Culture

[TorontoGold]

Dems have get to redefine words, white man is the oppressor, they have drag queen shows for toddlers, furrys killing Christian conservative icons, Muslims are making inroads in American spaces even in government, socialists voted in recently, Israel is the most hated they have ever been inside the US… dems have a lot to love but still don’t.

Literally none of these are wrong lol.

 

[Armyirish47]

Dems went from 85% at the beginning of Obamas terms to under 60% at the end, it further declined under Biden. Further with Trump.

My point with Warrior isn’t necessarily the poll itself, it’s his false assumption it’s all about Trump. It’s been on the decline long before Trump and it’s just continuing its “natural” regression with the Democratic Party.

Like RDU pointed out… we have survived some bad presidencies and some hard times and bitter times over the past 250 years… we can argue over defining “somewhat” vs “extremely” but we will get lost in the weeds… it’s the WHY, we should be focusing on. Why did we from 85% under Obama to 60% at the end of his terms? Why did it just dip further with Biden and why does it continue to dip? Dems have get to redefine words, white man is the oppressor, they have drag queen shows for toddlers, furrys killing Christian conservative icons, Muslims are making inroads in American spaces even in government, socialists voted in recently, Israel is the most hated they have ever been inside the US… dems have a lot to love but still don’t.

I don't know, it also could be the increasing gap between the haves and have nots, a couple generations coming to grips with the idea that the American Dream has gotten further away rather than closer, crushing medical and student debt in the richest country the world has ever known, an entire swath of America denying election results, etc. etc. etc. Piling it all into culture war airing of grievances is one way to go about it, but certainly not the only one.

And again, it's also a false assumption that only being somewhat patriotic = hating America. There is no justification for that with this data at all. My enthusiasm for Notre Dame football is extremely high right now, but not so much at the end of the Boob Davie era. Doesn't mean I stopped loving Notre Dame football. Marcus Freeman should just run for President and heal all our wounds. Sports talk FTW!

 

[Blazers46]

I don't know, it also could be the increasing gap between the haves and have nots, a couple generations coming to grips with the idea that the American Dream has gotten further away rather than closer, crushing medical and student debt in the richest country the world has ever known, an entire swath of America denying election results, etc. etc. etc. Piling it all into culture war airing of grievances is one way to go about it, but certainly not the only one.

And again, it's also a false assumption that only being somewhat patriotic = hating America. There is no justification for that with this data at all. My enthusiasm for Notre Dame football is extremely high right now, but not so much at the end of the Boob Davie era. Doesn't mean I stopped loving Notre Dame football. Marcus Freeman should just run for President and heal all our wounds. Sports talk FTW!

Sure… but the issues don’t discriminate by party. Republicans live in the same system as the Dems but their numbers have remained constant, even through forced health insurance BS with Obama and Burisma Joe. I pay for the same milk as the gays, for example. I’m still loudly proud of being an American. The Democratic Party is the party of victimhood and a race to the bottom. It’s doom and gloom. It’s anti all things… so naturally their numbers fall… in my opinion.

 

[Armyirish47]

Sure… but the issues don’t discriminate by party. Republicans live in the same system as the Dems but their numbers have remained constant, even through forced health insurance BS with Obama and Burisma Joe. I pay for the same milk as the gays, for example. I’m still loudly proud of being an American. The Democratic Party is the party of victimhood and a race to the bottom. It’s doom and gloom. It’s anti all things… so naturally their numbers fall… in my opinion.

You could also argue that Republicans have just figured out how to use patriotism as another angle in these never ending culture wars/ways to sell merch. The idea that either party has a monopoly on victimhood is certainly a take. When you conflate being in a political party with patriotism it keeps the numbers up....could be an opinion.

 

[Blazers46]

You could also argue that Republicans have just figured out how to use patriotism as another angle in these never ending culture wars/ways to sell merch. The idea that either party has a monopoly on victimhood is certainly a take. When you conflate being in a political party with patriotism it keeps the numbers up....could be an opinion.

Merch sales, lol. Yeah that’s got to be it… 😂

 

[Armyirish47]

Merch sales, lol. Yeah that’s got to be it… 😂

Absolutely, get these for $225 while you can

 

[Blazers46]

This was a fun read…

44% of Muslim Americans have a favorable view of Hamas… meanwhile view of Israel as a whole on the down slide.

