Fire Hydrant of Freedom
Politics, Religion, Science, Culture and Humanities => Politics & Religion => Topic started by: Crafty_Dog on May 02, 2023, 07:03:43 AM
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Prosperity Requires a Stable Dollar
By trying to do too much, the Fed has given us a volatile currency. I’d change that as president.
By Vivek Ramaswamy
May 1, 2023 6:09 pm ET
With a recession looming, and on the heels of recent regional bank failures, the Federal Open Market Committee meets this week. The standard account for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and now First Republic is that the Federal Reserve held interest rates too low for too long, only to hike rates too high too quickly. The deeper problem, however, is how the Fed has tried to achieve its mandate.
Attempting to balance low inflation and full unemployment—trying to hit two targets with one arrow—has proved to be disastrous since the Phillips Curve cult gained prominence at the Fed around 2000. If elected president, I will return the Fed to a narrower scope: preserving the U.S. dollar as a stable financial unit to help prevent financial crises and restore robust economic growth.
Beginning in the 1980s and lasting through most of the 1990s, the Fed governors, including Vice Chairman Manley Johnson and Wayne Angell, used a framework first adopted by Paul Volcker in 1982 to stabilize the dollar. The idea was to consider the dollar’s value in terms of commodities, letting it serve as a reference point for other nations’ floating fiat currencies. This provided financial stability for two decades following the stagflation of the 1970s.
Beginning in the late 1990s, the Fed’s scope drifted to include “smoothing out” business cycles. This was a mistake, since business cycles serve a healthy function by transferring the assets and employees of poorly run companies to more capable management. Even worse, the Fed’s actions often exacerbated business cycles by creating transitions that create boom-bust-bailout cycles instead. The Fed now typically tightens when an economic slowdown is impending, engineering a downturn of liquidity that catalyzes a profit downturn, leading to a credit-cycle downturn in which credit events—bankruptcies, credit spreads and financial-institution failures—prompt cries for bailouts. This was the pattern in 2000, 2008 and—so far—2023.
In 2000 the Fed issued six consecutive rate hikes from June 1999 to March 2000. Meantime, the dollar’s real value was rising, indicating deflationary pressure, suggesting no good reason to tighten. A review of Fed transcripts from 1997 through 2000 revealed a major shift from prioritizing a stable dollar to becoming captive to academic fears that further wage gains might cause inflation.
In the aftermath of this self-inflicted recession, the Fed overreacted by pushing the federal-funds rate to a then-record low of 1%, holding it there even as the economy rebounded well into the next business cycle. The dollar’s real value fell below the well-established 20-year range that the previous Fed regime had worked so hard to achieve, which should have told the Fed that emergency liquidity was no longer needed. By ignoring this major inflationary signal, the Fed planted the seeds for the next crisis, which arrived in 2008.
From 2000 to 2007, the Case Shiller National Home Price Index rose 73%, reflecting a boom in real estate. But in real-dollar terms, dollars in terms of commodities, housing prices were up only 1.7%. The weak dollar transmitted false price signals that resulted in the misallocation of capital.
A crucial benefit of a stable dollar is that it maintains the balance between debtors and creditors. A sudden change in that balance is the essence of a financial crisis. In 2008, trailing inflation, caused by the dollar’s multiyear weakness, met new deflationary forces as the dollar soared 36% in three months. This shifted the balance abruptly, culminating in the failure of Lehman Brothers and other major investment banks. Quantitative easing was announced the next month, ostensibly to provide liquidity, but its only chance of working depended on following the approach Mr. Johnson used in 1987. Instead, the Fed rolled out four rounds of quantitative easing, all of which would have been unnecessary had the Fed not ventured away from dollar stability.
These actions paved the way for the asset bubble of 2023. The Fed had missed key dollar signals again in 2021. In February 2021, with the consumer-price index still below but approaching the Fed’s 2% target, the dollar’s real value returned to its three-year stretch of pre-Covid relative calm. This was a sign to halt and even reverse asset purchases, normalize rates, and stabilize the dollar. Instead, the Fed bought an additional $2 trillion of assets, which provided fuel for speculative securities and allowed CPI to race to a peak of 9.1%. The Fed waited for late-cycle labor-market indicators, including wage growth, then tightened into an already slowing economy, extending the familiar pattern.
