All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Gray Lensman]

Why do I think it doesn't cost that in any other country?

That is probably true. One of the biggest problems with the US system is the profiteering (maybe even THE biggest problem). When you are a captive audience there is no incentive for the supplier to consider lower prices - you need competition and some level of power in the hands of the consumer for that to happen. Plus the unwillingness to consider price controls like even we do for other necessary services, without getting into what other parts of the world do.

[Tami]

You know about the advice on Social Distancing? Well Trump just blew that out of the water.

Coronavirus screening causes massive bottlenecks at O’Hare and other U.S. airports

Airports around the country were thrown into chaos Saturday night as workers scrambled to roll out the Trump administration’s hastily arranged health screenings for travelers returning from Europe.

Scores of anxious passengers said they encountered jam-packed terminals, long lines and hours of delays as they waited to be questioned by health authorities at some of the busiest travel hubs in the United States.

The administration announced the “enhanced entry screenings” Friday as part of a suite of travel restrictions and other strategies aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Passengers on flights from more than two dozen countries in Europe are being routed through 13 U.S. airports, where workers check their medical histories, examine them for symptoms and instruct them to self-quarantine.

But shortly after taking effect, the measures designed to prevent new infections in the United States created the exact conditions that facilitate the spread of the highly contagious virus, with throngs of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder in bottlenecks that lasted late into the night.

“AT THIS MOMENT, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARRIVING FROM NUMEROUS COUNTRIES ARE JAMMED TOGETHER IN A SINGLE SERPENTINE LINE VAGUELY SAID TO BE ‘FOR SCREENING,’” read a tweet from Tracy Sefl, who wrote that she waited for several hours to be screened at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

“Authorities are going to have to deal with the ramifications of the breakdown of whatever this system is supposed to be,” she wrote. “Not to mention needless exposure risks from containing thousands of passengers like this.”

[Mister Mets]

Progressives are constantly making the argument that they are better suited to lead the party but they have yet to back it up with votes nationwide.

I consistently point out how I dislike your hypotheticals and I think the same applies in this situation with regards to "progressive" politics.

As always -- I'll believe it when I see it.

Texas will likely eventually go the way of California but I'll never doubt the ability of Republicans to find a way to cheat their way to victory.

Because that's what I've seen far more than progressives winning elections.

I think you misunderstood my point.

It wasn't that progressives could have been elected in and competently managed a major swing state; it's that they haven't been able to pull it off. I suspect there are reasons for that, including shortcomings of their agenda in primary races.

There's a path for progressives, but it's going to take a while. At the moment, I'm aware of only one person who has positioned himself well going forward, although he still needs to pull off a few more things in the coming decade (winning a primary for major office; winning a general election in a swing state; doing the job well.)

With Texas and California, there's a reason so many people are leaving California and moving to Texas.

[kidfresh512]

The absolute shit show of a response and the autopsy that will be done on what led us to the complete unpreparedness for pandemics will be a wake-up call for many in this country. The administration has proven to be bulletproof till now. The signs obviously have been there all along. Lying to the public, blaming media and fake news. Causing public distrust of science and media meant to inform and educate. Rollback of regulations and cutting important scientific response and research arms.

We knew he didn't attend or really listen to intelligence briefings. But, we have the best sources in the world and everyone could see what was coming and that COVID would be coming here. There should never have been a moment where trump gets up and says that the cases would soon be 0 and things would get better when it gets warmer. The whole Dem trying to take me down with a virus angle was particularly stupid. And it highlights the absolute incompetence of this administration. We saw some of it with Hurricane Response specifically Puerto Rico where he had to be reminded hes actually their president too. But, here front and center its easy to see. This effects his supporters too now.

They cant watch sports, they cant go to the rodeo in Houston. They can't go to concerts. Their children's schools are being cancelled, postponed. Graduations, proms all might be cancelled as well.

Trump Administration Is Relaxing Oversight of Nursing Homes

The Trump administration has been working to relax regulations governing America’s nursing homes, including rules meant to curb deadly infections among elderly residents. The main federal regulator overseeing nursing homes proposed the rule changes last summer, before the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of nursing homes to fast-spreading diseases. The push followed a spate of lobbying and campaign contributions by people in the nursing-home industry, according to public records and interviews.

Everyone sees what happened in Washington now with 13 dying in the nursing home. You can now trace a direct correlation to why rolling back Obama era provisions were shortsided and possibly criminal for millions of Americans in these homes.

