...Of which I did not see day 1. Under the weather and slept last night. If anyone has feelings from tonight/yesterday, please share. I'll also try to watch day 1 when I can and posit any questions I have here.
I don't think Bill Clinton should speak tonight fwiw. I think his day has passed.
Didnât miss much. Gov. Cuomo called Covid a metaphor which was wild. Some of the internet connections were bad so they had some tech issues.
I thought it was great. Biden's gkids did the pledge, didn't know til later. Michelle Obama kicked butt! Love her necklace! Virtual, so different, but smart. Really showed how much Biden cared for every day people like the people that worked on the train he rode daily. Good music. Talked about his family's hardships. Had republicans speak. Tonight, I don't care for Clinton, like trump, slime balls! Oh and happy right to vote day 100 anniversary, gals!đđ Go post office!
I really enjoyed the delegate roll call with representatives from all the states and territories. (Kind of like watching the Miss America pageant back in the day, waiting to see what your state's contestant looked like.) Way more interesting than the usual in-person method.
Kansas rep was a giant!
(4th generation farmer, Mark Pringle, from Yates Center, running for state rep, district 13)
Are you guys gonna vote in person or via mail? I'm starting to lean towards the former and vote early, just because I don't trust Trump's mail.
I'm planning to vote in person on election day (my polling location is at a church on my block). They had a good setup for the primary--contactless, poll-workers behind plexiglass, scan ID, signature with pen/stylus combo that you also use to complete ballot, in one door out another. Douglas county clerk does a bang up job.
I love Voting on the day, but this yr, I voted early. I'm not sure yet. There's so many here that don't believe in masks, even with a mandate that's not enforced. I go completely around them, probably muttering something too!!
My jobs have required so much travel in the past that I almost always have ended up either voting in person early, or voting by mail. I will probably vote early in person (obviously no travel scheduled this year) just to try and keep the traffic on election day down as much as possible. If voting in person was still required, I probably would have only been able to vote twice since 2004 in even numbered years (2008 and 2012). Every other year I would not have been in my hometown to vote. I'm glad they expanded early and mail in voting, otherwise I would have been disenfranchised over the last decade.
Iâm voting early in person. Probably about as late as possible too just so as much information as possible is available. States that let you vote 6 weeks early are ridiculous. Plus, even before #qsps became a thing, the postal service lost my ballot in 2018. Was not happy.
@FarmerJayhawk what happened when they lost your ballot? Did you not get to vote?
@FarmerJayhawk , how did you find out it had been lost?
@approxinfinity said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
@FarmerJayhawk what happened when they lost your ballot? Did you not get to vote?
Correct. Itâs not clear legally if you can request another one (seems unlikely) and once you request one you canât vote in person.
@bcjayhawk I called my county clerk (we go way back) and she definitely sent it. It just never got to my house. Confirmed my address and everything.
Barack was outstanding. No pulled punches. If Trump wins it's the end of American democracy.
Kamala looked like the Grinch trying to smile. Someone told "Mamala" she was too cold. (I didn't come up with this comparison but I agree). I turned her off.
The Chicks did a good job with the National Anthem. Two great versions during this convention.
Joe: he is who he is.
Didn't expect the big swing, but that was a Kirk Gibson home run speech.
Spent the better part of last night discussing reality with Trump supporters on YouTube. Someone needs to reach out to them in their bubble.
Biden was somewhat reserved in his acceptance speech. His detractors saw that as being slow. I can't wait to watch him kick Donald Trump's ass all over the stage. Can't run away from the podium during a debate. Or maybe that'll be another first.
@approxinfinity remember trump lurking around Hilary?
@approxinfinity I thought it was his best speech yet!
Bidenâs speech was a B-/B. Just meh. I about nodded off a time or two. But thatâs exactly what he needs. Make POTUS as irrelevant in your life as possible.
We should have impeached the m***er. Now we need to remove the Postmaster General for perjury. Should impeach Trump still. Not hope that we can somehow have a fair election while he tries to do everything in his power to corrupt it.
@FarmerJayhawk I can't see myself voting Republican ever after this. This has been such a godawful nightmare. It's gonna take a long time for me to ever trust the party that enabled this, probably never.
@approxinfinity Trump was impeached, he wasn't convicted though. All an impeachment means is that you have been charged with something. He was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and was acquitted of the charges by the Senate when the case went to them for trial.
