The reason they banned TikTok: their sore narrative.

A few more hours of the disastrous Biden/Harris administration. At least he still has time to accomplish his campaign promise of ending cancer.

In this American political era, whoever has the best story (fiction or non-fiction) wins. Period. Facts, other than who's giving the most money to who, are irrelevant in politics. In 2020, the story of the overbearing rich taking advantage of middle America won. In 2024, the story of overbearing liberal progressives destroying America won.

I see American politics turning more into a team sport, where if you're calling yourself an "x" then you support these people and these positions (whether you agree or not) in a show of team loyalty; and to be a "y" you have to support these other people and other policies.

Sport modeling isn't good for govening. Sports are "winner take all" modalities. Governments are designed to be "make as many people able to basically live" as reasonably (politically) possible modalities.

The only serious commitment to successful governance is the commitment to insure children are raised with accurate enough knowledge, and true feelings of support during their growth period, to create better governance in their maturity through having the capacity, and willingness, to honestly consider more than one or two viewpoints in their decision making.

I do not talk smack (however fun it is) about the other side because we each looked at the situation and made our honest decisions. In the "sport" of politics, someone has to win and someone has to lose.

I never said he would or that I expect any of his plans to do that (quite the opposite as you've pointed out). But I'm saying that people genuinely expect prices to go down now.

On the eve of the new executive, it is impossible to know which part of the rhetoric was bluster and what was not.

Will there be trade wars, the removal of the Department of Education funding, the weaponization of the DOJ and the FBI, camps of stateless people, and a new colonial ambition to signal our withdrawal from the alliances built over decades of shared adversity?

Will there be trade wars, the removal of the Department of Education funding, the weaponization of the DOJ and the FBI, camps of stateless people, and a new colonial ambition to signal our withdrawal from the alliances built over decades of shared adversity? — Paine

Uh...will he finally finish that Big beautiful wall he talked so much? I guess that is forgotten, and won't come up as it is, um, a bit embarrassing reminder that the first term promises weren't achieved.



What definately will happen is that has been already cleary shown after the election: Trump's attention goes from this to that and the administration will be chaotic as Trump is chaotic. And the Republicans (and people like NOS4A2) will spin this the best way possible. There's a lot of hopeful, wishful thinking going around. That nevermind the Trump tweets etc, the administration will work just fine. Well, the Biden administration was a disaster also, but I guess it worked just fine too. Yet be it about taking Greenland or renaming the Gulf of Mexico, it's everything about just being in the limelight and not actually planning something to the end.

The Wall is actually a perfect example. Nobody in the Trump community cares a shit about it anymore, so it's not going to surface again. And this is what will happen to many things that Trump is talking about to do. The next crisis, the natural disaster or terrorist attack or demonstrations will take nearly all of Trump's focus. Social media is focused on literally the present day. Something like sending away 11 million people in an union with democratic institutions would be a monumental task, which the Trump yes-men and -women won't be capable of doing. But it's great to promise that kind of things during the election. It will make enthusiastic the Trump base, and it will horrify the anti-Trump liberals, who are people Trump and his base want to horrify. All the proper media frenzy has been spurred by this, which is the main goal. A totally different issue is reality. Just what was accomplished with the 12 billion or so put into the Great wall of Trump wall just show what Trump is capable of doing.

(BBC, 12th Jan 2021) However, only 80 miles of new barriers have been built where there were none before - that includes 47 miles of primary wall, and 33 miles of secondary wall built to reinforce the initial barrier.

The vast majority of the 452 miles is replacing existing structures at the border that had been built by previous US administrations.

President Trump has argued that this should be regarded as new wall, because it's replacing what he called "old and worthless barriers."

Hence to a similar compartment we can put the bitching over Greenland. If you ask Trump or Trump officials, they surely will continue the line that "Purchase or aqcusition of Greenland is in the works" until the last days of the administration, but nothing really will happen. Because... the US won't invade or go to war with a NATO ally. But it will pass... just like the idea passed earlier.

What definately will happen is that has been already cleary shown after the election: Trump's attention goes from this to that and the administration will be chaotic as Trump is chaotic. And the Republicans (and people like NOS4A2) will spin this the best way possible. There's a lot of hopeful, wishful thinking going around. That nevermind the Trump tweets etc, the administration will work just fine. Well, the Biden administration was a disaster also, but I guess it worked just fine too. Yet be it about taking Greenland or renaming the Gulf of Mexico, it's everything about just being in the limelight and not actually planning something to the end. — ssu

Definitely, Trump and his followers don't know shit about how to actually run things, how to run a society and solve problems. It's a wrestling match and they're numb in their narcissism to the possibility of people getting hurt.

I'm really hoping that with the more powerful administration this time around, Trump oversteps so much that it goes too far. The west needs a big example of what uncontrolled populism can lead to. The best form of overstepping would be for his own followers to end up in a really awful position, giving them an existential crisis that can only be solved by waking up.

His first administration was kind of a snooze-fest, nothing drastic really happened. It was just incompetence making things worse in a way that was rather unseen by the public. But this new administration is so filled with lunatics that the stage is set for a real clusterfuck and I really hope it happens so that the pathetic and apathetic herd of the people wakes the fuck up.

Meanwhile, instead of continuing on Biden's policy of wanton destruction, Trump achieved a cease-fire in Gaza.

I wonder if folks on this forum are able to acknowledge that, or if the cognitive dissonance would make their brains implode.

Meanwhile, instead of continuing on Biden's policy of wanton destruction, Trump achieved a cease-fire in Gaza.

I wonder if folks on this forum are able to acknowledge that, or if the cognitive dissonance would make their brains implode. — Tzeentch

The first question is "what cease-fire"? A prisoner exchange would be more proper definition that has happened. A "cease-fire" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict usually means that there simply isn't so many bombing strikes and rocket attacks as before.

And quite tellingly you are forgetting that the Biden administration was involved with the negotiations and took along also the incoming administration representatives. So both admins worked behind the back. And yes, Trump declared that there would be hell to pay. Of course, do note that also Bibi was finally influenced to back down here and negotiate. So there was also pressure on Israel too.

What is the positive thing that I will give credit to Trump that people do really think he would be so reckless that entangle the US into the fighting in Gaza or walk out of NATO. Those threats worked, for example NATO countries raised their expenditure because of Trumps threats at least partly, even if the main reason was Putin's invasion of Ukraine (and not the comments of any President).

But then again, many people do feel that Trump could go berserk and take the US out of NATO (and hence disassemble the Superpower status of the US). Yet many now understand this transactional populist. You can see it in the Greenland debate: the European countries aren't buying Trump's bluff. Hence they're not anymore surprised with Trump's rhetoric as the first time around.

By The Don’s Early Light on this MLK day. We get to watch some astroturf protests, possibly some assassination attempts, the Euros froth at the mouth, and the second Trump administration take power while the Biden administration scuttles back into the cracks. So far, a great day.

The Biden administration was 'involved' in the same way it has been 'involved' the last year - ceaseless groveling before the lobby and writing blank checks to Netanyahu in the vain hope it would lead to a Dem victory.

The fact that Steve Witkoff was able to achieve this in a single sitting just goes to show how reluctant Biden was to put any meaningful pressure on Netanyahu.

What is 'quite telling' is that in light of this you're still trying to give Biden credit, while unwilling to acknowledge Trump did a good thing.

One more act of cowardice before Biden leaves office, the pre-emptive pardons of corrupt civil servants, something he said he’d never do.

Biden pardons Fauci, Milley and the Jan. 6 committee in effort to guard against ‘revenge’ by Trump

The pardons, announced with just hours left in Biden’s presidency, have been the subject of heated debate for months at the highest levels of the White House. It’s customary for a president to grant clemency at the end of his term, but those acts of mercy are usually offered to Americans who have been convicted of crimes.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-fauci-milley-pardons-january-6-3cba287f89051513fb48d7ae700ae747

Nope. One more act of cowardice in the minutes before Biden leaves office, the pre-emptive pardons of the Biden crime family.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/biden-pardons-his-family-in-final-minutes-in-office/6114398/?amp=1

And it’s done. With that, the worst administration in American history falls into the dustbin.

Hey nos4! You said Biden won a rigged election. I asked you why - twice - you said it was rigged, and you have ducked the question. Obviously, it would seem, you have no answer but are instead content to use this forum to spread garbage. And on being questioned, do not respond - and not the first time. Instead you offer attack and insult. How about, in honor of the spirit of the site and its purpose, you try answering for what you said.

Sorry, pal, I already answered those questions in this thread. Go find them if you wish and then maybe find someone who cares. Enjoy the next 4 years!

Sorry, pal, I already answered those questions in this thread. — NOS4A2

The question was, why did you say Biden's election win was rigged, and that you have not answered. It's simple, you have evidence that one of the more important occasions on planet earth was corrupt or you do not. And if you do, apparently you're too precious to present it. But rather than support even your own claims, you avoid and evade. Perfectly respectable - and expected - behaviour from a weasel.

Either give a substantive answer, or you're a weasel. Of course you being a weasel is an insult to weasels.

The latest T proposals speak of sending U.S. military down to the border before figuring out how that fits in with the other federal, state, and county jurisdictions.

As a citizen here, that promotes the expansion of federal power above that of local communities. It hurts the brain to have self-identified Libertarians support such measures.

More important than that is the proposed abandonment of regulation in all its forms. The efficacy of the anti-regulation movement will produce the most immediate outcomes for life in our nation. The environment, levels of education, standards of police behavior, acceptance of chosen forms of identity, equal rights under the law, national responses to health threats, etcetera.

Whatever bad and good we may have done for others, the dissolution of our infrastructure is what will consume the next decade.

God I love checking in with the kids table.

Said like a true adult.

Responded to like a true thread-enjoyer :P

There is an ambiguity in your delight. You are above the fray.

Finally :sweat:

Why comment when so satisfied with your superior position?

I've now been briefly entertained for several exchanges, while bored at work, in the lounge, in a thread full of absolutely wild comments. Don't think its peculiar at all :P

Is your condition bereft of any differences that choices made will affect outcomes? Your laughter is like that of the gods.

Not sure I understand this question enough to even come back with a quip..

Maybe. But playful Gods. Not angry ones.

I get that you do not desire retribution. But there are others who do.

What to do with them? Will they have power in the coming days?

You seem confident that this question has nothing to do with your circumstances.

In one of his first official acts, Trump has pardoned nearly all the felons convicted of the disgraceful assault on the US Capitol Building, 6th January 2021, as he promised. What happened that day, and how close it came to overthrowing democracy in the US, should never be played down or understated. The assault on democracy continues, but now from within the Oval Office. Truly a day of infamy. :cry: