US Presidential Elections - 2024 edition

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Rhonda Sanctimonious has been running for president since he was in middle school and anything he does is purely based on what at the time seems to be the best way to get there. I think being a Trump loyalist is a requirement to getting anywhere in the Republican party and being able to shift the blame for losing Florida in a hypothetical anti-Trump blue wave would be better than sticking it out in a job he's already tried to get out of. My bet is that if it's offered he takes it.

[BruceVC]

11 hours ago, rjshae said:

I'd be a little surprised if DeSantis accepts the post. Governor of a large state such as Florida is a stepping stone to a future Presidential run. Defense Secretary is a stepping stone to being DJT's lap dog, and a future date with bus tires.

Yes this is a good point, DeSantis is clearly motivated to become the next GOP presidential nomination and everything he decides will be influenced by this 

[rjshae]

On 12/5/2024 at 11:15 AM, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

Rhonda Sanctimonious has been running for president since he was in middle school and anything he does is purely based on what at the time seems to be the best way to get there. I think being a Trump loyalist is a requirement to getting anywhere in the Republican party and being able to shift the blame for losing Florida in a hypothetical anti-Trump blue wave would be better than sticking it out in a job he's already tried to get out of. My bet is that if it's offered he takes it.

Presumably when DJT deploys troops to tackle immigration issues, somebody will need to take the heat if and when things go horribly wrong. I'm betting that will be the Defense Secretary. Bump... bump.

[rjshae]

Considering that Biden was criticized for (supposedly) choosing DEI cabinet picks over competence, I'm finding it ironic (and amusing) that DJT is now choosing personal loyalty over competence. What goes around comes around.

[ShadySands]

Look at his last administration, pretty much all the competent picks have since bashed him. Well, some of the incompetents had a thing or two to say about him as well.

It makes sense to just go for loyalty if all you want is people to suck up to you and do exactly what you say... this time around.

Edited December 11 by ShadySands

[BruceVC]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/11/ghana-to-botswana-why-african-voters-are-throwing-out-ruling-parties

There is an understandable tendency to focus  on the negative stories in Africa  but as I often maintain the reality of Africa is a mixed bag of progress and erosion, success and failure 

And lately there have been several really positive election outcomes where elections were free and fair or  the incumbent party accepted the loss and there was a peaceful transfer of power and this includes Namibia, Ghana and Botswana 

Its not  so much about leadership change but rather free and fair elections that are accepted as credible and legitimate   for citizens and for investors 

We have seen a disappointing reality of military coups in places like Mali and Niger and this type of authoritarian leadership just ensures less accountability and very  little changes for citizens who grapple with massive economic and societal problems within these countries 

So even though it may seem arbitrary free and fair elections matter in the context of Africa and its transformation projects 

As I always say Democracy may not be perfect but its still the most effective and most sustainable system of government compared to others. And this applies to most countries  with the exception of China or several ME countries which dont have a historical resonance around Democracy so its not  as important or required to have a well run country

 

 

 

[Pidesco]

7 hours ago, BruceVC said:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/11/ghana-to-botswana-why-african-voters-are-throwing-out-ruling-parties

There is an understandable tendency to focus  on the negative stories in Africa  but as I often maintain the reality of Africa is a mixed bag of progress and erosion, success and failure 

And lately there have been several really positive election outcomes where elections were free and fair or  the incumbent party accepted the loss and there was a peaceful transfer of power and this includes Namibia, Ghana and Botswana 

Its not  so much about leadership change but rather free and fair elections that are accepted as credible and legitimate   for citizens and for investors 

We have seen a disappointing reality of military coups in places like Mali and Niger and this type of authoritarian leadership just ensures less accountability and very  little changes for citizens who grapple with massive economic and societal problems within these countries 

So even though it may seem arbitrary free and fair elections matter in the context of Africa and its transformation projects 

As I always say Democracy may not be perfect but its still the most effective and most sustainable system of government compared to others. And this applies to most countries  with the exception of China or several ME countries which dont have a historical resonance around Democracy so its not  as important or required to have a well run country

 

 

 

How do you think a permanent white population in South Africa affected it and differentiates it from other sub Saharan African countries?

[BruceVC]

12 hours ago, Pidesco said:

How do you think a permanent white population in South Africa affected it and differentiates it from other sub Saharan African countries?

