U.S. Politics: That's too bad for Carrots

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 minutes ago, polishgenius said:

 

Kids are bastards.

I recall driving a sub insane because a kid every 10-15 seconds would drop their pencil on the floor. 

[Derfel Cadarn]

In 3rd year at high school (age 14-15) our French teacher (aged about 50 Inthink) had been a Tennants Lager model in her younger days (a brand of beer that had pictures of women in swimwear on the sides). I assume, being attractive, she maybe had issues being taken seriously at the start of her teaching career, so she compensated by becoming the antichrist. She was strict as hell, skewering unfortunate pupils with sarcasm and detention. No one wanted to be taught by her as she was terrifying (but a really good teacher and is a large part why I got a good grade for French standard grade). I used to go into her class last thing on a Friday for a test with adrenalin coursing through me from fear of failing.

Anyway, near the end of the school yesr, she got promoted to deputy Head of another school and we got a subsitite for the last few lessons.

The class who kept their heads down and mouths shut for Mrs T tore this poor substitute apart. Not by beijg really badly behaved, just a few pupils playing dumb for laughs, and the class, scenting weakness, laughed along.

[Zorral]

She is awesome.  She never stops.

All of us who made hell for substitute teachers were really lucky AOC wasn't our substitute teacher.  We wouldn't have gotten past the first pencil drop with her!  

 

 

[Ser Reptitious]

1 hour ago, Zorral said:

She is awesome.  She never stops.

All of us who made hell for substitute teachers were really lucky AOC wasn't our substitute teacher.  We wouldn't have gotten past the first pencil drop with her!  

 

 

I think this is precisely the kind of stuff that makes the GOP so afraid of her. How many poor whites that are solid Republican voters in places like Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, etc. are facing exactly these kinds of issues? Sure, Republicans are good at distracting those people with culture war issues, but if AOC ever sits down with such people to discuss their economic situation and because of her background is actually able to relate to them and talk like she is one of them, that could light a spark somewhere deep down that the Republicans want to remain extinguished at all costs. 

[SFDanny]

23 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I’m seeing more and more Trumpanistas talking about “storming the White House” and threatening civil war.

What worries me is not these fools "storming the White House," but efforts to disrupt the vote of the Electoral College. A Biden occupied White House will be guarded by the best security in the world. The Michigan "militia" and their plots to kidnap the Governor are not just the isolated fantasies to this one small group of violent racist nuts. I'm truly worried there may be violent attempts to stop the voting on December 14th. I hope I'm being paranoid.

[Centrist Simon Steele]

8 hours ago, mormont said:

 I shouldn’t laugh. My mother was a substitute teacher for years. She was on the receiving end of this sort of thing.

There are a lot of great subs, too. In my comparison to Trump, I was thinking of those subs who come in and set draconian rules down that they can't possibly enforce. When Trump said to the reporter, "Never to talk to me the President that way," it just reminded me of when an 8th grader would tell a sub, "Or what?" He engaged in a power struggle he couldn't possibly win.

But subs, in general, do have a most difficult job, I agree.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

45 minutes ago, Ser Reptitious said:

I think this is precisely the kind of stuff that makes the GOP so afraid of her. How many poor whites that are solid Republican voters in places like Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, etc. are facing exactly these kinds of issues? Sure, Republicans are good at distracting those people with culture war issues, but if AOC ever sits down with such people to discuss their economic situation and because of her background is actually able to relate to them and talk like she is one of them, that could light a spark somewhere deep down that the Republicans want to remain extinguished at all costs. 

You think that brown NYC communist is going to make real patriotic Americans in the deep South see the error of their way?

Cute.

[Centrist Simon Steele]

46 minutes ago, Ser Reptitious said:

I think this is precisely the kind of stuff that makes the GOP so afraid of her. How many poor whites that are solid Republican voters in places like Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, etc. are facing exactly these kinds of issues? Sure, Republicans are good at distracting those people with culture war issues, but if AOC ever sits down with such people to discuss their economic situation and because of her background is actually able to relate to them and talk like she is one of them, that could light a spark somewhere deep down that the Republicans want to remain extinguished at all costs. 

I agree--once people begin to distinguish between irrational fears of words like socialism versus what is actually being provided, I don't see how the GOP continues to blatantly screw their voting base. Once Dems really start taking positions and doing things for working class and poor people, I think the material reality begins to outweigh the ideology they've accepted.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 minutes ago, Simon Steele said:

I agree--once people begin to distinguish between irrational fears of words like socialism versus what is actually being provided, I don't see how the GOP continues to blatantly screw their voting base. Once Dems really start taking positions and doing things for working class and poor people, I think the material reality begins to outweigh the ideology they've accepted.

When has that happened? Democrats are still labeled communists, yet in my decade and a half working in Democratic politics I have yet to meet a real communist with a paid position in the party.

[mormont]

4 minutes ago, Simon Steele said:

There are a lot of great subs, too. In my comparison to Trump, I was thinking of those subs who come in and set draconian rules down that they can't possibly enforce. When Trump said to the reporter, "Never to talk to me the President that way," it just reminded me of when an 8th grader would tell a sub, "Or what?" He engaged in a power struggle he couldn't possibly win.

It's not even that. It's that every single person present, except perhaps himself, understands that Trump built his entire career on literally harassing the sitting President, and has demeaned the office daily since taking it for himself. He has zero ground to stand on when it comes to demanding respect.

