Political Posts

[Gregmal]

28 minutes ago, John Hjorth said:

 

The posts in this topic now seems to me to escalate again, after a period relatively calme and balanced. What has Brookfield to do with this?

lol I would’ve thought pretending to care about integrity would make owning an entity run by lying sleezeballs a no go…the the mental gymnastics continue nonethless. Same kind of way that you couldn’t possibly ignore what was going on in the office of the president previously and now just “wake up” and have all these issues. 
 

Again just a loser mentality.

[Castanza]

Not a lot of integrity below...just saying...Pence, Obama, Carney, Romney?

 

Presidents: Trump, Biden, Obama, Kamala, Hillary Clinton, G.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, G.H.W. Bush....

 

Vice Presidents: Pence, Cheney, Gore, 

 

Candidates: Kerry, Romney, 

 

Canadian: Carney, Trudeau

 

 

[flesh]

18 hours ago, Parsad said:

Trump bullshit during 60 Minutes interview:

 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/03/politics/fact-check-trump-cbs-interview

 

Cheers!

I guess I'll be the crazy interpreter here.... Most of the bullet points are either nothing burgers or he may have info that we don't have (this has happened many times in the past). Also, this may seem weird to a bunch of analyst types crunching numbers for a living, but being exactly accurate with numbers that are generally not that important to you is not something most people do. Most people seek to be directionally correct with numbers. He often exaggerates/withholds pertinent info however this is typical of most and prototypical of politicians, folks just don't notice it when it's your side saying it. He is simply better at the political game than most politicians, very few have any scruples. For me, politicians speak 95% non truths and normies 50%. 

 

Outside of finance or similar, try practicing being total accurate with all numbers and presenting a perfectly clear picture in your normal life, no withholding of relevant info and you'll see people's eyes glaze over quickly, it's really a ineffective way to communicate with the masses. If you do it, I've tried, you'll quickly be seen as on the spectrum of this or that. Pointless.

 

So, yes, mostly bullshit, par for the course, but by an expert bullshitter that the other bullshitters wish they could match. 

 

[flesh]

18 hours ago, Sweet said:

MSM in a nutshell, from an organisation that once regarded itself as the best in the world:

 

Long past time to remove the rot.

 

 

Maybe it's because I did my thing in sales/marketing, but it's clear to me that this is normal and has been going on forever. From a first principals perspective there never was any reason for anyone profit making organization in politics to be accurate, wholistic, unless by force, or because their audience/advertisers was 50/50 left right, which is nearly impossible for anything but moments of time. Plus, we have a psychological nature documented by Kahneman, evolutionary biology/psychology, lying with stats, priming conditioning, etc. In this context it wouldn't surprise me if whoever edited the video above, honestly thought they had pieced together the truth. That is, their current ability to be truthful confined by their ability to tolerate the associated cognitive dissonance. 

 

The only reason normies are waking up to this now is the proliferation of information on the internet, social media, AI chatbots. 

 

Scamming was very easy for most of the past. It's what we've done in sales and marketing since forever. It's what's been done by most anyone who got paid to do it in any area, until they couldn't. 

[Sweet]

30 minutes ago, flesh said:

Maybe it's because I did my thing in sales/marketing, but it's clear to me that this is normal and has been going on forever. From a first principals perspective there never was any reason for anyone profit making organization in politics to be accurate, wholistic, unless by force, or because their audience/advertisers was 50/50 left right, which is nearly impossible for anything but moments of time. Plus, we have a psychological nature documented by Kahneman, evolutionary biology/psychology, lying with stats, priming conditioning, etc. In this context it wouldn't surprise me if whoever edited the video above, honestly thought they had pieced together the truth. That is, their current ability to be truthful confined by their ability to tolerate the associated cognitive dissonance. 

 

The only reason normies are waking up to this now is the proliferation of information on the internet, social media, AI chatbots. 

 

Scamming was very easy for most of the past. It's what we've done in sales and marketing since forever. It's what's been done by most anyone who got paid to do it in any area, until they couldn't. 

For sure it’s been happening a lot, but the BBC think they are above that - they really aren’t and aren’t nearly as reputable as they’re once were.  

[Gregmal]

Thats almost exactly the point of the Brookfield fanboy comment. They hate the salesmen and money grifters? Nah man. Long Brookfield! A Canadian Treasure! 

[Junior R]

Federal Budget out today lets see what is in there lol

[LC]

Conflicting messages from Trump vs. Leavitt about whether to continue starving the poorest Americans or not

 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-snap-benefits-shutdown_n_690a2678e4b0d65f7022f8d2?w4q?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=us_main

 

Nothing says "you better buy what I'm selling" like the existential threat of starvation. What a salesman, indeed!

 

Now the real question is how can Trump funnel this SNAP money into his own pockets? Perhaps via a newly released StarveCoin!?

