Elon's america party

#102
#102
05_never_again said:
Bezos buying WaPo is in his interest, yes. It is a media asset that he can use to make himself a tastemaker, and he bought it for next to nothing (unlike Elon's X purchase, although X is much more powerful as a cultural force). It isn't about making himself more money; he already has that.
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So the guy who has been a moderate liberal for the past 2 decades is now making the WaPo ban any opinion column that opposes free markets or personal liberties, because that's where his personal beliefs lie? I don't think so.

Like I said, he did it to curry favor with the right, who has a massive amount of power right now.
 
#104
#104
n_huffhines said:
So the guy who has been a moderate liberal for the past 2 decades is now making the WaPo ban any opinion column that opposes free markets or personal liberties, because that's where his personal beliefs lie? I don't think so.

Like I said, he did it to curry favor with the right, who has a massive amount of power right now.
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Shock!!!! A business is following the trends of potential customers!!!???!!!!! I'm shocked!

Next Walmart will try to develop some kind of idea to compete with Amazon Prime Days. Oh, wait......

Once you figure out that personal mores or ethical concerns are SOOOOOOOO last century, you will see that the 2000s aren't about taking an ethical stand by anyone. Business is business and has been since we all started buying our clothes from child labor sweatshops decades ago.
 
#105
#105
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
Shock!!!! A business is following the trends of potential customers!!!???!!!!! I'm shocked!

Next Walmart will try to develop some kind of idea to compete with Amazon Prime Days. Oh, wait......

Once you figure out that personal mores or ethical concerns are SOOOOOOOO last century, you will see that the 2000s aren't about taking an ethical stand by anyone. Business is business and has been since we all started buying our clothes from child labor sweatshops decades ago.
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Clearly you don't understand the point of anything I'm saying.

The WaPo's customer base is left-wing. They lost 10% of their subscribers and only gained 2% back. Right-wingers aren't lining up to subscribe to what they've considered a liberal rag in a dying industry.

Where is the $ win in all of this? I know where it is. It was part of my point. It's definitely not in WaPo revenues.
 
#106
#106
hog88 said:
Because it's there and our species are explorers.

What reason did the Europeans have to sail to uncharted waters off the maps of the known world?
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They were looking for a possibly shorter and certainly safer trade route to the East.

Getting things from Asia was full of danger and middle men so sailing there yourself would make trade cheaper and cut out the overland issues.
 
#107
#107
n_huffhines said:
Clearly you don't understand the point of anything I'm saying.

The WaPo's customer base is left-wing. They lost 10% of their subscribers and only gained 2% back. Right-wingers aren't lining up to subscribe to what they've considered a liberal rag in a dying industry.

Where is the $ win in all of this? I know where it is. It was part of my point. It's definitely not in WaPo revenues.
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I do. Bezos doesn't need money short term from WaPo. He's not trying to leverage it to keep his business empire afloat.

He purchased a historic DC media brand that he can afford to let burn off old subscribers and remake itself, many times if necessary.

He purchased the brand, not the liberal legacy, THE BRAND.
 
#108
#108
McDad said:
Is he a free speech absolutist?

I haven't met many (maybe any) of those. Most have a line they don't want to see crossed.
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he does what any political person does. makes a statement and then constantly walks it back, and refuses to be held to the standard of his own words.
 
#109
#109
n_huffhines said:
So the guy who has been a moderate liberal for the past 2 decades is now making the WaPo ban any opinion column that opposes free markets or personal liberties, because that's where his personal beliefs lie? I don't think so.

Like I said, he did it to curry favor with the right, who has a massive amount of power right now.
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Didn't say that's what his personal beliefs were. I said he wants to be a tastemaker/influencer, and WaPo is his vehicle to do that. MAGA, where the power and influence on the right currently are, aren't exactly libertarian free marketeers, so I don't know if banning columns that oppose free markets is even a huge hit with them. That means that columns in favor of the tariffs would have to be banned.

When a very public figure offers an opinion, on any topic, it is really hard to tell if that is a genuine representation of what they actually believe or if they are saying it because they think they'll benefit in some way. I think for the most part they espouse views that they think will give them power and influence, regardless of whether or not they actually believe them.
 
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#110
#110
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
They were looking for a possibly shorter and certainly safer trade route to the East.

Getting things from Asia was full of danger and middle men so sailing there yourself would make trade cheaper and cut out the overland issues.
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Did the first Europeans to find Asia or the Americas even know they were there? Your answer is jumping ahead several decades.
 
#111
#111
LouderVol said:
he does what any political person does. makes a statement and then constantly walks it back, and refuses to be held to the standard of his own words.
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understood. I am not asking if you like him. or agree with him. In fact, I think he is a disagreeable sort of person. I still think he is autistic.

I am asking if he is (or if you think he is) a free speech absolutist?
 
#112
#112
hog88 said:
Did the first Europeans to find Asia or the Americas even know they were there? Your answer is jumping ahead several decades.
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Vikings, perhaps, were just looking to plunder and rape and ravage the "other guys."

