Today’s News 8th November 2024

• The 2024 Election As A Spiritual War
  The 2024 Election As A Spiritual War

  Authored by Nic Carter via X (emphasis ours),

  

  My view of the election is that Trump and Harris were locked in a spiritual battle. Many, including myself, felt that the sparing of Trump’s life in the first assassination was an act of clear divine providence. For him to turn his head at that precise moment to avoid the assassin’s bullet, suffering only a grazed ear – it defies belief. I don’t believe in coincidences like that. Trump himself leaned into the religious overtones, understanding that many Christian supporters had come to see him as a messianic figure. Personally, I do believe – and there are many examples of this in the Bible – that God selects certain individuals to carry out His plans on Earth, and there is no doubt in my mind that Trump is one of those individuals. (Isaiah 6:8 says: “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me”)

  Trump’s travails have been almost Job-like. Stripped of virtually everything, impeached, battered, humiliated, almost killed, slandered, deplatformed, sued, on the verge of being thrown in prison for the rest of his life, Trump found the strength to mount a remarkable campaign and win. It is the greatest political comeback in American history. Many see his resilience as superhuman and divinely inspired.

  Now on the other side we have another religion, one I consider idolatrous, but a religion nonetheless. See when you strip God from life, you don’t leave people intact, but rather you leave them with a God-shaped hole. Today’s left has eliminated (or corrupted) the Church, and in its place they have adopted secular religions (some call this ‘gnostism’). Harris and her progressive supporters subscribe to three of these cults: climate doomerism, wokeism, and to a lesser extent AI safety. Broadly, these all fall under the umbrella of decel-ism.

  It’s worth unpacking these slightly. Climate and AI doomerism are contemporary millenarian cults; that is, they are concerned with the apocalypse. Adherents to such cults believe that a reckoning is coming which will transform the earth, punish the sinful, save the worthy, or just wipe us out entirely. On climate, the idea is that we committed a grave original sin by debauching nature and emitting CO2; Gaia is punishing us by unleashing her wrath in the form of ever-intensifying storms (never mind that the cost to humans from climate-related disasters has been falling); and if we don’t sufficiently change our ways we will be extinguished in a final day of reckoning (think The Day After Tomorrow). AI safety is a newer cult, but very similar: we summoned a demon of sorts by creating AI, and we risk destroying humanity if we delve any deeper into machine intelligence. (There is a trippier variant of the AI doomer cult in which we achieve a rapture and merge with the Machine God in some kind of singularity.) Both cults stress the sin of industrial pursuit, and in both case the solutions are the same: slow down or even reverse progress.

  Compare Trump and Harris on AI and Climate. Trump wants to re-energize America’s heartland, unleash our abundant energy resources for Bitcoin mining, AI, chip manufacturing, and so on. Trump recognizes that we cannot hamstring ourselves with a Merkel-style Energiewende. It’s suicide to sacrifice ourselves to the angry climate God via Thunbergesque atonement while China prints coal and nuclear plants. Meanwhile, Harris stands for an insipid green transition which simply hasn’t paid off anywhere it has been tried. The left’s infatuation for green transitions should be understood as superstition, not policy. (If they really believed in the existential risk from climate, they would be all in on nuclear, or even global cooling with aerosolized sulfates. They aren’t.) On AI, Harris stands for AI Safety, the self-aggrandizing Silicon Valley cult which both worships and fears the machine God. Trump instead sees AI as a vital strategic resource to be unleashed, making no underlying metaphysical claims whatsoever.

  Leaving aside the decel cults, the most important spiritual lens through which Harris should be understood is wokeism. Wokeism is in some ways similar to those other two secular cults, in that it has rituals, priests, and has the elements of original sin – whiteness, privilege, etc. Wokeism even has a millenarian bent in that it presumes that the world is fundamentally unjust and subject to vast oppressive conspiracies (although it doesn’t clearly specify what the day of reckoning might look like). However the inherent flaw of Wokeism and the reason it doesn’t universalize well is that it offers no absolution. There’s no way for a straight white man (or anyone else near the top of the privilege hierarchy) to atone for their original sin. Compare with Christianity, which stresses (depending on the denomination) that all you have to do to be absolved of your sins is accept Jesus Christ into your heart. So wokeism can’t really sustain itself, because it’s dependent on a spiritual underclass of “oppressors” who are willing to continually submit to and elevate the least privileged (the trans disabled PoC, etc). But who would sign up for a religion that offers no atonement? Even the most ardent white wokes must feel a twinge of doubt at their membership in the cult, realizing that they are permanent Dalits in the woke caste system.

  So I see the Trump Harris conflict through the lens of a spiritual war. Of course, the battle between right and left already has a spiritual component in that it’s not just two sets of rival policy positions but in fact a much more deep-seated set of mutually conflicting worldviews; individual versus system-level thinking, merit versus racial score-settling, small government versus collectivism, nuclear family versus the state as your family, and so on. In the case of Trump and Harris it was even more direct. Trump plays the role of an unintentional Messiah, almost accidentally thrust into this savior role. Though Trump’s faith may not be particularly sincere, his fans’ belief that he is a tortured savior chosen by God is. Meanwhile Harris is the purest representative we’ve seen of the progressive religion to date, being selected for the role not due to her track record in government but because of her anointed status within the woke cult. She is perfect: Black, Indian, a woman, and so on. (She merely lacked charisma, meaningful policy views, a distinct message of change, or a platform.) There can be no real dispute that she was more of an empty vessel for woke payloads than a genuine candidate. Her campaign was mainly focused on marshalling the high-propensity female vote on abortion, shaming minorities into falling in line, scolding men into voting “for their wives and daughters”, and so on. She abjectly refused to specify meaningful policy positions, keeping them deliberately vague, running instead on pure identitarianism.

  To the right, her great sacrilege was her primary campaign issue – the murder of unborn children. Other issues she stands for – the coercive chemical castration of children, for instance, are considered not simply poor policy by the right, but downright satanic. It’s unsurprising that Trump’s strongest campaign message was “Kamala is for They/Them. Trump is for You.” For Trump’s Christian supporters, the distinction could not have been starker. Many felt that this was the last election if she won. The left misunderstood this when folks like Elon said it. The idea wasn’t that there would never be an election ever again, but rather that the left would vastly accelerate their import of the third world and spontaneously grant them citizenship. This isn’t far-fetched. The left was quite explicit about their desire to do this, and they partially executed on it under Biden. Some on the left, too, felt that if Trump regained power, he would fashion the government into a fascist authoritarian regime and permanently leave democracy behind. So this election had a decidedly existential bent to it. Many on both sides felt that this would be last freely contested vote.

  As a Christian and a conservative, I am encouraged that America resoundingly rejected these woke cults and their emissary in Harris. This was a realigning election which cannot be written off as a fluke like 2016 was. Hispanics shifted abruptly right, undermining the Left’s core coalition. Harris actually underperformed Biden with black voters, showing the weakness of her identitarian campaign. Black men in particular defected from the left quite markedly. Trump gained with young voters, a generally secular group that is still infatuated with wokeism. By contrast, Trump did astoundingly well with Catholics, winning them by 18 points, the largest gap in decades. Trump also gained with Protestants relative to 2020. Eighty percent of evangelicals broke for Trump, again a better margin than 2020. Harris’ campaign built around Roe simply wasn’t compelling enough. And some of her high-propensity supporters, like suburban white moms, were turned off by the left’s ritual sacrifice of girls at the altar of wokeism (by allowing males in women’s sports, for instance). Voters were more concerned with immigration and the economy.

  The democrats should engage in soul searching and realize that by embracing cults like wokeism, and GDP-destroying fantasies like climate doomerism and AI doomerism, they are swimming against the current. Their Obama coalition has been shattered in the biggest realigning election since Reagan. Having lost the working class, Hispanic vote, and unable to import new voters as they had planned, if they continue down the path of racial shame and elevating DEI candidates, they will lose over and over. As for the right, they have resurrected their messiah. Expectations couldn’t be higher. But one thing is clear. Religion, real religion, is still a force to be reckoned with in American politics. The left has lost the Mandate of Heaven. It belongs to Trump now.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 23:25

• Alex Soros Shocked That the Incumbent Political Order Is Being Crushed Around The Globe
  Alex Soros Shocked That the Incumbent Political Order Is Being Crushed Around The Globe

  Almost exactly one year ago, we wrote that 2024 would be the busiest political year on record…

  

  …. and it certainly has delivered, including these main highlights.

  • The Taiwanese election in January 2024
  • Indian elections in April/May
  • European Parliamentary elections in June
  • The US Presidential Election in November.

  So with the main events of 2024 now in the rearview mirror we can conclude that this has been a catastrophic year for incumbents at elections.

  And not just in the US where Democrats have lost ground relative to four years earlier, but incumbents have also lost ground in the UK, France, India, Japan and South Africa as well this year.

  

  It gets worse: an even more amazing stat comes from the FT, which reports that every governing party facing election in a developed country this year lost vote share, the first time this has ever happened!

  

  According to Deutsche Bank, it’s also the first time since the late 1800s that the incumbent party in the White House has lost three consecutive presidential elections.

