Politics And Current Events

[nocera]

Doesn’t want to cause a panic with the “pandemic.”

Tries to cause all kinds of panic around something else.

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

Implying people are racist is one of the reasons Trump was elected in the first place. Want to make that same mistake again?

I mean, I think that's pretty clearly the strategy with that tweet. Signaling out suburbs, which are predominately white, saying they'll be "overrun" with low income projects? Who else do you think he's trying to appeal to?

Also, I never said everybody who lives in the suburbs is racist. That'd be a ridiculous statement.

[faftorial]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

And a lot of moderates that took a chance on him last time. I think that's where he loses this.

[nocera]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

Clinton was completely unlikeable so that might be true. Still, feels like Trump is going back to the "wall" and muslim well here.

[PFiDC]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

And a lot of moderates that took a chance on him last time. I think that's where he loses this.

This is basically the only hope I have for Biden to win the election, however, I have seen a shift in my Libertarian friends recently who are now voting for Jorgensen instead of Biden. That has me worried.

[faftorial]

Libertarians are not moderates.

[PFiDC]

Libertarians are not moderates.

No, they're not. They are outliers, many of which voted for Trump last election (at least in my circle). They are definitely NOT voting for him now.

[NAN]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

And a lot of moderates that took a chance on him last time. I think that's where he loses this.

Agree with this. Moderates swung Trump's way 4 years ago and most likely will swing Bidens in 2020.

[grunthy]

UK: Do as I say or else!!!!

Citizen: Or else What?

UK: You get a scolding and we walk away!!!

[mikey]

I'm sure this is super old news and it's been discussed in tweet form already here, so I apologize, but because I don't watch a lot of TV - especially American TV - I never saw the anti-Biden/Harris ad that Trump put out where Harris is just laughing maniacally on loop in the background and Biden is just getting up and sitting down while looting and fires go on in the background...

Jesus, that is some uncomfortably ****** up ****...it's like the climax of Inglorious Basterds...

Honestly, it's one of the few things that that dream team has produced that actually made me kind of recoil...which is largely attributable to my apathy towards almost everything in this arena, but still, even for a 2 am indie film, that thing is creepy...

[King Colby]

I would be interested in where they get 100th in discrimination

Other countries might be ethnically diverse but not really racially. The US is by a wide margin the most racially diverse country in the world I feel like (no numbers to back that up). We’re by no means perfect when it comes to demographic harmony but 100th feels like an intentionally bad ranking

That number does seem a bit laughable

https://www.socialprogress.org/?tab=2&code=USA

Here's the scorecard. I think the hiccup is to be able to separate causation and correlation. I think the best way to think about this is, the US is the richest, most powerful nation in the world, set on top of a failed state. Our social welfare programs are designed to incentivize stagnation among the lowest classes, as opposed to incentivizing social mobility. I think this is where the stuff from hillbilly elegy merges with the situation of urban poverty. So you combine the lack of social mobility with past laws that deliberately kept the black population impoverished, and you have the perpetual underclass.

Then of course, access to education, healthcare and housing is predicated on ability to pay and access to credit, which then again continues the lack of generational mobility. And while the US doesn't explicitly imprison and prosecute minority populations, the incarceration rates would indicate that something is broken, and whether overt or not, it would imply discriminatory practices.

Good stuff here

[King Colby]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

And a lot of moderates that took a chance on him last time. I think that's where he loses this.

Agreed. Moderates were fed up with politicians and thought a vote against the status quo would be good. He didn't make it any better.. he just added being a loudmouth ashole on top of it

[King Colby]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

Clinton was completely unlikeable so that might be true. Still, feels like Trump is going back to the "wall" and muslim well here.

is biden likeable? He is a senile corpse with a track record of failed policies.

[Troy Loney]

This is basically the only hope I have for Biden to win the election, however, I have seen a shift in my Libertarian friends recently who are now voting for Jorgensen instead of Biden. That has me worried.

The share of third party vote was high in 2016. The share of "I hate both candidates" went heavily for Trump. Also, the polls in 2016 were more like 48-44 for Clinton. Biden is much closer to 50%, and while there is that whole electoral college advantage for Trump, If Biden is at over 50% of the vote, I can't see him losing. Even though we're all uncomfortable after the 2016 result, I think this election is much closer to 2012 than it is 2016, in terms of people's minds being made up.

