The Race For 2024

[Toni]

Such a weird flex to make fun of someone who laughs and shows joy.

I think it's because her laugh sounds weird and also that she has a penchant for laughing at her own jokes.

I also think it’s pretty stupid to criticize someone for their laugh as if that has any bearing on their political acumen.

Wondering aloud what Derec's laugh sounds like.

It is also worth pointing out that the only time Trump laughs is when he's mocking or belittling someone else. Comics who were at the Comedy Central Roast of him pointed out as much, saying that he seemed incapable of self-deprecating humor. The folks on SNL also mentioned his odd sense of what's "funny."

He also notably skipped the White House Correspondent's dinner...where Presidents have traditionally laughed uproariously as comics roasted them, and then stood up and poked fun at themselves (though most of the jokes were written for them).

Yeah, Harris has a weird laugh. Most people do. Yet Trump is a humorless gremlin who only laughs when others are being hurt.

Serious question: You've seen Trump laugh? In a video, I mean. I honestly don't think I ever have and indeed, I cannot imagine that. Or at least not a laugh captured on camera. His people would never hurt their cash cow by allowing footage of him laughing at a kitten get run over by a car to make it to public eyes.

 

[Derec]

I love how in the SAME POST as you try to claim you treat people as individuals you say in the SAME POST you say Toni’s the hypocrite because of someone ELSE’S untrue jokes about Vance.

I did not accuse her of making such jokes, but of how she is attacking people using nicknames for Dem politicians (esp. women) but not having similar reactions to the far more frequent uses of unflattering nicknames for Republicans.

 

[Derec]

IMO, focusing criticism of a person because their laugh because it “sound weird” goes way beyond petty. It is a desperate attempt to find fault.

That is not focus of my criticism of her. I have elucidated substantive criticism of her and her positions before. This is specifically about the double standard of how nicknames for politicians are treated on here. I.e. nicknames for Republicans, no matter how nasty, are ok, but anything unflattering about Kamala Harris is deemed "sexist' and "racist".

 

[Derec]

If you thought about it, you’d see you are mistaken.

It's still you who is mistaken.

 

[Elixir]

Still partial to the ticket name
“Miracle Ear and the Sectional Predator”

 

[laughing dog]

IMO, focusing criticism of a person because their laugh because it “sound weird” goes way beyond petty. It is a desperate attempt to find fault.

That is not focus of my criticism of her. I have elucidated substantive criticism of her and her positions before. This is specifically about the double standard of how nicknames for politicians are treated on here. I.e. nicknames for Republicans, no matter how nasty, are ok, but anything unflattering about Kamala Harris is deemed "sexist' and "racist".

That post of yours was only about Ms Harris’s laugh.

As far about nicknames are treated here, your characterization is delusional. They are not edited or censored. Some people object to some, some don’t.

 

[laughing dog]

If you thought about it, you’d see you are mistaken.

It's still you who is mistaken.

Feel better?

 

[Toni]

I love how in the SAME POST as you try to claim you treat people as individuals you say in the SAME POST you say Toni’s the hypocrite because of someone ELSE’S untrue jokes about Vance.

I did not accuse her of making such jokes, but of how she is attacking people using nicknames for Dem politicians (esp. women) but not having similar reactions to the far more frequent uses of unflattering nicknames for Republicans.

Eh, I think I was the person, or one of them who pointed out the allegations of Vance writing about masturbating on or between couch cushions was NOT actually in his memoir.

I would probably be less likely to criticize you fir your racist, sexist nicknames for political figures if you did not have a very long posting history of using racist and sexist derogatory language to describe people who have been accused of crimes or who are victims of crimes. That you use such language describing black and./ or female politicians is merely an extension of your pattern of making sexist and racist remarks about people you don’t know.

 

[Shadowy Man]

IMO, focusing criticism of a person because their laugh because it “sound weird” goes way beyond petty. It is a desperate attempt to find fault.

That is not focus of my criticism of her. I have elucidated substantive criticism of her and her positions before. This is specifically about the double standard of how nicknames for politicians are treated on here. I.e. nicknames for Republicans, no matter how nasty, are ok, but anything unflattering about Kamala Harris is deemed "sexist' and "racist".

