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

[JCAll]

Vanity Fair uses the phrase that Trump's grip on the party is slipping. I think they're kidding themselves. As long as he can enflame his base, a goodly chunk of the GOP will fear crossing him, and will parrot him.

Even if Trump's control fades, the lunatic fringe has only tightened it's control. They can always get another Messiah.

[Steel Inquisitor]

We need to, as a country, take a long look at how our government is run. The fact that they cannot or will not pass a fucking relief package as people are dying and going broke, unable to buy food, during the holidays no less, because the politicians can't get what they want out of the package shows how deeply broken and flawed the entire system is.

And now they're looking at a partial, temporary shut down because of it.

We won't take that look. Nothing will change. But this is where we are. As a country. As a "society". And people are fine with it. The richest country in the world, and we can't just help our people eat and pay rent. It's an embarrassment.

It's not about taking a "look," this isn't an individual having therapy it's a nation and culture with a very strong right wing. The right wing are able to do this because their power hasn't been broken. And changing how the government being run, even if the country did want to do that, isn't going to work as easily as you think. Thus requires congress signing off on things which would change amendments, 2/3 need to more for those changes and that is not happening.

It's not that everyone is fine with it, it's that they're unable to do much to change it and every time the Democrats get in power they have 2 years to fix things which take generations and when they naturally fail the voters give up and hand the keys over to the GOP - making everything worse. Rince and repeat. This is why Obama gets blamed for congress blocking him for ending Gauantamo Bay, people think being a president is like being an absolute monarch.

They don't care about us. We need to stop caring about them. Burn them all down.

Having two extremes makes this worse, and burning everything down just harms everyone. The left is supposed to be better, not help the GOP with their own goals.

[ed2962]

This has nothing to do with what he said in the video.

I can completely appreciate an argument that because you don't want his advice for Democrats because of other (slightly related) views he holds. Do you think his advice is politically unhelpful (if Democrats took it, they would likelier to lose elections or less likely to achieve important policy goals) or that it's not worth compromising on values in this way?

There are pieces about how Trump had opportunities to work with Democrats, and his failure to do so is a big part of why he was a mediocre President.

Republicans have some advantages Democrats don't (geographic sorting and high representation within rural communities provide an edge in the number of members of Congress) and many of their policies are often easier to implement politically. Democrats tend to want ambitious spending, which requires all sorts of approval from agencies and elected officials. It's easier to redirect existing spending, or to do nothing.

I think the "ban books with witchcraft" crowd is a different one from the ones who like Joe Rogan.

For progressives to argue that some conservatives censor, the argument would have to be that conservatives are right to push for censorship, but they're fighting for the wrong type of censorship.

Self-censorship remains a form of censorship.

It could sometimes be done for the right reasons, but that's not always the case.

It's also important to consider why a company chooses a particular course. Outside pressure can lead to organizations to make the wrong decisions.

Maybe or maybe not on the "cartoon witchcraft is evil", but there's an overlap with the "gay agenda" and "PC agenda" crowd. The point isn't about who's censorship is better, it's pushing back against this idea that it's "The Left" that's the main actors. I forgot to bring up Cathy Griffith...

[ed2962]

Yes, just because I post a Maher video doesn't mean I agree with everything he says or how he says it. But he was simply making a point, in this case, that if the Democratic party just continues on this path, they are, in the words of that congresswoman, going to find themselves royally f'd in 2022.

Yes, we got the presidency back but that was votes against Trump more than for Biden. We lost seats in the House. We didn't overturn anything else to speak of. We may get the Senate, which would be fantastic, but we can likely thank Trump for that if we do.

I think his point was that Jane and Joe Average see the Democrats and the Republicans as both being crazy but, Trump aside, they trust the Democrats even less.

Does that make any sense? Not to me. But it's hard to deny that more than half the country has that perception. Again, aside from the Trump factor.

All of this may be moot if the Democrats take the Senate and if Joe Biden throws off the Centrist attitude and takes advantage of having all three branches to make real and lasting changes that will benefit the vast majority and drag them kicking and screaming into a better system.

Back to Maher. He's a jerk and an opportunist. But he is correct that the Democrats, overall, don't do a great job of selling themselves.

Maher's right but for the wrong reasons. Democrats do a bad job of selling themselves, but it's not because Mario Lopez had to apologize for something he said on a podcast that no one heard.

[worstblogever]

Vanity Fair uses the phrase that Trump's grip on the party is slipping. I think they're kidding themselves. As long as he can enflame his base, a goodly chunk of the GOP will fear crossing him, and will parrot him.

I've seen many argue that Republicans fear Trump, and the damage he can do with one Twitter post against them.

...

What if Jack Dorsey does ban him on Twitter for all the conspiracy theory posts the minute he leaves office?

Effectively, Trump is neutered, save to people on Parler, OANN, and Newsmax. Because I think with Paul Ryan running Fox News, if Twitter shuts him down, Fox News will also cut bait. Mostly because Trump cut on them first.

[AnakinFlair]

I've seen many argue that Republicans fear Trump, and the damage he can do with one Twitter post against them.

...

