Greg Sargent: Angry Trump Kills "Woke" Program--and Accidentally Screws MAGA Voters

[Dennis Donovan]

Greg Sargent - (archived: https://archive.ph/b8l73 ) Angry Trump Kills “Woke” Program—and Accidentally Screws MAGA Voters

It’s called the Digital Equity Act. That word—“equity”—caught the White House’s attention. So now Trump is moving to nix funding—but it could cut off millions destined for red America.

Greg Sargent
May 10, 2025

The other day, during his intensive daily reading of complex policy papers, President Donald Trump noticed that a government initiative created by his predecessor had the word “equity” in its title. Naturally, this caught his attention. As he appeared to conclude, this could only mean the initiative was designed to help undeserving minorities.

Which presented Trump with a ripe opportunity to demagogue about supposed reverse racism against white people. As Trump just announced on Truth Social, he has canceled the program, raging that it’s “RACIST.” He fumed: “No more woke handouts based on race!”

Except there’s a problem here. The program in question, the Digital Equity Act, contained huge amounts of money for governments in GOP-run states, as well as Democratic ones, to expand high-speed internet access in underserved communities—very much including red states’ rural areas.

What’s more, every red state government had submitted proposals designed to garner their states large amounts of this funding. These proposals were explicitly designed by these GOP governments partly to serve their states’ rural areas.

While much of that money has already been granted, large sums still have not, according to the office of Senator Patty Murray, who is monitoring these expenditures as ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. With Trump moving to block these funds, these states now could be denied some or possibly all of that money, Murray’s office says.

/snip

[dalton99a]

1. His cult in the hinterlands can go back to 56K dial-up

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Make it 300 baud. nt

[erronis]

29. Smoke signals and pony express.

[ProfessorGAC]

35. Arent Those The Same Thing?

Our first lab computer was a dumb terminal with a 300 baud connection to a university mainframe.
Took 5 minutes to sign in! Compared to today 300 baud is smoke signals or pony express.

[erronis]

36. Close. I worked in a SCIF that allowed only 110 baud (roughly 10bps) to the outside.

Some brilliant brain thought that state secrets couldn't be transmitted at that rate. Don't tell that to prisoners who tapped their messages to neighboring cells planning an escape.

Of course things like pony express and cross-Atlantic mail just introduced immense delays (what we now call latency) into the communications. Smoke signals travel at the speed of light... fwiw.

And nice to have you chiming back in. I think you were out for a bit but I've always enjoyed your commentary.

[ProfessorGAC]

42. I Wasn't Gone

I probably just didn't post anything interesting!

[Walleye]

2. Never thought it was possible for a US president to be so colossally stupid

[Rebl2]

18. Not surprised

We saw how stupid he was the first time he was in the WH and nothing has changed except the stupid has gotten worse.

[groundloop]

23. Exactly. EVERYONE had ample opportunity to witness the stupidity the first time.

Sadly the GQP has done a great job of rearing uneducated voters.

[Straw Man]

44. Yes. As a friend of mine is wont to say ...

"In his defense, he's a very stupid man."

[hatrack]

3. The sound of MAGA:

[Martin Eden]

4. "his intensive daily reading of complex policy papers"

When I saw that I thought this came from The Onion, then I realized it was merely

[XanaDUer2]

5. Is it accidental?

I really don't think he cares

[Safe as Milk]

24. Edit out "equity", and Trump would never notice.

He's not a "detail" kind of guy, except when it comes to money going in his pocket.

[Wounded Bear]

6. Well, I'd say that MAGAs are an undeserving minority...

wouldn't you?

[Dr. T]

20. A MAGGot recenctly cryed to me about being

an oppressed minority.

I wonder if he will ever figure out that the reason people do not cooperate with him is because he's an ass. The maggot thing is just a symptom of a bigger problem.

