American Politics Thread: The Hunt for Blue November

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by rubecube

2030s? Four years of ineffective and/or damaging neoliberal/centrist policies from a Biden presidency all but assures Republicans are probably regaining control by 2024.

Trump has been an absolute gift to neoliberals because his antics have allowed them to pin most of the current issues in the U.S. on Trump, when in reality it's the previous 40-50 years of policies (you could argue the foreign policy nonsense dates back to the Truman administration) that have put the U.S. where it is today.

If Biden doesn't go full dementia and just has 4 years of Obama era normalcy, that will be enough to get re-elected, or to pass the baton to a VP. Trump will still be a fresh memory then and I doubt any serious GOP contenders throw their hat into the 2024 election cycle for that reason. 2028 is when you'll see the new GOP come into full swing, stoking the fires of racism and hatred after 8 years of "dirty liberal" rule. They'll get someone who can tap into the MAGA cult that isn't a complete moron and runs the table in the election. That's when the real fascist policies start coming into play and America as we know it dies

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

If Biden doesn't go full dementia and just has 4 years of Obama era normalcy, that will be enough to get re-elected, or to pass the baton to a VP. Trump will still be a fresh memory then and I doubt any serious GOP contenders throw their hat into the 2024 election cycle for that reason. 2028 is when you'll see the new GOP come into full swing, stoking the fires of racism and hatred after 8 years of "dirty liberal" rule. They'll get someone who can tap into the MAGA cult that isn't a complete moron and runs the table in the election. That's when the real fascist policies start coming into play and America as we know it dies

The biggest problem Biden will face if he wins, is that Trump left him with an economic time bomb that will likely blow up early in his term. He was already setting up a big crash by borrowing money to feed an already hot economy. Everything that has happened in 2020 and all the money spent to try to soften the impact is piling on top of that and it's hard to see a way out of an upcoming severe recession.

[SportsJunky]

Not to mention the large number of Americans that will be facing enormous medical bills from Covid. That and the staggering unemployment levels should result in putting the U.S. back into an economic tailspin.

[MarchHare]

If/when Biden wins, you can be sure the Republicans in the House and Senate will immediately start caring about deficits again and will cause another endless string of government shutdowns over the debt ceiling just like Obama had to deal with. They'll do literally everything in their power to hamstring a Biden presidency. Oddly enough, those same Republicans don't seem to care about the federal deficit at all when Trump is in the White House, even though his ill-advised tax cuts has made the US's fiscal position much, much worse. Funny that.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Not to mention the large number of Americans that will be facing enormous medical bills from Covid. That and the staggering unemployment levels should result in putting the U.S. back into an economic tailspin.

As strange as this sounds, perhaps the only hope for the United States is that things get so much worse for everyday Americans that Biden and other Democrats will find they have enough popular support to pass a modernized version of the New Deal just like FDR during the Great Depression. Perhaps COVID will be the driving force that makes a sufficient number of Americans say "Enough is enough" with their horribly broken healthcare model and finally join the rest of the OECD by moving to a universal single-payer system.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Reagan and Bush Jr. were from the same mold, a personality to put in front of the cameras so the war hawks in DC could work unimpeded. The one saving grace of Trump is that his ego won't let him stand aside to let the competent monsters run the show. I think the 2020's are when America appears to be returning to form (assuming Trump loses), but then the 2030's are when things truly fall apart when the American public forgets about Trump and votes in the next Republican populist who isn't a blithering moron

The most scary thing for me about the Trump presidency is that all politicians (Republican and Democrat) now have a much better idea of what they can and can't get away with. This is partially why Trump just losing isn't enough. He needs to be historically defeated to try and curb politicians in the future. I realize it'll probably be a close election, though.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

The most scary thing for me about the Trump presidency is that all politicians (Republican and Democrat) now have a much better idea of what they can and can't get away with. This is partially why Trump just losing isn't enough. He needs to be historically defeated to try and curb politicians in the future. I realize it'll probably be a close election, though.

And why they need to throw the book at him.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

As strange as this sounds, perhaps the only hope for the United States is that things get so much worse for everyday Americans that Biden and other Democrats will find they have enough popular support to pass a modernized version of the New Deal just like FDR during the Great Depression. Perhaps COVID will be the driving force that makes a sufficient number of Americans say "Enough is enough" with their horribly broken healthcare model and finally join the rest of the OECD by moving to a universal single-payer system.

Unless they get the corporate money out of American politics, there's zero chance of this happening.

[FlameOn]

After being briefed about Russia putting bounties on US troops in Afghanistan and arming Taliban militants, Trump directed the CIA to share intelligence with Russia.

https://www.justsecurity.org/71279/t...rming-taliban/

He's now having the White House investigate the source of the leaks. So the White House position is both the leaks are fake news and the leaks are real and damaging to White House, which is it?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

After being briefed about Russia putting bounties on US troops in Afghanistan and arming Taliban militants, Trump directed the CIA to share intelligence with Russia.

https://www.justsecurity.org/71279/t...rming-taliban/

He's now having the White House investigate the source of the leaks. So the White House position is both the leaks are fake news and the leaks are real and damaging to White House, which is it?

He's a liar and a traitor?

[White Out 403]

https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-just...d-open-debate/

I don't know where to put this. But it's great.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

The most scary thing for me about the Trump presidency is that all politicians (Republican and Democrat) now have a much better idea of what they can and can't get away with. This is partially why Trump just losing isn't enough. He needs to be historically defeated to try and curb politicians in the future. I realize it'll probably be a close election, though.

They need to put the "norms" of the presidency into law so they have a mechanism to use in the future to prevent this. They won't though.

And to be honest, I don't even know how that would be done. How do you legislate decency?

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by nik-

They need to put the "norms" of the presidency into law so they have a mechanism to use in the future to prevent this. They won't though.

And to be honest, I don't even know how that would be done. How do you legislate decency?

They already do, but it turns out it doesn't matter how many laws a president breaks if an entire political party is just as corrupt

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

The most scary thing for me about the Trump presidency is that all politicians (Republican and Democrat) now have a much better idea of what they can and can't get away with. This is partially why Trump just losing isn't enough. He needs to be historically defeated to try and curb politicians in the future. I realize it'll probably be a close election, though.

The last time the Republicans had a nominee that the population thought was too extreme - Goldwater (who lost 44 states in his election) - they hemmed and hawed about opening up the party for a few years and then decided to go with the Southern strategy with Nixon.

If they get destroyed - they'll yap about appealing to black voters and then end up right back where they always are.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

The last time the Republicans had a nominee that the population thought was too extreme - Goldwater (who lost 44 states in his election) - they hemmed and hawed about opening up the party for a few years and then decided to go with the Southern strategy with Nixon.

If they get destroyed - they'll yap about appealing to black voters and then end up right back where they always are.

Yep, they were already doing this when it looked like Trump would lose

[afc wimbledon]

Trump was just the logical extension of Sarah Palin, same stupidity, morally questionable background just with a penis and at the head of the ticket, and Palin and McCain lost big but they still went back to the poisoned rancid well.

What Palin taught the GOP was that the Fundy religious nutter's will vote for anything that spouts some bolloxs about being pro life even if they have been involved in more abortions and extra marital affairs than a crack hoe working in a Nevada Brothel.

[nfotiu]

You guys make it sound like the GOP and DNC pick the strategy and candidates. That's not really the case any more. The majority or at least a plurality of Republican voters will pick a nutty QANON right winger or Tea Partier 9 times out of 10 even if they don't have a chance to win the election.

Trump's kind of a different animal. His message of stopping Chinese and Mexicans from taking your job won some people over in the rust belt. Standing up for the confederacy and southern racists isn't going to play well in those areas.

As more further right and more crazy people keep winning, the Republicans will shed the last of their moderate supporters and will make it even easier for the fringe candidates to keep winning. It all feeds upon itself.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-just...d-open-debate/

I don't know where to put this. But it's great.

I think the last 10 years has shown that the idea of giving people with malicious intentions a platform (especially social media) to broadcast their hate and then defeat them in reasoned debate isn't possible. "The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away" doesn't work with these people because they aren't playing by their rules. All you end up doing is give them free advertising.

J.K. Rowling, who signed this letter, has been getting properly negative feedback for her transphobic tweets and it hasn't changed anything about her opinion or the way she acts.

[ernie]

After some days of “only” a couple hundred COVID deaths in the US, it seems the deaths from the surge are now starting. Nearly a 1000 yesterday and already 700 reported today.

56 Florida counties have full hospitals. They are setting up triage tents in parking lots in some places.

Arizona now above 90% hospital capacity. 50% of ventilators used and that’s starting increase rapidly. Most hospitals have stopped non-essential surgery.

One doctor I read today has said 80% of the patients she admits to hospital are COVID cases.

Basically we are getting very close to the point where doctors will be forced to decide who to treat.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Unless they get the corporate money out of American politics, there's zero chance of this happening.

This is really the crux of the problem. Trump and the Republican party as a whole are just a symptom. The entire political framework of the US is undermined by huge corporate donations dictating policy. The DNC is less overt about it, but they're just as compromised.

Nothing changes in American politics until personal financial gain is taken out of the equation. Which of course will never happen.