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Posts: 3497
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
Trump's threatened 200 percent tarif...
For those flamenco aficionados in the US who enjoy a glass of Jerez from the Jerez triangle or Manzanilla from San Lucar de Barrameda, it might be wise to buy a case of your favorite before Trump announces his tariffs this Wednesday, April 2. He has threatened to slap a 200 percent tariff on EU produced alcohol, and good Spanish Jerez isn't cheap as it is. And American produced Jerez is no substitute if you like good Jerez.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to BarkellWH)
Manzanilla is to be served fresh (pale light green in color). The gold orange crap in USA, is usually from some warehouse storage where it has sat so long it is turning into Amontillado. There was a brief period where I had a good connection to some fresh Barbadillo and La Gitana, but it was short lived when the store owner passed away. I have found decent orange colored American imports. It was always relatively cheap (Bartles and James or something). Good for rebujito (mixed with soda like sprite or 7 up type thing), and if I accept a gift or having a juerga I will drink it, but to be honest, I have lost my taste for it here in USA. In Spain I live on it of course (last time was 2022).
Cooking sherry is very cheap and lasts a long time so it doesn't matter that much if the price goes up. So pay up spaniards and boost USA economy!!! Now if Trump adds tariffs to Conde Hermanos imports, THAT will have repercussions!!!
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Ricardo)
The solution is to buy amontillado or palo cortado which keep well.
In Europe we cannot undertand how people with even a marginal level of intelligence could elect a narcissistic loco. The impresion here is that all americans are stupid.
Since I have several amigos American, I know this is not true. Mucha suerte.
Posts: 3497
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Morante)
quote:
The solution is to buy amontillado or palo cortado which keep well.
Yes! Amontillado happens to be my favorite in any case.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Posts: 3497
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
Now if Trump adds tariffs to Conde Hermanos imports, THAT will have repercussions!!!
I expect Trump will put a heavy tariff on guitars imported from Spain, and from Paracho, Mexico as well. We'll know Wednesday.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Morante)
quote:
The impresion here is that all americans are stupid.
even though flamenco/cante is dying out, it is good to know things have not changed much in Andalucia!
First it was Clinton, the whole Monica situation in the media etc, and they grilled me at the bar about how stupid could we be. Can't remember if it was when Bush 2 got in, where it was more of the same sound bite out of context ridicule in the media, but in the juerga everybody was chanting at me "ole!, Niño de Casa Blanca!", at first thinking "huh? What about that movie?", and I realized they were poking me about being from Washington DC (Sh1t show central for political baffoonary).
I guess at some point, I pointed out the two story pile of garbage that kept accumulating higher every time I came to visit Andalucia (due to striking workers and such), and I was like "yes, I am very jealous of you guy's amazing administration here", and a "how is the sea food and water around here?", as it was soon after that toxic waste spill into the Doña Ana. "And weren't you guys using Pesetas last time I was here? So, how is that going then?". Beautiful stuff. They left me alone after that.
I never thought the political divide thing was affecting people emotionally (hadn't everyone seen Carlin make fun of Bush 1?), rather that they were smart enough to understand when the media is exposing one side of things to get gullible/emotional people worked up to push an agenda. I remember during Bush 2, some lady was literally crying at the bar about him, and I was like "wow". But it did not really bother me until Obama was elected and I walked into a gig, and two guys got into my face "who the HELL did you vote for white boy??? Answer me now!!!! You better say Obama M'F-er@!!!", I laughed at first but these people were serious. And I said to myself "wow, ok...that was different". It happened again not long after that somewhere else.
And pretty much ever since it has just gotten worse and worse. Watching otherwise intelligent people sharing these memes and such. Guess what guys? Divide and Conquer really works....and it appears quite easy to simply set the wheels in motion and watch the people do it to themselves. Basically, it was a no brainer to watch how the liberal media, by complaining about this Trump guy DAY IN AND DAY OUT FOR 4 FREAKING YEARS...ignoring ANY other voices about anything at all really (I remember Yang telling media "why do we have to TALK about him?? I have other ideas" and the cameras turned OFF of him instantly), keeping his name alive like he was an abusive daddy they had a huge crush on....it was gonna be landslide in the opposite direction. Way to go people. "woke" up someday I hope...but does not look good from here.
