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

[Kirby101]

I was sad to see an intelligent poster like him get banned. I hope that dust up wasn't the reason. I hope I don't get banned for discussing it

He posted today

[Odd Rödney]

Are you sure? Trump and Republicans did better than expected in 2020, and turnout was awesome.

A pushoff for compulsory voting could easily come with a backlash, to say nothing of voters who aren't informed about modern politics going for a protest vote.

I'm not 100% sure, of course. But I think, over time, it could prove to be a good thing.

I don't think you'd have legions of voters turning out to vote for a Trump type over and over again. I think, given enough election cycles and a compulsory voting system, we'd get better at voting for people who actually do a good job. But there is only one way to find out.

[Kirby101]

I'm not 100% sure, of course. But I think, over time, it could prove to be a good thing.

I don't think you'd have legions of voters turning out to vote for a Trump type over and over again. I think, given enough election cycles and a compulsory voting system, we'd get better at voting for people who actually do a good job. But there is only one way to find out.

I don't think compulsory voting is a good idea. But we could make it much easier. Election Day should be a National Holiday, mail in and early voting should be much easier. The GOP right now is on a rampage to make voting as difficult as possible. Because they know the more people that vote, the worse their chances. But this is not unusual for fascists.

[kidfresh512]

GOP lawmaker says she trusts Utah women to control their ‘intake of semen’ as abortion trigger law goes into effect

Republican lawmakers and Utah politicos celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday, with one legislator saying she trusted Utah women “to control [their] intake of semen.”

Rep. Karianne Lisonbee described a text message she said she received urging her to hold men accountable for unwanted pregnancies.

“I got a text message today saying I should seek to control men’s ejaculations and not women’s pregnancies ... I do trust women enough to control when they allow a man to ejaculate inside of them and to control that intake of semen,” the Clearfield Republican told reporters at a news conference at the Utah Capitol on Friday.

The challenge when so many women still would give up their own rights. I bet some of these same women giddy at this were arguing a year ago about their right not to get vaccinated or wear masks.

[Jack Dracula]

I'm not 100% sure, of course. But I think, over time, it could prove to be a good thing.

I don't think you'd have legions of voters turning out to vote for a Trump type over and over again. I think, given enough election cycles and a compulsory voting system, we'd get better at voting for people who actually do a good job. But there is only one way to find out.

A “Trump type” of President only needs to be voted in to office a couple of times because his kind of leadership corrupts the system to the point where Democratic elections no longer have meaning and are skewed to a predetermined outcome. In fact, it only took one Trump term to create the current problems that may automatically re-elect him in 2024.
It may now be too late. I’m not overstating the problem. A “Trump type” of President is an Orban or Putin type of President and the GOP has been very up-front about their admiration for both these leaders and their style of government.

[Odd Rödney]

I don't think compulsory voting is a good idea. But we could make it much easier. Election Day should be a National Holiday, mail in and early voting should be much easier.

I don't know that compulsory voting is the best idea, especially in the U.S. I think it'd be worth a try though. We have compulsory voting in Australia, for example.

If you're ok with sharing I'd be super interested to know why you think it isn't a good idea.

The GOP right now is on a rampage to make voting as difficult as possible. Because they know the more people that vote, the worse their chances. But this is not unusual for fascists.

Indeed. Not unusual at all.

It genuinely astonishes me that there are people who can't see that these are fascist policies. I just don't get it. That level of denial. Or is it some kind of stupidity? I don't know. I just know it bothers me.

[Odd Rödney]

A “Trump type” of President only needs to be voted in to office a couple of times because his kind of leadership corrupts the system to the point where Democratic elections no longer have meaning and are skewed to a predetermined outcome. In fact, it only took one Trump term to create the current problems that may automatically re-elect him in 2024.
It may now be too late. I’m not overstating the problem.

You're not wrong. I just can't think of a better solution than compulsory voting. I genuinely can't. Not one that would actually have some effect. Making voting easier would help, sure. But that is an uphill battle with the fascist GOP.

[babyblob]

I dont think compulsory voting is the answer. First off how would you enforce it and who would decide that? Lets say in some of the more racist states a minority voter cant get off work or find a baby sitter, are they going to be dinged with a fine for not voting? Is the White person registered as a GOP going to get a pass for the same?

Will the party in power make it harder for their opponents supporters to vote like with some of the laws currently being passed and then punish them for not voting? The system is way too easy to abuse. And to be honest I dont have faith in this country to do it fairly.

[CaptainEurope]

I can't believe 5 people can take a call of this level affecting millions. Seems like a chapter out of Baby's First Dystopian Novel.

Well, those 5 also speak for the people who put them there, people like Susan Collins.

[Jack Dracula]

Well, those 5 also speak for the people who put them there, people like Susan Collins.

