US Politics Thread 2021-24

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by August

When improvements in EV technology, support systems and operational costs make them a better and more economical choice over the IC engine then we will see a NATURAL migration to the new technology based on free market economics, just like why we migrated from horses to cars.

The government should have no business forcing it on people.

Here I agree. The day when there is some huge improvement in EV there will be a natural shift from IC to EV.

Your politicians are like ours-Through law making, they make it hard to be a driver on gasoline/diesel. They should stay away and let the development take it course.

Who says that the future is Electric cars ? In 50 years from now we could be driving with some special fuel in a new type of engine

End of an off topic comment

Markus

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by August

The government should have no business forcing it on people.

They did with Obamacare. They will with EV.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

They did with Obamacare. They will with EV.

That threat to democracy made Obamacare optional as of 2019. Though some states may still penalize you if you don’t have health insurance.

[Jimbuna]

Melania Trump’s ex-aide tells DNC she ‘couldn’t be part of insanity any longer’ as she endorses Harris

Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary spoke on the second night of the Democratic National Convention to endorse Kamala Harris.

Stephanie Grisham, who held the role from July 2019 to April 2020, is one of several Republican figures invited to the convention in Chicago to denounce the “extremism” of the former president and his campaign.

During her remarks, she told attendees that the former president mocks his supporters behind closed doors, calling them “basement dwellers.”

“I wasn't just a Trump supporter. I was a true believer,” Grisham said.

She told a story about Trump during a hospital visit “when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.”
“He used to tell me, ‘it doesn't matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you,’” the former press secretary said.

She added that she resigned on January 6, 2021, because she “couldn't be part of the insanity any longer.”

“Kamala Harris tells the truth, she repsects the American people and she has my vote,” she said.

In a statement to NBC News, Grisham said she never thought she would be speaking at a Democratic convention.“But, after seeing firsthand who Donald Trump really is, and the threat he poses to our country, I feel very strongly about speaking out.”

She added: “While I don’t agree with Vice President Harris on everything, I am proud to be supporting her because I know she will defend our freedoms and represent our nation with honesty and integrity.”

Other Republicans are expected to share a similar message throughout the convention, including former Representative Adam Kinzinger, of Illinois, who is scheduled to speak Thursday.

On Monday – the first night of the convention – a video compilation of former Trump voters was played to attendees, including a longer interview with a former Trumper, Rich Logis.

“While Donald Trump continues to attack moderates and independents, the Harris-Walz campaign has made clear that there is a place in our coalition for voters who reject the extremism of Donald Trump and want to protect our democracy,” a Harris campaign official said.

Grisham was Trump’s third White House press secretary, succeeding Sarah Huckabee Sanders and was the first White House Press Secretary to hold no press conferences.

She later assumed the role of chief of staff to former first lady Melania Trump on April 7 2020. On the evening of January 6 2021, Grisham resigned from the position following the storming of the United States Capitol.

In the aftermath of the insurrection and her resignation Grisham has become a fervent critic of her former boss, warning that he would “seek revenge” if not reelected.

She told CNN earlier this year: “He used to tell me when I was press secretary, ‘Go out there and say this.’ And if it was false, he would say, ‘It doesn’t matter, Stephanie. Just say it over and over and over again, people will believe it.’

“He knows his base believes in him. He knows he can basically say anything and his base will believe what he’s saying.”

Her inclusion on the second night of the convention, which also includes remarks from Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, continues the Harris campaign’s drive to recruit Republicans to their cause.

“We will be putting patriotic Republicans front and center in our convention programming to explain, in their own words, why they are putting country first and supporting Vice President Harris,” Austin Weatherford, the campaign’s national Republican engagement director, said in a statement to NBC News.

The campaign launched its “Republicans for Harris” program this month to reach more moderate and independent voters who may have supported Trump in the past, specifically highlighting the controversial Project 2025 document.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...4b7449be&ei=17

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

That threat to democracy made Obamacare optional as of 2019. Though some states may still penalize you if you don’t have health insurance.

Which indicates it's forced.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Melania Trump’s ex-aide tells DNC she ‘couldn’t be part of insanity any longer’ as she endorses Harris

She writes, "He can say anything. His base believes him". The same can be said about the base supporting a Democrat. Harris is spewing out basically "free cash" and her base is lining up with hand out ready to receive it. Jean-Pierre, press secretary to Biden, is busy lying everyday. The Democratic base believes her nonsense.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Which indicates it's forced.

Not at the federal level.

Only California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont penalize you for not having it. As Floridian all I can say is that’s their problem not mine.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Not at the federal level.

Only California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont penalize you for not having it. As Floridian all I can say is that’s their problem not mine.

Federal or not. You will be fined until you comply depending on the state you reside. Originally it was mandatory for all. The same will happen for EV. Just a matter of time.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Federal or not. You will be fined until you comply depending on the state you reside. Originally it was mandatory for all. The same will happen for EV. Just a matter of time.

I suppose you’re right, as of 2019 we were only given the illusion of choice. Fined by a state or not, 1.8 trillion of tax payer money is still greasing the healthcare wheels wether they choose to sign up or not.

[Rockstar]

2020: "There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration”. Joe Biden


2024:

[Jimbuna]

Evolutionary biologist explains the creationist debating technique Trump uses to push 'lie after lie'

Back in 1994, anthropologist Eugenie Scott (founder of the National Center for Science Education) coined a term for a debating technique favored by creationists: the "Gish gallop." That technique, named for creationist Duane Gish, has been used a lot by Christian fundamentalists since then, including those who are prominent figures in the Republican Party.

Writer Madhusudan Katti examines the use of the "Gish gallop" in an article published by Scientific American on August 20, arguing that it has had an extremely negative effect on U.S. politics.

"(Duane Gish's) tactic consisted of talking fast and with confidence, bombarding opponents with falsehoods, non-sequiturs and enough cherry-picked factoids to confuse the audience," Katti explains. "Scientists debating him faced the challenge of sifting half-truths from outright lies and finding the right evidence to refute them systematically, all within the few minutes allowed in response — which effectively meant that when the bell went off, the Gish gallop left the scientist 'stumped' and Gish declaring victory for creationism."

Katti cites Donald Trump's performance during his debate with President Joe Biden in late June as a prime example of the "Gish gallop" being used on an opponent.

"The migration of the Gish gallop from creationist's patter onto the presidential debate stage, and increasingly onto news opinion pages nationwide, exemplifies a dangerous debasement of honest dialogue in American life," Katti warns. "That both the public and its leaders pass over, or applaud, this kind of dishonesty on the highest political stage shows how integrity has taken a back seat to 'winning' power in politics, business and the so-called 'culture wars,' and now, (is) shrouding us in a fog of disinformation."

Trump, according to Katti, has used the "Gish gallop" repeatedly.

"In politics, the Gish gallop is precisely what Trump deployed in the June debate, putting Joe Biden at a significant disadvantage in attempting to refute even some of the falsehoods in the torrent of lies," Katti observes. "Trump, as anyone even half paying attention to his speeches knows, is an expert at the Gish gallop. He projects the utmost confidence while bombastically repeating lie after lie until it overwhelms his audience into either accepting every word he says as the truth, or walking off in disgust because there is no way to get him to acknowledge any truth."

Katti argues that when Vice President Kamala Harris debates Trump in September, she will need to "counter Trump's Gish gallop more forcefully" than Biden did in June.

Katti warns, "She will face a well-practiced con artist and loud dissembler who will flood the zone with enough falsehoods to outshout the former prosecutor and senator…. When it's her turn to respond, Harris should turn the tables on Trump by calling him out as a liar without bothering to refute each lie and refocus the audience on her own message."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...a708f9c5&ei=95

[Jimbuna]

White House aide says Michelle Obama’s speech was ‘implicit rebuke of the Biden era’

AWhite House aide reportedly called Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention an “implicit rebuke” to President Joe Biden’s term, perpetuating rumors that there is a rift between the president and his former boss Barack Obama.

The former first lady delivered a powerful speech on the second night of the DNC. She anticipated that a Kamala Harris presidency would bring a long-dormant sense of “hope” back to the country, reminding the nation of the enthusiasm felt during the Obama years — while glossing over President Biden’s term.

“Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?” Michelle Obama began. “Not just here in this arena… but spreading all across this country we love… a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for too long.”
“Hope is making a comeback!” the former first lady said.

While the focus of her speech was on the promise of a brighter future with Harris at the helm, a White House aide believed her words could have served as a slight to Biden.

“It was an implicit rebuke of the Biden era,” the source told Politico, claiming that the former first lady seemed to be blending together the Trump and Biden presidencies into one dreary era in US history.

The aide’s comment furthers swirling theories that there is some continuing tension between Obama and Biden.

Last week, sources told Politico that Biden will not stay in Chicago to hear Obama’s speech because he harbors resentment toward his former boss for not directly calling him to voice his concerns about his re-election chances.

Months ago, following the Trump-Biden debate in June, Obama did not offer public support for Biden to stay in the 2024 race while a chorus of Democratic donors, voters and party leaders loudly called for him to step aside.

Since Biden’s fumbled debate performance, Obama allegedly privately expressed concern about the 81-year-old president’s re-election bid. Obama was also reportedly given an advance warning about George Clooney’s an op-ed in the New York Times, in which he called for Biden to step aside, and did not object to it.

Some had remarked that the Illinois Democrat’s lack of vocal support for Biden was actually saying a lot.

Obama’s silence “is deafening,” Democratic congressman Mike Quigley, toldVanity Fair in July. “If President Obama was all in, he would be all in.”

The former first lady made no explicit comment about Biden — good or bad — but she did underscore the damage of Donald Trump’s presidency, calling him a “racist” and “misogynist.”

In his speech, Barack Obama also signaled that the nation would welcome a change, without distinguishing between Trump and his former vice president: “America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story.”

However, the former president spoke of Biden fondly numerous times throughout his speech, telling the crowd: “History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend.” He also hailed Biden ‘s “hard-earned resiliency and his unshakable belief” that came when America needed them most.

He hailed Biden for being “selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...a708f9c5&ei=87

[Rockstar]

It’s a great feeling to openly criticize politicians and policy here ain’t it!? Too bad some are afraid of getting thrown in jail for talkin’ smack about their own.

[mapuc]

A UK resident can freely criticize their government. Even their refugee policy and so can we the Danes. It''s a different in criticizing a government or a politician for their refugee policy and then write ugly things about Muslims or other foreigners. That's the difference

Markus

[Dargo]

Those arrested are not criticizing politicians and policy but threaten to do violence to people and the community, no wonder if you act as a criminal you are sentenced by a judge for the crime.