|
|
Post by aj2hall on Dec 9, 2021 1:12:43 GMT
I strongly encourage everyone to read this article. If this doesn't scare you or convince you our democracy is under threat, nothing will. Here are just a few highlights www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/january-6-insurrection-trump-coup-2024-election/620843/TRUMP’S NEXT COUP HAS ALREADY BEGUN
January 6 was practice. Donald Trump’s GOP is much better positioned to subvert the next election.
For more than a year now, with tacit and explicit support from their party’s national leaders, state Republican operatives have been building an apparatus of election theft. Elected officials in Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and other states have studied Donald Trump’s crusade to overturn the 2020 election. They have noted the points of failure and have taken concrete steps to avoid failure next time. Some of them have rewritten statutes to seize partisan control of decisions about which ballots to count and which to discard, which results to certify and which to reject. They are driving out or stripping power from election officials who refused to go along with the plot last November, aiming to replace them with exponents of the Big Lie. They are fine-tuning a legal argument that purports to allow state legislators to override the choice of the voters.
...
By way of foundation for all the rest, Trump and his party have convinced a dauntingly large number of Americans that the essential workings of democracy are corrupt, that made-up claims of fraud are true, that only cheating can thwart their victory at the polls, that tyranny has usurped their government, and that violence is a legitimate response.
...
Trump is successfully shaping the narrative of the insurrection in the only political ecosystem that matters to him. The immediate shock of the event, which briefly led some senior Republicans to break with him, has given way to a near-unanimous embrace. Virtually no one a year ago, certainly not I, predicted that Trump could compel the whole party’s genuflection to the Big Lie and the recasting of insurgents as martyrs. Today the few GOP dissenters are being cast out. “2 down, 8 to go!” Trump gloated at the retirement announcement of Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of 10 House Republicans to vote for his second impeachment.
Trump has reconquered his party by setting its base on fire. Tens of millions of Americans perceive their world through black clouds of his smoke. His deepest source of strength is the bitter grievance of Republican voters that they lost the White House, and are losing their country, to alien forces with no legitimate claim to power. This is not some transient or loosely committed population. Trump has built the first American mass political movement in the past century that is ready to fight by any means necessary, including bloodshed, for its cause.
The strategic objective of nearly every move by the Trump team after the networks called the election for Joe Biden on November 7 was to induce Republican legislatures in states that Biden won to seize control of the results and appoint Trump electors instead. Every other objective—in courtrooms, on state election panels, in the Justice Department, and in the office of the vice president—was instrumental to that end.
In at least 15 more states, Republicans have advanced new laws to shift authority over elections from governors and career officials in the executive branch to the legislature. Under the Orwellian banner of “election integrity,” even more have rewritten laws to make it harder for Democrats to vote. Death threats and harassment from Trump supporters have meanwhile driven nonpartisan voting administrators to contemplate retirement.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, excommunicated and primaried at Trump’s behest for certifying Biden’s victory, nonetheless signed a new law in March that undercuts the power of the county authorities who normally manage elections. Now a GOP-dominated state board, beholden to the legislature, may overrule and take control of voting tallies in any jurisdiction—for example, a heavily Black and Democratic one like Fulton County. The State Election Board can suspend a county board if it deems the board to be “underperforming” and replace it with a handpicked administrator. The administrator, in turn, will have final say on disqualifying voters and declaring ballots null and void. Instead of complaining about balls and strikes, Team Trump will now own the referee.
The Justice Department has filed suit to overturn some provisions of the new Georgia law—but not to challenge the hostile takeover of election authorities. Instead, the federal lawsuit takes issue with a long list of traditional voter-suppression tactics that, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland, have the intent and effect of disadvantaging Black voters. These include prohibitions and “onerous fines” that restrict the distribution of absentee ballots, limit the use of ballot drop boxes, and forbid handing out food or water to voters waiting in line. These provisions make it harder, by design, for Democrats to vote in Georgia. The provisions that Garland did not challenge make it easier for Republicans to fix the outcome. They represent danger of a whole different magnitude.
There is a clear and present danger that American democracy will not withstand the destructive forces that are now converging upon it. Our two-party system has only one party left that is willing to lose an election. The other is willing to win at the cost of breaking things that a democracy cannot live without.
