mtutiger

I would just add that so much of the analysis of the last election ignores some basic fundamentals... it was a really hard lift, Harris came a lot closer than she probably should have considering how people perceived the economy (ie. poorly). We fast forward to today.... Trump is moving fast and with force. It's intimidating, I almost think the speed is the point, to get us to a point of exasperation or learned helplessness. All of which serves his (and the GOP's) goals. But he's also underwater in popularity, he's never been viewed worse in terms of the economy. The pox that took down Biden and Harris, is now on him.... it doesn't seem like it, but he's *vulnerable*.... and the speed in which they are moving, disorienting as it is, maybe belies weakness. Like they know the window is narrow.

Even with that though, the recent polls (including NBC) is showing him underwater on the economy for literally the first time *ever* as a national figure.... Material conditions still matter to a degree.... maybe propaganda can overpower that, but in a country that is congenitally bred to hate incumbent Presidents, we'll see how it ends up working.

This is all correct, but I still think we need to consider the context in that people were sour about inflation and the economy, and it remains the biggest reason he won. And he's ****ing up daily on that front. It's important that Dems learn about what happened in 2024, but after that last eight years, I sometimes worry that we collectively spend way too much time analyzing the last battle versus preparing for the next one.

The economic stuff is going to be a real issue for the Trump folks... I don't know that I buy what chas is selling above, but the administration trying to consolidate power while people see their real wages / purchasing power falling is in real tension. That's the part of me that thinks Schumer's tactic wasn't unreasonable, I still think he executed it so poorly and seems ill fitted for the moment

I'd be OK with Patty Murray or Chris Murphy... I don't see any of the others being viable. Schatz maybe would have been in the category, but he voted with Schumer

Durbin may not even run for reelection...

Just threading in for your post in the other thread, I'm torn on what the right move was, but the bigger problem is that he clearly doesn't have the pulse of his caucus. Add on top his latest media tour, he's just clearly not the right voice for this moment. Honestly not sure who is among Senate Dems, which is the worrying part...

Guessing it was Schumer

Jesus

The fact that he's currently disapproved of for the first time on the economy kinda tells the story. It's not that he didn't advertise this and that the impacts are surprising, it's that the GP never took interest in what he was proposing for the future and instead looked at him from a backward looking perspective

Never have felt more right about canceling a subscription in my life... Buncha water carriers

Also, it's objectively terrible for a new President to be underwater 56 days into their Presidency. Just absolutely terrible framing by Axios, but that is to be expected.

Only Axios could frame a poll showing Trump underwater 56 days into his Presidency and registering at 30-67 with independent voters as "Trump high"

Dam safety is pennies on the dollar. It's not DOD, SS, Medicare or Medicaid. So it's pretty ****ing illogical, even if it's easily explainable based on Trump and Musk's personality flaws

I have logically come to that conclusion that there decision is illogical as well... And that there is no way to conceive logic to defend it

There are many problems with DOGE, obviously, but one of the biggest (and probably underplayed) is it's hacksaw approach taking out people working to protect infrastructure that needs maintenance and that we all take for granted. I'm a civil engineer so stories like these speak to me more than the general public, but it's all fun and games until a dam fails and kills hundreds or (depending on geography) thousands of people.

It's an explanation but it's not logical in the slightest.

Oklahoma man says Social Security benefits terminated without warning or explanation Great local reporting... I worry that it's a story we may be seeing more and more

If they really feared him, they would be complying *and* would still buy the F-35s.

Genuinely racking my brain but cannot come with a logical explanation for this action

It's largely about internal Hungarian issues around corruption in his administration, don't want to make it all about us like Americans do... But it would be hilarious (although sad, but maybe inspiring, for us) if Trump winning happens while Orban's standing starts to sink and decline. Particularly given how this administration loves to hold Orban up as a paragon of virtue

Regarding egg prices...

Wow, Trump is making us so much more respected across the world

I don't know that AOC would be the right candidate to run for that seat, even in deep blue New York, but what I do know is that Schumer has absolutely lost control of his caucus and, once this episode passes, probably needs to step aside and let someone else be Minority Leader. You don't have to be an AOC acolyte to see how badly he botched this.