https://t.ly/4qyHV
This is a tough book to read. But I recommend it to anyone who needs to know that they are capable, that all they have to do is declare themselves competent, jump into the pool and act.
We expect this in entertainment. People come to Hollywood with no portfolio, only braggadocio, and they gladhand, puff themselves up, lie, intimidate and make it to the top.
But it's not supposed to be this way in traditional business, is it?
Of course you should read this book for the definitive insight into Elon Musk. But these people starting companies in Silicon Valley, we see them as He-Men of the Universe, when oftentimes they had little more than an idea, or got to the Bay Area and cooked up an idea, and then convinced VCs and others to fund it.
And it's not only the founders sucking on the tit. There are the banks, the lawyers... You too can do it, you're as good as they are. Put your fears aside and step forward.
So what we've got here is a company with broad influence that is challenged financially. One could argue the world ran on Twitter, but that did not make it a gold mine. Everybody knowing your name is different from being rich.
Who could steer Twitter out of the wilderness? The golden boy creator back for a second time, Jack Dorsey... Or an engineer... Or was the task impossible?
Where was the revenue to come from? Advertising was not enough, where were the other revenue streams?
Meanwhile, there were thousands of employees, and all the attendant costs of running a major corporation. Twitter was a lumbering giant.
Until Elon Musk came along and cut it off at its knees.
So I followed the story of Musk's purchase of Twitter very closely. I didn't see a reason to read this book. But then when they got into Musk's personality, his emotions, his choices, I couldn't put it down, it called out to me, I just had to plow through it.
Musk had no idea what he was doing. He thought since he used Twitter, he could run it.
Even more astounding, he purchased the company with no due diligence. NO ONE would do this. But his bankers and lawyers and chums went along, because after all, he's ELON MUSK!
So Musk lives for positive feedback. And can't handle criticism. And believes he is unfettered. When the remaining Twitter employees tell him the company needs to file FTC reports, under the privacy consent decree, it doesn't bother him a whit. He'll fight and sue and do whatever he wants, he'll stand up to anybody in the world. And sure, we can feel this in the news, but when you get right down to the real nitty-gritty...
The government is no match for Elon Musk. All you have to do is believe you can compete, and the truth is you can, assuming you've got the balls.
So Elon comes in and cuts costs.
Have you been following his statements ] recently? How Elon would act as Trump's efficiency expert? That's one of the best parts of the book, the endless layoffs, the endless reduction of costs. Too much rent? LET'S STOP PAYING IT! Yup, they'd wait until they were evicted. And then in Boulder they shipped some flat screens and servers to Musk, and sold everything else in a yard sale. As for layoffs... Paranoid Musk was unjustly convinced there were people on the payroll who weren't working, he asked people to opt in to keep their jobs, even though just the opposite had been agreed to by his team, that you checked the box if you wanted to LEAVE! Mass confusion ensued, and people who had no intention of leaving, who did great work, were fired anyway, just because they didn't understand they had to check the box.
Covid taught me that it's a miracle the country runs at all. I thought someone was in control, but this is patently untrue.
And it's the same in business. Regulation, schmegulation.
And you've got the kiss-asses, trying to keep their jobs with Elon.
And then there are those who need their gigs for the health care, or their visas.
You've put a decade into a company and you're fired overnight. Maybe because you just didn't deliver Elon an easy fix for his problem, even though one didn't exist. How much pain are you wiling to endure to keep your job?
If you want a novelistic business book, one that cuts like butter, I'd recommend John Carreyrou's "Bad Blood," about Theranos.
If you just want story, "Character Limit" doesn't shine. It does not have you on the edge of your seat.
But maybe the comparison to Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes is apt. She just said she knew what she was doing and raised millions and never ever delivered.
That's all it takes.
I'm not saying there's no skill involved at all these companies.
I'm just saying that my mother always told me I wasn't the one, that someone else was the expert. Reading this book, I'm convinced otherwise.
As for the political implications...
Trump doesn't read, never mind books. Musk is addicted to his phone, he rarely looks at a computer. They're both so busy doing that they can't think, see the big picture.
And that's where the money is, the success. It's in the thinking, the idea, the ability to assess the landscape.
So do I think this book will affect the outcome of the election? Not a bit. But if Trump wins, it's a blueprint.
As for Walter Isaacson's hagiographic biography...no wonder it was such idolatry, Musk reeled him in, asked him for business advice, AND TOOK IT!
Now you might think the two "Times" writers who authored this book were out to get Musk, but in truth Musk hangs himself, with his words and actions.
And if you're someone who reads business books for tips, insights, I'd put "Character Limit" at the absolute top of the heap.
And if you're someone who's just looking for a job, to be part of the process...read this book and weep. You're just a pawn in their game. Sure, the world needs worker bees, but it's not run by them.
You want to control your own life, you want to know the game, there are books that will tell you how to do it, which are really how the author did it, almost never replicable, but when you see the cast of characters in "Character Limit"...you can see where you fit in, or don't.
And that's very valuable information.
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Friday, 1 November 2024
Favorite Joni Mitchell-SiriusXM This Week
Tune in Saturday November 2nd to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
Phone #: 844-686-5863
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Thursday, 31 October 2024
iPhone Sales Up
Over 5%.
When everybody thought they'd go down.
I have an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Has a single person commented about it to me? NOT ONE! Because you can't tell the difference physically, not unless you're a super-student with excellent vision and you can zero in on the camera slide/button on the side.
So in a world where the exterior is more important than the interior, where it's what shows is what counts, shouldn't iPhone sales be DOWN?
Absolutely. That's what all the Wall Street analysts said.
Now we can go deep into the details. Mention that the iPhone 16 was only on sale for a few days of the quarter, talk about mix of product, but... Absolutely everybody thought sales would go down. Another me-too product. Wait until 2025 for the great leap forward, with a new form factor.
But...
Actually, I expect the buzz on the iPhone 16 to increase. Because of AI. Which was just introduced to the public this Monday, with iOS 18.1.
Now if you read the reviews, each and every one of them said a day late and a dollar short. The AI introduction lagged the physical product by a month and right now it only does a fraction of what Apple says it will do eventually. Much ado about nothing, in fact.
Only that is untrue.
How much do I care about AI on my phone? Can't say I really thought about it. I don't need no summarization. However, I was stunned what I was delivered by the upgrade. Summarization of my most important emails at the top of the thread (which I turned off, because I've filtered out the junk and I live on e-mail and the content is just that important to me). All over the phone there are cool effects that remind me of...
Siri.
You remember the iPhone 4s, don't you? It was a party trick, everybody who had one demonstrated it. YOU COULD TALK TO YOUR PHONE!
Not that it worked that well. But the iPhone 4s set sales records.
But the reason I'm mentioning all this, even referencing the iPhone in a world where the battle between Android and iOS is like red vs. blue, where the so-called elites don't stop telling us to put our smartphones down is... If they can't get it right on this, WHAT ELSE ARE THEY GETTING WRONG??
I'm sure you've been whipsawed by the election like me.
These Wall Street analysts live in the trenches, they get it right much more than they get it wrong. How could they miss consumer sentiment so completely?
In other words, has the momentum truly switched to Trump?
That's what every Democrat has been afraid of for the last ten days. It's what everybody is writing about. Nate Silver said he believed Trump had a better chance of winning than Harris.
