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Author Topic:   See How They Run -- 2020
dwise1
Member
Posts: 5925
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 1 of 19 (882736)
10-07-2020 1:53 PM


I propose that we have a topic dedicated to the 2020 Election, including the debates.
So far, the The Trump Presidency and Biden Our Time: All things Joe Biden topics seem to be getting used for that purpose, but I think that the election deserves its own topic since the election is about far more than just the Presidential race. This way, congressional and even state races can also be discussed along with problems with the implementation of mail-in and early voting procedures as well as efforts towards voter suppression, polling, etc.
 
I'll start out with something that was brought up at a recent skeptics brunch (held online for the time being). It was mentioned that the state governments of some Republican-run states have sworn to only select electors for Trump regardless of how that state's populace votes. Apparently, there's nothing in the Constitution that requires them to abide by the vote nor that forbids them from simply acting arbitrarily. One such state was mentioned by name but I forget which it was and it was expressed that there are a couple more states ready to follow suit.
Has anybody else heard about that? What would the consequences be, especially in the states where everybody's vote was basically tossed into the trash?

Honor, Courage, Commitment
(US Navy)
A fundamentalist Christian once asked what I as an atheist believed in. My spontaneous and totally honest answer must have sounded corny, but it was true: "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." That's still my answer today.
GOP Values: Hypocrisy, Corruption, Greed, Lying, Cheating, Voter Suppression, Election Fraud, Conspiring with the Enemy
" ... how hard can that be, to say that Nazis are bad?!"
(Barack Obama)
"How are we still fighting Nazis today?"
(Daisy Johnson, S5E15)
Nance's Law: Coincidence takes a lot of planning.
(Malcolm Nance)
There comes a time in the affairs of man when you have to grab the bull by the tail and face the situation.
(W.C. Fields)
It is a well-known fact that reality has a definite liberal bias.
(Steven Colbert on NPR)

Replies to this message:
 Message 14 by anglagard, posted 10-19-2020 6:55 PM dwise1 has replied

  
Adminnemooseus
Administrator
Posts: 3974
Joined: 09-26-2002


Message 2 of 19 (882740)
10-07-2020 11:59 PM


Thread Moved from Proposed New Topics Forum
Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.

  
jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


(1)
Message 3 of 19 (882742)
10-08-2020 9:45 AM


The fact checking from last night has been informative.
Pence simply stuck to the Party Line and had no problems lying on nearly every question.
Pence demonstrated the Classic Christian Cult of Ignorance total disconnection from truth, honest, morality, reality and empathy.
CCoI writ large.

My Sister's Website: Rose Hill StudiosMy Website: My Website

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Taq
Member
Posts: 9944
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 4.8


Message 4 of 19 (882745)
10-08-2020 3:44 PM


Trump has now bowed out of the 2nd debate, which isn't too surprising. It was going to be a virtual debate to keep Trump from infecting more people, but Trump complained that it would allow them to cut off his mic at any moment. Go figure.
I really can't blame Trump for bowing out. His poll numbers took a massive hit after the last debate, and it is quite apparent that he can't handle criticism or defend his track record as POTUS. All he can do is go to rallies where he is worshipped as the Republican messiah.

  
AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8493
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 4.7


Message 5 of 19 (882746)
10-08-2020 5:16 PM


Oh god. I shudder to think of the 2 1/2 months of presidential retribution we will suffer when he loses.
Speaking of which, he still has 3 weeks in which to start a foreign war for his domestic political purposes. Or how about getting some his proud boys to pull of small terrorist attack (a major attack against American values and freedoms) on, oh, pick a nice suburban spot with lots of liberals, trying to claim it's Al-Qaeda or something.
Y'a gotta know somethings coming.
And then, oh fuck, afterwards. Two and a half months! We're screwed.

Factio Republicana delenda est.
I am antifa.

Replies to this message:
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ringo
Member (Idle past 402 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


(1)
Message 6 of 19 (882759)
10-09-2020 12:31 PM


They should have the virtual debate anyway. If Trump doesn't show up, they can put a pumpkin in his place.

