Mehdi, this is one of the most insightful and, I believe, prescient analyses I've seen so far during these dark days after this presidential election with a historically slim margin of victory. I'm glad I support your Zeteo Substack feed.
*TRUMP's victory* is the direct result of *DemocRATS devastating defeat in the century for not listening to the public.* By the next cycle, People will be fed-up with Trump and may vote for DemocRATS and the same cycle continues. DemocRATS and RepubliCONS are two evil sides of the same coin, Americans will end up with the same coin, unless they start looking for alternatives from grass roots now.
Excellent analysis. You forgot to mention that the mass deportation of undocumented workers in the areas of agriculture, housing construction, and meat processing will most assuredly raise prices for the average consumer. I expect inflation to return with a vengeance.
I do believe that Trump supporters will never connect the dots and blame him for anything. I remember so many people dying during the pandemic and health care workers saying that patients refused to believe they were dying of COVID. He is a cult of personality.
Trump is doing almost precisely what he promised to do; and perhaps this is why those who voted for him chose him… they too want to dismantle government as they perceive it. They’re of the belief (misguided or otherwise) that government is responsible for many of their ills. A large section of the population are not very analytical in their thinking and are not quite as astute as this author, and clearly don’t think of themselves as dupes (much as they are or might be)…. There are no surprises here. Just a very bleak future for the USA and the world… to paraphrase, it’s a chronicle of a disaster foretold, and it has been a long time coming. We better fasten our seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride, if not a total crash down.
It's an old trope at this point (nearly 10 years of nonstop Trump coverage) that Trump's supporters are being played for suckers. This is simply not believable. It's far more likely that they like what he offers. They support the vision of Project 2025. As much as I find all of it appalling, Trump has the will to implement what he promised and I can see how that would appeal to his followers.
Ronald Regan encouraged anti-government activists to come to Washington and dismantle the government from the inside. Now, 44 years later, Democrats are surprised because Republicans weren’t content with the Tea Party wave of activism? This is a repeat of the Republican’s 50 years crusade to repeal Roe. When will Dems learn that when Republicans say they want to accomplish something they want to accomplish that thing. Here’s an OXYMORON: Democrats Leadership
They’ll love everything he does and they’ll hound, excoriate, imprison, or, yes, kill anyone he blames for his own or his regime’s failures. An infinite number of internal and external enemies for his drooling minions to blame—and then eliminate.
Kudos, John. This is the most realistic newsletter I've seen since the election. I think that his supporters and the rest of us, too, are in a world of hurt, and most people don't realize it yet. Everyone, especially politicians, keep talking about "the next two years." I am not convinced we will ever have a free and fair election again I hope I'm wrong.
The Threat to the U.S.A. — Increased privatization of inherently governmental functions to defeat existing layers of internal control checks and balances in order to obtain power and control; and direct access to the U.S. Treasury.
While there may be little room for optimism, we don't need any more columnists spreading doom and gloom. If anything, sit back and enjoy the show. By the way, anyone who suggests that Tulsi Gabbard is anything but a patriot doesn't have a shred of credibility. She may be talking trash, but that certainly doesn't make her a Russian puppet, or a fan of Putin. It's possible to be skeptical of American foreign policy and still love one's country.
Because it's taken so long to could the votes, much of the country will never know or believe that Trump did not win the popular vote. We were all told for 2 weeks about his amazing victory and the mandate from the voters, etc. My point is: California, please get your act together. Your voters can get their ballots in by Election Day just like the rest of us.
Zeteo is becoming Fox News for the liberals. Trump has not yet become the president yet but the stories and analyses coming from Zeteo are already very scary with full of assumptions and speculations. I dont like Trump either but that does not mean that this new outlet of the News (Zeteo) will damage its credibility and fairness. Something to think about @MehdiHassan.
Fox News transmits lies continuously and that is prime food for the MAGAs. It pumps air into conspiracies and repeats them endlessly through their popular sneering mouthpieces. By contrast most of what Mr. Harwood speaks of is based on the Trumpster's words and deeds, not conjecture. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that Zeteo is a trusted progressive voice among a sea of liberals too frightened or too owned to speak the truth.
Well said, Daniel. There is also lying based on what they omit. The comparison between Fox and Zeteo is not apples to apples. There should be little surprise what Trump will or will not do. He will do what he is enabled to do, up to and including imprisonment of people he fears or does not like. If he can get away with it, he obviously will. There are no boundaries he will observe willingly.
Wamiq, I hear what you are saying - nevertheless, the last eight years have manifestly proven that Trump will indeed attempt to do what he wants. Merrick Garland would not prosecute him, and he has gotten away with multiple crimes over the course of years - and it has enabled him to become President. Zeteo is providing analysis of the confluence of this enabling and Trump's second term, at least what he says very plainly he wants to do.
