#All Progressive Congress
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morganablenewsmedia · 2 months ago
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I Feel No Remorse Working For Tinubu - Wike
I Feel No Remorse Working For Tinubu – Wike As He Asks Those Against Him To Hug Power Transformer Nyesom Wike, the immediate past Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has said he feels no remorse working under President Bola Tinubu who is from the opposition party. Wike joined Peoples’ Democratic Party in 1999, where he has amassed massive success…
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nghubs1 · 1 year ago
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Lateef Fagbemi Biography, Education, Career, Controversies, And Net Worth
Lateef Fagbemi was born on June 22, 1956, in Ijagbo, Kwara State, Nigeria. He is a distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigerian (SAN) and a respected jurist known for his substantial contributions to the advancement of Law and Justice in Nigeria. Lateef Fagbemi Profile Name Lateef FagbemiReal Name Abdullateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (prince)Date of Birth22 June 1956Age67 yearsState of Origin Kwara…
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legionofpotatoes · 1 month ago
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star wars outlaws
#star wars outlaws#kay vess#nix#did a brief detour into this game it isn't bad! but certainly lacks in polish for core loops. tutorialization pipelines are ass also#performance - also ass. had to play quality on ps5 for it to have any clarity at all. but the open world is gorgeous#and it certainly nails the very narrow target of horse girl star wars fantasy (ripping across tatooine on a speeder with a little Guy)#nix is everything I love him. modern star wars rarely captivates me but they do know how to do lil guys real well#my photos#star wars#also-also. would be remiss not to mention. never played a game with unregulated scope creep this noticeable before. it's baffling#I KNOW people crunched on this it's in the walls in the floorboards it's everywhere. unmitigated hodge podge of mechanics and pillars#and those pillars are often unbalanced between each other. storytelling payloads are an issue too. there's pre-rendered in-engine cutscenes#real-time in-engine cutscenes. and digic-produced full CG cutscenes. and their placement and prioritization feels insane and inscrutable#like three different teams were working on the game at the same time and never in congress or coordination#it also suffers from the open world 4th and 5th priority narrative payload issues - many secondary and sometimes even primary questgiving#and expository dialogues are in-game zoomed camera lipsync exchanges. or flavor text#on the other hand - surprisingly deft mission design itself? side quests reward either cosmetics or actual unlockable deployable skills#it has fleeting genes of a metroidvania spread across a wide open world in that sense. but only fleeting. the rep system is a smokescreen#and progression in general has a very open and unsatisfying end to it. this game needed less scope and maybe no space stuff at all#the resulting resource allocation adjustment would truly make for a captivating open world adventure. as it stands it feels like#a product of overworked people misusing mismanaged budgets and managing to sprinkle some love into it regardless#games should never be good on the merit of their perceivable seasoning of overwork and passion. that really only bakes a sadness cake
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jonsnowunemploymentera · 2 years ago
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I’m sorry but the best Jon Snow AUs are those where he is some sort of civil servant. I always see people headcannon him as ROTC/soldier or cop but I think they kind of miss the mark. GRRM has steadily been moving away from the traditional warrior archetype with Jon and more into the counts-pebbles ruler type. So the cannon compliant AUs are the ones where he ends up as some sort of government official. Maybe he could be a city hall manager or an ombudsman. He could be a state representative or maybe even a senator. Let me remind people that he’s the only elected leader in the series. AU!Jon Snow would totally be the extremely competent but also extremely depressed congressional representative from like, idk, Alaska.
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darnellafrica · 2 years ago
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Can Nigeria 🇳🇬 Courts Resolve Electoral Doubts‽
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I will be honest, I was rooting for Peter Obi to win this election & become Nigeria’s 🇳🇬 next President. However, the danger of three leading candidates is that while most people vote against the incumbent, the latter can win due to rivals “splitting the vote.”
