More people need to think this way. Neither party is 'good'. They both just want power. Sometimes we get lucky that the path they chose is also for our benefit.
Way too many unipartiers still in office that NEED TO BE SENT PACKING. If only they hadn’t allowed the down ballot theft to go on for WEEKS after the election.
The fact that people voted republican for the top of the ticket but not the rest of the ballot—as you go down the ballot sheet the election is for state then regional then local elections and they focused more on the election of “down ballot “ local stuff. Just look how long it took to call the house elections it took weeks. If you can change state laws you can affect federal elections. All blue states are proof of concept. The laws in those states don’t require voter identification for example and they have wide open vote by mail which is far easier to game.
So, if people voted Democrat top of the ballot and down ballot, would that be whole ballot theft? Or, is a split ticket ballot (Republican - Democrat or Democrat - Republican) prima facia evidence of voter fraud? Sorry, I'm not following the logic here.
Sorry I was trying to be nice. I’m sure no election was ever changed for the benefit of the powerful because we live in a perfect world where all humans are honest and ethical. Have a nice day.
Yes! I get that boomers are truly exhausted of being shit on and having their constitutional rights abused over decades, and the Trump movement gave them hope for real change, but that too is letting emotion substitute for clear thinking. I’ve already seen enough to be damn certain the whole 2-party system needs abolishing. I think George Carlin’s ghost is occupying a significant chunk of my mind.
I used to blame 2 party system. Im independent after being in both parties. BUT now i know it's not a party problem. But a POWER problem. Look at France. Gov a mess. Lots of parties. They shift alliance after voted in for power.
We have right idea: strip govt to essential services only. BUT POWER packs won't go easy. ONLY ones who care about this is MAGA and alt right ( libertarian and isolationists) who dont always agree either. But for small gov sill unite I hope.
We akready have multiple parties. Democrat. RINO REPUBLICABS ( Uniparty). MAGA. ALT right. Reps.
MAGA ( Trump supporters) are NOT majority. And are NOT voting for this.
This post begins like a telegram and ends in word salad, making it easier to dismiss than its author might wish. What does the final word even refer to?
And replace it with what? I am not a proponent of multiple party systems because coalitions must be formed by compromises and the result ultimately is compromised governance. What we are witnessing here may not be bad but rather the destruction of the Uniparty and a return to genuine two party politics. Populism and third party candidates have traditionally forced course correction of American politics. Plus this CR is dead.
On the money. Both parties want power. And more power. And then more. Both will count upon the collective amnesia of most voters--and beyond that, will count upon a weary, stoop-shouldered shrug of resignation from most others. And hell, I get amnesia as well ... hard to keep track of specific incidents in the waist-high rush of news and--what else to call it?--propaganda packaged as news. That's one reason among many that Matt is so important: he reminds us, and does so in detail.
Every person with power must be held to account. I hope smarter people than me can figure out ways to make the process accountable. Because bad and good people come and go. The constraints must be built in. Number one: transparency. We can’t hold anyone accountable when we don’t even know what they’re doing. (I find it highly ironic that this late and rather minor attempt by Musk on X to promote participation in governance is getting pushback. It’s the very essence of small r republicanism that the people can tell their reps what they do and don’t want. It shows that far from democracy, we haven’t even had a real republic. The elected go to Washington and do whatever the hell the ruling class wants and they blithely ignore the will of the people because there are never any consequences for doing so. Over and over. Many examples, but one of the most egregious was the 08 bailouts.)
..and you know what PJ O'Rourke said about that, "Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is aways a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs."
I never cared much for Republicans until MAGA anyway. But the bottom line is, we can't trust any politicians, ever. The deep state uses lobbies, honeypots, and illegal surviellance to systematically corrupt and blackmail elected officials, and the democratmedia supports them at every turn. We have to keep an eye on all of them, even on those we think we can trust.
Even Bernie was eventually silenced. Trump hasn’t been, yet at least. And while I don’t like Trump personally anymore than anyone else, he does now have a first-time-in-my-adult-life opportunity to make some serious changes. RFKj and Patel will hopefully wreak havoc with HHS and FBI, and though Ratcliffe is a creature of DC, the CIA may see some necessary change as well. It will be important that Gabbard is given plenty of authority as well.
Bernie disappointed me. During that awful 2016 Democratic Convention he should have stood up and called out Hillary and his party's leadership for cheating, then announced he was running a third party candidacy, and that he didn't care if Trump won. Trump was actually more aligned with Bernie on the issues than the Democrats were anyway.
Bernie didn’t have the will for the fight that was necessary. Had he not bowed out, he’d have been left bloody. Or worse. And he knew it. No doubt he knows exactly who HRC is and what she’s capable of.
Can you describe other presidents of recent vintage who, from a character standpoint, are anymore likable than Trump? Both Biden and Obama were chumps who used their own personal animosities to divide our country and inflame racial animosity while stealing the wealth of America through corruption. Bush II was an idiot who started wars against Islam when the real culprits hide in plain sight while making bank on tax payer money. Help me here.
Thanks to steady media harping, saying you don't like Trump is the ticket you have to punch in order to gain admission to the intelligent people club. And then you can sound extra-smart by saying you like his policies, etc.
But anyone over the age of 25 remembers Donald Trump as the popular and witty reality show host of 'The Apprentice', and if you're over 50 you might remember when he was a brash, gregarious, and quotable young New York real estate mogul who lived in the limelight, rubbed shoulders with celebrities, joked about his expensive divorces and sometimes terrible investments, and was the subject of all kinds of tabloid gossip.