[Troy Loney]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

Clinton was completely unlikeable so that might be true. Still, feels like Trump is going back to the "wall" and muslim well here.

is biden likeable? He is a senile corpse with a track record of failed policies.

I don't think people see him like that outside of political junkie world. He seems more like a grandpa or something.

[nocera]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

Clinton was completely unlikeable so that might be true. Still, feels like Trump is going back to the "wall" and muslim well here.

is biden likeable? He is a senile corpse with a track record of failed policies.

I mean, I don't particularly like him but he's not Hillary levels unlikeable. She inspired hatred in many. Biden's problem is he doesn't inspire anything in anybody, good or bad.

[shafnutz05]

https://www.socialprogress.org/?tab=2&code=USA

Here's the scorecard. I think the hiccup is to be able to separate causation and correlation. I think the best way to think about this is, the US is the richest, most powerful nation in the world, set on top of a failed state. Our social welfare programs are designed to incentivize stagnation among the lowest classes, as opposed to incentivizing social mobility. I think this is where the stuff from hillbilly elegy merges with the situation of urban poverty. So you combine the lack of social mobility with past laws that deliberately kept the black population impoverished, and you have the perpetual underclass.

Then of course, access to education, healthcare and housing is predicated on ability to pay and access to credit, which then again continues the lack of generational mobility. And while the US doesn't explicitly imprison and prosecute minority populations, the incarceration rates would indicate that something is broken, and whether overt or not, it would imply discriminatory practices.

I am also not sure what the "100" means here. I would agree that it is hard to find 100 countries clearly better than the US as they all have flaws. But overall the US is 28, and I don't think that's preposterous.

I often disagree with you politically, but I respect your ability to elucidate like you did above. Good post.

I do think the beating the US takes in some of these world rankings is silly. There's a reason why millions have people have killed themselves trying to get here. Obviously, we have a lot of room for improvement, but if you take a dozen people in the Third World and ask them which country they would love to emigrate to if they had the means, I bet most would say the U.S.

[King Colby]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

Clinton was completely unlikeable so that might be true. Still, feels like Trump is going back to the "wall" and muslim well here.

is biden likeable? He is a senile corpse with a track record of failed policies.

I mean, I don't particularly like him but he's not Hillary levels unlikeable. She inspired hatred in many. Biden's problem is he doesn't inspire anything in anybody, good or bad.

This is a risk for biden hopefuls, IMO. I think the "hes not trump" platform gets some people there, but there will be some who look at their own personal daily life and at the end of the day realize they're happy with how things are despite all the BS. Most of that is just noise.

Theres no clear indication that biden winning is going to directly improve things for those individuals. Matter of fact, it could actually be the opposite. Specifically if their taxes go up.

As much as it would be nice to think there is some altruism and/or long term considerations when these decisions get made, there really isn't. Most voters are dumb.

[Troy Loney]

I do think the beating the US takes in some of these world rankings is silly. There's a reason why millions have people have killed themselves trying to get here. Obviously, we have a lot of room for improvement, but if you take a dozen people in the Third World and ask them which country they would love to emigrate to if they had the means, I bet most would say the U.S.

Absolutely, I think that is why you will still have desperate Guatemalans making the dangerous treck to the American border even though the animosity they feel because of the US was responsible for 20th century massacres. The US is still the center of the world economically with a limitless demand for low-skilled manual labor.

But, for this analysis, the US has to compare itself with the other first world countries, the mean standard of living, the presence of abject poverty, and the ability for the government to finance public works and offer basic necessities to all of its citizens.

[Morkle]

If we didn't have the Pandemic, Jobs issue by the pandemic, etc.

I don't see what Biden brings to the table that would have turned the tides. He doesn't bring really anything fascinating to the table, outside of being a career politician.

[nocera]

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

Clinton was completely unlikeable so that might be true. Still, feels like Trump is going back to the "wall" and muslim well here.

is biden likeable? He is a senile corpse with a track record of failed policies.

I mean, I don't particularly like him but he's not Hillary levels unlikeable. She inspired hatred in many. Biden's problem is he doesn't inspire anything in anybody, good or bad.