That said, many people are upset with the results (& understandably so), as President Elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu victory is not being celebrated by most of Nigeria 🇳🇬. Peter Obi is challenging the results in court, but I wonder if the courts will overturn the proclaimed results of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)‽
While Obi said he won the election and would explore all legal and peaceful means to prove it in court, Atiku concurred, saying “the processes and outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections of last Saturday were grossly flawed in every material particular and as such, must be challenged.” […]
In a quick response, Tinubu, who had earlier in his victory speech extended a hand of fellowship to his challengers at the poll, said he would meet them in court to defend his mandate. […]
Obi, who spoke at a briefing in Abuja, enjoined his supporters, especially party members, not to despair because he and his running mate, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, had taken up the challenge posed by President Muhammadu Buhari and President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to mount a legal challenge if they were convinced the electoral process was faulty. (Vanguard)
I do not think the courts will attempt to overturn the proclaimed results of this election in order to avoid creating a legal precedent (which could result in chaos in future elections).
However, I suspect the courts will issue decrees requiring the INEC to be properly staffed & funded to avoid this scenario in the future.
I do not think this is the end of Peter Obi’s political career. I believe that in four years, he will run for President again—albeit this time emerge victorious.
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ivygorgon · 3 days ago
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Text TRENDING to 50409 to quickly sign pro Palestine petitions.
You can choose to send the letters to your elected officials as email, fax, or even first class mail!
Here's the top trending letter right now:
An open letter to the President & U.S. Congress
Israel still blocking aid - Arms Embargo NOW
194 so far! Help us get to 250 signers!
From IMEU on November 1: The Biden administration acknowledged earlier this month that Israel is blocking aid into Gaza in violation of US law. That should have meant an immediate cutoff of weapons. Instead, the weapons are still flowing — and aid into Gaza has decreased to its lowest level in a year. It is estimated that as many as 62,000 Palestinians in Gaza may have starved to death since last October. The US cannot continue its complicity in these war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The global community recognizes Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and erasure of Palestine. The global community recognizes US support of this genocide. We want action immediately.
According to Data For Progress, the majority of America - 56% of Republicans and 86% of Democrats - support a permanent ceasefire. 70% of Democrats support restricting weapons funding to Israel. Are you going to listen to the people? Are you going to center humanity?
President Biden’s administration continues to supply and fund Israel while knowing since October 2023 that Israel has been targeting civilians. Secretary Blinken knew that Israel was blocking aid from entering Gaza and lied about it. This is continued participation in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and a violation of Leahy Law, which prohibits our government from funding foreign forces who are implicated in gross human rights violations, including targeting civilians and deliberately preventing access to humanitarian assistance.
International scholar and lawyer, Francesca Albanese, has documented how Israel’s gross human rights violations and war crimes are genocidal acts, including their targeting of hospitals and healthcare workers, targeting journalists and civilians, using starvation as a weapon, etc. Israeli government officials have repeatedly expressed genocidal intent. Sites of learning, culture, and historical memory — universities, mosques, churches, museums — have been decimated. The Gaza Strip's ability to produce food and clean water has been severely destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and bulldozers which have razed farms and orchards. People have unearthed mass graves with evidence of torture. As people of conscience, we will not ignore this.
I am demanding you to take immediate steps to stop Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and massacres in Lebanon by calling for no more weapons or funding to the Israeli military. I support Senator Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block arms sales to Israel.
The ICJ ruled that Israel should do everything in its power to prevent genocide. Never again means never again for anyone. All people - including Palestinians - deserve to live with freedom and safety which means first stopping this genocide and then ensuring liberation from occupation and apartheid. The liberation and safety of Palestinians, Israelis, Jewish people, Muslim people, and Lebanese people are intertwined. There can only be true safety when we are all free from oppression.
▶ Created on November 8 by Alice · 193 signers in the past 7 days
Text SIGN PPMUKN to 50409
Liked it? Text FOLLOW all_about_love to 50409
Senators are going to vote on whether or not we should continue to send aid to Israel on Wednesday, November 13th. Call them, bombard their phone lines with calls. Every fucking day. We have a chance of doing something about this.
