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Tuco

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Everything posted by Tuco

  1. Nah. I have to think a high percentage of Trump voters hate him but don’t care because they think he will enforce the fiscal policy they want. 8 years ago they voted for him to end Obamacare, now he is pledging to expand it. Shit, four years ago, Medicare 4 All was assumed to be a loser. Now he is talking picking up all costs for an elective procedure. Maybe it’s not a big deal because no one believes he will do it.
  2. So, they list of reasons why I vote blue has already handle by numerous other posters. But why I am excited, specifically, for this cycle? Over the last ten years, the far right had been gaining strength across the Western world. While the names of the parties and politicians have been different, the world has become more isolationist, more anti-immigrant, and more racist. Whether it is Farage, Le Penn, or Trump, there seems to be a growing wave of hatred and dipshittery. It's been scary and depressing. Then Biden debated on June 27th. Fuck. I caught maybe three seconds of it scrolling past, but I knew the story. A second Trump presidency was just assumed after that. Then, later that week I watched John Oliver's piece on the upcoming UK election. Labor was going to crush the Tories after 14 years. Watching Oliver's elation after 14 years of stupid, shitty, ridiculous bullshit, gave me some sense that we could survive a second Trump presidency. On the 4th of July, it Conservative Party was crushed on a massive scale. Granted, the Conservative Party isn't Farage's Reform Party, and you could read that election as the Tories losing votes to Reform. But, there was more to it that. There was the need to actually have the government be competent. There was the realization that the isolationism of Brexit was economic idiocy. Then the French were up to bat on July 7th . Le Penn's National Rally Party had done well enough in the first round of voting that it looked like they were going to get plurality, if not the out-right majority. But the moderates and the leftists said fuck that, teamed up, actually had some candidates drop out to avoid the far right from winning. In the end, the right wing ended up in third and the left wing coalition received the most votes. Just an insane result. Granted, it's not all great with Rally being in that position after the first round. But, the election demonstrated that 1) moderates and leftwing are more concerned about the right wing than each other, 2) just a huge number of people will vote when facing the prospect of the far right government. So, now it's our turn. And I am excited that America will do its job. I see similarities in the French election - Harris is openly courting moderates from the Republican Party. Despite some controversial policies with Israel and the border, the coalition is holding on the left. It looks like it will be high turnout election. Trump and MAGA are just too disgusting for most people who are paying attention. At the very least, I think we will keep Trump out. But I am excited by the prospect of more of a UK landslide that sends a clear message that MAGA is just not viable. I hopeful that this phase in our global politics is coming to a close.
  3. I guess this is a good time to make my plea for Tony Vargas in NE-02. Don Bacon (R) has held the seat since 2016, beating a one term Dem who got the seat after some teabaggers ran a third party candidate in 2014. Bacon runs as a centrist, but still campaigns with Trump and doesn't stand up against MAGA, except when the Freedom Party does stupid shit with the House leadership. That part has put him on the outs with the state Republican Party, who is very MAGA. They refused to endorse Bacon this year. Earlier in the election, I was seeing some Bacon ads where he was running to the right to shore up the base, including talking shit about immigrants. That is the first time where I have I have seen Bacon (or any elected Omaha based politician) focus on immigration. Omaha isn't terribly diverse, but with the stockyards and rail, immigrants have played a big part of its history. Tony Vargas (D) is the son of Peruvian immigrants. HIs father passed away from COVID and Tony pushed hard on better protections for essential workers in the meat packing plants. (His dad wasn't a meat packer.) Tony is a lawyer. I would say a moderate Democrat, avoiding issues that would hurt in Omaha. He is the first elected Hispanic state senator, representing South O, where many recent immigrants live. One of the things I really like about him is that would go door knocking even when there wasn't a pending election; he realized that his constituents weren't likely to reach out to him, so he reach out to them. Good guy. Well spoken. Would be a great addition to Congress and with his focus on constituent service, might be able to hold the seat if he gets elected. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/duforvargas24
  4. I see it more of a “when pigs fly…” statement. The chances of Donald winning California is about the same as Jesus becoming an election commissioner.
