The Race For 2024

[Politesse]

I am not seeing what you see. "We' all voted for "Hope and Change" (and got neither) when Obama was elected, twice. "We" rejected the Clinton dynasty in favor of a TV game show host. Then "we" elected a Sleepy Joe, an ineffective career politician. I don't see that as being indicative of Americans seeking some kind of elected monarchy. Quite the opposite in fact.

By leaning heavily on ever more expansive executive orders, ramming legislation through Congress, unilaterally declaring wars, appointing partison judges to the Supreme Court, and somehow magically producing a "good economy" with a paradoxical blend high employment and low inflation. Why do people hate Sleepy Joe now that they have him? The government is actually running just fine, by any rational metric aside from the humanitarian. But he's boring. He doesn't look good on tv. And he didn't "make" everyone do stuff, like aggresively promoting a Progressive agenda, or waving the magic anti-inflation wand he keeps in his special pants.

Perhaps it was I who was unclera, By monarcy, I mean not someone wearing a crown and satin robe as such, but in its literal sense: rule by one. Someone big, brash, always on TV, someone you can hold personally responsible for the laws in the courts and the worth of the dollar.

I still don't think Americans want an elected monarchy. For sure Sleepy Joe (and in California, Gavin Newsom) rule by decree. That is not something I want. I guess we just end up with it no matter who wins.

I mean, in theory, we select all these people. We evaluate them too, usually strictly in terms of what they did or did not force others to do. If we demanded different qualities from our politicians, different people would float to the top. Or at least, those that float up anyway would have to do so by the propulsion of a different set of lies.

I truly wish people trusted polticians less, and the work of their own hands and voices more.

 

[TomC]

Soundly rejected? Are you talking about the same Hillary Clinton that got 3 million more votes than the Cheeto Bandito?

Really this.
Hillary was rejected in 2008.
In 2016, she won.
Trump has never won a popular election in his life.

I still don't think Americans want an elected monarchy.

Do you realize how many people are supporting Trump, who tried to overturn both the popular election and the Electoral College?
Not all Americans want a monarchy, but enough to seriously endanger our democracy.
Tom

 

[Rhea]

Waiting for you to answer the question.

You say Biden is a bad candidate.
So what should the people who currently plan to vote for him do instead?
What’s a BETTER alternative than voting for Biden?
What will YOU do?

These questions are irrelevant.

The relevant question is do you believe Brandon to be mentally fit not only to run for POTUS but serve a second term. I doubt you will answer honestly.

Brandon can't possibly run. It is getting close to the point now where he will be forced to step aside.

Are you refusing to answer the question?
Why would you refuse to answer such a simple question?

I can’t imagine why I would answer your dodge if you’re refusing to answer the simple question in front of you.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Brandon can't possibly run. It is getting close to the point now where he will be forced to step aside.

Forced by whom?

Forced to step aside due to his health. Brandon can stand down and publicly say something like "I just don't feel up to it" or however his staff/wife want to phrase it.

i understand your position, but who would do the “forcing”?

And is there a similar person or organization that would force Trump to step aside?

 

[Derec]

Really this.
Hillary was rejected in 2008.
In 2016, she won.
Trump has never won a popular election in his life.

Really not. Hillary lost the primaries in 2008. She lost the general election in 2016.
The popular vote does not matter - the electoral college does. That's how elections are run. If US ran the elections based on popular vote, the campaigns would be run very differently. So you can't even say that Hillary would have won had we had a popular vote system in place.

 

[Toni]

Under oath.

And people don't lie under oath? Especially when they are motivated by personal loyalty and politics?

Do you really think this was EJC's thirty year plan?

No. Her friends may be lying about her telling them this. Or EJC may have made it up for personal sympathy (a version of Munchhausen's) and later used it first to sell her book and later to sue him in a friendly jurisdiction.
I do believe EJC is a fabulist. Remember when the accusation first surfaced publicly? It was when EJC was promoting her book where she made claims that she was sexually assaulted by many different men throughout her life. How likely is that to be even remotely true? Note also her bizarre interview with Anderson Cooper and similarities to a Law and Order storyline.

No, the only reason "your ilk" believes this crap is because of who the victim of the witch hunt is. If EJC (or somebody like her) was accusing a Dem you would not be buying it for a nanosecond.

