What I now find incredibly baffling is this new train of thought that... because the Democrat platform/messaging in this past election did not "speak" to enough voters to win... that we all got what we bargained for and that Democrats are as much to blame for the destruction going on now as MAGA Republicans.
That's complete bullsh*t and I have no idea how this convoluted thought process has gained any traction. Democrats did not run the race that they needed to but the act of "losing" doesn't make them responsible for the sh*t-show currently taking place.
I'm all for a bit of rocking the boat, but I don't think we should set it on fire because we don't like the paint color.
We should fix the border. Government is too big and inefficient. We should make our allies contribute a fair amount to defense...and commerce. I used to align to Republican values, but the party changed. I was Republican all the way down to abortion was wrong, but after raising kids, and seeing how so many parents and kids struggle, I came to the realization that I just can't decide what's best for other people. There are obviously limits, but when someone decides they want to terminate a pregnancy, I accept they are doing so with good reason.
But the Republican party went from conservatism to hatred, and Donald Trump was the accelerant.
I believe in rules and fairness. Donald Trump believes that anything is OK so long as he gets more. He doesn't care about America or Americans, he cares that so many of them will bow down to him, and that makes him feel important and powerful. You gave him that power. You let him tell you exactly what you wanted to hear, and instead of standing for something and calling out is illicit activities and lies, you decided that pissing off others was more fun. It felt better. Everyone else hates him? Then he's my guy because I hate them. Trans kids, DEI warriors, BLM... screw 'em. They've been getting away with waaaayyyyy too much for decades, so let's pull in the reins.
No need to write a book here. As much as I think they are nicer people, I'm not a liberal. I'm more aligned to your side than theirs, but Trump is not the answer. He's created nothing. He hasn't even finished the damn wall. Burning shit down is overused with Trump, but it's just so damn appropriate. Any idiot can destroy a building. A lot could create a structure, but there are only a few who you trust to build the house you sleep in. I think we need to demand more of both parties, but the only way that happens is when rational people come to the middle to solve problems for the majority of Americans. Donald Trump sold you on those ideas, but is now working very hard to fuck everyone without a private plane. I can't support that.
One last thing...
I find the trans athlete discussion fascinating for countless reasons. Most of those reasons come back to fairness and rules (like I said above). It's fascinating because it's such a tiny spec of an issue, but has galvanized an entire party with anger. I sparred with my wife about the Lea Thomas issue. Is it fair for her to compete the way she did? Probably not... but she followed the rules. She did what they told her to do so that she could compete, and when she returned to competition she was just a bit too good. That's not her fault. If it's because it was a poorly created rule with bad assumptions...fix the rules. Don't make her, and the tiny population of trans athletes the villain.
John Oliver did a piece on this over the weekend, and it really does address the insanity.
It's long...but does a good job at highlighting the Right's unreasonable hatred toward trans people. I think we've got bigger issues to address.
...the Republicans have been more about scapegoating and presenting the world as a zero sum game where if anyone else is benefiting, it is taking something from "you".
...
Exactly!
Reducing everything to tariff rates and import/export surplus ignores the vast power of influence and the benefits that benevolence bestows. We were great because our grandparents fought on the side of justice and when the fighting was over, they invested in making the world a safer place.
The painful irony is that the MAGA enthusiasts embrace someone who so directly and unapologetically shits on the policies and alliances created by those who made it great to begin with.
Too bad Reagan didn't live long enough to see his legacy destroyed. Some of his progeny are decent humans. Unfortunately, the ones who would probably feel some angst at the current goings on are deep in the koolaid and probably blindly cheering their own 'enemies'.
Thank you for articulating the same exact way I feel right now. I've been a lifelong Republican and technically still am, but I can't condone or support the destructive, dangerous, incompetent lunacy of Trump and his administration. There is currently a man that has been improperly deported that apparently has to use the courts to try and fight his way back into America because the heartless, soulless administration could give two f*cks. The stripping away of individual rights has now become the "new normal". America becoming Russia is not what anyone wants to see.