Americans now have increasingly negative views of Israelis as views of

Americans' views of the Israeli people and government have grown more negative across party lines and age groups, while opinions of Palestinians have held largely steady.

www.pewresearch.org

 

[RDU Irish]

I don't know, it also could be the increasing gap between the haves and have nots, a couple generations coming to grips with the idea that the American Dream has gotten further away rather than closer, crushing medical and student debt in the richest country the world has ever known, an entire swath of America denying election results, etc. etc. etc. Piling it all into culture war airing of grievances is one way to go about it, but certainly not the only one.

And again, it's also a false assumption that only being somewhat patriotic = hating America. There is no justification for that with this data at all. My enthusiasm for Notre Dame football is extremely high right now, but not so much at the end of the Boob Davie era. Doesn't mean I stopped loving Notre Dame football. Marcus Freeman should just run for President and heal all our wounds. Sports talk FTW!

VAST majority of these poor debtors are self inflicted. If you have not money and don't buy health insurance - you will still be treated. Easy to file bankruptcy if you have a massive medical expense. Some of us who do not smoke, aren't nuts and are not obese find healthcare expense to be a lot more discretionary than the victim class portrays.

Student debt is 100% voluntary - a fact often ignored by the victim class. Why never hold colleges accountable? Why is it always "make it free"? Put those loans on the endowments' books and make them forgivable in bankruptcy. See how fast Philosophy and Art History are only provided as minor and career services becomes a hub of activity for undergrads AND alums.

You won't believe what Richard Daley did in Chicago to get Kennedy elected. Definitely don't look at Watergate - its so fucking lame by today's standards you won't believe it was such a big deal. Not all that different from Obama tapping Trump tower really. I'm sure nothing like that every happened before or since.

American dream is alive and well. No place on Earth or in history provided as much upward mobility as 2026 US of A.

Great point comparing to ND Football. People are more patriotic when their side is winning - unless they are insufferable nihilists.

 

[RDU Irish]

This was a fun read…

44% of Muslim Americans have a favorable view of Hamas… meanwhile view of Israel as a whole on the down slide.

View attachment 3064040

Americans now have increasingly negative views of Israelis as views of

Americans' views of the Israeli people and government have grown more negative across party lines and age groups, while opinions of Palestinians have held largely steady.

www.pewresearch.org

This is where we need to be on Israel AND Hamas.

 

[Armyirish47]

VAST majority of these poor debtors are self inflicted. If you have not money and don't buy health insurance - you will still be treated. Easy to file bankruptcy if you have a massive medical expense. Some of us who do not smoke, aren't nuts and are not obese find healthcare expense to be a lot more discretionary than the victim class portrays.

Student debt is 100% voluntary - a fact often ignored by the victim class. Why never hold colleges accountable? Why is it always "make it free"? Put those loans on the endowments' books and make them forgivable in bankruptcy. See how fast Philosophy and Art History are only provided as minor and career services becomes a hub of activity for undergrads AND alums.

You won't believe what Richard Daley did in Chicago to get Kennedy elected. Definitely don't look at Watergate - its so fucking lame by today's standards you won't believe it was such a big deal. Not all that different from Obama tapping Trump tower really. I'm sure nothing like that every happened before or since.

American dream is alive and well. No place on Earth or in history provided as much upward mobility as 2026 US of A.

Great point comparing to ND Football. People are more patriotic when their side is winning - unless they are insufferable nihilists.

Imagine thinking "easy to file bankruptcy" is a reasonable solution to medical debt when living in practically the only developed nation where medical debt is much of a thing. Could that dampen ones enthusiasm for one's country? Perhaps.

100% voluntary and also a significant driver for upward mobility you later tout? Interesting conundrum. Could that dampen ones enthusiasm for ones country? Perhaps.

The polling in the discussion only goes back to 2001, but would it be perfectly reasonable to say that Watergate may have dampened some peoples enthusiasm for their country? Perhaps. An entire group of gullible morons "peacefully strolling" in the capital, being pardoned for it, and still holding onto a comical lie about election results could dampen ones enthusiasm? Perhaps. Could President Obama tapping President Trump's tower (victim wargarble!!!) dampen ones enthusiasm? Perhaps.

American Dream is alive, and is also further away, but that's just, you know...math. Could that dampen one's enthusiasm mid pursuit? Perhaps. There is a global mobility index that ranked the US 27th in upward mobility but it had lots of information so I assume it's filled with victims. But if someone were to feel that when looking around, could that dampen ones enthusiasm? Perhaps.

