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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Oh, bother.
NVM
Edited by M84 on Dec 8th 2021 at 5:17:30 PM
Disgusted, but not surprised
For that matter, not all conservatives want to kill the poor. Manchin did after all defend Obamacare. And I think some people neglect these kind of "intermediate" cases because we are too used towards us vs them thinking.
Meanwhile, it seems like the US government bureaucrats need some work to their standards: Here’s Why Rapid COVID Tests Are So Expensive and Hard to Find one problem cited is that trials run in Europe or India aren't accepted as evidence.
Redmess
Yeah, I know people who won't get tested on whether they had Covid in the past due to how expensive they are - 70 euros per test.
Optimism is a duty.
Oh, bother.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I was specifically talking Republicans.
Last time I checked Manchin is a Democratic Party member.
Disgusted, but not surprised
Redmess
Democrats can skew conservative too. And some conservatives vote Democrat.
And the reverse is also true: some liberals vote Republican.
Edited by Redmess on Dec 8th 2021 at 1:06:16 PM
Optimism is a duty.
Industrious Incisors
Well, when you get down to what matters, the only thing in US politics that makes a random voter bad is voting republican. They can be as conservative as all get out but if they vote democrat they're doing all that we can expect from anyone.
SoundCloud
Redmess
I think it is important to remember that while the Republican party is a united front (for now), their voters are anything but.
Optimism is a duty.
Industrious Incisors
I don't see how that matters. In the end, the voters give them the power to hold their seats, and that's what allows the politicians to cause so much harm.
@Redmess: And it turns out, the liberals who vote Republican (citation needed) are also bad, because voting for Republicans is how you get people like Trump, McConnell, and Gaetz. And, as has been pointed out already, even the mythical "good Republican" is, at best, apathetic to helping those in need.
It's been fun.
![[awesome]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/minis/award_star_gold_3.png "[awesome]"){kind=small}
Yeah, in U.S. politics party loyalty beats personal platforms consistently. Voting for any Republican, no matter what they claim to or even really do believe, is by definition empowering the vilest elements of the party.
Redmess
Yeah, its pretty crazy when you think about it. No wonder so many people are disillusioned with politics.
As for citations, that would be that same poll I mentioned earlier, with the breakdown of voter ideology in parties. There was a considerable number on both sides of the aisle that nominally vote one party, but in actual personal politics fit better with the other.
Optimism is a duty.
Adding onto the "willfully ignorant" example, there's another group of Republican voters who bought the lie that Democrats do nothing but spend wastefully, and like the idea of "limited" government (but don't realize the implications of what that means- that is, lots of layoffs and no government assistance when you personally might need it).
Queen of Good Things, Honest
And the reverse is also true: some liberals vote Republican.
Agreed. I think we need to be prepared to start thinking of some Democrats as conservative, because I foresee an influx of conservative Democrats in our future. As Republicans spiral further and further into batshit conspiracy-mongering and saying the quiet part out loud, conservatives who don't want to be tarred with those brushes may seek to gain a foothold in our party instead.
It's something I've been observing since 2016, in fact. As the two parties in our two-party system descend further into one party wanting to eat babies and the other party not being those guys, the Democratic Primary is going to shift into a position where the conflict between liberal and conservative candidates happens there instead of in the general. The general election, instead, will transition more and more into a quadrennial battle against ideological extremism.
Instead of liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans, we can look forward to liberal Democrats, conservative Democrats, and extremist theocratic conspiracy theorist Republicans.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Dec 8th 2021 at 7:21:34 AM
My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.
Aides to Biden say they are approaching the summit with humility. On the main website, the administration says the event will "showcase one of democracy's unique strengths: the ability to acknowledge its imperfections and confront them openly and transparently."
For that matter, not all conservatives want to kill the poor. Manchin did after all defend Obamacare. And I think some people neglect these kind of "intermediate" cases because we are too used towards us vs them thinking.
Manchin is also opposing programs that would save people's lives such as healthcare reform, he's killing the poor too. Just slightly less than out-and-out monsters like the Republicans.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Dec 8th 2021 at 8:48:16 AM
"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
Some good news with regards to evaluating the consequences of the US Civil War and its relation to the Charlottesville car attack three years before: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/12/07/charlottesville-robert-e-lee-statue-to-be-melted-down-by-african-american-heritage-center/?sh=34466b68529
Relevant paragraphs:
Topline
The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that became the focal point of a 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, will be handed over to a local African-American museum that plans to melt it down to create a new piece of public artwork, ending a years-long battle over the controversial monument's fate.
Crucial Quote
"Our hope with 'Swords Into Plowshares' is to create something that transforms what was once toxic in our public space into something beautiful and more reflective of our entire community," Dr. Andrea Douglas, executive director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, said.
What We Don't Know
It's not clear what will become of the Jackson statue. Members of the Charlottesville council reportedly have shown interest in giving it to a Los Angeles-based art center, but the center had put in a bid for both the Jackson and Lee monuments.
Tangent
A federal jury last month ordered the organizers of the Unite the Right rally to pay more than $25 million in damages for people injured during the rally.
Redmess
Nevermind.
Edited by Redmess on Dec 8th 2021 at 7:56:28 PM
Optimism is a duty.
Okay, something more concrete about what's being discussed at the Summit of Democracy: US will work with allies to limit the export of surveillance tools to authoritarian governments.
Increasingly technology companies have been selling spyware to authoritarian governments in order to survey and harass journalists, human rights activists, and political opponents and dissidents. The most recent case being Group NSO, founded by former members of the Israeli intelligence agencies, selling their spyware which was then used to spy on Ugandan and US officials.
Redmess
Is it worrying that Biden seems to be so jovial with Putin? Or is that standard politician behaviour?
Also, his warnings of economic sanctions or selling weapons to Ukraine should Russia invade Ukraine seem rather weak. Putin isn't going to be bothered much by sactions, from what I've heard, and just giving Ukraine weapons hardly seems sufficient against a big opponent like Russia.
The podcast I heard about it (NPR Radio, De Wereld) also mentioned that economic sanctions are more likely to hurt European allies, especially German with its gas pipeline.
Optimism is a duty.
The King Without a Kingdom
I don't know about any politician that wasn't jovial with Putin.
It's been 3000 years…
Germany's previous chancellor wasn't - turns out bringing a large dog to a meeting you know has a problem with large dogs tends to not endear you to them.
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
Redmess
It's just kind of surreal to see sometimes.
Yes, it's standard politician behavior. No, Biden isn't selling the US out to Russia.
Trans rights are human rights.
Correct, which is a big part of why conservative Democrats are a thing (though a number of them are racist).
Edited by Silasw on Dec 8th 2021 at 9:03:29 AM
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran