This post is not just about Trump. Rather, I make the case Trump and Biden are each their own worst enemy.
Biden promised to be a healer and a moderate. It was the biggest lie in campaign history. He turned out to be as polarizing as Hillary and as Trump.
The difference is Biden is politely polarizing, Trump isn’t.
New Scum
Yesterday, Trump gave Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom the name “New Scum.”
Hillary’s Deplorables
One of the reasons Hillary lost the election to Trump was her labeling Trump supported “deplorables”.
The second big reason Hillary lost was a bombshell announcement by James Comey: The Comey Letter Probably Cost Clinton The Election
I think it took both of those things for Trump to win.
Who Can Win the Moderates, Independents, Suburban Women?
I don’t know, and here’s a hint: You don’t either because no one does.
But I can tell you that both Trump and Biden are recklessly appealing to the base so much that the independents and moderates are sick of both of them.
The Base Loves Trump (and Biden) Already
A friend emailed a link to an article about “New Scum” agreeing with it.
I replied:
Trump ought to be reaching out to independents, moderates, and supporters of Haley. He needs some of them to win.
The base is going nowhere. He needs to appeal beyond the base.
Biden has the same issue. Unfortunately, one of them will win (assuming they both make it to the election)
A second friend replied to my email response:
I agree. I think Trump has changed for the worse since 2016. Then, he did go for the middle.
His behavior in the courtrooms this year has been nothing short of insane. He was not like that in 2020.
But no! Trump openly taunts judges which my friend noted. And he keeps calling Haley birdbrain.
If all the Haley supporters sat the election out, can Trump win?
Maybe, but if so, only because every rational person on the planet knows Biden is a senile Progressive, not the promised moderate.
As for Trump, how silly is this Trump Says Haley Donors Will Be ‘Barred From the MAGA Camp’
“When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate’s ‘Donors’ would immediately come to me, and want to ‘help out,’” he wrote on his social media platform. “This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me.”
He then added, using his insulting nickname for Ms. Haley: “Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”
It’s like cheering red meat tossed to a pack of howling hyenas. The first friend mentioned above commented …
I like it.
And, it means he is not a robot, or being handled. If you vote for Trump, you know what you are voting for.
Yeah, I get that. Trump thrives on tossing red meat to hyenas. But many independents don’t like it. And it is not the hyenas Trump needs to convince, it’s the independents and moderates.
As for knowing where Trump stands, you don’t really. Look at all the glowing things Trump said about Nikki Haley. For example Trump praises Nikki Haley as ‘very special to me’ after her resignation
Did Haley change? Of course not. She is the same neocon warmonger she always was. Instead of calling her “birdbrain”, Trump would be do himself better by calling her a neocon.
Both Trump and Biden need to win moderates, independents, and/or do much better with suburban housewives.
Both would rather appeal to their own bases.
One of them will succeed at alienating more voters. It may be closer to a tossup than anyone thinks.
Ironically, MAGA are now believers in polls for the first time in history. Even if the polls are finally right, it’s just March. The election is seven months away.
I don’t know if Biden can last that long. And if not, Trump will not be running against a senile old man. So, he cannot afford to alienate Haley voters and independents. He need them to win.
But Trump can’t help himself, and his biggest MAGA supporters love his name calling.
Biden cant help himself either.
Biden flouts the Supreme court on student loans and brags about it. He is still trying to force people into EVs they don’t want. And all of his regulations and decrees are highly inflationary.
Most important, a big majority of the nation knows Biden is too senile to run again.
As a free market Libertarian, neither Trump nor Biden is appealing.
But I would much rather have Trump win than Biden. I think Biden would economically destroy the nation. But I do not get to make the call.
It’s a titanic battle. Which one of them ultimately does himself the most harm and sinks his own ship remains to be seen.
Couple of notes
1) Accuse me of TDS – you get banned. No one who prefers Trump over Biden has TDS. Rather, any nutcase making that claim has TDS type II, Trump can do no wrong.
2) On the road. headed back from Death Valley.
What an amazing trip. Lake Manly is 6 miles long, three miles wide and about 1.5 feet deep on average. Most water in 10,000 years.
I will be slow to approve posts.
Id call that not type II, but more like advanced TDS….LOL
Cant wait to see your pics of the trip!
Agree with most of what you said. Trump is a narcissistic idiot (just look at some of the counterproductive things he says) but I would vote for him 100 times out of 100 over any of the Democrats that would potentially be their nominee. On the other hand, I respectfully disagree that he should call Nikki a neocon. Most voters have no idea what that is, and it would just make him look like any other politician to them. I’m not a big fan of his name calling, but it seems to work with a lot of people (and not with others, of course). Thank God that he was there to nominate some Supreme Court justices, though.
Who Can Win the Moderates, Independents, Suburban Women?
I don’t know, and here’s a hint: You don’t either because no one does.
But you do know Mish and I’ll refer you to this post you made back in November.
link to mishtalk.com
That was the correct call. Republicans got hammered on abortion.
But making a call is not the same as “knowing”. I did not know, but I did make a very good call.
I presume you got a chance to do some kayaking.
