Sardines
Well-Known Member
Kind of hurts hearing that and not having anything to rebut it.
Kind of hurts hearing that and not having anything to rebut it.
Good little film, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, written by Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, A few Good Men, Moneyball) Id call it an historical comedy.
The U.S. dollar has fallen at the fastest clip since 1973. Here's what that means.
Some global investors no longer expect the U.S. economy to outperform the rest of the world.
www.nbcnews.com
Red
Well-Known Member
This should drive Trump nuts….
www.newsweek.com
According to a note released by Goldman Sachs over the weekend, preliminary revision estimates set to be published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in September will reveal a 550,000-950,000 downward revision for the 12-month period through March 2025.
Donald Trump gets even more bad news on US economy
Analysts expect more jobs data revisions in 2025, after Friday's payrolls report led to the firing of America's chief employment statistician.
www.newsweek.com
According to a note released by Goldman Sachs over the weekend, preliminary revision estimates set to be published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in September will reveal a 550,000-950,000 downward revision for the 12-month period through March 2025.
Why It Matters
Although the period subject to such change overlaps with more of Joe Biden's presidency than Trump's second term, these substantial revisions will be viewed against the backdrop of the White House's recent criticism of the agency.
As Trump's tariffs take shape, is America really winning? : NPR https://share.google/LtKXovbmYlPLtgP6u
Red
Well-Known Member
Great analysis, given all the uncertainty.
I got to thinking the firing of the BLS chief is maybe the best example to date of Trump’s MO of shaping reality to suit himself. The Big Lie of a stolen 2020 election was….bigger, but he could keep repeating it, and buttressing it with conspiracy, and give MAGA the result they wanted, and weaponize the lie with many Americans believing it. He had time to pound that alternative reality into “existence”.
In comparison, this latest lie is ridiculously transparent, apart from how dangerous. It’s great for establishing how easily he creates the new reality. The reality HE wants. It makes me wonder, if people had badgered him about airports during the American Revolution, would he have insisted on it, lol. When the reality the leader prefers is the only reality openly allowed, that’s this clowns totalitarian tendencies for all to see. Or his severe mental illness for all to see. Sooner or later, Trump’s reality is going to run into realities he can’t defeat with a Truth Social post or an EO. Not expecting a sane reaction from him.
LogGrad98
Well-Known Member
Contributor
20-21 Award Winner
2022 Award Winner
2023 Award Winner
2024 Award Winner
D
Deleted member 365
Guest
Why would you want health care or high speed rail when you could buy lots of guns and own the libs? Hahaha no more rainbow books!
Trump should fire that person and make Don Jr or Mike Lee the stats guy. They’ll project a billion jobs created. Problem solved!This should drive Trump nuts….
Donald Trump gets even more bad news on US economy
Analysts expect more jobs data revisions in 2025, after Friday's payrolls report led to the firing of America's chief employment statistician.
According to a note released by Goldman Sachs over the weekend, preliminary revision estimates set to be published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in September will reveal a 550,000-950,000 downward revision for the 12-month period through March 2025.
Why It Matters
Although the period subject to such change overlaps with more of Joe Biden's presidency than Trump's second term, these substantial revisions will be viewed against the backdrop of the White House's recent criticism of the agency.
Last edited by a moderator:
D
Deleted member 365
Guest
Depends on what you define as winning.
Trump judges
Tax cuts for top donors (bribes)
Ridding society of the woke, you know, brown, black, and gay people
aBoRtIoN
Enriching his family and friends by gutting social services
Making libs cry
Is winning for his base. And isn’t that all that matters?
D
Deleted member 365
Guest
Everything he’s doing he already attempted in his first term.
Have we memory holed when he used the military and masked thugs during the summer of 2020?
Have we memory holed “proud boys stand by”
Have we memory holed all of the corruption by staying at his resorts
Have we memory holed appointing corrupt cabinet members and yes men
Have we memory holed the massive deficits and tax cuts for the rich
Have we memory holed demanding that George’s sec of state give him the numbers (votes) he wanted? Or redrawing the hurricane with a sharpie? And all of his idiotic ramblings about Covid and testing? He’s merely using that same strategy for economics. Hard to test for Covid I mean know the state of the economy if you fire the doctors I mean economists and stats guys. Is were Covid free I mean bad economic news free!
Have a memory holed how he blackmailed Zelenskyy? How is that any different than him currently blackmailing news organizations, lawyers, and colleges?
Trump is a one trick pony. It’s just sad that 40 percent of the country is dying of so much boredom and grievance that they’re throwing away democracy and prosperity for a pittance; a sugar rush of telling perceived enemies to **** off
Have we memory holed when he used the military and masked thugs during the summer of 2020?
