The Politics Thread

[DRW50]

It's not just them, no, but I do think they tend to take over the narrative and take away any of the necessary criticism. I saw more focus yesterday on a Simpsons writer playing victim because people didn't think her latest screed against Kamala was funny than on sensible solutions from a progressive perspective. 

[marceline]

I happen to be grateful for it. By drawing a line between the far left and "the mainstream of the Democratic Party" we get permission to push these leftists back to the fringe. A lot of people, including mainstream voters, are tired of the performative left especially since all they ever seem to do is screw everything up.

[Fevuh]

I'm one of the people who are tired of it.  And I'm a fairly liberal Democrat.  They are equal to the far right crazy Republicans to me.  No, not nearly as bad in the end, but bad for the country as a whole.  And a big reason that Hilary lost because it was da-Bern or no one.  And they got Trump and I think secretly happy about it.  Their frame of mind was "there, stuck it to 'em!  HA!"  No, you stuck it to yourselves, idiots.  Because we live with this Supreme Court for decades or the rest of your life depending on how fast they die....so your need to skip student loans outweighed the REALLY correct thing we needed.  Pay your damned debts and get over it.  I paid off my student loans and it's not unreasonable to ask you to do the same.  Should you have been given a loan?  Don't know, but you were.  They are college educated people and I think knew what a loan was when you took one.  I learned what a loan was and what collateral was from The Brady Bunch.  And in classes.  And as explained to me before I took out loans and that I would have to pay them back.  This is why I went to community college for 2 years and didn't go to my "dream school".  That's life, and this is the problem with that generation and that mind set.  You don't always get what you want or have to sacrifice....or actually - not.  You don't have to sacrifice if you don't want to - that's what your loans are.  So you didn't sacrifice, now pay them.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Fevuh

[DramatistDreamer]

I am particularly tired of them feeling it’s okay to go after Black women in, or Black women who aspire to higher office. 

[DramatistDreamer]

It shouldn’t take Mo Farah telling the world that he was trafficked as a child to humanize the undocumented migrant but hopefully people will listen to his account and reconsider the inhumanity toward undocumented people whose labor benefits every “advanced” and “industrialized” nation on this planet.

[Vee]

All 100% true. They're to blame and they'll never admit it, and I will never forget. But I don't think any of that has anything to do with how I think the administration's thus far fumbled the response to Dobbs. Two different things, and while the Bern left may have capitalized on that discontent for their own purposes (just like they tried and failed to turn the public on Ukraine, which was just pathetic), it's not all coming from them. It's at least equally from sensible, mainstream Democrats who didn't see this coming like a lot of us, and want to hear specific plans, landmarks, and how far the administration is actually willing to go, not just in symbolic show votes or whatever but re: SCOTUS and everything else. Like, what will you commit to now about doing if we keep the majority and expand it? Because just killing the filibuster and codifying Roe is useless with the current SCOTUS makeup. And if the whole national parks/federal land spiel isn't viable, which it probably isn't, then okay, what is? What's next? We've got to offer something beyond just speaking on background to Politico and CNN about how they don't want to get into losing court battles, which the Republicans already have no problem getting into in order to throw red meat to the base.

And yes, it would be fine to say 'we don't need to do that stuff, we want to govern instead' in normal times. Nobody needs to tell me about how real, sensible adult governance is often slow, boring and unexciting; my mother spent her career doing that work down there, and it was good work with good people who didn't get a lot of likes on Twitter or go viral. They just worked hard and did the job. But even she would tell you we're not in normal times. We're in fucked times. We have to do more to just try to function like it's normal, because it's tragically abnormal now. I'm not asking for just crass red meat, but it's clear a lot of people are asking for more. The Republican courts (not just SCOTUS) are operating within profoundly different rules, and we have to get creative. And I really hope the White House can do that, soon. I think they've been in a fugue since December, I think they were genuinely blindsided not just by Dobbs (which is something they've admitted on background) but by their conventional wisdom on Manchin and BBB failing them, and I think it's been a series of triages ever since. I take zero pleasure in saying that. But they've got to find a path, and that isn't just coming from laymen, it's coming from old hands. When you have Dick Durbin of all people roasting the White House in public over that anti-choice judgeship thing, it's not a great look.

I especially feel bad for Harris, who's already stuck with a Beltway press who deeply dislike her and frame every story around their distaste for her and is trapped behind the 8-ball on the Dobbs questions in interviews, waiting for a cue from the White House.

[Vee]

In other news: Holy shít. I knew this probably existed but never thought they'd find it.

 

 

[Vee]

 

[Soapsuds]

 

[Noel]

Dang! I'm just wondering what the DOJ is going to do. Besides testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson , this stuff absolutely blows my mind. Usually, I watch msnbc at times depending on who it is. Whenever I see Stephanie Ruhl, Rachel Maddow, Ari Melber, and Nicole Wallace together in the same room, I'm in delightful heaven. Regardless of what news channel I choose to watch, it doesn't matter. DOJ needs to step up.

[marceline]

The best way i can sum up my position is based on a tweet I saw but can't find.

"You can tell the people who are just now realizing Roe is gone as opposed to those of us who knew it was gone back in 2016 when Hillary lost."

All of these people "disappointed" in Biden and asking for a plan aren't prepared to handle the truth which is there is no quick fix. This will take decades of work to fix and we're here because people didn't listen to the email lady. People screaming at Biden are just Karens calling the manager but the manager can't fix this.

[Juliajms]

Yeah, things are getting a little out of hand.  I know James Carville is a nut, but I agree with him on the language issue to an extent.  Are people really going to keep insisting on the term "pregnant people"? That comes across as so nutty, imo. I don't even disagree with using the term, but insisting that everyone else does or they are trans phobic is a weird hill to die on. There are about 50 pregnant men a year and that's where you're focus is? It's embarrassing.

[Vee]

I know that tweet and I agree. I just don't think that changes the fact that it seems like the White House has no clue what to do next, with those weeks or months or years let alone decades. And unfortunately, right now they're the ones left holding the bag. So, the question is what's next?

[j swift]

Today we learned Trump is calling witness (probably Pat Cipollone)  directly to intimidate them into lying to congress.

Even Stefano Dimera had henchmen to do his bidding...

Also, Pat Cipollone has 12 kids and helped convert Laura Ingraham to Catholicism

[marceline]

That's a pet peeve of mine. I know I'm showing my age but "pregnant people" just doesn't sound right to my ears. I understand and agree with the need for inclusive language but it just sounds off to me. It's like when people say that something is "AN historic event." (That has driven me crazy for most of my life.)

That said...however I feel about all that "messaging" stuff, the thing I really hate is how the trans community is such a small part of the population and yet they've been targeted with unimaginable hate. Not just the trans community but LGBTQ+ children especially.