My wonder on Trumps fateful meeting with Xi coming up is: Will Xi will note all of trump’s self-inflicted weakening of the USA, and bargain Taiwan away for some personal relief from all his worries foreign and domestic. IMHO, trump was placed kneecap the USA by its 250th Birthday. Mission Accomplished. But he still faces personal vulnerability if the Congress flips to the Dems. The one thing we can bet on is he will sell us out.
David, a few things. That is not what the data says here. He is below 40 in these three polls, and yes only about 65% percent of the country is really available to us. He is getting close to rock bottom, and we can have the election we all want to have with that 65. Finally, this internet meme of "he is still at x!" is tiresome, ignorant, and unhelpful. Please refrain from it here in the future. Thank you.
What you are describing is inauthentic, manipulated posting to make it look like Trump's terrible poll numbers are actually a sign of his strength. These posts and sentiments then get adopted by normies, just as David did above. David is probably not aware that his post is a sign of the success of a pro-Trump campaign to shape our understandings of the world.
A certain percentage will never willingly admit to how shitty Trump is. It's a fact of life of tribal politics. At least some of those people who "approve" of his performance know how badly this is going but will never admit it.
I know this particular point is not the main focus of our efforts here, but I believe statements like David's and many people on Bluesky etc reflect something else: the crie de coeur resulting from the pain of deep moral revulsion.
It is asking IMO, how can we live in country where so many people, even if a minority, can possibly approve of one of the worst people on the planet? It is hard to conclude that anyone who idolizes such a piece of garbage that doesn't even deserve the term "human" and belongs in some category of monster, is likewise some species of monster, or at least one with no innate moral compass. I am disgusted and baffled --- what can they possibly see that they like? In theory, democracy is about reaching a consensus which implies an ability to have a respectful discussion, that others have a point of view that may be valid. In the case of these people, their point of view is abhorrent to me (a slaver has no point of view that a decent person is bound to respect).
I don't claim to be a Christian, so I can't be accused of failing in any duty to turn the other cheek. I will leave that to those among us with more generosity of spirit than i posses.
Xi will play Trump like the fool he is, unfortunately.
Obviously we will get all the bluster from the regime about it being the most successful and best meeting ever and that Trump got the best deals ever, but the reality will be brutal.
Does anybody have any lightning quick inflation comparisons I can use - what the difference is between the worst Biden inflation numbers and Trump now - not just an index rating but also the price jumps?
Biden comparison not helpful in my view. Trump promised to get costs down and has taken two concrete steps that have risen everyone's costs. Period. Clean, easy.
Trump inherited a strong economy and falling inflation that was nearly under control. And like everything else he has been given in life, HE FUCKED IT UP.
T**** relishes seeing other people suffer economic harm. He always wants to feel like he is winning (raking in ill-gotten money) but he also clearly needs to feel like others are losing (money again).
He called himself the “king of debt” and bragged about using “other people’s money.” He dumped the losses for his many bankruptcies on his investors and creditors while ending up ahead personally. To him, our economy really is the best ever.
I have no idea why other Rs would go along, but the orange one genuinely doesn’t understand why a single dollar should go into anyone’s pocket but his, and he wants people (his subjects in his mind) to be desperate.
Yeah, that was poorly chosen frame by me 😂 I just blanket don’t count COVID era numbers but obviously MAGA would. Anecdotally, gas prices are hitting me much harder now, bc unlike COVID, I’m driving places all the time
Also, as much as it pains me because I was such a fan of his legislative record, at least for now, Joe Biden is baked into the American narrative cake as a net negative. Especially among swing voters… If that weren’t true, we wouldn’t have had to replace them on the ticket and we would’ve won the election. So now is a good time to litigate the case against Trump, but probably not the right time to try to re-litigate the positives of Joe Biden. I hope the good things that he did are more appreciated in the future, but this isn’t the moment pragmatically.
Simon, I appreciate your explanation of where we are financially.
Trump was on an insane social media posting spree late last night and early this morning. Hateful stuff about Obama and Hillary, still lying about 2020, putting his face on the 100 dollar bill, etc. I spoke with a friend in Mexico this morning and they're all very aware that he's now threatening to make Venezuela "the 51st state." Of course, there's a Constitutional procedure for how a territory becomes a state, but he doesn't think the Constitution applies to him. He keeps the entire globe upset and in chaos all the time.
