A Perfectly Reasonable Amount of Schadenfreude about Things Happening to Trump & His Enablers (Part 3)

[Love_Rhombus]

But Taxes = Bad!

[OldOlds]

@Slithy_Tove

It’s standard procedure for boards to take companies away from the entrepreneurs who started from them

I think it’s important to note that, despite what KetoElmo says, he did NOT found Tesla.

[Maus_Magill]

I’ve never understood why the common retort to “tax and spend” wasn’t “borrow and spend.”

[JohnT]

I had a conversation with Texas Representative Joaquin Castro (D) about this very topic back in 2018. To no-one’s surprise here, he was truly flummoxed about how to change the “Tax & Spend” messaging… and he apparently didn’t remember my suggestion, lol. Of course, he didn’t remember to tip, either.

@JohnT

(This is where the conversation got a little… I don’t know, sad…)

JC: “One of the problems we have as Democrats is that we always get hit with the ‘tax and spend’ label. For example, the tax cuts. Everyone is asking us ‘are you going to repeal the tax cuts?’, and we are, but as soon as we propose something, the Republicans are going to hit back with their ‘tax and spend’ message, so we have to fight against that, which is extremely difficult because we are, in fact, raising taxes and increasing spending.”

(He seemed genuinely perplexed and concerned about this, almost defeatist. But it was late and, I’m sure, everyone was tired.)

JT: “Well, if you are going to let the opposition literally set the terms of the debate, you’ll always find yourself in a losing position. When they accuse of you being ‘tax and spend’, and you defend yourself on those terms, you already lost as you accepted their parameters and the validity, moral and intellectual, to their arguments. Why not work to change the terms of the debate?”

JC: (amused) “Like what?”

JT: “Well, take ‘tax and spend’. I would counter it with, say, ‘invest and build’ with my message being ‘There was a time in America where we were capable of great projects, where we would invest and build in the Panama Canal, we invested and built the Apollo Project, we invested and built the Manhattan Project, invested and built the Interstate Road System, our education system, etc, etc, etc. But since the conservative mantra of ‘tax and spend’ became the norm since the 1980s, we no longer do great things. What is the greatest thing America achieved since 1980? Collapse of the Soviet Union? They largely did it to themselves, so it can’t count. The Internet? Started in 1960, in the age of ‘invest and build’, so it doesn’t count. Facebook? Is Facebook really the greatest thing America has produced since Reagan took office? ‘Tax and spend’ is killing what is great about America, our civic duty to ourselves and our country’s potential – let’s get back, all of us, to investing and building.”

[Johnny_L.A]

@JohnT

‘invest and build’

Too many syllables for the target audience.

[Der_Trihs]

@Maus_Magill

I’ve never understood why the common retort to “tax and spend” wasn’t “borrow and spend.”

Because that would be critical of the Republicans and thus “uncivil” and a “violation of the norms”. The Democrats have an abused-spouse sort of relationship with the Republicans where they feel obligated to blame themselves for their own abuse while trying to portray everything the Republicans do as justified and well meaning.

[Cervaise]

As is being discussed in other threads, but worth noting here: Musk got mouthy, Trump decided to nuke him, and Tesla stock is falling like a rock. Down almost 15% as I write this.

https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/tsla

[Gatopescado]

This is what I been waitin’ for! Should be some epic fun!

[Atamasama]

I’m expecting “Yakety Sax” to be playing at Tesla HQ right now.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

I’m just surprised it took this long for them to turn on each other.

[enipla]

@Cervaise

Musk got mouthy, Trump decided to nuke him, and Tesla stock is falling like a rock.

IMHO, Musk nuked his own company when he got involved with a bigoted racist anti environment bully. And then started firing thousands of government workers without knowing what they do.

He lobbed dumb bombs at his own customers, and his company.

Lie down with dogs, and all that. In this case though, Musk got in bed with a traitor.

[Johnny_L.A]

The Word of the Day is ‘Cambodia’.

Here, I’ll use it in a sentence: I said to Trump and Musk, ‘Cambodia just leave, already?’

[JKellyMap]

I laughed!

[Atamasama]

@Johnny_L.A

I said to Trump and Musk, ‘Cambodia just leave, already?’

“Eeeey!”

[WOOKINPANUBv.2]

I thought it was Laosy.

[iamatractorboy]

I thought that was a Laos-y joke

[iamatractorboy]

@WOOKINPANUBv.2

I thought it was Laosy.

Darn it

[Gyrate]

@WOOKINPANUBv.2

I thought it was Laosy.

@iamatractorboy

I thought that was a Laos-y joke

It’s a Thai!

[Johnny_L.A]

@iamatractorboy

I thought that was a Laos-y joke

How about this one, then? The Word of the Day is ‘Somalia’.

Here, I’ll use it in a sentence: ‘There are too many of you fascists here. Somalia gotta leave!’

[solost]

All this crazy political news makes me want to Taiwan on.