US Politics: Biden our time while Trump's on the stump

[aceluby]

5 hours ago, GrimTuesday said:

Of course the Media is not a monolith, but we have to face the reality we are in these days. The media outlets that have long been considered to be the most prestigious and reliable have sullied their names and reputations by their own actions throughout the last three years. Obviously there are still outlets that haven't fallen that low in the public eye, but it is silly to pretend that people's reaction to a story, especially one about Trump. being one of suspicion towards the outlet is unreasonable.

Obviously people need to look into things more deeply, as The Great Unwashed said, but let us not pretend that "The Media's" pearl clutching and over reaction to the point that a lot of people have just switched off because things usually end up being blown out of proportion and then forgotten about when the next scandal breaks 12 hours later. I think that the whole "Trump Derangement Syndrome" is something that has taken a hold in the minds of a lot of people because it is clear that most media outlets are openly in opposition to the president and people start to question whether they are focusing on this because it is news, or because it is meant to hurt Trump. Frankly I'd rather people be suspicious of it than go the other way and believe the insane rantings and ravings of Tuckkker Carlson and OANN, but, and I think you and I can agree with this, people can't just stop at suspicion, they need to look deeper.

I don't really understand the argument here.  Believing OANN is news and thinking all media besides Fox and OANN has "Trump Derangement Syndrome" is one and the same.

And seriously, who fucking cares if news orgs have fallen low in the public eye.  If they are reporting on news worthy things like scandals and lies coming out of the administration, it's their job.  Just because this administration is the worst in a generation shouldn't mean it should get a pass just because it's too overwhelming to the average consumer.  It says far more about how complacent Americans are than anything about "the media". 

Benghazi dominated the news cycle for a damn year and it ended up in a big nothing burger.  Over and over again.  This administration ignored a pandemic that is going to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans.  If Americans are tired of hearing that shit, too fucking bad.  It's news.

[DanteGabriel]

2 hours ago, aceluby said:

I don't really understand the argument here.  Believing OANN is news and thinking all media besides Fox and OANN has "Trump Derangement Syndrome" is one and the same.

And seriously, who fucking cares if news orgs have fallen low in the public eye.  If they are reporting on news worthy things like scandals and lies coming out of the administration, it's their job.  Just because this administration is the worst in a generation shouldn't mean it should get a pass just because it's too overwhelming to the average consumer.  It says far more about how complacent Americans are than anything about "the media". 

Benghazi dominated the news cycle for a damn year and it ended up in a big nothing burger.  Over and over again.  This administration ignored a pandemic that is going to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans.  If Americans are tired of hearing that shit, too fucking bad.  It's news.

Yeah, I don't like the "Trump Derangement Syndrome" accusations like it's the media's fault that Trump is so exhausting.

There are problems with the media landscape, no doubt. Corporate controlled. Chasing clicks and attention. Too sucked in by easy narratives. Easily hoodwinked or intimidated by right wing whining about bias.

None of that changes the fact that Trump does impeachable, would-have-brought-down-any-other-administration shit every week. It's a strategy to keep us exhausted and unable to focus on the worst stuff. And I would argue that certain media organs (NYT) spent too much time on stupid bullshit like Clinton's email servers rather than really investigating Trump.

[Martell Spy]

Biden signals openness to eliminating Senate filibuster
The former vice president said the level of defiance from Senate Republicans could influence his thought process.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/14/joe-biden-2020-filibuster-360587

Quote

 

Biden told reporters that, although he supported the filibuster in the past and still harbors hopes for bipartisan compromise, the level of defiance from Senate Republicans could influence his thought process.

"It's going to depend on how obstreperous they become," the former vice president said of Senate Republicans who might filibuster legislation championed by a potential Biden administration. “But I think you’re going to just have to take a look at it."

 

 

[DMC]

2 hours ago, aceluby said:

And seriously, who fucking cares if news orgs have fallen low in the public eye.  If they are reporting on news worthy things like scandals and lies coming out of the administration, it's their job. 

