Post freely; you are safe in this space. For now, anyway.

10/12/2019 3:34:37 AM

Voting is for suckers

10/12/2019 7:37:48 AM

I think this is more a question of during the primary.

vs Hillary I don't agree, but I understand.

Now... can we break with tradition and get an actual republican and/or sweet Grapthars reptile 3rd-cousin a moderate on the ticket?

10/12/2019 2:44:42 PM

Obama was a moderate, Hillary was a moderate, gore was a moderate...

Democrats basically only run moderate and it shows

10/12/2019 4:01:19 PM

Isn't there like a 25 page thread about this?

10/12/2019 5:04:18 PM

Quote :

"can we break with tradition and get an actual republican "

The problem is most all the elected republicans are now in lock-step with Trump. He is the Republican Party. Obviously that doesn’t mean the party wont ever change, but the party has just shifted to him and his base for the time being.

10/12/2019 8:09:07 PM

I voted for him, but think he's an ass clown. Terrible human being.

10/12/2019 8:41:16 PM

"I voted for a real ass clown, i voted for a terrible human being"

Get that "but" outta here

10/12/2019 9:00:42 PM

Didn't Pelosi say something to this effect on Colbert last night?

10/12/2019 9:01:18 PM

DeplorablesTM ITT

10/12/2019 9:47:45 PM

Quote :

"The problem is most all the elected republicans are now in lock-step with Trump. He is the Republican Party. Obviously that doesn’t mean the party wont ever change, but the party has just shifted to him and his base for the time being."

Everyone here is like 35-40 right? Do you guys not remember Bush? He appointed multiple "envoys" who bargained for Iraqi debt, while working for the same companies that profited from that debt. Cheney owned stock in Haliburton while he was VP. Rumsfeld had already racked up tens of millions of dollars in wealth before becoming Secretary of Defense. He owned stock in multiple different companies, including Tamiflu (remember all those flu epidemics?), which made him obscenely wealthy after he left office. I mean...it goes on and on. The Bush administration was a criminal organization. Those motherfuckers started an illegal war that has killed over a million people.

Yeah Trump is a piece of shit, but the Republican party didn't shift anywhere. If anything, the smarter ones are pissed off at him for being too stupid and reactionary to be a part of their guild of thieves.

[Edited on October 12, 2019 at 11:17 PM. Reason : .]

10/12/2019 11:11:28 PM

https://indyweek.com/news/wake/turning-point-usa-charlie-kirk-lara-trump-ncsu/

Quote :

"Turning Point USA—a group known for a demonstration where students wore diapers to own the libs and for making racist remarks about black women having children out of wedlock—is holding a lecture at N.C. State featuring guests Charlie Kirk and Lara Trump on Wednesday night. "

11/12/2019 9:34:29 AM

FREE EXPRESSION TUNNEL! NC STATE! CONGRESSMAN DAN BISHOP'S SON ASSAULTED BY THUGS!!

https://indyweek.com/news/wake/dan-bishop-son-claims-assault-by-socialists/

11/12/2019 3:48:58 PM

^^^ dude...the GOP has shifted considerably.

11/12/2019 8:16:36 PM

How?

11/12/2019 8:59:01 PM

They use to be racist in private and subtext, now theyve shifted to public and overt racism!

11/12/2019 9:14:26 PM

Nah they’ve always been overtly racist. Trump is just more vulgar with it.

11/12/2019 9:46:17 PM

Thanks for trying to correct my joke answer!

11/12/2019 10:56:51 PM

you're welcome

11/12/2019 11:59:34 PM

people that think the republican party has changed are really just unaware that in that same period they've just become cognizant of their white privilege and nothing has actually changed.

[Edited on November 13, 2019 at 10:58 PM. Reason : .]

11/13/2019 10:57:11 PM

Funny how liberals think Trump voters are racist just because they decide to keep repeating it.

11/15/2019 10:11:55 AM

Trump is a racist and anyone who supports him is supporting a racist

11/15/2019 10:48:07 AM

I'd wager that the bigger issue is the willingness of Trump voters to close their eyes to his racism, facism, sexism, xenophobia, etc... because they perceive some personal benefit. Not all of these voters hold these terrible beliefs, but if they aren't actively speaking up against them while supporting the president who does promote these beliefs; it's pretty easy to lump Trump voters into the same bucket.

Don't want to be labelled as a racist, facist, sexist, xenophobic nitwit? Then perhaps don't support a person who exhibits those characteristics.