Besides, your claim was that "there was lots of evidence". Other than these two statements, what "lots of evidence" are you referring to? Because this seems to be the grand total of it, and it ain't "lots".

I don’t know EJC but I used to read her column sometimes in Elle magazine. I would never have guessed that she had been the victim of sexual assault from her columns, but to be very honest, that means absolutely nothing.

I myself have never told anyone in my family about the sexual assaults I suffered at the hands of someone I regarded as family. There are many many reasons but mostly because I was afraid of both not being believed and of being believed and the fallout that would have devastated my family. You have no idea of the social cost to coming forward with the truth about what happened. In my case, I felt I could not deal with any possibility I could foresee. As an adult, knowing that he has been credibly accused of violence against his ex wives and children—and I shudder to think about what might have happened to his stepdaughters—I feel nothing but guilt over my silence. Those assaults happened more than 50 years ago but no, I will never tell family, but mostly because of fear of not being believed or having those assaults minimized or even worse, being blamed.

He was not the only person who attempted to sexually assault me. I am short, have a very small frame and believe it or not, a quiet voice and demeanor. Abd a certain type of guy thinks that makes me an easy mark. There was more than one guy who tried and found out that I fight back. And I fight very well.

It is not unbelievable that EJC was sexually assaulted by more than one male or by many males. Being female and escaping any sexual assault or take is an exception, not a rule. A surprising number of girls and women don’t even consider that being coerced into sexual contact is assault other than something they should have expected because the guy bought them dinner, gave them a ride home, whatever: he wanted to abc she says no but he insisted, physically and even though it left the girl or woman traumatized or worse, she blames herself. And society is still happy to help her feel responsible.

As for your accusation that people of a certain ilk only believe Carroll because of who she accused: I completely believed the women who accused Bill Clinton. I believe the women who accused Harvey Weinstein. I believe the men and boys who accused Kevin Spacey ( whose work I admire) and dozens of others. I don’t actually believe the woman who accused Joe Biden only because I’ve actually been where she says the assault occurred and it seems not credible that it actually happened as she described.

I realize that many men do things they do t consider assault or rape because only bad people and people who can’t get women have to rape and they’re engaged, married, have girlfriends, whatever. There are a whole lot of guys out there who do not believe that no applies to them. And who do not realize that when someone freezes, it’s a survival instinct and not consent.

It is never, ever easy to come forward with such accusations, no matter the evidence. I still have not, except for the anonymity of this forum. EJC is courageous.

 

[Toni]

Just because someone can do something doesn’t mean that they did do something. Thats the same standard Derec is applying to Trump, but he seems unwilling to apply that to the witnesses. Is there any evidence they were lying?

I did not say EJC's friends (they are not witnesses!) were lying. I just said that many people lie, and that because they are friends with one of the parties, their statements should not be considered evidence one way or the other. I am applying the same standard to Trump - his friends' statements would not be not evidence either.

Note also that the vagueness of the timeline benefits EJC. Had she said that she was attacked on 2/12/1996 around 7 pm Trump could conceivably prove that he wasn't anywhere near Bergdorf's at that time and date. But if you say "sometime in 1996" how does one defend himself? That's why NY's law to extend the statute of limitations for these lawsuits is so perverse.

The friends’ statements confirm that she told others of the assault when it happened and was counseled to keep quiet because he was so rich and famous. They can testify that she told them at the time if the assault and not decades later when she might better be able to extract money or whatever.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Just because someone can do something doesn’t mean that they did do something. Thats the same standard Derec is applying to Trump, but he seems unwilling to apply that to the witnesses. Is there any evidence they were lying?

I did not say EJC's friends (they are not witnesses!) were lying. I just said that many people lie, and that because they are friends with one of the parties, their statements should not be considered evidence one way or the other.

I disagree with the part I bolded here non a trial, the jury should assume that witnesses testifying under oath are telling the truth. The defense attorney can attempt to impeach the witness if they have evidence of a lie. But simply assuming their testimony is not evidence simply because they are friends is not something I would expect a juror to do.

But I would say that their testimony is only considered evidence that EJC told them of the assault not direct evidence of the assault itself.

 

[TSwizzle]

Brandon can't possibly run. It is getting close to the point now where he will be forced to step aside.

Forced by whom?

Forced to step aside due to his health. Brandon can stand down and publicly say something like "I just don't feel up to it" or however his staff/wife want to phrase it.

i understand your position, but who would do the “forcing”?