The pics I saw online of the lake on some other websites were pretty cool. Have you posted yours yet?
Went kayaking 4 times. I have some amazing images. It will take me a while to go through them. Over 5,000!
THE election is about disbanding the Democrat controlled multigenerational Administrative State in DC (the real rulers of America)—2.7 million in 300+Federal Agencies paid $575 million per day protected by civil service rules. They hate Trump as he refused to staff up their agencies fully and his Schedule F to place the Senior Executive Service under the Executive Branch for firing if needed.
I don’t agree with this take. Trump is a populist. His political career has been made on saying outlandish things and debating like a 10-year old. He treats the Romney/Bush Republicans like enemies and that has worked for him. He says “I don’t need those a-holes” and that actually makes him more appealing.
I think the 24/7 media hysteria about Trump was what caused the divide. People who consumed copious amounts of MSM invariably ended up with TDS.
“The difference is Biden is politely polarizing, Trump isn’t.”
This statement is false. The person making it is misinformed, an idiot, or a leftist (I repeat myself).
Just the other day Biden called those who do not believe in a coming climate crisis “Neanderthals”. I am one of them. I have a blog on the subject, that has had over 720,000 lifetime page views. HonestClimateScience(DOT)Blogspot(DOT)com
Biden has made equally rude comments about Trump, Trump voters, MAGA and the so called white supremacists who exist in his imagination
The first 2020 presidential debate was an orgy of insults, with Biden calling Trump a “clown” and telling him to “shut up.”
Biden decries Republican loyalty to Trump as fascism and semi-fascism’ in 2022
Trump won the election in 2026 ad probably would have won in 2020 if only legal votes had been counted. He does not need advice from any RINO Republican like the author on how to win an election.
———————————————-·
“Trump thrives on tossing red meat to hyenas.”
This statement implies that Trump supporters are like hyenas and is an insult. Only a horse’s a s s would make such a statement, or a RINO Republican (I repeat myself).
I voted for Trump in 2020 and would vote for him again in 2024.
I do not censor myself online, so this comment may get deleted, or never show up here in the first place
This is exactly what I think
I do not use a moniker
My home is in Bingham Farms, Michigan
Anyone who calls Trump supporters hyenas is a Rino Republican who should stick to economics and not deliberately anger what few readers he will have left.
I deleted the post I am replying to but instead decide to respond to it.
First, I am not a leftist as anyone who could read would know given that I said “But I would much rather have Trump win than Biden. I think Biden would economically destroy the nation.”
Second, it should be clear that I am not a RINO given that I am not a republican at all. “As a free market Libertarian, neither Trump nor Biden is appealing.”
As for calling those with TDS Type II, hyenas, if the name fits wear it proudly. A MAGA friend of mine is a proud believer and took no offense. I was purposely trying to make a point, which my friend understood.
As for readers, yep I could get more if I was a MAGA supporters whose goal was to get more readers. Instead, given that I do not like any of the politicians, I criticize both major parties.
There are not many of us, willing to do so. I have on 4 occasions been accused of being “extreme Right” and “extreme Left” in the same day. That’s not easy to do.
I am anti-war, small government, free-trader, Libertarian. Trump doers not come close. But he is much better than Biden, which I clearly stated.
Trump is not small government. He whined for a bigger fiscal stimulus than he got. Biden did get and the result was massive inflation. The amusing thing is Trump (and most of the Congressional republicans) are RINOs.
Wow after reading the comments i thought i was on zero hedge.
My observation is candidates motivate their base during the primaries then try to get the middle voters at the last min. Primaries get you on the ballot but you need the middle to win the election.
“The difference is Biden is politely polarizing, Trump isn’t.”
Well let’s see………..Trump is nasty to Democrat/RINO politicians and the media. Biden is nasty to every American that objects to his America destroying (actually Obama’s) agenda. Trump honors the military; Biden looks at his watch when forced to stand at the arrival of soldiers whose deaths he is directly responsible for. Trump’s economy was great. Biden’s is a disaster – trillion $ deficits every 95 days. Trump made peace treaties. Biden set the world on fire. Trump stopped illegal immigration; Biden put it on super steroids, and is responsible for the death of thousands along the way, the rape of thousands of women, child trafficking of 60,000 children. I could go on and on……….. but won’t.
Did Trump do everything right? No. and i hope to hell he learns from his mistakes. But the Democratic contenders, including Michele (a grifter in her own right) are all suicide for America. They all lead to communism; the destruction of our military, our freedoms, our national security and along with it, the wealth of the middle class. Trump’s America was a better place than Biden’s and I’m voting for a return to it.
Will be supporting Trump in 2024.
There is wisdom in the old saying watch what a person does not what they say.
Rough humor is what Trump delivers to his base. Not any different then rough humor delivered on a construction job-site. He talks the common language of working people not for the thin skins of bureaucrat class.
If anyone watched for what Trump does look no further then this just past Friday occurred in courtroom in Georgia where Prosecutor Fani Willis and associates got massacred by Trumps Lawyers who understand how Justice operates.
Trump chose those lawyers to represent him. They are not agents of chaos but agents of the finest Legal minds that there are.
