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People do not know they are being lied to if the lies reinforce their prejudices and / or they want to believe. Talk to some brexiteers! They still do not accept they were lied to
I'm on TikTok and Facebook right now attempting to counter some of the "the CDC secretly changed their figures and there are actually only 9000 dead from Covid" bullcrap that is springing up literally everywhere that Covid is mentioned.
People absolutely swallow unconvincing lies that suit them.
People do not know they are being lied to if the lies reinforce their prejudices and / or they want to believe
I think most people do know on some level but they just choose not to think about it. Cognitive dissonance innit.
There was a video shown on (I think) the John Oliver show last time around during the campaign from some young redneck in mining country. I wish I could find it now, but the comments he was making was basically that he knows Trump is lying (this was before the election), he knows it is not "foreigners" fault for taking jobs even if that is the main narrative being driven he blames wall street and corporate America. He thinks Trump is someone who deserves a slap, but no one else is offering them anything.
And this is being repeated again, they are chasing a smaller number of disillusioned republicans and completely ignoring the 100 million disenfranchised voters in terms of policy.
https://nypost.com/2020/08/30/michael-moore-says-trump-could-repeat-his-2016-win/
He's got Michael Moore's endorsement - I've got to say, I'm inclined to agree with him 🙁
BLM guaranteed a Trump win.
I don't think he needs to win.
If he is ahead on the night in the key swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota then he can declare himself the victor and just block mail in vote counts in those states.
All of those states had less than a 2% margin last time. So it would only take a small difference in postal vs in person vote preference between Dems and Rep voters to give Trump a lead in votes counted in all the swing states on election night.
I hate to say this but what Biden needs is a large/huge uptick in Covid cases/deaths over the next 9 weeks. That gives me no pleasure to stay, just so we are clear.
Regrettably, there is a good chance that will happen,too.
The Russian IRA group are using the Hillary playbook against Biden now:
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/z3e5pj/russias-troll-army-is-running-the-hillary-clinton-playbook-on-joe-biden
Seems like Angry Tinkerbell is now Very Concerned about another weapon being used by Antifa Terrorists - soup.
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/10001730/trump-cans-bags-of-soup-antifa-protestors?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss
And to highlight the absurdity of AT’s rants about Democrat-run cities, Republican-run cities are just as bad...
https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-nyt-democrats-trump-cities-violence-20200902-piez5hizznft5n4yl4pl756nxa-story.html
The "russian" playbook is to sow division, to claim that they back any particular narrative completely misses the point of their techniques. They play both sides of the narrative usually with falsified emotive coverage.
And IMO it isn't enough for facebook, twitter and youtube etc to just remove dodgy content. They need to change their algorithms to create greater variety and prevent the content fishbowl that you can quickly find yourself in.
They're not even trying to hide it this time around
https://twitter.com/jonkarl/status/1301095835514609664?s=19
Why?
Because she wants US forces who committed war crimes to be prosecuted.
Where as the US believe they are the good guys, therefore any action taken by US forces must be legal. This isn't even new or just a Trump position, this has always been the US's position.
Obama threatened sanctions against Germany if they pursued criminal actions against the CIA personnel who had kidnapped a German citizen from a German street and renditioned him to the middle east (because his name was similar to a terrorist).
I don’t think anyone wins any ground at the debate only a massive gaff would swing the dial and they are both capable of that.
Agreed - at this point I don't understand how any US voter can be undecided. It just comes down to how effective Trump's bullshit machine is in convincing the middle they're better off with him vs Biden and at this point he seems to be doing a better job of convincing people Democrats=Communists rather than the Democrats convincing people Republicans=Fascists.
I also agree with others that the rioting, however people may justify it, just plays into Trumps hands, it's going to bring out the otherwise apathetic middle & working class white vote for Trump and that could be key in some swing states.
Announcing the sanctions, the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, did not give any specific reasons for the move other than to say the ICC “continues to target Americans” and that Bensouda was “materially assisting” that alleged effort.
In June, Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing sanctions on ICC officials involved in investigating Americans, in response to the court’s decision to open an inquiry into war crimes committed by all sides in Afghanistan.
The US also opposes ICC scrutiny of potential Israeli crimes against Palestinians as part of an investigation that also looks at abuses carried out by Palestinian security forces.
This is some truly ****ed up shit. At home they are supporting racists and abroad they are sanctioning war crime investigators?
It's the same issue as labour with Corbyn. The party believes that trump/Johnson are so obviously not capable that anybody will beat them as opposed to putting up a good candidate.
Trump will win again and all hell will break loose.
