U.S. Presidential Election

[FloopFiller]

1 hour ago, steviewevie said:

what is he saying it was? I can see how it could be him grabbing his heart and then throwing it at the crowd...but I don't know...he's supporting far right and fascist groups across US and europe and endlessly tweeting or retweeting far right stuff...he knows, even if he thinks it's just a LMAO at the liberals crying thing.

Not sure Trump will continue to be ok with Musk grabbing the limelight...not enough room for two massive weird as f**k demagogues.

As far as I can see he hasn’t actually said what it was ‘meant to’ be, he’s just laughing off the Nazi thing whilst his d*ck riders give all kinds of b/s explanations like it was him saying people had his heart, or just the old ‘leftists say everybody they don’t agree with are nazis lolol’.

[steviewevie]

Freddie Hayward from New Statesman's take

 

The best way to understand Donald Trump’s second inaugural address is to compare it with his first. Eight years ago, Trump railed against what he called the “carnage” which globalisation had wrought upon ordinary Americans. The destruction of communities through deindustrialisation. The smug deceit of elites who thought their own wealth meant the economy was working for everyone else. He spoke of “mothers and children trapped in poverty”, “rusted-out factories”, and promised to stop jobs going overseas. “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer,” he warned. “We are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to you, the American people.”

 

The speech was pilloried at the time as dark and sinister; George W Bush said it was “some crazy sh*t” to those sat around him on the dais. But watching it back eight years later, the talking points are almost banal. Even oblivious liberals now reluctantly admit that globalisation is flawed, deindustrialisation was painful and ordinary people have been ignored. But back then it was an unfamiliar message for a US president to deliver; parts of it could’ve been spoken by Bernie Sanders.

That speech was written by Steve Bannon who became a senior aide in Trump’s White House. But Bannon’s influence has dwindled since 2017. The Maga movement is now split between the populist nationalists under Bannon and the techno-futurists represented by Elon Musk. Trump’s second inauguration in comparison with his first shows that power in Trump world has shifted towards tech bros, leaving the populists with little to celebrate.

 

It wasn’t only that the tech oligarchy – most notably Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg – was intermingled with Trump’s family on the dais. The entire inaugural weekend in DC was a symbol for the dominance of the haves over the have-nots. Billionaires competed to host the most extravagant celebrations. Parties were held on superyachts with unlimited Veuve Clicquot. The corporate class sees nothing but opportunity: “[The Trump team] are extremely receptive,” one grinning executive at a big American company told me. Donors in black tie gingerly crossed the iced-over pavements and made their way into the Capitol Building, while the working-class people who travelled from across the country realised they would not be able to see the president speak. Inside the Capitol Rotunda, Trump was surrounded by the elite while his ordinary supporters remained outside in the cold.

 

Those ordinary people, who featured so heavily in Trump’s address eight years ago, were substituted in his 2025 speech for a rapacious belief in American greatness. “I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success,” he said, “the golden age of America begins right now.” His remark that his election meant “sunlight is pouring over the entire world” made Tony Blair’s “new dawn has broken, has it not?” look modest. Indeed, Trump’s messianic belief in his own power to recast the future is rooted in the techno-optimism spouted by the billionaires behind him. “I was saved by God to make America great again,” Trump said, referring to the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last year. The focus on strength, growth and capitalism made the speech more American than 2017’s lament about poverty. Trump said he wanted to lead America to the next frontier. In his new telling, America is already great and will only become greater under his leadership.

 

According to Trump, this means the country has incomparable power to overwhelm other nations and control the Western hemisphere. He explicitly called for the US to become a nation which “expands our territory” once again. Nowhere is that expansionism more relevant than in his remarks about space. “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars,” Trump said. Musk, whose defining mission is to colonise Mars, raised a double thumbs up when he heard the line.

 

This is the return of American exceptionalism. Economic populism has been replaced by a belief that elites should be leading America’s resurgence. Tariffs, which are the keystone of protectionism, were relegated to a sentence or two. Liberals will be offended by the indecorous tone of Trump’s speech, but the content is less threatening to the established political and economic order than what he said he wanted to do in 2017. Billionaires such as Musk have been urging politicians to forget about wealth inequality, unleash technology and promote American greatness for years. Today they got what they wanted.

