The Swamp

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:55 am

I have a true hatred of bullies, stemming from some severe bullying I received as a youth. And what I learned is you have to fight back. Maybe you'll end up with a black eye. Hell, it's likely you will; they're bullies for a reason. But you have to put in their head that if you fuck with me, maybe you'll win the battle, but you're going to take some damage too. And since most bullies are pussies too, that will cause them to back off.

This is me to a T and you echo my frustrations perfectly.

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:25 am We 'need' some kind of economic downturn event, no? Otherwise they're just going to point at the stock market and *shrug*.

I don't know how much more of an economic downturn we could have beyond the pandemic. Unfortunately, the stock market is an enormous bubble ready to burst, and its artificially inflated by numerous factors, mostly companies doing buybacks and artificially inflating their prices. The GOP always uses a high DOW as a sign of a great economy, but its only a sign that people invested in the market have paper profits, not an indication of the actual economy.

psunate77 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:43 am

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:42 am We will see. The political climate is SO poisoned now due to Trump and McConnell that I don't know what messaging breaks through.

I just posted in the other thread, the dems should be 100% be asking for a recount of Kentucky. Numbers are not adding up at all.

This is utter bullshit. Party registration is not the same thing as party ID, and southern/conservative states have many voters who registered as Dems way back when and never bothered to change their registration.

West Virginia has the same supposed disparity between registration figures and votes. It means nothing.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:42 am We will see. The political climate is SO poisoned now due to Trump and McConnell that I don't know what messaging breaks through.

This. I've been seeing arguments all over the place for months about the Heroes Act the Dems passed in May that the Rs have refused to act on. I've seen clips of folks from Pelosi to AOC talking about it. There''s just so much noise.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:55 amBut I seriously am confused why they don't throw punches (metaphorically).

Because unlike the right, their constituents and their major donors are often times diametrically opposed. Successfully fundraising, keeping their seat and then complaining about obstructionist Republicans is peak having one's cake and eating it too.

Sure but R's are willing to fight dirty and take hostages, so 'punching back' means also fighting dirty and taking hostages. Not sure I want to be in the position of supporting a party that's willing to do things like deny healthcare, sabotage social services, and put kids in cages to score political wins. As long as D's want to generally help people and R's want to govern at the expense of people, there's not really a way to fight fire with fire.

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:02 am

psunate77 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:43 am

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:42 am We will see. The political climate is SO poisoned now due to Trump and McConnell that I don't know what messaging breaks through.

I just posted in the other thread, the dems should be 100% be asking for a recount of Kentucky. Numbers are not adding up at all.

This is utter bullshit. Party registration is not the same thing as party ID, and southern/conservative states have many voters who registered as Dems way back when and never bothered to change their registration.

West Virginia has the same supposed disparity between registration figures and votes. It means nothing.

West Virginia even elects a Republican Senator as a Democrat!

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:10 am Sure but R's are willing to fight dirty and take hostages, so 'punching back' means also fighting dirty and taking hostages. Not sure I want to be in the position of supporting a party that's willing to do things like deny healthcare, sabotage social services, and put kids in cages to score political wins. As long as D's want to generally help people and R's want to govern at the expense of people, there's not really a way to fight fire with fire.

Well, there is, but it would mean scorched-earth attacks on both them personally and their funding.

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:10 am Sure but R's are willing to fight dirty and take hostages, so 'punching back' means also fighting dirty and taking hostages. Not sure I want to be in the position of supporting a party that's willing to do things like deny healthcare, sabotage social services, and put kids in cages to score political wins. As long as D's want to generally help people and R's want to govern at the expense of people, there's not really a way to fight fire with fire.

This circles back to mister d's point. Democrats should be punching back by raising taxes on the wealthy, eliminating tax breaks for large corporations, etc., otherwise known as "things that help the average person/family", but, they have a vested interest in not doing those things.

Of course, the lack of intellectual curiosity by the average person shows once more. People heard "Democrats just want to raise taxes" and it stuck. Biden's campaign statement of raising taxes on people making $400K was met with ads of common people (I know they're actors) saying, "Biden is going to raise taxes".

Everyone is failing, only some people are actually winning when doing so.

That's exactly what I was talking about. Do something like threaten to introduce a bill in the House that lowers taxes 1% on all brackets under $400K, and then raise it 1% on everything over (or whatever what would offset the revenue loss for lower brackets). If it ends up more revenue overall, even better. When/If the shitbag Republicans balk, then paint them as the ones holding up a tax break on 99% of the population.

Or Hell. Just have AOC and the rest of The Squad put it forward. The shitbags on the right paint them as succubi anyway.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:29 am That's exactly what I was talking about. Do something like threaten to introduce a bill in the House that lowers taxes 1% on all brackets under $400K, and then raise it 1% on everything over (or whatever what would offset the revenue loss for lower brackets). If it ends up more revenue overall, even better. When/If the shitbag Republicans balk, then paint them as the ones holding up a tax break on 99% of the population.

