All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Tami]

Don't ask questions. Just vote for candidate and be excited for next candidate.

I love how anyone who criticizes Biden is an auto-racist.
That's just...it bodes really well for America.

If they are anything like me, many people are just plain tired of Trump and his 'reality' show that is more Dystopian nightmare. Biden isn't perfect, and it is important to vet any candidate for political office.

After what happened in 2016 with Clinton's emails and Benghazi, and what Trump has done and is doing now - messing with the USPS, opening the doors to Russian interference (again), the Ukraine debacle that led to Trump's impeachment, and so on ..... people are going to view any criticism of Biden, justified or not, with suspicion of its' source or motives. People are also going to view criticism of Biden the way you view a car with a slightly dirty windshield versus a car with no engine, no tires, an interior with water damage, and busted front and rear bumpers.

I don't see how anyone can call anyone who is critical of Biden a racist, though if they also support Trump they will get a side-eye glance.

Criticize Biden all you want, just don't be surprised if others shrug it off.

[Striderblack01]

If they are anything like me, many people are just plain tired of Trump and his 'reality' show that is more Dystopian nightmare. Biden isn't perfect, and it is important to vet any candidate for political office.

After what happened in 2016, and what Trump is doing now, messing with the USPS, opening the doors to Russian interference, the Ukraine debacle that led to Trump's impeachment, and so on ..... people are going to view any criticism of Biden, justified or not, with suspicion. People are also going to view criticism of Biden the way you view a car with a slightly dirty windshield versus a car with engine, no tires, an interior with water damage, and busted front and rear bumpers.

I don't see how anyone can call anyone who is critical of Biden a Racist, though if they also support Trump they will get a side-eye glance.

Criticise Biden all you want, just don't be surprised if others shrug it off.

Yes!

To all of this. Absolutely.

And I can see the other side of the argument too, right.
Sometimes people are inconsolable, and there's only so many times people can say "Biden isn't perfect but he's leagues above Trump".
It's not our job to babysit people through their unhappiness. At a certain point, people have to take responsibility for their feelings.

I'm just saying, you don't have to engage, but if you choose to, don't be dumb or reactionary.
Especially when it might be baseless. Because legitimate criticism can come from anywhere.

There's no need to potentially alienate an ally for no reason.

[Kirby101]

"Says the black pot that sits upon MAGA gear that they think no one can see plainly under it?"

Perhaps you'd like to expand on that phrase?
What is that, besides a deflection of actual valid criticism?

Joe Biden has had a long, and sometimes spotty, career.
We can't just accuse anyone who points that out as Trump-loving racist. I just don't see how that helps.
I'd prefer silence over that childishness.

You are really missing the point. Her emails and Benghazi were non-issues that the GOP ginned up to attack Hillary. They were never real criticism. The key here is "ridiculous attacks".
So criticize all you want, but if they are manufactured, like the Ukraine nonsense, senility or any of the other silly things Trump, Fox and the GOP are throwing out, then it should be dismissed and or ignored.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

As Trump falters, Democrats and Biden eye an elusive prize: Texas

As polls show Texans increasingly frustrated with President Donald Trump's response amid a massive resurgence in coronavirus cases, Democrats say they have a real chance to turn a long-held dream into reality: winning the state's presidential contest for the first time in more than four decades.

In recent weeks, Joe Biden's campaign has aired television ads specifically aimed at Texans – the first time a Democratic presidential candidate has done so in a quarter-century, according to the state party – and made its first hires there.

Texas is among the states targeted by a $280 million fall advertising blitz the campaign unveiled last week, part of a broader strategy aimed at putting Republican-leaning states, including Georgia, Iowa and Ohio, in play ahead of the Nov. 3 election against the Republican Trump.

With polls showing Biden holding a national lead over Trump and effectively tied in Texas, Democrats say a concerted effort in the state could expand his viable paths to the White House.

