GOP: The party of idiots

[Elixir]

While I do agree that's excessive note that he's referring to what I believe to be (I've never actually been on the road) a very straight, flat, desert (no trees for wildlife to pop out from behind) road without a lot of traffic. Fly by other vehicles, I care. Fly down empty road, I don't care. (I'd like to see the speed laws changed--lower the penalty for speeding, increase the penalty for speeding involving a high overtake velocity.)

It is, and it was. Speed laws if they existed were not enforced. If you had a 200 mph super car there are miles and miles where you could “safely” come close to maxing out. (It is where they set the world land speed records)
Plus, it was well into nighttime for most of that trip.* Hardly anyone on the road.
I vividly remember the feeling of having to slow down 2-3 times in little towns … 25 mph felt like I could get out of the car and walk backwards faster!
Also, the biggest meteor I ever saw lit up the sky. It broke up into pieces and disappeared over the western horizon. Very memorable.

* the only mod on the car was its headlights, which I converted to halogens on day one because of the road I lived on. Nice at 115!

115 at night is overdriving your headlights and therefore unsafe. Period.

Not really. Able to see any obstruction for about 600 yards, even distant rabbits ( the only “real” danger on that stretch of I 70) with no side roads, no traffic, no large animals … I feel far more endangered at 50Mph in Bighorn Sheep Canyon, and indeed, have come a couple fingers from hitting a bighorn, a bear and lots of bad drivers on that road - which is the one of my own home address. I even had a deer run into the side of my car! ($1200).

 

[Elixir]

What happened to Republicans are idiots?

Booooring!
Everyone knows Republicans are idiots, but there are still valid disagreements about cars and prostitution.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Now, back to the Republicans. Yes. They are not only idiots, they are destroying the country with their idiocy. I was just reading an article about how a lot of idiot Republicans actually believe that some public schools really do have litter boxes in the rest rooms for the kids who identify as furries. This belief is still alive, despite the schools reassuring them that there have never been any litter boxes in the rest rooms. It doesn't get much more idiotic than that. Maybe that explains why Trump is still ahead of Biden in the polls. Our country has become full of poorly educated people who are easily manipulated by conspiracy theories. Most have no idea what's really going on, yet they believe their orange savior's lies.

Not just idiots. Sadistic bigots. When your hero jokes about the bludgeoning of Paul Pelosi, and you (and your fellow ralliers) roar with laughter, you've taken on the sickness of your hero. When he spews garbage about the poisoning of the nation's blood, when he rails against a judge's daughter, and you approve, then you've gone over the deep end. I don't want to hear about compromise with this group; either we defeat them in November or they impose their craziness on all of us.

 

[Ford]

Now, back to the Republicans. Yes. They are not only idiots, they are destroying the country with their idiocy. I was just reading an article about how a lot of idiot Republicans actually believe that some public schools really do have litter boxes in the rest rooms for the kids who identify as furries. This belief is still alive, despite the schools reassuring them that there have never been any litter boxes in the rest rooms. It doesn't get much more idiotic than that. Maybe that explains why Trump is still ahead of Biden in the polls. Our country has become full of poorly educated people who are easily manipulated by conspiracy theories. Most have no idea what's really going on, yet they believe their orange savior's lies.

Here's how idiotic they are: on my days off, I like to grab breakfast, listen to a little NPR, and then spend some time on the internet. Well...too much time, but the YouTube rabbit hole, ya know?

If the comments section on NPR's Facebook page is any indication, your typical right wingers morning is something like, grab breakfast, open up the internet, check the notifications they get from Facebook that NPR has posted a story, and then - usually without reading the story - rage in the comments about "the radical left." Seriously, there are right wingers tagged as a "Top Fan" who are in the comments within a minute of the story being posted.

Granted, some of them are dedicated troll accounts, but there are real people who apparently have nothing else to do on a Monday morning than whine in the comment section of a media outlet they couldn't find on the radio dial if they pulled their truck off to the side of the road and took off their wraparound sunglasses to look for it.

 

[Elixir]

either we defeat them in November or they impose their craziness on all of us time to get the hell out of this shithole.

FIFY.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Now, back to the Republicans. Yes. They are not only idiots, they are destroying the country with their idiocy. I was just reading an article about how a lot of idiot Republicans actually believe that some public schools really do have litter boxes in the rest rooms for the kids who identify as furries. This belief is still alive, despite the schools reassuring them that there have never been any litter boxes in the rest rooms. It doesn't get much more idiotic than that. Maybe that explains why Trump is still ahead of Biden in the polls. Our country has become full of poorly educated people who are easily manipulated by conspiracy theories. Most have no idea what's really going on, yet they believe their orange savior's lies.

Here's how idiotic they are: on my days off, I like to grab breakfast, listen to a little NPR, and then spend some time on the internet. Well...too much time, but the YouTube rabbit hole, ya know?

If the comments section on NPR's Facebook page is any indication, your typical right wingers morning is something like, grab breakfast, open up the internet, check the notifications they get from Facebook that NPR has posted a story, and then - usually without reading the story - rage in the comments about "the radical left." Seriously, there are right wingers tagged as a "Top Fan" who are in the comments within a minute of the story being posted.

I ponder how much the initial people are representative of the base and are rather either bots or people paid to post/share and wail. Of course, the base eats it up and they seem to have a diet that is heavy on rage and entitlement.

 

[Jarhyn]

either we defeat them in November or they impose their craziness on all of us time to get the hell out of this shithole.

FIFY.

To be fair, my husband and I are more "and" than "or" there.

We're not going to stick around long enough to find out. All of our plans this year have been disrupted with the need to move out of the country.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

115 at night is overdriving your headlights and therefore unsafe. Period.

Not really. Able to see any obstruction for about 600 yards, even distant rabbits ( the only “real” danger on that stretch of I 70) with no side roads, no traffic, no large animals … I feel far more endangered at 50Mph in Bighorn Sheep Canyon, and indeed, have come a couple fingers from hitting a bighorn, a bear and lots of bad drivers on that road - which is the one of my own home address. I even had a deer run into the side of my car! ($1200).

See at 600 yards??? Google is saying 400' on high beams. And remember that this is reflected energy--goes at the 4th power of distance. You'll need 400x the light output of standard headlights to see that far--you're in the realm of the NightSun lights on police helicopters. Note that seeing the road signs and the like is not the same as seeing the road--the signs are retroreflectors and thus only go at the square of distance. And you'll need a bit over 300 yards of stopping distance even if you did see something.

And note that even that doesn't consider the worst case. I've had a very close call at night with a jaywalker that was African-black and dressed all in dark clothes. He had already had a reasonably close call with the vehicle in the inner lane and was lit up by it's headlights enough that I knew he was there. Despite knowing he was in front of me and this was an urban environment I still could not see him, just stood on the brakes and hoped it was enough. It gave him enough time to get across my lane, Darwin missed that night. Without that momentary flash I probably would have seen him at about 1 second and he would most likely be a former pedestrian. (45 mph road.) The driver in the inner lane did not react, I do not believe he ever saw the guy despite the guy being well within 100' while in his lane.

 

[Elixir]

African-black and dressed all in dark clothes.

… walking on a dead flat, straight road 40 miles from food or water at 3am …

Yeah that’s gonna happen!

Seriously the only thing that could reasonably “pop up” would be one of those big desert hares, and their eyes light up brilliantly well beyond the “normal” range of headlights, even halogen rally lights (I got a ticket in CA for them).

 

[Derec]

No, really, it's not because it's about being critical of characteristics and events that ought to have criticism. So, for example, Biden isn't criticized too much and he's a white politician and a man. Trump deserves criticism and he is a white male. So your statement is false.

Biden has also allowed himself to be dragged to the left, so he gets a pass from your ilk. But other white politicians get attacked on here. Even Democrats like Manchin and Sinema because they do not toe the party line.

Well, that's also not true, it's your penchant for attacking Blacks and women that is at issue.

I do not have that "penchant". But among left-wing politicians, blacks and women are overrepresented. So it stands to reason that when I criticize somebody on the left, it will more likely be somebody like that.
Take the far-left Squad. The original lineup was all-female, and while only two out of four were black, all saw themselves as "women of color". Later, the Squad expanded with such "illustrious" members as Cori Bush. Is criticism of the Squad because of their race and gender or because of their wacky political ideas?