Zeteo is fact-based analysis. But I do think the language of the analysis could use more "plain language" style at times and more concrete connections as to how these appointments, expressed attitudes, intentions will then translate into policy actions. Journalists are "word people" not implementation people. Hence the profession. But more descriptions of how things work would be helpful to people. They could use examples from the early years of the "War on Terror" under Bush that brought false accusations and disruptions to a lot of people's lives. Hasan Minhaj famously did a recent show on what happened to him as a teenager, in order to bring attention to the real story of Hamid Hayat, falsely accused as a kid, and imprisoned for 14 years. You can't get those years back. You've lost the opportunity to have freedom, to earn money, to buy a house, to invest in your future, you're psychologically traumatized, your chances of healthy relationships disrupted... etc., etc., etc. Bush was a Republican. He didn't do this alone. There is a giant network of Republicans supporting Trump to continue these types of actions. Your innocence is no matter to people like those who went after Hamid Hayat. They have the guns and the "authority" of government. I wish Zeteo would be more concrete, rather than so abstract about statements like, "they'll take your rights away" or "so-and-so has authoritarian tendencies." A lot of people don't know what that means. As AOC explained recently, POCs let her know that they voted for Trump b/c they don't think they are "criminals." But who Stephen Miller thinks is a "criminal" may be different than what voters thought it meant. And it's Stephen Miller who will have the power to go after someone, not these voters. And then there are your grocery bills... How stupid are American voters? This one was absurd. ALL OF YOUR GROCERIES will get more $$$ if the undocumented workers sweep happens. There is ZERO doubt about that. Anyone who knows anything about food economics and the supply chain can tell you this is the Food Economy's well-known dirty little secret. These sweeps would bring about such a huge disruption to the food supply in this country by disrupting labor supply - a lot of those farmers and restaurant owners will feel the pain. I don't feel sorry for them. They probably voted for Trump. Your egg prices, already suffering from bird flu, will get worse from not having enough people to pack those eggs into cartons. That's what that looks like in concrete detail. Remember what happened to meat processing during the Pandemic? Yah, like that, but for EVERYTHING in food. Thanks, Trump voters. And Zeteo, you did NOBODY any favors by not challenging people on this issue. You need more food economy reporters in your midst.Hell, you need more journalists who can explain the economy in your midst.
Mehdi, this is one of the most insightful and, I believe, prescient analyses I've seen so far during these dark days after this presidential election with a historically slim margin of victory. I'm glad I support your Zeteo Substack feed.
*TRUMP's victory* is the direct result of *DemocRATS devastating defeat in the century for not listening to the public.* By the next cycle, People will be fed-up with Trump and may vote for DemocRATS and the same cycle continues. DemocRATS and RepubliCONS are two evil sides of the same coin, Americans will end up with the same coin, unless they start looking for alternatives from grass roots now.
Agreed. We really need some fresh leadership, or at least we need to elevate and empower the few leaders we have who already make sense.
As long as there's AIPAC, Americans may never have other alternatives, sadly
Actually, the root problem is Citizens United, which enables dark money to dominate.
Excellent analysis. You forgot to mention that the mass deportation of undocumented workers in the areas of agriculture, housing construction, and meat processing will most assuredly raise prices for the average consumer. I expect inflation to return with a vengeance.
I do believe that Trump supporters will never connect the dots and blame him for anything. I remember so many people dying during the pandemic and health care workers saying that patients refused to believe they were dying of COVID. He is a cult of personality.
Trump is doing almost precisely what he promised to do; and perhaps this is why those who voted for him chose him… they too want to dismantle government as they perceive it. They’re of the belief (misguided or otherwise) that government is responsible for many of their ills. A large section of the population are not very analytical in their thinking and are not quite as astute as this author, and clearly don’t think of themselves as dupes (much as they are or might be)…. There are no surprises here. Just a very bleak future for the USA and the world… to paraphrase, it’s a chronicle of a disaster foretold, and it has been a long time coming. We better fasten our seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride, if not a total crash down.
It's an old trope at this point (nearly 10 years of nonstop Trump coverage) that Trump's supporters are being played for suckers. This is simply not believable. It's far more likely that they like what he offers. They support the vision of Project 2025. As much as I find all of it appalling, Trump has the will to implement what he promised and I can see how that would appeal to his followers.
Ronald Regan encouraged anti-government activists to come to Washington and dismantle the government from the inside. Now, 44 years later, Democrats are surprised because Republicans weren’t content with the Tea Party wave of activism? This is a repeat of the Republican’s 50 years crusade to repeal Roe. When will Dems learn that when Republicans say they want to accomplish something they want to accomplish that thing. Here’s an OXYMORON: Democrats Leadership
They’ll love everything he does and they’ll hound, excoriate, imprison, or, yes, kill anyone he blames for his own or his regime’s failures. An infinite number of internal and external enemies for his drooling minions to blame—and then eliminate.
