Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Badger]

I have to say pretty much over, as we all know if the other candidates have their say given their endorsements, they will go to Biden, if convention is brokered.  Sanders would pretty much have to pass the threshold on his own.

[DShomshak]

7 minutes ago, Badger said:

Agreed, I think presuming he is stupid, is partly why he keeps winning.

 

I have read the claim that pretending to be stupid is a very good way to win, in politics and other places. Granted, this came from someone who called him/herself The Mitanni, as key to success in EVE Online... but The Mitanni said he/she learned this from family -- Southern aristocracy, who know it can pay to be dismissed as Bahbul-thumpin' dumb hicks despite Ivy League educations, while they work to keep themselves in power.

 

Though <cough> I do not entirely believe someone who hides behind a pseudonym, even if they add citations to academic works on Southern genealogy. I think I could pull out the link if anyone wants to read the Twitter thread and judge for themselves.

 

More apt, perhaps, might be the adage about the fox who knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one thing very well. Trump is a hedgehog. Unfortunately, what he knows very well is bullying, exploiting white grievances, and conning loans out of Deutche Bank (3 times, 3 bankruptcies!)

 

Dean Shomshak

[Lord Liaden]

I was recently reading an exchange between a couple of posters on YouTube (yeah, I really should know better), one who, among other (justifiable) criticisms of Trump, claimed that he promoted white supremacy; and the respondent, with a written "tone" conveying weary frustration, who complained that Trump didn't promote white supremacy, and he was tired of reading and hearing that.

 

That got me thinking back, and I realized that Trump really doesn't promote white supremacy. He uses it. He channels it to his advantage. He cuts white supremacists just enough slack that they think he's on their side, without ever actually saying it. So they'll vote for him.

 

A lot of the crazy stuff that comes out of Trump's mouth is calculated, to charge up his followers, to sow confusion among his opponents, to create chaos he can exploit. (Not all the crazy stuff, but a lot of it.) I still don't think Donald Trump is smart, but I now believe he's a surprisingly cunning manipulator. Probably the only thing he's ever been any good at.

[Starlord]

7 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

Well, you might think you see the Eiffel Tower but actually be in Japan.

 

This is the amusement park 20 mins from my house. 

 

 

[Starlord]

- Yang endorses Biden

 

- You have to wonder what effect Coronavirus is going to have on campaigning and on the election.  As the virus progresses, the ability to gather in large crowds will steadily disappear.  It will probably become hyper-focused on TV appearances.  If public perception goes really sour, will this be the first thing that can actually make a dent in Trump's lemming-like base?

[Hermit]

Well, I was for Bernie or Warren. With one falling behind and the other out, I am not a happy camper in this park we call a republic.

 

I want to never say die, but at this point, unless Biden begins foaming at the mouth and beats up the moderators at the debate with his podium, things do not look good for Bernie to win. 

(And even tthen, I'm sure clubbing the moderators might play well with the New Jersey voters and Southern Pro Wrestling fans)

 

I will say the sheer turn out for Biden is impressive. I already have heard some discussions that maybe Bernie wasn't that popular with folks last time, maybe it was just Hillary was that disliked? Mmmm that would be ironic if true.

 

 

 

[csyphrett]

23 minutes ago, Hermit said:

Well, I was for Bernie or Warren. With one falling behind and the other out, I am not a happy camper in this park we call a republic.

 

I want to never say die, but at this point, unless Biden begins foaming at the mouth and beats up the moderators at the debate with his podium, things do not look good for Bernie to win. 

(And even tthen, I'm sure clubbing the moderators might play well with the New Jersey voters and Southern Pro Wrestling fans)

 

I will say the sheer turn out for Biden is impressive. I already have heard some discussions that maybe Bernie wasn't that popular with folks last time, maybe it was just Hillary was that disliked? Mmmm that would be ironic if true.

 

 

 

We have one person at work who is Bernie or bust. The rest are trump guys and one libertarian who might as well be a Trump guy. I heard so many Killerys, emails, whatever. I finally was like you guys are as dumb as a box of rocks hunting Big Foot.

CES   

[Hermit]

18 minutes ago, csyphrett said:

We have one person at work who is Bernie or bust. The rest are trump guys and one libertarian who might as well be a Trump guy. I heard so many Killerys, emails, whatever. I finally was like you guys are as dumb as a box of rocks hunting Big Foot.

