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

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Just had a thought- I wonder if Trump will use the Corona virus as an excuse not to debate Biden.

People believe that is gonna happen at some point where Trump will claim he's got better things to do than debate loony Joe and mock him over it. All while Biden will hold town halls safely and answer questions.

[Wildling]

Just had a thought- I wonder if Trump will use the Corona virus as an excuse not to debate Biden.

That sounds like one hell of a Lincoln bunker baby ad against him in the making. In addition to giving importance to the liberal hoax pandemic that could go away any day now according to him.

If anything, being around Biden would be less of a health hazard to Trump compared to being around the Louie Gohmerts in his own party.

[Robotman]

Just had a thought- I wonder if Trump will use the Corona virus as an excuse not to debate Biden.

Trump seems to be going back and forth on that. During the Dem primary Trump suggested that he doesn’t need to debate anyone. Then in June he wanted not just 3 debates but 4. Lately his campaign has been trying to prove that Biden doesn’t have all of his cognitive capacity, which is the most ironic thing ever.

If Trump is well coached he may be able to survive and make some more lies trend on Twitter. Biden’s campaign has wisely not allowed him to make too many unscripted public appearances. Obviously he’s a gaffe machine and at 77 years old he’s not getting any sharper. He did well in the later democratic debates, but with the princes of lies as his opponent the pessimist in me worries that he’ll get tripped up. Trump’s best bet may actually be to debate, especially if it’s held virtually because of COVID.

[Kuro no Shinigami]

Trump seems to be going back and forth on that. During the Dem primary Trump suggested that he doesn’t need to debate anyone. Then in June he wanted not just 3 debates but 4. Lately his campaign has been trying to prove that Biden doesn’t have all of his cognitive capacity, which is the most ironic thing ever.

If Trump is well coached he may be able to survive and make some more lies trend on Twitter. Biden’s campaign has wisely not allowed him to make too many unscripted public appearances. Obviously he’s a gaffe machine and at 77 years old he’s not getting any sharper. He did well in the later democratic debates, but with the princes of lies as his opponent the pessimist in me worries that he’ll get tripped up. Trump’s best bet may actually be to debate, especially if it’s held virtually because of COVID.

Yeah, Joe Biden is not exactly my favorite candidate, but he is not as bad as Trump. Unfortunately his senility is still a big issue.

The worst democratic candidate versus the worst Republican candidate. The other party candidates are not much better. In fact I never heard any of their names until now.

The presidential candidates from any third party except Kanye West are completely unknown to the public and have never held an elected office.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_L...tial_primaries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_G...tial_primaries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_C...tial_primaries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_R...tial_primaries

[Tendrin]

Yeah, Joe Biden is not exactly my favorite candidate, but he is not as bad as Trump. Unfortunately his senility is still a big issue.

The worst democratic candidate versus the worst Republican candidate. The other party candidates are not much better. In fact I never heard any of their names until now.

The presidential candidates from any third party except Kanye West are completely unknown to the public and have never held an elected office.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_L...tial_primaries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_G...tial_primaries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_C...tial_primaries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_R...tial_primaries

Biden is not actually senile. People keep saying 'he's senile! He's got dementia', and it just tells me they have very little idea what that looks like.

[Tendrin]

From the discussions, it does seem that his short-list evolved. Karen Bass, Val Demings and Susan Rice weren't seen as major contenders in the beginning.

Earlier speculation was about Klobuchar, Whitmer, Harris and Warren.

Speculation in the press is not the same as the name that was likely at the top of the list. Such names are usually floated so as to juice speculation and keep people talking and see if a groundswell builds, but I maintain that the name at the top of the list was probably always the name at the top of the list.

[worstblogever]

Is that race still ongoing? Because I hope to God Arpaio doesn't win. Why do people want him to come back to office, considering all the headaches he caused, all the money he wasted, and all the bad press he created for your county? You can be hard on crime and still treat people like human beings, not sideshow acts or farm animals. I know some folks believe all prisoners should be treated as subhuman, and well, that should be a case by case basis, not the general consensus, since most people don't commit crimes like they're supervillains or something; more like they're broke or homeless. And as for his extreme anti-immigrant policy? Well, America used to allow Mexicans access in and out of America, in which they came in, did crappy jobs like migrant farming and day labor, and would leave, but once we tightened the border, they ended up staying, and several American factors meddling in Mexican society have made it so America is more desirable for Mexicans to live here, hence the people seeking asylum, which is something an ignorant sumbitch like Arpaio ignores because he's got **** for brains.