The global market will hang on every word of every FOMC press conference to see what a dozen central planners have to say. That won’t be because these planners have any special insight. Everyone will listen to see what the Fed may destabilize next.
Chairman Ben Bernanke claimed that achieving a target rate for CPI or PCE (personal consumption expenditure) inflation will stabilize the dollar relative to consumer goods and services. This assumes that consumption drives the economy, when production is what really does. And production is best facilitated when the dollar is stable in real time, not when a lagging index of sampled consumer prices says it is.
During the only stable dollar eras of the last century, annual GDP growth averaged 4.9% in 1922-29, 4% in 1948-71, and 3.7% in 1983-2000. The volatile dollar from 2000 to 2022 saw average growth of a paltry 1.9%. Had the dollar remained stable since 2000, with an enduring 3.7% growth, the economy would be nearly 50% greater than it is today, and we would have avoided multiple financial crises along the way.
The Fed should refocus to avoid repeating its past mistakes, and I intend to make the 2024 presidential race in part a referendum on the proper role of our central bank.
Mr. Ramaswamy is a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhyatt/2023/04/26/how-rich-is-vivek-ramaswamy-the-longshot-gop-presidential-candidate-who-helped-take-down-don-lemon/?sh=65762e4a3197
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Vivek already rated his own thread :-D
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I liked him the times I saw him on Tucker, I liked his stable dollar piece which begins this thread. Though he seems not likely to go all the way, given how long our election campaigns are the early part of them is a good place for candidates such as him to bring substance.
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Ramaswamy Takes on DeSantis Over Fight Against Disney and Wokeness
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to guests at the 2023 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 14, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to guests at the 2023 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 14, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Roger L. Simon
By Roger L. Simon
May 5, 2023Updated: May 5, 2023
biggersmaller Print
Commentary
“Trouble ahead, trouble behind” the Grateful Dead used to sing, and right now those lyrics are ringing true for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The “trouble ahead” is obviously Donald J. Trump, who, at this point, is leaving the governor in the electoral dust in the Republican presidential derby.
The “trouble behind” is outsider candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who is beginning to catch up to DeSantis. In any case, he’s closer in the latest polls to the Florida governor than DeSantis is to Trump with the biotech entrepreneur’s bullet trending upwards.
Ramaswamy—who, unlike many politicians, writes for himself—has an op-ed in the May 5 edition of USA Today entitled “Ron DeSantis says he’s fighting ‘woke’ companies like Disney. But it’s just a PR move.”
The article raises an interesting question. To what extent in this presidential election, indeed in all elections, do we hold candidates responsible for their past sins? Shouldn’t we just judge them by their improvements, by the good things?
Secondarily, are those sins really in the past or are those improvements simply eyewash?
And finally, do we need a Statute of Limitations on past sins? After all, Reagan and Churchill were once liberals, as was this columnist in the last century, as he is often reminded in the comments.
For Ramaswamy, there is clearly hypocrisy involved with DeSantis. He isn’t alone in the accusation. Trump has leveled the same charge at the Florida governor but the tech entrepreneur and author of “Woke, Inc.” has done it more precisely.
He writes:
“But here’s the problem for DeSantis: as governor, he was also a purveyor of indefensible corporate welfare to Disney itself. In 2021, DeSantis signed a political anti-discrimination statute that penalized companies for engaging in viewpoint-based censorship on the internet. This was a signature piece of legislation in his anti-woke crusade, but the law specifically exempts companies in Florida that own a theme park larger than 25 acres. Disney’s internet properties and streaming services were exempted from a statute that was designed to stem corporate ‘wokeness’ in Florida.”
How could that have happened? Ramaswamy explains:
“DeSantis’ own director of legislative affairs lobbied for the Disney loophole. DeSantis’ chief budget officer, policy chief and his then-general counsel also worked behind the curtain to change the terms of the bill to create the special carveout for Disney. Several lawmakers who voted in favor of that law had received campaign contributions from Disney.
“In his February 2022 announcement that he was purging Disney’s perks, DeSantis declared: ‘The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end, there’s a new sheriff in town, and accountability will be the order of the day.’ That declaration falls flat when the same sheriff granted the corporate kingdom one of the crony capitalist privileges he ceremoniously cancelled.”
Ouch.
Ramaswamy goes on to say current Florida tech legislation has new loopholes for Disney. He also highlights DeSantis’ supposed reining in of BlackRock’s ESG (environmental, social and governance) investment in Florida as similar eyewash.