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saynaija · 4 months ago
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Nationwide Protest: APC Backs President Tinubu On 1999 Constitution
Nationwide Protest: APC Backs President Tinubu On 1999 Constitution Amidst apprehension of a planned nationwide protest, the All Progressives Congress has urged organisers of the protest to shelve its agitation to have President Bola Tinubu scrap the 1999 Constitution, describing it as a tall order. Speaking in Abuja after a meeting held behind closed doors with the Forum of APC State Chairmen…
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19-bellwether · 2 years ago
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Disney vs. DeSantis is so funny because it's like. Neither side even wanted to get into this. Here's how it's supposed to go: Politician does something stupid. Corporation disavows politician after public pressure. Politician disavows the disavowing. Nothing changes for either party.
But then the Florida governor got stars in his eyes. He saw an opportunity to bolster his standing before the presidential primary. He wanted to be the one who took on The Mouse and won. So in retaliation he decides he's going to tear down the decades-old agreement Disney uses to govern Disney World's district.
And just like that, Disney's batshit insane legal department turns towards Florida like the Eye of Sauron spotting the ring at Mount Doom. They smell lost profit. They smell blood.
Disney will use any and every strategy they've accumulated over the last century of lobbying congress and DeSantis can't back down lest he admit Mickey Mouse beat his ass. He's lost control of Disney World's district even more than he already did. Now he's getting sued.
This all started because Disney was pressured into backtracking their political contributions to Florida and disavowing the Don't Say Gay law. Now they're fighting for something they actually care about: their profit margin. Disney is not an ally to queer people and they're an enemy to progressives, but damn am I rooting for them to keep humiliating the greater evil for the time being. This is high comedy.
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morganablenewsmedia · 19 hours ago
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Atiku Jealous Of Tinubu − Presidency
Atiku jealous of Tinubu after he has failed severally to win − Presidency On Sunday, the Presidency, through its Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, has lashed out to former vice president of Nigeria Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over his continuous attack on President Bola Tinubu. This claim made by Onanuga has adversely worsened the already-bad relationship between the ruling party, All Progressives Congress…
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lookingforcactus · 4 months ago
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Because I'm feeling whimsical,
What the fuck do you mean that's a quilt??? Round 2
All quilts are contest winners from the quilt show Road to California, 2022. You can see these quilts and the other winners from that year here.
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Best of Show Quilt
Title: Harlequinade Maker: Rebecca Prior Quilter: Jackie Brown Design Basis: Maker's Original Design "Harlequinade" is a theatrical quilt filled with visual clues guiding viewers to discover a hidden story. Inspired by Venetian Carnival masks and commedia del'arte characters, the quilt features the antics of Harlequin, the trickster, who has his own ideas about freedom and fun!
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Director's Choice
Title: Welcome Home Maker: David Taylor Quilter: David Taylor Design Basis: Original image by Margo Clabo, used with permission I first saw this image from friend Margo Clabo more than a decade ago. It took years to convince her to let me adapt her photo into a quilt. The image it depicts is especially sentimental for her. The challenge for myself was to create a pieced pictorial background and recreate a traditionally pieced quilt by using my hand appliqué technique. The project size was overwhelming, but I'm thrilled with the finished quilt. So is Margo. Time to exhale.
Note: To be clear, that is not a photo with a quilt in it, that WHOLE THING is a quilt.
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Best Machine Stationary Quilting
Title: Emerald labyrinth Maker: Kumiko Frydl Quilter: Kumiko Frydl Design Basis: Maker's Original Design As a starting point I used an image from the entrance to the EL Barkookeyeh Mosque in Cairo. Thinking of an elegant and intricate garden I added bursts of natural color and filled the area between the large elements of the design with finer ornament inspired by butterflies and plants. I set the circular image in a rectangular frame with a subdued complimentary design of rippled reflective pools.