Arpaio's career as sheriff was defined by fascism from the jump. He was "tough on criminals" for publicity, the local media gave him countless interviews to show him demeaning them at tent city and gave him all the hype that he craved for free as a result. His second move was "misogyny" as he recruited posses to harass local prostitutes which was dubbed "the P*ssy Patrol". Never mind that his deputies and correction officers would abuse said women in arrests, and in one high-profile instance, use them to sell confiscated drugs across the county line in Pinal County. Eventually, as the abuse of inmates and corruption started to become obvious, Arpaio went "all in" against illegal immigrants to pander to racists more than he already was.

Every step of the way, Arpaio was a fascist through and through. When the media started reporting on how corrupt he was, he would literally arrest journalists on trumped up charges. and IF political opponents rose against him he began using his sheriffs to tail them and harass them as a means of intimidation.

Joe Arpaio surprised his former lieutenant, Jerry Sheridan, a guy he's in the runoff with, by jumping into the primary at the last minute as an opponent, rather than just let Sheridan run and win as a proxy. The fact that he had to be pardoned by Trump because he was a corrupt motherf***er may be the only reason Sheridan even squeaked out a win. But Arpaio is f***ing 88 years old. EIGHTY EIGHT. Even if he returned to power, I've been told by a friend who has sources close to Arpaio... he's mentally deteriorating in a way that makes Trump seem with it. Like he'll ask the same question two or three times in ten minutes, because he forgot he just asked it. That... is some cognitive loss.

To a guy who already couldn't keep track of a Sheriff's Office a decade ago, and concealed people investigating where taxpayer dollars were going. Partially because his undersheriffs were corrupt as hell and bilking taxpayers and he knew it, and partially because he just was s***ty at his job and didn't care where money went. But if he could say something offensive about Mexicans while posing on a SWAT tank and get a thumbs up from his base while instigating lawsuits from deaths his sheriffs caused both inside Arizona's prisons and outside in raids where they ignored Constitutional rights, Joe Arpaio would keep doing that until the end of time.

None of what I just wrote is hyperbole. None of it.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Trump Finds A Big-Dollar Underwriter For His Campaign: The American Taxpayer

The president is openly using ‘official’ events, Air Force 1 and federal employees to attack Democrats and spread his reelection message. Well, we're already paying for his goddamn wall, why not add his campaign to the tally.

**********

Trump Eyes White House For RNC Acceptance Speech Venue

With coronavirus reshaping the party conventions, the president said he is considering using the White House for his campaign speech, which is likely illegal. Like Trump gives a **** about that. And, of course, Republicans in Congress won't say a peep about it.

**********

Republican Military Veterans Turn On Trump In New Attack Ad Airing On Fox News

These veterans say they’re done with Trump. It's a wonder veterans supported a known draft dodger like Trump in the first place.

====================

In coronavirus news:

The First Data On Kids, COVID-19 And Race Is Here — And It's Not Good

Once again, the virus is exposing this country's stark racial and economic divides.

**********

Trump Campaign Account Barred From Tweeting Until It Deletes False COVID-19 Claim

Facebook and Twitter both penalized the campaign for posting video from a Fox News interview in which Trump says children are “almost immune” to COVID-19.

**********

Many Countries See The Pandemic As A Crisis. Authoritarians Spot An Opportunity.

Autocratic leaders have obscured coronavirus data, cracked down on doctors and reporters, and used the health crisis to further erode democracies worldwide.

[Tendrin]

None of what I just wrote is hyperbole. None of it.

https://twitter.com/911victim/status...624320?lang=en

[Username taken]

Just had a thought- I wonder if Trump will use the Corona virus as an excuse not to debate Biden.

After the Fox and Axios interviews, Trump’s handlers should really and I mean REALLY re-think his exposure.

It’s clear he’s pretty much lost it and is too arrogant to acknowledge his visible mental decline.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Arpaio's career as sheriff was defined by fascism from the jump. He was "tough on criminals" for publicity, the local media gave him countless interviews to show him demeaning them at tent city and gave him all the hype that he craved for free as a result. His second move was "misogyny" as he recruited posses to harass local prostitutes which was dubbed "the P*ssy Patrol". Never mind that his deputies and correction officers would abuse said women in arrests, and in one high-profile instance, use them to sell confiscated drugs across the county line in Pinal County. Eventually, as the abuse of inmates and corruption started to become obvious, Arpaio went "all in" against illegal immigrants to pander to racists more than he already was.

Every step of the way, Arpaio was a fascist through and through. When the media started reporting on how corrupt he was, he would literally arrest journalists on trumped up charges. and IF political opponents rose against him he began using his sheriffs to tail them and harass them as a means of intimidation.