Yes, Trump does makes me laugh and cringe at times. I think his character is really no different from many past presidents. America loved Kennedy or was it the falsified Camelot mystique? serial womanizer with a glorified family history that does not adhere to the truth of who they were. Trump has less baggage than the Kennedy's or the Clinton's.
I say I don’t like Trump because I observe what he does and says in the world. Total creep, not a likeable person.
I didn’t watch The Apprentice, as #1, all reality TV is stupid, and #2, Trump was already a multiple bankruptcy loser who thought he was cool, but he was just a whoring douche bag.
I say I don’t like him so everyone knows I’m not a MAGA groupie. He has my support until he doesn’t follow through on free speech and fixing the FBI and federal health agencies.
I like him for his straight talk. He speaks frankly and off-the-cuff, and isn't afraid to say what everyone is thinking. He's the boss, and he's not controlled by someone else. He crashed the party, shamed the gatekeepers, and he doesn't owe anything to anyone. Like him or not, he's his own man.
He's unlike any other President (or politician) I can remember.
I would have to stretch “recently vintage.” Carter was the last good man who was President. Bush 1 seemed of strong character, but he was a swamp creature as well.
Thanks for your opinion. Carter was a nice guy, bad president. Reagan was likable and a good president. In my note above, I would say Clinton was smart, but totally unlikable for his folksy BS which papered over his sexual predator nature and serial dishonesty. He makes Trump look like a boy scout in comparison.
The Israel Lobby plays the largest role here in the corruption and politicians go willingly to the pig trough to secure their futures and impinge on ours by deceit.
Tell me more. What is going on with Substack embracing The Free Press? I haven't looked at FP closely. My first impression was that it is boring a predictable. Is FP yet another Zionist media venue given star treatment? Thanks for the heads up. Who is accountable for this development at Substack? Who takes responsibility for putting Free Press in this role? Who is behind Free Press? If what you say is true Lawyers Guns and Money, what can we expect next.
I wouldn’t know about embracing it. I subscribed because Bari Weiss worked on the Twitter Files when Matt did. I was looking for a center-right perspective (mine is radical left and I find it valuable to understand what others are saying.) Then Oct. 7 happened, and Bari’s true self took over.
And her readers seemed to agree.
WARNING: if you dare to criticize the government of Israel or its leader in the comments pages of TFP, you will absolutely be called an antisemite and even a Jew-hater. It’s pretty sad. Bari acts like Jewish people have been, currently are, and always will be the most oppressed on earth.
Your comments expose a lot. If the corporate entity that is Substack have decided to feature this TFP as the flagship of the whole Substack operation, that is very disturbing. It begs the question whether or not Substack authors who do not share the perspectives of Bari Weiss, should be entrusting our free speech commentary to this operation. I remember when Google and You Tube first came out, their platforms seemed almost too good to be true. No censorship. Search engine that just took the key words and responded straightforwardly without bull shit spin doctoring like that which now prevails. The usual suspects moved in and wrecked a good thing, step by step on the way to the dystopia we now inhabit. Are we seeing the beginning of the same process at Substack? Who is accountable at Substack?
Ever heard of the ADL? How about AIPAC? If you don’t understand that lobby, you’re
deliberately pretending it doesn’t exist. Not helpful. Also, see my point above about being called Jew-hater for Israel criticism. And you call Cosmo a Nazi?
Dude, that is really weak. Pay no attention to his argument, move immediately to insults. You are absolutely a Free Presser.
Typical Zionist clap trap. You know who your oppressors are by those who you cannot criticize and the oppressors always project bigotry onto others like you have just done. Look in the mirror dude and you will see who the bigot is.
No kidding. Mine/yours/our constitutional rights are increasingly looking like we may need to fight on our own behalf to maintain was was granted to us as citizens. Those rights are being taking away by the few, the unproud and the ugly.
Exactly. Men and women without spines are our leaders. the lack of a spine makes it easier for them to bend down pick up the small change the Oligarchs leave as if they were crumbs. We know what they are against and what they are for and nowhere do I find them standing up for the rule of law and the American people.
UNDERSTAND. R after the name does not mean MAGA. Deep state R ( rino) votes for big wars. Big pharna. This fight needs to learn distinction to put pressure on all those voting for this bill.
Unfortunately, we are not governed by angels and never will be.
Constitutional protection of your natural rights and political privileges & immunities will always be dependent on how seriously oath-taking officials take their oaths. And they will really only ever take them as seriously as a large enough minority of Americans demands.
Check their voting records. They can launder votes for Palantir, Amazon, Google and Meta's corporatized surveillance and always blame it on the other team to "get it across the finish line".
A statement from President Donald J. Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance: "The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans . . . https://x.com/JDVance/status/1869495076604227726
Statement from Vivek: "There's no legitimate reason for them to be voted on as a package deal by a lame-duck Congress. 72 pages worth of “Pandemic Preparedness and Response” policy; renewal of the much-criticized "Global Engagement Center," a key player in the federal censorship state; 17 different pieces of Commerce legislation; paving the way for a new football stadium in D.C.; a pay raise for Congressmen & Senators and making them eligible for Federal Employee Health Benefits.
It's indefensible to ram these measures through at the last second without debate. . .."
Absolutely. I belong to a website group that does just that. Been doing that since 2009. We usually list the nay votes because it's real short. If you rep is not on it, call them out.
We also list the GOP nay votes on must-have amendments that get voted down.
Geeze Louise--Actual involved citizens--actually involved in active citizenship actively expanding and demanding accountable political representation and supporting the truth/fact based national conversation Americans deserve. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm--the worm has definitely turned.
The only way to get this to stop is to take away the wallet full of taxpayer dollars. We need to follow up the MAGA/MAHA mandate with a nationwide federal tax strike.