Apartheid ended at the same time the Cold War ended and all the people, both white and black, involved in the negotiations from 1988-1994 fundamentally believed that the only sustainable future for South Africa was  a Constitutional  Democracy that included important structures like the judiciary being independent from state influence and the  Constitution had to be sacrosanct 

People like Nelson Mandela also believed in this and he represented the political objectives of the largest black political party, the ANC.  We did have smaller black groups that believed in a more Communist " revolution " and system of government but they were the minority 

But to answer your question, its hard to say because its the belief in the institutions and the Constitution that matter and white people only represent 7% of the total population and they dont  really matter when it comes free and fair elections or the respect for the Constitution because government maintains this 

What does matter is the important technical positions in our government like the Finance Minster,  Chief Judge, Tax commissioner  and Central Bank governor are highly qualified and reliable people who wont implement populist policies that would destroy the economy like we saw in Zimbabwe. And thats a big part of ensuring overall stability, you dont want to see decisions like  nationalization from the state. And these people are all black people 

So the difference with SA and other African countries for me is not about race because black people in SA run the country and make the decisions even though white people have influence its ultimately negligible around government decisions 

In several African countries that have now collapsed you often find former liberation parties simply not wanting to accept  election loss or change. Add to that you have weak, corrupt or ineffective government institutions and  that  creates a reality where the  countries dont get the necessary investment and the country is not able to transform or sustain its economy effectively

The ANC has never questioned election losses and respects the decisions of the Constitution when they lose court cases. We have problems in SA but not around the legitimacy of elections or the belief in the significance of the Constitution

And the good news for other African countries from the link  I posted  is  we seeing free and fair elections or  a transfer of power without issues. That matters around the overall trust that citizens and investors have in any  country and I would argue its critical to ensure progress and a successful state 

 

 

 

[BruceVC]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/16/sof...investment-in-us-during-visit-with-trump.html 

Softbank will be making a $100 billion investment in the US

This is a sign of the confidence the Japanese global company has in Trump and its good news 

This  company has the worlds largest venture capitalist  fund for technology 

 

[Malcador]

29 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

This is a sign of the confidence the Japanese global company has in Trump and its good news 

Why is it good news?

[BruceVC]

53 minutes ago, Malcador said:

Why is it good news?

For the obvious reasons, a strong US economy is good for the global economy and its an example where Trump as president is not all doom and gloom around  concerns like the whole Project 2025 fearmongering 

[ShadySands]

57 minutes ago, Malcador said:

Why is it good news?

Making supporters feel justified, I guess

[Malcador]

14 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

For the obvious reasons, a strong US economy is good for the global economy and its an example where Trump as president is not all doom and gloom around  concerns like the whole Project 2025 fearmongering 

Hm. https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/16/politics/donald-trump-softbank/index.html  maybe it won't be a song and dance.

Project 2025 doesn't really seem like fear mongering, given appointments. But then again you take Trump at face value for some reason.

12 minutes ago, ShadySands said:

Making supporters feel justified, I guess

True enough, he's making everything better.

Edited Monday at 07:30 PM by Malcador

[Lexx]

41 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

For the obvious reasons, a strong US economy is good for the global economy and its an example where Trump as president is not all doom and gloom around  concerns like the whole Project 2025 fearmongering 

Or they just bribing Trump for something.

[Elerond]

8 minutes ago, Lexx said:

Or they just bribing Trump for something.

They are doing venture capital investing, so they purpose is to leach money and assets, especially as their target is only to create 100 000 jobs with 100 billion dollars in four years

[HoonDing]

Iron lung business will be booming!

[BruceVC]

9 hours ago, ShadySands said:

Making supporters feel justified, I guess

This would be part of it but its not the main reason. Obviously there always concerns around any new president and the impact to the US economy. And that concern  resonates around most of  the world and when it comes to Trump there is often degrees of sensationalized and exaggerated concern because many still take everything he says literally and then that becomes a media taking point 

And yes Trump is sometimes to blame for this because he says certain things at rallies or on SM but after all these years people should realize how Trump is around comments that dont mean anything or is Trump just being Trump and saying things that dont reflect  realistic US policy 

So for example in South Africa before the election we had  US analysts and some people in our media talking about how Trumps  " isolationist " views , US first and tariffs was going to weaken the global economy and  all these  possible and legitimate concerns could weaken the South African economy

So when you find a company like Softbank suddenly investing in the US because they believe in Trump its a good sign because if highly successful global companies can trust his economic policies then we should be able to?

 

9 hours ago, Malcador said:

Hm. https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/16/politics/donald-trump-softbank/index.html  maybe it won't be a song and dance.

Project 2025 doesn't really seem like fear mongering, given appointments. But then again you take Trump at face value for some reason.

True enough, he's making everything better.

It is fearmongering until someone can tell me what parts of Project 2025 specifically Trump is going to implement 

I have asked this question about 3 times on this thread but no one ever responds and we do have that selective screenshot of the most controversial parts of Project 2025

I still maintain that the way Project 2025 suddenly became " Trumps policies " was exaggerated and an example of the media overreacting

But we can and should discuss specific concerns and policies that Trump implements 

 

9 hours ago, Elerond said:

They are doing venture capital investing, so they purpose is to leach money and assets, especially as their target is only to create 100 000 jobs with 100 billion dollars in four years

Do you not see a benefit with the idea of venture capitalists?

Dont they provide money for people and companies who have good ideas but lack the starting capital? And yes they gain something from it around a percentage of control but they have to gain something?

[Malcador]

1 hour ago, BruceVC said:

It is fearmongering until someone can tell me what parts of Project 2025 specifically Trump is going to implement 

Suspicion is a spectrum. Can't blame people for raising an eyebrow at it, https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/12/12/trump-defends-nominating-people-with-project-2025-ties-heres-the-full-list/

Well I mean you, specifically can.

Navarro returning is just bizarre, all said

[BruceVC]

12 minutes ago, Malcador said:

Suspicion is a spectrum. Can't blame people for raising an eyebrow at it, https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/12/12/trump-defends-nominating-people-with-project-2025-ties-heres-the-full-list/ 

Well I mean you, specifically can.

Navarro returning is just bizarre, all said

Sure but as I mentioned the Heritage Foundation is just one of over 100 Conservative thinktanks and you will find policies in the Project 2025 manifesto that Trump or some of his advisors support because these are expected Conservative policies or commitments he made like mass deportations for illegal migrants and securing the border

We should all expect that 

Thats different to  some of the fearmongering from the Project 2025 manifesto that did the rounds a few months ago 

Which is why I say lets be specific about what are your concerns around what points of Project 2025 will be implemented, I can understand anxiety if you believe everything that was alleged

But there was definitely exaggeration and misinformation like Trump will implement a federal ban on abortion and this was despite the fact Trump has stated on several occasions he will leave it up to the states

Here is an  example of  Project 2025  but these are the selective points that ended up being posted and these are most controversial points 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lexx]

Every single one of those "selective points" is worth a huge outcry, lol.

[BruceVC]

57 minutes ago, Lexx said:

Every single one of those "selective points" is worth a huge outcry, lol.

Yes but that doesnt mean Trump is going implement them because this is the Heritage Foundations Conservative  views on policy 

So they selective because it was suggested this is what Trump believes and this particular image contains the most controversial policies  

 

 

[HoonDing]

Comicbook villainy

[uuuhhii]

1 hour ago, HoonDing said:

Comicbook villainy

 

artist often need to make up some excuses for comic book villain

reality are far more ridiculous

[Malcador]

3 hours ago, BruceVC said:

Yes but that doesnt mean Trump is going implement them because this is the Heritage Foundations Conservative  views on policy 

So they selective because it was suggested this is what Trump believes and this particular image contains the most controversial policies  

 

 

Again why are you trusting Trump ? See comments on tariffs and groceries recently. Also the fact that he's not interested in the work, isn't hard to manipulate.

 

Edited 19 hours ago by Malcador

[Elerond]

8 hours ago, BruceVC said:

 Do you not see a benefit with the idea of venture capitalists?

Dont they provide money for people and companies who have good ideas but lack the starting capital? And yes they gain something from it around a percentage of control but they have to gain something?

There are different kinds of venture capitalist. In this case Softbank seem to seek quick profits by trying to get profits from Trumps protectionism that most likely will artificially increase US companies value. They will invest/buy US companies and hope that they can sell them with much higher price in couple years and they aren't interest if they actually create 100k new jobs, as their vision to use 250k dollar per year per job does not seem like long time investment. 

I am technically venture capital investor as I have invested in my current employer as part of venture capital investment where venture capital fund bought it, so I am familiar with idea to invest in company so that it multiply its value in next couple years and then sell it with profit to next investor.