They also speak for the Federalist Society, the Heritage Foundation and ultimately the wealthy donors who fund those organizations.

[4saken1]

I've always said I actually admired how the the angry rightwing base actually kicked the establishment Republicans out of their own party.

They were able to do this because they had enough of their base willing to vote for Tea Party candidates during Primaries who beat the establishment Republicans, not by choosing to not vote for establishment Republicans in the General Election. Republican voters of all shades of white still swarmed the polls in 2010, despite which candidate won the Primary, causing a huge reversal of power in Congress. After this happened, it emboldened other fringe right candidates to run in successive Elections.

[4saken1]

Matter of fact, this took almost no time...

https://twitter.com/rebeinstein/stat...56828642496513


https://twitter.com/bloodnteeth/stat...57563862097922

https://twitter.com/RealKaylaJames/s...58406741032961

https://twitter.com/doeantlers/statu...58981725474816

https://twitter.com/impliedChoppy/st...43360141103104

https://twitter.com/VERBAL_CHANCLA/s...49921353617408

YAY! You found a bunch of other people on the interwebs who are either completely ignorant about how government works or are engaging in some deliberate obfuscation.

[kidfresh512]

The Stonewall Visitor Center Will Celebrate and Advance LGBTQ+ History

This morning, about half an hour after the Supreme Court announced the overturn of Roe v. Wade, a crowd gathered outside the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan to mark another momentous occasion—this one more positive—the breaking ground of what will become the first LGBTQ+ visitor center in the U.S. park system. The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center will be located right next to the Stonewall Inn, and will serve to celebrate and advance the legacy of the Stonewall uprising that gave way to what we know as LGBTQ+ Pride today.

Despite the many fabulous parties and rainbow outfits that LGBTQ.+ Pride month ushers in every year in June, the true story of Pride often goes untold. The original Pride, the first Pride, was a riot. The story goes that in the very early hours of June 28, 1969, the police conducted a raid of the Stonewall Inn, a New York City gay bar, but this time, instead of accepting the harassment, patrons decided to uprise. Transgender, gay, lesbian, and other members of the queer community, especially people of color, stood together against police violence in a protest that took days. While there had been protests against the treatment of gay and trans folks before, the Stonewall riot set a precedent and marked the beginning of a long, and still ongoing, fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

“Time goes by, and unfortunately the stories of the past and the people that got us to where we are today often disappear and get lost,” American designer Michael Kors told Vogue this morning. Together with his husband Lance Le Pere, Kors is a founding supporter through the Kors Le Pere Foundation. “I can’t believe it’s taken this long to happen,” Kors continued, adding that in today’s political climate that sees targeted attacks on the rights of women, transgender people, and the queer community at large it’s more important than ever for younger generations to see what transpired before their time.

With everything going on I had missed this story. Even more relevant and important now. With promises of renewed attacks on LGBT rights to come to be able to recognize history and the people who fought to get us where we are. Learning the importance of that history and being able to celebrate it in order to not take steps backwards.

[4saken1]

The problem is that Sinema's heel turn was kinda unexpected, we knew what Manchin was about. Sinema was a kinda unforseen spanner in the works.

Funny thing is, for all of the criticism of Democrats that goes on here by Progressives, Sinema used to be a member of the Green Party. Evidently, Progressive candidates are flawed humans, too, and can end up being pretty crappy legislators themselves......

[4saken1]

All of this could have been prevented if voting was compulsory. It is in some places.

I wish that this had been something which was written into the Constitution. I don't know how some countries got this enacted without the Party that was pushing for it getting a scarlet letter on them for doing so. Was this a bipartisan effort in Australia?

I dont think compulsory voting is the answer. First off how would you enforce it and who would decide that? Lets say in some of the more racist states a minority voter cant get off work or find a baby sitter, are they going to be dinged with a fine for not voting? Is the White person registered as a GOP going to get a pass for the same?

Will the party in power make it harder for their opponents supporters to vote like with some of the laws currently being passed and then punish them for not voting? The system is way too easy to abuse. And to be honest I dont have faith in this country to do it fairly.

I don't think Odd Rödney is saying that it would run seamlessly. Every law enacted has some drawbacks and people who are negatively affected. Best ways to assuage some of these are already being enacted in many places in the U.S. Early voting, ensuring that there are enough polling places and machines in place, making registration easier, etc. Having a national Election Day holiday like Kirby101 suggested would also help. As far as some of the other issues that you mentioned, I would look to other countries to see how they handle them. One thing that I don't think that I've ever heard mentioned anywhere is how much people in some countries hate their compulsory voting. I'm sure it has its detractors, though.

Ultimately, we know that getting more people out to vote benefits Democrats and Progressives. I think there would definitely be short term consequences for Democrats if they tried to enact such legislation, but if it held up through the successive session of Congress and withstood all of the court challenges, it would be beneficial to do in the long run.