Have we memory holed “proud boys stand by”
Have we memory holed all of the corruption by staying at his resorts
Have we memory holed appointing corrupt cabinet members and yes men
Have we memory holed the massive deficits and tax cuts for the rich
Have we memory holed demanding that George’s sec of state give him the numbers (votes) he wanted? Or redrawing the hurricane with a sharpie? And all of his idiotic ramblings about Covid and testing? He’s merely using that same strategy for economics. Hard to test for Covid I mean know the state of the economy if you fire the doctors I mean economists and stats guys. Is were Covid free I mean bad economic news free!
Have a memory holed how he blackmailed Zelenskyy? How is that any different than him currently blackmailing news organizations, lawyers, and colleges?
Trump is a one trick pony. It’s just sad that 40 percent of the country is dying of so much boredom and grievance that they’re throwing away democracy and prosperity for a pittance; a sugar rush of telling perceived enemies to **** off
Red
Well-Known Member
Some historical context on authoritarians and official statistics.
lucid.substack.com
Classic Dictatorships Cook the Books
In long-established regimes, the population learns to doubt the numbers the government releases, which contrast so sharply with the realities of their lives. Communist states famously advertised their revolutionary gains even in the midst of famines or other mass hardship their own policies created.
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin claimed the government was “dizzy with success” during a farm collectivization (part of his Five-Year Plan) that claimed the lives of millions from hunger. He later executed statisticians who published damaging data: in 1937 the Sorbonne-trained statistician Olimpiy Kvitkin was murdered by firing squad for releasing a census that showed a smaller population Stalin had announced three years earlier.
Benito Mussolini had pioneered the politicization of economic research. In 1926, one year after he declared dictatorship, he created a Central Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) with the purpose of making data into "an instrument of government action."
By 1931, Fascist statistics communicated "not so much the actual state of things as what the regime would like the people to believe,” as the anti-Fascist exile Gaetano Salvemini wrote in a detailed takedown of the regime’s supposed victory in the Battle for Wheat. Salvemini noted that statistics on this subject and others “have since 1925 been systematically tampered with for the glorification of the dictatorship”…..
…..In today’s age of electoral autocracies, the political stakes of convincing people that the leader is competent are higher. Since many people vote for strongmen who claim they will save the economy –by lowering the price of groceries or reducing inflation—leaders have more incentive to manipulate economic data to produce a deceptively rosy picture of the country….
…..Trump, a master propagandist, knows how important it is to get ahead of a downturn and preserve the idea that he is “Making America Great Again.” Real data has been disappearing, and altered data proliferating, since the start of his second presidency.
Yet it will be hard for Trump to deny the economic harm he and DOGE are causing to the construction, tourism, hospitality, medical research, and myriad other industries with his draconian border controls, mass deportations, tariffs, and other measures.
Add in further likely hits to the economy from disease outbreaks, absence of disaster relief, and more, and it makes sense that Trump is acting now to have the right people in place to keep up the illusion that he is good for the country.
It is also in keeping with authoritarian tradition that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, when asked about the impact of DOGE funding cuts on economic growth, hinted that his agency might decide to change how economic growth is calculated. This “solution” cooked up in Washington DC is worthy of Ankara or Beijing.
How Authoritarians “Cook the Books”
From Mussolini to Trump, false economic data gives the illusion of competence
lucid.substack.com
Classic Dictatorships Cook the Books
In long-established regimes, the population learns to doubt the numbers the government releases, which contrast so sharply with the realities of their lives. Communist states famously advertised their revolutionary gains even in the midst of famines or other mass hardship their own policies created.
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin claimed the government was “dizzy with success” during a farm collectivization (part of his Five-Year Plan) that claimed the lives of millions from hunger. He later executed statisticians who published damaging data: in 1937 the Sorbonne-trained statistician Olimpiy Kvitkin was murdered by firing squad for releasing a census that showed a smaller population Stalin had announced three years earlier.
Benito Mussolini had pioneered the politicization of economic research. In 1926, one year after he declared dictatorship, he created a Central Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) with the purpose of making data into "an instrument of government action."
By 1931, Fascist statistics communicated "not so much the actual state of things as what the regime would like the people to believe,” as the anti-Fascist exile Gaetano Salvemini wrote in a detailed takedown of the regime’s supposed victory in the Battle for Wheat. Salvemini noted that statistics on this subject and others “have since 1925 been systematically tampered with for the glorification of the dictatorship”…..
…..In today’s age of electoral autocracies, the political stakes of convincing people that the leader is competent are higher. Since many people vote for strongmen who claim they will save the economy –by lowering the price of groceries or reducing inflation—leaders have more incentive to manipulate economic data to produce a deceptively rosy picture of the country….
…..Trump, a master propagandist, knows how important it is to get ahead of a downturn and preserve the idea that he is “Making America Great Again.” Real data has been disappearing, and altered data proliferating, since the start of his second presidency.
