#electoral implications

[trendynewsnow]

The Potential Consequences of a Trump Presidency on American Democracy

Potential Implications of a Trump Presidency As the upcoming presidential election appears to be a tight race, one cannot help but contemplate the potential ramifications for American democracy and the global landscape if Donald Trump were to reclaim the presidency. While some may sensationalize the situation—such as Hillary Clinton’s assertion that a Trump victory would signify “the end of our…

[izzymalec]

i cannot stress enough how much this isn't about you

u think eurovision is a competition between european countries but it's a actually a competition between the jury and the people

[drchucktingle]

the curve

somehow ive found myself in a position where folks come to chuck in times of strife for encouragement. lets get the big part of this conversation out of the way LOVE IS STILL REAL and that is the thing to remember. that north star remains. today there is more to talk about though

existence pushes towards love community and freedom, because CREATION is what we were built to do and creation thrives with these things as fuel. IT GETS BETTER. LOVE IS REAL. however this change comes in up and down waves. its not a straight line and should not be expected to be

some of these waves are short and small, and some of the slopes are years or decades long. there is no mincing words here, we are entering a massive downward wave. the implications are huge and it is okay to mourn that. FEEL THOSE FEELINGS. it is an important part of the ride

the most telling sign post on our slope is this: tromp won the popular vote (or likely will when the votes are done). we can talk POLITICAL STRATEGY all day about electoral college or who should court the center or the left and on and on but ultimately THIS is the real story

to me it signals a TRUE cultural shift. likely conservatives will have presidency, senate, house, and supreme court. WHAT A GIANT SLOPE. HOLD THE HECK ON because we will be riding it for a while, deep into the pit of the void. hold your buds tight, prove love at the local level

but heres the thing, MASSIVE waves have happened before. theyll happen again. mind numbing slopes into the abyss and great soaring leaps into the sky. in fact the inertia almost ALWAYS causes them to happen right after each other. hippies or punks back in the day, buckaroos now

politically we were trapped in a basically fifty fifty trot for a long time, but it was not always like this (just look at old election maps what the heck). to be honest, tromps map looks like one of those old maps right now. and DANG did COUNTER MOVEMENTS blooms from those times

in other words, THERE WILL BE A COUNTER CULTURE MOVEMENT THAT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN OUR LIFETIMES. you are now a rebel for the resistance and the wave that will swing back towards love will awe us in ways we cannot even imagine yet.

but for now, feel those feelings, mourn, prove love, stay safe. do not let the hope i am espousing feel like a distraction from the very real, even deadly consequences of the terrible pit we are plummeting into. it is a horrible day, and FUTURE HOPE does not diminish that, BUT

get ready because that counter culture wave is coming and YOU are a part of it. if you want to shout HECK OFF DEVILS then shout it LOUD, if you want to cry then cry HARD, if you want to love then love with your WHOLE HEART. thats the start of the movement that we dont know yet

when that movement takes shape we will feel the inertia of the curve and it may make us sick from the rollercoaster turn, and that pressure will be uncomfortable and scary, but THEN buckaroo, we will soar, and ill be so dang glad to be holding on tight with you when we do

[qqueenofhades]

I feel like it's important to point out that in the last few days alone, in the middle of the ongoing flap about How Old He Is, Biden has announced two MAJOR pieces of progressive legislation/priorities for his second term: a) major SCOTUS reform, term limits for SCOTUS justices, a constitutional amendment nullifying the "president god-king" ruling, and b) legislation to cap/stabilize rent costs nationwide and financially punish landlords who raise their tenant's rent by more than a certain percentage (the news I saw had it as no more than 5%) in a year.

It is important to note that aside from these both being necessary and needed (the SCOTUS reform alone, holy shit) Biden's response to challenges to his candidacy is to go MORE left, not LESS. The conventional wisdom for 800 years has always been that Democrats Need To Go More Centrist, a mainstream and longterm Democrat like Biden has absolutely heard it over and over, and we have heard so much about how we need to court Republicans who are tired of Trump by being more conservative. Biden is not doing that. He is making the electoral gamble that the way to win is by going even more left, which would also have implications for his policy agenda in a second term, especially when he was freed of re-election concerns and could just go "fuck it."

