"We need to reveal the populist Trump as a plutocrat. The hypocrisy will be there in the upcoming tax legislation and slashed regulations for the powerful — all paid for by the middle class.... By returning to our roots as the voice of the middle class, we can unite both moderates and progressives in a fight against the well-heeled and well-connected."
Writes Rahm Emanuel, in "The road back to power for Democrats/It begins with messengers and messages that meet the moment" (WaPo)(free-access link).
December 18, 2024
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So in welcoming Trump to the swamp, you accept that Trump will soon learn all of the dirty tricks you played over the last 25 years? So you now seek to obfuscate? Rahm?
Thanks Rahm. Whenever I think of the middle class, I think of you.
"Well heeled and well connected," classic self-own.
the rich and powerful want regulations. regulations hurt smaller competition that can't afford to comply. and the middle class doesn't "pay" anything when a rich guy pays less.
Let me respond in a manner Rahm will understand.
"This sounds like bullshit to me. Just how fucking stupid do you think we are?"
Rahm: "Create a fake crisis so we Dems can get back in power and resume our looting of the treasury e.g. The Green New Deal."
What mezzrow said.
In other words: Democrats, do what you always do. Eventually it will work, because people have short memories, but if it works right out of the box, America is doomed.
Lies, and more lies. If that doesn't work, lie.
If Trump actually DTFS this time (as it would appear he is poised to do the second time around) then Rahm's message will blow up in his face....
Let me get this strait, Rahm Emmanuel is openly admitting that the Democrat Party is no longer the party of the middle-class? I'll be sure to tell all my liberal friends.
These guys are rushing to spend $30 billion in 30 days with the CHIP Act. I really don't think you will be making wise financial commitments when you're rushing in December to spend that much money. They also just signed for super protections for DC bureaucrats.
Why would i view this party as "thrifty" or working for taxpayers?
They obviously don't. They just pardoned billionaire scammers and pardoned their own graft.
Rahm should use the power of those middle class widows and orphans who chipped in and gave Kamala a billion dollars.
This isn't even going to work with Democrats. The populist pose is amusing, but how could it push back the partisans who hate corporate drones in general and Jews like Rahm in particular?
It's going to be fun to watch.
Democrat leadership thinks their constituents are suckers and losers.
"Never let a crisis go to waste" - Rahm.
From his perspective the last election would surely qualify as a crisis.
Somehow I doubt if it will propel him back to relevancy no matter how he tries to use the disastrous (from his perspective) results..
Didn't Rahm max out his grift card and retire? I guess the re-election of Donald Trump was a crisis he couldn't stand to see going to waste.
Note that he advocates changing messengers and messages and not policies, objectives or values. In other words, repackage the same old policies, objectives and values in the hope that the American people won’t notice that they are being screwed.
"The online cheerleading for the killer of a health-care insurance CEO in New York City is just more evidence of this seething, populist anger."
A truly puke worthy sentence. Yeah, try to tie Trump's populist base with a deranged murderer.
He did make a few valid points though.
"The bonds of trust between the establishment and the public had been severed, and too many in our party failed to appreciate it."
And
"Democrats consumed themselves in debates over pronouns, bathroom access and renaming schools and adopted terms such as “care economy” and “Latinx” to win over voters. It was a hermetically sealed conversation with ourselves, and we appeared much as we sounded: distant and detached."
ObamaCares
ObamaDreams
ObamaLearns
ObamaSprings
ObamaBurdens
ObamaAlbinophobia
... and Biden came tumbling after.
The expectation is that without Democratic Collusion, Trump will make America great again. Time will tell.
Wait, Democrats want to paint Trump as a Democrat in order to discredit him?
It would be a truly great country again if we actually had two parties competing over who can best serve the middle class.
JSM
"meet the moment" My favorite Gavin Newsomeism.
Feck off back to the Windbag City, Rahm Emanuel.
