Usa Thread

[Steve]

Trump has made an executive directive attempting to outlaw antisemitism on college campuses by listing Judaism as a nationality. Trump harbors a lot of antisemitic stereotypes. He has has made a number of questionable statements to Jewish groups that if it were said by any other person, it would be condemned by everyone. His daughter is converted and his son in law is Jewish.

My guess is its his son in law that has been the forefront I think the reason why Jews and Israel are quiet is because Kushner, his son in law, gets a free hand to do a lot of Israel. So, while they know Trump himself is bigoted towards them, they are getting more support than they have pretty much any recent President. 

American state and federal government has made it pretty much against the law to criticize Israel over their treatment of Palestinian Arabs. The BDS movement (Boycott, Disinvest, Sanction) movement is specifically against the conservative Likkud party's actions and not an anti Jewish movement. Full disclosure, I do support BDS. I also consider Israel the most important ally in the region and the intel we get from them and their regional power is invaluable to America and the relationship should be a strong but fair one. The big problem is that anti semites support it. It happens. There are strange bedfellows. For example, there are grassroots black groups that are against Planned Parenthood, who do most of the abortions, because 1. about 70 percent of them are in black and brown areas and 2. They were created by a white woman who was a eugenicist and wanted to exterminate blacks through abortions and other means.

The Christian right are against Planned Parenthood as well for different reasons. Such is politics. 

Anyway, ironically enough the one candidate who has been the far outspoken on Israel's actions that hurt the arabs in the occupied areas is Bernie Sanders, himself Jewish. So, he can't be accused of being anti semitic, but he is accused of being a self hating Jew.He wants to tie aid to Israel by their actions and I think that is not only fair but smart and should be applied to all nations that get aid from us. 

 

[Steve]

I dismissed Trump's initial rants of any major media as 'fake news' Especially iconic newspapers like the New York Times and even Bezos owned Washington Post. However, the hit piece the NY Times did on congressional candidate Cenk Uyger was unconscionable. Blatant lies and mis interpretation. Their action has made Trump's fake news tirade some credibility unfortunately. 

The fact that arguably the nations most iconic and 'best' newspaper has done this is troubling. 

 

[Coss]

15 hours ago, chocolat steve said:

but from the various respected and non partisan economists and financiers I listen to, there is a general consensus at the very least a bad recession is on its way in less than 2 years.

If you'll forgive me, the fact that these people are predicting a bad recession, is curious, they are like financial advisers.

If they were any good at what they did, they wouldn't need to do it. If a financial adviser knew what they were on about, they would be a strillionaire and retired from public view.

So I'll predict the end of times, with angels and the devil and all of that. You can rest assured that that it will happen. If I say "next Tuesday 07:43 GMT" I could be wrong, so I'll say "within the next decade". "millennia", "15 millenia". When God is ready.

Seriously, that's not to say, that I don't think a recession will happen at some point, but that anyone who "knows" is very likely wrong.

[Coss]

6 hours ago, chocolat steve said:

The ones that are still raping us financially?

Ergo, I am lucky to be debt free and have my assets, in land, in a country, that is not subject to, or even part of, the Western financial web. Mind you, communism, who'd a thunk? I don't see them going back to, appropriating private land, any time soon.

6 hours ago, buffalo_bill said:

I would recommend to rip him apart by selecting one Trump - lie/false claim per day and hammer the truth into the public as if there came no tomorrow.

I do my best Bubi, I take your recommendation,  as encouragement.

[Steve]

I completely understand that view Coss. If you have ever seen the movie 'The Big Short', excellent movie. All these economists and financiers can go by are what the current stats are and historical data. Some things always repeat themselves. Some factors that were present in previous recessions large and small are repeating themselves. Also, most of them are not invited on major financial news shows because those shows want positivity. 

Peter Schiff is one of the people and he runs a hedge fund. As a person who runs a fund you want to be in Bloomberg, Financial Times, CNBC, etc, to get your notoriety up and get clients. The reason I listen to him, Jeffrey Gundlach and others is that they have a track record, have called previous bad times and seem to have enough credibility and ethics not to say things just to appease others but what they feel strongly about. 

In that realm, you don't get rich or famous being negative. But I completely get why one would look at them questionable. I trade on the side and you trade on a variety of factors and opinions of those who have been doing it a long time and doing it successfully, is one of the tools one employs on which direction markets are going. 

[Steve]

These are unique times in America where two things that were not seen as possible in the modern era has been almost normalized. The first is embracing socialism. This is a generational thing. Socialism is popular among the youth. I've seen various polls where socialism or specifically democratic socialism, socialism as its practiced in parts of Europe as something that is a goal for the country. The future is going to have many of its elements: national healthcare, free or very low coast university costs, a high minimum wage or a living wage. Probably a significant in military expenditures as well as foreign conflicts. Affordable housing expansion. The word itself being banded around as acceptable is something that was unthinkable when I was in my youth. 

The other is the normalcy of supremacists/nationalists in the government. Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller and others are bigoted nationalists. I won't debate it as there is ample evidence. Congressman Steve King was a known racist and because he stayed just slightly behind the line in his rhetoric he was not condemned by his own party. It was an open secret he is a white supremacist for years but until he opened his mouth one time too many and said there was nothing wrong with being white supremacist then he crossed that Rubicon and was silenced in Congress. Amazingly a few of his colleagues are calling to have his inclusion on committees. Trump's own bigotry both past and present has been normalized. A political death knell as little as a few years ago is now normalized. 

 

[cavanami]

 

[cavanami]

 

[Steve]

Nightmare scenario for the Dems. Trump is impeached. The Senate will not convict, that's for sure. Trump gets re-elected. 

The ONLY thing that can stave off a second term and the power of being a lame duck president with nothing to lose, no more elections, is a financial crash. 

[Steve]

Mitch McConnell openly stating he will work with the White House on how to conduct it, removing any bit of impartiality. He was so blatant about it, he had walk back some of it but we are the point in politics where there are no more illusions. They know they can openly lie, be unethical and anyone be damned who doesn't like it. 

We are a banana republic.