The midterms, marked by gerrymandering, will more than likely tighten the GOP’s grip on the legislatures in swing states. The Supreme Court may be ready to give those legislatures near-absolute control over the choice of presidential electors. And if Republicans take back the House and Senate, as oddsmakers seem to believe they will, the GOP will be firmly in charge of counting the electoral votes.
Against Biden or another Democratic nominee, Donald Trump may be capable of winning a fair election in 2024. He does not intend to take that chance. |
|
|
|
Post by cindosha on Dec 9, 2021 13:57:35 GMT
And yet another example…. Because the left has NEVER, EVER altered a tweet or a news article or a quote. I keep forgetting about that....  |
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 9, 2021 15:00:33 GMT
And yet another example…. Because the left has NEVER, EVER altered a tweet or a news article or a quote. I keep forgetting about that....  What you fail to grasp is that for the Republicans of today no one needs to “alter” a tweet to make them look bad. They excel at doing it on their own. Here is an example… |
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 9, 2021 15:52:25 GMT
Good question…
|
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 9, 2021 16:01:17 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by cindosha on Dec 9, 2021 17:03:37 GMT
Because the left has NEVER, EVER altered a tweet or a news article or a quote. I keep forgetting about that.... What you fail to grasp is that for the Republicans of today no one needs to “alter” a tweet to make them look bad. They excel at doing it on their own. Here is an example… What, you mean after fauci said to wear two masks or that newsome said don't sing or talk too loudly at someone because you can give them or get covid??? you can say the same for both parties. they are all assholes!!! it doesn't mean they are right or wrong. do your own research and make your own decisions. and quit telling everyone that any opinion but your own or the left's in general are the only ones that count!! |
|
|
|
Post by Merge on Dec 9, 2021 17:57:43 GMT
What you fail to grasp is that for the Republicans of today no one needs to “alter” a tweet to make them look bad. They excel at doing it on their own. Here is an example… What, you mean after fauci said to wear two masks or that newsome said don't sing or talk too loudly at someone because you can give them or get covid??? you can say the same for both parties. they are all assholes!!! it doesn't mean they are right or wrong. do your own research and make your own decisions. and quit telling everyone that any opinion but your own or the left's in general are the only ones that count!! Except that Fauci made an off the cuff supposition that two masks might contain more droplets than one based on common sense, and Newsom relied on actual data that shows that singing spreads more droplets than regular talking. This is not the same thing as your people just making shit up to support their illogical anti-vax stance. Opinions are only as good as the facts that support them. The right has not relied on facts during any part of this pandemic. |
|
sassyangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,456 
|
Post by sassyangel on Dec 9, 2021 18:07:33 GMT
🙄🙄🙄😂 No one needs to alter their tweets, Republican reps are pretty damn good at looking like ignorant trolls all by themselves. Often deliberately.
|
|
|
|
Post by mollycoddle on Dec 9, 2021 18:27:39 GMT
What you fail to grasp is that for the Republicans of today no one needs to “alter” a tweet to make them look bad. They excel at doing it on their own. Here is an example… What, you mean after fauci said to wear two masks or that newsome said don't sing or talk too loudly at someone because you can give them or get covid??? you can say the same for both parties. they are all assholes!!! it doesn't mean they are right or wrong. do your own research and make your own decisions. and quit telling everyone that any opinion but your own or the left's in general are the only ones that count!! “Doing your own research” is what has gotten us horse paste, bleach baths and now mouthwash. I heard a nurse yesterday opine that nobody knows what’s in these vaccines. Her solution? Vitamin supplements-including magnesium-exercise, and all of the things that we do to keep healthy. 🙄 One problem has been that lots of folks substitute opinion for fact. They are not the same thing. But lots of folks thought that horse dewormer might keep them from getting Covid. They thought wrong. And now, from a sitting Senator, the latest head smacking, blitheringly stupid remarks: “Standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus,” Johnson said, according to an audio recording of his remarks. “If you get it, you may reduce viral replication. Why not try all these things?” The answer is because they don’t work. But it is likely that someone will latch onto this idea. Scientists are saying that we should get the vaccine. So we can listen to scientists, or listen to folks like Ron Johnson-who just makes stuff up. What to do? 🤔 |
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 9, 2021 18:49:42 GMT
