Urban is a total fool. I can't believe that he can say what he's saying with a straight face. No one truly believes that Trump's tactics will bring back manufacturing jobs. Full stop. He is turning this country into a pariah nation. Urban should tell the truth.
Agreed Diane, Urban must be a founding member of MRU (Morons R Us). The real issue is that people like him don't really think rationally. Most of his assertions are based on what people "believe" rather than rational thought and analysis. It's called "critical thinking" but too few people today understand what that means or have been taught how to think.
This article from Paul Krugman is a bit wonky but explains it very well. We do not live in the world of the 1970's or 1980's anymore. The jobs they want to bring back don't pay as well as they used to relative to the other jobs available in our economy. What really made these manufacturing jobs good middle class jobs was not the nature of the work but the unions that could negotiate better wages. Krugman's final point in his article is: "If we really wanted to bring back the days when workers without college degrees could afford a middle-class standard of living, the answer isn’t pipe dreams about bringing back manufacturing; it’s unionizing service sector giants like Amazon and Walmart."
Urban is quite wealthy -- and his reference of bringing manufacturing back.....including tube socks? Seriously. I do agree that a GIG economy is not a sustainable model. "Corporate giants" were responsible for moving work off-shore for cheaper labor -- "Corporate giants" should bear the financial burden to bring GOOD jobs back.
Yup, that CNN discussion would have been better if Mr Urban had put a sock in it. I believe it was Tom Lehrer who voiced these wise words: "If you don’t have anything to say, the very least you can do is to shut up!"
We should all be focusing on Trump and the administration defying the Supreme Court with respect to Abrego Garcia. If we let this pass, we are much more likely to fail.
Not just Abrego Garcia, but ALL of the illegal abductions and extraordinary renditions by this administration. Due Process is a 5th amendment right not just for citizens but for all legal migrants residing in the U.S. And in order to establish legal status of suspects, even illegal residents need a due process review to determine their status.
I am watching with great interest how these legal filings and hearings will go forward this week. Until a judge imposes real consequences for contempt of their orders, there will be no justice.
well we're just on day 1 of T failing to comply, now we see how contempt is dealt with. Also interesting that Sen Murphy says will go to El Salvador if no results by a couple days from now [will find link and add here and what day he said he'll be going]. p.s. I disagree with your phrasing "Until a judge imposes real consequences ..." you're just scare mongering and defeatist. it's a legal process being carried out. this week is important
should be a high level contingent of several senators and maybe his attorney too, human rights organizations. cant senate intelligence committee review state dept agreement with el salvador? pretty sure it has language that let's us do whatever we want as long as we pay the bill. and dems in congress should strip all funding for the prison in the budget process.
The news is reporting that the President of El Salvatore refuses to let any prisoners go and Trump and Rubio are now saying that the arrest of Garcia was not a mistake, that he is a terrorist. Of course no proof of any of this.
Listen, Trump has proceeded with impunity and gotten away with it in the courts, seemingly forever. Has he even paid the half billion dollar penalty for the civil trial conviction from over a year ago? Haven't heard a thing about it for several months.
I am more optimistic about a court actually imposing real consequences than anyone I talk to about it, which are many. Everyone I talk to thinks that Trump has always gotten away with it, and will continue to get away with it, because no one has been able to hold him accountable and the courts are weak.
The pressure on these judges to pull the trigger and punish someone in the administration ( my vote is for Tom Homan and Kristi Noem) is enormous. SCOTUS complicates it with their supplicant rulings for Trump.
But I still hold faith that one day a judge will make a judgment and someone will go to jail and that will put some fear in these bullies and slow this sh*t down. We need a hero or two in the judicial branch.
I am the opposite of defeatist on this issue and you mischaracterize me, SW. I don't know what your "scare mongering" assertion even means in this situation.
Listen? are you scolding me? we know US courts have been compromised in some instances, but [Listen!] you are falling for the scaremongering and dem bashing. you are not seeing the larger picture. do a little research instead of lecturing me
I've mentioned this a couple times, but it's a favorite, so I repeat: quite soon after the election Jamie Raskin was asked by some msnbc person how dems would deal with the R majorities. He replied, something to the effect, he wasn't going to say but that they'd had years to plan. so what I'm saying is we have some of the best legal minds ever at work on 'rule of law'
...if the judges and justices wont defend the constitution, and the military will also fail their oath to defend the the Conatitution, does it really just boil down to we the people vs the billionaires?
Is that the way this goes, or is their a hero or two in judicial to change the storyline a little...?
I made my calls today directly on this issue. I think this is right. And all the abductions going on as someone else points out.
By not stopping this they are ENABLING it (their own Enabling Act). They are in violation of their Oath of Office. If your Senator is not taking action, they are in violation of their oath.