In defense of DeSantis, as I write in my forthcoming book (self-promotion alert) “American Refugees,” getting off a plane in Florida in the midst of the COVID-19 “pandemic” was indeed a liberating experience. It felt as if you were arriving in a free, relatively maskless, country, even coming from red Tennessee, as I did.
People had flocked to Florida more than any other state and the governor deserved credit for it. I was enthralled at the time and returned from that Orlando CPAC proudly sporting a black “DeSantisland” baseball cap.
I had particularly loved that DeSantis had stuck it to the new woke Disney where, it seemed, Mickey and Minnie were about to switch roles and even Jiminy Cricket would be transgendered.
But I didn’t know much of what Ramaswamy referenced at the time, how this was all something of a charade. As I started to learn this, not just from the outsider candidate, but elsewhere too, I began to revise my opinion of the Florida governor, which is reflected in my book.
What we need now more than ever is real, not faux, transparency.
For a while, Trump has been telling us everything good that was done by DeSantis was copied from him. I used to think that was unfair. Now, I wonder.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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https://resistthemainstream.com/gop-presidential-candidate-wants-to-make-major-voting-law-change/?utm_source=newsletter2
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiqjXnmIcQs
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https://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/2023/05/17/president-ramaswamy-n2623339
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I'm seeing the possibility that he can do good work in elevating the level of the campaign.
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/ramaswamy-slams-election-interference-as-linkedin-censors-gop-candidate-over-comments-on-china-climate-change_5291676.html?utm_source=Morningbrief&src_src=Morningbrief&utm_campaign=mb-2023-05-26&src_cmp=mb-2023-05-26&utm_medium=email&est=CX3kmlHSF1R6b8gXPtYEiPkmlBovQUeLgW8YmfkH2vd34PDyqal7%2Bery6jSTgpwImA7z
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Has called on all Rep candidates to pledge to pardon Trump if elected.
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The left's extremists are at it again, Marc F..
The culture war has turned into a full-blown modern-day Spanish Inquisition. It is run by a new church. It's not a church of God; it's a new secular cult – aiming to cancel everyone that disagrees with them.
ABOLISH THE CULTURE WAR →
In the course of woke history, we have seen:
1995: "Love is love. We just want to be accepted."
2005: "We're just after equality."
2012: "Bake the cake, or see you in court."
2015: "Get my pronouns right or clean out your desk."
2022: "Little kids can pick their own gender."
And now, companies and corporations are partnering with transgender activists and influencers to appeal to the "TikTok" generation. Biden will ban people that show up topless at the White House but won't take the same action against the trans-cult agenda in schools. The culture war plaguing America has turned things upside down.
Time to emancipate ourselves from this toxic dogma – once and for all. We need to restore order and a true American identity starting at the top. If you think it has gone too far, I need you with me, Marc F.. Now is the time to act.
Thank you,
Vivek Ramaswamy
ABOLISH THE CULTURE WAR →
GET TO KNOW VIVEK:
GET TO KNOW VIVEKVivek is an American entrepreneur, political and cultural thought leader, and New York Times bestselling author of Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam, along with his second book, Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence.
He has been a prominent and outspoken critic against ESG, discriminatory practices under the guise of critical race theory, and of what he calls "government-tech censorship," where the government colludes with big tech to do through the backdoor what it couldn't do through the front door under the Constitution.
Vivek is a first-generation American. Growing up in the Cincinnati area, he often recounts the sage advice he received from his father that "If you're going to stand out, then you might as well be outstanding." This advice set the course for his life: an accomplished pianist, a nationally ranked tennis player, and the valedictorian of his Jesuit high school. He went on to graduate summa cum laude in Biology from Harvard in 2007 and received his J.D. degree from Yale Law School in 2013, worked at a hedge fund, then started a pharmaceutical company, Roivant Sciences, where his team developed five drugs that went on to become FDA-approved.
In 2022, he founded Strive Asset Management, an Ohio-based firm, that takes direct aim at asset managers like BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard and others for their fiduciary breach of duty to maximize the wealth of their clients for Wokeism. Strive's mission is to restore the voices of everyday citizens in the American economy by leading companies to focus on excellence over politics.
