Politics

[FaultyMario]

How am I being smug?


"Get outta here with that bullshit."
"Do you mean the failed campaign of the former loser of the 2016 Democratic primary?"
"That's rich. Like I said, gerrarahere."


I honestly don't know. Perhaps I'm showing my bias. I'm sorry if I can't debate your profound arguments, dear sir.



You're criticising Obama for the actions of others

"During the 2008-2010 financial meltdown, He used his power to cement neoliberal policies in the face of institutional failure. He did not 'stimulate the economy' in a broad sense, instead he scaffolded those neoliberal arrangements that had not only failed the rich, but that are also the cause of much malady to poor people of all colors. He was an exceptionally efficacious manager for the privileged few. I'm of the opinion that that should have afforded him enough good faith to devise a way to make the U.S. government less racist and less xenophobic. Instead, he reached new records in deporting people who had entered the United States by ways other than port of entry. Instead, he reached new records in bombing brown people overseas."


That devious Mitch McConnell, that evil Paul Ryan, drafting those stimulus packages! That wicked John Paul Stevens, signing those drone strike orders! How dare they!



while simultaneously criticising Obama for the actions of Bernie.

" They give more precise accounts of both Sanders' blunders and the behind-the-curtain stuff going on with the rich and powerful and their chess games."


You can't have it both ways.

Aw!

[neanderthal]

I don’t understand why we’re on Bernie vs Biden still... shouldn’t we be on to Biden vs Trump?

We should be. I thought I made it clear that just about *anybody* versus Trump is a winning formula, but ... people have their reasons.

-------------

I keep seeing people wanting this person or that person (senators, governors, etc) to be in Biden's cabinet, and i'm thinking, "um, ... we want them in the Senate, there's a chance we can get a majority."
Now, not that much of an issue if they hail from a state with a Democratic governor, but if they don't, the Republican governor will choose a replacement; likely a republican.

I'm trying to keep my preference for VP close to the chest but there's a lot of permutations to work out, lots of ways this could be sliced and diced.

Looking into the future, beyond Biden, we will need an activist VP. But someone eminently qualified. There's 4 women who were, IMO, better candidates than Biden in the primary. Any of them would be a great veep, and in four years time Presidential nominee. By then we hope to see a record of accomplishment. Initiative. Inclusion. Advancement. On many fronts. From said veep.

It boils down to winning the White House, Congress and the Senate though. I'm sick and tired of republicans driving us backwards on every front.


I'm still playing/ toying with my 10 things a Democratic government MUST enact if we win all chambers. In something of this order.
* A national voting day.
* A definite, rapid, massive shift towards Universal Healthcare.
* The overturning/ elimination of Citizens United.
* The elimination of college fees at State universities and technical colleges.
* The expansion of renewable energy use (and the necessary training for such fields)
* Cutting our defense budget. And withdrawal of our troops from hot zones
* Sick pay and vacation pay for every single job, together with maternal and paternal leave.
* Removing the Social Security Cap
* Decriminalising marijuana.

The list changes in order and things move in and out of the list weekly.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I was just out casually criticizing people-killing neoliberals and their patron, Saint Barry.

I'm pointing out the stuff that seems obvious to me. People want change and they are willing to endure some minor1 nuisances in order to get it, and they will go with the person who can pitch 'change' to them. But hey, if you want to ignore recent history of how business-as-usual politicians just can't compete2 against populists and demagogues, be my guest. Just don't come complaining when Lyin' Ole Donnie crushes I-need-notes-for-a-sitdown-cable-news-interview Biden.

1 To them.
2 See the elections in Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia, Spain, Greece, Ukraine and India for further details.

I totally get your concerns, but I think it’s obvious most dem voters don’t believe you. Biden’s landslide victory proves that. Our primary results didn’t prove your concerns wrong, but they have certainly sealed Sanders’ fate.

The progressives have lost this chess match.

At this point, we need to figure out how liberals can win the next chess game against the republicans.

It’s time for Bernie and Joe to truly be buddies and work something out to make most liberals happy. Need to formulate plans to move forward or else we’d definitely lose to trump.

[FaultyMario]

And to be clear.

I'm scared shitless of four more years of this shambolic man-child giving orders to half the world.
Four more years of the Salmans and the Putins and the DeVos and the Bloombergs of the world getting what they want.
Four more years of children in cages; of de-funding NGOs; of siphoning healthcare, education and emergency funds.
Four more years of colonial invasions of poor people's territories.
Four more years of anti-science, of anti-economics, of dying languages, of burnt forests, of a greening Antarctica.


So yeah, thanks Obama. Mo thinks you're Aragorn, you're nothing but Gollum clutching your precious legacy.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I'm still playing/ toying with my 10 things a Democratic government MUST enact if we win all chambers. In something of this order.
* A national voting day.
* A definite, rapid, massive shift towards Universal Healthcare.
* The overturning/ elimination of Citizens United.
* The elimination of college fees at State universities and technical colleges.
* The expansion of renewable energy use (and the necessary training for such fields)
* Cutting our defense budget. And withdrawal of our troops from hot zones
* Sick pay and vacation pay for every single job, together with maternal and paternal leave.
* Removing the Social Security Cap
* Decriminalising marijuana.(why not just legalize all drugs?)

The list changes in order and things move in and out of the list weekly.

I’d also like to add guaranteed living wages! Slight variation to UBI.

Yeah, no need to pressure businesses with rising minimum wages... government should just help lift families to above poverty levels with tax refunds! Eliminate poverty all together! The catch is that people still need to file some sort of taxes.

Of course a regular UBI would be much easier to implement, but if we really can’t afford that yet, let’s at least try to lift folks out of poverty.

Another addition I’d like to add is to have opened primaries... and possibly allow people to nominate 2 finalists of the same party. So general election won’t always be between 2 parties, but 2 of the best candidates that voters can come up with!

Lastly, ban campaigns. Anyone entering any race needs to sign conflict or interest agreements. Can’t own businesses, stocks, and need to disclose tax returns. Qualified candidates can 1st congregate amongst themselves If there are more than 10 of them. They can 1st vote for each other except for themselves. Once we have narrowed down to 10 or less candidates, we can just put them on debates and allow voters to decide during the opened primary process.

Anyway, we just need more rules to prevent the rich from corrupting our politicians and allow their competency to shine thru rather than crazy partisan ideologies...

[Crazed_Insanity]

So yeah, thanks Obama. Mo thinks you're Aragorn, you're nothing but Gollum clutching your precious legacy.

For sure Obama is like any other man capable of being corrupted by the ring, and I was definitely disappointed by Obama, but I do believe Obama is no where near Gollum!

One of the main reason I support the socially awkward nobody likes him Sanders was because I think he is as close to Frodo as we could find. He stayed on the same path for his entire career!

Sadly Sauron managed to kill Frodo on real earth! :(

[FaultyMario]

That made me chuckle!

[George]

I wish the Democrats could give Joe Biden the boot and nominate Andrew Cuomo instead.

Yeah, I know they said that about Giuliani in 2001 and look who he turned out to be, but I'm impressed with what I've seen of Governor Cuomo so far.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Cuomo's approval rating is truly amazingly high. However, I don't think it'd be appropriate to leave NY now to run for WH at the moment. Plus, he himself has said he's not going to run for president and has no intention of running.

I do like reluctant leaders. :up:


That made me chuckle!

Hey! I wasn't telling a joke! I'm sad that our Frodo is pretty much dead!

[neanderthal]

I wish the Democrats could give Joe Biden the boot and nominate Andrew Cuomo instead.

Yeah, I know they said that about Giuliani in 2001 and look who he turned out to be, but I'm impressed with what I've seen of Governor Cuomo so far.

The dude who cut medicaid funding and refused to release prisoners with low level crimes, in these corona times? Him?

No thanks. We have many better.

[neanderthal]

Texas Democrats sued to expand voting by mail. A judge just ruled in their favor, against a challenge by the Republican AG, who argued that, basically, only the infirm should be allowed to vote by mail.

Of course this will be appealed to the Texas state Supreme Court and possibly beyond.

[Tom Servo]

Pretty stoked we've got vote-by-mail for whoever wants it here in CA, and they've been massively improving it here in LA County at least. No more of that janky scantron sheet where you have to make sure you're filling in the right bubble based off a separate book, and you don't need postage anymore either.

[mk]

Pretty excellent possibility to have a running mate for the full house.

And then get some voting technicality updates.

[drew]

Texas Democrats sued to expand voting by mail. A judge just ruled in their favor, against a challenge by the Republican AG, who argued that, basically, only the infirm should be allowed to vote by mail.

Of course this will be appealed to the Texas state Supreme Court and possibly beyond.


One can only hope that if it does make it to the SCOTUS, and they rule in favor of it, that's sets the precedent for all states to follow suit.

I'm not holding my breath though.

I don't think for one minute this will have any bearing on this year's election.

[neanderthal]

One can only hope that if it does make it to the SCOTUS, and they rule in favor of it, that's sets the precedent for all states to follow suit.

I'm not holding my breath though.

I don't think for one minute this will have any bearing on this year's election.

I wouldn't trust the Texas Supreme Court to empty a shoe filled with water if the instructions were written on the sole of the shoe.

But, the important thing is we won the case. The supreme court will need to find a good reason to overturn it.

[neanderthal]

Found this tweet of Noam Chomsky on never Bidens.

It's true what he says, bombastic as it may sound. It's kinda nuts to compare it with the rise of Nazis, but history says it's true.
Initially, the Nazis didn't win the majority. The left (KPD & the SPD) could've stopped them, but they weren't willing to form a coalition with the centrists. They flat out refused.

https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1251259137830379522?s=19

Blah blah Godwin's law blah blah. Dismiss it so much so you want, but the history books are in agreement.

[neanderthal]

So, after taking a bailout, United lays of most of it's workforce.

I think they should have to give it back. Immediately. With interest.

[FaultyMario]

Kick-Ass California representative Katie Porter actively lobbied to be on the oversight panel for the federal covid bail out.

Who did Pelosi appoint instead? Donna Shalala, who has extensive experience in health and education but none on financial or economic issues.

They're going to get so trumped in November.

[Crazed_Insanity]

So, after taking a bailout, United lays of most of it's workforce.

I think they should have to give it back. Immediately. With interest.

I have no issues bailing out companies when companies are caught in an unexpected bind and need temporary help.

However, I don’t buy the too big to fail thing. Antitrust laws should’ve prevented companies from getting too big in the 1st place.

Lastly politicians, if you’re truly concerned about American workers starving to death, please just help us directly and stop handing our money to companies or setup more wasteful bureaucracies!

Help American workers to be able to survive thru this crisis and please understand that your stupid stimulus check cannot sustain us for 10weeks! Our dear Treasury secretary thought $1200/person out to be enough for us to last thru 10 weeks! When will ever get somebody who is truly in touch with reality in important govt positions?

Anyway, Feel free to help companies too but don’t demand unrealistic expectations of forcing them to employ people when they have no need for employees... they should be allowed to be operating in survival mode! If you’re gonna hand out money, Just give us the money we need directly dumbasses!

