#you need to not betray your voter base

[pro-prin-prinny]

Watching the far right in other countries win because the liberal politicians were only running on "we're not the other guy"

[newdog14]

I want to talk to everyone who's still saying "I know Biden is bad, but Trump is worse, so just vote Blue."

I know that American Politics sucks right now. Everyone is a bad option and every year our options get worse. I get it, and it sucks, but here's the thing: If we keep saying "Vote Blue no matter what!" then the Democratic party is never going to get better. In fact, it'll probably get worse, because if ignoring the voices of their voter base doesn't lose them votes, then why bother listening?

If you want things to get better, if you want politicians that you can vote for without feeling like you've betrayed your ethics, then we need to show that we WILL stop voting for people who we don't agree with. We need to show that the American people have heard Biden's Administration say "There are no red lines for Israel" and we do not agree.

Politicians only care about us for our votes. If supporting genocides demonstrably loses votes, then politicians will take note and change their policies in accordance. But if we vote Biden no matter what, if we vote Blue no matter what, then they aren't going to listen to us when we call and protest and scream.

Now, some of you may be thinking, what about Trump?

There is a chance he won't be able to run after all; he's currently in a legal shit storm that got his ability to do business in New York revoked. And with many of his co-defendants and associates pleading guilty things aren't looking good for him. Even if he can dodge the numerous felony fraud charges he's been hit with, this is going to be an expensive, embarrassing, dragged out process that will severely limit his time and funds for campaigning.

That doesn't mean he won't find his way onto the ballot anyway, but he hasn't won the Republican nomination yet. Even if he does though, sticking by Biden doesn't mean you're putting someone better in the White House. Given the ever climbing death toll that Biden is not just ignoring but enabling, it’s getting increasingly difficult, at least for me, to believe that Trump is actually worse. They’re both bad, and they’re both hurting people, so instead let’s look at why so many are clinging to the democratic party, even in the face of a genocide.

I know the biggest reason so many folks are hesitating to cut support for Biden is that they're worried about what that means for those of us in the United States.

Who will stop the anti-trans bathroom bills that keep popping up? Who will keep abortion bans off the books? Who will prevent censorship in schools?

Well, in point of fact, not your president!

Think about it. Did Biden being president put a stop to Florida's "don't say gay" bill? No. He had zero impact there.

Is he what stands between Virginia and the Abortion Ban currently being proposed for the state? Also no. He's not involved at all.

Has Biden stopped the bans on Drag Shows so many states are trying to implement? No, the Federal Courts have been doing that, including judges who were appointed by Trump.

See, the President of the United States is all about the big picture. Their opinions matter, and they can set a tone for their party, but they don’t control everything. Their impacts on the governing of states come from the people they appoint, like judges, but even then, most people will still do their jobs over pleasing the person who got them that job. Especially so because federal judges are actually really difficult to remove, and that only really happens if they’re so bad at following the rules that congress gets rid of them.

I’m not sure if Biden can’t stop states from making laws or if he just wouldn’t, but either way he’s not protecting us. 

The President honestly can’t do a hell of a lot to the American people, especially not in just four years. That’s why we survived Trump’s first presidency, and it’s why we as a whole would survive it if he got a second term.

The place where a President’s influence is immediately and drastically felt, however, is in the international sphere. The American people are protected, the citizens of the world are not, and with that fun little “well we’re not declaring war” workaround, the President, aka the Commander in Chief of the US Military, can do a hell of a lot of damage.

The people of Palestine may not survive another four years of Biden’s presidency. If things carry on like they are, they may not survive the remaining one year of his term.

So we the American people need to show that we will not stand by a president that endorses genocide. We need to show that we will not stand by a party that endorses genocide. We need to start talking, and loudly, about how we will not be voting for Biden next year. We need it to be clear that it is specifically his foreign policy that has lost his support, and that we will not be willing to just switch him out for a newer model who reminds me of no one so much as a modern day Aaron Burr.

There are a lot of things that we can do to express our displeasure for Biden, and for Israel, and there are a lot of people who can help you call for change, plan boycotts, organize marches, and determine where to aim direct action to have the greatest impact. But all of that needs to be done while putting our votes where our voices are, or else all of that rage will burn out and nothing will really change, just like it has in the Black Lives Matter movement.

In this case, as we do not currently have a better option, the place to put our presidential votes is with no one.

It’s not an ideal solution, I know. After all the years we’ve spent saying, “Vote! Vote no matter what! Vote or else you can’t complain about what happens!”, not voting feels like one of the most counterproductive moves to make. The reason we have to do it though, is because voting in the same sort of people and hoping they’ll make things better isn’t working, and we’re never going to get new options if we keep supporting the old ones. Cutting support for Biden, for Democrats on the national level, without a viable alternative isn't an easy choice to make. It's scary and I admit that it's kind of a gamble. No one has ever tried it before, not the way I'm hoping you all will.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” It’s time for us to break. No more unconditional blue votes. 

We have to force the Democratic party to recognize that their voting base will not just mindlessly support them, and that the candidates they put forth will be expected to hold up a certain moral standard. Our democracy is skewed to favor the opinions of corporations and the mega rich, but politicians do still need the masses to vote them into office, just like companies need us to buy things so that they can make money in the first place, and voting margins are tight enough that just like in the Speaker of the House vote, it won’t actually take that many of us to throw a wrench in the party’s bottom line.

We might not be able to win, but we can make sure that they lose until they shape up and start making meaningful changes.

And you may be thinking, won’t that just leave us in the hands of Republicans?

I want you to scroll back up. Look at all the bills I brought up that Biden didn’t stop. We are already in Republican hands, and the majority of Democrats are not willing to actually stand up to them.

That said, not voting across the board isn’t what I’m asking you to do. 

Our choices for President may be shot to hell, but there will be other people on that ballot in 2024. Local people, who will very directly affect your hometown and not much outside of it. Vote for your local sheriff, for your school board members, for your mayor and your state delegates. 

These are the people who control whether or not your senator can pass a drag show ban. These are the people who enable or block bills that hurt LGBTQ+ students. These are the folks who vote on whether or not to pass abortion bans. And in local elections? Your vote really, truly counts in a way that it just can’t on a national level.

And it’s not just people who wind up on your ballots. Local initiatives for conservation, funding for infrastructure, redistricting drives, and changes to your state’s constitution appear on your ballots too, and those are things that you’re going to want to have a say in.

There’s more to this mess than just voting or not voting, of course. There is always going to be more than one step we have to take to force change. That's why we cannot and do not vote inside a vacuum. We still have to make calls, and go to protests, and put our money where our morals are. Change isn't easy, and when you're fighting a decades old machine it's not quick either. But the longer we drag our feet about pushing back, the longer we keep betting on the lesser evil to change, the worse our options will get.

It might feel hopeless right now. Like our voices don't matter, and that we're screaming our lungs out alone. We can't give up though. We can't give into despair, and we can’t let up the pressure before new voices step forward, even if it takes time, and even if it takes more effort then checking a box or sharing a post.

One step will never be enough on its own, but every step we take adds up, and when we take those steps together we magnify our voices into something that cannot be ignored.

This is how we force our politicians to change: consequences and losses. If we start up early enough we might even get better options who could actually win the presidency, but we can't balk if we don't.

I know you might be scared to lose this election. As I write this, it feels counterintuitive, and it's something I never could have imagined saying years ago. But we can't change our political options unless we force politicians to change, and that only happens if they can't get elected as they are.

So don't elect them, and make sure they know that you're doing it on purpose and for a reason.

[minkyumami]

Guys. Please please please please stop fighting people who already agree with you (bc we all know that Joe Biden is responsible and should be held accountable for this genocide…right?) and start talking to the guy committing the genocide! Yes, voting is important, but the key function of democracy is that the voting population gets to be heard. The guy you want everyone to vote for is actively ignoring the stated needs of his voter base. He is very unlikely to win because of this. Who is to blame for his failure? Who should we be putting pressure on? The people who he has actively harmed (ie all of us, but especially those belonging to demographics most affected by his actions) — Palestinian Americans who have lost loved ones and watched their homeland be destroyed, Arabs, Muslims, Jewish people, immigrants, black Americans, and all of us who know that what gets done to Palestinians has already and surely will continue to be done to us. Are we the people who should hold our noses and look at the other policies, as if the lives being destroyed and devalued right now by our president, our tax dollars, and our labor, are not currently the most pressing issue?

If your answer is no, and we are not your target audience, it speaks to the level of privilege that you imagine your audience to have. I for one feel that Id be betraying every Palestinian if I voted for this man. Will I vote for him? I don’t know. But he’s pretty much said out loud that he won’t change his stance, because he believes that democrats are too afraid of Trump winning. He thinks he can and will get away with everything he’s gotten away with so far, for this one reason. Even so, he is aware that we have our limits. That’s why he’s been trying so hard to get the media to say that he’s “pressuring” Netanyahu — even while he continues to send him more and more weapons.

The point of democracy is that we have a voice. You should be using it. Biden wants your vote so so bad. He needs it. He loses without it. And he knows that. You should be talking to HIM. If you want him to win, you should be doing everything you can to get it into his head and into the heads of everyone in his administration that you will not vote for him UNLESS he changes course. Get out in the streets and protest, call the White House, call your reps, and for the love of God please stop doing his dirty work for him. Stop getting online and making posts that reinforce his behavior. If you let him win — if you REWARD HIM with the presidency, and return him to the position of the highest authority in the world, with access to the most money and power in the world, with zero consequences for MASS MURDER, you are saying to him and to the entire world that genocide is not bad enough for you. You are telling the world that this is fine. You are telling him that he could do worse, as long as his opponent is Trump. Fucking STOP.

By existing as a citizen in and paying taxes to the imperial core, we automatically hold complicity in imperialist oppression because we are literally footing the bill for it. That is just the basic nature of being born to privilege in systems of oppression in general. We can be disadvantaged and marginalized in every single other consideration and we still have to understand and cope with this, and ensure we leverage it as effectively as possible.

Voting abstinence/sabotage does not absolve us of our responsibility to do everything in our power to lessen harm, but it DOES show that when our personal morals aren't satisfied, we retreat into (imperialist, this time) privilege to 'wash our hands' of the situation and declare it's not our fault and it's not our problem.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

WOW i loved your Ch 2 rewrite ideas!!! but now you’ve made me curious (and i love your other writings so that too) are there any other points from the OG plot you would change? i think the ending/resolution of Ch 4 needs some work and the way Ch 5 tried but kinda failed at making the conflict between Vil and Epel balanced. i mean how even tho they are both right to some extent in their views, only Vil comes out as a “winner” after they fight and it’s not talked about how hard he pushed everyone.

[Referring to this post!]

I'm glad you like my stuff! ^^

I actually haven't read the main story for months now (I only recently reread chapter 2 to make sure I had the order of events correct in my rewrite), so I can't say off the top of my head which exact points in each chapter I'd change...