Now we, and I cannot emphasize this enough, need to reward him for the move leftward and incentivize him to do it more. When you shout endlessly at politicians to be more left and then just bitch at them for not being even more left even when they move in that direction, you discourage them from doing so and make the hoary old Move To The Center narrative come back yet again. So:

[gurucave]

Trump Secures Victory in New Hampshire Primary, Posing Challenges for Rival Haley

The 2024 United States presidential election season is underway, and New Hampshire recently hosted its crucial primary, marking a pivotal moment in the race. In a swift announcement by the Associated Press, former President Donald Trump emerged as the Republican winner, further solidifying his dominance within the party. This article delves into the New Hampshire primary results, analyzing the…

[comicaurora]

So uhh. If you feel like talking about it. As someone who lives in the US, how are you being kind to yourself on this upsetting morning <3

Checked in with my loved ones first and foremost.

It's interesting. The vibe I've been getting from my circle is very different from 2016. Much less… dread and horror at a realignment of the understanding of what can and can't happen here, now, in this place and day and age. More "fuck, guys. again? whatever. enjoy your consequences, maybe you'll manage to learn something this time."

Frustration and anger is not the most positive feeling, or even the most fair one to express, but it is a protective one. It hurts a lot less than most alternatives.

And it's quite a shift. It was earthshattering back then. How could this have been allowed to happen? Why couldn't it be stopped? Why couldn't we stop it? Why couldn't I stop it? Why couldn't everyone see what this meant? Why couldn't I make them understand? Did they really not care? What did that mean about humanity as a whole? Were we so thoughtless? How could anyone be trusted?

It seems… much less earthshattering to see it happen twice. Disappointing, sure. Frustrating. But nowhere near as devastating as the first time I saw it unfold. We already knew it could happen. I've already had time to digest the implications. Now I'm just freshly disappointed.

It also feels less indicative of Crushing Truths Of Reality this time. We've seen shit get bad. We've also seen shit get better from here! We know both outcomes are possible, even inevitable. We know hoping for a better future is always worthwhile. This isn't the apocalypse. It's an unremarkably bad turn of events brought on by unremarkably self-centered well-documented human impulses. It's utterly mundane in its unpleasantness. It doesn't need to be dignified with despair.

A democratic election, no matter the outcome or the side we're on, makes us all acutely aware of how outnumbered we are by people whose worldviews and priorities are demonstrably incomprehensible to us. And the first time you get outnumbered, it's a shock. Defeat is haunting. It didn't matter how badly you wanted it; by the very function of democracy, you do not have the power to override greater numbers. (insert electoral college caveat here)

The second time through, I find myself focusing on a different facet that has dramatically reduced the amount of spiralling I'm doing. I don't expect this to work for everyone, but for me specifically, it helped to crystallize a few thoughts:

You don't have the power to control anyone else. You don't. You can't share your worldview and your revelations with them. You can't make them think or understand anything. You can lay it all out for them, but you can't make them listen, and you can't make it click. A mentor can't make their student learn a lesson; that's why teaching is so complicated and hard. An active choice must be made by the person to enable themselves to understand, and they must put the pieces together in their own mind before it makes sense to them, and the pieces must have been presented in a way that makes sense to them in the first place. Lead a horse to water, can't make them drink.

These elections highlight a disconnect in what different groups of people care about; and no matter how clearly you explain yourself or how passionately you perform, caring cannot be forced on someone. Understanding and connection cannot be forced. You cannot make anything or anyone matter to someone. They have to choose to see how it matters in order to internalize it. If they choose not to, that is not your failing. You couldn't have made them do it by just Explaining Better. They are not your responsibility. They make their own choices. You can't reach inside their head and connect the dots for them.

I'm a storyteller. I make stories and put them out into the world. I hope people get something good out of them, but I have no control over what that something is. I want people to be thoughtful and kind and compassionate and hopeful and see themselves reflected in stranges, no matter their differences. I can craft stories that I hope encourage this. But that is the extent of my ability and the extent of my responsibility. I control no-one's actions but my own, and so while I am not having the best day, I am at least content that I am doing what I can, and I am not shattering myself against impossibilities trying to control the things I can't.