Us freedom loving deplorables do not believe the only road to Freedom is via anarchy. If men where all angels there would be no need for laws,
That statement implied that there was need for an organized set of rules to guide conduct or there would be chaos. This is what the election process attempts to create consent of the governed to chosen representatives of the peoples values and written Laws to guide outcome of a productive society.
So watch whom Trump surrounds himself with and you will understand how Trump intends to govern in a second term. That is what you will be voting for.
Don t worry, Michelle, Michel some say, is ready to run for the presidency….The Clington Clang on the road again…..yiiiihaaa …
I had to look up TDS. We’re doomed
Even with all his faults, Trump has my vote. Biden truly needs to go home and take meds to help his dementia and try and spend all that money he got from, China, Russia, Ukraine and that’s just a few. He doesn’t have time in his side
That is a rational view.
Who cares? If Trump needs to be a different person to win (I don’t think he is capable of it) why bother? Trump is the right person our country needs for the dirty job of cleaning up the deep state. It is a choice: do the majority want the corruption slowed, or do we want to descend further into the sewer of perversion?
What you are saying is you prefer Trump to be an ass and lose to Biden than Trump to trey to win.
OK.
Many are with you.
He may win anyway.
Trump won in 2016 being Trump
Trump probably won in 2020 if only legal votes had been counted.
So your advice is to tell Trump to act like someone else?
Thet is not logical
How much experience do you have running campaigns and winning elections?
One had TDS Tyle II to believe Trump won in 2020
My advice to Trump and Biden is the same.
Anyone with half a brain should be able to see that it was not the base that won in 2016 or in 2020.
And anyone with half a brain should understand the base for Biden and for Trump is not going anywhere. They will vote for Biden and Trump respectively.
And that will hold true in 2024.
As a result, anyone with half a brain should be able to figure out that alienating the independents and swing voters is just plain stupid.
It’s a battle of stupids here.
By the way, in 2016 Trump did reach out to independents and Hillary alienated them with “deplorables” label along with obvious BS about Russia.
So, do you have half a brain or not?
You tell me.
The University of Florida is firing all DEI positions and administrators today. Too bad DeSantis is no longer in the primary. He gets things done. Not that charismatic but charism is overrated in my book. I prefer someone who knows which buttons to push and levers to pull to get things done and that is DeSantis.
As my governor I love the guy for getting things done.
But he wasn’t ready to be president and in truth it wasn’t a great idea to run in this election given virtually everyone knew Trump was going to get the nomination again.
Lets face it Hillary lost because she’s a bitch.
Madonna could have attracted more attention from guys in Wisconsin and Michigan by running around with antlers on her head near the tree stands.
Nah, Trump wants the W and the adoration. An election win will do that.
Let’s go Trump!!!
“alienate Haley voters”
why worry about that, they equal nearly ZERO
Trump’s problem is that he is turning the 2024 election into an IQ test. The Big Lie is the legal equivalent of claiming that 2 + 2 = 3. No surprise that among college-educated GOP voters, Nikki Haley beats Trump soundly.
Most conservatives voters think she is to much of a neocon almost as bad a Mccain. I would rather have Trump than her she will perpetuate the war maching for her evil money masters the MIC.
The point I am trying to make is that it’s hard to win a presidential election by relying pretty much on the left half of America’s IQ distribution.
Nikki will do the real-life reprise of this scene –
Bing Videos
fool …..should be 5 !
id argue the media ( propaganda wing of the establishment) is the great divider, NOT some dude….
This is Mish playing Mercutio and saying “A plague o’ both your houses”.
Did Mercutio have Libertarian tendencies? I wonder.
For the first time I did not vote in the primary. Not sure if I can vote for Trump , I know he is the lesser of two evils but I never liked him but did vote for him in 2016. Biden is not going to run, the dems are going to pull a switcheroo and put in who they think can beat Trump. The only thing that really irritates me is how the low information voters on the liberal side can sit by and watch them abuse our justice system against their political rival. Our country is facing so many catastrophic issues, ie debt, inflation and an invasion with a evil corrupt governing body setting the rules. I feel we are circling the drain.
What source do you have to read to be high information? I guess not NPR. Is it Infowars?
yeah info wars, brilliant
Fair question. For me it’s Glenn Greenwald, Mike Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, Assange, Snowden, Cheryl Attkisson, Catherine Herridge, Bari Weiss and now Mish.
Matt Taibbi is one hell of an investigative journalist. The CNN crowd blasting him makes him more reliable in my mind
REEEEEEEEEE-O-Meter:
2014 Alex Jones
2015 Trump
then
Stew Peters
Nick Fuentes
Salty Cracker
Styxhexenhammer666
James Howard Kunstler
Gonzalo Lira
Dave Collum
Mel K
Redacted
Tom Luongo
Scott Adams
Jimmy Dore
Glen Greenwald
Matt Taibbi
Denis Kucinich
Brett Weinstein
Are all over the target.
And don’t forget Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan
i enjoy all these nonsensical “Democratic switcheroo” comments. They amount to wishful thinking by the “chattering classes” starved for drama. Here’s a news flash, Einstein; Biden’s not going anywhere unless his health goes south. Deal with it.