What you fail to grasp is that for the Republicans of today no one needs to “alter” a tweet to make them look bad. They excel at doing it on their own. Here is an example… What, you mean after fauci said to wear two masks or that newsome said don't sing or talk too loudly at someone because you can give them or get covid??? you can say the same for both parties. they are all assholes!!! it doesn't mean they are right or wrong. do your own research and make your own decisions. and quit telling everyone that any opinion but your own or the left's in general are the only ones that count!! Raise your hand if you lived through a pandemic before COVID-19 descended. Raise your hand if you think there was a “pandemic” manual that would cover all things to do for any type of virus that should be the cause of a pandemic. Your example is a bad example of this “both sides” shit. It shows your ignorance of a new virus and how it spreads and what precautions that should be taken until a vaccine is created. Even after almost two years they still don’t completely know how to get rid of this virus. Today there is talk of giving yet another booster shot. That’s two initial shots and two booster shots? Does that mean people will need to get a booster shot for this virus every couple of months? Ah opinions… First everyone is entitled to express their opinion. This board is full of opinions. And folks can agree or disagree with that opinion. There are different types of opinions. There are what I call “personal preference” opinions like I don’t like the color blue or I hate seafood. Then there are opinions based on specific actions by others. IMO these opinions are guided by one’s moral compass and personal preference. In case you don’t know what a moral compass is, it’s knowing the difference between right & wrong and acting accordingly. These opinions are interchangeable between personal preference and knowing the difference between right and wrong. We humans are a complex lot. And regardless of what type of opinion you chose to express you are entitled to it, just like folks are entitled to disagree with it. And while I would just love everyone to agree with me I know that just ain’t going to happen. What you won’t see is me whining that people don’t like to hear alternative views. (I only do that in the privacy of my home 😀) But what you will see is “we are going to agree to disagree”. |
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 9, 2021 19:06:06 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by cindosha on Dec 9, 2021 19:51:43 GMT
Raise your hand if you lived through a pandemic before COVID-19 descended. Raise your hand if you think there was a “pandemic” manual that would cover all things to do for any type of virus that should be the cause of a pandemic. Your example is a bad example of this “both sides” shit. It shows your ignorance of a new virus and how it spreads and what precautions that should be taken until a vaccine is created. Even after almost two years they still don’t completely know how to get rid of this virus. Today there is talk of giving yet another booster shot. That’s two initial shots and two booster shots? Does that mean people will need to get a booster shot for this virus every couple of months? Ah opinions… First everyone is entitled to express their opinion. This board is full of opinions. And folks can agree or disagree with that opinion. There are different types of opinions. There are what I call “personal preference” opinions like I don’t like the color blue or I hate seafood. Then there are opinions based on specific actions by others. IMO these opinions are guided by one’s moral compass and personal preference. In case you don’t know what a moral compass is, it’s knowing the difference between right & wrong and acting accordingly. These opinions are interchangeable between personal preference and knowing the difference between right and wrong. We humans are a complex lot. And regardless of what type of opinion you chose to express you are entitled to it, just like folks are entitled to disagree with it. And while I would just love everyone to agree with me I know that just ain’t going to happen. What you won’t see is me whining that people don’t like to hear alternative views. (I only do that in the privacy of my home 😀) But what you will see is “we are going to agree to disagree”. Ah, yes...the pandemic....lets still blame it all on President Trump because the vaccine was available one month before he left office. And as I recall, most of the big whigs of the left said they would not get the vaccine because it was developed under Trump. So there's that....But the Listerine, I don't see where he specifically said "Listerine" but lets call him crazy because he said that keeping yourself healthy may help with contracting or dealing with the virus... you can talk about the vaccine after you've taken your 13th booster. It is just going to keep mutating and mutating and pretty soon EVERYONE will get the vid. 13 boosters, 6 masks and rubber gloves later... Yeah I keep forgetting how ignorant I am too!! It is so helpful for everyone here to remind me that I am because my views don't correlate with yours... And I might as well add in what an IDIOT I think lori lightfoot is for blaming the store owners for the smash and grab free for all's because they don't have enough security guards or security cameras in their stores. AND that they don't lock up their merchandise and chain their purses together. So, the left never says anything stupid. And the right didn't even have to alter or misrepresent that bit of news. Oh, and that's "MY opinion". |
|
anonaname
Full Member
Posts: 256
Aug 18, 2021 0:04:22 GMT
|
Post by anonaname on Dec 9, 2021 22:08:05 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Nov 25, 2024 19:46:55 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2021 22:12:47 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 9, 2021 22:13:51 GMT