As a reminder to the "I am an "Independent" , I am registered Republican but vote independently for my perceived "best candidate." Registering for a specific party does not mean my vote is locked in to the party.
Appears their big donors didn't even know where they stood this last election. They felt as betrayed & Repubs have been feeling. Imagine that. NONE can be trusted.
Staring at the Towers of Baradur Frodo Taibbi observes- "Hey, we waved our magic swords and nothing happened."
Congress is the deep state. The biggest part of "how things actually work" is - you pull mine, I'll pull yours, and fuck the voters. Congress also voted itself a big raise - does Matt think the privacy of Americans ranks anywhere at all among the elected reps' priorities today? Uh-uh.
But, but, but, with a new administration things are "certain to change.TM"
What is happening right now - with the thrill of Donald Trump's garbage truck vest still tingling in the private parts of many MAGA supporters, puts the scale of the challenge before Vivek and Elon, I hope, in some perspective: WASHINGTON.DOESN'T.WANT.TO.CHANGE.
Vivek is on record saying the best solution may be to simply fire 50 percent of government employees (never.going.to.happen) and rehire the useful, and weed out the duds asap.
Twill be a figurative blood bath to rival the Somme, the Fall of Berlin, and Hiroshima if any real progress is to be made. There's going to be a lot of screaming and some real pain. The test will be: will the voters continue to support radical change in government?
The change in the American psyche since the Bump election is palpable both spiritually and emotionally. We the People (I literally prayed election night) have temporarily dodged the bullet. Much of the change has happened because subscription journalism has begun to birth the healthy truth/fact based national conversation American reality deserves. This Presidential election was literally about the power of truth and human moral reason vs. fear, disinformation and the lie. Trump is reprieve not salvation. The Republic, the Constitution and the free citizen remain the only legitimate engines of survival.
Congress is a branch of government. It is not the deep state. But it does enable the existence of the deep state because it has abandoned its oversight, and other duties. It is in essence AWOL.
A Federal Court has put a nationwide block on the CTA's beneficial ownership requirements. There are huge privacy concerns and steep fines associated with this requirement. Is it possible the moron Repubs traded something for nothing?
I have a small business. My son is an attorney and they had a single attorney at his firm dedicated to filling these forms out -- and then I was notified that a judge had stopped it. "The court specifically held that neither the CTA nor the Reporting Rule may be enforced by FinCEN, and “reporting companies need not comply with the CTA's Jan. 1, 2025, BOI reporting deadline pending further order of the Court.” The government filed an appeal on Dec. 6. GREAT JOB REPUBLICANS.
I wouldn't rely on the injunction that was put in place. The government is appealing the decision. Court cases so far are split.
The fine is $500 a day. One company can have multiple filings in its orbit. Business owners who are willing to risk noncompliance have much more to lose than to gain.
I wish they could have but as a member of a non-profit board that was faced with CTA compliance I have to say this was probably a regrettable but good trade.
I will benefit from this personally because clients and customers can stop panicking. These people don’t give a crap about small business and what drivel like CTA does to the middle class. - it’s just wrong and never should have existed in the first place.
We need to GAIN ground on the Censorship/Surveillance state. Where is the legislation (from either party) outlawing the collection/use of ALL MANNER of data- both by government AND private companies?
Keep us posted. More like this...we are excited about DOGE but without single-issue bills in Congress---it's just more obfuscation and Uniparty. Keep it coming Matt.
Republican leadership is hot trash. It has to go. Johnson has to go, as do those who follow in Mr. Freeze/McConnell's version of '10% for the big guy'.
I am, in no way, suggesting that this purported exchange is good and should be followed through on. The threat to the 1st is the closest thing to have literally kept me up at night.
However, for those that don’t know, the law in question that they are fighting is particularly heinous. It’s a quite obviously a veiled tax under the guise of reporting officers of companies with a $150 “filing fee” (for confirming information they already know). However, it’s $500/day fine if you don’t file it by the 31st and it’s alarming how many small business owners don’t know about it.
I filed this report myself without having to pay a filing fee. If you're paying a filing fee, you're going through one of the scamming sites similar to those that will fill out your passport application for you and charge you for the privilege when you can fill it out for free on the government site.
That said, filling out the form was a waste of my time for my S-corporation that I share with my now-wife and which generates essentially no income and less than $20 K in sales in a year.
Ha! You’re right! That’s funny because it’s so eerily similar to Florida, which does have a filing fee, that when my accountant offered to file it and told me the fee would be $150, I didn’t realize she was talking about *her* fee.
I’m actually pretty pissed at her now, because that really is a scammy price for the time necessary.
$150 is one first year associate's hourly rate. Find an accountant to do it for free? Maybe, but free professional services tend to be the most costly ones.
My point was that his accountant wanted $$$ to fill out an online form that can easily be completed by anyone who can read and type. A professional relationship should be based on honesty and integrity, not trying to squeeze extra bucks for a mundane task your client could easily perform. In a former life, I was an accountant and would have explained the requirement to my client and advised said client that they could do this themselves or I could, for a fee.
My "registered agent" says there is an injunction:
Enforcement of the Beneficial Ownership Information Report requirement has been paused due to a Texas Federal Court injunction, which is currently being appealed by FINCEN.
Technically the BOI requirement is still in place, and the deadline remains January 1, 2025. While there is currently an injunction pausing the requirement, the risk lies in the injunction being reversed. If reversed, the original deadline and potential penalties for non-compliance may still apply. Businesses concerned about privacy may choose to wait and see if the injunction remains. However, businesses comfortable with FINCEN having their ownership information and wishing to avoid potential future risks may decide to proceed with filing.