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say that Trump is no longer in touch with reality and must be removed. That's really the main problem behind all of the other problems we have like tariffs, the war, voting rights, etc. I'm writing postcards to Ohio voters today.
It's a strange situation. I strongly suspect an inverse relationship between rising gas prices and Donny's sinking poll numbers. So, as I see prices rise at the pump, I take some comfort in that.
With the reality of all these new maps hurting Dems more than we anticipated a few weeks ago, do more state wide Senate races get attention and support now?
Or will it be more beneficial to go in even harder on the 12 House flips that are (as you have pointed out many times, but has become even truer now) the absolute key to taking back the chamber, as well as the current set of Senate candidates?
I guess to sum up, does the battle for the Senate take on a greater significance with chances in the House, whilst still strong, slightly reduced?
We do need to fix the Supreme Court, but I think the most useful framing is "court reform."
We need to add more justices, impose real ethics requirements, and do something about terms. Their terms are "for life," and amending the Constitution to change that is problematic and difficult. But we can clarify and reform what we mean by "appointment." An appointment can be for life, but only the first, say, 25 years are "active status" and thereafter judges are on "senior status" which can mean breaking ties, providing advice, etc. And once a justice is on "senior status," a new justice can be appointed to "active status."
I just think "packing the court" has a negative implication and we don't need to frame the issue that way.
I don't spend much time here in comments, but dropped in to share these planned Four Freedoms events on June 6 (Democracy Day) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14brbC5ErRB/ by Visibility Brigade.
I attended a candidate forum for two Democrats competing for an open Washington State Senate seat in a lean-Democrat legislative district.
One of the themes I heard last night is the same as I heard at a candidate forum on Saturday: the State legislature must figure out how to compensate for the loss of funding and support from the federal government. There is talk of a State health insurance program, of increasing revenue through new taxes, of regulating AI and data centers, of somehow taxing AI, and of expanding clean energy to address rising energy prices.
I'm sure that these kinds of discussions are occurring in many places across the country.
A topic where some Hopium would be greatly appreciated is on what can be done to resist future attempts by SCOTUS and MAGA to prevent the 2026 and 2028 elections from being fair. The brazenness of Callais may be recorded in the history books as one of may instances of SCOTUS and MAGA engaging in "Lawfare" to steal the election.
Or to put it another way, the lesson they are taking from Orban's defeat in Hungary is "Ensure you control who votes, whose votes are counted, and be ready to implement an autocoup if all else fails."
Robert Hubbel others provide hope that Trump will fail at these attempts, but your input would be great too. Especially as if there is anyone who might now about things happening among groups like Democratic AGs and Governors, Democracy Docket, and others.
Among other things, I fear that Xi will persuade Trump to sell out Taiwan in exchange for vague promises on Iran, flattery, and a share of the loot from a captured Taiwanese chip industry . Either way Trump's weakness increases the odds that Xi decides to take a shot at invading Taiwan which could result in a disastrous war or national humiliation and economic calamity if we just let China have it. :-(
My wonder on Trumps fateful meeting with Xi coming up is: Will Xi will note all of trump’s self-inflicted weakening of the USA, and bargain Taiwan away for some personal relief from all his worries foreign and domestic. IMHO, trump was placed kneecap the USA by its 250th Birthday. Mission Accomplished. But he still faces personal vulnerability if the Congress flips to the Dems. The one thing we can bet on is he will sell us out.
And yet, and yet 40% of Americans still support Trump and his Republicans??????
That is your take away?
Come on now!!
David, a few things. That is not what the data says here. He is below 40 in these three polls, and yes only about 65% percent of the country is really available to us. He is getting close to rock bottom, and we can have the election we all want to have with that 65. Finally, this internet meme of "he is still at x!" is tiresome, ignorant, and unhelpful. Please refrain from it here in the future. Thank you.
Thank you.
The absolute worst thing about Bluesky comments if you post a poll.
What you are describing is inauthentic, manipulated posting to make it look like Trump's terrible poll numbers are actually a sign of his strength. These posts and sentiments then get adopted by normies, just as David did above. David is probably not aware that his post is a sign of the success of a pro-Trump campaign to shape our understandings of the world.
arrgghhhhh Such a drag. Thanks for the reminder Simon
David,
Just wait... it can get lower.
A certain percentage will never willingly admit to how shitty Trump is. It's a fact of life of tribal politics. At least some of those people who "approve" of his performance know how badly this is going but will never admit it.
I know this particular point is not the main focus of our efforts here, but I believe statements like David's and many people on Bluesky etc reflect something else: the crie de coeur resulting from the pain of deep moral revulsion.
It is asking IMO, how can we live in country where so many people, even if a minority, can possibly approve of one of the worst people on the planet? It is hard to conclude that anyone who idolizes such a piece of garbage that doesn't even deserve the term "human" and belongs in some category of monster, is likewise some species of monster, or at least one with no innate moral compass. I am disgusted and baffled --- what can they possibly see that they like? In theory, democracy is about reaching a consensus which implies an ability to have a respectful discussion, that others have a point of view that may be valid. In the case of these people, their point of view is abhorrent to me (a slaver has no point of view that a decent person is bound to respect).
I don't claim to be a Christian, so I can't be accused of failing in any duty to turn the other cheek. I will leave that to those among us with more generosity of spirit than i posses.
Xi will play Trump like the fool he is, unfortunately.
Obviously we will get all the bluster from the regime about it being the most successful and best meeting ever and that Trump got the best deals ever, but the reality will be brutal.
Does anybody have any lightning quick inflation comparisons I can use - what the difference is between the worst Biden inflation numbers and Trump now - not just an index rating but also the price jumps?
Biden comparison not helpful in my view. Trump promised to get costs down and has taken two concrete steps that have risen everyone's costs. Period. Clean, easy.
And Biden's inflation was largely due to COVID and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Not things he caused.
Trump inherited a strong economy and falling inflation that was nearly under control. And like everything else he has been given in life, HE FUCKED IT UP.
T**** relishes seeing other people suffer economic harm. He always wants to feel like he is winning (raking in ill-gotten money) but he also clearly needs to feel like others are losing (money again).
He called himself the “king of debt” and bragged about using “other people’s money.” He dumped the losses for his many bankruptcies on his investors and creditors while ending up ahead personally. To him, our economy really is the best ever.
I have no idea why other Rs would go along, but the orange one genuinely doesn’t understand why a single dollar should go into anyone’s pocket but his, and he wants people (his subjects in his mind) to be desperate.
Yeah, that was poorly chosen frame by me 😂 I just blanket don’t count COVID era numbers but obviously MAGA would. Anecdotally, gas prices are hitting me much harder now, bc unlike COVID, I’m driving places all the time
Also, as much as it pains me because I was such a fan of his legislative record, at least for now, Joe Biden is baked into the American narrative cake as a net negative. Especially among swing voters… If that weren’t true, we wouldn’t have had to replace them on the ticket and we would’ve won the election. So now is a good time to litigate the case against Trump, but probably not the right time to try to re-litigate the positives of Joe Biden. I hope the good things that he did are more appreciated in the future, but this isn’t the moment pragmatically.
It is probably best to just point out where inflation was when he took office, and where it is now. He fucked this up all on his own.
Simon, I appreciate your explanation of where we are financially.
Trump was on an insane social media posting spree late last night and early this morning. Hateful stuff about Obama and Hillary, still lying about 2020, putting his face on the 100 dollar bill, etc. I spoke with a friend in Mexico this morning and they're all very aware that he's now threatening to make Venezuela "the 51st state." Of course, there's a Constitutional procedure for how a territory becomes a state, but he doesn't think the Constitution applies to him. He keeps the entire globe upset and in chaos all the time.
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say that Trump is no longer in touch with reality and must be removed. That's really the main problem behind all of the other problems we have like tariffs, the war, voting rights, etc. I'm writing postcards to Ohio voters today.
It's a strange situation. I strongly suspect an inverse relationship between rising gas prices and Donny's sinking poll numbers. So, as I see prices rise at the pump, I take some comfort in that.
Weird. How low can he go?
Keep pushing.