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1st Place: Animal
Title: Woodland Wilds Maker: Ann Horton Quilter: Ann Horton Design Basis: Maker's Original Design My morning hikes in the woodland hills of our northern California home inspired this quilt. The rabbits are always alert for danger. This machine appliqued, thread painted and embroidered view through a window is surrounded by wild flowers on hand dyed silk and again surrounded by other wild birds and animals. I love my wilds things in the woods!
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1st Place: Human Image
Title: The Memories That Remain Maker: Lynn Czaban Quilter: Lynn Czaban Design Basis: Library of Congress Photos - LC-USF33-006183MI and LC-USF33-0061 I am fascinated by the human face and our ability to communicate without uttering a single word. The Portuguese word 'saudade' meaning a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for something or someone that one cares for and loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never be had again.
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1st Place: Naturescape
Title: Desert In Spring Maker: Andrea Brokenshire Quilter: Andrea Brokenshire Design Basis: Maker's Original Design My Mom and I embarked on an epic travel trip we named our "Thelma and Louise Adventure" In Palm Springs, CA we visited the Living Desert Botanical Garden. This quilt is inspired by one of the photographs I took that spring day of a Prickly Pear Cactus in full bloom. I loved the leathery texture of the cactus leaves (paddles) and the almost translucent citron yellow blossoms.
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2nd Place: Animal
itle: Not Today Maker: Kestrel Michaud Quilter: Kestrel Michaud Design Basis: Maker's Original Design The chase is on! The Roadrunner is after his next meal, chasing a Common Collared Lizard through a steampunk junkyard. The desert is a favored dumping ground for the detritus of progress, even in a fantasy world. A steam-powered industrial revolution creates iron refuse and pieces of broken machinery have been left to decay in dry desert air. That doesn’t bother these critters. To them, this is home. Will that lizard wind up as dinner? Not today!
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2nd Place: Human Image
Title: Declaration of Independence - Voices of Freedom Maker: Nancy Prince Quilter: Terri Taylor Design Basis: Reproduction of John Trumbull's Painting The quilt is a reproduction of John Trumbull's painting which depicts the moment in history when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Continental Congress on June 28, 1776. The quilt front and back were created in Photoshop and custom printed on fabric. Four thousand hours over 4 years was necessary to create the quilt. The back captures the story of the Declaration and its signers.
Note: I'm not at all patriotic. But credit where credit is due. That's a fucking quilt.
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3rd Place: Animal
Title: Midnight Flight Maker: Joanne Baeth Quilter: Joanne Baeth Design Basis: Maker's Original Design Several years ago we had an injured Great Horned Owl roosting in our willow tree during the day. I took several pictures and was inspired to create him in fabric. The background features a painted sky, old buildings, melting snow and a rabbit on the run The foreground is the swooping owl which was constructed by painting and inking each feather and thread painting over fabrics and needle punched wool rovings
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3rd Place: Naturescape
Title: Day Into Night Maker: Deb Deaton Quilter: Deb Deaton Design Basis: Maker's Original Design Inspired from photo by Robert Murray with his permission. When the Arizona sun begins to set, the sky comes alive. I saw this photo and knew the splendor of this landscape needed to be captured with fiber! Sky is hand painted. Raw edge applique. Mixed media used: oil pastels, color pencils, inks to enhance the fabrics and create more dimension. Cheesecloth: painted to create spikes of cactus. Tulle used to capture the sunrays. Machine quilted.
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reasonsforhope · 1 year ago
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No paywall version here.
"Two and a half years ago, when I was asked to help write the most authoritative report on climate change in the United States, I hesitated...
In the end, I said yes, but reluctantly. Frankly, I was sick of admonishing people about how bad things could get. Scientists have raised the alarm over and over again, and still the temperature rises. Extreme events like heat waves, floods and droughts are becoming more severe and frequent, exactly as we predicted they would. We were proved right. It didn’t seem to matter.