11/15/2019 11:16:14 AM

lol, TKE-Teg is a fan of trump supporters

11/15/2019 12:09:46 PM

^^^^ having/denying white privilege doesn't make you a racist, it just makes you (willfully) ignorant to the circumstances you and everyone else live in.

^^ spot on. I would see fiscal (short term) benefit from another trump presidency, but I'll be god damned if I'd vote for it.

11/15/2019 12:47:54 PM

GOP doesn’t view themselves as racists, because they increasingly don’t view white nationalism as racism— it’s no different to them than a country like Japan or Iceland having policies that effectively keep them the same race.

The core of their platform is that government should keep America predominantly white, by force if necessary, and anything that doesn’t serve this goal is against their beliefs. This has been the defacto belief of both parties for most of American history but with the election of trump is now an explicit part of the gop platform.

This is obviously racist, in the context of American history especially, but I can see how someone of this belief views themself as non racist, they wouldn’t have the deep hatred of a non-white person that someone like Stephen Miller or Richard spencer would have.

11/15/2019 1:46:53 PM

I’ll also add that there’s a lot of white people out there that try really hard not to be racist and we see you. Keep up the good work!!

11/15/2019 3:00:45 PM

DNC doesn't view themselves as racists, because they increasingly don't view the United States legal, justice, and economic system as racism-- it's no different to them than a country like Israel having an existence that effectively displaces natives .

The core of their platform is that government should keep America predominantly a force for good in the world, by the spread of capitalism and "democracy", if necessary, and anything that doesn't serve this goal is against their beliefs. This has been the defacto belief of both parties for most of American history but with the election of trump is now an excuse to blame it all on one man and party.

The entirety of American history is obviously especially racist, but I can see how someone of American nationality views themself as non racist, they wouldn't have the deep hatred of a non-white person that someone like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln would have.

11/15/2019 4:57:50 PM

Quote :

"The core of their platform is that government should keep America predominantly white, by force if necessary, and anything that doesn’t serve this goal is against their beliefs. This has been the defacto belief of both parties for most of American history but with the election of trump is now an explicit part of the gop platform."

Understand your point here but this is a bit too simplistic. But I'm going to make it even more simplistic, haha.

The GOP is in the death throws and as such is flailing violently like someone trying to tread water in hopes a boat will come by and save them. The GOP's primary demographic is uneducated, white people. That's not its sole demographic, as there is overlap (such as uneducated minorities, or rural women), but effectively this is what it is.

That is a receding population, plain and simple. As such it's lashing out loudly and will grow louder and louder to do anything it can to save itself. Simply put, the demographic trend of this country is increasingly educated, increasingly opposed to income inequality, increasingly less religious, increasingly pro science (aka, fact oriented), and increasingly diverse. This is why the GOP cannot win elections without massive gerrymandering and without the electoral college.

What makes this seem worse and like it's dragging on is that we have career politicians who spend upwards of 30 years in Congress. But if you look at what's happened over the past two, the numbers of GOP representatives retiring, bowing out, etc. is quite high. As you move down the age chart, looking for people to fill those seats, there are fewer and fewer traditional conservatives.

I will say this though - there does appear to me to be a horrific over-correction to the left. I read an article the other day about some idiot saying he was emotionally damaged or some shit because he had to learn about World War Two and it was depressing. I also read about book burning at some Georgia college because students apparently didn't feel like a white author could possibly empathize with a minority's suffering. So guess what - I'd bet in 30-50 years we'll be sitting here talking about the leftist version of Trump and how horrible he or she is.

In any event, our current president is without question the single worst person to have ever held that office and sooner or later I would bet on something happening or coming out that will finally shake even the sycophants in the GOP so bad they turn on him. I thought one theory was interesting - the abrupt Syria shit happened because Erdogan threatened to release intercepted calls from Kushner giving MBS information on the guy the Saudis murdered in the embassy. No proof or corroboration on that yet but it 100% explains it and falls perfectly in line with how the entire Trump family operates.

[Edited on November 16, 2019 at 1:11 AM. Reason : spell]

[Edited on November 16, 2019 at 1:11 AM. Reason : a]

11/16/2019 1:10:31 AM

I agree with everything you’re saying, except this Hail Mary play might actually work, dying party or not. I think it won’t, but it could.


And the book burning thing I think was conservatives mad they had to read a book that mentioned white privilege— but I could be thinking of another book burning.

11/16/2019 1:18:01 AM

Yep I think it was the privilege thing. I could find the link but am lazy tonight. And agree we should treat the current environment as if a hail mary will work. But generally speaking, if you step back from the insanity in the news, thus far our system is actually working the way it's supposed to. Our system was never supposed to be painless, it was designed so that we'd all have skin in the game.