Yet it will be hard for Trump to deny the economic harm he and DOGE are causing to the construction, tourism, hospitality, medical research, and myriad other industries with his draconian border controls, mass deportations, tariffs, and other measures.
Add in further likely hits to the economy from disease outbreaks, absence of disaster relief, and more, and it makes sense that Trump is acting now to have the right people in place to keep up the illusion that he is good for the country.
It is also in keeping with authoritarian tradition that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, when asked about the impact of DOGE funding cuts on economic growth, hinted that his agency might decide to change how economic growth is calculated. This “solution” cooked up in Washington DC is worthy of Ankara or Beijing.
Red
Well-Known Member
A Terrible Five Days for the Truth
Trump’s latest moves represent an assault on reporting, statistics, and the historical record.
www.theatlantic.com
Awarding superlatives in the Donald Trump era is risky. Knowing when one of his moves is the biggest or worst or most aggressive is challenging—not only because Trump himself always opts for the most over-the-top description, but because each new peak or trough prepares the way for the next. So I’ll eschew a specific modifier and simply say this: The past five days have been deeply distressing for the truth as a force in restraining authoritarian governance.
In a different era, each of these stories would have defined months, if not more, of a presidency. Coming in such quick succession, they risk being subsumed by one another and sinking into the continuous din of the Trump presidency. Collectively, they represent an assault on several kinds of truth: in reporting and news, in statistics, and in the historical record.
D
Deleted member 365
Guest
“If you test more you’ll get more covid. If you stop testing you’ll stop getting covid. If you stop counting the votes you’ll stop Biden from winning Georgia.” Same with economy! “You stop counting the job losses you won’t have any job loss!”
Economy solved! America, the universe’s #1 economy! USA USA USA!
Economy solved! America, the universe’s #1 economy! USA USA USA!
D
Deleted member 365
Guest
Weird. I was told that this was the party of the working class forgotten slob. Do they merely pretend to care about the poors all while enriching their top donors? That couldn’t be, could it?
Nebraska, not exactly a blue state:
View: https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lvmaxzxcv226
We don’t have money for health care but we have money for…
www.salon.com
Between this, the failing economy, and Epstein, you have plenty of ammo to use on your Trump loving friends and family. This guy is a ****ing disaster and they need to be reminded of their poor choices.
Nebraska, not exactly a blue state:
View: https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lvmaxzxcv226
We don’t have money for health care but we have money for…
Trump expands White House with Rose Garden overhaul, $200m ballroom - Salon.com
$200M event hall and redesigned Rose Garden spark debate over tradition vs. transformation
www.salon.com
Between this, the failing economy, and Epstein, you have plenty of ammo to use on your Trump loving friends and family. This guy is a ****ing disaster and they need to be reminded of their poor choices.
fishonjazz
Well-Known Member
Contributor
2018 Award Winner
2019 Award Winner
20-21 Award Winner
2022 Award Winner
2023 Award Winner
2024 Award Winner
2025 Award Winner
Flood the zoneA Terrible Five Days for the Truth
Trump’s latest moves represent an assault on reporting, statistics, and the historical record.
Awarding superlatives in the Donald Trump era is risky. Knowing when one of his moves is the biggest or worst or most aggressive is challenging—not only because Trump himself always opts for the most over-the-top description, but because each new peak or trough prepares the way for the next. So I’ll eschew a specific modifier and simply say this: The past five days have been deeply distressing for the truth as a force in restraining authoritarian governance.
In a different era, each of these stories would have defined months, if not more, of a presidency. Coming in such quick succession, they risk being subsumed by one another and sinking into the continuous din of the Trump presidency. Collectively, they represent an assault on several kinds of truth: in reporting and news, in statistics, and in the historical record.
Red
Well-Known Member
Exactly.
Red
Well-Known Member
Another project, instant memes.
This is what Kate voted for. She’s right though, we don’t deserve him.
View: https://x.com/kate_p45/status/1952774513906630898
View: https://x.com/BagdMilkSoWhat/status/1952783524517319103
This is what Kate voted for. She’s right though, we don’t deserve him.
View: https://x.com/kate_p45/status/1952774513906630898
View: https://x.com/BagdMilkSoWhat/status/1952783524517319103
Last edited:
Sardines
Well-Known Member
Imagine if the Beatles had done this.
Imagine all the people sharing all the world.
D
Deleted member 365
Guest
“bUt EgG pRiCeS!”
View: https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com/post/3lvrrncimv22s
Hahahahahahahahahha
Hahahahahahahahahaha
I hope it hurts and hurts hard.
Elections have consequences
View: https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com/post/3lvrrncimv22s
Hahahahahahahahahha
Hahahahahahahahahaha
I hope it hurts and hurts hard.
Elections have consequences