eff it. Let's see how a public that couldn't even handle funding to Ukraine handles burning money to deport people. Plus, all these legal immigrants voted for autocracy. You get the county you deserve. "Oh but he won't deport me, I'm not a criminal". Well, I guess we'll find out won't we....

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founding
Nov 13·edited Nov 13

Another day, another round of Trump enshittification. Who's excited to hear about today's cabinet picks?

I, for one, am looking forward to Trump grabbing the last black person's name that he heard for HUD. So, welcome former NC gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, probably.

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There are those oligarchs and there are our oligarchs. Anyone who has been looking elsewhere for rule by a cadre of extremely wealthy people need look no further. The robber barons never left, and make no mistake about it, that’s all tfg ever was and he never denied it. I knew it, most of you knew it. But our oligarchs have just been given the keys to the kingdom by our fellow citizens. There is a deep wound here. I feel it in my bones.

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Chuckled when I read this at 11 PST. It’s probably worse than expected & faster than expected.

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I wish y'all Bulwark folk would articulate the significance of the richest man in the world being an active participant in a Presidential administration?

I mean this guy is rich beyond my comprehension, as my comprehension was shaped growing up approximately in Bill's generation. If money is power then this guy is already more powerful than Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Fisk, and Carnegie combined and he is directly advising and influencing the most powerful office in the world.

I can't find the words to explain why i feel this is the most awful development so far, but i do feel this. Like, he got this wealthy by pulling levers handed him by Reagan and now supply side economics owns the govt and the right to trickle down on everyone who is not fabulously wealthy.

I'm tempted to describe it as late stage capitalist decadence. Am i a commie for thinking this way? This is the guy who decimated Twitter, turned it into a sewer and lost nearly 30 BILLION dollars in the doing? The guy who fired all the people who made the place work right? The guy who nevertheless maintains the technological resources to single out and silence critics on his platform? Is this his vision for the whole nation?

Help me out here, i do not understand what is happening to my country.

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You forget to mention that his new job description along with Vivek is running DOGE. As an Aussie I laugh at the hubris of it, but apparently America knew what they were voting for considering we knew about it here in Australia. Now you have a guy in charge of where your tax dollars get spent, who has contracts with your government worth billions of tax dollars already - what could possibly go wrong lol.

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You are correct, sir.

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founding

And then there's this… Wonderfully said. https://www.facebook.com/reel/591678193280424?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

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That's very good. The triumph of psychopathic moral impunity and ugliness - under the guise of "conservative, Christian values" - is the most deeply dispiriting aspect of this saga.

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founding

I agree, Carol. We shouldn't question our commitment to the beliefs we've been taught about how to lead a loving, respectful, honorable life in a democracy.

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NYT: "Trump Picks Pete Hegseth, a Veteran and Fox News Host, for Defense Secretary President-elect Donald Trump chose Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be his next defense secretary, elevating a television ally to run the Pentagon and lead 1.3 million active-duty troops." And that makes him an expert to run the Pentagon?

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Stephen Miller is against Immigration. Here is an article by his uncle.

Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle.

If my nephew’s ideas on immigration had been in force a century ago, our family would have been wiped out.k

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I'm furious. I was at Dana Point Harbor in CA. A woman was talking to a young man with his baby and talking about her grand kids. She said she lives in Laguna Niguel and likes it but then complained about the horrible economy and taxes about how hard it is. I'm sorry, I wanted to slap her. She's sitting in a beautiful harbor, she lives in gorgeous Laguna Niguel where the avg home price is...wait for it...$1.4 MILLION. And she supports Trump because of the economy. WTF!!!!!

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It is going to get ugly quick, on many fronts, including deportation. On the Schedule F stuff - I am a federal retiree who might have been targeted. I would bet a couple bucks that new hires might not even have to swear the oath, and if the do, it will be with a wink and a nod. . I mean, trump did and he broke it - why should anyone under him feel they have to honor it?

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