A Political Thread pt. 2

[ncurd]

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

What concessions would those be?

Neither side is really up for genuine bipartisanship as it simply is not in their interest and they have both built this narrative of "light and dark", "american and unamerican" up so much that they simply cannot change tact without looking like they are fratanising with the enemy.

In the past week, the Democrats have made it as clear as the republicans have that any suggestions of "coming together" must be done on their terms and amount to an all out concession of fundemental principles

The thing is, Republicans spent the last 10 years or so doing everything they could to be as partisan as possible, from openly stating their aim was solely to make Obama a 1 term president, constant Congressional harassment with more investigations than any administration before had to deal with. They obstructed more legislation than any Congress, they were the ones who whipped up the extremists, they were the ones with the tea party, they were the ones who carried out the unprecedented attack on the legitimacy of Obama as president (birthers remember?), they were the ones who kept holding the country to ransom through numerous budget shenanigans even though the deficit fell every single year under Obama's administration. They were the ones who obstructed Obamas appointments to an extreme degree and then rammed through their own in record time to stack the courts. They are the ones who contorted the Affordable Care Act only to then spent the years immediately afterwards doing everything they could to destroy that 1 piece of bipartisan legislation. They were the ones who waged war on the media, who made lying a virtue, who protected Trump through all manner of criminal and disgusting behaviour.

Then, after a whole decade of them dividing the nation they have the nerve to turn around and say it's for the Democrats to heal all the damage they created and now is the time for bipartisanship and healing? They didn't care about any of that when they were in a position to do that, they just took everything they could and increased the rhetoric to ridiculous levels as they polarised the nation further and further. They threw around the term "Communist", "dictator", "Socialist", Muslim" all threw Obama's term but threw a hissy fit at the suggestion they had fascists among their ranks.

So yes, coming from that position it will look like they will be giving up more, that's because they have taken so so much and got used to trampling over all opposition. It isn't for the Democrats to bring the country to bipartisanship, it's squarely on the Republicans to make that move as they are the ones who have spent the last few years sitting on the wings of extremism.

 

[Gavin]

For a country which I understand that religion is not meant to have a place in government (a separation of church and state), there has been a lot of praying and religious talk during this Biden inauguration.

 

[ncurd]

For a country which I understand that religion is not meant to have a place in government (a separation of church and state), there has been a lot of praying and religious talk during this Biden inauguration.

Yeah its one of the biggest lies of it as a nation, freedom of religious expression wasn't about religions other than Christianity but just the sects within it.

Problem is they have so many religious nuts properly separating it will be hard. GB is pretty secular these days but I can't see us really going for someone who not Christian we still go on about Christian values (one of my favourite things about having a civil ceremony for marriage was talk of British values rather than religious ones).

 

[Reiser99]

For a country which I understand that religion is not meant to have a place in government (a separation of church and state), there has been a lot of praying and religious talk during this Biden inauguration.

I reckon that there is more chance of America electing a homosexual Christian than an atheist.

 

[Reiser99]

What concessions would those be?

Neither side is really up for genuine bipartisanship as it simply is not in their interest and they have both built this narrative of "light and dark", "american and unamerican" up so much that they simply cannot change tact without looking like they are fratanising with the enemy.

In the past week, the Democrats have made it as clear as the republicans have that any suggestions of "coming together" must be done on their terms and amount to an all out concession of fundemental principles

Here's another example of what I mean.

A Trump supported who was interviewed said "Just conduct an investigation into electoral fraud. We just want to know the truth."

Now if they conducted an investigation and it showed there was actually fraud. I believe 95% of democrats would accept it. I'm not sure what the consequences would be, but they would acknowledge that it happened. However, if the investigation showed that there was no electoral fraud, that Trump supporter would not accept it. When they say they just want the truth. They want the truth that supports their view. They would still say there is a cover up and it's corruption etc... You can't reason with those people because their view is not based on facts, but on lies and a belief in something that isn't real (purely talking about politics here). Why should Biden and the Democrats give any ground to those people who flat out refuse to consider any point other then their own?

 

[ncurd]

Here's another example of what I mean.

A Trump supported who was interviewed said "Just conduct an investigation into electoral fraud. We just want to know the truth."

Even that question is probalematic in itself, they tried literal hundred of court cases and provided no evidence. To some extent it was investigated and like you said they couldn't accept the truth when it was presented to them.

 

[Reiser99]

Even that question is probalematic in itself, they tried literal hundred of court cases and provided no evidence. To some extent it was investigated and like you said they couldn't accept the truth when it was presented to them.

Exactly, though I focused more on what Biden could hypothetically do to try and bridge the divide.

 

[Al Bangor]

 

[Al Bangor]

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Got to spare a thought for the terribly unfunny comedians/political cartoonists that are going to be out of a job as of today

Come on they just need to change gears to "bumbling old man" jokes rather than "orange racist" jokes

 

[ncurd]

Come on they just need to change gears to "bumbling old man" jokes rather than "orange racist" jokes

This is an odd one that didn't make much sense to me there's literally only 4 years between Trump and Biden which at their age is bigger all.....and the elder is far more articulate than the younger.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

This is an odd one that didn't make much sense to me there's literally only 4 years between Trump and Biden which at their age is bigger all.....and the elder is far more articulate than the younger.

Articulate maybe but Biden us definitely seemed a bit lost during some of his speeches, and the press have definitely gone on about it

 

[ncurd]

Articulate maybe but Biden us definitely seemed a bit lost during some of his speeches, and the press have definitely gone on about it

As opposed to the guy who didn't appear to know what the next word he was going to say was....lost didn't even cut Trump's ramblings at times.

Like I say it's a weird attack considering even on this front Trump is demonstrably worse still.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

As opposed to the guy who didn't appear to know what the next word he was going to say was....lost didn't even cut Trump's ramblings at times.

Like I say it's a weird attack considering even on this front Trump is demonstrably worse still.

If it was an attack it was an attack at the press, it was a comment on what the press have already done and in no way suggests trump is better in anyway, just "comedians" and "satirists" will always find an angle, clear?

 

[Al Bangor]

 

[Al Bangor]

Janet Yellen says Treasury should focus on workers, women and minorities

Janet Yellen, President-elect Joe Biden's pick for Treasury secretary, urged Congress during her confirmation hearing Tuesday to move swiftly on bold stimulus spending to relieve the economic suffering that the pandemic has caused.

www.cnn.com

 

[Al Bangor]

 

[Which Tyler]

NB: I do not like summary firings for anyone, that's not fair. But this does send a strong message