2020 Politics Thread - Enter At Your Own Risk - RULES IN OP

[irv]

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed myself leaning more to the right. I just can’t vote for Trump because he’s too divisive and an overall bad person with minimal leadership capabilities.

Biden is an old goof.

I predict whoever wins dies in office from old age or some complication. So we need to figure out the best VP candidate.

Crap, hosed there, too

I hear this argument quite often but I just don't see it?

Obama, on the other hand, and in my opinion, was, by far, the worst at causing a lot of that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvgrYCmyO7k

[arek]

Originally Posted by TheHeel

I have never seen anything like that on a large scale operation.

Cheaters gunna cheat.

Originally Posted by steelcityguy

.

Mailboxes (drop boxes) are moved and replaced every single year. Some get outdated or damaged, others are moved to higher mail traffic areas. Some, if not being utitilized much at all, will be taken away completely. So the left using all those cute pics of mailboxes on trucks being hauled away, is laughable. Well, at least to those of us who are USPS employees and know the real truth, not some made up conspiracy garbage.

Thank you both for your replies. The story has piqued my interest and makes for interesting reading.

[TheFrenzy]

Originally Posted by steelcityguy

.

Mailboxes (drop boxes) are moved and replaced every single year. Some get outdated or damaged, others are moved to higher mail traffic areas. Some, if not being utitilized much at all, will be taken away completely. So the left using all those cute pics of mailboxes on trucks being hauled away, is laughable. Well, at least to those of us who are USPS employees and know the real truth, not some made up conspiracy garbage.

It was just a few months ago during the protests that wannabe anarchists were flooding the internet with images of "piles of rocks and bricks intentionally left out to tempt protesters".

(skip to 1:58)


Because no one had enough of a brain to recognize a retaining wall when they saw one:

[cnewby]

Originally Posted by TheFrenzy

It was just a few months ago during the protests that wannabe anarchists were flooding the internet with images of "piles of rocks and bricks intentionally left out to tempt protesters".

(skip to 1:58)


Because no one had enough of a brain to recognize a retaining wall when they saw one:

Aside from the rest of your post, please explain what your "retaining wall" is actually retaining.......wind?

[oldgoldy97]

Originally Posted by irv

I hear this argument quite often but I just don't see it?

Obama, on the other hand, and in my opinion, was, by far, the worst at causing a lot of that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvgrYCmyO7k

Have you read any of the many, many tweets directly from the president? Not some secondhand news story, but tweets he personally has put out? Or is that fake news and your Foxnews story real news?

And why are you bringing up Obama? He’s not running. Or does finger pointing somehow make things ok?

[jdandns]

Originally Posted by Astros19

Yep, my bad but let's not pretend I'm the only one who was a bit surprised. There were plenty of articles that popped up last night and confused twitter users on both sides of the aisle.
Regardless, the optics are still hilarious.
Bernie/AOC given a minute to win it!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

NBC is most to blame due to the initial, wildly misleading tweet they coughed up at 1 in the morning.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...9df?li=BBnb7Kz

NBC corrected the record, but one of very those 'hate clicks" (mentioned by AOC in her scathing rebuke) ended up being the article you linked to, and that will continue happening for the nonce from people who are ignorant, willfully or otherwise, of the information NBC News should have provided in the first place.

As for being surprised, no one who read the itinerary for the evening's events would have been, given how early in advance it was published.

[Zedlaw]

Originally Posted by irv

I hear this argument quite often but I just don't see it?

Obama, on the other hand, and in my opinion, was, by far, the worst at causing a lot of that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvgrYCmyO7k

There are white people protesting civil issues now.

The two most costly protests, with respect to property damage, happened before and after Obama's presidency.

I mean, the single largest one day protest in US history happened the day after Trump took office.

This is a very divided nation

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by cnewby

Aside from the rest of your post, please explain what your "retaining wall" is actually retaining.......wind?

The wall is retaining a cache of rocks to throw at police.

I mean, what is a “retaining wall” doing sitting upright on a curb in a downtown metro area.

[TheFrenzy]

Originally Posted by cnewby

Aside from the rest of your post, please explain what your "retaining wall" is actually retaining.......wind?

You mean the stock image I pulled from a seller's website so people could see a clear picture of what is in the YouTube video?

