Only on the cooler does a thread about hanging criminals turn into a thread about Trump's health and resulting death while still on page 1.
We're cooked as a country. I don't see a way that we vote ourselves out of this mess.
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
POTFB
@hooky cosign. two groups of people who see things very very differently
@ohio-guy It's crickets because the movement surrounding Trump is a cult of personality that prioritizes loyalty over everything else. He says he's healthy and of sound mind so that means he's healthy and of sound mind, evidence to the contrary be damned.
Cult leaders are narcissists and con artists. Trump is pathologically narcissistic and one of the greatest con men who has ever lived.
I wouldn't be surprised if Vance eventually does another about-face and turns on Trump. Whether that happens after Trump passes away or not I don't know. I think if Vance does that, that'll be the signal for others to break the cult spell.
@ohio-guy It's crickets because the movement surrounding Trump is a cult of personality that prioritizes loyalty over everything else. He says he's healthy and of sound mind so that means he's healthy and of sound mind, evidence to the contrary be damned.
Cult leaders are narcissists and con artists. Trump is pathologically narcissistic and one of the greatest con men who has ever lived.
I wouldn't be surprised if Vance eventually does another about-face and turns on Trump. Whether that happens after Trump passes away or not I don't know. I think if Vance does that, that'll be the signal for others to break the cult spell.
@ohio-guy Yah, it's tough to predict where and how this ends up. There's no question that Trump's irrationality/mental decline is rapidly progressing. Just yesterday, while he's got Vance in Switzerland negotiating with the Iranians, he said to Iran "You close it (the Strait) and you won't have a country. You won't even make it back to your fucking country." Point 1 of the MOU reads in part: "The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will . . . refrain from the threat or use of force against each other." He's already violated the MOU! Also, any rational person knows that inflammatory public statements like that are NOT going to help the negotiations.
The party would benefit by having Vance complete the term rather than this raving lunatic. If the midterms are a disaster for them, and Trump's craziness escalates, their hand may be forced regarding the 25th Amendment.
@hooky cosign. two groups of people who see things very very differently
One group that wants to preserve the ideologies that have made this the greatest country in the history of mankind & another that wants to replace it with systems & ideologies that have failed over & over again throughout history.
💯@hooky cosign. two groups of people who see things very very differently
One group that wants to preserve the ideologies that have made this the greatest country in the history of mankind & another that wants to replace it with systems & ideologies that have failed over & over again throughout history.
@hooky cosign. two groups of people who see things very very differently
One group that wants to preserve the ideologies that have made this the greatest country in the history of mankind & another that wants to replace it with systems & ideologies that have failed over & over again throughout history.
Wow. Sounds impressive!
Now some reality.
There are THREE large political groups in this country, not two - - Pubs, Dems and Independents. Independents now constitute 47% of the electorate, far more than Pubs and Dems separately. National polling consistently confirms that the vast majority of the electorate - Rs, Ds and Is - rejects extremist views and does not fit neatly into the rigid platforms of either major party. Large-scale data from the Pew Research Center indicates that the largest segment of the public is moderate, mixed in their views, or completely disconnected from partisan extremes. But there are people everywhere, including here, who love promoting the false narrative that, if you're not MAGA, you're for open borders, men in women's restrooms, men playing women's sports, trans people flashing their tits at the White House and during parades, and that you hate America. Bullshit narratives like that fuel anger, and enragement equals engagement (and $$ for social media and podcaster "influencers").
But there are people everywhere, including here, who love promoting the false narrative that, if you're not MAGA, you're for open borders, men in women's restrooms, men playing women's sports, trans people flashing their tits at the White House and during parades, and that you hate America.
Butch - one would assume from your posts, you are not MAGA. Neither am I.
Question - MAGA will die off with the end of Trump's presidency, however the immigration and trans issues you highlight above will remain core Republican red lines. Based on your statement above, it would seem you have some nuanced views on immigration and trans rights issues. In 2028, if the Dems nominate Newsom or AOC, it's unlikely your views will closely align with their platform. If the pubs nominate Rubio - what do you do? If you vote Dem at that point you're going to have to, essentially, become the caricature you make above, no?
The notion that some people are born bad, and society should simply hang these people to cull genes from being passed on, brings up an interesting subject. This subject being recidivism rates and which prison rehabilitation programs provide lower rates.
For a discussion on recidivism and rehabilitation open this link.
Some people just shouldn't be allowed to be parents. I really think it's as simple as that. They had a bad parent(s), were abused, and then do the same thing to their kid. Then that kid does the same thing to his kid and the cycle continues forever. I don't know how you break it but one demographic is responsible for most of the problems and everyone knows it.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2068739949470404975
But there are people everywhere, including here, who love promoting the false narrative that, if you're not MAGA, you're for open borders, men in women's restrooms, men playing women's sports, trans people flashing their tits at the White House and during parades, and that you hate America.
Butch - one would assume from your posts, you are not MAGA. Neither am I.
Question - MAGA will die off with the end of Trump's presidency, however the immigration and trans issues you highlight above will remain core Republican red lines. Based on your statement above, it would seem you have some nuanced views on immigration and trans rights issues. In 2028, if the Dems nominate Newsom or AOC, it's unlikely your views will closely align with their platform. If the pubs nominate Rubio - what do you do? If you vote Dem at that point you're going to have to, essentially, become the caricature you make above, no?
