Investment Strategies / Mechanical Investing
No. of Recommendations: 3
Sadly, his tactics are working.
Trump Rescinds Executive Order After Law Firm Pledges $40M in Free Services
What Happened: Trump revoked an executive order targeting Paul, Weiss, a Democratic-leaning law firm, after it agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono legal services supporting his regime. The order initially threatened to suspend security clearances for the firm’s attorneys and terminate federal contracts.
Why It Matters: This is extortion, plain and simple. Trump is forcing corporations to bend to his agenda, using federal power to coerce law firms, tech giants, and media companies into eliminating DEI programs and making politically motivated concessions. Meta, ABC, and others have already paid settlements or rolled back DEI policies to stay in Trump’s good graces.
Source: The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/tr...
No. of Recommendations: 3
Trump is forcing corporations to bend to his agenda, using federal power to coerce law firms, tech giants, and media companies into eliminating DEI programs and making politically motivated concessions. Meta, ABC, and others have already paid settlements or rolled back DEI policies to stay in Trump’s good graces. - ges
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Good, More please. That you guys think DEI is still something to rally behind is just another example of being out of touch with most citizens. Trump listened to the concerns of everyday citizens, campaigned on this issue, and here is the best part, he is delivering on what he promised on the campaign trail.
Forcing female athletes to compete against males is another issue where the dems are out of touch.
Forcing girls and women to share bathrooms and changing areas with men is another.
Keep at it and 2026 will be a landslide for you.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Good, More please. That you guys think DEI is still something to rally behind is just another example of being out of touch with most citizens. Trump listened to the concerns of everyday citizens, campaigned on this issue, and here is the best part, he is delivering on what he promised on the campaign trail.
Forcing female athletes to compete against males is another issue where the dems are out of touch.
****
If they'd knock that shit off, a MAGA ticket of Lincoln-washington would lose to Democrats in 2028.
No. of Recommendations: 4
Good, More please. That you guys think DEI is still something to rally behind is just another example of being out of touch with most citizens. Trump listened to the concerns of everyday citizens, campaigned on this issue, and here is the best part, he is delivering on what he promised on the campaign trail.Interesting, but the facts don’t seem to backup your opinion.
Below is a link to the Gallup poll’s top issues in the 2024 election. Of the 22 top issues they listed, DEI didn’t even make the list. However, transgender rights did make the list! It was #22 on the list of 22 items.
The top 5 issues were:
The economy
Democracy in the U.S.
Terrorism and national security
Types of Supreme Court justices candidates would pick
Immigration
I suspect that the top issue in 2026 and 2028 will remain the economy.
But you keep focusing on DEI and transgenders, just as Trump is manipulating his base (that’s you) to do. Trump will need a huge inconsequential issue (squirrel!!!!) to distract his base while the rest of America is focusing on the economy and democracy in the U.S., which are being flushed down the toilet.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/651719/economy-import...
No. of Recommendations: 2
Below is a link to the Gallup poll’s top issues in the 2024 election. Of the 22 top issues they listed, DEI didn’t even make the list. However, transgender rights did make the list! It was #22 on the list of 22 items. - alpha
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Asking people to order a list of 22 issues is one way to do a poll. However if you conduct a single question poll you get results like this:
Forbes: Feb 3, 2025A new Economist/YouGov poll found 45% in favor of ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (DEI) in school and government with 40% opposed. There were deep gender, racial, and partisan ...
NBC: 3 days ago But among men ages 18 to 49, 40% want to continue DEI programs, while 57% say they should be eliminated. More older women support DEI programs than older men, but the gap between them is not as large.
In putting together this list, there were pages and pages search results, many of which went in the other direction.
From this I am reminded that polls can be designed to deliver desired results based on a number of factors such as phone or in person; time of day; phrasing of the questions; sequence of questions; and so on. There is no such thing as a dispositive poll so all sides can find polls that support their biases.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Asking people to order a list of 22 issues is one way to do a poll. However if you conduct a single question poll you get results like this:
While a single issue poll shows what people (or specific groups of people) like or dislike about that single issue, a poll asking what issues do you think are most important when you vote for someone, gives better relative value of importance for that issue.
