Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

They are too busy fighting the Wuhan Flu

[iam416]

Advantage, PDJT.

[Ghengis Jon]

Kung Flu Fighters

[Dr. Strangelove]

Seems like the alliance between the Sleazeball Anarchist Left and MAGAworld is fracturing. Kim Dotcom, the lardass king of pirating and electronic money laundering, just released a bunch of texts between himself and "Trump's best friend". He doesn't name the friend but at one point in the texts he says "Sean", so it's almost certainly Hannity. Dotcom was going on Hannity's show around this time advocating for a pardon for Assange. The texts apparently show Hannity acting a conduit to Trump's ear for a Assange pardon. Dotcom claims Trump and Rohrabacher are both now lying and a pardon was very much being considered. But Trump got angry when Assange wouldn't reveal who gave him the DNC materials or exonerate Russia.

What this guy and Assange claim shouldn't be taken at face value but would this surprise anyone? Assange's lawyers apparently plan to talk about this a lot as part of their defense case.

For a time Fox hosts like Hannity were giving Kim Dotcom, Julian Assange, and others like them a huge platform because they were "leftists" willing to go on tv nightly to bash the Intel Community, Hillary, Obama, etc. Now that it seems like no pardons are in the works, the tables are turning.

[Hannibal]

[iam416]

Sanders is who is he is and he's not going to candy coat. He's a communist. Pure and simple. And his "other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln" defense of communist dictators won't play.

We know what Sanders is and what he wants to do. I absolutely agree that he would use authoritarian power, but there's no way he's getting that done. The most he'll be able to do is continue the Orwellian speech bullying. Which, I guess, is something.

[iam416]

Speaking of our Orwellian overlords:

While the [Title X] Rule disproportionately impacts women, people of all genders rely on Title X services, can become pregnant, and will suffer the consequences of the Rule.

That's from a 9th Circuit judge that, thank god, was in the dissent - with 3 others.

[Tom W]

Sanders is who is he is and he's not going to candy coat. He's a communist. Pure and simple. And his "other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln" defense of communist dictators won't play.

We know what Sanders is and what he wants to do. I absolutely agree that he would use authoritarian power, but there's no way he's getting that done. The most he'll be able to do is continue the Orwellian speech bullying. Which, I guess, is something.

He certainly does talk an amusing game that plays well with those that have nothing of substance to do in February. But if/when it comes down to it, those of us that are going to get screwed by Bernie's ideology (which is pretty much anybody with any sense of fiscal integrity) aren't going to be so easy to sway come November.

It will be fascinating though, in a train wreck sort of way, to really see how Bernie handles the spotlight between the nomination and the general election. HRC couldn't do it and Bernie's even more cantankerous, less physically fit and more radical than she was. Bring the popcorn.

[Dr. Strangelove]

From Jefferies Group. Take it fwiw

***************

Equity strategist Simon Powell wrote in a note to clients that although the incidence of new coronavirus cases in China appears to be slowing, recent breakouts in Italy, Iran and South Korea hint that the disease is capable of spreading to and within many locations.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/25/us-coronavirus-outbreak-increasingly-likely-and-could-drag-markets-jefferies-says.html

[iam416]

The coronavirus remains Bernie's greatest ally.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The coronavirus remains Bernie's greatest ally.

Well, to be fair, Trump is his greatest ally. Heh. Were this Reagan running for his second term Republicans wouldn't have much to worry about.

I am going to be really, really interested to see how much straight vs. split ticket voting there is this November. If it looks like Trump coasts, will the suburbanites want a Dem check on him or not? And vice versa, if they really think Bernie can win, will they run to vote in more R's to Congress?

[Dr. Strangelove]

[iam416]

Well, to be fair, Trump is his greatest ally. Heh

Correct.

Probably correct.

[Ghengis Jon]

In the words of Doug Adams, Don't Panic. One year ago today, the market was at 26k. We're still 1000 pts ahead even with the last 2 days retreat. Bought a little today but I'll wait a bit longer before going on a buying spree.

[Jeff Buchanan]

The economist "experts" I'm reading see China's 2020 growth - already down to 6% - to take the biggest hit at a potential additional 0.5% points drop. That would cause an impact on the global economy in the neighborhood of 0.15%. As an aside, China is not likely to buy the promised ag products from the US it signed up for and that had already become common knowledge before COVID-19 hit.

The global economic growth was already seen as slowing due to uncertainty with trade tensions, not recession slowing or anything close to it, but nonetheless slowing. Central banks were already reacting. They will probably adopt more stimulus measures as the impact on the economies on a country by country basis becomes more clear. Economic uncertainty compounded by the coronavirus will drive economies and markets. Uncertainty equates to less investment, less expansion, less consumer spending.

Right now, fear is driving market losses. Pundits offering rational views aren't very popular. It's a lot more stimulating to publish pictures of near dead people, thousands trying to get inside hospitals, throngs wearing masks, hand wring and the prediction of catastrophe. We all-gonna die!!! ..... or people of means will be on the street