We’re totally screwed.
A good chunk of Haley voters are democrats crossing over to muck up Trump. They will NEVER vote for anything but a Dem.
Trump, and Biden, are riling up the base as they need massive turnout to overwhelm the polls. For every position you moderate….you may gain a moderate voter (by their nature are indifferent on voting) but lose one of your base.
Its a complicated dynamic to be sure, but the old run to your base in the primary and the middle for the general no longer works because the campaigns never end. Used to be mods started paying attention late (ie after labor day). 24/7 news means this is no longer the case.
Spencer: “inflation isn’t measured correctly” : yes ! He, from SF, cont to mislead, distort and insult his followers.
Biden might not win the election if the Dow will plunge.
I can say a couple of things about this post (by the way, hope you’re enjoying your trip – I turn 62 in a few weeks and the first thing I’m going to do is buy the lifetime National Park pass).
“The difference is Biden is politely polarizing, Trump isn’t.”
No, he’s not. On the campaign trail in 2020, Biden insulted a man at a town hall in Iowa (“Hey, fat, let’s see how many pushups you can do!”). When he mandated the jab, he got up on national TV and said angrily how he was losing his patience with us (and when did you become my doctor, senile Joe?). Then he does his best impersonation of a fascist dictator in Philadelphia, complete with a red background that CNN tried to hide, calling Trump supporters dangerous to national security or whatever (I didn’t watch it so I don’t recall his exact words). That is not being polite, that’s being an a-hole.
“But I can tell you that both Trump and Biden are recklessly appealing to the base so much that the independents and moderates are sick of both of them.”
Yep, that’s for sure, this independent is sick of both of them. I’m ready for a reprise of that 2016 campaign bumper sticker – Giant Meteor 2024 – just end it already. I’d pull the lever or fill the box for RFK Jr on one condition – he picks Tulsi Gabbard as his running mate. Otherwise, I’ll just stay home. Heck, I may stay home anyway. We don’t have one presidential election this fall, we have 51 of them (including DC). And I already know how the one where I live is going to turn out – whoever has an R behind their name is going to win my state, so why should I bother?
No doubt. And no matter how I vote, the D will win in this state. Mish used to live in the Republik of Illinois back in the day…he knows. I guess it goes both ways. At least we avoid the endless commercials and stuff if we lived in a true swing state.
Given the poll numbers, even considering potential Biden alternatives, this is a pretty dopey hot take. More so if you exclude the outlier polls.
A cult leader cannot be all things to all people. Trump created a cult, or perhaps the cult created Trump — these things tend to be symbiotic. Therefore, Trump cannot win general elections, but that doesn’t really matter to have political power. With his cult, Trump is the rudder of the Republican party, firmly in control of a third of the electorate.
When your party’s goal is obstructionism and (ostensibly) shrinking government, a strong minority is more powerful than a weak majority. As long as it still takes 60 Senate votes and only 5 of 6 conservative justices, Trump can render the USG impotent.
Trump won the general election in 2016, genius
“Trump Would Rather Win Adoration From the Base Than Win the Election”I so hope you are correct.
In the end, I think people will vote for Trump, myself included. Why? I’m independent, find his behavior often abhorrent, but we need border security in this country and our cities are lawless!!!
Only idiots or women vote on emotion. I’m willing to put my emotion aside and look at REALITY. Haley is a warmonger and all the other Republicans are RINO’s and part of the Uniparty. The people in Congress should all have term limits. They all suck.
I had high hopes for RFK, but he’s a Israel boot licker (like Biden and Trump) and has shown silly liberal tendencies that destroyed his credibility. It’s really too bad, because he could have been a force for change. His destiny is to be abused by his liberal wife. Good luck Charlie.
So, Trump wins.
The order of this country is being undermined, as is order in the world quite obviously and deliberately being pushed to world war.
If you want more of the growing chaos – open borders migrations, climate lunacy, normalizing race and gender extremism – LGBTQBIPOC, drag queen story hours, DEI, ESG, urban crime, etc etc…by all means…vote for more… support Biden (or replacement….Harris, Newsome, or Clinton(?))……
…we are circling the drain in America.
Debating Politics is akin to Debating about LIARS. BOTH lie. BOTH corrupted. BOTH blowhards (However, Biden is running out of steam).
Jared kushner and his zionist friend will try annihilate the Palestinians n the Middle East. American century is over.
You talking about Biden right? How many times has the USA been the sole party to vote against peace in the UN???
I used like dump till I just believe he’s a racist , con man who inherited money and over valued and gamed the system. He admits to nothing . He’s never wrong and that’s his psychosis.
C’mon man. Trump didn’t shower with his teenage daughter (that we know of). Trump hasn’t spent 50 years sucking at the public teat, cheating and lying to get to the next level. Trump didn’t throw open the border and allow the country to be invaded.
I’m no fan of Trump. But Mish, when you’re sitting in prison, either a real one or a digital one, because you refused to comply with your new Communist masters, you’ll have a lot of time to think.
You can ponder which administration was most responsible for your fate.