[DMC]

8 minutes ago, SFDanny said:

I'm truly worried there may be violent attempts to stop the voting on December 14th. I hope I'm being paranoid.

While this is - as always and most importantly - a worry in regards to preventing violence, there's not any substantive worry that such efforts will be able to actually "stop" the EC vote.  The vote can just be held the next day, or the day after that, or...  The deadline to receive the ballots is December 23.  And even then, there's no penalty for missing the deadline.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

13 minutes ago, mormont said:

It's not even that. It's that every single person present, except perhaps himself, understands that Trump built his entire career on literally harassing the sitting President, and has demeaned the office daily since taking it for himself. He has zero ground to stand on when it comes to demanding respect.

Are you saying Cartman was wrong?

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

1 hour ago, SFDanny said:

What worries me is not these fools "storming the White House," but efforts to disrupt the vote of the Electoral College. A Biden occupied White House will be guarded by the best security in the world. The Michigan "militia" and their plots to kidnap the Governor are not just the isolated fantasies to this one small group of violent racist nuts. I'm truly worried there may be violent attempts to stop the voting on December 14th. I hope I'm being paranoid.

That’s a frightening thought particularly in light of what happened at the Michigan Statehouse back in May.

[Ser Reptitious]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

You think that brown NYC communist is going to make real patriotic Americans in the deep South see the error of their way?

Cute.

I’m not saying she will simply win them over just by showing up, given how they have been “warned” about her by Fox, etc. But I bet a lot of working class people (outside of an election cycle and without cameras) who would be willing to sit down with her to discuss the everyday issues that worry them might be quite surprised/shocked about how she actually seems to truly understand them, especially since she’s supposed to be the anti-Christ!

Remember how Pete Buttigieg got a standing ovation at a Fox town hall that caught even the host completely off-guard? That’s what can happen when you get to talk these people directly, without the middleman distorting everything you say or lazily slapping the communist/socialist label on you.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 minutes ago, Ser Reptitious said:

I’m not saying she will simply win them over just by showing up, given how they have been “warned” about her by Fox, etc. But I bet a lot of working class people (outside of an election cycle and without cameras) who would be willing to sit down with her to discuss the everyday issues that worry them might be quite surprised/shocked about how she actually seems to truly understand them, especially since she’s supposed to be the anti-Christ!

Remember how Pete Buttigieg got a standing ovation at a Fox town hall that caught even the host completely off-guard? That’s what can happen when you get to talk these people directly, without the middleman distorting everything you say.

And how many times did they allow him a broadcasted town hall again? 

You're working off an older, more reasonable template. It's largely gone at this point. It's possible AOC could have a productive townhall in a red district in the deep South, but even if that happened, what would change?

[Gaston de Foix]

8 minutes ago, Ser Reptitious said:

Remember how Pete Buttigieg got a standing ovation at a Fox town hall that caught even the host completely off-guard? That’s what can happen when you get to talk these people directly, without the middleman distorting everything you say or lazily slapping the communist/socialist label on you.

Pete is a good politician because he is able to have these conversations in a way that doesn't permit slogans as a substitute for thought.  Kinda disappointed that Biden hasn't found a perch for him.  We'll need him in the wars to come.  

[A Horse Named Stranger]

Apart from the question of whether AOC could sway the incel vote, or just make them angrier over their situation.

I thought I share something to laugh I stumbled over at The Guardian.

It's one of those news items that shouldn't surprise you, but it still makes you laugh.

[GrimTuesday]

3 hours ago, Zorral said:

She is awesome.  She never stops.

All of us who made hell for substitute teachers were really lucky AOC wasn't our substitute teacher.  We wouldn't have gotten past the first pencil drop with her!  

 

 

I was watching that twitch stream (big Hasan Piker fan here) and she is just so great. Canadians have a good one too in Jagmeet Singh, he seemed like such a great dude (and utterly ruthless when the imposter) wish NDP would get a shot at the big time.

It is a great thing that AOC is branching out into these spaces that are pretty much ignored by the political establishment. Hasan put this together in terms of which other Twitch folks were going to be part of it, and he specifically tried to get a mix of political streamers and normie streamers whose audiences are made up of people who are more apolitical. Only way to even start changing the culture around young people voting is to start reaching out and getting them engaged.

[GrimTuesday]

1 hour ago, Gaston de Foix said:

Pete is a good politician because he is able to have these conversations in a way that doesn't permit slogans as a substitute for thought.  Kinda disappointed that Biden hasn't found a perch for him.  We'll need him in the wars to come.  

I don't think we do need him. He is a milquetoast white guy whose only achievements include gentrifying the 3rd largest city in Indiana and working for McKinsey, the company who advised stratagies that exacerbated the opioid crisis while working with Purdue Pharma and suggested paying pharmacies for each overdose that could be attributed to their store. This is not to say that Pete was involved in the particular scandal, but that what makes up the bulk of his professional experience, and if we want to elevate a young white guy who has few strongly held beliefs and will say whatever will get him ahead, those are a dime a dozen in politics, so I reckon we can do better.

And touting that he got a standing ovation from a Fox News town hall is kind of silly since Bernie Sanders also got a standing ovation while advocating for much more progressive policies. Sure maybe pop him in a role with no future like press secretary, but for Christ sake let's not pretend he represents anything other than cozying up to the Neo-liberal establishment of the Democratic party.

[Zorral]

17 minutes ago, GrimTuesday said:

It is a great thing that AOC is branching out into these spaces that are pretty much ignored by the political establishment.

YES!