Democrats always say that everyone will vote for them if only they got our message. If Kamala was only able to get her message out better, she would have won. This is bullshit. Democrats refuse to acknowledge that their policies, especially their woke identity politics, is a turn off for middle Americans.
Projection.
Emanuel will always be Stumpy to me.
“COCKSUCKAH!!!”
—— Mr. Wu
Again with The Messaging. Libtards are sure that if just lie and bullshit better then they can regain control.
Good source.
The guy who hides things from the public.
Bingo. But then, they're right about that, aren't they?
He needs to loose more fingers
This is what happens when you vote to abolish checks and balances. I hope it's an educational experience for US voters.
Save us , Ben, your messaging is our only hope!
Here's the header on the Wisconsin Democratic party's website -
"As Goes Wisconsin, So goes the nation"
When he's right, he's right.
That's nice, Rahm. You go with that
Nothing says "voice of the middle class" like "former mayor of Chicago."
Trump has always been part of The Swamp. It's just that he's been the kid not picked for the Swamp teams, he's been the outsider. He doesn't want to drain the Swamp, he wants to control it.
“Steve Bannon warns GOP Congress will give wealthy and corporations ‘massive’ tax breaks.
“Trump ally Steve Bannon is warning that House Republicans would vote in favor of “massive” tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations while also voting to increase defense spending in a strategy doomed to push the nation even deeper into debt.
“Bannon, who has long promoted taxing wealthy individuals and corporations, said the leadership of the key committees will vote that way.
“They want to get to a trillion dollars as quickly as possible, and they’re [also] going to vote for massive tax cuts for the wealthy, for the billionaires and corporations,” Bannon said.
“Bannon is a staunch ally of President-elect Donald Trump. But Trump slashed corporate taxes a massive 40 percent his first time in the White House, and passed other cuts and tax modifications that benefited the wealthiest Americans.
He accepts that there is a swamp and, by suggesting that Trump will be a failure because he won't drain it, admits that it should be drained
Does anyone really think the Democrats would talk even to the middle class who aren't thoroughly edu-medicated with respect and as equals? It is not in their capability not to look down on other lest they see they themselves are not so high.
“It is curious how people take it for granted that they have a right to preach at you and pray over you as soon as your income falls below a certain level.” – George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London
Personally, I see the next 20 months being a disaster for Democrats as those not in the Urban Monoculture proceed to celebrate the semiquincentenial in July 2026. No way they will be able to keep even marquee Democrats from condemning America, much less the cadres of edu-medicated activists the unis have dumped out
So, Rahm (Never let a crisis go to waste) Emanuel admits there is a swamp?
BTW: If they don't reject the current deal in the house, Trump will be swimming in it.
Well, rahm, you worked for and with the kenyan. We all see how that's worked out. So, as politely as you deserve, STFU and GFY. It will take decades to undo the damage you and the kenyan have caused. We can hope that you step off a curb into the path of an oncoming truck. Just desserts in your case, his as well.
It's kinda nice seeing the lefties come in here and pout when they realize Trump will be able to turn the firehose on their favorite parts of the stables first, and Biden et al absolutely set up the precedent for him to do it.
There are plenty of swamp critters with an R after their names. We're about to find out who and how many when the CR vote comes up this Friday.
Trump’s sole legislative accomplishment his first term was enormous corporate tax cuts for Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and Mitt Romney. Why would we expect it to be different this time around?
Trump’s idea of draining the swamp is draining the Republican Establishment’s ballsack.
How interesting to see an Emanuel Op-Ed in the Post. As if he is relevant. Another column that makes me think "I wonder how this ended up in the paper"
Corporate taxes are a regressive pass through tax burden in three forms: lower wages and benefits and fewer jobs for employees, fewer profits for shareholders including 401k investors and defined benefit pensioners and customers in the form of higher prices. The optimal corporate tax rate is zero…
Always about ways of getting the POWER. Never the obviously simple way, do the right thing for the population.
If these were decent people, they would not need guides and instructions on how to fool the population into voting for them.
