[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

HoosierDaddy, on 23 October 2024 - 03:17 PM, said:

Cause, on 23 October 2024 - 12:20 PM, said:

Literally 2 weeks away from the election and John Kelly goes on record saying Trump is a fascisct, 'would rule like a dictator'. We know so many of his former staff don't like him but somehow the specifics go unsaid and they have chosen to be silent or inactive

I don't know how this election can be so close. I suspect the media makes it to so for ratings to an extent. I don't understand how the information we need is in theory so easily accessible and yet not available.

The election is this close because 2 items matter more than most (other than abortion, which is what is keeping it close): Economy & Immigration.

1. People view Trump as having a better economy. People can remember 4 years ago when something cost a lot less.
2. Immigration: Everybody knows Trump is racist. They know he'll try to keep people out. That's all they care about.

Most people are not informed, rational decision makers weighing nuances in policies and how they make a difference in their lives. They rely on gut and memory. Republicans are better at informing GUT decision making.

That's how.

Basically yes, but it's a bit more complicated. According to recent polls of registered voters,

Quote

Trump has lost what had been a[ clear] advantage on the economy, which many voters say is the most important issue this election season

Most voters think the economy is poor and are split on whether Trump or Harris can fix it, polls finds | PBS News

In the most recent poll they're citing,

Registered voters are split on trusting Harris or Trump to handle economic issues - AP-NORC

Trump has a slight edge on the cost of groceries and gas (42% vs 40%)---really they should have split those two up, because Trump does plan to boost US oil production (though that might embolden Trump to allow Israel to wage war on Iran, and Iran is likely to retaliate by blocking the Strait of Hormuz and attacking oil pipelines in the region,

Will War Trigger A Bear Market And Spike In Oil? | Seeking Alpha

causing the price of gas to rise, and benefiting US oil companies at the expense of the US public)---but Harris has a slight edge in the cost of housing.

Trump has a big edge on immigration, 45% to 37%---and that's nationally. In swing states it's almost certainly higher.

According to the homebuilding industry, Trump's mass deportations would dramatically increase the cost of building new homes:

Quote

homebuilders in particular are coming out against [Trump's call to deport millions of immigrants. This includes builders in Republican-dominated states like Florida and Texas. Construction business leaders are worried that an already shallow labor pool could dry up even further if Trump followed through on his signature campaign initiative.

'You'd lose so many people': Construction industry rails against Trump's deportation agenda - Alternet.org

Of course Trump claims that immigrants are driving up the cost of housing, but

Quote

most economists do not believe that immigrants have been a major driver of the recent run-up in housing prices. Rents and home costs started to surge in 2020 and 2021, before the flow of newcomers began to pick up in 2022 and 2023.

Spoiler

And while immigrants could have kept housing demand elevated in some markets, past studies suggest that they are a small part of the overall story. Even the economist whose paper Mr. Vance had cited as evidence said in an interview that she thought that immigration's recent impact on housing costs had been minuscule.

In fact, a number of economists and housing industry experts said that one of the solutions Mr. Trump was proposing — large-scale deportations — could actually backfire and make the housing crisis worse.

Trump Blames Immigrant Surge for Housing Crisis. Most Economists Disagree. - The New York Times

And the housing shortage, exacerbated by Trump's deportations and tariffs (driving up the price of building materials), would be a major contributor to resurgent inflation:

Inflation hasn't been defeated yet because the housing crisis could bring it back - Fortune via Yahoo Finance

Perhaps most importantly for the election,

Quote

52% of Americans say they are worse off now than they were four years ago – when Trump was still president. Only 39% said they are better off. Gallup states that the last time similar economic frustration showed up in a presidential election year was in 1992, when Carville made the economy an essential part of Clinton's successful campaign.

[...] Americans' feelings about their own financial standing are tied, not surprisingly, to how they feel in general about the U.S. economy. Gallup's Economic Confidence Index showed a score of -26 (indicating concern with the economy and fear that it will get worse), which Gallup describes as "one of the worst election-year readings."

As Gallup concludes: "Historical trends suggest that perceptions of personal wellbeing and economic confidence can significantly impact election outcomes."

Why is Trump doing so well in the polls? It's the economy, stupid. - USA Today

As I've mentioned before, US elections remind me of the ancient concept of the Mandate of Heaven in Chinese history---if people feel like the nation's doing badly, it must indicate that the ruling dynasty has lost the Mandate of Heaven, and so it's right to rise up and overthrow them. US democracy provides a bloodless method.

OTOH, IMO the fact that so many people (still!) want to vote for Trump is strong evidence that he's right about American democracy: the United States would be better off without it.

Especially people who cite "inflation" as a primary reason (... unless they mean they want to Make Inflation Titanic Again?)

But much as I like the mental image of robots strangling Trump I don't think Musk would make a very good Go*-Emperor either....

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 23 October 2024 - 05:06 PM

[Mentalist]

Azath Vitr (D, on 23 October 2024 - 03:54 PM, said:

HoosierDaddy, on 23 October 2024 - 03:17 PM, said:

Cause, on 23 October 2024 - 12:20 PM, said:

Literally 2 weeks away from the election and John Kelly goes on record saying Trump is a fascisct, 'would rule like a dictator'. We know so many of his former staff don't like him but somehow the specifics go unsaid and they have chosen to be silent or inactive

I don't know how this election can be so close. I suspect the media makes it to so for ratings to an extent. I don't understand how the information we need is in theory so easily accessible and yet not available.

The election is this close because 2 items matter more than most (other than abortion, which is what is keeping it close): Economy & Immigration.

1. People view Trump as having a better economy. People can remember 4 years ago when something cost a lot less.
2. Immigration: Everybody knows Trump is racist. They know he'll try to keep people out. That's all they care about.

Most people are not informed, rational decision makers weighing nuances in policies and how they make a difference in their lives. They rely on gut and memory. Republicans are better at informing GUT decision making.

That's how.

