The Next President is...

[Lord Ratner]

 

2 hours ago, busdriver said:

I'm not sure US debt default is the actual problem looming.  Other nations would have to stop buying US debt, and they're all in worse financial situations than we are. 

I'm pretty sure you're just using "default" to generally mean economic calamity, which I am sure is coming.  What happens if the US is always the least drunk of the sailors on a spending spree?

 

Foreign Central Bank buying of treasuries is already falling a lot. Bank and Private ownership is now the main customer. 

 

Which is great, until they don't have any money to spend. The wheels are already in motion.

Edited February 28 by Lord Ratner

[disgruntledemployee]

4 hours ago, BashiChuni said:

You have an unhealthy obsession with Russia and Putin. 

🤣

[disgruntledemployee]

On 2/27/2025 at 7:36 AM, ClearedHot said:

Epstein list supposed to be released in full today, will be interesting to see how much oxygen that consumes and who is caught up in the web.  One of the flight trackers on X was monitoring to see how many business jets left the country last night.

I think I posted awhile back that when the official file drawer is opened, a few moths will fly out.  Seems like Pam just witnessed that. 

Those files with names are long gone.

[Sua Sponte]

On 2/27/2025 at 11:47 AM, Sua Sponte said:

Unfortunately, after being told to terminate two people yesterday my name appeared on a list to be terminated. Been a wild ride.

I was told that two of my GS-07s were going to be released today, so I told them Wednesday instead of waiting for them to receive a bullshit email from "The Agency" signed by someone who didn't even know them. Yesterday I was told that I was on a list to be released. Today I was told that the two GS-07s haven't received a release notice and neither have I, so we might not be released yet? Who the fuck knows what's going on.

[busdriver]

4 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

until they don't have any money to spend.

 Every developed nation is basically broke, with collapsing demographics.  But also, AI potentially replacing lots and lots of office work.  

The future is weird.  

[Banzai]

On the left is what was “released,” on the right is what has been in the public sphere the last eight years.

And here are some of the totally unscripted twitter comments from the influencers that for some reason were chosen to receive the files.

Edited Friday at 10:14 PM by Banzai

[17D_guy]

28 minutes ago, Banzai said:

On the left is what was “released,” on the right is what has been in the public sphere the last eight years.

And here are some of the totally unscripted twitter comments from the influencers that for some reason were chosen to receive the files.

Apparently cuz they would lie about transparency

[17D_guy]

So how about that Oval Office meeting?

[SurelySerious]

[HeloDude]

You lost me when you posted The Atlantic…you’d be hard pressed to find three (if any) positive articles they’ve written about Trump over the last 2 years.

[SurelySerious]

You lost me when you posted The Atlantic…you’d be hard pressed to find three (if any) positive articles they’ve written about Trump over the last 2 years.

Probably indicative of the subject. TASS may be more your jam, if that’s your criteria.

[HeloDude]

49 minutes ago, SurelySerious said:

Probably indicative of the subject. TASS may be more your jam, if that’s your criteria.

Nah, just pointing out bias in the highest order.  It would be no different if I posted a Breitbart article being negative towards Biden.  But if you don’t think The Atlantic is severely biased against Trump then we’ll just have to agree to disagree.

[SurelySerious]

Nah, just pointing out bias in the highest order.  It would be no different if I posted a Breitbart article being negative towards Biden.  But if you don’t think The Atlantic is severely biased against Trump then we’ll just have to agree to disagree.

I don’t care enough about The Atlantic to notice one way or the other. I do value Garry Kasparov’s opinion on oligarch-based authoritarianism.

[Sua Sponte]

3 hours ago, SurelySerious said:

I don’t care enough about The Atlantic to notice one way or the other. I do value Garry Kasparov’s opinion on oligarch-based authoritarianism.

He’s done a few episodes with Preet Bhara’s podcast, Stay Tuned. Here is his latest one which was right after the election. 
 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stay-tuned-with-preet/id1265845136?i=1000677749919

[Lord Ratner]

6 hours ago, 17D_guy said:

So how about that Oval Office meeting?

The one Zelensky fucked up? 

 

I'm one of the more pro-funding-Ukraine people here, but that was an absolute dumpster fire. What did he think his job at that meeting was? Just because your flag is raised to the same height doesn't make you peers with the US. He knew the starting positions of Trump and Vance, and he should have known Trump's disposition towards flatter, and he decided to press. 

 

I'm not saying he's factually wrong, but his job at that meeting wasn't to be the debate champion. 