What if Jack Dorsey does ban him on Twitter for all the conspiracy theory posts the minute he leaves office?

Effectively, Trump is neutered, save to people on Parler, OANN, and Newsmax. Because I think with Paul Ryan running Fox News, if Twitter shuts him down, Fox News will also cut bait. Mostly because Trump cut on them first.

I work for Cash App, which is owned by Jack Dorsey. And the overwhelming urge to ask him when he's going to grow a pair and ban Trump is the main reason why I never go to all-hands meetings when he's there.

[Malvolio]

Maybe or maybe not on the "cartoon witchcraft is evil", but there's an overlap with the "gay agenda" and "PC agenda" crowd. The point isn't about who's censorship is better, it's pushing back against this idea that it's "The Left" that's the main actors. I forgot to bring up Cathy Griffith...

It's Kathy Griffin. At least spell her name right.

[Madam-Shogun-Assassin]

I’m not a Chicago resident but for what my opinion is worth, Lightfoot needs to go. She embodies every problematic Black official who uses identity as a cover while upholding the very systems that kill ppl who look like her. She’s an example of why we have more riots than reform.

[ed2962]

It's Kathy Griffin. At least spell her name right.

It's spelled "Cathy-Redhead-Boob-Job"...you are censoring my free speech! Joking, joking...

More seriously though, I brought her up cuz none of these supposed conservatives were sticking up for her free speech when she got cancelled for mocking Trump...

[ed2962]

I’m not a Chicago resident but for what my opinion is worth, Lightfoot needs to go. She embodies every problematic Black official who uses identity as a cover while upholding the very systems that kill ppl who look like her. She’s an example of why we have more riots than reform.

I'll say in regards to the false police raid with the naked woman...yes, it's straight out shameful. Lightfoot now says that it was brought to her attention a year ago, but she didn't remember it. And of course there was an attempt to suppress the footage.

[numberthirty]

On Lightfoot...

Had to go take care of a couple of things earlier in the evening. Caught her on Illinois news radio discussing that the city was going to get out in front of folks being able to see camera footage w/o a FOIA request and not fight making things right when it comes to monetary damages.

Felt like someone who had just got his foot out of one bear trap who was about to stumble right into a second one.

So, yeah...

It would be great if things actually went in that direction, but I'm not going to go getting my hopes up.

[worstblogever]

I work for Cash App, which is owned by Jack Dorsey. And the overwhelming urge to ask him when he's going to grow a pair and ban Trump is the main reason why I never go to all-hands meetings when he's there.

Let's just hope he does the smart thing come Jan 20th, because it would be good for everyone who isn't a white nationalist and/or conspiracy theorist if Trump did get a ban-hammer.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I've seen many argue that Republicans fear Trump, and the damage he can do with one Twitter post against them.

...

What if Jack Dorsey does ban him on Twitter for all the conspiracy theory posts the minute he leaves office?

Effectively, Trump is neutered, save to people on Parler, OANN, and Newsmax. Because I think with Paul Ryan running Fox News, if Twitter shuts him down, Fox News will also cut bait. Mostly because Trump cut on them first.

I'd love to see Twitter ban Trump, but I just don't see that happening. Dorsey's made a king's ransom off Trump and his horde of knuckledraggers, and he's not about to cook that golden goose.

On Lightfoot...

Had to go take care of a couple of things earlier in the evening. Caught her on Illinois news radio discussing that the city was going to get out in front of folks being able to see camera footage w/o a FOIA request and not fight making things right when it comes to monetary damages.

Felt like someone who had just got his foot out of one bear trap who was about to stumble right into a second one.

So, yeah...

It would be great if things actually went in that direction, but I'm not going to go getting my hopes up.

About Lightfoot, short and sweet, she screwed the pooch and needs to go in the worst way. Sadly, she won't. She'll issue mea culpas for days, then dig in her heels and stay put. Like most politicians, Lightfoot will sacrifice her morals and decency to remain in power.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Space Force Troops Get a Name: ‘Guardians’

Two days before the U.S. Space Force’s first birthday, its troops received their collective name: Guardians.

The new name for military’s space professionals, announced on Friday by Vice President Mike Pence, may appear to be a play on the Marvel superhero film “Guardians of the Galaxy.” But Space Force officials said it was a callback to a 1983 motto.

Since its standup on Dec. 20, 2019, the Space Force has grown to about 2,400 active-duty personnel, mostly Air Force personnel who were responsible for the military’s space mission before the new service was created. In 2021, the Space Force is expected to grow to about 6,400 active-duty Guardians, as Army and Navy personnel start transfering into the new service, Gen. Jay Raymond, the chief of space operations, said on a call with reporters earlier this week.

Yes, boys and girls, this is serious. Predictably, snarkmeisters on Twitter are having a field day. Hopefully, Joe Biden will kill this nonsense after he takes office next month.

[worstblogever]

Space Force Troops Get a Name: ‘Guardians’

Yes, boys and girls, this is serious. Predictably, snarkmeisters on Twitter are having a field day. Hopefully, Joe Biden will kill this nonsense after he takes office next month.

Should we lay odds that they want to put a raccoon into space?