Basically yes, but it's a bit more complicated. According to recent polls of registered voters,

Quote

Trump has lost what had been a[ clear] advantage on the economy, which many voters say is the most important issue this election season

Most voters think the economy is poor and are split on whether Trump or Harris can fix it, polls finds | PBS News

In the most recent poll they're citing,

Registered voters are split on trusting Harris or Trump to handle economic issues - AP-NORC

Trump has a slight edge on the cost of groceries and gas (42% vs 40%)---really they should have split those two up, because Trump does plan to boost US oil production (though that might embolden Trump to allow Israel to wage war on Iran, and Iran is likely to retaliate by blocking the Strait of Hormuz and attacking oil pipelines in the region,

Will War Trigger A Bear Market And Spike In Oil? | Seeking Alpha

causing the price of gas to rise, and benefiting US oil companies at the expense of the US public)---but Harris has a slight edge in the cost of housing.

Trump has a big edge on immigration, 45% to 37%---and that's nationally. In swing states it's almost certainly higher.

According to the homebuilding industry, Trump's mass deportations would dramatically increase the cost of building new homes:

Quote

homebuilders in particular are coming out against [Trump's call to deport millions of immigrants. This includes builders in Republican-dominated states like Florida and Texas. Construction business leaders are worried that an already shallow labor pool could dry up even further if Trump followed through on his signature campaign initiative.

'You'd lose so many people': Construction industry rails against Trump's deportation agenda - Alternet.org

Of course Trump claims that immigrants are driving up the cost of housing, but

Quote

most economists do not believe that immigrants have been a major driver of the recent run-up in housing prices. Rents and home costs started to surge in 2020 and 2021, before the flow of newcomers began to pick up in 2022 and 2023.

Spoiler

And while immigrants could have kept housing demand elevated in some markets, past studies suggest that they are a small part of the overall story. Even the economist whose paper Mr. Vance had cited as evidence said in an interview that she thought that immigration's recent impact on housing costs had been minuscule.

In fact, a number of economists and housing industry experts said that one of the solutions Mr. Trump was proposing — large-scale deportations — could actually backfire and make the housing crisis worse.

Trump Blames Immigrant Surge for Housing Crisis. Most Economists Disagree. - The New York Times

And the housing shortage, exacerbated by Trump's deportations and tariffs (driving up the price of building materials), would be a major contributor to resurgent inflation:

Inflation hasn't been defeated yet because the housing crisis could bring it back - Fortune via Yahoo Finance

Perhaps most importantly for the election,

Quote

52% of Americans say they are worse off now than they were four years ago – when Trump was still president. Only 39% said they are better off. Gallup states that the last time similar economic frustration showed up in a presidential election year was in 1992, when Carville made the economy an essential part of Clinton's successful campaign.

[...] Americans' feelings about their own financial standing are tied, not surprisingly, to how they feel in general about the U.S. economy. Gallup's Economic Confidence Index showed a score of -26 (indicating concern with the economy and fear that it will get worse), which Gallup describes as "one of the worst election-year readings."

As Gallup concludes: "Historical trends suggest that perceptions of personal wellbeing and economic confidence can significantly impact election outcomes."

Why is Trump doing so well in the polls? It's the economy, stupid. - USA Today

As I've mentioned before, US elections remind me of the ancient concept of the Mandate of Heaven in Chinese history---if people feel like the nation's doing badly, it must indicate that the ruling dynasty has lost the Mandate of Heaven, and so it's right to rise up and overthrow them. US democracy provides a bloodless method.

OTOH, IMO the fact that so many people (still!) want to vote for Trump is strong evidence that he's right about American democracy: the United States would be better off without it.

Especially people who cite "inflation" as a primary reason (... unless they mean they want to Make Inflation Titanic Again?)

But much as I like the mental image of robots strangling Trump I don't think Musk would make a very good Go*-Emperor either....

Musk just wants to get to Mars to free the Void Dragon from its prison, and rule in his name

[Cyphon]

Elon Musk makes a lot more sense as a Ted agent plant to support the Earth reality TV show for the rest of the universe.

And when we're relying on sci-fi podcasts about a burger joint as the most logical explanation for something you get a sense for how things are going.

[Tsundoku]

Opinion piece from Australian media - a Murdoch publication, actually.
How anyone can support that lying sack of orange shit is completely beyond me.

‘Hit piece’: Donald Trump’s supporters fume over claims from his former chief of staff
A claim by one of Donald Trump’s former top staffers has ignited outrage – both from his supporters, and his opponents.

https://www.news.com...06529db6f3d6191

Sam Clench

Comment

Here’s a little thought experiment for you.

Imagine that Joe Biden’s longest-serving chief of staff in the White House, Ron Klain, publicly claimed the US President had praised Adolf Hitler for doing “some good things”.

Say Mr Klain, and other alleged witnesses, clearly recalled Mr Biden complaining that American generals were insufficiently loyal to him, and should be more like those of Nazi Germany.

Imagine Mr Klain also went on the record with his recollection that Mr Biden called dead American soldiers “suckers” and “losers”. Say he described the President as a person “who admires dictators” and “has nothing but contempt” for the rule of law.

Let’s keep going. Say Mr Biden’s Secretary of Defence, General Lloyd Austin, had described him as “a threat to democracy, our institutions, our political culture” and someone with fascist “inclinations”.

More examples. Say General Charles Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – the most senior military officer in the United States – had called Mr Biden “the most dangerous person” in the country and “a total fascist”.

Imagine that Mr Biden’s Vice President, Kamala Harris, came out and said she could not “in good conscience” support him, blasting him for putting himself “over the Constitution”.

Say one of the most senior Democrats in Congress – Nancy Pelosi, for example – had privately called Mr Biden “stupid” and “a despicable human being”.

Would you respond to all these remarks with a shrug? Dismiss them all as lies, non-stories made up by those in Mr Biden’s own orbit to damage him politically? Or would you perhaps think they merited a teensy bit of discussion?

You can no doubt glean my point here. All the quotes above were, of course, uttered by Republicans, referring to the former president from their own party, Donald Trump.

The first few are from General John Kelly, who was Mr Trump’s chief of staff in the White House from 2017-2019.

The one about him being a “threat to democracy” is from Mark Esper, his secretary of defence from 2019-2020.