What are you even curious about? The vast majority of viral protestor posts were brainless drivel on par with the dregs of Brietbart and Alex Jones.

At this point, seeing "activist" in someone's bio is just as big of a red flag as "Patriot 2A" that you are dealing with an idiot.

[TheFrenzy]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

The wall is retaining a cache of rocks to throw at police.

I mean, what is a “retaining wall” doing sitting upright on a curb in a downtown metro area.

In metro areas they are typically set up at crosswalks and bus stops to serve as a bit of a decorative buffer between pedestrians and automobiles.

In poorly planned areas where soft soil embankments are higher than the road, they act as an actual semi-permeable retaining system and keep a good deal of the detritus out of the roadway while letting the water pass through.

[cnewby]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

The wall is retaining a cache of rocks to throw at police.

I mean, what is a “retaining wall” doing sitting upright on a curb in a downtown metro area.

The rocks ARE the "wall" - what is it retaining?

Originally Posted by TheFrenzy

You mean the stock image I pulled from a seller's website so people could see a clear picture of what is in the YouTube video?

What are you even curious about? The vast majority of viral protestor posts were brainless drivel on par with the dregs of Brietbart and Alex Jones.

At this point, seeing "activist" in someone's bio is just as big of a red flag as "Patriot 2A" that you are dealing with an idiot.

I am referring to the poorly chosen description for what was being referenced in the video. That is more of a decorative barrier. A retaining wall actually retains something(i.e. water at a shoreline)

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by TheFrenzy

In metro areas they are typically set up at crosswalks and bus stops to serve as a bit of a decorative buffer between pedestrians and automobiles.

In poorly planned areas where soft soil embankments are higher than the road, they act as an actual semi-permeable retaining system and keep a good deal of the detritus out of the roadway while letting the water pass through.

I was having some fun, and also questioning the logistics of a caged “wall” of rocks sitting upright on a curb.

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by cnewby

The rocks ARE the "wall" - what is it retaining?

The unrelenting and often invisible force of oppressive micro aggressions?

[Hootiefish]

Originally Posted by irv

I hear this argument quite often but I just don't see it?

Obama, on the other hand, and in my opinion, was, by far, the worst at causing a lot of that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvgrYCmyO7k

What is divisive, much like what is offensive, lies in the eye of the beholder. I didn't find President Obama's rhetoric very divisive because I agreed with the point of what he was saying.

I find much of what Trump says as divisive because he doesn't speak to my beliefs.

[jdandns]

Some of these fellas Frenzy runs cover for can't he even tell that he's trying to help them.


Take it easy, bros...

[cnewby]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

The unrelenting and often invisible force of oppressive micro aggressions?

[TheFrenzy]

If we could take a snapshot here, the "retaining walls being interpreted as intentionally traps set by authorities" is a perfect distillation of a very popular form of anti-intellectualism:

"I don't immediately understand the purpose of function of this thing and therefore I am justified in assuming the worst about it."

Who knows? Maybe Apple and other makers of incredibly intuitive products are to blame? We seem to be living in a world where more and more people operate on the assumption that good things will be immediately understood by 100% of the population and only bad things ever produce confusion or require clarification.

We saw it with the infamous "case/counties, descending order" chart published by the Georgia Department of Public Health back in April. The chart appeared at first glance to be a chaotic mess of data that falsely showed cases declining. It went viral (because people are morons) and even a Georgia congresswoman weighed in with her outrage at what was being described as a conspiracy to hide cases.

In reality, the Georgia DPH had released a set of over dozen different charts, each showing different facets of the pandemic. The dates listed on the infamous chart were out of order because it wasn't a chronological chart. Multiple other charts released showed case numbers over time. This particular chart was designed to show whether the highest daily case numbers were coming from the same counties or were dispersed across the state. In the end, the Georgia DPH retracted the chart because it was ultimately producing more controversy than education.

(Looking at the data, it revealed that Georgia did not have a clear epicenter like New York and almost every day it was a different county reporting the highest number of cases.)

But even when this was pointed out (for example, by me), the response was typically "well, why would anyone even need that data?"

In other words, "I don't understand this and therefore I am justified in assuming the worst, especially about people I already dislike."

Anti-intellectualism. Bigotry. Echo chambers. Prejudice. Fear. These things are infecting both sides like a cancer.

