I used to enjoy The Post. I used to do 90% of my non grocery shopping on Amazon. I am now getting my news from independent sources (The Bulwark, a variety of podcasts, and Substacks). I have gone back to paying more and doing 97% of my shopping locally and in person. I would like to find another electronic way to buy/read books so I haven't given up my Kindle, yet.
Bezos is a flawed man. He built a wildly successful company and has it all. Yet, he chooses to support a malignant, deranged narcissist and destructive, know-it-all oligarchs. For his kind, there is never enough.
This post highlights what has always puzzled me about Bezos and his bending the knee: He is so freaking rich, he could tell Trump to stuff it, and he would still be freaking rich. Why the gutlessness? Why the fear? I have to conclude it is because for Bezos, no amount of money is ever enough. And so he keeps on doing everything he can to make more, more, more. Like any greedy, grasping person would do. I refuse to patronize his businesses any more. I wish I could avoid websites that use AWS, but that's pretty much impossible. Maybe some day Bezos will watch "A Christmas Carol" and realize that he is exactly what Ebenezer Scrooge had become before the Spirits visited him. But I doubt it.
I believe in liberal democracy and am no believer in socialism, but there are some very distasteful and harmful characteristics of capitalism. One of these is the public company, the only goal of which is to serve the financial interests of the shareholders. Even if a board or CEO wants to abide by strict ethical standards, if the shareholders do not agree with this, they are liable to lose their jobs or even be sued, because ethics do not contribute to the bottom line. This hardly means that owners and managers of private companies always act ethically, but they don’t have a fiduciary obligation to act unethically. Of course not all managers of public companies act unethically, but that is only because the nature of their particular business doesn’t require it in order to maximize profits.
Trump’s fading. Democrats have to get hold of the system and work for change.. It’s hard work. It’s incremental. Takes time. But that’s lasting change. I don’t know if you read Hillary’s book ‘how it happened” but she talks about how she tried to work with progressive groups that came wanting change. She tried to show them how it’s done: A Senator can draft a bill and formally introduce it in the Senate.
It is given a number (e.g., S.1234) It goes to the proper committee. The committee studies it, holds hearings, and may “mark up” (amend) it. Then votes to approve it, then bill goes back to the full Senate. Debate and vote in the Senate
All senators can debate the bill. Senators can propose further amendments. Because of the filibuster, most bills need at least 60 votes (out of 100) to move forward. If you don’t have a majority this where it gets stalled. Once you’re able to get a majority, it moves to the House. Then process repeats:
committee review, debate, amendments, and a vote.
And again you need a majority. All this can take years. But it must be done if you want to work with the system you have. Most of the progressive found it odious and too time consuming. Basically they wanted revolution.
An immature process that is chaos.. and certainly needed in some Third World countries, but not in a country that is the leader in democracy. Or was. We need to take it back. But when I talk to far left, so-called progressive’s, and I tell them the obvious, we need the independent vote. That’s the biggest party we can’t win without them. Abraham Lincoln said “you cannot do anything without the sentiment of the people.”
This is what they say “ oh yeah, move to the middle that’s why we lose”. That’s not how we lost to Trump. We lost to Trump because the far left, joined the far right to denigrate the Democrat Party. To try to push their agenda over the sentiment of the people.
The far left and the far right do not care about the sentiment of the people. They want what they want. If it wasn’t for the far left, Al Gore would’ve been the president in 2000, Hillary Clinton the president in 2008. and Barack Obama Obama the president in 2016.
I believe we will take over the Senate and the house in 2026. Mamdani in NYC is a problem. The far right will be working for him to push him. They will want to make him the face of the Democratic Party.. the far left will work in tangent with the far right. They always do. They never figure it out.
Democrats must defeat Mamdani in NYC. It is strategically wise. We need a strong democratic mayor in New York City. Andrew Cuomo is perfect.. Don’t listen to the far left. They don’t know how to play national politics.
Mamdani isn’t running for national office, but if he becomes NYC mayor:
The GOP & right-wing media will nationalize his image (e.g. “This is the future of the Democrats”). Trump will have a field day.
Russian troll farms (repeating 2016 tactics) could amplify Mamdani’s face + policies to:
Stoke fear in swing voters.
Deepen rifts between progressives and moderates.
energize Trump Encourage disillusioned progressives not to turn out. 12% of Bernie bros vote voted for Trump. 12% didn’t vote at all.
So, the function is similar: Mamdani becomes a wedge to fracture Democrats.
Potential Electoral Cost Estimate
If the “Mamdani effect” reproduces even half of the 2016 Sanders defection/disengagement:
1.5M voters nationally could either flip to GOP or abstain.
If it mirrors 2016 (full 3.2M), then up to 3M voters are at risk.
Key states to watch:
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia — all won narrowly by Biden in 2020, with margins under 50,000 in some cases.
Even 100k–200k defections/nonvoters across those five states could keep the House and in Senate in GOP control in 2026. 3 million voters would substantially increase the GOP control of Congress. And Trump in the presidency in 2028.. Mamdani is not worth it. Many of the progressive will vote for him regardless if it cost us the midterm election or not. If you talk to progressive, many think that Democrats are as much of the enemy as Trump. They want revolution not change. Because change is hard work, and takes time. They are either too lazy or too 🤪
I used to enjoy The Post. I used to do 90% of my non grocery shopping on Amazon. I am now getting my news from independent sources (The Bulwark, a variety of podcasts, and Substacks). I have gone back to paying more and doing 97% of my shopping locally and in person. I would like to find another electronic way to buy/read books so I haven't given up my Kindle, yet.
Great that you found local alternatives. Check your local library! My area's library system has e-books, audio books, and more FOR FREE!
Unfortunately mine doesn't. I'd love to get into a vibrant borrowing system.
Girl same
Goodreads
Does Goodreads sell or lend ebooks? I thought they just reviewed them.
Bezos is a flawed man. He built a wildly successful company and has it all. Yet, he chooses to support a malignant, deranged narcissist and destructive, know-it-all oligarchs. For his kind, there is never enough.
Money never buys fulfillment or love or true happiness.
Never
This post highlights what has always puzzled me about Bezos and his bending the knee: He is so freaking rich, he could tell Trump to stuff it, and he would still be freaking rich. Why the gutlessness? Why the fear? I have to conclude it is because for Bezos, no amount of money is ever enough. And so he keeps on doing everything he can to make more, more, more. Like any greedy, grasping person would do. I refuse to patronize his businesses any more. I wish I could avoid websites that use AWS, but that's pretty much impossible. Maybe some day Bezos will watch "A Christmas Carol" and realize that he is exactly what Ebenezer Scrooge had become before the Spirits visited him. But I doubt it.
Demonstrations in Venice forced him to move his wedding venue. Voices have power!
That's why we need Home of the Brave. Oligarchs can be influenced if you hit them where the $$ is.
Did he marry her because he can't swim? Think about it.
His wedding in Venice is disgusting. I can think of at least a dozen better ways that would improve lives than this.
White thrash
He’s the trashiest
Thank you for your courage and candor.
I believe in liberal democracy and am no believer in socialism, but there are some very distasteful and harmful characteristics of capitalism. One of these is the public company, the only goal of which is to serve the financial interests of the shareholders. Even if a board or CEO wants to abide by strict ethical standards, if the shareholders do not agree with this, they are liable to lose their jobs or even be sued, because ethics do not contribute to the bottom line. This hardly means that owners and managers of private companies always act ethically, but they don’t have a fiduciary obligation to act unethically. Of course not all managers of public companies act unethically, but that is only because the nature of their particular business doesn’t require it in order to maximize profits.
And Mark Zuckerberg
The cowardice is depressing.