Short and sweet----who'd a thunk it? Texas, possibly going blue. If that isn't one hell of an indicator of just how badly Trump fucked things up for Republicans, I don't know what qualifies.

[Mister Mets]

"Says the black pot that sits upon MAGA gear that they think no one can see plainly under it?"

Perhaps you'd like to expand on that phrase?
What is that, besides a deflection of actual valid criticism?

Joe Biden has had a long, and sometimes spotty, career.
We can't just accuse anyone who points that out as Trump-loving racist. I just don't see how that helps.
I'd prefer silence over that childishness.

I think the black pot thing is a reference to the idiom of a pot calling a kettle black, and not anything to do with race.

[skyvolt2000]

"Says the black pot that sits upon MAGA gear that they think no one can see plainly under it?"

Perhaps you'd like to expand on that phrase?
What is that, besides a deflection of actual valid criticism?

Joe Biden has had a long, and sometimes spotty, career.
We can't just accuse anyone who points that out as Trump-loving racist. I just don't see how that helps.
I'd prefer silence over that childishness.

If they comes with nonsense-yes they can.

The valid criticism has been BURIED by nonsense. Because folks want hate filled youtube hit and make up whatever they can to get it.

Folks are tired of seeing all the damage Trump has done and folks want to stick their head in the shredder to ignore it.
Yet will have a field day attacking everyone else.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was opposed by 60% of residents. Here's why the city approved it.

Before deciding on whether to hold the 80th annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, the local city council turned to its residents to get their take.

"There was a significant amount of discussion that the council had with residents, businesses and state health officials as well as local health officials," Daniel Ainslie, the city manager, told CNN Sunday.

The city, home to fewer than 7,000, sent a survey to all households asking if they wanted the rally to proceed on its scheduled date. The massive event usually brings in crowds of about 500,000 over 10 days of drag races, contests and concerts. On its 75th anniversary, nearly three quarters of a million people showed.

A little more than 60% of people in the city voted against holding the event this week. But the city council approved it anyway.

The decision, Ainslie says, was all about being able to prepare for the crowds.

"There are people throughout America who have been locked up for months and months," he said. "So we kept hearing from people saying it doesn't matter, they are coming to Sturgis. So with that, ultimately the council decided that it was really vital for the community to be prepared for the additional people that we're going to end up having."

[Striderblack01]

You are really missing the point.

Actually, I think a lot of this terrible "discourse" just boils down to fear and frustration.

A lot of us are scared that Trump might be re-elected.
A lot of us are frustrated with the political process and discourse.
The stakes are really high, and that puts a lot of pressure on people. Consequently, that fear and frustration manifests in different ways.

One of those ways, that I've seen rather consistently, is the accusing of someone critical of Biden being a "secret Trump supporter".

I think we've all seen that scenario play out a few times.
Someone will be unhappy with Biden, and to shut them up, another poster will accuse them of secretly supporting Trump.
And the conversation effectively stops.

This is done because once the accusation is hurled, we no longer have to listen to them or their critiques of Biden.
The underlying implications being "They are tainted, intellectually dishonest, dumb, and probably racist. So we shouldn't listen to them."

But that is problematic for so many reasons.
What if this person is just another concerned Democrat? Or a Progressive unsure of their standing in the DNC? Or an undecided voter?
Hell, what if this person did vote for Trump, regretted it, and is now sniffing around Biden to see if they can tolerate voting for him (the way Biden himself wants people to do)?

We risk alienating all of those people on the off-chance they might actually be a troll.

As Trump falters, Democrats and Biden eye an elusive prize: Texas

Short and sweet----who'd a thunk it? Texas, possibly going blue. If that isn't one hell of an indicator of just how badly Trump fucked things up for Republicans, I don't know what qualifies.

Yeeaah, about that.

Texas has been 'going blue' for years now.
I think its better to think of that as a marathon rather than a sprint.

[InformationGeek]

Meanwhile, Trump is complaining about Sasse after he called him out. If you don't lick his boots one-hundred percent of the time, you're dead to him.

