Trump Dictatorship

[ZenMode]

Deployed the military against Americans

Or deployed the military to protect federal buildings from rioters (American and otherwise) in CA

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Concentration camps

Illegals are generally detained when coming into the country and when being removed from the country. This is normal.

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Tariffs causing inflation

So far, not really. I expect that to change at some point.

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trump policies hurting economic growth ️

Maybe. Maybe not. The fed needs to lower rates since their rate increases are contributing to the economic slow down.

 

[ChapelHillSooner]

I think you're right, but with an asterisk of sorts. I definitely believe that historically the "mainstream media" (by which I mean outlets like CBS, ABC, NBC, NYT, WaPo, NPR, etc.) has had a significantly more liberal lean than conservative. I think it's for a lot of the same reasons that academia has historically had a more liberal lean than conservative, which is to say, that conservatives have largely eschewed going into the field of journalism altogether. I don't think that there was ever some Illumniati-esque meeting of the media minds where it was decided that mainstream media outlets would lean liberal versus conservative; I think a lot of it was self-selection, as I mentioned. In other words, I don't think that the mainstream media became liberal in the aggregate out of spite for conservatives or for nefarious reasons (to borrow a phrase from Michael Jordan: "conservatives buy newspapers, too"). I think it happened naturally as a result of the self-selection I mentioned, and then continued to perpetuate itself for decades.

Something that I think that conservatives have done, though, as a result of the mainstream media having a liberal bend, is absolutely kick the left's ass when it comes to creating and sustaining an entire media ecosystem dedicated to propping up the conservative party. CNN and MSNBC are child's play, IMO, compared to Fox- and by that I mean their reach and influence. (That's not to say that they aren't liberal-biased; they are. I just mean that they aren't nearly as effective at message-shaping and agenda-setting as is Fox).

So while the mainstream media is definitely liberal-biased, the right wing media ecosystem that started with Fox and has since spawned off countless podcasters, social media personalities, influencers, etc. is extraordinarily more successful at crafting and disseminating unified messaging that benefits the conservative party, than the mainstream media is at doing the same for the liberal party. I absolutely hate most of the right wing media ecosystem for its propensity for lying and grifting, but I am both envious and in awe of its effectiveness. It's something for which the left has had no match historically, currently has no match, and will likely never have a match- to the detriment of the Democratic Party. So while the historic norm has been that the mainstream media has been significantly biased in favor of liberals, I think that their effectiveness in crafting and disseminating messaging that favors the Democrats is at an all-time low compared to that of Fox & Co. And I think it's going to continue to cost Democrats dearly at election time.

That is because they see their role as journalism not propaganda. Whether or not they have a bias, it isn’t concerted effort to mislead and manipulate the viewers.

Maybe there are equivalents of the right wing propaganda networks for the left but people on the left prefer real journalism.

Btw, I think one reason people on the left claim the MSM is right leaning is because the MSM use kitten gloves when dealing with Trump as if they are scared of him, and I think they are. We all know Trump lies constantly - big lies, small lies, obvious lies. I have yet to hear the word “lie” on NPR or ABC, etc.

 

[ChapelHillSooner]

One reason I think that Trump may attempt to remain in power (maybe via a “legal” way like having a figurehead similar to what Putin did) is that I think one of the things that drive him is his desire to surpass Obama, and that goes back to the incident where Obama embarrassed Trump at the correspondents dinner. (And Obama rightly did it because it was all about Trump’s pushing of the birth certificate issue.)

That is why Trump needs the Nobel prize. That is one reason he couldn’t and still can’t accept the results of the 2020 election. The only way Trump can make up for that loss and his inability to get a Nobel prize is for him to effectively serve a third term, something Obama did not do.

Just my thoughts. I could be wrong but we will see.

 

[BlueSteel]

It's not just on ZZL, but it is absolutely dependent on your perception.

I'm normally arguing against the Republican view which is that the entirety of the media is run by liberals. My response is (or was during the Biden admin) "The full force of the liberal machine - media, Hollywood, wealthy, etc was squarely against Trump in 2016, but he still won. Explain."

What I've been noticing for a long while now is that so-called "liberal" or "left-leaning" media (MSNBC, CNN, NY Times, et al) are trying way too hard to be politically correct/polite, to be intentionally inclusive of the RW opinion so as not to appear blatantly one-sided, and to be deeply rooted in fact-based reporting—though the personalities do occasionally put their "slant" on it, whether verbally or with visual cues.