I bet a lot of people care about homelessness, but very few people decide who to vote for based on that single issue.
No. of Recommendations: 6
While a single issue poll shows what people (or specific groups of people) like or dislike about that single issue, a poll asking what issues do you think are most important when you vote for someone, gives better relative value of importance for that issue.
Yep - and your poll explains a big reason why the Democrats lost in 2024. And why they're going to have a lot of problems going forward.
The topline issues are obvious and have been much-discussed: the electorate was much more concerned about issues the Democrats were then polling poorly on (the economy, immigration, crime); contrast that with 2020, where they were more concerned with issues that the Democrats were polling well on (like healthcare and the response to the coronavirus).
But looking at the bottom of the list reveals another symptom. You're right that the very least important was transgender issues. However, what's down there with that issue, the second-least important issue to voters?
Climate change.
The modern Democratic party regards fighting climate change as one of its highest priorities, and the current electorate regards it as one of their lowest priorities. The Democrats are going to struggle until they can resolve that disconnect, because unlike many other issues, "climate change" informs every aspect of Democratic economic policy.
Why didn't the Inflation Reduction Act help Biden's political prospects? Because when push came to shove and the Democrats had to prioritize, they decided that most of the money should go to things that reduced climate change rather than any of the other stuff in the BBB laundry list - even though those other things were both more important to working-class people and could have had a quicker impact, rather than being mostly unspent years later. Voters correctly intuited that the Democrats cared more about fighting climate change than almost any other economic policy - which is why the Democrats poll extremely well on climate change but it doesn't translate into votes. Voters trust Democrats on health care and climate change, and while the former is sometimes a very salient issue, climate change is never a very salient issue.
Unfortunately for Democrats, it's hard to see that changing going forward. Greens are among the more powerful members of the Democratic coalition, especially among the progressive faction of the party that is jockeying for more power in the current infighting.
No. of Recommendations: 2
Good, More please. That you guys think DEI is still something to rally behind is just another example of being out of touch with most citizens. Trump listened to the concerns of everyday citizens, campaigned on this issue, and here is the best part, he is delivering on what he promised on the campaign trail.
You are so easily manipulated. Do not pay any attention to the man behind the screen
No. of Recommendations: 5
But looking at the bottom of the list reveals another symptom. You're right that the very least important was transgender issues. However, what's down there with that issue, the second-least important issue to voters?
Climate change.
The few times I heard Kamala speak, she was talking about jobs. Not climate change. I'm not disputing your point, but Joe Sixpack is going to hear the speeches (mostly), and seldom read the position papers. In which case, he heard about jobs. And no more tax cuts for billionaires. I think what defeated Kamala was a glass ceiling, and propaganda saying the economy was terrible when it wasn't.
Sure, if you read the minutia of Dem policy positions, climate change is there. But who reads that? I don't, and I dare say I'm more informed than about 90% of voters out there (which isn't saying much). IIRC, a lot of the "green" expenditures were creating more jobs than other options would have. But perhaps that nuance is too obscure for the average voter?
I totally agree that Dems need to focus on public safety/protection (e.g. safe food supply, safe drugs), jobs and economy (especially blue collar jobs), and they can't afford to be seen as indifferent to the border. I suspect the Felon is failing on the first two, and has taken #3 way too far. Die-hard MAGA won't see it that way, but it's the swing voters that decide elections.
I read an article within the past two or so years that said that Dems were really good at the stuff you never see, but you would notice if it wasn't there. Which was painted as a liability for the Dems (and it probably is). I hold out some hope that people will start noticing things that aren't there anymore. For example, national parks draw millions upon millions every year. Without park rangers, it is likely to be chaos, detracting from the visitor experience. Not every one visits the parks, but those that do will notice it. Those that rely on other services (e.g. FEMA) will notice their absence. Another epidemic that the government doesn't respond to (e.g. measles), and the resultant deaths. Get enough groups noticing deficiencies, and you are going to have a large bloc of unhappy voters.
