The news tonight had Trump getting upset when Zelensky didn't go for the
deal the Trump was offering him. A real deal-maker might have kept him
the White House until they'd found deal that they both could go for, but
that didn't happen.
If Trump had got the guy - Tony Schwartz - who ghost-wrote "Art of the
Deal" for him - to conduct the negotiations, it might have gone better,
but Tony Schwartz might also have found a better deal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_the_Deal
Trump's "deal-making" over the years has lead to a lot of bankruptcies.
The news tonight had Trump getting upset when Zelensky didn't go for the
deal the Trump was offering him. A real deal-maker might have kept him
the White House until they'd found deal that they both could go for, but
that didn't happen.
If Trump had got the guy - Tony Schwartz - who ghost-wrote "Art of the
Deal" for him - to conduct the negotiations, it might have gone better,
but Tony Schwartz might also have found a better deal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_the_Deal
Trump's "deal-making" over the years has lead to a lot of bankruptcies.
On 3/1/2025 5:17 AM, Bill Sloman wrote:
The news tonight had Trump getting upset when Zelensky didn't go for
the deal the Trump was offering him. A real deal-maker might have kept
him the White House until they'd found deal that they both could go
for, but that didn't happen.
If Trump had got the guy - Tony Schwartz - who ghost-wrote "Art of the
Deal" for him - to conduct the negotiations, it might have gone
better, but Tony Schwartz might also have found a better deal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_the_Deal
Trump's "deal-making" over the years has lead to a lot of bankruptcies
US involvement in the Ukraine war will likely end the same way US
involvement in Vietnam (and rather like Afghanistan, too) ended: "deals"
will be made, North Vietnamese delegation smiles and nods and agrees to whatever, "peace with honor" is achieved, North Vietnam promptly ignores everything and overruns the country in full confidence the US won't do a thing once they've pulled out.
Don't get involved in land wars in Asia is probably the overall lesson
here, though in general when there's already a sunk cost it's probably
best to at least try to negotiate a divorce from a position of strength,
not pat the guy screwing your wife on the back and say "Atta boy!" which
is an interesting tactic to say the least. but regularly deploying "interesting tactics" _is_ what Trump promised his voters.
On 2/03/2025 5:27 am, bitrex wrote:
On 3/1/2025 5:17 AM, Bill Sloman wrote:
The news tonight had Trump getting upset when Zelensky didn't go for
the deal the Trump was offering him. A real deal-maker might have
kept him the White House until they'd found deal that they both could
go for, but that didn't happen.
If Trump had got the guy - Tony Schwartz - who ghost-wrote "Art of
the Deal" for him - to conduct the negotiations, it might have gone
better, but Tony Schwartz might also have found a better deal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_the_Deal
Trump's "deal-making" over the years has lead to a lot of bankruptcies
US involvement in the Ukraine war will likely end the same way US
involvement in Vietnam (and rather like Afghanistan, too) ended:
"deals" will be made, North Vietnamese delegation smiles and nods and
agrees to whatever, "peace with honor" is achieved, North Vietnam
promptly ignores everything and overruns the country in full
confidence the US won't do a thing once they've pulled out.
The US wasn't "involved" in the Ukraine - it was just providing weapons
and ammunition.
Quite what Trump hopes to get out of his current antics isn't clear -
Putin may have made him an appealing offer. "Interesting tactics" may be
as explicit as you can afford to be within the US.
The actual Russian invasion started on the 22nd February 2022 and Biden
got Congress to vote the Ukraine a lot of weapons and ammunition to help
them fight them off. Trump doesn't seem to see the point.
bitrex <[email protected]> wrote:
[...]
Keep in mind a lot of what passes for wingnut politics in the US in the
age of Trump isn't even conceived of by Trump or anyone else in the
administration.
The right-wing propaganda machine sits and monitors what ninnies are
saying on Twitter and sees what gets traction and views. They amplify it
and the Trump administration amplifies it further. And by this process
various ninny ideas become Trump policy/Trumper religious dogma, in
large part just pulled from the ether.
It's a pragmatic kind of cult and it just runs with ideas that "work",
not that they hang together in any kind of logical fashion.
The person who understands how to use the latest media becomes the
ruler. Hitler did it with broadcasting and huge P.A. systmes at massed >rallies, Trump and the other Putin's Puppets do it with Social Media.
Keep in mind a lot of what passes for wingnut politics in the US in the
age of Trump isn't even conceived of by Trump or anyone else in the administration.
The right-wing propaganda machine sits and monitors what ninnies are
saying on Twitter and sees what gets traction and views. They amplify it
and the Trump administration amplifies it further. And by this process various ninny ideas become Trump policy/Trumper religious dogma, in
large part just pulled from the ether.
