Election 2024 Part III: Out with the old!

[Gori the Grey]

That's a cool chart. Another sad testament to the state of our society. But an interesting set of questions to ask.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Why people want to live near a Trader Joes is a question.

Its probably correlation rather than causation, that is to say Democrats probably aren't heavily factoring in "how close is Trader Joe's?" when they decide where to move. Instead, its more likely that Trader Joe's is factoring in what demographics of people are likely to shop there when they build a store and then building their stores in locations where those people are likely to move/live.

 

[Farm Boy]

That's a cool chart. Another sad testament to the state of our society. But an interesting set of questions to ask.

It is!

Aberrations within a study identifying aberrations suggest that by order of magnitude, something different is probably causing that one than the others.

I know that the one of my rants that gets the absolute best response when I've got a head of steam built up in meatspace is that the Democratic national platform is, in its core essence, nothing but a list of demands of things for Republicans to fix/do for them.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

("Yes ma'am, your remote does use batteries and they do wear out. No, I'm not sending a tech to bring you new ones.
You have to go buy them yourself. Just like filling the tank of your car." ... Yes, I'm not kidding. I had to tell that to a customer.
This kind of thing is why I hold a lot of my 'opinions'. )

I'll poke right back at the various name calling, no problem. I'll have fun with it.

If it makes you feel any better I once had to tell an outsourced consultant I was working with on a financial application "Yes, the financial application that works with peoples money does in fact have to support decimal numbers. The bank actually wants decimal units for currency.". Not even like accurate rounding or anything. Just strait up yes or no, true or false, decimal or no decimal. And the guy was a senior software developer. Que quite literal, in person, surprised pikachu face. Not even making this up.

The one constant thing about human kind is that no matter how much you think you've seen there is always someone even more stupid.

 

[Samson]

It is an interesting question to ask, but an odd way to ask it. There are loads of political parties, it is just that the voting system means your vote is "wasted" if you vote for them.

Surely the question to ask is "Do you want to live in a more representative democracy?"

 

[PPQ_Purple]

It is an interesting question to ask, but an odd way to ask it. There are loads of political parties, it is just that the voting system means your vote is "wasted" if you vote for them.

Surely the question to ask is "Do you want to live in a more representative democracy?"

That is what I was wondering as well.

 

[Farm Boy]

That would introduce more loyalty noise, I think.

 

[Yeekim]

The top guy is Stephen Miller, Trump's immigration architect for policy. He was a full partner in Trump's last term. He designed the the plan to separate children from their parents at the border and send them off to new US families. Oh, and they did not keep good records of who they sent where. The parents were deported. He is part of Project 2025 and made that statement at a recent Trump rally.

Wait, what? They deported parents but kept the children???

The Indian in the lower picture is commenting on the Native American experience with the incoming Europeans.

Realized this much... just wondering whether the author intended this to be pro- or anti-immigration message.

 

[Farm Boy]

Heheheheh.

 

[Klaus Hergersheimer]

You would be wrong. It has been a political truism for some years that people vote against rather than for (lamentable though that may be):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/05/why-u-s-elections-are-all-about-voting-against-something-and-not-for-it/

And Mickey Kaus' mickey-mouse idea for Harris would be particularly ineffective. Congress has already decided what to do about the border and Harris has committed to signing their legislation into law should she be elected.

- well then those people are idiots.

- I don't know if this one particular idea would work, I was only interested in the concept that if Harris is this close, and one issue is driving so many potential votes away, surely she might be able to set aside some aspect of her own politics for a couple of years tops and just say "let's just take a pause from arguing on this".
Instead of relying upon the overwhelming confidence that there's no way any sane person would vote for Trump under any circumstances.
Obviously you find little problem with the latter strategy. Ok then.

 

[Gori the Grey]

- well then those people are idiots.

Yes, Klaus, we are idiots.

 

[Klaus Hergersheimer]

You can infer what you want.

 

[Sarin]

That is what I was wondering as well.

You have to understand that it's a neat arrangement to uphold the duopoly that protects corporate interests over the people's while maintaining the pretense of democracy.

