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Basically what the post says. The last two PSA episodes have alluded to such figures but not really. Anyone know?

I am too, I can’t stand the right and everything they stand for, but c’mon, I’ve gotten enough emails about it. I know it’s the shopping season but what are we doing here? I get what they’re doing, I dunno. Am I off base here?

Doubt it

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“So I think given that we had a challenging political environment, the fact that we got the race to dead heat was positive”. Does this map and popular vote look like a dead heat to you?! FFS, why are those people so disconnected from reality. To quote the boys: everyone in the DNC campaign world needs to go touch grass!!!

From Pod Save America: Exclusive: The Harris Campaign On What Went Wrong, Nov 26, 2024 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pod-save-america/id1192761536?i=1000678260050&r=311 This material may be protected by copyright.

Say what you want about Trump but his appeal is based to a degree on being “anti-establishment”. I truly believe Democrats shot themselves in the foot and are still suffering from shunning Bernie in 2016 and again in 2020. The people want someone who isn’t part of the system. Trump does not offer solutions (he’ll likely makes the inflation and economic problems worse) but Trump ran a campaign that acknowledged the economic issues. Meanwhile Harris and her team downplayed economic issues and ran a campaign that sought to protect the “institutional integrity” of democracy from Trump. Protecting “the establishment” has little appeal to people struggling in this inflationary environment

So much of what people voted for had nothing to do with a campaign. Democrats look like weak pushovers and as much as FIGHT is part of the campaign voters can see it's no part of how they actually govern. If you campaign on holding trump to accountablen as one example, The 'let the system work' governing style doesn't match and voters feel either cheated on the left side or emboldened on the right.

We're getting bullied constantly by conservatives and voters watched democrats give themselves preemptive swirlies in steady of stand up and actually fight back. No wonder they stayed home

"He is never playing three-dimensional chess. He’s just eating a checker." — Journalist Molly Jong-Fast, speaking during the end of the last Trump era.

'Tariff Man,' Part Deux

Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs threaten higher prices on gasoline and beer, and could hammer the Canadian and Mexican economies. Suddenly, we’re back to wondering: Does this guy mean what he says?

• The self-proclaimed “Tariff Man” is back on his bullshit. President-elect Donald Trump kicked this week off on a chaotic note, vowing to issue executive orders imposing hefty tariffs on Washington’s three largest trade partners — China, Mexico and Canada — on the day he takes office. The goal, according to Trump, is to reduce the flow of migrants and fentanyl into the U.S. (an assertion that prompted howls of protest from Canadian officials who retorted that America’s northern border isn’t the source of those problems). The impact, however, would push up the costs of goods from those countries for average Americans.

• Take gasoline. Trump might not realize this, but seven-out-of-ten barrels of oil sent to the U.S. arrive from Canada or Mexico. Slapping a massive tariff on all that crude would spike gas prices in the American Midwest by 50 cents per gallon during the peak driving season, according to one energy analyst who spoke to Bloomberg. How would that square with Trump’s pledge to get gas prices under $2 a gallon? No idea, ask Mr. Business Genius over there.

• It’s hardly just gas — it’s cars, too. Detroit-based auto manufacturer General Motors is expected to import 750,000 cars from Mexico and Canada this year alone, including the company’s popular Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra pickups and midsized SUVs. The company’s plants in Mexico also produce GM’s new electric vehicles (which, side note, will be hit hard when Trump ends a $7,500 EV subsidy). Prices of those cars would likely jump, leading to fewer sales and more layoffs at the American factories, experts warn. Ford and Stellantis, the next top U.S. car producers in Mexico, also saw their shares fall after Trump’s announcement.

• As many as 400,000 Americans could lose their jobs as a result of the tariffs, Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters today alongside President Claudia Sheinbaum. By Mexico’s estimates, Trump’s plan would raise the price of GM and Ford pickup trucks sold in the U.S. — 88 percent of which are made south of the border — by $3,000. If the tariffs are put in place, Mexico will respond with tariffs of its own, Sheinbaum said. Canada’s economy, which relies on $1 trillion cross-border trade with the U.S., would be devastated if Trump actually follows through, according to Canada’s CBC News.

“Whatever,” you say. “I won’t drive anywhere. I’ll hunker down and drink beer until 2029.” Nope, still not safe!

• The company behind imported beers Corona and Negra Modelo, Constellation Brands, will likely see its costs surge 16 percent, according to one analysis. Economists widely agree that the tariffs would hurt everyday Americans. “The U.S. would be shooting itself in the foot,” Kenneth Smith Ramos, a former Mexican negotiator for the USMCA trade pact, told Reuters.

