27 Comments

1. Money wins, people lose, this is the inevitable result of all modern day US elections. Trump is a godsend for the broken US political system (and its mainstream media echo chamber) because of his ability to draw attention exclusively onto himself, thus allowing policy, typically detrimental to people interests, to fly even more under the radar than US policy decisions already are.

   Last time in he was responsible for the greatest transfer of wealth the world had ever seen (helped by the big C period). We barely talk about this, we farkin don’t talk about this, meaning, lord knows what’s really in store for us (and what gleefully awaits for them) this time around.

   But he is just a puppet of power who won an election against another puppet of power. High time we realized that politics is broken and work towards trying to sort this out rather than wasting our time fixating on the puppets that the corrupters of politics serve up to us.

   1. “But he is just a puppet of power who won an election against another puppet of power”.

      Like it. Quote of the week!

   2. Kamala outspent him by a ratio of at least three to one and had massive financial backing

      1. Here’s just “some” of the money behind these puppets, this is just the obvious stuff…this issue – money in politics – is what matters, not what each side attracts or spends.

         “Here Are Trump’s Top Billionaire Donors”, Forbes – https://www.forbes.com/sites/leokamin/2024/08/14/here-are-trumps-top-billionaire-donors/

         “Forbes Daily: The Billionaires Behind Kamala Harris’ Presidential Run” – https://www.forbes.com/sites/daniellechemtob/2024/07/30/forbes-daily-the-billionaires-behind-kamala-harris-presidential-run/

         “Top Donor Contributions to Donald Trump & Kamala Harris as of September 2024”, The Rabbit Hole – https://x.com/TheRabbitHole84/status/1850728546488156171

2. I like chaos so I look forward to Trump. Will he begin a purge that will make McCarthyism look like an amateur happy hour.
   Already, since Trump won, his supporters are looking down a level and claiming election fraud in all the Senate, House and Governor races they lost.

3. “Iran will be bombed”. Maybe, maybe not. Trump ordered the murder of Qassem Soleimani and did not try to hide the fact. So he may do anything.
   Trump is not a pacifist even though he excoriates the Democrats as “warmongers”. He is a businessman who is deeply offended by the poor return on investment of American wars in the twenty-first century. He knows that the US did well out of supplying war materiel in the First and Second World Wars, leaving others to do the fighting until the latter stages. He knows that it is the non-belligerents who profit from the wars of other states. From that perspective the Afghan war was absurd, and the Ukraine war not much better with the US bankrolling an expensive war in which the fruits of victory, should they eventuate, must be shared with Europe.
   So if Trump was to embark on a war, who might be the target? The obvious possibilities include the Russian Federation, China, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. Russia and China have nuclear arsenals. Therefore Trump is unlikely to tackle them head on. North Korea also has nuclear weapons sufficient to deter a US attack. Despite the fact that it was he who ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani Trump would be wary of going to war against Iran for the same reasons that the Biden administration hesitated. A conventional war with Iran could also get messy for the US. Cuba could be expected to put up serious resistance even with the Castro brothers gone from the picture, and the invasion and occupation of the island nation would offer little financial benefit to the US.
   The best business case can be made for war with Venezuela. And remember that for Trump it is all about the business case. It is not about values (he has none) or democracy (for which he has no respect). It is about reaping large gains from a small investment. A regime which faces significant internal opposition, has a relatively small army, few close friends and vast oil reserves is ideally placed to be invaded. Trump would probably judge Venezuela to be the best option if he was to go looking for a war.

4. What are the odds of Vance & his tech masters invoke the 25th Amendment to get rid of Trump?

5. Well, history will roll on. Who is to say what the outcomes of Trump’s popularity victory will be, for the USA and for the rest of the world. Ok, MB has called it. Fair enough. Gotta ask however what it would have been like under the Dems. I guess you got to ask those who voted for Trump to find that out. But I suspect a good many of those couldn’t clearly articulate the reason(s) why, other than a deep resentment at the way things are. Lived experience does matter, even if its often just perceptions based on a growing wave of resentment. What is as interesting as a bullet list of negative predictions is the current mind set of the USA. You’ve just gotta look at the map, except for the eastern seaboard and a few isolated pockets a sea of red. Something’s going on. Sucked in by the false promises of a popularist? MAKE AMERIKA GREAT AGAIN. Really!? A deep distrust of the establishment? Lived experience of the deplorables? And a good many more this time it seems. Fed misinformation by algorithms? Fox News? Simple lack of political literacy? More broadly, lack of college education (although many red supporters might turn this supposition on its head and point to the woke capture of higher institutes of learning)? A poor campaign from the Democrats? Misogyny? All of these? Whatever is going on, IMO the reelection of Trump is symptomatic of deep insecurities in the USA. And that might be the most dangerous thing of all.

