Trump Wins 98 of 99 Iowa Counties; Vivek Drops Out

DeSantis edges out Haley for a distant second place. [The Rude Awakening] January 16, 2024 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Trump Wins 98 of 99 Iowa Counties; Vivek Drops Out [Sean Ring] SEAN RING The Geriatric Rematch of the Century inches closer. Donald J. Trump, “The Donald,” is one step closer to his destiny, a showdown with Joke Biden. The man everyone thought would start World War III will meet the man who actually started it for an Oval Office so tarnished they should call it “The Rotten Egg.” The results weren’t close, which only frustrated the purple-haired body-positive sideline reporters. No folks, plenty of people showed up despite 25 inches of snow blanketing the midwestern state. [Rude Awakening] Credit: [The New York Times]( [Rude Awakening] Credit: [The New York Times]( [Response Requested 1/1000th of an ounce of gold available]( As a Rude Awakening reader, you're being offered a 1/1000th of an ounce of gold when you upgrade your account. It will come in the form of a “Gold Back” - a new type of gold currency that’s starting to spread across America ([click here to view](. If you have not responded to this offer yet, and want to know how to claim yours… Please click the link below for details. [Click here to learn how to claim your new Gold Back Currency<]( [Click Here To Learn More]( Trump Takes the Field Without An Insult Being Fired In a seven-person race, Trump managed to win over 50% of the vote. [Rude Awakening] Trump was right not to participate in the debates. There’s simply no need. Hilariously, his decision not to participate in the debates made his opponents believe they had a fighting chance when they did not. If I were Trump, I’d send DeSantis back to Florida as governor with no job in DC, ignore Haley and hope she descends into oblivion, and hire Vivek. Immediately. Vivek Drops Out; Trump Says He Did a “Hell of a Job” Vivek Ramaswamy never had a chance at the top job. I don’t think America can handle his loud intelligence as the commander-in-chief. But, my goodness, does it need a man like him to drain the swamp! I wouldn’t give Vivek either the Department of State or Treasury. Even Defense is outside his wheelhouse. But Secretary of the Interior or Secretary of Commerce would be two good alternatives for a man of his talents. He’d be loyal and actually act. He could do the things Trump wouldn’t do in his first term, giving Trump plausible deniability the entire time. DeSantis Edges Out Neocon Nutcase Nikki for Second Surprisingly, Ron DeSantis pipped Nikki Haley at the post. Perhaps Governor Go-Go Boots gave up his high-heeled cowboy boots. Who knows? He did look his normal height, though. But how’s this for [Guardian]( tripe? Meanwhile Haley, the former South Carolina governor, had been seen as Republicans’ most moderate choice, with a better chance to beat Joe Biden in the general election than the candidates to her right. I don’t know a single person who thinks Haley is a centrist. She’s a lunatic neocon who wants to set the world on fire. I’m thrilled she came in third. Binkley, Hutchinson, and Christie Should Bow Out Why did these guys even participate? Chris Christie? Come on. A Market Rally For Biden? Oh boy, here it comes. As you know, the Rude has maintained its bullishness despite the potential headwinds to the economy. And you know me well enough to know I think the real economy stinks to high heaven. But none of that matters… yet. Because the disconnect between the real economy and the stock market is too big. The major indices were up big last week, though the Russell 2000 was not. And now, thanks to Nick Timiraos of The Wall Street Journal, otherwise known as “Nikileaks,” we see what the Fed is trying to do. From yesterday’s [Journal]( Fed officials are to start deliberations on slowing, though not ending, that so-called quantitative tightening as soon as their policy meeting this month. It could have important implications for financial markets. The Fed can shrink its holdings by selling bonds or, as it has preferred, allowing bonds to mature and “run off” its balance sheet without buying new ones. Runoff increases the supply of bonds that investors must absorb, putting upward pressure on long-term interest rates. Slowing runoff reduces that upward pressure. But whereas the Fed expects to cut short-term interest rates this year because inflation has fallen, its rationale for tapering bond runoff is different: to prevent disruption to an obscure yet critical corner of the financial markets. Five years ago, balance-sheet runoff sparked upheaval in those markets, forcing a messy U-turn. Officials are determined not to do that again. So we’ll have a few rate cuts and no balance sheet runoff while allowing the Federal Government to spend money like drunken sailors. Jay Powell doesn’t want to work for Trump again. Period. He prefers a less volatile boss. As Annie Lennox might