Not sure. I only know about it because I’m a small business owner and started getting solicitations from 3rd parties looking to file for me (for a crazy additional fee). I initially mistook it for something similar that FL has (without the insane daily fine - it jumps from $135 for the filing to a flat 500 for filing anytime past the May deadline). If I hadn’t noticed the December 31st deadline, I would’ve disregarded it.
A friend and 2 subs, actually did disregard it and I’ve asked other business owners, and about half of them had never heard of it. To be clear, I have not been sent anything from the actual government that would’ve alerted me to this law. My accountant eventually reached out to me on the 1st just to make sure I had, but it just makes me wonder how many small timers are going to get completely drowned by this….utterly inane and pointless filing.
Thanks Matt... read the same elsewhere. Disappointing just isn't adequate to convey the emotion. There are lots of Republicans in DC that are as much about big government as the Democrats and as uncommitted to our Constitution. It does feel right though that there is a building conflict between the citizens and the federal government. I only hope that people understand that demanding adherence to the Constitution is our secret power. DC is out of compliance and we must do everything to force them back into the boundaries of the Constitution.
Trump can neuter GEC by Executive Order, and if not, then Bondi can settle the numerous lawsuits against the government by allowing the Courts to do it for him. Then, next chance we get, we primary the lot of the RINOs.
LOL! I have not thought of it that way! People who don't live in uni-party states probably don't know what it is like to have to choose from a field of uni-"progressive" Dems.
The problem is finding those willing to run against them. They have a war chest of $$, Can't vote for someone not on the ballot. System has been rig for decades.
The gatekeepers have rigged is six ways to Sunday. But ever since Trump crashed the party I've been confident that it can be done. It's just going to take some grassroots organizing.
People. When Matt begins to write about Republican forms of censorship and speech control, all you shitlibs asking 'What Happened To Matt?' will love him again. Join us in loving him all the time, those who understand his mission on free speech. But as long as you regard first amendment rights as partisan political gamesmanship, you'll hate him again when dems regain power and do the same shit.
Why do we need term limits? Just quit voting for them. If people keep electing them, someone must want them to keep doing what they are doing. Since many of the individuals are just doing what the party tells them, term limits wouldn't change much anyway.
Public unions want to keep Democrats in power, Pharma wants to keep all politicians on their side, and actors like this decide who the Party candidates will be for both parties. The voters get to "choose" from the Party's selection.
That'll be after they cancel the filibuster. The entire game depends on always at least one line Senator being able to fuck shit up. For both sides. For the good of the game. There is a Mutually Assured Destruction pact.
This is why I keep saying that I'm not comfortable with my Constitutional rights hinging on the backbone of Republicans.
More people need to think this way. Neither party is 'good'. They both just want power. Sometimes we get lucky that the path they chose is also for our benefit.
Way too many unipartiers still in office that NEED TO BE SENT PACKING. If only they hadn’t allowed the down ballot theft to go on for WEEKS after the election.
"down ballot theft" - what, exactly, does that mean? Sorry, I'm bad at keeping up with the current inside knowledge of things.
The fact that people voted republican for the top of the ticket but not the rest of the ballot—as you go down the ballot sheet the election is for state then regional then local elections and they focused more on the election of “down ballot “ local stuff. Just look how long it took to call the house elections it took weeks. If you can change state laws you can affect federal elections. All blue states are proof of concept. The laws in those states don’t require voter identification for example and they have wide open vote by mail which is far easier to game.
So, if people voted Democrat top of the ballot and down ballot, would that be whole ballot theft? Or, is a split ticket ballot (Republican - Democrat or Democrat - Republican) prima facia evidence of voter fraud? Sorry, I'm not following the logic here.
Sorry I was trying to be nice. I’m sure no election was ever changed for the benefit of the powerful because we live in a perfect world where all humans are honest and ethical. Have a nice day.
Yes! I get that boomers are truly exhausted of being shit on and having their constitutional rights abused over decades, and the Trump movement gave them hope for real change, but that too is letting emotion substitute for clear thinking. I’ve already seen enough to be damn certain the whole 2-party system needs abolishing. I think George Carlin’s ghost is occupying a significant chunk of my mind.
I used to blame 2 party system. Im independent after being in both parties. BUT now i know it's not a party problem. But a POWER problem. Look at France. Gov a mess. Lots of parties. They shift alliance after voted in for power.
We have right idea: strip govt to essential services only. BUT POWER packs won't go easy. ONLY ones who care about this is MAGA and alt right ( libertarian and isolationists) who dont always agree either. But for small gov sill unite I hope.
We akready have multiple parties. Democrat. RINO REPUBLICABS ( Uniparty). MAGA. ALT right. Reps.
MAGA ( Trump supporters) are NOT majority. And are NOT voting for this.
This post begins like a telegram and ends in word salad, making it easier to dismiss than its author might wish. What does the final word even refer to?
And replace it with what? I am not a proponent of multiple party systems because coalitions must be formed by compromises and the result ultimately is compromised governance. What we are witnessing here may not be bad but rather the destruction of the Uniparty and a return to genuine two party politics. Populism and third party candidates have traditionally forced course correction of American politics. Plus this CR is dead.
Carlin would tell you stop caring so much about it.
Exactly!
Interesting thesis on this kind of thing in today's eugyppius. It's paywalled.
"Losing Alignment: Why have establishment politics become so destructive, immoderate and self-defeating?"
https://www.eugyppius.com/p/losing-alignment-why-have-establishment
Yep he hit the nail on the head
On the money. Both parties want power. And more power. And then more. Both will count upon the collective amnesia of most voters--and beyond that, will count upon a weary, stoop-shouldered shrug of resignation from most others. And hell, I get amnesia as well ... hard to keep track of specific incidents in the waist-high rush of news and--what else to call it?--propaganda packaged as news. That's one reason among many that Matt is so important: he reminds us, and does so in detail.
