Forward Party’s Post

Trump will “end democracy and be a dictator.” Right. His plan was to get elected in 2016 for 4 years and create the best economy in 60 years, make housing affordable, reduce illegal immigration to record lows, reduce unemployment for minorities to record lows, increase household income, create opportunity zones, create US energy independence, negotiate the Abraham Accord and govern while maintaining peace - among many other accomplishments. Then he planned to lose to Joe Biden and allow a complete reversal of all the accomplishments to inflict pain on America so he could run again and become a dictator. Really, how absurd. Be honest, those that don’t support Trump simply harbor a deep hatred for him based on simple personal dislike for his personality. Just how is he going to end democracy? Why didn’t he do it when he was in office? What exactly does he gain from putting his life on the line? He didn’t even take a salary. He’s married to a super model and is a billionaire. What on earth does he gain from being president? It’s truly Trump Derangment Syndrome. Vote wisely. Policy over personality.

We must stop dishonoring our elderly. Just like we have age appropriate behavior with children, students and workers, we have for age. These behaviors do not disqualify. The elderly have much to offer us. Biden, care and wisdom. Trump, hate and bigotry. We keep talking Trump like he isn't a big bag of feces, not to be in this race nor any part of our collective future. How do we choose? We don't tell another they cannot do something. Y'all on here preaching positivity, embracing and encouraging all day and now we turn on Biden. This is the height of hypocrisy! I can see agism is a discriminatory practice in the workplace. Biden is not clinging to power. He is elderly, full of the wisdom and care our country needs in this hour. Until he says he cannot do this job, he is the best person for the job. He has a capable VP. America needs to wake up. Trump is a loser and if he wins, more of America is lying to all of us. Be very afraid. #workplaceinfluencer #bidenharris #voteblue

I believe the truth of the matter is Biden has the opportunity to take the spotlight right back from Trump after his assassination attempt. To do it, Biden must humbly choose to not cling to power, but instead do what an aging & unpopular leader should do for the collective good, and pass the baton to a younger & more capable leader. “In the immediate aftermath of the failed attempt on Donald Trump’s life, pundits and politicians rushed to proclaim that they knew exactly how the awful event would affect American politics. Commentators on the left and right predicted on social media that “the election is over,” or that Trump was now fated to win in a landslide. Let me offer another interpretation of Saturday’s shocking event: Nobody knows anything. Anyone who claims to have already figured out precisely how Trump’s bloody ear will influence the 2024 election or strain the nation’s civic bonds is lying to you and to themselves. The legacy of failed presidential assassination attempts in the U.S. should temper expectations that this past weekend was a world-historical event. Theodore Roosevelt was shot in 1912 campaigning for president in Milwaukee and, with Paul Bunyan heroism, continued his speech after being struck; he still lost. During a three-week span in 1975, two women tried and failed to shoot Gerald Ford. He lost his upcoming election, too. When Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, a brief spike in his approval rating disappeared within a matter of months. It is hard to say that any of these failed attempts had a lasting effect on polls or politics in general.” #leadership #commonsense

When it comes to opposing Trump, Democrats seem intent on fighting the last war. Here's some smart advice and muted optimism from Clive Crook via Bloomberg Opinion: Both chambers in Congress are closely divided. As a result, quite small groups of bipartisan moderates could unite and exercise disproportionate influence. They’d have to put country over party and political ambition. Most think this is asking too much. But if they were willing, they could organize their efforts around good government, as opposed to defeating their political enemies. Their proximate goal would be better policy, not saving democracy. Better policy, in turn, would strengthen democracy.