The entire point of the discussion was that not presenting oneself as EXTREMELYBAJABLAST patriotic doesn't mean you hate America, nor does it mean you are less enthused because <insert conservative grievance spinwheel of the day>. It could be lots of things. The poll was started in January of 2001 so using it as a baseline could also be problematic, economy was booming, budget had a surplus, we had an acrimonious but grown up transfer of power, pre social media, n'sync was still together, etc. etc. The following years polled extraordinarily well because America had the most patriotically binding event since...Pearl Harbor? The Miracle on Ice? The fall of the Berlin Wall? The release of the Nintendo 64?

It is a great point because Brian Kelly won a lot of football games, but how did the fan base feel? Extreme support or nah? The best news Pee Wee is you got to use your word of the day calendar.

The secret word is "NIHILISM!" lulz

 

[Blazers46]

The entire point of the discussion was that not presenting oneself as EXTREMELYBAJABLAST patriotic doesn't mean you hate America, nor does it mean you are less enthused because <insert conservative grievance spinwheel of the day>. It could be lots of things.

I disagree with with the point of the discussion. The point of the discussion for me is even since 2001 Republicans could find a reason to wilt but haven’t. Democrats have. We have lived in the same circumstance. Being Baja Blast patriotic doesn’t mean you can’t also criticize government… which is only one aspect of being an American. People are free to feel how they feel but why have the democrats patriotism been deteriorating since the poll began? Even Toronto took his time to take a victory lap a few posts ago about Charlie Kirk, democrats have pushed through a ton since 2001 at the behest of republicans and have a lot to be happy about. The more they get the more they hate the country... or least like it less… Why? Can’t blame Trump. They just do and have since 2001.

 

[Armyirish47]

I disagree with with the point of the discussion. The point of the discussion for me is even since 2001 Republicans could find a reason to wilt but haven’t. Democrats have. We have lived in the same circumstance. Being Baja Blast patriotic doesn’t mean you can’t also criticize government… which is only one aspect of being an American. People are free to feel how they feel but why have the democrats patriotism been deteriorating since the poll began? Even Toronto took his time to take a victory lap a few posts ago about Charlie Kirk, democrats have pushed through a ton since 2001 at the behest of republicans and have a lot to be happy about. The more they get the more they hate the country... or least like it less… Why? Can’t blame Trump. They just do and have since 2001.

Republicans were at 58% extreme pride in 2022, and hit 77% in 2025. What changed?

 

[NDWarrior]

I disagree with with the point of the discussion. The point of the discussion for me is even since 2001 Republicans could find a reason to wilt but haven’t. Democrats have. We have lived in the same circumstance. Being Baja Blast patriotic doesn’t mean you can’t also criticize government… which is only one aspect of being an American. People are free to feel how they feel but why have the democrats patriotism been deteriorating since the poll began? Even Toronto took his time to take a victory lap a few posts ago about Charlie Kirk, democrats have pushed through a ton since 2001 at the behest of republicans and have a lot to be happy about. The more they get the more they hate the country... or least like it less… Why? Can’t blame Trump. They just do and have since 2001.

I call Bunk: What is happening right now is WAY beyond Trump and his shenanigans that are clearly directed by others in the White House and is nothing less than the dismantling of our Democracy and Constitutional Republic and that effort was started by conservative corporate sympathizers who have tended to mostly be in cahoots with Republicans. That movement largely started with the seminal paper written and released on August 23, 1971 by Lewis F. Powell Jr.'s confidential document titled "Attack On American Free Enterprise System."
(And btw, despite what you say, I DID NOT mention Trump's name one time and for good reason as outlined here.)

The Powell Memo acted as the catalyst. In 1973, activists Paul Weyrich and Edwin Feulner founded the Heritage Foundation to serve as an aggressive counterweight to liberal think tanks. Early funding from wealthy conservative donors established a network designed to fulfill Powell's goals: rewriting economics curricula, launching business-friendly legal organizations, and standardizing conservative public relations. This movement has evolved over the past 50 years to present times where the Heritage Foundation has come under the leadership of Kevin Roberts as of 2021 and where the institution has moved away from its old Reagan-era establishment roots to fully embrace a new populist direction. Project 2025 was conceived as a coordinated response to the operational hurdles faced during the first Trump administration.

And so what you're interpreting as me complaining about Trump and policy is instead me decrying the modern conservative movement and corporate political mobilization in the United States that has led to the current administration which has actually evolved into a more aggressive nationalist-populist governing agenda backed by a coalition of this movement along with uber-wealthy Tech Bros. and a strong anti-immigrant Christian Nationalist element. And this is what's destroying our Democracy and ruining our country. I'm complaining about what they're taking away from the country and Democracy, not their conservative policies they're making.