Our report, which was released on Tuesday, contains more dire warnings. There are plenty of new reasons for despair. Thanks to recent scientific advances, we can now link climate change to specific extreme weather disasters, and we have a better understanding of how the feedback loops in the climate system can make warming even worse. We can also now more confidently forecast catastrophic outcomes if global emissions continue on their current trajectory.
But to me, the most surprising new finding in the Fifth National Climate Assessment is this: There has been genuine progress, too.
I’m used to mind-boggling numbers, and there are many of them in this report. Human beings have put about 1.6 trillion tons of carbon in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution — more than the weight of every living thing on Earth combined. But as we wrote the report, I learned other, even more mind-boggling numbers. In the last decade, the cost of wind energy has declined by 70 percent and solar has declined 90 percent. Renewables now make up 80 percent of new electricity generation capacity. Our country’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling, even as our G.D.P. and population grow.
In the report, we were tasked with projecting future climate change. We showed what the United States would look like if the world warms by 2 degrees Celsius. It wasn’t a pretty picture: more heat waves, more uncomfortably hot nights, more downpours, more droughts. If greenhouse emissions continue to rise, we could reach that point in the next couple of decades. If they fall a little, maybe we can stave it off until the middle of the century. But our findings also offered a glimmer of hope: If emissions fall dramatically, as the report suggested they could, we may never reach 2 degrees Celsius at all.
For the first time in my career, I felt something strange: optimism.
And that simple realization was enough to convince me that releasing yet another climate report was worthwhile.
Something has changed in the United States, and not just the climate. State, local and tribal governments all around the country have begun to take action. Some politicians now actually campaign on climate change, instead of ignoring or lying about it. Congress passed federal climate legislation — something I’d long regarded as impossible — in 2022 as we turned in the first draft.
[Note: She's talking about the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Act, which despite the names were the two biggest climate packages passed in US history. And their passage in mid 2022 was a big turning point: that's when, for the first time in decades, a lot of scientists started looking at the numbers - esp the ones that would come from the IRA's funding - and said "Wait, holy shit, we have an actual chance."]
And while the report stresses the urgency of limiting warming to prevent terrible risks, it has a new message, too: We can do this. We now know how to make the dramatic emissions cuts we’d need to limit warming, and it’s very possible to do this in a way that’s sustainable, healthy and fair.
The conversation has moved on, and the role of scientists has changed. We’re not just warning of danger anymore. We’re showing the way to safety.
I was wrong about those previous reports: They did matter, after all. While climate scientists were warning the world of disaster, a small army of scientists, engineers, policymakers and others were getting to work. These first responders have helped move us toward our climate goals. Our warnings did their job.
To limit global warming, we need many more people to get on board... We need to reach those who haven’t yet been moved by our warnings. I’m not talking about the fossil fuel industry here; nor do I particularly care about winning over the small but noisy group of committed climate deniers. But I believe we can reach the many people whose eyes glaze over when they hear yet another dire warning or see another report like the one we just published.
The reason is that now, we have a better story to tell. The evidence is clear: Responding to climate change will not only create a better world for our children and grandchildren, but it will also make the world better for us right now.
Eliminating the sources of greenhouse gas emissions will make our air and water cleaner, our economy stronger and our quality of life better. It could save hundreds of thousands or even millions of lives across the country through air quality benefits alone. Using land more wisely can both limit climate change and protect biodiversity. Climate change most strongly affects communities that get a raw deal in our society: people with low incomes, people of color, children and the elderly. And climate action can be an opportunity to redress legacies of racism, neglect and injustice.
I could still tell you scary stories about a future ravaged by climate change, and they’d be true, at least on the trajectory we’re currently on. But it’s also true that we have a once-in-human-history chance not only to prevent the worst effects but also to make the world better right now. It would be a shame to squander this opportunity. So I don’t just want to talk about the problems anymore. I want to talk about the solutions. Consider this your last warning from me."
-via New York Times. Opinion essay by leading climate scientist Kate Marvel. November 18, 2023.
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smolmagicalmuffin · 6 months ago
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Love how my view on the upcoming elections went from "Yea I might be better off with the lesser of two evils" from "Either way I (and others) are screwed, might as well focus the majority of my efforts on voting in what I want across the board, instead of solely stressing about top seat"
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dozenhost · 7 months ago
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Dollar bribery: Ganduje’s son pays solidarity visit to Kano anti-graft agency chairman
Abdulazeez Ganduje, the eldest son of the suspended national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, has paid a solidarity visit to the chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhyi Rimingado, at his office. Mr. Abdulazeez visited Mr. Rimingado, on Wednesday evening, to show his support for the chairman’s anti-corruption efforts. He…
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touchaheartnews · 10 months ago
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Supreme court affirms Governor Uba Sani's election
Supreme court affirms Governor Uba Sani’s election The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Isah Ashiru, contesting the victory of Governor Uba Sani in Kaduna State. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Sani as the winner of the exercise. The All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer polled 730,002…
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gacorley · 10 months ago
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There’s some common threads I see in the anti-voting posts going around, and I feel like I need to discuss some of them. Let’s start with the biggest one:
Voting to punish evil. I see lots of variations of this. Biden is supporting Israel, therefore we can’t vote for him. Is there any viable candidate who would stop the genocide? I don’t think the anti voting crowd actually cares. They are appealing to moral feelings rather than political strategy, because strategically, you have to realize that voting is not going to change foreign policy, and that change has to be pushed by other means. It’ll probably be something in the long haul.
Democrats should run someone else. First of all, this is a shit strategy. You don’t primary your president in the second term unless your party is falling apart. This may come from people from countries where replacing the head of government is easier, but the POTUS is the de facto party head. Also, going to the lack of thought to the goal — do you know someone willing to primary Biden and able to win who would do the things you want?
Biden hasn’t done anything anyway. This is just a way to bat away pro arguments. There’s plenty of lists of progress on lots of things. Student loans, insulin price caps, regulations, anti-trust.
Putting the entire Palestinian genocide on Biden. I’m not saying there’s not culpability there, but understand that the entire US government is in support of Israel, on both sides. It was a miracle we got a handful of Senators to call for investigations. We should cut off aid, absolutely. Who’s running to do that? And keep in mind that Israel chose to engage. US officials would have liked a more limited response, not out of care for Palestinians, but because they know from experience that it will come back to bite Israel in the form of newly radicalized Hamas recruits.
Liberals just have no hope for change. This is a new one. Just some idea that people are stuck in a rut and that’s the reason the two party system exists. The two party system is a mathematical consequence of the way we vote. There is reason to hope for change. The change, though, whatever means you choose, will take decades. Keep working at it. The hope is not that this election will fundamentally change things. The hope is that many small political actions over the years will push things forward.
Funnily enough, I haven’t seen a whole lot of third party promotion, just lots of this rhetoric aiming to punish. When voting, ask yourself:
Is this problem I have with this candidate something that the other candidate would be better on?
Are there other political actions I can take that will help?
What things can change with a different President or Congress, and what needs to be pursued by other means?
Withholding your vote as a punishment isn’t really going to help. Biden doesn’t know who you are or why you are not voting for him, and there is no one with a chance of winning that will do everything you want. But you have other means. Protest, organize, donate, build up alternatives, advocate for a different system.
Vote to give yourself space and get a little bit. Do other things to keep things moving.
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lets-steal-an-archive · 4 months ago
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By Bernie Sanders | July 13, 2024
I will do all that I can to see that President Biden is re-elected. Why? Despite my disagreements with him on particular issues, he has been the most effective president in the modern history of our country and is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump — a demagogue and pathological liar. It’s time to learn a lesson from the progressive and centrist forces in France who, despite profound political differences, came together this week to soundly defeat right-wing extremism.
