The Kent Brockman Republicans

There are lots of ideas about how guns, crime, diet, addiction, pollution, suicide, and "accidents" might be connected, more and less directly, to capitalism. Any of them would make a fun and informative AI search as a beginning to an understanding.

First thought on how drones might tie in? I'd start thinking of them just in terms of another, profit-making commodity.

BUT!!! A quick ChatGPT prompt produces this:

My question: What might be the connection between drones and capitalism?

ChatGPT answer:

*******

The connection between drones and capitalism lies in how drones are integrated into economic systems, industries, and power structures, often amplifying core capitalist principles like efficiency, profitability, and innovation. Here are several angles to explore:

1. Drones as Tools of Capital Accumulation

• Commercial Applications: Companies like Amazon and UPS use drones for delivery services, aiming to reduce labor costs, increase efficiency, and enhance profitability.

• Data Collection: Drones are deployed in agriculture, real estate, and infrastructure to gather data, often creating new avenues for commodification and surveillance.

2. Labor Dynamics

• Drones replace human labor in areas like delivery, inspection, or military reconnaissance, leading to job displacement while maximizing efficiency and profit margins.

• Capitalist firms can reduce reliance on human labor, which is often the largest operational expense, further concentrating wealth among capital owners.

3. Military-Industrial Complex

• Drones are integral to modern warfare, often driven by private defense contractors. Governments fund these technologies, enriching corporations while supporting geopolitical and economic goals.

• The global arms market exemplifies how drones are commodified, driving profits at the intersection of technology and militarism.

4. Surveillance Capitalism

• Drones are increasingly used in surveillance, contributing to data economies. By monitoring human activities, they provide corporations and governments with actionable intelligence for profit or control.

5. Expansion of Capitalist Frontiers

• Drones facilitate the extraction of resources in remote areas, such as mapping for mining or oil exploration, extending capitalist reach into previously inaccessible terrains.

6. Consumerism and Lifestyle Products

• Drones are marketed as consumer goods, from photography to recreational use. This commercialization creates new markets and feeds the cycle of consumption central to capitalism.

In essence, drones serve as a tool that aligns with capitalism’s pursuit of efficiency, cost reduction, and profit maximization while often exacerbating inequalities, surveillance, and environmental exploitation.

*******

Huh. Damned interesting. Play with AI. We old farts need to try and keep up.

12/13/24 12:55 PM

#17768

Hey Jack, how do you get on and use CHATgpt . Bests, Jay

12/13/24 01:06 PM

#17769

Jay, anybody else, here's the URL. Just sign up, download the free app.
https://chatgpt.com/

There's another free AI app, Perplexity, which works similarly. Not sure of advantages/disadvantages of one over the other. https://www.perplexity.ai/

If other folks have additional info, please post it. I'm really still just a 20th century kinda guy.

12/14/24 07:45 AM

#17770

Thanks Jack

12/14/24 04:54 PM

#17771

Cold and clear.

12/15/24 12:35 AM

#17772

Wow, gorgeous moon shots Jack. Love, Joanie

12/16/24 09:06 PM

#17773

Be Careful What You Promise

By Dead-Center Shacks

Donald Trump appears to be backing away from many of his campaign promises on the economy (or lies as some of us might describe them). It’s hard to reduce grocery prices once they’ve gone up, Trump said the other day. No shit!

Never mind that Trump promised to cut grocery prices — everything from milk, bacon and eggs to housing prices, rents, insurance rates and gas prices — once he was elected for a second time. “Prices will come down,” Trump told rally-goers during a speech in August. “You just watch. They’ll come down and they’ll come down fast, not only with insurance, with everything.”

So let’s set some goals for the incoming Trump Administration.

We can start by looking at the overall size of the U.S. economy compared to our main competitors. The U.S. economy is expected to total about $29 trillion by the end of 2024, close to one fourth of the world’s economy. Our closest competitor is China, with a GDP of $18.5 trillion, followed by Germany with a GDP of $4.6 trillion.