  

  A fascinating stat. So why is this happening across the world? Accord to Jim Reid there are three things going on:

  1. The economy is a big factor for most if not all countries here, and growth has slowed down relative to previous decades. That’s left voters disappointed, having not seen gains in their living standards that they’d previously been used to. Even though growth is stronger in the US, voters have not tended to suggest this when polled, and have certainly highlighted inflation and the cost of living as a big issue.
  2. Immigration. Many voters have been concerned that incumbents have no solution to their concerns over migration.
  3. Selected mismanagement claims and domestic scandals. This is clearly not the case everywhere, but it’s cost incumbents in several countries.
  4. Voters in general have become much more willing to change their vote from election to election. A smaller share of the electorate vote the same way all the time, meaning it’s easier to see big swings from one election to the next, as there’s now more swing voters up for grabs.

  Overall, it feels like voters have ignored the extremely generous handouts after Covid – which ultimately sparked the biggest inflationary tsunami in 40 years – and instead focused on the costs of these in the aftermath. The top cost likely being inflation, and although it’s fallen back now, voters experience this on a cumulative basis, rather than a 12-month basis as economists often analyze.

  The interesting question is whether this trend will continue. The fact that this is the first time in over 120 years that the US incumbent party has lost three times in a row might hint at a more structural problem where politicians are unable to deliver against expectations in a world of lower growth and fairly regular shocks.

  Maybe, as Jim Reid concludes, James Carville’s “It’s the economy, stupid” remains the key going forward. A world where productivity growth remains low doesn’t help any incumbent promising a brighter future. So if we do get a productivity miracle at some point from AI then maybe promises can be kept. Then again, to assume that a bunch of woke chatbots can revolutionize the way we live and work, may be even more naive than thinking Kamala Harris could defeat Donald Trump.

  One thing is certain: any political phenomenon which has even Alex Soros – who just wasted $1 billion backing the biggest Democrat loser in recent history – shocked that people everywhere are fed up with leaders who put globalist agendas above their own citizens, and are finally voting for leaders who actually serve them…

  Before you beat yourself up about the elections pls read this:
  The incumbents in every single one of the 10 major countries that have been tracked by the ParlGov global research project and held national elections in 2024 were given a kicking by voters. This is the first time… https://t.co/XiO03kEDDj

  — Alex Soros (@AlexanderSoros) November 7, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  … has got to be good.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 23:00

• Arizonans Approve Police Arrests Of Illegal Entrants, Right To Abortion
  Arizonans Approve Police Arrests Of Illegal Entrants, Right To Abortion

  Authored by Samantha Flom via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Two controversial ballot initiatives concerning illegal immigration and abortion easily passed at the ballot box on Nov. 5 with broad support from voters.

  

  Proposition 314, a statutory amendment referred by the Arizona Legislature, prohibits illegal immigrants from entering the state directly from a foreign country at any location other than a lawful port of entry.

  The law effectively empowers Arizona law enforcement officers to arrest illegal immigrants. It also bars illegal immigrants from knowingly submitting false documents to apply for public benefits or a job and makes it a class 2 felony for an adult to knowingly sell fentanyl that later causes the death of another person.

  The proposition needed only a simple majority to pass and coasted to victory with 63 percent of the vote. Its success comes as Arizona has effectively become ground zero for the nation’s border crisis.

  In fiscal year 2024, the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector in Arizona reported more than 463,000 encounters with illegal immigrants—the highest total among all nine sectors.

  In August, U.S. Customs and Border Protection made its largest-ever singular seizure of fentanyl when it intercepted 4 million pills at the sector’s Lukeville port of entry.

  A Noble Predictive Insights poll released in September had indicated widespread support for Proposition 314, with 63 percent of registered voters signaling their approval. It was also supported by majorities of Republicans (77 percent), independents (57 percent), and Democrats (52 percent) alike.

  But Living United for Change in Arizona, an opponent of the measure, has expressed concerns that it might lead to “rampant racial profiling” and civil rights violations.

  Abortion Amendment Passes

  Arizona was also one of 10 states that voted on the issue of abortion this election.

  In a 62–38 vote, the state approved a citizen-led initiative to establish a constitutional right to abortion through fetal viability, and when a “health care professional” deems it necessary to protect the mother’s life or health.

  Proposition 139 also bars the state from penalizing anyone who assists a woman in obtaining an abortion.

  At present, abortion is legal in Arizona through 15 weeks of pregnancy, though the issue has been a matter of contention in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision, which overturned the federal right to abortion.

  The ruling gave way to a court battle in the state over the enforcement of a near-total abortion ban dating back to 1864. After the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in April that the law could be enforced, state lawmakers voted to repeal it.

  Arizonans for Abortion Access, the group that put forward the new amendment, applauded voters’ decision to adopt it.

  “We did it!” the group wrote in an X post. “Arizona has overwhelmingly voted to protect abortion access! We proved, yet again, that Arizona is a state that values freedom and individual rights.”

  Opponents of the measure argued that the inclusion of an exception for the mother’s general “health” could be interpreted to authorize late-term abortions for virtually any reason. They also held that it would prohibit health and safety regulations to protect women and minors while removing licensed physicians from the equation.

  By the morning of Nov. 6, a petition was already circulating online asking Arizona state senators to either repeal the amendment or enact new legislation to “help decrease the actual number of abortions performed in our state.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 22:35

• John Fetterman Calls Constituents 'Dipshits' For How They Voted In Post-Election Rage Tweet
  John Fetterman Calls Constituents ‘Dipshits’ For How They Voted In Post-Election Rage Tweet

  Among the chorus of unhinged outrage, name calling and mental breakdowns post President Trump’s massive landslide victory on Tuesday, Walmart fashion model and Democratic U.S. Senator John Fetterman added his own ‘special’ brew of insanity to the mix on Thursday when he called his constituents ‘dipshits’. 

  Tweeting about the ongoing Senate race in Pennsylvania, where Republican Dave McCormick has already declared victory (and has been called the winner by AP) while three term incumbent Democrat Bob Casey has yet to concede and is pushing for a recount, Fetterman tweeted that “Pennsylvania is going to count every last vote.”

  “That’s not controversial—that’s the law,” he wrote, before finishing his deep thought with “Also, Green dipshits’ votes helping elect the GOP.”

  

  The comment comes hours after the Democrats lost in a landslide, with some Democratic strategists coming to terms with the fact that the party has lost the country because it constantly insults and lectures them.

  “I’m going to speak some hard truths to my friends in the Democratic Party. This is not Joe Biden’s fault. It’s not Kamala Harris’ fault. It’s not Barack Obama’s fault — it is the fault of the Democratic Party in not knowing how to communicate effectively to voters,” Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky said on CNN on Wednesday.

  Apparently, Fetterman did not get that memo. 

  For those looking to keep track of what other consequential impacts Fetterman has had on his party, he also appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast and was completely unable to muster up any type of coherent excuse for Democrats’ horrific job on the border over the last 4 years.

  Keep up the great work, John.

  Calling Green voters “dipshits” is not a great way to win them over

  — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 8, 2024

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  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 22:10

• How A 2nd Trump Administration Might Affect Foreign Policy
  How A 2nd Trump Administration Might Affect Foreign Policy

  Authored by Andrew Thornebrooke and Ryan Morgan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The second administration of President-elect Donald Trump is anticipated to bring great change to America’s foreign policy establishment.

  

  From wars in Europe and the Middle East to an increasingly adversarial relationship with China in the Indo-Pacific, Trump has vowed to make sweeping changes to the way the United States approaches international statecraft.

  That has some in the foreign policy establishment in Washington on edge. Still, others are confident that there will be a winding down of armed conflicts worldwide as the nation’s highest office embraces a more assertive and, at times, confrontational tone with allies and adversaries alike.

  Staring China Down in the Indo-Pacific

  Among the most pressing threats to be tackled by the second Trump administration is an increasingly adversarial China, whose ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has repeatedly sought to undermine U.S. interests throughout the world in recent years.

  Key to doing that will be to shore up alliances in the region, including with Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines, as well as reaffirming Washington’s commitment to defend Taiwan from CCP aggression.

  John Mills, who previously served as the director for cybersecurity policy, strategy, and international affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said that the nation’s regional partners would welcome the clarity that a second Trump administration would bring to Washington’s foreign policy.

  “These countries love the authenticity and clarity of Trump,” Mills told The Epoch Times.

  Likewise, Mills said he believes that same clarity would help thwart an overt military conflict between China and the United States from erupting.

  “The likelihood of conflict in the western Pacific decreases significantly under Trump,” Mills said. “Why? Because he’s showing clarity and resolve at all times. Clarity and resolve help prevent war. Lack of clarity and resolve creates war.

  “Trump 2.0 in the western Pacific will significantly decrease the likelihood of open conflict between the CCP and the Western world.”

  To that end, Mills said that the CCP is less likely to engage in overtly hostile acts against the United States under the incoming administration than the Biden administration because Chinese authorities “know they will be held accountable.”

  Casey Fleming, CEO of the global risk and intelligence advisory firm BlackOps Partners, said he expects the CCP to curb its more overt malign activity under a second Trump administration.

  “A Trump administration will put the CCP on notice and will challenge their unbridled aggression in the Indo-Pacific and throughout the world,” Fleming told The Epoch Times.

  Confronting a War in Europe

  During his first administration, Trump gained a prickly reputation for toughness with U.S. allies in Europe. He repeatedly threatened to leave the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the world’s largest military alliance, due to a disparity in how much the United States contributed compared to other allies.

  Many of the nation’s NATO partners have significantly upped their defense spending since then, both in reaction to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and out of a concern that a Trump administration would not come to their aid if they were perceived as piggybacking on U.S. defense spending.

  Trump has also made ending the war in Ukraine swiftly a key campaign pledge, positioning himself in stark contrast to the outgoing Biden administration, which pledged security assistance to embattled Kyiv for as long as it would take to secure Ukrainian victory, though never defined what that victory would look like.