Every person with power must be held to account. I hope smarter people than me can figure out ways to make the process accountable. Because bad and good people come and go. The constraints must be built in. Number one: transparency. We can’t hold anyone accountable when we don’t even know what they’re doing. (I find it highly ironic that this late and rather minor attempt by Musk on X to promote participation in governance is getting pushback. It’s the very essence of small r republicanism that the people can tell their reps what they do and don’t want. It shows that far from democracy, we haven’t even had a real republic. The elected go to Washington and do whatever the hell the ruling class wants and they blithely ignore the will of the people because there are never any consequences for doing so. Over and over. Many examples, but one of the most egregious was the 08 bailouts.)
This.
Exactly. The censorship/surveillance state goes WAY BEYOND partisan politics.
D's and R's are like fleas on that dog.
Patriot Act. Duh.
That's when I knew. Patriot Act, my ass.
It wasn't just a hyperbolic title, it was an indication of who are the real terrorists they need extraordinary power to destroy.
Yep.
Nice.
Who are the "real patriots" you are referring to? Genuinely puzzled and obviously behind.
..and you know what PJ O'Rourke said about that, "Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is aways a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs."
I have to say: George Carlin, PJ O'Rourke, and Mark Twain are my top three for prescient quotes. That's rarefied air!!! RIP PJ
He did have a way with words.
I never cared much for Republicans until MAGA anyway. But the bottom line is, we can't trust any politicians, ever. The deep state uses lobbies, honeypots, and illegal surviellance to systematically corrupt and blackmail elected officials, and the democratmedia supports them at every turn. We have to keep an eye on all of them, even on those we think we can trust.
Even Bernie was eventually silenced. Trump hasn’t been, yet at least. And while I don’t like Trump personally anymore than anyone else, he does now have a first-time-in-my-adult-life opportunity to make some serious changes. RFKj and Patel will hopefully wreak havoc with HHS and FBI, and though Ratcliffe is a creature of DC, the CIA may see some necessary change as well. It will be important that Gabbard is given plenty of authority as well.
Bernie disappointed me. During that awful 2016 Democratic Convention he should have stood up and called out Hillary and his party's leadership for cheating, then announced he was running a third party candidacy, and that he didn't care if Trump won. Trump was actually more aligned with Bernie on the issues than the Democrats were anyway.
Bernie didn’t have the will for the fight that was necessary. Had he not bowed out, he’d have been left bloody. Or worse. And he knew it. No doubt he knows exactly who HRC is and what she’s capable of.
Can you describe other presidents of recent vintage who, from a character standpoint, are anymore likable than Trump? Both Biden and Obama were chumps who used their own personal animosities to divide our country and inflame racial animosity while stealing the wealth of America through corruption. Bush II was an idiot who started wars against Islam when the real culprits hide in plain sight while making bank on tax payer money. Help me here.
Thanks to steady media harping, saying you don't like Trump is the ticket you have to punch in order to gain admission to the intelligent people club. And then you can sound extra-smart by saying you like his policies, etc.
But anyone over the age of 25 remembers Donald Trump as the popular and witty reality show host of 'The Apprentice', and if you're over 50 you might remember when he was a brash, gregarious, and quotable young New York real estate mogul who lived in the limelight, rubbed shoulders with celebrities, joked about his expensive divorces and sometimes terrible investments, and was the subject of all kinds of tabloid gossip.
Yes, Trump does makes me laugh and cringe at times. I think his character is really no different from many past presidents. America loved Kennedy or was it the falsified Camelot mystique? serial womanizer with a glorified family history that does not adhere to the truth of who they were. Trump has less baggage than the Kennedy's or the Clinton's.
I say I don’t like Trump because I observe what he does and says in the world. Total creep, not a likeable person.
I didn’t watch The Apprentice, as #1, all reality TV is stupid, and #2, Trump was already a multiple bankruptcy loser who thought he was cool, but he was just a whoring douche bag.
I say I don’t like him so everyone knows I’m not a MAGA groupie. He has my support until he doesn’t follow through on free speech and fixing the FBI and federal health agencies.
I like him for his straight talk. He speaks frankly and off-the-cuff, and isn't afraid to say what everyone is thinking. He's the boss, and he's not controlled by someone else. He crashed the party, shamed the gatekeepers, and he doesn't owe anything to anyone. Like him or not, he's his own man.
He's unlike any other President (or politician) I can remember.
Have to go back to Ronald Wilson Reagan.
I would have to stretch “recently vintage.” Carter was the last good man who was President. Bush 1 seemed of strong character, but he was a swamp creature as well.
Thanks for your opinion. Carter was a nice guy, bad president. Reagan was likable and a good president. In my note above, I would say Clinton was smart, but totally unlikable for his folksy BS which papered over his sexual predator nature and serial dishonesty. He makes Trump look like a boy scout in comparison.
They're all comprised and willing to do anything for $$$.
NOT ALL. AND TRUMP WORKS FOR free. ONLY president to come out poorer than he went in.
So your argument is that Trump is an even more incompetent grifter than businessman?
Thats pretty funny actually coming from you LOL
So your argument is that he's not really a grifter, but all the others are?
The Israel Lobby plays the largest role here in the corruption and politicians go willingly to the pig trough to secure their futures and impinge on ours by deceit.
Don't forget the blackmail
Brilliant reminder. Blackmail along with revenge are the two critical aspects of barbarian behavior.
AIPAC even has its own Substack, also known as The
Free Press.