[erronis]

37. Do asses tend to join the maggots? Or does being a maggot automatically enroll you in asshole-dumb?

[Dr. T]

45. Not all assholes are MAGGOTS but

all MAGGOTS are assholes.
😄

[allegorical oracle]

43. That program also serves disabled, elderly and veterans in blue states, too. nt

[Henry203]

7. Almost the same as rural electrification

Always remind rural people that if it wasn't for the north they wouldn't have electricity.

[murielm99]

8. That program has an interesting history.

Of course it was needed. But some people fought it. I remember reading a book about that years ago. It was fiction, and I am sure it is out of print by now. Usually, I am the one finding obscure books for people. This time, if anyone has an idea about this book, let me know.

[eppur_se_muova]

14. Rober Caro's account of that program in his LBJ bio was very interesting reading ...

can't remember if it was vol.1 or 2.

[murielm99]

25. Thanks!

I have read the Caro books.

[Henry203]

16. I call EMC's

In the south. Many of the people there know where the money came from. Cobb county in GA is an EMC’s. GA power would not run lines to Cobb which is 20 miles from downtown ATL. GA power said it was too expensive.

[hunter]

22. My great grandma cursed rural electrification until the day she died.

It clearly offended her religious sensibilities.

She was forever angry with my great grandfather for embracing it, mostly to support his damned radio hobby.

[Marcuse]

30. I think you mean the book "Mud on the Stars".

It was later made into the movie, “Wild River".



Local opposition to the TVA had to do with FDR’s EEO policy. They really really really didn’t want equal pay for African Americans.

[murielm99]

32. Even if that is not it,

I am going to get that book. Thanks!

[murielm99]

33. I just went to Univ. of Alabama Press

and ordered this book.

[Marcuse]

34. !

[erronis]

38. Well, shit. If Lee Remick was the heroine I'd try to be her hero.

I actually had crushes on people like Natalie Wood and Kim Novak way before I knew how that stuff all fit together (infrequently.)

[Kingofalldems]

41. I saw her rehearsing Annie Get Your Gun

Probably 10 feet from her. She was even more beautiful in person.

[k0rs]

9. It's the Enola Gay syndrome

[eppur_se_muova]

15. You mean Enola Homosexual syndrome. nt

[haele]

10. Class equity, racial equity, gender equity - it's all the same

Trying to help "those people" - common folks - get the same things and opportunities that more deserving people, the wealthy (because they're better, not because they might be cheats and crooks) natural born genetic leaders, have.
"Those people" can't have nice things because common folks are just mentally children; they don't know how to advance civilization, dontchano?
Or as rich Tech Bros like to chant "The Masses are Asses".
It's "Objectivism" to deny equity.

[MLWR]

12. I don't know what the problem is.

He told them very clearly, "I don't care about you; I just want your vote." For once he was telling the truth.

[hunter]

13. Elon Musk will set them up with government subsidized Starlink stations...

...someday...maybe, if they are the "right" sort of people.

And this will cost the taxpayer more and have worse environmental impacts than any other service.

[not fooled]

19. Yep. It's a safe bet

that F-eloon is behind this. Just wait--soon there will be an announcement that all those rural areas are set to receive Starlink, courtesy of a higher cost, no-bid contract awarded to the killer of starving children.

[Shipwack]

21. Bingo!

And higher costs will go directly into his pockets.

[Safe as Milk]

26. The Great and Powerful Elon...

has given the Kremlin access to all Starlink communications. So, of course, Starlink is the answer to rural access to the internet.

[erronis]

39. And we all know how open and liberal and transparent those transmissions will be.

First via StarLink and then via Neuralink (brain implants).

[badgolfer]

17. Cuts in Government Funding

Look no further than Russell Vought as who is killing and holding back Federal funding.

[murielm99]

28. He is one of the key authors of Project 2025.

He did his undergrad work at Wheaton College. It does not get more conservative than that.

[peggysue2]

27. This is what happens when you govern by . . .

Mindless ideology. The stupid comes out.

[Marcuse]

31. Jingoism is a poor substitute for rational thought.

[erronis]

40. The rational thought is being done behind the curtain. The jingoism is for the rubes (us).