My inbox has been freaking out.
And then there are those dyed-in-the-wool, this is where the right and the left are similar. Go against the orthodoxy and you're excommunicated. If you say one negative thing about Harris you're a hater who doesn't understand the facts and must be silenced. It's like no one went to college and learned how to hold two opposing thoughts in their brains at the same time. Or maybe they don't teach that in college anymore, where the main goal is just to get a job, forget becoming a three-dimensional citizen.
So, let's be clear, Harris has lost the mo. She peaked weeks ago, if not before that.
Then again, an incredible number of people have already voted.
Elon Musk is in the news 24/7 re Trump and Harris has no second on the left. It's just Kamala and...
We just don't know what people think.
On one hand, some say Harris has to win, because of abortion.
And then there are those who point to the Trump bros.
And one thing is for sure, Trump's side has been trying to control the narrative with additional polls and endless pronouncements, setting up to challenge the results if he loses.
However...
What if the media has it wrong?
One thing the media has wrong is it thinks we still care. Hell, so many have already voted. There's really nothing new being said. Enough already.
But every day there's story after story, are the publications just playing to themselves? Let's not forget, the media missed 2016, and to a great degree missed 2022 too, the Red Wave never arrived.
So...
We're going to have to wait until Tuesday to find out, or maybe a while after that.
But if you've been pessimistic, thinking it's over, know that you're a victim of a disinformation campaign that has nothing to do with people voting.
And if people knew what they were doing would Jeff Bezos have refused to let the "Washington Post" endorse Kamala Harris?
Bezos was and still is out of touch. He had no idea who his customer was, I mean who's paying for the "Post" to begin with? And now there is endless backlash, in excess of 200,000 have canceled their subscriptions.
All I am saying is it's not over yet.
Furthermore, Trump has been losing momentum every day.
Then again, Taylor Lorenz pointed out that Harris is losing the war online because she's gone short form instead of long:
https://www.usermag.co/p/trump-vs-kamala-whos-winning-online
Then again, Lorenz lives online and neither campaign team truly does.
No one has a lock on public sentiment, no one will know what people think until the election results are in.
AND THAT'S A GOOD THING!
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When everybody thought they'd go down.
I have an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Has a single person commented about it to me? NOT ONE! Because you can't tell the difference physically, not unless you're a super-student with excellent vision and you can zero in on the camera slide/button on the side.
So in a world where the exterior is more important than the interior, where it's what shows is what counts, shouldn't iPhone sales be DOWN?
Absolutely. That's what all the Wall Street analysts said.
Now we can go deep into the details. Mention that the iPhone 16 was only on sale for a few days of the quarter, talk about mix of product, but... Absolutely everybody thought sales would go down. Another me-too product. Wait until 2025 for the great leap forward, with a new form factor.
But...
Actually, I expect the buzz on the iPhone 16 to increase. Because of AI. Which was just introduced to the public this Monday, with iOS 18.1.
Now if you read the reviews, each and every one of them said a day late and a dollar short. The AI introduction lagged the physical product by a month and right now it only does a fraction of what Apple says it will do eventually. Much ado about nothing, in fact.
Only that is untrue.
How much do I care about AI on my phone? Can't say I really thought about it. I don't need no summarization. However, I was stunned what I was delivered by the upgrade. Summarization of my most important emails at the top of the thread (which I turned off, because I've filtered out the junk and I live on e-mail and the content is just that important to me). All over the phone there are cool effects that remind me of...
Siri.
You remember the iPhone 4s, don't you? It was a party trick, everybody who had one demonstrated it. YOU COULD TALK TO YOUR PHONE!
Not that it worked that well. But the iPhone 4s set sales records.
But the reason I'm mentioning all this, even referencing the iPhone in a world where the battle between Android and iOS is like red vs. blue, where the so-called elites don't stop telling us to put our smartphones down is... If they can't get it right on this, WHAT ELSE ARE THEY GETTING WRONG??
I'm sure you've been whipsawed by the election like me.
These Wall Street analysts live in the trenches, they get it right much more than they get it wrong. How could they miss consumer sentiment so completely?
In other words, has the momentum truly switched to Trump?
That's what every Democrat has been afraid of for the last ten days. It's what everybody is writing about. Nate Silver said he believed Trump had a better chance of winning than Harris.
My inbox has been freaking out.
And then there are those dyed-in-the-wool, this is where the right and the left are similar. Go against the orthodoxy and you're excommunicated. If you say one negative thing about Harris you're a hater who doesn't understand the facts and must be silenced. It's like no one went to college and learned how to hold two opposing thoughts in their brains at the same time. Or maybe they don't teach that in college anymore, where the main goal is just to get a job, forget becoming a three-dimensional citizen.
So, let's be clear, Harris has lost the mo. She peaked weeks ago, if not before that.
Then again, an incredible number of people have already voted.
Elon Musk is in the news 24/7 re Trump and Harris has no second on the left. It's just Kamala and...
We just don't know what people think.
On one hand, some say Harris has to win, because of abortion.
And then there are those who point to the Trump bros.
And one thing is for sure, Trump's side has been trying to control the narrative with additional polls and endless pronouncements, setting up to challenge the results if he loses.
However...
What if the media has it wrong?
One thing the media has wrong is it thinks we still care. Hell, so many have already voted. There's really nothing new being said. Enough already.
But every day there's story after story, are the publications just playing to themselves? Let's not forget, the media missed 2016, and to a great degree missed 2022 too, the Red Wave never arrived.
So...
We're going to have to wait until Tuesday to find out, or maybe a while after that.
But if you've been pessimistic, thinking it's over, know that you're a victim of a disinformation campaign that has nothing to do with people voting.
And if people knew what they were doing would Jeff Bezos have refused to let the "Washington Post" endorse Kamala Harris?
Bezos was and still is out of touch. He had no idea who his customer was, I mean who's paying for the "Post" to begin with? And now there is endless backlash, in excess of 200,000 have canceled their subscriptions.
All I am saying is it's not over yet.
Furthermore, Trump has been losing momentum every day.
Then again, Taylor Lorenz pointed out that Harris is losing the war online because she's gone short form instead of long:
https://www.usermag.co/p/trump-vs-kamala-whos-winning-online
Then again, Lorenz lives online and neither campaign team truly does.
No one has a lock on public sentiment, no one will know what people think until the election results are in.
AND THAT'S A GOOD THING!
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Steve Porcaro-This Week's Podcast
Steve Porcaro went on the road with Gary Wright, was the synth savant in Toto, composed Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" and...
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-porcaro/id1316200737?i=1000675189775
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4fqK4Zi3uI903O4KCxPghq?si=oLQ8Ja2ITxWAoTphSBOarQ
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/steve-porcaro-233325668/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d1c05475-d502-4601-bb4f-f6e9416f3eed/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-steve-porcaro
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-porcaro/id1316200737?i=1000675189775
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4fqK4Zi3uI903O4KCxPghq?si=oLQ8Ja2ITxWAoTphSBOarQ
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/steve-porcaro-233325668/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d1c05475-d502-4601-bb4f-f6e9416f3eed/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-steve-porcaro
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Charge What The Tickets Are Worth
1
Remember when Don Rose lobbied the business to get rid of the CD longbox?
Probably not, unless you were around thirty five years ago and remember Rykodisc and Tower Records and...