So from my perspective...if you were a person who either shared a meme or news story about mr. TRUMP during the Biden admin years, spreading the fire on social media, well, enjoy your well deserved Tariffs.
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to BarkellWH)
quote:
ORIGINAL: BarkellWH
For those flamenco aficionados in the US who enjoy a glass of Jerez from the Jerez triangle or Manzanilla from San Lucar de Barrameda, it might be wise to buy a case of your favorite before Trump announces his tariffs this Wednesday, April 2. He has threatened to slap a 200 percent tariff on EU produced alcohol, and good Spanish Jerez isn't cheap as it is. And American produced Jerez is no substitute if you like good Jerez.
Bill
Well done Bill, You managed to connect something from flamenco culture to the tariffs of the Baka Tono Sama. ( the idiot king)
I applaud you.
during the Clinton years my European friends liked Bill, but couldn’t understand why bonking an intern was a problem, like who cares. They said Americans are either savvy or complete foolish puritans. And it doesn’t seem to matter politically because either right or left there’s puritanical non logic on human sexuality. My uptight Swiss painting teacher said it was prudery.
Best story however came from my business partners wife. When I was doing museum exhibits design my partners wife was running Americorp office for the western US region. Americorp is like a domestic version of Peace Corps and it was a favorite project of Clinton’s.
One day he visited Sam Francisco and his advance team went to her office to prep them for his visit. They said do not let him tour the office because he’ll find someone he thinks is interesting and he’ll talk to the staff for 90 minutes in a room they can’t extract him from.
So he shows up and yes he finds an office to start talking in and he goes on and on for 30 minutes. She told me, and was explicit about it, that Clinton had the charisma and presence in person that was me mesmerizing. She says he was so tall and intelligent that she wanted to suck his cock too. She said I can see why women moved on him. Then a few years later she left my friend for a woman. My friend got a new nice partner and it’s all ok, but this is to say that a woman running a big government agency who was really basically a lesbian said no shame in wanting to sleep with Bill Clinton.
Personally I never cared and was more angry at that **** Linda Tripp for manipulating Lewinsky knowing it would cause a scandal. But now Ken Starr and Linda Tripp are fertilizer and Bill has done important things. Monica never had talent and is sadly still milking her claims to victimhood.
But yeah, I’m getting the popcorn ready for the tariff wars, unless he pussies out and was bluffing. If he’s not bluffing, the blowback against him will be interesting to watch. ****ing idiot.
I have friends in Japan who are commercial farmers, they buy agricultural feeds from the U.S.- last time the orange scrotum face was in office he meddled in the ability of US farmers to sell feeds to East Asian farmers. The Japanese farmers formed buying co-ops and bought from Ukraine, Russia, China Africa etc, but says it was more difficult for various reasons like transportation and volume of purchase. From the US there was a pipeline of grain moved by rail to the west coast, loaded onto ships and in several days the ships would dock in Kobe and unload. Getting grains from other countries meant buying smaller shipments and more work sourcing the products they needed.
This time around the Koreans and Japanese are not going to like getting burned twice for no reason and it may break confidence for a long time. I’m in favor of huge tariffs and I hope he out does himself, not because I want trade wars, but because it’s going to screw up the world economy and hopefully trash out the U.S. economy, because that is the only way the moronic religious right and the grievance holding white guys will finally have to think about something beyond the scope of getting wasted at the local bar in their stupid Midwest unimportant town.
The maga fools want to act like they have grievances, give them something to really grieve about. Let Trump burn it down for another 12 - 14 months and see if they like it.