  While Trump has said he’d focus on bringing both sides to the negotiating table, Paul Davis, foreign policy analyst and adjunct professor at the Institute for World Politics, doesn’t expect a dramatic drop-off in U.S. support for Ukraine anytime soon.

  “I don’t think Trump is going to change a lot,” Davis said. “He did have a meeting with [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy] back in September, and I think he understands the need to maintain support.”

  Likewise, Mills added that a second Trump administration would unlikely pull back its support for partners and allies in Europe so long as those nations carry their own weight in defense spending.

  “All that is being asked is at least 2 percent of GDP spent on defense and, in reality, 4 to 5 percent is the new 2 percent,” Mills said.

  “That’s all. That is the primary metric Trump looks at [with] partners, and I think that’s extremely reasonable.”

  Defending Israel in the Middle East

  The second Trump administration will also inherit a precarious situation in the Middle East as Israel expands its war against Iranian proxy groups in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and Yemen.

  Trump has repeatedly given vociferous support for Israel and is likely to go to great lengths to ensure the nation has the full support of the United States, following a falling out between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden over Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza.

  Davis said that he expects Trump “will definitely make sure that the world knows that Israel is secured by the U.S. military.”

  To that end, it appears Israeli leadership expects the same. Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to call President-elect Trump in the early hours of the morning after the election was called. Netanyahu congratulated Trump on the election and discussed the Iranian threat, according to an Israeli readout of the call.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 21:45

• This Is The Median Home Price In Each US State
  This Is The Median Home Price In Each US State

  In 2024, buying a home in the U.S. looks vastly different depending on where you are.

  Factors like local demand, land availability, economic conditions, and housing regulations all contribute to the median home prices in each state.

  This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, visualizes the median home sale price for a single-family home in each U.S. state in 2024.

  

  The data is updated as of September 2024 and comes from ATTOM.

  Which States Have the Highest Home Sales Prices?

  As of August 2024, the median home sales price for a single-family home in the United States is about $385,000.

  State	Median Estimated Home Sales Price
  Hawaii	$851,930
  California	$776,000
  District of Columbia	$659,072
  Massachusetts	$640,113
  Washington	$609,540
  Colorado	$561,205
  Utah	$530,041
  New Jersey	$523,500
  Oregon	$511,434
  New Hampshire	$500,429
  Rhode Island	$487,985
  New York	$476,429
  Idaho	$456,839
  Nevada	$445,883
  Maryland	$436,985
  Arizona	$435,839
  Vermont	$411,381
  Florida	$405,289
  Connecticut	$403,750
  Delaware	$399,857
  Virginia	$394,678
  Montana	$388,053
  Maine	$384,783
  Alaska	$381,744
  Minnesota	$348,126
  Wyoming	$344,432
  North Carolina	$340,330
  Georgia	$333,903
  Tennessee	$327,855
  South Dakota	$318,000
  Texas	$314,750
  Wisconsin	$305,000
  South Carolina	$301,057
  New Mexico	$301,000
  Illinois	$286,413
  Pennsylvania	$279,709
  Michigan	$262,814
  Nebraska	$262,637
  Missouri	$259,250
  North Dakota	$253,116
  Kansas	$238,824
  Indiana	$238,411
  Alabama	$235,675
  Ohio	$230,500
  Kentucky	$211,235
  Iowa	$203,770
  Arkansas	$203,067
  Oklahoma	$200,378
  Louisiana	$190,900
  Mississippi	$183,507
  West Virginia	$167,110

  Hawaii has the highest median house price in the U.S. at around $852,000, over double the national average, primarily due to its limited land availability, strict housing regulations, and high demand for housing in a desirable climate.

  A University of Hawaii report found that regulatory costs, including lengthy permitting processes and strict zoning laws, account for more than half (58%) of the median price of a new condominium in Hawaii.

  Hawaii’s finite land area and high demand driven by tourism and military presence further inflate property values.

  California comes in at second, with a median home price of $776,000. The coastal state is home to some of the most unaffordable metropolitan areas in the U.S., including Los Angeles and San Jose, where the home price-to-income ratio is over 10.

  Predominantly rural states like West Virginia ($167K), Mississippi ($184K), and Arkansas ($191K) have significantly lower median home prices than urbanized states like California ($776K) or New York ($476K).

  To learn more about the U.S. real estate market, check out this graphic that visualizes which states have the most cities where homes average $1 million or more.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 21:20

• Levi Strauss Heir Leads San Francisco Mayor's Race
  Levi Strauss Heir Leads San Francisco Mayor’s Race

  Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Daniel Lurie, a philanthropist and an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, appears poised to oust San Francisco Mayor London Breed in her bid for reelection, as the city continued to post election results on Nov. 6.

  

  Lurie led Breed by 12 points Wednesday morning, earning 56 percent of the vote, compared to the incumbent’s 44 percent.

  Breed has not yet conceded, but told supporters Tuesday she would wait until all votes were counted.

  “It ain’t over till it’s over,” she told supporters at an election night party Tuesday, according to wire reports.

  She noted she was also behind in her first race for mayor in 2019, but won the office. Breed is the first black woman to serve as mayor of San Francisco.

  The county has not yet certified the results and planned to issue preliminary numbers around 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the Department of Elections.

  The county is still processing about 157,000 ballots, most of which are vote-by-mail ballots received Monday and Tuesday by mail and at polling places, the elections department reported in a press release provided to The Epoch Times Wednesday.

  The county also has to process 20,000 provisional ballots cast at polling locations by voters whose names are not on the voter registration list.

  The county may take up to 30 days after Elections Day to certify the final election results, according to the department.

  The mayor’s challenger signaled that he is ready to get to work, according to a letter to his supporters posted on social media and his website.

  Lurie thanked his supporters in the letter Tuesday night, saying the city was ready for change.

  “Over the past 13 months, I’ve had the great experience of meeting with San Franciscans in every corner of our city,” Lurie wrote. “I heard your frustrations but also your hope and desire to write our next chapter.”

  He added it was time for leadership rooted in “true public service, one that puts the people of San Francisco above all else.”

  The candidate spent more than $9 million of his own money in the race to replace Breed. He raised more than $16 million, according to financial reports.

  Lurie is the son of Rabbi Brian Lurie and Miriam “Mimi” Lurie Haas. His parents divorced when he was a child and Lurie’s mother subsequently married Peter Haas, a great-grandnephew of Levi Strauss.

  Haas is a billionaire and one of the largest shareholders of Levi Strauss & Co.

  Strauss, an immigrant from Bavaria, opened a dry goods company in San Francisco at the height of the California Gold Rush in 1853, according to the company. Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis created blue jeans in 1873 to meet the needs of miners, cowboys, and workers at the time.

  Lurie is the founder and CEO of Tipping Point Community, a San Francisco nonprofit launched in 2005 that raises money and helps educate, employ, house, and support impoverished people in the Bay Area, according to his biography.

  Breed is a native San Franciscan who was raised by her grandmother in the city’s public housing. She has spent much of her efforts during the last year responding to retail, tech, hotel, and corporate departures from the city.

  

  She supported two successful public safety ballot measures passed in March—propositions E and F—to expand police powers and compel some drug users to enter treatment.

  Multiple companies have shuttered businesses in the once-thriving City by the Bay in recent years, with some citing the increase in retail theft, homelessness, and open-air drug use.

  Most recently, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot during an attempted robbery in the city’s downtown Union Square in August. Pearsall survived the shooting.

  Breed did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday and her campaign has not released a public statement after results started rolling in.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 20:55

• The Grift Is Ending: ESG Fund Managers Being Told To "Keep Their Lawyers Very Close"
  The Grift Is Ending: ESG Fund Managers Being Told To “Keep Their Lawyers Very Close”

  We’ve known the ESG grift has been coming to a screeching halt for years now, with major investment banks and companies dropping their initiatives while the GOP goes on a rampage to try root out the faux-virtue signaling. 

  But now with President Trump once again taking the White House, one investment bank is advising ESG fund managers to “keep their lawyers very close”, as the full scale death of ESG may very well be on the door step, according to Yahoo Finance.

  Aniket Shah wrote in a note this week: “We’d encourage all ESG fund managers to have a lawyer on the team, or on speed-dial.”

  He continued: “Antitrust risk remains high for asset managers in ESG; there haven’t been any cases yet, thus there is no legal precedent. Further, legal risks regarding fiduciary duty will stay relevant as states enforce anti-ESG laws.”

  Yahoo reports that Trump’s victory has already hit green sector stocks, with wind-energy companies among the hardest hit. Beyond potential bans and obstructive policies, the ESG sector faces rising legal risks.

  

  Key GOP figures argue ESG-focused firms neglect fiduciary duties, while Republican attorneys general accuse financial firms using ESG metrics of collusion against fossil fuels and fueling inflation.

  In response, “greenhushing”—keeping ESG efforts quiet—is likely, Jefferies analysts note. Corporate CEOs are also expected to seek legal guidance to adapt to this shifting landscape.

  Jeffries said: “General counsels are in the ear of CEOs, frightened about legal retaliation to ESG initiatives. The backlash could lead to more focused and pragmatic companies, engaging in strategic discussions closely tied to their business model.”

  Analysts argue that a public backlash, similar to 2016, could pressure companies to address issues like abortion and diversity. Conflicting state policies on ESG could create a “nightmare” of fragmented requirements, they warn.

