Author: smartistone

The denouement of the Reagan-Bush era, as I define as the roughly 30 year period beginning with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan and ending in 2009, saw the subsequent decline of the ‘old guard’ of conservatism. George W. Bush left office with the lowest approval rating of an exiting president at 25%–a new low compared… Continue reading The Rise of the Vibes-Based Right

I want to give my statement on 50-year mortgages before this topic vanishes from the headlines altogether, like Elon Musk’s’ Grok-powered ‘Wikipedia alternative’, which 2 weeks later hardly anyone talks about anymore despite an initial avalanche of media coverage. As it turns out, it is easier to promise to build the next Wikipedia than to… Continue reading 50-year mortgages are probably not that bad

From Erik Hoel, “John von Neumann Shot Lightning From His Arse.” It’s more like the author is shooting from his own arse. The author engages in a sort of goalpost moving, whereby arguing that because some of the feats attributed to von Neumann are false or exaggerated, that somehow this is incontrovertible proof that his… Continue reading ‘Aristocratic Tutoring’ Cannot Explain von Neumann’s Success

In my October 28th post “Almonds and Bitcoin: Way Too Soon to Declare Victory for Crypto Donors”, I argued it was way premature for Scott Alexander to proclaim crypto donors had gotten their ‘money’s worth’ backing Trump. With today’s Bitcoin crash, closing below $100k, it’s clear: I was right (at least so far). MicroStrategy (purple-MSTR),… Continue reading Declaring Victory: A Big Fat Zero* for Crypto Donors (*over the past year)

Is cost of living down? pic.twitter.com/zMWbk4LqaE — Cernovich (@Cernovich) November 11, 2025 I’m seeing a lot of blackpilling about Trump. It’s premature for people to blackpill so early into his term, especially when things are going well. I give him an “B+” so far. He’s doing what I expected, save for the tariffs, which I… Continue reading Grading Trump: A “B+” So far

Richard Hanania double-downs, “Groypers Are Just More Honest MAGAs” confidently proclaiming that “Fuentes has already won”. Recall I have taken the opposite position that the Goypers are a short-term distraction that will have no lasting influence on the GOP. He writes: When I say the right is being Groyperized, some respond that not that many… Continue reading No, Fuentes hasn’t already won

I’ve seen a lot of blackpilling on Twitter about Trump over the past couple days regarding the economy, student loans forgiveness, and healthcare: And: Daily Reminder that Student debt should be canceled People who already paid student loans can get tax credits People who paid out of pocket get even bigger tax credit Reform Student… Continue reading Don’t expect Trump to do anything about healthcare costs, inflation, or student loan debt

From NPR, The government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history. AI ,’big tech’, the US economy (in terms of GDP), and the stock market are booming during what is the longest government shutdown ever. Google stock keeps making new highs. Open AI valued at $1 trillion is a given; the question is when.… Continue reading AI and The Government Shutdown

Richard Hanania keeps trying to turn the Groypers into ‘a thing’, writing: Groyperization is the natural endpoint of what the entire Trump era has been about. And there’s no guarantee that it will burn itself out. The combination of Low Human Capital, the decline of gatekeeping, and news as entertainment model is a powerful one.… Continue reading Groyperization on the Decline

A short tribute to Scott Adams On Monday, I will ask President Trump, via X, to help save my life. He offered to help me if I needed it. I need it. As many of you know, I have metastasized prostate cancer. My healthcare provider, Kaiser of Northern California, has approved my application to receive… Continue reading Leave where we last left off