"I've been to Moose Jaw, now I can die." -- John Wing

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by PaulK, posted 10-09-2020 12:36 PM ringo has seen this message but not replied

  
PaulK
Member
Posts: 17815
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.1


(3)
Message 7 of 19 (882761)
10-09-2020 12:36 PM
Reply to: Message 6 by ringo
10-09-2020 12:31 PM


Better, take a leaf out of the BBC’s book and use a tub of lard.
Have I Got News for You

This message is a reply to:
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kjsimons
Member
Posts: 821
From: Orlando,FL
Joined: 06-17-2003
Member Rating: 6.3


Message 8 of 19 (882763)
10-09-2020 1:28 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by PaulK
10-09-2020 12:36 PM


This may be a bad idea though as in the BBC's case the tub of lard was actually on the winning team!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by PaulK, posted 10-09-2020 12:36 PM PaulK has not replied

  
Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


(1)
Message 9 of 19 (882764)
10-09-2020 1:39 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by AZPaul3
10-08-2020 5:16 PM


Oh god. I shudder to think of the 2 1/2 months of presidential retribution we will suffer when he loses.
Won't even matter who wins or loses in terms to what is going to happen to the nation. Both sides have already stated, in so many words, that they won't concede defeat. Whatever controversy we saw with Gore/Bush, amplify that times a 1,000.
Speaking of which, he still has 3 weeks in which to start a foreign war for his domestic political purposes. Or how about getting some his proud boys to pull of small terrorist attack (a major attack against American values and freedoms) on, oh, pick a nice suburban spot with lots of liberals, trying to claim it's Al-Qaeda or something.
That almost already happened!
What a bunch morons... So what was the End Game? Hold her hostage and, what, torture her? For what insane purpose? What was that supposed to do except guarantee that you either get killed in a shootout with the feds or be imprisoned for a billion years?
And then, oh fuck, afterwards. Two and a half months! We're screwed.
The coronavirus lockdown, the tanking economy, the completely fractured relationship between Reps and Dems, the George Floyd murder, etc.... its a powder keg with a short fuse.
And for some bizarre reason even while knowing that China and Russia are doing whatever they can to further incite this, even knowing that they are a COMMON threat, we still won't figure out how to come together for a common good.

"Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it" -- Thomas Paine

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dwise1
Member
Posts: 5925
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 10 of 19 (882767)
10-09-2020 4:44 PM
Reply to: Message 9 by Hyroglyphx
10-09-2020 1:39 PM


Won't even matter who wins or loses in terms to what is going to happen to the nation. Both sides have already stated, in so many words, that they won't concede defeat. Whatever controversy we saw with Gore/Bush, amplify that times a 1,000.
True enough.
My son is a cop and I fear that he has gone over to the Dark Side (ie, pro-Trump). He personally advised me to go to a local (for me) gun range and get qualified and armed. I refuse to see that as some kind of forewarning.
And for some bizarre reason even while knowing that China and Russia are doing whatever they can to further incite this, even knowing that they are a COMMON threat, we still won't figure out how to come together for a common good.
Triage.
You treat what you can, but with limited resources you have to make those extremely hard decisions of who will live and who will die. Most of us can sit back and philosophize after the fact, but when you are right there on the front lines when seconds matter, ... .
China's game is long-term. It requires a long-term plan on our part, something that obviously escapes the attention span of our current Executive. Not as much of an immediate threat if you were conducting triage.
Russia's game is much more short-term. Sow whatever chaos you can.
The current administration's approach is to give the Russians full reign.
As it is said in Russian, "Nu?"