How does Rahm feel about the swamp inhabitants carving themselves an opt out of his boss' signature claim to fame?
WallStreetMav on X
"There are two provisions buried in the CR that Congress is trying to slip by.
A pay increase for members of Congress from $174,000 to $243,000 per year.
Also, members of Congress are receiving an opt out from being required to use Obamacare
The last major tax change happened in 2017 under Trump. The result was that the top 1% of income earners pay 46% of federal income taxes.
Note that he advocates changing messengers and messages and not policies, objectives or values. In other words, repackage the same old policies, objectives and values in the hope that the American people won’t notice that they are being screwed.
Exactly. He (like most Democrats, ISTM) is still on "it was the messaging" rather than "it's our policies and priorities."
I suppose you could characterize the actual message as "policies and priorities," which is why I'm sticking with the Comm Studies term "messaging" instead - but it's my belief that, to too many Democrats, there is no relationship between "message" and what they actually intend to do. I've been listening back in time to the America This Week podcast and recently heard the episode from just after the first assassination attempt on Trump. In that episode, KJP was asked, I think by Doucy, whether the administration was now going to tone down the rhetoric rather than continuing to refer to Trump as a "threat" (which she had just done in the same press briefing). Her answer was "How dare you!" and a bunch about how the administration had always "denounced" political violence. Not eschewed it, but said words against it. This was a point not lost on Taibbi and Kirn.
Shut the government down. We need to rid ourselves of THEM.....
J Michael Waller
@JMichaelWaller
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Congress gives itself a pay raise and opts itself out of Obamacare in the new, 1,547-page, House continuing resolution to keep funding the central government.
Keep telling yourself that. Maybe it will make you feel better.
"...we appeared much as we sounded: distant and detached."
Worse than that. Academic jargon doesn't just make you sound "distant and detached." It makes you sound like a shibboleth-mouthing snob. It's town vs. gown on a national scale and they STILL don't get it.
Woke is toxic now. Democrats can not do well so long as they are perceived as woke. So long as they keep identity politics as part of their brand they will be perceived as woke. The last prominent Democrat who tried to avoid or at least attenuate Identity Politics was Jim Webb, who in the 2016 Democrat primary during a debate took the position that he favored affirmative action for Black folks but for other ethnic minority groups. He argued that the specific historical circumstances of black folks in America justified this one-time derogation from the rule that all people should be treated the same regardless of their race or ethnicity. He was not popular with Democrat voters. The Democrat party is in a catch 22. They will be harmed nationally and in many elections so long as they hold onto identity politics but a lot their current supporters love identity politics. And if they ditch identity politics it isn't clear how they can meaningfully distinguish themselves from the new Republican party and still stay closer enough to the center to not be viewed as a ridiculous socialist party.
@Earnest: What will the government spend all that additional cash on? I'm guessing gift rebates to blue states for state and local taxes, plus free college to keep unused colleges open.
He's so far out of touch, he still believes the Democrats need more messaging/messengers after the American people got tired of their endless lecturing and voted them out. The Peter principle in action..
The word "Latinx" gave Republicans 10% of the Hispanic vote all by itself.
They LOATHE that term, especially when it is shoved down their throats by smug white Dolores Umbrage liberals. They like their heavily gendered tongue, even most of the hard core leftists in the Hispanic community, and see no reason to change.
My son showed me a comical glitch in Chat-GPT. Unless they've fixed it, if you ask it to translate the word "non-binary" into Spanish, it will reply that it is either 'nonbinario' or 'nonbinaria', depending on the sex of the person to whom it refers.
What do you mean by "this", Rich? You think Emanuel's fantasies are going to come true?
You talk as though our nation is not approaching $2 trillion in debt.
It’s the actions not the message. Hopefully they never learn.
He's usually politically savvy, so if trotting out class warfare is the best they have, they're in trouble.
Even in reaction and as dissent, they have learned to talk in a language Trump created. Trump has won so totally.
He's part the Swamp, but also the outsider? As usual, I don't think you thought this through very well.
Test run to see if he's a viable D candidate in 2028.
Saw a video this morning, guy talking about why he left the Democrat Party. Had bone cancer, twice. Lost his health insurance because Obamacare made it too expensive. And had to pay a penalty every year because he couldn't afford it. Then, during a Democrat primary debate in 2016, the question was asked if the candidates if they would support free healthcare for illegal aliens. All of them said they would.
What’s Rahm smoking’? Who represents the well-heeled better than his ilk?
And they are doing it again....
Glenn Beck
@glennbeck
.
@ChipRoyTX
tells me he asked for just 3 simple things to be added to the spending bill, but the REPUBLICANS denied all of them:
-An agreement from leadership to follow the 72-hour rule and give legislators 72 hours to read a bill
-A vote on returning non-defense spending to pre-COVID 2019/2020 levels, which would save $110 billion
-A ban on selling off the border wall materials
"This isn't just about leadership being exposed. This the ENTIRE Republican Conference. People need to understand that."
Cody Northwood 🇺🇸 🥃
@codynorthwood
·
5h
Weird how they can find unlimited money for Ukraine but they have to hold the whole country hostage to get funding for NC Hurricane victims...
America Last as always with these clowns...
Rahm, Baby! You say Trump is a "plutocrat"! You mean he's rich! Why wasn't I told? Next you're going to tell me that Biden is going to pardon Hunter.
Whenever I think of Rahm, I think of my middle finger.
"By returning to our roots as the voice of the middle class, we can unite both moderates and progressives in a fight against the well-heeled and well-connected."
Actually, the Republicans have united the moderates and conservatives in a fight against the well-heeled and well connected Progressives. The Democrats have proven themselves to be the party of the wealthy elites and to say otherwise is simply gaslighting.
More lying attacks, that's the path to victory ! You go, Rahm...
I thought Rahm and his brother believed that no one should live past 70? So why have not both of them committed seppuku already? Write a great parting haiku and depart already. Do it for the middle class you love so much. Show all of the other useless folks like your self how its done. Come on Rahm, step up for once.
I've read headlines that suggest Democrat mega donors and celebs are really upset with Obama, the Clintons are over a decade past their sale date, and Pelosi looks like retirement is her best choice now. I think there is a big power vacuum in the Democrat party and this might be Rahm's attempt to gain attention and throw his hat in the ring to at least get more influence than he currently has.
Ah Rahm--you think you can sell that load of bunk? Good luck Buckwheat.
We need to reveal the populist Trump as a plutocrat.
I think you blew any chance when you went all in on "literally Hitler".
Perhaps you haven't noticed that "checks and balances" are routinely run roughshod over by the Deep State, which does whatever the hell it wants to do. What's more, you offer no evidence that Trump supporters
"voted to abolish checks and blanaces."
Happily, the Supremes have issued decisions that make the Swamp's unilateral issue of regulations far afield from their legislative mandates deserving of legal challenge and close scrutiny. That's a sign that Trump will seek to *return* to the constitutional order, not do away with it.
Democrats: We've been the party of the plutocrats for the past decade plus, but now we've changed. It's Trump and the Republicans that are the plutocrats now! We Democrats are regular folks, just like you! Well, if regular folks were into DEI and trans stuff everywhere.
Rahm, nicknamed by Chicagoans as either "9.5" (severed finger) or "tiny dancer" (short, modern dance major from Sarah Lawrence) was mayor of Chicago, handpicked by Daley Machine, but morphed into unelectable unpopular mayor and declined to run for reelection. That's how Chicago got Lori Lightfoot as mayor, equally unpopular, nickname "Groot", she failed to win reelection, so now we have Brandon "Conehead" Johnson, rivalling mayor of Jackson Mississippi as absolute worst American mayor today.