have sung, “Here comes the liquidity again…” Peace in Ukraine? Do you know what else would save Biden’s bacon? Peace in Ukraine. Someone - and that’s the… ahem… “Churchillian” Zelensky - finally figured out the meatgrinder he turned his country into. From [Zero Hedge]( President Volodymyr Zelensky appears increasingly more serious about pursuing peace negotiations to end the war, and this was on display in comments issued by his top aide headed into the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, on Sunday, explained that Kiev now believes it is crucial for China to be at the table for future talks on its peace formula. "China needs to be involved in talks to end the war with Russia," the Ukrainian top representative said following diplomatic meetings going into the WEF. China remains the most influential Global South country widely viewed as squarely in Russia's corner, having refused to rebuke Moscow or join Western-led sanctions after two years of the conflict. Boy, would that take some pressure off Biden! The Davos Men are so happy about the peace, all the hookers are booked out! Again, from [Zero Hedge]( In a separate report, the French newspaper "20 Minutes" sheds even more light into this year's hooker-fest' at Davos: But anyone who wants to book an escort via the matching platform "Titt4Tat" in the Davos region, or even in eastern Switzerland, will be disappointed. "All local service providers are completely booked during the WEF week," confirms owner B. Konrad. The explanation: People kept to themselves in Davos, and their partners mostly stayed home. In addition, alcohol and parties contribute to the high demand for his service, according to the co-founder. "Apart from that, there are many customers in Davos who are not price-sensitive and who value the privacy of our app all the more," explains Konrad. In general, it's less about sex and more about the so-called "girlfriend experience," i.e., the pretense of an intimate relationship. Wrap Up The Donald wins, the Fed prints, and the market will rally. If we get peace in Ukraine, the US can redirect the military-industrial complex’s ire to the Houthis and then, maybe, Taiwan. Meanwhile, Davos Man must get more creative if he wants his piece. Have a great week! All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening X (formerly Twitter): [@seaniechaos]( In Case You Missed It… Mutti's Legacy Continues to Divide [Sean Ring] SEAN RING As today is Martin Luther King Day in the States, Paradigm’s offices are closed. This article has been updated, but was originally published in November 2021, when I was living in the Philippines. Europeans are finally admitting their immigration policies are a failure, primarily pointing the finger at Angela Merkel. My wife, Pam, and I saw the failure firsthand nearly ten years ago… Back in 2015… I can see you Your brown skin shining in the sun You got your hair combed back and these Sunglasses on baby - Don Henley, The Boys of Summer The best thing about being married to a mocha-skinned beauty is getting her to the beach. As a Filipina, Pam shuns the sun for social reasons. After all, if you’ve got dark skin in Southeast Asia, your family must work in the fields. That also explains the enormous amount of skin whitening creams Western cosmetic companies supply but never get called “racist” for… But I’ll always say she’ll never look sexier than she does when she’s got her tan on. Anyway, Pam and I were on our way to Bodrum, Turkey, to see friends at the Property and Freedom Society conference. We decided to stop in Kos, Greece, just a short ferry ride away, for a few days for “us time.” We had a wonderful time eating Greek dishes, splashing around in the sea, and relaxing in the cool evenings. After hiring a car, we drove around the entirety of the island for a few days. Nothing crazy. We headed to Kos Town a few days early to make sure we knew where the ferry terminal was. And there, we saw what happens when a country is unprepared for mass migration. [Rude Awakening] [Rude Awakening] Credit: Sean Ring I took both pictures on September 8, 2015, and it says so on my iCloud account. [TIME-SENSITIVE: A “Second Wave” Of Inflation Is Coming]( During the 1970s, inflation lasted for years and came in three separate waves. Each wave was far worse than the last. [Today, the same exact thing is happening again.]( Is the price of food, gasoline, housing and more about to skyrocket even higher? [== > Get ready for “Inflation’s Second Wave.” Click here now to see my urgent warning.]