volkris @volkris@qoto.org
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
@jd I don't think it's clear that assassination was the goal.
The guy sounds like he didn't have much of a plan, given that Trump was a thousand miles away and he was allegedly lugging around a gas can.
@ChrisMayLA6 who are you referring to?
The only commentary I see trying to sane-wash Trump's babbling are those speaking from inside the GOP echo chamber, and they're getting fewer and fewer as time goes by and his positions become harder to justify.
The Supreme Court didn't order Trump to stop tariff collections. That's not how the process works.
Standing as an appellate court, SCOTUS affirmed the lower court's judgement so that the lower court can do what it needs to do.
So no, Trump didn't defy the SCOTUS here, and the bureaucracy around collecting tariffs reasonably takes time to process directives to change its practices.
Yes, Trump should have never demanded these tariffs in the first place, but this is pretty normal for how the management changes direction.
Yep. But that's been the case for years now. His whole track record is strewn with examples of his losing.
Had his critics focused on that for the last decade I don't think he would have been reelected.
Instead, his critics spent their time yelling about how he was going to be effective in getting his way, which only built him up to his base.
Well right. The US corporate media is full of presenters, effectively actors, not experts who so often don't know what they're talking about and don't bother bringing in people who do.
Keep in mind, this isn't conspiracy. Same as Trump, it's simply mediocrity.
@light I'm kind of pointing out the opposite here.
These Trump supporters thought that the markets would crash without the Trump tariffs. That the markets didn't crash means there's something they got really wrong about how the world works. If they were reasonable they would sit back and reconsider their beliefs, but they won't.
Whether or not the market is gospel, these people made predictions that didn't come true which should be time for some self-reflection.
Mainstream republicans actually believed that the tariffs would be GOOD for the economy and for business.
To the point where they were surprised that the stock market reacted positively to the Court ruling against them.
Not that this will have them question their assumptions... but it should!
#LarryKudlow: Thank goodness the stock market didn't tank after that awful SCOTUS ruling on tariffs...#USPolitics #SCOTUS #tariffs
It's a mainstream Republican position that these tariffs were actually good for the economy. A lot of his economically ignorant base actually believe the economy will do worse now.
It's an isolationist theory. They believe that blocking international imports means more domestic production and economic activity, even for other countries.
In fact, some commentators actually expressed surprise that the US stock market didn't tank after the announcement.
He can't just refund the money to Americans since he didn't take it from them. It goes back to the specific entities he overcharged at the border.
Otherwise it's still theft, just with the ill-gotten gains being handed to a third party.
I have this link handy to give a state of play.
Yes, Trump is admitting defeat and abiding by the ruling, which highlights other LEGAL ways that presidents can impose tariffs.
But no, turns out the different legal approach isn't one of them :)
Looks like he's about to botch it again.
https://reason.com/volokh/2026/02/21/andrew-mccarthy-on-why-trumps-section-122-tariffs-are-illegal/
Not quite. The 6-3 majority did NOT join this part of the opinion.
Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson rejected the extension to the major questions doctrine, writing separately specifically to reject it.
Only the main judgement got 6. The question of delegation only got 3, I believe.
And it's been pointed out that the new authority he's citing here also doesn't apply.
Looks like he's botching this one too.
@realcaseyrollins it was never revealed.
Many figure the perp is known, but the identity is being kept under wraps for some reason. Which is suspicious.
To be clear, #Trump is accepting his defeat and agreeing to abide by the ruling. #SCOTUS itself pointed out that there were ways for presidents to impose tariffs, but he botched this one.
He's not circumventing the legal smackdown here. Instead, he's taking the hint and trying something different.
Sure, it looks like he'll botch this one too, but that's why it's important to emphasize how ineffective he really is.
@wjmaggos it makes me think this is an implication of the engineering decisions to build ActivityPub around instances instead of users.
But yeah, broadcast system versus direct connection system.
Mainstream Republican response to the tariff ruling about as expected...
Confirmation bias on display from some folks who used to know better. I think a lot of that echo chamber are just aging out along with #Trump.
#LarryKudlow: That darned anti-Trump #SCOTUS wrongly ruled against #Trump on his tariffs because of the mere technicality that the law he cited di...
He's not hitting back at the Supreme Court. He's following legal procedures that he could have followed the whole time.
@jwcph The problem is that so few Americans seem to know how the government actually works, so they fall for lies that politicians spin in their own interests.
Americans can't put an end to it because they don't know civics well enough to know how to put an end to it, or even what's happening.
What? No, That's the opposite of what Roberts said.
Yes, a lot of sensational reporting gets that wrong.
@JdeBP I think you're giving Trump too much credit.
He's just spouting off in the media to score political points with his base. He doesn't actually know or care how any of the repayment may work.
All he cares about is making headlines in conservative media, and it's already working today.
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
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