STAND WITH VIVEK ➞
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VR had a segment on Martha MacCallum today. A bit brief, but as usual he was good.
I very much liked his thinking on Ukraine.
Cut a deal with an offer he can't refuse?
What would that be?
He gets the Russian speaking part of Ukraine and a promise that the remainder of Ukraine does not join NATO and in return Russia gives up alliance with Russia.
As you guys here know, I have been pounding the table on the significance of driving Russia into China's arms so the fact that he gets it appeals to me quite a bit.
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He is very smart.
The MIC wants a long and ugly war, so the one true branch of government says no to any sort of peace.
VR had a segment on Martha MacCallum today. A bit brief, but as usual he was good.
I very much liked his thinking on Ukraine.
Cut a deal with an offer he can't refuse?
What would that be?
He gets the Russian speaking part of Ukraine and a promise that the remainder of Ukraine does not join NATO and in return Russia gives up alliance with Russia.
As you guys here know, I have been pounding the table on the significance of driving Russia into China's arms so the fact that he gets it appeals to me quite a bit.
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God is real.
There are two genders.
Human flourishing requires fossil fuels.
Reverse racism is racism.
An open border is no border.
Parents determine the education of their children.
The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to mankind.
Capitalism lifts people up from poverty.
There are three branches of the U.S. government, not four.
The U.S. Constitution is the strongest guarantor of freedoms in history.
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God is real.
There are two genders.
Human flourishing requires fossil fuels.
Reverse racism is racism.
An open border is no border.
Parents determine the education of their children.
The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to mankind.
Capitalism lifts people up from poverty.
There are three branches of the U.S. government, not four.
The U.S. Constitution is the strongest guarantor of freedoms in history.
Amazing list. All should be obvious, but somehow aren't.
I like this one:
"Capitalism lifts people up from poverty."
More than all other systems in history, yet no one ever seems to mention it. We hear only the opposite which is denial of fact, science, math and history.
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I like him a lot and hope to hear more (so as to affirm the power of his message)even though I think him too unseasoned to become president.
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https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/why-vivek-ramaswamy-says-these-things/
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https://www.pbs.org/wnet/firing-line/video/vivek-ramaswamy-nphzso/
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https://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2023/08/11/who-will-say-no-more-to-the-current-madness-n2626882
DeSantis is one
but somehow I feel Vivek articulates this better - even on enemy stations such as CNN etc.
He seems to be able to get his message across even on the MSM airways but OTOH it may be that the MSM is letting him since they will do anything to distract from Trump / DeSantis
I think it is both them inviting him on and his ability to break through
He definitely should be in a future Republican administration - God willing - not a Trump one
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https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/12/vivek-ramaswamy-polls-rise-00110937
remarkable how mainstream media twists it around
when speaking of republicans
I don't suppose his ability to think and speak with rapid fire, his positive message for America, its people , while color gender and class blind , and promoting patriotism, with new fresh ideas, and whose message seems to try to move us beyond divisiveness
has anything to do with it.
what a mystery :roll:
instead compare that to biden who is weak feeble front man for a party that stokes division , climate panic, runs up our debt, slows growth, weakens our military, throws open the flood gates at the border , lies about so many things , corrupt, plays into those who harbor contempt for out country and all the rest
instead compare that to a big mouth lying nasty narcissistic person more than 1/2 the country despises
still a mystery ?
add that to the fact Trump and the Left have not really gone after him like they do DeSantis.
I guess also the msm can't play the race card with him as well along with the fact he does not play it either
unlike Obama
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ramaswamy-goes-viral-following-exchange-lgbtq-activist-respect-different-opinion
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I'm not seeing him as presidential (yet), but I like this:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vivek-ramaswamy-shares-10-commandments-2024-campaign-starts-god-real-two-genders.amp
God is real.
There are only two genders.
Human flourishing requires fossil fuels.
Reverse racism is racism.
An open border is no border.
Parents determine the education of their children.
The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to mankind.
Capitalism lifts people from poverty.
There are three branches of government, not four.
The U.S. Constitution is the strongest guarantor of freedoms in history.
(Doug). Right on the money.
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Did not know of his Israel policy
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Ramaswamy’s Foreign-Policy Roulette
By BOBBY MILLER
August 18, 2023 6:50 PM
GOP presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy’s unforeseen rise to prominence on the political scene is notable, not least because of the bewildering nature of his foreign-policy stances. Given his performance thus far, one cannot help but wonder if he’s auditioning for a geopolitical game show instead of the presidency of the United States.