Again, we can see this in how women like MTG are criticized for what they say and do. While she's not Black, it's an example of criticism of a female politician.Likewise, Clarence Thomas's actions have been highlighted--not a woman but Black. I'm sure if we go to the archives we can also see criticism of Condoleeza Rice who also deserved it:

I kinda like good old Condi. So if you see that criticism of these people is not due to their race and gender, why do you attack me when I criticize people like Cori Bush?

The same Condoleeza Rice who chaired meetings about how much torture was acceptable in the White House...

Those endless meetings I am sure violate some provision of international law I am sure ...

Also, please have enough respect to spell her name correctly. It's "Condoleezza".

Are you sure you are counting all killings, so like for example George W Bush? How many white people did George W Bush kill?

Yeah, a CinC engaging in warfare does not count. Not for W, not for Obama or Biden either. Didn't Obama drone a terrorist and his son, both US citizens?

Well of course you sometimes defend Black MALES when they are accused by Black WOMEN. Regardless, your sometimes standard is a thing you won't apply when it comes down to Kamala Harris. So there you have it.

Kobe was accused by a white WOMAN fwiw.

You're the one who demands the standard, at least in the past. Like for example with Derek Chauvin who murdered a Black man on camera. You couldn't admit that he was murdering him and demanded I call him a suspect. But then of course after conviction you still refused to say that the white* man was guilty of murder.

Chauvin was criminally prosecuted (way too harshly, compared to others like Mohammed Noor). Completely irrelevant to our discussion of KH's sugar relationship.

I don't have an ilk, nor would it be necessary to explicitly bring it up when your pattern is obvious for everyone to observe.

The alleged pattern only emerges with copious amounts of cherry picking.

 

[ZiprHead]

Well, that's also not true, it's your penchant for attacking Blacks and women that is at issue.

I do not have that "penchant". But among left-wing politicians, blacks and women are overrepresented. So it stands to reason that when I criticize somebody on the left, it will more likely be somebody like that.
Take the far-left Squad. The original lineup was all-female, and while only one is black, all saw themselves as "women of color". Is criticism of the Squad because of their race and gender or because of their wacky political ideas?

So working as a bartender is a whacky political idea?

 

[Ford]

Well, that's also not true, it's your penchant for attacking Blacks and women that is at issue.

I do not have that "penchant". But among left-wing politicians, blacks and women are overrepresented. So it stands to reason that when I criticize somebody on the left, it will more likely be somebody like that.
Take the far-left Squad. The original lineup was all-female, and while only one is black, all saw themselves as "women of color". Is criticism of the Squad because of their race and gender or because of their wacky political ideas?

So working as a bartender is a whacky political idea?

Notice the excuse-making. "I'm not racist or misogynist! It just so happens that the wacky lefties I ALWAYS pick on just happen to be women/women of color! Also the other people I criticize who aren't inherently political....like entire sports teams, people who bring credible accusations of sexual assault, etc. etc. etc. just happen to be women/women of color! Purely a coincidence!"

Then again, it has been my experience that many people who are misogynist/racist don't realize they are until someone points it out to them. And then some of those never catch on...

 

[Loren Pechtel]

African-black and dressed all in dark clothes.

… walking on a dead flat, straight road 40 miles from food or water at 3am …

Yeah that’s gonna happen!

You're making an invalid assumption here--namely, that they're heading from civilization to civilization. I have in the past been walking near a highway at night (but not 3am) more than 40 miles from any appreciable civilization. I was walking back about a mile to my car after having spent several miles making a loop through the wilderness. That was neither the first nor the last time I plotted a hike that involved using where a road punched through to make it a loop rather than an out-and-back. I did not intend for it to be after dark but the terrain was rougher than I expected slowing me down. I have likewise followed a riverbed near the road in a place more than 40 miles from any civilization--because I considered it safer than walking along the road at night.