The “total fascist” quote is from General Mark Milley, who was chairman of the joint chiefs under Mr Trump.

Then we have Mr Trump’s vice president for the entirety of his term, Mike Pence, and the strikingly withering private remarks of Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, who is probably the most effective conservative American politician of the past several decades.

None of these people are lefty deep state plants. They’re not even squishy RINO cuckservatives, on the Romney-McCain axis.

They are all lifelong conservative Republicans, and they all worked willingly with Mr Trump during his first term.

We all know full well, don’t we, that if their comments had come from the mouths of equivalent Democratic officials, referring to Mr Biden, the conservative media ecosystem would feast on them like good old Denethor bursting open a cherry tomato, with non-stop wall-to-wall coverage. And quite rightly.

There would be questions about Mr Biden’s fitness for office, and demands for his resignation, and probably no small amount of discussion about invoking the 25th Amendment to eject him from office. God knows what Elon would tweet.

But when the quotes are from Republican officials, talking about Mr Trump? We get crickets at best, and at worst brazen, feigned outrage towards other parts of the media for even daring to report on them.

It is absolutely, unquestionably news when a former president’s own chief of staffgoes on the record with unsettling claims about him. There is no universe in which that should be ignored, whatever the politician’s party.

General Kelly’s claims should obviously be interrogated with a sufficiently sceptical eye, as should those of the many other Trump administration officials who now refuse to support the former president.

Yet here we are, with a sizeable chunk of the media, and of opinion-makers on social media, writing them off out of hand. Everyone who says something bad about Mr Trump is a liar, or an embittered ex-employee. Ignore them, we are told.

I give you my favourite reaction, so far, to Gen Kelly’s allegations, from political scientist Max Abrahms: “The Atlantic appears to have invented a hit piece on Trump, but everyone saw through it and the publication is getting ridiculed, which is a testament to Republicans’ improved BS detection this time around.”

Righto. The Atlantic article in question is here, should you wish to read it. And the Republicans’ “BS detection” skills have been on display for the better part of a decade now, should you wish to review their record.

Anyway. “Invented a hit piece.” What an intriguing way to put it. Again: The Atlantic is explicitly citing Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff. It’s not concocting quotes out of thin air. This stuff is what the person who was Mr Trump’s closest aide for a significant period of his presidency now says about him.

Is directly quoting someone “invention” now? Is that how deeply we have delved into the alternative information vacuum? Are quotes only real quotes if they support our priors?

What you’re being asked to believe, by the Professor Abrahmses of the world, is that every single former Trump official now speaking out against him is lying, and that only Mr Trump himself, with a lifelong record of dishonesty, is telling the truth. That it’s all made up. That the refusal of almost every person who served in his cabinet to endorse him is motivated by spite, for unspecified but presumably malicious reasons.

We see not one millisecond of consideration, from these people, for the idea that Mr Trump’s former staffers and officials might actually, genuinely believe what they are saying. That they might be sincerely unnerved by what they witnessed from him.

No. It’s all a conspiracy. All these lifelong Republicans who volunteered to serve in the Trump administration are actually in the tank for the Democrats. Just like all the conservative judges, some appointed by Mr Trump himself, were in the tank for the Democrats when they threw out his spurious legal challenges after the 2020 election.

The 18 women who have accused him of sexual assault are all liars. The courts that have found him liable for defrauding regular Americans, and funnelling funds raised for charity to his own personal projects, are illegitimate. The jury that decided he was guilty of 34 felony counts was motivated by politics.

Nothing is ever, ever his fault. No criticism or concern is ever, ever legitimate. This child of privilege, who inherited a real estate empire and, in politics, has been held to a lower standard than anyone before him, is perpetually the victim.

Do try, readers, to reimagine the facts and allegations that swirl around Mr Trump as slights against Joe Biden, or Kamala Harris, or Anthony Albanese, or any other lefty politician. And do ask yourself how you would treat them then.

If you forgive or even dismiss them in one instance, but consider them outrageous in the other, then perhaps the bias lies not with the media, but with you.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

From today's New York Times:

Quote

[I interviewed] dozens of working-class people in the South, the Midwest and the West. I had no agenda except to hear what they were saying and try to understand the world from their point of view. [...] I talked to men and women, white people, Black people, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans. [...] Everyone who offered an opinion was for Mr. Trump.

Their explanation is simple. Times were good when Trump was president. Now eggs cost nearly three times what they did

Spoiler

[...]

[Trump supporters In their own words:]

"I don't agree with everything Trump says, but I don't care what he says," [...] "I care about his policies and what happens. The economy was great under Trump."

[...] As a Black woman, she is astonished that she's even considering Mr. Trump. But she felt much more economically secure from 2016 to 2020. "When Trump was president," she says, "those were some of the best times we had."

[...] "I don't like the guy personally, but I like him professionally," she said of Mr. Trump. "He definitely has a finance brain on him."

Opinion | It's the Inflation: Why the Working Class Wants Trump Back - The New York Times

"A finance brain"... do they not know what economists and the business world actually think of Trump's history as a "businessman" (which is to say: great conman, terrible businessman---a laughingstock who no one in the United States would lend money to)?

Wonder if those same voters also favor tariffs... from that recent poll I cited earlier, Trump is leading Harris nationally by about 5 points on tariffs.

But a poll from September suggests that most Americans do understand that tariffs can cause inflation:

Quote

Three-fourths [of Americans] (75%) are concerned about tariffs raising the prices of products they buy at the store. [...] 62% would favor adding a tariff to imported blue jeans [...] However, when faced with the possibility that such a tariff makes a pair of blue jeans $10 more expensive, a strong majority (66%) of Americans oppose adding such a tariff. [But 58% would support a tariff that makes them $5 more expensive.] And even more would oppose blue jean tariffs if they caused the price of jeans to increase $25 per pair of jeans (81% oppose)

Poll: 63% of Americans Want to Increase Trade with Other Nations, 75% Worry Tariffs Are Raising Consumer Prices | Cato at Liberty Blog

... OTOH they only polled 2000 people, and of course since certain demographics (particularly Trump voters) are less likely to respond to polls, it might not be a representative sample....

