#i demand more yankee* positivity in media

[saulwexler]

refreshing to see a new york urbanite depicted as hero rather than the small town yokels:/ my cousin vinny would never be made today

[welllpthisishappening]

Emma Swan, Olympian is not a phrase Emma Swan, totally normal person, ever expected to hear.

But she never expected one night at a party hosted by her college's baseball team to change her entire life, either. So, it should really come as no surprise that Emma Swan, Olympian, is now something of international sensation. Or that her husband has become a bit of a social media star.

——— Rating: Teen with sports feelings Word Count: 7.5K AN: As promised and because of who I am as a person, I wrote Olympic fic. I can neither confirm nor deny that there is an actual plot here, but there is a surplus of fluff and sports-based feelings. So, that’s something. Thanks to the Detroit Lions, specifically, for posting this Tweet and to my husband who is very much aware of what content I want the internet to provide me. Operation: Make Killian a New York Yankee as often as possible continues.

|| Read on Ao3 if that’s your jam ||

———

No one told her the questions would start to blur together.

That would require media training, Emma imagines. And no one is giving a first-time Olympian in a sport that only a handful of people marginally believe warrants notice from the IOC any sort of media training. She got, like, an orientation packet. With a lopsided staple in the top left corner. On her commercial flight. That she booked herself.

Twenty-plus hours crammed into a seat that she’s only a little concerned did permanent damage to her right knee, with a meal that was so chewy Emma was about four seconds and one exasperated, entirely exhausted exhale from asking if it was, in fact, made of plastic.

Mostly, the staple is what’s still managing to frustrate her. As frustrated as she can be at the Olympics. No one is supposed to be frustrated at the Olympics. Not really. Not while experiencing the pinnacle of athletic achievement, the calluses on Emma’s fingertips some sort of badge of honor that she’s wearing with at least a modicum of national pride, and everything is fine.

Her qualifying time was absurd. Where absurd is a compliment and very close to a record she’s suddenly determined to shatter.

So, she’s alone.

Big deal. So is everyone else. This Olympics, at least. Plus, Killian wouldn’t have been able to come no matter what the state of the world was. Even so, the quiet stands are admittedly weird. All these empty arenas with empty seats, the distinct lack of a roaring crowd no more obvious than when the world’s best athletes step to the line. Staring at the climbing wall in front of her four hours earlier, Emma swore she could hear every single beat of her heart echo between her ears.

And that’s—well, solitude is par for the course with an adolescence like hers, half-filled suitcases and brand-new faces in brand-new towns, but she’d gotten used to one town, and the town is actually a city, and the city has long since felt like home, and her fingers reach for the rings dangling above her Team USA t-shirt. They did give her an absolute shit ton of t-shirts, so that was nice.

Except—

Something keeps tugging. Nagging at the back of Emma’s consciousness, almost like she’s forgotten her keys on that flea market table they found in Park Slope two weeks after they moved into the apartment. Because for as well-versed Emma may be in that singular sort of existence, she’s also well-removed from wanting it, and at least three of her knuckles crack. Curling around her rings.

Muscles in her cheeks stretch, another nod and quick blink to avoid the threat of blinding via camera flashes. Someone really should have told her about this. She probably should have assumed. Human interest is the driving force of at least three-quarters of the stories in sports, and Emma’s not used to being the story, per se, but even she has to admit most of hers makes for a good one and they are still asking her questions.

Emma blinks again. Hopes she doesn’t look like a serial killer or the weird blonde, slightly sweaty cousin of the Joker, her smile starting to feel as if it’s painted on her face. She nods. Hums. Listens to questions that are startling in their tonal similarity to Charlie Brown’s teacher, and Emma wonders if Charlie Brown ever got a different teacher or what the school structure of the Peanuts’ universe is and, God, how old was Charlie Brown, even? To withstand that sort of consistent bullying. Was Linus the same age as him? No, right? How long did he carry the blanket around? Was Linus the same age as Sally? Why didn’t the red-headed girl with curly hair get a name?

She nearly falls out of her chair.

That might make the front page of several blogs. Possibly even the back page of a New York tab.

Careful to keep her feet on the ground, Emma lifts her head, directing her eyes toward the source of a question that must have been asked several times if the note of amusement mixing with deadline-based exasperation is anything to go by. Her smile definitely makes her look like a serial killer.

“Sorry, sorry,” Emma mumbles, and none of the oxygen she does her best to inhales makes it even close to her lungs. “I, uh—what was the question?”

The reporter grimaces.

“I wanted to know if you’d seen the video of your husband yet.”

Ice runs down her spine. Every single drop of wholly disgusting sweat falling in rivulets down either one of her cheeks freezes. Oxygen disappears from the room. Or so Emma assumes, what with the crushing feeling pushing down on her lungs and whatnot.

Her mind whirs. Races through possibilities and pitfalls with a speed that would be impressive if Emma weren’t already so close to that record, and she is going to break that record. Somehow she manages not to fall, though. From her chair or the metaphorical climbing wall in her brain, ignoring the sudden dryness of her mouth and the increasing size of her tongue.

Her nails are going to leave little half-moon creases in her palm.

“I don’t—” she starts, and eventually she will wish she was more articulate. For what turns out to be a very nice story.

Standing up, the reporter’s seat creaks as she moves toward the desk they deposited Emma behind after even. Several Olympic officials move to block her, but Emma shakes her head again, and she’s not exactly high-priority on the list of defensible athletes, anyway. So, none of them flinch when the reporter slides a phone closer to Emma, her crazed thoughts briefly lingering on how many phones a reporter could possibly need, but then her eyes drop, and she’s not sure if her ears can actually perk, but Emma certainly tries because she hears him yelling before she sees him.

Her smile shifts.

And the cameras flash again.

It starts, as with most things in Emma’s collegiate life, because Anna demands it.

She’s only half-listening, so Emma can never be entirely sure what it was, exactly, she was agreeing to, but in her experience, the agreement doesn’t matter so much as the action, and her roommate’s younger sister is unstoppable when it comes to action. So, Emma is dimly aware of a plan. Something about the baseball house and that one left fielder is in a handful of her classes.

David—something.

He’s got a girlfriend, too. A nice one. Who always smells like sugar when she slides into the seat next to David whatever his last name is, sitting in the row in front of Emma during their Tuesday-Thursday statistics class.

Emma hates statistics.

She doesn’t hate Anna, though. Or her roommate, one of the better college-based surprises, and either Anna has magic or Elsa is an enormous pushover because somehow all three of them are ready at the same time, and the walk to the baseball house isn’t far.

First-year players guard the door — passing out color-coded wristbands that absolutely do not do their job because it takes about six seconds of well-meaning flirting and batted eyelashes between Anna and a mountain of muscle masquerading as the team’s starting catcher to get them inside. With purple wristbands and two tickets for jungle juice instead of the keg.

“Victory,” Anna cries, twisting through the crowd. Half of it is already teetering on the edge of drunk, the rest free-falling into the pit of imminent hangovers, and Emma isn’t sure she’d classify their drinks as a victory, but it’s definitely better than watered-down beer.

And it doesn’t take long, really. By Emma’s shaky count, it’s not even a half-hour before the muscle — who introduces himself as Kristoff, and really is pretty cute, actually — returns, standing unnaturally close to Anna’s left shoulder, furtive glances shared out of the corners of their eyes. Emma rolls hers. Elsa’s appear perpetually stuck to the ceiling. It looks oddly sticky up there.

“Go,” Elsa says, and it’s not an instruction. Barely counts as more than a whisper, really. Anna lights up all the same. Like an alcohol-fueled Christmas tree.

Who does not need telling more than once.

Hands reach and smiles widen, Kristoff mumbling something that sounds like it was nice to meet you before he’s following Anna back to the beer pong table, leaving Elsa and Emma standing in the middle of a sea of raging hormones. All of which want to be there way more than either one of them does.

“Well,” Elsa mutters, “that was polite.”

Emma snickers into her glass. A mostly empty glass. That’s surprising. “Got that going for him.” “Plus, his on-base is nuts this year.”

“Say that again.” “On-base percentage,” Elsa repeats, making sure to do it slowly for maximum sarcastic emphasis. Emma’s eyes are going to fall out. That won’t end well. There are too many shuffling feet in this room.

“What does that mean?” “How often he gets on base.” Opening her mouth does nothing. Closing it does even less. Elsa looks overjoyed. “I know things,” she shrugs, “and I’m pretty positive Anna and Kristoff have been not-so-secretly dating since the start of the semester, so—” “You stalked your sister’s secret boyfriend?” “Stalk’s a very dirty word, don’t you think? No, no, there was no stalking. There was light research. One Google search and a single click to the team’s roster, and now I know he’s from Minnesota, too.” “Awfully convenient for the romance of the century.” Humming, Elsa takes a larger-than-usual sip before scrunching her nose in displeasure. At her empty cup. Emma has no idea how they ended up with empty cups so quickly. Suddenly the baseball house feels a bit like a time warp. Enter and drink and find the love of your life. Or something like that.

“I got next,” Emma says, ignoring Elsa’s laugh because she is not the sort of person who says things like that. It’s this house. This place. With its music and its happiness, and she’s not really a sports person. Can only marginally understand the joy of watching other people accomplish something. She has no idea what on-base percentage is.

Still.

Her feet move. Fingers curl over the rim of red solo cups, like the most cliché version of her college self. Her drinks get refilled. And it’s just as Emma’s about to let herself wonder if, maybe, sports aren’t all that bad and might even possess a bit of inherent romanticism, she slams into something.

Someone, more like.

Taller than her, he has to peer down his nose to glare at Emma. That’s fair. They’re both far more damp than they were ten seconds before. Some of that moisture ensures that the hem of his shirt sticks to his stomach. A very flat stomach. That draws Emma’s eyes because she’s human and slightly intoxicated, and it takes quite a lot more than she’s willing to admit to lift her chin, but then she’s glad she does. Even with the understandable glare.

“Shit,” she breathes, “your eyes are stupid blue.”

He narrows them. She hates that. Which is about all it takes for her to get royally pissed off, too.

“Can you pay attention to where you’re walking?”

The stupidly blue eyes blink. Darken a shade, like all his frustration is centered directly around his pupils, and the shirt he’s wearing is team-branded. Another baseball player, then.

“You ran into me!” Oh, Oh. Well, that sucks. He’s got a good voice, too. Eyes and voice and the few strands of hair that fall toward those eyes when he continues to glare at Emma likely aren’t supposed to make her stomach flip.

It’s the alcohol’s fault.

Or sports. Like, in general.

“Because you take up so much space,” Emma snarls He leans forward. Looms, really. Over her and around her, smelling like punch and body wash. It’s gross and absolutely wonderful. “Gotta pick a lane, love. Either I ran into you, or I was in the way.”

“It can definitely be both and there is nothing resembling love here.”

“So I can see. You have a name, wrecking ball?” “My shoes are never going to unstick from this floor.” To his credit, he does waver. His lips twist — which makes it all too obvious how much Emma is staring at his lips, but, seriously, the alcohol. Plus, it’s so hot in this house she can barely think straight. She wonders where he buys his body wash. He smells better than he should in this house. So, it's clear he considers. Ponders, even. Until his hands dart out and those hands are somehow warmer than every person in this house combined, heat scorching through Emma’s t-shirt as he lifts her off the ground.

Only to deposit her approximately fourteen inches to her left.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” “Look,” he grins, “you’re unstuck.” “Bastard!” “Eh, not technically.” “What?” “Not technically a bastard. Orphan, I suppose. But that’s kind of a mood ruiner, don’t you think?”

Emma’s fish impression is really going great. The grin becomes a smirk. Her stomach refuses to stay still. “Is there a mood to ruin?” “Might be if you tell me your name.”

Emma wavers, that time. Considers and ponders. Weighs the pros and cons while laughter drifts past her ears, consummate collegiate experiences that she’s only ever let herself be passably jealous of. A dark-haired girl’s talking to Elsa in the opposite corner.

And the hand hanging in front of her wiggles its fingers.

It’s still ridiculously warm when she grabs it. “Emma Swan.” “Killian Jones.”

Anna’s secret relationship becomes a real relationship no less than sixteen hours following what Elsa begins to call the Drink Incident.

And they become—

Baseball people.

Becoming baseball people is not bad. Not really. Emma likes the baseball team. She understands what WHIP is, now. Kristoff adores Anna, so that’s good. David, who does, in fact, have a last name, continues to be as nice as assumed, and his girlfriend sort of quasi adopts Emma. Mary Margaret Blanchard brims with positivity and an innate sort of joy that would usually annoy Emma, but most of that joy also serves as a direct counter to the snark that Killian Jones appears flush with. So, it’s something of a wash, really.

Plus, he’s a very sore Monopoly loser.

And Emma finds it endlessly entertaining.

“Stop that,” he grunts, glaring at the board with the sort of force Emma’s become accustomed to in the last few months, while she taps on the space in front of her, “I know how many spots it is.” Emma smiles. “So move, then.” “I’ll be bankrupt.” “Capitalism does that.” “Tell me more about capitalism, Swan.”

She doesn’t startle, so there’s that. Not much else, though. Not when a noticeable bit of equally familiar heat skitters down her spine. Her head tilts. His head remains frustratingly still, staring at the board like the spaces will change or Mary Margaret will tear down some of her hotels on Marvin Gardens.

Neither thing happens.

The heat pools. At the small of her back, inching dangerously close to that space between her hips, like it’s trying to tether her to this spot and this moment and its people. Baseball people. People who so clearly care about everything so much that even the cynic in Emma can appreciate it. Plus, they’re all ridiculously competitive.

David had to take a walk when Mary Margaret bankrupt him earlier.

“That’s about the extent of my capitalism knowledge,” Emma admits with a shrug, “I sucked at economics.” Pulling his gaze away from the board, Emma’s less prepared for the force behind Killian’s eyes than she was for the appearance of a nickname that might not warrant the title. It’s just her name, after all. But it sounds like more than that. Sinks under her skin with alarming ease, the precise tone of it wrapping its way around a variety of internal organs until they’re all beating at the same tempo and— “Move my piece for me.”

Kristoff groans. Mary Margaret chuckles. Elsa looks far too sure of herself. Knows everything, indeed.

And it’s not really a command, but there’s that same sense of something that found its way into the sound of Emma’s name and Killian’s voice, and he catches her by surprise. On a variety of levels. His fingers jump the moment hers reach out, all heat and an alarming size difference, his brows lifting when she turns her head.

“You’re taking this game way too seriously, you know,” Emma says. What she doesn’t say is more important, though. Because they’re not friends, really. They’re—acquaintances. Some kind of appropriate metaphor regarding a planet’s many moons and the tendency of those moons to orbit something far bigger than them. But they like each other, too. As much as they dance and twist, do their best to avoid getting hit in the batter’s box, Emma’s more comfortable bantering with him than just about anyone she’s ever met, a challenge in every conversation, and she’s rather loath to realize she’s memorized the different ways the blue in his eyes flash.

Now it feels a bit like a spotlight.

“Matter of pride, Swan.” “Is it just?” If there are other people laying on their stomachs in that living room, half-empty glasses by their hands and equipment stacked in various corners, Emma forgets about them. Quickly. Immediately. Killian doesn’t move his fingers.

He nods.

And Mary Marget only kind of gloats when she bankrupts him.

She dances when she wins, though.

It’s embarrassing. It’s absolutely, goddamn wonderful.

Realizing that baseball is a game of statistics ruins kind of Emma’s day. It makes Killian laugh. Her favorite sort of laugh. Where he throws his head back, an arm around his middle, and his shoulders shaking. Those same strands of hair she noticed that first night fall back toward lidded eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting in an angle Emma is sure she could determine if she just didn’t hate math so much, and it takes about four seconds, her head tilting back and forth twice and one swipe of her tongue to lean forward on the couch they're sharing, tilt her head up and press her lips to his.

Press is a vast understatement.

Crash, more like.

A bases-clearing double into the left-field gap.

She knows so many baseball terms now, it’s ridiculous.

It’s because she keeps going to games. With Anna. Without Anna. With Elsa. Without Elsa. With Mary Margaret every single time. And it creeps on so slowly, she’s practically a Jane Austen heroine, but then Emma finds she cares as much as everyone else. Screams herself hoarse at every crack of the bat. Jumps and fist bumps with startling regularity. Experiences the flutter of butterflies in her flip-prone stomach before ninth-inning rallies.

She memorizes statistics. Killian’s statistics, especially.

Because the Draft is a week away, and the nerves rolling off him are even more potent than his body wash. Bought in bulk from a locally-owned company, she learns.

Killian hates capitalism, too.

Which is only part of the reason she likes him, but right now all of the reason is centered around how it feels as if the world is shifting on its axis and what, precisely, he is capable of with his tongue. Quite a lot if this first time at bat is anything to believe.

Emma laughs.

Joy bubbles from the very center of her, pushing at the seam of her lips, and it’s not much of a seam when her mouth is open to accommodate tongue, but it’s enough of a sound that Killian pulls back. No glare. Definitely eyebrow movement, though.

“That’s not the best confidence boost, you know.” “I’m straddling you,” Emma counters, nodding toward the knees on either side of his, and she has no idea when her fingers found his hair. It’s very soft.

“How did that happen?” “What was that about confidence?”

Dropping his head, she gets a different sort of laugh, one that’s just as potent in its ability to settle into her bloodstream and the empty spaces around her heart, and sports have turned her into a sap. “I like you a lot,” Killian murmurs. Emma’s heart explodes. Metaphorically speaking.

“Good.” “Expand on that, for me.” She pinches his side, almost prepared for the way it leaves him bucking beneath her. Less prepared for the mutual groan it causes. Killian’s eyes widen. “I like you a lot,” Emma repeats, and his arms tighten, and her heart knits itself back together, and the second time through the kissing order is even better.

It starts, as with most things in Emma’s nearly-adult life, because Anna demands it.

“I just think it’ll be fun,” Anna says, not for the first time. And, not for the first time, she ignores the pointed look Emma and Elsa exchange. Elsa’s lips have all but disappeared behind her teeth “Think about it,” Anna continues, “we need something to do before the game, anyway. This way we’re—you know, staying active.” Emma’s eyebrows jump. Fly. Soar into her hairline where the level of her disbelief sits, all too aware of the ring hanging around her neck.

A Draft Day gift. As much as a family heirloom can be a gift. But Killian claimed it was good luck, his brother’s ring, because turns out that snark is at least a partial product of a wholly depressing childhood, and Emma supposes there’s something to be said for common ground. Understanding, too. Stories shared over weeks that turned to months that turned to years and seasons in the minors, and it absolutely figures Killian’s Major League debut is happening in Cincinnati. Where Kristoff plays.

It’s ridiculous how in love with him she is.

Killian. Not Kristoff.

Anna is still talking. “There’s nothing else to do in Cincinnati,” she reasons, which seems unfair to the city itself but not entirely untrue, and even the concept of chili on spaghetti grosses Emma out. “Also,” Anna adds, sounding as if she’s reached the final bullet point on her list of possible arguments, “I’ve got a Groupon deal for this place.”

Elsa blinks. “I didn’t realize Groupon was even still a thing.” “Surprise!”

Emma’s laugh isn’t entirely honest, but her sigh of acceptance is and—

Turns out she’s pretty good at it.

Goddamn fantastic, actually.

At rock climbing. Indoor rock climbing. Her feet push her up the wall with ease, the steady ache in her arms welcome and wonderful and a slew of other alliterative adjectives. That leave Killian grinning like a maniac, but it’s been a weird and equally wonderful day, without a hit, but two walks, so that ups the on-base, and Emma’s really, seriously in love with him.

“I don’t know what it was,” she says, preening just a bit under Killian’s stare. Hotel lighting casts shadows on his cheeks, slumped as he is against every pillow they could find. Even the ones in the closet. He’s not supposed to be in here for much longer, both of them aware of the team-ordained curfew hanging over them, but the pre-game nerves are long gone. Replaced instead with exhilaration and endorphins, the kind that could win Elle Woods a headline-making case. “But,” Emma continues, “I just kept moving, and the guy said it was, like, a course record. Is course the right word, you think?” Killian lifts a shoulder. Even as it’s covered in ice and tape. The play he made at third is going to show on loop. On TV. In Emma’s memory. She’s never yelled that loud before.

People took pictures.

And then she cried. Like a giant sap.

“This is your show, Swan,” Killian chuckles, pride infusing the words. As if she’s the one who deserves the pride today. It’s entirely possible she cried for multiple minutes after that play. They definitely showed that on the YES Network. Mary Margaret texted her no less than forty-seven times.

“I was really fast.” Killian hums, fingers fluttering enough to make it clear he wants her closer. Emma doesn’t argue. They’re a mess of limbs and mouths and that tongue thing they’ve collectively gotten better at giving and receiving over the years, hands that warm with the sort of confidence borne of repetition. Some joke about BP and finding your swing.

“Plus,” he says, a soft laugh at Emma’s noise of displeasure when talking means far less kissing, “becoming a rock climbing savant means more upper-body work, and you know how I love your arms.” Guffawing the way Emma does is not particularly romantic. Doesn’t matter. The sound comes, and the joy remains, a steady stream pumping through all her extremities and clouding her thoughts. In the best way possible. Before Killian, Emma didn’t know this could be that. Fun and easy, not quite simple, but something she’s willing to work for. Athletes are notoriously determined, after all.

Part of her wonders if a proclivity to rock climbing makes her an athlete, too.

“Please,” she says, laughter clinging to the letters even as she finds herself moved directly over Killian’s outstretched legs, “provide, in detail, everything you enjoy about my arms.” “I didn’t say enjoy.” “Were you misquoted, Jones?” His eyes flash. Glow, honestly. At her and because of her and athletes also know how to work their opponents. Goad them into making mistakes. Something about a pitcher’s duel and a battle in the box. Where the box is this bed. And Emma’s winning.

“I love your arms,” Killian says. Dragging his mouth against the column of her throat leaves goosebumps on Emma’s skin. Her back arches. His hand flattens. The compliments continue. Turn into promises. Guarantees. Of a future that’s spread out at their feet now, if only they reach for it.

Turns out Emma’s pretty good at reaching for things. When she wants them.

“This isn’t, like, free-scale, though, is it?”

Her heart cannot be expected to handle much more of this.

“Don’t worry,” Emma says, “all proper safety precautions were taken. Plus, I wouldn’t fall off the wall.”

Killian’s expression shutters. Not in any of that frustration Emma so clearly understood when his shirt was damp, and her shoes were unsalvagable despite his best efforts to get the school’s equipment manager to dry-clean them. No, it’s—it’s something big and important and unspoken, and Emma pulls his hand up. To rest directly over the rink that’s still tucked beneath her t-shirt.

His t-shirt.

It’s got his last number on it, at least.

“Would you catch me if I fell off the wall?” He doesn’t answer at first. Doesn’t mention the absurdity of a question that does not make sense, but those literal and metaphorical clock hands are ticking, and if they don’t replace his ice soon, they’re going to destroy these sheets. “Every single time, Swan.” “Right back at you.”

