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

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#343551: Dec 15th 2020 at 7:33:32 AM

It's ironic because Trump hasn't actually been hard on China. Quite the opposite in fact.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#343552: Dec 15th 2020 at 7:43:48 AM

Yup, between giving them breaks so his family profits, allowing relations between Tokyo and Seoul to hit the lowest they've been in decades, demurring to destabilizing autocrats, ignoring or even tacitly supporting their ongoing cultural genocide(s), leaving trade pacts designed to counterbalance Beijing, alienating other democracies in the region, alienate Europe and thus giving China an opening there, and starting a disjointed, multifront trade war that did more harm than good....Trump is the best thing to happen to China in years.

About the only thing he's done to counter China (that's worked to some extent) is ramp up assistance to Taiwan. And that's becoming more and more bipartisan anyway.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#343553: Dec 15th 2020 at 7:45:38 AM

Didn't Biden once call Xi a thug?

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#343554: Dec 15th 2020 at 7:47:09 AM

And called the Uighur thing a genocide. Whereas Trump praised Xi, wished he could be President for Life just like him, and called the Uighur thing a positive and that the US should be emulating it in the camps at the Mexican border.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#343555: Dec 15th 2020 at 7:57:05 AM

[up] Exactly, it's projection yet again.

Unrelated: Mitch finally acknowledged Biden as president-elect. About time.

3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#343556: Dec 15th 2020 at 8:11:53 AM

Apparently the Quanon crazies actually think the Chinese tried to invade Maine from Canada and got bombed away

"You can reply to this Message!"
Lazlo74 from A tropical hell-hole Since: May, 2018
#343557: Dec 15th 2020 at 8:18:52 AM

The scary part is, this nonexistent Chinese invasion is not even the most outlandish thing I've heard from the Qultists in the past couple of weeks.

Scaled seeker
djoki996 Since: Dec, 2018
#343558: Dec 15th 2020 at 8:38:00 AM

Oh, great. This is probably going raise the rate of sinophobic violence by these Q Anon cultists.

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#343559: Dec 15th 2020 at 8:50:44 AM

Another person, a Virginia state senator, is asking Trump to declare martial law.

Funny, I don't remember the left asking Obama to declare martial law when Trump won in 2016.

Edited by speedyboris on Dec 15th 2020 at 8:51:14 AM

ScubaWolf from South Carolina Since: Feb, 2020
#343560: Dec 15th 2020 at 8:52:38 AM

It would be a shame if the next person in charge of the Do J decided to go after a lot of these Senators and Representatives for sedition, an absolute shame.

"In a move surprising absolutely no one"
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#343561: Dec 15th 2020 at 8:53:13 AM

A few weeks ago they were convinced the Army raided a deep state CIA complex and Gina Haspel, Trump's CIA director, was shot in the process.

There's nothing these people won't believe.

Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#343562: Dec 15th 2020 at 8:54:50 AM

Stephen Colbert jokingly suggested that everyone Republican congressperson challenging the election results in their own state should resign to show their commitment to their own state elections being invalid.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#343563: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:04:32 AM

BREAKING

Mitch has congratulated Biden, and called him President-Elect for the first time.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/15/politics/mitch-mcconnell-congratulates-joe-biden/index.html

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#343564: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:05:10 AM

I posted this yesterday, but we were too busy with the electoral college victory to notice, so just in case anyone wants to comment on it:

We've done a lot of "What went wrong?" discussions here since the election, so here's the flipside; Pod Save America interviewed messaging expert Anat Shenker-Osorio about what messaging tactics she used to flip the Rust Belt states back to Biden. Some key points:

  • Messaging was less about the opposition and more about "who we are and how we stand for and with each other." She used Minnesota as the example and talked about her organizers worked hard to define what it meant to be Minnesotan and how those traits could be used to appeal to the people of the state.
  • An example of the above was emphasizing "Fund Our Lives" as an alternative to "Defund the Police." Shenker-Osorio calls then the Yin-Yang to each other and credits the activists organizing and regular use of "Defund the Police" for creating the context for which "Fund Our Lives" could be understood and be a unifying rally cry.
  • Democrats are more defined by whatever the right flings at them than their own denials of the smears. Deflecting and avoiding answers ("I'm not for defunding the police!") doesn't help. Stating in no uncertain terms what you are for does ("I'm for directing more funds to mental health services and community engagement!").
  • When talking to people who get antsy about supporting something like BLM when they oppose Defund the Police, get to the core of why they feel that way, usually fear that there won't be any police to protect them: "You have to understand what the underlying psychological desire is and you have to meet that desire and you have to set in up in contrast to the present day which is both not meeting their actual desire, they're not getting what they need and what they want, and it is completely and totally unacceptable and unjust."
  • Calling so and so is racist or calling them out for saying racist things isn't good enough. You have to explain why they're being racist. She referred to it as "Explaining the dog whistle." Point out how they're dividing people, or shaming minorities "hoping we'll look the other way while they dismantle Social Security or distract us from their failures in the pandemic."
  • "Stop selling the recipe and start selling the brownie." Talking about policies, and Democrats arguing with each other over policies, is the recipe in this analogy and people aren't as interested in that as they are in the results of those policies, the brownie. Show the outcome of Democratic policies and make your case to voters with that.
    • Recipe: "Paid family leave!"
    • Brownie: "You're there the first time your newborn smiles!"
    • Recipe: "Raise the minimum wage!"
    • Brownie: "Every single one of us can make enough money to put food on the table and be home in time to eat it!"
  • Cast your audience as the hero, not the person running. Shenker-Osorio uses the Georgia Senate races for this, that Georgians need to hear they are the protagonists of this drama to excite them to vote. "They couldn't stop us from voting. They didn't stop us from counting. They will not keep us from swearing in Joe Biden and having the will of the people prevail. Georgia leads the way and if they think they can do anything to block us they got another thing coming. Georgia delivered for America and we're doing it again in January."

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#343565: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:05:14 AM

Who gives a fuck?

I say that as a Kentuckian. Mitch has no importance in recognizing him after the electoral college vote has already been cast.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Altris from the Vortex Since: Aug, 2019 Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#343566: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:06:44 AM

Took him long enough, he's probably just bowing to public pressure at this point.

So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#343567: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:07:50 AM

It matters because it puts the final nail in the coffin with regards to Congressional attempts to screw the EC. In no way should Mitch be praised for admitting the reality of the situation this late.

It could also accelerate the divide between Trump's core base and the GOP Establishment.

Edited by Rationalinsanity on Dec 15th 2020 at 2:10:26 PM

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#343568: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:08:30 AM

It's mostly schadenfreude seeing Mitch throw Trump under the bus immediately after his Supreme Court thing failed.

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
#343569: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:10:50 AM

If we’re very lucky Trump will respond by throwing Mitch under the bus and trying to get people to boycott the Georgia runoffs, just to take away Mitch’s majority out of spite.

I doubt we’re that lucky, but it’s nice to dream.

Have we had any statement from Trump beyond him announcing Barr’s resignation?

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#343570: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:13:42 AM

It would be remiss to not point out that Mitch waited until after Putin had congratulated Biden to do so himself.

TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#343571: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:15:27 AM

[up][up] Just him retweeting whatever sycophants that are left who are licking his behind by insisting that Trump won even now and him claiming that all of it is still a "massive case of voter fraud, the biggest anyone ever seen!"

(Of course, this is just bull.)

Edited by TitanJump on Dec 15th 2020 at 7:15:53 PM

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#343572: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:21:08 AM

I suggested "Police the Police" as a possible slogan,but what about..Cop control?

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#343573: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:26:26 AM

Collar your cops.

Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#343574: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:29:50 AM

Watching the watch....HURKH!

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#343575: Dec 15th 2020 at 10:31:22 AM

Democrats are more defined by whatever the right flings at them than their own denials of the smears. Deflecting and avoiding answers ("I'm not for defunding the police!") doesn't help. Stating in no uncertain terms what you are for does ("I'm for directing more funds to mental health services and community engagement!").

That makes a lot of sense, people don't typically trust politicians and thus denials aren't exactly going to convince anyone. But they are willing to accept statements of support.

This is how you respond to Defund the Police, don't do counterproductive things like run away from it or attack its advocates. Just provide something you stand for.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang

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