US Politics: A Tale of two Joes.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Gotta love his pitch of “I’ve seen the bodies piling up at the morgues. I know we’re going through a crisis. But back to work everyone, that’s what matters most peasants!”

NYC needs Bane.

[DMC]

6 hours ago, Ormond said:

We may be the most individualistic nation, but we inherited a focus on individualism from the English, who are the most individualistic people in Europe. On cross-national comparisons, the UK and Australia almost always come in at #2 and #3 on measures of individualism, with Canada usually tied with the Netherlands right below them.

This conforms to the Puritan - emphasizing ideals of self-reliance and justification-by-faith (which rejects Catholic traditions and encourages self-government) - and of course Weber's "protestant work ethic" explanation.  I know it's entirely ahistorical, but I always imagine a puritan pilgrim when I hear the phrase "pull yourself up by your bootstraps."  I'm actually reminded of a very fun read on the early Puritan colonists by Sarah Vowell..The Wordy Shipmates.  It has more to do with American exceptionalism than individualism, but still, highly recommended -- and very easy to read!

[Zorral]

Since when are any of these jobs low-skilled? asks someone who cooks, a lot, everyday, to feed real people just at home, not in restaurants -- and also has four degrees, and spends loads of time in the classroom.  Like I said to Ormond, you gotta know this clown -- who was a rethuglican then switched when Hillary Clinton got to be senator, and certainly now is at least as rethuglican as Manchin and Lieberman.

[GrimTuesday]

I hope Eric Adams lives long enough to see mass space travel so someone can toss him out an airlock.

[Altherion]

It's kind of amazing how even the Wall Street CEOs -- who are undoubtedly some of the most ruthless people on the planet -- have allowed people to work from home in the face of this outbreak whereas the state and city of New York (which are run by the supposedly compassionate Democrats) are clamoring for people to keep going to work. I don't know anyone working in NYC for a private company who is capable of working from home and is currently being told to go to work, but all of the public employees I know still have to come in.

And we're certainly not going to close the schools -- at least not until the hospitals are well and truly overwhelmed. Given that the seven-day average of confirmed cases is currently well over 400 per 100000 and the test positivity rate is over 20% (i.e. the number of confirmed cases is limited by the number of available tests), the hospitalization should catch up in about two weeks or so.

[DMC]

If you want some insight into why those morons in DC can never get anything done, consider this - it took a Senator from Virginia nearly an entire day to get to work:

Quote

NIGHTMARE ON I-95 — The winter weather in the D.C. area caused a hellstorm for travelers on I-95 in the last 24 hours. Among those stuck:

— Sen. TIM KAINE (D-Va.), who tweeted around 8:30 a.m. that he had begun his normal 2-hour commute to D.C. at 1 p.m. Monday and was still stuck in traffic on the interstate 19 hours later. He later told WTOP that he’s been in the car for 21 hours and counting. “It was really, really cold last night,” Kaine said.

 

[Larry of the Lawn]

5 minutes ago, DMC said:

If you want some insight into why those morons in DC can never get anything done, consider this - it took a Senator from Virginia nearly an entire day to get to work:

 

I think the entire city shutting down for a little snow was my favorite part of living in DC.  

[DMC]

2 minutes ago, Lermo T.I. Krrrammpus said:

I think the entire city shutting down for a little snow was my favorite part of living in DC.  

It was indeed a highlight.  About two weeks after I started at AU, Hurricane Isabel hit and we lost power at the small auxiliary building our dorms were at for, like, four or five days.  It was ridiculous considering how mild Isabel hit us.  About 8 of us split hotel rooms down the road, good times.

[mcbigski]

On 1/3/2022 at 8:43 AM, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I will never like “dirty tricks” or apologia for “dirty tricks”.  I’ve never been overly fond of “ends justifying means” arguments.

Sweet summer child.

On 1/3/2022 at 10:06 AM, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I drove Uber on the side my period of Unemployment was about a month long.  Regardless I think a single payer system funded my the US Government makes sense.  
 

That such a system is politically unpalatable in the US, sucks.  But I’d much rather have moderate Democrats in control that Trumpanista Republicans.  If shooting for the moon and losing puts Trumpanistas in control I’d rather avoid that result.