Killian doesn’t miss curfew, but it’s pretty close.

And Emma wakes up to twelve texts with links for indoor rock climbing gyms in the greater New York City area.

“Holy shit, this is hard.”

Grunting more than laughing, Emma’s fingers curl around the rock in front of her. Chalk cakes itself on the pads of those fingers, stuck beneath her nails and, somehow, the bend of her elbow. “Are you not an All-Star?” she asks, glancing at Killian.

“I do not see how that factors into this at all.”

“Huh, weird.” “Suspiciously sounds like an accusation.” “Weird,” Emma repeats. They’re halfway up a wall only one of them is really supposed to be on, but the other person several feet below them is faring far worse than the pair of them combined, so, that takes precedence in her mind. “He knows a lot more curse words than I realized.” “He’s showing off,” Killian grumbles, forehead resting against the wall.

Will Scarlet hasn’t moved in five minutes. Possibly six. Maybe a round ten. He's much better at second base.

“I cannot feel my arms,” he calls, and Emma’s laugh is better that time. Purer, somehow. As if happiness can actually have a sound. Even happiness that comes with sweat on her temple and a noticeable ache in her triceps and she sort of loves this.

Sort of is a vast understatement.

“Showing off, huh?” Emma asks. She finds her next footfall with ease, happiness blooming into confidence that’s become nearly consistent these days and weeks and years. It does not take her long to feel the stare that’s lingering on her. On her ass, specifically.

She glances over her shoulder. To find her fiancé smiling at her. And staring at her ass.

“Can I help you, love?” “Whatcha doing?” “Ogling you, obviously.” “Forearms feeling good?” He nods. Sort of. There’s a distinct slope to the back of his neck and more sweat on his brown than Emma’s. Not as much as Scarlet’s, probably. “Fantastic,” Killian drawls, “keep going, Swan, someone’s got to show us how to do it.” “Try not to fall off the wall, huh? Last thing we need is the might of the Yankees front office coming after us.” “I don’t think I can move my hands,” Will shouts. Killian doesn’t move. It’s impressive forearm strength. Blushing on the wall is not usually how Emma’s days go.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Killian promises, and Emma moves. He follows her. Up the wall and to the top, a quick brush of his lips against her shoulder that leaves Scarlet cursing even more, despite his presence on the floor, but then there’s lemon-flavored water and exceptionally soft towels and Emma’s caught a bit off guard by the question.

“Are there leagues for this?” Will asks. “Because you should probably be winning things for this.” Emma blinks. Considers. Wonders. Turns to Killian.

He’s still smiling. Broadly, in fact.

“We could look.” They do. They fill out paperwork. Buy fancy climbing shoes that Emma claims cost too much, but Killian’s a pushover and even more stubborn and she wins the first race she signs up for.

Plus, ten more after that.

Emma climbs indoor rock walls. Killian hits home runs. Occasionally they do these things simultaneously, and it usually leads to her nearly falling off the wall because everyone in her Tribeca gym knows what it means when WFAN is playing on the speakers.

Sometimes they shout out John Sterling’s home run call with him.

She gets better. He gets better.

They do end up destroying sheets in various hotels across the country. For various reasons. Not all of them post-game or ice related. There are games and events. Wins and losses. Back page spreads that Emma frames and hangs on their apartment walls, right next to other, smaller frames, with the same smiling faces who, once upon a time, called a sticky-floored baseball house home, and Killian’s fingers are warm in hers when the tears prick her eyes at Anna and Kristoff’s wedding.

There are stories. Think pieces and hot takes on a variety of drive-time radio shows. Those are all about Killian, though. He’s the athlete. The true one, some stories say. It’s impressive what Emma does, they admit, but it’s a hobby, and she’s got a grown-up career, anyway. So, she’s got more climbing records than she knew ever existed, but she’s not doing it for press, and both Mary Margaret and Anna weep at her and Killian’s wedding.

She wears her ring on a chain next to her other one when she climbs.

Every time Killian notices them hanging there, Emma swears, his eyes brighten. It’s her favorite thing in the whole, goddamn world.

“What is this?” He doesn’t answer. Just holds the sheet of paper he must have printed out in the clubhouse because they certainly don’t have a printer at home, and one of the edges is bent. Like he had to fit it in his back pocket.

“Going the stoic route, huh?” Emma quips, but there’s a noticeable hitch in her pulse. One that’s been there for weeks. Since the rumblings started, and the rumors began, whispers of possibility, and first-ever has a very nice ring to it. One side of Killian’s mouth tugs up. “Oh, that’s not fair.” “I’d like the record to show, that the only reason I didn’t know immediately was because I was in the trainer’s room, so—” “What were you in the trainer’s room for?” Killian ignores her. Well, sort of. His eyes shift, and his gaze holds, and Emma knows. Right down in the marrow of her. What the paper is and how Scarlet is the one who printed it out, but she’s even more confident Killian carried it home, and that does something funny to her entire worldview. Widens it and minimizes it at the same time, focusing on this and them and the possibility that creates.

In an athletic sort of way.

“My shoulder’s kind of sore.” Emma scoffs. “Oh, that’s pointed.” “I’m sure your shoulders are fine. Golden, even.’ “This is not your best work, you know that?” “Look at the paper.” “Did you fold it yourself?” “And then took a car back home. You really didn’t see yet?” Emma shakes her head. He knows the answer, too. He’s the one with the Google alert, after all. Because she’s still a bit of a pessimist at heart and an adult with a real job, and this is too much and abjectly terrifying, and the last thing she expects is for Killian to crouch in front of her.

One of his knees cracks.

“Don’t,” he warns, even as Emma does her best to swallow her laugh. Warm hands land on her thighs, a quiet steadiness that helps the state of her pulse and makes the possibility of the unknown a little less overwhelming. The lines crossing the center of the paper are absurdly straight. “You’re going to go.” “Oh, that sounded like a decree.” “A suggestion.” “A strong one.” “Mmhm, with the utmost confidence.” Emma makes an impressive sound. “Who’s doing your media training? What an impressive vocabulary you’ve got on you.” “Ready and willing to use it in a persuasive manner.” “Keep talking like that, and you won’t have to.” The smirk disappears. Evolves into a grin that is only Emma’s and only appears in moments like this, support clinging to air molecules and the ends of hair that constantly seems determined to fall into Killian’s eyes. “Passed, huh? All cool with the IOC.” “Decidedly cool. Officially an Olympic sport, now. Although the name could use some work. Sport climbing lacks a little oomph, don’t you think?”

“What would you call it?” “Emma Swan wins Olympic gold.” “Kinda wordy.” “Prophetic,” Killian corrects, hands shifting and pulling, and Emma has to widen her legs. His head’s at a very good kissing angle. “You’ve already got the qualifying numbers.” “You looked at the qualifying numbers?” “Don’t insult me like that. What do you think I did in the backseat?” “Planned the entire 2020 Olympics, apparently.” “Not the entire Olympics,” Killian counters, "just the part involving you. And maybe my individual expectations regarding the United States baseball team, but that’s another conversation altogether.”

“Naturally.”

“You’re using that voice.”

Widening her eyes does nothing. Emma didn’t expect it to. Not after years and games and events because rock climbing has events, and one time Mary Margaret made her a sign. Killian held it. He’s taller, that’s why.

“Don’t,” Killian repeats, “this is happening.” “Yuh-huh?” “You heard me. It’s your turn, now.” Melting is an impossibility. Like, for a human. Even so. Emma feels like she’s melting. Some of that pessimism evaporating under the warmth of Killian’s gaze and his hands and the determination in the precise angle of his chin. Same one he uses when he steps into the box with runners in scoring position.

Lumping herself into that group isn’t as insulting as Emma once believed it would be.

“God,” Emma groans, “that’s romantic.” “You’re really selling it, love.”

“This is supposed to be a hobby.” “One you’re exceedingly good it. World record good at it.” “I like you.” “That’s my end game, yeah.” She laughs. Smiles. Continues melting. Which is easier once they get rid of their clothing, and their bed is way more comfortable than any hotel they’ve encountered. And she falls asleep with Killian’s lips against her ear, Emma Swan, Olympic gold medalist whispered on loop like it’s a mantra he’s been practicing.

They postpone the Olympics.

It sucks. Everything sucks. Baseball sucks. Gyms are closed. Emma gets creative, and Killian gets research-prone. They build a makeshift wall. She tosses him BP.

People write stories about it.

It doesn’t help.

Until—

Time passes. Some things change. Others don’t. Their wall stands up to the elements of their building’s courtyard, and Killian’s hitting better than ever this season, a victory Emma’s going to claim as at least partially hers. And then the Olympics are back, and it’s qualifying and racing and a record that’s just out of reach, but she’s good enough even without it, and, this time, she’s the one packing a suitcase.

He kisses her.

Does the tongue thing.

Holds onto her like he’s only a little afraid she’s going to fall off the wall, but now the wall is international competition, and Emma’s freaking out a little.

“I love you,” she says into the crook of his neck.

His arms tighten. “I love you too.” “Gold medal?” “Gold medal.” “Hit some home runs while I’m gone, huh?” Lips graze her temple. Her forehead. The bridge of her nose. Emma might be crying, and Mary Margaret’s definitely recording, a small mob of red white, and blue surrounding them. “I’ll see what I can do,” Killian promises.

“Good.”

He hits three before her first qualifying round. So, Emma takes that as a challenge. She’s an athlete now.

It’s why, she figures, her fingers don’t slip on her first run.

Her feet are sure. Her breathing is steady. There’s no one cheering her name, but she’s long since memorized the exact way Killian’s voice lifts above a crowd. How he pushes up on his toes to watch, as if standing up taller makes sure he’s closer to her. Should she need him when she falls off the wall. Only, Emma doesn’t fall, and she’s got no intention of ever falling and—

Her laugh shudders out of her in a watery sort of way that makes the journalist still standing in front of her flinch ever so slightly. Twitter makes sure the video starts playing again as soon as it finishes, which is somehow the best and worst thing that has ever happened to her. Best because, well, Emma’s honestly not sure she’s ever seen her husband like this.

Worst because she’s very nearly goddamn crying. Again.

Bobbing on the balls of his feet in front of his locker, whoever’s recording the video — it’s Scarlet, obviously — is practically frenzied behind the camera, barely able to contain their laughter. Killian doesn’t notice. He’s holding his own phone, all five of his free fingers firmly entrenched in the back of his hair. It’s gotten softer with age, Emma thinks.

She can’t stop watching him.

Every inhale is a clear struggle, the bobbing turning into pacing and quiet mumbling she can hear perfectly. As if she’s standing right in front of him.

Or at least slightly to the side. So as not to stand on the logo in the middle of the clubhouse.

Athletes are notoriously superstitious, too.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” Killian chants, another noticeable snicker from Scarlet, “right there, right there, and pull, pull—Swan, pull up!”

“I did pull up there,” Emma mumbles. To the reporter, maybe. Or the world. Possibly her husband. Who was definitely more nervous about the first run than her.

God, that’s romantic.

Killian’s still talking. Shouting, more like. It’s a miracle Scarlet hasn’t fallen over yet.

“Faster, faster, you can go faster than that, Swan—” Emma clicks her tongue. “That’s kind of insulting.”

There’s an appropriate titter of laughter from the peanut gallery, which is a joke she was not trying to make, but she’s also dangerously close to swooning in the middle of press and she should have asked the Yankees for media training. Someone would have made sure she didn’t make a total ass of herself.

“Show me the time,” Killian yells, another demand that isn’t that. It’s too wobbly a string of words to hold any real power, just the supportive sort of desperation Emma’s felt in a variety of ninth innings and series-clinching moments. “Faster! Faster!” “Talking to the time or the judges or your wife?” Scarlet asks.

Killian nearly snarls.

Emma blinks. Hyperactively. Crying is not usually her shtick. More camera flashes...flash, Emma barely noticing them with her eyes glued to a phone screen that isn’t hers because she at least knows not to bring her phone to a press conference, and she can only imagine how many text messages she’s gotten.

Even on the other side of the world.

They post the times.

She knows because Killian gets some rather impressive height on his celebratory vertical. Fingers abandoning his hair, his fist pumps the air, and Scarlet’s not laughing so much as he’s whooping, a steady stream of yeah, yeah, yeah in the background. And for about half a breath, Emma’s worried Killian may turn one of his ankles on his landing, but he’d think that was insulting, and she’s really just full-on swooning now.

“How many people have seen this?’ she asks the reporter, already knowing the answer.

The reporter smiles anyway. Emma should learn her name.

“Pretty much the whole world.” When Emma was a kid — the sort of kid who believed alone was better, and there was strength in singularity, that would have terrified her. Bowled her over, really. Left her running without looking back, desperate to shed any sort of notoriety because notoriety meant attention, and attention meant inevitable disappointment.

Maybe that’s why she was never much of a sports person.

Sports disappoint you. They build you up and let you down, a sharp and sudden fall without a safety net. But sometimes. Sometimes, every so often, something wonderful happens. Sports lift you. Right up an indoor wall. Because, she knows, sports’ power comes from belief, from surrendering yourself to something bigger and better, and she’s back on that alliterative kick, but the tears are barely clinging to her eyelashes now and Emma herself is bigger and better, now.

In an international, decidedly romantic sort of way.

The video’s playing away.

“Let’s go,” Killian cries, and there it is. Her sound and their sound, cheering across an ocean and time zones that are still kind of messing with her sleep schedule.

Emma’s smile stretches.

“Let’s go,” she repeats.

It ends, as with most things in Emma’s gold-medal-winning life, because Anna plans it.

Stepping out of the terminal, it takes less than a full breath for the cheers to start. For the banners to lift and the tears to flow, a small platoon of support covered in the sort of patriotic gear they definitely got from the Old Navy in Herald Square.

Flashes burst behind Emma’s eyelids because she’s got to blink or she’ll definitely fall over. Her legs wobble beneath her, contending against a wave of triumph and jubilation, which is sort of the same word, but they’ve got a game at the Stadium tonight, so she doesn’t expect, she just hopes and reaches, and he has to twist around both Anna and Mary Margaret.

It’s wonderfully cyclical.

As is the way Emma slams herself against him. On purpose, this time. Killian’s arms tighten, more cheers and shouts, and people a few feet away start chanting USA over and over. Emma barely hears them. Her feet aren’t touching the ground, so she’s kind of preoccupied.

They’re all arms and mouths, and her legs wrapped securely around a body that probably shouldn’t be supporting hers when she knows he slid into second two nights ago, but Killian clearly has no intention of letting her down, and the medal around her neck bumps against her rings.

“You’re a very good cheerleader; you know that?” He hisses. In what, Emma can’t imagine. Embarrassment, if the red tips of his ears are anything to go by, and she’s got ideas as to why that is and how long the conversation about social media with Scarlet went, so Emma does the only reasonable thing.

She slams her lips against her home-run hitting husband’s, doing her best to make sure the gold medal doesn’t mistakenly impale either one of them, and the world tilts again. With victory and sports-based support and the sort of love that comes from believing in something bigger.

And better than Emma could have ever imagined.

“I didn’t want to steal your thunder.”

“Please,” Emma scoffs, “don’t insult me like that. Plus, I’m claiming every one of those home runs as my own, so comparatively—” He kisses her before she can say anything else.

That’s for the best, probably.

“Your arms looked ridiculously good the whole time.”

Her laugh doesn’t even sound like her when Emma hears it played back — another video that someone tells her goes viral, only she doesn’t care about hits or site traffic, just about the particular shade of blue in Killian’s eyes, and she wears her medal to the game that night.

Because they’re a sports power couple, now.

Or so the New York Post back page claims the next day.

Emma frames it.

[popwasabi]

“Who are you?” The scene that defines Chadwick Boseman’s legacy

Yesterday, the world lost a bright and promising, burgeoning talent in Chadwick Boseman.

I had wondered privately for a while if something was wrong with him, as others had as well online, as he appeared increasingly sicker with each interview he gave over the last two years. I thought maybe I had been looking too much into it, not wanting to jump to conclusions about who he was but now gravely we all know why.

The much too young star of films such as “42,” “Marshall,” and of course, “Black Panther” had been fighting a largely private battle with colon cancer for four years.

It was devastating hearing this news yesterday, the man who undeniably left behind a legacy of playing prominent black heroes, both historical and fictional, passed away just as he was starting to truly hit it big. When you begin to realize the man was dealing with cancer as he performed physically demanding roles in the MCU you begin to see the character and determination of a man unwilling to quit in the face of true adversity.

But he clearly wasn’t just doing it for himself when he continued making and promoting NINE more movies despite his diagnosis, afterall no one would’ve blamed the guy for taking it easy these past four years. He’s had many scenes that define his legacy over his all too short career but I feel it can really be summed up in one particular moment from by far his most famous film; “Black Panther.”

Those who know me or have read my work know that I have a fairly cynical relationship with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While I would not say most of them are “bad” per se, I would say a ton of them are largely interchangeable action comedies with pretty straightforward messages about good vs evil for general audiences. They are largely popcorn escapism and though there is nothing technically wrong with that, I was starved for an MCU film that was sincere about its story finally and had something real to say.

Enter “Black Panther” in early 2018.

“Black Panther” was everything I had long been waiting for in the MCU; a film with a real sense of vision and theme, a killer soundtrack, great supporting characters, a complicated and nuanced villain, and a story that didn’t feel the need to add a joke after every single scene like more typical MCU movies. The tip of that spear of course was Chadwick, who had already proved to be a great Black Panther in one of the few other sincere Marvel flicks “Civil War.” His natural charisma, physicality, and dramatic presence in this role made him a huge standout in frankly the best ensemble cast of any superhero movie ever.

The scene that truly sums up not just the mark “Black Panther” left on Hollywood but Chadwick’s own legacy comes at the very end though (the first of three, of course. It’s an MCU movie, afterall).

T’Challa has defeated his usurper cousin Erik Killmonger, his rule restored in Wakanda but clearly a changed man from the story’s beginning as he reckons with the complicated legacy of his father. He travels to Oakland, the birthplace of Killmonger, with his sister Shuri who he explains the crime committed by their father in this place and how it set off the events of the story. He turns to Shuri, tells her that he has decided to help this afflicted community by creating a Wakandan outreach center for the youth to give them a new hope in life. As he says this he decloaks their ship nearby, surprising the youth already in the area who are immediately in awe of it. One of the kids turns to T’Challa, smiling, a sense of inspiration and intrigue brewing inside, and asks “Who are you?” to which the young King simply smiles, then the credits roll.

It’s a simple scene but it truly speaks to the impact left behind by Chadwick and the importance of representation. 

“Black Panther” is hardly the first starring vehicle for a black man, it’s not even the first black super hero movie but what it made it different is it was the first blockbuster to truly lean unapologetically into its African identity to focus on the inspiration of a story centered around that culture. It showed Hollywood that an action blockbuster not just centered on a black star but centered on African culture had vast widespread appeal.

White kids will never have a shortage of white superheroes to grow up with on the big screen; a diverse palette of Supermans, Spider-mans, Captain Americas, and shit we’re even getting our sixth new Batman actor since 1989 soon. But Chadwick gave black kids their first real Superman of their own. 

In the years since this came out, I have seen the influence, at times, firsthand among the youth. I work part-time as a kids martial arts instructor and each Halloween party we’ve held I’ve seen a few more T’Challas among the costumes represented. When I ask kids, black, white, or Asian, what their favorite superhero is, it always warms my heart to see a kid light up when they say “BLACK PANTHER!”

(Seriously, cute AF)

This goes beyond just my anecdotal observations of course; the film grossed a billion dollars, and there are countless videos online of kids yelling “Wakanda forever!” at the top of their lungs while rocking a Black Panther suit or reciting one of the movie’s memorable lines. It’s beautiful because it speaks to that last scene’s key message; inspiration.

Growing up myself, as a half Asian American, there weren’t a ton of role models who looked like me to take inspiration from. I didn’t really understand how much this could affect me until I finally did start seeing people like myself occupy positions of influence. I didn’t start caring for baseball until I saw a slugger named Hideki Matsui smash a couple dingers in a Yankees’ uniform in the early 2000s. I didn’t care much for martial arts, outside my very early youth, until I witnessed a half Japanese Brazilian named Lyoto Machida KO Thiago Silva at UFC 94 in 2009. I didn’t care much for soccer until a striker named Keisuke Honda played out of his mind in the early rounds of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Sometimes you gotta see something happen in order to believe and be inspired by it and it’s easier to visualize it when you see someone who looks like you do it. That’s what representation means and why it’s important.

It’s easy for white America to dismiss the need for representation in media when theirs is so saturated in the culture everyday. Cries of “wHaT aBoUt wHiTe HiStORy mOnTH?!” delivered unironically while their history is proudly given front seat consideration in all forms of media, film, and influence every day. This is why it drives me so crazy when a white person tells me “representation isn’t important” because apparently, they “don’t need it.”

Well motherfucker, of course you don’t need it. You fucking got yours already!

(What every non-white person wants to say when confronted with this tired, out of touch argument...)

“Black Panther” delivered a superhero that not only black children could be proud of and love but someone they could draw inspiration from. Kids are going to want to become film directors cause of this movie, actors, stuntmen, martial artists, scientists, engineers, and so many other different things that the world of Wakanda proudly showcases and it’s all thanks to Chadwick’s leading man performance that made it possible.

Some jokes I’ve heard frequently on the internet is that Chadwick was on somewhat of a quest to play every major black role in story-telling history, what with performances as Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown, and of course Black Panther. But I think his 2018 speech at his Alma Mater of Howard really explains why he kept looking to play these major positive black roles.

(I encourage you to listen to the whole thing but the part that’s important here begins at 21:55)

Hollywood likes to pigeon hole certain demographics of people (aka non-white) to play stereotypical roles forever until they are proven to be lucrative in different ways (Qualified Immunity of film-making if you will…). Black people largely could mostly play thugs and drug dealers, Latinx can only be gang bosses and poor servants and gardeners, Asians are either kung fu masters or some other offensive perpetual foreigner. And in worst cases no role at all, instead whitewashed for general audiences (aka white folk). 

Chadwick took a stand that the color of his skin did not define who Hollywood narrowly believed he could perform as and set out to play characters and people who could inspire a new generation of African Americans and show the rest of the country that they were more than a stereotype.

When that young kid in that final scene asks, “Who are you?” and T’Challa smiles its because he knows he’s already changing hearts and minds for the future, just as Chadwick did playing this truly inspirational role.

“Black Panther” is not a perfect movie. I could discuss the ways it could’ve been better and even, less problematic in parts on a different day, but the legacy it leaves behind is one that’s undeniably positive and Chadwick was able to make that a reality. Perhaps he understood that if the world knew his diagnosis it would blunt the impact of “Black Panther’s” release, that if little kids and African Americans alike knew their superhero was already dying it would mar the film’s positivity and influence. I can’t speak for the dead obviously, and in no way am I saying one should just push through a cancer diagnosis and keep it secret, but I can see Chadwick understanding what it would mean for the audience if they just believed for as long as possible that they would have their king of Wakanda forever.

As Robert Downey Jr. said on social media last night “He leveled the playing field while fighting for his life.”

