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

[Revolutionary_Jack]

America's political spectrum is on the rightward spectrum compared to Asia and Europe.

Angela Merkel is a real conservative in the sense of "good governance, lack of ideology, maintaining institutions". When she came to power she didn't overturn the Social Democratic gains made before her, she didn't try and end "welfare as we know it". While being personally a practising Christian and head of a Christian Democrat Party, she hasn't tried to pass anti-gay laws or anything. Do I approve of everything she does? No. I think her maintainence and support of austerity and so on has done damage to Greece and is self-centered in terms of it working in benefit of the EU North at the expense of the EU South.

But Merkel's conservatism is worth debating across the table with.

As opposed to Thatcher and Reagan who radically reversed and set about reversing left-wing and liberal gains. Or with Boris Johnson and Trump who are craven social climbers who don't care about anyone or anything other than themselves, and are just out to screw over people for their own benefit. The modern GOP and their SCOTUS stooges are basically committed to reversing and overturning the Civil Rights Movement and all its gains. These are reactionaries who want to dial the clock back and overturn progress.

These a--holes aren't worth debating anything with.

[worstblogever]

The Coney Barrett hearings are starting, and the story is already "These motherf***ing Republicans are all stupid and going to kill each other before they ever get to a vote."

Senator Mike Lee, again, who got a Democratic Congressman sick last week, has spent large chunks of this hearing maskless, or with his nose out, including within 6 feet of 87 year old Chuck Grassley.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/202...spreader-event

Lee insists he's no longer contagious. WELL, WE GON' FIND OUT, AREN'T WE, DUMBASS?

[Joker]

Republicans are solely responsible for the pandemic still being a major issue in the United States. It is 100% on them.

I wish more people realized this. Their jobs. Their actual lives. Their livelihood. Their haircuts. Sports. The holidays we won't be able to spend with family, properly. All of it is on Republicans.

[Kirby101]

Yeah. I am a Liberal now by my homelands standards

I do not care the label. I was taught to think for my damned self and that’s what’s guiding me here.

So do most liberals. Being called a liberal doesn't mean you don't. That is right wing propaganda pure and simple. There is no ideological playbook all liberals follow. It is just a characterization of where people stand on issues, especially social ones.
If there is any group not thinking for themselves now, it's the Trumpers and the GOP.

[Joker]

Liberal as an identifier needs to go away. It doesn't mean anything anymore. It should be "progressives".

Progressives and Conservatives. Because that's what it really is. There's the part of the population that want to move forward as a society, and the part that want to hold things back. Let's just call **** what it is.

[Kirby101]

Liberal as an identifier needs to go away. It doesn't mean anything anymore. It should be "progressives".

Progressives and Conservatives. Because that's what it really is. There's the part of the population that want to move forward as a society, and the part that want to hold things back. Let's just call **** what it is.

Sounds good to me. But the right and the GOP are not Conservatives. They are people who want to turn the clock back decades or centuries. They are right wing reactionaries.

[Farealmer]

America's political spectrum is on the rightward spectrum compared to Asia and Europe.

Wait, right even to Asia?

[Tami]

Liberal as an identifier needs to go away. It doesn't mean anything anymore. It should be "progressives".

Progressives and Conservatives. Because that's what it really is. There's the part of the population that want to move forward as a society, and the part that want to hold things back. Let's just call **** what it is.

In theory, but the word Progressive doesn't sit well with me and possibly not others as well. I mean, yes I have always believed that every Democrat, if they are a serious about being a Democrat, are Progressives. I'm just more comfortable saying that I am liberal, which doesn't have as much of a far left association.

In this day and age, being seen as either too far left or right is a scary thing, if you are not all that radical. I am a firm believer in moving forward, but I am also a firm believer in moving forward rationally, logically, humanly, open-mindedly and scientifically.

To put it another way, if I said I was a Progressive, someone might ask 'then you voted for Bernie Sanders' ... no, I did not. There in lies my issue with it.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Wait, right even to Asia?

Yeah. Republicans are big on "government is the problem not the solution" per Reagan. That kind of mentality isn't there in Asia where conservatives don't believe that Big Government is such a bad thing.

Right wingers in India fund soup kitchens, have government supported hospitals and trade unions, and so on. So while corporate malfeasance and Multi National Corporations f--king up the poor happens a lot, nobody argues for the deregulatory fundamentalism that the Republicans are big on.

Singapore, whose former dictator Lee Kuan-Yew was a favorite of Xi Jinping, Kissinger, Deng Xiaoping, Putin, and so on, also believed that government has a duty to provide services and public care.

Rodrigo Duterte the crazy strongman of Philippines does have a more active social policy than Trump.

Japan led by a very right wing government under Shinzo Abe, grandson of a war criminal, also supports state funded policies to help the poor and suffering (though pursuing a very belligerent policy across Asia, and also promoting a national agenda that lies and downplays Japanese war crimes).

That's the conservative governments I am talking about.


We can't forget one of three major democracies in the world with a left-wing popular Social Democrat party in power is in Asia. Taiwan shares that with New Zealand and Canada, and Tsai Ing-Wen is a progressive left-wing President, first female President in her nation's history, and supremely popular (as is Jacinda Adearn) and handled the coronavirus like a champ. All that talk by Trump about banning China, well the Prez of Taiwan did that despite not banning any Chinese visitors to her island.

[Iron Maiden]

He'll be fine.

It will be his followers that will drop dead.

Haven't you guys learned by now? He's Titanium Don.

I prefer to compare him to a new mutant strain of cockroach

[PaulBullion]

This is the phase of the campaigns were presidential races often (but not always) tighten.



This is a "not always" kind of year.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

This is the phase of the campaigns were presidential races often (but not always) tighten.



This is a "not always" kind of year.

Trump was always unpopular, even more unpopular than George W. Bush (who remember only ever won elections in very narrow margins, electorally and popularly).

The Republicans have not produced a genuinely popular candidate since Reagan and the last generally popular politician they had was John McCain (and even he couldn't carry an election).

[Kirby101]

Wait, right even to Asia?

America has the only Conservative party in a Democracy that doesn't support universal Healthcare or want to fight Climate Change. That is why calling them conservative doesn't fit.

[Joker]

In theory, but the word Progressive doesn't sit well with me and possibly not others as well. I mean, yes I have always believed that every Democrat, if they are a serious about being a Democrat, are Progressives. I'm just more comfortable saying that I am liberal, which doesn't have as much of a far left association.

In this day and age, being seen as either too far left or right is a scary thing, if you are not all that radical. I am a firm believer in moving forward, but I am also a firm believer in moving forward rationally, logically, humanly, open-mindedly and scientifically.

To put it another way, if I said I was a Progressive, someone might ask 'then you voted for Bernie Sanders' ... no, I did not. There in lies my issue with it.

This is the pussyfoot Democrat garbage that's got us where we are today. No offense. Sometimes you have to be a little radical. Especially when you're playing a game against an opponent that cheats at every turn they get.

Michelle Obama's "high road" mentality is great in ethics class, but it doesn't get you anywhere in the real world of modern day Republicans.

Look at the Supreme Court.

As John Lewis said, get in good trouble.

[Malvolio]

Don't let right wing radio and FOX News continue to make "liberal" a dirty word. If you're for the Affordable Care Act, and you're pro-choice, and you don't have a problem with gay marriage and you believe that Black Lives Matter without any qualifiers, then you're a liberal. Don't be ashamed of it.