Sometimes, people make decisions that I think are really bad. I can't make that not happen. All I can do is try to make decisions that will result in things I think are good. Today, that means checking in on people, and not assigning too much dramatic narrative weight to an ultimately mundane set of unremarkable bad decisions outside of my control. We'll take life as it comes and help each other out when and how we can. Everything else is out of our hands.

[apas-95]

I think we need to acknowledge that most people who try to explain why electoralism is bad fail to actually... explain why electoralism is bad, because they don't ever actually mention class dictatorship, class characteristics, or even class at all, beyond vague gestures at it being the ultimate reason *why* 'the democrats and the republicans are both the same', but without actually delving into the *how*, or the implications of who stands to gain by what action. Just saying 'the democrats and republicans are both identical in terms of important policies like wars' does little to explain why you couldn't Push Them Left in the way an actual explanation of the basics of political power, ruling classes, and of playing 'good cop, bad cop' would.

[bamgyw]

right, so he won.

we tend to be cynical and laugh him off, but it’s so painfully clear and scary how this ignorant fucking narcissist cosplaying as the poor man's idea of a wealthy man could become president of the united states—not once, but twice.

a man who seems barely literate, whose statements have been nothing but blatant, poorly constructed lies, yet he’s secured power. again. and while i can’t fully predict the implications, i know they don’t look good.

i fear for american citizens trapped in a dystopian neoliberal state where food is made of plastic and a lack of money can cost you your life on a hospital gurney.

i fear for europe, also scarred by fascism and blindly following the united states. every week for the past year, our prime ministers have appeared on television, warning us to prepare to defend our values in coming wars, most, if not all of which, are initiated by the u.s.

i fear for the palestinian people, undergoing a fucking genocide at the hands of israel—a state powered by the immense machinery of the american arms industry. if the u.s. withdrew its support, israel would be forced to stop. they're nothing. a flimsy geopolitical construct fuelled by pure evil. but like israel, the united states is a settler colony, built on the displacement, massacre, and erasure of the people who originally lived there. they both justify their actions as a divine mission for the land they claim was promised by god. imperialistic bullshit.

i fear that palestinians have lost their last glimmer of hope and the faint promise of a two-state solution that even kamala harris claimed to defend. flawed and half-hearted as it was, it at least held the possibility of a ceasefire.

i fear for trans and racialized people in the united states, who have become primary targets of brutal, baseless hate speech, a rhetoric now normalized among more than half the american electorate.

i’m not going to take the easy route—the classist one—and say that a bunch of uneducated rednecks voted for another uneducated redneck.

truth is, we’re living in unsafe times, and that fear makes us vulnerable to hoaxes, propaganda, and manipulation. education was supposed to be the antidote—the tool to help us see when politicians are lying, when a vulnerable group is scapegoated for society’s problems. and yet, here we are, repeating history. it’s been less than a century since world war II, and a fascist has been voted into power.

i don’t know why i felt the need to go off on this tangent, but this issue is global, and it’s genuinely terrifying. i don’t trust our politicians. it feels like being abandoned by a parent—the state, which is supposed to protect us, leaving us to fend for ourselves. we've seen that with hurricane milton, with the floods in valencia.

many of us have never had to experience extreme poverty or coexist with death, so it’s easy and fun to live blissfully unaware. but we’d better hope it stays that way. and i also hope that instead of letting our fear turn into paralyzing anxiety, we can make the effort of turning it into determined, militant anger.

and yeah… that’s about it, i think. there’s a lot i haven’t mentioned, a lot of people, a lot of rights lost today. but i haven’t slept. i’m really tired. gonna sleep bye.

[reasonsforhope]

Donald Trump charged in Georgia for efforts to overturn the 2020 election

Link here, because WaPo's security measures stop Tumblr previews. Non-paywall link here.

"Former president Donald Trump and 18 others were criminally charged in Georgia on Monday in connection with efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state, according to an indictment made public late Monday night [on August 14, 2023].

Trump was charged with 13 counts, including violating the state’s racketeering act, soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree and conspiring to file false documents.