No. of Recommendations: 2
No. of Recommendations: 5
I'm not disputing your point, but Joe Sixpack is going to hear the speeches (mostly), and seldom read the position papers. In which case, he heard about jobs. And no more tax cuts for billionaires. I think what defeated Kamala was a glass ceiling, and propaganda saying the economy was terrible when it wasn't.
No. Joe SixPack wasn’t watching the speeches. What he did see, and what registered was:
Massiveely funded Republican propaganda hammering on the Biden-Harris price of eggs.
Massively funded Republican propaganda showing Kamala speaking years ago as CA AG, answering a question from a reporter about prison health care/trans-gender surgery- an issue that played absolutely no role in those speeches of hers you mentioned.
No. of Recommendations: 4
count me among the clueless when it comes to rallying dems to any meaningful action.
but i have lost my naivete after the election regarding the gop.
there is no gop 'issue' voter (e.g., inflation) as long as trump is president and retains influence afterwards.
look at trump's polling...it very recently hit approval highs. in addition, its the local gop pols taking some heat, rarely trump himself as the focal point.
here is what happens when trump takes action that works against a gop voter on any 1 or 2 issues that affects them drastically :
a. they will proudly state they are still completely with trump on dozens of other issues that didnt harm them personally. whether they understand them or not has no role.
b. even on issues where they is no disputing factual personal harm, there is more than enough media propaganda that dampens blame.
(MAGA is told that the public, more importantly trump opponents, 'dont see the bigger picture', etc...)
will there be a significant brain drain to other countries from trump 2.0? will replacing the DoE with nothing, harassing higher education, dropping gov research w/no grift angle, etc... make the nation smarter?
no, we will be left with even more people unable to make logical attributions, and thus proclaimed gop voter issues are nothing more than regurgitated talking points.
No. of Recommendations: 3
will there be a significant brain drain to other countries from trump 2.0? will replacing the DoE with nothing, harassing higher education, dropping gov research w/no grift angle, etc... make the nation smarter?
no, we will be left with even more people unable to make logical attributions, and thus proclaimed gop voter issues are nothing more than regurgitated talking points.
Ignorance is Strength
No. of Recommendations: 3
I'm not disputing your point, but Joe Sixpack is going to hear the speeches (mostly), and seldom read the position papers. In which case, he heard about jobs. And no more tax cuts for billionaires. I think what defeated Kamala was a glass ceiling, and propaganda saying the economy was terrible when it wasn't.
Sure, if you read the minutia of Dem policy positions, climate change is there. But who reads that?
But that's exactly my point. The Democrats' problem isn't (entirely) about what they say. It's about what they do.
Democrats say that they want to advance the issues that are important to the working class - and I don't doubt that they're genuine in that sentiment. But when it comes down to making actual choices, they don't always do that.
That's why I mentioned the IRA. It was one of the Democrats' most important accomplishments. There were tons of different things that were jockeying for inclusion in that bill that would have improved the lives of the working class: the PRO act for unions, extended child tax credits, housing relief, child care subsidies. But in the end, the Democrats chose to dedicate most of the money to fighting climate change. Probably the one item on the least that the working class would least want to be the main part of the bill, but the one that the college-educated progressives most cared about.
Voters didn't read Democratic policy papers, and they didn't listen to many of Harris' speeches. But they didn't need to hear the words to know that the IRA didn't have much of what they wanted in it. That's why it was impossible for Democrats to get a lot of credit for it. It was a lot of spending and resources....being spent on something that most people didn't care about.
You were asked in another thread how the Democrats keep losing elections. This is part of it. The Democrats may genuinely care more about the interests of the working class than Republicans, but when it comes to actually setting policy they don't follow the priorities of the working class. This bites them on climate change, it bites them on immigration, and it bit them a lot on crime. Progressive (and largely college-educated) members of the party centered their focus on the racial inequities of the carceral state, which led them towards the reforms that were branded (horribly) as "defunding the police." But actual working class people had to live in neighborhoods that were more threatened by crime, and they didn't want policing reduced or resources reallocated. They wanted better police, not less police.
