Maybe the Senate should have convicted that guy. Then they wouldn’t currently feel obligated to eat every stern word they’ve ever said about China. It’s amazing watching them squirm as they feel obliged to treat a total grifting idiot like he’s some infallible oracle.
While I doubt many overtly have accepted this without rationalizing their way to a happier self-serving lie, the fact of the matter is that the GOP has recognized for some time now that hostile foreign propaganda aimed at destabilizing American stability tends to land most heavily in their favor.
I think Trump's flip-flop is a direct result of the American owner of a share of Byte Dance agreeing to send large $$$ to Trump's campaign, which will be used as he designates. Trump has no hard and fast beliefs other than he wants to make a profit, stay out of jail and have sexual relations with whomever he wants.
"As a civilian, Trump has maintained a harsh tone on all things China. But that was before the latest news hit about the new bill. Now Trump says that taking away TikTok would make young Americans “go crazy,” and further, it would only bolster Meta’s properties like Instagram and Facebook. “And I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people,” Trump continued."
The Mango Malignancy might have been maintaining a serious mien when it comes to China (not really) these last three plus years, but not *all* things Chinese. I have yet to hear him offer up any condemnation of Xi: his wanton attempts to coopt the entire South China Sea, his excursions of using the Chinese Air Force to taunt America with dangerous maneuvers targeting the US Air Force, his saber-rattling when it comes to Taiwan, China's use of slave labor (including goods it wants to sell in the US), nor its lack of forthrightness during and after the Covid pandemic, among many other things.
The Sandstone Snowflake has never taken a position in anything -- politics or business -- that did not profit him directly. IMO, he couldn't care less if young Americans blow a blood vessel over his various stances; this includes his flip flop on TikTok because to him everything is transactional and other people just don't fit into his equations.
As for the problem with Meta, it all boils down to the fact that Zuckerberg will not kowtow before the Bloviating Butterscotch Buffoon, and the "Zuckbucks" funding his political enemies. If Zuckerberg was more like Elon Musk -- an antisemitic, racist, misogynist, right-wing populist whose mouth is engaged well before he puts his brain into gear-- then TFG would have no problems with either Instagram or Facebook.
Trump’s “policy positions “? Since when has he had policy positions? He literally bends with whatever way the wind blows. Or which direction donors want. Or whatever latest Bannon proclamation. Or whatever screed Steven Miller pens. Sometimes all those direction in one day.
Yass is also a big funder of the hard-right in Israel via the Kohelet think tank, which was the big pusher behind the judicial coup Bibi and his goons tried to pull off earlier in 2023. So he's an example of plutocratic malevolence in not one but two countries!
But on the Tiktok divestment issue, and tech issues like social media more broadly, this is a dangerous issue that could backfire on pro-democracy forces if the end result is that the social media companies in question become tools in the pro-dictatorship/pro-Trump propaganda toolkit. And make no mistake, Trump is aware of this and so are many of his key supporters. If you look at the models for Trump, from Turkey, to Russia, to Hungary, taking control of media is critical. Taking over Google, Facebook, or Tiktok weren't really options for those countries, but for a theoretical President for Life Trmp, they sure will be. The reason Trump was always talking about changing the libel laws or dropping Section 30, which would allows lawsuits against social media over their content, is because it's a mechanism to sue and bankrupt media and social media companies. The point would be to force a sale to Trump's cronies, who would turn them into pro-Trump propaganda platforms. Every accusation from Trump is an admission of what he has done or intends to do, so his accusations that social media are rigging the algorithms against him is very telling. And after the sale, either through legal changes or just manipulating the legal system, all the protections for those companies go back up.
It's best for Trump if this happens when he's president, but it doesn't have to be. I could easily see Trump flipping again on Tiktok if Xi is smart, knowing Trump is poison for the US. So Xi tells Bytedance to quit opposing the sale and to ensure the divestment results in a sale to a friendly pro-Trump buyer. All this plays out behind the scenes. I suspect if you told Trump Tiktok would turn into a pro-Trump organ, he'd tell Yass to take a hike, he can find the money elsewhere. Trump-friendlies like Oracle (which emerged with control of Tiktok's US user data, ostensibly, during the first Tiktok go-round under Trump, and not a coincidence) are already making noises about buying Tiktok or some share of it.
Trump doesn't care about foreign influence in the US, he's all for it in the case of Russia or Saudi or Turkey. He clearly admires Xi's tyranny in China. The complicating factor was that going after China was just too politically useful to ignore. But at the end of the day, Trump is great for China: he destroys US alliances, he turns the US into a political and economic basket case, and he's sure as hell not going to defend Taiwan against China, or for that matter Japan or S. Korea. He was champing at the bit in his last term to abandon South Korea every bit as much as he was into quitting NATO. I suspect Xi for reasons of pride simply couldn't ignore Trump's anti-China posturing, and perhaps he was too prideful or cautious to just pay Trump off---I mean, it couldn't be as easy as just paying him off, right? Or people would know and be mad. But we know now that's not true. In fact, I am shocked Xi is not savvy enough to understand that if he just started election and media interference on behalf of Trump, Trump would love him for it the same way he loves Putin. Well, as I said, I suspect Xi is just too prideful and stubborn to do that, but who knows what the real reason is.
