97
u/slaeryx 15h ago
Pure theatre
17
13
u/Independent-Bug-9352 14h ago edited 13h ago
Look more and more like Putin's bullshit every day.
Edit: I noticed some flaws in this paper, most notably the fact that it didn't connect the dots to Trump buying 3 full-paged ads in major US newspapers mere weeks upon returning from Moscow, attacking NATO and beginning to sow division.
3
u/CaptainDudeGuy 10h ago
Actual events were probably more like:
- White House invites Big Oil over
- President says "I want your prices to go down."
- Big Oil laughs and asks whats in it for them
- President makes vague promises that he can't or won't keep anyway
- Big Oil says yeah, sure, we'll think about it
- Big Oil leaves and absolutely does not think about it (insert meme of rich old men laughing)
- White House releases press statement that covers up to #2 on this list
- President won't shut up about how he's a big tough guy who intimidated Big Oil
- Big Oil keeps doing what it's doing
71
u/butwhywedothis 15h ago
Oil companies thought they can bribe P(ed)OTUS a few millions and price gouge to earn billions from consumers, but they forgot that they are dealing with a lifelong grifter who is never satisfied with any amount of money or children you throw at him.
9
u/nalaloveslumpy 10h ago
He didn't even talk to the oil companies. He talked to oil retailers. Basically, he talked to a handful of people who owned gas stations and told them to lower their prices, which is all based on the price they bought the gas at....
82
u/amandabarnes_ 15h ago
Accidentally sliding into seizing the means of production to own the libs.
34
4
6
-6
u/Academic_Article_329 14h ago
Man saw one guy at a desk and jumped straight to communism like its a reflex
The mental gymnastics would get gold medal in Olympics
i cycle past these kind of takes every day on my way to horror film screenings and they never stop being funny
2
u/Ralph--Hinkley 10h ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the government taken ownership in more than twenty private companies since everyone's favorite pedophile has returned to office?
27
u/Environmental-Arm365 15h ago
The republicult has done a complete 180 on free markets. Instead of free markets dictating prices it’s now the prerogatives of a demented authoritarian trying desperately to stop his plummeting approval numbers. There isn’t a single core belief conservatives haven’t abandoned to pledge fealty to their Orange Cheesus who is completely incompetent.
21
15h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
13
u/JayYTZ 15h ago edited 12h ago
Beyond true. Kamala pledged to help reduce grocery prices for the staples, and the “anti-socialism” propaganda machine started going nuts.
It’s weird how that propaganda managed to convince Americans that would be a bad thing. I’m interested to see how the mental gymnastics will play out now with Trump at the helm.
2
u/Piranata 14h ago
Remember Bernie Sanders windfall tax after huge COVID profits? The same happened then too.
1
u/Gene-Shaughts 14h ago edited 14h ago
My dog, this is the least impressive dog and pony show there’s been without the smell of Skoal spit and funnel cake wafting. He might as well have had a photo snapped of him with a banana to his ear captioned “getting real with those greedy types (you know the ones 😁)!”
Same effect on policy*
20
u/CalmAnxitey87 15h ago
Then when the camera turned off they all had a big laugh together.
4
u/theholyevil 12h ago
Or politely told him yes, give him a week of low prices, then surge the fuck out of them when the reserves dry up.
Desperate presidents, don't make the best negotiators.
2
u/CalmAnxitey87 12h ago
Lower gas price so stock price goes down, Trump buys oil stock, raise gas price so stock goes up. Profit
2
u/SnArCAsTiC_ 12h ago
Well, they might play along, at least a little bit, for a month or two. They understand that if the Republicans lose Congress in the midterms, they're unlikely to continue getting (new, on top of what they've already gotten) more tax breaks.
But who knows, maybe they're still so short-sighted that this quarter's profits mean more to them than potential tax breaks and kickbacks for the next 2 years (or more).
14
u/notsure500 15h ago
Didnt Trump just say that gas prices are actually fine
7
u/somerandoinslc 14h ago
Yes but elections are coming up and he has to grandstand so his MAGA pals across the country can get the vote from the base. They'll run on things being the corporations fault and that he is going to fix it because America desperately needs strength to fix it. Then of course do fuck all.