Though I will never know him personally, by most measures Chadwick seemed to be exactly the kind of hero he showed up to be on the big screen and his legacy will ultimately be that of one who looked to inspire others, particularly the next generation until his final breath. If that doesn’t make him a hero, I don’t know what does.

Rest in power, King. Wakanda Forever…

(Via BossLogic)

[lastsonlost]

Dear Democrats, I’m mad at you. I was raised a die-hard, bleeding-heart liberal. My grandmother was an Irish Catholic New Englander who worshipped JFK almost as much as Jesus. My dad and his nine siblings sang for the Kennedys at Hammersmith Farm.

For decades, I was a loyal regular at your bar until suddenly you started ignoring me. You took my support for granted and dismissed my concerns, focusing instead on courting the young city hipsters with their scooters and their designer weed and their craft beers. You began overlooking pragmatic moderates and catering to loud extremists who favor rewriting the Constitution and accelerating our lurch towards socialism.

So in 2016, feeling politically homeless, I dropped my party affiliation. How did this happen? How did I go from being a lifetime Democrat to a registered independent? I am far from alone:

WHY DON'T YOU DEMOCRATS SEEM TO CARE?

Like most Americans, I developed my politics through osmosis. You absorb what you grow up around. I call this unexamined position ‘factory settings’. Factory settings are the default beliefs installed when you were a child. ‘I grew up in a conservative home and so I vote Republican.’ Or ‘I hate the Yankees because I’m from Boston.’

As a young person, I could spout Democratic party lines verbatim. I didn’t care all that much. Prior to 2015, I viewed politics as something that only affected the very rich and the very poor. I wasn’t dependent on the government and tax cuts didn’t benefit me. The winner of any election had very little influence on my life. I worked as a waitress. Too busy living paycheck to paycheck, I felt like just another cog in the wheel.

For most of the 20 years in which I have been able to vote, I’ve kept my head down and voted Democrat because I believed they were the ‘party of the people’. And I was told Republicans were evil my whole life.

I understood the importance of voting, but had fallen asleep at the wheel of a self-driving car and was happy to let the autopilot navigate. It was easier. And not in a lazy, ignorant or unmotivated way — I was simply too busy trying to survive, so I rested in the default settings I was born into and trusted the geniuses in charge could work on the details.

For a long time, politicians could count on the factory-settings crowd. People know the lever they’re supposed to pull and that’s about all they’re there to do. But social media and unprecedented amounts of interconnection have added new layers that disrupt the quiet majority of factory-settings voters like me.

Having been born and raised a liberal Democrat, I had only a vague sense of the truth behind America’s political divisions. This was because of the left’s firm domination of media, entertainment and education. I subscribed to what I now call ‘The Approved Message’, a sort of ‘right-think’ that meant you were one of the good guys: a Democrat. It made for a simpler life.

Then came Trumpism. The Approved Message grew louder and angrier. It coalesced into a progressive religion, ‘Wokeism’, which adopted increasingly complex rules. Suddenly, there was no limit on what someone might deem offensive. Certain opinions, words and ideas became unacceptable overnight. Citizens took to policing one another’s jokes, tone and internet histories.

It quickly became clear that anyone who supported Trump (to be clear, I am not a fan) should be shamed and ostracized. If they were a family member, disowned. In fact, coming out as anything other than anti-Trump could end your career, get you kicked out of your mommy group or land you on the wrong side of a virtual mob.

Like most Americans, I was suddenly playing catch-up. Speech is violence, capitalism and democracy are oppressive, critical thinking is ‘fence-sitting’.

If you try nuance or engage in ‘wrong-think’ on sacred issues, you won’t just get into a tiff with the neighbors; now there’s every chance you will have your personal life dragged into the public square in order to shame you into obscurity. The days of buffet-style politics are no longer allowed. You either check all the boxes of the ‘good’ party, or you belong to the ‘bad’ one. When I dared to push back by writing articles, I was struck by how quickly the left rejected me. Millions noticed this too: they watched in stunned silence as leftists demanded books be censored, scrutinized language and called anyone who disagreed a Nazi.

Flash forward three years into a Trump administration and instead of learning from mistakes, the loudest members of the party are heading for the same brick wall. At this point the 2020 Democratic platform feels like a barely veiled threat: ‘Vote for us or you’re racist.’

The progressive push to fully embody the promise made in the Declaration of Independence that ‘all men are created equal’ used to feel aspirational and attainable. Now, the open-mindedness and tolerance that attracted me to the Democratic party seems like a thing of the past. Gone is the party that stood in direct opposition to the rigid moralizing of conservatism.

In its place is a movement that feels less about liberation and more about obedience. Progressivism is no longer interested in ideological diversity and instead demands rigid adherence to dogma. Dare to defy and risk being, as we say on Twitter, ‘canceled’.

When a movement is no long open to dissent, the movement is dead. It is no longer a living, breathing dialogue. It’s a cult.

Like it or not, I’m a canary in the coal-mine. If I, a citizen of the Republic of California, have been abandoned in the center, how many people are there in Ohio? Or Florida? Or Wisconsin? I guarantee a lot more than the polls currently reflect, and a lot more than Democrats can perceive from their liberal bubble. You can’t bully people into voting the way you like and then when they push back imply they are racist and say good riddance — not if you want to survive.

So Democrats, please stop with this nonsense that people like me have left you, as you endlessly tell me on Twitter. You pushed us away. Offer us a compelling vision of the future based on the strength of your ideas and policies. If you can’t, maybe you don’t deserve to win.

[reading-writing-revolution]

Heather Cox Richardson:

July 23, 2020 (Thursday)

Today’s biggest breaking news came at the president’s briefing this evening. Allegedly about the coronavirus, the briefing began with Trump announcing he was cancelling the Republican National Convention, which was scheduled to be held in Jacksonville, Florida from August 24-27.

Just last month, on June 11, Trump moved the hoopla part of the convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, where Governor Roy Cooper refused to promise he could have a fully filled arena for his acceptance speech. Because the Republican National Committee was under contract with Charlotte, it maintained it would hold some business meetings in the city, but it cut from the convention in either place a meeting to create a 2020 platform. Trump decided to run on the 2016 platform, underscoring that, for him, the election is about the man in charge, not policies.

Trump said “the timing is not right” to hold the convention, referring to coronavirus, which is spiking in Florida. Today the state reported 173 deaths, the largest single day loss in the state so far. Florida has had a staggering 10,000 new infections almost every day for the last two weeks. As numbers spike there and elsewhere, primarily in the South and West, experts worry that we are approaching a point at which it will be impossible to stop the spread of Covid-19. We have had more than 4 million infections and more than 140,000 deaths, including 3,000 since Tuesday. We are on track to lose more than 200,000 Americans to coronavirus before November 1. Yesterday, more than 150 public health experts wrote an open letter to Trump, Congress, and the state governors begging them to “shut it down now, and start over.”

Nonetheless, Trump continues to demand that schools reopen, saying today that if they don’t, money should go from the public schools to parents to send their children elsewhere. This would divert money from public to private schools, a plan Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos advocates. Advisors noted that Trump was paying close attention to leading Republicans backing out of the convention, and was worried attendance would be thin. Cancelling because of the pandemic let him stake out a leadership position on an issue where polling shows Americans think he has failed.

Trump also said that he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin today, but did not discuss intelligence reports that say Putin has been paying Taliban-linked fighters in Afghanistan to kill U.S. and allied troops.

The RNC’s inability to pull off either a platform or a convention this year does not look good. One convention official told CNN the Jacksonville event was "a multimillion dollar debacle” and that the money it cost could have gone to fighting coronavirus.

The Republicans looked incompetent today in another way as they failed to reach an agreement on a new coronavirus package. They rejected the Democrats’ bill, passed two months ago, but have apparently been unable since then to come up with any deal within their own conference (they have not included any Democrats in the negotiations). They were supposed to roll out their bill today, but are now hoping to have something ready to show Democrats by Monday. Unemployment benefits for 30 million Americans, expanded by an early coronavirus bill, expire next week, so the Republicans are under pressure. But Senators up for reelection want a generous bill, while others hate the idea of spending money on social welfare programs.

Today the administration took some legal hits. A federal judge ruled that the government had sent Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen back to prison from home confinement to stop him from publishing a tell-all book in September; and the inspector general of the Justice Department, Michael Horowitz, announced he will investigate the federal use of force in Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon. At the request of congressional Democrats from Oregon, he will examine the orders the federal officers received, their use of chemical agents (tear gas), and reports that they were improperly detaining protesters.

Both the Cohen case and the federal deployment were overseen by Attorney General William Barr, who is apparently using the Justice Department to advance the president’s political interests. Barr is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on July 28 about his attempts both to reduce the sentencing guidelines for Trump’s friend Roger Stone and to dismiss the case against Trump adviser Michael Flynn. He will likely also be asked about his firing of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, as well as others. It is worth noting that Barr won confirmation in his position thanks to Republican Senators, who have not opposed his actions.

They have, though, voted to pass the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, including a provision in it to rename military bases that currently carry the names of Confederate generals. The bill authorizes almost $737 billion (yes, that’s a “B”) in military spending for the year. It passed by a veto-proof majority, which gives Trump an excuse not to try to kill the bill, but it is nonetheless a blow over one of his signature fights.

Trump lost another fight today, as Major League Baseball reopened with the Washington Nationals playing the New York Yankees on their home field. Before the game, every player and every coach in the playing area held up a black banner that stretched along the first base and third base lines, then took a knee on the grass in silence, in honor of Black Lives Matter. Then Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the trusted face of coronavirus advice and thus has angered the not-so-trusted president, threw out the first pitch. (It was so far off base that one wit noted on Twitter: “He clearly doesn’t want anyone to catch anything.”)

And the sexism of today’s Republican Party also took a hit today, as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) rose to a point of personal privilege in the House and replied to the actions of Representative Ted Yoho (R-FL), who stopped her on the steps of the Capitol Monday to call her “disgusting,” “crazy,” “out of [her] mind,” and ���dangerous,” for linking poverty and crime. She told him he was rude, and went inside to cast a vote. When she came back out, she said, "There were reporters in the front of the Capitol, and in front of reporters Rep. Yoho called me, and I quote, a 'f*****g bitch.’”

Ocasio-Cortez called out Yoho’s verbal abuse and his non-apology (he apologized for the “abrupt manner of the conversation,” but said he could not apologize for his “passion”). She indicted the sexism inherent in not only Congress but in society in general. "This issue is not about one incident,” she said. “It is cultural. It is a culture… of accepting of violence and violent language against women and an entire structure of power that supports that." Silence on the issue, she said, “is a form of acceptance.” It was a powerful speech, putting the issue of sexism on the table in Congress along with the issue of racism.

While the Republicans bet on the idea of a full-fledged convention this year and lost, the Democratic National Committee decided back in June to make their convention both virtual and appropriate to the pandemic. It will be centered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from August 17-20, and will have live broadcasts from other cities, and a robust social media platform as well, while keeping participants safely distanced.

“Leadership means being able to adapt to any situation,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez.

[romancandlemagazine]

An Interview with John Lurie

Whilst most humanoids struggle to master even one useful skill in life, John Lurie is one of those adept rapscallions who can seemingly turn their hand to pretty much anything — from acting to angling.

This knack has led to a fairly stacked C.V. which involves such notable achievements as forming a rule-flouting jazz band called The Lounge Lizards, appearing in films like Down by Law, Paris, Texas and Wild at Heart and showing his paintings in exhibitions all over the planet.

And if all that wasn’t enough, he’s also hosted his own fishing show, and, with the help of Dennis Hopper, once came particularly close to snagging the elusive giant squid.

Here’s what he had to say about fishing, New York in the '70s and the importance of humour in the world...

First question… your television programme Fishing with John is mint. How did that come about?

I was threatening to do it for a long time, but wasn’t really serious. I would go fishing with Willem and we would video tape it. I flew out one New Year’s Eve to play with Tom Waits and the next day we went and fished with Stephen Torton video taping it.

This woman, Debra Brown, saw the tapes, home movies actually, and brought them to a Japanese company that was looking to get involved in things in New York.

She came back to me and said they wanted to make a pilot. I believe my response was, "Are you kidding?"

When you watch a film or television program, you only see the end result. What was it like filming that thing? Were there any mad struggles?  

If you see something good, you can just assume there were mad struggles. If you see something bad, you can assume that people were too lazy to take on the mad struggles.

If I am flicking through the channels looking for a movie, I can tell you in five seconds if a movie is going to be any good by the sound of the door closing or the light or the music or whatever.

Why do you think people love fishing so much?  

First off, so we can go to these beautiful places and pretend to be doing something. We wouldn’t go if there were nothing to do. And there is that visceral thing. A big fish on the line is like that exhilarating sports thing, like hitting a baseball perfectly or shooting a basket and the net just goes swish.

And then there is that thing of the world of mystery, right next to the world we are living in. What is in there? We are only going to be aware of what is there with a hook and a nylon string.

So of course we have to drag this amazing creature out of the water and kill it because human beings are pretty much ridiculous. The last bit is not why we love fishing, it’s just an observation.

I’d say it’s a pretty sharp observation. Did you ever face anger from the fishing community due to the lack of more conventional fishing?

Yes.

Why isn’t more television like Fishing with John? I hear we’re supposedly in the age of ‘peak TV’ or whatever, but why is there so much boring stuff out there?

The great thing about this, and a big shout out to Kenji Okabe from Telecom Japan, was they left me alone. I am fairly certain that the reason Breaking Bad was so great was because they left Vince Gilligan alone.

With most projects there are all these people meddling with what you do, to ruin it. The Gatekeepers. It is almost like there is a conspiracy to maintain mediocrity.

Going back a bit now, am I right in saying you’re from Minneapolis originally. What were you into as a child?

At first, dinosaurs and archeology. Then reptiles, particularly snakes after we moved to New Orleans. I was going to open my own snake farm. Then I was pretty sure one day, I would play center field for the Yankees.

An attainable dream. You moved to New York in the late 70s, and not long after, you started The Lounge Lizards. It seems like New York at that time is glamourized a bit now, but what was it like for you? What food did you eat? Where did you go at night? What streets were good to walk down? What did it smell like?

I was trying to remember the food I ate back then and couldn’t remember. I was pretty broke most of the time. They used to serve hors d’oevres at gallery openings and cheese became a large part of my regular diet.

Almost every night, or maybe not even “almost” — more like every night — we went to the Mudd Club. More than what streets were “good” to walk down, I can tell you which streets were bad to go down. I lived on East Third St across from the Men’s Shelter, so my block smelled of rotting garbage and urine.

What are some bits that people don’t talk about from that time? What sucked about back then?

It went fairly quickly from people having more relentless fun than any period in human history to a fairly grim time, a year or two later. There was the beginning of AIDs. I had many friends who were dying or horrifyingly sick. People were getting strung out. There were many deaths. Car accidents. People fell out of windows.

Also, with the artistic promise that was there, the output is disappointing. I suppose the wildness led to a lack of discipline and the work wasn’t nearly as good as it should have been.

I might be wrong, but it seems like at that time people just did what they felt like doing… people made films, music or anything else, with no regard for budget. I suppose for example, you made a film called Men in Orbit in your apartment for $500. Where did this freedom come from?

The freedom came from a ferocious demand to have that freedom at any cost. But it is odd or sad, because the more talented of those people seem to have gone unknown and the people who are now household names are, mostly, the ones who played the game by the rules from the beginning.

Do you think people nowadays get too hung up on money? Or perhaps too hung up on success?

I think people nowadays for the most part are quite lost and afraid. So they do whatever they think they must do to have a successful career, even if it means that they are making shit — and it usually does mean they are making shit.

The Lounge Lizard’s album, Voice of Chunk is an amazing record. What sort of stuff were you listening to when you made that? And who is Bob the Bob?  

The listening came from earlier in my life. Evan and I would devour everything. From Stravinsky to Monk to Little Walter to Coltrane to Tibetan music to Ellington to Dolphy to Pigmy music (you get the idea).

Later, when working on my own stuff, I stopped listening to pretty much everything. Though when I was in Morocco doing Last Temptation, I played a lot with Gnawa musicians that shifted me a bit. And around that time Evan discovered Piazzolla.

Bob the Bob is Kazu from Blonde Redhead. That is her mouth on the cover of the record. I still call her Bob.

You’re a prolific painter. Are there certain things that you notice recurring in your paintings?

I live on a small Caribbean island. There are flowers everywhere. I don’t like to think that they influence what I paint but they do. Fucking flowers.

A lot of people paint when they’re young, then stop. Why do you think that is? How come you didn’t stop?

The best paintings I have seen in the last 30 years or so are the ones taped to refrigerators. I don’t know why people stop painting or when they don't stop, why the painting gets so stiff.

I am sure my mother, who painted herself and taught art in Liverpool where the Beatles went, but not at the same time, had something to do with me keeping a freedom in my work. To not be afraid of that childlike dream thing.

Though it has been suggested that it may be time for me to get in touch with my “inner adult.”

How do you know when a painting is finished?

I ask Nesrin. If she says it is finished, I know it isn’t.

You seem like a pretty funny guy. Do you think humour is sometimes underrated? Do people take stuff too seriously sometime?

I think humor is immensely important. I think humor can shift society’s consciousness in a better way than almost anything else. So from Shakespeare to Mark Twain to Lenny Bruce to Richard Pryor and many more - these people shifted things for the better.

Do you know who was president when Mark Twain was at his peak? Benjamin Harrison. Who the fuck was Benjamin Harrison?

What are your thoughts on the internet? It seems like it’s a big thing these days.

I get so disappointed with people because I feel like social media could be an enormously positive thing for the world. And I certainly don’t mean to exclude humor, just I have heard enough fart jokes for one lifetime…

Something that bothers me quite a bit, is a star athlete gets hurt and then the response on places like twitter is close to joy. What kind of bitterness about your own life would make you behave like that?

You’ve just recently released a new Marvin Pontiac album after 17 years. This one is called The Asylum Tapes, and was reportedly made on a four track recorder in a mental institution. Back story aside, what made you want to make an album again?  

I have Advanced Lyme, so I was unable to play anything for a long time. Actually because of what was happening to me neurologically, I couldn’t even hear music for the first few years — it was more like fingernails on a blackboard.

As I slowly got better, I was able to play guitar and harmonica again, though playing saxophone would seem to be done for me in this life.

But I am very proud of this album and hope people get a chance to hear it. I made it to cheer people up.

Are people still confused about who Marvin Pontiac is?

I suppose so. He is a character I created to make this music. I suppose that is bad marketing, but fuck it.

Would the album be different if it was a John Lurie album? Do you feel like you can get away with more stuff as Marvin Pontiac? Or maybe what I mean is, is it easier to say some things as Marvin Pontiac?

Yes, absolutely. Marvin gives me a certain freedom. I doubt I would put out a record where I sing about a bear saying, “Smell my sandwich.”  But I’m happy that I get a chance to do that.

The lyrics are pretty straight up and direct. Do you sit and stew on songs and ideas for long, or do you just get it out?

Often they just come straight up. Like 'My Bear To Cross' I pretty much just came up with it live in the studio. Some took quite a while. And there are a couple where I never found the right lyrics to finish off a song and put them aside.

Okay, last question… do you think a lot of stuff is too over-thought and over-prepared? Does thinking sometimes get in the way?

Let me think about that.

[wildcardwriting]

How Social Media Infected the Glory Pro Circle #1

(or Conversations Most of the Glory Pro Community Would Like to Forget Existed) 

[King’s Avatar /全职高手 - 蝴蝶蓝 | Quánzhí Gāoshǒu - Húdié Lán ]

Next Chapter |  Read on AO3

Summary: Or Ye Xiu is forced to deal with his fans. No one saw what was coming next.Because the alliance wants more exposure (i.e. fame) for the pro gamers, all pros are mandated to respond to questions from the fans.Naturally, this leads to some...strange conversations and some stranger answers. Likely will lead into AU TKA UniversePart Story, and TKA fun. Will include some social media.

XXxxxxxXX

Chapter #1: When Reddit Happens

XXxxxxxXX

Congratulations all! Due to the huge popularity and demand, the alliance is opening a Reddit forum to allow fans to ask their favorite pros questions.

*Note: All pros will be listed with the following style; Team Name/Name

As a reminder, all submitters must abide by the rules. Any inappropriate questions will be removed, and the users will be punished.

Edit #1: Silver Equipment Questions can be directed to a separate AMA here.

Edit #2: Theories and Analysis of Current and Past Matches can be found here.

Edit #3: Everything about the Rare and Mysterious Ye Qiu is on this thread.

New! AMA Ye Qiu Thread, click here.

LastManStanding4all:

What games did you play professionally and how much "training" was required before you were ready for tournament play?

Top Answer (Star) Upvoted 689

Exellent Era (Xue Mingkai): I played plenty of games, but I started really getting serious around the time Glory came out. I played about 4-8 hours a day until I thought I was good enough to start going to tournaments but, it took a few months for me to get good enough to do well at the tournaments.

See all 20+ Pro replies  2.1k Comments Share Save Hide Report  Continue to thread->

Prettyspiteful:

How common is it for a somewhat weaker gamer to beat a stronger one? Is it like baseball where even the Royals will often beat the Yankees, or more like chess where a 1400-rated player will NEVER beat a 1,700.

Top Answer: (Star) Upvoted 894

Tiny Herb (Wang Jiexi): Pretty uncommon. This can vary a lot from game to game but, generally speaking the games and settings are selected to be as skill based as possible with very few random factors. So big upsets can happen but, whenever they do happen they are usually a fairly big deal within that games community.

See all 5+ Pro replies  1.0k Comments Share Save Hide Report  

Newbie2Glory:

Is there one guy who's generally acknowledged as the best all-around pro gamer?

Top Answer: (Mega Star) Upvoted 12k+

Excellent Era (Wu Xuefeng): Captain is generally considered the best player. He is known as the Glory Textbook for his skill and knowledge of all classes, inventing moves, and creating tactics. If you would like to learn or are interested in playing Glory, here are a few of his guides.

*Note: Excellent Era will be uploading the Complete Beginners Guide to Glory By: Ye Qui on their team's website.

See all 30+ Pro replies  10.0k+ Comments Share Save Hide Report  Continue to thread->

Lols4Life:

What's the longest playing session you've ever put in? Do you ever go to bed and see game images dancing in your brain?

Top Answer: (Star) Upvoted 1.4k

Excellent Era (Yin Xiong): I would guess about 8-10 hours, although that would be with a couple breaks in there for food and such. Also, yes, the game images in my mind before going to bed does happen. Constantly. But its better than laps with Xue Mingkai, or dodge practice with Ye Qiu.