But to summarize my thoughts (let me know if you'd be interested in more in-depth explanations if this interests you!):

The prologue, chapter 1, and chapter 4 were relatively fine to me! There wasn't anything I recall that I had an issue with (at least nothing that would warrant a big rewrite).

Chapter 3 was... okay? It could have been a lot better. I felt like it was going fine up until Yuu and co. had to go and retrieve the photograph as Azul asked. This is mostly because (based on the way it was framed), it writes the Octatrio out of the story as Yuu tries to find a solution and I just wanted to see more of them manipulating others and trying to interfere.

Another issue was the story kept telling us "Azul is smart, Azul is SO smart, there's no way we can outsmart him", but it felt like he didn't really do anything in the chapter (to Yuu and co.) to warrant that. The Tweels have it way worse because they just act like Azul's cardboard henchmen and constantly resort to magical violence to solve their problems. Octavinelle doesn't really get a chance to shine individually because most of their bad deeds were already done before/at the beginning of the chapter. Heck, they shone more in CHAPTER 4, where the focus wasn't even on them.

I didn't like chapter 5 that much, but some of the reasoning for that is because I personally dislike the "idol" theme of the chapter. Disregarding my qualms with the VDC plotline, I felt like the training arc poorly focused its time and energy (despite being so lengthy) and kept bouncing from character to character without giving some of them enough time to finish their arc. There was definitely screen time imbalance between the 7 characters of the VDC group, and it shows (most notably with Rook; I hope he'll get to do something big and flashy in chapter 6 to make up for his lack of presence in chapter 5).

As for the thing about Vil not being told off for being strict with the others, I felt like (although it was never outright said), the boys just accepted it as part of the grueling VDC training? I mean, Vil is a pro, and his goal was to make the others “pros” too. That requires not babying them and exposing them to his harsh training regimen, which Vil himself joins in on. It’s not as though he was being a hypocrite by NOT doing his part.

Common complaints I see about chapter 5 are that Yuu is "just there"/doesn't play a super active role compared to the previous chapters and that NRC should have won instead of RSA, but honestly? I'd leave those unchanged. Chapter 5 is already cluttered enough trying to balance all the boys and their own conflicts and struggles, and I would say that they don't necessarily NEED Yuu's help to grow and change. For example, Deuce is able to discover his Unique Magic completely without Yuu's help. If Yuu had to help even half of these characters "get better", they'd be stretched super thin.

To address the second common complaint, NRC's loss makes sense in both the world of the game and in the context of the game's themes. NRC has been on a losing streak, and the huntsman (whom Rook is based on) did betray the Evil Queen. (In chapter 6, they also explain other factors as to why NRC lost, such as being worn out from fighting OB Vil and Neige having a sympathetic backstory that resonated with voters.) Not everything is perfectly wrapped up, there's no happily ever after guaranteed. I would even say that Vil needs to feel that loss to be humbled and to drive him to move on past the numbers and popularity game.

Okay, I'm done throwing my thoughts out there~ Time to retreat back to my nest!

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 68 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 146 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

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RATE THE EPISODE 140 Responses

The anime continues its positive streak with just over 90% of respondents rating the episode a 4 or 5. MAPPA appears to be blowing this season out of the water for most of us!

Noice

Good!

I liked it

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 144 Responses

We got a pretty mixed pie chart this week. To be expected, given how many moments were in this episode. At a tie with the largest pieces of the pie were Hange’s eccentric attempt to greet the Marleyans and Eren’s gunshot figuratively hitting Sasha. Behind that two more options tied in each with 10.4% of the vote - EMA’s conversation at the shooting range and Sasha appreciating Nicolo’s cooking. This is followed closely by Eren’s mirror scene with 9.7% of the vote. Onyankopon explaining why he looks different when Sasha asks him about it took a solid 9% of the vote.

WHAT WAS THE MOST EMOTIONAL PART OF THE VISIT TO SASHA’S GRAVE? 144 Responses

This was almost too close to call, but Mikasa sitting alone managed to edge out just slightly over Connie’s “I’ve lost half of me” moment at Sasha’s grave. Trailing behind the two were Nicolo’s grief and the agreement between Papa Braus agreeing to a free meal from Nicolo.

AFTER SEVERAL TENSE AND ACTION PACKED EPISODES, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE TRANSITION TO SOMETHING MORE CALM? 138 Responses

The larger chunk of respondents are feeling relieved to get a break from the action for a few episodes. 21.7% prefer the action but don’t mind a break here and there, while 21% state that they enjoy the exposition more than the action anyway, so they are content. A small handful don’t care either way. 

We needed this for another build-up to more action

I like the action but it’s important to move the story along 

These just feel mandatory fillers to me.

I miss the warriors

I feel fine with it. I thought that was going to be some happy-go-me episode, but gladly it still had a serious tones.

This episode felt like a very welcome respite after the absolute shitshow that was spoilers week and....whatever the fuck chapter 137 was. 

Nice breather of sorts, I always like seeing characters from action-heavy series in their downtime.

WOULD YOU RATHER GET A SURPRISE GREETING FROM EREN & HANGE, OR ARMIN & LEVI? 141 Responses

The vast majority of respondents would prefer the slightly less lethal greeting given by Hange and Eren at the beginning of the episode. We’re not sure if the other 29.1% are masochists or just really love Levi and/or Armin that much more. Or perhaps they’re intrigued by the pig piss from the filthy island devils.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW HAPPY ARE YOU TO BE BACK ON PARADIS? 139 Responses

Overall, fans are happy to be back in familiar territory and put into the perspective of the Survey Corps again. Let’s get ready to rumble!

MAPPA HAS SPRINKLED IN ANIME-ONLY ADDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE. AS A WHOLE, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM? 139 Responses

Though subtle, MAPPA did include some anime filler (such as Eren’s, erm, mouth breathing). 51.1% enjoyed the noticeable additions, while 37.4% are completely confused by the question and didn’t realize there were any. A handful generally don’t prefer additions but enjoyed what little ones we had this episode. A small sliver didn’t care for them.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SCENES FROM CHAPTER 107 THAT WERE PEPPERED IN BETWEEN THE MOMENTS FROM CHAPTER 106? 139 Responses

MAPPA is shuffling things around to pick up the pacing of this arc, and 48.2% of respondents are feeling very positively about it. 38.8% also feel that both the order of events in the original manga and the anime work out just fine regardless. A couple of smaller groups either felt that things were a bit off from the manga, or didn’t really care either way. 

I think it's great because it allows an episode to start and end on the same chapter if mappa ever wanted it, allowing the right twists or cliffhangers to be in the right episodes, all WITHOUT having to slow down, which I wholly appreciate.

I'm fine with the changes. Mappa is doing good job.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHANGE OF GABI BITING HER NAIL AND ANGRILY SAYING EREN’S NAME IN HER JAIL CELL? 142 Responses

Nearly half of voters feel that both MAPPA’s take and Isayama’s original take work just fine for Gabi’s character. 28.9% prefer the anime’s take on Gabi’s reaction to all that happened, while 14.8% feel that her more defeated posture in the manga makes more sense for her character. 

I'm a mix of both? Her defeated posture implies that she's not happy with the way things worked out with them in jail and Zeke betraying them. On the other hand, her angry face is realistic to the scene too because it implies she really blames Eren for their current predicament.

She looks like some female version of young, angry Tarzan. This time Mappa should have kept the original postures, because the defeated Gabi feels to be more realistic, than the crazy anime one. 

I think they both work but the anime's take might be the anime team beating us over the head that she's just like Eren when he was young.

Makes it clear to the anime-onlies that she really is psychotic

Gabi sucks

HOW WELL DO YOU THINK MAPPA NAILED THE TRANSITION OF EREN SHOOTING THE GUN, TO SASHA TAKING THE HIT? 141 Responses

The response to MAPPA’s take on Eren’s shot inadvertently hitting Sasha was overwhelmingly positive, with only a few people saying that they could have done better with it. 

Eren shot linked to Sasha's death was awesome. Mappa is nailing it!

THE PART WHERE JEAN, SASHA AND CONNIE ARE TRYING TO GUESS WHAT A PORT IS WAS CUT OUT, WITH ARMIN’S NARRATION INSTEAD CUTTING INTO THE SCENE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? 140 Responses

Exactly 50% felt that while having that JSC characterization would have been very much welcome, they’re okay with that small detail missing from the manga (granted, it was at least acknowledged by one panel being animated). 25.7% have a more nonchalant response, stating that if it helps with the pacing, they’re fine with small cuts like this. 10.7% are just let down by JSC’s lack of characterization in the anime overall and didn’t appreciate even more being taken from their characterization in this episode. 

I was more so interested in our Paradis Peeps talking about newly discovered technology but I’m happy with what we got.

Not dissappointed since I understand you can't show everything but I love them so sad

Why was it animated then?! I’m so confused

Normally I don't like it when they cut corners like this, but I wasn't fond of that scene in the first place so it's okay.

If by "anime" you mean the entirety of it including the past 3 seasons, then option 3. I'm always going to be salty about how much they took out or changed for these three during the uprising arc. So far mappa has done okay with them, I guess. 

Would have been a funny JSC moment, but it was really absolutely pointless. In manga format it works as just background words on a panel. Animating it takes seconds of an episode that could be used elsewhere. So I'm fine with it being cut out.

SOME HAVE COMPLAINED THAT THE ENDING SCENE OF EREN REPEATING HIS MANTRA INTO THE MIRROR LACKED THE IMPACT IT HAD IN THE MANGA. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? 138 Responses

43.5% were receptive of the anime only shots, but favor the way the scene was portrayed in the manga more. 34.1% felt that both versions were done well, with only 9.4% feeling that the impact was largely the same (if not better). Based on the write-ins, the main complaint seems to be the lighting/color scheme of the scene not quite meeting expectations, or that MAPPA made Eren’s back look weird. 

theyll make up for it when eren screeches at hange next ep

Impact was there, art just felt a bit wonky and toned down the scene overall. 9/11

This goes into my criticism of the color palette and shading style mappa uses, which is far more subdued. The contrast is lowered and the scene is very dark, and there is little rim lighting, so while the actual lineart has far more detail, the detail in the lighting is reduced. Damn I really am writing a wall text aren't I? I prefer Wit Studio's art style a lot but Mappa has honestly been doing great so I couldn't care less, manbun Eren is hot.

I prefer the manga version. I think the anime version have weirds shadows in eren's back. Plus the mirror don't have the same energy, less impactful

Cool scene in the anime, an unforgettable blow to the brains in the manga

Idk

Most of the time seeing things for the first time is what's really impactful. Feel this way towards Armin's transformation in the boat as well. It was definitely less impactful than when you first read it in the manga.

I understand the fandom because this moment was very popular when the chapter was out. I think that in the anime Eren lacks the anger he had in the manga. His voice was too calm while repeating his mantra. .

WHY DOES HIS BACK LOOK LIKE THAT

I didn't care for it in the anime, it was really underwhelming. 

I think most people are annoyed about the lighting than the impact. It’s a bit too dim and the lamp hides Eren’s new hair.