The Recap

The historic indictment, the fourth to implicate the former president, follows a 2½-year investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D). The probe was launched after audio leaked from a January 2021 phone call during which Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to question the validity of thousands of ballots, especially in the heavily Democratic Atlanta area, and said he wanted to “find” the votes to erase his 2020 loss in the state.

Willis’s investigation quickly expanded to other alleged efforts by Trumpor his supporters, including trying to thwart the electoral college process, harassing election workers, spreading false information about the voting process in Georgia and compromising election equipment in a rural county. Trump has long decried the Georgia investigation as a “political witch hunt,” defending his calls to Raffensperger and others as “perfect.”

The Details

“Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump,” the indictment states.

A total of 41 charges are brought against 19 defendants in the 98-page indictment. Not all face the same counts, but all have been charged with violating the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Willis said she has given those charged until Aug. 25 to surrender.

Among those charged are Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who served as Trump’s personal attorney after the election; Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; and several Trump advisers, including attorneys John Eastman, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro...

Prosecutors brought charges around five subject areas: false statements by Trump allies, including Giuliani, to the Georgia legislature; the breach of voting data in Coffee County; calls Trump made to state officials, including Raffensperger, seeking to overturn Biden’s victory; the harassment of election workers; and the creation of a slate of alternate electors to undermine the legitimate vote. Those charged in the case were implicated in certain parts of what prosecutors presented as a larger enterprise to undermine the election."

-via The Washington Post, August 14, 2023

[rainybubbles]

COD men and civilian jobs

I was wondering for you, what would COD men do if they had a civilian job?

Please share your opinionnnn !!!

So :

-I imagine Soap as a firefighter or a sports coach; he loves people and craves the thrill of adrenaline.

-Gaz could be a teacher, emanating a calm aura, and I see him excelling with kids or teenagers. Alternatively, he might thrive as a doctor or surgeon in the ER due to his ability to handle stressful situations. (the question is what subject as a teacher ?)

-Ghost might be best suited as a mechanic or a cook. He possesses exceptional skills but dislikes client service or social interaction. With his preference for routine, a career as a cook suits him well.

-Price would excel as a history teacher, particularly at the university level. (I've seen so many fics about it, I love it each times) His passion for guiding and assisting others, leading them to achieve their Ph.D. or dreams, aligns perfectly with this role.

-Nikolai's fit is obvious—he'd make an excellent pilot, perhaps in Formula 1, or even a taxi driver.

-Alex's strong sense of justice suggests a career in the legal system, perhaps initially as a lawyer defending large corporations before realizing the ethical implications and shifting to advocate for the underprivileged, akin to Murdock.

-Farah's natural inclination toward defending people's rights makes her a perfect fit for a career in politics. She would thrive in electoral campaigns and fighting for social justice issues, embodying the qualities of a strong leader.

-Laswell also exudes political vibes, aligning with a similar career trajectory, or maybe an interpret.

-König seems suited to be a baker, I am possibly influenced by reading too much about bakeries featuring Konig. Additionally, baking often serves as a coping mechanism for anxiety, which could resonate with him. Imagining him in a quaint local bakery in a peaceful village feels fitting.

-Alejandro's need for action suggests a career as an MMA fighter or a police officer. (it sounds dumb, but it makes sense in my mind-)His inherent drive to confront challenges and conflicts makes him well-suited for such physically demanding roles.

-Rudy appears outwardly calm but harbors a fiery passion. He might have been an ex-athlete who suffered a severe injury, leading him to find solace in a quieter profession like being a librarian. This juxtaposition of calmness and inner fire aligns well with such a career path.

Tell me your opinion, I really want to write a "how you meet them" in this AU, so does it sound good for you or not ?

[dhaaruni]

Protest voting in safe states over Gaza (and other issues) gives a permission structure for swing state voters to not vote for Harris

The implication of protest voting is that people in safe states who vote for Harris are morally inferior since we're not electorally pure

I'm not telling people what to do, if you don't want to vote for Kamala Harris, that's your prerogative. But when Trump won in 2016, I was sad but felt zero guilt, and I can't say the same for the holier than thou left-of-center protest voters!

Take that how you will.