The charitable interpretation of Trump's comment about Hitler's generals is that he wants generals who will be as loyal to him as they were to Hitler. No matter what, to the death. Above any law. No matter what atrocities he might order. The culture of the US military command might make it difficult for Trump to find a high-enough ranking officer with that sort of attitude for him to promote to general... but maybe Putin could send him some spares?

That reminds me of one thing Musk's been doing that has given me some hope:

Quote

Trump's ground game in Arizona and Nevada may be undermined by canvassers working for [Musk's] America Pac using GPS spoofing to pretend they have knocked on doors when they haven't, according to multiple people familiar with the practice and a leaked how-to-fake-location video.

The ramifications for Trump may be far reaching, given America Pac has taken on the bulk of the Trump campaign's ground game in the battleground states, and the election increasingly appears set to be decided by turnout.

Trump ground game faces new fraud claims as video shows door-knock hack | US elections 2024 | The Guardian

A heartwarming story about the forces of evil being betrayed by their own minions... here's hoping there are enough of them.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 24 October 2024 - 02:14 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

The aftereffects of rapid inflation aren't just weighing heavily on the minds of working class people:

Quote

with many earning six figures but feeling like they're way behind the curve or that the economic chips are stacked against them. [...]

Middle-class Americans have been feeling worse about the economy for a long time, but the negative mood appears to have jumped sharply in recent years. [...]

A survey from Northwestern Mutual found financial anxiety had hit a record high. In a Primerica survey of middle-class households conducted in March, half of the respondents said their financial situation was "not so good" or outright "poor."

For many in the middle class, inflation is at the heart of this feeling.

Spoiler

[...] 67% of households in Primerica's survey said their income was falling behind the cost of living.

[...] Seventy-four percent [...] said they had cut back on nonessential spending.

[...] 38% said they didn't think they could afford an unexpected expense over $1,000.

"The anxieties about things like owning their own home, going to college — all these things that the majority of Americans perceive as being sort of indicators of middle-class status — many of them now don't think those things are attainable for them,"

Inflation Is Scrambling Americans' Perceptions of Middle-Class Life - Business Insider

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 25 October 2024 - 03:38 PM

[Macros]

Fuck you elon

[Tsundoku]

Macros, on 26 October 2024 - 09:48 AM, said:

Fuck you elon

My reaction to that news was a complete lack of surprise.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Macros, on 26 October 2024 - 09:48 AM, said:

Fuck you elon

The most prominent of several billionaire would-be oligarchs who are providing a large proportion of the funding for Trump's campaign, expecting corrupt favors or positions of power in the court of the Swamp King:

Quote

As Elon Musk's rabid pro-Trump mania makes clear, billionaires are wielding their financial might in this year's presidential election far more than in any previous campaign—and far more openly, too. More than 60 billionaires have opened their wallets to help [...] Trump [...] The super wealthy own a greater share of the nation's wealth today than they did during the Gilded Age of the Rockefellers and Carnegies. And they will do whatever they have to do to keep things that way.

[...] Although Harris also has some influential billionaire backers—Bill Gates says he has donated $50 million to help her—[...] Harris wants to impose higher taxes on the super rich, including a "billionaire minimum tax," and perhaps even a tax on their unrealized investment gains.

If Trump Wins, Blame the Billionaires

But Musk might be the worst, and the most dangerous:

Quote

Putin even asked Musk not to activate Starlink over Taiwan [and Musk complied ...] The portable satellite terminals, allowing reliable and secure internet access, remain the backbone of Ukraine's frontline communications [...] Increasingly, however, the Russians are using them too.

Spoiler

[...] Because of international sanctions, Starlink cannot sell its hardware in Russia and its satellite do not cover Russian territory. But the Russians appear to have a reliable supply of smuggled Starlink terminals through a third country, which its forces can then use in Ukraine.

In a worrying twist, the Ukrainian outlet Defense Express reported last month that a Shahed 136 drone downed over Ukraine carried components that would allow it to connect to Starlink.

Adding Starlink to Russian drones [...] could make things more challenging for Ukraine, especially after Musk personally intervened to forbid the use of Starlink in Ukrainian attack drones.

Deadly Reason Musk's Secret Putin Talks Are So Damn Scary

And Musk has effectively been paying people in swing states $100 and entering them in a $1 million dollar lottery (one winner chosen per day) to register to vote and sign a petition supporting "free speech" and "gun rights"; paying people to register to vote is illegal. He claims that he's found a legal loophole because he's paying people to sign the petition and they're only eligible if they've already registered to vote. Here's hoping he goes to prison---and/or gets deported....

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 26 October 2024 - 02:33 PM

[Tsundoku]

Fucker Carlson at it again with a very uncomfortable metaphor for the USA and how it should be treated. I'll bet DJT loves this metaphor. If he knows what one is.
Once again from a Murdoch owned outlet in Australia.

‘Been a bad little girl’: Bizarre pro-Trump rant reveals weird fringe of conservatism
Hold your nose. Grab a bucket. Whatever you need to do to restrain your nausea as you read these remarks.

https://www.news.com...cbae4c15fe99671

Sam Clench

Comment

Hold your nose. Grab a bucket. Whatever you need to do to restrain your nausea.

Here we have remarks from the conservative media personality Tucker Carlson, once of Fox News, but since an inhabitant of the internet’s less palatable fringes.

They came during an event hosted by Turning Point USA, an organisation representing young conservatives in the United States.

Mr Carlson was stumping for Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president. He offered up an interesting metaphor for the state of his country.

“If you allow your two-year-old to smear the contents of his diaper on the wall of your living room, and you do nothing about it. If you allow your 14-year-old to do a joint at the breakfast table. If you allow your hormone-addled 15-year-old daughter to, like, slam the door of her bedroom and give you the finger. You’re going to get more of it,” Mr Carlson said.

“And those kids are going to wind up in rehab. It’s not good for you, and it’s not good for them. No! There has to be a point at which dad comes home.

“Yeah, that’s right. Dad comes home, and he’s pissed. Dad is pissed. He’s not vengeful. He loves his children, disobedient as they may be. He loves them because they are his children. They live in his house.