   1. Or, maybe just maybe what the Left has been selling is a dud? There is wisdom in crowds and you can’t just dismiss tens of millions of voters as being dumb and uneducated. That’s a lazy argument and won’t lead to a robust and sustainable counter to the madness of Trumpism

6. People stupidly believe elections can change things.
   In fact very little changes after elections.
   Elections are really a fraud.
   People are told you can have your say.
   But in truth you get to put a couple marks on a piece of paper nobody reads.
   Elections are really only entertainment and filler for the media.
   Trump was in the news every day for four years and will be in the news
   every day until he is elected out or stood down by his party.
   If you believe elections actually change things more fool you.
   Entertainment yes change no.

7. Part of me is going to enjoy a few years of delicious Schadenfreude as citizens of Dumbfuckistan start experiencing the “finding out” part of the equation.
   The rest of me weeps.

8. Biden, Harris and the Democrats have murdered thousands of kids in the last year, have poured trillions into weapons instead of growing their country, have brought Europe to the brink of collapse and destruction and have spread extremism throughout the world. Trump doesn’t take office till next year.

9. Slightly different take on Trump’s Ukrainian “solution”. He wanted the European NATO countries to spend more on military armaments. They did but shopped not at the US MIC exclusively but world wide. Hence South Korean tanks, Swedish and French fighter aircraft, any number of locally manufactured European mobile platforms, infantry weapons and standardised ammunition (including rifle, artillery and mortar) etc..

   The US MIC need NATO to buy more military equipment unfortunately the preference in Europe is anything but US weapons (too expensive, too many “conditions” for use, expensive ammunition, expensive training, not always suited to local conditions, etc.).

   Trump abandoning Ukraine will be a blessing for it will force European NATO countries (with the possible exception of Hungary) to be more self reliant and not buy from the US MIC to fight Russian imperialism. Simpler weapon system tailored to local conditions and fight a known enemy.

   One can already see the leader in this being Poland who will drag Germany and France along in the defence of the Ukrainian people.

   Trump will get his wish in withdrawing from NATO thinking it will collapse but it wont, it will stiffen resistance, produce more local weaponry, better suited to the warfare on European / Ukrainian territory, than the USA MIC can provide.

   Loser will be the US MIC for they will forgo access to NATO. One has only to see where India purchased French Rafeale fighter jets when Russia could not supply the ordered Migs. US MIC missed out. Will be repeated in NATO when US leaves the organisation.

10. Genuine question, why should the US be funding Ukraine’s war against Russia other than the Biden’s curious links to the country.

    If Russia is such a threat to Europe which is the line I often hear, why then is the EU not stepping up to defend itself?

    Why should the US pay for it?

    Seems to me there’s a disconnect between despising the US’ hegemony when it comes to support of Israel and its forever wars in the Middle East yet demanding it spend blood and treasure defending the Ukraine.

    1. The US MIC is a major supplier to NATO and the US wants the revenue stream that the sales generate, US does not “pay” for the war, it is a supplier that makes money from it. It does not give weapons and ammunition “away” for free. There are “loans” involved. Loans that will never be returned if Russia occupies Ukraine. The Trump “peace” offer will retain Ukrainian independence so that the loans can be re payed. Don’t forget there is also a “Marshall Plan” where huge loans and construction opportunities for the US, in the Ukrainian rebuild, are on offer. Opportunities lost if Russia is to occupy Ukraine.

       Trump want to end the war by containing Russia within the Russian borders through having a strong European NATO military, using US armaments.

       Unfortunately for the US MIC (and the profits / jobs generated by the sales), Europe is rearming but not with US weapons but local ones (keeping profits / jobs local).

