Bessent’s “absolutely not” when asked if the war could become unaffordable reveals the entire framework: extraction first, cost irrelevant, Americans pay regardless.
$11.3 billion first six days. $16.5 billion by day twelve. Pentagon wants $200 billion more. At $1 billion/day, we’re looking at $50 billion minimum, potentially $1 trillion depending how long Trump’s bones vibrate with victory feelings. That’s Medicaid for 6.75 million Americans or free school lunch for every student.
The sheer operational stupidity at every level is staggering. Trump ignored Joint Chiefs Chairman General Caine’s warning that Iran would close Hormuz—-a “bedrock principle of US national security for decades.” Started an unauthorized war, acts shocked when Iran did exactly what warned, now begging allies he didn’t consult to clean up the mess. Navy calls the strait a “kill box” and refuses escort duty but demands other countries send their ships into the meat grinder he created.
Meanwhile oil hit $120, gas prices spiking nationwide, Patriots getting burned defending Gulf states while Ukraine goes without, Russia feeding Iran targeting intelligence killing Americans, and Trump won’t criticize Putin because $120 oil benefits Russia while crushing American consumers. Every single outcome benefits Putin and oligarchical extraction class while gutting Americans.
These are genuinely the dumbest people ever handed authority.
Not strategy, just a malignant narcissist surrounded by sycophants too incompetent to see they’re Putin’s useful idiots executing oligarchical extraction. Fiscal discipline disappears instantly when question is bombing vs feeding children.
The pattern is clearly visible. When they come begging for “emergency powers” after something crazy provides pretext, refuse.
That’s the only move that matters.
Particularly exasperating: Trump demands more money … to bulk up the incompetent—both he and Hegseth are in ‘way over their heads and abilities (if any).
Here’s my view. I’ve repeated it before, and I’ll likely do it again and again.
Money talks. We saw the Sinclair-Nexstar debacle about Jimmy Kimmel. And we saw bankers’ and economists’ reactions over Trump’s stated intention to get rid of Jerome Powell. What does all this tell you? Money is absolutely the most powerful tool against Trump.
What I suggest is the following. Organize a national economic boycott like this: on consecutive Saturdays and Sundays do not spend online, at big box stores, gas stations, and large chain stores like Target, Walmart, hardware stores, appliance stores. Don’t go to restaurants, movie theaters, or any venue that offers entertainment; and do not go to automobile or motor home dealerships. Do no banking online or at the ATM. The point is to deprive these businesses and institutions of your monetary involvement. Along these lines, do not open apps like Facebook, YouTube, Amazon. Deprive these outfits of their advertising revenue coming from their ads on these platforms.
But we need entities like the NAACP, AARP, ACLU, Indivisible, MoveOn, and unions to use their resources together to schedule and publicize the boycott, so as to maximize participation throughout the country.
If the American people exercise their money power in a national, unified, targeted way, then boardroom members, big business executives, tech billionaires, as well as moms and dads at kitchen tables will swell with outrage at the administration. And the beauty of it is that all people have to do is to do nothing that involves money. Plus, there is no need to fear retribution. No ICE or border patrol agents will be knocking down your door as there is no one that they can specifically target.
Do any of these suggestions on Saturdays and Sundays for weeks or months, till finally the outcry moves Congress to rein in Trump, and Trump actually stops his rein of economic and physical terror.
If this is not the time to do this, I ask, when? When it’s too late?
One thing is a certainty about this war—no matter how much it hurts Americans, its Republican wagers will not be touched financially. Probably make some easy money—they’re already so rich they don’t worry about The Grocery.
Republicans are the weakest link to democracy. It is a shame and your grandkids will hear what a lousy bunch of leeches you are. How you help destroy a great country and turned it into a 3rd world country all to satisfy a fat racist pug that loves nothing not even his family what he has done is not love it’s destruction like the east wing. Republican this is your fuck up deal with it. Know we know who you are Republicans are so scared of a 80 yr loser
Bessent’s “absolutely not” when asked if the war could become unaffordable reveals the entire framework: extraction first, cost irrelevant, Americans pay regardless.