  Shareholders may still push for ESG risk disclosures aligned with the International Sustainability Standards Board, even as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce maintains it isn’t against ESG or climate disclosures. Notably, these observations focus on the ESG label itself, not the broader clean energy transition.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 20:30

• Woke Bloodbath: Leftist Movements Are Paying The Price For Their Arrogance
  Woke Bloodbath: Leftist Movements Are Paying The Price For Their Arrogance

  Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us,

  If you thought Kamala Harris was a sure win in 2024, then you haven’t been paying attention to the epic shift in the cultural zeitgeist over the past few years. The thing that bothers me most about political and social analysis is dealing with people who foolishly assume nothing ever changes. Things change all the time. People can and do learn from the past. Nothing is hopeless, and nihilists are lazy and incompetent.

  

  For example, since 2020 within liberty movement circles there has been a contingent of naysayers claiming that red states were being subversively “turned blue” by leftists relocating during the pandemic. My argument was that this was an idiotic take.

  Yes, there were mass relocations across the US but all the data showed the vast majority of these people were conservatives seeking to escape blue state tyranny. I can’t tell you how many “experts” tried to argue with me that Texas, Florida, Idaho, and even my state of Montana were all going to be overrun by progressives. In the aftermath of the election I was once again proven right and they were utterly wrong.

  Florida was an absolute landslide for conservatives. It wasn’t even close and I doubt that state will ever come close to being blue again. The same happened with Texas, Idaho, Montana, etc. There was no blue wave. It didn’t exist. It was actually a red wave.

  As I noted in my recent article ‘Losing Power? The Elites And The Leftist Mob Would Rather Burn It All To the Ground’, a Trump victory was inevitable along with a conservative mandate. The sea change in American society was evident. That’s why leftists and globalists will continue to use mob actions, economic disaster and geopolitical crisis to burn America to the ground. They know their time is quickly running out and if they can’t control the country, they’ll try to torch it.

  Regardless of what you might think of the candidates or the election in general, the fact of the matter is this election was a RESOUNDING rejection by Americans of the woke ideology and the political left. Trump won in a landslide, not just in the electoral college but also the popular vote, and Trump ran on an anti-woke and anti-globalist platform. The public has spoken.

  The Democrats embraced woke cultism, they embraced globalist authoritarianism and now they’ve paid the price. Kamala Harris’ embarrassing defeat is the ultimate expression of “Get woke, go broke”. It’s undeniable – No one likes the progressive left. No one likes their race grifting, no one likes their gay and trans grifting, no one likes their targeting of children for indoctrination, no one likes their censorship agenda, no one likes their open borders, no one likes their lying and no one likes their elitism.

  Their movement is dead in the water and a lot of them are bewildered as to what happened.  I’m here to explain some of the biggest reasons why they are universally despised…

  The Covid Coup

  Americans are pissed about the Democrat/globalist attempt to establish a medical tyranny and they aren’t going to forget what happened. Only a couple years ago Democrats and leftist governments around the world were talking about vaccine passports designed to force conservatives to take the experimental vaccine (and the boosters forever).

  They were trying to legislate the creation of covid camps for people who refused to comply. They wanted to fine people, lock them up, keep them under house arrest and even take their children away. They shut down the economy, ordered people to wear useless masks, told people to stay six feet apart and they closed down outdoor recreation. They violated every fundamental of viral science in an insane effort to dominate the world.

  To this day there are still leftists that wear the masks as a symbol of their fealty to the covid dictatorship. The problem was, they greatly underestimated public resistance to their agenda and it failed. Now, they face a reckoning for their power mongering.

  January 6th Propaganda And The Rewriting Of History

  Mass conservative protests are pretty rare. We tend to endure quietly and wait for reason to win the day. Violence is not usually in the cards until we are pushed to the brink. This is exactly what happened on January 6th.

  Video evidence shows capitol police fired rubber bullets and tear gas grenades into a peaceful and unarmed crowd of protesters. This attack led directly to the crowd fighting back and eventually raising the building itself. Then, the police ultimately opened the doors to the building and let people wander in. Those protesters walked around for a couple hours and then left on their own. That’s not what an “insurrection” looks like.

  Afterwards, Democrats cherry picked limited footage from the event and claimed it was an “attack on democracy” akin to treason. They lied incessantly and staged the narrative that conservatives were domestic terrorists bent on installing Trump as a totalitarian leader. Americans have seen through this nonsense and the election shows it.

  Economic Denial

  The Biden Admin spent the better part of the last four years trying to deny the reality of stagflation. They have also denied that the economy continues to decline, asserting that the country is in “recovery”, that the jobs market is improving and that inflation is going down.

  None of this was true. Inflation is cumulative and just because CPI goes down does not mean prices are going down. Americans are still paying 30% to 50% more on most necessities compared to 2019. Om top of that, nation debt and consumer debt have skyrocketed to dangerous levels. One could debate who is ultimately to blame for this (the central banks and establishment elites are to blame), but this doesn’t change the fact that the Democrats tried to hide the threat from the public.

  Sexualization And “Transing” Of Children

  Leave the kids alone. It was a simple warning from conservatives and leftists refused to listen. Now, they’re going to pay dearly. The woke movement to push trans ideology in public schools is perhaps the most evil scheme our civilization has ever encountered. Gender fluidity is a non-science, a fantasy with no basis in fact. There are only two genders. Period. Pushing confusing gender identity politics on vulnerable kids, often without parent’s knowledge, is monstrous.

  The end game of this plan is the chemical sterilization and even physical castration of America’s youth and the majority of Democrats support it. For this alone they should be booted from the country for the rest of their lives.

  Beyond the politics, there is also the issue of child sexualization. Democrat politicians have consistently pushed for more degeneracy in public education environments, with sexually explicit content made available even in elementary schools. This is child grooming, plain and simple, and most Americans know exactly where it leads.

  Mass Censorship And Government Collusion With Big Tech

  The Biden/Harris Administration has been thoroughly busted, first by the exposure of the Twitter Files and then by Big Tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg. It is a fact – The federal government worked directly with legacy media and social media conglomerates to silence public dissent.

  They censored contrary data on covid, on the vaccines, on the lockdowns, on the masks, on the mandates. They censored political stories that were harmful to the Democrats like the Hunter Biden Laptop story. They shut down entire YouTube channels and Twitter accounts, destroying people’s access to public discourse as well as their livelihoods. All of this was in absolute violation of the Bill of Rights and the 1st Amendment.

  They need to be punished for this, and that’s why so many Americans voted to give Trump a mandate. They want him to deal out retribution on the matter so that it never happens again.

  Race Grifting And Calling Latinos “Latinx”

  Democrats and woke activists treat minorities as if they are property of the political party. They try to keep minorities firmly chained to the progressive plantation by telling them they are “victims” that need the help of the DNC in order to get “justice.” Clearly, minorities are getting tired of being treated like they’re stupid.

  One big factor that I think really crippled Democrats in the election is the woke attempt to “de-gender” the Spanish language by calling Latinos “Latinx”. The Dems went full retard here and it really hurt them. Hispanics voted in record numbers for Donald Trump, and he also doubled his votes among blacks.

  I have a message to white liberal women in particular: Minorities don’t need your help, your protection or your pity. Please shut your mouths, shut your legs, go back to your cats and your pointless office jobs and leave them be.

  Open Borders And The Great Replacement

  The Great Replacement has been falsely portrayed by the corporate media as a “racist” theory, but race has nothing to do with it. The replacement issue is about culture, not skin color.

  There is an obvious effort on the part of the progressive establishment to flood the US with third world migrants, thereby erasing the cultural heritage of the west and diluting it with people that have no understanding of individual liberties or responsibilities.

  They have offered illegal migrants a host of subsidies and incentives to get them to come to America and they intend to offer these same people amnesty, using American tax dollars to buy off a permanent block of Democrat voters. This would give the leftists a voting majority for generations to come.

  It’s not just white Americans that see what’s happening; legal citizens who are Hispanic understand the game as well. Black communities in the US also always suffer when mass immigration takes place and they can read the writing on the wall. No one wants this, which is why the border issue was the top voter concern in every election survey, right next to the economy.

  Leftist Arrogance

  Progressives have long operated on the fallacy that they are “more educated” than conservatives and are thus smarter and more qualified to dictate the terms of our society. The reality is, most leftists are dumb as stumps.

  They live in their own echo chambers on social media. They live in the masturbatory halls of woke academia. They live in dwindling cities controlled by Democrat governments and rarely leave the comfort of their apartments, their dog parks and their coffee shops. They think they are worldly but they know nothing of the world because they never go outside of their ideological bubble. They don’t have the courage to do that.

  The reality is, a college degree is a wooden spoon (an award for last place) rather than a legitimate accomplishment these days. Unless a student enters a STEM field they are unlikely to come out of a university with anything of value. These places are indoctrination centers, not pillars of higher learning.

  The Inability To Accept Responsibility

  Leftists are inherent losers and mentally weak. They were the kids that were babied most of their lives. They were the kids that struggled most with meritocracy in school. They’re the kids that participation trophies were invented for. They have long relied on emotional outbursts rather than effort to get what they want. Instead of improving themselves and striving for something better, they cry victim when they can’t compete.

  I never met a leftist in my life that was good at taking responsibility for their own failures. Their narcissism and obsession with personal identity has been exposed. Their fake concern for victim status groups no longer convinces anyone. They desperately want to be the main character in some grand heroic drama that the rest of us applaud, but this is not going to happen.