Didn't like the anime version at all

The animation wasn't good and they totally fucked his hair, face, and body up. Although the added shots were definitely welcome.

Eren could've been sexier/animated better, I hope they do better next ep 😭

WE WILL ASK YOU AGAIN. HOW WILL THE ANIME DEAL WITH MIKASA’S HIZURU TATTOO/SYMBOL? 135 Responses

With Mikasa meeting Kiyomi presumably being inevitable in episode 69, we wondered if any opinions had changed on this. 34.1% feel hopeful that the tattoo will be retconned into the anime and that we will see this scene faithful to the manga. 28.9% think that Mikasa will happen to have some kind of embroidery on hand already. 25.9% don’t want to make a call either way, and a small handful think Mikasa’s going to just pull out an embroidery kit and go with it, lol.

The embroidery will be on the inside of her bandage.

Japanese are very taboo about tattoos because of the Yazuka... it will 100% be the embroidery.

I don't know but I hope it gets retconned. Never liked the embroidery thing.

It won't be included

Let’s just... ignore it..

I really really hope MAPPA retcons Mikasa's tattoo next episode. This will be the one retcon I will absolutely celebrate. Plus, it's not really a retcon if they're just amending Wit's changes.

WE WILL ASK YOU AGAIN, AGAIN. WITH THE PACING CURRENTLY UTILIZED BY MAPPA, WHERE WILL EPISODE 16 END? 137 Responses

Uncertainty continues to loom over exactly how far MAPPA will get into this (first half of the?) season. Nearly 40% don’t want to make predictions one way or another, while 23.4% feel that it won’t make it quite to chapter 122. The rest believe it will make it to chapter 122, with 17.5% feeling there will only be minor cuts, if any, and the remaining 13.1% feeling that there will be major cuts to make the feat to chapter 122. 

116 (?) when the allied force attack paradis

122 with the amount of cuts being somewhere in between. They can cut a lot of the Gabi and Falco plotline and still have the story remain intact.

See, I'm not sure buy I'm also worried and curious about it all. It brings up the question of will the story continue in a possible second half of the season? With the manga ending very soon now, it makes sense to have the story wrap up in its anime medium as well. Fees like there's some kind of uncertainty surrounding this, it's unnerving tbh. 

119 with Eren's head being blown off.

gabi no scoping eren, ending creds is eren entering paths and we see ymir standing behind him, s4p2 starts w the ymir backstory

121

No idea and I don't think about it. I just enjoy the show. 

Your guess is as good as mine, I'm still fearing major cuts.

119

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NICOLO’S PORTRAYAL? 138 Responses

With Nicolo now formally introduced in the anime, we were curious how you felt about his portrayal. Overall the reaction was positive, with 48.6% agreeing that he’s a “cutie pie chef”, and another 45.7% feeling that his design and seiyuu are absolutely great! A small handful were less happy with the voice, but happy with the design, and a sliver went in the opposite direction, preferring voice over animation.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ADDED DETAIL OF THE FLOWER BOQUETS AND THEIR SYMBOLISM ON SASHA’S GRAVE? 140 Responses

Respondents vastly appreciated the flower symbolism from MAPPA with 82.9% of the pie. 12.9% aren’t really sure what symbolism there even was, and a small amount either don’t care or felt the effort could have been spent on something other than flowers for Sasha.

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 143 Responses

This pie chart wound up being almost eerily even. 42.7% are most looking forward to the 104th discussing Eren (hopeful for the train flashback?). 39.9% instead are looking more forward to Hange and Eren’s tense conversation at his jail cell. The remaining three preview moments were pretty evenly split as well.

DO YOU THINK WE’LL GET BLUSHING!104TH NEXT EPISODE? 130 Responses

71.5% feel that there is a chance we will get the train flashback of the 104th in this episode, but don’t want to say for absolutely certain. 18.5% feel that it is a guarantee based on what we saw in the preview. 10% feel it is instead guaranteed that we will NOT get the scene in 69.

WE WILL LIKELY SEE PREGNANT HISTORIA NEXT EPISODE. THOUGHTS? 140 Responses

The plotline that continues to be a frustrating mystery in the manga - Historia’s pregnancy. 34.3% aren’t particularly looking forward to seeing her in the rocking chair and aren’t very stoked about having to relive this plotline all over again. 33.6% mainly just care about seeing how the anime only fans react to the scene. 17.9% just miss Historia altogether and will take any scraps they can get. And a small handful, at 9.3%, are actually looking forward to seeing anime!Historia with a baby bump. 

Don't really care about historia

It's in MAPPA's hands now. I just hope they can add a little more of her screentime somehow.

I hope so. I want to see the design of her adult self. 

I honestly wouldn't mind if Historia's entire arc, which consists of equal parts pregnancy, irrelevance and uselessness, is just completely cut in the anime lol

not interest

I'm not interested 

I've hated this fucking plot line with all my being and what it's done to Historia since the leaks for this chapter were revealed years ago. So I'm not looking forward to anime-only people jumping in with their hot takes too. 🤮🤮

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

mikasa was shown in sasha's grave in the morning/afternoon and then she was shown again at dusk. SHE SPENT THE WHOLE DAY THERE. and annie... what a queen. and hisu's few scenes? so pretty.

Really glad the pacing was well done

nicosasha ship just flew in and took the spotlight

fantastic!! maybe it's just because this isn't my first time going through this arc anymore, but i feel like the anime feels chronologically less confusing than the manga—I remember being very confused my first time reading these chapters.

The lack of score by Hiroyuki Sawamo is negatively impacting my relationship with the anime. The depth of the emotion that could have been evoked was not present. I also did not get the sense that Nicolo and Sasha were in love, which was a major disappoinment. There were other aspects that weren't so bad, though; specifically, Levi's portrayal and Onyankopon's philosophy.

It felt a bit all over the place, but just seeing things from the manga being animated, I ain’t even mad.

I think that the scene between Sasha and Nicolo was made better in the anime. Isayama has problems with writing romantic moments, so in the manga the whole moment looked like it was taken from some light romance. Mappa made this scene more serene. I liked it. 

I think MAPPA is doing so great tbh! I just need them to hurry up and explain if there will be a part two to this final season or what?! I need to know if we get more anime or they'll diverge into movies or.... just tell us! Lol! 

How DAREEEE they not give Levi his black steed!!!! .....Although knowing what happens ummm yeah maybe his pony gets to live another day this way lol

Here comes the train wreck, choo choo!

I'm really sad I didn't get to hear Sasha call Jean a perv. I was really looking forward to that. LOL I love them. When EMA were at the shooting range, it looked too much like Mikasa wasn't wearing any pants. 

VERY solid. Not the biggest fan of the War for Paradis arc but I'm here for the ride.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 128 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

[tardistimeladyyeah]

This is what I've been trying to tell people but most of them jump to insane conclusions about what I meant by the post like

Did you actually read it or did you see that I said you should vote and you just decided to melt down because THIS is what I'm talking about

I think another thing they don't understand is that you've gotta vote to make changes. One person I interacted with tried to quote a song about not voting and dude I listen to Tears For Fears. Some of their songs may not come off as political at first but "Shout" and "Mothers Talk" (literally written about nuclear war) and even "Sowing The Seeds of Love" has political elements. They encourage me to be vocal about my dissatisfaction with my representatives and the government while also being aware of the consequences of bad governance.

It's voter apathy at its finest. They think they're betraying a cause when really they're betraying the cause by not voting. They either think that their votes won't matter, they're lazy and don't want to take the like thirty minutes it takes to vote, they want attention, they live in a bubble that tells them that voting is bad (good God that's a horrible belief to maintain but I understand it as a person in a deep red state) or that it does nothing, they live in a different country (I had to tell someone why Clinton wasn't President despite their insistence that she won the election like yes but no), or they didn't pay attention in civics. I feel like they think that they can just protest but not vote and everything will change when really the only way for change to happen is to vote. That's the only way for change to happen.

I don't hate these people, but they really grind my gears since literally all of the change that has happened in the United States has come from a combination of protest, candidates who support change, and voting to get those candidates into office and keeping others who do not support the change out of office.

My problem is with them encouraging others not to vote. Of course, them not voting is a problem in of itself, but encouraging others not to vote because of ONE policy issue is not how this should work. If you're upset about one policy issue, just find the candidate who aligns closest to your view and pick them. If they're both similar, dig deep and think about other things you care about. Healthcare (especially healthcare that is under attack like abortion and Trans healthcare), mental health, education, LGBTQIA+ discrimination, race-based discrimination, even voting rights. Just pick something. There has got to be something else that you care about besides Palestine. And hey, maybe we can work Palestine into your issue. Let's say, I want improved healthcare for immigrants (that would include Palestinians who seek asylum in the United States). Or, maybe you want improved education for the children of Palestinian immigrants seeking refuge.

It's hard to change the minds of these people because they genuinely believe they're doing the right thing by staying home on election day. They'd rather not improve upon a country that needs MAJOR change (but can be changed if we put the right people in office and I think Kamala Harris is a great start). They think that not voting at the expense of both Palestinians and Americans (some of whom are actively suffering under restrictions on abortion, Trans healthcare, or being actively harmed by discrimination everywhere just because of who they love).

Government is hard. Voting isn't (unless you live in Texas. Holy crap, y'all got problems and I'm from the state to the west and we've got major problems too. Of course, voting in Texas isn't impossible). Is voting against some of your beliefs hard? Yes. Is it necessary in life because there will NEVER, EVER be a candidate that checks all of your boxes? Yes. THERE. WILL. NEVER. BE. THE. PERFECT. CANDIDATE. However, it is not worth not voting because you don't like either and it is especially wrong to try to tell others not to vote when it's literally how democracy works.

At this point it's important to try to keep others from falling down the "don't vote because it's bad" path by catching them before it happens. It's important to educate and inform people about the potential consequences of not voting (and of voting third party) and why voting is important.

via 2rawtooreal2

-

NEVER THROW YOUR VOTE AWAY!

(captions added by me)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 16, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

Disgraced retired lieutenant general Michael Flynn is endorsing candidates for office.

Flynn advised former president Trump’s 2016 campaign and was Trump’s first national security adviser. He served for just 22 days before having to resign after news broke that he had lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.

Flynn pleaded guilty to "willfully and knowingly" lying to the FBI but withdrew the plea two weeks before sentencing. Then–attorney general William Barr directed the Department of Justice to drop all charges against Flynn before former president Donald Trump pardoned him on November 25, 2020.

Just days later, Flynn retweeted a news release from a right-wing Ohio group called “We the People Convention.” That release contained a petition asking Trump to declare martial law, suspend the Constitution, silence the media, and have the military “oversee a national re-vote” of the 2020 election. The petition ended by calling on Trump “to boldly act to save our nation…. We will also have no other choice but to take matters into our own hands, and defend our rights on our own, if you do not act within your powers to defend us.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley immediately opposed Flynn’s suggestion. He distanced the military from talk of a coup. “Our military is very very capable… we are determined to defend the U.S. Constitution,” he said. “No one should doubt that.” A defense official told Military Times that the idea of Trump declaring martial law and having the military redo the election is “insane in a year that we didn’t think could get anymore insane.”