@Texas-Hawk-10 Pretty sure @approxinfinity knows that and also pretty sure everyone knows what he means. One party impeached him, the other voted not to remove him from office. Things have gone swimmingly ever since. Every republican has enabled a president most of them donât trust, know is unfit, and who is a complete embarrassment because of judges and tax cuts for their rich donors.
Mitch McConnell is just as bad in my opinion minus the incompetence. He is unfortunately dangerously competent at getting his way.
@Texas-Hawk-10 I take your point but yeah, what @benshawks08 said.
@benshawks08 said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
@Texas-Hawk-10 Pretty sure @approxinfinity knows that and also pretty sure everyone knows what he means. One party impeached him, the other voted not to remove him from office. Things have gone swimmingly ever since. Every republican has enabled a president most of them donât trust, know is unfit, and who is a complete embarrassment because of judges and tax cuts for their rich donors.
Mitch McConnell is just as bad in my opinion minus the incompetence. He is unfortunately dangerously competent at getting his way.
One of my biggest pet peeves when discussing government is people not understanding what an impeachment actually is because far too many people in this country assume an impeachment automatically means the president is getting removed from office which isn't the case considering none of the three presidents that have been impeached has been removed from office.
So when I see someone using the term impeach in an incorrect context the way @approxinfinity did, I'm usually going to correct it because I'm not going assume the person automatically knows what it means or that everyone who reads it knows what impeachment means and what the process involves.
@Texas-Hawk-10 well ok. I know what impeachment means. My point is we should have kicked the sorry sack of sh-- to the curb, is that more precise?
Still should. Every minute he's in office enables him.
And if the Senate wasn't a den of corruption, i.e. controlled by Republicans (see again, two things that aren't synonymous, but this time I'm deliberately conflating them) impeachment WOULD have resulted in removal.
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
@benshawks08 said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
@Texas-Hawk-10 Pretty sure @approxinfinity knows that and also pretty sure everyone knows what he means. One party impeached him, the other voted not to remove him from office. Things have gone swimmingly ever since. Every republican has enabled a president most of them donât trust, know is unfit, and who is a complete embarrassment because of judges and tax cuts for their rich donors.
Mitch McConnell is just as bad in my opinion minus the incompetence. He is unfortunately dangerously competent at getting his way.
One of my biggest pet peeves when discussing government is people not understanding what an impeachment actually is because far too many people in this country assume an impeachment automatically means the president is getting removed from office which isn't the case considering none of the three presidents that have been impeached has been removed from office.
So when I see someone using the term impeach in an incorrect context the way @approxinfinity did, I'm usually going to correct it because I'm not going assume the person automatically knows what it means or that everyone who reads it knows what impeachment means and what the process involves.
Language is incredibly important. Otherwise you get students who say the President should tell the Supreme Court to make something unconstitutional (happens in my intro class, no joke.) We need a clear vocabulary that accurately describes functions of government as they were originally understood. The impeach/remove difference is important, the executive action/legislative action difference is important. I see memes all the time on Facebook about impeaching members of Congress. No such procedure exists. Congress can expel a member, but no impeachment power exists.
Brief aside: the branches arenât co-equal. Thatâs Wilson and Nixonâs garbage. Congress is the supreme branch. If you sat down with a co-worker and they could fire you for any reason they want, would you say you were equal to them? Of course not. Congress can remove any member of the executive or judicial branch for whatever reason they want given sufficient will. The executive and judiciary have no such authority. /rant
Yes. Right. All of these things are true. But let's talk about the elephant in the room.
The Republican Party enabled this nightmare. We've seen what the end game from the Republican party looks like. Win at all costs. Even if it means enabling a monster. With an uneducated, disillusioned base, I see Trump as the blueprint thaf the party will continue to employ. This is a beginning. And it needs to be the end.
Those crazy fringe group conspiracy theorists that have found a home in the Republican party aren't going anywhere.
Another way put. How do you stop this train?
@approxinfinity I remember being scoffed at when I brought up problems in the Republican Party when they had that chair in Texas go off on some racist conspiracy theory. Some republicans disavowed such lunacy and I was accused of nut-picking. But here we are a few months later and Qanon supporters and conspiracy nut jobs just keep winning primaries. Many in places where they are likely to be elected. Itâs a problem that needs to be addressed.
QAnon is to the right what Trump is stealing the election with the USPS is to the left.
@FarmerJayhawk I don't follow.
