The Politics Thread

[DRW50]

I will be surprised if she chooses Shapiro. This country is not likely to vote for a black woman, let alone a black woman and a Jewish man. It would be a real boon to Trump. I don't think he will help her win PA either. 

I've heard a lot about Mark Kelly, which I think would be a mistake, because however strong his credentials may be, he has little presence. He will likely look like wallpaper as JD Vance smarms all over the place, and probably have the same non-effect that Tim Kane had on the ticket for Hillary. Arizona is probably gone so he won't help there either.

She should probably go for a white guy from the South.

Edited July 23, 2024 by DRW50

[Vee]

In fairness, Vance is not exactly taking the world by storm. There is a reason there are reports Trumpworld already considers him a mistake. The faithful is not enough to put him over to a larger voting bloc.

I think Kamala has a good shot and the momentum is here if we can sustain it, but I do think it should be Beshear. Not because Shapiro is a Jew, though I do think he would help keep PA.

[DRW50]

I think Bob Casey might help with PA, but Shapiro, while I know he has been in state office for a number of years, I am not as sure of. Much of PA is deeply conservative and they won't react the same way to a federal election as they would for governor.

I hate saying that people won't vote for a Jewish man, but anti-Semitism is so prominent now, on the left and the right, that it feels like open season for a candidate who would go for such high office.

Vance is certainly lacking in any charisma, he's weird, he's repulsive, and vicious. Luckily for him, he's a Republican and the media is very fond of him. Kelly would treat him with dignity but would probably be rolled right over. I know Kamala isn't likely to pick a hatchet man, but she will need someone who can stand out more.

[Vee]

I don't think antisemitism is strong enough in the committed Dem base to hurt Shapiro (or among swing or low-intel voters - most of them don't give a shít about Israel/Palestine). It's only a product of the very online left, who generally aren't voting anyway. Part of a Harris victory will likely have to net some of the Obama youth vote. I don't think that vote today is made up of antisemitic campus reactionaries. YMMV, I just don't see it.

[Vee]

 

[Maxim]

I'm worried about President Biden. I want to see him in video... See his face and his emotions. The short twitter posts are not making me feel better. I want to know his spirit is still strong and he is doing alright. The amount of tears I have cried for this man the past few days... I haven't cried even for family members.

I understand right now he is still recovering and taking his time and I am not rushing him or being ungrateful, just worried. It's like my heart sinks when I think of him. 

Edited July 23, 2024 by Maxim

[marceline]

Everybody's acting like he's garbage that they're relieved to finally put out on the curb. All of this "Joe put country over party" bullshit is just people trying to sugarcoat the cruelty and betrayal of what was done to him. This man ran for this office twice before. He came out of retirement to run again. He finally got the job, saved us from COVID, rebuilt the economy, instituted policies that actually helped people and what was his reward? He was publicly humiliated by people claiming to "love" and "respect" him and shoved out of office because of vibes and polls.

Now everyone is cheering about "excitement" and "momentum" and yelling "Let's go!!" every ten seconds because at the end of the day this is all about entertainment.

[Maxim]

This is how I feel in parts when it comes to Joe.

[DramatistDreamer]

ICYMI during the media feeding frenzy, this news item has been personally painful for me to process in light of the loss of my loved one from this very same horrific disease but President Biden’s word, in the midst of recovering from COVID and being pushed out by the wealthy donors and their political allies, found time for words of acknowledgement and compassion in honor of Representative Sheila Jackson Lee.

Biden praises longtime US Rep Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who died of cancer

[NothinButAttitude]

Seriously though when it comes to Clooney: 

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[reallyhateskateonlost]

^^^^GOOD!

I don't care who was running, that never should have happened.

[marceline]

I've loved Clooney for 30+ years and he destroyed all of that good will in one day.

[Khan]

SLR can be a bit much to take in at times.  Nevertheless, I'm glad she put that particular issue (of the number of African-American men whom Kamala Harris prosecuted and incarcerated in California) into some perspective.