It's interesting to me that music industry history is being forgotten. Not the early days, with Ahmet and Sun Records and the independents that built this business. No, I'm talking about when it all went corporate in the seventies, when big money started raining down, the machinations. Hell, it won't be long before no one remembers Mo Ostin, never mind Bob Morgado.
So the record stores had to retool from vinyl to CD. Of course, at this point, cassettes were the major seller, but they could never be displayed properly, as they were inherently small. If you were shopping for cassettes, you needed your glasses.
But finally there was enough production capacity and CDs became a cash cow and all those 12"x12" vinyl bins... Became the repository for two CD longboxes, side by side. The CD only took up half of the box. And after ripping it open you threw away the cardboard. And wasn't this a waste, in a world where ecological issues matter?
But look at the cost! Retail would have to retool, it would cost money!
But Don Rose spearheaded a campaign and the longbox was history, relatively quickly once things got rolling.
And then there were the acts backing up Tidal. They all felt they'd been screwed by the industry, they were going to take control... Sure, the enterprise ultimately failed, but they all got together to support it.
So why can't the acts get together and decide concert tickets should be sold for what they're worth?
The Eagles, the Stones, they already do this. Either you do this or the uplift, the extra money, ends up in the hands of the scalpers. Might be good for your image if the face value of tickets is cheap, but everybody knows that ultimately the tickets don't really end up being cheap.
Let's say I told you you could buy two Mercedes-Benz cars for 50k apiece. Even though book value was 70k. Would you sit at home and just buy one? Hell, even if you were broke you might call all your buddies to invest in this sure shot. We can make 20k overnight! If you've got the money, you might buy two, or four, as many as you can afford.
This is the concert business.
The fan does not have clean hands. And it's a minority of people complaining. Furthermore, despite all this bitching, everybody ultimately goes to the show and raves, says how it's worth it. People complained about the price of Springsteen ducats, did anybody bitch after the shows played? Not a one. They loved it! If anything, they might say it was underpriced, they'd have paid more for this unique experience. I mean how often does the Boss go on the road? How often does any superstar go on the road? If you think Taylor Swift will be playing her greatest hits in stadiums every year from now on, you're delusional. Some of those songs may never even be played live again. Go, or miss it. And what is that experience worth?
But somehow the tickets must be cheap. Why? Can you give me a single other example of this in the world of commerce? Where something is deliberately underpriced for fear it will hurt the image of the purveyor?
But it's worse. Believe me, we can get the tickets in your hands for a low price, but either you're going to have to go or...get the same amount of money back. You won't be able to resell, and there's a vocal minority that does not like this. They don't want this financial opportunity excised. It's like Southwest Airlines. They had a great system, then it got abused and now they're going to have assigned seats. I loved the old system. If I paid to be at the front of the line (which went up in price from $12 to over twenty, but a bargain nonetheless), I always got an aisle seat. ALWAYS! But why was I paying when twenty-odd people were pre-boarding for no good reason? Why was the person in front of me saving bin space for their friends who didn't want to pay the $12-$20 fee?
It's a small minority of people complaining about concert ticket prices. As for the fees... All the purveyors say they want to bake them in, for one overall price, but the acts don't like this, they'd rather blame the fees on the ticketing company, even though without those fees there is no show, since the act takes almost all of the face value of the ticket.
What are the acts so afraid of?
2
How about a campaign to charge what the tickets are worth. The legends will sign on, like the Stones, all the other acts that are pissed about scalpers getting the uplift, they should sign on too! And in each and every ad, of which there need to be many, and in each and every press conference and interview, the acts must say that it's either them or the secondary market. Either they get the extra money or third parties who do nothing do. I mean the fans love the acts, don't they? Don't they want the acts to get all the money? Don't they deserve it?
It's time to revolutionize this business. Get out of the seventies and into the present.
All the problems go away if acts charge what the tickets are worth.
As for dynamic pricing... Everything changes price, airline tickets, hotel rooms, you name it. But a concert ticket can't change price?
Furthermore, wouldn't you rather know if you can pay the cost you can go?
Talk to a fan. Tell them that for an extra fifty bucks they can sit much closer. Almost every one of them is going to say yes. Which is why the expensive seats always sell first!
And who knows, maybe prices can even go down!
Why are the acts, why is the entire business, held hostage to a vocal minority who believe they're entitled to see legendary talent in the front row for under fifty bucks?
This doesn't happen in restaurants. And the best, most expensive restaurants...you can't even get a table.
And then there are sports. Were you at the World Series? Probably not, but if you paid a grand plus for a seat, which is what they were going for, you're going to dine out on the story for the rest of your LIFE!
I saw the Ziggy Stardust tour at the Boston Music Hall. I can't even remember what I paid!
You go on vacation, is that the thing you remember most, what you paid? OF COURSE NOT!
And they ain't got a Motel 6 in St. Bart's. You pay for the best in every walk of life but concert tickets? THAT'S INSANE!
3
The acts have to organize, to their benefit. They have to say they're on their fans' side. That either they and the fans admit what is really going on or else everybody continues to stick their heads in the sands while the scalpers get rich. Meanwhile, those with money can always get an airplane seat, a concert ticket... That's how the world works.
As far as legislation to solve the problem?
First and foremost, the scalpers have hoodwinked the consumer and the government(s). They blame ticketing companies, when in truth they are not the issue. So, all the focus is on Ticketmaster when in truth the solution is with the acts. If they charge what the tickets are worth, all the problems go away. As far as legislation goes... Getting rid of scalping is like getting rid of gambling, it can't be done. There's not enough enforcement power in the government, assuming any money is allocated at all! And a law without enforcement is toothless, irrelevant.
And, as we've seen for a quarter of a century, if you're depending on the government for a solution...if you get anything, it will be years late and imperfect. No, you must solve the problem yourself.
The acts just have to shift gears. Get on the same page. Have a campaign. The fans will accept it, BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE ACTS! Only the acts can make change. And they have a huge incentive to do so, MONEY!
As for fans bitching...
Enough already. The boomers bitching about tickets to legacy acts spend in excess of a hundred bucks for dinner without thinking, and it doesn't take as much time and isn't as memorable!
Restaurants have costs, and so do tours!
And so many musical acts are like athletes. They've got a small window of maximum earning potential and then...
4
Yes, change will only happen if the acts insist on it. Break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, that won't drop the price of a ticket an iota.
You did the work, you're not entitled to the money?
Do the acts go to realtors and ask for a discount since they're musicians? OF COURSE NOT!
Why are the acts taking this hit when no one else in the universe is doing so?
The customer is not always right. Stop being afraid of the few vocal fans.
This problem can be solved.
After all, so many people are paying prices far in excess of face value to get into the building anyway. Where's the big change?
And yes, if you want low ticket prices, you can tie the ticket to the buyer. This is not 100% effective, but it goes a long way to solving the problem. But the dirty little secret is that when this is tried, shows tend not to sell out. It's the bots, the mania that is causing all this negative feedback. Why don't you address the problem at its root?
Fair pay for fair work.
Artists united for equity.
Screw the secondary market.
We're in it together, act and fan.
Choose your slogan, or many.
You cozy up to the fan, you don't keep them at arm's length.
Solve the problem.
We're all waiting.
--
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Remember when Don Rose lobbied the business to get rid of the CD longbox?