Or another way to measure economic growth is by looking at the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DOW), which stood at 30,931 at the close of business on Jan. 19, 2021, Trump’s last day in office. Last Friday, Dec. 13, the DOW closed at 43,828 — an increase of 12,897 points, an all time record for a nearly four year period.

To be sensitive to Trump’s feelings about records and number of times he’s on the cover of TIME and Forbes, let’s see if he can increase the DOW by 8,000 points by the end of 2028 — still well below Biden’s record of nearly 13,000 points during his term in office.

To measure the other challenges confronting Trump, consider this:

In Joe Biden’s first year in office (2021), the GDP grew by a near record of 5.8%.
In 2020 (Trump’s last year in office during his first term), the economy (GDP) fell by 4.68%— the worst decline since the Great Depression.
To set a reasonable goal for the incoming President, let’s split the difference and hold Trump to an annual GDP growth rate of 3% per year in his second term.
The unemployment rate in January 2021 (Trump’s last month in office when he was running around the White House squirreling away every classified document possible to sell on Ebay or use as a bargaining chip with Putin) was 6.5% with a record 10 million unemployed.

The unemployment rate in January 2024 ( the beginning of Biden’s last year in office) was 3.7% with 6.1 million unemployed.

The number of jobs lost in 2020 was a record 9.4 million. In sharp contrast, Joe Biden’s growing economy created 3 million new jobs in 2023. (We don’t have the final figures for 2024 yet.)

Let’s see if Trump can keep unemployment below 4.5% during his second term and add an additional 2 million jobs per year.

The average price of bacon was $5.83 in Jan. 2021. It rose to $6.61 in March 2023. Whole milk averaged $3.54 a gallon in 2021 and rose to $4.36 in 2024.

Let’s see if Trump can get bacon prices back to under $6 per pound and cut milk prices to $4 a gallon. Reasonable goals, don’t you think, Elephant breath.

How about gasoline prices for our incoming “Drill, Baby, Drill” President. During 2023 and 2024, President Joe Biden issued a record number of drilling permits on federal lands, which increased the nation’s oil and natural gas production to its highest level ever., while, at the same time, investing trillions of dollars into clean energy that will help fight climate change and help save the planet. Nonetheless, today we are pumping more oil and gas out of the ground than ever before. So take that, Mr. “Drill, Baby, Drill.”

What about gas prices? In Jan. 2021 — Trump’s last month in office when he incited a riot on the Capitol in an effort to abort the peaceful transfer of power with his MAGA supporters and insurrectionists urinating on the floor of the Capitol and smearing their own shit on the walls in addition to killing five and injuring more than 100 police officers — the price of a regular gallon of gas was $2.42.

On election day November 4, 2024 when I filled up my tank at Costco, in Fairfax, VA, the price was $2.81 or about 40 cents higher.

Let’s set the goal for "Mr. Drill, Baby, Drill" to keep regular gas at the pumps under $3.42 a gallon— just one dollar above the price when his storm troopers were desecrating the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

To close, Elephant breath, let’s turn to health care since you’ve chosen RFK Jr. and his crazy-ass proposals on vaccines to oversee our entire health care system — the one American out of 330 million who might be even less qualified than you to serve in a high-ranking position in the United States government.

When Trump was fleeing the nation’s capitol on Jan. 20, 2021 with a plane load of classified documents and without even saying goodbye to his successor, President Joe Biden, who was taking the oath of office at the Capitol Trump tried to burn down just weeks earlier, 3,000 Americans were dying every day from Covid.

Jump forward to today and Covid deaths in the U.S. are down to 62 per day— still too high but nonetheless down significantly from 3,000 who were dying every day at the end of 2020, according to the World Health Organization.

12/17/24 09:10 AM

#17774

https://engaging-data.com/how-rich-is-elon-musk/

For some of us committed carnivores, the critical criteria for calculating (caffeine is my muse) the economy is the price of bacon. After the revolution bacon will be FREE. The People's Committee on Communal Consumption will determine allocations, with those over 75 being guaranteed a minimum of two pounds a week. Anti-communists will have their bacon ration replaced with soy. John.