As an African-American male, I'm always frustrated whenever members from within my community choose to disparage other members simply for doing their jobs.  Does Kamala Harris have an axe to grind against Black men?  So far, I haven't seen any concrete evidence that says she does.  Until I do, however, I have to presume that the fault lies not with her but with the law itself.

Meanwhile, I wonder how all those "undecided" voters out there feel now that Joe Biden has dropped out of the race?  Has his decision made any difference with them as far as choosing whom to vote for?  Or (as I suspect) do they remain "undecided"?  (Frankly, I think the majority of those voters are also the kind who have trouble deciding what to order at McDonald's).

 

Well, here's one:

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Even worse: PepsiCo now has a major PR problem on its' hands thanks to his "Diet Mountain Dew" remarks, lol.

[Vee]

 

 

[janea4old]

In my opinion, Mark Kelly would be a great choice for VP. 

Senator from Arizona, but the AZ governor is Democrat so would appoint a Dem replacement until election happens.

Mainstream stuff:

• Former astronaut, several missions on the Space Station.
• U.S. Navy veteran who served in Japan and as a Gulf War combat aviator.
• He is of Irish ancestry.
• His mother Patricia was a cop in New Jersey - the first female police officer in West Orange, NJ
  https://nleomf.org/one-officers-story-patricia-kelly/ 
• (it shouldn't matter that he's a straight white male, but sadly, it matters in this situation).
• Arizona resident who understands border issues.
• Replaced John McCain of Arizona in the Senate and knows that constituency.
• He is married to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords who survived an assassination attempt.  Multiple people were shot at and some died, and she was badly injured but survived.
• In addition to his Navy and Space Station assignments,
  he has lived life on the East Coast, in Texas, and Arizona.
  • Born and raised in New Jersey where his mom was a cop.
  • Graduate of Merchant Marine Academy in New York.
  • Mark's main residence was in Houston, Texas while working for NASA.
  • There were some years in long-distance marriage with Congresswoman Gabby Giffords of Tucson, Arizona.  They maintained a strong marriage while living in separate states, and while he served on the Space Station and she served in Washington DC.
  • Gabby moved to Texas for her medical recovery (after the assassination attempt). 
  • Mark moved to Arizona with her after he retired from NASA.   He was later elected senator from Arizona.
• He is 60 years old.
• His twin brother Scott was also an astronaut.
• Mark has two daughters from his previous marriage, and one grandchild.

 

Religious beliefs:
Mark is of Irish ancestry, he was raised Catholic but is not particularly religious.  He and the rest of the Space Station crew spoke with Pope Benedict from the Space Station in 2011 
This is what Mark Kelly said to Pope Benedict from Space:
"It’s a very good question: we fly over most of the world and you don’t see borders, but at the same time we realize that people fight with each other and there is a lot of violence in this world and it’s really an unfortunate thing. Usually, people fight over many different things. As we’ve seen in the Middle East right now: it’s somewhat for democracy in certain areas, but usually people fight for resources. And it’s interesting in space … on Earth, people often fight for energy; in space we use solar power and we have fuel cells on the Space Station. You know, the science and the technology that we put into the Space Station to develop a solar power capability, gives us pretty much an unlimited amount of energy. And if those technologies could be adapted more on Earth, we could possibly reduce some of that violence."
https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2011/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110521_iss.html

Gabby is a member of a reform Judaism synagogue and they were married by her rabbi (The rabbi is female).   Mark began to consider spiritual things after Gabby was shot and he is open-minded and noncommittal. 

Article from the year 2011:  Mark Kelly said that before the attack on Gabby, "I thought the world just spins and the clock just ticks and things happen for no particular reason", but that, in Tucson, as he found himself wandering in makeshift memorials and shrines filled with Bibles and angels, [makeshift shrines placed in the place of the shooting]  "You pray where you are. You pray when God is there in your heart."
https://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2011/02/prayer-mark-kelly-angels-god-fate-/1

 

Mark Kelly's political stances are moderate Democrat.
pro-choice
supports 2nd amendment with responsibility and background checks

Edited July 23, 2024 by janea4old