Orange stain second term results thread

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K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,297
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Many people are saying this is Trump's fault. They are saying it very strongly.

https://archive.is/d5hzj

President Trump is in trouble with most of the North Carolina swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups from battleground states.
The big picture: Affordability problems are driving discontent among these Biden-to-Trump voters, and several expressed concerns about the president appearing to fall asleep on the job on recent occasions.


  • 11 of the 14 participants, all of whom backed Trump last November, said they now disapprove of his job performance. And 12 of the 14 say they're more worried about the economy now than they were in January.
  • "I'm having déjà vu," said Rich Thau, President of Engagious, who moderated the focus groups. "The same complaints swing voters voiced about [Joe] Biden — about inflation's toll, and his physical decline — mirror what many are now saying about Trump."
Zoom in: Most don't buy or like the president's line that affordability concerns are a "Democrat hoax."
  • "I just think he's full of it, and he's always blaming Biden for everything instead of taking responsibility for what he's done," said Karen L., 61, of Wilmington, an independent.
  • "Gas is more expensive, groceries are more expensive," said Stephen J., 54, of Cornelius, an independent. "But then you have to factor in, you know, this is someone who is chaffeured. This is someone who's shopped for. So I think that there's a disconnect between the average, everyday American people and the president."
How it works: Axios observed two online focus groups Tuesday night with 14 North Carolina voters who backed Joe Biden in 2020, then Trump in 2024. Eleven are self-described independents, one is Republican and two are Democrats.
  • A focus group isn't a statistically significant sample like a poll, but the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.
What we're watching: Eleven of the 14 said they'd heard Trump has had trouble staying awake in meetings. They were asked to react to a video montage capturing instances in which Trump appears to nod off.
  • Erica M., 45, of Wilmington, an independent, said she is concerned that Trump, like Biden, may be hiding or downplaying health issues.
  • "I would just say he is too old. I mean, same thing with Biden," said David D., 61, of Waxhaw, an independent. "I don't know if it's any huge medical issue. I mean, you get to be 80 — this is not — CEOs aren't 80 for most companies. He just needs more sleep."
  • Michael P., 53, of Davidson, a Republican, speculated differently: "Well, he also spends half the night tweeting."
  • "It's not that him falling asleep is out of the ordinary given his age. But it is the most important job you could have in the country, so you probably shouldn't be falling asleep," said Evan D., 31, of Charlotte, an independent.
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ivwshane

ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
33,657
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It’s a self fulfilling prophecy. They claimed the economy was so bad under Biden when it wasn’t and now everything they are doing is turning the economy to shit.

I’m sure the righties on this board aren’t feeling it yet so they think everyone else is overreacting but that’s because they lack foresight and don’t see how every move trump has made will lead to economic calamity.
 
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Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
41,067
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Paul Krugman take today, can't say it better than this:



Paul Krugman

Paul Krugman​




Donald Trump, Security Threat​

The call is coming from inside the White House​


Paul Krugman
Dec 12, 2025


A screenshot of a social media postAI-generated content may be incorrect.