My 2 MO Senators have been in violation of their oaths since they made it. Anyone Senator not calling for impeachment is violating their oath of office.
The larcenous lard must go.
I called my MO2d Rep today=got thru. Sen Josh Hawley -I called and they don't answer much. Sent all 3 electeds this past weekend an email asking for impeachment.
Simon -- you are being too polite... Urban jumped in, seemingly stole your time -- you jump in and talk about actual facts about manufacturing in the US coming back -- talk about Lutnick's ridiculous statements -- talk about the chaos that will prevent any company from investing in factories here...etc. etc
He didn't jump in. The anchor gave him that extra time. As someone who has done thousands of TV appearances there is a limit to how much you can challenge the anchor's direction. Appreciate your coaching but in any short appearance like this you cannot get to everything and need to stay tight, concise and respectful. The "worst first 100 days" line hit hard and I think led the anchor to give him a bit more time to dig out of it....
Kate is a fan of David Urban -- you can see it in any of a number of interviews that include him. She deferred to him, not you Simon. Shameful behavior for someone who is supposed to be an impartial facilitator.
I don’t really agree with James Carville’s messaging now but the Republican strategist kind of tied himself in knots, going clear back to Perot. I’m old enough to remember and if you have to reach back like that, you don’t have an argument. That said, I’d like to have heard more from Simon.
Thanks for not taking offense...we all have to get out of our comfort zones these days. Keep up the fight! At 81, I am much more cranky than polite these days...
As I wrote to you earlier, Bravo, Simon. You were great.....concise and respectful...and as always, careful in your response to get in the most important points. I was especially impressed when the CNN anchor said at the end of the segment that she always has faith in Urban -- and you chimed in "There's no reason to have faith in Trump" seconds before the segment ended! Touche
You'll never know how much I appreciate your experience and professionalism, Simon. I wouldn't be here if you didn't add perspective and knowledge to my political thinking and action.
She and Urban controlled the narrative... Simon was factual and Urban thinks its funny.
PLEASE.. ATTACK ATTACK... Ask him how much he spent for his suit and where it was made? Big business profited and paid his lobbyist salary from offshoring instead of protecting workers. It's Economics and BIG BUSINESS made the decisions,
Thanks Simon.. I feel bad you had to put up with the CNN Spin Room approach.
I had a different reaction. I thought Simon was so great at delivering a strong and coherent message (one we are familiar with here) versus Urban’s being a mouthpiece for the administration’s inanity. Their communication is suffering because of the complexity of their strategy. Give me a break! I was glad Simon got the last word!
yes, agree. Simon has years of appearing on Fox newslessness and knows what he's doing, for those who've joined Hopium relatively recently, i.e., in the past months.
Shhhh! The Secret That The Nazis Don’t Want You To Know
It was no secret in 2024 that runaway inflation had decimated the middle class due to the loss of the purchasing power of the dollar estimated to be 90% of what it was in 1970 Due to this loss of purchasing power the value of the dollar is going down and due to that the value of gold is going up since gold is real money without counterparty risk and the value of the dollar rests on nothing but the confidence of the people who use this fiat currency
The charade the government tells us is that the currency has intrinsic value but Nixon in 1971 took our economy and its currency off of the gold standard leaving both political parties to rack up trillions of dollars in debt now with the Cheeto Strongman’s regime ready to cross $40T dollars in order to give his billionaire cronies tax breaks Of course, this is unsustainable but the government and the two political parties don’t want its citizens to know that Now faced with the biggest debt bubble in world history the Wall Street and the government wants to minimize the problem
But when a credit bubble meets tariffs disaster becomes inevitable just as it did in the early 1930’s This is now being played out as equity markets will gradually begin in free fall Of course Wall Street wants you to believe all is well but it’s not
The bond market that used to be a safe haven when the equity market falters has now lost its status and that’s because the foreign investment community that holds $13T in Treasury bonds that cover our debt is losing confidence in America and its government This puts the country at risk at not being able to cover the interest on its debt This is called a debt trap and is a concern for the investment community and government What follows is a currency crisis
So the safe haven for investors has become precious metals namely gold and silver and explains their rise in value
I keep reminding myself that most of the Republicans are from the business/advertising/media sector where it’s a lots about surface, about looking good, looking strong no matter what. We’ve been trained to respect fame and form over substance. That is dangerous.
Let's face it Americans have been chasing the "more is better" leaving a select group of wealthy Americans to greed The middle class has been chasing the greed momentum as well but unfortunately the loss of the purchasing power of the dollar erodes their ability to get ahead The bottom line: Greed is destroying the country
wont the repub budget bill adding $6T more debt to give away our $$$ to billionaires & corporations really just accelerate foreign divesting in our bonds? if repubs knowingly do that, in addition to the tarriff debacle and current debt load, everyone will know repubs/satan are driving the car off the financial cliff? right?
Adding to a already expanding debt bubble just worsens the economic crisis as you note Once the offered 10y Tbill reaches between 4.75 to 5% America will not be able to afford its debt of $40T+ The current deteriorating value of the dollar at the time of this writing is less than 100 forebodes this pricking of the debt bubble as well as the decline in the equity markets This was all bound to happen but has been triggered and accelerated by the Cheeto Strongman's tariff policy
Call script. Got Sen. Merkley and Val Hoyle’s offices live on the phone. Merkley’s aid was particularly receptive. Voicemail for Wyden (as always).
I understand that El Salvador’s dictator Bukele is visiting prez @ WH today. And one of the things they’re going to talk about apparently is how to start sending more ppl incl US citizens to the CECOT gulag. They appear to be publicly forging a human trafficking enterprise. Congressional Democrats need to step up and protect Americans & publicly denounce this for what it is: human trafficking.
As someone who has never been scared in my beloved America, I am angry and angrier at the thought of a Trump- Bukele meeting in the WH about CECOT GULAG today. To discuss sending US Citizens as well.
never been scared. but scared now. martial law + deportation to foreign prisons is the worst combo. if immigrants dont have due process, eventually americans wont either.
NYT reports trump and bukele met in WH and surprise surprise Garcia will not come home. What are We the People to do. Can ⚖️ the SUPREME COURT be counted on to protect the American citizens???
Good morning Simon and everyone - I contacted my Congresspeople this morning with one message - take the tariff responsibility back from Trump. It's not everything but it's a start. Thanks for fighting the good fight all of you. No matter what happens, we can say we did everything we could every day to stop him. Let's be proud of that. <3
I agree. Taking action always helps. MAGA wants to destroy democracy and the legal, educational, and economic opportunities that goes with it. These are braggarts and bullies, not thoughtful statesmen and women. Attention grabbers. This is insane. I believe it is critical to take action while also keeping our mental balance. These folks have been trained to go for the jugular no matter what.
I have adopted as my "spiritual practice " everyday to call as many Congress folks that I can with a minimum of five-seven. The real practice is to be wise enough as to not be deleted...
Marijane. Are you calling senators who are not your own? I keep reading that the staffers disregard or even toss messages that are not from constituents. I know this is a drastic time but I dont want to waste my breath. My people are Warren, Markey and Jim McGovern- all fierce fighters. I need guidance on this. I’ve been calling John Thune every day but he’s the majority leader so I think I have some traction.
I am calling both parties ....I am hoping that by calling Republican there may be in time a crack some where along the line...not totally hopeful but who knows
I attended a Peoples Town Hall for the absent Chip Roy on Sunday in Fredericksburg, TX. This was co-sponsored by Democratic Chairs from Gillespie and surrounding counties, all red counties except my county of Bexar (San Antonio). It was standing room only and full of advocates wearing Resist t-shirts.
The speakers (Joaquin Castro and two state reps) did not mince words in calling out Trump and his administration as fascism, pure and simple. There was discussion of more marching in the streets sooner than later.
Gene Wu, the state rep from Houston came to the US at age 4 and is naturalized. He talked about his love for America and fear that Trump will soon come after naturalized citizens like him.
They took questions from the attendees who were knowledgeable and engaged.
The audience was mostly white and older. However, the new TX Democratic Chair is only 35 and spoke boldly about reaching out to younger voters where they hang out, not MSNBC.
I always come away from these events with hope for the future!
Called Sens. Booker & Kim and demanded they a) filibuster the SAVE Act when it comes for a vote b) join Sen. Kaine's resolution. Rep. Smith is hiding as per usual, I am calling him to demand he oppose the Concealed Carry Mandate.
This is an awful, awful day. Not sure what SCOTUS is going to do, but they had better get to doing it. Thanks everyone for all your hard work.
Self report: I've contacted Gillibrand and Schumer to ask them to take a stand in favor of democracy, the Constitution, freedom-- especially to comment about Garcia etc. I don't know how to encourage them to lead instead of their posts that suggest that all that matters is microeconomics. (Of course, the economy is critically important, but Dems need to walk and chew gum at the same time.)
Self report. I requested A Letter to America to be issued by the Democratic Association of Attorneys General. I contacted both my NM Attorney General Raúl Torrez and the entire Assocation (email About@dems.ag). I will follow-up with phone calls in a day or so.
Thank you, Simon, for this video and your profound condemnation of the most tragic 100 days.
I am using this sentence to end all correspondence and on social media: The Democratic Party brings Prosperity, Opportunity and Better Lives!
