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

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Again, stating the facts about what a person or a group of people do is not an attack. It is a statement of fact.

It would be like someone trying to claim that saying Bill Clinton doesn't respect the concept of fidelity is an attack. Actually, it is a statement of plain old reality.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/08/k...torney-general

As far as America's far-left goes, you need to look at the Trotskyist WSWS (World Socialist Website) who have attacked Jacobin for being reactionary and in one instance for peddling herd immunity and buying into the Trump admin's POV:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/202.../jaco-s21.html

So even among the far-left Jacobin is seen as a little bougie. I like some of the stuff they publish but dislike others, same with NYT, same with the WSWS, same with practically any magazine and newspaper with the exception of anything Fox News affiliated or aligned or any of the right wing rags like NYPost, Washington Examiner and so on, where I dislike them sight unseen.

The real far left among America is people like Ishmael Reed, Noam Chomsky, Ta-Nehisi Coates, back when he was alive Gore Vidal...not that they haven't made mistakes or I entirely agree with them either.

[kidfresh512]

It is like the church and bible photo op. He has to come out of his bunker and show that he is a strong man!

His driver, secret service, and one he passed on the way out of the hospital all at risk!

Of course Fox news is going on like this is the greatest thing since the moon landing. And oh it is safe because Trump had a mask on. Even though they have been saying for months how masks do nothing to stop the spread. But all the sudden they do for a fucking photo op!

It is ridiculous. How many thousands of American families would have loved for their covid patient loved one to wave or do a drive by. They don't allow it because they take it seriously. My boss was crying in our dept. meeting Friday on Teams because his family member is dying and they had to fight to even get to see her one at a time in Hazmat suits basically.

And here he is after being a super spreader in the first place. Holding the event that got dozens of others infected, continuing to be callous and not take it seriously. They still haven't issued mandatory masks at the White House.

[babyblob]

It is ridiculous. How many thousands of American families would have loved for their covid patient loved one to wave or do a drive by. They don't allow it because they take it seriously. My boss was crying in our dept. meeting Friday on Teams because his family member is dying and they had to fight to even get to see her one at a time in Hazmat suits basically.

And here he is after being a super spreader in the first place. Holding the event that got dozens of others infected, continuing to be callous and not take it seriously. They still haven't issued mandatory masks at the White House.

and they never will while Trump is in office That would admit he is wrong. They have preached that masks do not work. And Hell he mocked Biden.

They claim masks dont work, except this time. he is wearing a mask and that will keep people from getting infected. Masks are great! Until Trump is done with his bullshit photo op and gets out of the hospital. Then masks will be useless again.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Some interesting stuff about the videos Trump has put out. Apparently they have been edited.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...isnt-big-deal/

Then there is Miller’s claim that this was “one take” — meaning it is presented as Trump offered it, without editing. Shortly after the video was published, a number of professional video editors noted this probably wasn’t true; that, after Trump mentions the use of therapeutics, he appears to begin to cough — but not complete the cough.

You can see it in the animation here. About halfway through, his shoulders hunch. You’ll also notice that when the animation loops, the position of the cabinets behind him shifts, despite this apparently being shot from a mounted camera. In other words, the camera was probably moved.
Image without a caption

Those shifts are evidence to experts of the use of Adobe Premiere’s “fluid morph” tool, a nifty bit of software that allows video producers to hide cuts. There are a number of examples on YouTube of the tool at work, such as this one. If you watch that video, you will notice the effect is most noticeable in the background, where the position of elements (particularly at upper left) suddenly changes.
AD

This video wasn’t released simply as a matter of course. It followed reports earlier in the day that Trump had been in more dire condition on Friday than the White House at first let on. The New York Times reports the revelation that Trump had been more ill than was originally suggested “infuriated” the president, prompting him to first encourage his attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani to pass a message about his vitality to the New York Post and, later, to make a similar point publicly himself.

You know, I have to say that as stupid as Trump generally is, he's incredibly cunning and ruthless and tenacious in terms of managing his message maintaining a vice like personal grip on his campaign. What you see with this Covid hospitalization is Trump's cunning in real-time display, since he had very little time to put together this entire set-up and operation with only a few reliable henchmen, and somehow he's managing a very cunning display of performative recovery. Cunning in terms of validating his base and their fantasy of Ubermensch Trump and baffling for making the libs doubt the narrative of comeuppance.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

As people point out, if you see the video around the time he says "therapeutics" you can see his body hunch over like he's about to cough but then there's an awkward transition. A very common example of a "morph cut".

https://twitter.com/i/status/1312534750725201920

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I mean the absolute hubris. He has a fucking contagious disease, with no cure. And he makes everyone involved and the agents driving his diseased ass with the windows up be put at risk. Even a minor risk for what?

