Voting for Trump

[EasyE]

1 hour ago, Mirrabooka said:

Voting is compulsory here, for better or worse. Would doing the same in the US snap people out of their apathy?

Don't think Americans would go for the "compulsory" part. We kind of like not being told what to do ... Amazingly, there is great pushback on voter ID laws. The opponents say it discourages voting, especially among the poor and minorities. That is really a smokescreen IMO for those who want to harvest ballots from as many places as possible, including folks who don't exist or don't hold citizenship... 

[Ivy]

10 hours ago, Mirrabooka said:

Would doing the same in the US snap people out of their apathy?

Maybe.  But they'd probably resent being required to do it.

 

8 hours ago, EasyE said:

Amazingly, there is great pushback on voter ID laws. The opponents say it discourages voting, especially among the poor and minorities. That is really a smokescreen IMO for those who want to harvest ballots from as many places as possible, including folks who don't exist or don't hold citizenship... 

IDK.  You have to show ID to register already.  And you have to be registered to vote.

[Mirrabooka]

On 4/27/2024 at 2:44 PM, EasyE said:

Don't think Americans would go for the "compulsory" part. We kind of like not being told what to do ... 

Ahh, the viking-helmet wearing scrotes yelling out "Freeeedumb....," yet wanting to exterminate trans folk. 😉 

[Ivy]

17 minutes ago, Mirrabooka said:

Ahh, the viking-helmet wearing scrotes yelling out "Freeeedumb....," yet wanting to exterminate trans folk.

They want the freedom to take ours away.

[Abigail Genevieve]

1 hour ago, Ivy said:

They want the freedom to take ours away.

Who, precisely, are "they"?

[Ivy]

31 minutes ago, Abigail Genevieve said:

Who, precisely, are "they"?

In this case the MAGA GOP transphobes

Just my opinion of course

[Abigail Genevieve]

2 hours ago, Ivy said:

In this case the MAGA GOP transphobes

Just my opinion of course

There are many MAGA GOP types who are not transphobes, of course. Some MAGA GOP types are transgender.

[Davie]

On 4/28/2024 at 2:13 PM, Abigail Genevieve said:

There are many MAGA GOP types who are not transphobes, of course. Some MAGA GOP types are transgender.

I don't believe it. I've never heard of such a thing. That would scare me.

[Abigail Genevieve]

1 minute ago, Davie said:

I don't believe it. I've never heard of such a thing. That would scare me.

You can believe what you want.  But there are such.  That should not scare you.  I wonder why it does.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

13 minutes ago, Davie said:

I don't believe it. I've never heard of such a thing. That would scare me.

 

I'm sure there are some...there's just about every kind of person imaginable in our society.  And I suspect that a number of actual GOP politicians aren't really haters...it just happens to be convenient to go along.  Like most Germans in the early 20th century weren't actually anti-Semitic.  It was just that it didn't matter to them. 

 

While I'm not friends with any politicians (well, other than local ones), the majority of folks around me aren't anti-trans.  And one of my two trans friends is a Trump supporter, with hat and all.  My other friend is a Democrat, and the three of us actually get along even when we talk politics.  Life is interesting.

[Abigail Genevieve]

On 4/28/2024 at 1:13 PM, Abigail Genevieve said:

There are many MAGA GOP types who are not transphobes, of course. Some MAGA GOP types are transgender.

Trying to decide if I am one.  Hmmm.  It depends on the definition.  The Democrats' definition dehumanizes them, whatever they are.

 

I would like to see a restoration of respect for America around the world, one Obama threw away.  I would like to see factories reopen whose jobs went overseas because people like BIden wrote legislation to create a tax structure than encouraged that.  I would like to see an end to the division that Biden and Obama cause and exploit for cynical political purposes.  I would like people to be able to express themselves without fear.  I would like honest news media.  I would llike to see the federal government not push us recklessly into debt.   If that makes me MAGA, I guess I am. 

[Ivy]

26 minutes ago, Abigail Genevieve said:

I would like to see an end to the division that Biden and Obama cause and exploit for cynical political purposes. 

I don't think the Dems have a corner on division.  I do try to kinda keep up with the antics on Fox for 5h1+s and giggles.

We have two large segments of the population, living in their own bubbles, with completely opposite views of our society, who never talk to each other, only at each other.

People don't even want to get along with each other.

We're tearing ourselves apart from the inside, while the rest of the world just sits back and watches.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

6 minutes ago, Ivy said:

We have two large segments of the population, living in their own bubbles, with completely opposite views of our society, who never talk to each other, only at each other.

People don't even want to get along with each other.

 

Nationally, sure.  But where I live, there aren't two large segments.  There's a majority, and a few who just don't fit and probably ought to move out.  I was in a nearby city a few days back, and I saw a billboard for the "Freedom From Religion" foundation.  That's acceptable there.  Here... folks would be making a bonfire. 

 

I don't really see how the different sides CAN get along.  I see what goes on in California, and its like watching news from some alien planet.  It has very little to do with LGBTQ+ issues, really.  I can't live their way, I won't live their way, and I have no desire to compromise at all in that direction.  I'd prefer to be neighbors in separate nations, and I think folks would get along better that way.  I firmly believe the anti-trans stuff wouldn't exist here if we had a new republic of the Center-South area.  Even a micro-state of just my county and a couple others would be fine. 