This is a risk for biden hopefuls, IMO. I think the "hes not trump" platform gets some people there, but there will be some who look at their own personal daily life and at the end of the day realize they're happy with how things are despite all the BS. Most of that is just noise.

Theres no clear indication that biden winning is going to directly improve things for those individuals. Matter of fact, it could actually be the opposite. Specifically if their taxes go up.

As much as it would be nice to think there is some altruism and/or long term considerations when these decisions get made, there really isn't. Most voters are dumb.

Oh I'm with you. He was the most uninspiring "safe" choice for the DNC. He's not going to usher in any sort of change other than possibly a return to the status quo. Which, if people are looking for a return to pre-Trump normalcy, maybe that's enough. Anecdotally, my friends who were all Bernie supporters have succumbed to the "anyone but Trump" vote so we'll vote Biden if it means no Trump. He does not illicit anything close to the passion that Bernie did in his followers, though.

[King Colby]

If we didn't have the Pandemic, Jobs issue by the pandemic, etc.

I don't see what Biden brings to the table that would have turned the tides. He doesn't bring really anything fascinating to the table, outside of being a career politician.

Yup. The pandemic certainly helped him. I cant see him not running away with the election.

Imagine the runaway if there was actually a respectable candidate.

[Troy Loney]

Oh I'm with you. He was the most uninspiring "safe" choice for the DNC. He's not going to usher in any sort of change other than possibly a return to the status quo. Which, if people are looking for a return to pre-Trump normalcy, maybe that's enough. Anecdotally, my friends who were all Bernie supporters have succumbed to the "anyone but Trump" vote so we'll vote Biden if it means no Trump. He does not illicit anything close to the passion that Bernie did in his followers, though.

That's the vibe i am getting from listening to Chapo Trap House, I am not sure what exactly their reach is, but the mishandling of the Pandemic did a lot to bring those folks to voting for Biden.

[King Colby]

Clinton was completely unlikeable so that might be true. Still, feels like Trump is going back to the "wall" and muslim well here.

is biden likeable? He is a senile corpse with a track record of failed policies.

I mean, I don't particularly like him but he's not Hillary levels unlikeable. She inspired hatred in many. Biden's problem is he doesn't inspire anything in anybody, good or bad.

This is a risk for biden hopefuls, IMO. I think the "hes not trump" platform gets some people there, but there will be some who look at their own personal daily life and at the end of the day realize they're happy with how things are despite all the BS. Most of that is just noise.

Theres no clear indication that biden winning is going to directly improve things for those individuals. Matter of fact, it could actually be the opposite. Specifically if their taxes go up.

As much as it would be nice to think there is some altruism and/or long term considerations when these decisions get made, there really isn't. Most voters are dumb.

Oh I'm with you. He was the most uninspiring "safe" choice for the DNC. He's not going to usher in any sort of change other than possibly a return to the status quo. Which, if people are looking for a return to pre-Trump normalcy, maybe that's enough. Anecdotally, my friends who were all Bernie supporters have succumbed to the "anyone but Trump" vote so we'll vote Biden if it means no Trump. He does not illicit anything close to the passion that Bernie did in his followers, though.

I'm a little more moderate especially on social topics. I would have been very open to flipping for this election if there was anything of substance on the other side.

Separately, im interested to see how non-presidential races turn out.

[Troy Loney]

Yup. The pandemic certainly helped him. I cant see him not running away with the election.

Imagine the runaway if there was actually a respectable candidate.

I think you backed into the game here. We are in a perpetual campaign cycle, the angle is to bring everyone down. Attacks drive engagement and emotion, thus the role we're seeing the media play. And we are conditioned to dislike the opposing party.

[grunthy]

Ah yes, appealing to the casual racism of suburbanites. Hey, it worked in 2016.

I don't think it actually did. People just honestly believed that Trump was more trustworthy than Clinton. hard to really pin that down, but that meter has shifted on it's head in favor of Biden.

This is all going to go back to whether Trump gets enough of those typical GOP voters to come home.

Clinton was completely unlikeable so that might be true. Still, feels like Trump is going back to the "wall" and muslim well here.

is biden likeable? He is a senile corpse with a track record of failed policies.

I don't think people see him like that outside of political junkie world. He seems more like a grandpa or something.

I think most just see him as your creepy uncle, that always invades your personal space and says awkward things, that you have to invite to family gatherings.