This board does not speak with a single voice. I am not convinced that it necessarily the same folks who are using nicknames against republicans who are calling out the racist, sexist attacks against Harris. You’re setting up a strawman.

 

[bilby]

This board does not speak with a single voice.

That's what you all say.

 

[Derec]

This board does not speak with a single voice.

Of course not.

I am not convinced that it necessarily the same folks who are using nicknames against republicans who are calling out the racist, sexist attacks against Harris. You’re setting up a strawman.

They are not the same people, and I am not setting up a strawman because I have been pretty explicit that I am not conflating the two.
My point was that those like Toni who call out any mocking of Democrats (and call it "racist" and/or "sexist" if it involves somebody non-white or female) are not reacting in a similar way to mocking of Republicans.

And again, just because Kamala Harris is the target of ridicule does not make it "racist" or "sexist". If similar stuff were written about a white male politician, nobody would bat an eye.

 

[Derec]

I would probably be less likely to criticize you fir your racist, sexist nicknames for political figures if you did not have a very long posting history of using racist and sexist derogatory language to describe people who have been accused of crimes or who are victims of crimes.

Again, using unflattering nicknames toward somebody female or non-white does not make it "sexist" or "racist".
Those two words have been horribly overused in recent years.

That you use such language describing black and./ or female politicians is merely an extension of your pattern of making sexist and racist remarks about people you don’t know.

Bullshit, since I also use nicknames for white male politicians. For example Goodhair for Newsom or β for O'Rourke.
You have drank deep from the well of identity politics so that you see anything unflattering about somebody non-white or female as automatically "racist" and "sexist". But that's nonsense.

 

[Derec]

That post of yours was only about Ms Harris’s laugh.

That particular post, yes, because it was primarily about pointing out double standards when it comes to nicknames or otherwise ridiculing politicians on this board. The image of Kamala Harris laughing was just a vehicle to point out that criticism.

I have criticized Kamala Harris on substance and policies many times on various threads. Since 2019 at least. But not every post will be about that.

 

[Swammerdami]

An interesting opinion by Adam Nichols:

'Furious' Trump is panicked as MAGA becomes monster he no longer controls: analyst

The MAGA movement has grown to such an extent that it’s now more powerful than Donald Trump is — and it’s become one of the former president's biggest threats, an analyst wrote in the New York Times. . . . Trump as an individual is losing his grasp on it — and it's becoming a Frankenstein monster its creator has little control over.

“This is why J.D. Vance has been a political liability to Trump’s campaign: Vance represents MAGA as it has evolved — esoterically ideological, deeply resentful, terminally online — unleavened by Trump’s instincts for showmanship and the winds of public sentiment.”

“It has absorbed more specific and unusual ideologies than he has. It is more hostile to abortion than he is, or than he wants to appear to be. It is more committed to deregulating health insurance than he is, or than he wants to appear to be.

“There is a great gap between the MAGA leader who slept with a porn star and the factions in the MAGA movement that want to outlaw pornography, as Roberts proposed on Project 2025’s first page.”

And Trump is now so associated with it that it could be what brings him down.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I caught some of Harris' speech she gave yesterday on economics. I find her rather personable in this type of setting, not being in rally or debate mode. I like this Kamala.
She referenced a couple times about putting pragmatism above ideology, understanding nothing gets done in government by being a Bernie.
She mentioned going after corporate landlords who hoover up entire neighborhoods and drive up costs. She mentioned geothermal while speaking about clean energy. Something I think is going to be huge in the near future. And she made reference to employees having more equity in the places they work. I hope this translates to promoting wholly employee owned companies.
It's worth a watch. I have it queued up where she calls Trump "one of the biggest losers" so you might want to rewind.

 

[laughing dog]

That post of yours was only about Ms Harris’s laugh.

That particular post, yes,

Which was my point. Thank you for finally paying attention.

because it was primarily about pointing out double standards when it comes to nicknames or otherwise ridiculing politicians on this board. The image of Kamala Harris laughing was just a vehicle to point out that criticism.

There is no double standard on the board. Which is what I pointed out in the part of my response you ignored in your response.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

But you don’t treat people as individuals.

I do.

You focus exclusively on their race and gender and hold them to differing standards based on their race and gender.