 

I get the giggles when folks think that Trump is somehow "far right."  Around here, he's a barely-acceptable centrist.  And by the standards of 100 years ago, its true.

[Abigail Genevieve]

We need to learn to talk to each other again.  This place is important that way.

 

Abby

[Ivy]

1 hour ago, Abigail Genevieve said:

We need to learn to talk to each other again.  This place is important that way.

Agreed.

[MaeBe]

2 hours ago, Abigail Genevieve said:

I would like to see factories reopen whose jobs went overseas because people like BIden wrote legislation to create a tax structure than encouraged that.

Manufacturing jobs have increased by nearly 800k since Biden’s inauguration. Deficits and debt are up as well, which water down some of the positive metrics.  Given the fact we were coming out of a pandemic and then into a global economy affected by a Russian aggression and then a war in the Middle East, things wouldn’t be ideal. But we’re not on a gold standard anymore. Government budgets aren’t household budgets. Inflation was up but is coming down, which means that government spending isn’t uncontrolled. 

Honest news media? Which news are we referring to? I recommend looking into Ground.news and their blind spot feature. It will show you, regardless of your leanings, what you’re not seeing in your typically consumed news. 
 

MAGA is not about making America great again or otherwise. It’s a marketing cult for populist conservatism, aka the cult of Trump. America being great is not bad or a bad idea, but its choice as the moniker of the campaign is not-so-subtle political marketing. By default, no one wants to argue against the idea, however it creates a dichotomy where “the other side must not want (or is actively trying to destroy) it”. It’s an empty slogan because America was no greater during the Trump years and you can logically argue our global cache was diminished during his term, which was marked by sentiment of the US being a unilateral agitator. 

[RaineOnYourParade]

IMO: If politicians stopped focusing on which bathrooms people were using and, you know, the actual issues of the country, maybe we could work on that 30+ trillion dollar debt of ours? Put more effort into international cooperation? Consider ways to improve education? Literally anything more productive than worrying about what's in some lady's pants you'll never meet?

[awkward-yet-sweet]

2 hours ago, MaeBe said:

Manufacturing jobs have increased by nearly 800k since Biden’s inauguration.

Honestly, all the numbers are monkey math.  Doesn't matter who's in charge.  Trump kept crowing about the damn stock market, which didn't make a difference to normal people.  All the "job creation" is an illusion.  They consider it job creation when they take good full time jobs, and split them in half to "make" two part-time or temp jobs.  Not totally a Biden problem, as this has been going on for decades now.  Things *began* to get better under Trump.  A bit.  Maybe 8 years would have been better, but it wouldn't have fixed it.  Too much damage. 

 

To me, Trump is a case of "too little, too late."  In my opinion, we need more - a true nationalist, with an aggressive and isolationist foreign policy.  And we needed him 50 years ago.  I want to see:

 

High import tariffs, a currency backed by precious metals, no more "climate" stuff and repudiation of all "accords" or other agreements, elimination of excess government agencies like the FBI and EPA, and total seizure of foreign-owned assets on US soil - with sale and disbursement of profits to our citizens.  And that would be a basic start.  Instead of "sanctions" to interrupt the trade of nations we don't like, Congress should instead issue letters-of-marque as described in the Constitution.  I'd like to see an alliance with Russia, and an end to nearly a century of useless conflict. 

 

Trump won't do any of those things.  He's a sad, pale imitation of the leaders that founded our nation. 

 

 

[Ivy]

9 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

All the "job creation" is an illusion.  They consider it job creation when they take good full time jobs, and split them in half to "make" two part-time or temp jobs.

There is something to this.  Young people I know work, but still can't afford to live on their own.  They certainly can't start a family.

 

I don't think Trump actually did much good for the working class.  He, like most politicians, took care of his rich donors.  Tax cuts always sound nice, but they went mostly to the wealthy.  The tax cuts to the working class were mostly an illusion, small, and temporary.

 

I'm going to shut up now or I'll get in trouble.

[Abigail Genevieve]

My snarky comment of the morning is that Trump may be the first president sworn into office from a jail cell.  He can't keep his mouth under control.  It's likely he may be serving time for contempt for violating gag orders in January if he keeps it up, and the judges are more than happy to slap fines and imprisonment on him.

[Davie]

"A prominent Republican in a swing state just announced he’s backing Biden! This unexpected endorsement and brutal rebuke of Donald is a sign his support is waning." —MARY L. TRUMP

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Personally, I despise the antics of the "swing" states. Double-minded and unstable, shifting every time the wind blows.  OK, so the Lt Governor of Georgia doesn't like Trump.  Small potatoes.... given the 2020 results, nobody counts on Georgia anyways.

[Ivy]

7 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

Double-minded and unstable, shifting every time the wind blows.

Many "red" or "blue" states are not monolithic.  NC splits something like 49-51.  Actually, about 1/3 Rep, 1/3 Dem, and 1/3 nonaffiliated.  

 

Since the legislature makes the districts, they favor the Rep to a 1 vote super majority.  Our Governor is Dem, and Dems can win statewide elections.

 

Of course you'd never know that with what is coming out of the statehouse lately.

My point is that the "shifting" is not really shifting, it only reflects the actual population of the state.

 

When I was growing up I used to hear it said that "changing her mind was a woman's prerogative."  I embrace that.  I am fine with changing my mind when I want to.  Things change, sometimes we need to change as well.  I don't consider that as "unstable" - just not dead yet.