The Republican party right now is not a monolith! It's a cabal of rich people, pro life people, gun people, "anti-liberals", racists, and crazies.
I don't see the party rejecting the crazies. Tell me @FarmerJayhawk how many times do you think they will mention rejecting QAnon or racism at the Republican Convention? My guess is zero. And they never will.
Morally bankrupt.
I would love to debate this because I'm just not seeing the other side of this atm. Obviously there are good people that are Republicans. But when
40% of the country is supporting Trump right now, I don't think the good elements of the Republican party are enough to save it.
@approxinfinity said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
@FarmerJayhawk I don't follow.
Both are dumb conspiracy theories.
@approxinfinity said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
The Republican party right now is not a monolith! It's a cabal of rich people, pro life people, gun people, "anti-liberals", racists, and crazies.
I don't see the party rejecting the crazies. Tell me @FarmerJayhawk how many times do you think they will mention rejecting QAnon or racism at the Republican Convention? My guess is zero. And they never will.
Morally bankrupt.
I would love to debate this because I'm just not seeing the other side of this atm. Obviously there are good people that are Republicans. But when
40% of the country is supporting Trump right now, I don't think the good elements of the Republican party are enough to save it.
I donât know. 80% of the GOP has no idea what QAnon even is and has never heard of it (more Dâs know about it than Râs). So whatâs the point? Most people will be like I have no idea what theyâre even talking about.
Most Republicans (like my parents and grandparents) are decent people who want the best for their country. They donât necessarily like Trump as a person and didnât support him the 16 primary but they see the D platform and recoil in horror. I think itâs far too early to say what the GOP will be in a couple years. Could be they realize they screwed up and move on or embrace a more populist and nationalist ideology, just blame Trump for being a bad messenger. Nobody knows the answer to that yet. So I donât think itâs irredeemable. I mean it went from smoldering ashes of watergate to the Reagan Revolution in less than 10 years. It was wiped out post-Bush and had solid Congressional majorities 6 years later. Politics is a funny thing like that.
@FarmerJayhawk the fact that 80% of Republicans don't know what QAnon is is a bad thing; they're listening to QAnon rhetoric from Fox News (e.g. "Biden's a pedo"). Being conditioned unwittingly to vote for demagogues and nut jobs.
As for the USPS shakeup, what do you think the intent by Trump administration was there? How is this a conspiracy theory?
@FarmerJayhawk calling Trump a "bad messenger" of a nationalist, populist message isnt :hundred_points: though. A bad messenger doesn't say the right things. Trump doesn't do right things. Often he does the worst possible things. Deliberately! But somehow people still support him.
The dumb post office conspiracy theory didn't come from the left. I know orange julius has lost a few marbles and can't keep his billions straight from trillions, but this is literally his statement a week ago:
"They want $3.5 billion for something that will turn out to be fraudulent, that's election money basically. They want $3.5 trillion â billion dollars for the mail-in votes, OK, universal mail-in ballots, $3.5 trillion. They want $25 billion, billion, for the Post Office. Now they need that money in order to have the Post Office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots. . . . Now, if we don't make a deal, that means they don't get the money. That means they can't have universal mail-in voting, they just can't have it. So, you know, sort of a crazy thing. Very interesting."
Crazy indeed. There's a conspiracy in that hot mess, but it's not one concocted from the left.
Ruining the dang post office (90% approval rating) to own the libs. That's where we're at.
@approxinfinity said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
@FarmerJayhawk the fact that 80% of Republicans don't know what QAnon is is a bad thing; they're listening to QAnon rhetoric from Fox News (e.g. "Biden's a pedo"). Being conditioned unwittingly to vote for demagogues and nut jobs.
As for the USPS shakeup, what do you think the intent by Trump administration was there? How is this a conspiracy theory?
Come on, FNC doesnât run around saying Biden is a pedophile. I donât expect the GOP to condemn QAnon any more than I expect the DNC to perpetually condemn the Nation of Islam or the formal BLM organization, both of which are openly anti-Semitic.
Frankly, thereâs no evidence of systemic issues at the USPS. Celebrities and former Senators running around like Alex Jones saying there are all these locks on blue boxes (a common practice to avoid theft) and trucks being hauled off by the dozens by guys in red hats is just nonsense. The fact is the USPS has been decommissioning boxes and trucks for a long time because people just send a lot less mail. The increase in mail related to elections is a tiny fraction of what the USPS will deliver around Christmas, so capacity just isnât an issue. Frankly, people are at a MUCH higher rate of having their ballot rejected because they forgot to sign it rather than the USPS not delivering it on time. So, the theory that thereâs a Trump-DeJoy conspiracy (so a conspiracy theory) just doesnât hold water under close examination.