It's a pragmatic kind of cult and it just runs with ideas that "work",
not that they hang together in any kind of logical fashion.
bitrex <[email protected]> wrote:
[...]
Keep in mind a lot of what passes for wingnut politics in the US in the
age of Trump isn't even conceived of by Trump or anyone else in the
administration.
The right-wing propaganda machine sits and monitors what ninnies are
saying on Twitter and sees what gets traction and views. They amplify it
and the Trump administration amplifies it further. And by this process
various ninny ideas become Trump policy/Trumper religious dogma, in
large part just pulled from the ether.
It's a pragmatic kind of cult and it just runs with ideas that "work",
not that they hang together in any kind of logical fashion.
The person who understands how to use the latest media becomes the
ruler. Hitler did it with broadcasting and huge P.A. systmes at massed rallies, Trump and the other Putin's Puppets do it with Social Media.
On Sun, 2 Mar 2025 18:25:47 +0000, [email protected]d
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
bitrex <[email protected]> wrote:
[...]
Keep in mind a lot of what passes for wingnut politics in the US in the
age of Trump isn't even conceived of by Trump or anyone else in the
administration.
The right-wing propaganda machine sits and monitors what ninnies are
saying on Twitter and sees what gets traction and views. They amplify it >> and the Trump administration amplifies it further. And by this process
various ninny ideas become Trump policy/Trumper religious dogma, in
large part just pulled from the ether.
It's a pragmatic kind of cult and it just runs with ideas that "work",
not that they hang together in any kind of logical fashion.
The person who understands how to use the latest media becomes the
ruler. Hitler did it with broadcasting and huge P.A. systmes at massed >rallies, Trump and the other Putin's Puppets do it with Social Media.
A few broadcast stations and huge PA systems and giant-circulation
newspapers had a mostly captive audience. What's new is the internet,
which allows thousands of opinion sources, and lets new ones grow
virally almost overnight.
Some people are successful at using social media, but nobody owns it.
What sells is what works.f
Large parts of it are now owned by individuals and the parts that aren't
are swamped with fake news and other lies. China and Russia control it (directly or by proxy) and they are perverting the democratic process in America and, to a lesser extent, in Europe.
On 3/2/2025 1:15 PM, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
Large parts of it are now owned by individuals and the parts that aren't are swamped with fake news and other lies. China and Russia control it (directly or by proxy) and they are perverting the democratic process in America and, to a lesser extent, in Europe.
That's like blaming the (drug) "dealer" for the addict's behavior.
Too many people are lazy thinkers. They would much rather be TOLD
what to think than to "exercise" (ick!) their own independent thought processes.
It baffles me that "influencers" exist, at all. What qualifications
do these folks have -- other than appearing to have some number of
associated lemmings?
The whole thing stinks - but it follows the same pattern that brought
Hitler and the Nazis to power - control the media and you control the
people who can't be bothered (or aren't able) to think for themselves.
If they are in the majority, which they are in most populations, the democratic process automatically gives them the power to decide the fate
of the entire population. Then the familiar pattern begins - leading
to purges, witch-hunts, suppression of opposition and eventually dictatorship.
The purges and witch-hunts have started, how long before the election process is abolished in America?
On Sun, 2 Mar 2025 18:25:47 +0000, [email protected]d
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
bitrex <[email protected]> wrote:
[...]
Keep in mind a lot of what passes for wingnut politics in the US in the
age of Trump isn't even conceived of by Trump or anyone else in the
administration.
The right-wing propaganda machine sits and monitors what ninnies are
saying on Twitter and sees what gets traction and views. They amplify it >>> and the Trump administration amplifies it further. And by this process
various ninny ideas become Trump policy/Trumper religious dogma, in
large part just pulled from the ether.
It's a pragmatic kind of cult and it just runs with ideas that "work",
not that they hang together in any kind of logical fashion.
The person who understands how to use the latest media becomes the
ruler. Hitler did it with broadcasting and huge P.A. systmes at massed
rallies, Trump and the other Putin's Puppets do it with Social Media.
A few broadcast stations and huge PA systems and giant-circulation
newspapers had a mostly captive audience. What's new is the internet,
which allows thousands of opinion sources, and lets new ones grow
virally almost overnight.
This distributed information system both democratizes society and
tribalizes it.
Some people are successful at using social media, but nobody owns it.
What sells is what works.
Don Y <[email protected]d> wrote:
On 3/2/2025 1:15 PM, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
Large parts of it are now owned by individuals and the parts that aren't >>> are swamped with fake news and other lies. China and Russia control it
(directly or by proxy) and they are perverting the democratic process in >>> America and, to a lesser extent, in Europe.