[Parsad]

7 hours ago, Charlie said:

 

“If you rise in life, you have to behave in a certain way. You can go to a strip club if you’re a beer-swilling sand shoveler, but if you’re the Bishop of Boston, you shouldn’t go.”

 

Charlie Munger

 

 

+1!  Cheers!

[Parsad]

7 hours ago, cubsfan said:

 

Yeah, like Joe Biden - you shouldn't take bribes from Ukraine and China, let alone take your crackhead son with you on Air Force One so he can feast on all the hookers and coke!

 

That is showing some respect for the Presidency!

 

What does one have to do with the other?  They are both wrong!  Cheers!

[John Hjorth]

8 hours ago, Gregmal said:

Yup LOL. OK with all these things til Trump showed up basically. The "I hate Trump, been long Biden and Brookfield" complex.....

 

7 hours ago, Gregmal said:

lol I would’ve thought pretending to care about integrity would make owning an entity run by lying sleezeballs a no go…the the mental gymnastics continue nonethless. Same kind of way that you couldn’t possibly ignore what was going on in the office of the president previously and now just “wake up” and have all these issues. 
 

Again just a loser mentality.

 

 Greg [ @Gregmal ],

 

What is this 'thing' going on with you here about Brookfield, really about?  We actually have a separate topic here on CofB&F for 'Brookfield bashing'!, outside this politics topic! - And a separate topic for Brookfield related stuff.

 

They are hardworking business men and women, - suits! - capitalists and opportunistic investors all over the world, where there are opportunities at a given point in time - eager for more!

 

Delivering keys back on something that simply turrned out to be a mistake is not questionable behavior, when the concept of 'non-recourse' is not only by law existing, but also applied in a loan agreement.

 

Then there was this 'take under' thingy with some more or less obscure shipping limited partnership, Bermuda listed and mispriced to the downside like hell, orginally of Norwegian origin, petition marketed, adressed to Brookfield, among other places here on CofB&F, also on X, to gather signatures against Brookfield taking it over/under here on CofB&F by professional money managers, feeling hurt and this 'taking under' thingy by Brookfield getting under their skin! Guy Spier was one of them on X, with quite some green [client money] in the game. It turned out be nothing - at all! - illegal about that. Bruce Flatt has not even AFAIK at any time commented on it, despite it's about Brookfields reputation. So, a nothing burger! -Still we experience a professional, but appalled and with hurt feelings CofB&F member, initiating a 'Brookfield bashing' topic  here on CofB&F! Terms and conditions for engaging in something, you know? -Get used to it, or get out! - We simply can't win them all!

 

What do you really mean by posting 'Biden and long Brookfield complex'? What do you really mean by posting 'looser mentality' here above in this topic?

Edited November 5, 2025 by John Hjorth

[changegonnacome]

 

First time hit with this. Thanks Donald!......and this is a US company that manufactures/assembles the product I'm buying in the US......when I spoke to the rep re: a high volume order he said that their overseas input costs that go into the end product have gone up and seen as its a government import tax that they end up paying at the border (their input supplier doesn't!) they decided to eat some and call out the rest like the sales tax it is.

 

He also indicated that all things being equal he expects demand for their product to dip domestically (due to higher price point shrinking marginal demand) and that they export this finished product to Europe where they we're already in a dogfight with the East Asian manufactures and where he expects they will see real volume loss just due to their lesser brand positioning/higher price point versus their US brand equity built up over decades. The kicker something like 30% of their sales are international and so this is encouraging them to consider MOVING their factory OUT of the USA to serve international markets for the immediate tariffed input cost savings + labor but also less policy volatility re: input tariffs.

 

How exactly are we 'winning' when a company like this's domestic volume is shrinking and they are less competitive in global markets so their volume shrinks again........and they they are potentially going to move 30% of volume offshore & yes I'm worse off at the margins and have less spending capacity to deploy on the next product or service which now also suffers lower volume sales?

 

Jeez I guess that Ronald Reagan guy had a point!

[Gregmal]

5 minutes ago, changegonnacome said:

 

First time hit with this. Thanks Donald!......and this is a US company that manufactures/assembles the product I'm buying in the US......when I spoke to the rep re: a high volume order he said that their overseas input costs that go into the end product have gone up and seen as its a government import tax that they end up paying at the border (their input supplier doesn't!) they decided to eat some and call out the rest like the sales tax it is.

 

He also indicated that all things being equal he expects demand for their product to dip domestically (due to higher price point shrinking marginal demand) and that they export this finished product to Europe where they we're already in a dogfight with the East Asian manufactures and where he expects they will see real volume loss just due to their lesser brand positioning/higher price point versus their US brand equity built up over decades. The kicker something like 30% of their sales are international and so this is encouraging them to consider MOVING their factory OUT of the USA to serve international markets for the immediate tariffed input cost savings + labor but also less policy volatility re: input tariffs.