To start, his approach to Russia and Ukraine is deeply troubling. His proposal to hand Putin almost everything he desires in and around Ukraine in exchange for Russia’s ending its alliance with China and rejoining the START nuclear treaty is more reminiscent of a freshman poli-sci student’s wishful thinking than a thoughtful peace plan from a serious presidential contender. Russia and China’s “friendship with no limits” is rhetorical. Putin can swear he won’t partner with Beijing anymore and renege as soon as he gets what he wants. And even if Moscow were inclined to rejoin START in exchange for these generous concessions, the accord would be ineffectual without China’s participation.
Then there’s Taiwan. While Ramaswamy’s advocacy for boosting America’s firepower in the Taiwan Strait initially sounds assertive, it’s clouded by his lack of long-term commitment. His audacious goal of making the U.S. “semiconductor-independent” by 2028 and subsequently withdrawing support for Taiwan showcases a transactional worldview that would leave our allies questioning our reliability.
Perhaps the most baffling is his stance on continued aid to Israel. Historically, support for Israel has been a mainstay of Republican politics. Not for Ramaswamy. He suggests that once the current ten-year, $38 billion nonbinding memorandum of understanding between the United States and Israel expires in 2028, the Jewish state should stand “on its own two feet” financially. But foreign aid to Israel isn’t a mere charity; it’s a strategic investment. By conflating the two, Ramaswamy reveals a disturbing lack of discernment. Israel’s stability, innovative spirit, and geopolitical positioning are invaluable assets for the U.S.
What’s concerning isn’t that Ramaswamy is questioning the status quo; indeed, every policy should be subject to rigorous debate. The problem is the seeming impulsiveness, inconsistency, and naïveté that underscores his position. Our global relationships aren’t based purely on transactional benefits — they are built on shared values, long-term interests, and mutual trust.
The world doesn’t need another leader who swings wildly between aggression and indifference. Being president requires thoughtful, consistent, and principled leadership. Ramaswamy’s foreign policy might be making headlines, but it’s far from making sense. America deserves better.
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can't say I don't agree with NRO here.
But Vivek appears to be a quick learner .
Lets see if he evolves ......
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrpW-SUchFo
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwBC-s7Quis&t=1s
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I thought he was a bit too tempermental last night.
insulting everyone and getting a bit hot - like Trump
He kind of rubbed me the wrong way .
I prefer someone who is cool calm and not a hothead.
I liked Ron .
I liked Tom, Nikki, and Burgum so far but he does not get enough time.
Frankly I would prefer any of them as opposed to Trump .
Vivek has great ideas but he has fallen out of favor with me.
These debates give no one enough time........
I missed the first 45 minutes - went to walk my dog instead .
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I continue to have RDS as my favorite.
I continue to like VR but found him glib at times last night. CC I think scored with the comparison to candidate Obama. That said, I think VR has some genuine insights and think the overall campaign better for his presence.
Excellent closing statement I thought-- his big picture vision is good, he needs to beware the glibness.
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Don't know if it is honest, but it seems to assert some seriously contrary statements and deeds not so long ago:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/984190899470796
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Let us know a sample of it if you can, I can't open it up.
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It is from Dreamware on Instagram. I am not on Instagram.
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saw most of it last night.
but now see this was done a month ago:
https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2024-election/watch-live-vivek-ramaswamy-town-hall/
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Vivek Ramaswamy’s Plan to Defend Taiwan
‘I favor strategic clarity: Defend Taiwan vigorously until the U.S. achieves semiconductor independence, then resume the posture of strategic ambiguity.’
By Readers
Updated Aug. 28, 2023 2:02 pm ET
32
Gift unlocked article
Listen
(4 min)
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Two soldiers lower the national flag during the daily flag ceremony at Liberty Square in Taipei, July 30, 2022. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Your editorial “The Ramaswamy Doctrine” criticizes my foreign-policy vision by claiming, among other things, that I favor giving China a “green light” to annex Taiwan after 2028 (Aug. 25). This is laughable.
The U.S. currently doesn’t even recognize Taiwan as a nation. Democrats and Republicans both unquestioningly endorse the “one China” policy and embrace “strategic ambiguity” toward the island. No other presidential candidate is willing to commit to militarily defending Taiwan, and in December 2016 President Trump was roundly derided for violating diplomatic protocol for the high offense of answering a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan’s president.