Probably not, unless you were around thirty five years ago and remember Rykodisc and Tower Records and...
It's interesting to me that music industry history is being forgotten. Not the early days, with Ahmet and Sun Records and the independents that built this business. No, I'm talking about when it all went corporate in the seventies, when big money started raining down, the machinations. Hell, it won't be long before no one remembers Mo Ostin, never mind Bob Morgado.
So the record stores had to retool from vinyl to CD. Of course, at this point, cassettes were the major seller, but they could never be displayed properly, as they were inherently small. If you were shopping for cassettes, you needed your glasses.
But finally there was enough production capacity and CDs became a cash cow and all those 12"x12" vinyl bins... Became the repository for two CD longboxes, side by side. The CD only took up half of the box. And after ripping it open you threw away the cardboard. And wasn't this a waste, in a world where ecological issues matter?
But look at the cost! Retail would have to retool, it would cost money!
But Don Rose spearheaded a campaign and the longbox was history, relatively quickly once things got rolling.
And then there were the acts backing up Tidal. They all felt they'd been screwed by the industry, they were going to take control... Sure, the enterprise ultimately failed, but they all got together to support it.
So why can't the acts get together and decide concert tickets should be sold for what they're worth?
The Eagles, the Stones, they already do this. Either you do this or the uplift, the extra money, ends up in the hands of the scalpers. Might be good for your image if the face value of tickets is cheap, but everybody knows that ultimately the tickets don't really end up being cheap.
Let's say I told you you could buy two Mercedes-Benz cars for 50k apiece. Even though book value was 70k. Would you sit at home and just buy one? Hell, even if you were broke you might call all your buddies to invest in this sure shot. We can make 20k overnight! If you've got the money, you might buy two, or four, as many as you can afford.
This is the concert business.
The fan does not have clean hands. And it's a minority of people complaining. Furthermore, despite all this bitching, everybody ultimately goes to the show and raves, says how it's worth it. People complained about the price of Springsteen ducats, did anybody bitch after the shows played? Not a one. They loved it! If anything, they might say it was underpriced, they'd have paid more for this unique experience. I mean how often does the Boss go on the road? How often does any superstar go on the road? If you think Taylor Swift will be playing her greatest hits in stadiums every year from now on, you're delusional. Some of those songs may never even be played live again. Go, or miss it. And what is that experience worth?
But somehow the tickets must be cheap. Why? Can you give me a single other example of this in the world of commerce? Where something is deliberately underpriced for fear it will hurt the image of the purveyor?
But it's worse. Believe me, we can get the tickets in your hands for a low price, but either you're going to have to go or...get the same amount of money back. You won't be able to resell, and there's a vocal minority that does not like this. They don't want this financial opportunity excised. It's like Southwest Airlines. They had a great system, then it got abused and now they're going to have assigned seats. I loved the old system. If I paid to be at the front of the line (which went up in price from $12 to over twenty, but a bargain nonetheless), I always got an aisle seat. ALWAYS! But why was I paying when twenty-odd people were pre-boarding for no good reason? Why was the person in front of me saving bin space for their friends who didn't want to pay the $12-$20 fee?
It's a small minority of people complaining about concert ticket prices. As for the fees... All the purveyors say they want to bake them in, for one overall price, but the acts don't like this, they'd rather blame the fees on the ticketing company, even though without those fees there is no show, since the act takes almost all of the face value of the ticket.
What are the acts so afraid of?
2
How about a campaign to charge what the tickets are worth. The legends will sign on, like the Stones, all the other acts that are pissed about scalpers getting the uplift, they should sign on too! And in each and every ad, of which there need to be many, and in each and every press conference and interview, the acts must say that it's either them or the secondary market. Either they get the extra money or third parties who do nothing do. I mean the fans love the acts, don't they? Don't they want the acts to get all the money? Don't they deserve it?
It's time to revolutionize this business. Get out of the seventies and into the present.
All the problems go away if acts charge what the tickets are worth.
As for dynamic pricing... Everything changes price, airline tickets, hotel rooms, you name it. But a concert ticket can't change price?
Furthermore, wouldn't you rather know if you can pay the cost you can go?
Talk to a fan. Tell them that for an extra fifty bucks they can sit much closer. Almost every one of them is going to say yes. Which is why the expensive seats always sell first!
And who knows, maybe prices can even go down!
Why are the acts, why is the entire business, held hostage to a vocal minority who believe they're entitled to see legendary talent in the front row for under fifty bucks?
This doesn't happen in restaurants. And the best, most expensive restaurants...you can't even get a table.
And then there are sports. Were you at the World Series? Probably not, but if you paid a grand plus for a seat, which is what they were going for, you're going to dine out on the story for the rest of your LIFE!
I saw the Ziggy Stardust tour at the Boston Music Hall. I can't even remember what I paid!
You go on vacation, is that the thing you remember most, what you paid? OF COURSE NOT!
And they ain't got a Motel 6 in St. Bart's. You pay for the best in every walk of life but concert tickets? THAT'S INSANE!
3
The acts have to organize, to their benefit. They have to say they're on their fans' side. That either they and the fans admit what is really going on or else everybody continues to stick their heads in the sands while the scalpers get rich. Meanwhile, those with money can always get an airplane seat, a concert ticket... That's how the world works.
As far as legislation to solve the problem?
First and foremost, the scalpers have hoodwinked the consumer and the government(s). They blame ticketing companies, when in truth they are not the issue. So, all the focus is on Ticketmaster when in truth the solution is with the acts. If they charge what the tickets are worth, all the problems go away. As far as legislation goes... Getting rid of scalping is like getting rid of gambling, it can't be done. There's not enough enforcement power in the government, assuming any money is allocated at all! And a law without enforcement is toothless, irrelevant.
And, as we've seen for a quarter of a century, if you're depending on the government for a solution...if you get anything, it will be years late and imperfect. No, you must solve the problem yourself.
The acts just have to shift gears. Get on the same page. Have a campaign. The fans will accept it, BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE ACTS! Only the acts can make change. And they have a huge incentive to do so, MONEY!
As for fans bitching...
Enough already. The boomers bitching about tickets to legacy acts spend in excess of a hundred bucks for dinner without thinking, and it doesn't take as much time and isn't as memorable!
Restaurants have costs, and so do tours!
And so many musical acts are like athletes. They've got a small window of maximum earning potential and then...
4
Yes, change will only happen if the acts insist on it. Break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, that won't drop the price of a ticket an iota.
You did the work, you're not entitled to the money?
Do the acts go to realtors and ask for a discount since they're musicians? OF COURSE NOT!
Why are the acts taking this hit when no one else in the universe is doing so?
The customer is not always right. Stop being afraid of the few vocal fans.
This problem can be solved.
After all, so many people are paying prices far in excess of face value to get into the building anyway. Where's the big change?
And yes, if you want low ticket prices, you can tie the ticket to the buyer. This is not 100% effective, but it goes a long way to solving the problem. But the dirty little secret is that when this is tried, shows tend not to sell out. It's the bots, the mania that is causing all this negative feedback. Why don't you address the problem at its root?
Fair pay for fair work.
Artists united for equity.
Screw the secondary market.
We're in it together, act and fan.
Choose your slogan, or many.
You cozy up to the fan, you don't keep them at arm's length.
Solve the problem.