I am asking NM Attorney General Raúl Torrez and the entire Democratic AGs Association to please issue "A Letter to America" that clearly explains how the executive actions and orders of trump are illegal, unconstitutional, and wrong for Our Country. It would help the public to understand the urgent need to stop the tyranny, and it would be a record for posterity.
In the spirit of Simon's "weekend" thoughts I offer one of my own:
The Chinese Have Practiced and Trained for This Trade War
As you may remember, China instituted an incredibly draconian public policy reaction to the COVID pandemic and persisted with it far longer than necessary. Back then I often wondered if COVID was merely an excuse for a dress rehearsal of an invasion of Taiwan. My thinking was the Chinese government used their COVID policies to develop useful and necessary motivations and methods to entice or coerce their population to accept the economic deprivation and devastation that would be the consequences of an eventual invasion of Taiwan. It is beginning to look like it will have been practice for the Trump tariff-taxes instead, invasion to follow.
Nixon-Kissinger understood that bringing China into the global economy would blunt the threat a rising China represented to global stability and world peace. Just as the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, other sanctions and diplomatic failures with Japan in the 1930’s would culminate in an attack on Pearl Harbor, Trump’s ignorance and arrogance may be destined to have history repeat itself. These tariff-tax actions against China are incredibly risky for national and global security.
Whatever the message that may be successful in convincing Congress to take back authority over tariffs, we must put a stop to this trade war before it becomes a shooting war.
Thank you for pointing out that the Biden Administration was bringing jobs back and building things up. The Republicans are loud and reckless. I am looking at the view of the San Francisco Bay , which I can see from my window. There are ordinarily about thirteen container ships in the Bay. This morning there are two. Not a good look for a major port.
A thought: Not sure using "Biden" is helpful with an audience of believers. It might be a turn off and they simply won't be disposed to listen to the rest of the statement. I think just saying Trump is wreaking the economy that "we" worked so hard at bringing back after COVID might be enough to trigger the "betrayal" thoughts and feelings that you might be going for with respect to Trump's madness. Once someone feels betrayed they usually won't return for more of the same. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me." BTW "we" or something similar might be good because the listener is free to interpret that in a way more likely to lead to acceptance of your point - e.g. all of us working Americans, etc., rather than someone they may have a negative opinion of for other reasons.
Hi Brad, Those are really good points. I think the more we can breach the us/them divide, the better. I think getting folks to see that we have all been played is a better approach. Those are very useful suggestions. Thank you.
biden invested in america with billions. and created millions of job. and made the country a better place. satan is just an ignorant loudmouth with no policies. just idle threats as bond market collapses.
I agree. The reason the right spent so much time, money, and effort defeating him was that the Biden Administration's success was a threat to their ideology about how government can't do anything right. It is such an incredible waste. And for what? A faded con man, reality TV star without an ounce of compassion or bringing up? Trump will trash it all to spend time with his autocrat friends who would knife him in the back in a hot minute.
Urban is a total fool. I can't believe that he can say what he's saying with a straight face. No one truly believes that Trump's tactics will bring back manufacturing jobs. Full stop. He is turning this country into a pariah nation. Urban should tell the truth.
Agreed Diane, Urban must be a founding member of MRU (Morons R Us). The real issue is that people like him don't really think rationally. Most of his assertions are based on what people "believe" rather than rational thought and analysis. It's called "critical thinking" but too few people today understand what that means or have been taught how to think.
This article from Paul Krugman is a bit wonky but explains it very well. We do not live in the world of the 1970's or 1980's anymore. The jobs they want to bring back don't pay as well as they used to relative to the other jobs available in our economy. What really made these manufacturing jobs good middle class jobs was not the nature of the work but the unions that could negotiate better wages. Krugman's final point in his article is: "If we really wanted to bring back the days when workers without college degrees could afford a middle-class standard of living, the answer isn’t pipe dreams about bringing back manufacturing; it’s unionizing service sector giants like Amazon and Walmart."
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/no-trump-cant-make-manufacturing
Urban is quite wealthy -- and his reference of bringing manufacturing back.....including tube socks? Seriously. I do agree that a GIG economy is not a sustainable model. "Corporate giants" were responsible for moving work off-shore for cheaper labor -- "Corporate giants" should bear the financial burden to bring GOOD jobs back.
Yeah fucking tube socks. We are going to be better by making tube socks. What a fucking idiot.
Yup, that CNN discussion would have been better if Mr Urban had put a sock in it. I believe it was Tom Lehrer who voiced these wise words: "If you don’t have anything to say, the very least you can do is to shut up!"
Clowns gonna clown.
We should all be focusing on Trump and the administration defying the Supreme Court with respect to Abrego Garcia. If we let this pass, we are much more likely to fail.