  The best the woke mob can hope for is to return to a life of obscurity where they belong. The more they try to become the center of attention the worse things get for them. Their best bet is to stop trying to rule the world and thank their lucky stars they get to continue living in this country.

  *  *  *

  If you would like to support the work that Alt-Market does while also receiving content on advanced tactics for defeating the globalist agenda, subscribe to our exclusive newsletter The Wild Bunch Dispatch.  Learn more about it HERE.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 20:05

• Duke Energy Considers Making Coal Power Great Again Under Trump
  Duke Energy Considers Making Coal Power Great Again Under Trump

  In an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday, Duke Energy Chief Financial Officer Brian Savoy explained how a Trump victory could roll back climate regulations on power generation at utility plants, just as electricity demand soars due to newly built artificial intelligence data centers. Meanwhile, Democrats, wearing climate crisis blinders, have pushed disastrous de-growth ‘green’ policies removing fossil fuel generation from the grid, resulting in shockingly high power prices for some customers – and even causing power crisis in some parts of the Mid-Atlantic.

  CFO Savoy told Bloomberg that he would reexamine plans to convert some coal-fired power generation units in Indiana to natural gas. He said that in a deregulated environment under Trump, dual conversion, known as switching power plants or industrial boilers from coal to NatGas, would “make sense” in Indiana, adding there’s even a chance some power generation units would remain coal-burning. 

  Trump is expected to reverse Biden-Harris’ far-left climate policies, which have acted as an economic muzzle on the US economy. At the same time, China built a record number of coal plants that fed cheap power to factories, essentially making US companies unable to compete with Chinese ones in international markets. Trump may focus on rolling back greenhouse gas emission controls on the gas, oil, coal, power, and auto sectors.

  Following the victory on Wednseday, American Energy Alliance congratulated the former President and said it was excited to “unwind the Biden-Harris administration’s regulatory onslaught on American energy producers.”

  “Throughout his campaign, President Trump expressed his unabashed support for American energy,” IER and AEA President Thomas Pyle told Utility Dive in a statement.

  Pyle continued, “He promised to embrace domestic oil and gas production, lower energy and electricity prices, and undo the inflationary Biden-Harris Green New Deal policies, especially the wasteful taxpayer-funded subsidies in the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.”

  There’s no denying that another Trump presidency will slow the energy transition to a more sensible speed, as the current trajectory puts the nation on a crash course with power inflation amid all the new power demand from AI data centers.

  Donald Trump says to be dominant in AI, America requires twice the electricity of current capacity and he pledges to meet that demand, partly through nuclear power pic.twitter.com/HooPgk4Qpa

  — Tsarathustra (@tsarnick) July 27, 2024

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  With Republicans in charge of the Senate, the White House, and potentially the House, Trump will move quickly to deregulate the power industry and lower energy costs for Americans by restarting fossil fuel power generators. Trump must also continue the revival of America’s nuclear power plants. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 19:40

• Judge Denies AstraZeneca's Motion To Dismiss In Vaccine Injury Case
  Judge Denies AstraZeneca’s Motion To Dismiss In Vaccine Injury Case

  Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  A federal law that grants broad legal immunity to vaccine manufacturers does not protect AstraZeneca against a breach of contract claim brought by a woman who was injured by the company’s vaccine, a U.S. judge ruled on Nov. 4.

  

  The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act protects manufacturers of vaccines during times of emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Brianne Dressen sued AstraZeneca for neglecting to, as promised in a contract, cover the costs of injuries she suffered after participating in the company’s clinical trial in 2020. The pharmaceutical company said it was immune from the lawsuit under the PREP Act.

  U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby disagreed, ruling on Monday in favor of Dressen and denying AstraZeneca’s motion to dismiss.

  While Dressen can’t sue over the injuries, she can over the breach of contract because the legal immunity granted by the law does not cover at least some contractual claims, Shelby said.

  “The basis of Dressen’s claim is a broken promise, not a countermeasure,” he said, adding later: “Dressen was administered a covered countermeasure, and she was warned that she may suffer from an adverse reaction, but the fact that she suffered from such reaction was not sufficient to ripen her claim. Rather, she only has a claim because AstraZeneca made a contractual promise to her that happened to involve the effects of a covered countermeasure.”

  AstraZeneca put forth a theory in legal filings that immunity from breach of contract claims helps encourage the quick development and deployment of countermeasures during health emergencies, which is the purpose of the PREP Act. Dressen’s lawyers argued enforcing contracts achieves the same result. The judge sided with the latter.

  “If the PREP Act immunized deceptive contractual inducement and sanctioned illusory promises, then no one would agree to undertake the high-risk activities that are critical during public health emergency responses,” Shelby said. “The PREP Act drafters could not have intended to allow pharmaceutical companies to make illusory promises to clinical trial participants because doing so would erode public trust and undermine the ability to recruit willing participants, which in turn would erode and undermine pandemic preparedness.”

  The judge used the example of AstraZeneca agreeing to pay $125 for time and travel reimbursements to Dressen per study visit during the clinical trial. “AstraZeneca’s theory of immunity would allow it to shirk this and any other promise made to trial participants merely because the promise ultimately relates to the administration or use of a vaccine,” he said.

  Dressen, a preschool teacher in Utah, volunteered for the 2020 clinical trial. The consent form she signed said AstraZeneca would “cover the costs of research injuries” and “pay the costs of medical treatment.” After receiving the company’s shot, she suffered from a variety of injuries. U.S. National Institutes of Health doctors diagnosed her with vaccine side effects.

  AstraZeneca largely declined to offer payment for treatment, beyond a final offer of $1,243, according to court documents.

  AstraZeneca’s vaccine was administered widely in some other countries but U.S. authorities never authorized its use beyond clinical trials.

  Shelby’s ruling means Dressen’s case will move forward.

  Dressen wrote on the social media platform X that the judge “handed down a thoughtful and timely decision.”

  “My deepest gratitude to the court for respectfully reviewing this important case and allowing it to move forward,” she said.

  An AstraZeneca spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that the company cannot comment on ongoing litigation.

  “Patient safety is our highest priority,” the spokesperson said. “From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 19:15

• "I'm Dry As A Desert": White Liberal Women Threaten To Become Pro-Life After Trump Win
  “I’m Dry As A Desert”: White Liberal Women Threaten To Become Pro-Life After Trump Win

  Young white liberal women, plagued with the ‘woke mind virus,’ have swung so far off the deep end that some are now threatening to align themselves with pro-Christian values. They are advocating for abstaining from sex, dating, marriage, and even children over the outcome of the 2024 presidential election because males voted for the ‘Orange Man’…

  Far-left corporate media outlets like CBS News and the Washington Post have pushed out stories about South Korea’s “4B Movement”  gaining traction among feminists in the United States shortly after Trump won.

  The 4B movement is comprised of four “no’s”—no sex, no dating or marriage with men, and no having children. Some young feminists have adopted it on various social media platforms in the US to show young men voting for Republicans has consequences.

  Liberal women are abstaining from having s*x for the next 4 years. pic.twitter.com/VHLrhh26Im

  — TaraBull (@TaraBull808) November 7, 2024

  “Young men expect sex, but they also want us to not be able to have access to abortion. They can’t have both,” Michaela Thomas, an artist in Georgia, told WaPo. 

  Thomas continued, “Young women don’t want to be intimate with men who don’t fight for women’s rights; it’s showing they don’t respect us.” 

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  Genuinely, end it with them if they don’t see the issue of that man being president.

  Put yourself first. Put your body first. #4BMovement https://t.co/CLO45pMFZS pic.twitter.com/KpvAUPDaGO

  — 🇵🇷𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖆 𝕺𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖟⧗𝕽𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖋𝖋🇵🇷 (@ScarletWidow901) November 6, 2024

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  Woman says she has an IQ of 130 and will now “stay dry” and not sleep with men because Trump was elected.

  She said it’s punishment for taking away her right to an abortion.

  Sounds good. She won’t need any abortions then.

  Way to go IQ 130. pic.twitter.com/P6wgGrvYpt

  — Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 7, 2024

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  What’s hilarious is that these young white liberal women have become so confused – and so radicalized – that they don’t even realize not having sex with random guys from Tinder, Bumble, and or Hinge on the reg is more or less a reversion to traditionalism and morally right choices that align with Christian values.

  Many liberal women are now beginning a movement called “4B” where they will stop dating and withhold any sex from their partners in response to Trump’s victory since they think abortion has been banned (it hasn’t been nationally banned).

  Ladies, welcome to the pro-life movement!

  — Ann Vandersteel™️ (@annvandersteel) November 7, 2024

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  Red State’s Brandon Morse commented on the movement: 

  “Dude makes an excellent point about women’s sexuality. They went so left they started going right, claiming they’re going to stop being hoes and won’t put out until men respect them. Uh… that’s what we’ve been saying you should do all along.” 

  Dude makes an excellent point about women’s sexuality.

  They went so left they started going right, claiming they’re going to stop being hoes and won’t put out until men respect them.

  Uh… that’s what we’ve been saying you should do all along. #4BMovement pic.twitter.com/60SZxNZ4DI

  — Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) November 7, 2024

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  One woman pointed out, “I think that liberal women are finally starting to understand what pro-life conservative women have been telling them for years …” 

  #4BMovement pic.twitter.com/5YwbZNNGLL

  — LOU ALFARO (@_louiexlouie_) November 6, 2024

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  We penned a note shortly after Trump won, “Trump Wins, “Move To Canada” Searches Spike, Liberals Meltdown Online.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 18:50

• The Renaissance Of Civic Education
  The Renaissance Of Civic Education

  Authored by Michael Poliakoff and Jack Miller via RealClearEducation,

  Over the last 60 years, there has been unconscionable neglect of civics and American history at both the K-12 and university levels.