That's like blaming the (drug) "dealer" for the addict's behavior.
Too many people are lazy thinkers. They would much rather be TOLD
what to think than to "exercise" (ick!) their own independent thought
processes.
It baffles me that "influencers" exist, at all. What qualifications
do these folks have -- other than appearing to have some number of
associated lemmings?
The whole thing stinks - but it follows the same pattern that brought
Hitler and the Nazis to power - control the media and you control the
people who can't be bothered (or aren't able) to think for themselves.
If they are in the majority, which they are in most populations, the democratic process automatically gives them the power to decide the fate
of the entire population. Then the familiar pattern begins - leading
to purges, witch-hunts, suppression of opposition and eventually dictatorship.
The purges and witch-hunts have started, how long before the election process is abolished in America?
It's sad as Trump *could* have used his initial term to make positive changes. But, he has the attitude of a two-year-old -- tearing down is something that a child learns wrt his environment *before* "building up" (play with a young kid and notice their behaviors as they mature).
Trump isn't going to abolish an election system that can be manipulated
to give him an advantage, and he isn't going to reform it in a way that
loses any advantage he may currently have.
Trump isn't going to abolish an election system that can be manipulated
to give him an advantage, and he isn't going to reform it in a way that
loses any advantage he may currently have.
On 03/03/2025 04:13, Bill Sloman wrote:
Trump isn't going to abolish an election system that can be manipulated
to give him an advantage, and he isn't going to reform it in a way that
loses any advantage he may currently have.
Well, the first thing required would be to remove the 22nd Amendment.
Even with majorities in the Congress and HoR, that seems unlikely. Add
to that the requirement for 3/4 of the individual states to agree to the change, and it seems more unlikely.
Don Y <[email protected]d> wrote:
[...]
It's sad as Trump *could* have used his initial term to make positive
changes. But, he has the attitude of a two-year-old -- tearing down is
something that a child learns wrt his environment *before* "building up"
(play with a young kid and notice their behaviors as they mature).
Spot on!
If you want to know what Trump will do next, think how a spoilt
two-year-old would react in his situation.
On Sun, 2 Mar 2025 18:25:47 +0000, [email protected]d
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
bitrex <[email protected]> wrote:
[...]
Keep in mind a lot of what passes for wingnut politics in the US in the
age of Trump isn't even conceived of by Trump or anyone else in the
administration.
The right-wing propaganda machine sits and monitors what ninnies are
saying on Twitter and sees what gets traction and views. They amplify it >>> and the Trump administration amplifies it further. And by this process
various ninny ideas become Trump policy/Trumper religious dogma, in
large part just pulled from the ether.
It's a pragmatic kind of cult and it just runs with ideas that "work",
not that they hang together in any kind of logical fashion.
The person who understands how to use the latest media becomes the
ruler. Hitler did it with broadcasting and huge P.A. systmes at massed >>rallies, Trump and the other Putin's Puppets do it with Social Media.
A few broadcast stations and huge PA systems and giant-circulation
newspapers had a mostly captive audience. What's new is the internet,
which allows thousands of opinion sources, and lets new ones grow
virally almost overnight.
This distributed information system both democratizes society and
tribalizes it.
Some people are successful at using social media, but nobody owns it.
What sells is what works.
On Sun, 02 Mar 2025 10:46:24 -0800, john larkin <[email protected]> wrote:
On Sun, 2 Mar 2025 18:25:47 +0000, [email protected]d
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
bitrex <[email protected]> wrote:
[...]
Keep in mind a lot of what passes for wingnut politics in the US in the >>>> age of Trump isn't even conceived of by Trump or anyone else in the
administration.
The right-wing propaganda machine sits and monitors what ninnies are
saying on Twitter and sees what gets traction and views. They amplify it >>>> and the Trump administration amplifies it further. And by this process >>>> various ninny ideas become Trump policy/Trumper religious dogma, in
large part just pulled from the ether.
It's a pragmatic kind of cult and it just runs with ideas that "work", >>>> not that they hang together in any kind of logical fashion.
The person who understands how to use the latest media becomes the
ruler. Hitler did it with broadcasting and huge P.A. systmes at massed
rallies, Trump and the other Putin's Puppets do it with Social Media.
A few broadcast stations and huge PA systems and giant-circulation
newspapers had a mostly captive audience. What's new is the internet,
which allows thousands of opinion sources, and lets new ones grow
virally almost overnight.
This distributed information system both democratizes society and
tribalizes it.
Some people are successful at using social media, but nobody owns it.
What sells is what works.
Indeed. It's a kind of meritocracy and no one from the BBC or CNN or
NBC would survive in that environment for long due to a complete
absence of talent.
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