Interesting difference between public speech and private speech; we expect the former to be restrained. Trump’s crude pronouncements are tame compared to what bounces off the walls in my house, mostly the obvious 8- and 11-letter words. But yes, he could tone it down to politer company without losing my vote.
No Election Day:
“there are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen”.
-Lenin
As an independent voter, I go by the sayin’ “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
So what has Biden done:
1. Built a juggernaut economy with 3.8% unemployment and holding
2. The stock market is breaking all records – even HIGHER today at ALL time highs
3. Inflation is coming down from trump highs
4. Millennials and women hate republicans and trump
5. Biden fixin the border issue – this will mute trump
6. trump voter base primarily consisting of boomers are dying faster and faster, why cater to these people?
So what’s on offer from Trump other than past failures? He’s not Biden isn’t enough.
Trump’s failures:
1. Build a wall – did not deliver
2. Trade wars easy wins – did not deliver
3. Drain the swamp – did not deliver
4. Trump crashed stock market
5. War on IVF and abortion has galvanized millennials and women against trump but don’t hold your breath, republicans will come up with more crazy schemes between now and election to piss off women, millennials and independents even more.
What states from the 2020 election map is trump going to win over and why?
link to 270towin.com
The math don’t add up for trump. Biden wins easily. See you Nov 5 to gloat.
Goodness – inflation coming down from Trump highs shows from where your “independence” emanates: Trump’s years 2017-2020 were, from the known-to-be-understated CPI official numbers 2.1%, 2.4%, 1.8%, 1.2%
Biden in office 2021-2024: 4.7%, 8.0%, 4.1% and tracking to be nowhere near any of the Trump Presidency years. That was a 10 second search of the Fed web site.
At least if you want to say things, make them true and back them with some evidence, even if one has to quote the weak and feeble Fed’s terrible inflation calculations.
And Biden fixing the border–really? He let it burn, intentionally, by opening it up on Day 1 (see Mish’s previous articles about executive orders enacted upon Biden taking office) and then went to the border for the first time that I can recall just now because it’s a losing issue for him in his re-election bid, which he’ll again run from the lid-called White House instead of the previous campaign’s basement abode.
So what you’re really saying is that you fit into the group mentioned in #4, which is okay but no need to gaslight us on “trump’s” inflation or biden fixing the border. (lower case to fit in with your misuse of handling proper nouns and names)
And on draining the swamp–good luck to anyone doing that, they are a perpetually and secretly funded org that worked to fabricate numerous now-proven-to-be-false allegations against a sitting President and successfully dug in and doubled down on their hold on power.
On the stock market–it’s almost as if you want to say Trump created the Plandemic himself because that’s about the only brieft time in his Presidency that the market fell, only to rapidly recover long before it continued its ascension in his 4 year term.
Not arguing it hasn’t continued higher on record spending now unchecked by the suspension of the debt ceiling/deficit limit on hold until 2025 but to presume he crashed it is outright silliness and again, counterfactual.
Independent you are not becaues true independents at least will be factual where facts exist. The other things you mention are opinion and you are entitled to those uniquely.
Inflation doesn’t happen overnight. It was trump’s free money give away, PPP loans and other goodies that started the inflation mess. biden did make it worse but he is also making it better now.
there was a bill that would have helped the border issue, who killed it? republicans at trump’s request so he could score political points. so much for loving america.
I should give credit for trump for two big wins:
But I noticed you avoided the issue entirely. Why vote for trump over biden now? Beyond that why would any states biden won in 2020 change for trump?
And lastly, what is trump offering? Saying biden is too old is the pot calling the kettle black. trump is too old himself so what else is trump bringing to the table? he had a long list of failures and if the “swamp” wouldn’t let him fix anything then he is an impotent president. what’s the point of getting him back in?
WHY should I vote for trump? It’s crickets here. Surely someone here can speak intelligently on the issue beyond the adolescent name calling or is that asking too much of trump supporters?
Even if you think nothing is going to change whether we have a Republican or Democratic president, the most most obvious reason is wanting someone who isn’t mentally incoherent in the highest office in the land.
Beyond that the next most obvious reason is that Trump will actually do something about the border crisis. Biden will do absolutely nothing if re-elected. He’ll definitely promise to do something and may even start a few half hearted efforts this year to generate votes but if re-elected he’ll stop on day 1 because he no longer has to do anything.
The high inflation in 2021 and 2022 was from huge federal budget deficits financed by the Federal reserve Bank
Who approved those budgets?
(1) President Trump
(2) Republicans controlling the Senate
(3) Democrats controlling the House
Biden had no responsibility for the high 2020 and 221 inflation rates
The Fed started fighting inflation” in April 2022 and it is now down to 3.1% year over year, down from a peak of about 9% year over year.
If it weren’t for shelter costs, which now comprise 25% of the CPI, the year over year change in the CPI would have been only 1.6%, well below the Fed’s target and very good news for everyone. But the way the BLS calculates shelter costs has boosted the reported year over year change in the CPI to 3.1%.
