T 2.0

Yes, experts said that businesses were stockpiling and the numbers show that to be true. The orders declined drastically in Apr once the tariffs kicked in
Imports (Goods only)
View attachment 27905
Exports (Goods Only)
View attachment 27906
Deficit (Goods Only)
View attachment 27907

So YTD 2024, $374B, YTD 2025 $516B, or an increase of $142B in our Goods deficit.
Well, yes this is good context. Also, the final evaluation of Trump’s approach likely wont be known for years. However, the recent results weren’t expected to be so good. We can only hope things continue to move in that direction.
 
On the young male front, Harris' campaign really fucked up. She should have gone to TX and done the podcast with Rogan. Trump's podcast had like 50M views, 20M in the first 24 hours. Harris should have put her big boy pants on and gone there and not try to dictate he comes to her or whatever. If she or her campaign were in any way worried about doing a podcast with Joe Rogan, then they shouldn't have been running for President - like seriously!

On the podcast front, the Dems are trying to raise funds to create a podcast echo chamber to counter the right's dominance there. That's not how it works obviously, but they don't seem to be able to deal with organic growth and no control. There are plenty of left or even central leaning podcasts that could be banded together into an ecosystem, without trying to exert any control, by just asking them to promote each other.
This surprises me coming from you. First, even having such an outrageously inarticulate individual who regularly sounds like a dolt or drunk (both?) is the real problem. When your local bartender - who also is an midwit at best - is an obvious upgrade to your Presidential candidate, that’s a bad place to be. Especially when she believes she’s smarter than she is. Harris is a disaster with a script. She’ll be worse in a free form format and at least she was self-aware enough to know it.

Your party has morphed into rigid, authoritarian, “woke fundamentalists” who support extreme views and have lost leaders capable of critical thinking because that gets in the way of the objectives. It’s no wonder now that these views are being questioned we are seeing that not only are many of the party’s initiatives racist and anti-American, but the leaders that have bubbled to the top during this time are much better at repeating the party mantra than arguing points. Those that did rise are also extremely reluctant to change the views they’ve been espousing because it’s religion and not a policy choice to them. Who could blame them? They’d never have risen high otherwise.

I’m dying over here reading your podcast comments. The left has ALL the legacy media and the bulk of the “elite” institutions. Talk about an echo chamber 😂😂😂 Maybe the left is getting destroyed by Rogan and on X because they’re inauthentic, authoritarian, extremists and people will look elsewhere when given a choice. Nah, it’s something else, right? Which, again, goes to the point that the left - more precisely, the left and Neocons - must completely control the message or they get owned.
 

@kickingandscreaming, this is a new Trans way of life. espola is a trans-independent liar but I've never heard of this kind of trans, have you?​

EXCLUSIVE: Antifa agitators arrested at Seattle pro-Christian rally include 'trans wolf' activist

Several of the defendants are repeat offenders and have documented involvement with anarchist extremist group Antifa.

View attachment 27913

The left has taken mental illness and raised it to a virtue - as long as they vote correctly.
 
Well, yes this is good context. Also, the final evaluation of Trump’s approach likely wont be known for years. However, the recent results weren’t expected to be so good. We can only hope things continue to move in that direction.
We don't know if Trump's approach will last months, never mind years. The recent trade court's rejection (paused on appeal), which stated that he couldn't impose the tariffs, will be settled by SCOTUS. Given that, who is going to invest billions (and yes, many will say they are going to) until they have surety? In this instance, it would behoove SCOTUS to get its finger out and provide a decision quickly once it is officially on its plate. Given they know it's coming, there's no reason it should take that long.

The only deal done so far, and it's not a trade agreement given its very limited nature, was with the UK. That's it.
 
Well, just because I'm left of you does not mean I'm on the left. ;)
Ouch;). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you were a supporter of Bernie Sanders. You can't get much farther left than that. Sorry your boy got screwed by the DNC.

Just FYI, my comment about your tariff post was intended as a compliment, but in your defense you wouldn't expect that given our history. Tariffs are a substantive issue and a legitimate reason to question Trump. As opposed to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb's repeated middle school narrative of TACO, which has proven to be a losing strategy. To some degree I agree with you about tariffs, which is more of a Trump issue than a left or right issue. I believe its an issue that has historically flip flopped between the parties.

I've made this point with others before, but the side we choose is largely driven by our livelihood. My livelihood is small business, so I'm going to lean right. Well in California that makes me staunchly right, nationally I would say I lean right, as I'm left leaning on some social issues (within reason.) Small business is just getting crushed in California and the amount of anti-small business legislation is astonishing.

If I had to guess, you're livelihood is involved in some form of social services. I could be totally wrong and I apologize if I mischaracterized you.
 