Donald Trump won a historic comeback to the White House, marking a shift toward unrestrained populism. With fewer limitations, Trump is positioned to govern more aggressively, focusing on deregulation, tax cuts, and increased tariffs, which may impact inflation and supply chains. His foreign policy plans include reducing alliance support and intensifying economic pressures on China. Financial markets responded strongly: US stocks and the dollar surged, while cryptocurrencies gained traction. Support from Elon Musk bolstered Trump’s campaign, with Musk seen as a potential administration figure. Trump’s campaign capitalized on working-class frustration, targeting topics like immigration, trade, and social issues. Exit polls show he appealed to male and non-college voters, especially Latino and Black men. Concerns arise over Trump’s potential authoritarian actions, such as using military against domestic threats and pursuing political opponents. #TrumpVictory #Populism #USPolitics #Economy #FinancialMarkets

We could increase our GDP by 5-10 percent if we reallocated attention away from Trump and towards constructive leadership and pursuits, my hypothesis. The world is full of people infinitely more talented than Trump, spending their days reading and writing and talking about Trump. This approach is not effective time or resource allocation. It sure as hell is no meritocracy. A few episodes of the Apprentice in the early 2000s should do. How many collective hours of each day does the globe spend reading about the mogul? Over how many years? WE WILL NEVER GET THIS TIME BACK. I challenge Donald Trump to a fun run and I am a mom with a cracked fibula. Time to move on. Reduce the oxygen. Alternatively, let’s agree to spend a week (or four years or the next decade) talking about nothing other than Trump. There is so much substance there. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Ad infinitum. #Elections

What do politicians do to persuade millions of people to vote for them? When Kamala Harris and Donald Trump speak, they’re doing more than discussing policies—they’re playing a game of influence. As the election approaches, they leverage rhetorical techniques to shape public perception and win votes. I analyzed the transcript of Harris’s DNC speech and Trump’s RNC speech this year. Here are some strategies that both of them use in their speeches to persuade voters. - 1. Ethos: Building Credibility Harris cites her career as a prosecutor to show she's a protector of justice. Trump, on the other hand, highlights achievements like defeating ISIS to cement his role as a defender of American values. - 2. Hyperbole: Making Big Promises "The greatest economy in history" vs. "the greatest democracy ever" -  Both candidates are betting on bold claims to rally support. - 3. Positioning: Creating an ‘Us vs. Them’ Dynamic Harris frames Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump portrays the Democrats as undermining American identity. This tactic isn’t just about opposition; it’s about loyalty and urgency. We can learn a lot from these techniques, not just in politics, but in leadership and everyday life. Recognizing these patterns makes us more critical thinkers. Next time you watch a speech, don’t just listen to the words—analyze the strategies. What’s being sold, and how are they selling it? I explore these strategies and more in my latest edition of Inner Propaganda (link below). #persuasion #rhetoric #politics #influence 

To paraphrase Simon & Garfunkel in their 1968 hit Mrs. Robinson, where have you gone JFK? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Two weeks out from our national election, our airwaves are being bludgeoned by blatantly dishonest attack ads and pandering promises to deliver virtually anything in exchange for voters' votes. If you live in a swing state, the intensity and absurdity are even worse. All too often, the partisan media pick up the claims and amplify the propaganda to their echo chamber audiences. If businesses spewed this garbage, they would be covered up in lawsuits. It's not just the presidential race. It's the House and Senate races as well. And it's not just "the other party." It's your party as well. Policy debates are out the window. It's all about how bad, dangerous or incompetent the other person is, and the threat they pose to democracy. And how the good candidate will protect us from the bad candidate and preserve democracy. Just don't ask what the good candidate's policies are, how much they will cost the taxpayers or what they will do to preserve and enhance America's position in a dangerous world. Still, we need to vote. Leadership matters. Policy matters. Candor matters. #Leadership #politicsandlaw

"The Broken Two-Party Debate" If you were hoping that a debate between two 80 year old presidential candidates would clarify some questions you might harbor on who to vote for. You, like many Americans, were severely disappointed. What the broken two party system has given us is a clear choice: the need for something different. Republicans are running a fascist, would-be dictator cult leader who embodies everything the Anti-Christ from the New Testament is meant to resemble. And his Supporters still support him. Democrats are running a walking corpse, who has a negative approval rating, and is TIED in polling with the biggest threat to democracy America has faced. If symbolism means anything then Biden might be the "Death to Democracy". For Independents, the only thing we understood from this debate is that democracy under a two party system will crumble and fail - And Independents are not leaning Biden.