CES   

 

I'm not a Bernie or Bust type guy myself. I voted for Hillary last time despite wanting Bernie. I'll vote for Biden if he gets the nom (Which seems likely), but honestly, at this point if it was 'Rabid one eyed squirrel or Trump' I'd go with the fluffy tailed rodent.

 

But yeah, some folks are very short sighted. *Sigh*

 

 

[Ternaugh]

The bumper sticker I saw the other day said, "Any Responsible Adult 2020".

[BoloOfEarth]

2 hours ago, Hermit said:

...but honestly, at this point if it was 'Rabid one eyed squirrel or Trump' I'd go with the fluffy tailed rodent.

 

So you're voting for Trump's "hair"?

[Old Man]

On one hand, last night’s primaries help Biden extend his lead. On the other hand, Bernie winning North Dakota is a huge upset, and the draw in Washington is also a good showing for someone who was expected to lose every state. There’s a small possibility he’ll get some momentum back. 

[Dr. MID-Nite]

I take the support for Biden as a sign that America is fine with the status quo of the 1% running everything and not giving a damn about the country or its people as a whole. People constantly complain about it, but when given a chance for significant change, they run like scared rabbits and prove once again how lacking we are compared to other First World democracies. Bernie is unlikely to run again and thus we'll have lost the most significant proponent for true change in this country for a long time. We deserve whatever happens at this point.

[DShomshak]

4 hours ago, Hermit said:

I want to never say die, but at this point, unless Biden begins foaming at the mouth and beats up the moderators at the debate with his podium, things do not look good for Bernie to win. 

(And even tthen, I'm sure clubbing the moderators might play well with the New Jersey voters and Southern Pro Wrestling fans)

 

 

Given the incompetence of some of the debate moderators, it might play well with me. Depending on the idiocy or "gotcha" quality of the question just asked.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Pariah]

3 hours ago, Ternaugh said:

The bumper sticker I saw the other day said, "Any Responsible Adult 2020".

 

Like this?

 

 

Yeah, I'd go for that.

[Lord Liaden]

1 hour ago, Dr. MID-Nite said:

I take the support for Biden as a sign that America is fine with the status quo of the 1% running everything and not giving a damn about the country or its people as a whole. People constantly complain about it, but when given a chance for significant change, they run like scared rabbits and prove once again how lacking we are compared to other First World democracies. Bernie is unlikely to run again and thus we'll have lost the most significant proponent for true change in this country for a long time. We deserve whatever happens at this point.

 

I share your disappointment. Like a lot of us in the rest of those First World democracies, I was hoping America could move past the Trump interregnum and return to a leading role in the actions the world needs to face our coming challenges. But it's becoming clear the US isn't in the mood to take that kind of decisive action, and we need to start developing other strategies and partnerships.

 

But what worries me most, if the United States abdicates that role, is who's likely to fill the void.

[Hermit]

5 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

I share your disappointment. Like a lot of us in the rest of those First World democracies, I was hoping America could move past the Trump interregnum and return to a leading role in the actions the world needs to face our coming challenges. But it's becoming clear the US isn't in the mood to take that kind of decisive action, and we need to start developing other strategies and partnerships.

 

But what worries me most, if the United States abdicates that role, is who's likely to fill the void.

 

That last line has me worried as well. 

America shouldn't be the world's policeman

but on the other hand, no policeman is pretty darn scary and the alternative policemen are make America look pretty good despite our many flaws historically.

You can ask the Ukraine what's waiting if Russia builds up to USSR levels again.

And color Tawain and control over the seas near it lost if China becomes the cop on the beat. 

I hear India and Brazil are on they 'they might be superpowers one day' list but each faces some challenges within their own democracies they may want to smooth out first before they become 'world police ' and I say that fully realizing the US's current government means we're embarrassing ourselves at it right now.

The EU doesn't seem to have the teeth for the job, or the unity but maybe that's my own ignorant perspective.

 

We are due for another global level war , historically speaking. I'd like if that pattern got broken, but with America looking like it's trying to either sit down to retire fishing (or falling on it's face into the water and drown); I worry we're getting a time when we might get one.