    2. Russia doesn’t pose a viable threat to Europe. Terms such as Russian imperialism (used by an earlier commenter, above) are a fiction in contemporary context, and thrown about as part of the US hegemonic narrative.
       What USA doesn’t, and never will, appreciate is the Russian psyche, which is permanently shaped by invasions from Europe, invasions that massacred tens of millions laid waste to an enormous swathes of the USSR and Russia, an area easily equivalent to the entire US eastern seaboard and several of its states combined.
       As well as maintaining historic access to the Black Sea, Russia wants a buffer zone of nonaligned or militarily neutral states between it and those who have historically repeatedly invaded it. They have absolutely no reason to trust the West. USA, who routinely claim that Russia is their adversary, engineered the move to drive the anti-Russian military pact of NATO right up to Russia’s borders and within blitzkrieg range of Moscow.
       Any reasonable power would respect Russia’s sentiment in this respect and not deliberately inflame the situation. Not USA. The inevitable blowback to NATO expansionism (or call it imperialism if you will) is entirely on the USA.

       1. Why does Russia not set up the “buffer” zone it seeks on her own soil? Why should the Baltic Countries, Belarus and the Ukraine form the buffer zone? Countries that are sovereign in their own right to choose their alliances and relationships?

          Why should we respect Russia? How quickly we forget the Soviet occupation of the eastern block countries plus eastern Germany (and the buffer “wall” build to keep the east and west apart. Sorry no respect from the western Europeans and the newly liberated eastern block countries (Hungary excepted). No respect due to no trust.

          Similar to Russia having no trust of the western and ex eastern block European countries as you claim.

          if Russia wants a “wall”, build it on their own territory. Not on other sovereign states. A “wall” that will stretch from Murmansk to the Black Sea and be manned by millions of conscripts.

          Russia want to control the Black Sea and stop Ukrainian (and Bulgarian) grain exports that directly compete with the Russian equivalent exports.

          1. “Why does Russia not set up the “buffer” zone it seeks on her own soil?”

             Because then it wouldn’t be a buffer zone. The same reason car bumpers and boat fenders are built outside a car body and ship hull. The same reason USA wouldn’t tolerate Soviet missiles in Cuba.

             “Why should we respect Russia/whatabout the occupation…blah blah? ”
             The USSR arguably played the dominant role in the defeat of Nazi Germany, they certainly sacrificed the most. The Soviets occupied Eastern Europe as did the Allies occupy Western Europe. They established a shere of influence as did the USA, in my view the USSR had the greater justification to do so.

             Your questions demonstrate the same total lack appreciation of the scope of the sacrifices the USSR made to defeat Hitler that I was illustrating. I suggest you watch this

             “What were the Countries with the Most Human Losses in WWII?”
             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxyzvuhzsqU

             assuming you have an attention span that will endure all 8min13secs

             1. Oh dear, another 8 minutes to waste when one can recognise the human suffrage the soviet people endured by a presentation at the Omaka Aviation Centre. Where ones learns a lot more than an 8 minute you tube presentation.

                Bumpers are on ALL individual cars not just on half the cars that then rely on others to have bumpers. Such a bad analogy.

                Your argument is that the soviet union expanded more man and material during WW2 (not true by the way for they never fought the Japanese simultaneously like the other Allies did) they are entitled to occupy sovereign states to enforce their perception of their “bumper” requirements.

                WOW. Lost for words.

                Russia is not the Soviet Union from 80 years ago and has not obtained the right to imperialistic expansion and trample neighbouring sovereign states independence.

                By your definition than, Ukraine (having been part of the soviet union during WW2) has the right to create “bumpers” to its eastern boundary on Russian soil, having earned that right fighting Germany 80 years ago.

          2. If the Europeans want value for money they should buy Russian arms!

11. I’ll just add to Bomber’s list a few more thoughts…

    Trump has pledged to dismantle the deep states chokehold on social media by forcing the likes of Facebook and YouTube to accept the right to free speech and to cease any state involvement with the big tech companies to ‘manage’ the narrative. If he is even remotely successful in achieving this then the traditional media is truly dead and we will be in a brave new world where the existing order will be completely dismantled. What that means for the establishment only time will tell but I’d hazard a guess that things like mass migration policies enacted to prop up GDP will be gone as will many of the more liberal policies that have been forced onto multiple countries will be gone as the establishment will not be able to control the people from hearing and saying what they know to be true – this US election is evidence of this as is Brexit, AfD’s rise in Germany, Meloni in Italy, etc.

