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Master US Political Discussion Thread


LeChat
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Hi, everyone.

 

I'm just chiming in here with a friendly, helpful reminder (in order to make sure this thread stays on topic) that staff posted this message regarding topics about Israel and Palestine.

 

https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/267100-israel-and-palestine/?do=findComment&comment=1065153525

 

Thank you, for your cooperation and for helping be a part of keeping AVEN a welcoming space.

It's appreciated.

 

LeChat,

Welcome Lounge, Announcements, and Alternate Language moderator

(covering the "Philosophy, Politics, and Science" forum)

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14 minutes ago, GingerRose said:

Wow, this is the shocker. How?

He attacked Fox for showing him trailing in polls, then for showing that he lost the election and calling Biden "president-elect". He called them "dead" and that he'd make them "pay," then started promoting other networks like Newsmax and OAN to his followers.

 

14 minutes ago, GingerRose said:

More lasting damage, like his vice?

Trump did a lot of horrible things, but he was too greedy and bad at his job to put in a lot of long term structural change. He spent his time putting his friends in convenient places and waging personal agendas, then ultimately fumbled himself out of office.

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37 minutes ago, daveb said:

(I do like that Colbert doesn't reference the former guy by name anymore) :P 

I have been personally on board with this myself now, for months. I will refer to him as the former president or in some other way, but I'm not giving Google or any other entity any data from me that suggests he's significant in any way. He got a lot of free publicity leading into the 2016 election just from everybody talking about him all the time, so you know -- fool me once, etc...

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GingerRose
36 minutes ago, Zagadka said:

calling Biden "president-elect". He called them "dead" and that he'd make them "pay," then started promoting other networks like Newsmax and OAN to his followers.

I'm not surprised, but also what. Of course the man comes back to bite his own arse in the butt. I mean I am not surprised by anything he does anymore.

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Gentle Giant

It’s been nice not to see or hear from the moron mouth so much anymore.

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3 hours ago, Zagadka said:

He attacked Fox for showing him trailing in polls, then for showing that he lost the election and calling Biden "president-elect". He called them "dead" and that he'd make them "pay," then started promoting other networks like Newsmax and OAN to his followers.

 

Trump did a lot of horrible things, but he was too greedy and bad at his job to put in a lot of long term structural change. He spent his time putting his friends in convenient places and waging personal agendas, then ultimately fumbled himself out of office.

Some of the "friends" he put in high places are federal judges who will be there for life.  Those judges have much more power over the lives of regular Americans than most people realize.  

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Unleash the Echidnas

Since we're on the topic.

 

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8 minutes ago, Sally said:

Some of the "friends" he put in high places are federal judges who will be there for life.  Those judges have much more power over the lives of regular Americans than most people realize.  

That is true, some of the most harmful things he did.

 

Weren't you literally earlier in this thread talking about how Trump didn't have that much power?

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3 minutes ago, Zagadka said:

That is true, some of the most harmful things he did.

 

Weren't you literally earlier in this thread talking about how Trump didn't have that much power?

You expect me to read through the whole thread and tell you?  If you think I did, show me.  

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8 minutes ago, Zagadka said:

That is true, some of the most harmful things he did.

 

Weren't you literally earlier in this thread talking about how Trump didn't have that much power?

Is this what you meant?  Probably not, because this speaks to a huge amount of power:

 

"Trump did not do anything except increase people's misery by installing incompetent department heads, allow police to become a military force, break relationships with our allies, and let the virus take over our country. "

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7 minutes ago, Sally said:

You expect me to read through the whole thread and tell you?  If you think I did, show me.  

No, it was mostly a rhetorical question, because I bloody well am not going to dig through this thread.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Sally said:

Is this what you meant?  Probably not, because this speaks to a huge amount of power:

 

"Trump did not do anything except increase people's misery by installing incompetent department heads, allow police to become a military force, break relationships with our allies, and let the virus take over our country. "

Is it a huge amount of power, or is it not anything?

 

IIRC, the context was that I said Trump did a lot unilaterally and you said Biden is powerless because apparently Manchin is the most powerful politician in the country and Biden can't do anything to budge him. Things like moving him in the party or taking away committee roles, or not responding to Manchin forcing him to remove things he campaigned on from the relief bill by putting Manchin's wife in a regional leadership position.

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11 minutes ago, Zagadka said:

IIRC, the context was that I said Trump did a lot unilaterally and you said Biden is powerless because apparently Manchin is the most powerful politician in the country and Biden can't do anything to budge him. 

I said nothing even remotely of the kind.

 

Are you going to continue claiming I said things, and yet refuse to produce those supposed comments I made?  Because I'm not playing that game anymore.

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On 4/29/2021 at 7:54 PM, Sally said:

He can't pass "many things" with reconciliation; there are restrictions.  