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
 Message 12 by ramoss, posted 10-10-2020 11:10 PM dwise1 has replied

  
ramoss
Member (Idle past 602 days)
Posts: 3228
Joined: 08-11-2004


Message 11 of 19 (882783)
10-10-2020 11:08 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by jar
10-08-2020 9:45 AM


On a more serious note, the fly that landed on his head had to check into walter reed hosptial for a covid 19 infeciton

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by jar, posted 10-08-2020 9:45 AM jar has not replied

  
ramoss
Member (Idle past 602 days)
Posts: 3228
Joined: 08-11-2004


(1)
Message 12 of 19 (882784)
10-10-2020 11:10 PM
Reply to: Message 10 by dwise1
10-09-2020 4:44 PM


I suspect that the reason that Trump is so differential to Putin is that Russia hold the 400M dollars in personal debt that Trump owes.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by dwise1, posted 10-09-2020 4:44 PM dwise1 has replied

Replies to this message:
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dwise1
Member
Posts: 5925
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.2


(2)
Message 13 of 19 (882785)
10-11-2020 1:41 AM
Reply to: Message 12 by ramoss
10-10-2020 11:10 PM


I suspect that the reason that Trump is so differential to Putin is that Russia hold the 400M dollars in personal debt that Trump owes.
Exactly! One of the big items in a security clearance is your debt, to whom you owe it, and how well you manage it. If you are getting into financial problems, then you are vulnerable to coercion and you are a security threat. And the higher your clearance, the more important that becomes.
While we aren't being told to whom Trump owes that money, all indications are that it's foreign. Being such a failure at business and all that, Trump's credit with US banks is non-existent. That is why he had to go with foreign banks like Deutsche Bank who has been more than happy to do business with him. In addition, Deutsche Bank has been caught laundering money, especially Russian money. And in either 2013 or 2014, one of Trump's sons (Junior, I think) bragged to reporters about all the money they were getting from Russia.
So of course by owing a lot of money to Russia that would be Trump vulnerable to coercion from Russia. And that would explain why Trump consistently goes out of his way to do what Putin wants in every way possible. Trump has been bought and paid for.
But I don't think that it's all Russian money. Look at how Trump also does the bidding of Turkey. For example, our October 2019 withdrawal from Northern Syria abandoning our Kurdish allies and leaving them to be attacked by Turkish forces -- and of course we also left that region open for Russia to expand its power and influence.
When the Mueller investigation started, it was split into Mueller's investigation of Russian influence looking for criminal activity and a second counter-intelligence investigation within the FBI that would look into Trump's finances. Every time something was uncovered about Trump's finances, they'd send it to that other investigation in the FBI. And even after the Mueller report came out, we were still waiting to hear from that FBI investigation that we "knew" was still in progress. But now very recently it was revealed that almost as soon as that investigation had started, Rob Rosenstein killed it.

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anglagard
Member (Idle past 827 days)
Posts: 2339
From: Socorro, New Mexico USA
Joined: 03-18-2006


Message 14 of 19 (882834)
10-19-2020 6:55 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by dwise1
10-07-2020 1:53 PM