     AllergictoSecrets:  What does that last part even mean? More info, please?  Upvoted 5k+

              Excellent Era (Xue Mingkai): Way to out me. Expect more laps Nurse. And fyi YQ is the one who orginally made me run laps. Upvoted 5k+

                      K.Lin: I have so many questions. Upvoted 3.4k+

                            Dazzling Blossoms (Sun Zheping): YQ running laps? I call lie! YQ doesn't do excerise. If he needs to get anywhere he'll just push himself in his computer chair. Upvoted 250+

                               Excellent Era (Qin Tianran): I have to wonder if this is the reason why WXF crushed you so badly in our last fight. YQ doesn't read anything online but vice-cap does and he knows within seconds of someone insulting YQ. Upvoted 1.2k+

See all 16+ Pro replies  37.0k+ Comments Share Save Hide Report  Continue to thread->

Ye Who Shall Not Be Named:

Isn't there a little part of you who misses the days when controllers were no more than A / B + directional arrows? I gave up on videogames once they added 15 different buttons + a rumbling gyroscope or whatever that thing is.

Top Answer: (Star) Upvoted 3.0k

Jade Dynesty (Lin Yi): All the time. Except I don't think I could take it if we were still playing using the old controllers and YQ still managed to beat me.

  Blue Rain (Fang Shijing): Why do all these answers always seem to mention YQ. That guy gets enough attention! Upvoted 1.02k+

    [deleted] Windward Formation comment was removed for cursing.

     See all 19+ Pro replies  3.0k+ Comments Share Save Hide Report

Taking_Notes:

How do gamers get sponsors?

Top Answer: (Star) Upvoted 1.03k

      Hundred Blossoms (Zhang Jiale): Oh boy, I guess I'll answer this question since no one else has. There are a few methods, I'll list the ones I've seen work but there are probably more I don't know about... [click to see rest of comment]

         Excellent Era (Qin Tianran): In the words of captain, 'too bothersome'. Upvoted 987+

              Jade Dynesty (Lin Yi): And yet there are still calls for him to do adversting... Upvoted 1.01k

See all 14+ Pro replies  1.0k+ Comments Share Save Hide Report

SnowDancer:

Can you tell us any interesting facts about pros that aren't really known? (I'm asking about cute stories, or generally facts, I don't want anything too big.)

Top Answer: (Star) Upvoted 15.03k+

Excellent Era (Xue Mingkai): Captain Ye's eyes in pictures. Apparently that actually happens.

 Excellent Era (Wu Xuefeng): His love of waffle fries. Upvoted 4.31k+

   Excellent Era (Xie Ming): His fashion sense. Upvoted 3.54 k+

      Excellent Era (Qin Tianran): Is that why you dragged him and Dancing Rain shopping? Upvoted 5.62k+

         Excellent Era (Xie Ming): Obivously. Though I cannot say whether it worked. Upvoted 6.32k+

              Wild_Fighter: I love how this turned into EE facts.

See all 28+ Pro replies  54.0k+ Comments Share Save Hide Report  Continue to thread->

AskingtheRealQuestions:

I've seen all the pros answer a question at least once,but I've never seen YQ. Is he ever going to answer anything?

Top Answer: (Star) Upvoted 18.31k+

Excellent Era (Yin Xiong): Someone finally noticed.

  Excellent Era (Qin Tianran): Depends if we can unearth him from his gaming chair Glory. Upvoted 5.02 k+

     Excellent Era (Xie Ming): Captain Ye is very hard working. Upvoted 2.31k+

       Excellent Era (Wu Xuefeng): And apparently all knowing because he says to go practice. Upvoted 6.32k+

          Excellent Era (Qin Tianran): %#$%#%#$%#$ Going! I'm going!

              FindinGsOMEAnswers: WXF is team dad, and I ever knew I needed this fact in my life.

Game Master [NM MegaSound]: Due to a huge amount of emails and requests YQ will have his own AMA on this thread.]

Excellent Era (Xue Mingkai) I think I speak for everyone when I say finally. Upvoted 25.49k+

XXxxxxXX

Ye Xiu sighed as he was pushed into learning about Reddit. Ever since the Alliance had managed to gain popularity during its second season, there was a greater focus on advertising that he couldn't quite understand. Pro Gamers, usually seen as lazy, unemployed people were now being thrown into the spotlight and even though he had thus far managed to avoid being forced into doing anything, his luck had apparently run out.

Unlike other interviews and sponsorship meetings that he could get out of by paying a fee, this new Social Media thing was apparently important enough to force changes. Wang Shi, the Chairman himself, had come all the way to Excellent Era and begged him to take part, even offering incentives that he knew Ye Qiu couldn't ignore.

No fees for interviews? Done.

No fees for Sponsorship meetings? Done.

But it was the final two incentives offered by Tao Xuan himself that Ye Xiu had faltered for.

Ownership of both Dancing Rain and Autumn Tree[1] if he answered questions and gained a minimum of 100 asks.

And so, that was how, Ye Xiu found himself in front of a computer, not playing Glory for once but patiently listening to Wu Xuefeng explains the ins and outs of a social media site—

"Do you understand, Captain?" Wu Xuefeng asked leaning back in his chair.

Ye Xiu nodded and watched his vice-captain leave to go lecture Qin Tianran and Xue Mingkai both of whom were starting to fight again.

Moving his mouse to the AMA question email inbox, Ye Xiu started scrolling through the questions already submitted. To his surprise, there was far more than a dozen, or even a hundred. Glancing to his left, he was shocked to see the 999+ hovering by the inbox. He had never thought he would get so many questions, rubbing his eyes, he got to work.

It was going to be a long night.

XXxxxxXX

AMA: Ye Qiu Edition [2]

StraightTalker:  When you tell a non-gamer that you play professionally, do they usually react positively or negatively? What about people you've been romantically interested in?

OneLeafofTwo (Ye Qiu)

    I once told one of my family members I was going to play professionally. I ignored the next five minutes of him telling me to go home. Most reactions are negative. The only positive reaction I had was from a friend. Never found anyone romantically because I was too busy winning championchips.

ManBearPig:  What's the weirdest thing you've ever been asked?

OneLeafofTwo (Ye Qiu):

      Is Old Han part of the mafia?

SundialQ:  If you hadn't become a battlemage in the pro scene what class would you have choosen?

OneLeafofTwo (Ye Qiu):

      Whatever class was needed or useful. Except for Cleric. My friend choose this class for me because there was too few good battlemages when Glory first came out and Battlemage was a highly complicated class.

UbvranCover:  What's one thing you regret about your Glory Career?

OneLeafofTwo (Ye Qiu):

     Having to be under spotlights during matches.

PrinceofFluffy:  There are rumors that you are an alien. How do you reply?

OneLeafof Two (Ye Qiu):

     Disbelief. How is this even a question?

CasefilesKK:  When you go out do you keep wearing your mask?

OneLeafof Two (Ye Qiu):

     Without. There's no point to wearing the mask if no one knows what I look like.

BloodFollowsFight:  How do you feel about ALLYe?

OneLeafofTwo (Ye Qiu):

    All What?

OnePieceofGold:  How do you feel about HanYe?

 OneLeafof Two (Ye Qiu):

     What does this even mean? Is Old Han trying to beat me?

See all 29+ Pro replies  387.0k+ Comments Share Save Hide Report

XXxxxXX

That first post is like a spark that seemed to set off everyone in the Glory community. Other pros were weighing in and forums everywhere were exploding as users were screen shotting their questions, most beyond shocked that the highly elusive and rare God of Glory was actually communicating. Wiki pages once so bare of data of the most powerful and shadowy existence that was the battle god were quickly edited and re-edited as more and more answers begun appearing on Reddit.

The moment that the news went viral, the newspapers were filled with information, and before long even more and more questions started being sent to Ye Xiu, to the complete shock of Wang Shi and Tao Xuan, both of whom knew that Ye Qiu had a following the Glory community but neither of them knew it was anything like this.

Already, Ye Qiu's AMA was trending on Weibo and nearly every social site that was even remotely popular, and yet no one was asking him to unmask. It was mind boggling because Ye Qiu thought that would be one of the only questions he would receive, and yet from all the hundreds of questions he answered, it had only appeared a few times.

Unfortunately, even though he had met his goal in the first few hours of his posts, the number of questions in his box was still exploding.

How was he ever going to finish this mess?

XXxxxXX

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long as after Tao Xuan made some calls to the PR group they had on retainer for situations like this. Based on their information and a suitable recommendation, Ye Xiu was given an assistant to help streamline the process, so that instead of him having to type everything manually he could do other things, such as captain his team.

The assistant was incredibly efficient and moved several questions over to a new thread that was due to open in the new week, while she deleted a large number of rather misleading, or crude questions. She worked with him, while he sat at the computer, or at his desk typing up comments to questions.

And so, Ye Xiu thought that was the end of it.

He was wrong.

XXxxxxXX

[1] In this fanfiction Tao Xuan had kept Autumn Tree and he had just been waiting for YX to purchase it back from him. However, even at rock bottom prices, YX was having problems getting the money together while being fined and taking care of Su Mucheng. In addition, as this fanfic takes place during Season 3, I headcanon that Su Mucheng is finishing up in the EE Training camp and her card was purchased (Though I don't know if this is actually a thing that happens.)

[2] Unlike other Reddit thread Ye Qiu is answering questions after the fact, instead of during a time slot like is normally done. I don't know if this possible, or under what circumstances, but here it is.

Reddit will not be the only social media site I add.

Questions were borrowed/created from the AMA on Reddit and Jobstr, all their work belongs to them.

Next Chapter |  Read on AO3

[thesportssoundoff]

Carlos Beltran is the new manager of the Mets...and that’s probably good.

Carlos Beltran is the New York Mets manager.

'Kay.

Hooray.

All jokes aside, there's a lot of very mixed powerful opinions about Carlos Beltran being the head of the Mets house going into 2020. Some very powerful people have espoused opinions all over the place (https://twitter.com/djshort/status/1190368529578692608, https://twitter.com/MattEhalt/status/1190355937535700993, https://twitter.com/MrazCBS/status/1190361495068200961, https://twitter.com/AndrewMarchand/status/1190364456976605184) but I've noticed more negatives than positives at least. I'm going to take the other stance! I'll argue for Carlos Beltran because somebody has to be fair to this whole process. Let's give Carlos Beltran the benefit of the doubt and talk about WHY this is going to work out just fine for the Mets.

First and foremost, don't apply a Mets tax.This is basically the biggest problem with having any sort of discussion about the Mets. The Mets are a poorly run ill equipped franchise that more often than not are the laughing stock of the New York sports area. They are, for better or worse, the jokes of the Metropolitan area. Here's the counter though; that doesn't mean they can't make good decisions. It also doesn't mean conversely that every decision they make is a bad one either. View any moves on their own and don't clasp onto the fact that it's the Mets making it. Carlos Beltran was in the running for the Yankees job that ultimately went to Aaron Boone and the Yankees valued him so much that they kept Beltran in their front office after he went for the job. That wasn't the only offer either! The Padres and the Cubs both wanted the opportunity to interview Beltran for their managerial but Beltran turned down their overtures strictly because he wanted the Mets job.  Beltran was qualified but limited himself to a set location; the New York Mets job.

And that leads us to my next point; Carlos Beltran legitimately wanted this job. In New York, specifically in these franchises that are woebegone and dismal, there needs to be a certain head nod for folks who actively want these jobs. Carlos Beltran could've gone to San Diego and enjoyed living in absolute obscurity with tremendous weather, little to no expectations and years of watching Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr do great things. He could've gone to Chicago which is probably STILL not as pressure packed as coming to New York's SECOND team. He wanted the Mets job and nothing else which speaks to his desire for it. He knows this media, he knows the market, he of all people understands the expectations required for being a manager in this city. He played for both teams in this very market at various stages of his career.  He's a bilingual manager who will relate to all types of players and it's hard to knock somebody who was still a relevant and capable bat into his late 30s. Beltran is still not so far removed from the game to not get the challenges that today's players face while also being old and established enough that he can bring an old school approach if need be.  You're taking a chance on somebody who wants to be here, knows what's required to be here and has the ability to blend a generational gap.

A lot is being made about experience and it's granted that Beltran has never been a manager on any level. Let's start by pointing out that of the four managers in the ALCS and NLCS, three were in their first managerial gigs and one was on his second gig ever as a hyphenated short term stint prior to that. Managerial experience is by and large no longer a must and now more and more guys are managing with minimal expertise. The days of being a bench coach for five to ten years, putting your nose to the grindstone as you elevate up the ranks and then emerging in your mid to late 40s as a qualified manager are going to become no more. Dusty Baker and Buck Showalter are not in demand despite their qualifications because those types of managers are not of value anymore. Joe Girardi is an outlier in large part due to the fact that Philly is desperate for success and Girardi can flaunt that better than anybody. Seriously the days of guys who by their gut and manage based upon feel for the game and so on so forth are pretty much gone. Baseball teams, now more than ever, are run from the top down. Analytics departments and general managers have more say so than ever before in how a team is run. Carlos Beltran is going to be just fine with that part of the game given that he was a special advisor to Brian Cashman and worked alongside the Yankees analytics department. If ANYBODY is going to get what a modern manager is going to have to do, it's Beltran who will be a Carlos Beltran's experience with dealing with the New York media trumps whatever sort of Also I think we need to be fair and understand what a modern manager does. A modern MLB manager is meant to be the liaison between the analytics department and the players. He's the guy whose job it is to relay what the analytics department wants and deal with 25 personalities on a game to game basis. He's the collaborator; the guy who gets the analytics and then gets the players and then ties it all together. Most MLB managers make very few on the fly decisions and 99% of what you see on a game to game basis is branched out well in advance before a single ball is put into play. If you think Beltran is going to be called on to make a lot of snap decisions, he may or may not struggle but will probably struggle no more or less than the usual experienced manager. Gut decisions more often than not go badly so why would Beltran be exempt from that?

I can't tell you if Beltran's bullpen management will be great or not because we don't know. I can only tell you that most of those decisions will be taken out of his hands. I can tell you that Beltran will be as in tune with analytics as a modern manger needs to be, has skins on the wall as a player to be able to relate to modern day players (especially Latin American ones given how he came up in the bigs and the struggles he's endured) and that after dealing with this media for years, he's not going to get spooked at the first sign of a tough question. If Terry Collins was too tired and Mickey Calloway was too friendly then Carlos Beltran will bring the proper balance between old school 'tude and new school analytics based thinking. There are those on twitter who say that the Mets missed out on their original target (Joe Girardi) but maybe that's for the best. Every Yankee scribe who followed the Girardi/Yankees end boiled it down to Joe not necessarily being the friendliest guy for players and at times resistant to new school measures fostered upon him by the front office. If the Mets wanted THAT kind of a guy then it's a good thing that Beltran got the job in the end because maybe he'll force them to adapt and accept the way baseball is going these days.  Going after Joe Girardi would've felt like ahungry and desperate attempt to win some sort of PR battle with the Yankees. At the end of day, the Mets got a guy who wanted the job more than anybody else, is young, is bilingual and comes with high upside. They got a fine fit for a roster with a solid blend of established names and faces and enticing young up and coming talent.

Getting some other teams scab leftovers as a manager might make you FEEL better because you can see that once upon a time maybe 5-10 years ago they won something. The reality is that they don't actually make you better. Carlos Beltran might not even make you better if this roster doesn't get any better. I support the Mets trying with a highly qualified unproven coach. If you're applying a Mets tax on the decision, you're just being unfair.

[amberlynnmurdock]

DINER SERIES (8)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Insert

Genre: angst!!! 

Series Summary: After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA out in the world, Bucky Barnes is on the run. He finds himself in a small town in Pennsylvania and in it a diner he likes to come to late at night. He only planned on staying here for a week, until he meets you. And he finds a few reasons to stay.

Chapter Summary: This is why you're in this town.

WARNINGS: Fictional drug use, like a fake drug from the comics, violence briefly described, abusive relationship (mental and physical, but no graphic descriptions). This was a tough chapter to write, and if I do anything wrong, PLEASE let me know! But anyways, I hope this satisfies your wonder of who the Reader character is, and what her story is. Enjoy :) 

MASTERLIST

You love this diner.

It’s warm. It plays jazz music, even though it’s hard to hear most of the time. Stacy reminds you of someone, though you can’t quite pin who exactly. You like to talk to her. She’s kind. She’s friendly. She’s the only person here, in this town, who you have talked to. Seeing different people here every night gives you a strange sense of home. It reminds you of the mysterious air of Manhattan; each person you come across you know they have their own life, own happiness, own struggles. You’ve felt a connection with almost every stranger you’ve come across.

You miss that about New York City. You miss being able to just feel a connection with a stranger, without even having to talk to them.

You even miss the assholes you’d come across. Cutting you off as you’re walking, taking the last seat on the subway when you know you had claimed it before them (in your mind). You miss struggling to get in line early at your favorite bagel place downtown because they made the absolute best bagels.

You miss being able to feel everything. In this town, you don’t feel anything. You feel empty. You feel helpless. You feel alone, because you are.

And it’s because of him.

~

Graduation Party, April 2012

“Let’s here it for the class of 2012!” The photographer shouts from behind the camera. On cue, the entire New York University Class of 2012 screams with joy, with pride, with true independence. You throw your purple cap up into the air and hug your friends as the photo is snapped, soon to grace the papers of The New York Times, The Daily Bugle, and New York Bulletin.

“Let’s get it, ladies! I’ve got med school, Jana’s already got an interview with Stark Industries, and ___ is writing for The New York Times,” Maggie says as she raises her champagne glass to clink with yours and Jana’s. You smile, holding a finger out,

“Not yet. It’s just an internship for now,” You reply, sipping on the bubbly beverage. Being 21, freshly graduated felt so good.

“Oh come on, ___, you’re an amazing writer. If The New York Times’ editor offered you the internship, they clearly want you to write for their paper! Your piece on the Avengers that was published in NYU’s paper was too good,” Jana says, and you blush.

“Well, let’s see. I’m very optimistic,” You quirk an eyebrow, taking another sip. You’re in a lavender dress that reaches just above your knees, and black heels to match. This graduation party was swarming with fresh NYU grads. You’ve never felt more in place, more confident, more excited than you do now.

Across the rooftop you see your mother and little sister, Maisie, chatting with Jana’s parents. Excusing yourself, you make your way to your mom and Maisie.

“There’s my beautiful graduate,” Your mom smiles, opening her arms for a hug. You squeeze your mom tight,

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your help, mom.” She gives you a warm smile, before Maisie tugs on your hand. You crouch down to her height and she immediately attacks you in the warmest and tightest hug ever.

“My big sister’s all grown up!” She exclaims, “I can’t wait til I’m just like you one day.”

This almost brings tears to your eyes. You and Maisie were really close, despite having such a big age difference. She’s only six years old, but she’s more than just a sister to you. She’s your best friend. And she looks at you like you’re her entire world.

“You’ll be better,” You smile as she pulls back. Standing back up you speak to Jana’s parents for a bit, discussing your future plans. They gush over how much you, Jana, and Maggie all together have accomplished over the past four years. Four years you’ll hold close to your heart forever.

“Hey, ___!” A loud voice calls your name. Already knowing who it is, you sigh, rolling your eyes, though a smile spreads across your lips.

“Braden,” You breathe out, “Y’know, I’m actually surprised you graduated,” You tease. He brings you into a bear hug, one you accept gracefully. His fluffy blonde hair tickles your neck as he holds you tight.

“Alright, alright. I may have skipped my classes more than I should’ve but. C’s get degrees, am I right?” He jokes, pulling back.

“I’m only kidding,” You reply, “Congrats, grad. So what’s next for you?”

“Oh, you know. Just starting my job with the New York Yankees on Monday.”

“Braden! That’s amazing!” You give him another hug, “I am so happy for you.”

“Thank you, ___. You better keep in touch! Miss. New York Times,” Braden smiles, his blue eyes glistening against the rooftop string lights.

Looking out over the island of Manhattan, you gaze at the lights of buildings just turning on due to the sky turning from pinks and oranges to a deep blue. The party has died down. Your mom and Maisie left a bit ago, leaving mostly the grads to party. It was an eventful day, exhausting, but you couldn’t feel more satisfied.

Down below, the cars and taxis that run across the streets of New York City look so, so tiny. Like you could pick them up with your fingers and it’d fit in your hand like a toy. You imagine the world being at your fingertips now.

In the distance, the glow of the newly built Avengers tower is seen. The giant A is hard to miss, as are the crowds that gather at the foot of the door to take a picture in front of it to post on their social media. In a way, you have to thank that alien invasion and the Avengers themselves for giving you something good to write about, being in the midst of it all with your fellow students and well, the entirety of Manhattan.

The city was still recovering from the Incident, but Manhattan was tough. New York City was tough, and this place that you were born and raised in has shaped you in so many ways. This city has made you a fighter.

“Excuse me?” A voice calls. Your thoughts are interrupted by a stranger coming from behind you. When you turn around to greet them, you freeze in place.

It’s a man. Not much older than you are, you think, but God, is he handsome. Dirty blonde hair, cleft chin, brown eyes. He’s in a suit, grey you pick up. He doesn’t look like anyone you know from NYU, not even from a different graduating class.

“Hi,” You say, “Can I help you?”

“Sorry, I just–Are you ___ ___?” He asks.

You quirk an eyebrow, “Yeah. Yes, I am. And you are?”

“I’m sorry. My name is Nathaniel Graves. Nathan. Nate. Whichever you prefer,” Nathan smiles, and he’s got a dazzling one at that. You don’t know his intentions, and you’re not a patient girl who likes to waste her time.

“Hi. So what is it you want?” You ask, hand on your hip.

He squints his eyes, that same smile still on his lips, “I just wanted to tell you that your articles are amazing. So well written and so articulate, you made me feel like I was actually there, seeing the Incident happen itself,” He says.

“Thank you,” You reply, letting your guard down a little with a smile, “Are you not from New York?”

“No, actually. I’m from Pennsylvania, but I come to New York for trips.”

“Trips?”

“Business. I work for AIM. Advanced Idea Mechanics. We’re a bit smaller than our competition but still up there,” he explains. You nod your head, familiar of the company.

“Ah, I know. Competition as in Stark Industries?”

Nathan tightens his smile, “Yes, as in Stark Industries.”

“Well, what brings you to an NYU grad party, Nathan?” You ask, curious if he knows anyone you know.

“My company and I usually come to these looking for any NYU grads that are interested in interning or a job.” Nathan explains.

“I’m not an engineer,” You reply.

“That’s not what I’m asking you,” He smiles a little.

“Then what are you asking me?” Squinting your eyes, you smirk.

“Dinner?”

~

And that’s how it began.

In the beginning, it was simple. He was charming, successful at the ripe age of twenty-five, and he seemed so right. It was hard to explain. He was mesmerizing. You hadn’t felt like that in a while.

Not love. But a strange infatuation.

~

July, Later that Year

“I don’t have anyone. My parents died when I was young. I’ve been on my own most of my life,” Nathan tells you one night as you lay in his temporary apartment in downtown Manhattan.

“Hmm. Well, look at you now,” You say, running a hand up his chest.

He looks at you, his brown eyes deep and hard to read, “I know. Did everything on my own. AIM found me, Aldrich, really, and I’ve been okay so far.”

“I think so.”

~

Nathan’s angry. He’s proved more than once that he is capable and ready and mostly deserving of Extremis.