The other part, BTW, is lack of delivery. The Democrats are genuinely committed to doing things to fight climate change, for example - but billions of appropriated dollars didn't actually result in lots of new EV chargers, much less an actual high-speed-rail network in California. The days when Congress could vote on something like rural electrification and have the work in full swing a few months later are long gone.
This is why progressives getting a larger voice in the party probably won't fix things. The parties have sorted on educational attainment, and climate change is far too important to the college-educated professionals that predominate among progressives for them to give it the lack of attention necessary to solidify working class support. This isn't just a U.S. issues - center-left parties all over the West have bled support to their populist rivals over Green issues, because working class voters don't rate climate changes as importantly relative to having affordable energy.
No. of Recommendations: 8
They wanted better police, not less police.
Which most Dems were advocating. Very very few actually were saying "get rid of all of them". They wanted less funding for armored cars, and more for training that didn't teach them the public was the enemy**. The RW propaganda machine latched on to a few radicals holding signs, and ran with it. And people bought it. You are correct; the Dems wanted reforms. And they allowed it to be rebranded by the RW, and then I'm not sure how much reform they were able to get after that.
But they didn't need to hear the words to know that the IRA didn't have much of what they wanted in it.
How could they know that if they didn't "hear the words"? Alex Jones ranting? Makes my point...RW propaganda and lies. They wanted jobs, and the IRA had lots of them. They were "green jobs", but jobs nonetheless. And the analyses I read at the time indicated more jobs than would otherwise occur without the IRA. As I recall, that in part was because building new infrastructure requires more workers than other options for that same spending. To the average person, a job is a job no matter whether it is "green" or not. Most wouldn't care about the climate change angle, only that it was a good job.
IMHO, the Dems need to figure out how to counter the lies, rather than be blindsided by them, and let the Right seize the narrative. Which they do frequently.
**Yes, there is a guy who has made a fortune training police departments that they should regard the public as the enemy. Saw a program about that several years ago when police shootings were rampant.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Yep. The RE Smear Machine is really good at selling lies.
No. of Recommendations: 2
How could they know that if they didn't "hear the words"?
Because the stuff wasn't in the bill. You don't need someone to tell you that the Democrats failed to include an extension of the child tax credit in the IRA (past the one year); when the credit is no longer available, you know that it doesn't exist any more. So when the Democrats didn't enact more child tax credit, and didn't include the PRO act provisions, and didn't provide for more housing assistance, and didn't put in the child care subsidies, all of the working class voters that would have benefited from those programs simply....didn't. Whether they heard anyone talking about it or not, their priorities weren't addressed. Instead, the priority was climate change.
Even though the Democrats' beliefs are more in favor of the working class than Republicans, when they actually have to set priorities, they ended up prioritizing something that the working class doesn't much care about. Climate change, rather than almost anything else. When push came to shove, Democrats enacted the preferences of the college-educated progressive faction of the party, not the working class faction.
That's a big problem. Democrats' stated beliefs are more supportive of working class voters than those of Republicans, but that doesn't necessarily translate into stuff happening in the real world. And voters don't need anyone to tell them that to be aware of it. The most vivid and visible example of that is high speed rail. Democrats love the idea of high speed rail, and have allocated billions and billions of dollars to building it = but it hasn't happened yet. Democrats want HSR to exist (far more than Republicans do), but it still doesn't. Voters don't need Alex Jones to tell them that they can't take HSR from LA to San Francisco - they know it, even though they don't "hear the words."
Democrats main message to voters is that if they get elected, they will use the power of government to do things to improve their lives. But when they get elected, that doesn't always happen - and often doesn't happen for certain segments of the party. Sometimes it's because the Democrats are choosing to prioritize other things (DREAMers and Unions have been at the low end of the pecking order for the last two trifectas). And sometimes it's because the government can't actually do stuff the way it used to back in the Rooseveltian 'good old days.' We're half a century past the point where the Congress could approve a project in January and they'd be breaking ground in six months. Democrats are having a lot of trouble making the pitch to working class voters because they have a hard time delivering to working class voters, both because government just can't work that way any more and because the working class voter faction in the party doesn't have the juice compared to the progressive faction.