How can I say to myself "Hey, don't worry, a large majority of Americans who are not aligned with this movement will vote them out starting with the 2026 mid terms (i.e., all your IE comments about admins come and go, policies can change)" when we're not even sure if fair and valid elections will actually go off as planned and that we may see ICE and National Guard in the streets leading up to the mid term elections.

That's right I'm sounding the alarm, not complaining about one admin's fleeting policies.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Attack On American Free Enterprise System" by Lewis F. Powell Jr.

The seminal paper written by Lewis F. Powell Jr. on August 23, 1971, is a confidential document titled "Attack On American Free Enterprise System," commonly referred to today as the "Powell Memo" or "Powell Manifesto." Powell, then a prominent corporate attorney and board member for major corporations like Philip Morris, addressed the memo to his close friend Eugene B. Sydnor Jr., the Chairman of the Education Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It was delivered just two months before President Richard Nixon nominated Powell to the U.S. Supreme Court. [1, 2, 3]

The core significance of the Powell Memo is that it served as the foundational strategic blueprint for the modern conservative movement and corporate political mobilization in the United States. It transformed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and corporate America from a politically passive entity into a highly aggressive, coordinated force that permanently altered the landscape of American democracy, law, and economics.

The Historical Significance and Legacy

The historical weight of the Powell Memo lies in its long-term success and execution, which effectively reshaped modern American politics: [1, 2, 3]

1. Creation of the Conservative Infrastructure [1]

Though it was not the sole factor, the memo heavily inspired corporate activists and wealthy donors to fund a powerful, interconnected network of right-wing think tanks, advocacy groups, and legal foundations. Influential groups directly traced to or influenced by this movement include: [1, 2]

• The Heritage Foundation
• The Cato Institute
• The Manhattan Institute
• The American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
• The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) [1, 2, 3]

2. The Explosive Growth of Washington Lobbying

Prior to the memo, corporate lobbying in Washington was fragmented. Following its distribution, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce expanded exponentially. In 1971, there were only 176 companies with registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C.; by 1980, that number exploded to over 2,400 companies, supported by thousands of corporate trade association employees and lobbyists. [1, 2, 3, 4]

3. Shaping Corporate Personhood and Free Speech [1]

Powell’s advice to utilize the courts presaged his own judicial career. As a Supreme Court Justice, Powell authored the landmark 1978 majority opinion in First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, which established that corporations possess First Amendment rights to spend money to influence political outcomes. This ruling served as a vital stepping stone for the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision, which removed spending limits on political campaigns. [1, 2, 3, 4]

4. The Shift Toward Neoliberal Economics [1]

The memo laid the ideological groundwork for the deregulation, tax cuts, and free-market policies that characterized the Reagan Administration and subsequent decades. By systematically changing how the public, academics, and judges viewed capitalism, it successfully shifted the American political center toward corporate deregulatory priorities. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The transition from the 1971 Powell Memo to the implementation of Project 2025 represents the evolution of the American conservative movement across more than 50 years. [1, 2]

The shift moves from an initially defensive corporate strategy meant to protect business interests, to an institutionalized intellectual infrastructure, and finally to an aggressive nationalist-populist governing agenda.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

The Fundamental Shift in Intent

While Project 2025 directly descends from the organizational framework built after the Powell Memo, its ultimate goals have evolved:

• From Defensive to Offensive: The 1971 Powell Memo was a defensive corporate cry to protect free enterprise from public interest advocates. Modern iterations are explicitly offensive, seeking to proactively dismantle entire federal departments (such as the Department of Education) and aggressively restructure American civil administration. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• From Free Markets to Executive Control: The early movement prioritized corporate freedom, deregulation, and limiting government intervention. The modern framework under Vought and Roberts uses the power of the presidency to systematically control the executive branch, dismantle independent federal agencies, and exert direct political control over American civic life. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

 

[Irish#1]

Imagine thinking "easy to file bankruptcy" is a reasonable solution to medical debt when living in practically the only developed nation where medical debt is much of a thing. Could that dampen ones enthusiasm for one's country? Perhaps.

100% voluntary and also a significant driver for upward mobility you later tout? Interesting conundrum. Could that dampen ones enthusiasm for ones country? Perhaps.