********

Another jewel of the Contoocook:

12/17/24 02:18 PM

#17775

Joan Ruggles (Young)

Here's a fun graphic

12/17/24 02:36 PM

#17776

Jay that was a terrific summary that shows how under Trump things were much worse and so many things like unemployment, clean energy jobs, etc. great under Biden. Thanks for that great analysis, love, Joanie❤️

12/17/24 04:25 PM

#17777

I'm sure Elon earned every penny of that $, and made the world a better place in doing so, Joan. Only an America-hating commie-lover could possibly think otherwise.

12/18/24 10:16 AM

#17778

Here We Go Again — More Lies

By Linda Qiu

Reporting from Washington/The New York Times

Dec. 16, 2024

President-elect Donald J. Trump, in his first news conference since the election, again displayed his penchant for exaggeration.

During more than an hour of questions on Monday, Mr. Trump made a number of new claims — false, misleading or overstated — about a range of topics, in addition to repeating a number of familiar inaccuracies.

Here’s a fact-check of his remarks.

WHAT WAS SAID

“We’re, you know, having a 41-year record for optimism from small businesses.”

This is exaggerated. In its most recent survey, the National Federation of Independent Business Research Center said its small-business optimism rose by 8 points, to 101.7, from October to November. Earlier in the news conference, Mr. Trump correctly noted that this was the largest one-month increase since the organization began releasing monthly surveys in 1986. But the index was higher most recently in June 2021, at 102.5; the highest ever recorded in the survey was 108.6 in August 2018.

WHAT WAS SAID

“We’re looking to save maybe $2 trillion and it’ll have no impact. Actually, it’ll make life better but it’ll have no impact on people. It’s not like — we will never cut Social Security, things like that. It’s just waste, fraud and abuse.”

This lacks evidence. Of the federal government’s $6.9 trillion budget for the 2024 fiscal year, about $4.2 trillion was mandatory spending on programs like Social Security and Medicare and about $892 billion was in interest payments. Only $1.8 trillion was in “discretionary” spending and about $954 billion of that was in military spending. So to reach the $2 trillion in cuts, the Trump administration would need to eliminate all discretionary spending — which would include spending on Mr. Trump’s policy priorities of mass deportations and enhancing border security, protecting farmers and providing more military funding — and then some. Cutting all discretionary spending would, without a doubt, have an impact on people.

WHAT WAS SAID

“I won youth by 34 points.”

False. Mr. Trump made significant gains with young voters compared with Republicans in recent presidential elections, but exit polls show that he still lost the youth vote. Several exit polls show that Vice President Kamala Harris won 51 to 54 percent of voters under 30, leading Mr. Trump among those voters by 4 to 12 points.

WHAT WAS SAID

“If you look at autism, so 30 years ago, we had — I’ve heard numbers of like one in 200,000, one in 100,000. Now, I’m hearing numbers of one in 100 so something’s wrong.”

This is exaggerated. Asked whether he believed that vaccines cause autism, Mr. Trump exaggerated the increases in the prevalence of autism and said he and his health appointees would “find out” why.

Reported rates of autism have increased from about 1 in 150 children in 2000, the first year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting data, to about 1 in 36 in 2020. That is roughly a quadrupling of prevalence, not an increase of 1,000 or 2,000 times, as Mr. Trump said. Experts have suggested that almost all of the increase can be attributed to greater awareness and screening.

WHAT WAS SAID

“Everyone’s being killed. It’s the worst carnage that this world has seen since World War II.”

False. Official estimates and independent analyses show that Russia and Ukraine have suffered immense casualties, but the numbers remain lower than the casualties in several post-World War II conflicts.