“It’s not ready,” Maya argues, “You can’t take it.”

“Not only that,” Aldrich Killian chirps, “You’re not qualified.”

“I have gotten so many kicks for this business. More than anyone ever has. I know you’re lying to me, I know it’s ready. I’ve seen you after hours in the office. Skin glowing orange. I know it’s ready.” Nathan argues, slamming his fist on the table. Maya jumps. Aldrich doesn’t flinch.

“You have the rest of the day off,” Aldrich says. It’s a demand, not an offer.

Later

Finally finishing a small column for the New York Times, you slip the finished product on your editor’s desk. He smiles, dismissing you silently, as he always does.

You’re beaming.

You’re so close to landing an actual position here, you can almost feel it. Slipping your keys into Nathan’s door, you let yourself in, eager to pour yourself a glass of rose. After much, much convincing, you agreed to moving into Nathan’s temporary apartment. It was close to the New York Times office anyways, and Nathan was insistent.

Surprised, you see him sitting on the couch. You weren’t expecting to see him, so you greet him with a hello.

“How was your day, Nate? Haven’t seen you in a while, this is nice,” You say. He’s on his computer, typing away at something. He doesn’t reply. You figure he’s too focused on some engineer type stuff.

Reaching for the bottle of rose, you grab a wine glass and pour the pink liquid in the crystal glass.

“My day was amazing. You know, I really think I’m going to get a position on board. I already told my mom and Maisie, they are so excited.”

No reply.

Sipping the rose, you roll your eyes, “Earth to Nathan?”

Nathan quietly shuts his laptop. He’s in a white tee shirt and sweatpants, unusual for him during the afternoon, at least. He walks over to you and you think he’s going to embrace you in a hug, but instead, he reaches for the bottle of rose and throws it against the brick wall, the bottle shattering into a million pieces.

“What the hell?!” You shout, “What the–“

He grabs the wine glass out of your hand and smashes it on the floor, flicks of crystal glass grazing your feet. Shocked, and scared, you back up against the wall, away from Nathan. You didn’t know where this was coming from, but you didn’t like it.

Nathan goes to his room, your room, and locks himself in.

You don’t speak to him for three weeks. As far as you know, you are never going to see Nathaniel Graves ever again.

~

It’s a quiet night at the AIM office in Manhattan. Aldrich has left for the night, Maya leaving in a bit. A few other employees occupy different levels of the building, but none of them occupy the lab. The lab in which the Extremis is held.

Slipping his key card in the elevator, Nathaniel enters, clicking the level of the lab. The wooshing of the elevator is the only sound he hears. The only thing he sees in his mind is the Extremis liquid.

The doors open. The lab is dark, cold. No one has been up here because the Extremis is done as he presumed. Finished before the argument he had with Aldrich. And finally, it’s in his reach.

It sits behind a glass case that he is able to pry open with a screwdriver. AIM, he scoffs. No wonder we’re falling behind Stark.

And finally, Nathan has the Extremis in his hand. In his grasp. It feels good. Fuck you, Aldrich. I deserve this.

He doesn’t hesitate in rolling up his sleeve and shooting the liquid inside him. For a second, he feels normal. And then the next second, his entire body is burning up. Heat filling his veins, his entire being, it’s too much. Nathan falls to the ground, unable to move from how hot it is, and then in a split second, he’s fine. He’s okay.

He jumps up. He feels lighter. Grabbing a hand mirror off the desk, he looks at himself.

His skin. It’s glowing orange.

The first thing he does is go to your door step.

~

There was something different about Nathaniel that night, you thought. He was glowing, but you couldn’t see anything different about him physically. He brought flowers to you, explained the entire thing, why he lashed out. You wanted to understand. You didn’t, because there is no excuse for behavior like that. You turned him down.

“Fuck off, and go to an anger management class.”

But it didn’t stop there. He kept sending you fruit arrangements, flowers, anything. Really, he didn’t do anything to you, you supposed. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t in the future. But still, were you going to hold one day against him? That day, you wouldn’t let define him. So, you went back to him.

And it was the worst decision you could have made.

You came across the weird orange liquid one day in the apartment. When you questioned him about it, he said it was safe. It wasn’t a prototype. It was meant for him, and the way he said it to you sent chills down your spine.

When you decided to leave again, because you didn’t want to deal with his bullshit AIM drugs, he hit you so hard you blacked out.

And when you woke up, you were in another state. Another house.

Not Manhattan.

“I already took care of your job, your mom and Maisie. Don’t worry, they know you live here now. I’ll be going back to New York for trips and such but this is our home now.”

“That’s impossible, you don’t have my consent. They’re probably looking for me right now. I would never leave Manhattan like that–“

He drops a slip of paper in front of you. It’s your handwriting, though you don’t know how. Your signature at the bottom. You can’t read the letter he wrote saying that you agreed to go with him, leave your job, and move to Pennsylvania with him, never to see them again.

It’s been like this for too long.

The hitting didn’t stop. You’ve had to wear a scarf now to cover the marks he left. His reasoning must be behind the drugs, but also, you felt like it was always in him. Even when he didn’t have the bullshit Extremis in him, he was violent–the rose proved that. AIM, you decided, was evil. You always preferred Stark Industries.

“You’re mine. Extremis is mine. AIM will be mine,” He says to you one night as you patch your cuts. You’re shaking, bleeding, focusing on your eyes in the reflection of the mirror.

You can’t lose yourself. Manhattan has made you a fighter.

~

So, you like this diner. It reminds you of home.

The strangers you see in this diner remind you of the strangers back in Manhattan. The strangers you’d write about in your columns for the NYU newspaper. The music reminds you of the faint music you’d hear in the streets.

Seeing James across from you reminds you of the freedom you once had. Traveling (mostly Manhattan) and not caring. Writing.

And when Bucky said those words to you,

“You have me.”

You break down.

[patriotsnet]

How Are Democrats Different From Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-are-democrats-different-from-republicans/

How Are Democrats Different From Republicans

As A Public Service I Have Endeavored To Distill The Differences Between The Parties Into Fair Terms That Children Can Understand

Democrats and Republicans prepare vastly different election campaigns

To keep the baseball analogy alive, the two parties are like the American and the National Leagues in baseball. If you have a little sports fan in your home, perhaps this analogy might help. In politics, the primaries are like the early playoff rounds. The parties will pick their winner like the American and National Leagues pick theirs.  In baseball, the league winners play in the World Series.  In politics, the primary winners will face off in the general election.  The winner of the general election becomes President of the United States.

Jessicas note: Heres another take on it, in case your kids arent eloquent in the language of baseball. Imagine the boys and the girls in a class wanted to see who was the best at something. The boys would have a contest to pick their very best boy. Thats like the primary. And then all the girls would pick their best girl. And then everyone in the school would choose between the best boy, and the best girl. The winner over all is like the President.

Back to our baseball analogy. In baseball, there are differences between the leagues.  One league has a designated hitter and considers the foul poll fair.  The other league does not.  

Flipping The Script And Cutting Checks

So why is it that blacks vote Democrat, for the very people that denied them freedom and continue to keep them subject to a new master government?  And its not just blacks that have been duped by the Democrat Party, but its whites also.  All in the name of helping the poor .  Heres how the Democrats, the media, and now the globalist socialist, have enslaved black people to the government.  They said you are oppressed and if you vote for us we will give you the help, through the government, to overcome that oppression.  They then blamed the Republicans for oppressing the blacks when it was the Republicans that gave them their freedom and the right to vote, over the objections of the Democrats!

The Democrats were the oppressors, but once they realized that by giving government handouts they could buy votes, the Democrat Party launched the War on Poverty and started cutting checks.

The Republicans were the party of the individual and the American Dream, which said you could be anything you want through hard work and diligence.  The Democrats, on the other hand, said you cant do it without our help.  Then, black leaders realized that they could take advantage of that cash cow by playing the Democrat game of lies and deceit to enrich themselves while their brothers became lost in the quagmire of government assistance which has caused so many problems for the black community.

Democrats Republicans Take Different Approaches Ahead Of Crucial Georgia Senate Runoffs

This article was published more than 6 months ago. Some information in it may no longer be current.

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This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy. Full Disclaimer

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Loeffler speaks to supporters during a campaign rally in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 11, 2020.

Jon Ossoff took the stage in Columbus and looked out over a parking lot filled with cars, with supporters blaring their horns in approval as he declared that change has come to Georgia.

Hours earlier, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler stepped to a microphone in suburban Atlanta and addressed hundreds of eager supporters packed into the Cobb County GOP headquarters. The freshman senator and her Florida colleague, Sen. Marco Rubio, stirred the crowd with their insistence that the change offered by Ossoff and his fellow Democratic Senate hopeful Raphael Warnock means radical elements would control Washington.

Those opening salvos of Georgias twin Senate runoff campaign Ossoff looking to unseat Republican Sen. David Perdue and Warnock facing off with Loeffler showcase starkly different approaches the two parties are taking to the unusual circumstances that make this newfound two-party battleground the epicentre of a national battle for control of the Senate.

Difference Between Democrat And Republican

Difference between Democrat and Republican is explained here in detail.

Democrat is a proponent of democracy, or democratic government. Democratic Party of USA is the worlds oldest active political party. They are more aligned towards liberal ideology.

Republican can refer to an advocate of a republic, a form of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. Republic Party is one of the 2 major parties of the USA.

Visit the given link for information on dates, structure and other details of IAS Exam.

Difference between Democrat and Republican UPSC Notes:-

Read the related difference between articles from below:

You may also read first the Difference between Democracy and Republic to understand the fundamentals.

The major differences between Democrat and Republican are:

What Is The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats

Republicans and Democrats are the two main and historically the largest political parties in the US and, after every election, hold the majority seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as the highest number of Governors. Though both the parties mean well for the US citizens, they have distinct differences that manifest in their comments, decisions, and history. These differences are mainly ideological, political, social, and economic paths to making the US successful and the world a better place for all. Differences between the two parties that are covered in this article rely on the majority position though individual politicians may have varied preferences.

How To Explain The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats

Politics are confusing, even for adults. This years political cycle is even more confusing than most.  Anything that confuses and parents is sure to raise questions in children.

As the primaries roll on, many children are asking questions about the two major political parties and what all the arguing means.  This years political cycle is more emotionally charged than most.  Those emotions can make it difficult for parents to fairly explain political differences to children.  Goodness knows, as an avid sports fan, I could not objectively describe the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key Issues

Reuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez

The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice.

This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the countrys contentious healthcare system struggles to cope.

The average healthcare costs for COVID-19 treatment is up to $US30,000 , an Americas Health Insurance Plans 2020 study has found.

How Did John Quincy Adams Become President

In the U.S. presidential election of 1824, Andrew Jackson received 99 electoral votes, Adams 84, William Crawford 41, and Henry Clay 37. Because no one had a majority, the House of Representatives chose between the three top candidates. Clay supported Adams, ensuring his victory and the bitter opposition of the Jacksonians to all his initiatives.

Difference Between Republicans And Conservatives

Democrats Vs Republicans | What is the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

March 30, 2011 Posted by Clarisse

Republicans vs Conservatives

Republicans and Conservatives have started to air out their differences more vocally and more pronounced in the past couple of years, though it was said that all Republicans were supposedly conservatives.

Republicans

Republicans can refer to a supporter of a republic. It refers to the people who believe in the form of government wherein freedom from dictatorship rules. Republicans believe that the government has no right to tax its people with amounts that are unrealistic in comparison to the recent economy. Republicans also promote small enterprise to promote the economy. Republican is one of the 2 major political parties in the United States.

Conservatives

Conservatives are group of individuals, mostly republicans who have a different view or philosophy in the political world. Conservatives have both a political and social philosophy that allows traditional institutions to be upheld and maintained in the government. It also allows and assists the social changes that are occurring every day. There are other conservatives who would rather maintain how things were and would rather have stability instead of change.

Difference Between Republicans and Conservatives

Both revolve around politics and are quite disgruntled by the fact that their differences are not made more pronounce. As mentioned, republicans are political party members but do not mean that they are all conservative in terms of political views.

The Philosophy Behind Democratic Economic Policy

Democrats gear their economic policies to benefit low-income and middle-income families. They argue that reducing income inequality is the best way to foster economic growth. Low-income families are more likely to spend any extra money on necessities instead of saving or investing it. That directly increases demand and spurs economic growth. Democrats also support a Keynesian economic theory, which says that the government should spend its way out of a recession.

One dollar spent on increased food stamp benefits generates $1.73 in economic output.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt first outlined the Economic Bill of Rights in his 1944 State of the Union address. It included taxes on war profiteering and price controls on food costs. President Harry Trumans 1949 Fair Deal proposed an increase in the minimum wage, civil rights legislation, and national health care. President Barack Obama expanded Medicaid with the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

The Partisan Landscape And Views Of The Parties

Republicans and Democrats agree on very little in the current political environment, but there is a widespread belief in both parties that partisan divisions in the country are increasing. Among the public overall, 78% say divisions between Republicans and Democrats in this country are increasing, while just 6% say they are decreasing and 16% say they are staying the same.

Large majorities in both parties say partisan divisions are increasing, though Republicans are somewhat more likely than Democrats to express this view .

Similarly, large majorities in both parties express concern about rising partisanship. About eight-in-ten adults say they are very or somewhat concerned about divisions between Republicans and Democrats, including nearly half who say they are very concerned about the growing divide.

Comparable shares of Republicans and Democrats express concern about divisions between the two parties, though Democrats are slightly more likely to say this than Republicans .

A similar pattern is evident among independents who lean toward a party. About three-quarters of independents who lean toward the Republican Party or Democratic Party say partisan divisions are growing. Comparable shares of those who lean toward each party express concern about this.

California Voter And Party Profiles

NOTES: Likely voters are registered voters meeting criteria on interest in politics, attention to issues, voting behavior, and intention to vote. For a full description of these criteria and regional definitions, visit www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/SurveyMethodology.pdf. For race and ethnicity, results are presented for Latinos, non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic Asian Americans, non-Hispanic African Americans, and non-Hispanic other race and multiracial adults.

Related Content

What Is Republican

Republicans, just as the name suggest, support government as a republic. The Republican Party was founded in 1854. The Republican Party elected Abraham Lincoln, as the first Republican president. The party was known as GOP, widely understood as Grand Old Party, in the 1870s. 

Initially created to support a free market economy that countered the Democratic Partys agrarian leanings and support of slave lobor, the Republicans have been associated with reducing taxes to stimulate the economy, deregulation, and conservative social values.

The Republican partys mascot is the elephant. Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, George Bush are some of the famous Republican Presidents. 

Who Are Democrats

The Democratic National Committee was officially established back in 1848. The Democratic Party, however, was actually founded in 1824, and theyve been recognized with the donkey symbol that was actually adopted because of Andrew Jacksons public nickname.

The most known Democratic presidents had been: Frankelin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Woodrow Wilson, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. On a more recent note, the Democratic candidates for the 2016 U.S presidency elections were: Hillary Clinton , Bernie Sanders, and Martin OMalley.

Republicans stand for a somewhat Liberal ideology, and they have several beliefs that oppose their republican counterparts. They have been known to generally favor gay marriage, free-opinionated abortion, and intense gun-control laws.

Republicans also believe that taxes should vary among people where middle or low-income individuals are entitled to tax cuts, but wealthy individuals are expected to pay higher taxes. They stand for increasing the minimum wage in order to ensure Americans ample financial supply which would enable them to buy more services and goods.

But they have a stagnant view regarding trade restrictions; they believe American jobs can be threatened with completely free trading system. Finally, republicans favor governmental control over social programs and other services.

How To Avoid Wars

One of the most important jobs that a President has is to decide when the country goes to war.  Neither party wants America to fight in wars.  Most Republicans believe that the best way to stay out of wars is to have a strong army that other people are afraid to fight.  Most Democrats believe that the best way to stay out of wars is to be cooperative and not intimidate other countries.

Difference Between Republican And Democrats

One of the differences between democrats and republicans lies in their views towards social issues. The Republicans tend to be conservative on social issues. They tend to oppose gay marriage and promote marriage being between a man and a woman. They also oppose abortion and promote the right of gun ownership. Have you ever actually took time to think about politics? Not just hearing it on the news then changing the channel or having a little small conversation then moving on but actually really

Regulating The Economy Democratic Style

Republicans, Democrats have different strategies to reach voters

The Democratic Party is generally considered more willing to intervene in the economy, subscribing to the belief that government power is needed to regulate businesses that ignore social interests in the pursuit of earning a return for shareholders. This intervention can come in the form of regulation or taxation to support social programs. Opponents often describe the Democratic approach to governing as tax and spend.

Education Doesnt Help Either

Education is intended to make us better informed about the world, so wed expect that the more educated you become, the more you understand what other Americans think. In fact, the more educated a person is, the worse their Perception Gap with one critical exception. This trend only holds true for Democrats, not Republicans. In other words, while Republicans misperceptions of Democrats do not improve with higher levels of education, Democrats understanding of Republicans actually gets worse with every additional degree they earn. This effect is so strong that Democrats without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree.

The Republican Party General Policy And Political Values

The Republican Party is often referred to as the GOP. This abbreviation stands for Grand Old Party. Its logo is an elephant. The Republican Party is known to support right-leaning ideologies of conservatism, social conservatism, and economic libertarianism, among other -isms. Thus, Republicans broadly advocate for traditional values, a low degree of government interference, and large support of the private sector.

One main standpoint of the Republican Party platform is a strong focus on the family and individual freedom. Generally, the Republican Party therefore often tends to promote states and local rights. That means that they often wish for federal regulations to play a lesser role in policymaking. Furthermore, the GOP has a pro-business-oriented platform. Thus, the party advocates for businesses to exist in a free market instead of being impacted by tight government regulations.

Republican Vs Democratic Demographics

Interesting data about how support for each party broke down by race, geography and the urban-rural divide during the 2018 mid-term elections are presented in charts here.

The Pew Research Group, among others, regularly surveys American citizens to determine party affiliation or support for various demographic groups. Some of their latest results are below.

Early Life And Career

John Quincy Adams entered the world at the same time that his maternal great-grandfather, John Quincy, for many years a prominent member of the Massachusettslegislature, was leaving ithence his name. He grew up as a child of the American Revolution. He watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from Penns Hill and heard the cannons roar across the Back Bay in Boston. His patriot father, John Adams, at that time a delegate to the Continental Congress, and his patriot mother, Abigail Smith Adams, had a strong molding influence on his education after the war had deprived Braintree of its only schoolmaster. In 1778 and again in 1780 the boy accompanied his father to Europe. He studied at a private school in Paris in 177879 and at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, in 1780. Thus, at an early age he acquired an excellent knowledge of the French language and a smattering of Dutch. In 1780, also, he began to keep regularly the diary that forms so conspicuous a record of his doings and those of his contemporaries through the next 60 years of American history. Self-appreciative, like most of the Adams clan, he once declared that, if his diary had been even richer, it might have become “next to the Holy Scriptures, the most precious and valuable book ever written by human hands.”

c.

Ideological Differences Between Republicans And Democrats

1. Ideological Differences between Republicans and DemocratsIn addition to the decline in competition, American politics today is characterized by a growing ideological polarization between the two major political parties. Thomas E. MannPolitical party affiliation is a viable way to find out the philosophy of a certain competing candidate, may he be Republican or Democratic. This in turn reflects upon his core beliefs. Republicans believe that each citizen is responsible for his/her position

Increased Media Consumption And The Perception Gap

But not every media outlet is the same. We identified how specific news sources are associated with varying levels of distorted understanding in their audiences. Some news sources are associated with larger Perception Gaps, in particular Breitbart, Drudge Report and popular talk radio programs such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. But large Perception Gaps are also associated with liberal sources such as Huffington Post and the Daily Kos. Only one media source is associated with better understanding other Americans views: the traditional television networks of ABC, NBC and CBS. Overall, these findings suggest that media is adding to a polarization ecosystem that is driving Americans apart.

Most Republicans See Democrats Not As Political Opponents But As Enemies

The idea is a simple one: A country in which people with at-times differing views of how things should be run get together and vote on representatives who will enact policy. The candidates with the most support take office, working to build consensus for the policies their constituents want to see. Both before and after the election, theres an expectation that disagreements will be resolvable and resolved.

This is an idealized version of our system, of course, but thats how ideals work. Central to American politics is the idea that even if your candidate loses, the winner will advocate for you. But in an era in which the winners of elections in November are often those who manage to clamber over their primary opponents in the spring, the idea that a Democratic legislator will feel beholden to Republican constituents or vice versa seems almost quaint.

That said, we run the risk of establishing an equivalence where one may not exist. For example, we have new polling from CBS News, conducted by YouGov, which explores how members of each political party tend to think of members of the opposing party.

Most Democrats say that they tend to view Republicans as political opponents. Most Republicans say that they tend to view Democrats as enemies.

How is this unwound?

Democrat Vs Republican: Where Did The Parties Get Their Names

Republicans, Democrats Face Different Challenges in Post-Trump Era

In the United States, the words Democrat and Republican are widely used to mean the two major American political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

We often hear these words used to describe things the parties do or the people connected to them. For example, former Vice President Joe Biden is the Democratic candidate for president, and members of the Republican Party are often simply called Republicans.

The English words democratic and republicanactually have long, complex histories that go far beyond red and blue states or donkeys and elephants. Lets take a closer look at where these two words came from and how they came to be used in the names of the two political parties.

Left Wing And Right Wing Politics

Politics is said to be split in half and you either have left or right political views. Left-wing politics is typically associated with progressive ideas and equality. Democrats are viewed as left-wingers. Right-wing politics values tradition, equity, and survival of the fittest. Republicans are viewed as right-wingers. 

Left-Wing

Left-wing beliefs are liberal in that they believe society is best served with an expanded role of the government. Examples of an expanded role for the government include entitlement programs such as social security and Medicare, Medicaid, universal healthcare, food stamps, free public education, unemployment benefits, strong environmental laws, and other regulations on industries.

Right Wing

Right-wingers believe that the best outcome for society is achieved when individual rights and civil liberties are paramount and the role and especially the power of the government is minimized. Right-wing ideology would favor market-based solutions to the issues that these government programs aim to tackle. For example, encouraging a freer marketplace for healthcare, driven by consumer choice to drive down costs. Or privately held retirement accounts like 401 plans instead of government-guaranteed Social Security.

The 5 Key Differences Between Democrats And Republicans

Isadora GuidoniPolitics

515.2K

The political landscape in the United States is dominated by two major political parties. The Democrats and the Republicans have been center stage in US politics for more than a century and the two parties have never seen eye to eye on a number of issues. Its very hard, however, to really tell the difference between a Democrat and a Republican. This is because in the era of so much partisan politics, its not easy to know where each of these sides stands. In that case, the best way to pick out the differences is to look at the platforms of each party.

Well, we did that and here is our break down of the five key areas of difference:

1. Tax Policy

Both Democrats and Republicans are for tax cuts but they dont often agree on the best way to achieve that. While Democrats have always insisted that tax cuts should only apply to low income and middle income households, Republicans feel that such cuts should actually apply to everyone including the big corporations and the wealthy.