Efficient government, a rational immigration policy and a sane defense budget that makes our country safe are not exclusive wishes of the Republicans. They have been successful in painting this vision, but it's simply not true. If you actually look at policies and results from the majority of our lifetimes, you would see that the Democrat presidents have been better on finances than the Republicans, and overall the leadership of the Democrats has done more to help more people overall. This in turn helps our overall society and makes everything better. Since Reagan (probably earlier... ), the Republicans have been more about scapegoating and presenting the world as a zero sum game where if anyone else is benefiting, it is taking something from "you". The truth is that Clinton was better for all of these policy goals than any other president in modern history. Obama might have been better, but he had a mess to clean up from Bush v2, and he had a strong and organized opposition that was good at being a group of assholes. Clinton is the only modern president to pay down the National debt, and he rationally reduced the size of government. He had his issues, but he did more for most Americans than any Republican in recent history.
I'm not really a Democrat either, and probably tend more toward the libertarians (although that party regularly goes way too far on any policy). I really want a mix of approaches and proper checks and balances (not obstruction). The game show our politics have become is what will be the end of our union. The result will be smaller and weaker for it.
I'm all for a bit of rocking the boat, but I don't think we should set it on fire because we don't like the paint color.
We should fix the border. Government is too big and inefficient. We should make our allies contribute a fair amount to defense...and commerce. I used to align to Republican values, but the party changed. I was Republican all the way down to abortion was wrong, but after raising kids, and seeing how so many parents and kids struggle, I came to the realization that I just can't decide what's best for other people. There are obviously limits, but when someone decides they want to terminate a pregnancy, I accept they are doing so with good reason.
But the Republican party went from conservatism to hatred, and Donald Trump was the accelerant.
I believe in rules and fairness. Donald Trump believes that anything is OK so long as he gets more. He doesn't care about America or Americans, he cares that so many of them will bow down to him, and that makes him feel important and powerful. You gave him that power. You let him tell you exactly what you wanted to hear, and instead of standing for something and calling out is illicit activities and lies, you decided that pissing off others was more fun. It felt better. Everyone else hates him? Then he's my guy because I hate them. Trans kids, DEI warriors, BLM... screw 'em. They've been getting away with waaaayyyyy too much for decades, so let's pull in the reins.
No need to write a book here. As much as I think they are nicer people, I'm not a liberal. I'm more aligned to your side than theirs, but Trump is not the answer. He's created nothing. He hasn't even finished the damn wall. Burning shit down is overused with Trump, but it's just so damn appropriate. Any idiot can destroy a building. A lot could create a structure, but there are only a few who you trust to build the house you sleep in. I think we need to demand more of both parties, but the only way that happens is when rational people come to the middle to solve problems for the majority of Americans. Donald Trump sold you on those ideas, but is now working very hard to fuck everyone without a private plane. I can't support that.
Thank you for articulating the same exact way I feel right now. I've been a lifelong Republican and technically still am, but I can't condone or support the destructive, dangerous, incompetent lunacy of Trump and his administration. There is currently a man that has been improperly deported that apparently has to use the courts to try and fight his way back into America because the heartless, soulless administration could give two f*cks. The stripping away of individual rights has now become the "new normal". America becoming Russia is not what anyone wants to see.
While you aren't in either of those cults I would have to say that you are a member of the cult of don't rock the boat; the status quo is just fine.
As long as the natives don't show up at my door with pitchforks and torches, just keep kicking that can down the road.
I'm all for a bit of rocking the boat, but I don't think we should set it on fire because we don't like the paint color.
We should fix the border. Government is too big and inefficient. We should make our allies contribute a fair amount to defense...and commerce. I used to align to Republican values, but the party changed. I was Republican all the way down to abortion was wrong, but after raising kids, and seeing how so many parents and kids struggle, I came to the realization that I just can't decide what's best for other people. There are obviously limits, but when someone decides they want to terminate a pregnancy, I accept they are doing so with good reason.
But the Republican party went from conservatism to hatred, and Donald Trump was the accelerant.
I believe in rules and fairness. Donald Trump believes that anything is OK so long as he gets more. He doesn't care about America or Americans, he cares that so many of them will bow down to him, and that makes him feel important and powerful. You gave him that power. You let him tell you exactly what you wanted to hear, and instead of standing for something and calling out is illicit activities and lies, you decided that pissing off others was more fun. It felt better. Everyone else hates him? Then he's my guy because I hate them. Trans kids, DEI warriors, BLM... screw 'em. They've been getting away with waaaayyyyy too much for decades, so let's pull in the reins.