Rahm may have reputation as slippery administrative aide to Clinton and Obama, but his run as Chicago's mayor proved he is incapable of managing any governmental agency. If he gets picked to head Democratic National Party, then party is unlikely to revamp itself in any fashion attractive to working-class voters. He is the model of effete, incapable of relating to anyone outside his immediate cohort.
They were offered the choice of becoming kings or the king's messengers. As is the way with children, they all wanted to be messengers. This is why there are only messengers racing through the world, shouting - for the want of kings - the most idiotic messages to one another. They would gladly put an end to their miserable lives, but they do not dare to do so because of their oaths of loyalty.
- Kafka
So Rahm is now acknowledging the deep state exists. That’s a start, I guess.
And it depends upon what part of the deep state he bathes in. If he bathes in their tears as he crushes them, and see them driven before us while hearing the lamentation of their women(*)… Well, I’m OK with that.
Earnest Prole said…
“You talk as though our nation is not approaching $2 trillion in debt.”
We’re waaaay past the $2 trillion mark. It’s over $36t and growing.
We’re approaching a $2t deficit, spend $2t more each year than we take in.
Bingo! It's one of the obvious tells that Tiny Dancer Emmanuel is codewording for the fat cat Dem donors begging for a little more time to deal with the pesky Trump.
It is freaking tiresome. As if you could sell DEI if you reworked the pitch. What losers.
Mark is just here to eat boogers and say stupid shit and he obviously ran out of boogers.
Rahmala wants to fill the hole left by Kamala - no entrende-entrende meant
I think the late great Rush Limbaugh gave him the Tiny Dancer nickname.
The Democrat party is Corruptocatic.
The Democrat party is the party of lies and fraud and waste.
The Democrat Party does not care about the American people.
The democrat party cares about their own power and their own money whoring.
Rahm sez the Dems need messengers? What aren't NYT, WaPo, LAT, NBC. ABC, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC enough????
It's worse than that. They're big poopyheads.
"We need to reveal the populist Trump as a plutocrat."
If a plutocrat is someone who will restore Pluto to its rightful status as a planet, then I'm all for it.
Mike (MJB Wolf)
I think the late great Rush Limbaugh gave him the Tiny Dancer nickname.
I don't know if it was Rush or a local radio host Dan Proft. Though I think Dan Proft has since moved to Florida, but still does the radio show by remote.
rich is a bich… he’s ripping off mona charen.
Ya feckin’ former ballet dancer anyway!
Comment section at WaPo brutal towards Rahm, rightly pointing out he helped Obama throw open the Treasury vault and allowed the Big Banks to take what they wanted.
Sure, sure, Trump gave tax cuts for the rich and nothing for the middle class. But square THIS circle, the rich paid a LARGER share of tax revenues after the tax cuts. And I, a middle class fellow, got a decrease in what the government took from my paycheck.
I'm just stooooopid, I guess. Hell I even thought prices going up rapidly reflected inflation. And 10 million plus illegals meant the border was not secure.
…and you speak as if nobody changes their behavior as a result of changes in tax policy, as if static scoring is accurate, and as if the problem is revenue not spending…but you need not worry, while they are debating how to nibble on the edges if rate cuts, tip income and carried interest the corporate tax rate isn’t going anywhere.
Dave, you misspelled Green Leap Forward.
Messengers that meet the moment. Never let a crisis go to waste, in other words. Hey, he said that, too! Rahm is a one trick pony, and the pony is dead and has lash marks on its hindquarters.
Let's all remind Rahm that the Democrat Party has its roots in the slave-owning classes of the 19th century. Remember those Jefferson-Jackson Day dinners the Dems used to celebrate?
Rahm needs to check the Dem Party donor list. Plutocrats galore!
I notice that you post less and less. Understandable, considering the complete and thorough ass whippings you receive every time your fingers do their St Vitus dance across your keyboard.
Little middle-class me got a tax break, too! Must have been a mistaken, right, Prole? (I guess you had too much income to have gotten the break yourself.) Of course you didn't know who pays the corporate income tax--workers (employees) and customers.
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