But Trump did not back down. On December 2, he released a video he said was “maybe the most important speech I’ve ever made.” It was a 46-minute rant insisting that, despite all evidence to the contrary, he won the 2020 election. While he lost virtually every court challenge he mounted and his own attorney general, William Barr, said there was no evidence of fraud that would change the outcome of the election, Trump insisted that there was “massive” voter fraud and called on the Supreme Court to “do what’s right for our country,” including throwing out hundreds of thousands of Democratic votes so “I very easily win in all states.”

Flynn had been an adherent of the QAnon conspiracy, taking an oath to it on July 4, 2020. On January 8, 2021, Twitter permanently banned Flynn, along with others who were promoting the views of the QAnon conspiracy that Trump actually won the 2020 election.  

But, far from disappearing, Flynn has continued to speak to pro-Trump groups and to rebuild his brand, going so far in May as to call for a coup in the U.S. like that happening in Myanmar, where in February the military seized power from the democratically elected government.

Flynn appears to be regaining ground among Trump loyalists. Yesterday, in Michigan, he endorsed a Republican candidate for secretary of state, the official in charge of elections. The candidate, Kristina Karamo, tweeted that she was honored to receive the endorsement of Flynn, whom she called “a victim of political persecution” who “continues to fight fearlessly for [America]. His selflessness, wisdom, and kindness encourages us all.”

Today, Flynn endorsed Eric Greitens for a Missouri senate seat. Greitens resigned from the Missouri governorship in 2018, after accusations that he had threatened and assaulted an affair partner and suggestions that he had used an email list from a nonprofit for his political campaign. Greitens resigned in disgrace but is trying to relaunch his political career as a Trump supporter, running for the Senate seat of retiring Missouri Senator Roy Blunt. Greitens has picked up the endorsements of a number of Trump loyalists, although he has not yet received the endorsement of Trump, despite courting it quite eagerly.

In his announcement of support for Greitens, Flynn made a play for the leadership of the MAGA movement by attacking the Republicans who refused to get on board with Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

His announcement played off Tuesday’s news that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who had opposed his talk of a military coup to keep Trump in office, had reassured his Chinese counterpart that the United States would not attack without provocation and notice despite the former president’s erratic and dangerous behavior during the last weeks of his term. Trump Republicans are demanding Milley’s resignation, but their determination to undermine Milley by portraying him as a tool of what they are calling the “radical left” has been evident for a while. In the spring, Republican lawmakers complained that, as Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said, “Dem politicians & woke media are trying to turn [the military] into pansies.” Milley defended the idea that it is important “for those of us in uniform to be open-minded and be widely read” and said, “I want to understand white rage, and I’m white, and I want to understand it.” Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson called him “a pig” and “stupid.”

In his message endorsing Greitens, Flynn brought these themes together and seemed to be trying to advance his own future in the government in place of Trump: “America needs fighters,” he said. “Worse than the radical leftists, the corrupt Deep State, the mainstream media, and Big Tech are the feckless and spineless Republicans who have utterly surrendered…. [T]hose who betrayed President Trump the most were not the leftists but the cowardly Republicans in Name Only…. We don’t need any more insiders or career politicians in Washington, especially not those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” an apparent reference to Milley’s calls with his counterpart in China. Flynn applauded Greitens’ suggestion that the 2020 election was stolen, and then said he was proud to stand with Greitens “in our shared mission to revive our Republic.”

Flynn seems to be trying to pick up Trump's falling mantle as the former president himself appears to be losing relevance.

In Tuesday’s recall election in California, Democrats framed the choice as one between Governor Gavin Newsom and his Trump-like chief rival, and voters resoundingly rejected the Republican. Even among Trump’s usual base, his appeal seems to be fading. According to sportswriter Dan Rafael, who specializes in boxing, sources have told him that the September 11 fight between Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort—the fight Trump and Donald Trump, Jr., commented on—garnered only about 150,000 pay-per-view buys, which means it grossed about $7.5 million. This is, Rafael says “a massive $ loser…not remotely close to covering even the purses, not to mention rest of expenses.”

Flynn’s attempt to reinsert himself into American politics is a story that I’m watching, but the bigger news today is coming out of China, where the country’s second-largest property developer, China Evergrande Group, is tottering. Evergrande has assets of $355 billion; it employs 200,000 staff members and hires about 3.8 million people a year for its different projects.

The slowing property markets in China and a government crackdown on reckless borrowing have weakened the huge entity. Its collapse would destabilize Chinese banks. People worried about the safety of their investments, and vendors worrying they will not be paid have begun to protest outside the company’s main headquarters; they have been removed by security. Observers expect the Chinese government will help to manage any forthcoming collapse, but the ripples from such a failure will likely be felt around the world.

—

Notes:

Dan Rafael @DanRafael1Per sources, #HolyfieldBelfort event totaled about 150k PPV buys between linear & digital platforms, which would make it a massive $ loser for Triller. At 150k it would gross about $7.5M from ppv, not remotely close to covering even the purses, not to mention rest of expenses.

228 Retweets1,492 Likes

September 16th 2021

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-bans-michael-flynn-sidney-powell-qanon-account-purge-n1253550

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-eric-greitens-endorsement/2021/07/22/9e9998a2-e8c0-11eb-97a0-a09d10181e36_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/23/eric-greitens-senate-governor-affair/

https://taskandpurpose.com/pentagon-run-down/tucker-carlson-military-mark-milley/

https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-white-rage-clip-video-fox-news-general-milley-2021-6

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/21/conservative-critics-military-policies-490197

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/mark-milley-critical-race-theory/

https://themissouritimes.com/greitens-endorsed-by-michael-flynn/

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/556209-michael-flynn-says-myanmar-like-coup-should-happen-in-the-us

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/kinzinger-republican-political-points-milley

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-bans-michael-flynn-sidney-powell-qanon-account-purge-n1253550

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/07/to-celebrate-the-fourth-michael-flynn-posts-a-pledge-to-conspiracy-group-qanon/

https://www.reuters.com/business/how-china-evergrandes-debt-troubles-pose-systemic-risk-2021-09-16/?s=03

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/business/evergrande-debt-crisis.html?s=03

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/9/16/protestors-hauled-away-from-evergrande-hq-as-meltdown-fears-mount

https://www.reuters.com/article/china-evergrande-debt-contagion-idCNL4N2QG1T9

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[day0one]

Donald Trump's Far-Right Extremist Army Has Turned On Him

The monster that Trump created doesn’t need him anymore.

For months, President Donald Trump’s message to his supporters was clear: The election was being stolen from him, and they needed to fight to take it back.

So on January 6, during a Trump-promoted rally to “Stop the Steal,” thousands laid siege to the US Capitol in a stunning attempt to do just that. The fallout of their failed insurrection, which resulted in five deaths, was swift: Trump was de-platformed from nearly every major social network and, on Wednesday, impeached for a historic second time.

When he emerged on camera a short while later, tail tucked between his legs, to condemn the rioters whom he himself had incited, and to call for a peaceful transfer of power to president-elect Joe Biden, his base felt betrayed.

“So he basically just sold out the patriots who got rounded up for him,” one person wrote in a 15,000-member pro-Trump Telegram group. “Just wow.”

In online havens for MAGA extremists, including Gab, CloutHub, MeWe, Telegram, and far-right message boards such as 8kun, the tone toward Trump is shifting. HuffPost reviewed thousands of messages across these platforms and found that a growing minority of the president’s once-devout backers are now denouncing him and rejecting his recent pleas for peace. Some have called for his arrest or execution, labeling him a “traitor” and a “coward.” Alarmingly, many of those who are irate about Biden’s supposed electoral theft is still plotting to forcibly prevent him from taking office – with or without Trump’s help.

“We don’t follow you,” another Telegram user wrote, addressing Trump after the president put out his video urging calm and order. “Be quiet and get out of our way.”

It has become apparent that now – after his mass radicalization campaign of voter-fraud disinformation and conspiracy-mongering – even Trump can’t stop the dangerous delusion he’s instilled across the country or the next wave of violence it may soon bring.

Authorities are urgently warning of armed protests being planned in all 50 state capitals in the days leading up to Biden’s inauguration. Politically motivated extremists “will very likely pose the greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021,” according to a new joint intelligence bulletin from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and US National Counterterrorism Center. The document, first obtained by Yahoo News, attributes this threat to “false narratives” that Biden’s victory “was illegitimate, or fraudulent,” and the subsequent belief that the election results “should be contested or unrecognized.”

Ahead of last week’s riots, Trump supporters openly planned their attack on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other mainstream platforms, where they shared materials including flyers titled “Operation Occupy the Capitol.” These sites have since cracked down aggressively on such behavior, causing extremists to migrate to lesser-known corners of the internet to plan their next move.

While this has hindered their ability to spread propaganda and enlist new recruits, their new social channels are subject to less scrutiny and have already exploded in reach.CloutHub, MeWe, and Telegram shot to the top of the charts of popular free apps on the App Store and Google PlayStorein the wake of the siege. Gab has also reported a massive surge in new users, with about 10,000 people signing up every hour.

In these spaces, HuffPost has observed calls to “burn down” the Capitol, launch “an armed revolt,” “pop some libtards” and “TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK WHATEVER IT TAKES!!” Some posts are more specific:“Civil War is here. Group up locally. Take out the News stations,” one person declared. “LET’S HANG THEM ALL,” another implored. “LET’S FINISH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.”

The Boogaloo Bois, a far-right militia organizing to foment civil war, is capitalizing on the unrest to issue online a renewed call to arms. The FBI has warned specifically of potential Boogaloo violence during planned rallies at state Capitol buildings in Michigan and Minnesota on Sunday.

“There's a war coming, and cowering in your home [while] real patriots march with rifles ... will make you a traitor,” commented a member of an encrypted Boogaloo chat.

Some extremists, however, are urging each other not to attend any of the upcoming armed protests. The Proud Boys, a rabidly pro-Trump neo-fascist group that helped storm the Capitol, is cautioning its followers that such demonstrations could be “fed honeypot” events set up by authorities in order to seize attendees’ guns.

It seems that even the Proud Boys are losing faith in Trump: a Telegram channel run by the group reposted a message with Trump’s video along with the text “The Betrayal of Trumpist base by Trump himself continues.”

For four years, the president’s supporters have worshipped him like a god. His rallies have been likened to cult gatherings. Nearly half of his campaign donations came from small donors, trouncing Biden’s 39%. For most of his presidency, Trump enjoyed strong support from the Republican base, polling well above 90% with that group. But after the Capitol riots, his support is plummeting at record rates.