$11.3 billion first six days. $16.5 billion by day twelve. Pentagon wants $200 billion more. At $1 billion/day, we’re looking at $50 billion minimum, potentially $1 trillion depending how long Trump’s bones vibrate with victory feelings. That’s Medicaid for 6.75 million Americans or free school lunch for every student.
The sheer operational stupidity at every level is staggering. Trump ignored Joint Chiefs Chairman General Caine’s warning that Iran would close Hormuz—-a “bedrock principle of US national security for decades.” Started an unauthorized war, acts shocked when Iran did exactly what warned, now begging allies he didn’t consult to clean up the mess. Navy calls the strait a “kill box” and refuses escort duty but demands other countries send their ships into the meat grinder he created.
Meanwhile oil hit $120, gas prices spiking nationwide, Patriots getting burned defending Gulf states while Ukraine goes without, Russia feeding Iran targeting intelligence killing Americans, and Trump won’t criticize Putin because $120 oil benefits Russia while crushing American consumers. Every single outcome benefits Putin and oligarchical extraction class while gutting Americans.
These are genuinely the dumbest people ever handed authority.
Not strategy, just a malignant narcissist surrounded by sycophants too incompetent to see they’re Putin’s useful idiots executing oligarchical extraction. Fiscal discipline disappears instantly when question is bombing vs feeding children.
The pattern is clearly visible. When they come begging for “emergency powers” after something crazy provides pretext, refuse.
That’s the only move that matters.
—Johan
Particularly exasperating: Trump demands more money … to bulk up the incompetent—both he and Hegseth are in ‘way over their heads and abilities (if any).
Here’s my view. I’ve repeated it before, and I’ll likely do it again and again.
Money talks. We saw the Sinclair-Nexstar debacle about Jimmy Kimmel. And we saw bankers’ and economists’ reactions over Trump’s stated intention to get rid of Jerome Powell. What does all this tell you? Money is absolutely the most powerful tool against Trump.
What I suggest is the following. Organize a national economic boycott like this: on consecutive Saturdays and Sundays do not spend online, at big box stores, gas stations, and large chain stores like Target, Walmart, hardware stores, appliance stores. Don’t go to restaurants, movie theaters, or any venue that offers entertainment; and do not go to automobile or motor home dealerships. Do no banking online or at the ATM. The point is to deprive these businesses and institutions of your monetary involvement. Along these lines, do not open apps like Facebook, YouTube, Amazon. Deprive these outfits of their advertising revenue coming from their ads on these platforms.
But we need entities like the NAACP, AARP, ACLU, Indivisible, MoveOn, and unions to use their resources together to schedule and publicize the boycott, so as to maximize participation throughout the country.
If the American people exercise their money power in a national, unified, targeted way, then boardroom members, big business executives, tech billionaires, as well as moms and dads at kitchen tables will swell with outrage at the administration. And the beauty of it is that all people have to do is to do nothing that involves money. Plus, there is no need to fear retribution. No ICE or border patrol agents will be knocking down your door as there is no one that they can specifically target.
Do any of these suggestions on Saturdays and Sundays for weeks or months, till finally the outcry moves Congress to rein in Trump, and Trump actually stops his rein of economic and physical terror.
If this is not the time to do this, I ask, when? When it’s too late?
Truth! Are we the only ones who know which presidents drove the deficit up and which reined it in? What a cruel reality for the American people.
One thing is a certainty about this war—no matter how much it hurts Americans, its Republican wagers will not be touched financially. Probably make some easy money—they’re already so rich they don’t worry about The Grocery.
OK, the mad king said that he will know when to end the illegal Iran war "when I feel it in my bones." Shouldn't it be "bone spurs?" Jus sayin...
No Democrat should vote to pay for Trump's disastrous war of choice.
Republicans are the weakest link to democracy. It is a shame and your grandkids will hear what a lousy bunch of leeches you are. How you help destroy a great country and turned it into a 3rd world country all to satisfy a fat racist pug that loves nothing not even his family what he has done is not love it’s destruction like the east wing. Republican this is your fuck up deal with it. Know we know who you are Republicans are so scared of a 80 yr loser
They don’t care about the cost they don’t care about their families