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

DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#328151: Sep 20th 2020 at 4:57:04 PM

[up]

No crap they don't like him, a lot of Leftists are diametrically opposed to the policies he promotes (outside of being "not the fascist").

Nobody expects them to like Biden - the problem is that some leftists come across as "if I'm not gonna get my ephemeral third option, I'm gonna sabotage you".

Basically, what people want from the "left" is a united front, not another case of Weimar-style opposition infighting.

Edited by DrunkenNordmann on Sep 20th 2020 at 1:57:45 PM

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Codafett Knows-Many-Things Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Waiting for you *wink*
Knows-Many-Things
#328152: Sep 20th 2020 at 5:11:12 PM

[up][up] I don't really support the guy but I'm voting for him out of obligation.

Just Having Fun
GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#328153: Sep 20th 2020 at 5:12:22 PM

Sane Leftists know that despite all of Liberalism's many, many faults, that when Fascism comes knocking on the door, preserving the Liberal systems that we want to one day consign to the dustbin of history is of paramount importance.

Unfortunately, a large and loud proportion of the online Left are clout-chasing dipshits who haven't remotely recovered from Bernie dropping out and are far too committed the "LIBS BAD" circlejerk to reverse course with any dignity intact and have doubled down so hard they've now reached "Biden is also a pedophile rapist Fascist" levels. I'm convinced they're somehow the reincarnated souls of the KPD in new bodies, and I disavow the whole lot of them as a bunch of emotionally-driven nimrods who wouldn't understand the concept of tactics if it bit them on the arse.

Thankfully, they do seem to be the minority by a significant margin, IIRC the data indicates that something like 80% of Bernie supporters will still vote for Biden (not that they're all Leftists of course), so I really think that those online Busters are (hopefully) a small minority in their own echo chamber convinced (and convincing others) that there are much more of them than in reality. It's really hard to say how split "the Left" is on this at the moment.

Either way - no-one should be really surprised that Socialists don't like Biden. He's basically done everything we don't like about Liberalism at some point in his career.

Edited by GoldenKaos on Sep 20th 2020 at 1:13:26 PM

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#328154: Sep 20th 2020 at 5:21:49 PM

[up] Thankfully, some of those online leftists are also not actually American - which actually explains why they'd happily advocate for voter apathy because it's not like their lives are on the line there.

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#328155: Sep 20th 2020 at 5:25:35 PM

I'll second that there are certainly online segments of the politically active population with a leftist "My way or the highway" view whose social media and other publishing efforts far out way their actual size.

Compared to the boots on the ground of Bernie Sanders' actual staff, almost all of whom have joined Biden's team as staff or issue advisors, or have gone on to form their own activist groups or PA Cs with the stated goal of getting Biden elected.

GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#328156: Sep 20th 2020 at 5:37:30 PM

Apart from Briahna Joy Gray, his campaign’s National Press Secretary - an idiot in the category I described above, and someone who should never have been given that role given that she voted Green in 2016. Man, if I was assembling a team to run for president, “have you ever voted third party in the Presidential race?” would be an easy question to winnow out the politically illiterate.

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#328157: Sep 20th 2020 at 5:42:13 PM

I actually spent about ten minutes trying to figure out what her name was for my post before finally finding it only to decide it wasn't worth mentioning. [lol]

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328158: Sep 20th 2020 at 5:46:45 PM

[up] IIRC, Sanders said she "wasn't on the payroll" or something like that after she trashed Biden after it was clear he was going to be the nominee and Sanders was promoting party unity.


Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Supreme Court declines to order reprinting of election ballots, Alyse Galvin and Al Gross will both be listed as Democrats on the ballot, probably hurting their chances.


Two of the Republican Senators who were rumored to be on the fence about a Supreme Court vote in the early hours after the announcement of RGB's passing have now said they will support/vote for the nominee: Lamar Alexander, Rob Portman. [1]

Lisa Murkowski repeated her earlier statement, saying she's against it and would not support it[2]. But McConnell can afford to lose Murkowski and Collins.


Ron Johnson continues his efforts to make a Benghazi/emails scandal for Biden. From The Hill: GOP set to release controversial Biden report, on Burisma & Hunter Biden

Edited by nova92 on Sep 20th 2020 at 5:57:56 AM

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#328159: Sep 20th 2020 at 6:08:40 PM

Isn't he in quarantine right now? Can someone take away his Wi-Fi?

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328160: Sep 20th 2020 at 6:13:12 PM

Are you talking about Sen. Johnson?

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328162: Sep 20th 2020 at 6:25:40 PM

Would be nice if that could happen. Unfortunately, Grassley's in on it at as well.


Edit: Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT5) has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the 12th Rep. to do so.

Edited by nova92 on Sep 20th 2020 at 6:28:09 AM

singularityshot Since: Dec, 2012
#328163: Sep 20th 2020 at 8:54:52 PM

Okay, just for a light-hearted change of discussion:

Let's say that Biden wins and Trump fails to get his nominee onto the Supreme Court. Who should Biden pick to fill the position?

My crazy thought right now - Obama. It's not going to happen, I know, but just humour me for a minute.

Mainly because I'm just picturing the lawyers in the case to strike down Obamacare sweating as they try and argue their case against the law's namesake.

Or even better, a case involving Trump as he finally gets his comeuppance, he appeals to the SC as you know he would, only to get smacked down by a 9-0 judgement, with Obama writing the court's opinion.

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328164: Sep 20th 2020 at 8:55:57 PM

Biden said he'd pick a Black woman, but the 4 currently on the Circuit Courts of Appeals are a bit old to be Supreme Court picks. So I'd be looking at prominent Black woman judges on the lower District Courts/State Supreme Courts etc.