MAGA world has stood unwaveringly by Trump’s side through multiple allegations of sexual assault (including rape), an impeachment for abuse of power, revelations that his administration literally caged children, a historic rise in national debt, countless lies, blatant self-enrichment by him and his family members, a pandemic that has claimed close to 400,000 American lives under his leadership – nearly a fifth of all deaths worldwide – and more.

So to see his “America First” army suddenly begin to turn on him is truly remarkable. It’s happening broadly among his supporters, and even among the far-right extremist communities that have flourished online during Trump’s presidency.

Among the recent messages excoriating Trump in dedicated pro-Trump networks:“tbh I hope they hang Trump at this point”; “He deserves what’s coming to him”; “he is literally done he will die in jail”; “Seriously hoping they’ll lock him up or lynch [him]”; “Guy is the biggest cuck ever at this point”; “Can’t wait til the left locks up his bitch ass. Rot in prison.” Several people have proclaimed that at this point, Trump can only redeem himself by declaring martial law to maintain power by force.

After losing to Biden, Trump systematically attacked the allies that propped up his presidency in a desperate effort to keep his re-election fantasy alive.

He first turned his adherents against Fox News, which stoked his ire by accurately projecting Biden’s electoral victory in Arizona before a few other networks did so. Then, when some Republicans – including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell – declined to play along with his unsupported claims of mass voter fraud, Trump urged his base to turn on them. After that came Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence, who refused Trump’s unconstitutional demand to reject votes in favor of Biden. (“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our Constitution,” Trump tweeted on the afternoon of January 6, provoking chants of “Hang Pence” during the riots.)

Now that Trump himself appears to finally be backing away from his “Stop the Steal” hoax, a growing faction of his supporters is through with him, too.

But after the dramatic failure of his slow-motion coup, as he counts down the days until his return to life as a private citizen, Trump presumably has more pressing concerns than maintaining his followers’ devotion. Aside from the hundreds of millions of dollars in personal debt hanging over his head, it seems increasingly likely that he could face criminal prosecution, from which he will no longer be immune. And following his latest impeachment, if the Senate convicts him, it can also vote to disqualify him from ever running for office again.

With so much at stake and no sane hope of clinging to power, it’s now in the president’s best interest for his base to avoid further violence, which could increase his chances of conviction. But the reality is that the monster Trump created doesn’t need him anymore.

“He can promise and call for peace all he likes,” one Gab user wrote. “Won’t make a blind bit of difference.”

[jewrocker]

Republicans Cross the Rubicon Into Full Blown Treason Because There’s Nothing to Stop Them.

According to Wikipedia, the textbook definition of “Treason” is criminal disloyalty to the State.  Treason, by definition, does not need to be aiding a foreign power with information that would be detrimental to our national security - although there’s plenty of evidence of that, too.  There’s treason happening in front of our eyes and ears on a daily basis.  For years now.  

If you swear an oath to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States, and, with each subsequent breath, spend every waking moment either looking the other way while others seek to undermine every principle contained within that document, or worse, play an active role in obstructing those seeking to uphold those principles, is that not treason?  Is that not a blatant disregard of your sworn duties?  Shouldn’t the punishment for our highest elected officials who knowingly and willfully violate their oaths of office, to such an obscene extreme, be something other than free healthcare for life and a golden parachute?

Every Republican lawmaker currently in office who fits the above description needs to be held accountable for their betrayal of their oath to defend the Constitution. Otherwise, what’s the point of any of this?  And why isn’t there any remedy in our founding document calling for criminal penalties for those found guilty of violating their official duties?  There’s penalties in almost every other area of our society for betraying your official duty, i.e. if you’re a cop and you violate your oath to serve and protect, you’re terminated almost immediately - sometimes, even imprisoned.  Why shouldn’t our top lawmakers be held to the same, if not higher, standards? If you said, it’s because they write the laws that govern them, you’d be correct. 

The Constitution is not up for debate.  You’re not allowed to decide which side of it you come down on.  Any elected official, Republican or Democrat, who bases his/her willingness to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution on the shameless, self-serving position of whether or not he/she is up for re-election, should be stripped of their citizenship and shipped off to a Siberian prison, last week.  However, if that were the case, McConnell, Gaetz, McCarthy, Graham, Nunes, Meadows, Collins, Jordan, etc. would be on their fortieth case of hand warmers by now.  

Not for nothing, but the fact that, in close to two and a half centuries, Mitt Romney became the first Senator to vote to remove a president from his/her party in the history of our Democracy, says something about our judgement as a nation with regards to the leaders we elect to govern us.

Republicans swore an oath to defend and protect the principles contained in that document - be it convenient or inconvenient - and by pretending the facts are not real, or they’re all a smoke screen by the “Deep State Conspiracy,” you’re not only making yourselves out to be pathetic fools, you're betraying your country with every passing second.  And for what?  To defend the self-serving criminal acts of an ignorant, sociopathic, misogynistic, megalomaniacal reality TV has-been?  One who would happily throw you, your constituents, and the rest of us under the bus in the blink of an eye without a second thought if it meant saving himself?  

Is this the way Republicans want to be remembered by their grandkids?  A cult-like mob of spineless cowards, happily ready to abandon their oaths in blind servitude to a hapless Russian asset?  The GOP have made it clear, they are more interested in avoiding a “mean tweet” from the orange emperor, than upholding the Laws of the land they swore to defend.  

And what will happen to them for this utter betrayal?  After working tirelessly, day in, day out, to weaken the fabric of our Democracy, after choosing a “scorched earth” policy rather than let the Dems get the “upper hand,” will these deplorable traitors be held accountable?  Will they be put on trial, themselves?  Nope.  Nada.  There simply doesn’t seem to be any remedy in The Constitution for this kind of brazen betrayal on such a grand scale.  The House can’t even enforce a subpoena, as they know the president’s ‘human bidet”, bloated sycophant William Barr, would laugh in their faces.  

Ask the German People what happened when their Parliament caved to the whims of an unhinged lunatic.  If you think it can’t happen again, you must’ve missed the DOJ memo immediately following Trump’s acquittal addressed to every State AG, forbidding them to open ANY investigation into presidential candidates w/out his sole approval.  

After all this - after disgracing the memory of every soldier who fought to defend the principles held within the document these traitors chose to use as toilet paper, after ignoring the most crushing/damning evidence ever put forth against a president in history; after turning a political no-brainer into a three-ring circus, the epic cowards who make up the House and Senate will simply sail off into the sunset, unscathed, with the aforementioned golden parachute of free healthcare for life and full pensions all around - on us.  A nice reward for playing a starring role in the destruction of the institutions they’re entrusted with protecting.

FYI, those of us out there still relying on the theory of ‘voting them out,” it’s time to get with the program.  Even if we succeed in ousting some of these miscreants, we won’t accomplish anywhere near the amount needed to restore decorum/sanity to our State/Federal offices- nor is voting them out enough; considering the level and extent of such an egregious abandonment of duty.  Letting these cockroaches off the hook simply by voting them out is like asking the Manson family to move. 

Not to mention, after appointing an illegitimate, sex-assaulting SCOTUS judge, after blocking bills to protect us from election interference, and now the crowning of their idiot King, there’s no way in Hell we will see a fair and balanced election.  Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to have their heads examined. Get ready for election interference the likes of which we’ve never seen; i.e., rampant voter fraud, voter suppression, gerrymandering, ballot stuffing, ballot losing, ballot fixing, voting machine tampering, misinformation, disinformation, help from foreign governments, etc. etc. etc.

For a bunch of self-professed “truth seekers,” and “Defenders of the Realm” Republicans sure have hitched their wagon to the wrong horse.  Not only do they not see the storm brewing on the horizon, but if you’re going to hang your reputations, and what’s left of your honor, out to dry, as well as decimate your centuries-old party for generations to come, at least do it with a POTUS who has a modicum of class, dignity, and Statesmanship.  Not the Chernobyl of American Democracy. 

As crazy as it may be, as we speak, Republicans continue to try and get the American People to believe that every witness who’s testified to date is a liar, and the only one we can trust is a lying, thieving, charity-bilking, bank-swindling, tax-cheating, draft-dodging, environment-killing, Justice-obstructing, pornstar-bribing, student-defrauding, Russia-colluding, war-mongering, pussy-grabbing, megalomaniacal sociopath.   

Sad as it is to look back on this inexplicably insane shit show, was it that hard to predict a lifelong grifter who defrauded banks, partners, wives, mistresses, cities and students out of billions, who bribed porn stars then lied about it, who happily abandoned our sworn allies in the Middle East after just a five minute phone call; is it that hard to imagine this shameless putz would do the same to the nation he swore to protect and defend?  

If there’s one thing Republicans will never be accused of, it’s good judgement.  They’re so blind with hatred for the left, they’d rather see their kids grow up speaking Russian and their country torn apart than admit their boy is a colossal failure. That would require character.  Something only Mitt Romney appears to possess.

The president of the United States abused the power of his office and attempted to leverage a foreign government’s congressionally approved aid in exchange for dirt on his political rival.  Yet, in spite of the truckload of evidence, “Moscow” Mitch McConnell just etched in stone why he is the worst Senator in American history, by a landslide.  No doubt he’s earned a spot in Letterman's top ten of the Worst Americans of All-Time, as well.  Yet, ask yourself, with things being as they are, i.e., no legal consequences for their actions, why would any of these low-lifes feel the sudden urge to break precedent and, for once, uphold his/her vow?  After all, who’s afraid of a golden parachute?  

Raise your hand if you’ll vote for the first candidate who makes prosecuting these cockroaches their first official act of office.

[yobaba30]

~ Tim Wise

1/ If the Dems blow this election it will not be because they were "too far left on policy" or because they "weren't left enough." It will have little to do with policy at all. They are making a mistake caused by traditional consultant theory that does not apply here...

2/ And by listening to influential pundits in liberal media who also don't get the unique nature of Trumpism, relative to normal political movements & campaigns...this election is NOT going to be won by talking about all your "great plans" for health care, jobs, education, etc..

3/ And the reasons are several...Let me begin by saying that I have experience confronting the kind of phenomenon we see in Trumpism, and far more than most. Any of us who were involved in the fight against David Duke in LA in 90/91 know what this is and how it must be fought...

4/ So before explaining what the Dems are doing wrong right now, a little history...In 1990, white supremacist David Duke ran for U.S. Senate in LA, and in 1991 for Governor. He lost both times but both times he won the majority of the white vote (60 and 55% respectively)...

5/ I was one of the staffers of the main anti-Duke PAC at the time & ultimately became Assistant Director. In 90, even though our Director Lance Hill, myself & a few of our founders wanted to focus on Duke's bigotry, ties to extremists and appeals to white racial resentment...

6/ ...after all, that WAS the issue--it was a moral struggle against racism--we had mainstream Democratic consultants who warned us against focusing too much on it. They said that "played into Duke's hands" and allowed him to set the agenda....

7/ So sure, we could discuss his ties to Nazis & such, but we shouldn't make a big deal out of his contemporary racist appeals, per se, bc "lots of voters agree" with those appeals...they even encouraged us to talk about utterly superfluous shit like Duke paying his taxes late..

