For a religious conservative? Yes. — RogueAI

Odd, Mikey doesn't come across as one.

Not sure that'd improve matters for those opposed to Trumpism oder the republican platform to be honest.

I think a sufficiently ruthless politician armed with the spirit of Trump might end up much more effective at getting their way than Trump will ever be. — Echarmion

Yea. I just don't want to have to hear his big mouth for the next four years. Either way, I think the US is headed for some kind of political shift.

I just found out who Amber Rose is. The Republican party has taken an odd turn.

Agreed. I don't advocate assassinating any current/former elected politician or candidate for office. I never have. Even though SCOTUS recently granted "immunity from criminal prosecution" to POTUS for "killing a political rival".

This is a direct attack on democracy, making the removal of ballot bins and the storming of the Capitol look like child's play. They are literally and openly blocking a viable candidate's name from the ballot.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-democrats-kennedy-jill-stein-presidential-ballot-election

"Vance has embraced aspects of the Dark Enlightenment, a movement that sees mass participatory democracy, particularly liberal democracy, as a threat to or incompatible with freedom.". wikipedia

Dark Enlightenment:

"The ideology generally rejects Whig historiography[2]—the concept that history shows an inevitable progression towards greater liberty and enlightenment, culminating in liberal democracy and constitutional monarchy[2]—in favor of a return to traditional societal constructs and forms of government, including absolute monarchism and other older forms of leadership such as cameralism.[3]". wikipedia2

This is the shift I was talking about.

This is a direct attack on democracy, making the removal of ballot bins and the storming of the Capitol look like child's play. — Hanover

It’s not good, but putting a conservative spin on it like this is NOS territory. It’s also worth noting that Fox sources always add their slant.

They have missed numerous statutory deadlines, skipped filing fees, submitted the wrong names on the nomination petitions, and some failed to hold conventions," Olasanoye said. "None of these candidates are qualified to be on the Georgia ballot."

But yeah, definitely worse than storming the Capitol to overthrow an election you didn’t like the result of.

What a fucking joke.

16July24

re: MAGA Freak Show (American idiocracy)

It's ot good, but putting a conservative spin on it like this is NOS territory. It’s also worth noting that Fox sources always add their slant. — Mikie

Just pointing out a double standard. There's nothing conservative about it. If the Republicans tried to block the Libertarians from the ballot because they knew it would consume much needed Republican votes I'd say the same thing.

The right trying to make it hard for Democrats to vote is anti-democratic. If more people want Biden, then Biden should be President.

Just pointing out a double standard. — Hanover

Yeah, so saying it makes January 6th look like “child’s play” is simply pointing out a double standard.

Fair and balanced.

Yeah, so saying it makes January 6th look like “child’s play” is simply pointing out a double standard. — Mikie

January 6 wax obviously different in that it involved crimes against people and property and the intentions were to upset the results of a fair election, but the likelihood of success was minimal and there was no actual success. It was at the end of the day violent and malicious theater.

The Democrats' removal of a name from the ballot is real and will impact an election.

One is a street level blue collar crime and the other an organized white collar crime. The results are typical. With the former, a bunch of people get hurt and things get destroyed. The other is more precise.

One is a street level blue collar crime and the other an organized white collar crime. — Hanover

I'm not seeing anything criminal in Dems pursuing legal challenges.

I'm not seeing anything criminal in Dems pursuing legal challenges. — RogueAI

There is nothing criminal in that for sure. And there's nothing criminal in carving out districts that give advantage to one party over the other, to putting polling places in unreachable locations by those without transportation, to closing polling places at earlier times to benefit one party over the other. These are the games the parties play to interfere with the will of the people being expressed.

It's the way it always works. A sophisticated player creates rules to benefit him (like regulations, tax code, or whatever) and makes out like a bandit. An unsophisticated player kicks open a door a busts heads.

The question then isn't one of legality, but morality. If you place a moral value on the successful candidate being the one who the public most wants to win, then you won't try to enforce rules that do the opposite.

I will also repeat that there is a difference between the morality of injuring persons or damaging property versus manipulating social procedures like voting. That is, I do beleive its worse morally to bust someone's head open and to set fire to his property in an effort to obtain an unfair result than to do the same through a more peaceful and calculating means.