In one case I was parked in an official parking lot, but it's off to the side and the only indication of it's existence is the flatness and the don't-drive-past-this-point barrier at the far end. In the other I was simply parked by the side of the road--the official area to park (there's simply a wider shoulder there, lots of tire marks if you look closely) for where I was. No signs whatsoever anywhere on the "trail" (the only reason you would know it exists is it's listed on the park website with a file containing a GPS trace and a bit of description of what you'll encounter.)

Admittedly, neither myself nor any of my gear is black--but outdoor gear tends to be of colors that won't stand out.

 

[Derec]

To be honest, I don’t think that Derek would have felt differently if all parties had been white.

True. Also I would not feel differently if the genders were reversed.

 

[Derec]

No. The point is that it’s not fair to call MTG and Boebert mean names because of the awful things Kamala Harris did. You see now?

Almost, but not quite.
The point is the hypocrisy of being ok with crass sexual name calling for Boebert (I hope she gets well soon, btw) but not ok with same standard being applied to Harris. Ford and others losing their minds over this proves my point.
Also, the name-calling of MTG based on regional stereotypes that don't even apply to her is considered ok. Would similarly stereotypical name-calling of Democratic politicians have been received as well?

Btw, this digression is certainly more on point than talk about driving >100 mph or about the "Zen and the Art of 1972 BMW 2002 Maintenance" ...

 

[Shadowy Man]

No. The point is that it’s not fair to call MTG and Boebert mean names because of the awful things Kamala Harris did. You see now?

Almost, but not quite.
The point is the hypocrisy of being ok with crass sexual name calling for Boebert (I hope she gets well soon, btw) but not ok with same standard being applied to Harris. Ford and others losing their minds over this proves my point.
Also, the name-calling of MTG based on regional stereotypes that don't even apply to her is considered ok. Would similarly stereotypical name-calling of Democratic politicians have been received as well?

Btw, this digression is certainly more on point than talk about driving >100 mph or about the "Zen and the Art of 1972 BMW 2002 Maintenance" ...

I think name-calling is stupid. MTG and Boebert are objectively more despicable than Kamala Harris and it’s more important to point out the ways in which they are than to take glee in juvenile epithets.

 

[Derec]

I think name-calling is stupid. MTG and Boebert are objectively more despicable than Kamala Harris and it’s more important to point out the ways in which they are than to take glee in juvenile epithets.

To be fair, a thread with a name like this is probably not the right venue for serious policy discussions.

 

[Derec]

Notice the excuse-making. "I'm not racist or misogynist! It just so happens that the wacky lefties I ALWAYS pick on just happen to be women/women of color!

Women and so-called POCs are overrepresented on the whacky left.

Also the other people I criticize who aren't inherently political....like entire sports teams, people who bring credible accusations of sexual assault, etc. etc. etc. just happen to be women/women of color! Purely a coincidence!"

I have attacked plenty of white men before. It's pure selection bias on your part.

Also, which sports team? And which sexual assault accuser? You can't mean the grifter who stole her story from an SVU episode starring Kevin Pollack?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

No. The point is that it’s not fair to call MTG and Boebert mean names because of the awful things Kamala Harris did. You see now?

Almost, but not quite.
The point is the hypocrisy of being ok with crass sexual name calling for Boebert (I hope she gets well soon, btw) but not ok with same standard being applied to Harris. Ford and others losing their minds over this proves my point.

Does it? Boebert was thrown out of a theater because of her behavior, including some overly touchy in public stuff. Harris had a relationship with a person in power. While I'm not big on criticizing a woman for sexual behavior, she did actually do what she was accused of. Where as the Harris shit you've propagated is quite unestablished and 110% misogynistic. Indicating, baselessly, she couldn't have achieved what she had if it weren't for her sexual exploits.

As far as Greene? The asshole presented blown up naked photos of the President's son in Congress. The holy hell storm that would have occurred had someone done that with the Bush daughters (greater than 18 years old mind you)... and rightfully so. Greene should have been expelled from her party, but this is the 21st Century Trump GOP now.

 

[scombrid]

The derail may have buried it. Did anyone post about the Michigan GOP believing that NCAA men’s basketball teams arriving for their tournament games were hoards of illegals being imported with police escorts and all?