As much as that thought horrifies me, maybe this is what the US (and the world) needs: An example for another two generations of the dangers of extremism and nationalism. If the US, once a beacon of freedom in a dark, cold world can fall into fascism by isolating itself, maybe other nations can avoid that by looking outwards, working together and trying to spread freedom.
I still find it amazing that they can fall so far so fast and that we seem intent on following.
And now this.
US President Donald Trump has told people in the state of North Carolina to vote twice in November's election, despite this being illegal.
Mr Trump suggested voters vote once in person and a second time by post, in order to stress-test the system.
The president has frequently made false claims that postal votes are vulnerable to significant electoral fraud.
And now this.
US President Donald Trump has told people in the state of North Carolina to vote twice in November’s election, despite this being illegal.
He's now clarified with a series of tweets.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1301528521026744322
But still, I can't see it helps to have millions of people voting by mail and then arriving at the polling station on the day just to check their vote arrived. Can't imagine the people there will have that info anyway - any checks for duplicates prob happen later in the process.
He's just stirring as usual, wants the voting process to fail. As an official just pointed out on the news, you can check your vote has been received online, no need to visit in person.
Amazing that he is absolutely willing to throw the country he professes to love* under a bus for his own agenda.
*I doubt he truly loves anyone or anything apart from himself. Including his own family.
*I doubt he truly loves anyone or anything apart from himself. Including his own family.
That’s established fact - he’s a malignant narcissistic psychopath who cares about nothing and nobody but himself, he ticks every box on however long a list you care to compile, have no doubt about it.
I rather like this campaign poster someone has created, just about sums up the whole terrifying situation that the US has found itself in...
Jamze
Full MemberBut still, I can’t see it helps to have millions of people voting by mail and then arriving at the polling station on the day just to check their vote arrived. Can’t imagine the people there will have that info anyway – any checks for duplicates prob happen later in the process.
Oh, if you've got a shortage of polling stations and fear over public gatherings, and also high tension between "sides", having loads of extra people turn up at polling stations is a great idea- more queues, more conflict. It's actually even better if the people at the polling station can't check it, because that way you get angry people refusing to leave instead of just pointless enquiries being resolved.
Just another ticking time bomb... Carry on in this vein and it's easy to imagine someone shooting up a polling station because the Deep State Leftist polling clerk refused to tell them if their vote had arrived or not. And even that's a win for the republicans at this point, as it naturally affects the people who've had their franchise squeezed the most.
He acts like he's not responsible for the voting system. He's the Prez - it's his goddamn system!
It’s the same issue as labour with Corbyn. The party believes that trump/Johnson are so obviously not capable that anybody will beat them as opposed to putting up a good candidate.
Trump will win again and all hell will break loose
I disagree - you could argue that was the case for the 2016 elections (although Hilary was probably their best candidate then) but the Democrats are now very aware of Trump and the threat he poses, they just haven't really developed a strategy that works against him as his large right-wing base just don't respond to a reasoned argument based on fact.
As much as I'd like to see Sanders as president it's clear Biden is the best choice this time as he's the safest choice for what is going to be another tight election. He can largely keep hold of the centre of the party (and the vote) whereas Sanders (and the other candidates) would have been more divisive.
The Democrats are just relying on a large left and centre turnout now and Trump's camp is aware of that hence they're trying to sabotage that turn-out (whether it's mail-in voting or now trying to create friction at voting stations).
If the US, once a beacon of freedom in a dark, cold world
When was that? If there's a hint that US interests would be effected they've interfered in other countries politics.
When was that? If there’s a hint that US interests would be effected they’ve interfered in other countries politics.
They were pretty much completely isolationist between the World Wars.
They did have a large Navy but almost no Army.
As much as I’d like to see Sanders as president it’s clear Biden is the best choice this time as he’s the safest choice for what is going to be another tight election. He can largely keep hold of the centre of the party (and the vote) whereas Sanders (and the other candidates) would have been more divisive.
Indeed - if Trump's team are pulling the republican party to the right disillusioned republican voters are looking for someone occupying the middle ground that Trump has vacated - they're not looking to lunge to the left.
As much as Trumps is trying to paint any democrat as a radical leftist communist loony - Obama was such a middle ground democrat that he could have reasonably have run as a republican. Democrats won't win Trump supporters over - they are a lost cause - but a conventional republicans can't look at Biden's political past with Obama and find voting for him as a way of dropping Trump as too bitter a pill to swallow.
The import thing is for these voters to realise the difference between 'not voting for trump' and 'voting not for trump' and that they need to be active in opposing him rather than just no supporting him.
they just haven’t really developed a strategy that works against him as his large right-wing base just don’t respond to a reasoned argument based on fact.
And that is why populism is winning across two world. The people that vote for Trump actually like what he is doing - his racism, his semi fascist law and order crap and so on.
You won't ever get those people to go for Biden so it will again be a very close election where the only hope is the the few million that gave Trump a chance last time now realise what they have done.
And that is why populism is winning across two world. The people that vote for Trump actually like what he is doing – his racism, his semi fascist law and order crap and so on.
See also Brexit, Tory Party etc. Brexit voters didn't mind being lied to as they liked what they heard.
We watch America with morbid fascination and horror yet we seem to heading in a largely similar direction of populist politicians, furthering their own agendas without any repercussion for lying or terrible performance.
Indeed – if Trump’s team are pulling the republican party to the right disillusioned republican voters are looking for someone occupying the middle ground that Trump has vacated – they’re not looking to lunge to the left.
Something the Labour party need to think about. Disgruntled Tory voters don't want a left wing socialist utopia and won't vote for it, but a centre ground/"not a far right" utopia would do it.
More Americans didn't vote in the last election than voted for Trump. The mythical middle ground of swing voters is tiny. The disenfranchised are the votes they should be chasing, but that needs a change of direction that they are not willing to take.
he’s a malignant narcissistic psychopath who cares about nothing and nobody but himself, he ticks every box on however long a list you care to compile, have no doubt about it.
And, despite evidence of this rolling out day after day, his base simply does not give a shit.
The only hope for Biden (and America) is that the base is sufficiently small and that, unlike 2016, enough wavering voters (who actively voted against Hilary) stay at home.
Disgruntled Tory voters don’t want a left wing socialist utopia and won’t vote for it, but a centre ground/”not a far right” utopia would do it.
The flaw there, as is abundantly obvious in US politics, is the "centre ground" moves ever to the the right so we end up where anything which isnt rabidly right wing is portrayed as "left wing socialist utopia".
I can see why right wingers like to have this as the choice but anyone else it aint exactly a winner is it?
As it is here. It's not politics for the greater good it's politics for the greater profit.
As soon as you try to work outside the profit making ideals you're on a hiding to nothing.
See companies only making billions of profits laying people off when actually they could survive and do good.
It’s not politics for the greater good it’s politics for the greater profit.
This is worth a read, showing clearly Angry Tinkerbell’s attitude to money above all things, he openly insults Americans who’ve died or been injured in battle as suckers and losers, fighting for an idea, not for personal profit. He is a turd in human form.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers/615997/
He is a turd in human form.
You are being too kind.
I often dream of unleashing herds of moles on to his Scottish golf courses, or nicking one of the massive ploughing setups from my Uncles farm ,then covering the greens in some crop circle style patterns.
dissonance
Full MemberThe flaw there, as is abundantly obvious in US politics, is the “centre ground” moves ever to the the right so we end up where anything which isnt rabidly right wing is portrayed as “left wing socialist utopia”.
Yup. Theresa May's tory party conference with "if you believe you're a citizen of the world, you're a citizen of nowhere- you don't even understand what it means" was described as "parking the bus on the centre ground", despite being easily the most right wing prime minsterial message since Thatcher, while Miliband was "Red Ed" and "too far left" even though he was a genuine centrist.
And the states is the same but more so, where you can say things like "maybe people shouldn't lose their homes because of medical bills for a dying spouse" and it's Extreme Left Wing Anarchism.
TBh at this point it seems like winning arguments from the centre ground is harder than winning arguments about moving the centre ground to the right. And you'll notice that left wing politics is always obsessed with whether they should be left or centrist, while right wing politics just does its thing and says "this is obviously right" and can bring people along with that.
donald j trump - a bag of malignant cells in an expensive but ill-fitting suit; that's being charitable.
And, despite evidence of this rolling out day after day, his base simply does not give a shit.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers/615997/
/blockquote>That's, aaa... That's not a million miles away from the batshit-crazy Westboro Baptist Church nonsense...
Arf arf
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/05/boats-sink-texas-trump-parade-409332
Disappointed that the orange buffoon wasn't there, in a boat...sinking; a turd will always float to the surface particularly if it's been fed on greasy take aways...
Floating stools are often an indication of high fat content
I did see that and my initial thoughts were ‘they have Trump Boat Rally’s? WTF?!’
This is art. It's got everything.
(All rescued, apparently)
#Dumbkirk
You all do understand he will win the election don't you?
Four more years.... of dumb and dumber
I know we've been here before but its going to be a tsunami of bad headlines for Trump from here till the election. His base might not gve a shit but they wont win him an election
Looks like the Obama hatred was deeper and weirder then we ever could have imagined. It also makes the piss tape story seem even more believable
https://twitter.com/Pervaizistan/status/1302427987929899008?s=20
The boat parade was trending on Twitter as #Dumbkirk 😀