 

On 1/3/2022 at 12:39 PM, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I hope the voting rights legislation passes.  It’s important.

Do you think the Republicans will end the Filibuster if they gain the Senate back in 2022 and the Democratic majority hasn’t acted before the 2022 election?

On 1/3/2022 at 1:34 PM, Zorral said:

If the Dems -- which they won't -- concertedly pushed for week after week coverage of these aspects of Ashli Babbitt Martyr to the voters (and the many, many, many other comparable stories of the behaviors of these ilks), would that be considered a dirty trick which should not be allowed in elections and politics?

"Ashli Babbitt a martyr? Her past tells a more complex story"

https://apnews.com/article/ashli-babbitt-capitol-siege-a15c7e52a04d932972b7a284c7a8f7df

Follow the narrative.  Reporters are independent seekers of truth, and not employees of large corporations.

On 1/3/2022 at 4:16 PM, DireWolfSpirit said:

There's a little cancerous pea planted deep into the American psyche to reject collectivization.

Even in the face of overwhelming evidence where it would benefit their well being.

Examples being a public that rejects unions, rejects universal healthcare.

The class warfare-ists have been overwhelmingly successful at hoodwinking millions of Americans into thinking stupid shit like paying $40 a month in union dues is a bad bargain, a bad tradeoff mind you, for things like significant wage increases and real pensions.

We also see people who the class warfare-ists have been able to hook-line-sinker accept the world's most expensive healthcare for below avg return in services.

This all accomplished because they've (American public) been hypnotized into believing collectivization equals boogie man bad.

We've reaped what our own prejudices have sowed, and the elite and class warfare-ists have masterfully used that ignorance to their advantage.

Collectivism is great.  Next time the leader will be all about helping everyone, instead of worrying about the next shiv and paying off his cronies.  We're almost so close to perfect, just got to get rid of that pesky human nature.

On 1/3/2022 at 5:27 PM, Fury Resurrected said:

It is important to not that the public do not reject unions or universal healthcare. Both have majority approval ratings. There is just no political will to achieve universal healthcare that defeats the vast amounts of lobbying money against it. On unionization, again, vast lobbying against it, limited resources for the unions to plead their case

There's plenty of room for a fascist sort of government gets to control all the health care compromise.  Affordable Care Act turned providers into collectivists instead of individual practitioners. Really there should be a mcbigski's wager where if you think you have covid you could talk with a non collectivized provider about whether or not invectermin or hydroxichlorine are right for you, and live with the consequences. The people that don't believe in the Atlantic don't deserve to live anyway, so what's the harm in trying? 

On 1/3/2022 at 7:19 PM, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Communitarianism on the small scale is welcomed.  What people get their backs up about is collectivism on the large scale.  Small scale commmunitarinism is perceived as voluntary while large scale collectivism is seen as imposed.  What I think many Americans reject is the perception of a lack of control that comes from large scale collectivisation.  It is the perception of losing control, real or not, that I think is the problem.

A, I'm all for local control, and bottom up power.  I hope you come around to obvious issues with too much federal control.  Higher stakes get more corrupted.  Do you think otherwise?

6 hours ago, GrimTuesday said:

I hope Eric Adams lives long enough to see mass space travel so someone can toss him out an airlock.

Tolerance FTW!  Be careful, if Eric Adams ends up an unperson, you could get banned for that sort of comment.

4 hours ago, DMC said:

If you want some insight into why those morons in DC can never get anything done, consider this - it took a Senator from Virginia nearly an entire day to get to work:

 

PA people can drive in snow, right?  Talk about smallest violins.  I get that we have better plowing in new england, but have i never gotten stuck ever in any situation that took more than three guys to push the vehicle out. 

 

[DMC]

26 minutes ago, mcbigski said:

PA people can drive in snow, right?  Talk about smallest violins.  I get that we have better plowing in new england, but have i never gotten stuck ever in any situation that took more than three guys to push the vehicle out. 

I don't..what is this responding to exactly?  I live in Pittsburgh right now, which I guess makes me a PA person?  Grew up in Rochester, NY, which got much more snow.  To answer your question.  I think?