    It looks like Trump is also going to get his pick of Senate leader which means he will drive through some wild appointments and if Clarence and Alito step down, Trump will be able to appoint two young constitutional originalists to the SCOTUS thus setting in place another 25 years or so of conservative thought on the laws of the US.

    if this happens, worrying about whether boys can be girls or what pronouns to use when talking to someone who identifies as a cat will be the least if anyones worries.

    Then there’s what Trump and his team want to do the Federal bureaucracy which is mind blowing. if what Vivek has been saying is based in reality they will take a flamethrower to the state.

    It is all this that has the establishment so utterly opposed to Trump. He’s not a fascist or Hitler. He isn’t an authoritarian and he isn’t a dictator.

    what he is, is a true agent of chaos who wants to completely destroy the existing order and rebuild it into something new. This means that those who hold power now will lose it, it means that so called accepted truths will be challenged and thrown away.

    The US has always been mans greatest achievement in democracy and I think we’re now watching the evolution of what will replace NeoLiberalism and its going to be one crazy wild ride!

    1. The USA started with multiple genocides to push its colonial frontier to the Pacific. It will end with multiple genocides like Gaza and DRC. Capitalism is destroying its ecological base and extinction of humanity through wars, starvation and plagues. All talk about the two US political parties, and Presidents, changing anything in the face of these techtonic forces is delusory. Only workers rejecting fascist genocidal wars can create a surivable future by smashing patriarchal capitalism and taking power.

12. Some other winners.

    Women of Color(sic) are winners. Imagine waiting all the those years for your demographic to be represented as president, and it turns out to be someone as inept as Kamala Harris. Harris would been a setback for the cause.

    Greta Thunberg could be a winner too. Had the stage when during Trump’s first presidency, but ended up sidelined when the Democrats were in power, and being pro-Palestinian doesn’t really resonate in the halls of Western powers. Trump’s return could give her the boost she needs. How-dare-you the sequel.

    Another winner is journalists without imagination. When struggling for content, just dump out another Trump article, ad nauseam.

    Finally, Joe Biden. Gets to walk away from the mess that occurred under his global leadership, and can now spend more time dancing with the crimson lizard ladies. Or whatever other shit is happening inside his mind.

13. Another loser will be China, Taiwan and the South China Sea region. US has a trillion reasons reasons to provoke China into a fight for that is the debt owned by the US to China in bonds. Bonds which pays an eye watering $60M per DAY interest.

    Provoke a war with China and the US can simply wipe the debt (not much China can do about that) plus retain the $60M per day interest.

    Notice China has gone quiet on the Taiwan invasion? They need the money. But Trump will provoke and attack to clear the debt, China may hold the line (possibly even have a attack on Taiwan) at their coast but the loss of income is going to hurt.

    For similar reasons the volume of US debt China holds (and the interest it receives in US dollars) will mean the US dollar continues to be the world currency. That $60M flowing into China daily has to be spent somewhere and China will trade this for Australian coal and iron ore, New Zealand milk powder, logs and water, Ukrainian corn and wheat, Saudi oil and gas, etc..

    If China only pays suppliers in the yuan their “float” of US dollars will increase but the value decrease. Same for the trillion dollar debt, it will be worthless. China is between a rock and a hard place. It needs to be able to trade and it has a surplus of US dollars, until Trump starts the war to clear the debt and interest payment. But Trump need to withdraw from NATO first to avoid a two front war.

    Japan holds a similar volume of US debt and is totally beholding to the US. Ensuring that their suppliers get paid in US dollars and the world trade currency remains the US dollar.

14. I think a strong case (see below) can be made that Musk is not genuinely autistic but just a flamboyant narcissistic sociopath. He seems far too effective at manipulating or conning others to have real autism.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01LK1hxpwcY

15. Trump probably won’t end up ceding Ukraine to Putin. History will repeat if he does that, and then he will be complicit in allowing ww3 further down the road

16. “Trump will force the Ukraine to accept surrender to Putin” – Do you think they should carry on fighting until every Ukranian male is dead?

Comments are closed.