But an old rule still applies: outsized success inevitably engenders hubris; that hubris breeds blindness; and blindness in wealthy elites does untold damage to a country's social fabric and economic health. It is a tale as old as time.
Such hubris, and the blindness that follows, has infected Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Two weeks ago, Andreessen published a manifesto in which he argued that amassing personal fortunes is inherently philanthropic. Yes, you read that correctly. He's claiming that the mere act of accumulating vast riches, without giving any of it away, is in and of itself an act of charity.
Trump's openly dictatorial aspirations are complemented by an extensive pre-election plan to fundamentally alter the nature of American government: the Heritage Foundation's 2025 Presidential Transition Project (Project 2025). Created by Trump allies and staffed by those including his past and likely futureadministration appointees, it is in the words of Heritage Foundation president Roberts, a plan for "institutionalizing Trumpism." Trump has returned the compliment, saying of Roberts (and Heritage) that he's "doing an unbelievable job, he's bringing it back to levels we've never seen … thank you Kevin." There are multiple other Trump world connections with Project 2025. But as it comes under intensified scrutinyTrump has recently sought to distance himself by claiming he knows "nothing about" it, has "no idea who is behind it," had "nothing to do with them," and "disagree[s] with some of the things they're saying[,]" which "are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal." Yet, as noted by Axios and other sources, Project 2025 is "undeniably a Trump-driven operation,"with Trump's main super political action committee, "Make America Great Again Inc." (or "MAGA Inc."), running online ads promoting a website called "Trump Project 2025."
Project 2025 is an extreme right-wing initiative organized by The Heritage Foundation to provide policy and personnel to the next Republican presidential administration. The effort involves more than 100 partner organizations, and its nearly 900-page policy book — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise — represents a major threat to democracy.
Project 2025 proposals would severely inhibit the federal government's protections around reproductive rights, LGBTQ and civil rights, and immigration, as well as its climate change efforts. On their own platforms, Project 2025 partners speak frequently in even more draconian terms.
But as Mr. Musk's public persona has become increasingly right wing, Tesla appears to be paying a price in sales, especially to liberal and left-leaning customers who are much more likely to buy battery-powered cars than conservatives are, according to analysts and many car owners who responded to a questionnaire on The New York Times's websiteabout whether his behavior affected their views of Tesla.
His image as an erratic, impulsive manager appears to have rubbed off on the cars, raising doubts in some people's minds about their quality and helping to explain why Tesla sales have been falling. On Tuesday, the company reported that its global sales in the second quarter fell 4.8 percent from the same period a year earlier, after an 8.5 percent drop in the first three months of the year.
"Musk is a true lightning rod," said Ben Rose, the president of Battle Road Research, which has a generally positive view on Tesla's stock. "There are people who swear by him and people who swear at him. No question, some of his comments are a real turnoff for some people. For a subset, enough to buy another brand."
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Russ Vought, the former president's budget director, is laying the groundwork for a broad expansion of presidential powers.
By Beth Reinhard
From the article:
If you aren't already worried by Trump's rhetoric on Revenge and Retribution you need to read this.
"We are living in a post-Constitutional time," Vought wrote in a seminal 2022 essay, which argued that the left has corrupted the nation's laws and institutions. Last week, after a jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records, Vought tweeted: "Do not tell me that we are living under the Constitution." Vought aims to harness what he calls the "woke and weaponized" bureaucracy that stymied the former president by stocking federal agencies with hardcore disciples who would wage culture wars on abortion and immigration. The proposals championed by Vought and other Trump allies to fundamentally reset the balance of power would represent a historic shift — one they see as a needed corrective. "The president has to be able to drive the bureaucracy instead of being trapped by it," said Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who led the GOP's 1994 takeover of Congress.
Read more:
In Phoenix, at his first post-conviction campaign rally, Trump portrayed a dark and desperate America.
Opinion by Dana Milbank
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/06/07/trump-phoenix-campaign-rally/