Not just Abrego Garcia, but ALL of the illegal abductions and extraordinary renditions by this administration. Due Process is a 5th amendment right not just for citizens but for all legal migrants residing in the U.S. And in order to establish legal status of suspects, even illegal residents need a due process review to determine their status.
I am watching with great interest how these legal filings and hearings will go forward this week. Until a judge imposes real consequences for contempt of their orders, there will be no justice.
well we're just on day 1 of T failing to comply, now we see how contempt is dealt with. Also interesting that Sen Murphy says will go to El Salvador if no results by a couple days from now [will find link and add here and what day he said he'll be going]. p.s. I disagree with your phrasing "Until a judge imposes real consequences ..." you're just scare mongering and defeatist. it's a legal process being carried out. this week is important
IT's Senator Chris Van Hollen who said he would go this week. Let's call and thank him.
Thank you, yes indeed! here's the announcement
https://nitter.poast.org/MikenzieFrost/status/1911755696325935120#m
Yes, since the man seized is a Maryland resident, it makes sense for Senator Van Hollen to go. Proud of him for standing up.
should be a high level contingent of several senators and maybe his attorney too, human rights organizations. cant senate intelligence committee review state dept agreement with el salvador? pretty sure it has language that let's us do whatever we want as long as we pay the bill. and dems in congress should strip all funding for the prison in the budget process.
The news is reporting that the President of El Salvatore refuses to let any prisoners go and Trump and Rubio are now saying that the arrest of Garcia was not a mistake, that he is a terrorist. Of course no proof of any of this.
Listen, Trump has proceeded with impunity and gotten away with it in the courts, seemingly forever. Has he even paid the half billion dollar penalty for the civil trial conviction from over a year ago? Haven't heard a thing about it for several months.
I am more optimistic about a court actually imposing real consequences than anyone I talk to about it, which are many. Everyone I talk to thinks that Trump has always gotten away with it, and will continue to get away with it, because no one has been able to hold him accountable and the courts are weak.
The pressure on these judges to pull the trigger and punish someone in the administration ( my vote is for Tom Homan and Kristi Noem) is enormous. SCOTUS complicates it with their supplicant rulings for Trump.
But I still hold faith that one day a judge will make a judgment and someone will go to jail and that will put some fear in these bullies and slow this sh*t down. We need a hero or two in the judicial branch.
I am the opposite of defeatist on this issue and you mischaracterize me, SW. I don't know what your "scare mongering" assertion even means in this situation.
Listen? are you scolding me? we know US courts have been compromised in some instances, but [Listen!] you are falling for the scaremongering and dem bashing. you are not seeing the larger picture. do a little research instead of lecturing me
I've mentioned this a couple times, but it's a favorite, so I repeat: quite soon after the election Jamie Raskin was asked by some msnbc person how dems would deal with the R majorities. He replied, something to the effect, he wasn't going to say but that they'd had years to plan. so what I'm saying is we have some of the best legal minds ever at work on 'rule of law'
You are projecting your frustrations on me and mischaracterizing me.
You are painting me as a dem basher and you are completely off base. You don't know me.
Where is the dem bashing in the statement, "Until a judge imposes real consequences for contempt of their orders there will be no justice" ?
Nothing at all about democrats in that statement, right?
That is all I said, and then YOU started bashing me, sir. So LOOK to what you are saying and look to what I am saying and parse whats going on here.
I don't think they will go to jail. Again, I will be happy to be proven wrong.
Yeah... its a stretch
...if the judges and justices wont defend the constitution, and the military will also fail their oath to defend the the Conatitution, does it really just boil down to we the people vs the billionaires?
Is that the way this goes, or is their a hero or two in judicial to change the storyline a little...?
Totally agree.
Definitely! Our government is instigating human trafficking and it doesn’t seem to matter.
I made my calls today directly on this issue. I think this is right. And all the abductions going on as someone else points out.
By not stopping this they are ENABLING it (their own Enabling Act). They are in violation of their Oath of Office. If your Senator is not taking action, they are in violation of their oath.
My 2 MO Senators have been in violation of their oaths since they made it. Anyone Senator not calling for impeachment is violating their oath of office.
The larcenous lard must go.
I called my MO2d Rep today=got thru. Sen Josh Hawley -I called and they don't answer much. Sent all 3 electeds this past weekend an email asking for impeachment.
Simon -- you are being too polite... Urban jumped in, seemingly stole your time -- you jump in and talk about actual facts about manufacturing in the US coming back -- talk about Lutnick's ridiculous statements -- talk about the chaos that will prevent any company from investing in factories here...etc. etc
He didn't jump in. The anchor gave him that extra time. As someone who has done thousands of TV appearances there is a limit to how much you can challenge the anchor's direction. Appreciate your coaching but in any short appearance like this you cannot get to everything and need to stay tight, concise and respectful. The "worst first 100 days" line hit hard and I think led the anchor to give him a bit more time to dig out of it....
love the 'pot of gold' image
Kate is a fan of David Urban -- you can see it in any of a number of interviews that include him. She deferred to him, not you Simon. Shameful behavior for someone who is supposed to be an impartial facilitator.