Both sides are, on purpose, presenting themselves as threat to a significant subsection of population, thus inducing them to vote for the other side. They maintain this balance on purpose, that much is obvious if you realize how little would either side have to change to break this and become, at least as long as they can uphold some of their promises, the only viable party. This creates a political landscape where very few dare to vote for third party that could disrupt this arrangement.

*gently taps my previous post*

It's the fear. If, by voting for a third party, you increase the risk of the other side winning, and you fear them enough, then you won't do it. And the duopoly's hold on America remains....

 

[Gori the Grey]

Kaus' bad-faith suggestion (which amounts to the suggestion that Kamala should adopt Trump's policy!) reveals itself as bad faith with the following concession:

Many Democrats would hate all this, to the point of immediately threatening to abandon Harris and sit out the vote, if they haven’t voted already.

Maybe Harris shouldn't last-minute be adopting a policy that many democrats would hate!

 

[aelf]

The whitecloaks and trollocs are working together because they're both controlled by darkfriends working for shaitan.

Meanwhile, the darkfriends are converting more and more people into trollocs by preying on their fears. Once they are converted, they can't be reasoned with anymore. They feel free to victimise others, but will claim that they're the victims when hunted down.

 

[Samson]

Wait, what? They deported parents but kept the children???

Trump administration family separation policy

Under the policy, federal authorities separated children and infants from parents or guardians with whom they had entered the US. The adults were prosecuted and held in federal jails or deported, and the children were placed under the supervision of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prior to their transfer to HHS, some children spent three weeks or more in overcrowded border control centers, where they reported minimal food, no access to clean clothes or bathing facilities, and no adult caretakers; girls as young as ten were taking care of younger children.

 

[Birdjaguar]

He can answer for him, but just wading out here in assumptions, I thought I would pull a study about assumptions: https://www.pewresearch.org/politic...gns-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/

Of the six red/blue line graphs at the top <starts to hum Seasame Street> one of these things is not like the other.

From the link:

The survey finds that while negative partisanship remains extensive – and in many cases is increasing – there also are signs of frustration with the two-party system and the parties themselves. This frustration is more evident among partisan leaners – who tend to be younger and less politically engaged than partisans – than among those who identify as Republicans or Democrats.

Among the public overall, 39% say the following describes their views extremely or very well: “I often wish there were more political parties to choose from in this country.” Another 32% say the statement describes their views somewhat well, while 28% say it describes their views not too well or not at all well.

Notably, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to express a desire for more political parties: 38% of those who identify with the Democratic Party say this describes their views extremely or very well, compared with 21% of Republicans. Yet it is among independents and others who do not identify with a party that the sentiment is most pronounced: 48% say it describes their views extremely or very well, including 48% of those who lean Republican and 53% of those who lean Democratic.

Overall, interest in having more political parties is higher among younger Americans than older adults. Nearly half of those ages 18 to 49 say they often wish there were more parties to choose from (47% say it describes their views extremely or very well); that compares with 35% of those ages 50 to 64 and just 23% of those 65 and older.

Neither party is very popular with the public: Roughly four-in-ten Americans (41%) have a very or somewhat favorable view of the Democratic Party, while even fewer (37%) have a favorable impression of the Republican Party.

 

[Yeekim]

Trump administration family separation policy

Under the policy, federal authorities separated children and infants from parents or guardians with whom they had entered the US. The adults were prosecuted and held in federal jails or deported, and the children were placed under the supervision of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prior to their transfer to HHS, some children spent three weeks or more in overcrowded border control centers, where they reported minimal food, no access to clean clothes or bathing facilities, and no adult caretakers; girls as young as ten were taking care of younger children.

That is so completely effed up...!
I recall the controversy as it happened, but never realized the separation would be permanent.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Honestly the whole citizenship at birth you have newer made any sense to me. I mean, what is stopping someone literally entering your country pregnant just so that they can give birth and turn their kid into a citizen even if said kid would have absolutely no claim to it at all in any other circumstance? It's just a system that seems almost purpose designed for abuse.

 

[Birdjaguar]

From Link: