Current Events

[zamb]

Now, now - let's not confuse realpolitik with trumppolitik.

well the truth is for all his His lordship dispicableness offensiveness, he continues to be relevant for saying some things that many want to say but cannot out of fear of the PC police....
People are actually tired of biting their lips or having to unnecessarily censor themselves for fear of being labeled with all kinds of unjust labels.

America is a nation divided.....SERIOUSLY divided

I spoke about what is happening in Europe a long time ago.......

[Faust]

Trump is an asshole and a bigot and America is a nation where fear and ignorance is rampant. No, thanks - I don't want Trump near a microphone, period. I'd rather have realpolitik coming from the likes of Christopher Hitchens - god bless his soul - an erudite man, an intellectual, with whom I may not agree on all points, but whose opinion is worth consideration.

[En.]

I'd rather have realpolitik coming from the likes of Christopher Hitchens - god bless his soul - an erudite man, an intellectual, with whom I may not agree on all points, but whose opinion is worth consideration.

Hitchens knew more about politics than most politicians. We need him now more than ever to inform the public. It's very unfortunate that there isn't anyone like him nowadays.

[gregor]

beyond hitchens (rip), i think we still have great social and political commentators, actually. they just don't have the platform of relatively mainstream appeal of hitchens.

i think it's still important to let trump run, but it's still an interesting debate. when does lunacy and racist rhetoric become too much for free speech and press rights to apply?

[Arkady]

Truth be told Trump may be the only viable candidate if we want to see actual, meaningful reform in this country -- he might shock the complacent political base into action. Then again I strongly suspect he would morph into a centrist once he got into office and is purely playing to opposition at the moment, much like Obama effectively revealed himself as a centrist Republican once he got into office.

However, typically the finance candidate will always win the election and that's Hillary this cycle. After Bush Jr the Republicans became too fragmented into Tea Party, Evangelical etc clades to be a useful political tool, so finance began backing Democrats beginning with Obama. One of Hillary's central imperatives is both to reduce short term capital gains taxes and strengthen aspects of Volcker that prevent banks from engaging in speculative investment.

This would rapidly put thousands of hedge funds and independent prop traders out of business. The effect is twofold -- first it silences the canaries in the coal mine (canaries a las the subjects of The Big Short) by making it impossible to make sustainable profits from short term plays these firms survive on, and then it moves all that capital over into massive institutional asset management. ETFs and ETNs that profit from long term capital gain. Hillary's biggest individual donor is the CEO of BlackRock, and her biggest institutional donors are all asset management firms and banks.

It will be a historic open robbery -- some quants have estimated the total sum at play as higher than $1 Trillion -- and could very easily trigger a 2008-style event. This time involving asset management rather than banks, which in some ways is far more horrifying to me. And to top it off I'm sure most of these houses would profit immensely from such a scenario as the are able to anticipate things like VIX volatility far more adeptly than other types of institutions.

[zamb]

Trump is an asshole and a bigot and America is a nation where fear and ignorance is rampant. No, thanks - I don't want Trump near a microphone, period. I'd rather have realpolitik coming from the likes of Christopher Hitchens - god bless his soul - an erudite man, an intellectual, with whom I may not agree on all points, but whose opinion is worth consideration.

you already know hitchens stands across the table from me in terms of the foundation that underpins his ideology.
you also know I respect his honesty of position and his knowledge of how one thing related to another which is not something most present politicians do or seem to care about.

I'd never support trump as president. Actually I am willing to say on record that I dont see a single presidential candidate in the field that I'd support.

it isn't trump near a microphone we need to worry about, but as society that has developed or better yet, devolved to a level of absurdity that at this stage he is a relevant candidate for the oval office.

[Faust]

beyond hitchens (rip), i think we still have great social and political commentators, actually. they just don't have the platform of relatively mainstream appeal of hitchens.

i think it's still important to let trump run, but it's still an interesting debate. when does lunacy and racist rhetoric become too much for free speech and press rights to apply?

Trump will not win - Hillary will. But that's because many more people vote for President. But it's not enough - the public is indeed, complacent. If all those people voted for congress we wouldn't have a Republican congress full of lunatics rendering Obama's presidency meaningless.

[Arkady]

I think there's some minor risk Trump beats Hillary, but Sanders would beat Trump. Though naturally Sanders is not touching the presidency with a 15 foot estonian, much less a 10 foot pole.

[Faust]

Yeah, it's too bad cause I donated $25 to Bernie, and as any good capitalist American I want a return on my investment!

[Arkady]

The possibility of Warren as a running mate is interesting, I think that would garner him some additional support. Though I still want to know why the fuck Warren won't support auditing the Fed.

[Ahimsa]

I worry about a lot of young people registering as Independents, not knowing that they won't be able to vote in many of the primaries.(if they vote at all)

[Law]

Gutted, David Bowie has passed away

[gregor]

i don't think any musician's death has had this much of a personal impact since warren zevon, and i don't think any other will. truly a phenomenal man, and an icon in every way that could possibly be defined and comprehended. i'm so grateful we heard blackstar before, though. rip to someone the business will, at the rate it's going, never see again.

[Monoral]

My hero since i was a young boy. Through Bowie I learn to feel comfortable being myself. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Thanks for everything Bowie.

His final album is really good, give it a listen if you can.

[gregor]

super tuesday is going every way but right