 

How exactly are we 'winning' when a company like this's domestic volume is shrinking and they are less competitive in global markets so their volume shrinks again........and they they are potentially going to move 30% of volume offshore & yes I'm worse off at the margins and have less spending capacity to deploy on the next product or service which now also suffers lower volume sales?

 

Jeez I guess that Ronald Reagan guy had a point!

Man, NY is squeezing you for almost 9%? Rough 

Edited November 5, 2025 by Gregmal

[Gregmal]

32 minutes ago, John Hjorth said:

 

 

 Greg [ @Gregmal ],

 

What is this 'thing' going on with you here about Brookfield, really about?  We actually have a separate topic here on CofB&F for 'Brookfield bashing'!, outside this politics topic! - And a separate topic for Brookfield related stuff.

 

They are hardworking business men and women, - suits! - capitalists and opportunistic investors all over the world, where there are opportunities at a given point in time - eager for more!

 

Delivering keys back on something that simply turrned out to be a mistake is not questionable behavior, when the concept of 'non-recourse' is not only by law existing, but also applied in a loan agreement.

 

Then there was this 'take under' thingy with some more or less obscure shipping limited partnership, Bermuda listed and mispriced to the downside like hell, orginally of Norwegian origin, petition marketed, adressed to Brookfield, among other places here on CofB&F, also on X, to gather signatures against Brookfield taking it over/under here on CofB&F by professional money managers, feeling hurt and this 'taking under' thingy by Brookfield getting under their skin! Guy Spier was one of them on X, with quite some green [client money] in the game. It turned out be nothing - at all! - illegal about that. Bruce Flatt has not even AFAIK at any time commented on it, despite it's about Brookfields reputation. So, a nothing burger! -Still we experience a professional, but appalled and with hurt feelings CofB&F member, initiating a 'Brookfield bashing' topic  here on CofB&F! Terms and conditions for engaging in something, you know? -Get used to it, or get out! - We simply can't win them all!

 

What do you really mean by posting 'Biden and long Brookfield complex'? What do you really mean by posting 'looser mentality' here above in this topic?

The lack of consistency, mental gymnastics…as I said. Integrity, ethics, moral compass…certainly not synonymous with anything Brookfield related. But if we paint it as, what’d you say? Suits? Capitalists? Businessmen? It’s different. 
 

It’s not hurt feelings I don’t believe, it’s lack of intellectual honesty. You can’t have people crying about lack of integrity here, and then be like “yea! Go do your thing Mr Flatt!” out of the other side of their mouth over there….well I mean technically it’s doable…cuz yall pull it off!

[changegonnacome]

3 minutes ago, Gregmal said:

Man, NY is squeezing you for almost 9%? Rough 

 

Sure is.....but as I say to folks (and of course its a matter of opinion) when I'm out and about at the weekend in NYC doing stuff that is quintessentially NYC....well to me anyway....its well worth the extra couple of bucks to live here......you only get one trip around the sun and I'm not going to spend it optimizing for taxes, I'm gonna optimize it for where I enjoy most. For my interests music, culture, live comedy, great restaurants there's no where close to NY IMO.

[LC]

Paying 9% to NYC gets you culture, society, etc.

Paying 7% to TrumpTariffCo. gets you ICE kidnappings and BribeCoins! 

 

He's a salesman! 

[wondering]

Very disappointed with the budget. No major tax cuts to speak of. The opposition is weak - now was the Liberals time to do it. Maybe next year. Our country has so much potential 

[changegonnacome]

32 minutes ago, LC said:

Paying 7% to TrumpTariffCo. gets you ICE kidnappings and BribeCoins! 

 

Well I'll be kinder - and say it gets the federal government tax revenue acting as it does as a sales tax.....the issue of course is its a tax with almost the inverse affects of what it claims....its not making manufacturing great again, its not serving Main St American's pocket books.

 

It struck me today thinking through this purchase......that while tariff inflation has shown up on the import data side....it hasn't fed through much into the aggregate inflation figures.....MAGA says thats because other countries are paying them but thats not true either (look at the import data)......the reality I think is tariffs instead of being domestically inflationary they are actually domestically deflationary as they hurt the economy (as any tax would)...puts and takes.....the price of imported good goes up due to the passing on of tariffs costs and in a budget constrained households well their marginal consumption of other goods goes down.....so tariffs IMO are driving a kind of modest demand shock or contraction in private demand which is fundamentally deflationary.....because well aggregate consumption is less now than it was before....the

 

The result - sure headline CPI doesn't move much..cause tariffs are BOTH inflationary to imported goods but deflationary to others in the consumers basket cause demand shrinks for other goods in response to a shrunken consumption budget.