  Surveys by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) show that fewer than 20% of colleges nationwide require an American history or government course for graduation. Unsurprisingly, this deficit has made its way into the training of teachers too. Future K-12 teachers are unlikely to learn the basic facts about our founding principles and our long history of working toward that more perfect Union our founders envisioned.

  

  Fortunately, more and more public universities are doing their part to reverse this trend.

  In 2016, the Arizona legislature created the School for Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. This school has become a valuable training ground for ASU students seeking a thorough understanding of our nation’s governing institutions and the responsibilities of citizenship in a free society while being exposed to a diversity of viewpoints.

  The ASU model has since been replicated at 13 universities in several other states.

  Founded a year ago, the School of Civic Life and Leadership at the University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill, which ACTA helped create, has already gained national attention. It was deservedly featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere. And for good reason.

  UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL) offers a civic life and leadership minor that introduces students to key ideas from philosophy, history, political science, and economics. It helps prepare them for participating in consequential policy discussions and debates.

  SCiLL is explicitly dedicated to promoting civil discourse and free speech and inculcating the responsibilities of informed, engaged citizenship. UNC-Chapel Hill students who do not participate in SCiLL classes nevertheless benefit from its speaker series and Program for Public Discourse.

  Programs such as these consist of a separate academic unit within the university, supported by the state and private donors. Crucially, the head of that unit has hiring authority and almost always reports directly to the provost or president of the university.

  New institutes like SCiLL not only educate undergraduates but are also developing M.A. and Ph.D. programs. And they have already reached out to train the K-12 social studies teachers in their regions so that those teachers will be better able to teach their own pupils.

  The goal is to continue expanding these programs in states across the country.

  The Tennessee General Assembly answered Governor Bill Lee’s call to establish an institute devoted to teaching informed patriotism with a $6 million initial appropriation by an overwhelming bipartisan vote.

  The Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville offers minor and certificate programs in American civics and constitutional studies, as well as many other events, programs, and scholarships for students. It also features outstanding professional development programs for secondary school teachers. It is already drawing some of the best and brightest students – especially those who want to make a positive difference but previously could not find a constructive, nonpartisan path to pursue this passion.

  Through the efforts of Ohio state senators Jerry Cirino and Rob McColley, the State of Ohio has made the largest investment yet – $24 million – for the creation of civic education centers at five public universities in the state. Ohio State University, for example, now has the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society. Four other state universities are rapidly coming online with programs devoted to the American constitutional life.

  And at the University of Florida in Gainesville, the Hamilton Center is on its way to hiring 50 professors, including distinguished faculty recruited from elite institutions who have grown weary of having their views be marginalized.

  Young professors whose interests in the American founding, constitutional and diplomatic history, and our roots in Western civilization are often left without prospects in academe. Now, however, they are finding excellent opportunities to teach at civic centers being established throughout the country. And thousands of public university students now have a chance to get a world-class education in citizen leadership that will serve them well across an array of career pathways.

  Nonprofit organizations and their donors can play a valuable part in advancing efforts like these.

  For example, ACTA makes the case to trustees and legislatures that establishing these centers must be a priority.

  And for many years, the Jack Miller Center has invested in training and helping young professors in their careers and supporting established professors, including funding for outstanding postdoctoral fellows in American political thought and political theory.

  Today, the Jack Miller Center’s academic network includes over 1,200 professors on over 300 campuses around the country.  A number of them now hold faculty and senior leadership positions in these new schools and institutes of civic thought and leadership.

  These new institutes are devoted to teaching the whole story of America. As the late Bruce Cole, a former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and former member of the Jack Miller Center’s Board of Directors, said, they will provide “a story of the center and the margins, the peaks and the valleys.” In contrast to what sadly so often happens on campus, they not only recognize the flaws that must be mended but also the American achievements that inspire the world.

  We have an opportunity with new generations of students to create informed patriots and renew their search for the promise of achieving the American dream. Working together, the states, the organizations working in this field, and donors can make this civics renaissance become a reality across the country.

  Michael Poliakoff is the president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Jack Miller is the founder and chairman emeritus of the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America’s Founding Principles & History.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 18:25

• Putin Praises 'Courageous' Trump & Hints At Ukraine Talks, Phone Call Likely
  Putin Praises ‘Courageous’ Trump & Hints At Ukraine Talks, Phone Call Likely

  It appears President Vladimir Putin is jumping at the opportunity of pursuing a serious reset with the United States under the future Trump presidency. In surprisingly positive Thursday remarks, Putin issued congratulatory statements and heaped praise on Trump for winning the election, also saying he acted “like a man” following the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania last summer.

  “His behavior at the time of the attempt on his life made an impression on me,” Putin said at the Valdai Club in the Black Sea city of Sochi. “He turned out to be a courageous man. And it’s not just about the raised hand and the call to fight for his and their common ideals… He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way, courageously, like a man.”

  Significantly these were the very first public remarks given by Putin after the Tuesday election. The Russian leader emphasized that Trump’s campaign promises to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war “deserve attention”. Putin further highlighted Trump’s desire to improve relations with Moscow as a major plus as part of the remarks.

  

  “It seems to me, it deserves attention what was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said. “I have always said that we will work with any head of state who has the trust of the American people.”

  Without doubt, these mark the warmest words issued by Putin regarding the spiraling US relationship in years, and certainly the most positive remarks since the invasion of February 2022. Rhetoric between Moscow and Washington have over the course of the war up to now been marked by severe accusations and even veiled nuclear threats.

  And importantly, Putin signaled he might speak to Trump, per state media:

  Putin congratulated Trump on his win, and said that he is open to a phone call with the president-elect. “It wouldn’t be beneath me to call him myself,” Putin added.

  The US-President elect has in turn told NBC the following:

  President-elect Donald Trump said that Vladimir Putin wasn’t among the “probably” 70 phone conversations he has held with world leaders since winning the election, but that he still is planning to speak with the Russian president, according to NBC News. 

  “I think we’ll speak,” Trump told NBC, Thursday, the news organization said. 

  This type of positive dialogue while the Ukraine war rages was unthinkable under the Biden-Harris administration, and for that reason the Kremlin was very closely watching the US election.

  Interestingly, despite their recent subtle tensions, Ukraine’s Zelensky and President-elect Trump have spoken in the wake of the landslide election victory. Trump confirmed to NBC that Zelensky was among the congratulatory phone calls from world leaders he’s received so far since Tuesday.

  President Zelensky also issued a congratulatory statement on X, expressing hope he could work with Trump to implement “peace through strength” and that his country was “interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations.”

  Ukrainian soldiers SHOOT a mannequin wearing a TRUMP SHIRT.

  Are they upset that American funds will end?pic.twitter.com/1Ic86hcddf

  — Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) November 7, 2024

  However, following this, in a Thursday press briefing, Zelensky sought to pour cold water on the potential for a quick peace:

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy poured cold water Thursday on a plan by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to strike a rapid peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow, arguing it would amount to a “loss” for Ukraine.

  “I believe that President Trump really wants a quick decision” to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, Zelenskyy told journalists in Budapest. “He wants that. It doesn’t mean that it will happen this way.”

  He complained that a rapid ceasefire would be tantamount to “preparation to ruin and destroy our independence.” Below are more of Zelensky’s words aimed at Trump, revealing serious tensions remain, given in Budapest:

  “He [Trump] wants this war to be finished,” Zelenskyy said through an interpreter. “We all want to end this war, but a fair ending … If it is very fast, it’s going to be a loss for Ukraine.”

  The Ukrainian leader also responded to an appeal from Hungarian strongman Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, issued minutes earlier from the same stage, for a rapid ceasefire deal between the two warring camps.

  “I heard that it’s better to implement a ceasefire and then, ‘we’ll see,’” Zelenskyy said, referring to Orbán’s comments. “[A] ceasefire was tried back in 2014. We tried to reach this ceasefire and we lost Crimea and then we had the full-scale invasion.”

  But for several months as Ukrainian forces have suffered a string of defeats in Donetsk, putting the Russian army on the brink of capturing the strategic city of Pokrovsk, there have been signs that behind the scenes Western diplomats have actually been increasing the pressure on Kiev to find an exit strategy – sooner rather than later. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 18:00

• 2028
  2028

  Authored by Thomas Buckley via ‘The Point’ substack,

  So, well, now that’s over, let’s look at the 2028 presidential race.

  If you are polite, you just swore in your head – if you’re normal, you did it out loud.

  But sometimes we like to torture our readers, so let’s look ahead four years, shall we?

  

  On the Democrat side of the aisle:

  First, I wonder how one says “neener neener” in each of the world’s 7,000 languages?

  Mean, but I think we all deserve a football spike or two after the last four years.

  Donald Trump is the happiest person in the country today, the 73 or so million people who voted for him are a close second, and in a very close third is Gavin Newsom.

  It can only be assumed that the his Plumpjack (such a creepy name) wine flowed very freely last night at whichever house Gavin and the First Partner were at.  Donald Trump just did Newsom a huge favor – he vanquished the one person who could have absolutely guaranteed he couldn’t run for president at least 2032 and by that time – let’s face it: the boyish charm will have worn off a bit and the oil slick oin his head will be a bit grey and those are his two “best”  electoral qualities so, phewww.