Biden’s idea of fixing the border is to only allow 1.5 million illegal invader criminals and leeches to cross annually instead of the current 3 million each year. Oh yeah, and we have to give $100 billion to Ukraine and Israel as part of the deal.
So why didn’t trump permanently fix the issue? he had four years.
You should know by now that no president can do anything permanent.
Everything can be undone by the next administration via executive order (exactly what Biden did on day 1 regarding the border).
Then what’s the point of voting for trump if he’s going to do “something” about the border then have it undone by the next president? And if Biden really is too old, he’ll be removed by the cabinet and replaced with the VP.
By your own words, this is a non-issue because it’s not going to be a permanent fix so what’s the point?
I said it can be, not that it would be.
Things that the population approves of (like say tax cuts) don’t get undone. Similarly, if the population approves of tighter boarder control it won’t get undone.
lol, yeah, you’re an “independent”
question: do you actually believe what you just typed?
yes, i’m an independent. what’s so hard to believe. how do you think independents think?
Is the stock market not at all time highs? it broke another record today.
Is unemployment not at all time lows?
do you think millennials and women love republicans? Look at what happen in deep red Kansas on abortion and other state elections. Who is delusional here?
Any more employment and the economy will turn red hot, maybe too hot and inflation goes higher.
But somehow trump is gonna win?
Just saw on news tonight that biden is now air dropping aid to Gaza. That will bring back those disgruntled Michigan voters and they hate trump too.
so which blue states will trump take back in 2024? now is the time to make calls.
See you on Nov 5.
Out of curiosity when was the last time you voted Republican?
If you only vote Democrat or have only voted Democrat for say the last 20 years you are no longer an independent, you have chosen a party.
November 2023. I don’t vote straight party ticket, I pick and choose the people I think will do the best job.
And I vote libertarian. we are on a libertarian site, not a republican or democrat one. there are plenty of websites for those groups, not many for libertarians.
I will primarily vote libertarian in 2024 but not for president because trump was a big failure and the libertarian has no chance of winning. And biden is doing an ok job and no one can offer anything from trump just “biden is too old” and “he’ll temporarily fix the border for a few years” which is code for gimmicks.
Is this independent enough for you or is there more interrogations I need to go through? Want to quiz me on all the libertarian candidates for the last 20 years?
For a guy who has been pumping Bidens tires for months you don’t sound remotely independent which is why I asked. I suppose I should have been more specific as in when was the last time you voted Republican for president rather than caring about your local or state level voting record.
Not sure exactly what Biden is doing an OK job at other than not being Trump. Most of the mess economically (run away inflation, high unemployment, massive money giveaways etc) is 100% the result of Covid which straddled Trumps last year and Bidens first 2 years.
When history looks back on this administration it’s going to remember the raging inflation, the failed green policies and immigration mess at the border in the same way Jimmy Carters administration is remembered for raging inflation, gas lines and the Iranian hostages.
Yeah, I agree. I am not voting for “retribution”. I want to vote for the public good. At this point I am leaning towards Biden because of the economy and greater freedoms for women. But I wish this election wasn’t just a rerun.
You had me at juggernaut economy.
Sincerely,
Those who are priced out of the housing and car markets.
how will trump fix housing and car markets? with more tariffs and trade wars?
IDK but we would all rather pay Trump prices for homes and cars than Biden prices. Bideninflation is killing the working class and shutting them out of the home and car markets.
Gloat away. You’ll be inheriting the same Marxoid future as I will. And better yet, so will your kids.
Newsom is probably the worst governor CA has had in my lifetime – and there have been some doozies. If you drew a Venn diagram of Newsom supporters and Trump supporters, they would never intersect at all. He alienates nobody by attacking Newsom.
The Marquis of Queensbury days of publicly praising your political enemies and knifing them in the back are deservedly over. People tolerated those niceties back then – in the Twitter age, they are gone forever. Authenticity matters more, and Trump owns that lane. No other politician even bothers to challenge him on it, and that’s a shame.
If you take a look at Haley’s donors, you get Charles Koch (libertarian), Reid Hoffman (!! – partisan Democrat), and avowed establishment types. These establishmentarians were the ones that were the handmaidens in scuppering Trump’s border wall, and complaining about the China Tariffs. They succeeded in derailing DeSantis’ candidacy when they donated to him (for the express purpose of derailing Trump) and they are doing the same to Haley (for the express purpose of derailing Trump). What do people think they will try to do if they actually donated to Trump – support MAGA 2.0 (or is it 1.0) all the way? Absolutely not. They’ll just try to derail it from inside the tent – just like the last time.
Besides, nobody but political junkies are looking at the primaries right now. People pay attention after Labor Day. Let Trump be Trump today. Lots of time to ‘moderate’ 60 days before the election.
Why take money from Haley supporters? Wouldn’t that mean he was bought if he did?
That would simply make him a Politician.
Now to take and stand your ground on all beliefs and stances to date, then OK.
Now to take and bow to the RINO’s, is an entirely different story.
Do you really, and truly, see that occurring?
We have reached an age where egocentric unconscious behavior is not only encouraged, but applauded. Social Media is the fuel for this behavior in my view. Prudence, emotional control, and deliberate conscious thought are dead for most. It’s all about likes, views, and the intoxicating cheers of one’s sycophant cult like followers.