[TheFrenzy]

Originally Posted by jdandns

Some of these fellas Frenzy runs cover for can't he even tell that he's trying to help them.


Take it easy, bros...

I was born and raised in one of the Tea Party's founding counties. My hometown was one of three daily papers to endorse Trump. The BBC actually sent a reporter to do a story and called it "Trump's Town." I taught at a Christian high school in the area.

I've also been a social worker and now I work on the bleeding edge of liberalism here at ASU. I spent two hours yesterday on a Zoom call listening to the president answer more questions about how he was going to protect student from racism than from COVID.

There are no "sides" for me.

There is are basic principles of human decency that we should be living and governing according to and these require both enacting humane social programs and guarding God-given personal liberties.

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by TheFrenzy

If we could take a snapshot here, the "retaining walls being interpreted as intentionally traps set by authorities" is a perfect distillation of a very popular form of anti-intellectualism:

"I don't immediately understand the purpose of function of this thing and therefore I am justified in assuming the worst about it."

Who knows? Maybe Apple and other makers of incredibly intuitive products are to blame? We seem to be living in a world where more and more people operate on the assumption that good things will be immediately understood by 100% of the population and only bad things ever produce confusion or require clarification.

We saw it with the infamous "case/counties, descending order" chart published by the Georgia Department of Public Health back in April. The chart appeared at first glance to be a chaotic mess of data that falsely showed cases declining. It went viral (because people are morons) and even a Georgia congresswoman weighed in with her outrage at what was being described as a conspiracy to hide cases.

In reality, the Georgia DPH had released a set of over dozen different charts, each showing different facets of the pandemic. The dates listed on the infamous chart were out of order because it wasn't a chronological chart. Multiple other charts released showed case numbers over time. This particular chart was designed to show whether the highest daily case numbers were coming from the same counties or were dispersed across the state. In the end, the Georgia DPH retracted the chart because it was ultimately producing more controversy than education.

(Looking at the data, it revealed that Georgia did not have a clear epicenter like New York and almost every day it was a different county reporting the highest number of cases.)

But even when this was pointed out (for example, by me), the response was typically "well, why would anyone even need that data?"

In other words, "I don't understand this and therefore I am justified in assuming the worst, especially about people I already dislike."

Anti-intellectualism. Bigotry. Echo chambers. Prejudice. Fear. These things are infecting both sides like a cancer.

The easiest explanation is to assume good faith.

It’s not as much anti intellectual, it’s simply maintaining less of a defensive posture and being more of an active listener as well as being open. Maintaining an inquisitive nature more than even an intellectual nature (I know, so why don’t you know). Assuming you don’t know is the basis of a better understanding.

And have a sense of humor.

[Astros19]

Found this to be interesting regarding the postal service. Sorry if it has been posted before but I didn't see it.

https://medium.com/@nharpermn/stop-p...e-8bcd689b9601

[Jgil316]

Originally Posted by Astros19

Found this to be interesting regarding the postal service. Sorry if it has bee posted before but I didn't see it.

https://medium.com/@nharpermn/stop-p...e-8bcd689b9601

Great read - Thank you for posting!

[TheFrenzy]

Originally Posted by Astros19

Found this to be interesting regarding the postal service. Sorry if it has been posted before but I didn't see it.

https://medium.com/@nharpermn/stop-p...e-8bcd689b9601

Here's the important part for anyone who doesn't have the time to read it:

So mail is not being intentionally slowed. Rather, the USPS now has a Postmaster General who is very serious about making cost-efficiency savings, and is in an environment where it has to do it as soon as possible. It’s a perfect storm. There are changes happening to our postal system because it’s been needed for a long time, and USPS cannot wait any longer to make cost-saving changes without becoming insolvent within a year. USPS has needed reforms, and several have been contemplated. The Government Accountability Office noted in 2017 that no cost savings initiatives had been planned, but were likely necessary to ensure financial sustainability of USPS.

But without legislative action to save USPS, and with no chance of increasing revenues enough due to COVID-19, DeJoy’s only choice is to cut costs. And DeJoy’s other actions match that his intentions are only to do what he can to save USPS, not anything malicious. For example, in July he issued a statement that USPS would need to better adhere to its operations plans to keep costs low, and he asked Congress for legislative relief. Last week, he restructured the organization to be more efficient, and has made an additional public statement on the need for Congress to “enact reform legislation that addresses our unaffordable payments” to the RHBF. Just yesterday DeJoy issued a temporary price increase on non-retail commercial packages in order to increase revenue.

