There was talk about renaming the Krugman thread for this purpose, but that seems to be going nowhere. Besides which, I feel the Krugman thread should be left to discuss Krugman while this thread can be used for more general economic discussion.
Discuss:
- The merits of competing theories.
- The role of the government in managing the economy.
- The causes of and solutions to our current economic woes.
- Comparisons between the economic systems of different countries.
- Theoretical and existing alternatives to our current market system.
edited 17th Dec '12 10:58:52 AM by Topazan
Also, trump brand was made mostly before tweeter and it broke in part because Trump incapability to not pick fight and his very abrasive online persona. Meanwhile Musk did part of his brand on his online persona as this visionary.
"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"
What makes you think Trump's brand is "broken?" He controls more money now than when he was elected.
Lost in Space
Trump was never a good businessman. He marketed his "brand" as a way to get loans that he would sink into his businesses, lose the money, then declare bankruptcy and start over. As he moved into shadier and shadier financing deals, he fell into the clutches of Russian oligarchs, who fed his vanity to the point where he ran for President.
His wealth, such as it is, is entirely fueled by ego and grift.
Edited by Fighteer on May 20th 2022 at 8:23:33 AM
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
A procrastination in of itself
Musk could never break his brand the way Trump has, if nothing else because Musk is illegible to run for US president so he can’t become the scale of political figure that Trump did.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Anka Aquila
Also, as many grievances I can have with Musk with his erratic behaviour, Trump stands out much more for provoking an insurrection with the intent of overthrowing the democratic process of his own country and turning it into a banana republic with him and his cronies in charge.
Combine that with the current war in Ukraine and how everyone is now putting the squeeze on the Russian oligarchs, and I can bet you that Trump could actually be convicted and jailed in spite of all the money he currently has, that's how shitty the guy is right now.
Instead of focusing on relatives that divide us, we should find the absolutes that tie us.
Redmess
Musk may not be nearly as bad as Trump, but he can still damage his reputation, and that would hurt his businesses as their CEO. Once you are known as the guy who will do anything to break a deal if it is not to their liking, damage to either party be damned, that's going to put a damper on any future contract negotiations.
Trump is an interesting case: he isn't a good businessman, but he is pretty good at gaming the system of loans and bankruptcies in his favor. It is a really peculiar case of someone getting rich off constant failure.
Optimism is a duty.
Professional Forum Ninja
Trump is best at conning people. All of venture that had worked have been despite Trump, including his presidential campaign. Any time he's taken direct control, he's failed or caused the venture to collapse if it didn't fail.
"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Now all we need is for Musk to declare he's running for President. Let the crazy begin!
Lost in Space
He's not Constitutionally eligible since he's not a natural-born US citizen.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Redmess
That's such a weird restriction. People treat him as if he is an American anyway, not some immigrant.
Optimism is a duty.
Lost in Space
It's a technicality but it was very specifically written that way to prevent someone from another country marching in and being put in charge of the new, independent America.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
A procrastination in of itself
Yeah, remember that the restriction is from when the US was founded. I believe it was put in to prevent somebody importing a German prince and after getting them elected president making them king.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Pretty sure the British were a bigger concern back then.
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
Lost in Space
It was the principle of the thing.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Like reflections in the glass!
Did the Brits try to import said german prince?
Lost in Space
I don't know, but they did try to invade us at least one more time, and this is getting far afield from economics.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
A procrastination in of itself
British rule would have been reimposed by force, the rule about foreigners becoming president was aimed at more subtle attempts to end US democracy.
Hey now, the war of 1812 was started by you lot trying to invade Canada, not by us.
Edited by Silasw on May 21st 2022 at 12:03:29 PM
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
The English imported a German prince, if I remember correctly.
Edited by DeMarquis on May 21st 2022 at 7:03:11 AM
Redmess
You are correct, that would be the house of Hannover, starting with George I in 1714. That is probably where the idea of a "German" prince comes from, though the threat would have been perceived to come mostly from England.
Optimism is a duty.
Lost in Space
So you're saying it's Canada's fault, then? Typical.
South Park said it first: Blame Canada.
Anyway, Arnold Schwarzenegger would have been a serious candidate if he were eligible, but the attempt to get a constitutional amendment through never got off the ground.
Anka Aquila
To return it a bit more to the topic, has anybody seen The Big Short? I consider it college obligated watch material given the way it explains pretty clear how the usonian economy went to the toilet thanks to the bankers greed and idiocy.
Instead of focusing on relatives that divide us, we should find the absolutes that tie us.
A Self-inflicted Disaster
I've read the book and watched the movie. Of course, some people are taking the wrong lessons, thinking they want to get rich quick.
Edited by minseok42 on May 22nd 2022 at 1:46:17 AM
"Enshittification truly is how platforms die"-Cory Doctorow
Read the book, and yeah, it's not meant as a how-to guide but people are doing it anyway.
Maybe they should have emphasized the obvious dick joke.
Edited by Ramidel on May 21st 2022 at 9:47:20 AM
At the risk of getting yelled at again, the difference between Trump and Musk as businessmen is that Musk's businesses succeed and make money. What is different about this situation, in my opinion, is that he's throwing his reputation hard into a politically-motivated acquisition that has very little to do with his core expertise.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"