Those in the middle, like myself, are left scratching thier heads and wondering what the hell happened to the generally balanced society they grew up in?
We are in uncharted waters. Where this ship ends up is anyone’s guess.
“Those in the middle, like myself, are left scratching thier heads and wondering what the hell happened to the generally balanced society they grew up in?”
Make America Great Again is Trumps mantra for goodness sakes. Trump is fighting for the very soul of our nation. When the neocon establishment throws everything they have at him don’t expect him to play nice.
Tell me…..what is “the very soul of our nation” in your view?
refer to the constitution and declaration of independence
MAGA is a marketing slogan, not Trump’s way of life. Humility, selflessness, sacrifice and the values of many Americans from 3-6 generations ago are lost on him and most of the USA. He’s a brilliant merchandiser, but MAGA doesn’t go beyond that.
The Cloward Piven / Saul Alinsky / Obama / Soros strategy to destroy the country. Full on NOW.
A primer. Obama has Susan Rice, Valerie Jarrett, and Victoria Nuland installed as Biden’s staff for his third term!
link to armstrongeconomics.com
link to news.grabien.com
Alinsky lays out to take the country down.
link to openculture.com
– Trump and Biden are each their own worst enemy. > True, but Trump can verbally fight back.
– Biden promised to be a healer and a moderate. It was the biggest lie in campaign history. > True
– The difference is Biden is politely polarizing, Trump isn’t. > I don’t agree with that at all, over the last year anyway.
– Yesterday, Trump gave Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom the name “New Scum.” > The Base Loves Trump
– Trump and Biden are recklessly appealing to the base so much that… > The Base Loves Trump
– I would much rather have Trump win than Biden. > I Agree
P.S. The Base doesn’t Love Biden
I live in California, and Newsom is New Scum. This man is out of control and him and his cohorts in the California legislature are destroying this state. There is a reason people are moving out! Wake up people.
“– Yesterday, Trump gave Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom the name “New Scum.” > The Base Loves Trump”
Exactly why I will never vote for Donald Trump. He appeals to people’s basest nature instead of pushing them act on their best nature. But once in control of that base nature, he shines a light on fellow Americans and calls them the enemy. Democrats are no longer the loyal opposition, they’re “far left socialists” who are trying to “destroy our beloved country”. All Democrats, not just some. He is the first President in American history to desire the end of the peaceful transfer of power through elections. The man is a menace and a traitor. And I am a lifelong Republican. But today’s Republicans aren’t the Republicans of my youth. I don’t belong in the same political party as those who cheer at national leaders being called “bird brain” and “new scum”.
While I do indeed get what you are saying, I just have a more simplistic view, when it comes down to Politics.
I dare say, that on a Federal level, I can make no difference casting my one ballot, for what I personally wish/hope to occur. I vote, and have never missed an election however, because it gives me a right to speak out for change.
On a State, and more specifically, a city or town level, I can, I do, and I have, made a difference.
Based upon that, and in this particular upcoming election, and widely based on the destruction and chaos this current Administration has caused, and I must lean Republican and to Trump.
It suits my current requirements at this moment in my life, and protects my kids short term in hopes their generation figures it out, before things just get done for them, and it’s over…
Putin is the present day Hitler. And here we have a Putin boot licking Trump ready to give all the sloppy kisses he can to Putin.
link to washingtonpost.com
Putin threatens nuclear response to NATO troops if they go to Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin used his annual State of the Nation address on Thursday to take aim at the West, threatening to use nuclear weapons against NATO countries if they send forces to help defend Ukraine from a Russian victory.
In a speech to Russia’s Federal Assembly that was predominantly dedicated to Russia’s domestic affairs, Putin delivered a tough warning, threatening retaliatory strikes against the West in the event of attacks on Russian territory.
“They must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory,” he said, warning of “tragic consequences” if NATO forces were ever deployed to Ukraine. “All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?”
Putin has endorsed Biden. You look very foolish quoting the CIA owned Jeff Bezos rag Washington Compost as a source of truth
Putin is similar to Hitler in the 1930s and 1940s. Placate Putin and he just takes things by force and kills or jails his resistance.
Mish is GONG WRONG !
Donald Trump really shouldn’t be the Republican Party, but he is . That is an issue that Republicans will continue to suffer from.
link to mediaite.com
‘This Is Not Normal!’ Whoopi Goldberg Stunned By Members of Congress Being More ‘Open to Russia’s Policies Than to Our Own’
And that’s the problem that we’re encountering with some of my Republican colleagues that, there’s a growing pro-Putin faction in the Republican Party, and it’s led by Donald Trump, some other outside figures like Tucker Carlson and on the inside, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan. And what we’re saying is that standing by Ukraine is standing by America’s national security interests.
Yeah, and that’s why it should be done in a bipartisan way. And we’re calling upon the Republican leadership in our House to just put the bill on the floor for an up or down vote.
Glad to have you aboard Mish. It’s amazing how much I disagreed with you during the first Trump administration when you bashed him and now you’re preferring him over Biden. I’m adding you to my very short list of bloggers to trust to be non-partisan. You’ve have convinced me that you do in fact play it down the middle.
