I think we gravely overestimate the influence the political class has on the economy. Sure the money markets react to elections, but that’s largely fluctuations
Economically and militarily, the US still has a leading impact on all global events by some margin.
US diplomatic influence has decreased globally though, particularly in emerging nations, even then they’re still top dog. Who the president is matters for most western nations
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I agree that we cannot measure the impact of a political candidate, but their policies do.
For example, This tax policy which was not taken seriously & thought to be shelved before it could take effect, somehow went into effect this year and has fucked a lot of businesses.
Which has had a ripple effect in other countries.
If wrestling is fake how can you explain this???
@Forever you still haven’t answered my question about what’s so unlikable about Harris. I’m genuinely curious what put you off.
I actually don’t have much against Harris herself. I much more dislike Biden than her.
However, whenever she talks I can’t help but feel it’s contrived. Feels she can’t be really herself.
On top of that the establishment media is so obviously carrying water for the Democratic Party. Any hint of neutrality or balance certainly isn’t there. I know Republicans have Fox for that, but the Democrats have about a dozen more networks on their side.
One of the things that speaks for Trump is he can more or less say more freely what he thinks and wants to say than a nominee on the other party. Perhaps because less hostage to lobbyist donations and all that.
I know Trump is a grifter, a conman and has a good babble saying what the people want to hear.
Watching the spectacle from this side of the Atlantic, it all feels very unnatural to me and at times surreal.
I don’t really know how people over there can think it’s a democracy. Perhaps on the state level it’s more of a democracy, but the presidential elections feel like a joke.
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It’s interesting you say that because the way that news networks have bent over backwards to treat Trump with kid glove is a big topic on social media over here. The way that he (or his team) managed to wrangle a “no real time fact check” agreement out of CNN for the debate he had with Biden, the way that print media will clean up things he says and the way that they platform his people who come on the air and say just wild stuff.
If you think Trump isn’t beholden to donors, you’re fooling yourself. His brand as a politician is that he can say or do what he wants because he’s rich, but all you have to do is look at the way he’s changed his tune on things like Tik Tok or electric cars to see that he’ll tap dance for someone with money too.
I guess authenticity is in the eye of the beholder. She speaks like a pretty normal person to my ear. More so than Trump does who sounds like your the old racist guy in the locker room yapping your ear off about “the blacks” while his balls are out.
Which people though? It’s not any different than Harris talking about “not going back” or the speech she gave that she was going to crack down on corporate price gouging with basically zero actual policy. It’s all vibes, but their audiences prefer different vibes. Ironically the one time this campaign Trump was caught being tied to actual wonkish policy (with Project 2025) it was bad for him.
On the whole it’s probably good you can’t vote here. No offense.
I watched the CNN segment on the DNC and it was embarassing the love-in, really. You can’t be serious and say with a straight face a network like CNN is impartial and balanced towards both parties?
That would be hilarious if you think so.
Don’t worry - I am glad I can’t vote in that circus of your nation. If I could, I’d abstain my vote if the choice was between Trump and Harris. I would vote Sanders or Stein. Would be called a Bernie-bro for it, I suppose.
I have been to the US plenty of times and on the whole the people are really friendly and chatty. But, the two times I went to some corporate event, I realise I am as far removed from American mentality, culture and the obsession with work and partisanship as you possibly can be. There is something incredibly phony and suffocating about that environment.
Bro there is a genocide going on and the only reason it is, is because America supports it.
They still have mad influence. So much so that their culture war issues become our culture war issues
I’m sure there’s no doubt the establishment is delighted with Kamala but I don’t really get his point.
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You have to be politically aligned with the Democratic Party to be their nominee for president. It’s an evil conspiracy.
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The little worm is insinuating that Trump and trump clones like himself are somehow anti-establishment.
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Its a slam against career politicians with no real talent or hardcoded ideals failing upwards. The “system”, being corporate media and permanent political class rejects outliers to maintain vested interests at the expense of real progress. It how you could have a brain dead guy run the most powerful nation on earth and have the media openly deny it.
Say what you like about Trump or his policies, someone like him was never meant to be president or even get remote close to executive power.
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I’d rather have the political establishment than him though lol
Nothing you said here is wrong, but ‘original ideas’ in the Democratic party would make him throw a fit. They already suggest Kamala is communist.
Suppose what I’m saying if it’s not this it’ll be something else to whinge about.
I don’t think Trump has original ideas or a free thinker relative to modern politics but his brash style exposes a lot of things. I’d rather have someone who crudely exposes the flaws and hypocrisy in the “system” rather than furthers it.
I don’t think a democratic outlier similar to Trump would even get close
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I disagree.
Given the influence of monied interests on the political system, Trump types are inevitable.
That’s why you have so many similar clown fascist leaders popping up everywhere from the Philippines to India to the Netherlands (Wilders was an original), Argentina, etc.
People like Rupert Murdock “meant” for Trump to become president by lending their resources to him and his ilk.
A democratic outlier wouldn’t get close to gaining the reigns of power.
Bernie Sanders for example, as non-threatening as he is.
@sevchenko has got a point.
Nobody and I mean: nobody at all, thought Trump could win in 2016.
The establishment couldn’t handle it, invented all sorts of stuff to stop him from winning: russia collusion, media hit pieces, the whole shabang. We could first hand see how the establishment media was in the pocket of the political establishment. Doing its bidding, carrying water for them.
By the way, Sanders was close to winning the nomination from Hillary. And the DNC did all it could to prevent that from happening.
Sanders is the real deal. With real principles. For decades fighting for what he believes in.
Unlike Biden and Harris (and Trump for that matter), who have the principles whatever the flavour of the time is. You can simply look up Biden’s track record of the last decade.