USA Politics (redux)

[Karl Henning]

     The military has no doubt tried to tell Trump that our peace partners will attack our troops as they leave the country. Withdrawal must be carefully planned. Trump is not interested.

He ain't much for planning.

[71 dB]

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to take a historic step and select a woman to head the Pentagon for the first time. (Source AP politics)

The difference between the Republicans and the (corporate) Democrats:

[Pohjolas Daughter]

     The military has no doubt tried to tell Trump that our peace partners will attack our troops as they leave the country. Withdrawal must be carefully planned. Trump is not interested.

That's what I was talking and worried about.

But what do you think of my earlier comments (about his mental state of health)?

PD

[prémont]

One of his sentences is "America first".
What he means is "Trump first".

[Todd]

Well, you can't say he did not try.

Despite what has been written on GMG, he did not try. 

Nobody can beat your prediction of a Biden landslide.

I did not predict a landslide.  I raised it as a possibility based on what a lot of very smart press sorts and pollster sorts - and Dems - stated would happen.  I did predict a Democrat sweep, while picking up seats in the House.  I will confess that I am pleasantly surprised that the Dems displayed even greater incompetence than expected.  The election result has been very satisfying.

Breaking news:  Pres. Trump wants to withdraw more troops from Afghanistan and Iraq--against the advice of top military officers.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pentagon-prepares-for-trump-order-to-withdraw-troops-from-afghanistan-iraq/ar-BB1b45YL

Good. 

[drogulus]

     Trying to steal an election while accusing the opponent of stealing of stealing the election is a try, however poorly executed.

     Trump doesn't actually want to do the work of being a President, so it should not be surprising that he can't be bothered learning how to be a tyrant. Tyrants don't have the attention span of a mayfly.

[drogulus]

But what do you think of my earlier comments (about his mental state of health)?

PD

     What Trump cares about is money, not going to prison, money, not being perceived as a loser, and money. If I didn't mention money enough I'll put it in here.

[drogulus]

     

     I was born in 1949, around the time these planes were designed. Honor is due.

[milk]

     Trying to steal an election while accusing the opponent of stealing of stealing the election is a try, however poorly executed.

     Trump doesn't actually want to do the work of being a President, so it should not be surprising that he can't be bothered learning how to be a tyrant. Tyrants don't have the attention span of a mayfly.

I can't get into the broken pinball machine of trump's mind but I have a family member who buys into this meshugas about Biden stealing the election. It's interesting in the the case of this person because I've seen her go from voting for Biden in the Dem primary to the tinfoil-hat position - a pretty quick turnaround. I'm fascinated with cults and this is very close to the same kind of thing. If she had just become (more or less) conservative I would have no trouble engaging with her; I'm interested in different points of view. But this is not about ideas and there's no good logic to this. It's a cult. She's actually said to her parents that she needs a break from communicating with them because she thinks they're brainwashed (by accepting the MSM reporting that Biden won). Her social media posts have declined in quality and become darker and sillier. She keeps threatening to quit Facebook but she gets almost no likes or comments there anyway. It's sad to me that the Republican Party sticks with this kind of (lack of) reasoning. I don't know what's worse: the cynical encouragement of conspiratorial and weak thinking in order to raise campaign dough and increase/maintain power, the actual belief in horse-sh%t nonsense, or what's on the other side:
Which brings me to the other side of planet America: Honestly, I've never thought of voting for a Republican but I can, at least, understand those that broke late for trump in order to thumb their noses at the wacky positions of Dems. Pace the "woke" left that thinks sex (male/female) is not real, that trumpets (no pun) defunding the police, that interjects race/critical race theory/intersectionality into all discussions, that see's "western culture" only in terms of "white supremacy" and abandons King's dream of a society where race doesn't matter (or exist!), that blows up extremely boutique cultural-political questions, like transsexuality, into major societal problems, cancel culture, cultural appropriation,  etc. etc.
I wonder if you could say almost the exact thing about the left's own eccentric religious dogma as the right's: that there are people adopting an ideology, a set of opinions (like a religion) including that gender isn't real (but homosexuality is, paradoxically, genetic - a reason more gay males voted trump?) that society's resources and institutions should be reorganized according to racial identity/hierarchies, that systems of rights, checks and balances, processes in law and in journalism should be abandoned (#believe all women?), de-platform, cancel, that western liberalism is ultimately evil, etc. etc.     
I think most or many liberals accept these positions like religious dogma but I wonder if the Kamala Harris types are, much like the republican establishment vis a vis denialism, also invoking woke-ness as a kind of religious dogma.
Anyway, sorry about my long rant. But I come back to this: how the person in my family get to this weird place? She went from anti-vaccinations to anti-mask/COVID to MAGA-land - quite a leap but maybe small steps leading in one direction.

[BasilValentine]

Despite what has been written on GMG, he did not try. 

"Despite what has been written on GMG, he did not try" very hard or demonstrate any competence at what he attempted. There, now it's true.

[milk]

I wonder if the Kamala Harris types are, much like the republican establishment vis a vis denialism, also invoking woke-ness as a kind of religious dogma.

Sorry, I meant to say Kamala is cynical: using wokeness as a way to generate support and cash while selling out the left's economic agenda to moneyed interests of all sorts.

[drogulus]

I can't get into the broken pinball machine of trump's mind but I have a family member who buys into this meshugas about Biden stealing the election. It's interesting in the the case of this person because I've seen her go from voting for Biden in the Dem primary to the tinfoil-hat position - a pretty quick turnaround. I'm fascinated with cults and this is very close to the same kind of thing. If she had just become (more or less) conservative I would have no trouble engaging with her; I'm interested in different points of view. But this is not about ideas and there's no good logic to this. It's a cult. She's actually said to her parents that she needs a break from communicating with them because she thinks they're brainwashed (by accepting the MSM reporting that Biden won). Her social media posts have declined in quality and become darker and sillier. She keeps threatening to quit Facebook but she gets almost no likes or comments there anyway. It's sad to me that the Republican Party sticks with this kind of (lack of) reasoning. I don't know what's worse: the cynical encouragement of conspiratorial and weak thinking in order to raise campaign dough and increase/maintain power, the actual belief in horse-sh%t nonsense, or what's on the other side:
Which brings me to the other side of planet America: Honestly, I've never thought of voting for a Republican but I can, at least, understand those that broke late for trump in order to thumb their noses at the wacky positions of Dems. Pace the "woke" left that thinks sex (male/female) is not real, that trumpets (no pun) defunding the police, that interjects race/critical race theory/intersectionality into all discussions, that see's "western culture" only in terms of "white supremacy" and abandons King's dream of a society where race doesn't matter (or exist!), that blows up extremely boutique cultural-political questions, like transsexuality, into major societal problems, cancel culture, cultural appropriation,  etc. etc.
I wonder if you could say almost the exact thing about the left's own eccentric religious dogma as the right's: that there are people adopting an ideology, a set of opinions (like a religion) including that gender isn't real (but homosexuality is, paradoxically, genetic - a reason more gay males voted trump?) that society's resources and institutions should be reorganized according to racial identity/hierarchies, that systems of rights, checks and balances, processes in law and in journalism should be abandoned (#believe all women?), de-platform, cancel, that western liberalism is ultimately evil, etc. etc.     
I think most or many liberals accept these positions like religious dogma but I wonder if the Kamala Harris types are, much like the republican establishment vis a vis denialism, also invoking woke-ness as a kind of religious dogma.
Anyway, sorry about my long rant. But I come back to this: how the person in my family get to this weird place? She went from anti-vaccinations to anti-mask/COVID to MAGA-land - quite a leap but maybe small steps leading in one direction.

     On an investment site where I contribute final wisdom I discuss the phenomenon of the "herd of contrarians". They are all having secret knowledge "the mainstream media won't tell you". Why is this not funny?