It is like the church and bible photo op. He has to come out of his bunker and show that he is a strong man!

His driver, secret service, and one he passed on the way out of the hospital all at risk!

Of course Fox news is going on like this is the greatest thing since the moon landing. And oh it is safe because Trump had a mask on. Even though they have been saying for months how masks do nothing to stop the spread. But all the sudden they do for a fucking photo op!

Even someone as cynical as me, had a naive sliver of hope that he might emerge humbled by this. But this shows he's the same sociopath as before.

At least now we have a sense of the narrative of the Trump election campaign. El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago was a strong man who by sheer force of will and love of his supporters mud-wrestled covid to the ground. The efforts of his staff, the entourage, the privileges of his office will be elided...what counts is Trump and his will.

They are already doing it on FB. If he did have Clovid its not something you defeat in 2 days. Your under a week or 2 observation at best. This is becoming nonsense to sell something but well now Biden can fire ads up how moronic this is.

[shooshoomanjoe]

Some interesting stuff about the videos Trump has put out. Apparently they have been edited.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...isnt-big-deal/



You know, I have to say that as stupid as Trump generally is, he's incredibly cunning and ruthless and tenacious in terms of managing his message maintaining a vice like personal grip on his campaign. What you see with this Covid hospitalization is Trump's cunning in real-time display, since he had very little time to put together this entire set-up and operation with only a few reliable henchmen, and somehow he's managing a very cunning display of performative recovery. Cunning in terms of validating his base and their fantasy of Ubermensch Trump and baffling for making the libs doubt the narrative of comeuppance.

They couldn't find someone that knows how to edit? Are these people incompetent at everything they do?

[Malvolio]

As people point out, if you see the video around the time he says "therapeutics" you can see his body hunch over like he's about to cough but then there's an awkward transition. A very common example of a "morph cut".

https://twitter.com/i/status/1312534750725201920

I guess it's the video equivalent of the cough button that they often use on radio.

[The Overlord]

As far as America's far-left goes, you need to look at the Trotskyist WSWS (World Socialist Website) who have attacked Jacobin for being reactionary and in one instance for peddling herd immunity and buying into the Trump admin's POV:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/202.../jaco-s21.html

So even among the far-left Jacobin is seen as a little bougie. I like some of the stuff they publish but dislike others, same with NYT, same with the WSWS, same with practically any magazine and newspaper with the exception of anything Fox News affiliated or aligned or any of the right wing rags like NYPost, Washington Examiner and so on, where I dislike them sight unseen.

The real far left among America is people like Ishmael Reed, Noam Chomsky, Ta-Nehisi Coates, back when he was alive Gore Vidal...not that they haven't made mistakes or I entirely agree with them either.

I feel like Jacobian is about as far left as I want to go now, I would consider myself a market socialist, rather than a Marxist-Leninist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_socialism

I think a lot of leftists may vote for Biden as a harm reduction measure rather than a love of him or the current DNC.

[The Cool Thatguy]

They couldn't find someone that knows how to edit? Are these people incompetent at everything they do?

Their evil outpaced their basic competence a long time ago

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I think a lot of leftists may vote for Biden as a harm reduction measure rather than a love of him or the current DNC.

As far as transforming the Democratic party into a full left-wing party rather than the big tent center-left opposition it is, it's not something that can be done in a single or couple of election cycles and to be honest, I'm not sure it can be done with a two party system. Not that I recommend voting third party but the fact is until you transform the party system (which can only begin to be done by getting rid of "winner take all" voting systems in favor of ranked voting), it can't be done.

I am quite left of Biden but I am happy with Biden, a lot can be done with him in charge. On climate change above all, which he himself personally directed and oversaw funds going to green energy during Obama's turn when he ran the stimulus disbursal.

I never understood the logic among leftists, that you ultimately hate centrists and liberals more than the right wing. They are the real enemy, make no mistake. It's unfortunately easier for right wingers and conservatives to unite around the left than vice versa mostly because that the right is animated by an absence of belief in real ideology while the left, even the center-left and liberals are driven by ideologies. I don't buy this idea that Obama was some bougie hack. He was bougie undoubtedly, but he and his administration did act on real principles in a lot of ways. And there was real reforms or beginning of that at the time.

[worstblogever]

In Trump's latest video, he boasts about visiting patients at Walter Reed...

