US Politics: Time to Stock Up

[Kalbear]

heh

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/13/i-would-vote-biden-were-it-not-his-aggressive-online-army-supporters/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Quote

There’s just one word for it: the Biden Boys. Or two words. Three, if you include the “the.” My personal experience with them has been nothing short of a nightmare. My mailbox, my physical mailbox, as we speak, is full of typewritten letters that call me a “lying dog-faced pony soldier.” Every time I try to engage on the issues, someone challenges me — in aggressive terms — to a push-up contest. Do these people speak for you, Joe Biden?

 

[Guest]

Trump declares national emergency.

Is it just me, or does he sound hoarse?

[Fragile Bird]

Wtf was that? Introducing executives from companies who stand there and say ‘we’re here to help!’

What kind or assurance about coronavirus is that?

[Kalbear]

Just now, Fragile Bird said:

Wtf was that? Introducing executives from companies who stand there and say ‘we’re here to help!’

What kind or assurance about coronavirus is that?

It's assurance to the stock market. That's all he cares about. 

[Guest]

Holy fuck, he is fucking throwing people at the microphone so he doesn't have to answer questions.

[Jaxom 1974]

But, hey! He takes zero responsibility!

[Larry of the Lawn]

5 minutes ago, The Great Unwashed said:

Holy fuck, he is fucking throwing people at the microphone so he doesn't have to answer questions.

Not a bad idea, heard someone on the radio today say the best thing would be for him to go hit the mattresses at Mar a Lago for two weeks and let the "deep state" handle the outbreak.

[Gertrude]

This is such a fucking joke. I’m only half paying attention, but most of the reporters’ questions are kind of useless, especially when directed at Trump.

As I write this, an actual question about dismantling the response team that Trump is wriggling out of ... and then turns to self-praise. Giant asshole.

[Kalbear]

When people are concerned about Biden's gaffes and inability to speak well over time, just have them watch this Q&A with Trump. 

ETA: "I don't take responsibility at all" is going to be the "The fundamentals of the economy are sound" McCain quote played over and over.

 

 

[Kalbear]

Also, real talk - is it actually irresponsible to hold the rest of the primaries, at least ones that aren't majority vote by mail? I am not advocating anyone drop out or anything - but it seems really stupid to bring a whole bunch of people into a few polling places for hours at a time in some places, especially right now. 

[HexMachina]

1 minute ago, Kalbear said:

Also, real talk - is it actually irresponsible to hold the rest of the primaries, at least ones that aren't majority vote by mail? I am not advocating anyone drop out or anything - but it seems really stupid to bring a whole bunch of people into a few polling places for hours at a time in some places, especially right now. 

Local and mayoral elections in the UK have been postponed for a year until 2021 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51876269

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

6 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

Also, real talk - is it actually irresponsible to hold the rest of the primaries, at least ones that aren't majority vote by mail? I am not advocating anyone drop out or anything - but it seems really stupid to bring a whole bunch of people into a few polling places for hours at a time in some places, especially right now. 

You have to just do them all on the same day, all caucuses become primaries, and decide to either do it right now or suspend them all until mid-summer.

[Kalbear]

4 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

You have to just do them all on the same day, all caucuses become primaries, and decide to either do it right now or suspend them all until mid-summer.

That seems pretty reasonable. For states that have enough vote by mail capacity they could do them now, but seriously, some of the biggest states in the nation are coming up here in like a week. At least it isn't people coming from far out of town, but it's a lot of people who don't normally come in contact with each other all touching the same surfaces and standing in the same area. 

ETA: Louisiana has already postponed theirs to June 20, Wyoming is dropping the in-person caucus part of their voting (theirs is apparently more of a ranked choice primary anyway). 

[Fragile Bird]

Well the markets are loving it, they soared up once he made his major announcements. They had been wobbling.

If they continue up on Monday I may sell some stuff. The Dead Cat may have started it’s bounce. A huge number of new cases may sink things all over again.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

Also, real talk - is it actually irresponsible to hold the rest of the primaries, at least ones that aren't majority vote by mail? I am not advocating anyone drop out or anything - but it seems really stupid to bring a whole bunch of people into a few polling places for hours at a time in some places, especially right now. 

Real talk - we better make that decision and get it deployed quick, because Trump has bungled this so badly that it'll probably allow him to attempt to declare an emergency and try to cancel elections in November.

Early on during this thing, I watched "Contagion" to make myself feel better, because "at least it won't get THAT bad". Now, I'm desperately hoping that it won't get that bad.

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, larrytheimp said:

Not a bad idea, heard someone on the radio today say the best thing would be for him to go hit the mattresses at Mar a Lago for two weeks and let the "deep state" handle the outbreak.

That'd be the smartest thing he could do. Then he could come out in 6 months and brag how he put the best people in charge and they fixed it, and then he'd win re-election.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

20 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

That seems pretty reasonable. For states that have enough vote by mail capacity they could do them now, but seriously, some of the biggest states in the nation are coming up here in like a week. At least it isn't people coming from far out of town, but it's a lot of people who don't normally come in contact with each other all touching the same surfaces and standing in the same area. 

ETA: Louisiana has already postponed theirs to June 20, Wyoming is dropping the in-person caucus part of their voting (theirs is apparently more of a ranked choice primary anyway). 

On second thought, just suspend them and the campaigns until June. Most experts I’ve heard say this will be a 60-90 day cycle if everything goes mostly right. 90 days from now is mid-June, and that would still leave plenty of time to get the votes in. If we’re not in a good place by mid-June, Idk how you can running a functioning primary with actual turnout, and there’s probably no way you could hold legit conventions.

[kuenjato]

1 hour ago, Fragile Bird said:

Wtf was that? Introducing executives from companies who stand there and say ‘we’re here to help!’

What kind or assurance about coronavirus is that?

It was essentially a pump and dump, squeezing the last of this lemon before the quarantine really throws the brakes on everything, orchestrated on live television by the President of the United States.

Cyberpunk 2077 is going to feel so quaint when it finally comes out.

 

EDIT: the cocaine high is already wearing off, aftermarket futures were at -330 a little while ago.

[Centrist Simon Steele]

43 minutes ago, The Great Unwashed said:

Real talk - we better make that decision and get it deployed quick, because Trump has bungled this so badly that it'll probably allow him to attempt to declare an emergency and try to cancel elections in November.

Early on during this thing, I watched "Contagion" to make myself feel better, because "at least it won't get THAT bad". Now, I'm desperately hoping that it won't get that bad.

I was doing some research on Presidents' ability to cancel the election. This was tossed around in 2004 (in that case, elections might be canceled due to elevated terrorist thread), and the lawyers looked into it and ultimately said that the President couldn't change the setting/time of Presidential elections. Some caveats exist: Congress could give him the power to do so (so what role would the House play in that?). 

Now this is all from 2004, and many things could have changed since then--the slow creep of executive power in this country is rather shocking when you look back. But I am somewhat relieved to hear this was thrown around before and nothing came of it.

[kuenjato]

5 minutes ago, Simon Steele said:

I was doing some research on Presidents' ability to cancel the election. This was tossed around in 2004 (in that case, elections might be canceled due to elevated terrorist thread), and the lawyers looked into it and ultimately said that the President couldn't change the setting/time of Presidential elections. Some caveats exist: Congress could give him the power to do so (so what role would the House play in that?). 

Now this is all from 2004, and many things could have changed since then--the slow creep of executive power in this country is rather shocking when you look back. But I am somewhat relieved to hear this was thrown around before and nothing came of it.

Trump is more likely to die from the virus in the next 3 weeks than he would be canceling the election. And the former is actually possible, while the latter is pretty much not. He needs the military to pull off a coup, and all the top dogs despise him for many various reasons.