The point I made in comparing January 6 to the efforts to remove RFK from ballots wasn't to suggest an equivalency in terms of how rogue and violent they both were. It was to point out that in terms of the specific harm we were pointing to - impeding the democratic will - what the Democrats are doing exceeds what the Republicans have done. I get that the Democrats didn't go about it by throwing chairs through windows or wearing viking hats, but their result has been more successful.

These are the games the parties play to interfere with the will of the people being expressed. — Hanover

Right. I don't necessarily like Democrats trying to keep third parties off the ballot, but I know they're no different than any other political party that would do the same thing. The GOP would not hesitate to keep third parties of the ballot if they thought it would help their chances.

Jan 6th and the GOP's rallying around Trump after the stolen election drama are quite different, though. I like to think that in a parallel universe, where Trump is just as awful a person as he is now, but a champion of climate change, medicare-for-all, and high taxes on the rich, the Democrat party would still have nothing to do with him. What do you think?

Yea, but that's child's play compared to the way the Republican party has gerrymandered North Carolina. So the attack on the Capitol where they appeared to be prepared to freakin execute the Vice President is like infant's play. Like with a rattle or something.

embraced aspects of the Dark Enlightenment, a movement — frank

LOL. Wikipedia and MSM truly are Cocomelon for politics-brained Millenials and Gen-Xers.

They even had a mock gallows that could hang pence if only he was 2 feet tall.

They even had a mock gallows that could hang pence if only he was 2 feet tall — NOS4A2

Mike Pence is 20 inches tall. Like a hobbit.

Today's New York Times frontpage is basically BIDEN MUST GO, with terrible polling and yet more senior democrats calling for his retrenchment. His situation is plainly untenable, you can't go into the National Convention with the Party split and the press all over you, up against the Trump juggernaut, which really is a civilization-ending threat.

His situation is plainly untenable, you can't go into the National Convention with the Party split and the press all over you, up against the Trump juggernaut, which really is a civilization-ending threat. — Wayfarer

Republicans say democrats are a clear and present danger, etc. But that’s mostly crap — although you could argue that they’re taking us close to nuclear war with their foreign policy. In that case, democrats are an existential threat.

Republicans are the party of climate denial. That’s also an existential threat. More likely to cause widespread damage and suffering, given that it’s already happening and the threat of nuclear war is low.

Not a fun choice.

Republicans are the party of climate denial — Mikie

That's one of the factors, but there are others. The perils are environmental, economic, political and military, and each one, or a combination of them, could pose a threat to the Western democratic social order. It's going to take very much higher orders of problem-solving and political management than the Republican clown-car have demonstrated since Trump took the wheel.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/president-joe-biden-tests-positive-covid-19-rcna162435
BUDDY IS A GONER

Yea, but that's child's play compared to the way the Republican party has gerrymandered North Carolina. So the attack on the Capitol where they appeared to be prepared to freakin execute the Vice President is like infant's play. Like with a rattle or something. — frank

I doubt that. I think the removal of a competitor from the race is about as anti-competitive and anti-democratic as it comes. You won that race in the back room without a single vote cast.

Did you see Vance's back story? He's isolationist and skeptical about democracy.

Is a person who has no chance of winning a competitor? Aren't they, at that point, a spoiler?

Republicans were disciplined and did a good job tearing down Joe, but looks like it will be for naught.

BUDDY IS A GONER — Lionino

They couldn't kill Trump so they're going to kill Biden. Bring in Andrew Cuomo and give him the old ventilator treatment.

Today's New York Times frontpage is basically BIDEN MUST GO, with terrible polling and yet more senior democrats calling for his retrenchment. His situation is plainly untenable, you can't go into the National Convention with the Party split and the press all over you, up against the Trump juggernaut, which really is a civilization-ending threat. — Wayfarer

Remind me why your party (technically still mine) chose not to have competitive primaries, where they could have solved their Biden problem in an open and democratic manner?

Isn't it ironic that the Dems are the victims of their own failed machinations?

And when they swap in Kam in a back room deal to avoid an open convention, will the rank and file just fall into line like they always do? Probably.

I have to admit I've been on record saying they won't be able to move Joe out. But he's looking pretty shaky right now. Lot of party heavyweights are against him.

Remember this when they utter “our democracy” or “democratic norms”.