2. Social Issues

3. Labor and Free Trade

4. Health Care

Health care is another area where the two parties dont agree. Democrats believe that the state should take the role of offering health care. They want to do away with private insurance arguing that its expensive for ordinary Americans to afford. However, Republicans believe that too much government involvement on health care could in fact drive up costs and affect the quality of care.

Quirky Differences Between Democrats And Republicans

If nothing else, this election cycle has proven how divided our political inclinations can be. Voters across the spectrum have struggled to see others’ points of view.

But science might be able to explain why we feel so different from one another: Research shows that liberal and conservative brains are wired differently. And those opposing preferences extend far beyond the political realm into mundane, but personally defining factors like beer tastes, bedroom habits and opinions on Justin Bieber.

Below are seven interesting contrasts between Republicans and Democrats. Do you follow your party’s preferences?

[statetalks]

How Are Democrats Different From Republicans

As A Public Service I Have Endeavored To Distill The Differences Between The Parties Into Fair Terms That Children Can Understand

Democrats and Republicans prepare vastly different election campaigns

To keep the baseball analogy alive, the two parties are like the American and the National Leagues in baseball. If you have a little sports fan in your home, perhaps this analogy might help. In politics, the primaries are like the early playoff rounds. The parties will pick their winner like the American and National Leagues pick theirs.  In baseball, the league winners play in the World Series.  In politics, the primary winners will face off in the general election.  The winner of the general election becomes President of the United States.

Jessicas note: Heres another take on it, in case your kids arent eloquent in the language of baseball. Imagine the boys and the girls in a class wanted to see who was the best at something. The boys would have a contest to pick their very best boy. Thats like the primary. And then all the girls would pick their best girl. And then everyone in the school would choose between the best boy, and the best girl. The winner over all is like the President.

Back to our baseball analogy. In baseball, there are differences between the leagues.  One league has a designated hitter and considers the foul poll fair.  The other league does not.  

Flipping The Script And Cutting Checks

So why is it that blacks vote Democrat, for the very people that denied them freedom and continue to keep them subject to a new master government?  And its not just blacks that have been duped by the Democrat Party, but its whites also.  All in the name of helping the poor .  Heres how the Democrats, the media, and now the globalist socialist, have enslaved black people to the government.  They said you are oppressed and if you vote for us we will give you the help, through the government, to overcome that oppression.  They then blamed the Republicans for oppressing the blacks when it was the Republicans that gave them their freedom and the right to vote, over the objections of the Democrats!

The Democrats were the oppressors, but once they realized that by giving government handouts they could buy votes, the Democrat Party launched the War on Poverty and started cutting checks.

The Republicans were the party of the individual and the American Dream, which said you could be anything you want through hard work and diligence.  The Democrats, on the other hand, said you cant do it without our help.  Then, black leaders realized that they could take advantage of that cash cow by playing the Democrat game of lies and deceit to enrich themselves while their brothers became lost in the quagmire of government assistance which has caused so many problems for the black community.

Democrats Republicans Take Different Approaches Ahead Of Crucial Georgia Senate Runoffs

This article was published more than 6 months ago. Some information in it may no longer be current.

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Loeffler speaks to supporters during a campaign rally in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 11, 2020.

Jon Ossoff took the stage in Columbus and looked out over a parking lot filled with cars, with supporters blaring their horns in approval as he declared that change has come to Georgia.

Hours earlier, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler stepped to a microphone in suburban Atlanta and addressed hundreds of eager supporters packed into the Cobb County GOP headquarters. The freshman senator and her Florida colleague, Sen. Marco Rubio, stirred the crowd with their insistence that the change offered by Ossoff and his fellow Democratic Senate hopeful Raphael Warnock means radical elements would control Washington.

Those opening salvos of Georgias twin Senate runoff campaign Ossoff looking to unseat Republican Sen. David Perdue and Warnock facing off with Loeffler showcase starkly different approaches the two parties are taking to the unusual circumstances that make this newfound two-party battleground the epicentre of a national battle for control of the Senate.

Difference Between Democrat And Republican

Difference between Democrat and Republican is explained here in detail.

Democrat is a proponent of democracy, or democratic government. Democratic Party of USA is the worlds oldest active political party. They are more aligned towards liberal ideology.

Republican can refer to an advocate of a republic, a form of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. Republic Party is one of the 2 major parties of the USA.

Visit the given link for information on dates, structure and other details of IAS Exam.

Difference between Democrat and Republican UPSC Notes:-

Read the related difference between articles from below:

You may also read first the Difference between Democracy and Republic to understand the fundamentals.

The major differences between Democrat and Republican are:

What Is The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats

Republicans and Democrats are the two main and historically the largest political parties in the US and, after every election, hold the majority seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as the highest number of Governors. Though both the parties mean well for the US citizens, they have distinct differences that manifest in their comments, decisions, and history. These differences are mainly ideological, political, social, and economic paths to making the US successful and the world a better place for all. Differences between the two parties that are covered in this article rely on the majority position though individual politicians may have varied preferences.

How To Explain The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats

Politics are confusing, even for adults. This years political cycle is even more confusing than most.  Anything that confuses and parents is sure to raise questions in children.

As the primaries roll on, many children are asking questions about the two major political parties and what all the arguing means.  This years political cycle is more emotionally charged than most.  Those emotions can make it difficult for parents to fairly explain political differences to children.  Goodness knows, as an avid sports fan, I could not objectively describe the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key Issues

Reuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez

The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice.

This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the countrys contentious healthcare system struggles to cope.

The average healthcare costs for COVID-19 treatment is up to $US30,000 , an Americas Health Insurance Plans 2020 study has found.

How Did John Quincy Adams Become President

In the U.S. presidential election of 1824, Andrew Jackson received 99 electoral votes, Adams 84, William Crawford 41, and Henry Clay 37. Because no one had a majority, the House of Representatives chose between the three top candidates. Clay supported Adams, ensuring his victory and the bitter opposition of the Jacksonians to all his initiatives.

Difference Between Republicans And Conservatives

Democrats Vs Republicans | What is the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

March 30, 2011 Posted by Clarisse

Republicans vs Conservatives

Republicans and Conservatives have started to air out their differences more vocally and more pronounced in the past couple of years, though it was said that all Republicans were supposedly conservatives.

Republicans

Republicans can refer to a supporter of a republic. It refers to the people who believe in the form of government wherein freedom from dictatorship rules. Republicans believe that the government has no right to tax its people with amounts that are unrealistic in comparison to the recent economy. Republicans also promote small enterprise to promote the economy. Republican is one of the 2 major political parties in the United States.

Conservatives

Conservatives are group of individuals, mostly republicans who have a different view or philosophy in the political world. Conservatives have both a political and social philosophy that allows traditional institutions to be upheld and maintained in the government. It also allows and assists the social changes that are occurring every day. There are other conservatives who would rather maintain how things were and would rather have stability instead of change.

Difference Between Republicans and Conservatives

Both revolve around politics and are quite disgruntled by the fact that their differences are not made more pronounce. As mentioned, republicans are political party members but do not mean that they are all conservative in terms of political views.

The Philosophy Behind Democratic Economic Policy

Democrats gear their economic policies to benefit low-income and middle-income families. They argue that reducing income inequality is the best way to foster economic growth. Low-income families are more likely to spend any extra money on necessities instead of saving or investing it. That directly increases demand and spurs economic growth. Democrats also support a Keynesian economic theory, which says that the government should spend its way out of a recession.

One dollar spent on increased food stamp benefits generates $1.73 in economic output.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt first outlined the Economic Bill of Rights in his 1944 State of the Union address. It included taxes on war profiteering and price controls on food costs. President Harry Trumans 1949 Fair Deal proposed an increase in the minimum wage, civil rights legislation, and national health care. President Barack Obama expanded Medicaid with the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

The Partisan Landscape And Views Of The Parties

Republicans and Democrats agree on very little in the current political environment, but there is a widespread belief in both parties that partisan divisions in the country are increasing. Among the public overall, 78% say divisions between Republicans and Democrats in this country are increasing, while just 6% say they are decreasing and 16% say they are staying the same.

Large majorities in both parties say partisan divisions are increasing, though Republicans are somewhat more likely than Democrats to express this view .

Similarly, large majorities in both parties express concern about rising partisanship. About eight-in-ten adults say they are very or somewhat concerned about divisions between Republicans and Democrats, including nearly half who say they are very concerned about the growing divide.

Comparable shares of Republicans and Democrats express concern about divisions between the two parties, though Democrats are slightly more likely to say this than Republicans .

A similar pattern is evident among independents who lean toward a party. About three-quarters of independents who lean toward the Republican Party or Democratic Party say partisan divisions are growing. Comparable shares of those who lean toward each party express concern about this.

California Voter And Party Profiles

NOTES: Likely voters are registered voters meeting criteria on interest in politics, attention to issues, voting behavior, and intention to vote. For a full description of these criteria and regional definitions, visit www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/SurveyMethodology.pdf. For race and ethnicity, results are presented for Latinos, non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic Asian Americans, non-Hispanic African Americans, and non-Hispanic other race and multiracial adults.

Related Content

What Is Republican

Republicans, just as the name suggest, support government as a republic. The Republican Party was founded in 1854. The Republican Party elected Abraham Lincoln, as the first Republican president. The party was known as GOP, widely understood as Grand Old Party, in the 1870s. 

Initially created to support a free market economy that countered the Democratic Partys agrarian leanings and support of slave lobor, the Republicans have been associated with reducing taxes to stimulate the economy, deregulation, and conservative social values.

The Republican partys mascot is the elephant. Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, George Bush are some of the famous Republican Presidents. 

Who Are Democrats

The Democratic National Committee was officially established back in 1848. The Democratic Party, however, was actually founded in 1824, and theyve been recognized with the donkey symbol that was actually adopted because of Andrew Jacksons public nickname.

The most known Democratic presidents had been: Frankelin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Woodrow Wilson, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. On a more recent note, the Democratic candidates for the 2016 U.S presidency elections were: Hillary Clinton , Bernie Sanders, and Martin OMalley.

Republicans stand for a somewhat Liberal ideology, and they have several beliefs that oppose their republican counterparts. They have been known to generally favor gay marriage, free-opinionated abortion, and intense gun-control laws.

Republicans also believe that taxes should vary among people where middle or low-income individuals are entitled to tax cuts, but wealthy individuals are expected to pay higher taxes. They stand for increasing the minimum wage in order to ensure Americans ample financial supply which would enable them to buy more services and goods.

But they have a stagnant view regarding trade restrictions; they believe American jobs can be threatened with completely free trading system. Finally, republicans favor governmental control over social programs and other services.

How To Avoid Wars

One of the most important jobs that a President has is to decide when the country goes to war.  Neither party wants America to fight in wars.  Most Republicans believe that the best way to stay out of wars is to have a strong army that other people are afraid to fight.  Most Democrats believe that the best way to stay out of wars is to be cooperative and not intimidate other countries.

Difference Between Republican And Democrats

One of the differences between democrats and republicans lies in their views towards social issues. The Republicans tend to be conservative on social issues. They tend to oppose gay marriage and promote marriage being between a man and a woman. They also oppose abortion and promote the right of gun ownership. Have you ever actually took time to think about politics? Not just hearing it on the news then changing the channel or having a little small conversation then moving on but actually really

Regulating The Economy Democratic Style

Republicans, Democrats have different strategies to reach voters

The Democratic Party is generally considered more willing to intervene in the economy, subscribing to the belief that government power is needed to regulate businesses that ignore social interests in the pursuit of earning a return for shareholders. This intervention can come in the form of regulation or taxation to support social programs. Opponents often describe the Democratic approach to governing as tax and spend.

Education Doesnt Help Either

Education is intended to make us better informed about the world, so wed expect that the more educated you become, the more you understand what other Americans think. In fact, the more educated a person is, the worse their Perception Gap with one critical exception. This trend only holds true for Democrats, not Republicans. In other words, while Republicans misperceptions of Democrats do not improve with higher levels of education, Democrats understanding of Republicans actually gets worse with every additional degree they earn. This effect is so strong that Democrats without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree.

The Republican Party General Policy And Political Values

The Republican Party is often referred to as the GOP. This abbreviation stands for Grand Old Party. Its logo is an elephant. The Republican Party is known to support right-leaning ideologies of conservatism, social conservatism, and economic libertarianism, among other -isms. Thus, Republicans broadly advocate for traditional values, a low degree of government interference, and large support of the private sector.

One main standpoint of the Republican Party platform is a strong focus on the family and individual freedom. Generally, the Republican Party therefore often tends to promote states and local rights. That means that they often wish for federal regulations to play a lesser role in policymaking. Furthermore, the GOP has a pro-business-oriented platform. Thus, the party advocates for businesses to exist in a free market instead of being impacted by tight government regulations.

Republican Vs Democratic Demographics

Interesting data about how support for each party broke down by race, geography and the urban-rural divide during the 2018 mid-term elections are presented in charts here.

The Pew Research Group, among others, regularly surveys American citizens to determine party affiliation or support for various demographic groups. Some of their latest results are below.

Early Life And Career

John Quincy Adams entered the world at the same time that his maternal great-grandfather, John Quincy, for many years a prominent member of the Massachusettslegislature, was leaving ithence his name. He grew up as a child of the American Revolution. He watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from Penns Hill and heard the cannons roar across the Back Bay in Boston. His patriot father, John Adams, at that time a delegate to the Continental Congress, and his patriot mother, Abigail Smith Adams, had a strong molding influence on his education after the war had deprived Braintree of its only schoolmaster. In 1778 and again in 1780 the boy accompanied his father to Europe. He studied at a private school in Paris in 177879 and at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, in 1780. Thus, at an early age he acquired an excellent knowledge of the French language and a smattering of Dutch. In 1780, also, he began to keep regularly the diary that forms so conspicuous a record of his doings and those of his contemporaries through the next 60 years of American history. Self-appreciative, like most of the Adams clan, he once declared that, if his diary had been even richer, it might have become “next to the Holy Scriptures, the most precious and valuable book ever written by human hands.”

c.

Ideological Differences Between Republicans And Democrats

1. Ideological Differences between Republicans and DemocratsIn addition to the decline in competition, American politics today is characterized by a growing ideological polarization between the two major political parties. Thomas E. MannPolitical party affiliation is a viable way to find out the philosophy of a certain competing candidate, may he be Republican or Democratic. This in turn reflects upon his core beliefs. Republicans believe that each citizen is responsible for his/her position

Increased Media Consumption And The Perception Gap

But not every media outlet is the same. We identified how specific news sources are associated with varying levels of distorted understanding in their audiences. Some news sources are associated with larger Perception Gaps, in particular Breitbart, Drudge Report and popular talk radio programs such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. But large Perception Gaps are also associated with liberal sources such as Huffington Post and the Daily Kos. Only one media source is associated with better understanding other Americans views: the traditional television networks of ABC, NBC and CBS. Overall, these findings suggest that media is adding to a polarization ecosystem that is driving Americans apart.

Most Republicans See Democrats Not As Political Opponents But As Enemies

The idea is a simple one: A country in which people with at-times differing views of how things should be run get together and vote on representatives who will enact policy. The candidates with the most support take office, working to build consensus for the policies their constituents want to see. Both before and after the election, theres an expectation that disagreements will be resolvable and resolved.

This is an idealized version of our system, of course, but thats how ideals work. Central to American politics is the idea that even if your candidate loses, the winner will advocate for you. But in an era in which the winners of elections in November are often those who manage to clamber over their primary opponents in the spring, the idea that a Democratic legislator will feel beholden to Republican constituents or vice versa seems almost quaint.

That said, we run the risk of establishing an equivalence where one may not exist. For example, we have new polling from CBS News, conducted by YouGov, which explores how members of each political party tend to think of members of the opposing party.

Most Democrats say that they tend to view Republicans as political opponents. Most Republicans say that they tend to view Democrats as enemies.

How is this unwound?

Democrat Vs Republican: Where Did The Parties Get Their Names

Republicans, Democrats Face Different Challenges in Post-Trump Era

In the United States, the words Democrat and Republican are widely used to mean the two major American political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

We often hear these words used to describe things the parties do or the people connected to them. For example, former Vice President Joe Biden is the Democratic candidate for president, and members of the Republican Party are often simply called Republicans.

The English words democratic and republicanactually have long, complex histories that go far beyond red and blue states or donkeys and elephants. Lets take a closer look at where these two words came from and how they came to be used in the names of the two political parties.

Left Wing And Right Wing Politics

Politics is said to be split in half and you either have left or right political views. Left-wing politics is typically associated with progressive ideas and equality. Democrats are viewed as left-wingers. Right-wing politics values tradition, equity, and survival of the fittest. Republicans are viewed as right-wingers. 

Left-Wing

Left-wing beliefs are liberal in that they believe society is best served with an expanded role of the government. Examples of an expanded role for the government include entitlement programs such as social security and Medicare, Medicaid, universal healthcare, food stamps, free public education, unemployment benefits, strong environmental laws, and other regulations on industries.

Right Wing

Right-wingers believe that the best outcome for society is achieved when individual rights and civil liberties are paramount and the role and especially the power of the government is minimized. Right-wing ideology would favor market-based solutions to the issues that these government programs aim to tackle. For example, encouraging a freer marketplace for healthcare, driven by consumer choice to drive down costs. Or privately held retirement accounts like 401 plans instead of government-guaranteed Social Security.

The 5 Key Differences Between Democrats And Republicans

Isadora GuidoniPolitics

515.2K

The political landscape in the United States is dominated by two major political parties. The Democrats and the Republicans have been center stage in US politics for more than a century and the two parties have never seen eye to eye on a number of issues. Its very hard, however, to really tell the difference between a Democrat and a Republican. This is because in the era of so much partisan politics, its not easy to know where each of these sides stands. In that case, the best way to pick out the differences is to look at the platforms of each party.

Well, we did that and here is our break down of the five key areas of difference:

1. Tax Policy

Both Democrats and Republicans are for tax cuts but they dont often agree on the best way to achieve that. While Democrats have always insisted that tax cuts should only apply to low income and middle income households, Republicans feel that such cuts should actually apply to everyone including the big corporations and the wealthy.

2. Social Issues

3. Labor and Free Trade

4. Health Care

Health care is another area where the two parties dont agree. Democrats believe that the state should take the role of offering health care. They want to do away with private insurance arguing that its expensive for ordinary Americans to afford. However, Republicans believe that too much government involvement on health care could in fact drive up costs and affect the quality of care.

Quirky Differences Between Democrats And Republicans

If nothing else, this election cycle has proven how divided our political inclinations can be. Voters across the spectrum have struggled to see others’ points of view.

But science might be able to explain why we feel so different from one another: Research shows that liberal and conservative brains are wired differently. And those opposing preferences extend far beyond the political realm into mundane, but personally defining factors like beer tastes, bedroom habits and opinions on Justin Bieber.

Below are seven interesting contrasts between Republicans and Democrats. Do you follow your party’s preferences?

source https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-are-democrats-different-from-republicans/

[thesportssoundoff]

Keeping up with my Yankees centric MLB preview, I wanted to continue onward and take a long look at the trade market the Yankees may be waddling into. Over the past two seasons, the Yankees have done most of their damage via trades both as it pertains to shedding unwanted salary, clearing 40 man space (Caleb Smith and Garrett Cooper to Michael King) and making big fish splash trades like Giancarlo Stanton and James Paxton. The Yankees have opted to make deals in large part because it's cheaper but also because they are just flat out good at it. So good in fact that it was reported toward the trade deadline that teams were absolutely going to get Brian Cashman to overpay because they didn't want to be the latest team to give up something for nothing. So if Brian Cashman opts to upgrade through trades, here are some names to keep in mind as we go through the late fall/early winter*

*As an aside, no Syndergaard, no DeGrom, no Bauer, no Kluber and no Lindor. For starters, I just don't see those deals as being remotely possible so I'm not going to waste keystrokes. Beyond that? I mean WE also all know WHY those deals make sense for the Yankees would be a barrel of fun so why waste time? They'd be amazing additions to any team let alone this one.

1. SP Robbie Ray, Arizona Diamondbacks 12-8 4.34 ERA 174 innings pitched 12.13 K/9 4.34 BB/9 98 ERA-

In a very chippy and controversial post season presser, Brian Cashman stated plainly that the people they were aiming at the deadline ultimately didn't get traded. We know for a fact that one of the guys that the Yankees chased up until the deadline was Diamondbacks arm Robbie Ray. According to Jon Heyman and other NY media members, the trade fell short when the Diamondbacks asked for a FOUR player package headlined by Clint Frazier. My guess is that the Yankees and Diamondbacks are going to circle back around to one another and the winter meetings will be ripe with Ray to the Yankees rumors. Robbie Ray is not the answer if you're chasing down a stud ace starter. He's a less talent but still quite good version of James Paxton. Let's discuss the positives; Robbie Ray is a strikeout machine who was somewhat fluked by the juiced ball in 2019. His xFIP is a full point lower than his actual ERA which suggests some flukiness. He was third in the MLB in K's per 9 innings and at 234 strikeouts, would easily give the Yankees a power lefty arm they yearn for. He's under contract until 2021 and is still on the right side of 30 which matters because Severino could be the only starter on the rotation now who is around beyond next year. The downside is that giving up assets for a guy who doesn't solve your desire/hunger for a #1 starter isn't normally wise business. Severino, Tanaka, Paxton and Robbie Ray is a really good top 4 in your rotation but it's not the sort of rotation you can trumpet out vs Houston's or even on the same level as Cleveland's top 3 of Klueber, Corrasco and Bieber. Ray also has crazy walk totals and like most power pitches he tends to give up flyball contact at a relatively spooky rate. Also could dude shave his beard in time before pitchers and catches report? That shit looks like it'll take a while.

2. SP Matt Boyd, Detroit Tigers 9-12 4.56 ERA 185.1 innings pitched 11.56 K/9 2.43 BB/9 98 ERA-

Sticking with the names and faces we know of that didn't get dealt, Matthew Boyd! The Yankees apparently checked in on Boyd a few times and Detroit figured the best way to start negotiations was with Gleyber Torres. Because idiocy exists in Michigan seemingly. To his credit, Boyd decided to "reward" the Tigers down the stretch for their view on him with a 5.55 ERA and a .505 slugging percentage against. With elevated walk rates and elevated contact overall, Boyd was pretty terrible in the 2nd half. The good news is that he throws for power, is under 30, has crazy K rates and is under contract into 2023. He is worth a lot if you buy into the upside but worth a whole lot less if you take in the totality of the circumstances. he was slightly better away from Detroit and the fact that he pitched to softer contact on the road might have some pitching coach figuring it's just a desire to get out of a dead situation. It would also be fair to note that every team trading for a Tigers pitcher is going to remember how they jerked around teams on Michael Fulmer only for him to completely fall apart. Matthew Boyd is the ultimate gamble; ridiculous stuff, amazing K rate, good walk rate and a penchant for loud hits with a terrible second half to send him. My guess is Detroit would probably like to hold onto him until the trade deadline and then reconsider things.

