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2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.


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1 hour ago, Chopper said:

Perhaps, Rick said, whether Vance actually had carnal knowledge of one or more couches is immaterial. Rick suggested Vance making love to a couch may best be viewed as what Werner Herzog has described as the "ecstatic truth" — in Herzog's words, "a kind of truth that is the enemy of the merely factual," encompassing falsehoods that "make some essence of the man visible."

As for his decision to include a fake citation in a post about a man having sex with a couch, Rick claims highbrow inspiration. "Not to egghead it up," he said, but he was an English major "and I do have certain literary tastes." Listing page numbers was "in the vein of" authors Jorge Luis Borges and John Fowles, who used excerpts and citations, real and invented, to lend an air of authenticity to their fiction. "It's something I've found funny my entire life," he said.

Legend.

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Odds are greater than zero that his wife only married him to avoid a Hindu arranged marriage.  I just can't imagine another scenario where a woman looks at this guy and says "That's who I want giving me 4 inches of disappointment for the rest of my life."

 

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Just a reminder that Harris has been the presumptive nominee for over a week and the GOP still doesn't have any substantive attack on her. 

They had 4 years to put together an oppo file on her (and any other potential contender, like Newsom, Whitmer, Walz, Cooper, etc., considering Biden's age) and yet... 

crickets GIF

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5 minutes ago, Tuco said:

To me, "weird" isn't the kid who got ignored and ate lunch alone. I have sympathy for that kid.  Shit, I was that kid a few times in my life.  And yes, I am weird.

To me, it's more like the Aggie: there are bunch of them who have their own weird ass shit that is pretty gross to anyone looking in from the outside. 

That's fair. But "weird" can encompass a wide variety of behaviors. I'm not talking about the nerdy kid with poor social skills. I'm talking more like this guy

Sandoval having his parking lot meltdown was actually his audition for JP  from Grandma's Boy : r/vanderpumprules

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10 minutes ago, Gap03 said:

antiirieog-wakaflocka.gif

The great thing about weird, we can always count on the fact that these guys are just huge fucking dorks. They perpetually reinforce the message

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4 hours ago, The Dog said:

Dear Democrats: Many Americans (myself included) will be voting Democrat for the first time in our lives this November. We’re not doing this because we agree with Democrats on policy; we’re doing it because we understand the need to stop Trump from destroying our Constitution. If you see us non-Democrat Kamala supporters on Twitter espousing beliefs you disagree with, like on taxes or guns or whatever, try to let it go. Don’t be jerks. Don’t disparage and argue, expecting us to toe the Democrat line, because we won’t. We’re not Democrats. Being hostile to us will backfire and endanger our alliance. We’ve made common cause with you in this election because our democracy faces an existential threat. We agree Trump is dangerous and we want to work with you to defeat him. Let’s be grateful for this mutual cooperation. We can go back to arguing and being opponents after November. Until then, we have a country to save.

 

3 hours ago, tbone_ said:


This makes a lot of sense to me.

I’m pretty sure there are a whole bunch of people who have finally and maybe reluctantly come to the conclusion that Trump is a jackass and is not good for the county but still deep down believe that the “liberal left agenda” is not good for the country either. Seems to me these people are the key to the election. They are there for taking if she comes out and leans moderate vs just trying to lean harder left.

I’ve never understood why the parties seem to decided leaning harder to the extremes is the way to go. Maga certainly sees it that way - see project 2025 or whatever it’s called.

The hardcores are going to vote Trump or Harris no matter what. The first group that figures there are a bunch of people in the middle and how to speak to them wins in a big way imo. I hope it’s her.

 

3 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

Their taxes and guns positions were only ever about "I gotta get me mine, screw everybody else" which is the starting point of a line that ends exactly where they are now. 

Put more charitably for those who truly were the frogs in the pot and didn't start out extreme, unlike the power brokers, believing in nothing except individuals over society necessarily ends up here. Personal freedom, individual liberty, and the right to be left alone all sound like good ideas in theory. But they only work within a functioning society; the Republican messaging that has fetishized the rugged individual and demonized collective society for decades absolutely leads to their current state.

And I don't say this with pure malice by any means. All of that appealed to me as well for many years. But then I grew up and realized that we have moral responsibilities to help people less fortunate than we are, to follow the golden rule and leave others alone if we went to be left alone, and to share financial responsibility for valid government services as fairly as possible. And those pretty obvious truths are antithetical to the Republican Party. I was just a kid when the first clue made itself clear (GOP control led to higher deficits putting the lie to the "party of fiscal responsibility" BS).

So yeah, I will deride a grown man who only just now started figuring it out. But maybe not to his face because the country needs him to vote correctly and his tweet shows that he might not if he gets his feelings hurt. 

So on the one hand, I totally get the sentiment in the original tweet, but on the other,  fuck that guy. "I sense a common enemy but just as soon they're gone I'll go back to my shitty opinions." is basically what I read/hear. For some reason it reminds me of the "please don't bully me; you'll make me come" t-shirts. Don't tell me how shitty my positions are or I'll be forced to vote for the guy we all agree will ruin this country. How do you talk unity out of one side of your mouth while speaking division out the other?

Which comes around to @Huckleberry's very salient points. What is/was it about the "old" Republican party that would make one want to go back. What D positions (actual ones, not super far left pipe dreams) are so objectional as compared to the other side that would compel one to hold their nose for this cycle and then go back the next? Taxes? Economy? Personal freedoms? All laughable positions when you compare the two sides. I'm not in any way saying the Dems are perfect or have their shit completely together, but I have yet to see one R policy - past, present, or future - that would make me ever rethink my current alliance. The D side isn't perfect, but it's not ghoulish either. I'm fine with that, for now.

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30 minutes ago, Foosters said:

The reason "weird" works is that it touches the core of GOP's insecurities. They are so very concerned with being the "in" group, as evidenced by their constant screeching over media, Hollywood, tech, and pop-culture being aligned against them. Its why they cling so desperately to their B and C list celebrities, and why they elevate no-name mumble rappers simply bc the they're wearing a MAGA hat.

Calling them Nazis or racists really doesn't move the needle. They just smirk and embrace it. But "weird" is the kid who got ignored at school and ate lunch alone. 

I see them as that one kid who tries to be the bully and pick on people who seem "weak" then get knocked the fuck out in front of the whole school by a kid who you wouldn't expect it from. Then they try to keep acting tough and being a bully but everyone knows they got their ass kicked by some kid who's in band.

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So on the one hand, I totally get the sentiment in the original tweet, but on the other,  fuck that guy. "I sense a common enemy but just as soon they're gone I'll go back to my shitty opinions." is basically what I read/hear. For some reason it reminds me of the "please don't bully me; you'll make me come" t-shirts. Don't tell me how shitty my positions are or I'll be forced to vote for the guy we all agree will ruin this country. How do you talk unity out of one side of your mouth while speaking division out the other?

Which comes around to [mention=1821]Huckleberry[/mention]'s very salient points. What is/was it about the "old" Republican party that would make one want to go back. What D positions (actual ones, not super far left pipe dreams) are so objectional as compared to the other side that would compel one to hold their nose for this cycle and then go back the next? Taxes? Economy? Personal freedoms? All laughable positions when you compare the two sides. I'm not in any way saying the Dems are perfect or have their shit completely together, but I have yet to see one R policy - past, present, or future - that would make me ever rethink my current alliance. The D side isn't perfect, but it's not ghoulish either. I'm fine with that, for now.

Gay people are icky.

I think that’s the big objection. Whether they admit it or not.

Also, “the border” (as a cover for deep-seated racism, which many Americans still hold). That’s part of it.

It’s mostly that they’ve bought in to non-issues that the extreme right has made into issues. Woke gay trans BLM open borders and such.
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So on the one hand, I totally get the sentiment in the original tweet, but on the other,  fuck that guy. "I sense a common enemy but just as soon they're gone I'll go back to my shitty opinions." is basically what I read/hear. For some reason it reminds me of the "please don't bully me; you'll make me come" t-shirts. Don't tell me how shitty my positions are or I'll be forced to vote for the guy we all agree will ruin this country. How do you talk unity out of one side of your mouth while speaking division out the other?

Which comes around to [mention=1821]Huckleberry[/mention]'s very salient points. What is/was it about the "old" Republican party that would make one want to go back. What D positions (actual ones, not super far left pipe dreams) are so objectional as compared to the other side that would compel one to hold their nose for this cycle and then go back the next? Taxes? Economy? Personal freedoms? All laughable positions when you compare the two sides. I'm not in any way saying the Dems are perfect or have their shit completely together, but I have yet to see one R policy - past, present, or future - that would make me ever rethink my current alliance. The D side isn't perfect, but it's not ghoulish either. I'm fine with that, for now.

All very valid points.

I’m just trying to make the case that it’s very hard to change people’s opinions once they’ve made up their minds to believe whatever it is they’ve decided to believe.

Forget ideology for a minute and let’s talk about practicality. There are a bunch of moderate Rs that don’t like Trump that can swing the election. Figure out how to put forth a narrative that makes them feel like there is a reason to vote D that they can feel ok about and you’ll win the election. That’s what counts. Ideology doesn’t mean shit if you don’t win.

Doubling down harder on your position may feel good to do, but it’s not going to win the swing voters. There will always be competing opinions and agendas in politics. It’s as old as time and will never go away. But those the figure out how to build a coalition will be the ones that win elections.

The Rs could do this too, but I’m certain they are too stupid to figure it out. I’m just hoping Kamala and her team are smart and play the chess match to win.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled ideology discussions….
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8 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

I hope it's Walz. I'd be okay with Bashear, though, he seems to have a ton of political acumen as well.