Kudos, John. This is the most realistic newsletter I've seen since the election. I think that his supporters and the rest of us, too, are in a world of hurt, and most people don't realize it yet. Everyone, especially politicians, keep talking about "the next two years." I am not convinced we will ever have a free and fair election again I hope I'm wrong.
John, Duffy was a CONTESTANT on Road Rules, not the host. You might want to edit that reference. He is a Fox News host now.
The Threat to the U.S.A. — Increased privatization of inherently governmental functions to defeat existing layers of internal control checks and balances in order to obtain power and control; and direct access to the U.S. Treasury.
While there may be little room for optimism, we don't need any more columnists spreading doom and gloom. If anything, sit back and enjoy the show. By the way, anyone who suggests that Tulsi Gabbard is anything but a patriot doesn't have a shred of credibility. She may be talking trash, but that certainly doesn't make her a Russian puppet, or a fan of Putin. It's possible to be skeptical of American foreign policy and still love one's country.
Very well said, thank you.
All guess work until it actually plays out. All is possible and nothing seems to be palatable.
Because it's taken so long to could the votes, much of the country will never know or believe that Trump did not win the popular vote. We were all told for 2 weeks about his amazing victory and the mandate from the voters, etc. My point is: California, please get your act together. Your voters can get their ballots in by Election Day just like the rest of us.
Zeteo is becoming Fox News for the liberals. Trump has not yet become the president yet but the stories and analyses coming from Zeteo are already very scary with full of assumptions and speculations. I dont like Trump either but that does not mean that this new outlet of the News (Zeteo) will damage its credibility and fairness. Something to think about @MehdiHassan.
Fox News transmits lies continuously and that is prime food for the MAGAs. It pumps air into conspiracies and repeats them endlessly through their popular sneering mouthpieces. By contrast most of what Mr. Harwood speaks of is based on the Trumpster's words and deeds, not conjecture. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that Zeteo is a trusted progressive voice among a sea of liberals too frightened or too owned to speak the truth.
Well said, Daniel. There is also lying based on what they omit. The comparison between Fox and Zeteo is not apples to apples. There should be little surprise what Trump will or will not do. He will do what he is enabled to do, up to and including imprisonment of people he fears or does not like. If he can get away with it, he obviously will. There are no boundaries he will observe willingly.
Wamiq, I hear what you are saying - nevertheless, the last eight years have manifestly proven that Trump will indeed attempt to do what he wants. Merrick Garland would not prosecute him, and he has gotten away with multiple crimes over the course of years - and it has enabled him to become President. Zeteo is providing analysis of the confluence of this enabling and Trump's second term, at least what he says very plainly he wants to do.
If by assumptions and speculations you mean everything Trump has repeated over and over for the last 4 years …. Yes!
Zeteo is fact-based analysis. But I do think the language of the analysis could use more "plain language" style at times and more concrete connections as to how these appointments, expressed attitudes, intentions will then translate into policy actions. Journalists are "word people" not implementation people. Hence the profession. But more descriptions of how things work would be helpful to people. They could use examples from the early years of the "War on Terror" under Bush that brought false accusations and disruptions to a lot of people's lives. Hasan Minhaj famously did a recent show on what happened to him as a teenager, in order to bring attention to the real story of Hamid Hayat, falsely accused as a kid, and imprisoned for 14 years. You can't get those years back. You've lost the opportunity to have freedom, to earn money, to buy a house, to invest in your future, you're psychologically traumatized, your chances of healthy relationships disrupted... etc., etc., etc. Bush was a Republican. He didn't do this alone. There is a giant network of Republicans supporting Trump to continue these types of actions. Your innocence is no matter to people like those who went after Hamid Hayat. They have the guns and the "authority" of government. I wish Zeteo would be more concrete, rather than so abstract about statements like, "they'll take your rights away" or "so-and-so has authoritarian tendencies." A lot of people don't know what that means. As AOC explained recently, POCs let her know that they voted for Trump b/c they don't think they are "criminals." But who Stephen Miller thinks is a "criminal" may be different than what voters thought it meant. And it's Stephen Miller who will have the power to go after someone, not these voters. And then there are your grocery bills... How stupid are American voters? This one was absurd. ALL OF YOUR GROCERIES will get more $$$ if the undocumented workers sweep happens. There is ZERO doubt about that. Anyone who knows anything about food economics and the supply chain can tell you this is the Food Economy's well-known dirty little secret. These sweeps would bring about such a huge disruption to the food supply in this country by disrupting labor supply - a lot of those farmers and restaurant owners will feel the pain. I don't feel sorry for them. They probably voted for Trump. Your egg prices, already suffering from bird flu, will get worse from not having enough people to pack those eggs into cartons. That's what that looks like in concrete detail. Remember what happened to meat processing during the Pandemic? Yah, like that, but for EVERYTHING in food. Thanks, Trump voters. And Zeteo, you did NOBODY any favors by not challenging people on this issue. You need more food economy reporters in your midst.Hell, you need more journalists who can explain the economy in your midst.
Leave.