Your position is that Biden has done all he can do and can't do anything more, and that is super progressive and we shouldn't ask for more.

 

I say that is BS, he can do more, he can whip his party, he can use executive orders. Just this week he responded to pressure and backed TRIPS waiver, and last week he reversed his decision to limit the refugee program to Trump levels.

 

As I said when I criticized Biden, I will recognize when he does something good, and I posted both of those stories to this thread with positive comments.

 

You've also gone out of your way to make snarky comments about how I should read more, which I happily ignored, but did not go unnoticed.

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Please keep in mind the Terms of Service. Take a step back if needed.

 

Iam9man

PPS Moderator

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Following up on Biden's recent good things, it appears that, as usual, he is talking a lot and not following through.

 

https://www.dailyposter.com/vaccine-waiver-pledge-tests-biden-worlds-pharma-ties/

 

Basically, that it is a very narrow and targeted proposal, and still just a suggestion to the WTO, which needs convincing by European states also holding out before it means anything.

 

 

 

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/07/994441511/as-biden-shifts-on-immigration-some-advocates-see-him-giving-up-without-a-fight

 

Quote

President Biden rolled out a proposal to overhaul the nation's immigration system on his first day in office.

But on Day 100, he shifted to talk about a more targeted, pragmatic approach.

It left some advocates feeling abandoned.

"He said in his speech ... 'Oh, I fulfilled my promise. Now it's off my hands. The Congress now needs to pass,' " said Gema Lowe, an undocumented organizer with the group Movimiento Cosecha. "So he's washing his hands by saying that ... instead of fighting and putting pressure to pass a bill, not just introducing the bill."

So going back to that bragging about 100 Days accomplishments and my concern that he would just rest on that...

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Unleash the Echidnas

‘Belonging Is Stronger Than Facts’: The Age of Misinformation

Quote

Put more simply, people become more prone to misinformation when three things happen. First, and perhaps most important, is when conditions in society make people feel a greater need for what social scientists call ingrouping — a belief that their social identity is a source of strength and superiority, and that other groups can be blamed for their problems. [...] The second driver of the misinformation era is the emergence of high-profile political figures who encourage their followers to indulge their desire for identity-affirming misinformation. After all, an atmosphere of all-out political conflict often benefits those leaders, at least in the short term, by rallying people behind them. Then there is the third factor — a shift to social media, which is a powerful outlet for composers of disinformation, a pervasive vector for misinformation itself and a multiplier of the other risk factors.

 

“When you post things, you’re highly aware of the feedback that you get, the social feedback in terms of likes and shares,” Dr. Brady said. So when misinformation appeals to social impulses more than the truth does, it gets more attention online, which means people feel rewarded and encouraged for spreading it. “Depending on the platform, especially, humans are very sensitive to social reward,” he said. Research demonstrates that people who get positive feedback for posting inflammatory or false statements become much more likely to do so again in the future. “You are affected by that.”

 

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https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/552373-biden-fills-immigration-court-with-trump-hires

 

Quote

The Biden team has hired a slate of immigration judges initially selected during the Trump era, angering advocates who argue the White House is already failing to deliver in its pledge to push back against the prior administration's shaping of the judiciary.

The first 17 hires to the court system responsible for determining whether migrants get to remain in the country is filled with former prosecutors and counselors for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as a few picks with little immigration experience. 

Almost none have made their career representing migrants in court.

The Thursday announcement from the Department of Justice (DOJ) initially perplexed immigration attorneys, advocates and even some former immigration judges who wondered why the group so closely mirrored the jurists favored by the Trump administration.

...

 

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So now I'm even more worried. Biden is raising some taxes on the rich, which will piss off a certain segment of society. He is also limiting unemployment and stimulus benefits without raising the minimum wage or putting any housing or healthcare or other reforms in place, which will upset another large segment of society. It seems like he's pleasing a center segment of middle class college educated liberals and no one else. This will not play well in midterms.

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Oh, also, f* Biden.

 

https://stephensemler.substack.com/p/bidens-foreign-aid-plan-funds-the

 

Quote

Biden’s foreign aid plan funds the Israeli military more than the international climate response

...

Per the Paris Accords (and science), US financial contributions to the global climate response should be orders of magnitude higher. Per international human rights law, US military aid to Israel should be zero. That Biden is prepared to fail so spectacularly on both warrants a unified response from the Congressional Progressive Caucus about what they plan to do once Biden drops his official budget request.

 

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At the risk of inciting an argument, which is NOT my intention.

I see California has announced a budget surplus this year. Some of that can go to reserve funds, some will go back to the citizens. 