The polling in the discussion only goes back to 2001, but would it be perfectly reasonable to say that Watergate may have dampened some peoples enthusiasm for their country? Perhaps. An entire group of gullible morons "peacefully strolling" in the capital, being pardoned for it, and still holding onto a comical lie about election results could dampen ones enthusiasm? Perhaps. Could President Obama tapping President Trump's tower (victim wargarble!!!) dampen ones enthusiasm? Perhaps.

American Dream is alive, and is also further away, but that's just, you know...math. Could that dampen one's enthusiasm mid pursuit? Perhaps. There is a global mobility index that ranked the US 27th in upward mobility but it had lots of information so I assume it's filled with victims. But if someone were to feel that when looking around, could that dampen ones enthusiasm? Perhaps.

The entire point of the discussion was that not presenting oneself as EXTREMELYBAJABLAST patriotic doesn't mean you hate America, nor does it mean you are less enthused because <insert conservative grievance spinwheel of the day>. It could be lots of things. The poll was started in January of 2001 so using it as a baseline could also be problematic, economy was booming, budget had a surplus, we had an acrimonious but grown up transfer of power, pre social media, n'sync was still together, etc. etc. The following years polled extraordinarily well because America had the most patriotically binding event since...Pearl Harbor? The Miracle on Ice? The fall of the Berlin Wall? The release of the Nintendo 64?

It is a great point because Brian Kelly won a lot of football games, but how did the fan base feel? Extreme support or nah? The best news Pee Wee is you got to use your word of the day calendar.

The secret word is "NIHILISM!" lulz

How come no one ever blames the colleges for excessive student debt? They claim they have to to upgrade to keep pace, but Mitch Daniels froze tuition at Purdue while he was president. It has carried over and it's now 13 years. Still one of the top engineering and agricultural school in the country.

Former Purdue University President Mitch Daniels instituted a historic tuition freeze in 2013, holding base undergraduate tuition and fees constant for in-state students at $9,992 per year. The policy was originally intended as a short-term measure but became a signature of his tenure. By keeping costs flat—and even reducing room and board—Purdue saved students and families over $1 billion during his tenure

There are a number of ways to get a degree without amassing crippling debt, but the bottom line is, it's on the student.

 

[Irish#1]

I call Bunk: What is happening right now is WAY beyond Trump and his shenanigans that are clearly directed by others in the White House and is nothing less than the dismantling of our Democracy and Constitutional Republic and that effort was started by conservative corporate sympathizers who have tended to mostly be in cahoots with Republicans. That movement largely started with the seminal paper written and released on August 23, 1971 by Lewis F. Powell Jr.'s confidential document titled "Attack On American Free Enterprise System."
(And btw, despite what you say, I DID NOT mention Trump's name one time and for good reason as outlined here.)

The Powell Memo acted as the catalyst. In 1973, activists Paul Weyrich and Edwin Feulner founded the Heritage Foundation to serve as an aggressive counterweight to liberal think tanks. Early funding from wealthy conservative donors established a network designed to fulfill Powell's goals: rewriting economics curricula, launching business-friendly legal organizations, and standardizing conservative public relations. This movement has evolved over the past 50 years to present times where the Heritage Foundation has come under the leadership of Kevin Roberts as of 2021 and where the institution has moved away from its old Reagan-era establishment roots to fully embrace a new populist direction. Project 2025 was conceived as a coordinated response to the operational hurdles faced during the first Trump administration.

And so what you're interpreting as me complaining about Trump and policy is instead me decrying the modern conservative movement and corporate political mobilization in the United States that has led to the current administration which has actually evolved into a more aggressive nationalist-populist governing agenda backed by a coalition of this movement along with uber-wealthy Tech Bros. and a strong anti-immigrant Christian Nationalist element. And this is what's destroying our Democracy and ruining our country. I'm complaining about what they're taking away from the country and Democracy, not their conservative policies they're making.

How can I say to myself "Hey, don't worry, a large majority of Americans who are not aligned with this movement will vote them out starting with the 2026 mid terms (i.e., all your IE comments about admins come and go, policies can change)" when we're not even sure if fair and valid elections will actually go off as planned and that we may see ICE and National Guard in the streets leading up to the mid term elections.

That's right I'm sounding the alarm, not complaining about one admin's fleeting policies.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Attack On American Free Enterprise System" by Lewis F. Powell Jr.

