#Political debate

[deathtokillian]

Shout out to my neighbor who has a big Harris sign in their yard with stolen ripped up trump signs underneath it. I think that is incredibly hot of you.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 27, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUN 28, 2024

Tonight was the first debate between President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and by far the most striking thing about the debate was the overwhelming focus among pundits immediately afterward about Biden’s appearance and soft, hoarse voice as he rattled off statistics and events. Virtually unmentioned was the fact that Trump lied and rambled incoherently, ignored questions to say whatever he wanted; refused to acknowledge the events of January 6, 2021; and refused to commit to accepting the result of the 2024 presidential election, finally saying he would accept it only if it met his standards for fairness. 

Immediately after the debate, there were calls for Biden to drop out of the race, but aside from the fact that the only time a presidential candidate has ever done that—in 1968—it threw the race into utter confusion and the president’s party lost, Biden needed to demonstrate that his mental capacity is strong in order to push back on the Republicans’ insistence that he is incapable of being president. That, he did, thoroughly. Biden began with a weak start but hit his stride as the evening wore on. Indeed, he covered his bases too thoroughly, listing the many accomplishments of his administration in such a hurry that he was sometimes hard to understand. 

In contrast, Trump came out strong but faded and became less coherent over time. His entire performance was either lies or rambling non-sequiturs. He lied so incessantly throughout the evening that it took CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale almost three minutes, speaking quickly, to get through the list. 

Trump said that some Democratic states allow people to execute babies after they’re born and that every legal scholar wanted Roe v. Wade overturned—both fantastical lies. He said that the deficit is at its highest level ever and that the U.S. trade deficit is at its highest ever: both of those things happened during his administration. He lied that there were no terrorist attacks during his presidency; there were many. He said that Biden wants to quadruple people’s taxes—this is “pure fiction,” according to Dale—and lied that his tax cuts paid for themselves; they have, in fact, added trillions of dollars to the national debt. 

Dale went on: Trump lied that the U.S. has provided more aid to Ukraine than Europe has when it’s the other way around, and he was off by close to $100 billion when he named the amount the U.S. has provided to Ukraine. He was off by millions when he talked about how many migrants have crossed the border under Biden, and falsely claimed that some of Biden’s policies—like funding historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and reducing the price of insulin to $35 a month—were his own accomplishments.

There is no point in going on, because virtually everything he said was a lie. As Jake Lahut of the Daily Beast recorded, he also was all over the map. “On January 6,” Trump said, “we had a great border.” To explain how he would combat opioid addiction, he veered off into talking points about immigration and said his administration “bought the best dog.” He boasted about acing a cognitive test and that he had just recently won two golf club tournaments without mentioning that they were at his own golf courses. “To do that, you have to be quite smart and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way,” he said. “I can do it.” 

As Lahut recorded, Trump said this: “Clean water and air. We had it. We had the H2O best numbers ever, and we were using all forms of energy during my 4 years. Best environmental numbers ever, they gave me the statistic [sic.] before I walked on stage actually.”

Trump also directly accused Biden of his own failings and claimed Biden’s own strengths, saying, for example, that Biden, who has enacted the most sweeping legislation of any president since at least Lyndon Johnson, couldn’t get anything done while he, who accomplished only tax cuts, was more effective. He responded to the calling out of his own criminal convictions by saying that Biden “could be a convicted felon,” and falsely stating: “This man is a criminal.” And, repeatedly, Trump called America a “failing nation” and described it as a hellscape.

It went on and on, and that was the point. This was not a debate. It was Trump using a technique that actually has a formal name, the Gish gallop, although I suspect he comes by it naturally. It’s a rhetorical technique in which someone throws out a fast string of lies, non-sequiturs, and specious arguments, so many that it is impossible to fact-check or rebut them in the amount of time it took to say them. Trying to figure out how to respond makes the opponent look confused, because they don’t know where to start grappling with the flood that has just hit them.