[FaultyMario]

Who did Pelosi appoint instead? Donna Shalala, who has extensive experience in health and education but none on financial or economic issues.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2WA5qU0AEfzsn.jpg

All this time you chewed on the "worry about the bernie bros" pill, when you should have being more cautious of the pharma bros.

[MR2 Fan]

22 million officially unemployed in the past month....meaning there's probably 30-35 million ACTUALLY unemployed...which is absolutely insane.

Unemployment applications are failing all over the country and small business loans have gone to big businesses using loopholes and now the SBA is out of money unless it gets funded again.

What an absolute clusterfuck

[neanderthal]

22 million officially unemployed in the past month....meaning there's probably 30-35 million ACTUALLY unemployed...which is absolutely insane.

Unemployment applications are failing all over the country and small business loans have gone to big businesses using loopholes and now the SBA is out of money unless it gets funded again.

What an absolute clusterfuck

Thanks again Trump voters (and third party voters.) And them fuckers are the ones clamoring to reopen errthang. Won't mind if they get the corona, cant fucking lie.

You want to go out in these times with no mask, no PPE, no sanitisers, etc and scant regard for your health? I really don't mind if karma does its thing.

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV2WA5qU0AEfzsn.jpg

All this time you chewed on the "worry about the bernie bros" pill, when you should have being more cautious of the pharma bros.
:sing:
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My, oh my
Looks like the boy's too shy
Ain't gonna kiss the girl
:sing:

Somehow this lil’mermaid song just got stuck in my head... :p

[Crazed_Insanity]

Thanks again Trump voters (and third party voters.) And them fuckers are the ones clamoring to reopen errthang. Won't mind if they get the corona, cant fucking lie.

You want to go out in these times with no mask, no PPE, no sanitisers, etc and scant regard for your health? I really don't mind if karma does its thing.

Yes!

Live free or die coronahard! :hard:

[FaultyMario]

New ad by Trump.

Benjamin Dixon on twitter (https://twitter.com/BenjaminPDixon/status/1252206894019751942?s=20): "Perhaps they made this too easy for Trump?".

[Crazed_Insanity]

Unless we develop a miracle vaccine or treatment before November and indeed return our economy back to normal...

Even the conservatives want normalcy now.

Bernie Sanders is the anti-establishment candidate, not really a return to normalcy candidate.

Yes, Democrats have made it too easy for Trump, but Mother Nature sure have made it a lot harder for Trump. America is already the greatest on earth with COVID19 cases. Voters are not interested in making it that much greater again...

[FaultyMario]

Wait, did Trumps favorite dictator die?

WTF


Didn't the Kims have a reality show?

[neanderthal]

So after all the Berner's hyped the Tara Reade thing and tried to paint Biden as a rapist, it's started to unravel.

https://twitter.com/fawfulfan/status/1252432218389004289?s=19

Nothing of what was unveiled disproves the rape allegation, but her credibility just took a major hit.

[FaultyMario]

This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.
This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.
This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.
This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.
This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.
AP: Publicly traded firms get $300M in small-business loans (https://apnews.com/6c5942eec36cc43b25ad5df5afebcfbd).
This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.
This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.
This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.
This is why you need people like representative Porter on oversight.

[Rikadyn]

https://i.redd.it/8ekztzmmy3u41.jpg

[Crazed_Insanity]

Now that media has taken up the role of oversight...

Shouldn't somebody lose his/her job by loaning this money and shouldn't the big company give back the money?

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://i.redd.it/8ekztzmmy3u41.jpg

I really thought most conservatives would do the top pic, but I guess not?

Or perhaps the conservatives who didn't have enough resources to stock up and bunker up end up going berserk and resort to pic#2?

[Freude am Fahren]

Now that media has taken up the role of oversight...

Shouldn't somebody lose his/her job by loaning this money and shouldn't the big company give back the money?

Shake Shack actually did, and there are petitions for others to follow.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I hadn’t realize shake shack is now a publicly traded major corporation!

Anyway, I guess this bill was poorly written? Certain companies could pretend to be small to qualify or perhaps it’s the folks on the government side just favoring their political donors?

Thank goodness for the media for doing the job Trump has eliminated.

[Tom Servo]

Well, it did have over 6,000 employees and is owned by Leonard Green & Partners, who also own J. Crew, Lucky Jeans, and CHG Healthcare Services, so it's a little tough to call 'em a small business.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I’ve always loved the crystal cove shake shack next to PCH... that place opened in 1920’s I think... and that has been the only shake shack I know for a long time until recently.

I think this publicly traded shake shack started in NY in early 2001 as a hot dog stand?

Anyway, I guess it’s hard to keep track of these things properly without google... and how small businesses can quickly grow big! :p

[Tom Servo]

Ahh, yeah, if there's a non-chain one you were thinking of, they're definitely not the ones who gave $10M back. They're not the biggest chain with only 275 locations, but they are publicly traded.

[neanderthal]

So Democrats tryina get $2000 a month to everybody, ride this thing out until it's safe to resume life.
Republicans trying to "reopen the economy" NOW and basically get everyone killed or infected all in the name of, ... I guess profits.

But I bet you the Democrats are the ones gon get blamed "for not doing enough."

We can do this for healthcare too!!!

Democrats are trying to get everyone healthcare.
Republicans are trying to take away healthcare.

But, you know who gets blamed for not doing enough.

[Crazed_Insanity]

In the wise words of master Yoda... "do or do not, there's no try!"

During the democratic primary:
Andrew Yang was shot down with his idea of UBI.
Bernie Sanders was shot down with his M4A.

I'm glad dems are picking up ideas they rejected earlier in the primary. People like me only blame the democrats because they can't get it done! They can't beat the stupid republicans and they won't yield to let others try to beat the republicans. I don't want to blame dems no more. Just get it done... and surely the progressives will be cool with you if you get them done.

[Yw-slayer]

There's actually quite a lot of middle-ground between OPEN EVERYTHING NOW and SHUTDOWN ELSE ALL GUNNA DIE. But it needs to be facilitated, appreciated, and intelligently participated in.

[Tom Servo]

intelligently participated in.

Goddammit, we're fucked.

[Yw-slayer]

Yup.

[Rikadyn]

https://i.imgur.com/r1GVXYX.jpg

Ditto, lol

[FaultyMario]

lol

Lol? Wait till Jesse Ventura breaks the election. Never did the Green Party have a better shot at reaching double digits in a general election.

It's still going to be Bernie's fault though.


Brian would have loved to see that.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I abandoned Bernie for Andrew...

[Rikadyn]

3539

[neanderthal]

https://youtu.be/2rXfJdZTDJA

Beau never fails to deliver. "Rights absent responsibility is nothing but selfishness."

[Crazed_Insanity]

He makes a lot of sense.

In a lawful land, we could only regulate rights though. It's not as easy to regulate responsibility. At most we can perhaps try to use laws to prevent negligent?

For example, we can have legislation to protect our marriage rights, but our divorce rates are sky high because most people overlook the responsibilities of a marriage. There's no way for laws to make us more responsible. To lower divorce rates... to increase responsibility... to make people love one another more... these are things laws can't do much about.

Anyway, I think our founding fathers put down these rights in writing only to ensure that our government can be held more responsible. As for individual responsibility, hope each of us will eventually learn it before we die.

[Rare White Ape]

This is related to COVID but is more of a political discussion.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/underlying-conditions/610261/

Thoughts and prayers for the US of A.

Edit to add: it’s a long read, maybe half an hours worth, but an essential read.

[Crazed_Insanity]

This is related to COVID but is more of a political discussion.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/underlying-conditions/610261/

Thoughts and prayers for the US of A.

Yes, we absolutely needed those... Hope USA won’t end up dying, may God show mercy to our nation. To all those green progressive agendas that we just can’t get done by neither the republicans nor the democrats, hope we can get them done now... or risk dying...

[Rikadyn]

https://i.redd.it/fye0lrxfemu41.jpg

[Jason]

I think it takes more nuance than that, because it really isn't a binary situation. Republicans represent 0% of my interests. Moderate Democrats represent like 60% of my interests. Progressive Democrats represent like 90% of my interests.

[FaultyMario]

TikTok is tremendous. I have a feeling it's going to be very, very big. (https://twitter.com/sarahcpr/status/1253474772702429189?s=20)

[neanderthal]

So the orange cheetolini suggested people take bleach. What are the conservatives saying on Twitter? They're blaming the liberal media ..

[neanderthal]

Hillary literally said Trump was the most dangerous man to run for President, but people were concerned because she has a vagina, or something something her emails.

[neanderthal]

Brilliant.

https://advrider.com/f/attachments/3838d793-a41e-4947-9daa-d80b3719283e-jpeg.2266015/

[neanderthal]

You can't make this up.

Republicans are mad that unemployment benefits are actually benefiting the unemployed (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pandemic-coronavirus-unemployment-benefits_n_5ea3066ec5b6d376358eb545)

[FaultyMario]

Yeah, tiktok shows why (https://twitter.com/SergioJSiano/status/1252802506519953409?s=19) the Anita Hills and the Blaisey-Fords deserve better.

[MR2 Fan]

You can't make this up.

Republicans are mad that unemployment benefits are actually benefiting the unemployed (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pandemic-coronavirus-unemployment-benefits_n_5ea3066ec5b6d376358eb545)

Its ironic because the reason that $600 a week is more than people make in a lot of jobs is because of the same issue that Republicans don't want to increase minimum wage

[neanderthal]

Its ironic because the reason that $600 a week is more than people make in a lot of jobs is because of the same issue that Republicans don't want to increase minimum wage

Ding ding ding, we have a winner.
Read a piece where a lady who owns 2 salons/ massage parlours/ whatever the fuck they were, got funding from SBA for them for this corona thing, then was upset because her employees preferred to stay on unemployment; it paid more.


Maybe if you paid your employees better ...

But of course that's not what she took from it. :rolleyes:

[Crazed_Insanity]

I thought it’s the employees that got upset. Surely the small business owner is happy to have the loan help. Employees just prefer the higher govt free money rather than keeping their lousy jobs!

I think we run into this issue due to a compromised bill. Republicans want one thing and dems want another... it’s be nice if they could come up with a more consistent help for workers...

If a job doesn’t pay well enough, you could always turn it down. Of course you’ll settle if you don’t think you can find another job that offers higher pay... I think labor wages should follow the law of supply and demand as well.

Personally I don’t believe we should force all employers to pay living wages. If Government wish to intervene, then they should pay up a bit too and not expect business owners to pick up all the cost. Especially a govt like US who is able to print its own money, should just step in and fill in the gap... to ensure that no Americans are left behind below poverty level.

I’m all for multimillion dollar companies paying living wages, but I think it’s kinda stupid to demand all small businesses to pay living wages and healthcare and all the other stuff. Not all Mom and pop shops are loaded with money...

Govt fill in the gap can also ensure employers won’t justifying laying off workers because they’re forced to pay higher living wages.

If Andrew Yangs UBI costs too much, then I hope at least government will pick up the cost at helping its citizens to not be a worker living in poverty levels. What would be the point of setting slaves free if we as a nation still have workers still slaving away in poverty?

Anyway, just saying it shouldn’t be business owners sharing the full cost. This should be a collective effort to ensure all citizens are making living wages and with basic healthcare.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Looks like another progressive agenda might be forced to be resolved is cost of higher education. If we’re forced into online schools, that could cut into overhead spending by as much as 70%!

So we might not have free college, but if current new normal holds, we can expect a 70% reduction in tuition cost!

Other than the fact that this virus kills, it’s actually solving a lot of our social issues... or at least the progressive agendas commonly ignored...

[Rikadyn]

https://i.redd.it/74i0assnjlv41.png

[Crazed_Insanity]

AOC is worse than Hillary?!?!

[FaultyMario]

@Holden: That's from October, before the pandemic. My gut tells me that graph be would radically different at the end of April.

That does not mean people dislike Hillary less than they did 6 months ago.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Anyway, even if before the pandemic..., I guess it was AOC’s endorsement that screwed Bernie over! :p

[Freude am Fahren]

AOC is worse than Hillary?!?!

Really?

Also, that tweet headline ignores the fact that every person on that list is net negative, except the Obamas.

[neanderthal]

Really?

Also, that tweet headline ignores the fact that every person on that list is net negative, except the Obamas.

It also fails to say all the "progressives" on it are net negative.

[drew]

"1989 registered voters"

Sorry, but "polls" like this I shrug off. Saw one last night that said "85% of Americans...", it was 1000 responses. Fuck off. 850 people is not even a percentage of a percent of "Americans"

"90 of Americans think polls are fucking stupid" (10 people polled.)

[Crazed_Insanity]

It also fails to say all the "progressives" on it are net negative.

Bernie and Joe looks very similar according to the chart.

If AOC endorsed Biden, maybe Sanders would be able to overcome the black establishment! :p

[FaultyMario]

Differences between "Karen" and "Becky". Go!

[Jason]

"1989 registered voters"

Sorry, but "polls" like this I shrug off. Saw one last night that said "85% of Americans...", it was 1000 responses. Fuck off. 850 people is not even a percentage of a percent of "Americans"

"90 of Americans think polls are fucking stupid" (10 people polled.)

So I don’t have the memory to address this myself, but this sort of polling number isn’t as bad as you’d think. There’s articles on it if you do a little searching:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/howcan-a-poll-of-only-100/

https://www.aapor.org/Education-Resources/Election-Polling-Resources/Sampling-Methods-for-Political-Polling.aspx

https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/sample-size/

https://surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm

Long story short, 1000 is a pretty standard sample size for America, generally within 3% MOE.

[neanderthal]

Differences between "Karen" and "Becky". Go!


Becky genuinely doesn't know. She grew up ... sheltered. She says stupid shit out of ignorance and naivete.

Karen knows. She knows exactly what the fuck shes doing. Karen calls the cops on a black kid selling water on the sidewalk knowing good and damn well that the police might over react. Karen is Becky, 20 years later, with a chip on her shoulder; life hasn't turned out how her 20 year younger Becky like self envisioned it would be, and she's bitter.

[Tom Servo]

When everything's going great

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EW0yN_3XgAExrLY?format=png&name=small

Rumor has it he threatened to sue his campaign manager today, to which Parscale responded "I love you too"

[FaultyMario]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EW3L-XXWsAAkg0o.jpg

Having a government agency send 1,500 healthcare professionals to 22 countries and then centralize payments is human trafficking?

Gotcha. No wonder they can't wrap their heads around a single-payer health system.

[FaultyMario]

Infamous ‘Waitress Sandwich’ Senator Chris Dodd Joins Biden’s VP Search Committee (https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/30/infamous-waitress-sandwich-senator-chris-dodd-joins-bidens-vp-search-committee/)


Dodd, the 75-year-old from Connecticut, will be joined by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and former Biden counsel Cynthia Hogan. Three other appointees will work specifically on vetting chosen candidates; Bob Bauer, husband to former Obama Communications Director Anita Dunn, Obama homeland security advisor Lisa Monaco, and law professor Dana Remus.

Per GQ's retelling. (https://www.gq.com/story/kennedy-ted-senator-profile)


Eyewitness Betty Loh told me that Kennedy had "three or four" cocktails in his first half hour at the restaurant and wine with dinner. When she walked into the room after Gaviglio had gone in, she says, "what I saw was Senator Kennedy on top of Carla, who was on top of Senator Dodd's lap, and the tablecloth was sort of slid off the table 'cause the table was knocked over—not completely, but just on Senator Dodd's lap a little bit, and of course the glasses and the candlesticks were totally spilled and everything. And right when I walked in, Senator Kelly jumped off…and he leaped up, composed himself and got up. And Carla jumped up and ran out of the room."

According to Loh, Kennedy "was sort of leaning" on Gaviglio, "not really straddling but sort of off-balance so it was like he might have accidentally fallen…He was partially on and off…pushing himself off her to get up." Dodd, she adds, "said 'It's not my fault.' " Kennedy said something similar and added, jokingly, "Makes you wonder about the leaders of this country."

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EW3L-XXWsAAkg0o.jpg

Having a government agency send 1,500 healthcare professionals to 22 countries and then centralize payments is human trafficking?

Gotcha. No wonder they can't wrap their heads around a single-payer health system.

Haven’t been paying much attention to Cuba at all...

That tweet really made no sense on the face of it; however, Cuba’s medical missionaries have been sent around the world even before the pandemic and the payments go to Cuba, but the medical staffs don’t see a dime. Hence the complain about human trafficking/modern day slavery...

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1WC00X

I also found this article interesting... apparently Cuban and Chinese doc developed some sort of ‘wonder drug’ that could treat COVID19:

https://www.newsweek.com/cuba-drug-fight-coronavirus-us-sanctions-1493872?amp=1

However this article is kinda dated... wonder if this wonder drug really working...

[FaultyMario]

Doctors don't see a dime?

What the fuck are you talking about?

There's a wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_medical_internationalism) FFS!

[Crazed_Insanity]

See my linked Reuter article above. That article painted Cuba in a very negative light.

However, I also found another article that painted Cuba very favorably: https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-04-24/cuba-from-aids-dengue-and-ebola-to-covid-19/

If the above author is right, looks like Cuba is well equipped to handle infectious diseases... and the main reason for medical missionaries is because they have a surplus of medical workers...

Anyway, Cuba is basically the exact opposite of US, although less free and less wealthy, but they do have universal healthcare and fully prepared for any pandemic!

Not sure which side to believe since I have zero Cuban friends nor am I familiar with Cuba at all.

Anyway, that ‘wonder drug’ was developed back in the early 80s... if it’s really effective it’ll probably make Cuba very rich.

[Jason]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/30/biden-sanders-convention-delegates-226208

Biden and Sanders continue to work together to build a large tent coalition of moderates and progressives. If nothing else, Biden has been really flexible, and willing to listen, which is something this country sorely needs.

[FaultyMario]

Anyway, that ‘wonder drug’ was developed back in the early 80s... if it’s really effective it’ll probably make Cuba very rich.

Why deviate, why not stay on the Cuban medical diplomacy program? Why do you have go off onto the rhetorical bunnies?

:smh:

[Crazed_Insanity]

Sorry to got off subject about Cuba possibility has in its possession an effective treatment to fight against a pandemic we’re currently going thru.

Please continue. Please get back on track with your Cuban topic.

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/30/biden-sanders-convention-delegates-226208

Biden and Sanders continue to work together to build a large tent coalition of moderates and progressives. If nothing else, Biden has been really flexible, and willing to listen, which is something this country sorely needs.

I guess their ‘friendship’ counts for something...

Hoping things will workout...

[FaultyMario]

Sorry to got off subject about Cuba possibility has in its possession an effective treatment to fight against a pandemic we’re currently going thru.

Please continue. Please get back on track with your Cuban topic.

Then make a pause and branch off in a new direction, like in conversation. Don't go off full 'squirrel!' in the middle of something. I think that's the best use of the quote function, to rebuke points or to answer to someone in particular.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Then make a pause and branch off in a new direction, like in conversation. Don't go off full 'squirrel!' in the middle of something. I think that's the best use of the quote function, to rebuke points or to answer to someone in particular.

I already told you I don’t know much about Cuba and only started to google about it after I saw your post.

There are 2 sides of the medical missionary story, which is truer, I’m not sure. Have you had any experience with Cuban doctors in Mexico?

If the Reuter story is closer to the truth than Pompeo tweet makes sense. If Reuter’s only a mouth piece for US govt oppressing Cuba for no good reason, than we can ignore or laugh off of that tweet. Last I checked, Reuter isn’t really a biased news org...

How can an average American figure out what’s real and what’s fake news?

In all honesty, I’m more interested about that ‘wonder drug’. How that drug works will have more impact to my life. In all likelihood, I will never be able to meet a Cuban missionary doctor... either to save him from Cuba or praise him for the awesome work that he’s done.

[FaultyMario]

I already told you I don’t know much about Cuba and only started to google about it after I saw your post.

There are 2 sides of the medical missionary story, which is truer, I’m not sure. Have you had any experience with Cuban doctors in Mexico?



I have not had first-hand experience with doctors, but with educators.

But that is beyond the point, the questions here are:

Do you agree with Pompeo that Cuban doctors who earn somewhere between 125 and 350 USD if they practice their profession abroad are victims of human trafficking?,
Should the international community demand that Cuba stop their Comprehensive Health Program (its official name) because the payments are not made directly to the doctors?,
Do you think that the Cuban State is a legitimate agent who should be compensated representing not only the doctors, but the community from which they come?
Should third parties interfere in the relationship between the Cuban State and the Cuban doctors? if so, on what grounds?

[FaultyMario]

You sure know how to ruin a fucking meme!!

[Crazed_Insanity]

If Cuban doctors are not getting their fair wages and forced to go abroad to work as cheap laborer while Cuban government gets all the money and diplomacy points from abroad as described in that Reuter article, then yeah, I would agree with Pompeo.

If Reuter has fabricated lies along with the US government, then of course not.

How can we be sure which story is factual?

[FaultyMario]

I don't know. No one can. Facts are so... elusive, they are shadows on wall for all we know.

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-48214513

BBC is also fake news like Reuters?

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/indepth/features/cuba-history-sending-medical-teams-nations-crisis-200331112744040.html
This article praises Cuba but also addressed the criticisms... probably the most balanced?

Anyway, truth is probably somewhere in between. Cuba has done good work but probably has also exploited its doctors.

If there are exploitation’s and the international community don’t apply pressure, it’s unlikely the regime will just stop exploitation on its own.

This is probably similar to HK. Some thought the CCP sucks, some thought CCP has been great and USA should mind its own business and protesters are just stupid rioters.