To update Samuel Johnson, these days national security is the last refuge of a scoundrel. According to Donald Trump, anything he doesn’t like is a threat to national security. Question his clearly illegal tariffs? You’re a dark and sinister force trying to undermine America. When the New York Times reported on signs that age may be taking a toll on Trump’s stamina, he denounced the reporting as “seditious, maybe even treasonous.”
But some of America’s allies — and many of us here at home — are becoming increasingly open about saying that the real danger is coming from inside the White House: Trump himself has become the biggest security threat facing the U.S. and, indeed, all the world’s democracies.
On Wednesday a new report from Denmark’s military intelligence service contained the most explicit statement of the growing alarm. It pointed out that, under Donald Trump, America is no longer acting like a friendly partner:
The United States uses economic power, including threats of high tariffs, to enforce its will, and no longer rules out the use of military force, even against allies.
Click to expand...
Without a doubt, Denmark’s concerns have been heightened by Trump’s repeated assertions that he wants to “get” Greenland, which is a Danish territory. In August the Danish government summoned the head of the U.S. embassy to protest about “covert influence operations” in Greenland undertaken by Americans with ties to Trump.
However, Denmark is certainly not alone in raising concerns and acting on them. Several of America’s closest traditional allies, including Canada and the UK, have reportedly acted to limit intelligence-sharing with the U.S. One cited concern is the risk of being complicit in unlawful acts or war crimes arising from the deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean.
Sotto voce, it’s also clear that the Canadians and the Europeans are alarmed by the presence of Putin sympathizers and conspiracy theorists like Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, in sensitive positions within the Trump administration. After hearing the leaked tape of Steve Witkoff’s fawning and borderline treasonous conversation with Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser – in which Witkoff coached him on how to manipulate Trump -- who would want to share sensitive information with this American president?
More broadly, in a world of growing geopolitical conflict, it has become increasingly clear whose side the Trump administration is on — the side of Trump’s personal interests, grudges and biases. Trump’s new National Security Strategy, released last week, made this dynamic clear. There was no condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine and hardly any mention of the US rivalry with China. Yet it lambasted Europe and openly supported right-wing extremist parties that are trying to undermine European democracy.
Trump’s proposed “peace plan” for Ukraine not only reads like a Russian wish list, but it also uses some odd phrasing and syntax suggesting that it was translated from a Russian original. Moreover, the Wall Street Journal reports that the plan includes a number of undisclosed appendices that would unlock frozen Russian assets and bring Russia’s economy “in from the cold,” effectively ending the sanctions Putin has faced since he invaded Ukraine.
As odious as Witkoff’s actions were, they revealed the truth of the matter: Trump’s foreign policy is not about securing the safety and well-being of the United States. It’s about playing to Trump’s ego, about appealing to his incessant psychodrama of domination and sycophancy. Anyone who believes otherwise is living in La-La-Land.
This betrayal of America’s security interests extends to Trump’s international economic policy and his clear misuse of tariff laws. Under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, a president is given considerable discretion to impose tariffs to protect industries deemed crucial to national security. And national security tariffs are legal under international law.
The Trump administration has, however, made a mockery of Section 232, using it to justify tariffs on many goods that have no conceivable relationship to national security. In October, for example, Trump imposed Section 232 tariffs on upholstered furniture and kitchen cabinets. In Trump’s mind America would be put at great risk if it were dependent on foreign suppliers of new sofas in the midst of an international conflict.
Even as he imposes 50 percent tariffs to limit the menace of Chinese kitchen cabinets, Trump has decided to allow China to buy the advanced Nvidia semiconductor chips that power many AI models. Bear in mind that the U.S. lead in cutting-edge technology is one of our few advantages in geopolitical competition with China, and this gift to the Chinese has been strongly criticized by every genuine national security expert that I know. (Our other big advantage used to be that we had so many strong allies, but Trump has ended that.)
Yet Trump is now, for a modest fee, letting the Chinese have access to our most advanced semiconductors. As the Wall Street Journal — not exactly a left-wing rag — put it,
The Indians struck a better deal when they sold Manhattan to the Dutch. Why would the President give away one of America’s chief technological advantages to an adversary and its chief economic competitor?
Click to expand...
But the answer is simple: Trump doesn’t care at all about national security, or for that matter America’s national interests. Instead, it’s all about him: reportedly Trump took the decision to allow the Chinese to have the advanced Nvidia chips after personal lobbying by Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia. Clearly Chinese exporters of furniture and kitchen cabinetry need to get coached by Steve Witkoff.
Just to be clear, I am not a free trade purist. I am not saying national security should be ignored or underplayed when setting economic policy. On the contrary, in a world in which China is arguably the world’s leading superpower, in which Putin feels free to launch a war of conquest on Europe’s doorstep, national security considerations are critically important. In fact, it’s arguable that the twin threats from China and Russia have rendered the US far more vulnerable than at any other period in our lifetimes.
Yet the biggest threats to U.S. national security aren’t coming from Beijing or Moscow. They’re coming straight out of the Oval Office.
 
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K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,297
47,664
136
Moar stick.

https://archive.is/kdfoP#selection-439.0-483.288

VA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs​

Strains on the system could grow with the elimination of as many as 35,000 mostly unfilled health care positions, including doctors, nurses and support staff.