We're all waiting.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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Sunday, 27 October 2024
Re-Elon
Totally agree Bob.
Dems had an election win in their hands then ran the worst campaign I have seen since 2016.
Not fighting the last war but fighting one from a couple of generations ago.
Not a recipe for success.
And surprisingly, the more Musk has gotten involved, the calmer Trump seems to be. Fewer stupid nicknames, actually acting more like an adult etc.
And now the Democrats are playing defence - will Kamala go on JRE? (She won't is my guess). When Anderson Cooper is calling you out, you know the plot has been lost.
We have an incumbent VP in a strong economy and she is on her heels. I still think there is a path to victory for her but wow is it a narrow path.
And she has shown little ability to thread the needle.
Thanks for your insights as always.
Jeff King
____________________________________
"If I feel broke, you're not going to convince me otherwise by doing the math."
OMG, thank you for writing this. It's incredibly frustrating. On the one hand, logic says, of course, you want to counter these MAGA arguments with math and facts. On the other hand, MAGA doesn't want to hear all that. They're mad, and they blame the world for the crappy position they're in. They want punk rock! They want to feel that their anger is justified with more like-minded leaders.
Sadly, my brother and a few cousins have been seduced by the dark side and given in to their hate (they're full MAGA now). No matter how often I try to show them that their emperor is lying to them by clearly laying out the facts with evidence, they don't care.
The blue side definitely needs a punk rock leader - someone who isn't afraid to show more passion and emotions and mix it up and bend some rules when it comes to their outreach and campaigning
Adam L.
____________________________________
Ugh Bob. I read your email and then went to Tik Tok. Trump fills the Garden and the wide shot shows a packed house. Production value through the roof. A few more swipes and I'm at Kamala's rally in Philly (?) and it's a robocam medium shot twitching back and forth. Her audio has a hum in it throughout and when the walk off music plays it is distorted. Totally embarrassing. No wide shot because they can't show you the Garden. I so want her to beat Trump, but why can't the Dems at a minimum provide the standard of production everyone expects? They can afford plenty. They're gonna cheap out and blow it if they haven't already. God help us.
Stan Kellam
Cat Head Media, Inc.
____________________________________
My wife said one hope is these young people—the young men—don't take the effort to vote. But: If these young men are registered, will they get that sticker as a symbol of being part of their tribe?
The Trump signs are back up in Michigan on the outskirts of Ann Arbor, in Superior Township & Canton on Ford Road, plus the expected small towns in mid Michigan, littered with lawn signs. I am getting the spider sense that I had in 2016 when I was bar gigging across the state. I know, we aren't supposed to use our gut.
Trump supporters can't be shamed into being a Harris voter. And more people who are embarrassed by Trump's behavior will vote quietly like 2016. Harris has to inspire. The constant fearmongering about another Trump presidency can't be the main message. We know!
Mike Vial
____________________________________
Very well said. I was a round table the other night with some very experienced politicians who have been in the White House on both sides of the aisle, and one of them said that Trump will win because he represents the biggest middle finger Americans can give to the system. They are fed up with inflation, endless government spending that never makes its way to the middle class, and the fact that leadership doesn't seem to care. Democrats in particular are so self absorbed and delusional so as to be unaware of any of this, and they can't fathom how anybody would dare vote against their self-righteous (if well meaning from an emotional standpoint) agenda. Don't forget the budget hasn't been balanced since Clinton, though. I was glad to see both speakers adopt a conciliatory tone during the conversation and recognize that continued diviseiveness will be very detrimental to the country. Hopefully somebody somewhere can find a way to lead us without resorting to every single lowball dirty tactic in the book. As you mention, social media, the internet, and technology in general have transformed the profit equation in many industries, some for better and some for the worse. Seemingly in music and politics, it's for the worst. Let's hope for the best.
Robert Corwin
____________________________________
Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote "Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind" almost 40 years ago. The entire book boils down to the idea that it's not what you do to the product, it's what you do to the mind of the prospect.
Their premise remains "…same as it ever was"- people's perception IS THEIR REALITY. Mind boggling that so many smart people can't understand a simple reality we all deal with daily. BTW, you are right about Mark Cuban who could well be President in 4 or 8 years. Would have been a great Harris VP pick.
Mark Maheu
Barrie, Ontario
____________________________________
Thanks Bob,
You make a lot of great points here. I feel like the Democrats are akin to old school car salesmen/women that don't realize the consumer likely knows more about the car they are selling than they do. It seems to me that the Dem's need to start talking about things as they are and not how they could be. Perhaps then the conversations and perhaps even the debates could have more substance.
One other point you touch on is a deep concern for me and that is the marginalizing of young men and boys. I'm not against women doing well for themselves but the risk of diverting most of our resources to their advancements is the neglect of boys and men. My feeling is that if boys/men aren't getting a modicum of education they cannot effectively voice/communicate (if anyone even cares anymore) their wants and needs which I think will ultimately lead to a violent means of expression and or joining clubs/groups of the like minded. Our culture and its institutions sometimes require a level of forward thinking that cannot be understood without reading/education and the further our men and boys get away from understanding the basic concepts of our social contracts the closer I fear we get to their last resort, which is violence. I'm not sure the remedy here but one place to start is to start listening without judging the lack of depth. Maybe.
Colin Dutton
____________________________________
You pretty much nailed it on this one Bob. The Dems live in a bubble. The masses see through their grift & gaslighting. Trump may not be the best option, but he seems to be the only one the masses have, when they're desperate for the "Hope & Change" that never ultimately came their way.
My mentor once told me, "Just remember, things will never be ideal. Things will always be JUST good enough for you to get by".
Well that isn't good enough.
-Rick Marino
____________________________________
What you say is undoubtedly true, but sadly it's been this way for decades. As you say, it's not about facts but perception. And the fact is that for decades, the left have been horrible at electioneering, branding and marketing but very good at actually governing, whereas the right are fantastic at campaigning, branding and marketing and a disaster at governing.
Which is why as you say, Trump very well may win, and the pattern of Republicans screwing up the economy, deficits and environment and leaving a mess for Democrats to clean up While Republicans successfully complain that the Democrats aren't cleaning up the mess fast enough is likely to repeat yet again.
-Zach Ziskin
____________________________________
I have a great story for a snapshot of America.
My very democrat mother in WV heard a man at breakfast loudly saying that we would never vote for a former prostitute for president. He kept going on and on until my mother had enough and stood up and said "that doesn't make any sense.!" The man pushed back and said "even Kamala admits to being a prostitute"
This idiot had confused prosecutor and prostitute.
He gets to vote.
Philip Pendleton
____________________________________
If Elon is wrong about something he posts, there is community notes to correct him.
Who else in politics and/or mainstream media allows direct correction to a statement by "the people"?
A correction in a newspaper will never be with the published article.
The amount of times Tv news has corrected itself over it's lifespan can be counted on one hand. That's why a lot of it is opinion based.
Elon's first answer to a question is frequently a response question: "What do YOU think? "
What a concept!!
So he ruffles feathers…who gives a sh*t! We can be happy we have him in our generation!
Cheers,
Andy Altmann
____________________________________
Nailed it!
Steve Androulakis
____________________________________
You're right AGAIN, Bob!
Marhsall Block
____________________________________
Nailing it Bob - keep it coming.