[steviewevie]

 

[steviewevie]

It all just gets normalised.

[lost]

Apparently Biden "preemptively" pardoned Anthony Fauci as well. WTF?

[steviewevie]

10 minutes ago, lost said:

Apparently Biden "preemptively" pardoned Anthony Fauci as well. WTF?

yeah, why not...considering what was likely to happen...the bloke already needs round the clock protection...you know, for doing his job.

[steviewevie]

 

[lost]

7 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

yeah, why not...considering what was likely to happen...the bloke already needs round the clock protection...you know, for doing his job.

 

Well thats where American is then both sides can claim their people are being unfairly targetted for politcial reasons. They are exactly the same if we believe that.

[steviewevie]

4 minutes ago, lost said:

 

Well thats where American is then both sides can claim their people are being unfairly targetted for politcial reasons. They are exactly the same if we believe that.

ok...yes could make that argument...and many Democrats are....but at same time there is one side pardoning innocent people who are about to get targeted by a conspiratorial deluded nutjob who is seeking revenge, and the other side pardoning insurrectionists who violently tried to overthrow the government because they believe a load of conspiratorial bulshit coming out of the very same deluded nutjob.

But I agree, it will feed into the whole they're all as bad as each other thing and let's Trump off the hook, and ultimately highlights what a fail Biden has been to allow this c**t to be re-elected.

Edited January 21, 2025 by steviewevie

[lost]

4 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

 one side pardoning innocent people who are about to get targeted by a conspiratorial deluded nutjob

 

BBC seem to be conspiratorial deluded nutjobs too:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/57932699

 

Quote

Did the US fund virus research in China?

 

Yes, it did contribute some funds.

Dr Fauci, as well as being an adviser to President Biden, is the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US government's National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This body did give money to an organisation that collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

That organisation - the US-based EcoHealth Alliance - was awarded a grant in 2014 to look into possible coronaviruses from bats, external.

EcoHealth received $3.7m from the NIH, $600,000 of which was given to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

 

[maelzoid]

3 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

ok...yes could make that argument...and many Democrats are....but at same time there is one side pardoning innocent people who are about to get targeted by a conspiratorial deluded nutjob who is seeking revenge, and the other side pardoning insurrectionists who violently tried to overthrow the government because they believe a load of conspiratorial bulshit coming out of the very same deluded nutjob.

But I agree, it will feed into the whole they're all as bad as each other thing and let's Trump off the hook, and ultimately highlights what a fail Biden has been to allow this c**t to be re-elected.

 

I think allowing Fauci to get thrown to the wolves for the sake of the 'moral high ground' would have been a mistake. He should be able to expect the government for whom he served to protect him, not scapegoat him, but that's not where we're at.

The idea that the two 'sides' are in any way equal in how they are operating is utterly ridiculous, and yet  because so many believe this, or even worse, that Trump is the morally righteous one, is why we're here in the first place. So if Biden were to cling to some morality and not pardon Fauci would make no difference to how people view him or Trump. 

I do think the whole presidential pardon thing is completely out of hand and needs reform, but that isn't happening either. Just another norm utterly eroded by Trump.

[steviewevie]

one thing about Trump and all his groovy new policies...the economy was already doing pretty well, numbers coming across Mexican border illegally was already coming down, and dig baby dig was already happening.

[charlierc]

Multiple football Reddits seem to have developed a "No X/Twitter links" thanks to Musk's latest act of idiocy, or at least be asking followers if they should and the majority seem to be in favour.

 

Tempting to bring that in as a rule for here?

[steviewevie]

47 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Multiple football Reddits seem to have developed a "No X/Twitter links" thanks to Musk's latest act of idiocy, or at least be asking followers if they should and the majority seem to be in favour.

 

Tempting to bring that in as a rule for here?

yeah, but what about free speech?

 

[steviewevie]

[lost]

Really annoying that there are potentially some really innovative networks out there in the $2bn market cap space like Injective or Celestia and people are bidding memes upto the 10's of billions.