Illinois governor: ‘Federal government needs to get its s@#t together’

@chicagomayor

What happens when you suddenly think the virus is real and are seeing the backlash your lazy response has gotten. And you suddenly start surprise banning flights AFTER the virus is already here?? Now airports of confused frustrated travelers packed in like sardines for 6 hours. Social distancing? Good lord

So sure stay at home if your preferred candidate doesn't get picked it isn't life or death or anything. They are all pretty much the same right? Obama tried to look ahead and make sure nursing homes were prepared with specialists for infections. Trump comes in and says fuck that it costs the nursing homes too much and they were nice to me.

[aja_christopher]

I think you misunderstood my point.

It wasn't that progressives could have been elected in and competently managed a major swing state; it's that they haven't been able to pull it off. I suspect there are reasons for that, including shortcomings of their agenda in primary races.

There's a path for progressives, but it's going to take a while. At the moment, I'm aware of only one person who has positioned himself well going forward, although he still needs to pull off a few more things in the coming decade (winning a primary for major office; winning a general election in a swing state; doing the job well.)

With Texas and California, there's a reason so many people are leaving California and moving to Texas.

I wasn't so much saying you made that argument as I was saying "progressives" keep making that argument but have little to show for it election wise.

We can all speculate on why that is and how long it might take for that to change but for now Trump is the most pressing issue at hand.

Which is why I constantly make it clear that if Sanders wins the nomination then he has my vote -- no "earning" necessary.

Admittedly, some of that was just to point out that Republicans are the ones to blame for blocking the "progressive" agenda -- not Democrats.

[PaulBullion]

No I am not and seems you want to take Bernie supporters for granted.

Again this "Bernie Bros" argument has been made in bad faith so often that think it was used to avoid discussing actual issues.

We're not taking you for granted.

We have written you off.

We will have to win this without you and the other cultist.

A good percentage of Sanders supporters will vote Biden and have said so. The rest of them are clearly lost cases.

[The Overlord]

I wasn't so much saying you made that argument as I was saying "progressives" keep making that argument but have little to show for it election wise.

We can all speculate on why that is and how long it might take for that to change but for now Trump is the most pressing issue at hand.

Which is why I constantly make it clear that if Sanders wins the nomination then he has my vote -- no "earning" necessary.

Admittedly, some of that was just to point out that Republicans are the ones to blame for blocking the "progressive" agenda -- not Democrats.

I just saying if you want party unity, maybe you should stop with the ''Bernie supporters are Bernie Bros, irredeemable, sexist, racist, monsters'' arguments unless your pride is more important than party unity.

The problem is Biden's whole campaign was based on electability, okay, now he has do it and tell me, how will his electability be a good argument to beat Trump in the general? What is his actual argument for being President?

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Brilliant post, and good luck Knight. Stay well. Are they putting you up or anything?

Thanks. I’m taking a last minute flight to San Juan tomorrow. Praying for no shenanigans there and then taking a JetBlue flight to Boston (hometown) my work is already WFH so I can spend some time with family until we get back

[PaulBullion]

There seems to be a real likelihood that more Republicans will contract covid-19 than Democrats, if we go by how seriously their leaders are taking the risk.


Here is an exchange between the dumbass GOP lieutenant governor of Florida, and the Democratic governor of Colorado:



Here is the dumbass GOP governor of Oklahoma:




Here is his Democratic counterpart from Illinois:



So. If there truly is anyone here who cannot bring himself to vote for Joe Biden for some reason the rest of us will never comprehend: Vote anyway, do it via mail, and vote Blue down ticket in every single race. We need to get rid of those people who will kill us all.

And here is video of GOP genius Devin Nunes who, when he is not busy suing fictional cows, is telling people to go out and have a good time. Mingle a little.

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1239...460838400?s=20

[The Overlord]

We're not taking you for granted.

We have written you off.

We will have to win this without you and the other cultist.

A good percentage of Sanders supporters will vote Biden and have said so. The rest of them are clearly lost cases.

Again, I live in Canada, I cannot vote in the US election.

And if these ''Bernie Bros'' were so small that you can dismiss them, why did you deflect to them when people make an argument for Bernie, it seems like you want to talk about nonsense over policy that could make people's lives better, the Bernie Bros was was always a straw man argument.