Indeed, Kate is another non-critical thinker. She (and her network?) "believe" Urban knows what he's talking about and defer to him all too often.
Television interviewers need a course in CRT – Critical Rational Thinking!
I don’t really agree with James Carville’s messaging now but the Republican strategist kind of tied himself in knots, going clear back to Perot. I’m old enough to remember and if you have to reach back like that, you don’t have an argument. That said, I’d like to have heard more from Simon.
Thanks for not taking offense...we all have to get out of our comfort zones these days. Keep up the fight! At 81, I am much more cranky than polite these days...
As I wrote to you earlier, Bravo, Simon. You were great.....concise and respectful...and as always, careful in your response to get in the most important points. I was especially impressed when the CNN anchor said at the end of the segment that she always has faith in Urban -- and you chimed in "There's no reason to have faith in Trump" seconds before the segment ended! Touche
memorable sound bites. That's all people will hear and remember for the most part.
You'll never know how much I appreciate your experience and professionalism, Simon. I wouldn't be here if you didn't add perspective and knowledge to my political thinking and action.
She and Urban controlled the narrative... Simon was factual and Urban thinks its funny.
PLEASE.. ATTACK ATTACK... Ask him how much he spent for his suit and where it was made? Big business profited and paid his lobbyist salary from offshoring instead of protecting workers. It's Economics and BIG BUSINESS made the decisions,
Thanks Simon.. I feel bad you had to put up with the CNN Spin Room approach.
I had a different reaction. I thought Simon was so great at delivering a strong and coherent message (one we are familiar with here) versus Urban’s being a mouthpiece for the administration’s inanity. Their communication is suffering because of the complexity of their strategy. Give me a break! I was glad Simon got the last word!
yes, agree. Simon has years of appearing on Fox newslessness and knows what he's doing, for those who've joined Hopium relatively recently, i.e., in the past months.
Yeah, Urban was the guy in the souk market waving around all the knives, and Simon was Indiana Jones ;)
I don’t know what it “is” exactly—the hard,harsh con man sound of Urban’s voice-(?) vs. Simon’s presentation of facts and rationality.
Shhhh! The Secret That The Nazis Don’t Want You To Know
It was no secret in 2024 that runaway inflation had decimated the middle class due to the loss of the purchasing power of the dollar estimated to be 90% of what it was in 1970 Due to this loss of purchasing power the value of the dollar is going down and due to that the value of gold is going up since gold is real money without counterparty risk and the value of the dollar rests on nothing but the confidence of the people who use this fiat currency
The charade the government tells us is that the currency has intrinsic value but Nixon in 1971 took our economy and its currency off of the gold standard leaving both political parties to rack up trillions of dollars in debt now with the Cheeto Strongman’s regime ready to cross $40T dollars in order to give his billionaire cronies tax breaks Of course, this is unsustainable but the government and the two political parties don’t want its citizens to know that Now faced with the biggest debt bubble in world history the Wall Street and the government wants to minimize the problem
But when a credit bubble meets tariffs disaster becomes inevitable just as it did in the early 1930’s This is now being played out as equity markets will gradually begin in free fall Of course Wall Street wants you to believe all is well but it’s not
The bond market that used to be a safe haven when the equity market falters has now lost its status and that’s because the foreign investment community that holds $13T in Treasury bonds that cover our debt is losing confidence in America and its government This puts the country at risk at not being able to cover the interest on its debt This is called a debt trap and is a concern for the investment community and government What follows is a currency crisis
So the safe haven for investors has become precious metals namely gold and silver and explains their rise in value
I keep reminding myself that most of the Republicans are from the business/advertising/media sector where it’s a lots about surface, about looking good, looking strong no matter what. We’ve been trained to respect fame and form over substance. That is dangerous.
Let's face it Americans have been chasing the "more is better" leaving a select group of wealthy Americans to greed The middle class has been chasing the greed momentum as well but unfortunately the loss of the purchasing power of the dollar erodes their ability to get ahead The bottom line: Greed is destroying the country
you got it
wont the repub budget bill adding $6T more debt to give away our $$$ to billionaires & corporations really just accelerate foreign divesting in our bonds? if repubs knowingly do that, in addition to the tarriff debacle and current debt load, everyone will know repubs/satan are driving the car off the financial cliff? right?