The seminal paper written by Lewis F. Powell Jr. on August 23, 1971, is a confidential document titled "Attack On American Free Enterprise System," commonly referred to today as the "Powell Memo" or "Powell Manifesto." Powell, then a prominent corporate attorney and board member for major corporations like Philip Morris, addressed the memo to his close friend Eugene B. Sydnor Jr., the Chairman of the Education Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It was delivered just two months before President Richard Nixon nominated Powell to the U.S. Supreme Court. [1, 2, 3]

The core significance of the Powell Memo is that it served as the foundational strategic blueprint for the modern conservative movement and corporate political mobilization in the United States. It transformed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and corporate America from a politically passive entity into a highly aggressive, coordinated force that permanently altered the landscape of American democracy, law, and economics.

The Historical Significance and Legacy

The historical weight of the Powell Memo lies in its long-term success and execution, which effectively reshaped modern American politics: [1, 2, 3]

1. Creation of the Conservative Infrastructure [1]

Though it was not the sole factor, the memo heavily inspired corporate activists and wealthy donors to fund a powerful, interconnected network of right-wing think tanks, advocacy groups, and legal foundations. Influential groups directly traced to or influenced by this movement include: [1, 2]

• The Heritage Foundation
• The Cato Institute
• The Manhattan Institute
• The American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
• The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) [1, 2, 3]

2. The Explosive Growth of Washington Lobbying

Prior to the memo, corporate lobbying in Washington was fragmented. Following its distribution, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce expanded exponentially. In 1971, there were only 176 companies with registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C.; by 1980, that number exploded to over 2,400 companies, supported by thousands of corporate trade association employees and lobbyists. [1, 2, 3, 4]

3. Shaping Corporate Personhood and Free Speech [1]

Powell’s advice to utilize the courts presaged his own judicial career. As a Supreme Court Justice, Powell authored the landmark 1978 majority opinion in First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, which established that corporations possess First Amendment rights to spend money to influence political outcomes. This ruling served as a vital stepping stone for the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision, which removed spending limits on political campaigns. [1, 2, 3, 4]

4. The Shift Toward Neoliberal Economics [1]

The memo laid the ideological groundwork for the deregulation, tax cuts, and free-market policies that characterized the Reagan Administration and subsequent decades. By systematically changing how the public, academics, and judges viewed capitalism, it successfully shifted the American political center toward corporate deregulatory priorities. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The transition from the 1971 Powell Memo to the implementation of Project 2025 represents the evolution of the American conservative movement across more than 50 years. [1, 2]

The shift moves from an initially defensive corporate strategy meant to protect business interests, to an institutionalized intellectual infrastructure, and finally to an aggressive nationalist-populist governing agenda.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

The Fundamental Shift in Intent

While Project 2025 directly descends from the organizational framework built after the Powell Memo, its ultimate goals have evolved:

• From Defensive to Offensive: The 1971 Powell Memo was a defensive corporate cry to protect free enterprise from public interest advocates. Modern iterations are explicitly offensive, seeking to proactively dismantle entire federal departments (such as the Department of Education) and aggressively restructure American civil administration. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• From Free Markets to Executive Control: The early movement prioritized corporate freedom, deregulation, and limiting government intervention. The modern framework under Vought and Roberts uses the power of the presidency to systematically control the executive branch, dismantle independent federal agencies, and exert direct political control over American civic life. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

With all due respect, the best way to get your point across, is not to write another novel.

 

[NDWarrior]

With all due respect, the best way to get your point across, is not to write another novel.

I will take your advice under consideration... FYI, it's not so easy to write a few sentences about a movement that's been developing over 50 years.

 

[ozzman]

Lever put out a quality series that revolved around the Powell memo and the ramifications.

 

[NDWarrior]

And to be fair, I don't think Democrats have been innocent in partaking of this corporate/wealthy lobby and control. Clinton I'm sure took advantage of it and it sure looks like he was captured by Epstein rings as much as anyone else implicated in the files (btw, do you know Graham is mentioned quite a bit in the files); I don't think Obama was captured by Epstein ring, but he certainly was rather neutral to the conservative/big money/corporate lobby continuing to amass power and control and harm the US economy long term.

Sure the stock market goes up and overall wealth increases but under the cover story US jobs are shipped overseas without enough US tech/advanced industry being developed enough for ALL to compensate for those losses; and inequality grew.

At this point, the government has been too infiltrated and corrupted for the remaining good politicians to overcome the rot... Just look at what happened to Thomas Massie who has done his darnedest to not take AIPAC and big corporate $ and to expose the Israeli infiltration and to fight vote suppression by this admin.

I know many of you see USA is still the best country in the world (and it is for now) and I'm an alarmist, and what can you do but keep your head down and make the donuts?