I strongly disagree with Mr. Biden on the question of U.S. support for Israel’s horrific war against the Palestinian people. The United States should not provide Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing extremist government with another nickel as it continues to create one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history.
I strongly disagree with the president’s belief that the Affordable Care Act, as useful as it has been, will ever address America’s health care crisis. Our health care system is broken, dysfunctional and wildly expensive and needs to be replaced with a “Medicare for all” single-payer system. Health care is a human right.
And those are not my only disagreements with Mr. Biden.
But for over two weeks now, the corporate media has obsessively focused on the June presidential debate and the cognitive capabilities of a man who has, perhaps, the most difficult and stressful job in the world. The media has frantically searched for every living human being who no longer supports the president or any neurologist who wants to appear on TV. Unfortunately, too many Democrats have joined that circular firing squad.
Yes. I know: Mr. Biden is old, is prone to gaffes, walks stiffly and had a disastrous debate with Mr. Trump. But this I also know: A presidential election is not an entertainment contest. It does not begin or end with a 90-minute debate.
Enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate. And with an effective campaign taht speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking.
I understand that some Democrats get nervous about having to explain the president’s gaffes and misspeaking names. But unlike the Republicans, they do not have to explain away a candidate who now has 34 felony convictions and faces charges that could lead to dozens of additional convictions, who has been hit with a $5 million judgment after he was found liable in a sexual abuse case, who has been involved in more than 4,000 lawsuits, who has repeatedly gone bankrupt and who has told thousands of documented lies and falsehoods.
Supporters of Mr. Biden can speak proudly about a good and decent Democratic president with a record of real accomplishment. The Biden administration, as a result of the American Rescue Plan, helped rebuild the economy during the pandemic far faster than economists thought possible. At a time when people were terrified about the future, the president and those of us who supported him in Congress put Americans back to work, provided cash benefits to desperate parents and protected small businesses, hospitals, schools and child care centers.
After decades of talk about our crumbling roads, bridges and water systems, we put more money into rebuilding America’s infrastructure than ever before — which is projected to create millions of well-paying jobs. And we did not stop there. We made the largest-ever investment in climate action to save the planet. We canceled student debt for nearly five million financially strapped Americans. We cut prices for insulin and asthma inhalers, capped out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs and got free vaccines to the American people. We battled to defend women’s rights in the face of moves by Trump-appointed jurists to roll back reproductive freedom and deny women the right to control their own bodies.
So, yes, Mr. Biden has a record to run on. A strong record. But he and his supporters should never suggest that what’s been accomplished is sufficient. To win the election, the president must do more than just defend his excellent record. He needs to propose and fight for a bold agenda that speaks to the needs of the vast majority of our people — the working families of this country, the people who have been left behind for far too long.
At a time when the billionaires have never had it so good and when the United States is experiencing virtually unprecedented income and wealth inequality, over 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, real weekly wages for the average worker have not risen in over 50 years, 25 percent of seniors live each year on $15,000 or less, we have a higher rate of childhood poverty than almost any other major country, and housing is becoming more and more unaffordable — among other crises.
This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. We can do better. We must do better. Joe Biden knows that. Donald Trump does not. Joe Biden wants to tax the rich so that we can fund the needs of working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor. Donald Trump wants to cut taxes for the billionaire class. Joe Biden wants to expand Social Security benefits. Donald Trump and his friends want to weaken Social Security. Joe Biden wants to make it easier for workers to form unions and collectively bargain for better wages and benefits. Donald Trump wants to let multinational corporations get away with exploiting workers and ripping off consumers. Joe Biden respects democracy. Donald Trump attacks it.
This election offers a stark choice on issue after issue. If Mr. Biden and his supporters focus on these issues — and refuse to be divided and distracted — the president will rally working families to his side in the industrial Midwest swing states and elsewhere and win the November election. And let me say this as emphatically as I can: For the sake of our kids and future generations, he must win.
Bernie Sanders is the senior senator from Vermont.
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