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DixonHur

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Everything posted by DixonHur

  1. This is true. But also, simply a byproduct of being human. There has to be an "other" to remind you why you belong to your group. Hell, you don't have to look any further than Texas vs aggy, Houston vs Dallas, or any on of the infinite number of ways people separate themselves into groups.
  2. I agree in principle, but I think there are 3 buckets of modern "libertarians". Erstwhile Republicans who don't like Trump Religious zealots who have officially moved to team Trump, but don't consider themselves Republicans and Anarchists I think the Democrats still have a shot at bucket #1, but who the fuck knows anymore.
  3. Well, Trump's big money donors have also been donating to Kennedy, so I think that's been the game plan all along.
  4. Good point. My fear is that I think we've all long suspected that Kennedy voters are likely right leaning independents or former Republicans looking for a reason not to vote for Trump, but so far, the Democrats haven't given them one. I think there's still time, but the clock is ticking.
  5. I interrupt this programing to bring you more doom and gloom in the form of the latest polling. On the left is the day before the assassination attempt, and on the right is today. Looks like a lot of it is movement from Kennedy to Trump. Arizona: Georgia: Michigan: Nevada: North Carolina: Pennsylvania: A lot of people in this country are gonna get fucked because a stubborn old man has refused to do the right thing... and the clock is ticking. Every minute he stays in the race is a minute lost in trying to make up lost ground.
  6. Yep. Raises an interesting question for all of us. It's like the book I mentioned before. The French thought the native tribes had it bad because they lacked the material wealth of Europe, while the native tribes felt bad for the French because they lacked true freedom.
  7. The youth yes, but the collapse of communism was bad for the majority of those in the working class at the time. Not surprisingly most of the spoils went to those who'd been in the higher classes during communism. We'll see how it plays out, but the one thing they have going for them in the Czech Republic, and one of the reasons I liked it there, is that they have one of the highest rates of atheism in the world. But they are starting to veer to the hard right, mostly due to immigration.
  8. No doubt. I'd also add that Romania also had other issues at work. There are reasons beyond communism that led to Nicolae Ceaușescu's execution.
  9. Might want to reread. I said "I" don't vote based on emotion, or at least try not too. I'm not an android. But, never once have I claimed to speak for, or represent all independents. Being an independent simply means not belonging to one of the political parties. It's not a monolithic group. I'm sure many try to base decisions on facts, but it wouldn't surprise me if most based their decisions on emotions. To one degree or another we all are, which is why marketing, or in political terms, propaganda works.
  10. Don't you get it @ChiTownDoc, @Dahobbs knows better than those who lived it. Those poor bastards just don't know how bad they had it. You and I just don't understand despite having friends and family in former communist countries. Sit sit back and let him America-splain everything to you.
  11. You're missing the point. What you're doing is exactly what's wrong with the messaging of Democratic party. You can't appeal to people using pedantic, and academic arguments. What people FEEL is more important than trying to make them understand minute details. The Czech people who lived under "communism", don't care about the dictionary definition. They care about their experience. And for many of the older working class, they felt more secure before the wall fell. The younger generation is different, but all they've known is capitalism and democracy. Here, a lot of working class people feel like things are going in the wrong direction... Immigration, higher prices, etc They're not interested in a Harvard economist explaining that the inflation is not Biden's fault, or that immigration is a net positive to the economy, or that they live in the richest country on earth. That's not their experience, so they gravitate to the party speaking to them on their level. You might not like that, but the sooner you and the Democratic party realize that, the better. Obama and Bill Clinton got that, so not sure why the Dems went back to their old tricks in 2016.
  12. Yet we have folks on the board who will give us pedantic takes on the vagaries of communism, but still consider the US a democracy despite the electoral college and citizens united.
  13. Well, you're more than welcome to explain the finer points to them, but they felt like they were taken care of by the state and once "communism" ended many of the working class felt they were worse off.
  14. This correct for many of the Native Tribes...but not all. I didn't mean to insinuate that the leaders were tyrants. My choice would be the Canadian tribes that interacted with the French, and considered them to be slaves to their leaders. I think nation states are the issue no matter how they are governed.
  15. The Czechs would be shocked to learn they weren't living under communism. You should head over there post haste to let them know.
  16. Apparently. The Native Americans seemed to like it. And when I lived in the Czech Republic, many of the older folks pined for the days of communism.
  17. I certainly don't claim to know what the best form of government is, but there's a book called The Dawn of Everything that talks about various forms over the years. It turns out that even before the Greeks, our ancestors toyed with democracy in different parts of the world and all chose to go back to some sort of kingship or chiefdom, for various reasons... most notably the lack of accountability, and people working in their own self interest instead of that of people who selected them.
  18. I think the core of Trumpism is staying in power. Period. The rest is just window dressing. He saw a niche on the right that he could exploit and he did. I Don't even think he expected it to explode like it did.
  19. That possible is certainly not out of the question, but age and cognitive abilities seem to be the main sticking points.
  20. I'm not particularly in favor of democracy either. I mean, look where it's gotten us.
  21. I'll be sure to share your concerns with them. I'm sure they'll be crushed to know a few anonymous posters on Surly think they are assholes.
  22. You're operating under the assumption that everyone (aside from fascists and idiots) are in favor of democracy.
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