US Politics Thread

[malg]

Tip - if you must smoke, don't inhale. Perhaps in a month or so the anti-Biden bullshit drug will wear off and you'll come to your senses.

Yeah ok. Jog on if you think that fella is fit to govern. Fuck me.....

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

CNN is just as bad. They’re now controlled by a major Trump donor and are rapidly lurching to the right. Not that you knew that of course.

I'm not convinced that CNN is completely false news - yeah they're owned by a conservative who is courting the Right and yeah he's axed journalists he doesn't like. And yeah they gave Trump a "town hall" where he ran rough-shod with virtually no fact checking.

But - at least so far - there's no outright lying from CNN that I'm aware of.

To put things into perspective let's say that Fox News and CNN were accused of murder.

My take:
Fox News has been charged with serial killings. Hate crime penalties attach. If convicted, Fox will face multiple life terms in jail at best.

CNN has been charged with negligent homicide. If convicted, perhaps a 5-year jail sentence with attendant financial liability will ensue.

There's a world of difference (IMO) between Fox and CNN - but who knows, maybe CNN will get far worse over time.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

Yeah ok. Jog on if you think that fella is fit to govern. Fuck me.....

Seems pretty senile to me too. That fella is not fit to govern. Fuck me....

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

How is he both “unfit for anything other than retirement” and simultaneously “the best option” — in the next sentence? You’re right — it is impossible for your U.S. friends to grasp it.

Of course I’m worried about him. But he tripped over a fucking beanbag. And yet four posters who never show up here with any regularity suddenly come out of the woodwork to discuss Biden’s frailties. As such, being suspicious of their motives for the sudden appearance shouldn’t be a shock.

I also recognize those who have had conservative or politic-cynical views in the past are all still fighting their 2015 rearguard action when they didn’t see Trump for what he was. It might help their case were they on the front lines expressing their horror and disbelief that the former POTUS is gonna be charged with espionage rather than sashaying in only when the current POTUS falls down.

Precisely my point. He's unfit for office but still your best option. Not actually a criticism of him, just an observation that he's pretty fucked - as I'm sure most of us will be at that age.
Re the sudden appearance of posters commenting on bidens fall - take your tin foil hat off. It's because it's about the only real political news coming from the US, besides the trump stuff which is like watching a slightly predictable car crash in slow motion.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

No idea what you're going on about there. Are you saying you voted Conservative? If so, then so what? You're right I never knew CNN had been bought. Good thing. I heard Fox also got rid of that Carlson fella, so maybe they're moving left......

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

Tip - if you must smoke, don't inhale. Perhaps in a month or so the anti-Biden bullshit drug will wear off and you'll come to your senses.

I think he might just have a different opinion to you and not agree with you. This is just life thing and you'll probably need to come to terms with it if you hope to interact more successfully.
The tragedy of all this is that (apart from Biden to his credit) you and many others who have probably self radicalised during lockdowns are still playing the game devised by trump to polarise you all and keep him relevant. You've had three years to heal and move on, but you and millions like you are still going in the same circle you've been stuck in since 2020. The safest thing is that this pantomime social media version of politics is a distraction from actual policy and holding politicians on all sides to account.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

I think he might just have a different opinion to you and not agree with you. This is just life thing and you'll probably need to come to terms with it if you hope to interact more successfully.
The tragedy of all this is that (apart from Biden to his credit) you and many others who have probably self radicalised during lockdowns are still playing the game devised by trump to polarise you all and keep him relevant. You've had three years to heal and move on, but you and millions like you are still going in the same circle you've been stuck in since 2020. The safest thing is that this pantomime social media version of politics is a distraction from actual policy and holding politicians on all sides to account.

Couldn't disagree more.

Trump is a fascist criminal.

He will shortly be convicted of State and Federal crimes - but by some bizarre twist of fate will still be eligible for office. And due to the fucked up electoral college system - Trump might conceivably win the presidency in 2024. What a spectacle that will prove - ruling the USA from a prison cell in Georgia!

