Opinion | Republicans Are Delusional If They Think Biden Will Be Easy to Beat

[Chomsky]

These days, I think that their problem is that they don’t take many positions, e.g., lack of a platform in 2020 and no clarity on what they wish to cut in return for action on the debt ceiling.

It's not their "problem", alright maybe it is. But I believe it is a "feature". They deal in fear & emotion. That's their currency. Not, "policy".

 

[Chomsky]

You expect 'freedom & liberty, not authority and oppression' from a Liberal Activist Court?

Absolutely.

Are you familiar with this Democrat Liberal Court, I'm linking below?

Warren Court - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Better yet, consider reading my recent post in this thread on it in response to Ginger Ale:

Oh, and let's not forget the missing piece in the recension of recent decades - the Warren Court!

Under chief Justice Warren's Liberal Court (mid '50's through the close of the '60's), we had the greatest expansion of civil liberties, personal freedoms, and personal protections, the world had ever seen! Bar none! Literally, bar none! It's been described as a "Constitutional Explosion!"

Miranda, School Segregation, Civil Rights, Voting Rights, Search & Seizure, Incorporation of the Bill of Rights, 14th Due Process, Ending Mandatory School Prayer, Reapportionment, Right To Privacy (which begat Roe), and a plethora of others. The list goes on & on. All the things we take for granted today.

We could have had that again, had HRC prevailed. Rather than a 4-5 Court, we'd have 7-2. Pretty similar to Earl Warren's heavily Democratic Court, where even the Republicans were appointed by a moderate Eisenhower.

I swear, I want to cry when I think of the grave loss the Liberal cause has suffered in Hillary's failure to prevail.

 

[Nickyjo]

It's not their "problem", alright maybe it is. But I believe it is a "feature". They deal in fear & emotion. That's their currency. Not, "policy".

And to the extent that is true, it’s unfortunate. An old left-wing friend of mine said in the 1960s that “conservatives are like brakes,” meaning they can helpfully cause us on the left to re-examine our assumptions, suggest that “if we do this positive it might result in that negative,” or offer their reflexive free market solutions to counter the left’s reflexive government solutions.

 

[devildavid]

Also noted but not really on point.

Would any of them vote for a Republican for President?

Rarely, but Reagan did carry Massachusetts twice as did Eisenhower, so they must have garnered substantial Democratic votes.

 

[Cordelier]

I don't know. I think it's an important issue for some.

BTW - You might consider joining us in the Ukraine War Thread, if you're interested?

[W:#23,579]Ukraine War Thread

While we worry about the NATO countries' populaces' loosing political will in the war effort, we can't forget the effect of capitalism - in that the military contractors are receiving a bounty of orders and they hold political sway with the powers that be. That is not really the case in Europe...

debatepolitics.com

I've gone in there a few times, but I never seem to know what to add to the conversation. As Winston Churchill used to say, "In war the truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." I just don't believe the information that comes out of either side... and so I don't have a whole lot of factual information to operate on.

 

[devildavid]

You make a lot of opinion based claims, and I can see the rationale of them even if I might not see it to the degree you do.

But my opinion is only an opinion, too. I think she's a bit more popular with Indies than you do, but there's no way to prove that. I do admit there's only one Barack & one Joe.

My take is based on Michelle’s personality. I see her turning people off with what often comes across as a superior attitude. I felt that Barack also came across that way, but he also could be charming which I have not seen in Michelle.

 

[pocket aces]

You're treading into pedo territory by talking about consent at this level from minors.

I asked a question about the small amount of surgeries you posted, Do they consider it mutilation? Do the parents that consented consider it mutilation?

 

[pocket aces]

You have the backwards. It's you and your team that are in the bubble. Most people, even those on the left, are not OK with genital mutilation of minors.

Most people who aren't sick ****ing right wingers don't think about the genitals of minors.

 

[pocket aces]

Yawn...... I don't share Trump's insistance on the individual races he contested. My point has always been that thelegitimacy of the 2020 election was destoryed by a combination of several states rushing to unsecure mass mailout balloting, without even taking the time to clean up their voter rolls, and ballot harvesting. Trump would have been better served to fight the haphazard rush to mass mailout balloting in those states before election night.

All you do is lie.

 

[Chomsky]

And to the extent that is true, it’s unfortunate. An old left-wing friend of mine said in the 1960s that “conservatives are like brakes,” meaning they can helpfully cause us on the left to re-examine our assumptions, suggest that “if we do this positive it might result in that negative,” or offer their reflexive free market solutions to counter the left’s reflexive government solutions.

Exactly! I couldn't agree more! We Liberals need Conservatize Yin to balance-out our Liberal Yang. Otherwise, we go down rabbit holes we shouldn't, letting our idealism blind us to pragmatic reality. I've seen it happen! It's why I would never limit myself to wholly homogenous Liberal circles. And I pity those that do! (Many indeed do! I know some!)

But remember, your sixties frame of reference above is in reference to the Conservatism of the time. It's what I refer to as "Principled Conservatism". The entire older generation of my family are just that - Principled Conservatives. And I love them dearly for it. They keep me grounded

I was raised with those Conservative principles, and still practice many of them in my personal life. And I'm happy for it!

But that's not what we're seeing today with this new brand of Conservatism. We're seeing Nationalistic Authoritarianism! MAGA & Trumpism is not Conservatism as I know it, despite some Conservative facets like Cultural & Social Conservatism.

My family is still Conservative, and I have Conservative friends & associates. I like them, and I get along with them, even when I don't agree with them. Mostly I often agree with their personal values, while disagreeing with their public policies.

But despite getting along with Conservatives, I absolutely do not get along with MAGA's & Trumpers! I can get along with Conservatives, but I can't get along with them. And that they call themselves Conservatives is an absolute slap in the face of Conservatives. But then they call themselves Patriots too, and that's even worse! Their corrupting terms is common, it seems, and they did it to Conservatism.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Exactly! I couldn't agree more! We Liberals need Conservatize Yin to balance-out our Liberal Yang. Otherwise, we go down rabbit holes we shouldn't, letting our idealism blind us to pragmatic reality. I've seen it happen! It's why I would never limit myself to wholly homogenous Liberal circles. And I pity those that do! (Many indeed do! I know some!)

But remember, your sixties frame of reference above is in reference to the Conservatism of the time. It's what I refer to as "Principled Conservatism". The entire older generation of my family are just that - Principled Conservatives. And I love them dearly for it. They keep me grounded

I was raised with those Conservative principles, and still practice many of them in my personal life. And I'm happy for it!

But that's not what we're seeing today with this new brand of Conservatism. We're seeing Nationalistic Authoritarianism! MAGA & Trumpism is not Conservatism as I know it, despite some Conservative facets like Cultural & Social Conservatism.

My family is still Conservative, and I have Conservative friends & associates. I like them, and I get along with them, even when I don't agree with them. Mostly I often agree with their personal values, while disagreeing with their public policies.

But despite getting along with Conservatives, I absolutely do not get along with MAGA's & Trumpers! I can get along with Conservatives, but I can't get along with them. And that they call themselves Conservatives is an absolute slap in the face of Conservatives. But then they call themselves Patriots too, and that's even worse! Their corrupting terms is common, it seems, and they did it to Conservatism.

Yup, the point of conservatism is to be a moderating force while society progresses.

MAGA lost the plot.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday [4/21/2020] reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

The government has recovered more than 300 documents with classified markings from Trump since he left office. The first batch of documents was returned in January, another set provided by Trump’s aides to the Justice Department in June and the material seized by the F.B.I. in its search at Mar-a-Lago.

As President, Trump conducted a three-month campaign to overthrow our elected government, culminating on Jan. 6, 2021.

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."
“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
**********************************************************************************************Donald J. Trump, Jan. 6, 2021

Pro-Russian Trump says Russia is not the enemy.

Fox News provided Trump's speech in which he made his sentiments known. There is no ambiguity.

"Our foreign policy establishment keeps trying to pull the world into conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia based on the lie that Russia represents our greatest threat," Trump said in a video first posted to his Truth Social account. "But the greatest threat to Western civilization today is not Russia. It's probably more than anything else ourselves and some of the horrible, USA-hating people that represent us," Donald Trump.

No more needs to be said.

 

[Bullseye]

I don’t understand. Trump claimed that the 2016 popular vote was rigged, and influenced the set up of a committee to look into it. They disbanded without issuing any report. Trump’s claim is part of his pattern of claiming fraud when an election displeases him. How does mentioning that claim lose the point?