Not “who” would force him but “what”. His health could force him to step aside. In an extreme event, his death perhaps, would force him to step aside.

 

[TSwizzle]

Waiting for you to answer the question.

You say Biden is a bad candidate.
So what should the people who currently plan to vote for him do instead?
What’s a BETTER alternative than voting for Biden?
What will YOU do?

These questions are irrelevant.

The relevant question is do you believe Brandon to be mentally fit not only to run for POTUS but serve a second term. I doubt you will answer honestly.

Brandon can't possibly run. It is getting close to the point now where he will be forced to step aside.

Are you refusing to answer the question?
Why would you refuse to answer such a simple question?

the questions are irrelevant and I have no opinion on it either. It makes no difference to me.

I can’t imagine why I would answer your dodge if you’re refusing to answer the simple question in front of you.

Fair enough.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Brandon can't possibly run. It is getting close to the point now where he will be forced to step aside.

Forced by whom?

Forced to step aside due to his health. Brandon can stand down and publicly say something like "I just don't feel up to it" or however his staff/wife want to phrase it.

i understand your position, but who would do the “forcing”?

Not “who” would force him but “what”. His health could force him to step aside. In an extreme event, his death perhaps, would force him to step aside.

Ok. So you expect his health to deteriorate significantly in the next few months or possibly even die. Then the Democrats will have to put someone in his place. Thats right?

I mean I know people are commenting on his age and saying he’s not mentally acute anymore but on death’s door is not something I’ve hear anyone (other than you) discuss.

I thought you were implying that the DNC for example would think his chances of winning would become so low they would force him to stop running. I apologize for the misunderstanding.

 

[repoman]

I heard a theory that the Dems need to wait until Super Tuesday for Biden to get enough votes (combined with super delegates) to be able to drop out. Then someone like Newsom (not Williamson or Philips) will come along and get the nomination. Philips' delegates after Super Tuesday Biden dropout would not be enough to overcome a Newsom (for example) superdelegate gifting?

Is this plausible or even possible?

If Biden were to drop out today, then Dean Philips would get all of the delegates?

Is Dean Philips a hated schmuck that TPTB don't like?

It is kind of "interesting" that Philips is getting no coverage.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Brandon can't possibly run. It is getting close to the point now where he will be forced to step aside.

Forced by whom?

Forced to step aside due to his health. Brandon can stand down and publicly say something like "I just don't feel up to it" or however his staff/wife want to phrase it.

i understand your position, but who would do the “forcing”?

Not “who” would force him but “what”. His health could force him to step aside. In an extreme event, his death perhaps, would force him to step aside.

Meh... he'd just go away as Dark Brandon and come back as Brandon the White.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

With Suozzi win in NY, I think that is a good sign that unless something drastic happens between now and November, the Democrats are retaking the House (with a larger majority than the GOP have as well).

The math is pretty desperate for the Dems to retain the Senate. Sure the GOP is doing everything in their power to demonstrate they can't lead a family picnic, let alone govern the nation, but people will vote GOP as they always had, and the Dems are almost certainly losing the Senate. The question will be by how much. Sen. Brown in Ohio is entrenched, but Ohio has swayed hard to the MAGA. Tim Ryan was a perfect Democrat candidate for the state and he lost to JD fucking Vance.

 

[Elixir]

The math is pretty desperate for the Dems to retain the Senate.

Right. I expect the dynamics to change somewhat by October/November, but it would take a hell of a transformation to put Dems in a Senate majority next year.
If Trump keeps helping out though, you never know. People are definitely getting sick of that fat ugly fuck and his boorish stupidity, Nikki Haley is helping by doing a tiny bit of troothin’, and Dems’ performance stats for the economy, reproductive freedom, support of Democracy … may all become stronger factors in the lead up.

 

[thebeave]

Taylor Swift talking politics with her parents.

Well, the Super Bowl is over and so far TS has not made a public declaration for Biden. So who knows if its still going to happen. I'm betting it won't. Given the beating Biden got from the Hur report, he could use all the support he can muster at this point. On the other hand, TS's jet-setting lifestyle does not seem to be in line with Biden's climate agenda:

Why Taylor Swift’s globe-trotting in private jets is getting scrutinized

SWIFT’S CARBON FOOTPRINT​

If Swift attends the Super Bowl, she will be traveling from Tokyo, where she is on tour. That will mean more than 19,400 miles (30,500 kilometers) by private jet in just under two weeks. Just how much carbon dioxide will that be?