@larsiu Great post. Thanks.
I can't stand Newsom. He was outed as a supreme hypocrite when he was seen at a restaurant during California's Covid lockdown, and the state has a host of problems (not the least of which is overregulation) for which he bears at least some responsibility. Also, he demonstrated extremely poor judgment in marrying Kimberly Guilfoyle. Lol. I wouldn't vote for him.
I wouldn't vote for AOC either. She's way too far left for me.
I think it's unlikely either one will be the nominee. Newsom will have a difficult time defending his California record and will likely get destroyed at the primary debates. AOC, I believe, is more likely to run for the Senate in '28 than the presidency. When and if she runs for president, she'll have a difficult time garnering support anywhere but the northeast and west coast.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Mark Kelly gain some early traction and emerge as a Dem front-runner. I'd also keep an eye on Wes Moore. Shapiro, too, could be a serious contender. I think it's also likely that there are a couple of people, not yet on anyone's radar, who make a deep run.
Finally, regarding Rubio, he's a rare bright spot in this administration. He's smart, seemingly reasonable, articulate, disciplined and professional in his demeanor. I'm not in lockstep with everything he says and promotes, but I'd give him a close look.
But there are people everywhere, including here, who love promoting the false narrative that, if you're not MAGA, you're for open borders, men in women's restrooms, men playing women's sports, trans people flashing their tits at the White House and during parades, and that you hate America.
Butch - one would assume from your posts, you are not MAGA. Neither am I.
Question - MAGA will die off with the end of Trump's presidency, however the immigration and trans issues you highlight above will remain core Republican red lines. Based on your statement above, it would seem you have some nuanced views on immigration and trans rights issues. In 2028, if the Dems nominate Newsom or AOC, it's unlikely your views will closely align with their platform. If the pubs nominate Rubio - what do you do? If you vote Dem at that point you're going to have to, essentially, become the caricature you make above, no?
@larsiu Great post. Thanks.
I can't stand Newsom. He was outed as a supreme hypocrite when he was seen at a restaurant during California's Covid lockdown, and the state has a host of problems (not the least of which is overregulation) for which he bears at least some responsibility. Also, he demonstrated extremely poor judgment in marrying Kimberly Guilfoyle. Lol. I wouldn't vote for him.
I wouldn't vote for AOC either. She's way too far left for me.
I think it's unlikely either one will be the nominee. Newsom will have a difficult time defending his California record and will likely get destroyed at the primary debates. AOC, I believe, is more likely to run for the Senate in '28 than the presidency. When and if she runs for president, she'll have a difficult time garnering support anywhere but the northeast and west coast.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Mark Kelly gain some early traction and emerge as a Dem front-runner. I'd also keep an eye on Wes Moore. Shapiro, too, could be a serious contender. I think it's also likely that there are a couple of people, not yet on anyone's radar, who make a deep run.
Finally, regarding Rubio, he's a rare bright spot in this administration. He's smart, seemingly reasonable, articulate, disciplined and professional in his demeanor. I'm not in lockstep with everything he says and promotes, but I'd give him a close look.
Let's hope we get two sane candidates. Thanks for the response.
But there are people everywhere, including here, who love promoting the false narrative that, if you're not MAGA, you're for open borders, men in women's restrooms, men playing women's sports, trans people flashing their tits at the White House and during parades, and that you hate America.
Butch - one would assume from your posts, you are not MAGA. Neither am I.
Question - MAGA will die off with the end of Trump's presidency, however the immigration and trans issues you highlight above will remain core Republican red lines. Based on your statement above, it would seem you have some nuanced views on immigration and trans rights issues. In 2028, if the Dems nominate Newsom or AOC, it's unlikely your views will closely align with their platform. If the pubs nominate Rubio - what do you do? If you vote Dem at that point you're going to have to, essentially, become the caricature you make above, no?
This is exactly the point Lars, you get it. You can call yourself Independent, Libertarian, Tea Party, MAGA, whatever, but in today’s political climate you’re voting for one of the two things in my post. That’s it. No nuance, no moderate candidates are going to be on the ticket. People on the left are unwilling to confront the reality that voting for Democrats is a vote to replace the United States with a socialist, & very likely eventual Islamic dominated society.
People on the left are unwilling to confront the reality that voting for Democrats is a vote to replace the United States with a socialist, & very likely eventual Islamic dominated society.
"People on the left right are unwilling to confront the reality that voting for Democrats Republicans is a vote to replace the United States with a socialist fascist, & very likely eventual Islamic Christian Nationalist dominated society."
See how that works?
I'd love to see a candidate come out with a campaign built around the following:
- Common Sense
- Common Decency
- Common Welfare
You could view any policy question through that lens and and bring together widely disparate factions.
People on the left are unwilling to confront the reality that voting for Democrats is a vote to replace the United States with a socialist, & very likely eventual Islamic dominated society.
"People on the left right are unwilling to confront the reality that voting for Democrats Republicans is a vote to replace the United States with a socialist fascist, & very likely eventual Islamic Christian Nationalist dominated society."
See how that works?
@unclemark What are people on the right trying to change about America?