Tell me more. What is going on with Substack embracing The Free Press? I haven't looked at FP closely. My first impression was that it is boring a predictable. Is FP yet another Zionist media venue given star treatment? Thanks for the heads up. Who is accountable for this development at Substack? Who takes responsibility for putting Free Press in this role? Who is behind Free Press? If what you say is true Lawyers Guns and Money, what can we expect next.
I wouldn’t know about embracing it. I subscribed because Bari Weiss worked on the Twitter Files when Matt did. I was looking for a center-right perspective (mine is radical left and I find it valuable to understand what others are saying.) Then Oct. 7 happened, and Bari’s true self took over.
And her readers seemed to agree.
WARNING: if you dare to criticize the government of Israel or its leader in the comments pages of TFP, you will absolutely be called an antisemite and even a Jew-hater. It’s pretty sad. Bari acts like Jewish people have been, currently are, and always will be the most oppressed on earth.
Your comments expose a lot. If the corporate entity that is Substack have decided to feature this TFP as the flagship of the whole Substack operation, that is very disturbing. It begs the question whether or not Substack authors who do not share the perspectives of Bari Weiss, should be entrusting our free speech commentary to this operation. I remember when Google and You Tube first came out, their platforms seemed almost too good to be true. No censorship. Search engine that just took the key words and responded straightforwardly without bull shit spin doctoring like that which now prevails. The usual suspects moved in and wrecked a good thing, step by step on the way to the dystopia we now inhabit. Are we seeing the beginning of the same process at Substack? Who is accountable at Substack?
I know, that lobby is so passe. They need to update the foyer, too.
Nazi.
So you would adorn your lobby with Nazi regalia is that your point, pubic?
Anyone who talks about an "Israel Lobby" is a bigot of the worst order. That is all. It's a tell, like a bad poker player.
Ever heard of the ADL? How about AIPAC? If you don’t understand that lobby, you’re
deliberately pretending it doesn’t exist. Not helpful. Also, see my point above about being called Jew-hater for Israel criticism. And you call Cosmo a Nazi?
Dude, that is really weak. Pay no attention to his argument, move immediately to insults. You are absolutely a Free Presser.
Typical Zionist clap trap. You know who your oppressors are by those who you cannot criticize and the oppressors always project bigotry onto others like you have just done. Look in the mirror dude and you will see who the bigot is.
Very pragmatic attitude. Both parties are populated with very corrupt people.
Ain't that a fact!!! 🍺
No kidding. Mine/yours/our constitutional rights are increasingly looking like we may need to fight on our own behalf to maintain was was granted to us as citizens. Those rights are being taking away by the few, the unproud and the ugly.
Yes, they do say that politics is Hollywood for ugly people.
True dat.
And the spineless.
Exactly. Men and women without spines are our leaders. the lack of a spine makes it easier for them to bend down pick up the small change the Oligarchs leave as if they were crumbs. We know what they are against and what they are for and nowhere do I find them standing up for the rule of law and the American people.
UNDERSTAND. R after the name does not mean MAGA. Deep state R ( rino) votes for big wars. Big pharna. This fight needs to learn distinction to put pressure on all those voting for this bill.
MAGA itself doesn’t guarantee anything, either.
right? I knew we needed change in criminals, but that doesn't mean I trust these criminals.
Republicans are the most cowardly group you'll find.
At least Dems go all-in and don't worry about fallout.
Unfortunately, we are not governed by angels and never will be.
Constitutional protection of your natural rights and political privileges & immunities will always be dependent on how seriously oath-taking officials take their oaths. And they will really only ever take them as seriously as a large enough minority of Americans demands.
It’s all on us. And it always has been.
Anyone who wants these jobs is by nature a sociopath. Buckley's warning about rather being governed by the first 200 names in the phone book is apt.
Check their voting records. They can launder votes for Palantir, Amazon, Google and Meta's corporatized surveillance and always blame it on the other team to "get it across the finish line".
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-on-the-net/2019/the-crisis-of-social-media/social-media-surveillance
A statement from President Donald J. Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance: "The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans . . . https://x.com/JDVance/status/1869495076604227726
Statement from Vivek: "There's no legitimate reason for them to be voted on as a package deal by a lame-duck Congress. 72 pages worth of “Pandemic Preparedness and Response” policy; renewal of the much-criticized "Global Engagement Center," a key player in the federal censorship state; 17 different pieces of Commerce legislation; paving the way for a new football stadium in D.C.; a pay raise for Congressmen & Senators and making them eligible for Federal Employee Health Benefits.
It's indefensible to ram these measures through at the last second without debate. . .."
https://x.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1869407887983821089
Or--Follow up journalistic reports widely shared by readers exposing the Rethuglicans who voted for the extension with demands for accountability.
Absolutely. I belong to a website group that does just that. Been doing that since 2009. We usually list the nay votes because it's real short. If you rep is not on it, call them out.
We also list the GOP nay votes on must-have amendments that get voted down.
Geeze Louise--Actual involved citizens--actually involved in active citizenship actively expanding and demanding accountable political representation and supporting the truth/fact based national conversation Americans deserve. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm--the worm has definitely turned.
Lobby $s make the bulk of the re-elect war chest. We are just buzzing fly distractions. Wish it was not so.
The only way to get this to stop is to take away the wallet full of taxpayer dollars. We need to follow up the MAGA/MAHA mandate with a nationwide federal tax strike.
Would you prefer the Democrats?
As a reminder to the "I am an "Independent" , I am registered Republican but vote independently for my perceived "best candidate." Registering for a specific party does not mean my vote is locked in to the party.
If I preferred the Democrats, that's what I would say.
And you know where democrats stand
Appears their big donors didn't even know where they stood this last election. They felt as betrayed & Repubs have been feeling. Imagine that. NONE can be trusted.