Ascertaining the exact number of casualties is difficult in any war and is made more difficult by Russia and Ukraine treating the figures as state secrets. Ukraine and its allies have estimated that Russia has suffered between 600,000 and 700,000 dead and wounded as of October, while journalists have estimated about 150,000 dead and as many as 484,000 seriously injured. Ukraine’s president said this month that 43,000 of the country’s soldiers had been killed and 370,000 wounded. The United Nations estimated in October that about 11,700 civilians had been killed and another 24,600 had been wounded.

In comparison, an estimated six million people have died as a result of decades of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1998, about three million people during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, between one to three million in the Vietnam War, about one million during Nigeria’s civil war in the 1960s and an estimated 193,000 American and allied troops and 408,000 civilians in the post-Sept. 11, 2001 wars in the Middle East.

WHAT WAS SAID

“Europe doesn’t use pesticides.”

False. Mr. Trump has a point that the European Union has banned several pesticides used in the United States and has plans to halve its use of harmful pesticides by 2030, but European nations still apply other pesticides.

In 2022, the European Union used more than 320,000 tonnes of pesticides, or about 705 million pounds, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. That same year, the United States used about 468,000 tonnes or 966 million pounds.

12/18/24 11:28 AM

#17779

Jay, thanks for your recent post setting the record straight regarding what Trump says and what is true. . I think Trump gets the record for the most lies of most anyone. I guess he always wanted to be tops in something so lying is something he is tops in. As we all know he has no interest in the rule of law. Now he thinks its ok to go after the free press if they print something he doesn't like. Free press to him is only free when they print favorable things about him. To think an Iowa pollster is one of his targets who thought Harris would win by 3 points, and he plans to go after the whole January 6th committee for prosecution and says that they should go to jail. Wow, the Jan. 6th committee was investigating and posting information they found out about Trumps criminal activities...He also doesn't like Fauci and Milley to name a few top ones. He really has all the characteristics of an authoritarian dictator. He even admitted to Bob Woodward that he wants to instill FEAR in people to gain power. Love, Joanie

12/18/24 06:13 PM

#17780

Combining my interest in the dishonesty of the two presidents which span my politically conscious life and my interest in AI, I asked ChatGPT and Perplexity a question: "Compare the dishonesty of Richard Nixon while president to that of Donald Trump."

Chat GPT gave a long, detailed answer, but I can't find a way to copy and paste it here--very frustrating, because it was a much more satisfying response than Perplexity offered. Here is what it had to say:

"Richard Nixon and Donald Trump both exhibited significant dishonesty, but their approaches and contexts differed. Nixon's deceit centered on the Watergate scandal, where he lied about his involvement in the cover-up, which ultimately led to his resignation. Despite his actions, Nixon acknowledged the importance of accountability in democracy and resigned to avoid impeachment[1][3][6].

"Trump, by contrast, was characterized by an unprecedented volume of falsehoods—over 30,000 during his presidency—spanning policy issues, personal claims, and election denialism. Unlike Nixon, Trump consistently denied wrongdoing, embraced "big lies," and created alternate realities to maintain power[2][5][8]. His dishonesty was broader and more persistent than Nixon's.

"Sources
[1] Richard Nixon and 5 Other Deceitful Politicians - ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/richard-nixon-deceitful-politicians/story?id=24853846
[2] Trump's bombardment of dishonesty: Fact-checking 32 of his false ... https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/04/politics/fact-check-trump-time-magazine/index.html
[3] Nixon declared Americans deserved to know 'whether their ... https://theconversation.com/nixon-declared-americans-deserved-to-know-whether-their-president-is-a-crook-trump-says-the-opposite-224484
[4] When did the American public realize how manipulative/dishonest ... https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/f66ilj/when_did_the_american_public_realize_how/
[5] False or misleading statements by Donald Trump - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements_by_Donald_Trump
[6] Trump is no Nixon — he's much worse - The Hill https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/4187692-trump-is-no-nixon-hes-much-worse/
[7] The Trump Tapes vs the Nixon Tapes | BU Today | Boston University https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/the-trump-tapes-vs-the-nixon-tapes/
[8] Analysis: Donald Trump's campaign of relentless lying | CNN Politics https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/01/politics/analysis-donald-trumps-campaign-of-relentless-lying/index.html
[9] Donald Trump and Richard Nixon: The similarities between two U.S. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Ex7Ttj5bo
[10] Richard Nixon ('I'm Not a Crook') and Other Deceitful Politicians https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/richard-nixon-im-crook-deceitful-politicians/story?id=17684873
[11] Trump versus the truth: The most outrageous falsehoods of his ... https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-versus-truth-most-outrageous-falsehoods-his-presidency-n1252580
[12] Trump vs. Nixon: The difference between 2019's impeachment and ... https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-vs-nixon-difference-between-2019-s-impeachment-watergate-shame-ncna1106586
[13] Perplexity Elections https://www.perplexity.ai/elections/2024-11-05/us/president"