I’m fine with socialism, but more biased against authoritarian regimes. Democratic socialism is fine by me, but authoritarian whatever usually won’t be trusted by yours truly.

[FaultyMario]

There's also a The Guardian article.

But you've really made me ponder if those poor Cuban doctors are suffering by choosing to go abroad to earn triple what they would earn under Castro while still paying Castro an outlandish agent's fee that he obviously uses to pay his kept-alive-until-a-cure-is-found machines.

I'm also wondering why I'm not supporting the presidency of Juan Guaido or if the not-an-actual-fraud fraud Mr. Almagro reported happened in Bolivia was really a ploy devised by a suffering Emo Vorales (https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/4170251948_27cd40c6e5_o.jpg).

[neanderthal]

https://www.theroot.com/the-real-coronavirus-hoax-republicans-are-using-covid-1843165366

[FaultyMario]

Cuba has done good work but probably has also exploited its doctors.

If there are exploitation’s and the international community don’t apply pressure, it’s unlikely the regime will just stop exploitation on its own.

Absolutely spot on! This poor guy:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EW8aGDlWkAAkP33.jpg

Was sent to Bolivia from Cuba under the false pretenses that it was on a good will mission, and he ended up dead!


I'm sure respectable members of the international community. -like Klaus Barby and Edward Fox- applied the right kind of pressure against those snakey Cubans.

[George]

In the early 2000s, I worked closely with a guy from Buenos Aires for a couple years. We were cooks. He helped me a lot with my high school and college Spanish in terms of restaurant-specific vocabulary, things you don't say even if they do translate literally, and so forth.

Apparently that doctor has become such a hero in Argentina that they add che at the end of informal sentences among friends, the same way Americans might say man or dude in English. "Hey, grab me another beer, dude!"

Or, in our world at the time, it might have been "iDame dos poschos de la parischa, che!" (spelling adjusted for the dialect my friend taught me). I actually said something that to another cook from Argentina I worked with later and got a friendly laugh instead of an after-work asskicking in the parking lot, so my friend's story finally checked out, not that I had doubted him. You don't work side-by-side with guys with sharp knives and boiling pots on gas burners for long without learning to trust each other.

[FaultyMario]

Did he ever comeback with a "¡tomalo vos, boludo!"?

[George]

Too funny!

I don't remember tomalo vos (of course I just looked it up), but my buddy "Geesh" called me boludo at the end of just about every sentence that didn't end with che. :lol: I had forgotten that one! I miss that guy. Geesh was short for Guillermo which he pronounced as Guischermo. He could talk trash with the best of 'em in Spanish and English and kept us laughing all the time. I'm sure there were many other friendly insults that I've forgotten, as my Spanish skills started atrophying as soon as I escaped from the restaurant business.

Another guy we worked was from the western North Carolina mountains and went over the top with the dumb hillbilly routine. He'd call some of the guys from south of the border "Spaniard" as if he didn't know any better. I can hear him now: "Hey Spaniard! Where's my [whatever he wanted]?! Don't you make me come down there and whoop yer sorry ass!"

Dang, this is the Politics thread. Oops!

Let's get back on track.

TRUMP SKIS IN JEANS! :angry:

[SportWagon]

Absolutely spot on! This poor guy:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EW8aGDlWkAAkP33.jpg

Was sent to Bolivia from Cuba under the false pretenses that it was on a good will mission, and he ended up dead!


I'm sure respectable members of the international community. -like Klaus Barby and Edward Fox- applied the right kind of pressure against those snakey Cubans.Ah.. Less easily recognizable in a non-iconic photo.

[neanderthal]

https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/95389076_2539577049592067_2621945502618353664_n.jp g?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=v-Quyg99rJcAX-d-yzA&_nc_ht=scontent.fphx1-1.fna&oh=633300906756cfbf2155e2996230d6d3&oe=5ED2C947

[Jason]

Our country is full of hypocrites. News at 11.

[neanderthal]

Seeing a lot of "tyranny/ this is not a police state" from the previously "all lives/ blue lives matter" crowd now that they are the ones facing a police presence when they go outside to protest lock down orders.

The irony is delicious.

[Rikadyn]

Seeing a lot of "tyranny/ this is not a police state" from the previously "all lives/ blue lives matter" crowd now that they are the ones facing a police presence when they go outside to protest lock down orders.

The irony is delicious.

Sorta like when the NRA and Republicans backed antigun laws in California, because it was the Black Panthers not kneeling to the police. Only difference is that the Panthers had legitimate reasons to be armed.

[Rikadyn]

https://i.redd.it/efmn3t0jwpw41.jpg

[FaultyMario]

My opinion is that the powerful always need to keep leverage on their representatives, that's why they are so happy to prop up people like Bush Jr., Trump and Biden.

[neanderthal]

Sorta like when the NRA and Republicans backed antigun laws in California, because it was the Black Panthers not kneeling to the police. Only difference is that the Panthers had legitimate reasons to be armed.

Pretty much.

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://i.redd.it/efmn3t0jwpw41.jpg

:lol:

[MR2 Fan]

:lol:

[Crazed_Insanity]

Sorta like when the NRA and Republicans backed antigun laws in California, because it was the Black Panthers not kneeling to the police. Only difference is that the Panthers had legitimate reasons to be armed.

Did not realize there was a time NRA supported gun control back in the 60s! That's crazy amazing! Or perhaps was the culture a bit different back in the 60s? I wasn't even born back then so I couldn't tell! :p

I guess Dave Chappelle is right! “Every able-bodied African-American must register...







for a legal firearm. That’s the only way they’ll change the law!”

Death of bunch of white little kindergarten kids couldn't do it..., 'black establishment' will be our last hope! Do it again like you did it for Biden!

[MR2 Fan]

yep, the NRA wants everyone to have guns....as long as you're white and preferably right-wing

[TheBenior]

The NRA didn't really start reflexively opposing gun control until the 1994 Federal Assault Weapon Ban. They were fine with the 1986 closing of the machine gun registry and the 1989 import ban on semi-auto rifles.

[Tom Servo]

Wayne LaPierre became head of the NRA in 1991.

[TheBenior]

And he's still around, hundreds of thousands of dollars in custom suits later.

[Tom Servo]

Yep. While I don't doubt that he loves his guns, he also loves his grift.

[MR2 Fan]

Never go full Dotard

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/05/none-of-the-political-leaders-were-wearing-masks-during-donald-trumps-tour-of-a-arizona-mask-factory/#comments_section_start


"None of the political leaders were wearing masks during Donald Trump’s tour of an Arizona mask factory"

"As Trump was arriving in Arizona, reporters were being attacked for wearing masks by his supporters. "

[FaultyMario]

Fanatical terrorist might have been radicalized by instagram (https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qj4dvd/captured-american-mercenary-appears-to-be-really-into-qanon).

[George]

Never go full Dotard

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/05/none-of-the-political-leaders-were-wearing-masks-during-donald-trumps-tour-of-a-arizona-mask-factory/#comments_section_start


"None of the political leaders were wearing masks during Donald Trump’s tour of an Arizona mask factory"

"As Trump was arriving in Arizona, reporters were being attacked for wearing masks by his supporters. "

What the hell is wrong with people? I just cannot understand those can't see what is so incredibly obvious. Hey, I know - let's open up tattoo shops and massage parlors in Georgia! Hail yayuh, buddy!

*fires shots in the air for emphasis*

But, then again, I've stayed in a house recently where Fox News was on every evening (before all this started, but still...) and have seen how they shovel the shit and call it sunshine for those who aren't bright enough to change the channel every once in a while.

And my grammar nazi bit of the day:

"None of the political leaders was wearing..."

Apparently editors have gone the way of pay phones and men who take off their ball caps in restaurants.

[Jason]

https://www.vox.com/2020/5/5/21232869/supreme-court-mazars-vance-deutsche-bank-trump-subpoenas-immunity-nixon

Important cases that could further boost the power of the presidency if they go the wrong way.

[Freude am Fahren]

And my grammar nazi bit of the day:

"None of the political leaders was wearing..."

Apparently editors have gone the way of pay phones and men who take off their ball caps in restaurants.

I've always used the method of replacing none with not one or not any, and see which one keeps the sentence in tact. A lot of times it's both. In this case none can be replaced with "not one" (singular) of the leaders, or "not any" (plural) of the leaders. Therefore, either was or were would be accepted.

I actually had this come up the other day in a conversation, only reason I want to question it.

[George]

I've always used the method of replacing none with not one or not any, and see which one keeps the sentence in tact. A lot of times it's both. In this case none can be replaced with "not one" (singular) of the leaders, or "not any" (plural) of the leaders. Therefore, either was or were would be accepted.

I actually had this come up the other day in a conversation, only reason I want to question it.

I go back to sentence diagramming. Set aside the prepositional phrases. They add nothing to the subject-verb relationship.

Without of the political leaders, the sentence now reads None were wearing wearing masks.

None is singular. Therefore, none was wearing masks is correct. Or at least that's how one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Montgomery, taught us when I was in the ninth grade.

And I know criticizing grammar on the internet is silly. I make plenty of mistakes myself, such as starting the last sentence with a conjunction. But I am not a professional journalist, and I notice more errors from that camp than I used to.

This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put! ;)

Please pardon my pedantry.

[Freude am Fahren]

Heh, I was correcting professional journalists on the daily when I was working in control rooms.

[neanderthal]

https://www.vox.com/2020/5/5/21232869/supreme-court-mazars-vance-deutsche-bank-trump-subpoenas-immunity-nixon

Important cases that could further boost the power of the presidency if they go the wrong way.

Voting matters!

-------------

Judges, appointed by Trump, in Miami said jail can't be forced to give inmates soap, cleaning supplies, or tests during corona. An appeals court said this.

Voting matters!

--------------

I don't need to tell y'all who is over represented in those jails.

It's not enough to just go vote. We have to vote every single one of those rat fucking Republicans out of office. The entire map of the USA needs to be dark fucking blue on election day.

-------------


A black man, out for a run in Georgia was ... lynched. No other way to describe it. The special prosecutor brought in just released a letter/ memo yesterday or the day before, calling for a grand jury to be convened as soon as the corona virus is over, because the video leaked out. Otherwise why would anyone who's seen that video need a couple of months to reach that conclusion. The reason for the special prosecutor is because one, or both of the perpetrators know/ are related the the prosecutor/ AG in that district.
Tell me why you can go get a tattoo right now in Georgia but you can't convene a jury now. Everything is open because of their dumb fuck governor. But not juries.


I've got NO TIME for people claiming Biden needs to "earn their vote." That's hella fucking privileged. Hella fucking selfish. If you can't go vote Biden and blue all the way down in November then your "not me. us" sloganeering is utter unicorn shit!

Every election matters. Every fucking Republican needs to be destroyed at the polls.

------------

And I just read that a judge dismissed a lawsuit over worker safety at a Smithfield pork processing plant.

[neanderthal]

People can be so beautiful, so humane. (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/world/coronavirus-ireland-native-american-tribes.html) I've gone from fury to tears running down my face at the beauty of this gesture by the Irish.