All the Oligarchs except Cuban.
Excellent. I dropped the Post last year and I quit Amazon years ago when they started Prime. Then I quit Whole Foods when Bezos kissed the ring.
Where we spend our money is one of the few freedoms we have left.
Trump’s fading. Democrats have to get hold of the system and work for change.. It’s hard work. It’s incremental. Takes time. But that’s lasting change. I don’t know if you read Hillary’s book ‘how it happened” but she talks about how she tried to work with progressive groups that came wanting change. She tried to show them how it’s done: A Senator can draft a bill and formally introduce it in the Senate.
It is given a number (e.g., S.1234) It goes to the proper committee. The committee studies it, holds hearings, and may “mark up” (amend) it. Then votes to approve it, then bill goes back to the full Senate. Debate and vote in the Senate
All senators can debate the bill. Senators can propose further amendments. Because of the filibuster, most bills need at least 60 votes (out of 100) to move forward. If you don’t have a majority this where it gets stalled. Once you’re able to get a majority, it moves to the House. Then process repeats:
committee review, debate, amendments, and a vote.
And again you need a majority. All this can take years. But it must be done if you want to work with the system you have. Most of the progressive found it odious and too time consuming. Basically they wanted revolution.
An immature process that is chaos.. and certainly needed in some Third World countries, but not in a country that is the leader in democracy. Or was. We need to take it back. But when I talk to far left, so-called progressive’s, and I tell them the obvious, we need the independent vote. That’s the biggest party we can’t win without them. Abraham Lincoln said “you cannot do anything without the sentiment of the people.”
This is what they say “ oh yeah, move to the middle that’s why we lose”. That’s not how we lost to Trump. We lost to Trump because the far left, joined the far right to denigrate the Democrat Party. To try to push their agenda over the sentiment of the people.
The far left and the far right do not care about the sentiment of the people. They want what they want. If it wasn’t for the far left, Al Gore would’ve been the president in 2000, Hillary Clinton the president in 2008. and Barack Obama Obama the president in 2016.
I believe we will take over the Senate and the house in 2026. Mamdani in NYC is a problem. The far right will be working for him to push him. They will want to make him the face of the Democratic Party.. the far left will work in tangent with the far right. They always do. They never figure it out.
Democrats must defeat Mamdani in NYC. It is strategically wise. We need a strong democratic mayor in New York City. Andrew Cuomo is perfect.. Don’t listen to the far left. They don’t know how to play national politics.
Mamdani isn’t running for national office, but if he becomes NYC mayor:
The GOP & right-wing media will nationalize his image (e.g. “This is the future of the Democrats”). Trump will have a field day.
Russian troll farms (repeating 2016 tactics) could amplify Mamdani’s face + policies to:
Stoke fear in swing voters.
Deepen rifts between progressives and moderates.
energize Trump Encourage disillusioned progressives not to turn out. 12% of Bernie bros vote voted for Trump. 12% didn’t vote at all.
So, the function is similar: Mamdani becomes a wedge to fracture Democrats.
Potential Electoral Cost Estimate
If the “Mamdani effect” reproduces even half of the 2016 Sanders defection/disengagement:
1.5M voters nationally could either flip to GOP or abstain.
If it mirrors 2016 (full 3.2M), then up to 3M voters are at risk.
Key states to watch:
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia — all won narrowly by Biden in 2020, with margins under 50,000 in some cases.
Even 100k–200k defections/nonvoters across those five states could keep the House and in Senate in GOP control in 2026. 3 million voters would substantially increase the GOP control of Congress. And Trump in the presidency in 2028.. Mamdani is not worth it. Many of the progressive will vote for him regardless if it cost us the midterm election or not. If you talk to progressive, many think that Democrats are as much of the enemy as Trump. They want revolution not change. Because change is hard work, and takes time. They are either too lazy or too 🤪
Profile in greed as well.
Lots of wealth, but no courage