While I’m at it, I heard Euro NATO is going start flying fighter jet protection zones over central Ukraine to free up the Ukrainians to fight with their planes on the front. Thanks Europe, you understand the assignment. Glory to Ukraine ~
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RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Morante)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Morante
Well, we have had Stalin, Hitler, Franco. The great USA has had McCarty and now Trump and Musk.
The importance is survive lo mejor que puede
Don’t forget Mussolini, so you’re being competitive with Yankees about who’s more facist? Don’t forget we had McCarthy and J Edgar Hoover. They weren’t fascist per se, they were power hungry control freaks.
Musk is a lightweight as far as bad guys go. He bought his way into fascist practice. Now take Stalin, he did the work himself, he didn’t buy the office, he truly intimidated and murdered for his position.
Posts: 2006
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to estebanana)
Really? He's got a freakin rocket ship company. That's James Bond villain stuff. You just know he's got a secret island hideout somewhere with submarines and stuff. And the richest guy in the world? He's a super villian of the first order. He's worthy.
quote:
ORIGINAL: estebanana Musk is a lightweight as far as bad guys go. He bought his way into fascist practice. Now take Stalin, he did the work himself, he didn’t buy the office, he truly intimidated and murdered for his position.
Posts: 3497
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
Now take Stalin, he did the work himself, he didn’t buy the office, he truly intimidated and murdered for his position.
Stalin truly "earned" his position. Even Hitler attained power by democratic means under the Weimar constitution. Stalin had a long memory, assassinating Trotsky in 1940, a decade after Trotsky had been in exile in Mexico. One tough hombre.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Morante)
quote:
Well, we have had Stalin, Hitler, Franco.
And Eurovision. No idea how we've managed to survive this long...
_____________________________
"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ricardo
Manzanilla is to be served fresh (pale light green in color). The gold orange crap in USA, is usually from some warehouse storage where it has sat so long it is turning into Amontillado. There was a brief period where I had a good connection to some fresh Barbadillo and La Gitana, but it was short lived when the store owner passed away. I have found decent orange colored American imports. It was always relatively cheap (Bartles and James or something). Good for rebujito (mixed with soda like sprite or 7 up type thing), and if I accept a gift or having a juerga I will drink it, but to be honest, I have lost my taste for it here in USA. In Spain I live on it of course (last time was 2022).
Cooking sherry is very cheap and lasts a long time so it doesn't matter that much if the price goes up. So pay up spaniards and boost USA economy!!! Now if Trump adds tariffs to Conde Hermanos imports, THAT will have repercussions!!!
I used to get young manzanilla at Bev Mo, it’s been a while. Now I want manzanilla. Damn
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Mark2)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Mark2
Really? He's got a freakin rocket ship company. That's James Bond villain stuff. You just know he's got a secret island hideout somewhere with submarines and stuff. And the richest guy in the world? He's a super villian of the first order. He's worthy.
quote:
ORIGINAL: estebanana Musk is a lightweight as far as bad guys go. He bought his way into fascist practice. Now take Stalin, he did the work himself, he didn’t buy the office, he truly intimidated and murdered for his position.
Musk isn’t a super villain, he’s a super dork. Two women are suing him for child support and custody. He’s a complete drip and a failure to me. Can you imagine being the richest man on the planet and your ex lovers that you had children with have to sue you to get money? That’s not worthy of Bond villain. Musk is nothing more than a dead beat dad who has money to pay but is a self centered narcissist SOB without enough class to settle with his baby mommas.
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to BarkellWH)
quote:
ORIGINAL: BarkellWH
quote:
Now take Stalin, he did the work himself, he didn’t buy the office, he truly intimidated and murdered for his position.
Stalin truly "earned" his position. Even Hitler attained power by democratic means under the Weimar constitution. Stalin had a long memory, assassinating Trotsky in 1940, a decade after Trotsky had been in exile in Mexico. One tough hombre.