I'll take 'Things That Come As No Surprise!' for $500 and the Daily Double, Alex!
Staring at the Towers of Baradur Frodo Taibbi observes- "Hey, we waved our magic swords and nothing happened."
Congress is the deep state. The biggest part of "how things actually work" is - you pull mine, I'll pull yours, and fuck the voters. Congress also voted itself a big raise - does Matt think the privacy of Americans ranks anywhere at all among the elected reps' priorities today? Uh-uh.
But, but, but, with a new administration things are "certain to change.TM"
What is happening right now - with the thrill of Donald Trump's garbage truck vest still tingling in the private parts of many MAGA supporters, puts the scale of the challenge before Vivek and Elon, I hope, in some perspective: WASHINGTON.DOESN'T.WANT.TO.CHANGE.
Vivek is on record saying the best solution may be to simply fire 50 percent of government employees (never.going.to.happen) and rehire the useful, and weed out the duds asap.
Twill be a figurative blood bath to rival the Somme, the Fall of Berlin, and Hiroshima if any real progress is to be made. There's going to be a lot of screaming and some real pain. The test will be: will the voters continue to support radical change in government?
That's fifty-fifty call in my book.
The change in the American psyche since the Bump election is palpable both spiritually and emotionally. We the People (I literally prayed election night) have temporarily dodged the bullet. Much of the change has happened because subscription journalism has begun to birth the healthy truth/fact based national conversation American reality deserves. This Presidential election was literally about the power of truth and human moral reason vs. fear, disinformation and the lie. Trump is reprieve not salvation. The Republic, the Constitution and the free citizen remain the only legitimate engines of survival.
Congress is a branch of government. It is not the deep state. But it does enable the existence of the deep state because it has abandoned its oversight, and other duties. It is in essence AWOL.
Here we go again.
Thanks for keeping a sharp eye on this topic Matt.
Time for Republicans to start reciprocating a long-time Democrat tactic: Reneging on their half of a compromise before the ink is dry.
Time for Republicans to grow a pair.
rePubes in congress are only tough when they're up agianst little old ladies. theyre a bunch of fucking twinky bitches.
Good point. "Conservatives" couldn't conserve the girls' bathroom.
And team blue is what again?
They all suck. Even those who are onto the game, like many of
Matt’s readers, still see
differences between Rs and Ds. But there are no differences.
They did. Did you not hear the screeching outrage?
This shouldn’t be a trade off. The CTA is equally malodorous. Why trade shit sandwiches? Throw them both in the garbage. 🗑️
A Federal Court has put a nationwide block on the CTA's beneficial ownership requirements. There are huge privacy concerns and steep fines associated with this requirement. Is it possible the moron Repubs traded something for nothing?
I have a small business. My son is an attorney and they had a single attorney at his firm dedicated to filling these forms out -- and then I was notified that a judge had stopped it. "The court specifically held that neither the CTA nor the Reporting Rule may be enforced by FinCEN, and “reporting companies need not comply with the CTA's Jan. 1, 2025, BOI reporting deadline pending further order of the Court.” The government filed an appeal on Dec. 6. GREAT JOB REPUBLICANS.
I wouldn't rely on the injunction that was put in place. The government is appealing the decision. Court cases so far are split.
The fine is $500 a day. One company can have multiple filings in its orbit. Business owners who are willing to risk noncompliance have much more to lose than to gain.
Oh, anything is possible with either party.
I wish they could have but as a member of a non-profit board that was faced with CTA compliance I have to say this was probably a regrettable but good trade.
Accepting censorship is NEVER a good trade. EVER.
The First Amendment is not something to be negotiated for.
I will benefit from this personally because clients and customers can stop panicking. These people don’t give a crap about small business and what drivel like CTA does to the middle class. - it’s just wrong and never should have existed in the first place.
I can neither deny nor confirm. (Sound familiar?) Seriously, haven’t heard anything further on the Court action
See my comment below.
One judged halted the requirement, another reinstated it, and yet another court halted it again.
Wasted effort, wasted $$, wasted stress.
Our government in a nutshell.
Is this related to the BIOR? I thought a judge put a stop to that?
We need to GAIN ground on the Censorship/Surveillance state. Where is the legislation (from either party) outlawing the collection/use of ALL MANNER of data- both by government AND private companies?
That's the politician/party I will vote for.
We need our privacy and voices back.
Keep us posted. More like this...we are excited about DOGE but without single-issue bills in Congress---it's just more obfuscation and Uniparty. Keep it coming Matt.
Republican leadership is hot trash. It has to go. Johnson has to go, as do those who follow in Mr. Freeze/McConnell's version of '10% for the big guy'.
Only thing I hate more than Democrats is Republicans.
My sentiments exactly.
Amen!
I am, in no way, suggesting that this purported exchange is good and should be followed through on. The threat to the 1st is the closest thing to have literally kept me up at night.
However, for those that don’t know, the law in question that they are fighting is particularly heinous. It’s a quite obviously a veiled tax under the guise of reporting officers of companies with a $150 “filing fee” (for confirming information they already know). However, it’s $500/day fine if you don’t file it by the 31st and it’s alarming how many small business owners don’t know about it.
They want to get rid of small biz.
4 or 5 companies controlling everything is the libbie nirvana.
I filed this report myself without having to pay a filing fee. If you're paying a filing fee, you're going through one of the scamming sites similar to those that will fill out your passport application for you and charge you for the privilege when you can fill it out for free on the government site.
That said, filling out the form was a waste of my time for my S-corporation that I share with my now-wife and which generates essentially no income and less than $20 K in sales in a year.
Same with our LLC. I filed the form myself while swearing under my breath.