That's the problem - you don't grasp that the "popular vote" is a meaningless slogan. Oh, BTW wasn't it Clinton that whined and cried about eh 2016 election? Trump WON the 2016 election.

 

[Bullseye]

You missed hi point entirely.

He had no point, just LW drivel including evolving the "popular vote' nonsense.

 

[Bullseye]

No really, go check.

Check what?

 

[pocket aces]

That's the problem - you don't grasp that the "popular vote" is a meaningless slogan. Oh, BTW wasn't it Clinton that whined and cried about eh 2016 election? Trump WON the 2016 election.

Last time I checked Clinton didn't come up with a scheme to install fake electors, nor did she ever try to pressure state officials to find votes for her. In the end she conceded. No amount of whining she does compares to the anti American actions of Donald Trump.

 

[Chomsky]

Duly noted.

You are an exception in my experience.

I get that my family, when growing up, was a product of being Conservative Catholics involved in transaction politics within the Democratic Machine. So they voted in national terms for the national candidate they liked, and locally for the guys that would directly help them in their back yard. The guys in their back yard who could win were all Dems, so the choice became which Dem?

But I think you'll find the type of back & forth voting I described is not unusual in the suburbs of very large cities. The families in these suburbs reflect some Republican aspects of rural Conservatism, and some of the Democratic aspects of urban Liberality.

Quite a few of my neighbors & co-workers are just like this. Rather than party, they vote for the Presidential candidate they like, then vote again for the local guys they like (who may or be the same party).

I believe this suburban phenomenon is why both parties are currently focusing on the suburbs, particularly those moms!

 

[Chomsky]

Rarely, but Reagan did carry Massachusetts twice as did Eisenhower, so they must have garnered substantial Democratic votes.

Let's not forget "Reagan Democrats" and "Trump Democrats". I've known tons of both!

 

[Nickyjo]

That's the problem - you don't grasp that the "popular vote" is a meaningless slogan. Oh, BTW wasn't it Clinton that whined and cried about eh 2016 election? Trump WON the 2016 election.

Of course he did. I will say it too. Trump WON the 2016 election. My point was that his personality couldn’t accept that he lost the popular vote, however meaningless you believe that phrase is.

 

[Galactic Spin]

He had no point, just LW drivel including evolving the "popular vote' nonsense.

He sure did. And per cult orders, your brain shorted out, when you saw the term "popular vote".

 

[devildavid]

Let's not forget "Reagan Democrats" and "Trump Democrats". I've known tons of both!

I can understand the former but gag at the latter.

 

[Chomsky]

I've gone in there a few times, but I never seem to know what to add to the conversation. As Winston Churchill used to say, "In war the truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies."

That's an awesome quote! I swear, Churchill had a knack for adages, along with a great wit.

I just don't believe the information that comes out of either side... and so I don't have a whole lot of factual information to operate on.

I've found I've gained a lot of knowledge from that thread. The military guys in there are pretty good at sharing some basic military knowledge (& acronyms!), while I found perhaps the most beneficial facet of the thread is being exposed to so many unique & niche sources I never imagined.

But fair enough, to each their own.

Again, I swear that's the best quote I've heard in awhile . . .

 

[jnug]

Let's not forget "Reagan Democrats" and "Trump Democrats". I've known tons of both!

Lets not forget that Trump was once a Trump Democrat.

 

[Chomsky]

My take is based on Michelle’s personality. I see her turning people off with what often comes across as a superior attitude. I felt that Barack also came across that way, but he also could be charming which I have not seen in Michelle.

I actually thought I might have seen a bit more of the bolded in Barack, to be honest.

I really like Obama's cool demeanor and intellectualism. Two qualities that while I appreciate them, could be seen as stand-offish.

 

[Nickyjo]

That's an awesome quote! I swear, Churchill had a knack for adages, along with a great wit.



I've found I've gained a lot of knowledge from that thread. The military guys in there are pretty good at sharing some basic military knowledge (& acronyms!), while I found perhaps the most beneficial facet of the thread is being exposed to so many unique & niche sources I never imagined.

But fair enough, to each their own.

Again, I swear that's the best quote I've heard in awhile . . .

Another version of Churchill’s cynical statement is the more factual, “The first casualty of war is truth.”