Edited January 21, 2025 by lost

[maelzoid]

6 minutes ago, lost said:

Really annoying that there are potentially some really innovative networks out there in the $2bn market cap space like Injective or Celestia and people are bidding memes upto the 10's of billions.

I don't really think it makes much difference. Memecoins have been around nearly as long as any blockchain technology and they are just a distraction to those that don't really understand the tech. The real innovative work will continue and hopefully benefit all of us. 

I do think the trumpcoin is outrageous though. It's such a conflict of interest and basically allows him to accept bribes etc from foreign interests as well as domestic. But who will stop him...? 

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, steviewevie said:

yeah, but what about free speech?

 

Because tilting an algorithm so everyone gets bollocks that aligns with Musk's views whether they want it or not is free speech now?

 

I've seen a few suggestions that Instagram and TikTok are doing similar meddling, which could well annoy more users or possibly create a space for people hoping for a new social media platform that's closer to older stuff without such stuff. Not that I'm sure how easy it is to create one that can sustain itself without succumbing to the enshittification that the Internet seems to be going through.

[steviewevie]

36 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Because tilting an algorithm so everyone gets bollocks that aligns with Musk's views whether they want it or not is free speech now?

 

I've seen a few suggestions that Instagram and TikTok are doing similar meddling, which could well annoy more users or possibly create a space for people hoping for a new social media platform that's closer to older stuff without such stuff. Not that I'm sure how easy it is to create one that can sustain itself without succumbing to the enshittification that the Internet seems to be going through.

Just use For You and it's ok...but comments underneath are always blue ticks and so full of sh*t.

Bluesky is where it's at...getting more and more popular too.

[Crazyfool01]

3 hours ago, charlierc said:

Multiple football Reddits seem to have developed a "No X/Twitter links" thanks to Musk's latest act of idiocy, or at least be asking followers if they should and the majority seem to be in favour.

 

Tempting to bring that in as a rule for here?

mentioned it elsewhere and probably on this thread before ... the forum software ( currently ) seems to only link embed to twitter and not any other sites .... hopefully that will change in the future and any updates can and will be posted from other sites . Glastonbury official also hasnt yet made the move away its alternatives are also still very quiet .

[Skip997]

7 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

mentioned it elsewhere and probably on this thread before ... the forum software ( currently ) seems to only link embed to twitter and not any other sites .... hopefully that will change in the future and any updates can and will be posted from other sites . Glastonbury official also hasnt yet made the move away its alternatives are also still very quiet .

Has anyone met the new site owner?

 

Maybe he is Musk

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, Skip997 said:

Has anyone met the new site owner?

 

Maybe he is Musk

yep I Met him in Bristol along with @kaosmark2 , hes not . The forum software has nothing to do with @eFestivals... its what is available 

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, Crazyfool01 said:

yep I Met him in Bristol along with @kaosmark2 , hes not . The forum software has nothing to do with @eFestivals... its what is available 

Ah so it’s a generic off the shelf message board. TBH I always thought that was the case, couldn’t imagine Neil having custom built it. 

[Crazyfool01]

Just now, Skip997 said:

Ah so it’s a generic off the shelf message board. TBH I always thought that was the case, couldn’t imagine Neil having custom built it. 

its invision which is pretty generic from what I know although im not on other sites ... Neil I believe did some of his own tweaks @Neil ? is that accurate ? 

[charlierc]

36 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

mentioned it elsewhere and probably on this thread before ... the forum software ( currently ) seems to only link embed to twitter and not any other sites .... hopefully that will change in the future and any updates can and will be posted from other sites . Glastonbury official also hasnt yet made the move away its alternatives are also still very quiet .

I do agree that it'll take time. For all there's a lot of noise and outrage about Twitter's new owner and his antics, there is still a gap between it's reach and what it's competitors have. I do have a BlueSky account, but there are very few people I have on other social media platforms there for now. Maybe the number will grow in due course, but I'm aware there's a gap in audience.

 

I was just relaying something I saw from curiosity, mainly because it was inescapable from what I follow on Reddit given I counted at least 10-15 sports Reddits debating avoiding Twitter links, nearly all of which were in favour. Some are easier than others - most F1 and football journalists now have separate BlueSky accounts, whereas in other sectors, not so much.