Adding to a already expanding debt bubble just worsens the economic crisis as you note Once the offered 10y Tbill reaches between 4.75 to 5% America will not be able to afford its debt of $40T+ The current deteriorating value of the dollar at the time of this writing is less than 100 forebodes this pricking of the debt bubble as well as the decline in the equity markets This was all bound to happen but has been triggered and accelerated by the Cheeto Strongman's tariff policy
Call script. Got Sen. Merkley and Val Hoyle’s offices live on the phone. Merkley’s aid was particularly receptive. Voicemail for Wyden (as always).
I understand that El Salvador’s dictator Bukele is visiting prez @ WH today. And one of the things they’re going to talk about apparently is how to start sending more ppl incl US citizens to the CECOT gulag. They appear to be publicly forging a human trafficking enterprise. Congressional Democrats need to step up and protect Americans & publicly denounce this for what it is: human trafficking.
As someone who has never been scared in my beloved America, I am angry and angrier at the thought of a Trump- Bukele meeting in the WH about CECOT GULAG today. To discuss sending US Citizens as well.
never been scared. but scared now. martial law + deportation to foreign prisons is the worst combo. if immigrants dont have due process, eventually americans wont either.
NYT reports trump and bukele met in WH and surprise surprise Garcia will not come home. What are We the People to do. Can ⚖️ the SUPREME COURT be counted on to protect the American citizens???
Mad King Donald let Stephen Miller do a lot of talking. Pure evil.
There have to be painful penalties for deportation without due process. Otherwise the door they have opened stays open.
Trump is an amoral, lawless pos and profound embarrassment to America. How is it we're apparently stuck with him for the next 4 years?
Nah, he’s gonna have to go WAY before that. I can’t have this level of stress from the Criminal In Chief for the next four years.
Good morning Simon and everyone - I contacted my Congresspeople this morning with one message - take the tariff responsibility back from Trump. It's not everything but it's a start. Thanks for fighting the good fight all of you. No matter what happens, we can say we did everything we could every day to stop him. Let's be proud of that. <3
I agree. Taking action always helps. MAGA wants to destroy democracy and the legal, educational, and economic opportunities that goes with it. These are braggarts and bullies, not thoughtful statesmen and women. Attention grabbers. This is insane. I believe it is critical to take action while also keeping our mental balance. These folks have been trained to go for the jugular no matter what.
I have adopted as my "spiritual practice " everyday to call as many Congress folks that I can with a minimum of five-seven. The real practice is to be wise enough as to not be deleted...
not sure I have accomplished that level (smiling)
Love this!
Marijane. Are you calling senators who are not your own? I keep reading that the staffers disregard or even toss messages that are not from constituents. I know this is a drastic time but I dont want to waste my breath. My people are Warren, Markey and Jim McGovern- all fierce fighters. I need guidance on this. I’ve been calling John Thune every day but he’s the majority leader so I think I have some traction.
I am calling both parties ....I am hoping that by calling Republican there may be in time a crack some where along the line...not totally hopeful but who knows
I pick a few issues now and make a separate call to each of my two Senators for each issue. So I make 4-6 calls to my two GOP Senators.
I attended a Peoples Town Hall for the absent Chip Roy on Sunday in Fredericksburg, TX. This was co-sponsored by Democratic Chairs from Gillespie and surrounding counties, all red counties except my county of Bexar (San Antonio). It was standing room only and full of advocates wearing Resist t-shirts.
The speakers (Joaquin Castro and two state reps) did not mince words in calling out Trump and his administration as fascism, pure and simple. There was discussion of more marching in the streets sooner than later.
Gene Wu, the state rep from Houston came to the US at age 4 and is naturalized. He talked about his love for America and fear that Trump will soon come after naturalized citizens like him.
They took questions from the attendees who were knowledgeable and engaged.
The audience was mostly white and older. However, the new TX Democratic Chair is only 35 and spoke boldly about reaching out to younger voters where they hang out, not MSNBC.
I always come away from these events with hope for the future!
Called Sens. Booker & Kim and demanded they a) filibuster the SAVE Act when it comes for a vote b) join Sen. Kaine's resolution. Rep. Smith is hiding as per usual, I am calling him to demand he oppose the Concealed Carry Mandate.
This is an awful, awful day. Not sure what SCOTUS is going to do, but they had better get to doing it. Thanks everyone for all your hard work.
Keep going!
I called the offices of my members of Congress, with the Letter to America my primary "ask."
I could not get through to AG Nick Brown's office today. I'll try tomorrow.
I called AG Nick Brown's office again and was able to leave a message.
Self report: I've contacted Gillibrand and Schumer to ask them to take a stand in favor of democracy, the Constitution, freedom-- especially to comment about Garcia etc. I don't know how to encourage them to lead instead of their posts that suggest that all that matters is microeconomics. (Of course, the economy is critically important, but Dems need to walk and chew gum at the same time.)