[milk]

     On an investment site where I contribute final wisdom I discuss the phenomenon of the "herd of contrarians". They are all having secret knowledge "the mainstream media won't tell you". Why is this not funny?

it's definitely ironic and amusing. But it's a little sad in the case of my family member. It's impossible to reach her. If she were young, I'd say she could pull herself out some day. But she just "woke up" to this now in her 50s. It's a cult. They can't be argued out of it. Did you see that article today about a nurse dealing with COVID patients in South Dakota? They're sick and still won't believe it's real.

[Que]

Did you see that article today about a nurse dealing with COVID patients in South Dakota? They're sick and still won't believe it's real.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/526204-south-dakota-nurse-says-many-dying-patients-still-insist-covid-19-not#

Scary Medieval superstition stuff... 

Q

[Herman]

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/526204-south-dakota-nurse-says-many-dying-patients-still-insist-covid-19-not#

Scary Medieval superstition stuff... 

Q

What a way to go...

[71 dB]

Good.

If you think Trump wanting to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Iraq is good, then you must disagree with the Republicans in general wanting to keep troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. You can't have it both ways, can you?

[71 dB]

They're sick and still won't believe it's real.

All of this madness makes me feel Covid-19 is nature's solution to deal with climate change: Kill the ignorant low IQ individuals who think climate change is a Chinese hoax away so mankind can wise up and start dealing with the reality. Too bad we educated more intelligent people (I have believed in climate change for over 30 years) have to also suffer from the situation, but seems like the nature has had it with these fools... 

[71 dB]

Which brings me to the other side of planet America: Honestly, I've never thought of voting for a Republican but I can, at least, understand those that broke late for trump in order to thumb their noses at the wacky positions of Dems. Pace the "woke" left that thinks sex (male/female) is not real, that trumpets (no pun) defunding the police, that interjects race/critical race theory/intersectionality into all discussions, that see's "western culture" only in terms of "white supremacy" and abandons King's dream of a society where race doesn't matter (or exist!), that blows up extremely boutique cultural-political questions, like transsexuality, into major societal problems, cancel culture, cultural appropriation,  etc. etc.
I wonder if you could say almost the exact thing about the left's own eccentric religious dogma as the right's: that there are people adopting an ideology, a set of opinions (like a religion) including that gender isn't real (but homosexuality is, paradoxically, genetic - a reason more gay males voted trump?) that society's resources and institutions should be reorganized according to racial identity/hierarchies, that systems of rights, checks and balances, processes in law and in journalism should be abandoned (#believe all women?), de-platform, cancel, that western liberalism is ultimately evil, etc. etc.     
I think most or many liberals accept these positions like religious dogma but I wonder if the Kamala Harris types are, much like the republican establishment vis a vis denialism, also invoking woke-ness as a kind of religious dogma.

Only a part of the "left" is "woke". Their leftism is about cultural war. This is convenient if you are someone wanting ot uphold economical status quo. It's easy for Disney to put black gays and women instead of white men in movies, but they are not so eager to improve the working  conditions for their workers, because that's economical stuff.

How much do I talk about woke stuff? Hardly at all. I keep talking about medicare for all, tuition free education, ending the wars etc. The economical stuff that the establishment is never supporting, because it's against their interests. The less corrupt the Dems become (when more progressives get elected) the more the Dems can talk about economical populism instead of cultural war stuff.

Anyway, the systemic racism in police must be dealth with ant de-funding is the answer. The funds should be directed to better training etc. That should be a no-brainer to anyone who is not a racist.

Nobody says sex doesn't exist. Biological gender is different from mental stuff. Are we supposed to oppress women to the end of time just because they are women? Are we supposed to oppress black people just because they are black? Nobody says gender of skin color doesn't exist.

[Todd]

"Despite what has been written on GMG, he did not try" very hard or demonstrate any competence at what he attempted. There, now it's true.

Despite what has been written on GMG, he did not try.

If you think Trump wanting to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Iraq is good, then you must disagree with the Republicans in general wanting to keep troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. You can't have it both ways, can you?

Your question makes no sense.  The US should withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.  And Syria.  And all the various African countries where the US operates.  To start.

[Florestan]

Actually, do we have the final, certified results in all 50 states or are votes still being counted? I reckon that by now they should have all finished counting all the votes yet apparently this is not the case.