 

I hope I'm just watching too much negative news

 

[Old Man]

14 minutes ago, Hermit said:

 

That last line has me worried as well. 

America shouldn't be the world's policeman

but on the other hand, no policeman is pretty darn scary and the alternative policemen are make America look pretty good despite our many flaws historically.

You can ask the Ukraine what's waiting if Russia builds up to USSR levels again.

And color Tawain and control over the seas near it lost if China becomes the cop on the beat. 

I hear India and Brazil are on they 'they might be superpowers one day' list but each faces some challenges within their own democracies they may want to smooth out first before they become 'world police ' and I say that fully realizing the US's current government means we're embarrassing ourselves at it right now.

The EU doesn't seem to have the teeth for the job, or the unity but maybe that's my own ignorant perspective.

 

I read somewhere that when the Soviet Union collapsed, historians expected the rest of the world to band together in opposition to the one remaining superpower.  That didn't happen, because the rest of the world was actually pretty okay with America as the dominant presence on the world stage.

 

Then 2016 happened.  That'll teach 'em.

 

14 minutes ago, Hermit said:

 

We are due for another global level war , historically speaking. I'd like if that pattern got broken, but with America looking like it's trying to either sit down to retire fishing (or falling on it's face into the water and drown); I worry we're getting a time when we might get one.

 

I hope I'm just watching too much negative news

 

 

If you're watching the news at all, you're watching too much negative news.  Things are pretty sh___y right now.

[Pariah]

32 minutes ago, Old Man said:

I read somewhere that when the Soviet Union collapsed, historians expected the rest of the world to band together in opposition to the one remaining superpower.  That didn't happen, because the rest of the world was actually pretty okay with America as the dominant presence on the world stage.

 

Then 2016 happened.  That'll teach 'em.

 

Sadly, we've burned through a lot of our accumulated respect and good will in the last three years. I'm not sure what it will take to restore it at this point, but the upcoming election doesn't offer me a lot of hope. 

 

Hey, Canada, you want a turn running things? You guys seem to have your act together, and I think you're probably the least likely to screw the rest of us.

[Hermit]

7 minutes ago, Pariah said:

 

Sadly, we've burned through a lot of our accumulated respect and good will in the last three years. I'm not sure what it will take to restore it at this point, but the upcoming election doesn't offer me a lot of hope. 

 

Hey, Canada, you want a turn running things? You guys seem to have your act together, and I think you're probably the least likely to screw the rest of us.

 

At this stage, I might welcome our new Canadian overlords.

 

 

[pinecone]

2 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

I share your disappointment. Like a lot of us in the rest of those First World democracies, I was hoping America could move past the Trump interregnum and return to a leading role in the actions the world needs to face our coming challenges. But it's becoming clear the US isn't in the mood to take that kind of decisive action, and we need to start developing other strategies and partnerships.

 

But what worries me most, if the United States abdicates that role, is who's likely to fill the void.

Brexit Boris says Hi!

[Lord Liaden]

Oh boy, if you think Canada has its act together, it's clear you don't follow Canadian news.   Ongoing nationwide rail blockades by aboriginal Canadians protesting a natural gas pipeline through native land on our west coast have significantly impacted travel and trade. Separatist sentiments in the country's western prairie provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, are on the rise over the federal government's attempted environment-based regulation of their oil and gas industries. The government has been criticized for dragging its feet over dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, especially evacuating our citizens quarantined overseas. Our relations with China have severely soured over our restraining Huawei's CEO in Canada over charges (from the US) of breaking the trade embargo against Iran -- extradition hearings are ongoing. The Liberal government under Justin Trudeau -- reduced from a majority to a minority in the last federal election, over a series of scandals and PR gaffs by Trudeau -- is perceived as weak and ineffectual in dealing with all those issues.

 

And you think we want to take on the sh__storm you've got going on down south?!

[Lord Liaden]

 

[DShomshak]

I'm in favor of Finland as global hegemon, personally. When have you ever heard anything bad about Finland? It's the land of Linux and Moomins.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Pariah]

But aren't the sins all knife-wielding maniacs?

 

L. Marcus, help me out here.

[L. Marcus]

As part Finn, can confirm. Also vodka.