We educate our elected leaders about what is possible. That is how we lead and encourage others.
Way to go Simon. I couldn't finish listening to Urban; what a complete idiot.
Self report. I requested A Letter to America to be issued by the Democratic Association of Attorneys General. I contacted both my NM Attorney General Raúl Torrez and the entire Assocation (email About@dems.ag). I will follow-up with phone calls in a day or so.
Thank you, Simon, for this video and your profound condemnation of the most tragic 100 days.
I am using this sentence to end all correspondence and on social media: The Democratic Party brings Prosperity, Opportunity and Better Lives!
What a good idea! Email them all at once.
I also made a separate request to NMAG Torrez.
Can you give us an idea of what you wrote? Would be helpful for the non-writers in the room. :)
Dear Democratic Attorneys General Association,
I am asking NM Attorney General Raúl Torrez and the entire Democratic AGs Association to please issue "A Letter to America" that clearly explains how the executive actions and orders of trump are illegal, unconstitutional, and wrong for Our Country. It would help the public to understand the urgent need to stop the tyranny, and it would be a record for posterity.
Here's a link to one sample letter written by me and a coauthor. It is just to illustrate the concept that is modelled after the Declaration of Independence. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zsV30hAYy6VrjG0l7Nasjp0Ig-ruRIuZ/view?usp=sharing
This is a national effort by a coalition of Patriotic Democrats. Here is more information. https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/a-letter-to-america
Thank you so much for all you are doing to protect our Democracy.
Dr. Deborah Potter
The Democratic Party brings Prosperity, Opportunity and Better Lives!
Wow, this is excellent, Deborah.
Agree - thanks Deborah!
THANKS! Just sent mine to AG Platkin!
Hi Deborah--I used your letter as a model and sent a rephrased but similar request via email to the DAGA. Thanks!
More contact info for DAAG
website https://dems.ag/ email for General Inquiries: About@dems.ag
Press Inquiries: Press@dems.ag
Employment & Internships: Jobs@dems.ag
Campaign Work: Campaigns@dems.ag
Mail: PO Box 34445, Washington DC 20005
In the spirit of Simon's "weekend" thoughts I offer one of my own:
The Chinese Have Practiced and Trained for This Trade War
As you may remember, China instituted an incredibly draconian public policy reaction to the COVID pandemic and persisted with it far longer than necessary. Back then I often wondered if COVID was merely an excuse for a dress rehearsal of an invasion of Taiwan. My thinking was the Chinese government used their COVID policies to develop useful and necessary motivations and methods to entice or coerce their population to accept the economic deprivation and devastation that would be the consequences of an eventual invasion of Taiwan. It is beginning to look like it will have been practice for the Trump tariff-taxes instead, invasion to follow.
Nixon-Kissinger understood that bringing China into the global economy would blunt the threat a rising China represented to global stability and world peace. Just as the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, other sanctions and diplomatic failures with Japan in the 1930’s would culminate in an attack on Pearl Harbor, Trump’s ignorance and arrogance may be destined to have history repeat itself. These tariff-tax actions against China are incredibly risky for national and global security.
Whatever the message that may be successful in convincing Congress to take back authority over tariffs, we must put a stop to this trade war before it becomes a shooting war.
Thank you for pointing out that the Biden Administration was bringing jobs back and building things up. The Republicans are loud and reckless. I am looking at the view of the San Francisco Bay , which I can see from my window. There are ordinarily about thirteen container ships in the Bay. This morning there are two. Not a good look for a major port.
A thought: Not sure using "Biden" is helpful with an audience of believers. It might be a turn off and they simply won't be disposed to listen to the rest of the statement. I think just saying Trump is wreaking the economy that "we" worked so hard at bringing back after COVID might be enough to trigger the "betrayal" thoughts and feelings that you might be going for with respect to Trump's madness. Once someone feels betrayed they usually won't return for more of the same. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me." BTW "we" or something similar might be good because the listener is free to interpret that in a way more likely to lead to acceptance of your point - e.g. all of us working Americans, etc., rather than someone they may have a negative opinion of for other reasons.
Hi Brad, Those are really good points. I think the more we can breach the us/them divide, the better. I think getting folks to see that we have all been played is a better approach. Those are very useful suggestions. Thank you.
biden invested in america with billions. and created millions of job. and made the country a better place. satan is just an ignorant loudmouth with no policies. just idle threats as bond market collapses.
I agree. The reason the right spent so much time, money, and effort defeating him was that the Biden Administration's success was a threat to their ideology about how government can't do anything right. It is such an incredible waste. And for what? A faded con man, reality TV star without an ounce of compassion or bringing up? Trump will trash it all to spend time with his autocrat friends who would knife him in the back in a hot minute.