By contrast, I favor strategic clarity: Defend Taiwan vigorously until the U.S. achieves semiconductor independence, then resume the posture of strategic ambiguity when the stakes are lower for the U.S. The American way of life depends on leading-edge semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan, and we can’t risk China gaining near-total leverage over the entire U.S. economy.
By saying that we will defend Taiwan, the U.S. can strongly deter China from blockading or invading the island in the near term. Meantime, Taiwan should more than double its own military expenditures to a more rational level of 4% to 5% of its gross domestic product, the U.S. should rapidly arm and train Taiwan with Anti-Access/Area Denial weapons while running at least one destroyer warship through the Taiwan Strait each week. The U.S. should also fortify its own homeland defense, which is at present dangerously vulnerable to major conflicts with China. This includes improving nuclear, super electromagnetic pulse, cyber and space defense capabilities.
That some Republicans describe this position as “isolationist” reminds me of when some progressives used to call my antiwoke views “racist.” Neither makes sense, but once a pejorative becomes a tool to dodge substantive debate, the insult starts to sound more like a compliment.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwYh5T_oFkM
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Strange NYT article trying to pick apart Vivek's 3 books.
https://dnyuz.com/2023/09/25/vivek-ramaswamy-is-confused/
Wish they would take a stab at picking apart Leftism with that kind of vigor.
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https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1708841818605912183
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https://nypost.com/2023/09/28/shutdown-ready-gop-shouldnt-buy-into-ramaswamys-ukraine-plan/?fbclid=IwAR1G2KPsPdjyrm4f8sduTbj0xtsSMGbcVT4gEaxCU3MUVDk0EZau1Yynbdg
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On Ingraham 2-3 nights ago.
Actually, he was quite articulate on this subject.
When he is on, he is good. When he is covering up for glibness he is not.
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https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/10/we-cant-separate-the-new-axis/
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https://biblehub.com/nasb77/psalms/120.htm
If it was so easy like he says it would have been done long ago.
The world would not have needed to wait for him to tell us it is easy.
:roll:
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https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2023/10/15/megyn-kelly-vivek-ramaswamy-fight-n2388574
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fox-news-mark-levin-gets-slammed-as-he-calls-vivek-ramaswamy-charlatan-over-utterly-stupid-israel-statement/ar-AA1iFABW?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=4283d08cf25840f2b3ecae8df9a01e74&ei=19
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https://nypost.com/2023/12/07/news/vivek-ramaswamy-clashes-with-fox-news-host-over-naive-ukraine-stance/
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Brain Kilmeade actually had the answer Nikki should have had.
It is not just 3 provinces [dingbat]
They have parts of Georgia, Crimea, and major influence in Belarus.
Can anyone name all their provinces or even if they are divided into any - can you?
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None of us are running for president based upon our geopolitical expertise as a UN ambassador and advocacy of victory over Russia in Ukraine-- and central to "victory" is its definition. SHE should be able to rattle all of these off-- she could not even respond that there were more than three.
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when I posted "can you"
I was not referring to CD . I was referring to NH should have asked Vivek that question.
But I agree with your/Vivek's points
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Vivek turns the narrative on its ear, much to CNN’s dismay:
https://x.com/vivekgramaswamy/status/1735153884270584292?s=61&t=L5uifCqWy8R8rhj_J8HNJw
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Good for him!!!
There is so much to like about him! A lot!
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Vivek turns the narrative on its ear, much to CNN’s dismay:
https://x.com/vivekgramaswamy/status/1735153884270584292?s=61&t=L5uifCqWy8R8rhj_J8HNJw
CNN: "I want to ask you more about something you said in the debate", but I will do everything in my power to keep your answer from being heard.
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I like Vivek a LOT better when he is going after the libs then Republicans.
I thought he was good with very good points.
He even handled the plants in the audience who claim to be Republican such as the college professor who asks what are you going to do to preserve DEI? (I don't believe a Republican would ask this question for a second)
Of course, he was set up about his comments that 1/6 was possibly entrapment or at least the point that it demonstrator plants contributed to it. Abby the DNC propagandist got what she hoped so the CNN "analysts" could spend all their time using this one piece to toast Vivek over the coals and ignore all his main messages.
