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KazuyaProta Shin Megami Tensei IV from A Industrial Farm Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Shin Megami Tensei IV
#280826: May 15th 2019 at 8:39:09 PM

The idea that USA legit didn't tried to defeat ISIS is just knee jerk Anti Americanism.

Watch me destroying my country
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#280827: May 15th 2019 at 8:40:25 PM

Yeah, that requires a very...selective...view of what actually happened.

Disgusted, but not surprised
AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#280828: May 15th 2019 at 8:43:18 PM

Even the idea that the US wanted to stop ISIS purely because of Islamophic reasons would be more accurate, because at least it acknowledges their attempts to do something.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#280829: May 15th 2019 at 8:48:17 PM

Polls from 538:

National 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary Polls

Biden is still very much in the lead. Sanders has dipped, but he's still second overall. Warren is about on the same level as Harris.

Edited by M84 on May 15th 2019 at 11:48:34 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Wildcard from Revolution City Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#280830: May 15th 2019 at 8:50:27 PM

God, I hope Biden doesn't win the primary. Talk about just handing Trump the election, woof. Biden isn't going to get anybody passionate about voting except people who rightfully hate trump, and even then they aren't going to be passionate about him in specific.

METAL GEAR!?
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#280831: May 15th 2019 at 8:50:49 PM

Yes, anti-Americanism is what I'm talking about and not the sacrifices and heroism of the Iraqi military. Dismissing that is terrible.

In any case, a lot of people did kill ISIS as a whole but I believe the lion's share of effort in Iraq was done by Iraqis.

Good for them.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on May 15th 2019 at 8:51:36 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#280832: May 15th 2019 at 8:52:09 PM

[up][up]If he wins, it'll be because more people vote for him in the primaries. Meaning he at least somehow managed to get the Democratic base to vote for him.

[up]Except you said they did it by themselves. Which is also blatantly wrong and dismissive.

Edited by M84 on May 15th 2019 at 11:53:37 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#280833: May 15th 2019 at 8:54:16 PM

God, I hope Biden doesn't win the primary. Talk about just handing Trump the election, woof. Biden isn't going to get anybody passionate about voting except people who rightfully hate trump, and even then they aren't going to be passionate about him in specific.

I've mentioned for awhile I thought Biden not only was going to win but was going to sweep the primaries and it seems to be bearing out. My hope was Warren would electrify the crowds but all indicates are that the media is just flat out ignoring her for Biden and Sanders. Even then, I never believed Sanders would appeal to the mainstream Democrats the way a more moderate candidate is and that seems to be the case with Biden.

I'm not saying its all over but I don't think this is even going to be a fight.

Bluntly, though I do think Biden will divide Trump's base a great deal. He's not going to electrify the Left of America, though. They're already wrapped up, though, because they will vote against Trump no matter what.

You might as well call Biden's campaign slogan. "Trust me, I'm an adult who knows what he's doing."

Edited by CharlesPhipps on May 15th 2019 at 8:56:38 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Wildcard from Revolution City Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#280834: May 15th 2019 at 8:59:53 PM

Also Alabama sends us back to the stone age, demands we live by Biblical principles and is clearly doing this to try to get Roe v. Wade overturned by the supreme court. Yeah, fuck this.

I'm just looking forward to the day Republican Jesus, (Trump) fails in some way even his worshipers can't deny.

[up]Wasn't enough for Hilary. Someone who had more qualifications then him. She didn't electrify the left the way Obama had done, and now more then ever we need a candidate for young voters to fall in love with.

Edited by Wildcard on May 15th 2019 at 12:01:53 PM

METAL GEAR!?
ShinyCottonCandy Industrious Incisors from Sinnoh (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Industrious Incisors
#280835: May 15th 2019 at 9:02:41 PM

[up]Do you really think such a think can happen? The best I’m hoping for is them being shamed back into silence.

SoundCloud
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#280836: May 15th 2019 at 9:06:23 PM

One hopes that the Left fears and hates Trump enough that it overcomes any hesitation they have about Biden. They need to vote for the ticket, not be happy about it. If they want another nominee, get people voting for them.

And since "Trump will never win" was proven objectively wrong, fewer should stay home as a protest on that front.

Between his debating skills, moderate appeal, strength in the Midwest, and name recognition; I think that Biden has a good shot at winning the general. And he's been remarkably gaffe free lately.

Don't get me wrong, he's not at the top of my list, but discounting him is just doomsaying.

Edited by Rationalinsanity on May 15th 2019 at 1:09:15 PM

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#280837: May 15th 2019 at 9:09:59 PM

Wasn't enough for Hilary. Someone who had more qualifications then him. She didn't electrify the left the way Obama had done, and now more then ever we need a candidate for young voters to fall in love with.

Honestly, while it's not something I want to be casual about as I don't LIKE Biden, I do think his victory is in the bag if he wins the primaries. Hillary almost won but lost in the Rust Belt and Biden has that in the bag as the unionist he is.

There's a few other advantages he has over her as well.

But the biggest one is the fact that people didn't take Trump seriously and now everyone who hates what Trump is will be out in force.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#280838: May 15th 2019 at 9:12:52 PM

"Trust me, I'm an adult who knows what he's doing."