Or Hell. Just have AOC and the rest of The Squad put it forward. The shitbags on the right paint them as succubi anyway.

Great idea, but it requires people to actually understand and hear the argument. So many people are living in media bubbles, and will only hear that Dems are raising taxes. I can't tell you how many people I've heard from or seen posting on social media that they are terrified Biden will implement his promised tax increases and how it will kill them financially when they are making way below the $400,000 threshold. Facts don't matter. The GOP politicians and RW media will continue to call Biden a Radical Leftist looking to tax all businesses out of existence, and people wouldn't believe the truth no matter how it was presented.

mister d wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:18 am

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:10 am Sure but R's are willing to fight dirty and take hostages, so 'punching back' means also fighting dirty and taking hostages. Not sure I want to be in the position of supporting a party that's willing to do things like deny healthcare, sabotage social services, and put kids in cages to score political wins. As long as D's want to generally help people and R's want to govern at the expense of people, there's not really a way to fight fire with fire.

Well, there is, but it would mean scorched-earth attacks on both them personally and their funding.

Well sure. Denying the resources for political power isn't a great way to exert political power, in the system as we have it.

Axios reporting Trump is planning a digital media platform to take down FoxNews. Fits my prediction, so I believe it! Saw several articles predicting Trump isn't really attempting to hold office, just putting up a front to scam money and/or build enthusiasm and a war to generate momentum for starting a media platform. Makes sense, and is a best case scenario. Could just be wishful thinking on my part, but it is an out for Trump to not have to admit legitimate defeat and make money and stay in the spotlight. Hell, it would create his own spotlight he can focus mostly on himself and attacking his perceived enemies.

Chuck Grassley of all people just jumped ship and said Biden must get Security briefs.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 12:08 pm Axios reporting Trump is planning a digital media platform to take down FoxNews. Fits my prediction, so I believe it! Saw several articles predicting Trump isn't really attempting to hold office, just putting up a front to scam money and/or build enthusiasm and a war to generate momentum for starting a media platform. Makes sense, and is a best case scenario. Could just be wishful thinking on my part, but it is an out for Trump to not have to admit legitimate defeat and make money and stay in the spotlight. Hell, it would create his own spotlight he can focus mostly on himself and attacking his perceived enemies.

This could be apropos of nothing but...Biden has a strong opinion on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act:

Biden said in a December 2019 New York Times interview wrote: Section 230 should be revoked, immediately should be revoked, number one. For Zuckerberg and other platforms….It should be revoked because it is not merely an internet company. It is propagating falsehoods they know to be false, and we should be setting standards not unlike the Europeans are doing relative to privacy. You guys (referencing the New York Times editor conducting the interview) still have editors. I’m sitting with them. Not a joke. There is no editorial impact at all on Facebook. None. None whatsoever. It’s irresponsible. It’s totally irresponsible.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 12:08 pm Axios reporting Trump is planning a digital media platform to take down FoxNews. Fits my prediction, so I believe it! Saw several articles predicting Trump isn't really attempting to hold office, just putting up a front to scam money and/or build enthusiasm and a war to generate momentum for starting a media platform. Makes sense, and is a best case scenario. Could just be wishful thinking on my part, but it is an out for Trump to not have to admit legitimate defeat and make money and stay in the spotlight. Hell, it would create his own spotlight he can focus mostly on himself and attacking his perceived enemies.

I'm already looking forward to all of the libel lawsuits that site will attract.

I mean, go for it? The potential is massive but it's still going to be run by a guy who failed at owning a casino.

On the national lockdown point, I just arrived in Korea and was swabbed night 1. I got my results back yesterday. Negative. Yay, right?

Wrong. Someone on my plane was positive, so even the sliver of a 2 hour a day outside time has been taken away from all of us and we cannot leave our rooms at all. We'll get swabbed again on the 21st to confirm we didn't catch anything. And we'll get released on the 23rd if that test is negative. Two full weeks of not being allowed outside. Trash from food drops is piling up in my small, one room dorm. This is really shitty.

But you know what? Korea doesn't care about my feelings and I understand why I have to do it. So oh well.

I have no sympathy for Americans at this point. And shame on governors that couldn't simply break with Trump, protect their citizens, and say "wear a mask, listen to doctors, and don't go out in large groups."

There's some messaging: "Do you think you're more important than our troops???"

"Don't thank them for their service and then fail to live up to why they serve in the first place."

Trump gets his first Court win. Don’t like the SCOTUS part.

Biden doesn't need these ballots to win PA. This is ultimately meaningless (aside from the courts disenfranchising a few thousand voters who should have had their votes count).