Right.  The increased polarization of news consumption is based on selective exposure which is certainly not the fault of most "mainstream" outlets.  And the main problem with such outlets being run by huge corporations is they're primarily (and arguably solely) based on profit-motive - which generally means ginning up scandals because that's what gets ratings.  The American public needs to look in the mirror sometimes.  

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

18 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

Yeah, I don't like the "Trump Derangement Syndrome" accusations like it's the media's fault that Trump is so exhausting.

There are problems with the media landscape, no doubt. Corporate controlled. Chasing clicks and attention. Too sucked in by easy narratives. Easily hoodwinked or intimidated by right wing whining about bias.

None of that changes the fact that Trump does impeachable, would-have-brought-down-any-other-administration shit every week. It's a strategy to keep us exhausted and unable to focus on the worst stuff. And I would argue that certain media organs (NYT) spent too much time on stupid bullshit like Clinton's email servers rather than really investigating Trump.

I like to ask my Trump supporting aquaintances if I had “Obama Derangement Syndrome” when I criticized and opposed positions held by that administration when they accuse me of having “TDS”.

They generally go silent.

[DanteGabriel]

7 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I like to ask my Trump supporting aquaintances if I had “Obama Derangement Syndrome” when I criticized and opposed positions held by that administration when they accuse me of having “TDS”.

They generally go silent.

I remember accusations of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) 12-15 years ago. It's not a new playbook.

On the counterpoint, right wingers still talk about Obama like he was a socialist Muslim infiltrator who destroyed American prestige and sold us out to the Iranians and Black Panthers and whoever else the bogeyman of choice is. Methinks the "Derangement Syndrome" accusation is yet another case of projection.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

7 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

I remember accusations of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) 12-15 years ago. It's not a new playbook.

On the counterpoint, right wingers still talk about Obama like he was a socialist Muslim infiltrator who destroyed American prestige and sold us out to the Iranians and Black Panthers and whoever else the bogeyman of choice is. Methinks the "Derangement Syndrome" accusation is yet another case of projection.

It makes me want to scream.  I had sincere policy differences with the Obama Administration.  But the people who need those they disagree with to be mustache twirling villians are just tiresome.

[S John]

15 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

It makes me want to scream.  I had sincere policy differences with the Obama Administration.  But the people who need those they disagree with to be mustache twirling villians are just tiresome.

What kills me is the un-ironic whataboutisms that get thrown around about Obama by some conservatives.  There’s like 5 or 6 things that Obama said or did in his 8 years that they love to trot out to defend Trump’s thousands of transgressions.  “A pen and a phone” and “the police acted stupidly” immediately come to mind as things I have seen conservatives relentlessly use use to paint Obama as the divisive authoritarian.  I feel like if you’re going to play that game you have to go one for one and Trump’s list is about 1000 times longer than Obama’s.  There is just no equivalence there.

I don’t know how any serious person could disagree that Obama at least conducted himself with the dignity that the office merits.  This is the absolute bare minimum that should be expected of any US president and Trump is a miserable failure in the decorum department.  Quite a few of his voters will admit that, but can’t bring themselves to admit that Obama was not also a divisive global embarrassment. They need that completely false equivalence to continue to justify supporting Trump. It hurts my head.

[DanteGabriel]

14 minutes ago, S John said:

What kills me is the un-ironic whataboutisms that get thrown around about Obama by some conservatives.  There’s like 5 or 6 things that Obama said or did in his 8 years that they love to trot out to defend Trump’s thousands of transgressions.  “A pen and a phone” and “the police acted stupidly” immediately come to mind as things I have seen conservatives relentlessly use use to paint Obama as the divisive authoritarian.  I feel like if you’re going to play that game you have to go one for one and Trump’s list is about 1000 times longer than Obama’s.  There is just no equivalence there.

I don’t know how any serious person could disagree that Obama at least conducted himself with the dignity that the office merits.  This is the absolute bare minimum that should be expected of any US president and Trump is a miserable failure in the decorum department.  Quite a few of his voters will admit that, but can’t bring themselves to admit that Obama was not also a divisive global embarrassment. They need that completely false equivalence to continue to justify supporting Trump. It hurts my head.

Ooh don't forget the tan suit, saluting with a cup of coffee in his hand, and "you can keep your doctor."