[lesbiskammerat]

weird question, but as that I know you don't like Stalin and you tend to be objective in your posts, I wanted to ask what's your opinion on him "killing the socialist movement world wide" or just "Stalinism" killing or setting back the movement

It's an oversimplification of history at best, and usually involves seeing the communist movement before him through rose-tinted glasses. There's a million criticisms to be made of Stalin and his administration more broadly, from understandable mistakes that we can easily spot with hindsight, to downright atrocious and terrible policy, and we should by no means shy away from them. But for many of them it's reductive, at least in terms of understanding the full scope of them and how to avoid similar things in the future, to lay them simply at the feet of Stalin himself or some smaller circle of bureaucrats like Beria. Not because we need to be nice to them or absolve them but because it often goes much deeper than them, implicating figures you might love like Lenin.

Trotskyists are infamously fond of this narrative (although their better analyses of course go deeper than Stalin simply corrupting the revolution with his evil and greed), but it rears its head with the lowest common denominator of basically every tendency under the sun. Fans of Mao might say Deng took the capitalist road and ignore Mao's own role, fans of Stalin will say it was Khrushchev but pretend not to see the connections to Stalin's own policy, and on it goes.

Besides this it also often just ends up turning into counterfactual history which is rarely useful. What if Stalin hadn't enabled conservative views and policy on women? What if the Comintern hadn't pursued electoralism for the sake of peace in western Europe? I don't know, a million things would have been different. So many individuals, groups, parties, countries, etc. would have reacted to those changes. It's not about what Stalin or the party should have done differently, or what the international movement should have done in response, it's about what we should do right now. Sometimes counterfactual history can help us get started thinking about those things, but that's about the limits of its usefulness politically.

[hotvintagepoll]

Hello when you say “propaganda” in the hot women poll what sort of thing should I put?

For the submission form, I'm looking for something I can put in the poll blurb that will really sell people on your hot lady if they don't already know her vibe. You can submit anything you want that feels right—here are a few rough ideas to get you started:

a description of what traits make her special ("i love her smokey deep voice!" "she's got this dynamo kill-a-man quality," "she's just so silly and fun!!")

talk about her career, politics, or stuff about her life, if you think that would sway people ("she protested against McCarthyism!" "she was an outspoken advocate during the AIDS crisis," "she was the first Black woman to ever win this Oscar!")

fun facts you think people should know ("she had 40 burmese mountain dogs!" "she liked knitting and fencing :)" "her pickled herring recipe was the talk of the town" "she turned down glup shittgrant's proposal! TWICE!")

just straight-up losing-it kicking-your-feet-twirling-your-hair giggling-behind-the-bleachers swooning ("SIT ON MY FACE." "hnnnggg pretty ladyyyy" "listen I see her and my brain turns OFF")

you could also include a link or two if she's better in motion! ("here's her dancing with fred astaire," "nothing i say will convince you like her iconic speech at 11:24 in this clip")

these are just ideas—anything that conveys her vibe and hotness to the electorate is welcome

If you need ideas, look through the old hot men posts—we have a good range there from "I think he murdered Natalie Wood but I like his eyes" to "[complete essay on a James Stewart character and the queer implications]." The more specific you can get with why your loved one is so hot, the better :)

[imsobadatnicknames2]

I think something that a lot of liberals completely fail to grasp (or that they're aware of but fail to grasp the implications) when arguing with anyone to their left is that the vast majority of leftists USED to be liberals.

It's not that the annarkiddie or tamkey you're arguing with has somehow managed to remain completely unaware and ignorant of the concept of incremental change, or has never stopped to consider the merits of electoralism, or is fundamentally too stupid and childish to understand the concept of The Lesser Evil. Chances are they used to believe the same things you believe right now (probably equally fervently) and used to make the exact same points you're making right now, and then they experienced, or read, or heard, or saw things that caused them to move away from those beliefs and made those points stop making sense to them.

And that means that you're presenting literally zero new information when you go "uhm well there's this thing called incremental change" like you're just taking someone and repeating back at them things that they used to believe and that they probably found a convincing reason to stop believing.