It is a form of gaslighting, and it is especially effective on someone with a stutter, as Biden has. It is similar to what Trump did to Biden during a debate in 2020. In that case, though, the lack of muting on the mics left Biden simply saying: “Will you shut up, man?” a comment that resonated with the audience. Giving Biden the enforced space to answer by killing the mic of the person not speaking tonight actually made the technique more effective.

There are ways to combat the Gish gallop—by calling it out for what it is, among other ways—but Biden retreated to trying to give the three pieces of evidence that established his own credentials on the point at hand. His command of those points was notable, but the difference between how he sounded at the debate and how he sounded on stage at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, just an hour afterward suggested that the technique worked on him. 

That’s not ideal, but as Monique Pressley put it, “The proof of Biden’s ability to run the country is the fact that he is running it. Successfully. Not a debate performance against a pathological lying sociopath.” 

A much bigger deal is what it says that the television media and pundits so completely bought into Trump’s performance. They appear to have accepted Trump’s framing of the event—that he is dominant—so fully that the fact Trump unleashed a flood of lies and non-sequiturs simply didn’t register. And, since the format established that the CNN journalists running the debate did not challenge anything either candidate said, and Dale’s fact-checking spot came long after the debate ended, the takeaway of the event was a focus on Biden’s age rather than on Trump’s inability to tell the truth or form a coherent thought. 

At the end of the evening, pundits were calling not for Trump—a man liable for sexual assault and business fraud, convicted of 34 felonies, under three other indictments, who lied pathologically—to step down, but for Biden to step down…because he looked and sounded old. At 81, Biden is indeed old, but that does not distinguish him much from Trump, who is 78 and whose inability to answer a question should raise concerns about his mental acuity. 

About the effect of tonight’s events, former Republican operative Stuart Stevens warned: “Don’t day trade politics. It’s a sucker’s game. A guy from Queens out on bail bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade, said in public he didn’t have sex with a porn star, defended tax cuts for billionaires, defended Jan. 6th. and called America the worst country in the world. That guy isn’t going to win this race.”

Trump will clearly have pleased his base tonight, but Stevens is right to urge people to take a longer view. It’s not clear whether Trump or Biden picked up or lost votes; different polls gave the win to each, and it’s far too early to know how that will shake out over time. 

Of far more lasting importance than this one night is the clear evidence that stage performance has trumped substance in political coverage in our era. Nine years after Trump launched his first campaign, the media continues to let him call the shots. 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[shayshaybiscuit25]

This is just too unreal.

[dabeastme]

First look at Biden - Trump 2024 Presidential Debate

[anxietyfrappuccino]

i won the argument... this has never happened before

[angrykitten69]

[uboat53]

Well, I wasn't going to bother, but it turns out I do have something to say about Oliver Anthony and Rich Men North of Richmond and that is… has everyone's mind been so poisoned with politics that they've stopped being people?

I mean, look, I get it, I read and write a ton about politics. It interests me, what can I say. And, at its most basic sense, yes, this song is about politics in the sense that it's about the overarching question of who deserves to get what.

But it's not about politics, not in the way that our political system works. The song isn't a Republican song or a Democratic song, it's a frustrated song by a guy who doesn't map to either of those things. The fact that people have been so poisoned by politics that they can't see anything without trying to map it onto a forced binary really is emblematic of some of our larger problems as a society.

Look, Anthony is expressing frustration, and he's right to do so. Like most Americans who don't immerse themselves in economics and policy, he doesn't fully understand why this has happened, but he can see it happening all around him. This song is an expression of that anger, confusion, and frustration, not a reasoned political manifesto. He's lashing out and he hits out at a lot of targets, some of whom may not deserve it. That's how anger and frustration work.

The job of those of us who engage in politics is not to make people like Anthony more frustrated by trying to fit his message into our little boxes that don't seem to be doing anything to resolve his issues, our job is to engage with him. We need to acknowledge his frustrations and his anger, we need to let him know that we know why he feels that way.

Maybe after that, once he and others like him believe that we are actually listening to them, we can talk about how it got that way and what we can do to fix it, but people like him justifiably believe that those of us engaged in politics don't care about people like them enough to take the time to understand their struggles. It's justifiable because, honestly, not enough of us do. I'll admit that, as much as I try to do so, even I get caught up enough in the swirl of argumentation that I forget to sit down and do the important part first.