Individual citizens are coming forward. Courts are working (Stone was just found guilty on all charges). People Trump himself appointed are actually doing the right thing. I still am optimistic.

We need to get past this though because China is going to eat us for lunch if we stay fighting internally like this for much longer.

[Edited on November 16, 2019 at 1:24 AM. Reason : aa]

11/16/2019 1:23:19 AM

Quote :

"The GOP is in the death throws and as such is flailing violently like someone trying to tread water in hopes a boat will come by and save them. "

what fucking wish upon a star crack smoke is this??
GOP controls every branch of federal gov't and most of the nation's state gov'ts. The longer they control everything, the higher they build the wall around their position. jerrymandering, dismantling long standing institutions, etc. More long lasting policy changes have been made since 2012 than were made between reconstruction and 2012.

Your dismissive attitude of the GOP is exactly why we have the extremist GOP candidates we do now. GOP is the instrument of rich people. That's who donates to the party, that's who it benefits. They just happen to snag a lot of the demographics you mention with rhetoric and straw man virtue signaling. Income inequality is at an all time high, you think the people with all that money, who now have no limits on campaign donations, are giving that up? The shit is the new manifest destiny, they feel entitled to it, just like white people feel entitled to freedom in america.

Quote :

"We need to get past this though because China is going to eat us for lunch if we stay fighting internally like this for much longer."

why do you think china and russia interfere with our elections and infiltrate our social media, while creating their own state controlled enclaves like tiktok? they need an 8 year power play to catch up

[Edited on November 16, 2019 at 8:28 AM. Reason : and potentially take the lead in china's case]

11/16/2019 8:19:37 AM

I think you're confusing the GOP being in power with what I was saying, which is that the size of the party, and ultimately its influence itself is shrinking and will continue to do so. I wasn't dismissing it, I was pointing out that the reason it's pressing so hard now is that it's facing extinction. This is precisely the time when it (or any cornered animal) is most dangerous.

Quote :

"More long lasting policy changes have been made since 2012 than were made between reconstruction and 2012. "

Unless I'm missing something specific to which you're referring, nearly every single thing he's signed into law has been an executive order, easily undone within 24 hours of any new president. I think the one long lasting impact he has had, obviously, is the appointment of federal judges. But hell, half of them have been ruling against him. The system is working.

I suppose you could argue the other long lasting impact was the tax cuts he signed, as that's just widening the inequality gap. Definitely can agree with you there.


[Edited on November 16, 2019 at 10:04 AM. Reason : a]

[Edited on November 16, 2019 at 10:06 AM. Reason : a]

11/16/2019 9:59:56 AM

I was talking about voter registration laws (state level), getting in 2 supreme court justices, massive redistricting (state level), rolling back many consumer protections (FCC, EPA, FTC - look at some of the mergers that have been approved, etc etc)

I don't see how age affects greed. I don't see the party that continually protects the rights and money of the privileged, despite whatever rhetoric they campaign on, changing its trajectory as those constituents grow more powerful as income inequality grows. The rhetoric they campaign under may change, but the policies won't.

11/16/2019 1:37:42 PM

Quote :

"I was talking about voter registration laws (state level), getting in 2 supreme court justices, massive redistricting (state level), rolling back many consumer protections (FCC, EPA, FTC - look at some of the mergers that have been approved, etc etc) I don't see how age affects greed. I don't see the party that continually protects the rights and money of the privileged, despite whatever rhetoric they campaign on, changing its trajectory as those constituents grow more powerful as income inequality grows. The rhetoric they campaign under may change, but the policies won't."

State level I can't speak to, I know almost nothing about politics at that level. I'm not worried yet about the Supreme Court, again, my experience has been that every time someone is nominated, everyone on the opposite side bitches, then the first session comes up and they vote completely opposite to what they think and start to realize the justices do their best to abide by the Constitution.

Redistricting happens under both parties and they both gerrymander. Republicans have been far more egregious about it but again, it's un-doable.

Consumer protections can easily be reinstated, again. These are all superficial changes. What I would be more concerned with though, along the lines of your concerns, is the environmental rollbacks. Can't argue with you on that one at all.

It's not that age "affects" greed. It's that from a demographic standpoint, there are far more younger people engaged, and entering the voting ranks that are incredibly altruistic and anti-greed.

11/16/2019 2:02:03 PM

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/16/world/asia/china-xinjiang-documents.html

11/16/2019 4:54:29 PM

Bumps for Trump

:sniff:

11/20/2019 10:41:07 PM