I also noticed Kaitlen Collins [the Dylan Mulvany impersonator] immediately after the townhall was over completely ignored his main messages to comment only that he keeps lying and pushing conspiracy theories and bashed him up and down CNN style.
CNN anchors are such bastards.
I did think the Townhall that Ron DeSantis did was excellent format - much better at getting information than these dumb debates, and Ron was excellent. And surprisingly Jake Tapper did good job was not particularly partisan in running it though as usual they have DAvid Axelrod and crew come on to minimize the value of anything he said and just tell us it was futile because Trump is so far ahead so lets move on folks.
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/advice-for-vivek-ramaswamy-even-if-he-doesnt-want-it-5554598?utm_source=News&src_src=News&utm_campaign=breaking-2023-12-29-1&src_cmp=breaking-2023-12-29-1&utm_medium=email&est=d4F6Ua4DwjLQ%2Fr74LE7L%2BJRYDa3HuY8W8553V7UvuJ1goJPD26FXxUXQHxPY4%2FxGSeCD
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Roger Simon of PJ Media fame:
Vivake for '28 :-o :-o :-o
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https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2024/01/03/ramaswamy-destroys-wapo-reporter-over-dumb-gotcha-question-about-white-supremacy-n4925193
BRAVO!
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I saw him in a one-on-one with some FOX host the other night and again was really impressed. Though there may be some arrogant, glib hubristic snark there in abundance, there is also a lot of genuine substance.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/he-is-folding-like-a-tent-vivek-ramaswamy-mocked-as-he-drops-out-of-iowa-debate-saying-cnn-was-mean-to-him/ar-AA1moc0k?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=1e41a011fbeb47ba8c892a75c7384d37&ei=15
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/vivek-ramaswamy-touts-endorsement-of-white-supremacist-former-rep-steve-king/ar-AA1mpZKm
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/are-we-finally-done-with-vivek-ramaswamy/ar-AA1mqetF
Vivek's post rattled the Left Wing media bee hive and they send their little bees to swarm all over the airways to attack him in every way they can think of.
Dozens of stings trying to kill him.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=92&v=DZ2d2F9xCd0&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2F710wor.iheart.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
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well I don't see him as DJT VP
but maybe he would , if interested, make a good WH Chief of Staff
or Press correspondent
he certainly has good messaging
and he has executive (CEO) experience
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq2cP-qXrII
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good rant
on second thought He might not be a good spokesperson for Trump such as WH correspondent or Chief of Staff since he wants to tell the truth . That would not work well with Trump.
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Vivek for Press Secretary:
https://pjmedia.com/stephen-kruiser/2024/01/05/the-morning-briefing-ok-ive-got-the-perfect-gig-for-vivek-ramaswamy-n4925210
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Save the Constitution from Big Tech:
By Vivek Ramaswamy and Jed Rubenfeld
WSJ
Facebook and Twitter banned President Trump and numerous supporters after last week’s disgraceful Capitol riot, and Google, Apple and Amazon blocked Twitter alternative Parler—all based on claims of “incitement to violence” and “hate speech.” Silicon Valley titans cite their ever-changing “terms of service,” but their selective enforcement suggests political motives.
Conventional wisdom holds that technology companies are free to regulate content because they are private, and the First Amendment protects only against government censorship. That view is wrong: Google, Facebook and Twitter should be treated as state actors under existing legal doctrines. Using a combination of statutory inducements and regulatory threats, Congress has co-opted Silicon Valley to do through the back door what government cannot directly accomplish under the Constitution.
It is “axiomatic,” the Supreme Court held in Norwood v. Harrison (1973), that the government “may not induce, encourage or promote private persons to accomplish what it is constitutionally forbidden to accomplish.” That’s what Congress did by enacting Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which not only permits tech companies to censor constitutionally protected speech but immunizes them from liability if they do so.
The justices have long held that the provision of such immunity can turn private action into state action. In Railway Employees’ Department v. Hanson (1956), they found state action in private union-employer closed-shop agreements—which force all employees to join the union—because Congress had passed a statute immunizing such agreements from liability under state law. In Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives Association(1989), the court again found state action in private-party conduct—drug tests for company employees—because federal regulations immunized railroads from liability if they conducted those tests. In both cases, as with Section 230, the federal government didn’t mandate anything; it merely pre-empted state law, protecting certain private parties from lawsuits if they engaged in the conduct Congress was promoting.