Short of guys "conquering" the poles or Everest, humans are not really a "because it's there" species.

We mostly explore to see what we can take and use from unknown places or unknown people in the most safe and efficient way. We're just savage like that.
 
#113
#113
05_never_again said:
Didn't say that's what his personal beliefs were. I said he wants to be a tastemaker/influencer, and WaPo is his vehicle to do that. MAGA, where the power and influence on the right currently are, aren't exactly libertarian free marketeers, so I don't know if banning columns that oppose free markets is even a huge hit with them. That means that columns in favor of the tariffs would have to be banned.

When a very public figure offers an opinion, on any topic, it is really hard to tell if that is a genuine representation of what they actually believe or if they are saying it because they think they'll benefit in some way. I think for the most part they espouse views that they think will give them power and influence, regardless of whether or not they actually believe them.
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Coachspeak taken to the next level is political speech.

All those Southern Dems who slowly evolved to no longer being vicious racists were remarkably helped along by polls showing their state's demographics were becoming less racist.

A politician's ethics are like a good sound mixer: need a little more from left side? a little bit more from the right? Whatever you want to hear up front, we can give you. You're changing from the last show and want a little more of this and little less of that? We got you covered.
 
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#114
#114
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
During the Reagan/Contract with America days, the GOP did pretty much as they pleased and the debt and deficit spending were unchecked.

I get that VN is heavily GOP but a snake is a snake in my yard.
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I agree, the gop is as bad. Imagine if our spinning was cut 15 20%. We would have much more money, stronger dollar it would be good for everybody
 
#115
#115
dalton_vol said:
I agree, the gop is as bad. Imagine if our spinning was cut 15 20%. We would have much more money, stronger dollar it would be good for everybody
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Term limits should be project #1. There is so much power concentrated in career politicians which was never what the Founders envisioned. Their biggest mistake was in leaving that out of the original document.

Overturning Citizens United to get huge money out of national elections would help keep politicians from being bought by large money interests.

Overturning the 17th Amendment to allow state legislatures to pick Senators rather than direct voters. States should have FAR more power in DC and state legislatures reflect the true character of a state more than large population urban area blocks which can skew a Senate election now vs a state legislature which reflects the whole state. A Senator from TN or GA needs to be a Senator from TN, not Nashville or Memphis, or a Senator from GA, not Atlanta.

None of those will happen in my lifetime, but a man can hope.
 
#117
#117
dalton_vol said:
I agree, the gop is as bad. Imagine if our spinning was cut 15 20%. We would have much more money, stronger dollar it would be good for everybody
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Please stop spinning Mr. Dalton. You launched enough roundhouse kicks in Road House.
 
#119
#119
LouderVol said:
then why did he run his mouth about Twitter/X removing censorship? just say he is changing the rules on Twitter to be his own personal brand of censorship/control, and be done with it.

he overpromised/underdelivered.
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It is his company, he can do what he wants with it along as it doesn't conflict with other shareholder rights.

It isn't a free speech issue.
 
#120
#120
MurphyVol said:
Oh Elon, the flavor of the month such a short time ago... DOGE, from the beginning was a joke. Running around cutting pennies from spending that amounts to nothing in scheme of things.

As some smart, logical people have noted, you could completely eliminate hundreds of government agencies and sub agencies like....

Homeland Security
Interior
Nuclear Regulatory
EPA
commerce
Education
Agriculture
USDA
H &H services
the VA
Labor
Border Patrol
Housing
Transportation
DEA
State
Treasury
Energy
General Services
OPM
NASA
Science
FTC
SBA
Publishing
CIA
FBI
FCC
SEC
Peace Corps
TVA
USPS
Federal Reserve

just to name a small sample, and you'd only cut 14% of spending.

86% of spending (defense, healthcare, social security, etc.) is on autopilot. Our fearless leaders in DC only approve about 14% of the budget annually.
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Agree. Issue is health care. When the idea of Government paying for health care came along, Governments across the globe starting having debt issues. I don't think it is literally possible to administer health treatment to every American and stay financially spend without major cost reforms and cuts on the side of hospitals, doctors, pharmaceuticals, assisted living, etc.
 
#121
#121
MontyPython said:
As I’ve expressed in the past, I think Trump will ultimately destroy the GOP. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Musk or someone else bring a new party to fruition.
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Neither the GOP or Democrats are going anywhere. The Democrats are also in more trouble between the two right now. I do think both parties may need to change in the future to move away from their radical bases.
 
#122
#122
McDad said:
understood. I am not asking if you like him. or agree with him. In fact, I think he is a disagreeable sort of person. I still think he is autistic.

I am asking if he is (or if you think he is) a free speech absolutist?
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I think he is, and has made claims of such.

not sure if the link works, so I am including a snip.



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#124
#124
LouderVol said:
I think he is, and has made claims of such.

not sure if the link works, so I am including a snip.



View attachment 754115
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Heh. Truth is it's far more profitable for Elon to not filter content.

His $44B purchase of Twitter has been a financial disaster. So, yeah, shocking I know but billionaires are motivated solely by $.
 
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