• Ironically, the consequences look so grim, skepticism is rising about Trump’s real intentions. During the first Trump administration, he’d sometimes threaten tariffs over immigration disputes or other issues in an attempt to pressure countries to bend to his whim, even if actual policies didn’t pan out. That could be what’s happening here: In his announcement, Trump said he’ll enact the policy because of people “pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before.” Violent crime has, in fact, dropped in the U.S. since the peak of the pandemic.

• Some observers insist he can’t be serious. Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, told CBC News: “Relax a little bit. He loves doing this.”

Crashing the U.S. economy to own the libs. Right on

Meanwhile On The Pod...

Brian Tyler Cohen Explains How to Survive Political Debates this Thanksgiving (11/27/24)

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

Dan Pfeiffer had an exclusive sit-down with Jen O’Malley Dillon, David Plouffe, Quentin Fulks and Stephanie Cutter from the Harris campaign on yesterday’s Pod Save America. And shortly after, he followed up with a Q&A from our subscriber community. To hear Dan's takes & answers, check out the exclusive bonus episode on the Friends of the Pod Discord. When you subscribe to Friends of the Pod, you're also supporting Crooked's mission to build a progressive media ecosystem. Plus we're offering 25% off annual subscriptions right now. Head to https://crooked.com/friends or subscribe now from the Pod Save America feed on apple podcasts.

What Else?

The Biden administration is moving forward with a plan to provide a $680 million weapons package for Israel, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted as part of Israel’s cease-fire deal with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, according to the Financial Times. The U.S. has given Israel about $18 billion in military assistance since last October.

Donald Trump’s team is considering direct talks with North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un in an attempt to lower the risk of armed conflict, Reuters reports. Kim has refused to talk with the U.S. at all in recent years, and Trump’s past diplomatic efforts didn’t bear results — even as he described his talks with Kim as falling “in love.” Normal head-of-state language.

Brain worm survivor Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he used to use heroin to manage his undiagnosed ADHD. “I was at the bottom of my class,” he said during a podcast in July, which has been resurfaced. “I started doing heroin, and I went to the top of my class. Suddenly I could sit still, and I could read and I could concentrate. I could listen to what people were saying.” Future Health and Human Services secretary, everybody!

Several of Trump’s cabinet picks have been targeted with bomb threats this week, the president-elect's transition team said.

Trump’s transition team reached an agreement with the Biden administration to coordinate the handoff. But it lacks several key details, including background and security checks for Trump’s transition team, and it doesn’t require the president-elect to sign an ethics pledge — which would make him promise to avoid conflicts of interest while in office. What could go wrong?

MAGA henchman Steve Bannon credited centibillionaire conspiracy theorist Elon Musk with Trump’s election win. “He came in with the money and the professionals. To be brutally frank, it’s the reason we won,” Bannon told Puck. Any word on when we can overturn Citizens United? No?

Trump nominated Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the National Institutes of Health, to lead the National Institutes of Health. He’s been called out for his “fringe” views about Covid and was a prominent critic of Covid lockdowns. Trump’s abysmal cabinet continues to add disappointing new installments, like unnecessary sequels to “Hellraiser.”

Inflation rose slightly in October, showing that while inflation was dramatically reduced over the course of the Biden administration, it’s not entirely tamed. It’s a little reminder that Trump’s inflationary policies could spark a new round of price increases (ironically, the very thing Trump voters claim to hate).

Pod Save The World’s Ben Rhodes spoke with women's rights activist Malala Yousafzai and director Sahra Mani about their new documentary portraying the first-hand experiences of women in Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of the country in 2021 and immediately restricted women’s rights. Give it a listen.

What A Sponsor

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Light At The End Of The Email

Three Americans who were held in China for years will soon return home to the United States, the White House announced.

A federal court restored an Oregon tribe’s right to hunt and fish in the area after decades of advocacy by tribal leaders.

A courtroom sketch artist captured disgraced former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani “losing it” during a court hearing this week, over the $148 million he’s being forced to give up in a defamation case. “I didn’t really feel sorry for him. I’m sure he’s managing OK,” the artist said. Perfect attitude. No notes.

Here’s a handy guide on “how not to poison your loved ones during your big holiday feast.” Get cookin’!

Today is our endlessly talented graphic designer Bernardo’s last day at Crooked. Bernardo, along with Zevvy, Sami and other members of the team, have been responsible for all the hilarious gifs at the top of the newsletter over the years. Bernardo’s personal GIF tally: 397. Wow! That’s a lotta GIFs! We’re so sad to see him go! But he’ll find a way to make the world a better place through his art wherever he goes.