( [Click Here To Learn More]( Mutti Muffed It When you’ve got your feet on the ground, however unintentional that may have been, you see what a disaster Angela Merkel’s policy was. On August 31, 2015, Merkel announced, “Wir Schaffen Das.” It translates to “We’ll manage this.” Soon after, she opened Germany’s borders to hundreds of thousands of migrants, only about 40% of whom were Syrian. No matter how bad it was, or still is, the court jesters will always claim otherwise. I just read an unintentionally hilarious [Guardian]( article about how, five years later, this was the right call. For whom? Certainly not for the countries between the migrants’ home countries and Germany. [Rude Awakening] Credit: [( Greece was at the forefront of the onslaught. Along with Albania, Kosovo, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Czechia, and Slovakia. And they’re still getting hit. This time it’s from the East. “Hybrid Attack” It’s funny how Germans will say or do anything to protect Mutti’s legacy. By the way, “Mutti” means “mother.” To my mind, it’s never healthy to refer to politicians as such. And it reflects the current German state of mind, sadly. But here’s my question: if Merkel’s policy was the way to go, why is the EU outraged about migration suddenly? Here’s what’s going on. From August 2021 until November 2021 when this piece was originally written, about [30,000 people]( tried to cross the Polish border from Belarus. It’s not a substantial number, certainly not compared to the two million people that entered in 2015. But here’s what European Commission President Ursula [von der Leyden had to say about it]( [everything bolded is mine]: Belarus must stop putting people's lives at risk. The instrumentalization of migrants for political purposes by Belarus is unacceptable. The Belarusian authorities must understand that pressuring the European Union in this way through a cynical instrumentalization of migrants will not help them succeed in their purposes. I have spoken to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, and Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš to express the EU's solidarity and discuss with them the measures the EU can take to support them in their efforts to deal with this crisis. I am calling on Member States to finally approve the extended sanctions regime on the Belarusian authorities responsible for this hybrid attack. Vice-President Schinas, in coordination with High Representative/Vice-President Borrell, will travel in the coming days to the main countries of origin and of transit to ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities. The EU will in particular explore how to sanction, including through blacklisting, third-country airlines that are active in human trafficking. Finally, the Commission will explore with the UN and its specialized agencies how to prevent a humanitarian crisis from unfolding and to ensure that migrants can be safely returned to their country of origin, with the support of their national authorities. Instrumentalization of migrants? Hybrid attack? Falling into a trap? Human trafficking? Humanitarian crisis? Migrants safely returned to their country of origin? Why? Why such words now and not then? Donald Tusk, then the Polish opposition Civic Platform party leader but now Polish Prime Minister, added that Poland should get help from its NATO allies by invoking an article that calls for consultation if an alliance member’s territory is under threat. This is the same Donald Tusk, who, as European Council President, [once said at the UN]( The myth prevails that Europe is the only rich place on Earth. This is not true; there are other places comparable to us in terms of wealth. But for some reason, refugees and migrants are not flowing there. This is because wealth is not the only element that determines where people choose the future for their children; such values like tolerance, openness, respect for diversity, freedom, human rights, and the Geneva convention are also a magnet attracting them to us. No, Donnie, it’s because Europe has the most idiotically “generous” welfare state on the planet. That’s generous with other people’s money, to be sure. It’s also because the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations - United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain - are too smart to let in the tired, poor, and huddled masses. (And “masses” is the operative word in the previous sentence.) The question remains: if Mutti’s policies were so humanitarian and pristine then, why is the EU (Germany by another name) now siding with governments that don’t want migrants? It’s because Mutti’s policies weren’t the panacea the elites tried to make them out to be. And that’s the lesson the Biden Administration would do well learn concerning the Southern border. Have a wonderful day today! All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening Twitter: [@seaniechaos]( [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2024 Paradigm Press, LLC. 1001 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. To end your Rude Awakening e-mail subscription and associated external offers sent from Rude Awakening, feel free to [click here.]( Please note: the mailbox associated with this email address is not monitored, so do not reply to this message. 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