My sense is that if it's not Walz it's because something turned up on the background check

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16 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:


Gay people are icky.

I think that’s the big objection. Whether they admit it or not.

Also, “the border” (as a cover for deep-seated racism, which many Americans still hold). That’s part of it.

It’s mostly that they’ve bought in to non-issues that the extreme right has made into issues. Woke gay trans BLM open borders and such.

I'd bet a fair bit of the "gay people are icky" aspect is of the dost protest too much variety.  Some of the most homophobic people I grew up with ended up being gay or bi-sexual.  But because of their conservative upbringing they not only hid it but were vocally anti-gay.

As for the border, I'm not sure how much racism play into it.  Obviously, it's there for some, but as a country there has been anti-immigrant sentiment whenever mass quantities of new immigrants have arrived, regardless of origination.  Often from members of their own communities who'd arrived earlier.

Edited by DixonHur
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11 minutes ago, Pancho said:

 

The crowd will be the same band of traveling lunatics that follow him around the country like those people in the RV's in Independence Day.

Edited by Aqua Buddha
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17 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

I hope it's Walz. I'd be okay with Bashear, though, he seems to have a ton of political acumen as well.

I'm fine with either but on thing going for Bashear is he's, quite frankly, good looking and has a good looking family.  (Sorry that matters.)  Same applies to Harris as well.  She's attractive and telegenic.

Compare that to the opposite ticket of Dotard and the Incel Care Bear.

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59 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Just a reminder that Harris has been the presumptive nominee for over a week and the GOP still doesn't have any substantive attack on her. 

They had 4 years to put together an oppo file on her (and any other potential contender, like Newsom, Whitmer, Walz, Cooper, etc., considering Biden's age) and yet... 

crickets GIF

I've thought that as well.  It's like the whole campaign was centered around Biden being old and it's not like no one thought there was a chance of a switch out.

Harris has also been on the national stage since 2020 so it's not like they don't know who she is.  She's a black woman for god's sake so that's the Dog Whistle Bingo for them.  You think they'd be ready to go.

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20 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

I hope it's Walz. I'd be okay with Bashear, though, he seems to have a ton of political acumen as well.

His dad was also the Gov of KY, so he's grown up around politics.

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1 minute ago, Aqua Buddha said:

I've thought that as well.  It's like the whole campaign was centered around Biden being old and it's not like no one thought there was a chance of a switch out.

Harris has also been on the national stage since 2020 so it's not like they don't know who she is.  She's a black woman for god's sake so that's the Dog Whistle Bingo for them.  You think they'd be ready to go.

I think they thought that, at a minimum, they could keep her tied to Biden and keep her favorable ratings down.

That backfired.

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1 hour ago, heso said:

I’m not convinced they’ve ever come to the conclusion that they can only rely on themselves. They got told that their steel mills and manufacturing got shipped overseas by big city globalist democrats. They got told that the environmentalists are shutting down the coal mines. They got told that it was Obama’s fault that the post recession recovery skipped their communities. They got told that Biden was going to shut down fracking and turn off their gas wells. They got told that the Muslims were coming to destroy their way of life. They got told that millions of brown people are streaming across the border to come take what little they have. 

At some point, that's on them for being stupid ass rubes and not being able to think for themselves.

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3 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

I've thought that as well.  It's like the whole campaign was centered around Biden being old and it's not like no one thought there was a chance of a switch out.

Harris has also been on the national stage since 2020 so it's not like they don't know who she is.  She's a black woman for god's sake so that's the Dog Whistle Bingo for them.  You think they'd be ready to go.

At first it seemed like they were set on "she's a ho" and "DEI hire" but they seem to have backed away from that. Give them a little bit more time to come up with ideas and we probably will be back to "she's a ho" and "DEI hire."

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9 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

I'm fine with either but on thing going for Bashear is he's, quite frankly, good looking and has a good looking family.  (Sorry that matters.)  Same applies to Harris as well.  She's attractive and telegenic.

Compare that to the opposite ticket of Dotard and the Incel Care Bear.

This is true, and Walz is also already effective at combating MAGA without being the VP pick.

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8 minutes ago, Loch Ness Monster said:

MAGA conservative identify is 100% couched in being the normal ones / conforming to the norm and everyone else is an othered weirdo. Calling them weird triggers them deeply.

One of my very best friends is an evangelical in every sense of the word, inerrancy of the Bible believer, homeschooled his kids, conservative politically, etc.

He also comes with a healthy dose of being oppressed, because not everyone else believes with him and his smaller group of conservative evangelical friends.   Like I said, he is still a good buddy and so I gave him a crap all the time like good buddies do.    I can get him on almost anything, but if I challenge any of his core beliefs being out of the mainstream, then he does feel challenged and pushback.    

Anything that implies they are a tad not-normal is the line in the sand. 

 

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