Yes, we can think all of this and keep our heads down until... We put them up one day and we're living 1984

I don't have any easy answers for what we can do, but I fear authoritarian control and continuing violence are going to start to accelerate over the next 4-6 months with mid-term elections being a very critical event to what our future holds.

 

[Armyirish47]

How come no one ever blames the colleges for excessive student debt? They claim they have to to upgrade to keep pace, but Mitch Daniels froze tuition at Purdue while he was president. It has carried over and it's now 13 years. Still one of the top engineering and agricultural school in the country.



There are a number of ways to get a degree without amassing crippling debt, but the bottom line is, it's on the student.

Blame away on the colleges. That's amazing for Purdue, the average undergraduate with debt has between $22k and $30K. Sure hope those aren't Philosophy and Art History majors amiright!

Put it all on the student, I don't care. I just won't be surprised if they lose enthusiasm for other institutions they think might have let them down when they borrow money to get a degree or a trade, to get a job that is being replaced with AI or a robot, to afford a house that is much more relatively expensive than it used to be. Maybe.

 

[TorontoGold]

Blame away on the colleges. That's amazing for Purdue, the average undergraduate with debt has between $22k and $30K. Sure hope those aren't Philosophy and Art History majors amiright!

Put it all on the student, I don't care. I just won't be surprised if they lose enthusiasm for other institutions they think might have let them down when they borrow money to get a degree or a trade, to get a job that is being replaced with AI or a robot, to afford a house that is much more relatively expensive than it used to be. Maybe.

I'm old enough to remember 2008. Don't worry, when the next debt crisis implodes the boomer class will find some minority group to blame.

 

[Old Man Mike]

On economics in the big picture, I notice that no one puts any blame or responsibility on themselves.

ex., the people in the gambling business report that their US business is over $70 billion per year.

Fat in the system ... Is this "essential" to life? Or anything praiseworthy?

(Playing video games is about the same $$$s size as gambling; "recreational" drugs are more than twice that {but just}; Economic impact from drug use is estimated at $2.7 trillion per year; and everyone's favorite, alcohol, is almost a twin to the drug costs at >$150 billion per year. .... the total is equal to three years' worth of National debt interest payments.)

 

[Blazers46]

Republicans were at 58% extreme pride in 2022, and hit 77% in 2025. What changed?

Your goalpost, that’s what is changing…

Referencing the same poll we have been discussing.

 

[Armyirish47]

Your goalpost, that’s what is changing…

Referencing the same poll we have been discussing.
View attachment 3064056

Nope. That's combined extreme and very proud.

American Pride Falls to 25-Year Record Low

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, national pride is at its lowest point in Gallup's 25-year trend.

news.gallup.com

 

[Irish#1]

Blame away on the colleges. That's amazing for Purdue, the average undergraduate with debt has between $22k and $30K. Sure hope those aren't Philosophy and Art History majors amiright!

Put it all on the student, I don't care. I just won't be surprised if they lose enthusiasm for other institutions they think might have let them down when they borrow money to get a degree or a trade, to get a job that is being replaced with AI or a robot, to afford a house that is much more relatively expensive than it used to be. Maybe.

Is the system perfect? Far from it, but at what point do we take ownership for our own actions? When we bought our first house, we didn't buy what we wanted. We bought what we could afford. It still stretched our budget, but we figured out a way to make the payments rather than blame the bank or ask them to forgive our loan.

 

[Blazers46]

Republicans were at 58% extreme pride in 2022, and hit 77% in 2025. What changed?

Nope. That's combined extreme and very proud.

American Pride Falls to 25-Year Record Low

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, national pride is at its lowest point in Gallup's 25-year trend.

news.gallup.com

It’s not. You’re either misinterpreting, not reading well or just lying.

Republicans’ combined extremely/very proud has stayed consistently high (typically 84–95%+) across the entire Gallup trend since 2001, including under both Obama and Biden. Yes, their ‘extremely proud’ alone was 58% in 2022 and rose to 77% in 2025 that’s an increase, not a drop.

The real story in this poll is the Democratic decline… from levels often in the 70–85% range under Obama down to 36% in 2025 and ~29% in 2026. We’re talking about the full combined metric Gallup uses for the main trend, not cherry-picking one subcategory to downplay the overall stability on the Republican side.

 

[Armyirish47]

It’s not. You’re either misinterpreting, not reading well or just lying.

Republicans’ combined extremely/very proud has stayed consistently high (typically 84–95%+) across the entire Gallup trend since 2001, including under both Obama and Biden. Yes, their ‘extremely proud’ alone was 58% in 2022 and rose to 77% in 2025 that’s an increase, not a drop.

