US Politics Mega-thread - Page 2544

On August 07 2020 06:41 Wombat_NI wrote:

Maybe masks shaped like guns is the marketing ploy needed to encourage mass adoption?

On August 07 2020 06:21 Velr wrote:
"Americans buy more guns because XYZ scares them".

Oldest story in the world, the Onion said everything there was to say about it. I'm just waiting to see you all burn in your self made dystopia.

On August 07 2020 09:11 GreenHorizons wrote:
I'm wondering which Biden comment is more racist, his response to a question about whether he's taken a cognitive test (all nominees regardless of age should take imo) or his delineation between Black communities and Latinx communities?

Struggling through his quip about judging his mental and physical fitness was tough to watch personally.

“No religion, no anything,” Trump said. “Hurt the Bible, hurt God. He’s against God.

On August 07 2020 09:30 Danglars wrote:

He probably can’t become president just chillin in the basement and going for friendly interviews (still flubbing them), but it sounds like he should try his best to dodge debates. These outbursts generally come after slightly-tough questioning, whether on gun control, or assuming the black vote.

It certainly will be something to see the type that would call Biden racist actually end up voting for him to defeat a worse evil. I think the black and white outlook on what’s disqualifying will instantly change.

On August 07 2020 09:45 Nevuk wrote:
I actually fully believe Biden could dodge the debates entirely and win. Now, I don't know whether it would HELP him win, but Trump is just that far behind currently (the argument of "how could anyone do a worse job?" in regards to Covid is hard to beat, given Kushner disbanding a national testing plan since "only blue states were affected", allowing them to blame democrats for the problem).

Refusing to pass benefits for those unemployed due to the pandemic also seems like suicide by a lot of senators. Not sure what the republican plan is there - it's really hard to say it's the fault of the unemployed for not using their bootstraps in the current situation. (Trump's payroll tax cut wouldn't really help the people who currently aren't being paid, and it's the best I've seen offered).

Trump's also making these kinds of statements about Biden, which don't sound any more sane than Biden's.

On August 07 2020 09:56 JimmiC wrote:
I agree finding problems complaining about them is much easier than looking for solutions. Also difficult choices are and it is easier to just not make them.

Biden is saying if he gets elected he will not stand in the way of a possible prosecution of Trump.

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/06/899375561/biden-says-he-wouldnt-stand-in-the-way-of-a-trump-prosecution

On August 07 2020 10:39 Starlightsun wrote:
^ Why post the most uninformative part of the interview with Pelosi? I watched it as it aired, and I would like to know who is telling the truth regarding the amount of allocated money being unspent. Pelosi said it was a small amount and that it could not be spent pending further legislation. They also covered that "state aid" for the Republicans is going exclusively to schools - zero food aid or anything else. The messaging from the Republicans seems to be that any government help is contingent on returning to school or work, regardless if it is safe or not.

Link to the full interview, there was a lot more in it to discuss than one soundbyte of Pelosi losing her cool:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/pelosi-says-gop-still-doesnt-recognize-gravity-of-coronavirus-crisis

On August 07 2020 10:08 Danglars wrote:

It went down with Democrats holding out for more state aid. They're playing the dangerous game of holding up aid hoping that Trump caves or picks up the blame for nothing getting done. See for example this interview with Pelosi:
https://twitter.com/IWV/status/1291487769424990210

Republicans have been compromising on what jobless benefits will look like in the short term. Democrats are still pushing for more state aid (the counter being most of the last stuff is still unspent), and Dems favor payouts for rent/mortgages rather than eviction protections. Pelosi and Schumer certainly seem assured in their present strategy, but I don't think they'll get away with it. Like McConnell tells it, what happened to congressional Democrats in March, who compromised to fund a bill? But we'll see.

And Trump obviously has a much harder time portraying himself as more trustworthy on covid when he doesn't appear to get commonly used measures in the discussion. Here's hoping Biden emerges from the basement to also give an interview to Swan from Axios, to prove he can handle straightforward questions from a non-aligned questioner.

On August 07 2020 12:09 Nevuk wrote:

When it's the middle of a pandemic/depression, the side saying "give less aid" is going to automatically look bad. Even if they're right - that's my main point. I think the optics of the republican stance make it an insane position to take. They have to defend the position that the economy is doing poorly, but not as poorly as democrats think it is. That comes off terribly to anyone negatively affected (which is a lot of people).

(And yes, 1 trillion vs 3 trillion is a massive difference. If democrats were trying to get a 2 trillion bill, I'd applaud their negotiating tactics, but I think they legitimately meant for a 3 trillion bill, knowing them).

I would actually enjoy a Biden/Swan interview, fwiw.

On August 07 2020 14:43 Uldridge wrote:
Danglars, church services are inside and protests are held outside, the infectivity rate between the two aren't really comparable other than the "many people (can) attend at the same time" side of things.