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

29 minutes ago, S John said:

What kills me is the un-ironic whataboutisms that get thrown around about Obama by some conservatives.  There’s like 5 or 6 things that Obama said or did in his 8 years that they love to trot out to defend Trump’s thousands of transgressions.  “A pen and a phone” and “the police acted stupidly” immediately come to mind as things I have seen conservatives relentlessly use use to paint Obama as the divisive authoritarian.  I feel like if you’re going to play that game you have to go one for one and Trump’s list is about 1000 times longer than Obama’s.  There is just no equivalence there.

I don’t know how any serious person could disagree that Obama at least conducted himself with the dignity that the office merits.  This is the absolute bare minimum that should be expected of any US president and Trump is a miserable failure in the decorum department.  Quite a few of his voters will admit that, but can’t bring themselves to admit that Obama was not also a divisive global embarrassment. They need that completely false equivalence to continue to justify supporting Trump. It hurts my head.

No argument.  My wife, who is to my right, has made the statement she would love to have dinner with the Obamas because the conversation would be absolutely fascinating.  They have sincerely held beliefs.  People demonizing them are racist asshats.  

[DanteGabriel]

4 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

No argument.  My wife, who is to my right, has made the statement she would love to have dinner with the Obamas because the conversation would be absolutely fascinating.  They have sincerely held beliefs.  People demonizing them are racist asshats.  

Has your wife ever expressed an opinion about dining with the Trumps?

[Ran]

43 minutes ago, S John said:

 don’t know how any serious person could disagree that Obama at least conducted himself with the dignity that the office merits.

HE WORE A TAN SUIT!!!

 

 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

15 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

Has your wife ever expressed an opinion about dining with the Trumps?

“Not in this lifetime.”

[DanteGabriel]

5 minutes ago, Ran said:

HE WORE A TAN SUIT!!!

 

 

Is that a Contra behind him? Maybe tan suits are de rigueur for plotting illegal arms sales to Iran to fund rebels in Central America.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, DanteGabriel said:

I remember accusations of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) 12-15 years ago. It's not a new playbook.

On the counterpoint, right wingers still talk about Obama like he was a socialist Muslim infiltrator who destroyed American prestige and sold us out to the Iranians and Black Panthers and whoever else the bogeyman of choice is. Methinks the "Derangement Syndrome" accusation is yet another case of projection.

Literally just about every accusation Republicans levy at Democrats these days is a form of projection. And most times the example on the Republican side is far more obvious than the one on the Democratic side. I wonder what political psychologists are making of all of this.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

20 minutes ago, Ran said:

HE WORE A TAN SUIT!!!

 

 

You see, those are wealthy white guys wearing tan suits. Totally different. 

[DireWolfSpirit]

1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

“Not in this lifetime.”

Obama says "You can keep your wife!"

[Fez]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

You see, those are wealthy white guys wearing tan suits. Totally different. 

I think tan suits are great. Especially here in DC during the summer. I've got a linen tan suit that I wear all the time in normal summers for work functions (I also have a seersucker suit, but have never been brave enough to wear it to a client meeting). I had no problem with Obama's tan suit, and thought the twitter reaction day one was mostly in good fun. I was amazed when it became a thing for the right wing nut jobs.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

6 minutes ago, Fez said:

I think tan suits are great. Especially here in DC during the summer. I've got a linen tan suit that I wear all the time in normal summers for work functions (I also have a seersucker suit, but have never been brave enough to wear it to a client meeting). I had no problem with Obama's tan suit, and thought the twitter reaction day one was mostly in good fun. I was amazed when it became a thing for the right wing nut jobs.

It's because they didn't have much to actually attack. Obama will be remembered as a pretty good president who largely overcame an opposition that wanted him to fail, no matter how much it would actually hurt the country. Republicans from this era will be judged very poorly over time.

And perhaps I need to add a tan suit to my collection. Everything is cheap as shit right now.

[Fragile Bird]

Burger King is working to reduce greenhouse gasses. They say they are experimenting with adding lemongrass to the feed of the cows in the herds they buy. It's supposed to reduce methane by up to 33%. 

Who knew?