  With her out of the way, Newsom now has a clear path to the nomination.  The national media will fawn over him and try to convince the rest of the country that California is not actually as much of a third world basket case as and if it is it’s, um, Ronald Reagan’s fault.

  Last night’s results also means that Newsom will tack to the middle for the next two years as governor, desperately trying to rub the progressive stink off of himself.  Not that that’s really great, but – for California – it’s better than nothing as he may turn back some of the most egregiously silly ideas the legislature tries to foist upon the state.

  Case in point, Newsom issued a statement yesterday that he will “work with” the new administration.

  One serious downside for Newsom did emerge last night – the nation’s opinion of the state.  That will be tough to overcome, hence one can expect the aforementioned policy shifts.

  As for Newsom’s potential competition, let’s start with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.  True, Kamala lost his state but that is not at all on him, as it were.  In fact, it seems she did him a favor by passing him over for the veep spot on the ticket.

  Of course she only settled on the rolling dough of goofball that is/was Tim Walz (note to Democrats: stopping nominating chubby white guys named Tim to be vice president,  it just doesn’t work) because Shapiro is Jewish. 

  There is no other reason, no matter what she has claimed.  She simply could not have a dastardly colonizing rapacious JEW on her ticket, what with her base being so rabidly anti-Semitic (not anti-Israel, just straight up anti-Semitic.)

  If the relatively moderate Shapiro holds Pennsylvania together for the next few years – which will be made easier by Donald Trump’s labor and energy policies, to be honest – he will be very strongly positioned for 2028 as the saner alternative to Newsom.

  Then we have Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker, but he has some very heavy baggage.  First, he looks like a Thomas Nast caricature of an evil Gilded Age plutocrat/corrupt politician.

  Take a look:

  

  And now Pritzker:

  

  He is also in charge of one of the most poorly run, brokest, and corrupt states in the country that has outmigration numbers that give California a run for its money.  And Chicago has more murders than pretty much anywhere.

  In other words, he does not have the charm to try to cover things like that up like Newsom does.

  True, he’s a zillionaire (richer than Trump, actually) but it is inherited wealth (hotels) and his other trust fund relatives have done some absurdly woke things with their share of the money.  His cousin Jennifer – it used to be James –gave a $2 million donation to create the world’s first endowed academic chair of transgender studies, at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

  Oh, and here she/he/whatever is:

  

  Kudos for her military service when she was a guy and her continuing support of veteran’s causes but, well, yikes.  Fat old white guys should not wear dresses.

  Case in point, Admiral Rachel Levine:

  

  Speaking of women, there’s Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.  Personally, I’m baffled by her appeal and why she is constantly touted as the Democrats “next big thing,” and that even before her Flamin’ Hot Eucharist stunt.

  

  Oh, and here’s the link to the vid: https://x.com/i/status/1844449775992893861

  She’s very controlling and privileged – her record during the pandemic could be the poster child for “rules for thee, not for me,” although she did get pretty lit at a football game so I’ll give her that.

  And then you have Pete Buttigieg – he’s gay, ya’ know – and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore – he’s black, ya’ know – and then a bunch of other folks who will give it a shot.

  And many others – except Kamala, lol – will give it a shot for it is a rather rare occurrence that a nomination for either party is completely wide open.

  On the Republican side, it’s Vice President Presumptive J.D. Vance’s race to lose.

  Trump cannot run again, so that opens up the nomination.  And short of Trump nuking Canada and/or appointing Mike Pence as his Chief of Staff, Vance is the very very odds-on favorite.

  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could have thought about challenging for 2028, but he made the huuuuge mistake of running for president this time around.  And his campaign was a pathetic disaster, so that’s strike two through eleven.

  Other than that, at this moment there is no alternative to Vance for the Republicans.

  But another issue that will be extremely important in the run up to 2028 will be what the Democrats do internally.

  No changes in California – they have 147 legislators out of 120, of course – but in the national arena.

  Tuesday’s results must show the party that it is utterly out of touch and that when it does try to touch people it can only be described a “BAD touch!!”

  But if the Democrats try to move to the center-ish they will have to deal with the lunatics they have let run the asylum.

  Gaza.  Trans.  DEI.  Government unions.  Speech codes.  Greenaholism.  Microaggressions.  And on and on…

  The party has based its existence over the past few years, as well as much of its funding, on those very things. 

  To paraphrase supporters of Joe Biden in 2020, they have let the children run the room.

  And now the regular Democrats – who obviated their responsibility –  have to give them a spanking and that is going to be difficult.  I mean, you have people on the loony left of the party that refer to being “pro-life” as being part of “the forced birth movement.”

  The wokerati – who bitch and moan about everything anyway – will not go gently into that good night.

  And whiny. And squirmy.  And howly.  And ragey.

  But it will be fun to watch.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 17:40

• Worse Off Now? Real Wages Have Declined Since Nov. 2020
  Worse Off Now? Real Wages Have Declined Since Nov. 2020

  “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

  Any incumbent president seeking re-election is faced with this political litmus test.

  A test that Kamala Harris, as the de-facto incumbent, apparently failed to pass.

  As Statista’s Felix Richter reports, according to exit polls, 46 percent of voters in key states said that their family was worse off now than it was four years ago, the highest ever in presidential exit polls. But is that really true or are we seeing what some economists described as a “vibecession”, i.e. an overly negative perception of an economy that is doing alright?

  While the U.S. economy has come through the inflation crisis relatively unscathed, with robust growth, low unemployment and high stock prices, many American families have not.

  Or at least it hasn’t felt that way.

  The main problem with inflation is the fact that it hits consumers right where it hurts: the wallet.

  In times of high inflation, when prices increase faster than nominal wages, real wages go down, meaning that workers see (and feel) the purchasing power of their income decline.

  During the current inflation crisis, this has been the case from April 2021 to April 2023, when average real hourly earnings declined for 25 consecutive months on a year-over-year basis. In May 2023, real wages began to rise again as nominal wage growth outpaced inflation once again as it normally should.

  By looking at cumulative wage growth and price increases since November 2020, we can at least try to answer the question of whether or not Americans are better off than they were four years ago and the answer is: not really.

  

  You will find more infographics at Statista

  Between November 2020 and September 2024, nominal wages increased 19.2 percent on aggregate.

  During the same time, consumer prices have surged by 20.6 percent, though, meaning that prices hikes have erased any wage growth and left real wages 1.1 percent short off where they were four years ago.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 17:20

• The Dam Has Burst, The Floodgates Of Liberty Just Opened
  The Dam Has Burst, The Floodgates Of Liberty Just Opened

  Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance

  On Tuesday night, the country decided to take drastic measures to steer back toward the center of the aisle and common sense. At the same time, the populace delivered a fatal blow to the unholy alliance between the Democratic Party and the mainstream media, both of whom will now be forced to consider massive overhauls to the strategies they have employed over the last decade if they want a chance of being relevant over the next decade.

  Everyone knows the election was a decisive victory for Donald Trump, so there is no need to rehash the ins and outs of the numbers. Trump very clearly has a mandate, and with Republicans picking up Senate seats they were widely expected to secure back in 2022 but didn’t, American citizens have now made one of the boldest statements in the country’s history.

  My regular readers know that I wrote days ago about how a Trump win would spell the death of the mainstream media. But this victory goes far beyond that.

  Democrats thought they could compensate for a lack of merit and substance in their hand-picked candidate by doubling down on baseless inflammatory rhetoric, posturing as though they held the moral high ground, and resorting to their time-tested strategies of race hustling and identity politics.

  After all, Harris rose to the candidacy for president without any notable merit-based wins. She was crushed in the 2020 Democratic primary and was picked for vice president—admittedly by Joe Biden—only because she was a woman of color. And last night, the country’s “free market” of voters sent Democrats a reminder that meritocracy still rules the roost.

  Because Harris was such a grossly incompetent and downright phony candidate, the media’s efforts to cover for her were Herculean. This wasn’t a case of some slight liberal bias over the last few months; instead it was full-scale outright lying, deceptive editing of Harris’ interview responses, blatant, one-sided fact-checking that often ignored the facts, and a nonstop 24-hour cycle painting Donald Trump as the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler.

  

  As the British would say, the media “over-egged the pudding.” And then set the house on fire by leaving the oven on.

  In doing so, they not only laid bare their agenda and the deep threads connecting the media machine to the Democratic Party, but they also sacrificed what was left of their credibility after half a decade of hoaxes, outright lies, and biased journalism. In other words, if the media were a poker player with a dwindling chip stack, it just went all-in—and got smoked by pocket aces.

  The irony isn’t lost on me. The media took a blowtorch to the rest of its credibility, preaching about “defending democracy,” only to run cover for a candidate who never earned one primary vote.

  In hindsight, even the most delusional consultants in whatever focus group the Democrats have been using will be forced to recognize the blatantly disastrous nature of this campaign. Had they chosen any other candidate, the Democrats could have won. If they’d picked someone like Josh Shapiro as vice president, they could have won. If Harris could even recite three or four memorized 30 second lines that hinted at policy ideas with any coherence, they could have won.

  But instead, they relied on the media to paint public-relations lipstick on the pig of their campaign, hoping to save it — and America got wise to the scam.

  And now, post-election, both the media and Democrats are back at square one.

  Democrats have alienated a significant portion of the center-right, center, and center-left due to their pandering to the radical left and bizarre ideological positions. Meanwhile, the media has lost another huge segment of viewership and portion of the public trust. And the trust that has been eroded between the media and Democrats with the American public over the last four years will take a very, very long time to rebuild.