Maybe this all is a pretext hiding a massive conspiracy that managed to fool the two democratic Governors of USPS. That seems unlikely though. It seems more likely to me that we have a president who shoots off his mouth and a logistics expert in charge of a postal agency in financial crisis.

What’s happening is likely innocent but controversial actions happening at a very bad time. It is possible that some people, like President Trump, have malicious intentions. But so far, DeJoy only appears to only be executing plans that have long been recommended and responding to a budgetary crisis exacerbated by COVID-19.

Because if he doesn’t take action now, it substantially increases the likelihood that our future elections will be compromised and that we stop receiving important mailed items like stimulus checks, tax refunds, medicines, and more.

A lack of communication and understanding by the public, combined with a volatile political atmosphere, has made people panic that there is some kind of authoritarian seizure happening. We should be worried about the financial future of USPS, but not panicking as if there is an imminent crisis.

There are many, many, many things to be worried about right now. Don’t burn yourself out by panicking over this. Keep your fire lit for another fight.

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

The easiest explanation is to assume good faith.

It’s not as much anti intellectual, it’s simply maintaining less of a defensive posture and being more of an active listener as well as being open. Maintaining an inquisitive nature more than even an intellectual nature (I know, so why don’t you know). Assuming you don’t know is the basis of a better understanding.

And have a sense of humor.

I skimmed through the thread and don't know what this posts is about (context and such) ... but all of it is spot on.

"But what about that time you didn't assume good faith?!?" That would be a common retort I'd expect. My response, not just for me, but for anyone who actually does try to assume good faith, is that we are human and prone to making poor emotional responses from time to time. I always try to assume good faith and be open-minded, but I still fall short of my own standards from time to time. Point being, be forgiving as well.

[irv]

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

Have you read any of the many, many tweets directly from the president? Not some secondhand news story, but tweets he personally has put out? Or is that fake news and your Foxnews story real news?

And why are you bringing up Obama? He’s not running. Or does finger pointing somehow make things ok?

Originally Posted by Zedlaw

There are white people protesting civil issues now.

The two most costly protests, with respect to property damage, happened before and after Obama's presidency.

I mean, the single largest one day protest in US history happened the day after Trump took office.

This is a very divided nation

Originally Posted by Hootiefish

What is divisive, much like what is offensive, lies in the eye of the beholder. I didn't find President Obama's rhetoric very divisive because I agreed with the point of what he was saying.

I find much of what Trump says as divisive because he doesn't speak to my beliefs.

I disagree wholeheartedly. Obama got it started and it spilled over when Trump was elected.
"Obama's posturing and lecturing is as divisive as ever" right from CNN, no less.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/11/opini...ton/index.html
"Barack Obama's race legacy: Progressive or divisive?

Barack Obama's race legacy: Progressive or divisive?
Close
President Barack Obama was one of "the most divisive" presidents in a generation because he "played the race issue", the pastor and member of the Alabama Republican Party John Killian has said"
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-38632677
"Former President Obama will occupy a place in history as the nation's first African-American president. But while his election would seem to signal that American society has overcome its past history of racial discrimination and tension, Americans' views of race relations in fact became far less harmonious during Obama's tenure in office"

"More Americans over the past eight years came to believe that Obama's election and his presidency made race relations "worse" in the U.S. rather than better, with 46% believing the former in 2016 and 29% saying the latter. This represented a sharp reversal of opinion from 2009, when 41% of Americans believed Obama's election and presidency made race relations better and 22% said worse"
https://news.gallup.com/opinion/poll...ama-years.aspx

[wood minis]

Originally Posted by TheFrenzy

I was born and raised in one of the Tea Party's founding counties. My hometown was one of three daily papers to endorse Trump. The BBC actually sent a reporter to do a story and called it "Trump's Town." I taught at a Christian high school in the area.

I've also been a social worker and now I work on the bleeding edge of liberalism here at ASU. I spent two hours yesterday on a Zoom call listening to the president answer more questions about how he was going to protect student from racism than from COVID.

There are no "sides" for me.

There is are basic principles of human decency that we should be living and governing according to and these require both enacting humane social programs and guarding God-given personal liberties.

Thumbs up!