Section 230 is the carrot, and there’s also a stick: Congressional Democrats have repeatedly made explicit threats to social-media giants if they failed to censor speech those lawmakers disfavored. In April 2019, Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond warned Facebook and Google that they had “better” restrict what he and his colleagues saw as harmful content or face regulation: “We’re going to make it swift, we’re going to make it strong, and we’re going to hold them very accountable.” New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler added: “Let’s see what happens by just pressuring them.”
Such threats have worked. In September 2019, the day before another congressional grilling was to begin, Facebook announced important new restrictions on “hate speech.” It’s no accident that big tech took its most aggressive steps against Mr. Trump just as Democrats were poised to take control of the White House and Senate. Prominent Democrats promptly voiced approval of big tech’s actions, which Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal expressly attributed to “a shift in the political winds.”
For more than half a century, courts have held that governmental threats can turn private conduct into state action. In Bantam Books v. Sullivan (1963), the Supreme Court found a First Amendment violation when a private bookseller stopped selling works state officials deemed “objectionable” after they sent him a veiled threat of prosecution. In Carlin Communications v. Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. (1987), the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found state action when an official induced a telephone company to stop carrying offensive content, again by threat of prosecution.
As the Second Circuit held in Hammerhead Enterprises v. Brezenoff (1983), the test is whether “comments of a government official can reasonably be interpreted as intimating that some form of punishment or adverse regulatory action will follow the failure to accede to the official’s request.” Mr. Richmond’s comments, along with many others, easily meet that test. Notably, the Ninth Circuit held it didn’t matter whether the threats were the “real motivating force” behind the private party’s conduct; state action exists even if he “would have acted as he did independently.”
Either Section 230 or congressional pressure alone might be sufficient to create state action. The combination surely is. Suppose a Republican Congress enacted a statute giving legal immunity to any private party that obstructs access to abortion clinics. Suppose further that Republican congressmen explicitly threatened private companies with punitive laws if they fail to act against abortion clinics. If those companies did as Congress demands, then got an attaboy from lawmakers, progressives would see the constitutional problem.
Republicans including Mr. Trump have called for Section 230’s repeal. That misses the point: The damage has already been done.
Facebook and Twitter probably wouldn’t have become behemoths without Section 230, but repealing the statute now may simply further empower those companies, which are better able than smaller competitors to withstand liability. The right answer is for courts to recognize what lawmakers did: suck the air out of the Constitution by dispatching big tech to do what they can’t. Now it’s up to judges to fill the vacuum, with sound legal precedents in hand.
Liberals should worry too. If big tech can shut down the president, what stops them from doing the same to Joe Biden if he backs antitrust suits against social-media companies? Our Framers deeply understood the need for checks and balances in government. They couldn’t anticipate the rise of a new Leviathan with unchecked power to make extraconstitutional political judgments under the mantle of private enterprise.
American democracy is under siege from Silicon Valley’s political plutocracy. Next week Mr. Trump will be a private citizen without a Twitter account. Our new class of corporate monarchs will still control whether and how Americans can hear from the president—or anyone else. We have devolved from a three-branch federal government to one with a branch office in Silicon Valley. But there’s no democratic accountability for Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg.
Hard cases make bad law, and Mr. Trump presented America with a hard case last week. The breach of the Capitol is a stain on American history, and Silicon Valley seized on the attack to do what Congress couldn’t by suppressing the kind of political speech the First Amendment was designed to protect.
There’s more at stake than free speech. Suppression of dissent breeds terror. The answer to last week’s horror should be to open more channels of dialogue, not to close them off. If disaffected Americans no longer have an outlet to be heard, the siege of Capitol Hill will look like a friendly parley compared with what’s to come.
Ordinary Americans understand the First Amendment better than the elites do. Users who say Facebook, Twitter and Google are violating their constitutional rights are right. Aggrieved plaintiffs should sue these companies now to protect the voice of every American—and our constitutional democracy.
Mr. Ramaswamy is founder and CEO of Roivant Sciences and author of the forthcoming book “Woke Inc.” Mr. Rubenfeld, a constitutional scholar, has advised parties who are litigating or may litigate against Google and Facebook.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZh5H-neBkE
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTqXK4XTR7o&t=171s