My question for Simon....
With the reality of all these new maps hurting Dems more than we anticipated a few weeks ago, do more state wide Senate races get attention and support now?
Or will it be more beneficial to go in even harder on the 12 House flips that are (as you have pointed out many times, but has become even truer now) the absolute key to taking back the chamber, as well as the current set of Senate candidates?
I guess to sum up, does the battle for the Senate take on a greater significance with chances in the House, whilst still strong, slightly reduced?
My idea #1. Let's "Pack and Crack" the Supreme Court in 2028. (My idea is just the slogan :-))
We do need to fix the Supreme Court, but I think the most useful framing is "court reform."
We need to add more justices, impose real ethics requirements, and do something about terms. Their terms are "for life," and amending the Constitution to change that is problematic and difficult. But we can clarify and reform what we mean by "appointment." An appointment can be for life, but only the first, say, 25 years are "active status" and thereafter judges are on "senior status" which can mean breaking ties, providing advice, etc. And once a justice is on "senior status," a new justice can be appointed to "active status."
I just think "packing the court" has a negative implication and we don't need to frame the issue that way.
I understand that you want to be understated and dignified.
But the masses need easy to understand slogans.
Do you realize that the average American reads 4 minutes of news per week? And that probably includes traffic and weather reports.
I recently traveled to Chicago for a wedding and then Seattle for vacation.
The ONLY things people talked about were prices. Food. Gas. Airfare.
I believe we need “simple” and “catchy”. This slogan would even allow us to explain gerrymandering to those same average Americans.
Everything you said is true (and what we Political Nerds already understand), but you will lose the average American within the first sentence.
My idea #2:
If Donald Trump does run for a 3rd term, then we need to have Obama run against him. It will be a landslide. Obama can step down and let the VP serve.
🇺🇸 O-H-I-O 🇺🇸
Any Hopium Members going to the fundraiser for Dr Amy Acton in Cincinnati this evening????
It's just 5 minutes from my home and I am very excited to meet her and hear her speak.
ICYMI
I don't spend much time here in comments, but dropped in to share these planned Four Freedoms events on June 6 (Democracy Day) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14brbC5ErRB/ by Visibility Brigade.
yes, saw that yesterday - brilliant idea!
I attended a candidate forum for two Democrats competing for an open Washington State Senate seat in a lean-Democrat legislative district.
One of the themes I heard last night is the same as I heard at a candidate forum on Saturday: the State legislature must figure out how to compensate for the loss of funding and support from the federal government. There is talk of a State health insurance program, of increasing revenue through new taxes, of regulating AI and data centers, of somehow taxing AI, and of expanding clean energy to address rising energy prices.
I'm sure that these kinds of discussions are occurring in many places across the country.
Her friends. Here's a very interesting article about China's current perspective on the world order, but especially on our great (suffering) Democracy. It's a gift link from the Atlantic; I htink you should be able to access it. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/05/china-trump-american-decline/687087/?gift=22_CimSYCmpoyRoe8SANr6XMea-SHQBv8SCt528K2Tw&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
Meanwhile I'm calling Warren and Markey and ranting about the tariffs, the war, the inflation, AND T's obvious decline.
Hello Simon.
A topic where some Hopium would be greatly appreciated is on what can be done to resist future attempts by SCOTUS and MAGA to prevent the 2026 and 2028 elections from being fair. The brazenness of Callais may be recorded in the history books as one of may instances of SCOTUS and MAGA engaging in "Lawfare" to steal the election.
Or to put it another way, the lesson they are taking from Orban's defeat in Hungary is "Ensure you control who votes, whose votes are counted, and be ready to implement an autocoup if all else fails."
Robert Hubbel others provide hope that Trump will fail at these attempts, but your input would be great too. Especially as if there is anyone who might now about things happening among groups like Democratic AGs and Governors, Democracy Docket, and others.
Among other things, I fear that Xi will persuade Trump to sell out Taiwan in exchange for vague promises on Iran, flattery, and a share of the loot from a captured Taiwanese chip industry . Either way Trump's weakness increases the odds that Xi decides to take a shot at invading Taiwan which could result in a disastrous war or national humiliation and economic calamity if we just let China have it. :-(