The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to abruptly eliminate as many as 35,000 health care positions this month, mostly unfilled jobs including doctors, nurses and support staff, according to an internal memo, VA staffers and congressional aides.

The cuts come after a massive reorganization effort already resulted in the loss of almost 30,000 employees this year.

Agency leaders have instructed managers across the Veterans Health Administration, the agency’s health care arm, to identify thousands of openings that can be canceled. Employees warn that the contraction will add pressure to an already stretched system, contributing to longer wait times for care.


The decision comes after Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins, under political pressure from Congress, backed away from a plan to slash 15 percent of the agency’s workforce through mass firings. Instead, VA lost almost 30,000 employees this year from buyout offers and attrition.
Click to expand...
 
V

VRAMdemon

Diamond Member
Aug 16, 2012
7,965
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K1052 said:
Trump's taking a bunch of Ls lately and today is no better. You can see party members increasingly looking out for themselves, because they know Trump isn't forever (or even possibly long).

https://bsky.app/profile/stephenwolf.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3m7qjv6pzb22m
Click to expand...

JD Vance flew out to Indiana on Trump's orders. Vance tried to pressure those Republican legislators to do what Trump wanted and they told Trump and JD Vance to get fucked. They see a big fat lame duck and political liability that's staring them in the face. being the loser he is, Trump is admitting he can't win w/o cheating. The emperor having no clothes comes to mind
 
K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,297
47,664
136
VRAMdemon said:
JD Vance flew out to Indiana on Trump's orders. Vance tried to pressure those Republican legislators to do what Trump wanted and they told Trump and JD Vance to get fucked. They see a big fat lame duck and political liability that's staring them in the face. being the loser he is, Trump is admitting he can't win w/o cheating. The emperor having no clothes comes to mind
Click to expand...

JD is totally juiceless. If he becomes president he won't have 1/10th the sway that Trump does.
 
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K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,297
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136
Brainonska511 said:
Even the dumbest eventually learn to step out of the way of the foot when they've been kick enough times in the balls.
Click to expand...

I don't expect a lot of these people to ever admit they were wrong but I have of late detected far less interest in talking about Trump like at all now.
 
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Brainonska511

Brainonska511

Lifer
Dec 10, 2005
29,314
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K1052 said:
I don't expect a lot of these people to ever admit they were wrong but I have of late detected far less interest in talking about Trump like at all now.
Click to expand...
For everyday people, most don't like to admit they were wrong or duped. It seems that sometimes the best path forward is to give them a path to quietly hang up their stupid ideas and rejoin reality.

However, when it comes to the ringleaders, make an example of them and throw the book at them; throw all the books at them. You can have a liberal society without having to entertain every crank, crackpot idea, and dishonest argument.
 
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Jaskalas

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
36,044
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I wonder if any Republicans can feel embarrassed for that garbage spiel from Dear Leader.
 
MomentsofSanity

MomentsofSanity

Lifer
Jan 25, 2011
17,120
9,615
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Jaskalas said:
I wonder if any Republicans can feel embarrassed for that garbage spiel from Dear Leader.
Click to expand...
Not that I've seen. Just "when the left celebrated Kirk's murder" which didn't really happen. Random people on tik tok made comments. Some posted just his own words. But yeah that's on par with the POTUS being this big a piece of shit.
 
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Y

you2

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2002
7,059
2,113
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Jaskalas said:
I wonder if any Republicans can feel embarrassed for that garbage spiel from Dear Leader.
Click to expand...
Yes the expected critics have already chimed in - cut and past from cnn (everyone give cnn credit for this cut and paste):
14 min ago
---

GOP lawmakers criticize Trump's post on Rob Reiner's death
From CNN's Arlette Saenz
Two Republican lawmakers criticized President Donald for suggesting the deaths of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singe Reiner stemmed from “Trump derangement syndrome.”

“Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered,” Rep. Thomas Massie wrote on X.

The Kentucky Republican continued: “I guess my elected GOP colleagues, the VP, and White House staff will just ignore it because they’re afraid? I challenge anyone to defend it.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has become increasingly critical of the president in recent months, also said Trump was out of line.

“This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies,” she wrote on X.
 
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