I'll continue to try and get ChatGPT to produce a copyable answer. Maybe only the paid for version allows copying?

12/18/24 06:28 PM

#17781

Ok, effed around with it until I could copy it. Very weird. Copied it, but it wouldn't paste to a forum page. But it would copy to an email, from there to an Apple note app page, from there to here. Maybe I should be a Chinese hacker? It also gives source citation links, but I'm not going to try and get those to copy.

I thought this was quite a good answer!

"Comparing the dishonesty of Richard Nixon and Donald Trump as presidents can be insightful but also requires nuance. Both leaders are often associated with mistruths or actions that eroded public trust, but the nature of their dishonesty, its impact, and the political contexts differ significantly. Here’s a breakdown of the comparison:

"1. Nature of Dishonesty

• Richard Nixon:

Nixon’s dishonesty was more focused on specific incidents, most notably the Watergate scandal. He orchestrated and attempted to cover up illegal activities, such as the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, and repeatedly lied to the public and investigators. His dishonesty was systematic and aimed at consolidating power or protecting his administration from accountability.

• Donald Trump:

Trump’s dishonesty was broader in scope, characterized by a consistent pattern of false or misleading statements. Fact-checkers documented tens of thousands of false claims during his presidency. These ranged from exaggerations about crowd sizes to falsehoods about election integrity. Unlike Nixon, Trump’s dishonesty often appeared rhetorical, aimed at shaping public perception or political narratives rather than concealing specific crimes.

"2. Motivations Behind Dishonesty

• Nixon: Nixon’s lies were primarily strategic. He lied to maintain control, hide illegal activities, and avoid impeachment. His actions were largely rooted in paranoia and a desire to shield his administration from scrutiny.

• Trump: Trump’s dishonesty often seemed rooted in self-promotion, maintaining a loyal base, and undermining institutions (e.g., the press, the FBI). Many of his falsehoods were public and repeated, showing an effort to dominate media narratives rather than avoid detection.

"3. Impact on Public Trust and Institutions

• Nixon:

Nixon’s dishonesty led directly to a constitutional crisis. Watergate undermined trust in the presidency and federal institutions, leading to greater oversight (e.g., the War Powers Act and campaign finance reforms). His resignation marked a low point for public trust in government.

• Trump:

Trump’s dishonesty arguably had a broader and more lasting impact on public trust. By frequently attacking institutions like the media, judiciary, and electoral system, he polarized public opinion and undermined confidence in democratic processes. For instance, his false claims about the 2020 election directly contributed to events like the January 6 Capitol riot.

"4. Accountability

• Nixon: Nixon faced bipartisan rebuke, and many of his lies were exposed through investigative journalism and Congressional hearings. He resigned to avoid impeachment and criminal prosecution.

• Trump: Trump faced impeachment twice, though he was acquitted both times due to partisan divisions in Congress. While his dishonesty was widely criticized, his actions rarely resulted in direct legal consequences during his presidency, and his base remained loyal despite fact-checking efforts.

"5. Historical Legacy of Dishonesty

• Nixon:

Nixon is remembered as a capable but deeply flawed president. While he achieved significant policy victories (e.g., opening relations with China, creating the EPA), his dishonesty overshadowed these achievements and made him a cautionary tale about the abuse of power.