Kudos to Anthony for rejecting the far-right embrace of his song, it would have been very easy for him to just pocket the money, fame, and attention and start to make a living as yet another curiosity on the right-wing outrage circuit, but now is the time for us to step up. It's time to listen to the confused and frustrated Americans who are disconnected from our political debate. Listen, not teach, not explain to, not persuade, and definitely not use as an example as to why we were right all along. Listen.

And I get it, these people ARE disconnected from politics, they're not always easy to find. But if we keep ignoring them we're going to end up with more and more situations where they lash out in their anger and frustration and we can't be surprised then when they do damage.

[theverticalwoman]

I had promised myself I wouldn’t jump on the #MeghanMarkleisToxic bandwagon.

But now I am simply enraged at this latest “Lady Susan” development; obviously used by the Meghan and Harry PR camp to promote their crap, and simultaneously destroy The Wales efforts in the USA!

I have been asked a thousand times, many times rudely, « where I was from » by many Blacks/ Asians/ Whites in this country, England. It is what happens when you move to London. Everyone is from somewhere outside the UK: Italians, Somalians, Egyptians, Chinese, Americans, Polish, Chileans… People ask each other where they were born. There is a proper way to ask, of course; and I can understand that “Ngozi” (is that her real name?…) was vexed and uncomfortable.

Yet how many times have I been argued down by Brazilians, Eritreans, Congoleses, who thought I was “really from” their own land… Rude? Yes. Racists?…. As you wish to make it. But to make a PRESS TOUR ABOUT IT??!!

The turn of events magically turning the Royal Family as “institutionallyracist” really infuriates me! That expression is so often overused; and this ridicules the efforts of a whole race: people under real oppression, people finding it difficult to get work because of their appearance, you name it…

Meghan and Harry just so happen to be releasing their Netflix “effort” today, the very day after a scandal erupted around Lady Susan’s comments. They are also getting an award in a few days for their “efforts” at resisting the “racist” pressures from the monarchy.

Meghan Markle was treated very decently by the Windsors, as far as I and the rest of the UK could see. Many doors were opened for her, publicly and privately, which were not EVER for other ladies marrying into the family. Charles went and furnished her “fake” wedding with preacher, choir, and wedding dress: all paid for by him, who was made to be the most racist person alive 3 years later! He walked her down the aisle; as apparently “Dear daddy” was an evil bastard, and the entire rest of her extended family were also incapable of fulfilling the task… He also took her mothers hand to walk her out of the church.

Four years after her “fake” wedding, she has never stopped attacking them; not just as an institution, but as a family. Publicly. And as a “private” person too, of course.

This is all going to end very badly.

The couple (whilst still holding on to their titles) have done nothing but attack, whine, and vindicate. Harry Windsor used to be close to his brother, his sister-in-law, his grandmother, his friends. He has insulted them on public platforms ever since his wife came on the scene. He has been at war with the Wales for 5 whole years. HOW BADLY WAS MEGHAN TREATED, REALLY??  And WHAT DOES SHE WANT??!…

This has gone way too far; and yet is not over. There is the memoir, the Netflix series; and God knows what else.

This latest addition to the saga only means more strife; as the Ngozi woman’s encounter with Lady Susan is now directly paralleled with Meghan’s “ordeals”. In the press, people speak of nothing else but her “daily tribulations within the family”.

But Misery loves company.

What do you know??… Somebody wears African and Rastafarian statements ALL OVER their person: then only goes and GETS OFFENDED when asked where she’s really from! Shouldn’t one be PROUD of stating the African heritage they’re so LOUDLY BOASTING ABOUT through their clothing??

Again: Blacks approach Blacks with that question ALL THE TIME!

Talk about building PR out of a cretinous encounter, for ones “charity” and for ones idol Markle!

Talk about stirring up the pot! Whatan unnecessary mess! What a disaster!

Someone end this crap. Right now.