The point is, and aside from the issue of media control, Trump is not, nor will he ever be, a real China hawk. It was a politically useful issue, but if he's paid enough, by Yass or the Chinese or anyone else, that can be overcome. Because of the race issue, it might be tough and it might take a bit of time, but believe me, opposition to China can be "gentled" by Trump and conservative media ecosystem just as effectively as Russia was rendered acceptable. Trump and Tucker haven't quite made a ton of people overtly pro-Russian, it's more like just ignoring their malevolence and hurting the Ukrainians. Believe me, they can do exactly the same thing for China with regard to Taiwan or any other issue. In the same way Communists were told to shut up and quit criticizing Nazi Germany after the Soviet Union struck the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Republicans better be ready for similar orders on China. There might be a bit of resistance, like on vaccines, but at the end of the day they'll gobble down that sh*t sandwich just like all the others they've already swallowed.
Those China hawks will really have their work cut out for them. Taiwan will need to really crank up their military capability. The GOP cannot be counted on by any ally, since they have proven that they can be so easily bought or cowed into submission to the MAGA faction. Unless they get some cojones, China will wipe the floor with them. Mike Gallagher leaving the House is a blow for them.
Yep. The last Republican pol just bowed down to the West, and suddenly they've got to bow down to the East. So clear that Facebook was the enemy all along!
Bulwark Panel: Do you think WAPO or NYT will ever post this story?
TRUMP TAKES BRIBE FROM CHINESE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT
Today the Post/Times learned that former President of the United States received $1 Billion from the Chinese government, laundered through various intermediaries. The FBI and Justice Department are investigating but our sources tell us there is a verified trail of the money transfer transactions back to China.
Trump stated that this money was legal payment for his lobbying efforts on behalf of TikTok to remain active in the US. The money, he said, was paid by investors in TikTok, not the Chinese government.
Trump also announced that he just posted a $500 million bond to cover the judgment in the State of New York's win in the business fraud case. The $450 million "penalty" is the repayment to the State of New York for Trump's ill-gotten-gains from his fraudulent business activities over many years.
Maybe the Senate should have convicted that guy. Then they wouldn’t currently feel obligated to eat every stern word they’ve ever said about China. It’s amazing watching them squirm as they feel obliged to treat a total grifting idiot like he’s some infallible oracle.
While I doubt many overtly have accepted this without rationalizing their way to a happier self-serving lie, the fact of the matter is that the GOP has recognized for some time now that hostile foreign propaganda aimed at destabilizing American stability tends to land most heavily in their favor.
I think Trump's flip-flop is a direct result of the American owner of a share of Byte Dance agreeing to send large $$$ to Trump's campaign, which will be used as he designates. Trump has no hard and fast beliefs other than he wants to make a profit, stay out of jail and have sexual relations with whomever he wants.
And this sort of flip flopping is exactly why TFG needs to NOT be getting security briefings as the GOP nominee.
Don't we just wish he would go the fuck away?
"As a civilian, Trump has maintained a harsh tone on all things China. But that was before the latest news hit about the new bill. Now Trump says that taking away TikTok would make young Americans “go crazy,” and further, it would only bolster Meta’s properties like Instagram and Facebook. “And I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people,” Trump continued."
The Mango Malignancy might have been maintaining a serious mien when it comes to China (not really) these last three plus years, but not *all* things Chinese. I have yet to hear him offer up any condemnation of Xi: his wanton attempts to coopt the entire South China Sea, his excursions of using the Chinese Air Force to taunt America with dangerous maneuvers targeting the US Air Force, his saber-rattling when it comes to Taiwan, China's use of slave labor (including goods it wants to sell in the US), nor its lack of forthrightness during and after the Covid pandemic, among many other things.
The Sandstone Snowflake has never taken a position in anything -- politics or business -- that did not profit him directly. IMO, he couldn't care less if young Americans blow a blood vessel over his various stances; this includes his flip flop on TikTok because to him everything is transactional and other people just don't fit into his equations.
As for the problem with Meta, it all boils down to the fact that Zuckerberg will not kowtow before the Bloviating Butterscotch Buffoon, and the "Zuckbucks" funding his political enemies. If Zuckerberg was more like Elon Musk -- an antisemitic, racist, misogynist, right-wing populist whose mouth is engaged well before he puts his brain into gear-- then TFG would have no problems with either Instagram or Facebook.
fnord
“….curious timing” of Trump’s 180 re: TikTok? You could use a sarcasm font.
Trump’s “policy positions “? Since when has he had policy positions? He literally bends with whatever way the wind blows. Or which direction donors want. Or whatever latest Bannon proclamation. Or whatever screed Steven Miller pens. Sometimes all those direction in one day.
Boebert's conundrum is a joy to behold! Maybe, just maybe, the next Congress will convene without her being a member.
Yass is also a big funder of the hard-right in Israel via the Kohelet think tank, which was the big pusher behind the judicial coup Bibi and his goons tried to pull off earlier in 2023. So he's an example of plutocratic malevolence in not one but two countries!
