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Nov 2023 Mod notice:


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In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.

Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

ViperMagnum357 Since: Mar, 2012
#175476: Feb 22nd 2017 at 8:57:27 PM

[up][up][up]Plenty of blame to go around, though neither of them are doing much of anything that is not already an ongoing struggle in red states. I honestly cannot figure out if Devos chief motivation is to line her pockets from charter schools, or merely using them as a means of erasing the separation of Church and State(Dominionist).

I imagine Trump will do whatever gives him a larger slush fund and coverage for his brand.

edited 22nd Feb '17 8:58:03 PM by ViperMagnum357

NickTheSwing Since: Aug, 2009
#175477: Feb 22nd 2017 at 8:59:25 PM

It would still be useful to paint this as Trump bullying someone taking a stand against him regardless the reason - and "Trump bullied an old lady" is something yet more to tar him with.

De Vos' principles or lack thereof do not matter.

What we have is a useful opportunity to show Trump as dictatorial and forcing anyone who disagrees with him even within the Party into absolute obedience, yet again.

The more we do this, the lower his approval numbers will get.

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#175478: Feb 22nd 2017 at 9:04:26 PM

I suspect that Pence also had a hand in the move, the entire thing stinks of his brand of religious based hatred.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#175479: Feb 22nd 2017 at 9:06:19 PM

If only the Kushner's had gotten involved here. Maybe there is still time for Jared or Ivanka to try and change Trump's mind? Probably too late, though.

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#175480: Feb 22nd 2017 at 9:18:14 PM

@Ambar: You weren't one of the people I was worried about, first and foremost because you aren't an American citizen, and generally speaking I've been pleasantly surprised with the way the democratic establishment seems to be moving; my own state's establishment democrats in particular have made some promising shifts to the left.

edited 22nd Feb '17 9:18:32 PM by CaptainCapsase

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#175481: Feb 22nd 2017 at 9:18:48 PM

[up][up][up][up]

Something like this?:

"See? It doesn't matter how white, how rich, how Republican you are! Even if you donated tons of money. Even if you've done nothing but praise him. The moment you say anything — ANYTHING — that goes against what Trump wants, he'll bully you into submission."

edited 22nd Feb '17 9:19:03 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
Pseudopartition Screaming Into The Void from The Cretaeceous Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
Screaming Into The Void
#175482: Feb 22nd 2017 at 10:03:05 PM

What we have is a useful opportunity to show Trump as dictatorial and forcing anyone who disagrees with him even within the Party into absolute obedience, yet again. The more we do this, the lower his approval numbers will get.
Not sure if it will do much for his base, who "need a man in the White House." They've bought into the 'Great Man' ideology; they want some bully who will put 'those' women (so De Vos), racial/religious minorities, and LGBTQ people in their place, because that's their conceptualization of how 'strong men' act.

...wow, that's a lot of sarcastic quotation marks. I'm just tired.

edited 22nd Feb '17 10:03:33 PM by Pseudopartition

Gilphon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#175484: Feb 22nd 2017 at 10:14:37 PM

There's a point of view that says Trump is a decent counterargument for the Great Men view of history, because of how he got elected despite so clearly not being a Great Man.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#175485: Feb 22nd 2017 at 10:16:28 PM

[up] Either that, or people have very different ideas of what "Greatness" is.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#175486: Feb 22nd 2017 at 10:37:56 PM

So here's a thing to consider for 2018, media whise it's basically going to be a presidential election. Think about it, there's no way Trump won't be campaigning up and down the country for the Mid Terms, he loves to campaign and hates to work. The media will follow him every step of the way, the Mid Terms will be probably get to most exposure they've ever gotten, which could easily boost turnout and help the Dems.

I'm still looking at Senate maps and hoping that the Dems manage to use the incumbency advantage, Trump's low approval ratings and the cross party appeal of their candidates to hold their weak seats. On top of that I've got my fingers crossed that we see some crazy stuff in Republican seats that puts 2012 to shame, like the Arizona Tea Party nut who tried to primary Mc Cain winning the primary against the incumbent Republican Senator (who she has already said she will primary due to him criticising Trump) and then loosing the general, the Utah seat (where the incumbent Republican should be retiring) going independant to Mc Mullin due to the Dems falling in behind him (Mc Mullin and Clinton combined got more votes in Utah in November than Trump did) and either Nevada or Texas (both likely to have incumbents running) falling to the Dems (I could see Trump telling his supporters to not vote for Cruz if the two get into a big argument).

edited 22nd Feb '17 10:39:09 PM by Silasw

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
NickTheSwing Since: Aug, 2009
#175487: Feb 22nd 2017 at 11:35:06 PM

Apparently Jared is unwell - he's been losing weight and is pale (guy was already skinny when he went in), and he's under a lot of stress. From what's been said, Ivanka is terribly worried for him.

...get well Jared Kushner. And please - PLEASE - do not die.

edited 22nd Feb '17 11:35:54 PM by NickTheSwing

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#175488: Feb 22nd 2017 at 11:37:52 PM

[up] Maybe Bannon has been spiking his drinks with polonium or something so that he's the sole confidante to Trump.

Or it's just a medical condition exacerbated by the stress that comes with trying to keep his father-in-law from going completely off the rails — a truly Herculean task. Reportedly, Jared was not happy that Trump fucked up the meeting with Mexico's president Nieto that Jared went to great effort to arrange.

Hopefully he's not using Trump's family doctor. Y'know, the one who wrote that "report" claiming Trump was "teh most healthy POTUS EVARR"

edited 22nd Feb '17 11:41:33 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#175489: Feb 22nd 2017 at 11:48:59 PM

[up][up][up][up][up] History is also a great counterargument against Great Men Theory tongue

Apparently the new National Security Advisor gained a reputation in the Army for criticising his superiors and did his thesis on American military mistakes in Vietnam. On top of that he's on record as saying the Gulf War made America arrogant in the belief that total information and technological advantage was the right way forward.

...Did SCROTUS accidentally hire a competent general?

edited 22nd Feb '17 11:51:57 PM by math792d

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#175490: Feb 22nd 2017 at 11:53:38 PM

[up] He also accidentally hired a competent VA head whom the Obama administration wanted too. The guy who was more or less unanimously voted in by the Senate.

edited 22nd Feb '17 11:53:53 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#175491: Feb 23rd 2017 at 12:16:48 AM

So I just found out that apparently DeVos is not completely useless on LGBT issues.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#175492: Feb 23rd 2017 at 1:01:44 AM

More like "not completely harmful", because she did end up completely useless.

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#175495: Feb 23rd 2017 at 4:04:39 AM
Thumped: for switching the discussion from the topic to a person. Doesn't take many of this kind of thump to bring a suspension. Stay on the topic, not the people in the discussion.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#175496: Feb 23rd 2017 at 4:44:17 AM

That was great. We need four years of sassy Hillary.

#StillWithHer

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
pblades Since: Oct, 2009
#175497: Feb 23rd 2017 at 5:12:31 AM

I never could understand why men likes Trump tries to gain power and fame. Invariably, he'd be criticized and scorned for off-color manner or foolish remarks, and invariably he'd flies off the handle when people questions or opposes him. I sees the same in my country's Junta leader who's been pissed at reporters from Day 1 of his coup and remains pissed today.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#175498: Feb 23rd 2017 at 5:14:30 AM

What's your country?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#175500: Feb 23rd 2017 at 5:50:32 AM

Siam is run by a Junta? I thought you were a Constitutional Monarchy?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

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