• Trump:

Trump’s dishonesty is a defining feature of his presidency and continues to influence political discourse. His post-truth style of politics has inspired similar behaviors among other politicians and created enduring divisions in public perception of truth and trust.

"Key Difference: Individual vs. Systemic Impact

"Nixon’s dishonesty was damaging but confined to a specific scandal and era. Trump’s dishonesty was pervasive and reshaped political norms, creating a culture where truth became more subjective, particularly among his supporters.

"Would you like to focus on a specific aspect of this comparison, such as media coverage or their approaches to accountability?"

12/19/24 07:19 AM

#17782

Thanks so much Jack for finding a way to post your second post about the difference between Nixon and Trump. That was an excellent article...Regarding dishonesty Trump of course gets to be the top lier. As I said previously he has always wanted to be tops at something. Its so sad that we are getting an early preview of how he plans to be King and unleash retribution on anyone who has stood up to him. Now he has Elon Musk functioning as the co President saying to kill the bipartisan agreement to keep the governement running. Trump soon followed suit after Elon expressesd his wishes. I think Trump might get tired of Elon running the show and Elon knows nothing about how Congress operates. Trump though does like people in power who know little about what positions he is picking them for...they just need to pass the loyalty to Trump test. Sorry, this post isn't one to cheer us up but I think there is a strong resistence in this country..Not every press outlet will cave and we the people need to stand strong and say no to what Trump is going to try to do. The people of South Korea were a model when their leader declared martial law and they marched peacefully in the streets and the head of South Korea called it off. Bullies like Trump are deep down cowards and Trump has said that he wants to govern using fear so he can gain power because people are afraid of what he will do to them. Its so important not to cave to Trump like ABC did and Bezos, and Zuckerberg and others are doing now. Bezos back during the 2016 race said that "democracy dies in darkness." Too bad this time around he is willing to go the dark way. Love, Joanie

12/19/24 09:33 AM

#17783

Joanie, you don't believe Musk and his MAGAbillionaire buddies understand everyday Americans and have our best interests in mind? I'll save John the time and effort--Commie! America hater!

********

And from a Republican state senator in NJ:

After another X poster pointed out that this was a Star Wars movie prop, the senator claimed he'd only been kidding. Uh huh.

12/19/24 01:25 PM

#17784

Joan Ruggles (Young)

Do any of our conservative classmates care that the congress is now being controlled by two beings who hold no public office??????

Here's a commentary from The Bullwark newsletter from eminent Republican, Bill Kristol.

The Kent Brockman Republicans

by William Kristol

Yesterday’s chaos on Capitol Hill was primarily a story about Donald Trump and Elon Musk, these two unfit humans who will, more than anyone else, influence the fate of the world’s oldest democracy and only superpower over the next four years.

But let’s take a moment to note the other players on stage, the neglected players with minor roles, what one might call the extras. I’m speaking of course about our elected representatives—in particular our elected Republican representatives. They played their part in yesterday’s theater of the absurd, in which an agreement their own House leader had crafted to fund the government was blown up by Musk’s disapproval of it, and then Trump’s 11th-hour demand to add a debt ceiling hike to it.

Their capitulation was necessary to the success of Trump’s and Musk’s willful bullying.

One might note that these representatives actually hold current government office, unlike Trump and Musk. They have actual responsibilities, unlike Trump and Musk. Indeed they have sworn an oath to the Constitution that they will “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office” they hold.

Yet, needless to say, their priority isn’t to well and faithfully discharge their duties. Their priority is to listen closely so that when Trump and Musk say, “Jump,” they promptly ask, “How high?”

They are the Kent Brockman Republicans. As you will recall, in a 1994 episode of The Simpsons, Brockman, the pompous local news anchor, was convinced that the Earth was about to be invaded and conquered by giant space ants. He fearfully announces his willingness, his eagerness, to submit to the invaders:

One thing is for certain: There is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. And I for one welcome our new insect overlords. I’d like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves.