But on the Tiktok divestment issue, and tech issues like social media more broadly, this is a dangerous issue that could backfire on pro-democracy forces if the end result is that the social media companies in question become tools in the pro-dictatorship/pro-Trump propaganda toolkit. And make no mistake, Trump is aware of this and so are many of his key supporters. If you look at the models for Trump, from Turkey, to Russia, to Hungary, taking control of media is critical. Taking over Google, Facebook, or Tiktok weren't really options for those countries, but for a theoretical President for Life Trmp, they sure will be. The reason Trump was always talking about changing the libel laws or dropping Section 30, which would allows lawsuits against social media over their content, is because it's a mechanism to sue and bankrupt media and social media companies. The point would be to force a sale to Trump's cronies, who would turn them into pro-Trump propaganda platforms. Every accusation from Trump is an admission of what he has done or intends to do, so his accusations that social media are rigging the algorithms against him is very telling. And after the sale, either through legal changes or just manipulating the legal system, all the protections for those companies go back up.
It's best for Trump if this happens when he's president, but it doesn't have to be. I could easily see Trump flipping again on Tiktok if Xi is smart, knowing Trump is poison for the US. So Xi tells Bytedance to quit opposing the sale and to ensure the divestment results in a sale to a friendly pro-Trump buyer. All this plays out behind the scenes. I suspect if you told Trump Tiktok would turn into a pro-Trump organ, he'd tell Yass to take a hike, he can find the money elsewhere. Trump-friendlies like Oracle (which emerged with control of Tiktok's US user data, ostensibly, during the first Tiktok go-round under Trump, and not a coincidence) are already making noises about buying Tiktok or some share of it.
Trump doesn't care about foreign influence in the US, he's all for it in the case of Russia or Saudi or Turkey. He clearly admires Xi's tyranny in China. The complicating factor was that going after China was just too politically useful to ignore. But at the end of the day, Trump is great for China: he destroys US alliances, he turns the US into a political and economic basket case, and he's sure as hell not going to defend Taiwan against China, or for that matter Japan or S. Korea. He was champing at the bit in his last term to abandon South Korea every bit as much as he was into quitting NATO. I suspect Xi for reasons of pride simply couldn't ignore Trump's anti-China posturing, and perhaps he was too prideful or cautious to just pay Trump off---I mean, it couldn't be as easy as just paying him off, right? Or people would know and be mad. But we know now that's not true. In fact, I am shocked Xi is not savvy enough to understand that if he just started election and media interference on behalf of Trump, Trump would love him for it the same way he loves Putin. Well, as I said, I suspect Xi is just too prideful and stubborn to do that, but who knows what the real reason is.
The point is, and aside from the issue of media control, Trump is not, nor will he ever be, a real China hawk. It was a politically useful issue, but if he's paid enough, by Yass or the Chinese or anyone else, that can be overcome. Because of the race issue, it might be tough and it might take a bit of time, but believe me, opposition to China can be "gentled" by Trump and conservative media ecosystem just as effectively as Russia was rendered acceptable. Trump and Tucker haven't quite made a ton of people overtly pro-Russian, it's more like just ignoring their malevolence and hurting the Ukrainians. Believe me, they can do exactly the same thing for China with regard to Taiwan or any other issue. In the same way Communists were told to shut up and quit criticizing Nazi Germany after the Soviet Union struck the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Republicans better be ready for similar orders on China. There might be a bit of resistance, like on vaccines, but at the end of the day they'll gobble down that sh*t sandwich just like all the others they've already swallowed.
Those China hawks will really have their work cut out for them. Taiwan will need to really crank up their military capability. The GOP cannot be counted on by any ally, since they have proven that they can be so easily bought or cowed into submission to the MAGA faction. Unless they get some cojones, China will wipe the floor with them. Mike Gallagher leaving the House is a blow for them.
The minute it became apparent that Trump was going to need money was when it was time to start watching who he'd sell himself to.
Yep. The last Republican pol just bowed down to the West, and suddenly they've got to bow down to the East. So clear that Facebook was the enemy all along!
Good for Congressman Buck! Just too damn much? Kick Mike Johnson to the curb? Fill up a bus and clean that House out! VOTE Blue! No other color . . .
"China hawks are flummoxed that a lizard is acting like a lizard"
Fixed!
Bulwark Panel: Do you think WAPO or NYT will ever post this story?
TRUMP TAKES BRIBE FROM CHINESE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT
Today the Post/Times learned that former President of the United States received $1 Billion from the Chinese government, laundered through various intermediaries. The FBI and Justice Department are investigating but our sources tell us there is a verified trail of the money transfer transactions back to China.
Trump stated that this money was legal payment for his lobbying efforts on behalf of TikTok to remain active in the US. The money, he said, was paid by investors in TikTok, not the Chinese government.
Trump also announced that he just posted a $500 million bond to cover the judgment in the State of New York's win in the business fraud case. The $450 million "penalty" is the repayment to the State of New York for Trump's ill-gotten-gains from his fraudulent business activities over many years.