Which, working in a hospital setting myself, is f***ing stupid and evil if he isn't lying (which is a lesser evil). He's supposed to be quarantined. If he's telling the truth, he's spreading the virus all over the hospital, and not remaining quarantined in his own ward. Which would only be the latest way he's unnecessarily doing something for himself that risks getting our veterans killed.

[Powerboy]

As far as transforming the Democratic party into a full left-wing party rather than the big tent center-left opposition it is, it's not something that can be done in a single or couple of election cycles and to be honest, I'm not sure it can be done with a two party system. Not that I recommend voting third party but the fact is until you transform the party system (which can only begin to be done by getting rid of "winner take all" voting systems in favor of ranked voting), it can't be done.

I am quite left of Biden but I am happy with Biden, a lot can be done with him in charge. On climate change above all, which he himself personally directed and oversaw funds going to green energy during Obama's turn when he ran the stimulus disbursal.

I never understood the logic among leftists, that you ultimately hate centrists and liberals more than the right wing. They are the real enemy, make no mistake. It's unfortunately easier for right wingers and conservatives to unite around the left than vice versa mostly because that the right is animated by an absence of belief in real ideology while the left, even the center-left and liberals are driven by ideologies. I don't buy this idea that Obama was some bougie hack. He was bougie undoubtedly, but he and his administration did act on real principles in a lot of ways. And there was real reforms or beginning of that at the time.

I just left a Facebook group that was about "Leftist, not Liberal". I left because it was more about bashing Liberals than defeating Republicans. I don't get this "Let it all burn if I can't have it 100% my way" mentality. Sort of, take their marbles and go home just to show you. Some of them would have you believe there is zero difference between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans. I would vote Third party if such a party had a chance of winning but they have absolutely zero chance and I don't subscribe to the idea that less than I want equals no difference.

[The Overlord]

As far as transforming the Democratic party into a full left-wing party rather than the big tent center-left opposition it is, it's not something that can be done in a single or couple of election cycles and to be honest, I'm not sure it can be done with a two party system. Not that I recommend voting third party but the fact is until you transform the party system (which can only begin to be done by getting rid of "winner take all" voting systems in favor of ranked voting), it can't be done.

I am quite left of Biden but I am happy with Biden, a lot can be done with him in charge. On climate change above all, which he himself personally directed and oversaw funds going to green energy during Obama's turn when he ran the stimulus disbursal.

I never understood the logic among leftists, that you ultimately hate centrists and liberals more than the right wing. They are the real enemy, make no mistake. It's unfortunately easier for right wingers and conservatives to unite around the left than vice versa mostly because that the right is animated by an absence of belief in real ideology while the left, even the center-left and liberals are driven by ideologies. I don't buy this idea that Obama was some bougie hack. He was bougie undoubtedly, but he and his administration did act on real principles in a lot of ways. And there was real reforms or beginning of that at the time.

Fair enough, I think some leftists can be too harsh on liberals sometimes, but I think a lot of liberals can be dismissive of leftists or take them for granted.

I think the biggest criticism of liberals and centrists, has been their inability to counter the excesses of the GOP. Obama talked about bi-partisanship with a party that has no interest in it, Biden should not do that and if he gets the house and Senate, ram through as much he can when he can. If the GOP get this third justice on the Supreme Court, Biden should just pack the court. He doesn't have to say that on the campaign trail, he should just do it if he wins, regardless of the howling the GOP will engage in if that happens. You cannot counter the GOP's hardball tactics by just being nice to them.

The alt-right playbook is ''You go high, we go low'', they do that because it has worked for them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAbab8aP4_A&t=447s

I will say, the BLM protests should continue even if Biden wins, they should continue until the protesters get some actual justice and change.

Also, leftists do fight with liberals, but they also fight with each other, it can fractious sometimes, I do think there is a fierce debate on whether voting for Biden is pointless or a valuable harm reduction measure, for example. That Trotsky paper saying Jacobian is reactionary is an example of that.

[GindyPosts]

In Trump's latest video, he boasts about visiting patients at Walter Reed...

Which, working in a hospital setting myself, is f***ing stupid and evil if he isn't lying (which is a lesser evil). He's supposed to be quarantined. If he's telling the truth, he's spreading the virus all over the hospital, and not remaining quarantined in his own ward. Which would only be the latest way he's unnecessarily doing something for himself that risks getting our veterans killed.

NO! Why is he doing this? Why is going outside to wave at supporters?

I'm not saying he should literally be put in a damn bubble (although given how stubborn he is, it's probably the best solution), but it's this kind of "I don't give a damn" behavior that was why the virus became a pandemic in this country.