Raise your hand if you lived through a pandemic before COVID-19 descended. Raise your hand if you think there was a “pandemic” manual that would cover all things to do for any type of virus that should be the cause of a pandemic. Your example is a bad example of this “both sides” shit. It shows your ignorance of a new virus and how it spreads and what precautions that should be taken until a vaccine is created. Even after almost two years they still don’t completely know how to get rid of this virus. Today there is talk of giving yet another booster shot. That’s two initial shots and two booster shots? Does that mean people will need to get a booster shot for this virus every couple of months? Ah opinions… First everyone is entitled to express their opinion. This board is full of opinions. And folks can agree or disagree with that opinion. There are different types of opinions. There are what I call “personal preference” opinions like I don’t like the color blue or I hate seafood. Then there are opinions based on specific actions by others. IMO these opinions are guided by one’s moral compass and personal preference. In case you don’t know what a moral compass is, it’s knowing the difference between right & wrong and acting accordingly. These opinions are interchangeable between personal preference and knowing the difference between right and wrong. We humans are a complex lot. And regardless of what type of opinion you chose to express you are entitled to it, just like folks are entitled to disagree with it. And while I would just love everyone to agree with me I know that just ain’t going to happen. What you won’t see is me whining that people don’t like to hear alternative views. (I only do that in the privacy of my home 😀) But what you will see is “we are going to agree to disagree”. Ah, yes...the pandemic....lets still blame it all on President Trump because the vaccine was available one month before he left office. And as I recall, most of the big whigs of the left said they would not get the vaccine because it was developed under Trump. So there's that....But the Listerine, I don't see where he specifically said "Listerine" but lets call him crazy because he said that keeping yourself healthy may help with contracting or dealing with the virus... you can talk about the vaccine after you've taken your 13th booster. It is just going to keep mutating and mutating and pretty soon EVERYONE will get the vid. 13 boosters, 6 masks and rubber gloves later... Yeah I keep forgetting how ignorant I am too!! It is so helpful for everyone here to remind me that I am because my views don't correlate with yours... And I might as well add in what an IDIOT I think lori lightfoot is for blaming the store owners for the smash and grab free for all's because they don't have enough security guards or security cameras in their stores. AND that they don't lock up their merchandise and chain their purses together. So, the left never says anything stupid. And the right didn't even have to alter or misrepresent that bit of news. Oh, and that's "MY opinion". You’re ranting and not making any sense. But I will say that Johnson had no business making that comment about mouth wash, regardless of the brand, because as pointed out above there will be idiots who think if they just gargle with mouth wash they will be safe from getting the virus and won’t need to get vaccinated. Not only is that irresponsible on this part but dangerous as well. IMO. Now you can agree with that or disagree with it, the choice is yours. |
|
anonaname
Full Member
Posts: 256
Aug 18, 2021 0:04:22 GMT
|
Post by anonaname on Dec 10, 2021 0:42:47 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 10, 2021 18:35:01 GMT
|
|
lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,306
|
Post by lindas on Dec 10, 2021 18:44:58 GMT
As long as the interest rates remain so low people will continue to borrow and spend and inflation will continue to increase so the they need to raise the rates. |
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 10, 2021 19:39:45 GMT
As long as the interest rates remain so low people will continue to borrow and spend and inflation will continue to increase so the they need to raise the rates. Why do people continue to give a simplistic answer to a complex question? |
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 10, 2021 20:17:08 GMT
The sad fact is the majority of Americans don’t understand how “things” work so they often fall prey to those who have a negative agenda.
And no I don’t totally understand what causes inflation but don’t think it’s as simplistic those on the right want to make it sound.
|
|
lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,306
|
Post by lindas on Dec 10, 2021 20:21:00 GMT
As long as the interest rates remain so low people will continue to borrow and spend and inflation will continue to increase so the they need to raise the rates. Why do people continue to give a simplistic answer to a complex question? I’m not claiming it’s the only answer, just that it’s one of the ways to bring it down. |
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 10, 2021 20:32:36 GMT
Why do people continue to give a simplistic answer to a complex question? I’m not claiming it’s the only answer, just that it’s one of the ways to bring it down. And higher interest rates could push this country into a recession since 70% of this country ‘s economy is consumer spending. |
|
scrappinmama
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,127
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
|
Post by scrappinmama on Dec 10, 2021 20:43:00 GMT
He is doing a decent job for what he is having to deal with. There is no such thing as a perfect president. Even though I'm a supporter and voted for him, there is always room for improvement. We should always have high expectations for our presidents. Even when we vote for them. That constructive criticism is what holds them accountable.