While exact carbon emissions depend on many factors, such as flight paths and number of passengers, a rough estimate is possible, said Gregory Keoleian, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. Traveling 19,400 miles on a Dassault Falcon 900LX, one of Swift’s jets, could release more than 200,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, he said.

That would be about 14 times as much as the average American household emits in a year, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administratio

How realistic commercial travel would be for Swift is open for debate. After all, she’s so famous that even if she wanted to, flying on commercial flights might be chaotic for an airline crew and any public airport she frequents. Keoleian said there are other important ways that public figures flying private can address climate change, such as through their influence on public attitudes and perceptions, investments and who they vote for.

The controversy over Swift’s use of private jets illustrates the “great disparity” between the wealthy and lower-income people when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions each person generates, said Julia Stein, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Justin Bieber seems to be laying low and staying home these days. Maybe he would be a better fit than TS? Or there's always Greta Thunberg, though she doesn't know how to sing.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Are people expecting Swift to endorse anyone? The right-wing's obsession with her is... well typical. She says people should get registered to vote, and all of a sudden she is everywhere in alt-right media.

Also,, Justin Bieber is Canadian.

 

[Politesse]

Taylor Swift talking politics with her parents.

Well, the Super Bowl is over and so far TS has not made a public declaration for Biden. So who knows if its still going to happen. I'm betting it won't. Given the beating Biden got from the Hur report, he could use all the support he can muster at this point. On the other hand, TS's jet-setting lifestyle does not seem to be in line with Biden's climate agenda:

Why Taylor Swift’s globe-trotting in private jets is getting scrutinized

SWIFT’S CARBON FOOTPRINT​

If Swift attends the Super Bowl, she will be traveling from Tokyo, where she is on tour. That will mean more than 19,400 miles (30,500 kilometers) by private jet in just under two weeks. Just how much carbon dioxide will that be?

While exact carbon emissions depend on many factors, such as flight paths and number of passengers, a rough estimate is possible, said Gregory Keoleian, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. Traveling 19,400 miles on a Dassault Falcon 900LX, one of Swift’s jets, could release more than 200,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, he said.

That would be about 14 times as much as the average American household emits in a year, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administratio

How realistic commercial travel would be for Swift is open for debate. After all, she’s so famous that even if she wanted to, flying on commercial flights might be chaotic for an airline crew and any public airport she frequents. Keoleian said there are other important ways that public figures flying private can address climate change, such as through their influence on public attitudes and perceptions, investments and who they vote for.

The controversy over Swift’s use of private jets illustrates the “great disparity” between the wealthy and lower-income people when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions each person generates, said Julia Stein, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Justin Bieber seems to be laying low and staying home these days. Maybe he would be a better fit than TS? Or there's always Greta Thunberg, though she doesn't know how to sing.

And you disapprove of plane travel?

 

[Elixir]

 

[TSwizzle]

Brandon can't possibly run. It is getting close to the point now where he will be forced to step aside.

Forced by whom?

Forced to step aside due to his health. Brandon can stand down and publicly say something like "I just don't feel up to it" or however his staff/wife want to phrase it.

i understand your position, but who would do the “forcing”?

Not “who” would force him but “what”. His health could force him to step aside. In an extreme event, his death perhaps, would force him to step aside.

Ok. So you expect his health to deteriorate significantly in the next few months or possibly even die. Then the Democrats will have to put someone in his place. Thats right?

His mental and physical decline is obvious. How bad it gets is anybody's guess but I know it won't get better. If these issues do get worse and cause significant problems he (or his wife or family) may decide it better he don't run due to ill health. And at 81 years old, death is a risk. If he did die (an extreme event) then surely you agree that a replacement would be needed?

I mean I know people are commenting on his age and saying he’s not mentally acute anymore but on death’s door is not something I’ve hear anyone (other than you) discuss.

I don't think I said he is at death's door but I may have jokingly said he has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana skin. But anyway, no he does not appear to be at death's door. He's a frail old geezer with early stage dementia who should not be running for president.

I thought you were implying that the DNC for example would think his chances of winning would become so low they would force him to stop running. I apologize for the misunderstanding.

I don't know what the DNC thinks of his chances of winning are or if they can force him to stop running.