#meghanmarkleistoxic #ImNotaRoyalistButIloveJustice

[morgancgaliano]

"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…"

Sauce: International W.Churchill Society

Now, not than Winnye was a fair man or anything, he had dire responsibilities in WWII, his morals was grey (isn'it true of any statesman? I think yes), but at least he knew one thing or two on politics and governments.

Information must be free and freely accessible, speech must be free and unfiltered, even when hideous and intolerable: te risk is not being able to develop antibodies against totalitarism, dictatorship, monopolization of powers, discourse and markets or, more simply, hypocritical and sanctimonious polarization of culture.

tiktok is such an awful app, it's almost designed to feed you misinformation and expose you to insane discourse. unlike beloved tumblr, the app that feeds me misinformation and exposes me to insane discourse

[marvelsmostwanted]

When you see the news about all of the heinous Supreme Court decisions that were just made please remember that every single one is a direct result of the fact that Donald Trump was the president from 2016-2020 and Hillary Clinton was not. And there are two conservative justices who will likely retire as soon as a second Trump term begins so he can appoint younger people and enshrine conservatism on the court for another 50+ years. So. Please vote. It will at least give us a fighting chance to get our rights back sooner

[irnhero]

if i see one more article, post, or news anchor talking about how joe biden is old, i'm putting my fist through a window. i feel like i've gone through the fucking looking glass.

this is project 2025, trump's plan for what he'll do if elected. whatever you think is in there, it's worse. watch a breakdown of the highlights here. this man wants to unravel the fabric of our democracy for good - this all aside from his vitriolic hatred of poc, his determination to start ww3, and the fact that he can't string a sentence together without telling outrageous and easily verifiable lies. his administration will start their crusade to exterminate trans people on day one, and they won't stop there.

do not talk to me about how joe biden is old, as if that could ever matter to me more than my life or the lives of my friends and family. my little sister is 14, she's trans, and i don't know what to tell her when we talk about politics, because one of these people wants her dead and the other one is old and some of you are still acting like those problems are equals.

i can't fucking stand this. i'm not hearing it this time, we are not repeating 2016. refusing to vote is not an act of protest, it is an act of complacency, and our most vulnerable will suffer for your negligence. vote like your life depends on it, because for some of us, it really fucking does.

[freepaleatine95]

Harris now begins her defeat speech. Most expect it to lose in some states due to the Biden administration's support for Israel and its promise to stand by Gaza. Unfortunately, Trump will also not stand with Gaza, and since his term, he has declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel.Please support Gaza because in reality there is no administration or president who stands by the oppressed people of Gaza. Only free peoples stand by them. In this difficult time, I call on you to support my oppressed family in Gaza.

Please stand by my family from famine and devastating war

To support my family from here 👈👈

Palestine is free

[trendynewsnow]

The Controversy of Water Fluoridation in New York City

The Ongoing Debate Over Water Fluoridation in New York City New York City has been fluoridating its tap water since 1965, a significant public health initiative that began when Mayor Eric Adams was just five years old. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes water fluoridation as one of the “Ten Great Public Health Achievements” of the 20th century, highlighting its…

[lady-raziel]

honestly if in like 2012 you had told anyone that dick Cheney and Taylor swift had both endorsed the same candidate for president and that person was a Democratic woman of color and she was running against reality tv star Donald Trump they would have asked what shitty adult cartoon episode you were referencing

[iakshaysrivastav]

Bahraich Encounter: Law, Order, and Politics in Uttar Pradesh

In the fast-paced and ever-evolving political landscape of India, law and order situations often serve as fuel for political discourse. The recent encounter in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, involved police shooting dead an accused criminal. This event has reignited the age-old debate on police encounters and human rights. It also brings up the fine line between justice and abuse of power. As this…

[locklylemybeloved]

the absolute worst thing is that, objectively, if he was not real, trump would be funny as fuck. as a skit character? like literally fucking hilarious. but no, he’s not a dramatized, satirical parody that exaggerates a stereotype. no. this man is REAL. and that is. fucking terrifying