Politics Thread

[xudash]

Part II

You strike me as someone who believes that most conservatives are rednecks, the great unwashed and what Hillary Clinton laughingly coined “deplorables”. That will go down as one of the most disgusting and stupid political blunders in history, but that is what the world looks like to these pathetic people. Does that encompass you? If it does, then you are pulling your trigger too quickly. I’m not a “Trumper”.

It isn’t about being a “Trumper”. It is about attempting to understand where the two parties stand – their base platforms - and what they believe in, and making a choice between those positions, which have become increasingly distant from one another.

I’m going to vote for Trump and Pence, because they’re the only ones who are focused on doing what is right for the United States. Biden is a career political hack. I believe Harris to be sinister and not aligned with the best interests of the United States – Harris as compared to Pence – he runs laps around her!

What do you liberals stand for? I am primarily about:

1. Making the U.S. economy the priority, including trade agreements that do not harm American interests.
2. Maintaining serious pressure on China, which I believe to be a dangerous, 21st Century problem; communist regimes do not play nice or fair.
3. Legal immigration. Period. Fix a mess that has been kicked down the road for decades.
4. Strong national defense.
5. Law and order.

How does the Democratic Party present itself? One clear, absolute way to look at governance by Democrats is to look at what is going on in the states and cities politically controlled by them. Not exactly a shining beacon of light when it comes to that, both fiscally speaking and with respect for America. At the Federal level, just like Obama, who was a terrible President, we are faced with his older empty-suit lacky, who is a babbling mess, and his “gifted” opportunist. Yours is the party of globalism, George Soros, anarchy, fiscal calamity, American weakness, big government, absurd energy policy (and that doesn’t mean neglecting the environment) – on the list goes. Yours is the party of faked government documents and false accusations and circus impeachments. Yours is the party of Pelosi and company who attempt to pump superfluous legislation into COVID-19 relief packages for desperate citizens.

Sorry, but Far Left means FAR LEFT: it is extreme by definition. Spitting on and beating up police that are present to protect the right to demonstrate, burning the US Flag, destroying federal buildings, looting and destruction…. That is all “constructive activity” looking for socialist change? This isn't f'ing Venezuela or the USSR! We don't want socialism here. BLM the good idea has been co-opted by Democratic-supported blm far left thugs. Police reform where needed? Absolutely. Defund the police? Not a good idea, to be polite.

Don’t attempt to come back with the argument that says these people do not represent the Democratic Party. Everyone and their mother know that Democratic politicians have and must embrace these lunatics in order to achieve political gains. Whether you like it or not – and if you like it, then – whatever, the Far Left is a part of the Democratic Party.

[xudash]

Part III

Now, in beginning to sum up, I have news for you: I acknowledge that my comments about Harris were in bad form. I posted them on purpose. Why did I do it? Well, mostly because her conduct during the Kavanaugh hearings was deplorable (neat word), and because I find her to be a truly shallow, terrible human being that is hellbent on a political course that has nothing to do with what made this nation great or with what will keep it that way.

She blows in the political wind on policy without having true conviction. Example? Bernie’s Medicare for all: Preparing for a run for president, Harris became the first senator to co-sponsor Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All bill. Once she ran for president, she dropped her support and came up with her own bill that was such a mind-meld of moderate and progressive takes that even she struggled to explain it during the debates. An opportunist, looking for an angle, not a person with conviction looking for sound policy; just a political leftist hack looking to use her various talents to ascend the political ladder.

Finally, we have the “whore” thing and the “race” thing. People like you and X-Man WANT EVIDENCE that she slept her way to the top. Hard evidence. That’s final. Otherwise, every damn thing that is known about her and printed about her, including her own statement about Willie being an albatross around her neck as a result of her sucking Willie’s willie, etc. doesn’t matter! You guys provided a perfect look into the bent liberal mind with that defense. Some of us are laughing at you, not with you on this one. You look like fools here.

As for the “race” thing, well I said she “faked her race”. She is part Jamaican and part Indian. In most circles of any kind, people are going to conclude that she has zero connection to the African Continent, which is normally deemed to be the place of origin of African Americans. The key, objective additive statement to this is that, enslaved Africans landed in Jamaica “and all these other Caribbean islands.” So, her father is of black heritage, we're told, and she believes – a dangerous word to use in her case – she is a black woman, because her father’s lineage allows that. Okay.

It really doesn’t matter. She is still a piece of human crap.