Dia dhaoibh!

[JoshInKC]

Every fucking Republican needs to be destroyed at the polls.
Fixed that for you.

[neanderthal]

Fixed that for you.
Didn't catch my mistake. Thanks.

;)

[Crazed_Insanity]

People can be so beautiful, so humane. (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/world/coronavirus-ireland-native-american-tribes.html) I've gone from fury to tears running down my face at the beauty of this gesture by the Irish.

Dia dhaoibh!

Amen amen!

[FaultyMario]

The man who bankrupted more than one business has now bankrupted America.

In more ways than one.

[Crazed_Insanity]

America cannot go bankrupt, we can always print more money or we can bomb our debt collectors!

[Tom Servo]

Lol, some group called "The Lincoln Project" put out an anti-Trump ad called "Mourning in America". Trump rage tweeted in the middle of the night about it a few days ago, which lead to it making the rounds on social media. Turns out, they only paid $5,000 for it and only aired it on Fox News in Washington DC, because they knew he'd Streisand Effect it and get it out country wide - they only needed to target one single viewer.

[neanderthal]

Lol, some group called "The Lincoln Project" put out an anti-Trump ad called "Mourning in America". Trump rage tweeted in the middle of the night about it a few days ago, which lead to it making the rounds on social media. Turns out, they only paid $5,000 for it and only aired it on Fox News in Washington DC, because they knew he'd Streisand Effect it and get it out country wide - they only needed to target one single viewer.

Fantastic. His ego wouldn't let him ignore it and it blew up.

[neanderthal]

Seventy people who attended mass gathering have tested positive for COVID. (https://www.channel3000.com/72-got-covid-19-after-being-at-large-event/) This tea is delicious.

Sixty seven people have also tested positive, who stated they went out to vote. Fuck the Republicans!

[FaultyMario]

That's so sad.

Cognitive dissonance shouldn't put a person in mortal danger.

[Tom Servo]

It is really scary seeing how pervasive a lot of these conspiracy theories are. Before it was "lol, look at the dummies", but now it's gotten massively worse and it's having fatal consequences. My Nextdoor has a bunch of people claiming that the whole thing is a hoax and it's just Gavin Newsom attempting a fascist takeover of the state, and literally bragging about how they will get as close as they can to other people.

I don't see how you can see that +80k people in this country have now died from this in two months and claim that it's less deadly than the flu, but goddamn if people aren't doing just that.

[TheBenior]

I don't see how you can see that +80k people in this country have now died from this in two months and claim that it's less deadly than the flu, but goddamn if people aren't doing just that.

Well, most conspiracies thrive on a grain of truth. Take how we're counting deaths in Illinois, for example:


"If you were in hospice and had already been given a few weeks to live, and then you also were found to have COVID, that would be counted as a COVID death. It means technically even if you died of a clear alternate cause, but you had COVID at the same time, it's still listed as a COVID death. So, everyone who's listed as a COVID death doesn't mean that that was the cause of the death, but they had COVID at the time of the death." Dr. Ezike outlined.

Given that, it's a guarantee that some of those people didn't die from COVID, they died with COVID. Going by the odds, some were asymptomatic, and some might have beaten it and had dead virus fragments causing false positives. Of course, some deaths might be false negatives, and some early deaths may not have been tested/counted.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I thought this virus would end up bringing political differences together but boy was I wrong....

At this point in time, I really think we should just allow whoever wish to open up to open up and allow who ever wish to stay home to stay home.

For those who insist on this being a hoax, they really should sign a piece of paper to waive medical treatment should they become in need of hospitalization...

Of course the longterm danger of that is that perhaps up to 20% of the conservatives would die off but the rest of them would become immune to the virus and will end up ruling over the liberals... because the liberals will end up confining themselves until a vaccine is available...

[Tom Servo]

Well, most conspiracies thrive on a grain of truth. Take how we're counting deaths in Illinois, for example:



Given that, it's a guarantee that some of those people didn't die from COVID, they died with COVID. Going by the odds, some were asymptomatic, and some might have beaten it and had dead virus fragments causing false positives. Of course, some deaths might be false negatives, and some early deaths may not have been tested/counted.

I'm curious to know if the same thing is done with influenza - if someone in hospice gets the flu and then dies, do they also code that as an influenza death?

[TheBenior]

That would likely be dependent upon whether any symptoms were noticed.

The flu estimates are based on sampling of data from 13 regions and models based off of the idea that the direct data under counts flu cases.

FWIW, Cook County, IL doesn't routinely do autopsies of the elderly and/or people with chronic health issues who die after being admitted to hospitals, and often times even those same kinds of deaths when they don't die in hospitals.

[MR2 Fan]

https://twitter.com/bullriders1/status/1259685484688621571

Pence asked food industry CEOs to remove masks before he entered the room. Two of those executives, Ken Sullivan of Smithfield Foods and Noel White of Tyson Foods, run meatpacking plants where hundreds of workers have #COVID19 and at least three have died.

[George]

Pence asked food industry CEOs to remove masks before he entered the room..

WHY?

What possible good could come of that?

Don't politicians think they should be SETTING THE EXAMPLE?!

This continues to be INFURIATING. And I don't mean just this example, but EVERYTHING the deliberately ignorant-acting Republicans/conservatives are doing...and not doing.

This is why I've been avoiding the news as much as possible. It makes me sad and then angry and then sad and then angry and then sad...


I don't see how you can see that +80k people in this country have now died from this in two months and claim that it's less deadly than the flu, but goddamn if people aren't doing just that.

I simply cannot understand this. But, I guess they'd label me one of the "elites" who can work from home. I actually heard someone say that as part of a story on NPR on Friday in the car when I made my weekly trip to the office.

I never thought I'd see politicians putting...WHAT, EXACTLY?...in front of public safety. I just cannot understand how downplaying the OBVIOUS health concerns can help them win more elections, if that's their only goal. It makes no sense. I would think people who might otherwise vote their usual party ticket would realize these self-serving ASSHOLES don't give a damn about anyone but themselves and their mysteriously staunch party loyalty and vote for Democrats instead at every opportunity until things get...well, how about more stable, at least.

More news about stupid people in my part of the world: Restaurant reopens to Mother’s Day crowds in defiance of statewide public health order (https://www.denverpost.com/2020/05/10/castle-rock-cc-coffee-reopens-coronavirus/)

That's a Denver Post link - they may cry about adblockers and/or private browsing. At least they aren't as bad as the NY Times and the Washington Post - I could actually read that article using both.

I feel bad for small business owners. I really do. I work for a medium-sized company and my job is hardly a sure thing. I if lost it, I don't know what I'd do in this economy. I bet very few businesses are hiring right now for the kind of work I do, mostly because everyone who has a job is doing their best to keep it. Maybe I'd have to go work in a grocery store until things get better. I understand people need money. Everyone always does.

But I don't think packing a restaurant full of people without masks for one day is going to prevent the restaurant from going under. It may delay the inevitable for another week, but at what cost?

[Cam]

Tell us how you REALLY feel, G! :lol:

[George]

I needed to vent, or perhaps lash out, as mentioned recently in the "where I say things" thread. :D

[JoshInKC]

WHY?
Well, that's a fun question: Short version, as far as I can tell, is that its a combination of two factors.
1.) Toeing the party (Trump) line. "No, we won't wear masks. That would mean we're scared - We are strong like bull!" It's that type of performative masculinity you see in a lot of people who haven't actually been tested or tried. Very similar to those cosplay nerds who dress up in camo and drag rifles around to show that nobody's the boss of them, etc. You know, the kind of jerks who talk a big game about how tough they are but have never been in a fight or gone hungry for a day - This administration seems packed to the gills with those assholes.
2.) Probably a bit of that good old fashioned evangelical christian dispensationalist crap - Those blessed and beloved by god will only go by his grace and when he chooses, etc. He's probably pretty sure that god means for him to be president, so obviously he won't get sick.

[Tom Servo]

I did see that that restaurant apparently is going to have their license to do business suspended for 30 days.

Our beaches are re-opening on Wed., but only for swimming, surfing, walking, or running. No sunbathing, no volleyball, and oddly, no cycling.

That said, we were naughty and went to check out the glowing waves on Saturday night. Beach was pretty sparsely populated so it was easy to keep distance. Glowing waves are cool.

Realizing this should have been in the other thread. Oops.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Well, that's a fun question: Short version, as far as I can tell, is that its a combination of two factors.
1.) Toeing the party (Trump) line. "No, we won't wear masks. That would mean we're scared - We are strong like bull!" It's that type of performative masculinity you see in a lot of people who haven't actually been tested or tried. Very similar to those cosplay nerds who dress up in camo and drag rifles around to show that nobody's the boss of them, etc. You know, the kind of jerks who talk a big game about how tough they are but have never been in a fight or gone hungry for a day - This administration seems packed to the gills with those assholes.
2.) Probably a bit of that good old fashioned evangelical christian dispensationalist crap - Those blessed and beloved by god will only go by his grace and when he chooses, etc. He's probably pretty sure that god means for him to be president, so obviously he won't get sick.

Not sure if his reasoning is that spiritual... even if he does think God protects him, are those CEOs faithful and humble servants of Christ as well?

I think the main reason is to put on a display or normalcy as the nation is opening up.

I personally think it’s good that people in the WH don’t wear masks. Let’s see how long they can last that way as staffs begin to get sick...

Winning in November may not be a sure thing... so hopefully the virus will help out some...

[neanderthal]

This tea is delicious.
https://www.channel3000.com/72-got-covid-19-after-being-at-large-event/

I'm sad about the people who got it because they were voting. The ones who were protesting, fuck those putas.

[neanderthal]

https://twitter.com/bullriders1/status/1259685484688621571

Pence asked food industry CEOs to remove masks before he entered the room. Two of those executives, Ken Sullivan of Smithfield Foods and Noel White of Tyson Foods, run meatpacking plants where hundreds of workers have #COVID19 and at least three have died.

Isn't he now in quarantine?

[Yw-slayer]

Well, that's a fun question: Short version, as far as I can tell, is that its a combination of two factors.
1.) Toeing the party (Trump) line. "No, we won't wear masks. That would mean we're scared - We are strong like bull!" It's that type of performative masculinity you see in a lot of people who haven't actually been tested or tried. Very similar to those cosplay nerds who dress up in camo and drag rifles around to show that nobody's the boss of them, etc. You know, the kind of jerks who talk a big game about how tough they are but have never been in a fight or gone hungry for a day - This administration seems packed to the gills with those assholes.
2.) Probably a bit of that good old fashioned evangelical christian dispensationalist crap - Those blessed and beloved by god will only go by his grace and when he chooses, etc. He's probably pretty sure that god means for him to be president, so obviously he won't get sick.

1. Yup, toxic masculinity. Like people walking into Subway with an anti-tank weapon on their back. One wonders if they're trying to compensate for something. lololollololololol

2. Yup. Always easy to rationalise. If you win and/or things go well, it's "GOD'S WILL!!!" If you lose and/or things don't work, it's "GOD IS TESTING MY FAITH!!!" lololollololololol

[neanderthal]

So Mitch McConnell calls President Obama "classless" for saying Trumps COVID response was awful.

Mitch of the lets make Obama a one term president.
He that was laughing in an interview with Hannity how he blocked Obama for two years.
He who refused to give Merrick Garland a straight up and down vote.

Mitch McConnell can fuck right off.

[neanderthal]

So Mitch McConnell calls President Obama "classless" for saying Trumps COVID response was awful.

Mitch of the lets make Obama a one term president.
He that was laughing in an interview with Hannity how he blocked Obama for two years.
He who refused to give Merrick Garland a straight up and down vote.

Mitch McConnell can fuck right off.

Progressives can take not of the bolded part. And maybe a class on the 3 branches of government. Hint; one is the Supreme Court.

[FaultyMario]

Hey, careful who you start an argument with, Mo'! That guy you're quoting is a proven troll.

[SportWagon]

2. Yup. Always easy to rationalise. If you win and/or things go well, it's "GOD'S WILL!!!" If you lose and/or things don't work, it's "GOD IS TESTING MY FAITH!!!" lololollolololololYup. That's what the whole book of Job is about...

[Rikadyn]

https://i.redd.it/ys91lqxvdiy41.jpg

[neanderthal]

So Bernie failed to show up for a vote. And I think we can be wiretapped by the letter agencies willy nilly now, because of it.


Fuck Bernie.

Fuck the other senators who didn't bother to vote, but fuck Bernie in particular.

[neanderthal]

The original "flatten the curve" project.

https://twitter.com/nick_kapur/status/1260645957651185665?s=19

[Crazed_Insanity]

So Bernie failed to show up for a vote. And I think we can be wiretapped by the letter agencies willy nilly now, because of it.


Fuck Bernie.

Fuck the other senators who didn't bother to vote, but fuck Bernie in particular.

The amendment failed to pass 59 vs 37, right? Needed 60 votes, one short.

Interesting they didn’t vote along party line. 24 republicans actually voted FOR it and 10 dems against.

Did you know Tim Kaine,Hillary’s VP pick, is one of the dems who voted against?

Had Tim voted for it, amendment could’ve passed.

So I don’t understand why Sanders is the only person needed to be fucked by missing a vote, yet Hillary’s minions could actually vote against it and still be adored by the black establishment?

You make no sense.

[Rikadyn]

The amendment failed to pass 59 vs 37, right? Needed 60 votes, one short.

Interesting they didn’t vote along party line. 24 republicans actually voted FOR it and 10 dems against.

Did you know Tim Kaine,Hillary’s VP pick, is one of the dems who voted against?

Had Tim voted for it, amendment could’ve passed.

So I don’t understand why Sanders is the only person needed to be fucked by missing a vote, yet Hillary’s minions could actually vote against it and still be adored by the black establishment?

You make no sense.

Bernie is to him what China is to you

[Crazed_Insanity]

I'm Chinese. I'm not anti-China, just anti-that-dicktatorial-regime in China.

I'm also American. I'm not anti-USA, but I sure as hell am anti-establishment... given that US government is hijacked by the establishment, I'm anti-US government as well. However, at least US doesn't have a dicktator yet... just a dicktator wannabe.

To me USA is like the Republican Party, People Republic of China is like the Democrats... who labeled themselves as if they're with the people, but in reality they're more in love with money and power.

Taiwan is like the progressives in the US. UN and WHO would ignore Taiwan just as Democrats, whether politicians or voters, would ignore the progressives.

The world shall go on with these 2 lousy major super powers in charge just as USA will go on with 2 lousy major parties and we'll all continue to get fucked, not just Bernie Sanders.

Anyway, I really think Taiwan and quite a lot of other democratic socialist nations have shown us a better path forward... particularly during this pandemic. However, I don't think the typical Chinese nor Americans feel like they want to change their old ways of life, particularly in politics...

Weird.

[neanderthal]

Y'all see this? (https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/law-firm-hackers-claim-dirt-170216256.html)

What are the chances Russia pays the ransom to keep their little puppet in place?

And I just read a good (long) article on hackers a few days ago... (posted in what are you watching.)

[Rikadyn]

https://i.redd.it/3u7higct41z41.jpg

[Crazed_Insanity]

Wow! Look how great America was! Trump has definitely fulfilled his campaign promise of MAGA!

[MR2 Fan]

via twitter


@SpiroAgnewGhost

I love being told that I have an irrational fear of a deadly virus by people who are afraid of immigrants, LGBTQ, brown & black people, working women, windmills, vaccines, electric cars, voting by mail, universal health care, environmental protections, higher wages & face masks.

[neanderthal]

https://twitter.com/_EthanGrey/status/1261817921145364487?s=19

[JoshInKC]

Yeah, that all tracks.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yes, I can see the appeal for white supremacy for white people and it’s nice to explain the reason behind it, but I wish we could figure out an alternative option to attract white people to move away from white supremacy.

Let’s say higher education could help educate people to wise up to such abhorrent ideology but there are still quite a bit of poor whites who couldn’t afford higher education... is society willing to make higher education more affordable to them? Or we rather those assholes just OD and die so the world would be better off?

So this all comes down to us living under unfair system and nobody wants to be near the bottom because you know people on top will fuck with you.

It’s not just the blacks and minorities are afraid of such injustice. White people are afraid of it too.

Bernie Sanders wanted to offer everyone a fairer world, but not even the liberals wanted that or perhaps they thought Sanders is just too dreamy and unrealistic.

So if you are a white conservative, why would you vote for democrats who’ll slowly take away the advantageous white rights you currently enjoy? Naturally you will vote Trump to maintain status quo.

Unless we have a truly fair system for all, we will continue on with this struggle.

I really don’t think we have a race issue, but a wealth distribution issue.

Regardless of your race, it’s the poorer workers forced to do essential work at rock bottom wages... while the rich can safely stay at home with more money than they know what to do with... and could probably avoid paying taxes while still able to tell the government what to do.

We have a money supremacy problem that is more serious imho.

[Rikadyn]

https://i.redd.it/1d8g3fwebqz41.jpg

[neanderthal]

Five years too late.

https://twitter.com/WaPoSean/status/1263242317516935168?s=19

[neanderthal]

3553

I forgot I can do screen shots from my phone.

[FaultyMario]

Yeah, with Elena Klobuchar as his running mate, one does get a sense that Biden capitalizes really fast on political trends.

He's going after the Karen vote.

[neanderthal]

Yeah, with Elena Klobuchar as his running mate, one does get a sense that Biden capitalizes really fast on political trends.

He's going after the Karen vote.

That'll be a mistake, IMO. Veep needs to be African American, Latina , Native American or Asian/ Pacific Islander. Ideally from a blue state (if picking a senator) so that their replacement in the senate is also a democrat. MUCH younger. And ready for the Presidency, never mind veep, on day one.

[mk]

Are other party rank and file senators generally accepting cabinet posts?

[George]

Veep needs to be ... ready for the Presidency, never mind veep, on day one.

How about Hillary Clinton? :p



I'll show myself out. :sadbanana:

[Crazed_Insanity]

I nominate Michelle Obama!

[George]

Jimmy Carter!


(Hope nobody minds some Friday afternoon foolishness)

[Tom Servo]

We very much do. This thread is serious business.

[Leon]

Definitely keep voting for people because of name recognition, and not at all to do with their mental and emotional capability of doing the job.

Because so far, that has gone swimmingly well for you guys.

[Tom Servo]

(I hope it's clear I was being sarcastic)

[Leon]

It was :)

[Rikadyn]

Given recent comments,

Uncle Ruckus for vp

[Jason]

At the very least, Biden at least recognizes when he’s errored?

I still think we would have been much better off with Warren, Castro, Booker, or Harris as our candidate. Mostly less divisive, and a lot less bumbling. Oh well.

[Crazed_Insanity]

We just need to be careful the loss of senate seat won’t end up going to a republican.

I think if Warren or Sanders were the eventual nominee, republicans could’ve ended up with more senate seats...anyway, so it’s risky for warren to be the VP. Harris is probably the safest bet. It’s unlikely CA would end up with a republican senator.

Anyway, I’ll be pleasantly surprised to see him pick someone more progressive, but not keeping my hopes up.

[Tom Servo]

At the very least, Biden at least recognizes when he’s errored?

I still think we would have been much better off with Warren, Castro, Booker, or Harris as our candidate. Mostly less divisive, and a lot less bumbling. Oh well.

It is kinda sad when a legitimate improvement would be someone who doesn't double down on stupid.

[FaultyMario]

Specially when better options for the general populace are vetoed by the elites.

[neanderthal]

At the confluence of politics, healthcare and pandemics, lies this story. (https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-spiking-disproportionately-counties-voted-144412480.html)

[Jason]

Specially when better options for the general populace are vetoed by the elites.

Meh, this narrative is tired. The people showed up and voted for Biden. It’s not like other candidates didn’t have plenty of money and/or name recognition.

[Crazed_Insanity]

The better narrative would’ve been allowing the best centrist, or maybe even a progressive to win on his or her own accord without elitists interfering... Is that really too much to ask?

But I guess US elitists just feel entitled to play God at home or abroad.

[FaultyMario]

Meh, this narrative is tired. The people showed up and voted for Biden. It’s not like other candidates didn’t have plenty of money and/or name recognition.

It's an issue most representative governments face, from Greece to Brazil to Iran to Spain. Astroturfing and the pernicious use of the courts and the media have wrecked havoc in a dozen elections, swaying or repressing bottom-up choices in favor of candidates and parties that will at the least derail popular policies because they go against the privileges of the powerful few.

:random:

[MR2 Fan]

I really didn't expect the second civil war in the U.S. to be about wearing masks or not

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, the right to bear arms has been controversial, who knew the right to bear faces could be similarly controversial.

One thing I gotta hand it to them conservatives, they are really not afraid to die.

I don’t mind dying for freedom, I’m thankful for those who died for for my freedom this Memorial Day weekend, but com’on, risking death just so you can goto a BBQ or beach party and insist on doing it without masks is absolutely pure crazy insanity!

Freedom really shouldn’t degrade to the level of freedumb... sigh...

[MR2 Fan]

I'm calling the Florida results of the Presidential Race for Biden right now as the 1.8 million ex-convicts who have served their time WILL get a chance to vote this time with NO extra requirements. In a state where the results always seem to be 51% republican, I see it going the Dems way very easily

[Freude am Fahren]

In FL, I can imagine the felony vote being moot, or even leaning right.

[Tom Servo]

A lot more words than I normally use, but speaks to my utter confusion that so many people think of Trump as a tough guy rather than the constant whiner he actually is.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/donald-trump-the-most-unmanly-president/612031/

[neanderthal]

Meh, this narrative is tired. The people showed up and voted for Biden. It’s not like other candidates didn’t have plenty of money and/or name recognition.