In a lot of ways, Trump doesnât really behave or talk like a nationalist. A hardcore nationalist wouldnât run up huge deficits or try to make nice with foreign adversaries. And to be fair, one has to have a fairly rigid program to be a nationalist. Trump might be the least ideological President weâve had in a long time. Just because he has no coherent belief system. There have been some efforts to try to build an intellectual Trumpism, but they all fall apart when they interpret what he says as a great nationalist moment then a week later he says the complete opposite. Someone like Josh Hawley or Tom Cotton is a much more effective messenger for those ideas. Trump probably thinks nationalism is being a fan of the Nats lol.
It's irrelevant to look for political ideology because "malignant narcissist" is the one not-so-elusive label to describe Trump.
Narcissists can't shut their pie holes to even deny their own schemes. Usually projection. Sometimes they just blurt it out with confidence because their marks will just lap that stuff up rather than admit they've been conned. Sad. Bigly. Powerful. Strong.
@FarmerJayhawk FNC doesn't have to say Biden is a pedophile, they just need to portray Trump Jr and Giuliani in a positive light (and they most certainly do) while they run around saying Biden's a pedophile. Damage done.
I watched a little bit of it and seemed like a circus to me (most political stuff is from either side). My question is did they go over how they tackle the Covid? How are they going help fix race relations in this country? How they are gonna handle the deficit? Just seemed like a complete waste of time from what I seen of it and read about it.
You must not have watched much. Biden said if science Says to shut the country down for
3 weeks to get rid of it, much like New Zealand, he'd do it. Also mandate national masks. He did say they would fix national relations, get back in the Paris accord. Fix our low standing! There was a huge diversity of people on the whole week, and joe doesn't want to defund the police, he wants to give them more money but have a national registry. That will help. Talked about climate change and leading to more jobs. Probably forgetting something. He wants to be a president for both parties, not just democrats. Did a lot of talking how he worked across the aisle As a senator. Was impressive how he dealt with so much sorrow, made him able to relate to people going thru tough times, completely different than trump!
@Crimsonorblue22 okay, was just curious, thank you
@approxinfinity said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
@FarmerJayhawk FNC doesn't have to say Biden is a pedophile, they just need to portray Trump Jr and Giuliani in a positive light (and they most certainly do) while they run around saying Biden's a pedophile. Damage done.
Thereâs nothing in the second transcript to suggest Rudy thinks Biden is a pedophile. Don Jr. is whatever, heâs just trolling.
@Crimsonorblue22 said in The Democratic Convention! Day 2:
You must not have watched much. Biden said if science Says to shut the country down for
3 weeks to get rid of it, much like New Zealand, he'd do it. Also mandate national masks. He did say they would fix national relations, get back in the Paris accord. Fix our low standing! There was a huge diversity of people on the whole week, and joe doesn't want to defund the police, he wants to give them more money but have a national registry. That will help. Talked about climate change and leading to more jobs. Probably forgetting something. He wants to be a president for both parties, not just democrats. Did a lot of talking how he worked across the aisle As a senator. Was impressive how he dealt with so much sorrow, made him able to relate to people going thru tough times, completely different than trump!
Great spin! Of course the President doesnât have the authority to issue a mask mandate or lock down the country but nobody cares about those pesky details. No discussion of debts or deficits beyond repealing the tax cuts for rich people. Which, congrats! You made it about 1% of the way to closing this yearâs deficit. He wants to use California as a national model for energy, and just this week California is issuing rolling blackouts because their grid isnât stable enough.
Half of the RNC speakers are going to be Trumps lmao.
But hey, where is Hunter, am I right?
@FarmerJayhawk thanks as always for bringing a measured response in counterpoint. Really helpful. You help me not live in a bubble. I admittedly didn't read the Giuliani post. Lazy googling. Saw the title and didn't see "pedophile" in the missing words, so made an assumption. It's still slander. If you talk to YouTube commenters for too long you too might think that Trump's base is dealing with an entirely warped set of facts.
I think you're downplaying things that matter but it's reasonable. I hope the Republican party isn't rotten to the core, but I remain skeptical.
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