Respectfully,
John Murray
Traverse City, Michigan
____________________________________
"God, if I was Kamala Harris I would lean into my days as a prosecutor. That's what resonates with so many. You're out there fighting crime, preserving order, so I can raise my family in peace. "
I couldn't agree anymore.
John Rodriguez
____________________________________
"Meanwhile, you've got Elon Musk spewing willy-nilly, constantly on X/Twitter, and he's completely unrestrained, like the rock stars of yore."
And this is good somehow…. Pls enlighten, how exactly?
Spew lies, cheat and hurt people… but hey, you are authentic and you are RNR somehow?
I don't want our leaders to be celebrities and also to entertain me necessarily. I don't want our cultural icons to promote lies, be weird, invoke and promote the unchecked, lowest passions all in function to divide us and antagonize us, so they and their businesses may benefit unimaginable wealth.
These are not lessons DNC should be learning.
Yes… they should find a better message for young men in particular. That messanger should not be a DNC version of Elan Musk. Less RNR, pls. More normalcy and decency.
Srdjan Mihaljevic
____________________________________
I'm a white old man for Trump. "Im mad as hell and im not gonna take it anymore." F the men in dresses.
Chris Badynee
____________________________________
This is the most "on-target" thing I've seen in these emails since I started receiving them.
Thanks,
Bob Sheehan
____________________________________
Unfortunately 'progressive' America is still not ready for a female President, let alone one who is of mixed race, regardless of how good or bad she is as a candidate. It's 2024 and the world is still living in the Stone Age where men rule and women were barefoot and pregnant back in the cave and had no say in anything.
Trumps going to be your guy come next week and chaos will reign for the foreseeable future. Musk, Bezos and the other uber male billionaires will thrive while the world fall into further decline because the common folk just don't know any better.
Good luck to America and anyone that relies on them for guidance or assistance, you're going to need it!
mmpoppa1
____________________________________
If Musk is your idea of a leader, you are so far gone the capitalism poop shoot you can't even see daylight. The man is a fraud and a grifter. Do some research about his "hidden past". He has not really been a productive citizen. If you look at it from a the conservative view he is a foreigner with 12 anchor babies!
How long does it take a person making 40K a year to net 1 billion. 25 fing thousand years. People don't make a billion dollars. They lie cheat steal and fraud their way to that much money. Fink outright states it. He doesn't care who wins the election. It doesn't matter. Blackrock is king today. All the while mainstream push that this is the most important election of your lifetime.
We all wake up everyday, usually it's a urge just to survive while Musk blathers on about how to repopulate the planet and colonize another one. Sh*t is upside down and backwards.
Derek Lowe
____________________________________
Via some CNN instagram posts, I've clicked to see comments out of curiosity and on a few recent posts and I've seen nothing but Trump supporters bashing whatever/whomever the post was about (usually pro Harris story). And I've seen a few more Trump signs in my neighborhood than before.
My point, I am hoping for a blue wall like no other with all the early voting that is occurring. There are more of us than them.. That is the only thing I can add to this.
Steve Anderko
____________________________________
Bob…you are right…the tech billionaires are the rock starts of today. But I don't think it's ok that someone like Musk can buy a public forum like Twitter and turn it into a propaganda arm for one side of the political spectrum. That shouldn't be acceptable in a democracy and we shouldn't celebrate it.
Adam Gorgoni
____________________________________
Well said Bob!!
Elon is a hero to so many I know, he is unbridled to a fault and leads by example,
Kanye tried to be punk rock but Elon is kickin a*s and breakin glass babeee,
Love em or hate he's leading.
Julien Jorgensen
____________________________________
Great view on things! Not a fan of either side. I was born middle class. lol. She really has to do better to convince me to vote for her..
Best,
Michael Canter
____________________________________
Kamala went on "Call Her Daddy" podcast and was excellent. She's going on Shannon Sharpes very popular podcast tomorrow. She is doing a fine job playing it relatively safe versus Trump who is a weak, sad, low energy old man.
Van Patton
____________________________________
I hope Ol'Bob doesn't die of Terminal TDS before the election that Harris still might win. By hook or by crook.
He can't really be saying the media hasn't consistently propped up and covered for Harris and Biden.
Any reasonable person knows each side is acting like a "used car salesman" now - but he is pretending Harris is truth telling - really Nazis, Hitler that scare stuff isn't gonna win over any voters at this stage.
Ol'Bob is better than this, but as I have said many times - politics is not his strong suit.
Ernie Pinder
____________________________________
I think you insult young men. But worse change a name or two and it's an endorsement of Adolph Hitler. "Hey! Hop on board! They are mendacious and clearly corrupt and evil but they have the money & power". So let's blame the ones playing by the rules meant to support democracy because it's old fashioned and in the way. Not all young men want to be Elon Musk. Some have character and self respect. So old fashioned but this period like Nazis in Germany will pass unless we capitulate which is how you sound. MAGA is even, not winning. It shouldn't be even so you could say that's winning but the country is a rotten corpse of what it used to be. But that doesn't mean MAGA wins.
Michael Fremer
____________________________________
As I have watched the last four years play out, I have come to realize that 2020 was a necessary evil.
2020 was the wake up call that many people needed in America. We needed to see what kind of evil we were really up against. And we saw that tenfold. We saw four years of an administration that has put America last. We saw an administration that has taken every single American citizen for granted, has robbed them blind and imported a brand new class of voters to replace them.
2020 showed us all that we have that fighting spirit. We saw the rise of a new and more awake conservative, who was ready to mobilize and fight back. We saw an awakening among independents and minority voters after four years of destruction by the left. Our movement grew, it became stronger, more diverse and more inclusive. The old Republican party died in 2020 and out of its ashes rose a party that is for the people, a party of common sense. We added powerful allies in RFK, Elon Musk, David Sacks, Bill Ackman, Nicole Shenihan, and Tulsi Gabbard.
The left and their depraved hatred of Donald Trump have alienated so many and instead of destroying Trump, they made him out to be a martyr.
They thought they destroyed him in 2020 but instead all they did was invigorate us to fight even harder for the choice to pick who we want as our president, which only made him that much stronger.
2024 feels different. The vibe check is definitely bigger than 2016 and 2020.
The momentum is on our side and we need to continue to do what we have been doing, which is to act like we're 20 points down but talk like we already won.
John Warden
____________________________________
Thanks for the missive, Cassandra. There is definitely a bad moon on the rise. I had to look it up to make sure I knew what myth I was talking about...The figure of Cassandra is symbolic in Greek mythology and is still interesting today. The term "Cassandra" is sometimes used to describe someone who can see what will happen but is not believed." Dirty job, Bob but someone's got to do it. Like John Lennon said in 69 about the Beatles, "the dream is over, luv." Same for the American dream. Put a fork in it. It's done.
Chip Lovitt
____________________________________
I'm sure you'll be happy if Trump wins..Then you'll have stories and more bullsh*t to spread…what have you done to improve things with your cache?..always second guessing..after many years you're wearing out your welcome..
Peace,Jason
Jason Miles
____________________________________
Meanwhile, the Rogan-Trump interview is getting a million views an hour.
Kelly Breaks
____________________________________
Hey Bob-
But don't forget who's angrier - women.
Grace Mosqueda
____________________________________
Landslide. Harris. You missed the bottom line. America, not the 80 million, despise Trump. Online and off.
