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Kosh's Shadow
2/5/2025 7:53:09 PM
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1
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In #16 vxbush said: In #14 Occasional Reader said: So what do you all think about Trump‘s proposal that we would somehow own Gaza? I am hoping this is a negotiating tactic, nothing more, his way of trying to cut the Gordian knot on this thing.That's what it looks like to me. An extreme position that can then be softened to something he really wants and look like he's making a huge concession. Exactly Trump’s Gaza plan isn’t meant to work, but that’s the point - comment This is Trumpian negotiation 101, lifted straight from his 1987 book The Art of the Deal. In his world, you start with an extreme demand – one that is so outrageous it shifts the boundaries of what was previously considered possible. Then, when the inevitable pushback comes, you negotiate down to something that, while far less extreme than your initial position, is still a big win. You aim for 100, knowing that landing at 50 is still a success. By aiming for an impossible maximum, the president makes the previously unthinkable suddenly seem reasonable. A few weeks ago, the idea of Egypt or Jordan taking a bigger role in post-war Gaza was off the table. Now, it may start looking like the moderate alternative. This is classic Trump deal-making: start at the extreme, let everyone panic, then walk it back to something that, while less dramatic, still represents real movement in his direction. RTWT
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vxbush
2/6/2025 5:57:11 AM
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2
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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 1: Gotcha. I kind of thought this was then-loy, but good to have it confirmed.
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vxbush
2/6/2025 5:59:48 AM
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3
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So: if you are a Democrat-leaning publication like Politico and you want to charge only government institutions thousands of dollars for “special subscriptions”, that never brings out the attack dogs complaining about government access, or unfair billing practices, or any of the other whining arguments made by liberals.
Good to know.
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vxbush
2/6/2025 6:01:03 AM
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4
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Reply to vxbush in 3: Well, we are only aware of the government special subscriptions so far.
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vxbush
2/6/2025 6:07:25 AM
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5
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Sundance raised an interesting issue yesterday: what if Elon Musk at DOGE is being careful in releasing this information in the same way that he didn’t let multiple journalists look over the Twitter papers regarding freedom of speech during the COVID nuttiness? What if this is to keep the worst stuff from getting out? What is getting out is bad, but I think it’s just the tiniest tip of a huge iceberg and they don’t want to let what is worse out. I mean, sending millions to Iran monthly is ridiculous. But what if there is something even more disgusting being hidden? Is it just happenstance that Elon is at the helm of both releases? Is that because he believes in this or he is protecting government players for something worse? How would we know?
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vxbush
2/6/2025 7:54:46 AM
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6
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Good Lord…..everyone took government money.
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vxbush
2/6/2025 9:16:56 AM
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8
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Reply to JCM in 7: Do it. These sanctuary laws are stupidness incarnate.
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vxbush
2/6/2025 9:17:23 AM
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9
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Scuttlebutt online is that DOGE is now looking at Medicare and Medicaid payments. Given what we already know about overpayments, I expect this to be big heap ugly.
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JCM
2/6/2025 9:48:22 AM
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12
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Reply to vxbush in 8: What I would like to see is all Federal stuff shut down... you know the airport, a port if they have one, and a halt to all Federal funds of any kind. They'll cave real quick.
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buzzsawmonkey
2/6/2025 3:20:42 PM
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15
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Me and my shadow government
Strolling down Pennsylvania Avenue
Me and my shadow government
Nobody we're accountable to
And when we want something
We find the cash
It's there for the taking
In the taxpayers' cache
Just me and my shadow government
Sticking it six ways to you...
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Occasional Reader
2/6/2025 5:29:41 PM
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16
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Howdy. My adventure for the day was buying myself a retirement present; a new car. And trading in the old one. It’s fun and a little scary.
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Occasional Reader
2/6/2025 5:32:51 PM
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17
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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 1:
that’s what I’m thinking, but of course there’s always a possibility that the other side calls the bluff.
”Gaza? Sure, it’s all yours!”
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Occasional Reader
2/6/2025 7:09:52 PM
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18
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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 15:
++++
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