No, I don't. You are projecting. For example, I think both white men and black females in politics should be fair game for ridicule. You (and other leftist posters on here) think it is "misogyny" and/or "racism" to mock blacks and/or females.
I also think admissions standards should be the same regardless of race and gender. You (and other leftist posters) disagree.

Instead of critiquing Harris solely on job performance or positions, you muck it all up by including your sexist, racist slurs.

I have pointed out my disagreements with her positions a lot. But yes, I engage in mocking as well, just like I would with anybody else. You are the one who interprets this as "racist" and "sexist" because you think black and female politicians should not be subject to the same ridicule white men are subject to. Why is it OK to make fun of the completely made up story about JD Vance and the couch? Nobody is accusing people making couch jokes of being racist or misandrist. But even posting a funny gif of Kamala Harris cackling got me labeled as "misogynist" on this very thread. There is obviously a double standard.

Do you not realize how much you undermine your own POV with that nonsense? It makes you appear to be on par with people of Trump’s ilk, which I do not think you are.

It only undermines me with hyperpartisans like you. I think there is a lot to ridicule about Trump and Vance, but also with Harris and Walz. Ridiculing Harris is not "sexist" and "racist" just because she happens to be a woman with black ancestry.

I think you have some serious and legitimate points to make. I don’t necessarily agree with all of them, but it’s altogether possible to express POVs without a bunch of slurs attached.

Why? Why is it acceptable to pepper a discussion post with mocking when the target is Trump or Vance, or even a Republican woman, but it becomes a "slur" when somebody like Kamala Harris is the target?

Sometimes I think you have a file folder of people accused of crimes, cross referenced by race, with insulting nicknames noted by each entry

The Thug Hall of Fame.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I caught some of Harris' speech she gave yesterday on economics. I find her rather personable in this type of setting, not being in rally or debate mode. I like this Kamala.
She referenced a couple times about putting pragmatism above ideology, understanding nothing gets done in government by being a Bernie.
She mentioned going after corporate landlords who hoover up entire neighborhoods and drive up costs. She mentioned geothermal while speaking about clean energy. Something I think is going to be huge in the near future.

But the problem with geothermal is it involves using a heat pump. Why go through all the extra effort of digging/drilling geothermal wells/lines and use a heat pump... when you could just heat and cool the home with a heat pump? There is virtually financial savings using Geothermal over a heat pump. Now, for areas with strong geothermal sources, I think the math changes a bit.

And she made reference to employees having more equity in the places they work. I hope this translates to promoting wholly employee owned companies.
It's worth a watch. I have it queued up where she calls Trump "one of the biggest losers" so you might want to rewind.

When I see Trump right now, I think of Al Franken's book "Why Not Me", the fictional look of his running for President. He got into the run, made a couple easy promises, and simpleton'd it into the White House. No tax on tips, stuff like that.

Harris is starting to get into the weeds of policy. It took a while, because generally running for President takes a while. It is good to see her expanding a bit more into details. Now the right-wing will pivot from she isn't talking to, her radical agenda of dealing with housing shortages.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

2024 is something, PA, AZ, NV, NC, GA, MI, WI are all within a point or two. As things stand on E-V.com, Harris can only stand to lose Nevada at the moment. Trump needs to swing one state, PA, MI, WI. The trouble is, he can't afford for GA, NC, or AZ to swing. He loses one of them, he needs a miracle in the Midwest... again.

349 would seem to be the absolute max if one claims all of the states above and FL. Trump is polling 4 pts clear in the Too Much Sunshine State, which would seem a bit difficult for Harris to overcome, making her max 319. A poll came out yesterday with a shocker as incumbent Deb Fischer in Nebraska was down 1 pt to Dan Osborn (I). It was an Osborn sponsored poll, but the same folks also polled the other Nebraska race and the Republican has an 18 pt lead. That would be something if the Democrats/Independents maintained or expanded their Senate control! Obviously, Osborn wouldn't be a left-wing rubber stamp. Any GOP dollar put into a Senate race in Nebraska is a squandered dollar, so that helps the Dems in one way or the other.

 

[Politesse]

Harris is starting to get into the weeds of policy

I hope she doesn't get too carried away, American voters hate "boring" policy discusions, and "arrogant" solutions to problems. Governing the country? YAWN. Gimme a meaningless slogan and drop some shade on the other guy!