Personally, I think the "elites" wanted Buttigieg, Bloomberg, Warren, and Bernie based on how much media they were getting in comparison to Kamala, Castro, Booker, chang and even that republican from Hawaii. Nevermind Bullock et al. And after the first few races you saw Bernie, Buttigieg and Warren being talked up even more (not so much Warren.) Then you saw African Americans, being pragmatic, turn and vote for someone who would appeal to suburban white voters, even though there were more "progressive" candidates left on the ballot; their problem was that they had narrow appeal (Bernie) or no track record of real accomplishment (Bernie and Buttigieg.)
Liz Warren was Hillary Clinton'd; bypassed and otherwise ignored for being female and competent, by those same elites.*



*read; media.

[neanderthal]

A lot more words than I normally use, but speaks to my utter confusion that so many people think of Trump as a tough guy rather than the constant whiner he actually is.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/donald-trump-the-most-unmanly-president/612031/

"He's not hurting the ones he's supposed to hurt." (http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-voter-hes-not-hurting-the-people-he-needs-be-hurting) It's come down to pure racism for me.

I noticed that ... people started clamoring for states to reopen right after the numbers came out; that COVID was disproportionately killing minorities. Coincidence? Maybe.
Factor in the witholding of needed PPE/ ventilators etc by the feds, the inaction since they (the President and Senate) were briefed in January, ... my mind is racing to all the little slivers and threads of proof, so i'm just gonna stop here before I sound like a conspiracist.

[neanderthal]

In FL, I can imagine the felony vote being moot, or even leaning right.

Why would you think that?
It's old but I don't imagine it's no longer true. 48% of FL prisoners are black. (https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2001-07-25-0107250314-story.html)

Mind you, it's clear and very bloody evident who is trying to deny them the ability to vote (Republicans) and who is trying to restore it (Democrats.) So why would ex cons vote Republican? Why would mostly black ex cons vote Republican? (assuming the racial make up of ex cons is the same as the prisoners.)

[Freude am Fahren]

It was a guess that overall, Florida's ex-con demographics skew more towards rednecks and white collar felons than a lot of other states. Also a not insignificant Cuban population that votes republican must be a portion of the ex-cons too. 48% is higher than I was guessing, so I wouldn't say leaning right anymore, but I don't know if it's really something democrats can rely on.

Also to your last point, I wouldn't be surprised if the make-up of ex-cons included a lower portion of minorities in general than prisoners given the sentencing biases that also exist.

But I was probably overthinking it.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I think it’s kinda sad that we are counting on ex-cons to help us win elections...

Why not just make sure everyone that can vote be allowed to vote?

I saw somewhere saying that Some of those Trump states’ winning margin is actually smaller than the number of black voters who were denied voting rights.

If dems could figure out a way to fix that, we wouldn’t be needing ex-cons help.

[neanderthal]

It was a guess that overall, Florida's ex-con demographics skew more towards rednecks and white collar felons than a lot of other states. Also a not insignificant Cuban population that votes republican must be a portion of the ex-cons too. 48% is higher than I was guessing, so I wouldn't say leaning right anymore, but I don't know if it's really something democrats can rely on.

Also to your last point, I wouldn't be surprised if the make-up of ex-cons included a lower portion of minorities in general than prisoners given the sentencing biases that also exist.

But I was probably overthinking it.

You're probably not wrong about the number of ex cons likely being more white than black but it still begs the question of why they'd vote for Republicans. That's what wouldn't make sense to me. I don't know any white ex cons that came out of the joint racist/ more racist. Of course I only know a few.

[neanderthal]

:lol:


I think it’s kinda sad that we are counting on ex-cons to help us win elections...

Why not just make sure everyone that can vote be allowed to vote?

I saw somewhere saying that Some of those Trump states’ winning margin is actually smaller than the number of black voters who were denied voting rights.

If dems could figure out a way to fix that, we wouldn’t be needing ex-cons help.

:smh: Maybe if less people voted third party ... because in e v e r y s w i n g s t a t e the margin was less than 3rd party voters. Also your trite, shitty assessment fails to consider the numerous ways African Americans are denied the ability to vote, from voter suppression efforts, indirect poll taxes, etc to ex felons being denied the right to vote.

Last I checked, nobody was suppressing 3rd party voters. That was entirely on them, because they had a choice and they chose badly.

[MR2 Fan]

billi, just look into the last Georgia Governor's race for your answer.


In other news....the thing that has been bothering me lately is that I'm noticing with a lot of people....just an undercurrent of anger, not from marginalized or poor people, but from well-off white people. You see it in the Karens and the people refusing to wear face masks and stuff like that....they just seem to be angry all the time, and I really want to know if it's because of the media they're watching all day.

If we can figure out what's causing the anger and minimize it, maybe we can start to change things.

[Yw-slayer]

In other news....the thing that has been bothering me lately is that I'm noticing with a lot of people....just an undercurrent of anger, not from marginalized or poor people, but from well-off white people. You see it in the Karens and the people refusing to wear face masks and stuff like that....they just seem to be angry all the time, and I really want to know if it's because of the media they're watching all day.

If we can figure out what's causing the anger and minimize it, maybe we can start to change things.

Years of being told, for the sake of likes/clicks/votes/ad money that they are truly an exceptional nation/people and they "Deserve!!!" to be ripped like a hollywood star even though they eat 12 doughnuts a night, that it's ALWAYS someone else's fault and why do I have to sacrifice MY OWN FREEDOM because SOMEONE ELSE did SOMETHING WRONG etc. etc. Then hand-wringing when it's pointed out that OMG THIS IS WHAT LIFE WILL HAVE TO BE LIKE ELSEWHERE WE CAN'T ACCEPT IT THIS IS INHUMANE!!/1/!?!?!/1?!?!!!! Most of them probably living on credit anymore before that.

They need to suck it up, buttercup, and get on with it.

[neanderthal]

billi, just look into the last Georgia Governor's race for your answer.


In other news....the thing that has been bothering me lately is that I'm noticing with a lot of people....just an undercurrent of anger, not from marginalized or poor people, but from well-off white people. You see it in the Karens and the people refusing to wear face masks and stuff like that....they just seem to be angry all the time, and I really want to know if it's because of the media they're watching all day.

If we can figure out what's causing the anger and minimize it, maybe we can start to change things.

They've been drip fed Faux News.

I've seen many an account of someone who's dear old dad/ mum/ aunt/ grandpa/ whoever, started watching it and became a bitter, crusty, unpleasant, so and so.
That's probably a very basic and minimalistic idea but it's all I have.

[Crazed_Insanity]

billi, just look into the last Georgia Governor's race for your answer.


In other news....the thing that has been bothering me lately is that I'm noticing with a lot of people....just an undercurrent of anger, not from marginalized or poor people, but from well-off white people. You see it in the Karens and the people refusing to wear face masks and stuff like that....they just seem to be angry all the time, and I really want to know if it's because of the media they're watching all day.

If we can figure out what's causing the anger and minimize it, maybe we can start to change things.

Republicans are generally better at voter suppression, gerrymandering and crap strategies like those to maintain power.

Just saying that if we have fair elections, we won’t need ex-cons help!

And Neanderthal, please stop blaming 3rd party voters, at least this 3rd party voter was just protesting. My vote for sure won’t make any difference either way.

Regarding rich white anger... a good buddy of mine who I’ve known since jr high thru college... we both have aero engineering degrees but then he went on to law school and is now a partner of the firm... he’s let me drive his Ferrari a few times... we live in vastly different worlds now.

Recently he was complaining to me thru txt about how all the shutdowns are BS and we shouldn’t be copying communist China’s way of doing things... he even bragged about how he still rides mountain bike weekly with his other rich white friends... he showed me their group photos, on their bikes, arms around each other’s shoulders, no masks.

Okay. I’m glad you’re glad, guess we won’t be meeting face to face anytime soon...

I don’t know what’s the answer. Clearly both sides are angry. Much like a road rage incident. I’m not sure if things will end well for us... :(

[neanderthal]

I don't know if you all know who Neera Tandeen (?) is. A journalist. One of the architects of the affordable care act, somehow.

She just recently announced she has COVID. And a bunch of "progressives" leftists are wishing her death. True story. I wish I was making it up.
It's crazy, to me, that just because someone doesn't agree with you about medicaid for all, and they fall sick, that you would wish them death. But that's the cult of Bernie.

I don't once recall seeing anyone wish Bernie death when he had his heart attack. I didn't see the whole internet, but I didn't see it.

These are our, ... allies.
I just can't. I'm going to bed.

[Yw-slayer]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52759502

White woman called police on black man in dog row

[Rikadyn]

https://i.redd.it/hp3lxheq52151.jpg

[Crazed_Insanity]

I don't know if you all know who Neera Tandeen (?) is. A journalist. One of the architects of the affordable care act, somehow.

She just recently announced she has COVID. And a bunch of "progressives" leftists are wishing her death. True story. I wish I was making it up.
It's crazy, to me, that just because someone doesn't agree with you about medicaid for all, and they fall sick, that you would wish them death. But that's the cult of Bernie.

I don't once recall seeing anyone wish Bernie death when he had his heart attack. I didn't see the whole internet, but I didn't see it.

These are our, ... allies.
I just can't. I'm going to bed.

I don’t even know her let alone wishing for her death.

There are plenty of cultists who believed in Jesus and have not only wished but also done plenty of evils...

That doesn’t mean Jesus is evil and the world is without hope...

[Tom Servo]

I don't know if you all know who Neera Tandeen (?) is. A journalist. One of the architects of the affordable care act, somehow.

She just recently announced she has COVID. And a bunch of "progressives" leftists are wishing her death.

I'd heard about this but at least in the circles of progressives I follow thankfully I haven't first hand seen any of it.

I do really wonder how many of the people I see on social media on either far end of the spectrum aren't just bots.

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52759502

White woman called police on black man in dog row

Just saw that on the news too. At least this liberal white supremacist living in NY is politically correct... and called the guy african american!

Anyway, she clearly lost it and was even strangling her dog while calling the cops... my guess is that she's probably not an overt white supremacist nor animal cruelist..., but her uncontrolled emotions revealed her true character.

I do believe the shutdowns probably have an adverse effect on people's emotional stability. I don't drive a whole lot nowadays, but the few times I've driven, I've noticed people driving way more aggressively than usual... of course I usually try to just let it go like Elsa...

[MR2 Fan]

I'm so glad our news stations are unbiased </sarcasm>

https://www.inputmag.com/culture/amazon-is-selling-pre-edited-news-script-videos-for-its-covid19-coverage



https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=67&v=x6U2Un5kEdI&feature=emb_title

[Crazed_Insanity]

Jeff Bezos has turned out to be a pathetic loser.

My wife was telling me she could tell the state of mind of a man by looking at their GFs or wives...

If we go by that standard, I'm a bit concerned with Elon Musk too...

With that said, I still like Tesla and SpaceX... and I'm not sure I'll be able to boycott Amazon. :|

I guess there are good reasons why these people are rich. They just think differently like Steve Jobs.