  5. Part of the absurdity over the kid thing is that I believe he was 33 when his oldest was born. His wife was 32. I guaranteed they both used birth control for more years than they didn't. The whole thing is nothing but bullshit to appeal to the bible-thumping crazy.
  6. Scarcity drives price. I wonder if she will hold out until a "60 Minutes" type interview, negotiate what topics are off limits, and scheduled for maximum value to the campaign.
  7. RFKJR looks a bit like Sinatra from that angle.
  8. It still blows my mind that Michael Steele was the RNC Chairman just 5 years before Trump was elected.
  9. I don't think he makes horrible movie. I just don't think he gages the audience well. And he's not good enough of an artist to make it work. So, he spends a lot of money on something that just doesn't resonate with (enough) consumers. It's 2024 and he's making a 12 hour epic Western that doesn't have popular source material. That's just next level arrogance. Lonesome Dove had a built-in audience from the novels, and it was made for TV.
  10. I think he's always wanted to be an epic movie producer but his ambition outpaces his skill. See also Waterworld. See also The Postman. He had success with Dances with Wolves and has been trying to recapture it since. You could still plug him into a big movie as an actor. But there is a reason he invested his own money for a movie he wrote, directed and produced.
  11. But, keep in mind, that money doesn’t include the PACs. Miriam Adelson didn’t pledge $100M to the campaign, she pledged it to a PAC.
  12. I have no idea what he’s talking about after it comes out of his mouth.
  13. Ok. Try it with these phrases: “Toxic femininity” “Toxic homosexuality” “Toxic blackness “ At best, it’s saying a little is ok, but be careful pull back from who you are. I see it as being used as description of violence, misogyny, and self destructive behavior. Even if men frequently engage in that behavior, it is separable from being a man. Being a man is not bad thing.
  14. I am definitely left wing, but we do such a terrible job at coining phrases. I detest the phrase “toxic masculinity” because it surrenders the definition of masculinity and implies masculinity is a bad thing.
  15. I would guess the majority of concerns the Harris team might have is from the moderators, not Trump. There will be pointed questions on wedge issues with no great upside and plenty of land mines. I think you still have the debate, regardless of the mic rules. I think the contrast will be striking and there are plenty of people still not paying attention. (They won’t see the debate, but they will see clips, hear summaries, and laugh at parodies.) But I can get the motivation if you think you are ahead. Although, I think the campaign has aspirations to kill the MAGA movement,not just win this election.
  16. Translation: We’re going to get him to say the n word.
  17. Has he answered on how he will vote on the Florida ballot issue? He can't pretend philosophy on federalism. He needs to say whether the right to abortion should be added to the Florida constitution.
  18. Jesus. That means each volunteer would need to knock on 24 doors to canvass every person in the state. They are going to need to figure out creative ways to use that many volunteers. I hope they don't just throw them at phone banks.
  19. Sure, if you get the sauce, it’s prego time.
  20. Ok, I have been a spectator at a spaghetti wrestling event. Bigger pool than that one, but same idea. It was more hipster-weird than redneck-creepy. Run by a little art studio. All volunteers, all body types, male and female. Fun time. I still have a picture of spaghetti dangling from an overhead cable.
  21. Tuco

    Israel

    Yeah, but we need them to vote for Harris. Yeah, but we need them to vote for Harris.
  22. Tuco

    Israel

    My thoughts are vary similar to chainsaw. Politically, I get it. I'm maybe less worried about losing votes in Michigan. I am a little worried about sapping enthusiasm from the youth vote. But I am not a pollster, I don't do focus groups, and certainly Harris's team are professionals who know their shit. My only credible argument, or fear, politically is that polling younger generations has gotten tougher and sometimes professionals mess up. I am more concern from a policy standpoint. And the sentence that bothered me was "Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself." I have generally always been pro-Israel. I remember a camp survivor coming to my grade school to show his number tattoo. I get that Israel isn't just some restitution for WW2, but a safe haven for a minority that has had to deal with similar shit for centuries. But, somewhere along the line, I realized there was a difference between "supporting Israel" and "supporting Israel no matter what." And, I think that distinction gets lost. I saw Kamala's statement as "no matter what." And what's more, we all know Bibi watched it. So did all the Likud leaders who might come later. And what they just watched is Kamala Harris demonstrating that military support of Israel is a political necessity. They don't need to do anything for it. So, yeah, I'm disappointed in that sentence.
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