 

(I do wonder how conservatives will make it out to be a bad thing, when a state like California has a surplus, while states like Texas or Florida don't (of course neither does New York))

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29 minutes ago, daveb said:

(I do wonder how conservatives will make it out to be a bad thing, when a state like California has a surplus, while states like Texas or Florida don't (of course neither does New York))

Not sure. They'll probably say taxes are too high and refuse further investments.

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Or go against it, but then take credit for anything good or popular that comes out of it. :P 

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On today's episode of Most Progressive President Who Just Needs More Time:

 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-unemployment-benefits_n_609e80b0e4b0daf2b5a09797?o3

 

Quote

President Joe Biden could stop Republican-led states from fully cutting federal unemployment benefits, at least according to labor advocates and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), but Biden seems uninterested.

More than a dozen Republican governors have said they’ll cancel federal unemployment programs, which provide an extra $300 per week plus benefits for gig workers, because beneficiaries supposedly aren’t eager enough to take jobs.

 

Sanders told Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in a letter Thursday that the law creating the program for gig workers actually gives the federal government no leeway to let states kill the benefits.

 

“It is critical that the Department of Labor does everything in its power to ensure that jobless Americans continue to receive this aid as the law intended,” Sanders wrote.

The Labor Department offered a noncommittal response.

 

And just continuing casual apartheid. Whatcha gonna do, fascism is completely defeated.

 

 

Can't wait for Kamala's next AIPAC speech.

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Gentle Giant

Why is it even allowed for another recount in Arizona by people who believe conspiracy theory nonsense? T-rump now says the Maricopa county database has been deleted. A Republican recorder for the county speaks out against that lie thankfully. But there should be a severe consequence for people who spread these lies. I’m sick of them getting away with it over and over again. Give them a steep fine and/or jail time.

 

Also Marjorie Taylor Greene is creating a hostile work environment for her colleagues. She should face consequences for that too.

 

The people who have been minimizing the Jan. 6th attack are disgusting.

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41 minutes ago, Gentle Giant said:

Why is it even allowed for another recount in Arizona by people who believe conspiracy theory nonsense? T-rump now says the Maricopa county database has been deleted. A Republican recorder for the county speaks out against that lie thankfully. But there should be a severe consequence for people who spread these lies. I’m sick of them getting away with it over and over again. Give them a steep fine and/or jail time.

 

Also Marjorie Taylor Greene is creating a hostile work environment for her colleagues. She should face consequences for that too.

 

The people who have been minimizing the Jan. 6th attack are disgusting.

 It is disgusting, but it isn't exactly illegal. They can't just arrest or fine them.

 

There needs to be an investigation, but the Senate committee on it is weak. The Dems collapsed to make it "bipartisan"; there will be 50% Republicans and 50% Democrats ,and the Republicans have veto power over subpoenas etc, so... given that most of those Republicans literally voted to not uphold the election in th4e first place, nothing will get done.

 

In Arizona, they control the state election mechanics, so they can do whatever they want. Federal election protections are weak.

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I will never like this guy.

 

 

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On 5/10/2021 at 8:34 PM, daveb said:

At the risk of inciting an argument, which is NOT my intention.

I see California has announced a budget surplus this year. Some of that can go to reserve funds, some will go back to the citizens. 

 

(I do wonder how conservatives will make it out to be a bad thing, when a state like California has a surplus, while states like Texas or Florida don't (of course neither does New York))

They could use some of it to rake their forests.

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So today they voted for $1.9 billion in surplus funds for the Capital police... the ones who did nothing on Jan 6. Instead of holding them accountable, they just hand over a huge chunk of cash. It passed by one vote (AOC, Brown, and Tlaib could have stopped it). They clearly heard the important part of "defund."

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Going backwards.

 

The budget plan now leaves out key campaign promises about healthcare plans, lowering medicare age, prescription costs, raising the estate tax, student loan forgiveness, and more, literally saying "a White House spokesman confirmed in a statement that the budget would not include major initiatives beyond what had already been released by the administration" ... "The budget won’t propose other new initiatives..."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/05/21/white-house-biden-health/

 

Meanwhile, the Democrats negotiated DOWN their "historic once in a generation" infrastructure bill from $2.3 trillion to $1.7 trillion, and, predictably, still got 0 Republican support. because "in the spirit of finding common ground" and are now making the huge leap of just passing the lowered bill on their own, so they effectively surrendered to Republicans for no reason. Thanks, DNC.

 

https://www.ibtimes.com/republicans-reject-biden-infrastructure-bill-despite-reduced-cost-3205538

 

So "just give him more time" is working out *really* well. These were *cornerstones* of his campaign and policy.

 

But at least he's still backing ethnic cleansing, so...

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On 5/19/2021 at 12:56 AM, Zagadka said:

I will never like this guy.

Gee, I wonder why. He has such a formidable track record, being part of the Dronebama regime and all...

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