 

I wish this was just Trump playing 4D chess to get the Europeans to take over funding Ukraine, but it's not. Trump's first impeachment made Zelensky the enemy, and he's looking for any reason to embarrass him. Zelensky failed the test. However the end result may still be that the Europeans finally take ownership of their sphere of influence. 

[blueingreen]

1 hour ago, Lord Ratner said:

I wish this was just Trump playing 4D chess to get the Europeans to take over funding Ukraine, but it's not. Trump's first impeachment made Zelensky the enemy, and he's looking for any reason to embarrass him. Zelensky failed the test. However the end result may still be that the Europeans finally take ownership of their sphere of influence. 

I also highly doubt this was some 4D chess move from Trump, but it's amazing how it might finally get the ball rolling on his original strategic objective: To get Europe to start funding their own defense

[uhhello]

The UKR ambassadors reaction probably sums it up 

[disgruntledemployee]

56 minutes ago, blueingreen said:

I also highly doubt this was some 4D chess move from Trump, but it's amazing how it might finally get the ball rolling on his original strategic objective: To get Europe to start funding their own defense

I have a feeling that what whatever the negotiations so far were too favorable for Russia and Z saw little/no part to keep Russia at bay, hence the history lesson.  So maybe Z/advisors felt that putting that out there was worth the risk to tell the world that Putin doesn't stop.  Z knows US arms are done for, so he needs EU to step up.  In their minds, deterrence must be more than Putin signing a paper that he'll behave.  Did Z expect to get both barrels in the chest in public?

I agree that the undiplomatic display probably helps Z with getting the EU to step up, because that was really Z's only play left.

The sad part is the rest of the world saw that.  How does any other nation work with the US on international affairs?

[BashiChuni]

21 hours ago, SurelySerious said:

Probably indicative of the subject. TASS may be more your jam, if that’s your criteria.

a sign you're losing the intellectual argument is when you have nothing to offer but "well you're a putin agent" drivel

it isn't adding anything to the conversation and very childish.

[SurelySerious]

a sign you're losing the intellectual argument is when you have nothing to offer but "well you're a putin agent" drivel
it isn't adding anything to the conversation and very childish.

That’s rich.

[BashiChuni]

A good summary 

[chase]

47 minutes ago, BashiChuni said:

A good summary 

By a guy who lost his investments in Russia and now takes money from the Kremlin? That’s rich—even coming from you.

 

[BashiChuni]

1 hour ago, chase said:

By a guy who lost his investments in Russia and now takes money from the Kremlin? That’s rich—even coming from you.

 

by a guy with 11 posts and no evidence of said claim? very rich.

again your side throws insults with no historical facts, content, or evidence. might be a clue that you're being deceived.

how about you address the points mr. sachs made? any rebuttals to his claims? or just insults?

Edited Sunday at 05:50 PM by BashiChuni

[HU&W]

On 3/1/2025 at 8:18 AM, 17D_guy said:

So how about that Oval Office meeting?

Possibly one of the most transparent demonstrations of high stakes diplomatic negotiation that’s ever been available to the public. It had the feel of a meeting that should have been behind closed doors.  So why wasn’t it?

We can assume that both sides were blundering fools who allowed their emotions to take over.  Or, they knew exactly what they were doing. 

So, what would be the desired outcomes from such a public display?  What were the realized outcomes.

Putin certainly watched the interchange. He’s probably going to come away from it willing to allow Trump to be an impartial arbitrator. 

Z comes away staying true to his position, and not undermining the faith of his people.  He fought valiantly for the Biden status quo, and lost.  Which sends a clear message to anyone who benefits from the status quo (most of Europe) that they’re not getting any more free chicken from the US. Z gained incredible negotiating power with European leaders. He also gets access to some creative peace solutions if the rare earth minerals deal ever gets realized.

Trump gets to stay true to his campaign promises, and further separate himself from Biden. He also gets to avoid direct provocation of large scale US conflict.    

Vance gets yet another opportunity, as Trump’s successor apparent, to demonstrate a hardline diplomatic posture, putting American outcomes first.  
 

So, they may all be fools.  Or, we might find ourselves looking back on this event as an inflection point in the path to peace. 

[chase]

1 minute ago, BashiChuni said:

by a guy with 11 posts and no evidence of said claim? very rich.

again your side throws insults with no historical facts, content, or evidence. might be a clue that you're being deceived.

Right into personally attacking me, huh?

I never implied I’m not on your side, whatever that is.

The guy is literally a talking head on Russian-paid state TV.