8/ Or Duke avoiding service in Vietnam, or Duke writing a sex manual under a female pseudonym (yeah he did that)...although Lance held firm that we needed to talk mostly about racism, we did end up talking about some of that other stuff too, sadly...

9/ I say "sadly" because doing that normalized Duke as a regular candidate. Attacking his generic character or bill paying habits (or even discussing his inadequate plans for job creation, etc) treated him like a normal candidate. But he was/is a NAZI...

10/ And none of his voters were voting 4 him bc of jobs, or tax policy or support for term limits, etc. And none were going to turn on him over late tax payments, Vietnam, etc. Indeed throwing that stuff out there & downplaying the elephant in the room (racism) seemed desperate..

11/ It allowed people to say "well if he's really this racist, white supremacist, why are they talking about all this other stuff?" It actually undermined our ability to paint him as the extremist he was/is. And as a result, the threat he posed was not clear enough to voters...

12/ And this didn't just allow him to get votes he might not have gotten otherwise; it also depressed turnout among people who almost certainly disliked him but didn't think he could win or would be all that big a deal if he did. In fact I recall convos with "liberals"...

13/ ...Who said they weren't going 2 vote bc after all Duke's Dem opponent was just a shill for the oil and gas industry, and that was just as bad, blah blah fucking blah...because some lefties can't tell the difference between corporatist assholes and actual literal Nazis...

14/ But we bore some responsibility for that because we got suckered into playing this conventional game and "not playing into his narrative." Anyway, Duke gets 60% of the vote, black and white liberal turnout is lower than it should have been and Duke gets 44% of vote...

15/ In the Governor's race we dispensed w/ all that bullshit. We talked about Duke's ongoing Nazism and the moral/practical evil of his racist appeals. We discussed how that moral evil would have real world consequences (driving tourists and business away, rightly so, from LA)..

16/ Because it was wrong, and it was not who we wanted to be, and it was not who were were. We were better than that and needed to show the rest of the country that...

17/ Now, did this flip any of Duke's 1990 voters? Nah, not really. Indeed he got 65k MORE votes in the Governor's race than the Senate race. But it was never about flipping them. We knew that would be almost impossible...

18/ To flip Duke voters would require that they accept the fact that they had previously voted for a monster, and people are loath to do that. Our goal was not to flip them, but to DRIVE UP TURNOUT among the good folks, many of whom stayed home in 90...

19/ And that is what happened. The concerted effort of the anti-Duke forces (not just us), challenging Duke's "politics of prejudice," and making the election about what kind of state we wanted to be, drove turnout through the roof...

20/ 28,000+ registered on one day alone, between the initial election and runoff (which Duke made bc of the state's open primary system), with tens of thousands more overall: most of them, anti-Duke folks...

21/ When it was over, Duke had gotten 65k more votes than in 90, but his white share went to 55 (from 60) and overall to 39 (from 44) because the anti-Duke turnout swamped him...So what does this have to do with 2020 and Trump? Do I really need to explain it?...

22/ First, trying to flip Trump voters is a waste of time. Any of them who regret their vote don't need to be pandered to. They'll do the right thing. Don't focus on them. That said, very few will regret their vote. They cannot accept they voted for a monster or got suckered...

23/ Duke retained 94% of the folks he got the first time out (and got new people too), as Trump likely will. So forget these people--or at least don't wast time tailoring messages to them. And policy plans for affordable college don't mean shit to them, nor health care...

24/ Their support for Trump was never about policy. It was about the bigotry, the fact that he hates who they hate...Second, as for the "undecideds." ...Not many of these but seriously? If you're still undecided at this point about this guy...

25/ Then there is almost no way to know what would get you to make up your mind...I doubt it's a plan to deal with Wall Street though, or infrastructure, or tax policy...

26/ If anything, I would say crafting an argument that this is an existential crisis for the nation--and making it about Trump's bigotry and who we want to be as a country, would be far more effective in inspiring them to make up their minds...

27/ And what I know for a FACT is that this message--that Trumpism is a threat to everything we care about and love about this country--is what will inspire the Dem base to vote...and THAT is what this election is about...

28/ I'm not saying the Dems don't need policy ideas, but focusing on wonky, look-how-much-I've-thought about-this stuff is not going to move the needle in 2020...

29/ What the left never understands is: we need to stop approaching elections like the goddamned debate team, and start approaching it like the right does, like the cheer leading squad...

30/  The right knows psychology and we know public policy and sociology...great. The latter does not win elections...

31/ People who say the Dems should ignore Trump's race baiting because its some genius political strategy calculated to distract us, are idiots. He is no genius. And if you downplay it you NORMALIZE him. If you make this about policy, you NORMALIZE him. He is a racist...

32/ He is a white nationalist.

He is an authoritarian.

He and his cult are a threat to the future of the nation and world because of their hatreds.

His movement betrays the country's promise.

THAT is the message that will drive turnout. Not debates over marginal tax rates...

33/ Or how we are going to fund schools...And anyone who says we should ignore the race baiting to talk more about Mueller and Russia is an even bigger fool...that's like talking about Duke and late tax payments or other corruptions...it might all be true but is not the point...

34/ Not to say the House shouldn't impeach over that stuff. They should. But the 2020 candidates must craft a message that is not about that.

Trumpism is the threat to America, more than Putin.

And Putin didn't birth Trumpism.

Conservative White America did...

[arcticdementor]

On February 15, 2016, the National Review took unprecedented action. In an all-out plea to Republican voters to stop Donald Trump before it was too late, the magazine enlisted 22 of the right’s most prominent voices to band together and throw support elsewhere, to save the party.

…

Conservative media throughout 2015-2016 learned a painful lesson. If your approach is based on telling people what they want to hear, audiences might like it at first. They might gobble it up for decades. But you’ll have quietly lost their respect during that time, and in a key moment, they’ll tune you out. For this reason, it’s shocking to see national media voices after the release of Robert Mueller’s report patting each other on the back, congratulating themselves for a three-year faceplant they must know will haunt the whole business for a long time.

…

Trump, Bauder noted, had called this “fake news, folks, fake news.” It wasn’t. And neither were some other stories.

So, yay journalism! You were more truthful than Donald Trump, at times. This is like being proud of beating a fish at Boggle.

We’re not trying to be right more often than Trump — we’re trying to not be wrong, ever. It’s a standard, not a competition.

You know what was fake news? Most of the Russiagate story. There was no Trump-Russia conspiracy, that thing we just spent three years chasing. The Mueller Report is crystal clear on this.

He didn’t just “fail to establish” evidence of crime. His report is full of incredibly damning passages, like one about Russian officialdom’s efforts to reach the Trump campaign after the election: “They appeared not to have preexisting contacts and struggled to connect with senior officials around the President-Elect.”

Not only was there no “collusion,” the two camps didn’t even have each others’ phone numbers!

…

The report shows the whole episode was a joke. In order to further the Trump Tower project-that-never-was, Cohen literally cold-emailed the Kremlin. More than that, he entered the email incorrectly, so the letter initially didn’t even arrive. When he finally fixed the mistake, Peskov didn’t answer back.

That was “the most direct interaction yet of a top Trump aide and a senior member of Putin’s government”!

…

In other words, all those fancy org charts were meaningless. Because there was no conspiracy, all those “walls are closing in” reports — and there were a ton of them — were wrong. We were told we’d hit “turning point” after “turning point” leading to the “the beginning of the end,” with Trump certain, soon, to either resign in shame, Nixon-style, or be impeached.

…

The whole Steele dossier appears to have been bunk, with even Bob Woodward now saying the “highly questionable” document “needs to be investigated.” The Times similarly is reporting, two-plus years late, that “people familiar” with Steele’s work began to have ���misgivings about [the report’s] reliability arose not long after the document became public.”

Reporters are going to insist all they did was accurately report the developments of a real investigation. They didn’t imply vast criminality that wasn’t there, or hoodwink audiences into thinking a Watergate-style ending was just around the corner, or routinely blow meaningless episodes like the Sessions-Kislyak meeting out of proportion, or regularly smear people who not only weren’t part of a conspiracy but had no connection to anything (see here for an example).

They’ll also claim they didn’t spend years openly rooting for indictment and impeachment via wish-casted predictions disguised as reporting and commentary, or denouncing people who doubted the conspiracy as spies and Putin apologists, or clearing their broadcast panels and op-ed pages of skeptics while giving big stages to craven conspiracy-spinners like Malcolm Nance and Luke Harding.

…

The Mueller report makes clear reporters were sold wolf whistles over and over, led by reams of unnamed official sources who urged them to see meaning in meaningless things and assume connections that weren’t there.

Reporters should be furious about being fed these red herrings. They should be outraged at all those people who urged them to publish the Steele report, which might have led to career-imperiling mistakes in print. They should be mad as hell at CIA chief Gina Haspel and the other unnamed officials who told them disclosing the name of already long-ago exposed government informant Stefan Halper would “risk lives.”

…

But they’re not mad, which makes it look like a case of intentional blindness, in which eyes and ears were shut among other things because the Trump-Russia conspiracy tale made a ton of money. Media companies earned boffo ratings while the Mueller probe still carried the drama of a potential spectacular ending, with blue-state audiences eating up all those “walls are closing in” hot takes.

…

News audiences were betrayed, and sooner or later, even the most virulently Trump-despising demographics will realize it and tune us out. The only way to reverse the damage is to own how big of a screw-up this was, but after the last three years, who would hold their breath waiting for that?

[rfschatten]

Election 2020: America’s Civil War v2.0

“The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” ~ George Orwell

Wake up and smell the coffee, America!

The United States, for better or worse, for the first time in its history elected an honest to goodness criminal; a renowned grifter, a world-renowned embezzler, a sleazy money launderer, and a tax fraud …who disguised as a stable genius has never succeeded in a single business he’s ever attempted.

Casinos are legally structured so the “House” never loses! But ask Atlantic City, and their experience with the Trumpster. How smart is the Stable Genius? How many Casinos have ever gone bankrupt?

It’s no longer a secret this exalted “Billionaire” is really a penniless fraud …a fraud who owes banks around the world more than a Billion Dollars, and at least, $400,000 to mysterious certain individuals.

Truth hurts when dealing with irreproachable people of more character and virtues than he’s ever had …Donald Trump can’t handle the Truth!

Aristotle said; “Without virtue, man is most unholy and savage, and worst in regard to sex and eating”.

Aristotle never had the pleasure to meet this little man, but describes him literally to a T!

But, why does his following care even knowing what he says are all lies? He’s everything his righteous Christian bible quoting base grew up learning not to be! The sins, the immorality…so unchristian!

There’s a certain sector of this nation that will reject the truth, by any means …and at all cost.

200 years of institutionalized racism, cultural inbreeding, systemic ignorance, and continually poor education.

Enter the orange Svengali, it’s his Haven …being around people who don’t care whether he lies to them or if he cheats on all his wives, whether he takes all their tax dollar & sticks it in his pocket, or betrays his country for money in favor of other Foreign Powers!

His ability to mesmerize & exploit the most exploitable is all he has left …and it’s a mutual “quid pro quo” society.

Their aim …with the help of the most powerful man in the country and the most ignorantly dangerous human being in the World …to promote White Supremacy and lift it up to rule the Nation, while psychologically and educationally bringing everyone down to their level. Build a society based on their own visions & all their ignorance, and make the US the world’s pinnacle of idiocy.

Never question the supreme leader…diminish their followers’ range of thought. Whatever you see is not what you’re seeing, whatever you hear is not what you’re hearing, and whatever you’re reading is not what you’re really reading …that’s life under totalitarian rule.

Shades of “1984”? and its Totalitarian Society …36 years later?!?!

When the President of the United States really says; “What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening” …what’s next? War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength?

Another shade of 1984 is discouraging all Freethinking. Oh! Freethinking/Critical Thinking! ….something that the Texas GOP passionately rejects and opposes the idea in all Texas Public Schools. I kid you not!

Donald Trump’s lifelong family love for right-wing movements, Fascism and White Supremacy …all his very fine people he constantly boasts about! And now, the opportunity of his lifetime; to exploit all his own bigotry & racism without getting in trouble. Besides all his criminal activities …it’s given him an aura of invincibility …a dictator who can get away with murder, which has been his childhood dream!

He’s the self-proclaimed “Tough Guy” who whines when Leslie Stahl asks him tough questions …” why do I get the tough questions”? How tough is he towards the ‘real’ tough guys? Case closed.

This man has no plans whatsoever of giving up his Power …his plans started 4 years ago, and American Supremacy will violently back him up whether they win or whether they lose!

From The Donald’s use of pure Fascist Propaganda, The Big Lie, Subliminal Messaging, Gaslighting, Doublespeak, the White House’s official Daily Misinformation, Blatantly lying their asses off 24/7…it’s all part of the Totalitarian for Dummies handbook.

When Trump tells a certain chapter of his violent armed cultists …even if he claims he doesn’t know them; “stand back & stand by”…he knows very well what he’s doing!

Uncle Crazy is not really that crazy! He’s just a creepy dirty old crazy uncle…just ask his niece, Mary.

The 2020 Election is like nothing ever seen or experienced before. The Economy is usually the selling point in all elections…how it affects your wallet. War is another factor that can shift elections one way or the other. But this year it’s a little different, an X-factor is hanging around like toe-nail fungus for all the Republicans that sold their souls to Trump …a Global Pandemic Infection that’s now reaching 9 million Americans and will have killed over 230, 000 men, women, and children by Nov. 3rd.

Besides, there’re massive protests all around the country demonstrating for the end of institutionalized racism…all those years of Racial Injustice and especially nationwide Police Brutality have reached a boiling point …and instead of getting better, is getting worse as police shootings of the Black community keeps increasing throughout the country, daily!

More blacks are dying in the streets of America through police brutality than ever before …..and on Live TV! This, besides the Pandemic, are among so many other things that is truly ripping this nation apart!

How to start a Race War and blame the other side for starting it…better yet, blame other factions and allow them to destroy each other. A Fascist principle? It’s all about Chaos and how much will it take, to take down a Country…lock, stock, and barrel.

Will Durant once said; “Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty and dies with Chaos”…we certainly ‘are’ in Chaotic Times!

“Law and Order” sold well for Dick Nixon …but it’s not selling as well this time around. The general public is too well aware of what’s happening, and why it’s happening …they’re sick of listening to a man who will reach 25,000 lies by Nov. 3rd. What’s happening is that this country is sick & tired of listening 4 years of constant transparent horseshit.

People prefer being and staying healthy, and prefer taking care of their children than having them get infected or die! The need to work to financially survive is real, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do …if you get sick, how are you going to go to work? If you die, what happens with your family?

But most of all …People of all ages, all colors, all genders, all faiths, are coming together as one nation. Maybe this killer Virus is actually finally waking the moral conscience of this country?

The Law and Order hero keeps projecting about cleaning the streets of crime. The Black-clad Thugs Trump talks so much about? You can’t miss them…they’re a conglomeration of Ice Agents, off-duty Prison Guards, Border Patrol Agents, and Blackwater Mercenaries. No one with name tags or IDs but nice shiny black helmets & full armored uniforms! Abducting Protestors and driving them away? They’re the most brutal, vicious racists and supremacists goons Bill Barr could find. In Dictatorships, they call them “Death Squads”!

This is the man who cried; Take your guns and liberate Michigan!

Think about it! You have the President of the United States calling for the insurrection of the Government of a State in the Union!

Now, all you hear is Insurrection & Martial Law…if he doesn’t win? Telling his crew of every low life white supremacists to be armed and ready …cause Biden is going to get rid of Law Enforcement, open the Borders and allow all Mexican criminals to come and loot, burn, and rape your women!

To keep power, Dictators cheat their asses off by suppressing the vote, any way possible…now the Post Office and all the dirty deals with his new Donor Postmaster General pal.

That looks like it won’t work, so now Trump is insinuating that if he doesn’t win on Nov. 3rd is because the Democrats cheated and rigged it, naturally. Using his stacked Supreme Court to reverse his election defeat and declare him King for Life!

At noon on Jan. 20th, 2020 Donald Trump will refuse to get out of the White House and hide in his Bunker! At which time, little men in white coats will enter with US Marshals and have him evicted … and sent directly to Happy Acres, where he can battle all the Napoleon pretenders to see who’s the best leader.

This election is twofold. It’s about recovering and taking back a Nation from the shackles of 4 years of Chaos & Destruction, and it’s about regaining our Respect, Morality, and especially America’s Decency over the Disrespect, the Immoral Degeneracy, and the Indecency of the past 4 years!

When the President keeps insisting on opening up schools, sadly, it’s so he can get the parents back to work to pick up the economy …just more money for him to steal from the taxpayers. The Kids? The Donald has no compassion or remorse, he couldn’t care less how many children get infected or die …he just doesn’t give a damn!

He hates Children and Dogs…always had! He considers himself above them …even as a kid, he hated and bullied other kids. Never trust a man who hates Dogs!

It’s the pompous “exclusivity” of a spoiled brat born with a silver spoon up his big fat derrière.

This is all the continuing legacy of American Hypocrisy and Social Class standing…so many, have been so proud for so long with the conception of “American Exceptionalism”. Just think, what the word exceptionalism means. It derives from the word “Except” which means to “Exclude”! It should’ve been called American White Exceptionalism.

This is why the 2020 elections is the most important in US History, where Democracy & the US Constitution hangs on the line…threats of a Civil War if Trump loses, threats of intimidation & armed violence, even during election day (aka voter suppression) …and a Bill Barr lead Justice Dept, more interested in officially defending Trump in a rape & defamation civil lawsuit than protecting the American Voter!

There’s a reason why all around the world We, the People are still known …and even more in today’s Trumpian age, as “The Ugly American”.

Never before has America had such a distinct clear choice for President …it all comes down to Decency or Indecency, Morality or Immorality, Compassion or Indifference, but mostly it’s about uniting a nation or tearing it apart!

Voter suppression is the first way of suppressing a society! …there’s no second chance! Like never before, on Nov. 3rd Election Day … America, Choose Wisely!!!

[sinrau]

Angry Donald Trump yells at reporters at the White House following Robert Mueller’s testimony (screen grab)

President Donald Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien sent a long, rambling letter to the Presidential Debate Commission attacking them for being all-in for Vice President Joe Biden and demanding that they change the debate topics.

Moderator Kristen Welker said that the topics they intend to discuss will be fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, issues facing American families, race in America, climate change, national security and leadership in general. Stepien complained that “national security” or “leadership” doesn’t have enough to do with foreign policy as he would prefer.

“Sadly, this is not the first time the Commission has ceded to the wishes of the Biden campaign,” alleged Stepien after their campaign withdrew from the previous debate.

As David Badash noted, these rules were announced last week, so it’s unknown why the campaign took so long to complain about them.

These were announce last week. If they were such a problem why did you wait until today to say anything? Also, too bad. Presidents don’t choose which crises show up. Have to be prepared, period.

— David Badash (@davidbadash) October 19, 2020

Not only was Stepien ridiculed for the whiny letter, but he was also told his candidate should back out of the upcoming debate again because no one wants to hear him scream at them for an hour.

See the tweets below:

Remember when the most shameful thing on @BillStepien ’s record was Bridgegate?

Cleaning up the messes of a lying, pathetic man-child is infinitely more humiliating.

— Soros-Funded Deep State Operative (@ExGOPer) October 19, 2020

Shorter letter: Trump doesn’t want to answer questions about COVID. https://t.co/SeDYnsoIdQ

— Ronald Klain (@RonaldKlain) October 19, 2020

looking for an excuse to RUN AWAY!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Z8JSlnjPBE

— Jennifer ‘Vote Early’ Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) October 19, 2020

You should just refuse to debate again, worked out great last time.

Biden can call a lid til Halloween https://t.co/M4wKc7dRFV

— Tim Miller (@Timodc) October 19, 2020

Trump’s campaign chair @BillStepien is setting the groundwork for @realDonaldTrump to forfeit a second debate to @joebiden. Man, Trump must be really scared if he’s willing to accept a third debate loss to Biden.

— John Aravosis

(@aravosis) October 19, 2020

No one agreed to “foreign policy.” But, hey, I’d LOVE to hear Trump try to debate foreign policy. Other world leaders quite literally laugh at him.

— Please Remain Seated, Time Travelers (@JJSingh) October 19, 2020

Ms.Welker picked the topics I, a Senior suburban female voter, am MOST interested in. Your topic choices not at all.

— Shut Up Man (@Oregon_birds) October 19, 2020

Trying to rig the game and move the goal posts, hey Bill? You are a world class a$$hole as is your client…

— Winttocs – I voted already, all blue! (@Winttocs) October 19, 2020

Trump is afraid to debate Biden because he knows that Biden mopped the floor with him in the first one. [^ChickenTrump](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChickenTrump?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) https://t.co/AbH1ZWIInS

— Holly Figueroa O’Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) October 19, 2020

It would be great if people remembered that Trump has rolled over for Putin and the leaders of Saudi Arabia over and over again, while insulting our allies, saluting a North Korean general, betraying our Kurdish allies, and condoning Saudi Arabia cutting up a man with a bone saw.

— JRehling (@JRehling) October 19, 2020

Here comes the “They changed the rules so we are having a RALLY”

— Vote TODAY for MR ROGERS not CHEETOLINI (@JaysonT72358001) October 19, 2020

Grown men crying is such a sad look.

— Great Odin’s Raven (@Gr8_Odins_Raven) October 19, 2020

That’s weird — I definitely heard the third presidential debate was always billed as the “Tax Returns and Debt to Foreign Powers Debate”

Huh. It’s fun just making stuff up, isn’t it, Bill?

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) October 19, 2020

Just like @JasonMillerinDC, @BillStepien is lying.

