REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Elections; 2024

POSTED BY: THG
UPDATED: Thursday, October 17, 2024 23:38
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024 3:36 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two


Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

T


Have I said that everyone I know who is voting for Trump I have known them to always been a loser? America's losers are attracted to Trump because he tells them he can fix their lives. Losers fail to understand they have to fix their own lives. They can't delegate the work to a politician or even to God.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, October 16, 2024 3:37 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two


Republicans remain convinced that they’re failing financially

Results from this week's YouGov poll:


60% of Republicans say they're worse off than a year ago even though the economy has boomed over the past 12 months:

• The prime age labor force participation rate is up 0.3 points to the highest level in 20 years

• Real GDP per capita is up 2.5%

• Real wages are up 1.5%

• Savings are up 5.7%

• Inflation is down 1.3 percentage points to 2.4%

• Real spending per person is up $1,100

At a guess, I'd say that no more than 10% of the population is worse off financially than they were a year ago. But 60% of Republicans think they are thanks to Fox News.

https://jabberwocking.com/republicans-remain-convinced-that-theyre-fai
ling-financially
/


Republicans think everything is terrible

As long as I'm at it, here's a sampling of what Republicans think about various things according to YouGov:


https://jabberwocking.com/republicans-think-everything-is-terrible/

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, October 16, 2024 4:09 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two


Dancing to the Finish Line, Donald Trump Frees Us

We are finally freed from the task of deciding how to interpret the words that spill out of Donald Trump.

By Dahlia Lithwick | Oct 16, 2024 12:16 PM

For anyone who has dedicated the better part of the past decade to trying to affix meaning to the words spoken by Donald J. Trump, there is something transcendentally satisfying about the news that as of this week, there is nothing left to be parsed. There is just the dancing, and perhaps that can only be witnessed but never understood. At a town hall meeting in Oaks, Pennsylvania, this past weekend, the former president grew weary of his words and language and audience questions, and opted to just crank out the tunes and, well, boogie down for 39 minutes to a playlist of his own choosing.

It is conclusively clear that Trump’s words do not matter. Maybe the only thing that matters is the Dance.

Many Trump supporters appear to like him precisely because they actually don’t believe anything he says. The slippery incoherence is a feature, not a bug. And, as their pollsters noted, “in the latest New York Times/Siena College poll, 41 percent of likely voters agreed with the assessment that “people who are offended by Donald Trump take his words too seriously.” The character flaw now lies in those attempting to understand him, not in his inscrutability. And by those lights, the Dada of a dance recital in lieu of a town hall makes perfect sense.

If anyone asks why this presidential contest is so unbearably close, you can remind them that it’s because we’ve landed in the language-optional era of democracy, in which millions of voters who no longer believe in politics, or the media, or even the stability of language itself nevertheless find it soothing to watch their preferred candidate sway and grind to tunes for which we all, weirdly, know the words by heart. Whatever else has collapsed, the immutability of “It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A” is the one thing we can all still rely upon. Words that signify nothing beyond the fact that words themselves have finally failed.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/10/donald-trump-dance-finally
-free.html


The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, October 16, 2024 5:36 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by second:
Republicans remain convinced that they’re failing financially

Results from this week's YouGov poll:


60% of Republicans say they're worse off than a year ago even though the economy has boomed over the past 12 months:

• The prime age labor force participation rate is up 0.3 points to the highest level in 20 years

• Real GDP per capita is up 2.5%

• Real wages are up 1.5%

• Savings are up 5.7%

• Inflation is down 1.3 percentage points to 2.4%

• Real spending per person is up $1,100

At a guess, I'd say that no more than 10% of the population is worse off financially than they were a year ago. But 60% of Republicans think they are thanks to Fox News.

https://jabberwocking.com/republicans-remain-convinced-that-theyre-fai
ling-financially
/


Republicans think everything is terrible

As long as I'm at it, here's a sampling of what Republicans think about various things according to YouGov:


https://jabberwocking.com/republicans-think-everything-is-terrible/

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two



They're only polling the rich white Democrats.