Brockman presumably feared for his life. Or feared the terrible torture of enraged ants. What do these Republican representatives fear?

Loss of office through primary challenges. That was Musk and Trump’s threat on social media: “Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this [support the continuing resolution to keep the government open] should, and will, be Primaried [sic].”

Is the prospect of a primary challenge as awful as being devoured by ants? Apparently so, judging from the behavior of our Republican representatives.

One could try to reason with those elected representatives, pointing out that any primaries are over a year away; that it’s unclear Trump would even follow through on this threat, let alone win scores of primaries against incumbent Republican members; that their voters may actually be more upset if they willingly shut down the government over the holidays at the behest of the world’s richest man. But making such arguments would be in vain. When fear has taken over, reason goes out the window.

The House Republicans fear their incoming insect overlords. So they capitulate to them before they’ve even taken office.

In recent years it’s become a Republican talking point, when attacking some reform that might strengthen our democracy, to say, But we’re a republic, not a democracy. It’s true that the Founders made the case for a representative republic as opposed to direct democracy. Part of that case, as explained in Federalist No. 10, is that “the delegation of the government to a small number of citizens elected by the rest” should have the effect

to refine and enlarge the public views, by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country, and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial considerations. Under such a regulation, it may well happen that the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves.

Republicans once claimed to admire Madison and Hamilton. But the Founding Father for today’s Republicans is Kent Brockman.

12/19/24 04:17 PM

#17785

Joan, thanks for posting that article by Bill Kristol. I have heard him many times and he is aware of the great danger we face now with Trump and his co President Musk at the helm. That was a very good article. Love, Joanie

12/19/24 04:26 PM

#17786

I just heard Adam Kinzinger say that President Musk said to kill the bipartisan bill to keep funding the government and then Vice President Trump followed suit after President Musk spoke...I thought that was a very astute way to characterize these guys...Love, Joanie

12/20/24 12:22 PM

#17787

Joan Ruggles (Young)

12/20/24 02:55 PM

#17788

Wow, Joan, that sums it all up. A picture is worth a thousand words. Trump is a puppet on a string and Musk is the top Dude...I wonder how long this arrangement will last. Love, Joanie

12/21/24 05:47 AM

#17789

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/19/gop-senator-rand-paul-elon-musk-speaker-of-house

Surprised MAGA isn't objecting to an immigrant billionaire pulling Trump's puppet strings. Isn't that taking the job away from our own American billionaires?

*********

Oh, now I get it! Go DIRECTLY to fascism: do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Rand Paul floats Elon Musk for House Speaker

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is floating Elon Musk to be Speaker of the House after the powerful, billionaire tech businessman helped torpedo a bipartisan agreement on a short-term spending bill.

Why it matters: He's the first GOP lawmaker to explicitly suggest Musk should be Speaker, and his comments come as Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) bid to keep his job is under serious threat.

Musk has already emerged as one of the most powerful voices in politics and has become one of President-elect Trump's closest confidants.

What he's saying: "Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk," Paul posted on X on Thursday morning.

"[T]hink about it . . . nothing's impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka 'uniparty,' lose their ever-lovin' minds)"
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — a frequent Johnson critic — reposted Paul's comments, adding that she'd be "open to supporting Musk" for Speaker.
"The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday," she said. "This could be the way."

Between the lines: The Constitution does not specify that the Speaker of the House has to be a member of the chamber — though they always have been.

Non-representative names have been floated over the years during Speaker elections.
Paul has long been an advocate for slashing government spending, though he is in the wrong chamber to have much say over who will win the Speakers' gavel in January's floor vote.
Trump, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning that Johnson will "easily remain speaker" if he "acts decisively and tough" and eliminates "all of the traps being set by Democrats" in the spending package.

The other side: Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, are incensed at the outsized power Musk appears to be exercising over the policymaking process.

"If this is the type of power he has, then he is going to be the unelected co-president of this country and we've got to be super blunt about it," said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.).

12/21/24 12:09 PM

#17790