Joe Arpaio surprised his former lieutenant, Jerry Sheridan, a guy he's in the runoff with, by jumping into the primary at the last minute as an opponent, rather than just let Sheridan run and win as a proxy. The fact that he had to be pardoned by Trump because he was a corrupt motherf***er may be the only reason Sheridan even squeaked out a win. But Arpaio is f***ing 88 years old. EIGHTY EIGHT. Even if he returned to power, I've been told by a friend who has sources close to Arpaio... he's mentally deteriorating in a way that makes Trump seem with it. Like he'll ask the same question two or three times in ten minutes, because he forgot he just asked it. That... is some cognitive loss.

To a guy who already couldn't keep track of a Sheriff's Office a decade ago, and concealed people investigating where taxpayer dollars were going. Partially because his undersheriffs were corrupt as hell and bilking taxpayers and he knew it, and partially because he just was s***ty at his job and didn't care where money went. But if he could say something offensive about Mexicans while posing on a SWAT tank and get a thumbs up from his base while instigating lawsuits from deaths his sheriffs caused both inside Arizona's prisons and outside in raids where they ignored Constitutional rights, Joe Arpaio would keep doing that until the end of time.

None of what I just wrote is hyperbole. None of it.

Just like with Trump, Arpaio would NEVER have gotten as far as he had without the support of racist, low hanging fruit that loves seeing people of color treated like ****.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Biden is not actually senile. People keep saying 'he's senile! He's got dementia', and it just tells me they have very little idea what that looks like.

Seriously. He misspeaks, but clearly understands what the hell he's talking about. As someone with a learning disability, I can see where he's coming from.

Trump? Jesus, the majority of what he says is little more than vaguely related word salad.

[Mister Mets]

Speculation in the press is not the same as the name that was likely at the top of the list. Such names are usually floated so as to juice speculation and keep people talking and see if a groundswell builds, but I maintain that the name at the top of the list was probably always the name at the top of the list.

We'll find out eventually.

Sometimes speculation is based on useful information, like who is being vetted and who has advocates in high places. It does appear that Karen Bass, Tammy Duckworth and Susan Rice do or at least did have prominent supporters within the party.

Sometimes it's the party playing with the media. Daniel Pfeiffer, a former Obama senior advisor, told a story about the vetting process for Obama's running mate. There were three finalists: Joe Biden, Tim Kaine and Evan Bayh. This was a problem because the major media outlets had the resources to cover three elected officials extensively, and the campaign was worried that something would slip (IE- the press would observe Tim Kaine going to the same city as Obama for a one on one.) When Pfeiffer was asked if Congressman Chet Edwards of Texas was being vetted, he gave an evasive answer, so the media would look that way, and Edwards played along with the speculation that he is a major national figure.

We'll find out what the truth is soon enough, when the campaign tell-alls start hitting early next year. One major wrinkle this year is the George Floyd protests which have made it less likely that Biden will pick a white woman as his running mate. If it weren't for that (and for her specific decision to decline to prosecute a cop at the center of it) Klobuchar would likely have been a major contender for Vice President.

[Mister Mets]

Trump seems to be going back and forth on that. During the Dem primary Trump suggested that he doesn’t need to debate anyone. Then in June he wanted not just 3 debates but 4. Lately his campaign has been trying to prove that Biden doesn’t have all of his cognitive capacity, which is the most ironic thing ever.

If Trump is well coached he may be able to survive and make some more lies trend on Twitter. Biden’s campaign has wisely not allowed him to make too many unscripted public appearances. Obviously he’s a gaffe machine and at 77 years old he’s not getting any sharper. He did well in the later democratic debates, but with the princes of lies as his opponent the pessimist in me worries that he’ll get tripped up. Trump’s best bet may actually be to debate, especially if it’s held virtually because of COVID.

Some Biden supporters are suggesting he should have major conditions before agreeing to a debate (IE- agreeing to a fact-checker to review comments at the end of it) which could backfire by giving Trump an excuse to bow out.

For the Biden campaign, there is a careful line where they should downplay expectations without going that far.

On the other hand, it would have been smarter for the Trump campaign has really failed to set up high expectations for Biden. That's not something they can do while simultaneously calling him senile.

[GindyPosts]

After the Fox and Axios interviews, Trump’s handlers should really and I mean REALLY re-think his exposure.

It’s clear he’s pretty much lost it and is too arrogant to acknowledge his visible mental decline.

Trump works best when he's in control of the environment and the narrative. When that's taken away from him, he's exposed. That's why he loves his rallies so much and doesn't like interviews outside of Fox News and Breitbart.