 

 

Edited November 5, 2025 by changegonnacome

[Gregmal]

1 minute ago, changegonnacome said:

they are actually domestically deflationary as they hurt the economy

Well there you friggin go. I remember having soooo many schmucks lecture me 6 months ago about how tariffs were guarantee to cause inflation. Once again Im just ahead of them and early to the consensus.....

 

You really have to wonder why this stuff isnt blatantly obvious to most people, and part is investment acumen...sure. But the other reason is theyre too busy worrying about parsing whether the Kamala interview Trump was referring to was exactly 2 days or 2 weeks before the election so they can fact check Trump. 

 

Luckily, I would be surprised if the Supreme Court doesnt strike down the tariffs and then we go back to square one; while everyone of lesser mental acuity's head spins....

[changegonnacome]

3 minutes ago, Gregmal said:

Well there you friggin go.

 

Which makes them doubly retarded....hurting the economy, hurting households, hurting domestic exporting manufactures.........what a pointless boondoggle by POTUS.

 

4 minutes ago, Gregmal said:

Supreme Court doesnt strike down the tariffs

 

You bet - its been my base case since April......you can tell the adminstration is worried about it.....they've been on every two bit TV show saying if SCOTUS throws it out it would be a diaster for the country. Well it would be a disaster for their budgetary math which needs tariff revenue to keep the fiscal deficit under 7%.....but it would be great outcome for the country IMO. Tariff's are bad, stupid and lazy tax policy. It was dumb of Trump to waste so much political capital on them.....and well China effectively went toe to toe with the US and because of rare earths POTUS blinked and came back from Korea with a bullshit story about a trade deal....when all you had was truce and a reset back to May 2025....and extend and pretend extensions everywhere you look on China-US trade....rare earths, TikTok, Semis, fentaly....

 

But yeah hopefully SCOTUS throws this out before year end.

[John Hjorth]

I love this kind of basic IRL shared experiences with tariffs shared here by @changegonnacome here on CofB&F. There exists no better lesson. What it long term will bring to USA and its foreign trading partners is nothing but no good, simply, and just dumb.

 

It's actually foreign trading macro economics 1-0-1 for those who have been taught in such stuff. [I have.]

[Gregmal]

In another blatant example of how corrupt the MSM is, and how the "polls" are used to lie to idiots....many outlets are still shockingly calling NY and NJ gov races "too close to call"....Betting markets.... 99% for Mamdami and Sherrill. Lotta suckers out there though. "THE POLLS!" LOL

Edited November 5, 2025 by Gregmal

[Spekulatius]

 

Just a tiny anectode. My son was campaigning a few days ago for today’s election for an ethnically Chinese democrat candidate. They got threatened by a fellow who came after my son calling him a  “terrorist supporter “ and  yelling at both my son and the candidate  “ to go back to the shithole country where they came from”

 

Well the candidate might be looking Chinese but he is born in the USA (as far as I know) and so is my son. So where exactly are they supposed to go back to?

 

They called the police about the fellow but he disappeared before they came and we have no idea what happened to that not so nice fellow (probably nothing). I guess some people really feel emboldened nowadays.

 

I told my son to record these folks on his phone if anything like this happens again (if possible) and post it on TikTok or Instagram. I would guess that shaming working better than the police.

Edited November 5, 2025 by Spekulatius

[DooDiligence]

2 hours ago, changegonnacome said:

 

Well I'll be kinder - and say it gets the federal government tax revenue acting as it does as a sales tax.....the issue of course is its a tax with almost the inverse affects of what it claims....its not making manufacturing great again, its not serving Main St American's pocket books.

 

It struck me today thinking through this purchase......that while tariff inflation has shown up on the import data side....it hasn't fed through much into the aggregate inflation figures.....MAGA says thats because other countries are paying them but thats not true either (look at the import data)......the reality I think is tariffs instead of being domestically inflationary they are actually domestically deflationary as they hurt the economy (as any tax would)...puts and takes.....the price of imported good goes up due to the passing on of tariffs costs and in a budget constrained households well their marginal consumption of other goods goes down.....so tariffs IMO are driving a kind of modest demand shock or contraction in private demand which is fundamentally deflationary.....because well aggregate consumption is less now than it was before....the

 

The result - sure headline CPI doesn't move much..cause tariffs are BOTH inflationary to imported goods but deflationary to others in the consumers basket cause demand shrinks for other goods in response to a shrunken consumption budget.

 

 

 

Sooo, we're winning now?

 

[changegonnacome]

20 minutes ago, DooDiligence said:

Sooo, we're winning now?

 

If winning is shrinking the consumption capacity of your citizens while simultaneously making your existing domestic manufactoring export base less competitive in service of some theoretical tariff driven future manufactoring base that isnt here yet.......then yeah we are winning, we are winning all over the place.