Bill
Yes, Stalin was brutality manifest in a human form. Musk is a mere shopkeeper. Stalin was a horrible horrific person who even made sure the Korean War wouldn’t end with his own death. He was a mass murderer and a terrorist.
Posts: 2006
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to estebanana)
Granted-a Bond villain would feed the ex's to his pet sharks.
quote:
ORIGINAL: estebanana
quote:
ORIGINAL: Mark2
Really? He's got a freakin rocket ship company. That's James Bond villain stuff. You just know he's got a secret island hideout somewhere with submarines and stuff. And the richest guy in the world? He's a super villian of the first order. He's worthy.
quote:
ORIGINAL: estebanana Musk is a lightweight as far as bad guys go. He bought his way into fascist practice. Now take Stalin, he did the work himself, he didn’t buy the office, he truly intimidated and murdered for his position.
Musk isn’t a super villain, he’s a super dork. Two women are suing him for child support and custody. He’s a complete drip and a failure to me. Can you imagine being the richest man on the planet and your ex lovers that you had children with have to sue you to get money? That’s not worthy of Bond villain. Musk is nothing more than a dead beat dad who has money to pay but is a self centered narcissist SOB without enough class to settle with his baby mommas.
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
Divide and Conquer really works....
The world is a strange place, neither leftism or conservatism is the answer unfortunately. Both can create problems in society over a long time frame (albeit different 'type' of problems), however, the difference is leftism does that with lesser damage. Hence I lean left.
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ricardo
quote:
The impresion here is that all americans are stupid.
even though flamenco/cante is dying out, it is good to know things have not changed much in Andalucia!
First it was Clinton, the whole Monica situation in the media etc, and they grilled me at the bar about how stupid could we be. Can't remember if it was when Bush 2 got in, where it was more of the same sound bite out of context ridicule in the media, but in the juerga everybody was chanting at me "ole!, Niño de Casa Blanca!", at first thinking "huh? What about that movie?", and I realized they were poking me about being from Washington DC (Sh1t show central for political baffoonary).
I guess at some point, I pointed out the two story pile of garbage that kept accumulating higher every time I came to visit Andalucia (due to striking workers and such), and I was like "yes, I am very jealous of you guy's amazing administration here", and a "how is the sea food and water around here?", as it was soon after that toxic waste spill into the Doña Ana. "And weren't you guys using Pesetas last time I was here? So, how is that going then?". Beautiful stuff. They left me alone after that.
I never thought the political divide thing was affecting people emotionally (hadn't everyone seen Carlin make fun of Bush 1?), rather that they were smart enough to understand when the media is exposing one side of things to get gullible/emotional people worked up to push an agenda. I remember during Bush 2, some lady was literally crying at the bar about him, and I was like "wow". But it did not really bother me until Obama was elected and I walked into a gig, and two guys got into my face "who the HELL did you vote for white boy??? Answer me now!!!! You better say Obama M'F-er@!!!", I laughed at first but these people were serious. And I said to myself "wow, ok...that was different". It happened again not long after that somewhere else.
And pretty much ever since it has just gotten worse and worse. Watching otherwise intelligent people sharing these memes and such. Guess what guys? Divide and Conquer really works....and it appears quite easy to simply set the wheels in motion and watch the people do it to themselves. Basically, it was a no brainer to watch how the liberal media, by complaining about this Trump guy DAY IN AND DAY OUT FOR 4 FREAKING YEARS...ignoring ANY other voices about anything at all really (I remember Yang telling media "why do we have to TALK about him?? I have other ideas" and the cameras turned OFF of him instantly), keeping his name alive like he was an abusive daddy they had a huge crush on....it was gonna be landslide in the opposite direction. Way to go people. "woke" up someday I hope...but does not look good from here.
So from my perspective...if you were a person who either shared a meme or news story about mr. TRUMP during the Biden admin years, spreading the fire on social media, well, enjoy your well deserved Tariffs.