The @debates commission announced the moderators and format for the 2020 debates on SEPTEMBER 2ND.

The announcement specified that the topics for the 1st and 3rd debates were “to be selected by the moderator.”

See highlights. https://t.co/mQmzM5edaF pic.twitter.com/eQIfpkxmeZ

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) October 19, 2020

Trump campaign manager @BillStepien has sent a letter to the @debates commission demanding the third presidential debate remain focused on foreign policy.

Stepien also protests rule changes, including “granting an unnamed person the ability to shut off a candidates microphone.” https://t.co/bJxc5sierq

— Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) October 19, 2020

Yes, I’m sure Trump wants to focus like a laser on foreign policy in the final debate. pic.twitter.com/Mog9tTZ5yt

— John Reeves (@reevesjw) October 19, 2020

“Antics”? Tone matters.

This letter is not intended to change the debate commission’s mind. It is meant as an excuse for Trump’s fan base to rally around him in solidarity when he withdraws or fails to make a good showing.

— Coleen (@colcat20) October 19, 2020

You guys are in freefall, aren’t you?

— Cletus75 (@Cletus75) October 19, 2020

So in other words, you guys are about to back out of the debate? Ok. Got it! It’s not like it would’ve changed any minds anyway. But, nice try

— Bespoke MBA (@mba_jd) October 19, 2020

This screams weakness

— Nick (@MayorSengheiser) October 19, 2020

Who wrote this @BillStepien ?

Did you write, all by yourself, that the idiot won a debate against a MODERATOR? Or were you forced to?

FFS dude.[^GetASet](https://twitter.com/hashtag/GetASet?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) https://t.co/5KlYNPxlmT

— Paula Dillon (@SortedLilAffair) October 19, 2020

[^ChickenTrump](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChickenTrump?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) is going to chicken out again, isn’t he? pic.twitter.com/z3z0rAmVub

— Private Joker, USMC (@Infantry0300) October 19, 2020

How does the person who wrote this letter have a job? Oh yeah, he works for Trump.

— Eytan Mirsky (@eytanmirsky) October 19, 2020

I have never heard grown people whine as much as you people do. We will always remember that your last gasp effort to stay in power was the “poor me defense”.

— CMK (@Carolkry) October 19, 2020

You know, it wasn’t that long ago, so I distinctly remember potus having hissy fit &refusing to do 2nd debate via virtual format; Americans got cheated out of questions intended for 2nd debate so we should hear those topics in addition to foreign policy!

— Ex-GOP MaryM500 (@MaryM500) October 19, 2020

Y’all fid’n to back out ain’t ya?

— Will Hoge (@WillHoge) October 19, 2020

pic.twitter.com/IZYZ8tvfrh

— DJ (@strive2Bkind) October 19, 2020

Waaaahhhh!!!!! Waaaahhhhh!!!!! pic.twitter.com/yAFhkuhgdq

— Fredrick K. Funseth (@FredFunseth) October 19, 2020

Gonna puss out and drop out of this debate too, @realDonaldTrump?

— Trump’s Micro Peen (@SpamEMcSpam) October 19, 2020

Here we go with the victim card again. Trump is paving the way to cancel because he knows he can’t afford yet another ass kicking by Joe at another debate.

— Jana Blade (@JanaBlade1) October 19, 2020

pic.twitter.com/N8OZQtbB1b

— Tommy J (@TomKnapp3) October 19, 2020

Here we go with the victim card again. Trump is paving the way to cancel because he knows he can’t afford yet another ass kicking by Joe at another debate.

— Jana Blade (@JanaBlade1) October 19, 2020

Never thought I’d see a letter sweating.

— Letters of Note (@LettersOfNote) October 19, 2020

What’s wrong, snowflake? Need a safe space? Can’t you take a little pushback?

— Brooke Binkowski (@brooklynmarie) October 19, 2020

I’m going to roll out my favorite picture of this campaign season one more time: pic.twitter.com/dqouc62uQM

— Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil (@abigailm1971) October 19, 2020

We all know you’re going to wimp out of the debates like you did with the last one, Bill. Just spare us all the drama and do it already.

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) October 19, 2020

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On Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) raged at President Donald Trump on Twitter for his ongoing attacks against Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Please, Mr. President – have you no decency and respect? Dr. Fauci has served the American people for 6 administrations – both Democrats and Republicans. He has always prioritized the health and safety of the American people.

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) October 19, 2020

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand and the U.S. Treasury Department’s inspector general have advised Gov. Kim Reynolds ’ (R-IA) administration to reallocate federal money or repay it after it was found that $21 million in COVID-19 funds were not used properly.

Iowa used the money from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act to help pay for a new accounting system. The software was not approved under the CAREA Act. CARES Act money is intended for necessary expenditures incurred as a result of COVID-19. Iowa justified the allocation by saying the software would help to quickly assist essential employees during the pandemic. But Sand noted that the state had contracted for the work in 2019, which was before the pandemic, and concluded that it does not qualify.

President Donald Trump said he may increase the amount of time he spends campaigning before his second event of the day in Arizona.

CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reported on Trump’s comments to reporters.

““I’m not running scared,” Trump claimed.

“I think I’m running angry, I’m running happy and I’m running very content,” he argued.

He went on to say he might “go to 5” rallies a day.

“I’m not running scared,” says Pres Trump of his campaign. “I think I’m running angry, I’m running happy and I’m running very content.” Tells reporters before heading to next rally in Tucson, that he’s unhappy the media’s not covering the corruption he alleges against @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/K61ONq8HKR

‘Backing out again?’: Trump ridiculed for trying to ‘wimp’ out of debate with whiny letter about the topics

[beesandwasps]

This argument is very cute. It totally ignores any actual differences in the candidates and analyzes the election as though it was some sort of pep rally, where only turnout motivated by team spirit counts.

Hillary Clinton lost all those voters to Trump not because of random fluctuations in the universe or because of weak party loyalty but because she was Hillary Clinton. The Democratic Party decided to play Chicken with the Republicans by nominating a donor-pleasing-but-largely-unpopular technocratic candidate with a lousy history, and lost in exactly the states they needed to win.

Their candidate not only had a history specifically betraying those states but refused to spend any significant time campaigning in them, demonstrating that she had contempt for the people living there. (It’s been a while since I researched this, so I have forgotten which state was which, but in Wisconsin and Michigan, she had a total of three post-convention appearances scheduled, and cancelled 1 of them. The only one she actually went to in the state where she cancelled the other was a $500-a-plate dinner for rich donors.) A good candidate would not have made those decisions.

Winning the popular vote but losing the electoral vote is not a new thing. It has happened 5 times, and one of those was the 2000 Bush-Gore election; any candidate with a brain in their skull should be campaigning based on winning the electoral college. Hillary Clinton campaigned to run up popular vote totals by making lots of appearances in states with large populations, and also spent a lot of effort trying to win states that not even Obama had been able to win, and which she (inevitably) lost. It’s true that it’s irrelevant where she picked up her popular vote win — but it’s also true that a popular vote win is irrelevant under the rules. This is not some kind of arcane last-minute shock, this is the ground rules which are literally centuries old, and there is no excuse for her not to have worked to win under the actual rules.

She was an unbelievably poor choice as a candidate. Even now, I find it hard to believe that the party nominated her — even if they didn’t want Sanders, surely they could have come up with somebody who wasn’t widely personally hated. (And if they couldn’t, what does that say about the Democratic Establishment?)

And yes, it’s true that Republican hatred of Hillary Clinton was based on lies. So what? Disregarding everything else, this puts a fantasy about how the country should be above the practical realities of getting your candidate into office. It’s hilarious that Sanders supporters are supposed to be impractical and unworldly, when Clinton supporters were backing a candidate who had been the center of an organized and highly successful smear campaign literally for decades. As far as I can make out from listening to Democratic loyalists, the people who hated Hillary Clinton because of the Republican smear campaign just somehow didn’t matter in the election. Through some mysterious alchemy, the fact that their preferences were based on lies was going to make them evaporate and their votes wouldn’t count. Magical thinking at its most obvious, and like all magical thinking, it failed when it came into opposition to reality.

And that’s ignoring the fact that there were plenty of good reasons to hate Hillary Clinton. If you look at the list of major policies she either backed as First Lady or voted for as Senator, she must either be a traitor or one of the biggest fools in the party, or possibly both. She thought NAFTA — a Reagan-era Republican plan to kill unions and move money offshore — was a great idea. Her healthcare plan — and in the 90s, the Clinton Universal Healthcare plan was very much played up as being Hillary Clinton’s Big Project — deliberately avoided single-payer to make sure private insurers would still make a profit off of suffering, ended up being needless complex as a result (like the ACA), and failed to pass. She has been in favor of every military action the US has undertaken since 1980, no matter how much of a disaster it turned out to be. She thought the PATRIOT Act was a great idea, and also the creation of DHS and ICE. She even voted for the law which bankrupted the Postal Service, which is now such a hot topic. As Secretary of State, she was notable for escalating tricky situations into military confrontations, and Obama said, later, that the Libyan invasion, which the US talked NATO into undertaking after Congress rejected the idea, and which turned out to be a serious humanitarian and strategic disaster, was something Hillary Clinton wanted and talked everybody else into going along with.

Trump was able to leverage Hillary Clinton’s flaws, perceived and real, into a technical victory, largely because he had no track record. He is now doing his best to try to avoid that track record — if you look at his recent public statements he is trying very hard to assign blame for everything that is going wrong to either the Democrats, somehow, or to just… random fluctuations of the universe, I guess; he certainly is trying to imply that he has nothing to do with any of it and will fix everything if reelected. He is also, rather obviously, trying to whip up chaos and violence in the hopes that he can intimidate voters into staying home, which is why sabotaging the Postal Service is so vital to him. He may or may not succeed — right-wingers are at this point totally disconnected from reality, not just in the US but abroad as well. But the Democrats have once again played into his hands by nomination somebody who lied left and right during the primaries, whose history is — if anything — worse than that of Hillary Clinton, and who unquestionably bears more responsibility than any other single person for the powers and opportunities for mischief that Trump inherited as President. Biden was notable during the primaries for the lack of enthusiasm that even his actual supporters had for his candidacy. Democrats are playing Chicken again, and they think it’s a good idea precisely because of brain-dead analyses like the one I’m replying to.

Choice of candidate matters. Policy positions matter. The Democrats have deliberately been screwing up both of them to chase donor money and Republican votes for decades now. Clinton and Biden supporters like to claim that McGovern and Mondale “prove” that the left can’t win an election, but it’s telling that they have to literally go back a minimum of 40 years to find any evidence. Meanwhile, in the last 30 years, the only Democrat to win a majority of both the popular and the Electoral College vote as a non-incumbent — Obama — ran on a left-leaning, pro-change platform. And every candidate in the last 20 years who has run as a bland technocratic incrementalist has lost.

Did liberals collectively forget that Hilary won the popular vote the moment that fact stopped being rhetorically useful to them