Also if the ''Bernie Bros'' were all sexist and racist, can you point to anything sexist or racist a Bernie supporter said on this thread, ever?

And if Biden loses, then he should take responsibility for losing, if it happens, stop blaming Bernie Bros if he loses and take responsibility for the choices you made. It seems like your side never wants to take responsibility for your own failures when Bernie loses in the primary, its own fault, when Hillary lost in the general, its the Bernie Bros fault. You have written off a straw man, what you think your side should do to get other left-wingers to support Biden? Let me guess, nothing. Alright, but then have no duty to vote for Biden in the general, do they?

Guess what I am not cultist, because I actually do not care about Bernie the man, its his ideas that matter, that is what matters. If Bernie failed to mobilize young people to vote for him in the primaries than he did not win, so be it, but it seems like saying now he should just mindless submit to Biden and not fight for the ideas we believe in and force concessions out of Biden, then you have no idea what animated his movement. It was not a Bernie cult, it was desire to promote policies we thought would improve things and Bernie losing the primary does not end the fight for better policies. Biden is running on nothing, he may lose if he runs on nothing.

What is Biden going to do to get the Rustbelt workers back, because Hillary lost them in 2016, what is he going to do differently?

And yes, I do think people in swing states should for Biden over Trump, but is he going to do to get the people who did not vote for the Dems last time, to do so this time.

Heck, maybe you are right, maybe Biden does not need Bernie supporters and can win without them or maybe they will vote for him regardless, but he is going to need the Rustbelt that Clinton lost in 2016 and if you have ''written us off'' seems your pride matters more than party unity.

[XPac]

I just saying if you want party unity, maybe you should stop with the ''Bernie supporters are Bernie Bros, irredeemable, sexist, racist, monsters'' arguments unless your pride is more important than party unity.

The problem is Biden's whole campaign was based on electability, okay, now he has do it and tell me, how will his electability be a good argument to beat Trump in the general? What is his actual argument for being President?

At this point I think the basic arguement for voting for him is that he's not Trump. That's basically it. Pro-Biden supporters will probably disagree with me on this but he's really not a GREAT politican with a great record ... he's just the safest most comfortable choice people can get behind. So that's what they did, and he's what ya got.

We're almost past the point of getting another candidate (Bernie is still in there and the debate could change some minds), so it's basically take it or leave it. That's not to say he won't TRY and win over progressives, but there likely won't be any substance to his pitch. At this late in the game it's basically him or Trump... that's all we need to know because that's all that's really there.

[aja_christopher]

I just saying if you want party unity, maybe you should stop with the ''Bernie supporters are Bernie Bros, irredeemable, sexist, racist, monsters'' arguments unless your pride is more important than party unity.

You're still lying -- I never said that.

No one will take you seriously so long as you continue to rant and lie.

I've already answered your question -- stop asking it over and over again and expecting a different answer.

[The Overlord]

At this point I think the basic arguement for voting for him is that he's not Trump. That's basically it. Pro-Biden supporters will probably disagree with me on this but he's really not a GREAT politican with a great record ... he's just the safest most comfortable choice people can get behind. So that's what they did, and he's what ya got.

We're almost past the point of getting another candidate (Bernie is still in there and the debate could change some minds), so it's basically take it or leave it. That's not to say he won't TRY and win over progressives, but there likely won't be any substance to his pitch. At this late in the game it's basically him or Trump... that's all we need to know because that's all that's really there.

Fine, but I think Bernie should try to concessions out of Biden in exchange for his help.

You're still lying -- I never said that.

No one will take you seriously so long as you continue to rant and lie.

I've already answered your question -- take it or leave it.

I was being somewhat fatuous.

But I stand my point, that this Bernie Bros argument was used as a straw man argument to shield people like Biden from criticism and just dismiss Bernie's movement because of a tiny minority of obnoxious people online.

You want party unity, ditch the straw man and actually work towards a compromise almost everyone can tolerate. What is more important, your straw man argument or party unity?

[Kirby101]

Here are the policies of "almost Trump" Biden.

https://www.politico.com/2020-electi...ues/joe-biden/

[PaulBullion]

More Darwin Award worthy conservatism:

“One pastor said half of his church is ready to lick the floor, to prove there’s no actual virus,” an Arkansas pastor told me. “In your more politically conservative regions, closing is not interpreted as caring for you. It’s interpreted as liberalism.”