Ricardo,
The corporate media largely constructed trumps public image, first as a reality television celebrity and wresting world personality. Then when he announced running for president in 2015 CNN network gave him wall to wall free coverage because he was already an media personality and on top of that he said outrageous things about culture and politics that were highly bigoted and sexist views and this created a media package that made hundreds of millions of dollars for the established conservative wing of commercial media.
The trump narrative wasn’t created by the average person in either side of the political spectrum, but by media outlets that saw him as a political anomaly they could make money on because he attracted a crowd to watch media that was to a great extent ignored by news programs. Trump was pushed in common media because he had powerful ‘red neck appeal’ and drew in many news viewers who felt politics was a realm they weren’t included in.
After this the news outlets that were normally middle of the road bent towards covering the novelty phenomenon of why an outsider who said outrageous bigoted stuff was so popular. I think to put the creation and evolution and continuation of Trump as a political/social presence on everyday people is false, because the media created him as a subject to be covered for the money that his creepy macho performances could bring them. The average social media user whether pro or against Trump we’re amplifying the message of the media that they identify with.
I do say that those who are in poorer states that voted for him probably voted against their own best interests in terms of basic government services they are due to receive. But what’s new about poor whites voting against their own best interest? Nothing, it’s become their ingrained pattern. So when you say bring the tariffs, sure, I agree because they should get what they voted for and understand the contract they made with their government representation. They will get the governance they asked for. Everyone else will have to either fight it or wait it out. But I fundamentally think after researching and reading a lot about this situation that it’s a media created problem, and simply ignoring him wouldn’t have worked in the sensational and intense 24 hour news cycle we have now. The media is addictive and is relentless in demanding a reaction from its target audiences, and they operate by scaring and treating the audience like they are bringing information rather that filtering targeted information.
The media addictive and humans are hard wired to get hooked on that media morphine. It’s not as simple as non participation the audience because we are also organized tribally and that’s incredibly difficult to break apart and create a unified country tribally. That’s why the country was less divided over events like WWII as there was a consensus as to what amounted to an enemy, the tribe could come together over an enemy that we all could palpably understand. It was Japan and Germany, to an extent Russia, very clear very clear easy to unite against. The media divides us now because its message is, we’ve seen the enemy and the enemy is ourselves.
I expect we’ll be seeing the enemy in our next door states until human rights or citizens rights erode to the point that media cannot exploit it anymore. Anyone for martial law? Why does divide and conquer work? Think it’s because media is addictive and corporations make tons of money exploiting the narratives that sustain a bifurcated tribal culture, so in conclusion I don’t fault the people, loathe the medias that seek to manipulate them in order to make a buck.
Sharing memes really is about tribal identity and loyalty and isn’t necessarily a mind maker, it’s a reinforcement of the guard rails for each side of a cultural divide. As soon as step into a bar and have to sit down next to a real person it instantly changes tribe into human interaction, except when extremists actually do want to kill you. 😆
My question is, why are cultural wars so important to some people?
Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
The average social media user whether pro or against Trump we’re amplifying the message of the media that they identify with.
yes. but "amplify" needs to be write super large understood to be EXAGGERATED, ie, not the real truth of the matter. This amplification IS the issue.
quote:
The media is addictive and is relentless in demanding a reaction from its target audiences, and they operate by scaring and treating the audience like they are bringing information rather that filtering targeted information.
It is a tool for the purpose of division. Something like "ground news" should not even need to exist for crying out loud.
quote:
It’s not as simple as non participation the audience because we are also organized tribally and that’s incredibly difficult to break apart and create a unified country tribally.
Well, to me it IS that simple. Nancy Reagan just say no, they made fun of her but it worked for me.
quote:
The media divides us now because its message is, we’ve seen the enemy and the enemy is ourselves.