“But he is very disappointed in their behaviour, and he is going to have to let them know.

‘Get to your room right now, and think about what you did!’ And when dad gets home, you know what he says?”

(I promise you, you are not prepared for what dad says.)

“‘You have been a bad girl. You’ve been a bad little girl, and you are getting a vigorous spanking right now. And no, it’s not going to hurt me more than it hurts you. No, it’s not. I’m not going to lie. This is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me. And you earned this. You’re getting a vigorous spanking, because you’ve been a bad girl.’”

My my, what to make of this? One feels the need to enlist a psychiatrist.

Fortunately for Mr Carlson, he is one of the few people on this earth wealthy enough to afford the many, many hours of couch time it would require to properly unpack whatever the hell is going on in those quotes above.

The “hormone-addled” 15-year-old in this metaphor, the “bad little girl”, is the United States itself, or rather the slice of it that votes for the Democrats.

Mr Trump is dad, of course. He “loves” these 80 million or so Democratic-voting Americans, disobedient as they may be. But he is disappointed in their behaviour, and he shall have to let them know, via whatever one might define as the political equivalent of a vigorous spanking.

We shall set aside, I think, the fact that this metaphor is being offered by a 55-year-old man, talking about a theoretical 15-year-old girl. And that said 55-year-old was speaking with a mix of relish, glee and malice.

Appropriate, though, isn’t it, how the disobedient child here is a girl, being disciplined by a harsh father figure?

That does not strike me as remotely coincidental. It aligns too perfectly with how the macho-pilled Andrew Tate-adjacent right, of which Mr Carlson is a part, sees its political opposition: as pathetically feminine, and in need of stern male leadership to pull it back into line.

In this fantasy, the political left does not need to be debated, any more than a father needs to debate his teenage child. No, it needs to be punished, and instructed. To be put in its place. To be told who is boss. It’s a fundamentally authoritarian worldview, in policy and soul. And the subtext of sexism, bordering on misogyny, is not subtle.

The bad little girl needs to be slapped into submission. For her own good.

I recall a time, little more than a decade ago, when the Republican Party, and indeed conservatism on a global scale, proudly saw itself as the advocate of personal freedom and small government.

What is this vision put forth by the Tucker Carlsons of the world? The opposite. It’s paternalistic in the extreme. It elevates one man, at the head of an overweening, interventionist government, as the “father” of the nation, whose will and every whim must be obeyed or punishment will follow.

It’s the US president not as a servant of the people, but as their ruler. It’s a dream of government not as an instrument for bettering people’s lives, but for imposing one’s own views and values on others.

No, worse than that. It’s government as a weapon, with which to flagellate or even humiliate your political opponents.

What a monstrous perversion of conservatism. One willingly embraced by conservatives themselves, seemingly oblivious to what they have become. A political philosophy without dignity or anything resembling a noble purpose.

Tucker Carlson is no pariah. He is not relegated to fringe events with other internet weirdos. He is introducing the former, and possibly future US president at official events, and advising millions of credulous followers on how they should think about politics.

At least we’re not governed by hormone-addled women, though. That would be weird.

[Tsundoku]

Double post. Because why not? There's plenty of fodder. From the same Murdoch-owned outlet.
Highlights of a Michelle Obama speech listing why DJT is NOT fit to be President. Once upon a time any one of these would see his political career combust, but together ... I wonder what it would take to get people to register just to vote against him, or for swing state voters to go "Nope, not that guy"? I wonder if there is any act he could commit that would turn Republican voters off him?
Look, I get it, Kamala isn't great. But she's at least an adult. And frankly anyone who can string two words together and doesn't have a criminal record would be better than the orange turd. Don't vote for Kamala because she's ... whatever. I don't care. Vote for her because it means Trump will lose. Because if he wins, I am genuinely fearful for the future of the USA and by extension the rest of the world.

‘Childish’: Michelle Obama cuts loose in appearance on Kamala Harris’s behalf in key state
In a searing speech, former US first lady Michelle Obama has made the case for Kamala Harris – and against Donald Trump.

https://www.news.com...3440144c0a12bd9

Michelle Obama has hit out at Donald Trump, describing him as a “predator”, immature, a “known slumlord” and convicted felon.

The former US first lady pleaded with Americans to shut down the “ugliness” of Trump years as she spoke at a campaign rally for his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the key swing state Michigan today.

The presidential election is just 10 away, on November 5, US time.

In a broad ranging speech, Mrs Obama spoke at length about what she described as an ongoing threat to women’s reproductive rights and healthcare, and also questioned why the Demoncrats nominee was being held to a higher standard than Mr Trump.

“We expect her to be intelligent and articulate, to have a clear set of policies, to never show too much anger, to prove time and time again that she belongs,” she said.

“But for Trump, we expect nothing at all. No understanding of policy, no ability to put together a coherent argument, no honesty, no decency, no morals. Instead, too many people are willing to write off his childish, mean-spirited antics by saying, ‘Well, Trump’s just being Trump.’ Rather than questioning his horrible behaviour.”

In her often searing remarks, Mrs Obama said many of those who served closely with the Republican nominee during his first term as president saw the “danger” and, as a result, were now refusing to publicly support him.

Among those critics is General Mark Milley, who served as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff – America’s most senior military officer – under Mr Trump, and recently described the 78-year-old Trump as “a fascist to his core”.

“I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m a little frustrated that some of us are choosing to ignore Donald Trump’s gross incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn,” Mrs Obama said.

“I hope that you will forgive me if I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to his erratic behaviour, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slum lord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse, all of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do.”

In any other profession or arena, Mr Trump’s criminal track record and amoral character would be “embarrassing, shameful” and he would be disqualified, she argued.

“I hope that you will forgive me if I am worried that we will blow this opportunity to finally turn the page on the ugliness once and for all, because, believe me, if Donald Trump is president again at some point or another, that ugliness will touch all of our lives,” she said.

“It will not matter what you look like, how you worship, who you love, or how you vote, if you don’t make six or eight or 12 figures. If you’re not famous, if you criticise or disagree with him in any way, if he doesn’t view you as his equal or relevant to his ambitions, I promise you, he will not think about you when he gets into the Oval Office, and that will have real consequences for all of us.”