[Kirby101]

Actually, I think a lot of this terrible "discourse" just boils down to fear and frustration.

A lot of us are scared that Trump might be re-elected.
A lot of us are frustrated with the political process and discourse.
The stakes are really high, and that puts a lot of pressure on people. Consequently, that fear and frustration manifests in different ways.

One of those ways, that I've seen rather consistently, is the accusing of someone critical of Biden being a "secret Trump supporter".

I think we've all seen that scenario play out a few times.
Someone will be unhappy with Biden, and to shut them up, another poster will accuse them of secretly supporting Trump.
And the conversation effectively stops.

This is done because once the accusation is hurled, we no longer have to listen to them or their critiques of Biden.
The underlying implications being "They are tainted, intellectually dishonest, dumb, and probably racist. So we shouldn't listen to them."

But that is problematic for so many reasons.
What if this person is just another concerned Democrat? Or a Progressive unsure of their standing in the DNC? Or an undecided voter?
Hell, what if this person did vote for Trump, regretted it, and is now sniffing around Biden to see if they can tolerate voting for him (the way Biden himself wants people to do)?

We risk alienating all of those people on the off-chance they might actually be a troll.




Yeeaah, about that.

Texas has been 'going blue' for years now.
I think its better to think of that as a marathon rather than a sprint.

I haven't seen all of this discussion. Could you point to the legitimate criticism of Biden here that people have a problem with?

[Tami]

For some reason, the first image I had in my mind was Beruit. Tragic, but at least not as bad as that.

DEVASTATING: As many as three rowhomes exploded in northwest Baltimore, killing a woman and critically injuring others.

Twitter Link

[Striderblack01]

I haven't seen all of this discussion. Could you point to the legitimate criticism of Biden here that people have a problem with?

Points to you!

Well done! That's definitely checkmate here.

IF I do point out what is 'legitimate' criticism, we'll get embroiled in the subjectivity of the term 'legitimate', which will deviate the conversation and dilute my point, and the problematic behavior that I've described continues unabated.
IF I don't, people get to pretend that the problem doesn't exist, and the problematic behavior continues unabated.

Well played, sir!

Maybe, I'll just say this - I think we need to lower our threshold of what is considered trolling (vs legitimate criticism) and start assuming that not everyone is a troll.
Yes, trolls are absolutely out there and they should be ignored. However, just because a point doesn't seem worthy to you, doesn't mean that it is trolling or that it's not worthy to someone else.

Think twice before going McCarthy on somebody, is all I'm saying.

[Kirby101]

Points to you!

Well done! That's definitely checkmate here.

IF I do point out what is 'legitimate' criticism, we'll get embroiled in the subjectivity of the term 'legitimate', which will deviate the conversation and dilute my point, and the behavior that I've pointed out as problematic will continue unabated.
IF I don't, people get to pretend that the problem doesn't exist, and the problematic behavior continues unabated.

Well played, sir!

Maybe, I'll just say this - I think we need to lower our threshold of what is considered trolling (vs legitimate criticism) and start assuming that not everyone is a troll.
Yes, trolls are absolutely out there and they should be ignored. However, just because a point doesn't seem worthy to you, doesn't mean that it is trolling or that it's not worthy to someone else.

As I said I did not see the start point for this. I saw someone reference Benghazi and emails, which were not legitimate. So I would think if we are to characterize someone who criticizes Biden, at least we should know the criticism we are talking about.

[Striderblack01]

As I said I did not see the start point for this. I saw someone reference Benghazi and emails, which were not legitimate. So I would think if we are to characterize someone who criticizes Biden, at least we should know the criticism we are talking about.

As I said, well played sir!

[Kirby101]

As I said, well played sir!

I went back to see where this started. It appears you were responding to criticism of what numberthirty said about Biden. And while that one post by #30 was understandable, there is a very, very long history here with people seeing #30's post as disingenuous. So that might put some of this in context for you.