The Right news media has abandoned fact and is all about ratings and telling its audience what they want to hear. CNN may eventually reach this point - but for me isn't nearly so bad at present.

I'm actually a pretty conservative nutter, truth-be-told. I really like Nixon and still think - apart from his megalomaniac tendencies - that he was a great President on many fronts. I also like George W - mostly - but I think his search for revenge following 911 intimidated the chain of command and that he was fed information he wanted to hear about Iraq. I also fault him for not sufficiently planning post-war recovery for Iraq.

I'm very centrist. Rational. Able to reason. Willing to take on facts in opposition to my beliefs if truth bears them out.

Malg and similar ilk - by way of contrast - are locked into some sort of Biden senile/decrepit/whatever false narrative spewed by the Right. I will not back down from arguing as forcibly as possible against this dangerous lie. There may come a point when Biden is actually impaired while still holding office - and at such time I'll concede that a change in leadership is necessary.

As I've already stated - I sede the argument that there's cause for concern due to Biden's age - he might well die of complications due to age within the next few years. I however completely disagree that Biden is presently showing obvious signs of mental decline or physical infirmity to the extent that it would unduly impair his performance as President.

And @blueinsa - rest assured - I'm voting for Biden. And enthusiastically, whole-heartedly so!

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

Couldn't disagree more.

Trump is a fascist criminal.

The Right news media has abandoned fact and is all about ratings and telling its audience what they want to hear. CNN may eventually reach this point - but for me isn't nearly so bad at present.

I'm actually a pretty conservative nutter, truth-be-told. I really like Nixon and still think - apart from his megalomaniac tendencies - that he was a great president on many fronts. I also like George W - mostly - but I think his search for revenge following 911 intimidated the chain of command and that he was fed information he wanted to hear about Iraq. I also fault him for not sufficiently planning post-war recovery for Iraq.

I'm very centrist. Rational. Able to reason. Willing to take on facts in opposition to my beliefs if truth bears them out.

Malg - by way of contrast - is locked into some sort of Biden senile/decrepit/whatever false narrative spewed by the Right.

As I've already stated - I sede the argument that there's cause for concern due to Biden's age - he might well die of complications due to age within the next few years. I however completely disagree that Biden is showing obvious signs of mental decline or physical infirmity.

I agree with you re the RW media, and as others have said we are pretty much mirroring your media and politics here on a smaller scale.
Possibly a global disease with far right elents gaining traction from a disaffected population during economic hard times - as has always been the case through history. Although Biden is undeniably in his twilight years trump is right behind him and probably less healthy overall, and at present probably has an equal chance of being in a prison a coffin or the oval office in the coming years.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

Biden doing a grand job.

Lets go Joe.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

I agree with you re the RW media, and as others have said we are pretty much mirroring your media and politics here on a smaller scale.
Possibly a global disease with far right elents gaining traction from a disaffected population during economic hard times - as has always been the case through history. Although Biden is undeniably in his twilight years trump is right behind him and probably less healthy overall, and at present probably has an equal chance of being in a prison a coffin or the oval office in the coming years.

Governance has not adequately addressed the displacement of many, many workers due to technological advance. The blue collar laborer who in decades past could look forward to a stable, long-term, well-paying job is now facing unemployment or underemployment on a global scale.

As artificial intelligence advances - more and more jobs will be displaced. Numerous white collar workers will find themselves in the same situation as their blue collar counterparts.

What's to be done?

Putting unnecessary restrictions on the advance of science is a mistake, IMO. AI - however - warrants special consideration - beyond the scope of this forum and of my personal knowledge.

I will say this though - I think that most of the ills of society could be solved or be on the road to solution - if the distribution of wealth were more equitable.

I find it ironic - that technology is on the cusp of being so advanced - that most people need not work at all - free to enjoy a life of luxury and pursuit of whatever interests them - that at this very same time - due to the massive distortion of wealth distribution - this dream of worry-free life seems more distant from reality than it did several hundred thousand years ago when our species first emerged.