[ngdrb]

Why Donald Trump is Not the Right Choice for Our Future

In the lead-up to the upcoming election, it is crucial for American voters to reflect on the implications of their choices. A review of Donald Trump's rhetoric and actions reveals a troubling pattern that raises serious concerns about his suitability for the presidency. As we stand at a crossroads in our nation’s history, it is imperative to recognize why we must choose a leader who embodies the values and integrity we hold dear.

**1. Undermining Democracy:**

Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the foundations of our democracy, questioning the integrity of our electoral process and promoting baseless claims of widespread fraud. His actions have sown discord and mistrust among Americans, undermining the essential belief in fair elections that is vital for our democracy to thrive.

**2. Divisive Rhetoric:**

Throughout his tenure and campaign, Trump has employed language that exacerbates divisions among Americans. His comments often target marginalized communities, fueling hatred and intolerance. A true leader should unite, not divide, and instill a sense of shared purpose among all citizens, regardless of their background.

**3. Ignoring Global Responsibility:**

Trump’s approach to foreign policy has often been marked by isolationism and disregard for international alliances. His dismissal of climate change, withdrawal from global agreements, and strained relationships with key allies have jeopardized America's standing on the world stage. In a time of global challenges, we need a leader who understands the importance of collaboration and responsibility.

**4. Erosion of Trust:**

Integrity matters. Trump's history of misleading statements and unverified claims has eroded public trust in government. Americans deserve a leader who communicates honestly and transparently, fostering a healthy relationship between the government and its citizens.

**5. Economic Disparities:**

While Trump often touts economic growth, the reality is that his policies have disproportionately benefited the wealthy, leaving many middle- and lower-class Americans struggling. A commitment to equitable economic policies is essential for a thriving nation, and we need a leader who prioritizes the welfare of all citizens, not just a select few.

**Conclusion:**

As the election approaches, it is vital for every American to consider the values and principles they wish to see reflected in their leadership. Donald Trump’s record speaks volumes about his ability to lead with integrity, compassion, and respect for all. We must choose a candidate who embodies unity, accountability, and a commitment to the greater good. Not the one who is trying to stay out of prison.

Let us stand together to build a future that reflects our highest ideals. Vote for a leader who will elevate our nation and inspire hope, not fear.

[curiousenglishgent]

Dear Americans

Congratulations on your election, isn’t it great to live in a free society where we get a say in who governs us.

I’m not sure if you are aware that here in Europe 90% of people think you’re a bit mad for voting in Trump.

But that’s why we are not America i suppose, you do you and all that.

This post isn’t about scoring points or trying to make fun of you it’s just a few questions i would so love to know what you think about so i can understand things from your perspective.

I get you do not speak for everyone in your country. And opinions will differ but every voice helps

So with all that said I have a few questions i would love to know your answers too?

The orange face and hair thing Trump has going on in the uk that would make you unelectable do you not notice that? Or are you above judging people for stuff like that?

As a country of immigrants (apart from the few remaining indigenous folks) do you appreciate that without welcoming boarders your lives would be so so different. Do you appreciate that? If so how does that square with a policy of mass deportation?

In England when we made abortion illegal/very hard to get in the 1800s there was a massive growth in illicit abortion places run by unqualified people, mass botched procedures happened and many injuries and depths we found that desperate people would do desperate things. How do you plan to ensure this doesn’t happen in your country?

Whilst on the abortion topic, is it widely known that believing in life at conception has many implications with most contraception choices e.g most pills try to prevent a egg and sperm coming together but also make it so the womb rejects a new fetus so its very possible millions of these “abortions” happen every month. Why do I never hear that coming from staunch anti-abortionists?

Trump is proven to lie and has been charged with crimes that would make you unelectable here. Why does that not seem to bother you?

the bankruptcies why does this get overlooked at the voter booth?

The affairs, trump has settled many casses rather than face up to it in court also the use of NDA’s. A person with significant moral failures would never get the following Trump has here in Europe. I suppose we Iike our leaders to be more vanilla, Can you explain why Bill Clinton got so many people upset and Trump doesn’t seem to bother the electorate so much?

I would so love to understand these questions if you have a view please let me know

Looking forward to reading your answers

Thanks