Closer to Home
dwise1 writes:
I think that the election deserves its own topic since the election is about far more than just the Presidential race.
Greetings from the Free State of Socorro.
I'm sure it is nothing new to anyone cognizant round' here but local and state elections directly impact citizen well-being as much, if not more, than federal ones.
Being in New Mexico we are in the fortunate position of being ignored (if the morons back in DC even know we are part of the US) so we are largely free of the virus outside of the Indian reservations, which are subject to neglect at the federal level. Also, the mayor (who hates my family BTW for being a local reporter, knowing about his shenanigans, and whose late wife essentially founded a museum without his input) is a practicing physician who implemented a mask mandate in early March. Of course having a governor who formerly was in charge of the Health Department helps, as a statewide mandate soon followed.
But on to my main point. It wasn't but a few months since we moved here the whole state turned blue at the federal level. Unfortunately six statewide Democratic legislators remained, five anti-legalization and six anti-abortion. This year all but one got kicked out in the primaries so the state should legalize rec and get that 1969 state law making abortion a felony overturned come February.
Being a former librarian previously dealing with the census and currently involved with the harvest, any role I may have in these events has been primarily limited to research. However the daughter is:
Socorro County Outreach Coordinator for the Siah Correa Hemphill campaign for State Senate (she knocked out the lone pro rec, anti-abortion, blue dog Democrat appointee and current senator in the primary). Had to give up the former position of Secretary of the Socorro Democratic Party but that caused a conflict of interest issue. One of these is a paid position, can you guess which?
Co-Chair of the Albuquerque chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America
Secretary for the Federation of Democratic Women.
Relatives, friends, even enemies, I give credit where it is due and take credit only when it is my fault. These millennials are motivated because for them it is literally a matter of life or death.
So here is the current situation. The Governor, the majority of the state legislature, and the entirety of national congressional representation is Democrat and it will stay that way for the foreseeable future with one exception. The centrist weenie Xochitl Torres Small, who is our Congressional representative, is a target of the RNCC which has spent a considerable amount of money on YouTube ads. I'm not sure what this is supposed to accomplish since I see them on YouTube as an intro to TYT, Ring of Fire, Rational National, David Doel, and Rising (Krystal and Saagar's shtick). Ads that use 'scare' terms such as 'Nancy Polosi,' 'take away the oil and gas industry,' 'D- score from the NRA,' and 'support of environmentalists' is supposed to convince any member of their audience of the supposed error of their ways. As the daughter put it "don't threaten me with a good time." I have some sympathy for Torres Small since she has to please the redneck Texans on the east side of the state in order to stay in office. Besides, her opponent is running on the usual 'Trump is god' crap the Republicans have hitched their noose to. However, voting against raising the minimum wage, well, strike one.
Other than that things are going quite well on the political front round' here. Meanwhile back in West Texas we spent up to 22 years voting for the losing candidate, with the exception of the county treasurer. Since 2018, in NM, not sure if I recall perfectly, but it seems everyone we vote for wins. It is definitely a refreshing change in so many ways.
Speaking of West Texas, I know how hard it is for Coragyps and the Howard County Democrats to thrive in that environment having been there. It's not that unlike being a Marine at Wake or Correigidor in some sense. Hang on for life, Guadalcanal is right here right now in this state, the turkey shoot and Saipan are on the horizon. Coming to your neighborhood everywhere.
So that's what's going on here. How are things in your county and state?

The problem with knowing everything is learning nothing.
If you don't know what you're doing, find someone who does, and do what they do.
Republican = death

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by dwise1, posted 10-07-2020 1:53 PM dwise1 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 15 by dwise1, posted 10-20-2020 4:10 AM anglagard has replied
 Message 16 by dwise1, posted 10-20-2020 5:18 AM anglagard has not replied

  
dwise1
Member
Posts: 5925
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 15 of 19 (882836)
10-20-2020 4:10 AM
Reply to: Message 14 by anglagard
10-19-2020 6:55 PM


Re: Closer to Home
Completely inappropriate and off-topic, but "Xochitl" sounds native American. Nothing at all wrong about that. It's just that my linguistics button just got pushed.
I married into a bilingual Mexican family where my in-laws were fully English/Spanish bilingual (indeed, while he was ethnically Mexican, Spanish was his second language so he habitually spoke Spanish with his Mexican wife for practice) and they raised their children to speak Spanish to their parents and English to each other so that the parents could correct them in both languages. As my marriage was falling apart (death of my son followed by my having to endure two years of ever escalating abuse, but that's another story), we had a big two-week family trip to Mexico (my suegra, mother-in-law, is from the Federal District, Mexico City, Chilangolandia, so part of it was visiting family) which included a family afternoon in a boat at Xochimilco, the "floating market place". And my familia would use a word for turkey that ended in a "tl" ending which my highly intelligent suegro (father-in-law) would tell us was from the Nahuatl native language and that whenever we heard that "tl" combination it was a native word -- eg, "ahucacahuitl" for avocado.
In the Navy, we chief petty officers would proctor the enlisted advancement exams. As I would hand out the exam packets to the sailors, I made a habit of saying their given names in order to ensure that they got the right packet (eg, for Smith, if he was William Smith instead of James Smith whose packet it was, then there would be a problem). One packet was for Xochil and she was very surprised that I had pronounced it correctly and without hesitation. I credited it to having learned some Spanish, but thinking back I should have said that I had been to Xochimilco.

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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