Probably a good thing, since a lot of those "other" Democrats are finding a home right here with me.



--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Wednesday, October 16, 2024 5:42 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

They're only polling the rich white Democrats.

Probably a good thing, since a lot of those "other" Democrats are finding a home right here with me.



--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

When you are dead, you don't know that you are dead. It is difficult only for others.
It is the same when you are stupid, 6ix.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, October 16, 2024 6:39 PM

THG


Quote:

Originally posted by second:
Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

T


Have I said that everyone I know who is voting for Trump I have known them to always been a loser? America's losers are attracted to Trump because he tells them he can fix their lives. Losers fail to understand they have to fix their own lives. They can't delegate the work to a politician or even to God.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two





Agreed...

T


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Wednesday, October 16, 2024 10:10 PM

THG


Holy shit, talk about stupid.

T


Bombshell Maddow report: Trump trying again to keep Stormy Daniels quiet


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 1:44 PM

THG


T

Tim Walz Labels Trump a 'Fascist' | Walz Kicks off Blue Wall Bus Tour in Wisconsin


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 2:36 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by second:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

They're only polling the rich white Democrats.

Probably a good thing, since a lot of those "other" Democrats are finding a home right here with me.



--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

When you are dead, you don't know that you are dead. It is difficult only for others.
It is the same when you are stupid, 6ix.



Feel free to elaborate on that.

I'm sure that sounded super witty in your head, but you're the only one who knows what you're talking about.

--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 2:37 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

T




We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.

You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.

--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 2:41 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


On this day in History, October 17th:

National00000000Harris +1.5000Biden +9.00000Clinton +7.0
--------------------------------------------------------
Wisconsin0000000Harris +0.3000Biden +6.10000Clinton +6.0
Pennsylvania0000Trump0 +0.5000Biden +5.60000Clinton +6.7
Ohio000000000000Trump0 +7.4000Trump +0.50000Trump00 +0.5
Michigan00000000Trump 0+1.0000Biden +7.20000Clinton +11.4
Arizona000000000Trump0 +1.1000Biden +4.00000Trump00 +0.7
Nevada0000000000Trump0 +0.5000Biden +5.20000Clinton +4.0
North Carolina00Trump0 +1.2000Biden +2.70000Clinton +3.3
Georgia000000000Trump0 +0.9000Biden +2.00000Trump00 +5.3
Florida000000000Trump0 +6.1000Biden +1.40000Clinton +3.6

Trump has a lead in the aggregate in all swing states except for Wisconsin now. Harris' lead in Wisconsin is only +0.3.


If the state polls look like that on Election day, the blowout is going to be even bigger than anticipated with the chronic historical Democrat bias in polls.

--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 4:54 PM

THG


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Quote:

Originally posted by THG:

Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

T




We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.

You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.






MAGA practices Nihilism. Your viewpoint is any viewpoint that rejects the generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence, primarily but not exclusively, knowledge.


T


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 5:26 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Quote:

Originally posted by THG:

Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

T




We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.

You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.






MAGA practices Nihilism. Your viewpoint is any viewpoint that rejects the generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence, primarily but not exclusively, knowledge.


T





Yup.

You're too stupid to come up with that sentence on your own.

Here's the Wikipedia article you or your AI program lifted that "thought" from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism

Quote:

In philosophy, nihilism (/'na?(h)?l?z?m, 'ni?-/; from Latin nihil 'nothing') is any viewpoint, or a family of views, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence,[1][2] namely knowledge, morality, or meaning.



I catch Second doing this all the time. You think I'm not going to catch you too? Second has at least 20 IQ points on you buddy.

Nice try.



--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 5:33 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


:
Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

SIX: We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.
You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.

THG: MAGA practices Nihilism. Your viewpoint is any viewpoint that rejects the generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence,


So, THG, what ARE the "generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence"?

Care to list them?

Since you can't list any policy reasons WHY I should vote for Kamala, or list America's interests, or - even more pointedly- America's problems, I suspect that you grabbed that phrase from an online definition but don't have a clue what it means, or even what you're trying to say.

But, yanno, if you want to take a stab at actually explaining what you mean, have at it.


In a while, if I have time, I will explain what you mean, even if you can't.




-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger


AMERICANS SUPPORT AMERICA


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 5:56 PM

THG


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
:
Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

SIX: We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.
You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.

THG: MAGA practices Nihilism. Your viewpoint is any viewpoint that rejects the generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence,


So, THG, what ARE the "generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence"?

Care to list them?

Since you can't list any policy reasons WHY I should vote for Kamala, or list America's interests, or - even more pointedly- America's problems, I suspect that you grabbed that phrase from an online definition but don't have a clue what it means, or even what you're trying to say.

But, yanno, if you want to take a stab at actually explaining what you mean, have at it.


In a while, if I have time, I will explain what you mean, even if you can't.







Knowledge, morality and human values. And I used the term Nihilism to describe you and Jack because it fits you two like a glove. The proof of that is who you chose to champion vs. who I chose to champion.

It's that simple; comrade. It comes across in almost all your guys' posts that you lack these qualities.

T


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 6:22 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.



Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

SIX: We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.
You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.

THG: MAGA practices Nihilism. Your viewpoint is any viewpoint that rejects the generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence,


SIGNY: So, THG, what ARE the "generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence"?

Care to list them?

Since you can't list any policy reasons WHY I should vote for Kamala, or list America's interests, or - even more pointedly- America's problems, I suspect that you grabbed that phrase from an online definition but don't have a clue what it means, or even what you're trying to say.

But, yanno, if you want to take a stab at actually explaining what you mean, have at it.


In a while, if I have time, I will explain what you mean, even if you can't.



THG: Knowledge,


Oh, I believe in knowledge, son. After all, I have a degree in chemistry and a minor in physics and was a working chemist my entire professional life..
My a priori ["nothing before"] assumptions are that we exist in a real world and that it is possible to learn about it. We will never know EVERYTHING bc our minds are limited, but we can get closer and closer to the truth (i.e. understanding the real world).
But unlike you, don't believe that "the authorities" have a lock on knowledge. After all, science is ... supposedly... the endeavor of ASKING QUESTIONS. And when you're talking about political authorities... well, they generally dont know shit from shinola, and their desire to stay in power gives them fundamental motivation to lie. Which, I have observed them doing over and over.
So, yeah... I don't respect bullshit masquerading as accepted wisdom.

Quote:

morality
I have a morals, son, and I have clearly stated them. All of our endeavors are for human benefit, sustainably. If we sacrifice, it's for some greater, or later, benefit. Not for shits and giggles. AFA how we treat each other, I'm a golden rule/ fairness kind of gal.

Quote:

human values.
No idea what you mean. Please explain.

You are championing a cabal that has relentlessly impoverished average Americans and bullied and tried to impoverish the rest of the world. All for the benefit of a vanishingly small number of people. They TALK about freedom and human rights, but they bring starvation and death.

What chaps your ass, son, is that I don't "believe" the established instituitons and authrotities. Not in the political realm, anyway. Like the scientist that I am, I insist on some kind of validated evidence before accepting something as "fact". And even then, I'll change my mind if given better information.

You conflate "established authorities" with morals and knowldege. Thats a mistake.



-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger


AMERICANS SUPPORT AMERICA


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 6:47 PM

THG


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

SIX: We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.
You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.

THG: MAGA practices Nihilism. Your viewpoint is any viewpoint that rejects the generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence,


SIGNY: So, THG, what ARE the "generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence"?

Care to list them?

Since you can't list any policy reasons WHY I should vote for Kamala, or list America's interests, or - even more pointedly- America's problems, I suspect that you grabbed that phrase from an online definition but don't have a clue what it means, or even what you're trying to say.

But, yanno, if you want to take a stab at actually explaining what you mean, have at it.


In a while, if I have time, I will explain what you mean, even if you can't.



THG: Knowledge,


Oh, I believe in knowledge, son. After all, I have a degree in chemistry and a minor in physics and was a working chemist my entire professional life..
My a priori ["nothing before"] assumptions are that we exist in a real world and that it is possible to learn about it. We will never know EVERYTHING bc our minds are limited, but we can get closer and closer to the truth (i.e. understanding the real world).
But unlike you, don't believe that "the authorities" have a lock on knowledge. After all, science is ... supposedly... the endeavor of ASKING QUESTIONS. And when you're talking about political authorities... well, they generally dont know shit from shinola, and their desire to stay in power gives them fundamental motivation to lie. Which, I have observed them doing over and over.
So, yeah... I don't respect bullshit masquerading as accepted wisdom.

Quote:

morality
I have a morals, son, and I have clearly stated them. All of our endeavors are for human benefit, sustainably. If we sacrifice, it's for some greater, or later, benefit. Not for shits and giggles. AFA how we treat each other, I'm a golden rule/ fairness kind of gal.

Quote:

human values.
No idea what you mean. Please explain.

You are championing a cabal that has relentlessly impoverished average Americans and bullied and tried to impoverish the rest of the world. All for the benefit of a vanishingly small number of people. They TALK about freedom and human rights, but they bring starvation and death.

What chaps your ass, son, is that I don't "believe" the established instituitons and authrotities. Not in the political realm, anyway. Like the scientist that I am, I insist on some kind of validated evidence before accepting something as "fact". And even then, I'll change my mind if given better information.

You conflate "established authorities" with morals and knowldege. Thats a mistake.






Funny comrade. I kept it simple and short. None of your rebuttals hold water. You support Putin who is wanted for committing war crimes against children. And oh my god so much more.

You also support Trump. So far, he has been convicted of sexual assault and 34 felonies. And comrade, he has many more felonies he is charged with that will end him when he loses the election. He was also ordered to pay a fine of millions for stealing money from his own charity and forced to shut it down. Forced to refund people and shut down Trump university because it was all a fraud. Trust me, it goes on.

I don't support either of these psychopaths, you two do. Like I said, you two do not possess any qualities that include knowledge, morals, or human values. You two are pigs.

T


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 7:09 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Quote:

Originally posted by THG:

Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

T




We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.

You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.






MAGA practices Nihilism. Your viewpoint is any viewpoint that rejects the generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence, primarily but not exclusively, knowledge.


T





Yup.

You're too stupid to come up with that sentence on your own.

Here's the Wikipedia article you or your AI program lifted that "thought" from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism

Quote:

In philosophy, nihilism (/'na?(h)?l?z?m, 'ni?-/; from Latin nihil 'nothing') is any viewpoint, or a family of views, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence,[1][2] namely knowledge, morality, or meaning.



I catch Second doing this all the time. You think I'm not going to catch you too? Second has at least 20 IQ points on you buddy.

Nice try.



--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.



Care to comment on your plagiarism, asshole?

Nobody gives a single shit about your opinion. You are a mindfucked dipshit with a middling double-digit IQ.

--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 7:19 PM

THG


Give it up Jack. You didn't catch a thing. It's a word, I know what it means and I've shown that here. Go back to your drooling.

T


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 7:22 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


On this day in History, October 17th (Afternoon Update):

National00000000Harris +1.5000Biden +9.00000Clinton +7.0
--------------------------------------------------------
Wisconsin0000000Trump0 +0.1000Biden +6.10000Clinton +6.0
Pennsylvania0000Trump0 +0.5000Biden +5.60000Clinton +6.7
Ohio000000000000Trump0 +7.4000Trump +0.50000Trump00 +0.5
Michigan00000000Trump 0+0.9000Biden +7.20000Clinton +11.4
Arizona000000000Trump0 +1.4000Biden +4.00000Trump00 +0.7
Nevada0000000000Trump0 +0.5000Biden +5.20000Clinton +4.0
North Carolina00Trump0 +1.0000Biden +2.70000Clinton +3.3
Georgia000000000Trump0 +0.9000Biden +2.00000Trump00 +5.3
Florida000000000Trump0 +6.1000Biden +1.40000Clinton +3.6

As of today, Trump now leads in the polling aggregate for EVERY swing state.

Tick Tock



--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 7:25 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Give it up Jack. You didn't catch a thing. It's a word, I know what it means and I've shown that here. Go back to your drooling.

T




80% of your sentence was lifted DIRECTLY from the Wikipedia definition of what Nihilism is.

You are a retard who speaks in nothing but two syllable words, political cartoons and clickbait videos. Anyone who knows you knew that you didn't write that.



--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 7:27 PM

THG


I'll respond to the polls you keep posting from 2016, since you are incapable of learning anything new Jack. As Clinton would say, that dog won't hunt.

What has happened in the past 8 years? All those Trump backed republicans who lost elections, including Trump. All those indictments and convictions of Trump. All those other indictments that are still playing out in the courts. His track record for winning once a trial begins is zero.

Wake up, really, wake up. Oh yeah, if someone uses a word in a sentence, it's a good bet they know what the word means. God you're stupid.

T


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 7:49 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two


6ix, there is not a false word in this article, but you won't change your mind about Trump. People who don't change don't prosper in America.

Kamala Harris Is Not a Realist. I’m Voting for Her Anyway
The only realist choice in this year’s election is to reject Trump.

By Stephen M. Walt | October 16, 2024

Stephen M. Walt is a columnist at Foreign Policy and the Robert and Renée Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/16/kamala-harris-realist-trump-elect
ion/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921


At this point, there might only be a few dozen undecided voters left in the United States, so writing a column to convince people to vote the right way may be pointless. But given that the election may come down to a few votes in some swing state, I’d feel bad afterward if I hadn’t done all I could. So here’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris and why you should, too.

You might think a realist/restrainer like me would be leaning toward Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, especially given my dismay at how Biden and his colleagues have handled Gaza, the war in Ukraine, and some other foreign policy issues. Harris wasn’t responsible for those policies, but she has declined to say they were wrong when given the opportunity. Although her principal foreign policy advisor, Philip Gordon, has written sensible things about the limits of U.S. power and the folly of trying to remake whole regions in our image, there’s no sign that Harris’s own views on foreign policy lie outside the Beltway consensus or reflect a realist view of international affairs. By contrast, Trump and Vance say they want U.S. allies in Europe and Asia to bear more of the burden when it comes to their own defense, think it’s time to bring the war in Ukraine to a close, and regard the foreign policy “Blob” with skepticism if not outright contempt. That’s why some self-described realists are enamored with them, and you could easily conclude that I shared their view.

So why am I not ignoring Trump and Vance’s troubling deficiencies of character—which is putting it mildly—and planting a Trump-Vance sign in my yard? Let me count the ways.

First, as I noted repeatedly when Trump was president, he is not a realist, and you’re as likely to get sensible foreign policy from him as you were to get an education from Trump University. He is more accurately seen as a crude nationalist and unilateralist, and the “ism” that best captures him is narcissism. During his first term, he was better at garnering attention than making constructive diplomatic gains, which is why his reality show summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin went nowhere. He didn’t end any “forever wars” during his first term, gave the Defense Department more money that it didn’t need, and was perfectly content firing missiles into foreign countries to kill leaders he didn’t like. He was impulsive, crude, inattentive, and incapable of forging a clear strategy and sticking to it, which is why his four years in office were devoid of genuine foreign-policy achievements. The much-ballyhooed Abraham Accords don’t count, as they helped lay the groundwork for the carnage that is now convulsing the Middle East, just as critics had warned. (That’s what you get when a president lets his unqualified son-in-law play diplomat in a volatile region.)

And let’s not forget that Trump allowed Iran to restart its nuclear program by leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, abandoned the Paris climate accord, and weakened efforts to balance China by jettisoning the Trans-Pacific Partnership and picking fights with Asian allies instead. This is a foreign-policy record no serious realist should support. Nor would a realist think that sowing division and telling Americans to fear each other is the best way to strengthen the country, let alone make it great. Yet that is exactly what Trump has done throughout his career, and especially during this campaign.


None of this is surprising, given the long record of incompetence that is Trump’s business career. Its distinguishing features are not adroit dealmaking and shrewd management, but repeated bankruptcies, bilked customers, endless lawsuits, and a long history of felonious tax fraud. His supporters insist that his first term taught him to rely on his own people, but, unfortunately, he’s proven that he’s a terrible judge of talent. His first national security advisor lasted less than a month, and he burned through three more in a single term, along with multiple secretaries of state and defense. Staff turnover at Trump’s White House was one of the highest on record, and dozens of people who worked directly with him are adamantly opposed to giving him another shot.

Of course, Trump isn’t interested in hiring competent people to work in government; he wants loyalists who will do his bidding no matter how idiotic or illegal his decisions might be. His contempt for expertise is especially evident in his approach to science, about which he knows nothing. This blind spot was obvious in his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with his continued denial of the climate crisis. Harris understands that climate is a huge issue and that we need to do more to limit greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the effects we are already experiencing, while Trump still thinks it is a liberal hoax and favors policies that will make the problem much worse. Residents of Florida, take note.

Instead of appointing people sworn to defend the Constitution, who are competent at their jobs and committed to serving the public, he wants to populate the executive branch with personal flunkies. This is a deadly serious matter, because you cannot run a complex modern society without lots of well-trained, competent people who know what they are doing and aren’t vulnerable to political pressure. I’m talking about the civil servants who run the Treasury, the National Weather Service, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the various power grids on which ordinary life depends, the IRS, the Food and Drug Administration, and all the other institutions that allow our society to function.

Are these institutions perfect? No, because no organization made up of fallible human beings can be flawless. Would we be better off without them, or with an ignorant and willful president’s corrupt cronies in charge? Absolutely not. The United States has systematically underfunded key public agencies for decades (which is why government performance is often disappointing), and Trump (and the extremists who drafted Project 2025 for him) wants to make the problem worse. That won’t bother plutocrats who can buy all the services they might need or want, but it will render the United States an increasingly unpleasant and inefficient place for everyone else.

Third, Trump’s approach to foreign economic policy promises to be disastrous. His first-term tariffs were a bust—they didn’t shrink the trade deficit or alter China’s economic policies and did considerable harm to some sectors of the U.S. economy. Trump is now promising to double or triple down on those tariffs. Even today, he doesn’t understand that tariffs on foreign goods are a tax on American consumers, not a penalty that foreign exporters pay to us. (It was U.S. taxpayers, not Mexico, who paid for his dumb border wall, too.) The tariffs he’s proposing would rekindle inflation, reduce the dollar’s appeal as a reserve currency, and harm U.S. exporters. But don’t take my word for it—take a look at Martin Wolf’s concise and devastating assessment in the Financial Times. Harris might not do everything I’d like in terms of economic policy, but she’s also not going to adopt an approach to trade policy that has been rightly rejected for decades.

Most importantly, Trump is the only person in this race who poses a genuine threat to American democracy. Our system of government has its flaws, but it still affords most citizens enormous freedom and is capable of reform and renewal. It is clear from Trump’s entire career—and especially his career in politics—that he is contemptuous of the rule of law (hardly surprising given that he’s a convicted felon and confirmed sexual predator) and has zero commitment to preserving our constitutional order. If Harris is elected, she’ll undoubtedly do things I oppose, but she’s not going to impose an authoritarian system or refuse to leave office if she loses a reelection bid in 2028. Trump has already tried to do the latter, and there’s every indication he’d like to accomplish the former.

You think I’m exaggerating? I confess that I underestimated the danger Trump posed back in 2016, but I revised my view as the evidence piled up. The clearest indication comes from looking at who Trump admires. It is not people like Abraham Lincoln, FDR, or Nelson Mandela, it’s autocrats like Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Mohammed bin Salman, and Benjamin Netanyahu—men as contemptuous of rules and norms as he is. He’d like to be as immune to checks and balances as they are, and if he gets his way, turning the clock back will not be easy and might even be impossible. Once a democracy collapses into autocracy, restoring it is usually a difficult and precarious process.

Because Trump is a gifted con man, it is not that surprising that he’s been able to bamboozle so many ordinary people, taking advantage of their anxieties about some of the changes that have occurred in the United States over the past 30 years. What is surprising is the number of well-educated and highly successful people who think Trump is on their side and won’t ever turn on them. I’m thinking of people like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, who remind me of those naïve and cocksure German politicians who thought they could control Adolf Hitler. If there’s one thing that’s clear about Trump (and it seems to be equally true of the shape-shifting Vance), it is that he would betray anyone if he thought it would advance his interests. Russian oligarchs like Boris Berezovsky and Mikhail Khodorkovsky thought they could control Putin and that their wealth would protect them from retribution, and look what happened to them. If you’re a tech-bro gazillionaire and you think Trump is a trustworthy ally, you might want to reflect on what happened to former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. And this warning goes double for all the people who go to his rallies and seem to genuinely think he’s going to do something for them.

So come Nov. 5, my vote will be cast for Harris. I’m not expecting miracles, but she may, in fact, realize just how far off-course U.S. foreign policy has drifted over the past 30 years and begin to steer the ship in a new direction. I’ve already seen the Trump show, and the sequel will be even worse than the original. For a realist like me, this is an easy call.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 8:27 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
I'll respond to the polls you keep posting from 2016, since you are incapable of learning anything new Jack. As Clinton would say, that dog won't hunt.

What has happened in the past 8 years? All those Trump backed republicans who lost elections, including Trump. All those indictments and convictions of Trump. All those other indictments that are still playing out in the courts. His track record for winning once a trial begins is zero.



That's just secondhand, media-induced Cope right there.

Don't hurt yourself on November 6th if you're not going to face reality today.

Quote:

Wake up, really, wake up. Oh yeah, if someone uses a word in a sentence, it's a good bet they know what the word means. God you're stupid.


Who are you kidding, idiot? You plagiarized a wikipedia article and you still have no idea what the word Nihilism means. Your processor isn't powerful enough to grasp the concept of Nihilism. It's just some word you heard somebody on MSNBC say today and you've been using it without knowing what it means ever since.

You're not fooling anyone here. I can't imagine you've ever fooled anybody over 2 years old in your life.


--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 8:50 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

At 78 years old, Trump is the OLDEST presidential nominee in US history. Ties in nicely to Trump's statement in this story: "only stupid people" appoint elderly judges to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-confronted-age-amid-supreme-cour
t-justices-remark-1969628


The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 9:24 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SECOND:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

At 78 years old, Trump is the OLDEST presidential nominee in US history. Ties in nicely to Trump's statement in this story: "only stupid people" appoint elderly judges to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-confronted-age-amid-supreme-cour
t-justices-remark-1969628


The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two




Not going to bother listening from any of that from you after 4 years of denying that the guy you voted for was a meat Popsicle.

Unlike you, I call out bad behavior on both sides. When it is clear that Trump is losing his marbles I'll be the first one to tell you.



--------------------------------------------------

Trump will be fine.
He will also be your next President.

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Thursday, October 17, 2024 10:05 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.




Quote:

Originally posted by THG:
Have I said I'm voting for Kamala? I am, I am voting for Kamala.

SIX: We know. You're a self-hating college "educated" soy-boy cuck of a half-man.
You voting for Kamala is even less surprising than Second posting pirate links.

THG: MAGA practices Nihilism. Your viewpoint is any viewpoint that rejects the generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence,


SIGNY: So, THG, what ARE the "generally accepted, fundamental aspects of human existence"?

Care to list them?

Since you can't list any policy reasons WHY I should vote for Kamala, or list America's interests, or - even more pointedly- America's problems, I suspect that you grabbed that phrase from an online definition but don't have a clue what it means, or even what you're trying to say.