Moving on.

[paulxu]

Dash, just a historical note on your last post.
Whatever Harris claims, in our not too distant past, in many states in the country, if you had even "one drop" of black blood, you were considered black, and subject to the segregation laws.
Strange turn of events where at one time you were black with one drop, now you're not black (or I guess not black enough) when your father was black.
Sort of reminds me of the Obama days...his dad was from Africa and his mom from Kansas(?). But often he wasn't "black enough."

[boozehound]

Honestly if your initial response had been an admission that your comments were in bad form I would have been good with that and just moved on. Many pages of doubling down (some from yourself most from others) ensued along with a nearly surgical attempt to explain it.

I never asked for evidence that she 'slept her way to the top' nor did I really latch on to the 'whore' part of that comment at all. I still don't really get the explanation about 'faking her race' but that doesn't really matter. I think you are conflating my position with X-man.

You keep asking me to explain liberalism as though I'm a liberal, which I'm not. I'm probably closer to a moderate / conservative who thinks that Trump is pretty much never the lesser of two evils. There actually seem to be quite a few of those. I also don't (Trump not withstanding) buy into the whole 'hate the other parties candidates' thing. I have voted for Obama, George W Bush, and Mitt Romney for example. I think they are all good people who were / are doing what they think is best for the country, even if I don't agree with all of their positions on individual issues.

For fun: Here is where I come down on your conservative values:

1. Making the U.S. economy the priority, including trade agreements that do not harm American interests. - I agree with you here. Taking on China is one (maybe the only) thing that I think Trump has generally done well on. I think many Presidents (both Democrat and Republican) sacrificed the long term health of the American economy and worker for short term gains and cheap goods from overseas along with Chinese investment in America.

2. Maintaining serious pressure on China, which I believe to be a dangerous, 21st Century problem; communist regimes do not play nice or fair. - See above. I agree 100%. Let's include Russia in that one too.

3. Legal immigration. Period. Fix a mess that has been kicked down the road for decades. - We probably differ on what this means, but I support border control and legal immigration. I think we should tailor our immigration policy so that we attract people with the skills we need for our economy, whether it's software engineering or picking fruit.

4. Strong national defense. - We probably differ on the degree of this. I'm all in favor of strong national defense, but I do think we spend too much of a portion of our GDP on defense spending while we are racking up a national debt that we can probably never repay.

5. Law and order. - We probably differ on the degree of this as well

Edit: I genuinely appreciate the fact that you posted a thought out response, so I felt it appropriate to respond in kind. Hopefully you take it in the spirit in which it's intended.

[paulxu]

Booze, you're probably in good company.

Neither one of the Bush presidents voted for Trump.

[xu82]

Politics brings out the worst in all of us, it seems. Especially the politicians. I’m a fiscal conservative who wants to keep the government out of my business. I’ve gotten to where I hate that you have to go WAY left or WAY right to get attention. I’d fall in the middle on most things. I hate most politicians and wish we had better choices, but it is what it is at this point.

Was it Plato who said something like “the problem with avoiding politics is you end up being governed by your inferiors”? Apparently this is not a new thing.....

[X Factor]

A vote for the Democrats is a vote for the continuation of this type of behavior...and there are a lot of white people in this crowd too.

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status...80721591889922

[bobbiemcgee]

so a vote for trump would be represented by the "very fine people in Charlottesville?"...and QAnon candidates?

Crazies on both sides.

[Juice]

A vote for the Democrats is a vote for the continuation of this type of behavior...and there are a lot of white people in this crowd too.

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status...80721591889922

I believe they're called allies.

[xuphan]

A vote for the Democrats is a vote for the continuation of this type of behavior...and there are a lot of white people in this crowd too.

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status...80721591889922

What does the Republican Party see in Trump? Make America Great Again is now Keep America Great. So, he has made America great during his almost four years in office and we must re-elect him to keep this country great? Sorry, but I don’t see what he has done to make this country so much greater than it was previous. Is this the best the Republican Party can bring to the table?

What does the Democratic Party see in Biden? A career politician who is getting up there in age just doesn’t strike me as a great choice to be the Democratic nominee for president. His support for violent protest and defunding police doesn’t sit well with me. Is this the best the Democratic Party can bring to the table.

It looks like I will be voting for the candidate who will do the least damage to this country. I don’t believe either is a very exciting choice to be president. So, sell me on why I should vote for either Trump or Biden?