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

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#133976: Aug 2nd 2016 at 9:25:41 PM

The Republicans are not the voice of conservatism anymore - I'd argue that conservatism, in America, is currently as dead as libertarianism, being outside of both parties' coalitions. The Democrats, right now, are the party of centrists, progressives and big business, while the Republicans have been taken over by the fascists and everyone else is jumping ship.

I imagine that part of the reason for this is that social conservatism is currently so far on the wrong side of history that conservatives have nothing that they can stand for without coming across as loons or joining the fascists.

Antiteilchen In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. Since: Sep, 2013
In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good.
#133977: Aug 2nd 2016 at 9:35:51 PM

When was social conservatism ever on the right side of history? Its very nature is to preserve the existing social order. Only in a completely egalitarian society, wouldn't it be oppressive.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#133978: Aug 2nd 2016 at 9:37:49 PM

You could argue that in the cases of revolutions gone nuts (French, the majority of communist revolutions, etc) , social conservatives are (comparatively) better because they generally aren't out to torch the place. But only until the moderates/reformers get their act together.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
wehrmacht belongs to the hurricane from the garden of everything Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
belongs to the hurricane
#133979: Aug 2nd 2016 at 9:41:33 PM

The point (as I read it) was moreso that the GOP is lagging pretty far behind in terms of the social mores it espouses; in this age of societal critique, far bigger variety of sexual and gender identities, conscientization of racial issues of all sorts, it's been pushing back for way too long and looks like a dinosaur that reflects a smaller and smaller segment of society. And then Trump took over and basically forced the general populace and conservative intellectuals to confront the Awful Truth: that he was a monster of their own making, and that a disturbing amount of the GOP voterbase didn't care that much about the government helping them, they just didn't want it helping them colored folk.

edited 2nd Aug '16 9:42:16 PM by wehrmacht

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#133980: Aug 2nd 2016 at 9:44:46 PM

So...Trump has been the nominee for 12 days. In that time he's:

1) Managed to attack a 4 Star General

2) Managed to attack a Muslim American solider who gave his life for this country.

3) Managed to attack a Gold Star Family, specifically the mother of a dead solider.

4) Managed to say that women who are sexually harassed should get a new career.

5) Managed to refuse to support the Republican Speaker of the House and Mc Cain.

6) Managed to insult a baby.

7) Called Hillary the devil.

8) Released fundraising numbers that were abysmal, proving (again) that he has no resources to run the campaign.

9) Managed to say the entire election system is rigged if he loses.

10) Managed to anger the VFW and 26 Gold Star Families.

11) Said today that he hopes the economy crashes soon so that Obama will get blamed for it and it will help him win.

12) His campaign is literally falling apart around him.

13) Said that Pennsylvania (a state he has to win) looked like a war zone.

14) Took a Purple Heart from a Veteran and said "I always wanted one of these. And this was way easier"

Dumpster fire isn't even appropriate here

edited 2nd Aug '16 9:44:56 PM by TacticalFox88

New Survey coming this weekend!
AmbarSonofDeshar Since: Jan, 2010
#133981: Aug 2nd 2016 at 9:58:31 PM

Maybe someone already commented on this, but I wanted to say it if they hadn't—there have been a lot of jokes comparing Trump to Hitler, to Putin, to Mussolini (that last one I tend to think is fair), and they're not wrong. That said, when you get right down to it, if you're looking for an American precedent for this rather than a foreign comparison, does anyone else think it would be legit to say that the Trump campaign is effectively "Joe McCarthy for President?" Just substitute immigrants for Communists.

wehrmacht belongs to the hurricane from the garden of everything Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
belongs to the hurricane
#133982: Aug 2nd 2016 at 10:01:53 PM

The worst part is that I get the impression other countries elsewhere in the world are breeding their own Trumps around the same time.

In Brazil we have a politician who's just as bad if not worse, and he's getting the same amount of frighteningly large support Trump is.

AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#133983: Aug 2nd 2016 at 10:27:52 PM

Lets see, Maduro in Venezuela, Erdogan in Turkey, Boris in the UK, Marine Le Pen in France, Bolsonario in Brazil, Geert Wilders in Netherlands, Putin in Russia, Abe in Japan and the list goes on.

Inter arma enim silent leges
MadSkillz Destroyer of Worlds Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: I only want you gone
Destroyer of Worlds
#133984: Aug 2nd 2016 at 10:33:01 PM

ugh that moment when you find out your dad donated 1k to Trump's campaign despite being Hispanic because he cares more about his money than race relations or helping out the poor -_-

Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#133985: Aug 2nd 2016 at 10:33:44 PM

[up][up]Both Boris and Farage have punctured their respective rubber dingies. It's a mess on both Right and Left in the UK at the minute. :/

[up]On the bright side, you have argument-winning blackmail for the rest of his life. tongue

edited 2nd Aug '16 10:34:52 PM by Euodiachloris

MadSkillz Destroyer of Worlds Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: I only want you gone
Destroyer of Worlds
#133986: Aug 2nd 2016 at 10:45:08 PM

Well the bright side is that I bet my dad $300 that Hillary wins so maybe I'll make money out of his bad political opinions

FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#133987: Aug 2nd 2016 at 10:52:11 PM

Khizr Khan ain't going away people. Just saw a clip of him on CNN telling Trump off about the purple heart.

I just hope he's a bit careful. The vet who gave Trump the purple heart might tell him to mind his own business.....

Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#133988: Aug 2nd 2016 at 10:53:28 PM

[up]Trump's own words are damning enough by themselves (to anyone who cares). And it illustrates Khan's point about sacrifice so perfectly, much like the comments about his wife illustrated his point about the smearing of the character of Muslims. We'll see if that vet responds, though I suppose Trump wants to be the one doing most of the talking.

[up][up]Hey, even if he does win, you can claim this election has really opened your eyes and made you realize Trump is the kind of person you should aspire to be.

And then don't pay up. evil grin

edited 2nd Aug '16 11:03:57 PM by Eschaton

Memers Since: Aug, 2013
#133989: Aug 2nd 2016 at 11:08:32 PM

The fact that Trump got 4 deferments for the draft for college and 1 for 'bad feet' and he says he wishes he had a purple heart just sickens me.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#133990: Aug 3rd 2016 at 12:51:15 AM

Also, @FF Shinra way back about state and federal parties: Parties in the US are loose associations and candidates determined mainly by the primaries and elections, local or state level politicians are not bound to agree or follow federal party platforms and it often happens that they vote against parts of it. Breaking with a presidential candidate is a big step and they can lose a re-election (primary, generally) over this, but it ain't guaranteed.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Cronosonic (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#133991: Aug 3rd 2016 at 12:55:56 AM

[up]x7 Over here in Australia, we have two Trumps, one for big business and one for the outrageous racists: the first being mining mogul Clive Palmer, who got a lower house seat and four senate seats for his own party, only to use his power mainly to capitulate to the government after brief spats every now and again and his senators proceeded desert him. The Palmer United Party is no more.

The second is Pauline Hanson of One Nation, who was doing Trump's thing in politics long before everyone else, and came back with a vengeance in the recent election with at least three senators, comprising one of the two main crossbench senate blocs alongside the Nick Xenophon Team, who aren't exactly keen on One Nation, and the government needs both of them to get anything passed. Fun.

Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#133992: Aug 3rd 2016 at 1:07:11 AM

We also have a guy who's trumpier than Marine Le Pen, but he's got none of her (or Trump's) popularity.

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#133993: Aug 3rd 2016 at 1:14:19 AM

Entities, living or dead, that are polling better than Jill Stein: Harambe.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
Cronosonic (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#133994: Aug 3rd 2016 at 1:57:52 AM

Just a reminder that we in Australia actually have a sensible Greens party with a sensible leader (Richard DiNatale) that actually has the third-largest senate voting bloc and has a lot of power over which legislation gets passed or shot down. Unfortunately, it seems like other Greens parties aren't very good at following their example.

edited 3rd Aug '16 2:00:12 AM by Cronosonic

Superdark33 The dark Mage of the playground from Playgrounds and Adventures Since: Jan, 2013 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
The dark Mage of the playground
#133995: Aug 3rd 2016 at 2:14:18 AM

What came first, a green party not being popular because its radical and dumb, or a green party being radical and dumb to get attention because its unpopular?

On my way to the train station today i listened to a short morning interview with the GOP's representative in Israel. He pretty much only used the stock phrases to support his mighty ruler and dodged questions that criticise trump's legitimacy, and attempted to distract with "muslim dad says mean stuff to Donald :(".

I cant but laugh.

Julep Since: Jul, 2010
#133996: Aug 3rd 2016 at 3:09:29 AM

AFAIK the German Greens have been influential in the past. One of the main figures in the French Greens is German by birth. He could also have gotten some significant results had he ever been a presidential candidate...except that, being deeply German, he despises the French presidential system, and only ever was a candidate to become a member of the European parliament.

I mean, the guy is principled.

Sadly, I don't think you can call Marine Le Pen a "Trump". She is much more savvy about what she can and cannot say, and might sadly be among the smartest politicians in the country (although when everyone else does your job for you by refusing to use their brains, it helps). Dupont-Aignan is indeed our local Trump, and he polls at about 1.5 or 2%.

Thoroughly entertaining man. The campaign wouldn't be the same without his regular mediatic failures. Think about Trump, but where people react sensibly to what he says (by laughing and dismissing him).

edited 3rd Aug '16 3:10:19 AM by Julep

NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#133997: Aug 3rd 2016 at 3:22:00 AM

Donald Trump thinks that women who were sexually harassed as the workplace should find another job

Now we have classic victim blaming.

And we're only halfway through the week, who knows what dumb thing the Donald will say next.

I feel bad for his daughter though. Sucks enough that his father wants to fuck her but to not have her back if she was harassed?

Julep Since: Jul, 2010
#133998: Aug 3rd 2016 at 3:36:35 AM

I liked some comments on the Boston Globe website (yes, I watched Spotlight, now I check both the Globe and the NYT when I want Freedom News).

"Trump is running out of Republican Senators and congressmen to disrespect. I'd suggest he pick on the clergy next but he already went after the Pope."

"I guess he could move on to offending Budhists and Hindus - they seem to be overlooked in his daily diatribes."

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#133999: Aug 3rd 2016 at 4:15:21 AM

https://twitter.com/Morning_Joe/status/760790261370753025

Donald Trump asked Three times "If we have Nuclear Weapons why can't we use them?"

Holy fucking shit.

This guy is literally, LITERALLY an existential threat to the entire world.

New Survey coming this weekend!
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#134000: Aug 3rd 2016 at 4:42:15 AM

Hmmm, I'm not sure if my Trump administration contingency plan should involve prepping for Fall Out or Home Front. But seriously America, I'd rather not spend the prime of my life digging through the ashes of civilization, so can we just say the joke is over? Can we have Jeb or Rubio back?

edited 3rd Aug '16 4:43:46 AM by Rationalinsanity

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.

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