3. RP Ken Giles, Toronto Blue Jays 1.87 ERA 23 saves 53 innings pitched 14 K/9 2.41 BB 41 ERA- 1 flat WHIP

The final name on our Trade Deadline targets from July. Apparently of the three names above, the Yankees were closest on Ken Giles as an added bullpen arm before something in the medicals spooked them. Giles had a great year in Toronto and was a quality-ish arm for Houston before falling off the map and losing his confidence, eventually getting swapped out for maligned Roberto Osuna. If Chapman opts out, it's worth noting that Giles is probably going to do around 8 to 10 mil or so through arbitration which would put him below Britton and Ottavino in  the financial totem pole. The guy who runs Toronto also was in Cleveland when they drafted Clint Frazier so clearly they have a comfort there on their end. Britton can close and Giles can be your 8th inning guy.

4. SS Nick Ahmed, Arizona Diamondbacks .254/.316/.437 19 HR 82 RBI 79 runs scored 93 OPS+ 92 wRC+

The general thought process is that if Didi leaves, the Yankees will just shift Gleyber Torres to shortstop full time, put DJ at 2B and have Gio and Voit round out the infield. In that case they probably will want somebody who can rotate around at a variety of spots in the infield to keep everybody fresh aka the same role they had in mind for DJ LeMehieu when they signed him. If they want a more traditional shortstop and use DJ/Gleyber/Gio as a trio of rotating infielders (or play DJ at 1st) then Nick Ahmed might make a lot of sense as a trade option. Going back to names from the past, the Yankees have inquired on Ahmed in the past; once as a potential 2B (the role went to Neil Walker) and once as a fill in for Didi when he had TJS. Ahmed had his career best year which is still noway near Didi's peak years BUT his glove is world's away better than Didi's peak years so that's the trade off.

5. 1B Daniel Vogelbach, Seattle Mariners .208/.341/.439 30 HR 76 RBI 79 runs scored 112 OPS+ 111 wRC+

The original plan in 2019 was a Greg Bird/Luke Voit platoon gig at 1st and DH. It didn't work out that and to his credit, Voit took the job and ran with it for the first half of the year. In the 2nd half, injuries and a lack of confidence in his ability to read the zone led to Voit being off the playoff roster. He's got all of the tools to be a really good hitting 1st baseman (less about the defense said then the better) but Voit remains a "Yeah but" for the Yankees. He's too good on paper to not make the team but too question marked filled at this point to be a reliable set it and forget it starter at 1st. Daniel Vogelbach falls into a similar boat as Luke Voit; both see a lot of pitches, both hit for power, both are cost controlled and both struggled in the 2nd half down the stretch. Vogelbach isn't great shakes defensively which would give the Yankees a sketchy lefty-righty platoon with bad defense but the pop and the OBP skills are tremendous and well worth considering if Vogelbach is not considered a key part of the Mariners rebuild. The argument could/should be made that the Yankees already have a Daniel Vogelbach in waiting in Mike Ford though.

6. SP Jose Quintana, Cubs 13-9 4.56 ERA 181 innings pitched 8.0 K/9 2.4 BB/9 107 ERA-

Went over this one elsewhere. For a Yankees staff that really could use the innings, Jose Quintana would provide a reliable somewhat affordable (at 11 mil) innings eater with upside. His stuff was basically the same as usual (he K'd a bit less than usual) and figures to have some bounceback ability especially if the balls are untreated this year.

7. DH Kyle Schwarber, Cubs .250/.339/.531 38 HR 92 RBI 82 runs scored 120 OPS+ 120 wRC+

So as previously stated; if Brian Cashman wants you then chances are he'll find a way to go and get you eventually. In 2016, Cashman went toe to toe with the Cubs in an attempt to get Kyle Schwarber for Aroldis Chapman. It didn't work out and apparently they tried again for the stretch run in 2017 as well. When the Yankees lineup was being wiped out with injuries, they went out and got a DH in Edwin Encarnacion with the belief being that they could hit their way by teams with no upgrades to the rotation. It didn't quite work out in the playoffs but Encarnacion was very reliable for the Yankees last year. Could the Yankees jump on a potential Cubs soft rebuild by grabbing Schwarber and using him as an occasional outfielder but mostly full time DH who mashes lefties and provides balance at the top of the line up between the likes of Stanton, Judge and Gleyber? Schwarber is an abysmal defender who mashes and then some but cannot hit lefties for the life of it. The price would probably be high despite his warts because he's still relatively cost effective and lefty power is always in demand.

8. RP Blake Treinen, Oakland Athletics 4.91 ERA 16 saves 58.2 innings pitched 9.1 K/9 5.6 BB/9

If the Yankees have to go and find some additional bullpen arms, they might find a friend out in Oakland. Blake Treinen was superb in 2018 and despite having similar peripherals for most of 2019, the results were way worse. EVEN accounting for regression to the mean, this was a hell of a decline for Treinen who ended the year on IL. At 31 years old and likely at an elevated (by bullpen standards) cost, the Yankees could take a low risk high reward flier on Treinen.

[stormhavenmedia]

Very few Canadian’s pay any attention to civic politics. The people that run our towns and cities are elected by less than 35% of eligible voters. This is a strange democratic deficit given that we are most directly effected by services delivered by our local governments. This needs to change drastically because in the last several decades massively funded Charities and NGO’s have been advancing a totalitarian agenda almost unnoticed.  Every Canadian should be sending Access to info requests for the funding records of their local politicians with a close eye on Charities and NGO’s. This is your information demand it

We will have a look at the massive and obvious these foundations have over our civic governments and bureaucracies openly and with the help of a brave whistle-blower Barret Blackwood we will se how the bend charity laws to finance the election of their puppets . Barret has been trying to get his story to the Canadian MSM unfortunately this information is still exclusive to Stormhaven Media

For any of you not convinced of the power of local politicians and bureaucrats the Ideologically selective lockdowns, mask laws and the immediate capitulation to the demands of foriegn funded Terrorist groups like BLM and Antifa should be enough of a wake up.

The Ideological zombies of the Globalist elites  inhabit every level of our Bureaucracy  Judiciary, and Academia, and have specifically targeted cities political and bureaucratic structures to enforce compliance with an agenda few in Canada’s urban areas even know they are a part of.

They have been busy for well over a decade infiltrating and subsuming city politics across Canada. No longer do your city council worry about pedestrian matters like ..well pedestrians. Or sewage or economic development or any other mundane city service or indeed the safety and well being of their citizens.

In 1996 Yankee shopping mall Billionaire Joel Solomon used Tides Canada to place Gregor Robertson and his Vision Vancouver puppet in power with disastrous results.

“The Tides Foundation has some very long, strong tentacles into all sorts of businesses that all support Vision Vancouver, not as a political party, but as a movement, and this is extremely troubling,” says Alex Tsakumis, a former political analyst for the newspaper 24 Hours and former director of Vancouver’s municipal Non-Partisan Association opposition party, who blogs on political affairs. “And [Joel] Solomon is the green father, if you will, behind this social engineering movement.”

Kevin Liban, National Post, 2010

for more see Vivian Krauses excellent work

https://fairquestions.typepad.com/rethink_campaigns/

Another Tides puppet LeadNow has also been very active in distorting Vancouver city politics

  Massively funded and politically connected NGO’s and Charities have been working for years to fund compliant candidates in every city and town in Canada. Many of these programs are quite open.

The Rockefeller Foundation funded 100 Resilient cities is one example

  Toronto is just one of the Canadian Members of this group and went right out and hired that resilience officer who will shape city policy fundamentally impacting the lives and rights of millions. This will be done without any form of democratic consent of the population. and all of this done by an individual who is a direct paid employee of the Rockefeller Foundation.  Not very subtle.

The two-year position will be fully funded by the 100 Resilient Cities project, which was founded in 2013 by the Rockefeller Foundation and aims to help cities across the globe become more resilient in the face of modern social and economic challenges. The Foundation will allow cities access to almost $200 million in funding for research and consultations, as well as a network of CROs for building relationships and sharing advice.

https://www.itworldcanada.com/article/toronto-appoints-its-first-chief-resilience-officer/394068

  Elliot even has a propaganda department

  Calgary is also part of this little Cabal with its disastrous Mayor Naheed Nenshi

http://www.savecalgary.com/who_paid_for_mayor_nenshi_s_europe_trip

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/100-resilient-cities-nenshi-calgary-rockefeller-1.3599417

As well as Vancouver

  The appointment of a chief resilience officer (CRO) is part of the 100RC program, and is funded by the organization through a grant to the city. As CRO,McPherson will leverage resources and knowledge from 100RC, its partners, and other member cities to drive action to address the city’s most pressing resilience challenges.

McPherson will lead the development of the citywide Resilience Strategy to ensure Vancouver’s residents, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems can persist, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks Vancouver may experience.

and Montreal

  Louise Bradette Resilience Officer

  strategie-montreal-ville-resiliente-en

          These Bureaucrats controlled by the Rockefeller Foundation have been given the power to reshape civic government to prepare for the tyrannical New World Order delineated in the UN 2030 plan. By way of context the Rockefeller’s funded Eugenics and the Nazi party.

  Sometimes the routes of infiltration and control are for more circumspect. Lets examine the case of Victoria BC with the help of whistleblower Barrett Blackwood in his own words. But first lets have a look at what the city council of Victoria has been up to

  So here’s how George Soros put them in power

Background info … In 2012 to 2015 I was heavily embroiled in several (5) legal cases that I bought forth against a former employer and (at that time) my current landlord here in Victoria.

 These cases were tenant-landlord actions that were heard by the B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch.

 The Landlord (Robin B. Kimpton) was / is perhaps Victoria’s most notorious and well known slumlord in Victoria with multiple buildings being condemned and shut down by City officials , displacing many families onto the street.

  As a long time tenant and employee of this landlord I was in a unique position (with much documentation) to stand up to this landlord and succeed where so many tenants had failed in the past.

I was able to gain unprecedented decisions against this landlord and I recieved near 100% rent abatements for 1.5 years.

 Due to this success, I was chosen in 2017 by TAPS (Together Against Poverty Society) from among their thousands of files to join a small hand picked group of 10 distraught tenants to form the original VTAG steering committee intended to work with operatives in creating what TAPS called “a tenant peer support group”

This group would later become known as the incorporated non-profit political organization called VTAG (Victoria Tenants Action Group Society)

  As I will later explain, I believe this was the early stages of a complex plan to set up a newly formed non-profit that would enable the infusion of funds into the 2018 civic election and set the stage for further control over the outcomes of elections here and insert BCGEU funds and party politics into city hall, all in the name of helping renters.

 I now believe that distraught tenants were used to legitimize a so called tenant peer support group that would later become a political organization that could be weaponized and used for electioneering purposes.

Tactics:

When the B.C NDP took power in B.C. they brought forth a highly welcomed Campaign Finance Reform that made it illegal for election campaigns and its candidates to receive funds from Unions and Corporations and would limit the amount on individuals contributions to $1200.

 This seemed a brave stance given that the B.C. NDP has traditionally relied on Union money for their activities.

 However It seems now that political forces here in Victoria, that have direct and intricate ties to the NDP / Greens, have been maneuvering and attempting to insert funds through the back door via registered non-profits that can legally register as ‘Third Party’ election participants.

These NON-profit Third parties can legally use mass amounts of funds they possess when having affects on any election.

These registered non-profit ‘third parties’ can operate relatively unchecked as to their activities and go unchecked as to who actually runs and supports them.

These registered non-profits are not limited as to how much money can be donated to them.

 I believe I have unwittingly stumbled across and documented one such example that has come to be known here in Victoria.

Additional credentials relative to this case:

Barrett R. Blackwood

-The Volunteer Sign Coordinator in the Campaign to Re-elect Lisa Helps

-Worked briefly as a volunteer with the now Victoria City Councilor Sarah Potts in the 2015 federal Green Party campaign to elect Joanne Roberts in Victoria.

-Was invited into the home of the now past Victoria City Councillor and now current NDP MP Laurel Collins to help develop the Together Victoria housing platform for the 2018 civic election

-VTAG Steering Committee Member along with now Victoria City Councilor Sharmarke Dubow

-One of three Founding Directors of The Victoria Tenant Action Group Society

Here is where things get a bit complicated so I will try to explain a simply as I can.

There is much documentation to corroborate what I will state here so please feel free to request specific Docs. on any specific points I make or claim here.

I will attach here some documents that are by no means the limit of the massive amount of documents that demonstrate this case. A great amount of supporting documents and evidence (including photographic and audio evidence) has been compiled by an independent source other then myself.

As mentioned, I was one of 10 tenants invited by TAPS – Together Against Poverty Society to help form VTAG -Victoria Tenants Group Society.

 (To be clear TAPS has a long history in Victoria for advocating on behalf of tenants and disabled folks here)

TAPS tenant legal advocates Emily Rogers (spouse to incumbent councilor Jeremy Loveday) & TAPS tenant legal advocate Yuka Kurokawa (also an organizer with the ‘Together Victoria’ political party)  applied for and received $40,000 grant money from The Victoria Foundation to assist in the creation of VTAG in 2016.

This money was received by TAPS (a registered Charity) along with two other later grants amounting to  $20,000 from The Catherine Donnelly Foundation totalling $60,000

The Victoria Foundation expressly forbids grant money be used for political purposes, as stated in their rules.

  This requirement that funds from the Victoria Foundation NOT be used for political purposes likely explains why TAPS failed to report their political activities in their 2017- 2018 annual reports as required by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Two official complaints have now been filed with the CRA for this failure of TAPS to disclose political activity, those written complaints were sent along with copious amounts of evidentiary documentation.

Of note at this point is the fact that a new Grants manager at The Victoria Foundation who approved the funds was hired near the same time in 2016 with the personal recommendation of Mayor Lisa Helps (Victoria Foundation Grants Manager Rudy Wallace)

 Victoria Foundation Grants Manager Mr. Wallace it turns out was also one of the initial organizers in the creation of a political party in Victoria called “Together Victoria”

 My understanding is that Rudy Wallace is a political science grad from University of Victoria along with many of these players , including City councilor Ben Isitt.

Besides the obvious similarity in the actual names of these groups, Together Victoria (the political party) endorsed 3 candidates (Sharmarke Dubow , Sarah Potts , and Laurel Collins) all of whom have direct connection to B.C. NDP / Greens in the 2018 civic election here.

With the assistance of TAPS political wing VTAG (Victoria Tenant Action Group Society) all 3 members of this slate + two incumbent city councilors (Jeremy Loveday and Ben Isitt) were elected to Victoria City council in the 2018 election.

Lead up to the 2018 civic election:

During 2016-2017- and most of 2018 TAPS fails to actually create a separate ‘stand alone’ organization called VTAG (as they stated and claimed) TAPS and Together Victoria maintained control of VTAG despite claims to the contrary and then after years of delay switches into high gear just before the 2018 civic election, and registers VTAG – Victoria Tenant Action Group Society both as a society and as a third party election participant with elections B.C.

 By this time (late 2018) I (Barrett R Blackwood) was the only one remaining VTAG steering committee member of the original 10 distraught tenants invited by TAPS that was still present and willing to sign up as an actual Director of VTAG. ( I became VTAGs Chair of Membership )

Given that a minimum of 3 Directors is required to form a Board,  and given that TAPS had yet to fulfill its 2+year old mandate to its funders , and given that the 2018 civic election was a few months away , TAPS was forced to provide the other two Board members from its own ranks.

Two members of the newly formed political party ‘Together Victoria’ (TAPS advocate Yuka Kurokawa, and former NDP organizer Leslie Robinson) signed as Directors of VTAG

   Leslie Robinson would later be identified as a founding member of a local housing co-op ‘Roots and Roofs’ that provided additional $15,000 of funding for specifically directed election activity by VTAG that assisted in the election of the politicians mentioned above. (the MERM campaign – Municipal Election Renters Mobilization campaign was conducted by VTAG during the 2018 election)

* of note is the now defunct Roots and Roofs housing coop was the only housing coop to ever receive funds directly from the city of Victoria.

* also of note the Roots and Roofs Director Nicole Chaland who approved and directed the use of the money given to VTAG for election activity is also a major organizer and contributor to the Together Victoria political party.

 As the 2018 civic election drew closer, it became obvious to me as a VTAG Director that VTAG was in fact violating its pledge of neutral election activities on behalf of renters and was in fact promoting specific candidates endorsed by the Together Victoria political party in Victoria, and was actually promoting specific candidates. Namely the 5 candidates mentioned above.

-SEE combined election TV+2 flyer

-SEE Leslie Robinson email inviting VTAG volunteers to cooperate when accessing apartment buildings

        for canvassing.

-SEE VTAG cavassing instructions sheet that contains the Together Victoria logo

As I began to make internal written objections to VTAG for these activities I was met with outright bullying and angry reprisals.

My personal character was immediately attacked by the group.

As one of three VTAG Directors and VTAGs Chair of Membership I was NEVER during VTAGs entire existence granted the authority or ability to communicate with VTAGs membership.

TAPS and Together Victoria operatives continually maintained control of the ability to communicate with lists of names and VTAG contacts.

The official address of VTAG operations continued to be that of TAPS offices well beyond the 2018 election.

Given my limited 7th Grade education and my complete lack of experience in forming a non-profit society I was an easy target for this group.

I was never given access to VTAGs Email accounts, Facebook account, Twitter,account or instagram account.

I continually requested and was denied access to lists of names and contact information that VTAG and other cooperating groups were accumulating and amassing in the name of VTAG leading up to the 2018 civic election.

I was denied meeting minutes of crucial VTAG steering committee meetings ( all of which is well documented )

 My continued call for Membership meetings went unanswered and after the stark outcome of the 2018 civic election I was seriously attacked by the VTAG Board and was ironically and with malus removed as Chair of Membership due to what was termed my “lack of communicating with VTAG Members.” despite my being denied the access mentioned above.

In November of 2018 (after the 2018 election) VTAG is forced by me to address these concerns, given that I publicly went before Mayor and Council to begin inquiries and I began to talk with local media about this story.

 The VTAG committee that was now made up of Together Victoria and associated operatives agreed to investigate my concerns.

 The fake investigation that was conducted only amounted to a 47 page report that had the obvious purposes of discrediting me personally. However the VTAG report contains stark admissions and evidence that I believe the reports authors mistakenly felt I already had possession of. The Report actually provided me with the few missing pieces that of the puzzle that I needed to demonstrate my claims.

 I submit to you this report as a beginning of many documents that I hope you will consider as you look deeper into this scandal and how our electoral process in Victoria has been hijacked by so called progressive forces, namely Together Victoria and its allies.

After the 2018 civic election VTAG goes mostly inactive and fails to carry out its first Annual General Meeting as required by the B.C. Societies act.

VTAG now (just as before the 2018 election) shifts into high gear just before the upcoming Victoria Bi-election.

After an 18 month delay VTAG holds an AGM where the group forms an agenda in my absence within hour of the meeting and refuses my participation as one of three Directors.

In that meeting, when I insisted on speaking at the so called AGM (that was attended and organized and chaired by Together Victoria operatives) I was removed by security and not allowed to present a well researched report.

Together Victoria official Breanna Merrigan attended the VTAG AGM and was given opportunity to speak and defend Together Victoria while I was denied a chance to speak and present my reports.

Attached is a conversation thread from a Facebook group of local independant tenant activists ( Victoria Precarious Tenants Association ) who attended and witnessed the VTAG AGM on Nov. 30th 2019.

   https://www.facebook.com/groups/806133419732831/permalink/1057471411265696/

Attached is the VTAG internal report mentioned above.

I am willing to detail page by page the significance of this lengthy report as it contains several relevant pieces of information that may be overlooked if not put into context

Attached is the press release sent out by an uninvolved and independent researcher who was previously unknown to me, and who has no prior involvement with any of the individuals or groups involved in this election scandal.

It should be noted that this independent researcher was also the person responsible for the only successful 2018 complaints to elections B.C. regarding the illegal activities of Together Victoria’s  opposing slate of candidates (New Council.ca)

If you continue to be interested in investigating this further please know that the documentation attached to this email is only a tiny part of the evidence linking,

VTAG – Together Victoria Political Party – The Victoria Foundation – 5 Victoria City Council Members – several local operatives such as Nicole Chaland ,  and the several sources of funding used.

As the whistle blower in this case I feel that I, and my family are under serious threat to our reputations and our livelihood hear in Victoria.

We are in desperate need of legal assistance to help navigate this process.

Several links between local media persons here in Victoria and those who have perpetrated this scheme have been uncovered and several attempts to bring this story to local media has been met with outright effort to bury this story.

   The telling of this story comes at a great risk to us and your involvement and assistance is highly appreciated.

Faithfully

Barrett R Blackwood

  Copy of Copy of Copy of VTAG _ TV Media Introduction

We all need to have a close look at our civic governments and local bureaucracy and rip these traitors from having any further influence in our societies.

William Ray

  How the Charity/NGO Globalist Machine took over Canada’s Cities Very few Canadian's pay any attention to civic politics. The people that run our towns and cities are elected by less than 35% of eligible voters.

[patriotsnet]

How Are Democrats Different From Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-are-democrats-different-from-republicans/

How Are Democrats Different From Republicans

As A Public Service I Have Endeavored To Distill The Differences Between The Parties Into Fair Terms That Children Can Understand

Democrats and Republicans prepare vastly different election campaigns

To keep the baseball analogy alive, the two parties are like the American and the National Leagues in baseball. If you have a little sports fan in your home, perhaps this analogy might help. In politics, the primaries are like the early playoff rounds. The parties will pick their winner like the American and National Leagues pick theirs.  In baseball, the league winners play in the World Series.  In politics, the primary winners will face off in the general election.  The winner of the general election becomes President of the United States.

Jessicas note: Heres another take on it, in case your kids arent eloquent in the language of baseball. Imagine the boys and the girls in a class wanted to see who was the best at something. The boys would have a contest to pick their very best boy. Thats like the primary. And then all the girls would pick their best girl. And then everyone in the school would choose between the best boy, and the best girl. The winner over all is like the President.

Back to our baseball analogy. In baseball, there are differences between the leagues.  One league has a designated hitter and considers the foul poll fair.  The other league does not.  

Flipping The Script And Cutting Checks

So why is it that blacks vote Democrat, for the very people that denied them freedom and continue to keep them subject to a new master government?  And its not just blacks that have been duped by the Democrat Party, but its whites also.  All in the name of helping the poor .  Heres how the Democrats, the media, and now the globalist socialist, have enslaved black people to the government.  They said you are oppressed and if you vote for us we will give you the help, through the government, to overcome that oppression.  They then blamed the Republicans for oppressing the blacks when it was the Republicans that gave them their freedom and the right to vote, over the objections of the Democrats!

The Democrats were the oppressors, but once they realized that by giving government handouts they could buy votes, the Democrat Party launched the War on Poverty and started cutting checks.

