US Politics Thread

[Federberg]

Just before I even bother, can we agree that this was not a "landslide" victory?

On reflection, I think it's worth pointing out, even though it was in some ways extremely close, it was also in other ways appalling for Democrats. Trump only suffering single digit losses in places like New Jersey should be ground shifting (Biden won by double digits). Places like California and Virginia were tighter. Smart Dems might as well treat this like a landslide. If they don't... well.. next time might be worse. Blood everywhere...

 

[Front242]

Ukraine have already attacked Russia with 6 US missiles just after Russia signed a new doctrine about using nukes if attacked by NATO long range weapons. We're fucked. Thanks Biden you senile old fuck Watch the media and NPCs try to spin this on Trump now. The demonrats on the cusp of causing nuclear war and all I'm seeing lately is idiots on social media and MSM going on about climate change. Warmongering pieces of shit. Newsflash: the planet isn't going to blow up from anything other than nukes.

 

[britbox]

just following on from my previous comment about the left in the UK. A friend of mine sent this to me today...

View attachment 9807

Agenda 2030 buddy... don't want to sound like a broken record but....



People are stuck in the Left v Right paradigm... but in essence there is hardly any difference between far left communism and far right facism. Both are an oligarchy and these oligarchs want a return to feudalism. An unholy alliance packaged as "Stakeholder Capitalism" using climate change as the vehicle to enforce it... Carbon credits etc. This was all decided decades ago.

It doesn't matter which government (left or right) are in power in the west... they are all heading in the same direction, just with different coats on. While the masses are arguing about the colour of the coat.

 

[Fiero425]

The insanity has begun! First there were the unqualified nominations of potential cabinet members, now Biden's being blamed for something that hasn't happened yet like nuclear war! The country, maybe the world is Fk'd, but many quite happy w/ themselves! We'll see how they feel in a few months!

 

[Federberg]

The insanity has begun! First there were the unqualified nominations of potential cabinet members, now Biden's being blamed for something that hasn't happened yet like nuclear war! The country, maybe the world is Fk'd, but many quite happy w/ themselves! We'll see how they feel in a few months!

It's crazy that Biden is being blamed. There's a culture of appeasement in the world. One could reasonably argue that Biden's messy withdrawal from Afghanistan is what encouraged Putin to invade Ukraine. And over the last few years Putin has been allowed to push and push. Constantly letting him have his way is the PROBLEM. That's what will get us to World War 3. You simply cannot allow Putin to bring the North Koreans into this war without permitting Ukraine to escalate. Otherwise what's next? It's been known for years that the only thing Putin respects is strength, and everything during this war confirms that. People act like Putin is the victim here. It's weird!

Nuclear bomb option is a one time thing. The moment Putin uses it he knows it's over. The Chinese and Indians do NOT want this. Manchuria will be lost to the Chinese, and I don't know if Russia would even be able to retain their Near East territories. Chechnya and Dagestan are already eyeing each other. It would be a monumental disaster for him.

 

[Moxie]

On reflection, I think it's worth pointing out, even though it was in some ways extremely close, it was also in other ways appalling for Democrats. Trump only suffering single digit losses in places like New Jersey should be ground shifting (Biden won by double digits). Places like California and Virginia were tighter. Smart Dems might as well treat this like a landslide. If they don't... well.. next time might be worse. Blood everywhere...

I take your point, and believe me that I understand why it can be taken as a decisive defeat. They got the House and the Senate. I was noting the raw numbers, which show how narrow Trump's win is, which continues to narrow. But it won't matter. They have the power, and will govern as if they have a real mandate.

 

[Moxie]

Even I was surprised about the choice for Atty. Gen. I have not yet heard Robert F. Kennedy, Junior is definitively going to be overseeing the Department of Health, only scuttlebutt about that. The choice for DNI seems perfectly fine when you consider that she does have experience in that area and she will learn as things go on. As for the federal Department of Education, I believe that is just political grandstanding. It is not going to be dismantled because he really does not get as involved in issue such as school curricula as many people think and probably some people within the Trump administration. It is really more about resources and Pell grants and things that help people obtain credit so they can go to school. So, he could clean out a bit of the ideologues that are really pushing to have that branch of government conditions certain financial resources for educational institutions on buying into and agreeing to proliferate things that the Trump administration opposes such as DE I initiatives and things of that nature. I do not think they will abolish the department and they could not do so without a super majority of at least 60 votes in the Senate. Marco Rubio will do fine. As for the non-Cabinet government efficiency office, I see no problem with thinking outside the box. See this is the thing and this is why Trump and others have gotten elected – – they come into office running on the view that doing things as they have always been done is no longer the best way to do things and they come in with different ideas. Just because government has run the certain way that it has run for 30, 40 or 50 years does not mean you keep doing the same thing over and over and over. The federal government has mushroomed in the last 60 years and a lot of people think that is been a problem in light of those people voted in Trump.

He just nominated Linda McMahon for Education, former professional wrestling executive, with essentially no education experience. Still think the dismantling of the Dept. of Education is "grandstanding?"

 

[Federberg]

Wow! If this type of reflection is typical there’s hope

 

[Federberg]

Wow! If this type of reflection is typical there’s hope

actually perhaps this is just a grift from these guys. Nothing makes more money than a leftie influencer moving to the right...

 

[Kieran]

On reflection, I think it's worth pointing out, even though it was in some ways extremely close, it was also in other ways appalling for Democrats. Trump only suffering single digit losses in places like New Jersey should be ground shifting (Biden won by double digits). Places like California and Virginia were tighter. Smart Dems might as well treat this like a landslide. If they don't... well.. next time might be worse. Blood everywhere...

It may not have been a landslide but it was, really. It was a resounding mandate for the opponents of DIE, ID politics, open borders, trans fascism, government overreach, the terrible influence of bad faith activists, speech police, so many other things too. The totalitarian left have gotten a savage warning - start to care, or vanish…

 

[britbox]

actually perhaps this is just a grift from these guys. Nothing makes more money than a leftie influencer moving to the right...

It might be getting contagious.

 

[shawnbm]

He just nominated Linda McMahon for Education, former professional wrestling executive, with essentially no education experience. Still think the dismantling of the Dept. of Education is "grandstanding?"

Yes--it will be changed and be different but it is not going to be a complete dismantling of the department.

 

[Kieran]

Yes--it will be changed and be different but it is not going to be a complete dismantling of the department.

We have bad examples of mentally huge bureaucracies over here, in Ireland. It’s difficult to imagine - and harder to justify - but the head of our bloated health service earns more than the president of the United States. And the health service has so many offices workers, that nothing gets done. We still have old folks lying on trolleys in the corridors of hospitals. We had a huge cervical cancer scandal a few years back where women died and the same old faces that tried to cover that up were put in charge of our bizarre covid response.

Big government bureaucracies reward mediocrities with lifetime appointments and huge benefits. There’s no incentive to get things done - and so they don’t…

 

[shawnbm]

^ There is a lot of truth to this. Federal governments tend to continue to grow and grow--it is what they do. They end up costing more and more. And the more that happens the less real benefit is passed on at a reasonable cost.

 

[britbox]

Indeed Kieran, The bloat in the public sector is astronomical... and by public sector we should include the private/public partnerships where corporations charge bloated amounts to the taxpayer for services that would never stand up in the private sector. There is little value for money.

Wages are a fraction of the cost too - endless conferences, low value studies and expense claims that make your eyes bleed...

You also have to wonder about appointing people are supposedly "qualified" and "experienced" in some of the public sector roles.... it largely means more of the same.

Maybe fresh eyes are required to gut the system completely and rebuild from the ground up. Unfortunately there are so many beaks in the trough and powerful vested interests who benefit from retaining the status quo, it's a pretty tough task.

 

[Federberg]

^there's definitely a huge amount of bloat that can be eliminated. But Congress is responsible for a huge amount of it. I rather suspect that Musk and Co. will learn quickly that bureaucracy and Washington politics has a level of inertia backing them that even prodigious minds such as theirs will be flummoxed. At the very least I expect that to be the case if he's going to keep running Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink and his other companies. I simply cannot believe that any one individual can meet the challenge even without his other responsibilities. But my goodness, the libertarian in me wishes them the very best of luck!

 

[Front242]

Canada has become an unbearable woke shit hole under Trudeau. My brother's lived there for years now but has turned into an absolute clown over their woke culture. Such a pity cos it's an absolutely gorgeous country but Trudeau has destroyed it.

 

[shawnbm]

^ I can't speak for Canada other than to say that those I do business with all use preferred pronouns with their photographs showing they are clearly a male or female. Strange how odd the world has become in the last ten years.

 

[Kieran]

^ I can't speak for Canada other than to say that those I do business with all use preferred pronouns with their photographs showing they are clearly a male or female. Strange how odd the world has become in the last ten years.

I’d laugh at them - it would be very difficult to take seriously a grown adult who “uses preferred pronouns.”

It’s so breathtakingly stupid and arrogant - and armpit smellingly precious - of these clowns to take themselves so seriously as to think that their preferred pronouns are anything but “dip” and “shit..”

 

[Fiero425]

^ I can't speak for Canada other than to say that those I do business with all use preferred pronouns with their photographs showing they are clearly a male or female. Strange how odd the world has become in the last ten years.

I can only guess FAA was hurt as Canada went down to Germany in DC play! I'm glad they've gone to Fed Cup format w/ just the 2 singles matches! It's getting so old all player complaining about how long the season is along w/ niggling injuries! To keep them in these team comp. something had to be done I guess!