So it appeared to me over the decades. But as it got worse, and I found my own independent voice silenced in my own circle of friends, and even under my own roof, I can no longer pretend spoiled Americans have done this thing to themselves. I used to share that SNL trump loving pet dog mind reading thing, but it is no longer funny AT ALL. The toys and distractions and video game and media addictions, etc., it is all looking to me very much by design. Taking advantage of the freedoms, using it as weapon to split households. It works. Someone is responsible that does not like first world and its freedoms, or wants to exploit it. Who has something to gain from this? It should be obvious by now. They are not just laughing at the circus they created from tiny seeds, they are taking over this earth.
quote:
so in conclusion I don’t fault the people, loathe the medias that seek to manipulate them in order to make a buck.
Everyone needs to generate income. You can't blame the enty, nor can you fight the masterminds behind the "tool" being weaponized. Hence, I put all the responsibility on THE PEOPLE...they need to "just say no" and not fall in the trap that has been set. Sorry to say, it is the only hope at this point. The damage is running too deep, the healing nearly impossible. Just STOP being meme spreading sheeple. Sure asteroid ending humanity that unites us would be so wonderful, wouldn't it?
Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to metalhead)
quote:
ORIGINAL: metalhead
quote:
Divide and Conquer really works....
The world is a strange place, neither leftism or conservatism is the answer unfortunately. Both can create problems in society over a long time frame (albeit different 'type' of problems), however, the difference is leftism does that with lesser damage. Hence I lean left.
The world is a seething cesspool of human trafficking and exploitation. Platforms today? I agree with A but not B....and someone says to me "you don't agree with B?????WTF Ricardo, you must be in league with the A-HOLES!!!!!"....and so it goes to sow the seeds of division today. It is nonsensical, but as I said above, a weapon that WORKS.
I don't fault anyone for going left, the lesser of two evils, it is sound logic. But for god sake, no matter where you are or situation in to survive, you have the freedom to think critically and question whatever narrative and information you are being spoon fed. Just say "no" when you need to.
Posts: 2006
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to BarkellWH)
The political comedian Bill Maher has been a consistant and relentless critic of Trump. I have been a fan of Maher's for many years. I don't always agree with him, but he tends to have a lot of interesting people from both sides of the political spectrum on his show, and he is funny, which is his actual job. I enjoy political comedy, and he's one of the best at it.
I remember he talked about how he donated a million dollars to Obama's campaign, and how he was disappointed that Obama never came on his show, never gave an invite to the white house.
Well, even after calling trump the spawn of an orangutan, for which Trump sued him, Trump invited him to the white house for dinner. Apparantley this was arranged by Kid Rock(you just can't make this crap up)
Maher has been moving to the center politically in the last few years, but he's no conservative, and probably never will be. He continues to ridicule Trump on his weekly show.
According to KR, the dinner was cordial. I've read more than once that in a one on one situation Trump is extremely engaging. I can't wait to see what Maher, one of Trump's most severe critics, has to say this Friday on his show.
I think the tariffs will cause a backlash against Trump as prices, already high from recent inflation, will continue to rise. How long it will last I have no idea. The mid terms could very well gut his ability to enact his agenda.
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Mark2)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Mark2
The political comedian Bill Maher has been a consistant and relentless critic of Trump. I have been a fan of Maher's for many years. I don't always agree with him, but he tends to have a lot of interesting people from both sides of the political spectrum on his show, and he is funny, which is his actual job. I enjoy political comedy, and he's one of the best at it.
I remember he talked about how he donated a million dollars to Obama's campaign, and how he was disappointed that Obama never came on his show, never gave an invite to the white house.
Well, even after calling trump the spawn of an orangutan, for which Trump sued him, Trump invited him to the white house for dinner. Apparantley this was arranged by Kid Rock(you just can't make this crap up)
Maher has been moving to the center politically in the last few years, but he's no conservative, and probably never will be. He continues to ridicule Trump on his weekly show.
According to KR, the dinner was cordial. I've read more than once that in a one on one situation Trump is extremely engaging. I can't wait to see what Maher, one of Trump's most severe critics, has to say this Friday on his show.
I think the tariffs will cause a backlash against Trump as prices, already high from recent inflation, will continue to rise. How long it will last I have no idea. The mid terms could very well gut his ability to enact his agenda.
Obama didn’t go on Maher’s show because Maher felt entitled to having him after a controversial PAC donation. Obama’s staff rejected Maher because it smelled like being bought. Other shows Obama appeared on didn’t attempt to buy his presence. But this is the thing that underscores the difference between Trump ethics and Obama ethics. Trump makes no bones that he’s for sale and will be anyone’s whore.
The difference between Trump and Obama is that Trump is 100% transactional to the point that he has put a Tesla (‘Tesler’) in front of the People’s House that he happens to live in, and hawks that Tesla because the richest shiethead in the world gave him 280 million dollars. Fukk me, but where I come that is called corruption. All politicians sell a modicum of access because it expedites certain actions, but the trump entourage does this on an exponentially gross and abusive level. Maybe there’s something with merchandising the executive office, but as I said fukk me I’m just guitar maker trying not to sit on an ocean of broken glass dildos.
Further, why would Bill Maher not say Trump was charming? Psychopathy is almost always charming because that’s how they operate to get their way. Trust me I’ve dealt with psychotics. And if Bill did say something nasty or untoward about rumple thin skin, the big baby would go onto his Truth Social platform and denounce Bill Maher. On his show Maher is a pop polemicist who gets a break because he can retract anything he says as a polemic talking point ( and he’s retracted like a motherfukjrer over the years) so he worms out of anything. To be fair it’s also a testament to Maher’s ability to change his mind. He’s not dumb, but his show is set up for a polemical debate on a 10th or 11th grade level. Watch an Oxford University debate for a check on that.
And here’s the point I keep asking people to see, both Musk and Trump have created media machinery to amplify their own voices as culture warriors, they are in leadership roles and they both use a public address system that millions upon millions access everyday and they use it to foment ultra mendacious cultural attacks on those don’t deserve it. It’s not uncle Joe down the street putting memes on facebook that’s causing the tectonic rift in our society, it’s the right wing machinery and leadership that enables Trump, musk and others to wage in a brutal cultural war in the name of free speech.
This is straight up Stasi/Nazi stuff. Understand this.
I’m out, I retire from this conversation because it makes me so furious I could chop down a F-ing telephone pole with a violin knife.
RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
nor can you fight the masterminds behind the "tool" being weaponize
Sure you can. The overwhelming majority of social progress was achieved by doing just that. Not that I disagree with your point about divide and conquer. Just that, even if people weren't taking that bait and being distracted by it, you'd still need people to actually get out there and "fight" if you wanted to improve things. Otherwise all you'd get is, well, a population of Russian doomers, I guess?
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RE: Trump's threatened 200 percent t... (in reply to Piwin)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Piwin
quote:
nor can you fight the masterminds behind the "tool" being weaponize
Sure you can. The overwhelming majority of social progress was achieved by doing just that. Not that I disagree with your point about divide and conquer. Just that, even if people weren't taking that bait and being distracted by it, you'd still need people to actually get out there and "fight" if you wanted to improve things. Otherwise all you'd get is, well, a population of Russian doomers, I guess?
Since you pulled it out of context, you missed my nuanced point about "fighting" the source there. To analogize, the person who tossed a cigarette that caused the out of control forest fire that destroyed homes...it is pointless to exact revenge on that guy. Or the evil person who would whisper lies into the sensitive ears in order to start a war, that type of simple thing you can not combat. It has to be the people disengaging, or to actively look for and avoid "falling for the traps". That was my point. People seem to me to be creating a world view bubble that is nothing more than a self-re-enforcing (amplification of concepts as Estebanana described) feedback loop of half/true/biased information, and it is only getting worse daily. Everybody, both sides (with a VERY select few exceptions). Ultimate goal will be to achieve Civil War.
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