The real story in this poll is the Democratic decline… from levels often in the 70–85% range under Obama down to 36% in 2025 and ~29% in 2026. We’re talking about the full combined metric Gallup uses for the main trend, not cherry-picking one subcategory to downplay the overall stability on the Republican side.

I didn’t say it declined, I asked what changed, and I clearly indicated I was talking about the extreme category. You are either misinterpreting, not reading well or just lying.

We are talking about levels of patriotic enthusiasm and how painting someone who identifies as less patriotic as someone else indicates they are hating America is inaccurate. Even if they slide back and forth along the categories for many possible reasons regardless of party.

 

[Blazers46]

I didn’t say it declined, I asked what changed, and I clearly indicated I was talking about the extreme category. You are either misinterpreting, not reading well or just lying.

We are talking about levels of patriotic enthusiasm and how painting someone who identifies as less patriotic as someone else indicates they are hating America is inaccurate. Even if they slide back and forth along the categories for many possible reasons regardless of party.

Yes, this is moving the goalposts. I’m completely okay with saying there are flakey republicans that waffle between extremely patriotic and very patriotic. In context it’s a stupid point to make and not worth anyone’s time. What changed? Who cares. What you can’t answer is what changed for the left and Democratic Party which is why you are doing meaningless forensic science on a poll to prove that republicans can’t decide if they very patriotic or extremely patriotic… 😂

I’m more concerned why the democrats used to poll at or near republicans but have been taking a downward spiral since the poll began. Down to 29%. That should concern you but you’re more concerned why republicans are waffling between very and extremely…

 

[Armyirish47]

Yes, this is moving the goalposts. I’m completely okay with saying there are flakey republicans that waffle between extremely patriotic and very patriotic. In context it’s a stupid point to make and not worth anyone’s time. What changed? Who cares. What you can’t answer is what changed for the left and Democratic Party which is why you are doing meaningless forensic science on a poll to prove that republicans can’t decide if they very patriotic or extremely patriotic… 😂

I’m more concerned why the democrats used to poll at or near republicans but have been taking a downward spiral since the poll began. Down to 29%. That should concern you but you’re more concerned why republicans are waffling between very and extremely…

Asking a very specific question isn’t moving anything. You not reading well is a you problem lulz.

I’m more concerned that a poll that indicates 90% of Americans are patriotic is used as a tool to illustrate the “other” side as hating America. That should concern you but your more worried about building a narrative that affirms your world view….

 

[Blazers46]

Asking a very specific question isn’t moving anything. You not reading well is a you problem lulz.

I’m more concerned that a poll that indicates 90% of Americans are patriotic is used as a tool to illustrate the “other” side as hating America. That should concern you but your more worried about building a narrative that affirms your world view….

Im reading just fine. Your specific question is dumb and doesn’t further the conversation at all… why do republicans go from extreme patriotism to very? Is that really your question? When combined that stat is 85 to 90 percent of republicans and has been since 2001 but it’s currently at 29% for democrats and your rebuttal is to ask why republican waffle between very and extremely. How many more Charlie Kirk’s you guys have to gun down to raise that number? How many more gays we need? How many more socialists communists and Muslims we need in office? Reparations? Mass amnesty? Open borders? What the fuck you guys want? How do we get you idiots back up to 80% even 50%?

Your question is dumb. It’s like having in a leak in your boat and your ship is sinking but pointing at my boat because someone splashed water in my boat.

 

[Armyirish47]

Im reading just fine. Your specific question is dumb and doesn’t further the conversation at all… why do republicans go from extreme patriotism to very? Is that really your question? When combined that stat is 85 to 90 percent of republicans and has been since 2001 but it’s currently at 29% for democrats and your rebuttal is to ask why republican waffle between very and extremely. How many more Charlie Kirk’s you guys have to gun down to raise that number? How many more gays we need? How many more socialists communists and Muslims we need in office? Reparations? Mass amnesty? Open borders? What the fuck you guys want? How do we get you idiots back up to 80% even 50%?

Your question is dumb. It’s like having in a leak in your boat and your ship is sinking but pointing at my boat because someone splashed water in my boat.

You read for shit as exemplified by your responses lol. That’s ok. My question was to highlight that moving between categories doesn’t indicate an increase in hate and there are many possible reasons why a group might move. They are still patriotic. As the survey indicates. I don’t know what you mean by “you guys”, I’m just an extremely America loving American.

Your narrative building is dumb. Full stop, no nonsense simile necessary.