The Republicans were the party of the individual and the American Dream, which said you could be anything you want through hard work and diligence.  The Democrats, on the other hand, said you cant do it without our help.  Then, black leaders realized that they could take advantage of that cash cow by playing the Democrat game of lies and deceit to enrich themselves while their brothers became lost in the quagmire of government assistance which has caused so many problems for the black community.

Democrats Republicans Take Different Approaches Ahead Of Crucial Georgia Senate Runoffs

This article was published more than 6 months ago. Some information in it may no longer be current.

Getting audio file …

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This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy. Full Disclaimer

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Loeffler speaks to supporters during a campaign rally in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 11, 2020.

Jon Ossoff took the stage in Columbus and looked out over a parking lot filled with cars, with supporters blaring their horns in approval as he declared that change has come to Georgia.

Hours earlier, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler stepped to a microphone in suburban Atlanta and addressed hundreds of eager supporters packed into the Cobb County GOP headquarters. The freshman senator and her Florida colleague, Sen. Marco Rubio, stirred the crowd with their insistence that the change offered by Ossoff and his fellow Democratic Senate hopeful Raphael Warnock means radical elements would control Washington.

Those opening salvos of Georgias twin Senate runoff campaign Ossoff looking to unseat Republican Sen. David Perdue and Warnock facing off with Loeffler showcase starkly different approaches the two parties are taking to the unusual circumstances that make this newfound two-party battleground the epicentre of a national battle for control of the Senate.

Difference Between Democrat And Republican

Difference between Democrat and Republican is explained here in detail.

Democrat is a proponent of democracy, or democratic government. Democratic Party of USA is the worlds oldest active political party. They are more aligned towards liberal ideology.

Republican can refer to an advocate of a republic, a form of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. Republic Party is one of the 2 major parties of the USA.

Visit the given link for information on dates, structure and other details of IAS Exam.

Difference between Democrat and Republican UPSC Notes:-

Read the related difference between articles from below:

You may also read first the Difference between Democracy and Republic to understand the fundamentals.

The major differences between Democrat and Republican are:

What Is The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats

Republicans and Democrats are the two main and historically the largest political parties in the US and, after every election, hold the majority seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as the highest number of Governors. Though both the parties mean well for the US citizens, they have distinct differences that manifest in their comments, decisions, and history. These differences are mainly ideological, political, social, and economic paths to making the US successful and the world a better place for all. Differences between the two parties that are covered in this article rely on the majority position though individual politicians may have varied preferences.

How To Explain The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats

Politics are confusing, even for adults. This years political cycle is even more confusing than most.  Anything that confuses and parents is sure to raise questions in children.

As the primaries roll on, many children are asking questions about the two major political parties and what all the arguing means.  This years political cycle is more emotionally charged than most.  Those emotions can make it difficult for parents to fairly explain political differences to children.  Goodness knows, as an avid sports fan, I could not objectively describe the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key Issues

Reuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez

The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice.

This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the countrys contentious healthcare system struggles to cope.

The average healthcare costs for COVID-19 treatment is up to $US30,000 , an Americas Health Insurance Plans 2020 study has found.

How Did John Quincy Adams Become President

In the U.S. presidential election of 1824, Andrew Jackson received 99 electoral votes, Adams 84, William Crawford 41, and Henry Clay 37. Because no one had a majority, the House of Representatives chose between the three top candidates. Clay supported Adams, ensuring his victory and the bitter opposition of the Jacksonians to all his initiatives.

Difference Between Republicans And Conservatives

Democrats Vs Republicans | What is the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

March 30, 2011 Posted by Clarisse

Republicans vs Conservatives

Republicans and Conservatives have started to air out their differences more vocally and more pronounced in the past couple of years, though it was said that all Republicans were supposedly conservatives.

Republicans

Republicans can refer to a supporter of a republic. It refers to the people who believe in the form of government wherein freedom from dictatorship rules. Republicans believe that the government has no right to tax its people with amounts that are unrealistic in comparison to the recent economy. Republicans also promote small enterprise to promote the economy. Republican is one of the 2 major political parties in the United States.

Conservatives

Conservatives are group of individuals, mostly republicans who have a different view or philosophy in the political world. Conservatives have both a political and social philosophy that allows traditional institutions to be upheld and maintained in the government. It also allows and assists the social changes that are occurring every day. There are other conservatives who would rather maintain how things were and would rather have stability instead of change.

Difference Between Republicans and Conservatives

Both revolve around politics and are quite disgruntled by the fact that their differences are not made more pronounce. As mentioned, republicans are political party members but do not mean that they are all conservative in terms of political views.

The Philosophy Behind Democratic Economic Policy

Democrats gear their economic policies to benefit low-income and middle-income families. They argue that reducing income inequality is the best way to foster economic growth. Low-income families are more likely to spend any extra money on necessities instead of saving or investing it. That directly increases demand and spurs economic growth. Democrats also support a Keynesian economic theory, which says that the government should spend its way out of a recession.

One dollar spent on increased food stamp benefits generates $1.73 in economic output.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt first outlined the Economic Bill of Rights in his 1944 State of the Union address. It included taxes on war profiteering and price controls on food costs. President Harry Trumans 1949 Fair Deal proposed an increase in the minimum wage, civil rights legislation, and national health care. President Barack Obama expanded Medicaid with the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

The Partisan Landscape And Views Of The Parties

Republicans and Democrats agree on very little in the current political environment, but there is a widespread belief in both parties that partisan divisions in the country are increasing. Among the public overall, 78% say divisions between Republicans and Democrats in this country are increasing, while just 6% say they are decreasing and 16% say they are staying the same.

Large majorities in both parties say partisan divisions are increasing, though Republicans are somewhat more likely than Democrats to express this view .

Similarly, large majorities in both parties express concern about rising partisanship. About eight-in-ten adults say they are very or somewhat concerned about divisions between Republicans and Democrats, including nearly half who say they are very concerned about the growing divide.

Comparable shares of Republicans and Democrats express concern about divisions between the two parties, though Democrats are slightly more likely to say this than Republicans .

A similar pattern is evident among independents who lean toward a party. About three-quarters of independents who lean toward the Republican Party or Democratic Party say partisan divisions are growing. Comparable shares of those who lean toward each party express concern about this.

California Voter And Party Profiles

NOTES: Likely voters are registered voters meeting criteria on interest in politics, attention to issues, voting behavior, and intention to vote. For a full description of these criteria and regional definitions, visit www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/SurveyMethodology.pdf. For race and ethnicity, results are presented for Latinos, non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic Asian Americans, non-Hispanic African Americans, and non-Hispanic other race and multiracial adults.

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What Is Republican

Republicans, just as the name suggest, support government as a republic. The Republican Party was founded in 1854. The Republican Party elected Abraham Lincoln, as the first Republican president. The party was known as GOP, widely understood as Grand Old Party, in the 1870s. 

Initially created to support a free market economy that countered the Democratic Partys agrarian leanings and support of slave lobor, the Republicans have been associated with reducing taxes to stimulate the economy, deregulation, and conservative social values.

The Republican partys mascot is the elephant. Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, George Bush are some of the famous Republican Presidents. 

Who Are Democrats

The Democratic National Committee was officially established back in 1848. The Democratic Party, however, was actually founded in 1824, and theyve been recognized with the donkey symbol that was actually adopted because of Andrew Jacksons public nickname.

The most known Democratic presidents had been: Frankelin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Woodrow Wilson, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. On a more recent note, the Democratic candidates for the 2016 U.S presidency elections were: Hillary Clinton , Bernie Sanders, and Martin OMalley.

Republicans stand for a somewhat Liberal ideology, and they have several beliefs that oppose their republican counterparts. They have been known to generally favor gay marriage, free-opinionated abortion, and intense gun-control laws.

Republicans also believe that taxes should vary among people where middle or low-income individuals are entitled to tax cuts, but wealthy individuals are expected to pay higher taxes. They stand for increasing the minimum wage in order to ensure Americans ample financial supply which would enable them to buy more services and goods.

But they have a stagnant view regarding trade restrictions; they believe American jobs can be threatened with completely free trading system. Finally, republicans favor governmental control over social programs and other services.

How To Avoid Wars

One of the most important jobs that a President has is to decide when the country goes to war.  Neither party wants America to fight in wars.  Most Republicans believe that the best way to stay out of wars is to have a strong army that other people are afraid to fight.  Most Democrats believe that the best way to stay out of wars is to be cooperative and not intimidate other countries.

Difference Between Republican And Democrats

One of the differences between democrats and republicans lies in their views towards social issues. The Republicans tend to be conservative on social issues. They tend to oppose gay marriage and promote marriage being between a man and a woman. They also oppose abortion and promote the right of gun ownership. Have you ever actually took time to think about politics? Not just hearing it on the news then changing the channel or having a little small conversation then moving on but actually really

Regulating The Economy Democratic Style

Republicans, Democrats have different strategies to reach voters

The Democratic Party is generally considered more willing to intervene in the economy, subscribing to the belief that government power is needed to regulate businesses that ignore social interests in the pursuit of earning a return for shareholders. This intervention can come in the form of regulation or taxation to support social programs. Opponents often describe the Democratic approach to governing as tax and spend.

Education Doesnt Help Either

Education is intended to make us better informed about the world, so wed expect that the more educated you become, the more you understand what other Americans think. In fact, the more educated a person is, the worse their Perception Gap with one critical exception. This trend only holds true for Democrats, not Republicans. In other words, while Republicans misperceptions of Democrats do not improve with higher levels of education, Democrats understanding of Republicans actually gets worse with every additional degree they earn. This effect is so strong that Democrats without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree.

The Republican Party General Policy And Political Values

The Republican Party is often referred to as the GOP. This abbreviation stands for Grand Old Party. Its logo is an elephant. The Republican Party is known to support right-leaning ideologies of conservatism, social conservatism, and economic libertarianism, among other -isms. Thus, Republicans broadly advocate for traditional values, a low degree of government interference, and large support of the private sector.

One main standpoint of the Republican Party platform is a strong focus on the family and individual freedom. Generally, the Republican Party therefore often tends to promote states and local rights. That means that they often wish for federal regulations to play a lesser role in policymaking. Furthermore, the GOP has a pro-business-oriented platform. Thus, the party advocates for businesses to exist in a free market instead of being impacted by tight government regulations.

Republican Vs Democratic Demographics

Interesting data about how support for each party broke down by race, geography and the urban-rural divide during the 2018 mid-term elections are presented in charts here.

The Pew Research Group, among others, regularly surveys American citizens to determine party affiliation or support for various demographic groups. Some of their latest results are below.

Early Life And Career

John Quincy Adams entered the world at the same time that his maternal great-grandfather, John Quincy, for many years a prominent member of the Massachusettslegislature, was leaving ithence his name. He grew up as a child of the American Revolution. He watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from Penns Hill and heard the cannons roar across the Back Bay in Boston. His patriot father, John Adams, at that time a delegate to the Continental Congress, and his patriot mother, Abigail Smith Adams, had a strong molding influence on his education after the war had deprived Braintree of its only schoolmaster. In 1778 and again in 1780 the boy accompanied his father to Europe. He studied at a private school in Paris in 177879 and at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, in 1780. Thus, at an early age he acquired an excellent knowledge of the French language and a smattering of Dutch. In 1780, also, he began to keep regularly the diary that forms so conspicuous a record of his doings and those of his contemporaries through the next 60 years of American history. Self-appreciative, like most of the Adams clan, he once declared that, if his diary had been even richer, it might have become “next to the Holy Scriptures, the most precious and valuable book ever written by human hands.”

c.

Ideological Differences Between Republicans And Democrats

1. Ideological Differences between Republicans and DemocratsIn addition to the decline in competition, American politics today is characterized by a growing ideological polarization between the two major political parties. Thomas E. MannPolitical party affiliation is a viable way to find out the philosophy of a certain competing candidate, may he be Republican or Democratic. This in turn reflects upon his core beliefs. Republicans believe that each citizen is responsible for his/her position

Increased Media Consumption And The Perception Gap

But not every media outlet is the same. We identified how specific news sources are associated with varying levels of distorted understanding in their audiences. Some news sources are associated with larger Perception Gaps, in particular Breitbart, Drudge Report and popular talk radio programs such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. But large Perception Gaps are also associated with liberal sources such as Huffington Post and the Daily Kos. Only one media source is associated with better understanding other Americans views: the traditional television networks of ABC, NBC and CBS. Overall, these findings suggest that media is adding to a polarization ecosystem that is driving Americans apart.

Most Republicans See Democrats Not As Political Opponents But As Enemies

The idea is a simple one: A country in which people with at-times differing views of how things should be run get together and vote on representatives who will enact policy. The candidates with the most support take office, working to build consensus for the policies their constituents want to see. Both before and after the election, theres an expectation that disagreements will be resolvable and resolved.

This is an idealized version of our system, of course, but thats how ideals work. Central to American politics is the idea that even if your candidate loses, the winner will advocate for you. But in an era in which the winners of elections in November are often those who manage to clamber over their primary opponents in the spring, the idea that a Democratic legislator will feel beholden to Republican constituents or vice versa seems almost quaint.

That said, we run the risk of establishing an equivalence where one may not exist. For example, we have new polling from CBS News, conducted by YouGov, which explores how members of each political party tend to think of members of the opposing party.

Most Democrats say that they tend to view Republicans as political opponents. Most Republicans say that they tend to view Democrats as enemies.

How is this unwound?

Democrat Vs Republican: Where Did The Parties Get Their Names

Republicans, Democrats Face Different Challenges in Post-Trump Era

In the United States, the words Democrat and Republican are widely used to mean the two major American political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

We often hear these words used to describe things the parties do or the people connected to them. For example, former Vice President Joe Biden is the Democratic candidate for president, and members of the Republican Party are often simply called Republicans.

The English words democratic and republicanactually have long, complex histories that go far beyond red and blue states or donkeys and elephants. Lets take a closer look at where these two words came from and how they came to be used in the names of the two political parties.

Left Wing And Right Wing Politics

Politics is said to be split in half and you either have left or right political views. Left-wing politics is typically associated with progressive ideas and equality. Democrats are viewed as left-wingers. Right-wing politics values tradition, equity, and survival of the fittest. Republicans are viewed as right-wingers. 

Left-Wing

Left-wing beliefs are liberal in that they believe society is best served with an expanded role of the government. Examples of an expanded role for the government include entitlement programs such as social security and Medicare, Medicaid, universal healthcare, food stamps, free public education, unemployment benefits, strong environmental laws, and other regulations on industries.

Right Wing

Right-wingers believe that the best outcome for society is achieved when individual rights and civil liberties are paramount and the role and especially the power of the government is minimized. Right-wing ideology would favor market-based solutions to the issues that these government programs aim to tackle. For example, encouraging a freer marketplace for healthcare, driven by consumer choice to drive down costs. Or privately held retirement accounts like 401 plans instead of government-guaranteed Social Security.

The 5 Key Differences Between Democrats And Republicans

Isadora GuidoniPolitics

515.2K

The political landscape in the United States is dominated by two major political parties. The Democrats and the Republicans have been center stage in US politics for more than a century and the two parties have never seen eye to eye on a number of issues. Its very hard, however, to really tell the difference between a Democrat and a Republican. This is because in the era of so much partisan politics, its not easy to know where each of these sides stands. In that case, the best way to pick out the differences is to look at the platforms of each party.

Well, we did that and here is our break down of the five key areas of difference:

1. Tax Policy

Both Democrats and Republicans are for tax cuts but they dont often agree on the best way to achieve that. While Democrats have always insisted that tax cuts should only apply to low income and middle income households, Republicans feel that such cuts should actually apply to everyone including the big corporations and the wealthy.

2. Social Issues

3. Labor and Free Trade

4. Health Care

Health care is another area where the two parties dont agree. Democrats believe that the state should take the role of offering health care. They want to do away with private insurance arguing that its expensive for ordinary Americans to afford. However, Republicans believe that too much government involvement on health care could in fact drive up costs and affect the quality of care.

Quirky Differences Between Democrats And Republicans

If nothing else, this election cycle has proven how divided our political inclinations can be. Voters across the spectrum have struggled to see others’ points of view.

But science might be able to explain why we feel so different from one another: Research shows that liberal and conservative brains are wired differently. And those opposing preferences extend far beyond the political realm into mundane, but personally defining factors like beer tastes, bedroom habits and opinions on Justin Bieber.

Below are seven interesting contrasts between Republicans and Democrats. Do you follow your party’s preferences?

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The Raiders Left Oakland. The 49ers Want to Take It.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The timing couldn’t have been any better.

After years of turmoil and losing, the San Francisco 49ers, who face the Green Bay Packers in the N.F.C. Championship game on Sunday, are one victory from returning to Super Bowl. There is no better way to drive demand for tickets, jerseys and support from a business community with cash to burn.

And one more thing — the 49ers’ bonanza is happening as their longtime rivals, the Raiders, abandon the Bay Area for Las Vegas, leaving the 49ers to reign as the lone West Coast team between Seattle and Los Angeles and in prime position to annex the East Bay, which has for years been enemy territory clad in black-and-silver.

Making inroads into Raider nation won’t be easy. Raiders fans are among the most fiercely loyal in the N.F.L., and adopting the rival next door as their home team is not in their D.N.A. There were not many Brooklyn Dodgers fans who started rooting for the Yankees in 1958 either. Some fans will follow the team in Las Vegas, even flying there to see them play. Other Raiders fans may stop watching the N.F.L. entirely.

“You’re either a Raiders fan or Niners fan, but you’re never both,” said Wayne Deboe, the president of the Oakland Raiders Booster Club and a fan since the team’s inception in 1960.

Still, the 49ers ascendancy is likely to draw some fans who just want to watch a winner. The Bay Area is filled with transplants seeking Silicon Valley riches — and maybe a local team to root for. Younger fans, even those whose parents have a proclivity for silver and black, may latch onto the rising Niners, who are delicately trying to jump on a golden opportunity.

“We would never try to convert Raiders fans,” said Alex Chang, the chief marketing officer of the 49ers, before outlining what seemed like a pretty good plan to do just that. “It’s a multigenerational play here for people who are transplants or kids who are growing up here now and won’t have the Raiders.”

There will be an expansion of 49er charities in the East Bay. The franchise will invite more East Bay school children to its science and technology programs and expand its free flag football programs. The efforts are not necessarily designed to sell tickets, but represent a kind of soft-sell to bring residents in the entire Easy Bay closer to a team more associated with the city of San Francisco and the peninsula stretching down to San Jose.

Last year, about 60,000 school children from the region visited Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers also funded free flag football leagues for 3,000 boys and girls that were hosted by the Boys & Girls Club, Police Athletic League and city recreational programs there. Children who play in these leagues all receive a Niners reversible jersey. The team will also run one-time football clinics, often with 49ers, in the East Bay. The team intends to triple that number next season by working with those organizations in the East Bay.

“We want kids to be 49ers fans, but it’s not like we want someone not to be a Raiders fan,” said Hannah Gordon, the team’s chief administrative officer.

Sports leagues have tried in the past to create boundaries so that neighboring teams do not encroach on each other’s markets. In the N.F.L., a team’s territory was a 75-mile radius from its home city. Because San Francisco and Oakland are just 10 miles apart, the 49ers and Raiders have informally stayed out of their each other’s cities — no billboards, instance.

But the growth of social media has made lines on a map obsolete, and now the Raiders are gone altogether.

Winning the hearts of abandoned fans is not easy. The Mets were created in 1962 five years after the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to California. The Chargers, who abandoned San Diego three seasons ago, are struggling to gain traction in Los Angeles.

The Kansas City Chiefs have moved eastward across Missouri to St. Louis, which lost the Rams in 2016. Mark Donovan, the Chiefs president, said the team acknowledged that Rams fans may still be angry about the decision to move, but he said ticket sales and sponsorships from that part of the state are on the rise. There is a lot more Chiefs programming on local radio affiliates, too.

The Chiefs’ success — they play in their second consecutive A.F.C. title game on Sunday — has also won over skeptical Rams fans. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce drew a big round of applause when they attended a Blues playoff game last year.

“I don’t think the rivalry between the teams was so bad that people wouldn’t root for the Chiefs,” said Randy Karraker, a talk-show host on 101 ESPN in St. Louis.

That may not be the case in the Bay Area, where the Raiders and 49ers have different identities dating back decades — the 49ers have long been the team of the elite, while the Raiders were the team of the working class. Still, success changes the calculus. Sales of 49ers merchandise have been the strongest in the East Bay — from San Leandro to Oakland to Fremont — this season, up 250 percent compared with last year, according to Fanatics, the largest online seller of licensed merchandise.

“The Bay Area is very provincial,” said Andy Dolich, who worked as a business executive for the Oakland A’s, Golden State Warriors, and, from 2007 to 2010, the 49ers. “But this Niners team has been able to jump the county barriers.”

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[alltypeofmovies]

History of Pakistani Movie

Pakistani Movie, a land that became substituted with ‘versatile’ crime, crude jokes regarding Organisational inside the West and a maxim for all that’s dark and grey. Their unit constantly two aspects to a coin; the first aspect is never the right or the complete image. There unit uncountable problem throughout this country, but somehow I constantly get the impressions that the media outlets in West Pakistan do tend to hyperbolic the negative aspects over the positives. I’m positive this statement would fetch many comments which be able to be classified as wicked by any linguistic lives. But, please, do plan to understand the aim of all this. The point is that the country is in transition- it’s a volatile transition whereby we've got a bent to any or all ought to play employment to change the social standards and norms of West Pakistan. Throughout this journal post, able to|I'll} be able to check an inventory of people of Pakistani descent, from various backgrounds, WHO unit operative diligently to plug a pro-Pakistan image abroad. Their efforts combined with individual efforts from all people would ultimately ensure every the pace and conjointly the standard of the thus modification that we've got a bent to any or all thus needed to manifest in West Pakistan. I draw my inspiration from this people, I hope you're doing too. The country has been pushing the screen lands and galvanizing voters to grasp native movies. It'd be the new era for cinemas in West Pakistan as they’ll be non-commissioned at the aspect of Hollywood blockbusters in theaters. The discharge of seven movies proudly created by Pakistani Movie has shown North Yankee nation the growth of demands from the parents and seeing the quantity of interest, producers begin to create many movies in West Pakistan that unit ennobling and representing the locals still. This easiness of dealing movies becomes the qualities of but a message is delivered through film creating.

Folks sq. activity presently responsive tonic movies, pics that entertain which they constantly anticipate boxed works pictures begun in West Pakistan. Pakistani diversion is presently extraordinarily influenced by what's showing presently. However, this nice experience comes with higher ticket valuation tho’. Because of the geographically strategic locations and conjointly the urban lives of city dwellers produce it easier for these Complexes to raise their price. Their unit such heaps of various cinemas in West Pakistan that might unit charging associate degree excessive quantity of fee from guests (or pic lovers), but their services at smart or price for the value. So far, pic times in West Pakistan unit given in lxv screens throughout the country. There’ll be heaps theaters to return and conjointly the constructions alter Pakistanis to decide on among a minimum of eighty fireplace screens. The arena can produce paid from the value tickets sales and cashing in on pic participating in. For more detail about: History of Pakistani Movie click by link.