OTOH, the RW media (Fox, Newsmax, Breitbart, et al) tends to dump a gallon of gasoline on top of the actual facts and proceed to launch a flame thrower right at it. I see no good-faith attempt to fairly represent the other side, only blatant fabrication, half-truths and misinformation being doled out day after day, show after show, with no guardrails in place.

And because it soothes their audience—which has been brainwashed for decades courtesy of one Rupert Murdoch—this "reporting" is bilndly accepted by the red masses as fact. Of course ratings are up.

This is why the Left is getting its ass kicked. And if it didn't go against every ethical fiber of my journalism background, I would encourage the left-leaning media to start fighting fire with fire. At this point it may be the only way to save our republic.

 

[Mulberry Heel]

One reason I think that Trump may attempt to remain in power (maybe via a “legal” way like having a figurehead similar to what Putin did) is that I think one of the things that drive him is his desire to surpass Obama, and that goes back to the incident where Obama embarrassed Trump at the correspondents dinner. (And Obama rightly did it because it was all about Trump’s pushing of the birth certificate issue.)

That is why Trump needs the Nobel prize. That is one reason he couldn’t and still can’t accept the results of the 2020 election. The only way Trump can make up for that loss and his inability to get a Nobel prize is for him to effectively serve a third term, something Obama did not do.

Just my thoughts. I could be wrong but we will see.

Agreed completely. One of the reasons he wanted to abolish Obamacare was to try and wipe out Obama's signature accomplishment, and I think a big motivation for him in his first term was to try and make it as if Obama was never elected. I do think he has expanded his sights in this term into wiping out not just Obama, but as much of all liberal president's policies as possible. But I do think that Obama lives in his head 24/7 - the idea of a black man being more popular and successful than he is is just intolerable to him.

 

[rodoheel]

Or deployed the military to protect federal buildings from rioters (American and otherwise) in CA

Illegals are generally detained when coming into the country and when being removed from the country. This is normal.

So far, not really. I expect that to change at some point.

Maybe. Maybe not. The fed needs to lower rates since their rate increases are contributing to the economic slow down.

1. Can you think of another example of the federal government deploying the Marines domestically to "protect federal buildings from rioters"?

2. Yes, illegals are often detained upon entry or preceding removal. You would really have to be living under a rock to think that the way in which the current administration is capturing and detaining immigrants is "normal" compared to anything that has come before it - El Salvador, "Alligator Alcatraz," posses of masked, plainclothes (supposed) ICE agents who refuse to show ID, etc.

3. If you're unsure whether there will be inflation, I can promise you that the fed lowering rates in this current environment, while a bunch of increased tariffs go into effect, is virtually guaranteed to create it.

 

[ZenMode]

1. Can you think of another example of the federal government deploying the Marines domestically to "protect federal buildings from rioters"?

No, but that doesn't make it bad. A cost comparison between deploying the Marines vs having to replace/rebuild a federal building/buildings might show that it's actually a good idea.

2. Yes, illegals are often detained upon entry or preceding removal. You would really have to be living under a rock to think that the way in which the current administration is capturing and detaining immigrants is "normal" compared to anything that has come before it - El Salvador, "Alligator Alcatraz," posses of masked, plainclothes (supposed) ICE agents who refuse to show ID, etc.

I agree that there is a "terrorizing" aspect to what is happening now, but the comment was in regard to "concentration camps" which is just silly.

3. If you're unsure whether there will be inflation, I can promise you that the fed lowering rates in this current environment, while a bunch of increased tariffs go into effect, is virtually guaranteed to create it.

I agree. I'm just pointing out that it isn't happening now.

 

[BlueSmoke]

Maybe. Maybe not. The fed needs to lower rates since their rate increases are contributing to the economic slow down.

Its been two years since the Fed last raised the short term rate that banks charge each other.

In reality, what the Fed does with short term rates is more like responding to market conditions then setting rates. If the Fed gets it wrong when they drop short term rates then it has devastating consequences because long term rates like mortgage rates go up. Those rates are set by investor demands. And those investors know when the Fed has it wrong or is behaving in a political way.

If Trump gets his wish to bully the Fed, then he will most certainly regret it.

 

[rodoheel]

No, but that doesn't make it bad. A cost comparison between deploying the Marines vs having to replace/rebuild a federal building/buildings might show that it's actually a good idea.

Deploying the armed forces domestically in response to civil unrest in an American city is very much a bad thing for reasons that have nothing to do with an economic cost/benefit analysis. Do you know what the Posse Comitatus Act is? This is not a road we want to go down. At all.

In any event, it's not like the American military are the only people available to protect federal buildings during civil unrest. Even assuming it was necessary to have armed people "protect" federal buildings in LA at all, which is a bit of a stretch.