[neanderthal]

I'd heard about this but at least in the circles of progressives I follow thankfully I haven't first hand seen any of it.

I do really wonder how many of the people I see on social media on either far end of the spectrum aren't just bots.

I don't follow the people who were saying such, but I follow people who were quoting those who did to highlight just how nasty some of these progressives leftists are.

Here's (https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1264222872521920512) the post where she announced she has COVID. Some of the shit stains responded directly to it. You'll have to scroll past a lot of positive responses; shes a popular gal.

Mind you, she is for single payer, which is another form of M4A. But these troglodytes don't know the difference and don't care.

[Tom Servo]

I had to scroll really far, and most of it appeared to be calling out some tweet about the Bernie campaign that at least for me had no context.

I dunno if Twitter frontloads the replies with people who are x degrees away from people I follow, but that looked like a very small minority being dickheads. Dickheads to be sure, but vastly outnumbered.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, I was going to echo that same sentiment but I figured Neanderthal would never listen to a dickhead like me anyways...

Seriously, regardless of where you stand, there’s no need to feel too badly about negative BS. Sure, if I really did something wrong, I’ll try to take criticisms constructively, but if they become truly vicious, we have to learn to mentally block it somehow.

Lastly, if there’s something we need to criticize about Sanders, sure, let’s bring those on the table. There’s really no need to blame sanders because of Bernie bros. I’m not voting for them bros.

[Jason]

I don't follow the people who were saying such, but I follow people who were quoting those who did to highlight just how nasty some of these progressives leftists are.

Here's (https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1264222872521920512) the post where she announced she has COVID. Some of the shit stains responded directly to it. You'll have to scroll past a lot of positive responses; shes a popular gal.

Mind you, she is for single payer, which is another form of M4A. But these troglodytes don't know the difference and don't care.

You're the type of person who if you get 99 people telling you you look handsome, and 1 person telling you you look like a cave troll, you'll only hear the latter and say "everyone thinks I'm ugly". :p

[sandydandy]

Trump threatening to shut down social media because his feelings were hurt when Twitter flagged his tweets. So absurd.

Can he even do that?

[Crazed_Insanity]

Just sign his executive orders!

Boom. Social medias will magically disappear! Yeah!

[Tom Servo]

Trump threatening to shut down social media because his feelings were hurt when Twitter flagged his tweets. So absurd.

Can he even do that?

He can't. As much as he and his followers are yelling that his first amendment rights are being violated by a private company adding a link to his tweet, it would be an actual violation of the first amendment for the state to dictate what a private company can or cannot display on their platform.

[Cam]

Not to mention that he couldn't, you know, tweet. :smh:

[FaultyMario]

He can't. As much as he and his followers are yelling that his first amendment rights are being violated by a private company adding a link to his tweet, it would be an actual violation of the first amendment for the state to dictate what a private company can or cannot display on their platform.

That'd be so funny, that'd he'd be booted for breaching the TOS he agreed with when he signed up and, like Mr. Porter said, then he wouldn't be able to tweet.

:LOL:

[Tom Servo]

I can almost guarantee two things:


The executive order will be worded something like "I order the Department of Justice to take a very strong and tough look at social media companies to determine if they are illegally suppressing political speech" which essentially means nothing, and
He will brag about it on the very social media he claims is censoring him.

[Crazed_Insanity]

:lol:

Yep, that's our president! :p

BTW, unlike the stupid presidential tweets, this is the kind of thought provoking tweet I like to see:
https://twitter.com/BerniceKing/status/1265415976809627650/photo/1

Two different kinds of bending the knee... which ever one makes you angry will determine whether if you're a conservative or a liberal I guess.

[neanderthal]

Couldn't find "All Lives Matter" trending the last few months, when 100000 people died of COVID, but after police kill 2 black people, and another gets lynched (basically,) suddenly it's trending on twitter?!?

If all lives mattered this wouldn't come up only when black people get killed.

[neanderthal]

You're the type of person who if you get 99 people telling you you look handsome, and 1 person telling you you look like a cave troll, you'll only hear the latter and say "everyone thinks I'm ugly". :p think "jeez that person is ugly as a cave troll AND blind!"

FTFY! ;)

[Crazed_Insanity]

Kinda depressed today.

We have violent protesters in both HK and in the US. Most likely things still won’t change for the better in either places...

Will we ever achieve true freedom or is freedumb the best we can do? :(

[Tom Servo]

As predicted, Trump's executive order about social media is base-pandering nonsense that'll go nowhere.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-05-28/trump-expected-to-sign-order-on-social-media

[Yw-slayer]

Hey guys, if a Chinese ngo starts funding a US anti-racism organisation calling for equal treatment of all, then...

[Godson]

Just saw a comment "it's a crime to be white now, thanks to the media"


I've never wanted to hurt a human before today.

[neanderthal]

So the cop and George Floyd actually both worked as security for a strip club.

I'm gonna just ...

[neanderthal]

https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/1265968797359407105?s=09

[MR2 Fan]

riots in several cities tonight, shots fired in Louisville, KY and Trump threatening to send in the military to start shooting people

[sandydandy]

Just insane.

[Rare White Ape]

https://twitter.com/TwitterComms/status/1266267446979129345

[FaultyMario]

Police officer, on whose custody George Floyd died, worked off-duty for 17 years at the same Latino night club that employed Floyd.


https://amp.kstp.com/articles/george-floyd-fired-officer-overlapped-security-shifts-at-south-minneapolis-club-may-28-2020-5743990.html

[MR2 Fan]

FINALLY twitter is not playing games

[sandydandy]

You can always count on the so-called president to pour gasoline on the flame, instead of being useful in a tense and volatile moment.

I love that Twitter flagged him again. Can’t wait for the next crybaby rant. :rolleyes:

[MR2 Fan]

I really wonder what Trump would do if he can't use twitter....start his own service that only his die-hard fans would join?

[sandydandy]

Yeah his new platform would have the same success as that all-white basketball league that was proposed a few years ago.

Anyway, I watched Minneapolis burning on several live streams all through the night, and couldn't believe what I was seeing half the time. Feeling groggy this morning. I have mixed feelings about this. I will never understand attacking your own businesses and community. What purpose does that serve? Torching and looting a Napa store and Target, plus a liquor store among others. What does that have to do with George Floyd. I can definitely understand the police station, that at least is in line with the protest. Though I have mixed feelings on that too, as the symbolism is kind of disturbing.

Would rather see the officers charged with murder, and accessory to murder.

[MR2 Fan]

Well some undercover police were caught STARTING some of it....then you have opportunists and I'm sure the current situation of 40 million people suddenly unemployed in the past 2 months isn't helping anything.

[FaultyMario]

Freedom of the Press Foundation:

This statement from the Minnesota governor [calling the arrest of the CNN news crew "totally unacceptable"] is a good start. Now, will police officers who ordered this illegal arrest face any discipline?

These protests are about police impunity. It only looks worse if cops can arrest reporters and get away with it. https://t.co/9cYuoodt1H

[Crazed_Insanity]

This happened 25 years ago... at least the caught on camera kind of incident...

Rodney King got beaten the shit out of him... and the cops were acquitted...

https://www.npr.org/2017/04/26/524744989/when-la-erupted-in-anger-a-look-back-at-the-rodney-king-riots

Yeah, it sucks to turn violent, but if you’ve been unfairly treated for so long, you would emotionally explode too.

What is amazing is that cops around the nation don’t learn.

Yes, I’m sure most cops are good cops, but why are you still employing bad cops like that? Also, what are the other cops working along side doing about those bad cops? Nothing.

I also don’t understand why the polices department released a heavily redacted video from a non related officer that showed pretty much nothing to ease people’s concerns.

US govt is not acting that much better than the CCP on this matter... and this matter didn’t just happen for the past 25 years... but much longer!

[Freude am Fahren]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/where-does-phrase-when-looting-starts-shooting-starts-come-n1217676

Dog Whistler in Chief.

Actually, I'm not sure he's even capable of being subtle enough to be considered dog-whistling.

[Tom Servo]

I can kinda see why people are getting more and more pissed at the Minneapolis PD as this goes on...

https://twitter.com/stribrooks/status/1266186985041022976

Not exactly the greatest de-escalation tactics going on there.

[George]

I really wonder what Trump would do if he can't use twitter....start his own service that only his die-hard fans would join?

It's called Fox News.

[George]

Another protest in Denver is planned for today starting at Noon. Today I'm several blocks away from where that's happening but in easy walking (or fleeing from police) distance. Hopefully I will have nothing to report and will be outta here long before anything crazy happens in the area.

Edited to remove something that could have been misunderstood.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I can kinda see why people are getting more and more pissed at the Minneapolis PD as this goes on...

https://twitter.com/stribrooks/status/1266186985041022976

Not exactly the greatest de-escalation tactics going on there.

Yeah, I think it’ll be hard to use the blue lives matter defense this time...

Yes, I can feel bad for the police risking their lives on a daily basis..., so I’m willing to cut them some slacks if they occasionally make mistakes, but this time it’s obviously too much.

Perhaps the stay at home orders are compromising people’s state of mind too. What has happened is truly tragic... :(

[Crazed_Insanity]

Hey guys, if a Chinese ngo starts funding a US anti-racism organisation calling for equal treatment of all, then...

Speaking of China, I still hate the CCP, but I’m beginning to wonder why am I in so much agreement with this former ms. canada...

She also immigrated to the west when she was a young teen like myself... were we indoctrinated by the west? ;)

https://youtu.be/fFqg8ZNtUlc

https://youtu.be/fFqg8ZNtUlc

[Tom Servo]

Another protest in Denver is planned for today starting at Noon. Today I'm several blocks away from where that's happening but in easy walking (or fleeing from police) distance. Hopefully I will have nothing to report and will be outta here long before anything crazy happens in the area.

Edited to remove something that could have been misunderstood.

Stay safe out there. I was reading something that some shots were fired at protestors yesterday, though from what I gather nobody was hit. We've had some demonstrations here but they're a good 9-10 miles away from where I'm at and they haven't been all that crazy - mostly people blocking freeways for a little while.

[sandydandy]

Derek Chauvin is in custody. Welcome news. Hopefully the people stand down now.

[George]

I hope so. Have heard helicopters constantly overhead for the last 45 minutes (it's 12:30 PM here; protest was to start at Noon).

I have to walk down the street in that direction to drop off a FedEx envelope. Thinking about going over toward the capitol to see what I can see. I probably would have gone already to observe from a safe distance except I have to actually get some work done today. :thppt:

[Cam]

The protests should not stop until brown people can exist without having to deal with racism.

[sandydandy]

At least the violence should stop, peaceful protests no problem.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Derek Chauvin is in custody. Welcome news. Hopefully the people stand down now.

Arrest/custody don’t mean jack. LA riot erupted when officers were acquitted.

This particular officer has had a history of serious abuses like this one in the past in multiple states... decades of fucking with brown people career... and was acquitted every time!

I wonder who is backing up this guy.

Nation is on fire because of him for like 3 days and he is only now being arrested...