A John Pithie
Dems had an election win in their hands then ran the worst campaign I have seen since 2016.
Not fighting the last war but fighting one from a couple of generations ago.
Not a recipe for success.
And surprisingly, the more Musk has gotten involved, the calmer Trump seems to be. Fewer stupid nicknames, actually acting more like an adult etc.
And now the Democrats are playing defence - will Kamala go on JRE? (She won't is my guess). When Anderson Cooper is calling you out, you know the plot has been lost.
We have an incumbent VP in a strong economy and she is on her heels. I still think there is a path to victory for her but wow is it a narrow path.
And she has shown little ability to thread the needle.
Thanks for your insights as always.
Jeff King
____________________________________
"If I feel broke, you're not going to convince me otherwise by doing the math."
OMG, thank you for writing this. It's incredibly frustrating. On the one hand, logic says, of course, you want to counter these MAGA arguments with math and facts. On the other hand, MAGA doesn't want to hear all that. They're mad, and they blame the world for the crappy position they're in. They want punk rock! They want to feel that their anger is justified with more like-minded leaders.
Sadly, my brother and a few cousins have been seduced by the dark side and given in to their hate (they're full MAGA now). No matter how often I try to show them that their emperor is lying to them by clearly laying out the facts with evidence, they don't care.
The blue side definitely needs a punk rock leader - someone who isn't afraid to show more passion and emotions and mix it up and bend some rules when it comes to their outreach and campaigning
Adam L.
____________________________________
Ugh Bob. I read your email and then went to Tik Tok. Trump fills the Garden and the wide shot shows a packed house. Production value through the roof. A few more swipes and I'm at Kamala's rally in Philly (?) and it's a robocam medium shot twitching back and forth. Her audio has a hum in it throughout and when the walk off music plays it is distorted. Totally embarrassing. No wide shot because they can't show you the Garden. I so want her to beat Trump, but why can't the Dems at a minimum provide the standard of production everyone expects? They can afford plenty. They're gonna cheap out and blow it if they haven't already. God help us.
Stan Kellam
Cat Head Media, Inc.
____________________________________
My wife said one hope is these young people—the young men—don't take the effort to vote. But: If these young men are registered, will they get that sticker as a symbol of being part of their tribe?
The Trump signs are back up in Michigan on the outskirts of Ann Arbor, in Superior Township & Canton on Ford Road, plus the expected small towns in mid Michigan, littered with lawn signs. I am getting the spider sense that I had in 2016 when I was bar gigging across the state. I know, we aren't supposed to use our gut.
Trump supporters can't be shamed into being a Harris voter. And more people who are embarrassed by Trump's behavior will vote quietly like 2016. Harris has to inspire. The constant fearmongering about another Trump presidency can't be the main message. We know!
Mike Vial
____________________________________
Very well said. I was a round table the other night with some very experienced politicians who have been in the White House on both sides of the aisle, and one of them said that Trump will win because he represents the biggest middle finger Americans can give to the system. They are fed up with inflation, endless government spending that never makes its way to the middle class, and the fact that leadership doesn't seem to care. Democrats in particular are so self absorbed and delusional so as to be unaware of any of this, and they can't fathom how anybody would dare vote against their self-righteous (if well meaning from an emotional standpoint) agenda. Don't forget the budget hasn't been balanced since Clinton, though. I was glad to see both speakers adopt a conciliatory tone during the conversation and recognize that continued diviseiveness will be very detrimental to the country. Hopefully somebody somewhere can find a way to lead us without resorting to every single lowball dirty tactic in the book. As you mention, social media, the internet, and technology in general have transformed the profit equation in many industries, some for better and some for the worse. Seemingly in music and politics, it's for the worst. Let's hope for the best.
Robert Corwin
____________________________________
Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote "Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind" almost 40 years ago. The entire book boils down to the idea that it's not what you do to the product, it's what you do to the mind of the prospect.
Their premise remains "…same as it ever was"- people's perception IS THEIR REALITY. Mind boggling that so many smart people can't understand a simple reality we all deal with daily. BTW, you are right about Mark Cuban who could well be President in 4 or 8 years. Would have been a great Harris VP pick.
Mark Maheu
Barrie, Ontario
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Thanks Bob,
You make a lot of great points here. I feel like the Democrats are akin to old school car salesmen/women that don't realize the consumer likely knows more about the car they are selling than they do. It seems to me that the Dem's need to start talking about things as they are and not how they could be. Perhaps then the conversations and perhaps even the debates could have more substance.
One other point you touch on is a deep concern for me and that is the marginalizing of young men and boys. I'm not against women doing well for themselves but the risk of diverting most of our resources to their advancements is the neglect of boys and men. My feeling is that if boys/men aren't getting a modicum of education they cannot effectively voice/communicate (if anyone even cares anymore) their wants and needs which I think will ultimately lead to a violent means of expression and or joining clubs/groups of the like minded. Our culture and its institutions sometimes require a level of forward thinking that cannot be understood without reading/education and the further our men and boys get away from understanding the basic concepts of our social contracts the closer I fear we get to their last resort, which is violence. I'm not sure the remedy here but one place to start is to start listening without judging the lack of depth. Maybe.
Colin Dutton
____________________________________
You pretty much nailed it on this one Bob. The Dems live in a bubble. The masses see through their grift & gaslighting. Trump may not be the best option, but he seems to be the only one the masses have, when they're desperate for the "Hope & Change" that never ultimately came their way.
My mentor once told me, "Just remember, things will never be ideal. Things will always be JUST good enough for you to get by".
Well that isn't good enough.
-Rick Marino
____________________________________
What you say is undoubtedly true, but sadly it's been this way for decades. As you say, it's not about facts but perception. And the fact is that for decades, the left have been horrible at electioneering, branding and marketing but very good at actually governing, whereas the right are fantastic at campaigning, branding and marketing and a disaster at governing.
Which is why as you say, Trump very well may win, and the pattern of Republicans screwing up the economy, deficits and environment and leaving a mess for Democrats to clean up While Republicans successfully complain that the Democrats aren't cleaning up the mess fast enough is likely to repeat yet again.
-Zach Ziskin
____________________________________
I have a great story for a snapshot of America.
My very democrat mother in WV heard a man at breakfast loudly saying that we would never vote for a former prostitute for president. He kept going on and on until my mother had enough and stood up and said "that doesn't make any sense.!" The man pushed back and said "even Kamala admits to being a prostitute"
This idiot had confused prosecutor and prostitute.
He gets to vote.
Philip Pendleton
____________________________________
If Elon is wrong about something he posts, there is community notes to correct him.
Who else in politics and/or mainstream media allows direct correction to a statement by "the people"?
A correction in a newspaper will never be with the published article.
The amount of times Tv news has corrected itself over it's lifespan can be counted on one hand. That's why a lot of it is opinion based.
Elon's first answer to a question is frequently a response question: "What do YOU think? "
What a concept!!
So he ruffles feathers…who gives a sh*t! We can be happy we have him in our generation!
Cheers,
Andy Altmann
____________________________________
Nailed it!
Steve Androulakis
____________________________________
You're right AGAIN, Bob!
Marhsall Block
____________________________________
Nailing it Bob - keep it coming.