Edited by nova92 on Sep 20th 2020 at 8:56:36 AM

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#328165: Sep 20th 2020 at 9:49:21 PM

Kamala Harris.

Obama might be a good choice if he's up for it, though. He's a very smart and reasonable guy, and while it isn't specifically a reason to pick someone, I'm not blind to the sheer amount of Republican tears it'd generate.

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#328166: Sep 20th 2020 at 9:52:45 PM

My crazy thought right now - Obama. It's not going to happen, I know, but just humour me for a minute.

Biden said he'd pick a Black woman,

Soooo... Michelle? tongue

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#328167: Sep 20th 2020 at 9:55:10 PM

She could do it.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#328168: Sep 20th 2020 at 11:00:58 PM

No opinion, as the more likely outcome is that Evil Turtle gets his nominee in before that.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
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
#328169: Sep 21st 2020 at 12:10:55 AM

To touch back on the relationship between democratic-socalists and Biden, I actually think a number of them should be excited for him, because he represents a leftward shift in the centre of the Democratic Party.

What 8-10 years ago were the ideas pushed by the left-flank of the Democratic Party are now the ideas being pushed by the centre (take the public option as one example), that’s progress. The more of that we can do the closer we can get to a world where a Biden-like candidate is the right-wing candidate and a democratic-socialist is the left-wing candidate, that’d be a hell of a victory.

The thing is that that’s a long-term shift, it doesn't result in one getting a current left-wing party figure as president, one might not ever get a party figured considered on the left as president, but simply a candidate considered on the centre running on ideas that are currently considered left-wing.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Shaoken (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#328170: Sep 21st 2020 at 12:39:33 AM

So just to do the quick math for a moment; assuming Trump nominates a candidate and assuming that it clears committee to the full senate (and both are fair bets, unless something pops up that convinces Trump or Lindsey Graham that it's not in their interest to nominate/progress through committee someone before the election) there need to be four defections to stop a vote from passing. Murkowski doubled down on her opposition and Collins may be against voting before the election (and the "may" is doing a lot of work in that sentence), anyone else likely to vote against? Is there a feeling or evidence that voting for or being seen as voting for a replacement would be bad for their chance at reelection?

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
#328171: Sep 21st 2020 at 12:59:12 AM

The ‘moderate’ Republicans are in a tough spot, voting against would earn them moderate cred but hurt them with their Republican base, while voting for would hurt them with independents. Loosing support with either group could cost them their seat.

Most likely they are going to try and push for the vote to be after Election Day, so they don’t have to worry about political backlash, but that runs the risk of annoying the ‘principled’ Republicans like Romney who don’t like playing silly buggers. Plus, the lasting reputation harm from a lame-duck conformation could haunt future runs for office for a number of them.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328172: Sep 21st 2020 at 1:00:26 AM

[up][up] Mitt Romney, Pat Roberts, Chuck Grassley and Cory Gardner are probably the last possible places for a no, and none of them are particularly likely.


For their chance at reelection, Senators not up this cycle don't seem particularly worried and even those in purple states look like they're willing to take their chances. Of those that are up, Gardner and Collins are the only ones in blue states. But Gardner is probably toast either way so there's not much incentive for him go vote no.

Roberts and Grassley's names comes up because they're apparently institutionalists, and Roberts is retiring, but that phrase hasn't meant much in the Trump GOP (see: Lamar Alexander) so I'm very skeptical.

Romney is on the list because he voted for impeachment, but he's also very conservative, and he wasn't around in 2016 so the hypocrite argument doesn't really apply to him, specifically. No real reason for him to vote no, unless his dislike of Trump extends that far, and I don't think that's likely either.

Edited by nova92 on Sep 21st 2020 at 1:00:38 AM

BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#328173: Sep 21st 2020 at 1:01:12 AM

This whole situation feels very Morton's Fork.

Do not obey in advance.
FergardStratoavis A Fluff Ringer from Bellveins (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
A Fluff Ringer
#328174: Sep 21st 2020 at 1:09:25 AM

In what's hopefully this bloated orange beast's political death throes, Trump threatens to prevent Biden from being elected president via an executive order:

In a wide-ranging speech at a campaign rally Saturday night, President Donald Trump ramped up attacks against his opponent, Joe Biden, calling Biden the "dumbest of all candidates," and went so far as to declare, "maybe I'll sign an executive order that you cannot have him as your president."[...]

Trump also expanded on his unproven claim that Biden is on drugs, stating, "they gave him a big fat shot in the ass… and for two hours, he is better than ever before. Problem is, what happens after that?"[...]

Earlier this month, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders warned that Congress and the media should begin to prepare for a scenario in which Trump refuses to willingly leave the White House. "This is not just idle speculation," said Sanders. "What we have got to do in the next two months is to alert the American people about what that nightmarish scenario might look like in order to prepare them for that possibility and talk about what we do if that happens." Back in May of 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “We have to inoculate against that, we have to be prepared for that,” when discussing her concern that Trump would not give up power voluntarily if he lost re-election.

"If I lose to him, I don't know what I'm going to do,” Trump said Saturday night. “I will never speak to you again. You'll never see me again."

Edited by FergardStratoavis on Sep 21st 2020 at 10:09:56 AM

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
#328175: Sep 21st 2020 at 1:34:01 AM

Gardner is probably toast either way so there's not much incentive for him go vote no.

Assuming he plans to stop running for office should he loose. If he wants to say run for the other senate seat in 2022 then destroying his ‘moderate’ reputation is a bad idea.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran

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