Enjoy

Devon Jones (@ devon_island) on Threads: "one must imagine Sisyphus with absolutely fuckin shredded quads holy fucking shit"

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To friends of the Pod:

I've listened to the post mortem, and just finished watching the vid. Yes it was as grueling as you might think.

Now before you get all defensive hear me out.

There was a week where Hasan Minhaj hosted the Dailyshow. He deleted his Twitter on air after Musk bought it. I said "He'll Yeah!" And promptly followed suit. My only social media was Reddit, and even that was fairly sparce. I lived my days as a well informed podcast listener and my job has me interacting with rural Minnesotans everyday.

Anyone in this type of position or not your typical "online progressive" might be feeling more of what I'm feeling. Not anger and not shock. Just a put your head down and get to work mentality. I think Twitter has melted your brains, not only that but to an even larger extent, our social media ecosystem. It has already met it's Orwellian outcome. So my hypothesis would be Twitter influenced this election.

How many of you are pissed off reading this? I'm not here to blame or even victimize anyone. So again please hear me out.

I have no idea what it was like watching Twitter's downfall into Musk's propaganda machine. I'm willing to bet it's alot like what Reddit is going threw currently. It's an extremely sad thing losing your community to bots and bad actors. How many of us on the left stayed on Twitter because we needed a community to be apart of? Nothing wrong with that, but we need to learn the future is being influenced by algorithms.

I know the road we're on is long and winding, hopefully not off a cliff. Clearly alot of people are angry and rightfully so. Isn't it possible that most of it is propagated threw our shared media? How much has our world really changed? Are we even capable of understanding? With AI that can easily pass the Turing Test as any type of troll. It's only job is to disagree and create division among both sides. The oligarchs running hostile (and now our country's) government don't care as long as we are pissed off or complacent...

If I was a billionaire who was invested in the outcome of an election. I would put 50 million into figuring out who needs to be fed what. X group needs to see more of A. Y group needs to see more of B. What are we to the richest human other than data?

Do you feel attacked? Maybe it's time to take a break from social media. When you're ready to come back, try Bluesky, learn how to mute the AI, follow the people who do the things you love, and take your feed into your own hands. Be responsible for the information you are getting. Learn to love again! Clearly it's what they don't want us to do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In all these post election takes, what Democrats did wrong, Harris should have gone on Rogan, etc. Not a single person is even entertaining the idea (ironic in a democracy too), that voters simply voted for what they wanted, and voted for Trump because they wanted his fascism. Why not?

I get why people don't want to admit it, but why not actually consider it at this point? This entire framing of voters as morally good people "forced" into voting for Trump despite everything Trump repeatedly said he was going to do, as some failure on the part of Democrats and Harris makes no sense. If we are going to ask for humility from Democrats why not ask for humility on voters?

And there is the constant irony of saying Harris and Democrats didn't listen or speak to voters while everyone is operating in the exact same fashion. If voters say they want fascism, and we go "no you don't you are actually upset at corporate tax cuts", how is that speaking to them?

I don't know if people saw it but there was an image going around comparing Trump's and Harris' housing policies. Harris had her bullet points of 25k down payment assistance, and building 3 million new homes as hers. Trump had deporting 10 million people as his. Couldn't be any more clearer in portraying the differences in the camapagins.

If we think voters are rational people who respond to campaign messaging, then we have to consider voters looked at those opposing policies rationally and voted in accordance to what they wanted. So unless you are advocating for Harris or the next Democrat to run on mass deportations, then maybe consider voters voted for what they wanted.

But this idea that voters didn't really want mass deportations but had to vote for Trump anyways because Harris didn't offer 10 million new homes, is just nonsensical.

I’ve taken a break from all political podcasts since the election so I haven’t been listening to PSA. Apparently everyone is mad at everyone for something? Can I get a quick summary?

Quotes from the campaign debrief episode. Absolutely astounding. WTF. All three paragraphs are direct quotes:

She felt like she was part of the administration, so why would she look back and cherry pick some issues that she would've done differently, when she was part of it?

She had tremendous loyalty to President Biden. Imagine if we said "Well, we would've taken this approach on the border", imagine the round of stories that would've come out with people saying "she never said that in a meeting".

The most she felt comfortable with was... Look, vice presidents never break with their president. /// She wasnt willing to change that precedent.

Even if Kamala was a bad candidate, the opposition is still fucking Donald Trump. Wouldn't Democrats and non-political voters get out simply to vote against a dictator?