No need to write a book here. As much as I think they are nicer people, I'm not a liberal. I'm more aligned to your side than theirs, but Trump is not the answer. He's created nothing. He hasn't even finished the damn wall. Burning shit down is overused with Trump, but it's just so damn appropriate. Any idiot can destroy a building. A lot could create a structure, but there are only a few who you trust to build the house you sleep in. I think we need to demand more of both parties, but the only way that happens is when rational people come to the middle to solve problems for the majority of Americans. Donald Trump sold you on those ideas, but is now working very hard to fuck everyone without a private plane. I can't support that.
One last thing...
I find the trans athlete discussion fascinating for countless reasons. Most of those reasons come back to fairness and rules (like I said above). It's fascinating because it's such a tiny spec of an issue, but has galvanized an entire party with anger. I sparred with my wife about the Lea Thomas issue. Is it fair for her to compete the way she did? Probably not... but she followed the rules. She did what they told her to do so that she could compete, and when she returned to competition she was just a bit too good. That's not her fault. If it's because it was a poorly created rule with bad assumptions...fix the rules. Don't make her, and the tiny population of trans athletes the villain.
John Oliver did a piece on this over the weekend, and it really does address the insanity.
It's long...but does a good job at highlighting the Right's unreasonable hatred toward trans people. I think we've got bigger issues to address.
Hey, you keep telling me that I am part of a cult. What do you expect ?
It is my duty to give you what you want.
Also, imho, it is not a stretch to consider democrats members of a cult as well. As the saying goes, it takes one to know one, so that makes me qualified to say that about democrats.
ymmv
True.... Democrats have their cultish side. Those are the ones who threw Al Franken out of office for pretending to assault a women... vs. your twisting yourself inside out to make sure everyone knows Trump was never convicted of rape, even though he had to pay a civil settlement for assault.
I'm just glad I'm not in either cult. We independents avoid the dues and the need to repeat what we're told.
It's gone from amusing to sad Kurt. Get back in there and tell us how the "Great Business Genius" is playing 4D chess....
Hey, you keep telling me that I am part of a cult. What do you expect ?
It is my duty to give you what you want.
Also, imho, it is not a stretch to consider democrats members of a cult as well. As the saying goes, it takes one to know one, so that makes me qualified to say that about democrats.
It was apparently 38.5% among "all 1264 respondents".
What's missing in the "interpretation" is that that the "Contagion Lab" is focused on threat detection online. It's stated focus....
Investigate and identify emerging threats in the social cyber domain in the new field of open source intelligence.
Deploy data-driven computational methods to forecast emerging threats and procure deeper online threat intelligence.
It's not representative of "everyone"....it's targeted research that, as usual, is cherry-picked by the whataboutism cult members to prove they are no worse than everyone else.
The NY Post made Kurt feel good. Their advertisers thank him! Carry on comrade soldier.
EDIT: Their research on the CCP pushing propaganda to the US through TikTok used to be interesting... but now Donny's got a concept of an idea around a plan... so it's OK.
...
A new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute found that more than half of left-leaning Americans say political violence is âacceptableâ â with 55% of them seeing âsome justificationâ for assassinating Trump. ...
It was apparently 38.5% among "all 1264 respondents".
âWe are at war,â Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) shouted in February, as she denounced what she called Trumpâs âhostile takeoverâ of the government he was elected to lead.
âWe have to fight in the streets,â said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
Now, the fuse is lit â and the elected firebrands have nothing to say.
Voters chose Trump, very recently and very specifically, to shake Washington up.
Itâs OK to protest, to loudly oppose the changes Trump was elected to make. Thatâs part of Americaâs political legacy.
But âassassination culture,â as the lead author of the NCRI report calls the new spike in violent rhetoric, is not.
... Democrats donât get a pass on it this time. They set this ball rolling; they own it. Their silence now is encouragement.
You democrats are such nice people.
JANUARY 6, 2020 Where Capitol Police officers were beaten and some dying in the days afterward and you want to lecture Democrats about 'political violence?'
Then Trump pardoned them.
And what part of 'taking Greenland and the Panama Canal' by force if necessary sounds peaceful to you? Always pointing away from yourself and Trump.
Another Squirrel Fetch. *yawn* You really oughta try a new schtick, this one's getting old.