When Mr Trump was first elected as 45th president of the United States in 2017, Mrs Obama said he was given a pass, with Americans rolling the dice when they catapulted him into the powerful position – betting that “he couldn’t possibly be that bad”.

She said others didn’t think it mattered who was the US president, while some “thought it’d be a good idea just to blow up our entire democracy”.

“Let us not forget the incompetence and the corruption, the chaos that was the cornerstone of his entire four years in office,” she added.

Mrs Obama cited examples from Mr Trump’s term, including his handling of the pandemic, for which she claimed he was “woefully unprepared”, endangered lives, sowed distrust in doctors and scientists and peddled fear and confusion.

“He had no clue how to get us out of that crisis, no ability to bring back the millions of jobs we lost so suddenly. No idea how to get our students back into school safely, no attempt to help stem the epidemic of loneliness and isolation that too many of our young people are still dealing with,” she said.

The US had one of the highest death rates in the world from Covid, while seven million more jobs were lost in America than in the combined nations of the European Union, she added.

“Again, all of this occurred with Trump in charge, and sadly, this was just this tragic exclamation point on his disastrous presidency installing judges and justices who have now stripped away our reproductive freedoms, cracking down on protesters marching to protect their sons from being shot because of the colour of their skin, rolling back protections for LGBTQ Americans, fanning conspiracy theories, unleashing hatred in our communities,” she said.

Then the American people “fired him from a job that was too big for him to begin with, he tried to steal it, egging on a violent mob that breached our nation’s Capitol”, she said.

In 2021, a congressional panel investigating the mob assault on the US Capitol laid out its case that Mr Trump and his claims of a stolen election were at the heart of what amounted to an “attempted coup” to remain in power.

The special committee sought to persuade a divided country of the existence of a deep-rooted and ongoing plot – orchestrated by the former president – to overturn the result of the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.

Mrs Obama also questioned how Mr Trump would handle a natural disaster when he “spreads lies and conspiracy theories about climate change”, or the support he would offer for people facing the prospect of their jobs being replaced by technology.

She also asked the crowd how Mr Trump could protect black lives when he once took out a “full page ad to demonise innocent young black teenagers in New York City and who has dreamed openly about his own version of a purge”.

“Where, in his words, he has said for one day, one real rough, nasty day, he says he will allow cops to use violence indiscriminately, who I am sure has never spent a single second thinking about the lives on the other end of those batons,” she said.

Then there is the turmoil the US has been thrown into after the Supreme Court overturned a landmark legal decision which granted citizens the constitutional right to access abortions until the point of foetal viability, Mrs Obama said.

Known as Roe v Wade, the ruling had protected women since 1973, until it was sensationally overturned.

The popular wife of former president Barack Obama said Mr Trump had no “emotional maturity or foresight” to protect women.

“If Donald Trump wins this election, in states that are already putting abortion bans into effect, his FDA could further outlaw patchwork systems of telehealth appointments and mail order pills, thereby eliminating the last remaining protections for women in those states,” she warned.

“He could take actions that effectively ban abortion nationwide, which would put all of us in danger no matter what state we live in.”

“We will see more doctors hesitating or shying away from providing life saving treatments because they are worried about being arrested. More medical students reconsidering even pursuing women’s health at all. More OB gynaecological clinics without enough doctors to meet demand, closing their doors, leaving unsold numbers of women in communities throughout this country without a place to go for basic gynaecological care.”

She called on American men to step up and vote for the best presidential choice for the daughters, sisters, nieces and mums in their world and to take “their lives seriously”.

Mrs Obama confessed the race is too close, and she wants to see the “country finally turn the page on the politics of hatred and division”.

“What in the world is going on? And it’s clear to me that the question isn’t whether Kamala is ready for this moment, because by every measure, she has demonstrated that she’s ready the real country. The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?” she asked the crowd.

“To do what it takes to get her across the finish line, or are we going to let ourselves get distracted and fall for the scam? Are we going to lose sight of the dire consequences if we come up short and right now, folks, I have to be honest, I’m not completely sure of the answers to those questions.”

Michigan is a key state for both sides, but Democrats currently fear it is slipping away from them, with recent polls trending in Mr Trump’s favour.

The so called “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania have often voted for the Democratic candidate. The three helped propel Joe Biden to victory in 2020.

But anger from some communities in these states at the US’s backing of Israel in its war against Hamas, as well as the decent popularity for Mr Trump among blue collar workers, could see the wall break for the Republicans.

At the rally, Mrs Obama added that America needed “a grown up in the White House – someone with the maturity and fresh ideas to keep moving our country forward”.

She praised Ms Harris for spending her life fighting for the vulnerable and working class people, taking on big banks and transnational gangs with warmth and class.

Mrs Obama urged the enthusiastic crowd not to fall for the “scam” as she held a “genuine fear” for the country, its children and the direction it could go.

She said everyone knows she “hates politics” but she hates people being taken advantage of even more, adding too many Americans remained “confused and buying into the lies and distortions from people who do not have our best interest at heart”.

“There’s too much we stand to lose if we get this one wrong,” she said.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 27 October 2024 - 03:22 AM

[Lady Bliss]

Tsundoku, on 27 October 2024 - 03:12 AM, said:

Fucker Carlson at it again with a very uncomfortable metaphor for the USA and how it should be treated. I'll bet DJT loves this metaphor. If he knows what one is.
Once again from a Murdoch owned outlet in Australia.

‘Been a bad little girl’: Bizarre pro-Trump rant reveals weird fringe of conservatism
Hold your nose. Grab a bucket. Whatever you need to do to restrain your nausea as you read these remarks.

https://www.news.com...cbae4c15fe99671

Sam Clench

Comment

Hold your nose. Grab a bucket. Whatever you need to do to restrain your nausea.

Here we have remarks from the conservative media personality Tucker Carlson, once of Fox News, but since an inhabitant of the internet’s less palatable fringes.

They came during an event hosted by Turning Point USA, an organisation representing young conservatives in the United States.

Mr Carlson was stumping for Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president. He offered up an interesting metaphor for the state of his country.

“If you allow your two-year-old to smear the contents of his diaper on the wall of your living room, and you do nothing about it. If you allow your 14-year-old to do a joint at the breakfast table. If you allow your hormone-addled 15-year-old daughter to, like, slam the door of her bedroom and give you the finger. You’re going to get more of it,” Mr Carlson said.

“And those kids are going to wind up in rehab. It’s not good for you, and it’s not good for them. No! There has to be a point at which dad comes home.

“Yeah, that’s right. Dad comes home, and he’s pissed. Dad is pissed. He’s not vengeful. He loves his children, disobedient as they may be. He loves them because they are his children. They live in his house.

“But he is very disappointed in their behaviour, and he is going to have to let them know.

‘Get to your room right now, and think about what you did!’ And when dad gets home, you know what he says?”

(I promise you, you are not prepared for what dad says.)

“‘You have been a bad girl. You’ve been a bad little girl, and you are getting a vigorous spanking right now. And no, it’s not going to hurt me more than it hurts you. No, it’s not. I’m not going to lie. This is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me. And you earned this. You’re getting a vigorous spanking, because you’ve been a bad girl.’”

My my, what to make of this? One feels the need to enlist a psychiatrist.

Fortunately for Mr Carlson, he is one of the few people on this earth wealthy enough to afford the many, many hours of couch time it would require to properly unpack whatever the hell is going on in those quotes above.

The “hormone-addled” 15-year-old in this metaphor, the “bad little girl”, is the United States itself, or rather the slice of it that votes for the Democrats.

Mr Trump is dad, of course. He “loves” these 80 million or so Democratic-voting Americans, disobedient as they may be. But he is disappointed in their behaviour, and he shall have to let them know, via whatever one might define as the political equivalent of a vigorous spanking.

We shall set aside, I think, the fact that this metaphor is being offered by a 55-year-old man, talking about a theoretical 15-year-old girl. And that said 55-year-old was speaking with a mix of relish, glee and malice.

Appropriate, though, isn’t it, how the disobedient child here is a girl, being disciplined by a harsh father figure?

That does not strike me as remotely coincidental. It aligns too perfectly with how the macho-pilled Andrew Tate-adjacent right, of which Mr Carlson is a part, sees its political opposition: as pathetically feminine, and in need of stern male leadership to pull it back into line.

In this fantasy, the political left does not need to be debated, any more than a father needs to debate his teenage child. No, it needs to be punished, and instructed. To be put in its place. To be told who is boss. It’s a fundamentally authoritarian worldview, in policy and soul. And the subtext of sexism, bordering on misogyny, is not subtle.

The bad little girl needs to be slapped into submission. For her own good.

I recall a time, little more than a decade ago, when the Republican Party, and indeed conservatism on a global scale, proudly saw itself as the advocate of personal freedom and small government.

What is this vision put forth by the Tucker Carlsons of the world? The opposite. It’s paternalistic in the extreme. It elevates one man, at the head of an overweening, interventionist government, as the “father” of the nation, whose will and every whim must be obeyed or punishment will follow.

It’s the US president not as a servant of the people, but as their ruler. It’s a dream of government not as an instrument for bettering people’s lives, but for imposing one’s own views and values on others.

No, worse than that. It’s government as a weapon, with which to flagellate or even humiliate your political opponents.

What a monstrous perversion of conservatism. One willingly embraced by conservatives themselves, seemingly oblivious to what they have become. A political philosophy without dignity or anything resembling a noble purpose.

Tucker Carlson is no pariah. He is not relegated to fringe events with other internet weirdos. He is introducing the former, and possibly future US president at official events, and advising millions of credulous followers on how they should think about politics.

At least we’re not governed by hormone-addled women, though. That would be weird.

What this says is corporal punishment coming back, and a willingness to limit women’s rights.

[Lady Bliss]

Tsundoku, on 27 October 2024 - 03:22 AM, said:

Double post. Because why not? There's plenty of fodder. From the same Murdoch-owned outlet.
Highlights of a Michelle Obama speech listing why DJT is NOT fit to be President. Once upon a time any one of these would see his political career combust, but together ... I wonder what it would take to get people to register just to vote against him, or for swing state voters to go "Nope, not that guy"? I wonder if there is any act he could commit that would turn Republican voters off him?
Look, I get it, Kamala isn't great. But she's at least an adult. And frankly anyone who can string two words together and doesn't have a criminal record would be better than the orange turd. Don't vote for Kamala because she's ... whatever. I don't care. Vote for her because it means Trump will lose. Because if he wins, I am genuinely fearful for the future of the USA and by extension the rest of the world.

‘Childish’: Michelle Obama cuts loose in appearance on Kamala Harris’s behalf in key state
In a searing speech, former US first lady Michelle Obama has made the case for Kamala Harris – and against Donald Trump.

https://www.news.com...3440144c0a12bd9

Michelle Obama has hit out at Donald Trump, describing him as a “predator”, immature, a “known slumlord” and convicted felon.

The former US first lady pleaded with Americans to shut down the “ugliness” of Trump years as she spoke at a campaign rally for his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the key swing state Michigan today.

The presidential election is just 10 away, on November 5, US time.

In a broad ranging speech, Mrs Obama spoke at length about what she described as an ongoing threat to women’s reproductive rights and healthcare, and also questioned why the Demoncrats nominee was being held to a higher standard than Mr Trump.

“We expect her to be intelligent and articulate, to have a clear set of policies, to never show too much anger, to prove time and time again that she belongs,” she said.

“But for Trump, we expect nothing at all. No understanding of policy, no ability to put together a coherent argument, no honesty, no decency, no morals. Instead, too many people are willing to write off his childish, mean-spirited antics by saying, ‘Well, Trump’s just being Trump.’ Rather than questioning his horrible behaviour.”

In her often searing remarks, Mrs Obama said many of those who served closely with the Republican nominee during his first term as president saw the “danger” and, as a result, were now refusing to publicly support him.

Among those critics is General Mark Milley, who served as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff – America’s most senior military officer – under Mr Trump, and recently described the 78-year-old Trump as “a fascist to his core”.

“I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m a little frustrated that some of us are choosing to ignore Donald Trump’s gross incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn,” Mrs Obama said.

“I hope that you will forgive me if I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to his erratic behaviour, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slum lord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse, all of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do.”

In any other profession or arena, Mr Trump’s criminal track record and amoral character would be “embarrassing, shameful” and he would be disqualified, she argued.

“I hope that you will forgive me if I am worried that we will blow this opportunity to finally turn the page on the ugliness once and for all, because, believe me, if Donald Trump is president again at some point or another, that ugliness will touch all of our lives,” she said.

“It will not matter what you look like, how you worship, who you love, or how you vote, if you don’t make six or eight or 12 figures. If you’re not famous, if you criticise or disagree with him in any way, if he doesn’t view you as his equal or relevant to his ambitions, I promise you, he will not think about you when he gets into the Oval Office, and that will have real consequences for all of us.”

When Mr Trump was first elected as 45th president of the United States in 2017, Mrs Obama said he was given a pass, with Americans rolling the dice when they catapulted him into the powerful position – betting that “he couldn’t possibly be that bad”.

She said others didn’t think it mattered who was the US president, while some “thought it’d be a good idea just to blow up our entire democracy”.

“Let us not forget the incompetence and the corruption, the chaos that was the cornerstone of his entire four years in office,” she added.

Mrs Obama cited examples from Mr Trump’s term, including his handling of the pandemic, for which she claimed he was “woefully unprepared”, endangered lives, sowed distrust in doctors and scientists and peddled fear and confusion.

“He had no clue how to get us out of that crisis, no ability to bring back the millions of jobs we lost so suddenly. No idea how to get our students back into school safely, no attempt to help stem the epidemic of loneliness and isolation that too many of our young people are still dealing with,” she said.

The US had one of the highest death rates in the world from Covid, while seven million more jobs were lost in America than in the combined nations of the European Union, she added.

“Again, all of this occurred with Trump in charge, and sadly, this was just this tragic exclamation point on his disastrous presidency installing judges and justices who have now stripped away our reproductive freedoms, cracking down on protesters marching to protect their sons from being shot because of the colour of their skin, rolling back protections for LGBTQ Americans, fanning conspiracy theories, unleashing hatred in our communities,” she said.

Then the American people “fired him from a job that was too big for him to begin with, he tried to steal it, egging on a violent mob that breached our nation’s Capitol”, she said.

In 2021, a congressional panel investigating the mob assault on the US Capitol laid out its case that Mr Trump and his claims of a stolen election were at the heart of what amounted to an “attempted coup” to remain in power.

The special committee sought to persuade a divided country of the existence of a deep-rooted and ongoing plot – orchestrated by the former president – to overturn the result of the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.

Mrs Obama also questioned how Mr Trump would handle a natural disaster when he “spreads lies and conspiracy theories about climate change”, or the support he would offer for people facing the prospect of their jobs being replaced by technology.

She also asked the crowd how Mr Trump could protect black lives when he once took out a “full page ad to demonise innocent young black teenagers in New York City and who has dreamed openly about his own version of a purge”.

“Where, in his words, he has said for one day, one real rough, nasty day, he says he will allow cops to use violence indiscriminately, who I am sure has never spent a single second thinking about the lives on the other end of those batons,” she said.

Then there is the turmoil the US has been thrown into after the Supreme Court overturned a landmark legal decision which granted citizens the constitutional right to access abortions until the point of foetal viability, Mrs Obama said.

Known as Roe v Wade, the ruling had protected women since 1973, until it was sensationally overturned.

The popular wife of former president Barack Obama said Mr Trump had no “emotional maturity or foresight” to protect women.

“If Donald Trump wins this election, in states that are already putting abortion bans into effect, his FDA could further outlaw patchwork systems of telehealth appointments and mail order pills, thereby eliminating the last remaining protections for women in those states,” she warned.

“He could take actions that effectively ban abortion nationwide, which would put all of us in danger no matter what state we live in.”

“We will see more doctors hesitating or shying away from providing life saving treatments because they are worried about being arrested. More medical students reconsidering even pursuing women’s health at all. More OB gynaecological clinics without enough doctors to meet demand, closing their doors, leaving unsold numbers of women in communities throughout this country without a place to go for basic gynaecological care.”

She called on American men to step up and vote for the best presidential choice for the daughters, sisters, nieces and mums in their world and to take “their lives seriously”.

Mrs Obama confessed the race is too close, and she wants to see the “country finally turn the page on the politics of hatred and division”.

“What in the world is going on? And it’s clear to me that the question isn’t whether Kamala is ready for this moment, because by every measure, she has demonstrated that she’s ready the real country. The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?” she asked the crowd.

“To do what it takes to get her across the finish line, or are we going to let ourselves get distracted and fall for the scam? Are we going to lose sight of the dire consequences if we come up short and right now, folks, I have to be honest, I’m not completely sure of the answers to those questions.”

Michigan is a key state for both sides, but Democrats currently fear it is slipping away from them, with recent polls trending in Mr Trump’s favour.

The so called “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania have often voted for the Democratic candidate. The three helped propel Joe Biden to victory in 2020.

But anger from some communities in these states at the US’s backing of Israel in its war against Hamas, as well as the decent popularity for Mr Trump among blue collar workers, could see the wall break for the Republicans.

At the rally, Mrs Obama added that America needed “a grown up in the White House – someone with the maturity and fresh ideas to keep moving our country forward”.

She praised Ms Harris for spending her life fighting for the vulnerable and working class people, taking on big banks and transnational gangs with warmth and class.

Mrs Obama urged the enthusiastic crowd not to fall for the “scam” as she held a “genuine fear” for the country, its children and the direction it could go.

She said everyone knows she “hates politics” but she hates people being taken advantage of even more, adding too many Americans remained “confused and buying into the lies and distortions from people who do not have our best interest at heart”.

“There’s too much we stand to lose if we get this one wrong,” she said.

It’s sad that Michelle won’t speak in public due to security concerns but I get it. She would probably be the most influential speaker.