  ---

  🔥 50% OFF FOR LIFE: Using this coupon entitles you to 50% off an annual subscription to Fringe Finance for as long as you wish: Get 50% off forever

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  This is why I take the trust my readers place in me so seriously — and why I’m so appreciative of their support. Not just because at the end of the day I’m only seeking the objective truth, but because in a media subscription model (especially in finance) you can sheer the sheep of your viewers many times but only skin them once. This election cycle, the mainstream media skinned the trust of the American people for all the world to see. And they got the exact opposite result they intended for.

  I hinted over the past month that a decisive GOP victory would be more than just a win. I wrote last week that it would be a bold statement at a time when the country needed it most. Our nation has never been so stifled by dangerous, counterintuitive, and far left radical ideas and media coverage as it has been over the past five to ten years. To quote Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, “Liberty is the soul’s right to breathe. And when I cannot take a long breath, laws are girdled too tight.”

  Never has our nation needed a massive gasp of fresh air more than it did going into last night. And that’s why I believe this mandate isn’t merely about four years of undoing the damage done by Democrats in their most recent term. Rather, it signals a potentially new golden age—a renaissance for our nation. Since Ron Paul’s campaign in 2008, there has been a growing faction in the U.S. that has fought for liberty, smaller government, lower taxes, reduced regulation, peace and fiscal responsibility.

  These are ideologies that don’t just fade over the course of four years, and now that they are firmly planted in this Trump administration and its Unity Party, they may remain a powerful force in the U.S. for decades, well beyond this administration.

  Thank you again for your trust and for supporting my work. 

  

  QTR’s Disclaimer: Please read my full legal disclaimer on my About page here. This post represents my opinions only. In addition, please understand I am an idiot and often get things wrong and lose money. I may own or transact in any names mentioned in this piece at any time without warning. Contributor posts and aggregated posts have been hand selected by me, have not been fact checked and are the opinions of their authors. They are either submitted to QTR by their author, reprinted under a Creative Commons license with my best effort to uphold what the license asks, or with the permission of the author.

  This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stocks or securities, just my opinions. I often lose money on positions I trade/invest in. I may add any name mentioned in this article and sell any name mentioned in this piece at any time, without further warning. None of this is a solicitation to buy or sell securities. I may or may not own names I write about and are watching. Sometimes I’m bullish without owning things, sometimes I’m bearish and do own things. Just assume my positions could be exactly the opposite of what you think they are just in case. All positions can change immediately as soon as I publish this, with or without notice and at any point I can be long, short or neutral on any position. You are on your own. Do not make decisions based on my blog. I exist on the fringe. The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page. These are not the opinions of any of my employers, partners, or associates. I did my best to be honest about my disclosures but can’t guarantee I am right; I write these posts after a couple beers sometimes. I edit after my posts are published because I’m impatient and lazy, so if you see a typo, check back in a half hour. Also, I just straight up get shit wrong a lot. I mention it twice because it’s that important.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 17:00

• "You Don't Deserve Any Respect!": Steve Bannon Goes Scorched Earth On Democrats On Election Night Livestream
  “You Don’t Deserve Any Respect!”: Steve Bannon Goes Scorched Earth On Democrats On Election Night Livestream

  Steve Bannon took to his livestream on election day, just hours after leaving prison for contempt of congress charges, to offer up his take on the landslide victory President Trump was in the midst of at the time.

  Speaking about Democrats, Bannon exclaimed:

  “You stole the 2020 election. You’ve mocked and ridiculed and put people in prison and broken people’s lives because you said this thing was stolen. This entire phony thing is getting swept out. Biden’s getting swept out. Kamala Harris is getting swept out.” 

  “MSNBC is getting swept out. The Justice Department [DOJ] is getting swept out. The FBI is getting swept out. You people suck, okay? And now you’re going to pay the price for trying to destroy this country.” 

  “And we’re going to get to the bottom of where are the 600,000 votes. You manufactured them to steal this election from President Trump in 2020,” Bannon exclaimed.

  “Think of where the country would be if we hadn’t gone through the last 4 years of your madness. You don’t deserve any respect, you don’t deserve any empathy and you don’t deserve any pity,” he said.

  Bannon is on FIRE 🔥🔥🔥

  JUSTICE IS COMING! pic.twitter.com/ZcA8FIN62H

  — Patri0tsareinContr0l (@Patri0tContr0l) November 6, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  “And if anybody gives it to you it’s Donald J. Trump because he’s got a big heart and he’s a good man. A good man you’re going to still try and put in prison on the 26th of this month, this is how much you people suck,” Bannon said. 

  “You tried to destroy his business and he came back in the greatest show of political courage in world history,” Bannon exclaimed. “What he has done is a profile in courage.”

  “No one speaks for the President but the president, and what the president said and as he said it last night on the stage is that he’s going to be a president for everybody, and we’ve got an opportunity right now to unify the country to bring this country back together,” Lewandowski, a senior adviser on Trump’s 2024 campaign, responded to The Hill. 

  “Listen, there’s going to be a lot of hyperbole out there; there’s going to be a lot of people saying they know Donald Trump or speak for him,” he said. “Unless you hear it from Donald Trump, you don’t have to listen to what these other people say.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 16:40

• Harris Was Always Doomed
  Harris Was Always Doomed

  Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness,

  The presidential race was not unpredictable, as the now once again discredited polls swore to us.

  

  Instead, the great Trump comeback victory was clear by the last weeks of the campaign.

  The Republicans had made massive gains in voter registrations since 2020, when Trump had lost the Electoral College by only a few thousand strategically placed votes.

  Republicans began to master the transition to non-Election Day balloting—first engineered by the left in 2020 under the pretext of COVID.

  They not only vastly exceeded their early/mail-in voting totals of 2020, but by Election Day, they often outpaced Democrats.

  For months, it was widely reported, albeit grudgingly, that there were large defections in Hispanic and African American voters from Harris.

  The betting odds over the last three weeks usually favored Trump.

  Harris simply could not run on anything she had so emphatically promoted in the past – given these left-wing, unpopular, and failed policies had no majority support.

  So, the chameleon Harris renounced her prior 30 years of earlier radical advocacies that, along with her race and gender, had forced Joe Biden in 2020 to select her as vice president.

  There was no way Harris could still support banning fracking, defunding police, opposing border security and the wall, or calling for mass amnesties and an end to the border patrol.

  Nor could Harris still promote racial reparations, ending private health care insurance, or advocating for higher income and capital gains taxes and a wealth tax.

  Much less could Harris still boast of wanting mandatory “buyback” or confiscation of some semi-automatic weapons—including entering private homes to seize them.

  So given all that, Harris simply flipped—and serially lied about who she was, renouncing her entire political career.

  Indeed, Harris began to copycat Trump’s own positions.

  And so, she never convinced the electorate that she would not flip back to her earlier radicalism once elected or even in defeat finishing out her vice presidential term.

  There were three damning realities that even if Harris had been a gifted politician and an adept speaker, she could never have changed.

  One, Harris was preposterously running as a turn-the-page, new-generation candidate.

  But why had she not sought to implement such a “new chapter” for the prior 45 months as an incumbent vice president, especially while in office during the campaign itself?

  Voters knew the answer: the entire Biden-Harris tenure was a far left-wing utter disaster, one for which the radical Harris 1.0 had for three-plus years claimed co-ownership.

  Two, why did Harris avoid all impromptu interviews and the media for most of the campaign—only to reverse course and seek out reporters when her polls eroded?

  Did it hurt Harris more to avoid the media—or meet with them and thus confirm her inanity to millions of viewers and listeners?

  Three, why did Harris serially lie to America that Joe Biden was hale and vigorous—until hours before his senility prompted leftist donors and party insiders to force him off the ticket?

  And why could she not declare her independence from the historically unpopular Biden?

  Harris instead chose to terrify voters to vote against a demonized and “fascist” Trump rather than to vote for Harris and her make-believe agendas.

  But even in demonizing Trump, the maladroit Harris hit a wall.

  By campaign’s end, Trump’s favorables were often higher than her own.

  His prior four years as president polled higher than the current Biden-Harris train wreck.

  Trump, the purported “racist,” won more Hispanic and black voters than past “moderate” Republicans like Bob Dole, John McCain or Mitt Romney.

  It was hard to damn Trump as a crazy fascist when iconic liberal figures, like Robert Kennedy or Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, were campaigning for him.

  Trump had reinvented the Republican Party by substituting ecumenical, middle-class solidarity for polarizing racial tribalism. Elitist Democrats were left to cater to the interests of their well-off and very rich donors as well as the subsidized poor.

  Finally, workaholic Donald Trump campaigned nonstop for two years, won all the primaries, and was endorsed by his two chief primary rivals.

  In contrast, the Harris “nomination” was the product of a coup that, in 48 hours, removed from the ticket an incumbent president, nullified the will of his 14 million primary voters, and coronated Harris, who had neither won nor ever entered a primary.

  That late July forced abdication of Biden lent an air of illegitimacy to Harris’s candidacy, as well as truncating the time available to campaign.

  Finally, Harris’s first major decision was to nominate as her vice president the buffoonish and inept Tim Walz. His radicalism, serial lying, and herky-jerky “weirdness” proved a force multiplier of her own mediocrity.

  In contrast, the calm, empathetic, and astute J.D. Vance eviscerated Walz in their sole debate and did the same to the media.

  Add it all up—and Harris and her star-crossed candidacy were simply and rightly doomed.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/07/2024 – 16:20

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