There are plenty of times when the media coverage is petty though. The best thing people can do is get their news sources from various different places. Don't just rely on Fox or CNN or MSNBC. The more information you can gather from various resources, the less likely you will fall victim to bias in the media. I don't want a new source that is just preaching to the choir. News organizations should be asking hard questions for whoever is office.
|
|
|
|
Post by aj2hall on Dec 10, 2021 21:36:43 GMT
I don't think anyone expects the media to give the Democrats a pass. But for the media to be more critical of President Biden compared to the former one, who was arguably one of the worst presidents ever, seems disproportionate. It also seems unreasonable for them to criticize only the Democrats for the slow progress with the infrastructure bills and to basically give the Republicans a pass for voting against it. Also unfair if they are calling out VP Harris for things Pence did that were never called out, like staff turnover in the first year.
I agree that getting your news from multiple sources is important. And I want journalists to ask politicians on both sides of the aisle tough questions. I really wish they would stop focusing on the extreme members and their crazy stunts. The more attention they get, the more drama they create. Regrettably, the drama is what sells. I don't need news to be a reality TV show with a focus on personalities.
|
|
lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,306
|
Post by lindas on Dec 10, 2021 22:32:35 GMT
I’m not claiming it’s the only answer, just that it’s one of the ways to bring it down. And higher interest rates could push this country into a recession since 70% of this country ‘s economy is consumer spending. Sure if there was a large increase all at once but a 2% increase over a period of 18 to 24 months would slow down inflation without necessarily causing a recession. The Feds just need to find that sweet spot. If they don’t do something soon we’ll be looking at double digit inflation by mid 2022. at |
|
|
|
Post by aj2hall on Dec 10, 2021 22:50:45 GMT
Inflation didn't happen overnight and it won't go away overnight either. Inflation is caused by a complex set of problems. Solutions are complex, too and involve more than raising interest rates. Economists don't even all agree on the causes or solutions. Raising interest rates also has a risk of increasing unemployment at a critical time. www.nytimes.com/2021/11/10/business/economy/consumer-price-inflation-october.htmlWe don’t think it’s time yet to raise interest rates,” Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, said at a recent news conference. “There is still ground to cover to reach maximum employment.”
Many Republicans have falsely blamed the stimulus packages for rising inflation. They are also falsely claiming the infrastructure bills will increase inflation. www.economy.com/economicview/analysis/385134 "Worries that the plan will ignite undesirably high inflation and an overheating economy are overdone," Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics.Here's another view - that inflation isn't the problem, its a lack of competition. Companies are using the excuse of inflation to raise prices and because they can. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/11/us-inflation-market-power-america-antitrust-robert-reich
But there’s a deeper structural reason for inflation, one that appears to be growing worse: the economic concentration of the American economy in the hands of a relative few corporate giants with the power to raise prices. |
|
|
|
Post by pixiechick on Dec 11, 2021 7:15:55 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by aj2hall on Dec 11, 2021 12:34:22 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 12, 2021 22:48:04 GMT
And Nate Silver is full of crap. Just in general. I use to follow him & FiveThrityEight and posted a lot of their stuff on this board. But I have come to see Silver as someone who is full of himself and dumped him. Anyway, you don’t need a fancy “algorithm” to see and understand the type of press both President Biden & VP Harris are getting from mainstream media. President Obama also suffered from negative press over nothing as well. There is nothing wrong with honest criticism. But right now the majority of “criticism” both President Biden & VP Harris are receiving from mainstream media is anything but honest. Especially the headlines or talking points. Headlines & talking points that often leave out key points that tell the whole story. Unfortunately we have a “headline/talking point” only populous who just read & believe the headlines or talking points instead of reading/listening to the whole story. |
|
|
|
Post by onelasttime on Dec 13, 2021 0:09:49 GMT
|
|