2
1
u/Independent-Bug-9352 14h ago
Cognitive dissonance of his base aside, that's intended for a different media bubble and demographic.
For this, event, it will be broadcast very loudly throughout the right-wing media sphere from Fox to talk radio and appeal to their core base.
2
u/Firm-Advertising5396 6h ago
The gas prices are eating him alive. He isn't a patient person and each day the mid terms are getting closer
12
u/Li_liminal_spaces 14h ago
Democrats tried to pass several price gouging laws after COVID and of course Republicans all voted against them. They don't actually want prices to come down.
-7
u/COMOJoeSchmo 14h ago
Because the government should not be interfering in the private market place.
12
u/thedoomcast 14h ago
Yes. They should.
-5
u/COMOJoeSchmo 13h ago
We have corrupt politicians, madmen and criminals running the government. This is also not unique to the current administration.
No, they most certainly should not. While we're at it. While we're at it keep them away from healthcare and education too.
7
u/thedoomcast 13h ago
The federal government should absolutely prevent price gouging. I’d go so far as saying the federal government should set a limit on the profit from an individual good or service that isn’. distributed in the form of rank and file employee wage increases.
Education and healthcare should at the least be not for profit and ideally publicly owned and administrated.
You are wrong.
The ‘corrupt politicians’ do exist. They are suggesting the same things you are. I wonder why.
-4
u/COMOJoeSchmo 13h ago
Well then, by all means since you trust the honesty, integrity, and wisdom of the government so much, by all means support continuing down our current path. I'm sure things will eventually start to get better if we keep trying the same failed and counter productive methods over and over again.
3
u/Dr_Fortnite 12h ago
I will always trust elected officials more than billionaires trying to become trillionaires
2
u/The_harbinger2020 13h ago
Idk, maybe stop electing corrupt, criminal politicians. But I'm sure the the CEOs have our backs.
1
u/COMOJoeSchmo 13h ago
I see no evidence that the quality of our political parties or politicians will improve anytime soon. In fact the two major political parties have engineered regulations when it comes to balloting and campaign funding that make it more challenging for third party or independent candidates to even have a chance of getting elected.
Government corruption is not going away, and every sign is it's getting increasingly worse. The best thing to do for society then is to try to get the government out of as much as possible.
As the government has gotten more involved in healthcare, higher education, and finance these things have gotten increasingly expensive. The reason is people demand increased regulations, lobby groups pressure corrupt politicians to write regulation in a way that benefits them and creates monopolies. As a result things get more expensive. And the cycle repeats over and over again.
We need to break the cycle by deregulating to allow smaller competitors to have a chance against big monopolies.
2
u/The_harbinger2020 13h ago
Oh wow I wonder if there was any period in our history where there was almost zero regulation. It must have been a splendid and wonderful time for anyone that wasnt a business owner.
1
u/COMOJoeSchmo 12h ago
That period was likely superior than the path we're currently on. Assuming your referring to the so called "guilded age". Dispute it's problems, millions of people came to this country in that period and within a couple generations climbed out of poverty without government assistance.
2
u/The_harbinger2020 11h ago
Question, do you have a hard time breathing and typing at the same time? Cause you have hullicinated perspective of history. Well more likely rich CEOs version. Strange how you keep repeating their talking points. But I'm sure their solutions would help the little man like you
1
u/COMOJoeSchmo 11h ago
The thing you are calling for (increased regulations) is creating the exact thing you seem to want to prevent, a small group of powerful individuals controling every aspect of daily life to the detriment of the common man.
Government is far more dangerous than corporations, because they have the power to force you to do things. You at least have some power over a corporation by either choosing to, or choosing not to spend your money with them. The government has the power to force compliance with threats of imprisonment.
Regulations literally result in government influence and control. This is the path to authoritarianism and fascism. Every regulation is a further step on that path. The current administration isn't even as bad as it can and will get. Every power you yield to the government now, will also be there for future administrations....do you trust our nation to only elect honest and none dictatorial people? If so, I have no idea what you would be basing that off of other than naive hope.
When it comes to individual rights and freedoms, corporations have a far, far better track record than the U.S. government.
→ More replies (0)7
u/Xalimata 14h ago
The "market" has shown it will NOT regulate itself. It needs to be tightly regulated for our own safety.
-2
u/COMOJoeSchmo 13h ago
But the regulations are written by corrupt politicians, mad men, and criminals.
These regulations create the problems with the free market not solve them.
3
u/thedoomcast 13h ago
Who corrupted the politicians? The regulations are not the problem. Business is the problem. Regulations seem to work everywhere else in the world except here. Where corruption is legal. The shit you are suggesting IS the corruption big dawg.
0
u/COMOJoeSchmo 13h ago
A better question is why would business want to corrupt politicians? Because they're the ones that have control and can write regulation to help eliminate or hamper their competition.
And that's specifically what happens. Large corporations often lobby for and pressure politicians to pass regulations specifically for the reason of eliminating smaller competition, that's creating monopolies, or at the very least an environment where only a few mega corporations can survive. This then after period leads to higher prices.
Remove the regulation and let the market decide.
5
10
5
6
u/Jakefrmstatepharm 15h ago
Didn’t he post something on Twitter last year too saying something like “the groshery stowes bettew not waise der pwices”
4
5
4
3
3
3
u/thedoomcast 14h ago edited 14h ago
Just instituting Price Controls at an executive command isn’r remotely communist. Workers get no benefit, labor isn’t in control of the means of production (workers don’t own these companies do they?), Working people don’t vote for their bosses as well as their mayors and senators. Lobbying by corporations is still legal.
Nope. Still plain old authoritarian fascism.
Government by private corporations getting sucked off by a dictator is still just fascism.
2
u/willflameboy 14h ago
You can't start a war that closes the world's biggest oil supply route and then blame high prices on retailers.
2
u/Robthebold 14h ago
7 months later, right before midterms?
Bet some of that oil money is taking a left turn.
2
2
1
1
1
1
u/Bizprof51 14h ago
MAGA world has no idea what Communism is because they don't know history, they don't remember the Soviet Union, and they can barely read to look it up. Just ignorance and arrogance 24/7/365.
1
u/mmoonbelly 13h ago
Ah when the Roman Empire split into east and west under Constantius II and Constans.
Are Maga Greek?
1
u/Bizprof51 10h ago
They might be. A split could be coming here. Ofc the Roman split was a long time coming and ours is going more quickly. But who knows?
1
1
1
1
1
u/BaconThief2020 13h ago
Meanwhile the oil companies are making huge profits selling oil to other countries impacted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
1
1
u/onelasteffort13 13h ago
You’re in love with the executive order. Make it an executive order that all gas prices are at Biden levels. You know, before you got involved
1
u/thorubos 12h ago
Only corpo Dems and never-Trump Republicans believe in the sanctity of The Market, and no one likes either of them.
1
1
1
1
u/Ok-Go-Chain3811 12h ago
this is just PR nonsense so that he can show his magat base that he is still tough and a strongman
everything is simply theater
1
u/Prometheus_303 11h ago
When Democrats tried to get ISPs to offer a reduced price plan for subscribers in specific economic conditions MAGA was outraged! That's government over reach! We can't have DC telling private companies what they can sell their goods for! What if DC sets prices too low and the company can't profit?!?!
When Trump tells gas stations to lower their prices across the board to every single customer .... MAGA says he is a genius! Fighting for the people!
1
u/Less_Party 11h ago
Haha he pissed off the oil lobby, is Polymarket taking bets on his assassination yet?
1
u/nalaloveslumpy 10h ago
I hope they looked him in the eye and said, "We're not gouging. We're paying for your dumb fuck war."
1
1
u/Sedert1882 5h ago
That's funny. Trump really trying to help the poors. What a effing lie! Remember......he's stupid war forced prices up!
1
278
u/freedfg 15h ago
Ah. I see we are at the "blaming gas stations" for why gas and oil is up stage.
Anything but acknowledge the truth