Respectfully,
John Murray
Traverse City, Michigan
____________________________________
"God, if I was Kamala Harris I would lean into my days as a prosecutor. That's what resonates with so many. You're out there fighting crime, preserving order, so I can raise my family in peace. "
I couldn't agree anymore.
John Rodriguez
____________________________________
"Meanwhile, you've got Elon Musk spewing willy-nilly, constantly on X/Twitter, and he's completely unrestrained, like the rock stars of yore."
And this is good somehow…. Pls enlighten, how exactly?
Spew lies, cheat and hurt people… but hey, you are authentic and you are RNR somehow?
I don't want our leaders to be celebrities and also to entertain me necessarily. I don't want our cultural icons to promote lies, be weird, invoke and promote the unchecked, lowest passions all in function to divide us and antagonize us, so they and their businesses may benefit unimaginable wealth.
These are not lessons DNC should be learning.
Yes… they should find a better message for young men in particular. That messanger should not be a DNC version of Elan Musk. Less RNR, pls. More normalcy and decency.
Srdjan Mihaljevic
____________________________________
I'm a white old man for Trump. "Im mad as hell and im not gonna take it anymore." F the men in dresses.
Chris Badynee
____________________________________
This is the most "on-target" thing I've seen in these emails since I started receiving them.
Thanks,
Bob Sheehan
____________________________________
Unfortunately 'progressive' America is still not ready for a female President, let alone one who is of mixed race, regardless of how good or bad she is as a candidate. It's 2024 and the world is still living in the Stone Age where men rule and women were barefoot and pregnant back in the cave and had no say in anything.
Trumps going to be your guy come next week and chaos will reign for the foreseeable future. Musk, Bezos and the other uber male billionaires will thrive while the world fall into further decline because the common folk just don't know any better.
Good luck to America and anyone that relies on them for guidance or assistance, you're going to need it!
mmpoppa1
____________________________________
If Musk is your idea of a leader, you are so far gone the capitalism poop shoot you can't even see daylight. The man is a fraud and a grifter. Do some research about his "hidden past". He has not really been a productive citizen. If you look at it from a the conservative view he is a foreigner with 12 anchor babies!
How long does it take a person making 40K a year to net 1 billion. 25 fing thousand years. People don't make a billion dollars. They lie cheat steal and fraud their way to that much money. Fink outright states it. He doesn't care who wins the election. It doesn't matter. Blackrock is king today. All the while mainstream push that this is the most important election of your lifetime.
We all wake up everyday, usually it's a urge just to survive while Musk blathers on about how to repopulate the planet and colonize another one. Sh*t is upside down and backwards.
Derek Lowe
____________________________________
Via some CNN instagram posts, I've clicked to see comments out of curiosity and on a few recent posts and I've seen nothing but Trump supporters bashing whatever/whomever the post was about (usually pro Harris story). And I've seen a few more Trump signs in my neighborhood than before.
My point, I am hoping for a blue wall like no other with all the early voting that is occurring. There are more of us than them.. That is the only thing I can add to this.
Steve Anderko
____________________________________
Bob…you are right…the tech billionaires are the rock starts of today. But I don't think it's ok that someone like Musk can buy a public forum like Twitter and turn it into a propaganda arm for one side of the political spectrum. That shouldn't be acceptable in a democracy and we shouldn't celebrate it.
Adam Gorgoni
____________________________________
Well said Bob!!
Elon is a hero to so many I know, he is unbridled to a fault and leads by example,
Kanye tried to be punk rock but Elon is kickin a*s and breakin glass babeee,
Love em or hate he's leading.
Julien Jorgensen
____________________________________
Great view on things! Not a fan of either side. I was born middle class. lol. She really has to do better to convince me to vote for her..
Best,
Michael Canter
____________________________________
Kamala went on "Call Her Daddy" podcast and was excellent. She's going on Shannon Sharpes very popular podcast tomorrow. She is doing a fine job playing it relatively safe versus Trump who is a weak, sad, low energy old man.
Van Patton
____________________________________
I hope Ol'Bob doesn't die of Terminal TDS before the election that Harris still might win. By hook or by crook.
He can't really be saying the media hasn't consistently propped up and covered for Harris and Biden.
Any reasonable person knows each side is acting like a "used car salesman" now - but he is pretending Harris is truth telling - really Nazis, Hitler that scare stuff isn't gonna win over any voters at this stage.
Ol'Bob is better than this, but as I have said many times - politics is not his strong suit.
Ernie Pinder
____________________________________
I think you insult young men. But worse change a name or two and it's an endorsement of Adolph Hitler. "Hey! Hop on board! They are mendacious and clearly corrupt and evil but they have the money & power". So let's blame the ones playing by the rules meant to support democracy because it's old fashioned and in the way. Not all young men want to be Elon Musk. Some have character and self respect. So old fashioned but this period like Nazis in Germany will pass unless we capitulate which is how you sound. MAGA is even, not winning. It shouldn't be even so you could say that's winning but the country is a rotten corpse of what it used to be. But that doesn't mean MAGA wins.
Michael Fremer
____________________________________
As I have watched the last four years play out, I have come to realize that 2020 was a necessary evil.
2020 was the wake up call that many people needed in America. We needed to see what kind of evil we were really up against. And we saw that tenfold. We saw four years of an administration that has put America last. We saw an administration that has taken every single American citizen for granted, has robbed them blind and imported a brand new class of voters to replace them.
2020 showed us all that we have that fighting spirit. We saw the rise of a new and more awake conservative, who was ready to mobilize and fight back. We saw an awakening among independents and minority voters after four years of destruction by the left. Our movement grew, it became stronger, more diverse and more inclusive. The old Republican party died in 2020 and out of its ashes rose a party that is for the people, a party of common sense. We added powerful allies in RFK, Elon Musk, David Sacks, Bill Ackman, Nicole Shenihan, and Tulsi Gabbard.
The left and their depraved hatred of Donald Trump have alienated so many and instead of destroying Trump, they made him out to be a martyr.
They thought they destroyed him in 2020 but instead all they did was invigorate us to fight even harder for the choice to pick who we want as our president, which only made him that much stronger.
2024 feels different. The vibe check is definitely bigger than 2016 and 2020.
The momentum is on our side and we need to continue to do what we have been doing, which is to act like we're 20 points down but talk like we already won.
John Warden
____________________________________
Thanks for the missive, Cassandra. There is definitely a bad moon on the rise. I had to look it up to make sure I knew what myth I was talking about...The figure of Cassandra is symbolic in Greek mythology and is still interesting today. The term "Cassandra" is sometimes used to describe someone who can see what will happen but is not believed." Dirty job, Bob but someone's got to do it. Like John Lennon said in 69 about the Beatles, "the dream is over, luv." Same for the American dream. Put a fork in it. It's done.
Chip Lovitt
____________________________________
I'm sure you'll be happy if Trump wins..Then you'll have stories and more bullsh*t to spread…what have you done to improve things with your cache?..always second guessing..after many years you're wearing out your welcome..
Peace,Jason
Jason Miles
____________________________________
Meanwhile, the Rogan-Trump interview is getting a million views an hour.
Kelly Breaks
____________________________________
Hey Bob-
But don't forget who's angrier - women.
Grace Mosqueda
____________________________________
Landslide. Harris. You missed the bottom line. America, not the 80 million, despise Trump. Online and off.
A John Pithie
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