But, yanno, if you want to take a stab at actually explaining what you mean, have at it.


In a while, if I have time, I will explain what you mean, even if you can't.



THG: Knowledge,

SIGNY: Oh, I believe in knowledge, son. After all, I have a degree in chemistry and a minor in physics and was a working chemist my entire professional life..
My a priori ["nothing before"] assumptions are that we exist in a real world and that it is possible to learn about it. We will never know EVERYTHING bc our minds are limited, but we can get closer and closer to the truth (i.e. understanding the real world).
But unlike you, don't believe that "the authorities" have a lock on knowledge. After all, science is ... supposedly... the endeavor of ASKING QUESTIONS. And when you're talking about political authorities... well, they generally dont know shit from shinola, and their desire to stay in power gives them fundamental motivation to lie. Which, I have observed them doing over and over.
So, yeah... I don't respect bullshit masquerading as accepted wisdom.

THUGR: ...morality

SIGNY: I have a morals, son, and I have clearly stated them. All of our endeavors are for human benefit, sustainably. If we sacrifice, it's for some greater, or later, benefit. Not for shits and giggles. AFA how we treat each other, I'm a golden rule/ fairness kind of gal.

THUGR: ... human values.

SIGNY: No idea what you mean. Please explain.

You are championing a cabal that has relentlessly impoverished average Americans and bullied and tried to impoverish the rest of the world. All for the benefit of a vanishingly small number of people. They TALK about freedom and human rights, but they bring starvation and death.

What chaps your ass, son, is that I don't "believe" the established instituitons and authrotities. Not in the political realm, anyway. Like the scientist that I am, I insist on some kind of validated evidence before accepting something as "fact". And even then, I'll change my mind if given better information.

You conflate "established authorities" with morals and knowldege. Thats a mistake.

THUGR: Funny comrade. I kept it simple and short. None of your rebuttals hold water. You support Putin who is wanted for committing war crimes against children. And oh my god so much more.



I don't "support" Putin. I call things as I see them:

Russia is going to win in Ukraine.
Putin has done many good things for Russia and Russians, and maybe we should try some of what he's done (rein in oligarchs, try officials for corruption, reindustrialize the economy)

Quote:

You also support Trump.


Why should I support Dems/ The Blob? Look at where the USA is now.


Quote:

THGR: I don't support either of these psychopaths, you two do. Like I said, you two do not possess any qualities that include knowledge, morals, or human values. You two are pigs.

Neither one is a psychopath. You only think that bc you believe the propaganda you've been fed.

Putin isn't a tyrant, psychopath, strongman, or any of the other epithets used to describe him, and he hasn't done a fraction of the things that he's been accused of.

Trump is a spoiled guy used to getting away with sharp business practices. But his BIGGEST flaw is that he has severe ADHD and some ODD. That makes him crave attention, seek excitement, run off at the mouth, exaggerate, and in general be a very bad manager. That makes him a salesman, not a good executive.
And what is he selling??
Make America Great Again.
Seems like a goal to get behind.

I don't think Trump can pull it off, and I'm not on board with everyone wants to do (Israel) or how he intends to get there.

But unlike The Blob that infests DC, his heart is in the right place.



-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger


AMERICANS SUPPORT AMERICA


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 10:56 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


OMG too funny!!


Quote:

She's Not As Strong As Me": Lip Reader Deciphers Biden-Obama Grumpy Old Men Chat
Thursday, Oct 17, 2024 - 06:20 PM

On Wednesday afternoon, cameras caught President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama having a 'vigorous' discussion while attending Ethel Kennedy's funeral. Kennedy died last Thursday at the age of 96 after having a stroke the previous week.

Because their voices weren't picked up by the camera, the internet got creative and made a few suggestions:(



https://x.com/1MANTHRILLRIDE_/status/1846699221749277099

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger


AMERICANS SUPPORT AMERICA


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Thursday, October 17, 2024 11:38 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


BTW I don't see the point of pre- election cheerleading. I'd rather talk about policy.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger


AMERICANS SUPPORT AMERICA


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