This surprises me coming from you. First, even having such an outrageously inarticulate individual who regularly sounds like a dolt or drunk (both?) is the real problem. When your local bartender - who also is an midwit at best - is an obvious upgrade to your Presidential candidate, that’s a bad place to be. Especially when she believes she’s smarter than she is. Harris is a disaster with a script. She’ll be worse in a free form format and at least she was self-aware enough to know it.

Your party has morphed into rigid, authoritarian, “woke fundamentalists” who support extreme views and have lost leaders capable of critical thinking because that gets in the way of the objectives. It’s no wonder now that these views are being questioned we are seeing that not only are many of the party’s initiatives racist and anti-American, but the leaders that have bubbled to the top during this time are much better at repeating the party mantra than arguing points. Those that did rise are also extremely reluctant to change the views they’ve been espousing because it’s religion and not a policy choice to them. Who could blame them? They’d never have risen high otherwise.

I’m dying over here reading your podcast comments. The left has ALL the legacy media and the bulk of the “elite” institutions. Talk about an echo chamber 😂😂😂 Maybe the left is getting destroyed by Rogan and on X because they’re inauthentic, authoritarian, extremists and people will look elsewhere when given a choice. Nah, it’s something else, right? Which, again, goes to the point that the left - more precisely, the left and Neocons - must completely control the message or they get owned.
You are supporting my point, i.e. if your candidate can't go on a podcast etc., then they shouldn't be your candidate.

I vote both D & R, dependent on the candidate and have for years. My priorities are more fiscal in nature and I try to ignore the culture BS that both sides spend way too much time on, when they should be doing their job of running the country (financially) and not allowing it to be run into the ground by their respectively stupid "policies".

The podcasts comment was specifically related to young males, who most definitely do not look at MSM or listen to elite institutions. I have teenagers - they have never looked at Fox or CNN or any other MSM, unless its a clip on Insta or TikTok. They also don't use X, but will watch stuff on youtube. That doesn't mean they are not informed, though. One of mine voted for the first time in Nov and told me (after) that they had gone through the policies (online) of both presidential candidates in detail to decide who they wanted to vote for. They didn't watch the debate, but did listen to the Rogan podcast.

The Dems, imo, are approaching that demographic all wrong in trying to create platforms to engage with them, rather than using what has already been built organically.
 
We don't know if Trump's approach will last months, never mind years. The recent trade court's rejection (paused on appeal), which stated that he couldn't impose the tariffs, will be settled by SCOTUS. Given that, who is going to invest billions (and yes, many will say they are going to) until they have surety? In this instance, it would behoove SCOTUS to get its finger out and provide a decision quickly once it is officially on its plate. Given they know it's coming, there's no reason it should take that long.

The only deal done so far, and it's not a trade agreement given its very limited nature, was with the UK. That's it.
It can't last years, voters don't have that kind of patience. If it's truly being used as leverage, which I believe, he needs to get results in short order. The Dems can't have any Trump win so they went to the trade court for what is effectively a bureaucratic violation by Trump. This undermines Trump's leverage (as intended by the Dems), so yes SCOTUS needs to rule quickly.

Like a said before, I'm not stoked about the tariffs, but I'm willing to give a Trump a few months to see if he can leverage a deal.
 
We don't know if Trump's approach will last months, never mind years. The recent trade court's rejection (paused on appeal), which stated that he couldn't impose the tariffs, will be settled by SCOTUS. Given that, who is going to invest billions (and yes, many will say they are going to) until they have surety? In this instance, it would behoove SCOTUS to get its finger out and provide a decision quickly once it is officially on its plate. Given they know it's coming, there's no reason it should take that long.

The only deal done so far, and it's not a trade agreement given its very limited nature, was with the UK. That's it.
The long term trade deficit will tell the story, no? I never get too caught up in what politicians claim policies will do as results are often quite different from policy objectives.
 
Ouch;). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you were a supporter of Bernie Sanders. You can't get much farther left than that. Sorry your boy got screwed by the DNC.

Just FYI, my comment about your tariff post was intended as a compliment, but in your defense you wouldn't expect that given our history. Tariffs are a substantive issue and a legitimate reason to question Trump. As opposed to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb's repeated middle school narrative of TACO, which has proven to be a losing strategy. To some degree I agree with you about tariffs, which is more of a Trump issue than a left or right issue. I believe its an issue that has historically flip flopped between the parties.

I've made this point with others before, but the side we choose is largely driven by our livelihood. My livelihood is small business, so I'm going to lean right. Well in California that makes me staunchly right, nationally I would say I lean right, as I'm left leaning on some social issues (within reason.) Small business is just getting crushed in California and the amount of anti-small business legislation is astonishing.

If I had to guess, you're livelihood is involved in some form of social services. I could be totally wrong and I apologize if I mischaracterized you.
No on Bernie, although I do agree with him on some items and not others. No on working for social services - I've worked for PE firms for 2+ decades ... the coalface of capitalism :cool:.
 
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