True, but Trump is trying to say there had been wide spread fraud.

C'mon, Nate. Consider the fucking source.

Seriously, Posobiec promoted the Pizzagate lie, the Seth Rich's murder conspiracy lie, and he's made reference to the anti-Semetic Fourteen Words and 1488 symbols. He's a fucking scumbag. Fuck him.

brian wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 3:21 pm Biden doesn't need these ballots to win PA. This is ultimately meaningless (aside from the courts disenfranchising a few thousand voters who should have had their votes count).

If the Dems are smart, they will not appeal this ruling. Because they will lose, and they probably should, and the precedent would be bad going forward.

I'm in a meeting now with a wanking motion. Jeffrey Toobin just arrived.

Can we trade Nate for Scottie?

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 3:43 pm C'mon, Nate. Consider the fucking source.

Seriously, Posobiec promoted the Pizzagate lie, the Seth Rich's murder conspiracy lie, and he's made reference to the anti-Semetic Fourteen Words and 1488 symbols. He's a fucking scumbag. Fuck him.

Dude I am not agreeing with him, but pretty much showing you their plan. Will it work? Prob not. But DT ultimate goal is to get to the SCOTUS where to him “His” people will make a ruling.

I wonder if Nate realizes that Twitter is basically a Carnival Funhouse of Mirrors.

This makes my brain hurt.

The mental gymnastics that tweet takes your mind through are beyond reckoning

Is anyone else horrified that Twitter continues to platform for this motherfucker? Like what's the cost to permanently say he's done and to get his message out another way? West Viginians are going to pay less advertising dollars? It's horrific that's it's allowed to continue away unfettered while he continually makes false and harmful accusations. Are we all just so numb to it that we forget that there's literally one guy there who can go, well it looks like you've violated our ToS for thee......83732nd time....so you're done.

It all sells Coca-Cola I guess

BSF21 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 1:46 pm Is anyone else horrified that Twitter continues to platform for this motherfucker? Like what's the cost to permanently say he's done and to get his message out another way? West Viginians are going to pay less advertising dollars? It's horrific that's it's allowed to continue away unfettered while he continually makes false and harmful accusations. Are we all just so numb to it that we forget that there's literally one guy there who can go, well it looks like you've violated our ToS for thee......83732nd time....so you're done.

It all sells Coca-Cola I guess

Twitter (or maybe it was another platform) announced Trump will lose his "World Leader" protective status on Twitter on January 20th, so maybe he'll get fed up with having more of his shit flagged.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 2:41 pm

BSF21 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 1:46 pm Is anyone else horrified that Twitter continues to platform for this motherfucker? Like what's the cost to permanently say he's done and to get his message out another way? West Viginians are going to pay less advertising dollars? It's horrific that's it's allowed to continue away unfettered while he continually makes false and harmful accusations. Are we all just so numb to it that we forget that there's literally one guy there who can go, well it looks like you've violated our ToS for thee......83732nd time....so you're done.

It all sells Coca-Cola I guess

Twitter (or maybe it was another platform) announced Trump will lose his "World Leader" protective status on Twitter on January 20th, so maybe he'll get fed up with having more of his shit flagged.

The fact that he has some kind of special status in itself is just beyond the pale. Essentially shouting fire in a crowded theatre on a daily basis but muh freedumbs and CENSORSHIP. Just makes me weep for the world. Been a long week.

BSF21 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 2:47 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 2:41 pm

BSF21 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 1:46 pm Is anyone else horrified that Twitter continues to platform for this motherfucker? Like what's the cost to permanently say he's done and to get his message out another way? West Viginians are going to pay less advertising dollars? It's horrific that's it's allowed to continue away unfettered while he continually makes false and harmful accusations. Are we all just so numb to it that we forget that there's literally one guy there who can go, well it looks like you've violated our ToS for thee......83732nd time....so you're done.

It all sells Coca-Cola I guess

Twitter (or maybe it was another platform) announced Trump will lose his "World Leader" protective status on Twitter on January 20th, so maybe he'll get fed up with having more of his shit flagged.

The fact that he has some kind of special status in itself is just beyond the pale. Essentially shouting fire in a crowded theatre on a daily basis but muh freedumbs and CENSORSHIP. Just makes me weep for the world. Been a long week.

The fact that he holds the most powerful position in the world and the keys to the nuclear arsenal is even more terrifying. Fuck, everything he has done over the last 4 years is terrifying. I'm still stuck in January 2017 when he disbanded most of the State Department because he thought he (and eventually Jared) could do a better job than the thousands of State Dept employees in handling foreign relations and intelligence gathering. Not to mention refusing to make transcripts or have witnesses to his conversations with world leaders. I need this ride to end!!!

But to your point, yeah, it's infuriating that he can spew his lies and hate.