Ha! You’re right! That’s funny because it’s so eerily similar to Florida, which does have a filing fee, that when my accountant offered to file it and told me the fee would be $150, I didn’t realize she was talking about *her* fee.
I’m actually pretty pissed at her now, because that really is a scammy price for the time necessary.
Find a new accountant.
Yah...hold 'em...accountable!
$150 is one first year associate's hourly rate. Find an accountant to do it for free? Maybe, but free professional services tend to be the most costly ones.
My point was that his accountant wanted $$$ to fill out an online form that can easily be completed by anyone who can read and type. A professional relationship should be based on honesty and integrity, not trying to squeeze extra bucks for a mundane task your client could easily perform. In a former life, I was an accountant and would have explained the requirement to my client and advised said client that they could do this themselves or I could, for a fee.
My "registered agent" says there is an injunction:
Enforcement of the Beneficial Ownership Information Report requirement has been paused due to a Texas Federal Court injunction, which is currently being appealed by FINCEN.
Technically the BOI requirement is still in place, and the deadline remains January 1, 2025. While there is currently an injunction pausing the requirement, the risk lies in the injunction being reversed. If reversed, the original deadline and potential penalties for non-compliance may still apply. Businesses concerned about privacy may choose to wait and see if the injunction remains. However, businesses comfortable with FINCEN having their ownership information and wishing to avoid potential future risks may decide to proceed with filing.
https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/the-first-law-elon-musk-and-doge
Isn't this what Alex Berenson wrote about recently?
Not sure. I only know about it because I’m a small business owner and started getting solicitations from 3rd parties looking to file for me (for a crazy additional fee). I initially mistook it for something similar that FL has (without the insane daily fine - it jumps from $135 for the filing to a flat 500 for filing anytime past the May deadline). If I hadn’t noticed the December 31st deadline, I would’ve disregarded it.
A friend and 2 subs, actually did disregard it and I’ve asked other business owners, and about half of them had never heard of it. To be clear, I have not been sent anything from the actual government that would’ve alerted me to this law. My accountant eventually reached out to me on the 1st just to make sure I had, but it just makes me wonder how many small timers are going to get completely drowned by this….utterly inane and pointless filing.
And the feds’ response will be that your ignorance of a stupid new law isn’t an appropriate defense.
https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/the-first-law-elon-musk-and-doge
Fk, fk, fk, fk, fk.
I mean there is a need for horse trading across the aisle to get things done. But some things should be excluded like our effing 1A Rights!!!!!
Maybe they can fund the GEC as agreed, then sue every single member for violating Constitutional rights.
Thanks Matt... read the same elsewhere. Disappointing just isn't adequate to convey the emotion. There are lots of Republicans in DC that are as much about big government as the Democrats and as uncommitted to our Constitution. It does feel right though that there is a building conflict between the citizens and the federal government. I only hope that people understand that demanding adherence to the Constitution is our secret power. DC is out of compliance and we must do everything to force them back into the boundaries of the Constitution.
Yeayah, whatever happened to a Good Ole Tar & Feathering?
Trump can neuter GEC by Executive Order, and if not, then Bondi can settle the numerous lawsuits against the government by allowing the Courts to do it for him. Then, next chance we get, we primary the lot of the RINOs.
‘Cept he won’t.
You are lucky if you have RINOs to primary! In a uni-party state we don't even HAVE RINOs.
LOL! I have not thought of it that way! People who don't live in uni-party states probably don't know what it is like to have to choose from a field of uni-"progressive" Dems.
Yes we do. In NY all the rural counties are GOP-friendly. They're mostly bought-off RINOs, but they've gotten complacent.
The problem is finding those willing to run against them. They have a war chest of $$, Can't vote for someone not on the ballot. System has been rig for decades.
The gatekeepers have rigged is six ways to Sunday. But ever since Trump crashed the party I've been confident that it can be done. It's just going to take some grassroots organizing.
We just need to stop Trump from going after the good guys.
Like you did before and we ended up with a bunch of nitwits who couldn’t win in a general election?
People. When Matt begins to write about Republican forms of censorship and speech control, all you shitlibs asking 'What Happened To Matt?' will love him again. Join us in loving him all the time, those who understand his mission on free speech. But as long as you regard first amendment rights as partisan political gamesmanship, you'll hate him again when dems regain power and do the same shit.
Breaking News: Both parties, aka the uni-party, are Corrupt! This is never going to end until we end most of the federal government. https://lizlasorte.substack.com/p/will-president-trump-and-co-finally?r=76q58
Hear Hear!
Instead of demanding congressional term limits, which congress will never pass, we should demand congressional committee term limits!
Why do we need term limits? Just quit voting for them. If people keep electing them, someone must want them to keep doing what they are doing. Since many of the individuals are just doing what the party tells them, term limits wouldn't change much anyway.
People don't want to give up the seniority.
AZ hated McCain
Then how did he keep getting elected?
No republican ran against him. Just like No dem ran against Harry Reid in NV for 30 years.
Voters did not want to lose his seniority.
Public unions want to keep Democrats in power, Pharma wants to keep all politicians on their side, and actors like this decide who the Party candidates will be for both parties. The voters get to "choose" from the Party's selection.
I don't disagree, in a world made up of semi-intelligent people elections provide term limits; however .............
Incumbents accumulate huge war chests. A huge advantage.
We just saw that it is not the end all be all of winning, considering Kamala's 1B$
Kamala wasn't an incumbent. You are correct though, it doesn't impact all elections, only most.
That'll be after they cancel the filibuster. The entire game depends on always at least one line Senator being able to fuck shit up. For both sides. For the good of the game. There is a Mutually Assured Destruction pact.