In this particular post I happen to agree that Trump is shooting himself in the foot with the ‘Bird brain’ strategy. Maybe what he meant to say is that he’s not going to allow his new administration to get backstabbed again by RINO’s like what happened the first time.
I can’t stand the Governor of Cali but the ‘New Scum’ name is beyond the pale and is down right childish. What’s next ‘Poopy face’.
Good lord people
Thinking elections change anything of substance?
You’re all getting played.
It’s all fake! That explains the prevalence of actors in the leading roles.
Trump is literally an actor. Biden’s played the role of politician for 50 years.
Has anyone asked themselves?
Why almost all notable elections are almost perfectly split 50%/50%. Do you really think this unprecedented, persistent phenomenon is a natural evolution of our social zeitgeist? All elections henceforth will be decided by a fraction of a percent?
Occupy, conspicuous in that it’s never EVER mentioned, manifested national unification across ALL lines. This scared the piss out of the overlords and they went into overdrive to divide us.
All of your “Hate Biden/Hate Trump” rhetoric is planted in your heads.
A sane person will hate them both since they are a two headed coin, that when flipped, magically ends up balancing on an edge before teetering over.
It’s hopeless. Nothing will change.
There is a lock on the publics mind.
Try arguing with a woman’s feelings.
The hallmark of propaganda is to incite powerful feelings.
I have tried to get people to step out into reality and take stock of the fakeness. I find even with highly intelligent people, it’s impossible. IMPOSSIBLE!
Animals trapped in two separate side by side cages, where a cloaked figure comes in with a stick and prods the snarling animals into a frenzy and all they can do is snarl at the animals in the next cage. When the frenzy dies down they return and poke some more.
Polarization is the game and we are the animals.
It’s all fake.
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by this. Republicans just are growing more and more in love with Russia’s dictator Putin.
PROMOTING A CULTURE WAR: HOW PUTIN USED TRUMP TO SEIZE ALMOST TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
From the milwaukee sentinal
There is little doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin has succeeded in achieving near-total control over the Republican Party.
They are gutting aid to Ukraine (and have been for over a year), working to kneecap our economy, whipping up hatred among Americans against each other, promoting civil war, and openly embracing replacing American democracy with authoritarian autocracy.
Putin has declared war on queer people, proclaimed Russia a “Christian nation,” and shut down all the media he called “fake news.” Check, check, check.
Most recently, the three-year “Biden bribery” hysteria Republicans in the House have been running — including thousands of hits on Fox “News” and all over rightwing hate radio — turns out to have been a Russian intelligence operation originally designed to help Trump win the 2020 election. The Russian spy who had been feeding this phony info to Jordan and James Comer is now in jail.
Over the past two years, as America was using Russia’s terrorist attacks on Ukraine to degrade the power and influence of Russia’s military, Putin was using social media, Republican politicians, and rightwing American commentators to get Republican politicians on his side and thus kill off U.S. aid to Ukraine.
The war in Gaza is making it even easier, with Putin-aligned politicians like Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) tweeting: “Any funding for Ukraine should be redirected to Israel immediately.”
Russia’s battlefield, in other words, has now shifted from Ukraine to the U.S. political system and our homes via radio, TV, and the internet, all in the hopes of ending U.S. aid to the democracy they have brutally attacked.
Russia was once the profound enemy of the Republican Party. Now with Putin who is in charge killing his competition in politics, Trump is quite willing to give him sloppy kisses in public. Russia is dangerous with Putin in charge. He plans on returning all the baltic states to the umbrella of the old Soviet Union.
From the New York Times
Enemy or ally?Large parts of the Republican Party now treat Vladimir Putin as if he were an ideological ally. Putin, by contrast, continues to treat the U.S. as an enemy.
This combination is clearly unusual and sometimes confusing. It does not appear to stem from any compromising information that Putin has about Donald Trump, despite years of such claims from Democrats. Instead, Trump and many other Republicans seem to feel ideological sympathies with Putin’s version of right-wing authoritarian nationalism. They see the world dividing between a liberal left and an illiberal right, with both themselves and Putin — along with Viktor Orban of Hungary and some other world leaders — in the second category.
Whatever the explanation, the situation threatens decades of bipartisan consensus about U.S. national security.
Already, House Republicans have blocked further aid to Ukraine — a democracy and U.S. ally that Putin invaded. Without the aid, military experts say Russia will probably be able to take over more of Ukraine than it now holds.
RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA…Is that all you got Jeffbot?
At the moment yes. So you have nothing on Russia?. Cat got your tounge? Don’t want to admit what is true?
The discredited Russia bogeyman. Joe McCarthy was never 1/100th as bad as people like you and the CNN, Washington Post, MSNBC, etc crowd.
I’m a patriotic American and I am concerned for the international issues taking place. This is similar to WW2 only Putin is smarter than Hitler.
You are really into cut and paste.
I paste so that you can see where I am coming from. That is good communication that is rigorously practiced in many a quarter. Except for people who stray quite far from reality.