I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

Re Mexico and Australia, that's bluster. Re Iran, I'm troubled.

Re immigration ban, and Falwell's kid being appointed to fed higher ed task force, I'm upset.

But, he was hired to disrupt -- to reset the winners and losers. I guess he's more a man of his word than I'd assumed. Because at this rate, he's scrambling the whole chess board.

But I'm not flipping out about anything. Sole emotional reaction has been irritation and sadness about the stupidity of the immigration order.

It's hard to ascertain which is more interesting: Trump, or his most vehenent critics melting down in the oped pages. It's live, accelerating entropy on the right and left. The establishment cracking up is a wildly fascinating process.

Of course he could send some troops across the border to Mexico and dare Mexico to do anything about it. That's just the kind of thing he'd do.

You do realize that once his favorability hits the 20s war is pretty much inevitable?

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Of course he could send some troops across the border to Mexico and dare Mexico to do anything about it. That's just the kind of thing he'd do.

You do realize that once his favorability hits the 20s war is pretty much inevitable?

You do realize his plan to combat those ratings is to say they're fake news, or rigged. He doesn't need to go to war to blunt that issue.

I'd also like to see who answers these polls. This "data" sounds a lot like the "data" on which I concluded with certainty that Hillary would win.

I think a lot of us who think we know this country need to perhaps face up to the fact that Bannon makes a decent point: We have a narrative of what we want the US to be which is distorting our view of its actual character.

We're two countries. Two very different countries.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

If you represent Montana and get elected not because you are a Democrat but in spite of being a Democrat, yes, there are good reasons to vote for them.

Maybe, I guess. Not sure that many votes are moved one way or the other by whether you voted to confirm someone who will get confirmed anyway.

But that doesn't explain, for example, Klobuchar, who is mostly voting for them.

ETA: Of course the conventional wisdom says she wants to run for president, but again I don't see the advantage in having cooperated. And she will be a terrible candidate.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Nah. What's coming is a total concession by the GOP establishment; they have already conceded 80%, giving up on free trade, for example, was a big one but the position was surrendered without a fight.

The only interesting question is whether or not there are only a few principled people or a significant number who check out of the GOP as that occurs.

Not a chance. The GOP (and Dems as well) doesn't give a fuck about trade except to the extent its corporate owners won't give to its members who don't support trade. Once corporations adapt to the New Normal, they'll require different favors from the parties. The GOP simply has to wait for corporate America to adjust to populism, which it will.

And the Dems will jump on board as well, just as soon as it's safe to be a populist. This is why companies hugely dependent on globalization are freaking out the most. The clock is ticking. They only have so much time to upend Trump, before trade nationalization becomes the rule.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

This is why companies hugely dependent on globalization are freaking out the most. The clock is ticking. They only have so much time to upend Trump, before trade nationalization becomes the rule.

You understand that you're predicting against the money, right? You really think that's going to happen?

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Adder

You understand that you're predicting against the money, right? You really think that's going to happen?

Yup, and yes.

ETA: We won't ever go full populist. Trade will continue. But it won't be like it was. Never underestimate the nihilism of corporations. They're running parallel models right now. Of course they hope to avoid decreased global trade. But they've got a plan to adapt running forward at the same time.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

This is why companies hugely dependent on globalization are freaking out the most.

Also known as "companies".

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Also known as "companies".

Not those who service or sell to people exclusively or mostly here. There are a lot of those out there. Most small businesses, for instance.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

Not those who service or sell to people exclusively or mostly here. There are a lot of those out there. Most small businesses, for instance.

Check their supply chains.

When you walk into a store selling home-made ice cream from their own cows, you're going to discover their John Deere tractor has foreign parts, they're importing fancy waffle cones from Italy, the berries in their ice cream come mostly from Canada, and the sweeteners are all from Mexico. The coffee they serve comes from a country on the banned list.

And that's entirely ignoring the migrant workers out in their fields who maybe aren't on the side of the wall Trump wants them on.

You can't shit without touching global supply chains.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

I'm still amazed at how much gets hidden by this shit show.

I mean, there are more black people in Beyonce now than there are in the Cabinet, and no one cares.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

I'm still amazed at how much gets hidden by this shit show.

I mean, there are more black people in Beyonce now than there are in the Cabinet, and no one cares.

I sort of get the impression that is why Ben Carson is getting a pass by some Dems.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

I'm still amazed at how much gets hidden by this shit show.

I mean, there are more black people in Beyonce now than there are in the Cabinet, and no one cares.

i gave a pass to a post about how a certain actress resembles a certain classic rock star, and now trump is president. never again.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

i gave a pass to a post about how a certain actress resembles a certain classic rock star, and now trump is president. never again.

I steal from the best. Period.

How 'bout this one, though.

WTF.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Check their supply chains.

When you walk into a store selling home-made ice cream from their own cows, you're going to discover their John Deere tractor has foreign parts, they're importing fancy waffle cones from Italy, the berries in their ice cream come mostly from Canada, and the sweeteners are all from Mexico. The coffee they serve comes from a country on the banned list.

And that's entirely ignoring the migrant workers out in their fields who maybe aren't on the side of the wall Trump wants them on.

You can't shit without touching global supply chains.

I think that's all surmountable. But you know how corp america's going to adapt most significantly: more investment in automation.

"I'm stuck buying the parts made here? Well, lets make them cheap as possible by making those robots more productive, fast!"

Trump is going to accelerate automation, undoing everything he intends by paring globalization. Welcome to The Long Darkness.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

I think that's all surmountable. But you know how corp america's going to adapt most significantly: more investment in automation.

"I'm stuck buying the parts made here? Well, lets make them cheap as possible by making those robots more productive, fast!"

Trump is going to accelerate automation, undoing everything he intends by paring globalization. Welcome to The Long Darkness.

Okay, understand, I was bored of this whole thing a month ago, but now I'm going to post- think about that. A post ago you said small businesses that sell only to locals, now you're talking about investing in automation. Let me promise you, small businesses aren't investing in automation. I'm not saying you need to get to clarity that Flower will praise, but you need to get this shit a little bit straighter.