I'd hope he does, but unfortunately I don't have the certainty that I'd like, considering he recently said that Republicans in Congress will have an "epiphany" once Trump is out of office and work with Democrats towards a consensus.

If he genuinely believes this, he is the single-most stupid candidate running in the entire race bar none.

If he does not actually believe this, and is saying it in order to entice waffling uninformed undecideds, then it's an extremely shrewd political maneuver. But his longer political trajectory isn't inspiring that kind of confidence.

Edited by Eschaton on May 15th 2019 at 9:13:22 AM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#280839: May 15th 2019 at 9:15:02 PM

Biden is an oaf but he's been a shrewd Democratic operator for longer than I've been alive. It's just oafishness no longer apparently disqualifies you from public office.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on May 15th 2019 at 9:15:20 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#280840: May 15th 2019 at 9:19:42 PM

"Apparently"?

More seriously, I'm ambivalent to the prospect of Biden winning the Primary, so long as he stands a legitimate chance of beating Trump. Because, while I acknowledge how low a bar this is, President Joe Biden is still going to be a massive improvement over Trump.

Edited by sgamer82 on May 15th 2019 at 10:20:42 AM

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#280841: May 15th 2019 at 9:24:29 PM

Also, while Biden won't be the most progressive President, he'll likely yield to Congress if they pass progressive laws.

And his foreign policy is generally solid, so there's that.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#280842: May 15th 2019 at 9:33:25 PM

Just to be clear: everyone here who is a registered voter in the USA is willing to vote for Biden in the general if he wins the primaries, right?

I was confident that no one here would stay home as a protest if Biden became the candidate, but I'm not so sure anymore.

Disgusted, but not surprised
TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#280843: May 15th 2019 at 9:34:42 PM

To borrow a phrase from Pelosi (I think), I'd vote a cup of water in over Trump. At least the water would be consistent.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#280844: May 15th 2019 at 9:40:00 PM

Here I'd hold my nose, but it's a lot harder convincing the more radical leftist types who would vote for Sanders/Warren/AOC but won't settle for anything less to support the "neoliberal shill".

Edited by AlleyOop on May 15th 2019 at 12:40:25 PM

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#280845: May 15th 2019 at 9:45:10 PM

[up][up][up]Not a US citizen, but if I was, I would vote for him, albeit holding my nose. Anything is better than Trump.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#280846: May 15th 2019 at 10:49:09 PM

To be fair to Biden, a lot of Democrats (especially older and incidentally African Americans) are moderates. These are more likely to vote for him. And some of the "reluctant Trump voters" - Trump's electorate does not consist solely of true believers after all - will sit out the general election rather than voting for Trump again if Biden is the candidate. It's not all about the left, folks.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#280847: May 15th 2019 at 10:50:58 PM

US says it will not join Christchurch Call against online terror, citing "freeze peach". Congratulations to Trump for admitting the US government is too bigoted to do anything to stop more of it.

[up]I think the idea is that there are more votes to be had by mobilizing the "base" who have the dual requirements of motivation (someone sufficiently leftist/activist) and accessibility (they'd vote if not for financial or geographic/temporal obstacles) than by mobilizing the undecided/"radical centrist" demographic.

Edited by AlleyOop on May 15th 2019 at 2:02:58 PM

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#280848: May 15th 2019 at 11:09:15 PM

GOP lawmaker indicted for trying to trade his vote for cash, lying to the FBI, authorities say – The charges set off bipartisan calls for the legislator's resignation — requests he has so far forcefully resisted, claiming his innocence and setting up a potential intraparty showdown in the GOP-controlled Michigan state legislature.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/16/gop-lawmaker-indicted-trying-trade-his-vote-cash-lying-fbi/

An excerpt:

The text message, which allegedly offered up a lawmaker’s vote in exchange for cash, ended with a famous five-word phrase: “We never had this discussion.”

But a federal grand jury has accused a Michigan lawmaker of doing just that, charging state Rep. Larry Inman (R-Traverse City) with attempted extortion, bribery and lying to an FBI agent. If convicted, he faces up to 35 years in prison.

The indictment, made public on Wednesday, set off bipartisan calls for Inman’s resignation — demands he has forcefully resisted — as well as a possible intraparty showdown in the Republican-controlled state legislature.

Inman is alleged to have solicited money via text messages from the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, a union that previously contributed to Inman’s campaign, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of Michigan.

Edited by sgamer82 on May 15th 2019 at 12:09:44 PM

Ramidel (Before Time Began) Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#280849: May 15th 2019 at 11:21:04 PM

[up]Fight, fight, fight, fight!

I'm mildly surprised that the GOP is actually turning on him, though - usually, they'd close ranks and say IOKIYAR. Maybe Michigan's GOP is cleaner than usual?

I despise hypocrisy, unless of course it is my own.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#280850: May 15th 2019 at 11:24:29 PM

I suppose engaging in corruption this blatant and obvious is unacceptable. Maybe it's a Do Wrong, Right situation.

State level GOP people can either be even crazier than the Congresscritters or actually somewhat reasonable and willing to go across the aisle. It depends on the district.

I'm reminded of the Kansas GOP state legislators who eventually helped put an end to the ill-fated Kansas Experiment.

Edited by M84 on May 16th 2019 at 2:26:41 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised

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