[A Horse Named Stranger]

Pennsylvania, but not the Avenue, so close, so close mate. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

20 minutes ago, DMC said:

I don't..what is this responding to exactly?  I live in Pittsburgh right now, which I guess makes me a PA person?  Grew up in Rochester, NY, which got much more snow.  To answer your question.  I think?

Scotch, it's responding to scotch. And also that he's in third place:

1	Tywin	1385	48	156-86
2	Bronze Stones	1377	42	157-85
3	White Harbor Bakers	1375	48	151-91

[mcbigski]

I wouldn't blame snow on I95 for Washington not getting things done.  Maybe I was a little antagonistic there though. 

I don't trust 95% of congress to look out for the regular folk however.  Too many incentives to join the establishment once you get there, where ever you started from ideologically.  

[mcbigski]

Just now, Tywin et al. said:

Scotch, it's respond to scotch. And also that he's in third place:

1	Tywin	1385	48	156-86
2	Bronze Stones	1377	42	157-85
3	White Harbor Bakers	1375	48	151-91

I mostly put the my picks in drunk sunday/monday football.  But if you want me to pay attention, I could.  Even though you're yonger, I'm still taller and probably less bald.

[DMC]

5 minutes ago, mcbigski said:

I wouldn't blame snow on I95 for Washington not getting things done.  Maybe I was a little antagonistic there though.

Ah.  So you were responding as if I was making a serious point there.  Hohkay.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 minutes ago, mcbigski said:

I mostly put the my picks in drunk sunday/monday football.  But if you want me to pay attention, I could.  Even though you're yonger, I'm still taller and probably less bald.

I mean ditto, there's no research that goes into my picks, just quick selections, yet still number one. And while yes, I am considerably younger than you and you're a good bit taller than me, I've still got a full head of dirty blond hair sans a weird line on the back of my head if I slick it back. Could turn into a balding spot with time, but I'm fine with that. 

And you'll never know what it's like to beat other fast people in a sprint. Or what it feels like to squat 500 pounds. We can play this game all day and we both know you'll lose, just like in Pick'em. 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

6 hours ago, mcbigski said:

A, I'm all for local control, and bottom up power.  I hope you come around to obvious issues with too much federal control.  Higher stakes get more corrupted.  Do you think otherwise?

So, a town where the local government has absolute and total power over the local population and all land is held by that local government you’re cool with but single payer health care administered by the Federal Government is beyond the pale?  If that is what you are saying, I believe you have illustrated my point.

[Varysblackfyre321]

15 hours ago, mcbigski said:

Collectivism is great. 

Sure patriotism can have it's uses for instance.

[Martell Spy]

The GOP’s masculinity panic
David French on the cult of toughness on the Trumpist right.

https://www.vox.com/vox-conversations-podcast/22834353/vox-conversations-david-french-republican-party-trump-masculinity

 

David French

Quote

 

Extremely dangerous. I think a lot of folks, because we live in highly bubbled cocoon lives, we often just don’t understand each other’s cultures, the separate cultures that are being created. I’ve lived in the deepest blue areas and I’ve lived in the deepest red areas.

In red world, being called a racist — that accusation has no purchase, really. Here’s what’s the terrifying thing on the right that can be a career- and reputation-ending allegation: “You’re weak. You’re a coward.”

So the transformation, this flipping upside down of morality, turning bullying into strength, turning restraint into vice, all of that, what has then happened is it enables the Trumpists and the Trumpist world. They’re wielding this sword that is very sharp culturally in red spaces, this accusation of weakness and cowardice, as a weapon to keep people in line, because they’ve defined support for this movement as evidence of your strength.

In that world, capitulation to the mob is seen as courage, is seen as strength, and that’s upside down and backward.

 

 

[Centrist Simon Steele]

40 minutes ago, Martell Spy said:

The GOP’s masculinity panic
David French on the cult of toughness on the Trumpist right.

https://www.vox.com/vox-conversations-podcast/22834353/vox-conversations-david-french-republican-party-trump-masculinity

 

David French

 

When Trump, Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, and Carlson's pasty bearded friend are the last bastion of "masculinity"--I'd have to say that masculinity--in any traditional, toxic sense--has long since died.