The Next President is...

[slc]

1 hour ago, slackline said:

 

Stop voting for old people.  They are out of touch. Along with term limits we should have age limits. We recognize a bottom age is important, why is it difficult to do the same on the upper stops?

You did....

[slackline]

1 hour ago, slc said:

You did....

Seriously?  Tell me which young person I could have voted for. When we're at the end of the race you pick from the horses still running.  Or stand on principle and write a name in. I almost did, but when faced with 4 more of Trump I went with the lesser of two evils.

That was a statement for all.  If it somehow made you feel triggered or guilty... my bad, I guess. 

Edited January 23, 2021 by slackline

[jazzdude]

100% agreed that starting with a 78 yr old president is a problem. 
Totally disagree you don't need to be a mental health expert to see the problems you guys are talking about. 
I'm not saying he doesn't have the issues.  I'm saying no one has proven it, and that you absolutely cannot judge a person's mental health on sound bites, but you obviously are an expert on the possible here, so by all means. 
If Trump hadn't been such an NTAC with regards to his dismissiveness towards the Rona, he'd be the president right now.  He'd be a 74 yr old tool sitting in that office, so not much better.
Stop voting for old people.  They are out of touch. Along with term limits we should have age limits. We recognize a bottom age is important, why is it difficult to do the same on the upper stops?

Who doesn't love a good conspiracy? Biden was popular enough to win, moderate enough to pull independents and anti Trump Republicans, and paired with a female VP. He's old, 25th amendment for mental acuity/inability to execute his duties, and bam, 1st female president who's much further left.

On a serious note, isn't age a protected class in employment?

[arg]

On 1/22/2021 at 12:39 PM, Swamp Yankee said:

It was well-lit and clean for a parking garage.  Of course, in the Air Guard the worst I had to deal with was passing out in the old Balboa Yacht Club in Panama.  

There are a lot of worse places to pass out than there. Last time I was there was 89.

[arg]

On 1/22/2021 at 12:30 PM, Lord Ratner said:

This problem will solve itself. It's a bridge too far for many, and will illicit a response from more people than there are trans athletes. Politicians take the path of least resistance. This move will flip the resistance equation. It's also an obvious States-rights domain.

This shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. It should've never happened.

[AirGuardianC141747]

2 hours ago, jazzdude said:

 

Who doesn't love a good conspiracy? Biden was popular enough to win, moderate enough to pull independents and anti Trump Republicans, and paired with a female VP. He's old, 25th amendment for mental acuity/inability to execute his duties, and bam, 1st female president who's much further left.

On a serious note, isn't age a protected class in employment?

 

So many Puppeteers control this old worn out puppet that it’s inevitable the “Harris/Biden” yard sign will come true. That will be a whole whipsaw in itself = U R correct. Let’s just say there were no shenanigans regarding the election itself and everything was pure, fair and balanced. In the end, regardless of who you voted for or what you believe in = Every Other Person thinks the Opposite of You/Me. Traveling thru a lot of these Lockdown states = we know better than you draconian measures and self righteous “do as I say not as I do” Governor's/Mayors paints quite the picture. In the beginning nobody knew anything, everyone is looking thru 20/20 hindsight and there is really no excuse for where we are headed. Time will tell and the herds are coming to this life of opportunity. Hopefully the directions of travel doesn’t reverse flow with Americans anytime soon. Once again it’s a 50/50 nation at Best!

[ClearedHot]

10 hours ago, jazzdude said:

Biden was popular enough to win, moderate enough to pull independents and anti Trump Republicans, and paired with a female VP.

Do you really think people voted for Biden?  I would say they voted against Trump but hey what do I know.  I do find it odd that the best the DNC could do was a 78 year old white guy...party of the people and all.

[ClearedHot]

19 hours ago, slackline said:

It’s like you haven’t read a word posted by the many smart people in here as to why getting rid of 230 is a bad idea.

It's like you think I can't have my own opinion.  I fully understand the dangers of killing 230...but something has to change and since we are willing to rip off every other bandaid (immigration, gun control, energy independence), lets do this one too.

230 has to be eliminated or modified period dot.  Otherwise, a few tech oligarchs are going to control this country and influence elections...like they did in 2020.  Yes we need protections for a free and open internet but 230 is an absolute abortion in its current form.

[ClearedHot]

And the spin begins...before your panties climb up your back, I fully admit both sides do it...I know I know...it's all Trump's fault.

An interesting corollary...I had a potential business trip to New Mexico only to discover they are still in FULL lockdown (and have been since September).  Did a bit of quick research and in a very simplistic comparison of Florida to New Mexico, the lock down is having ZERO impact on infection rate, but it has destroyed the economy.  Florida which is fully open has the exact same infection rate as New Mexico where you must quarantine for 14 days if you enter the state and does not allow indoor dinning or any bar activity.  Apparently there is a massive fight brewing with the governor over how much power she has "taken"...several retired NW Supreme Court Justices are now speaking out in the press.  I guess it is no surprise that DNC mayors and governors are saying they must open.  NY is screwed by the way if you look at the numbers.

[jazzdude]

Do you really think people voted for Biden?  I would say they voted against Trump but hey what do I know.  I do find it odd that the best the DNC could do was a 78 year old white guy...party of the people and all.

Either way, it was still a vote for Biden. Just like in 2016 many votes for Trump were not so much votes for Trump, but votes against Hillary.

Biden (outside his age) makes sense: had name recognition (especially among older voters, who are consistent voters), executive experience, more moderate than the other Democrat primary candidates (more attractive to independents and Republicans who hate Trump, and may at best encourage them to vote for the democrat nominee over abstaining from voting, or at worst voting for Trump as a vote against a perceived worse far left candidate).

That's why I voted for Trump in 2016 (vote against Hillary), but couldn't bring myself to do it again in 2020. But I also didn't want to vote for Biden either as a vote against Trump; voting as a vote against someone else just doesn't feel right to me anymore. Especially when it means I'd be part of their "popular mandate". It's not "wasting" my vote, it's voting my conscience over voting to be with a (potentially) winning candidate I don't agree with.

The Republican party sold it's soul by nominating Trump.

[pawnman]

19 hours ago, slackline said:

Seriously?  Tell me which young person I could have voted for. When we're at the end of the race you pick from the horses still running.  Or stand on principle and write a name in. I almost did, but when faced with 4 more of Trump I went with the lesser of two evils.

That was a statement for all.  If it somehow made you feel triggered or guilty... my bad, I guess. 

I voted for Jorgensen.  She was way younger than Biden or Trump, and had an actual platform that wasn't "I'm not Trump/Biden".

[ClearedHot]

57 minutes ago, jazzdude said:

Either way, it was still a vote for Biden. Just like in 2016 many votes for Trump were not so much votes for Trump, but votes against Hillary.

Biden (outside his age) makes sense: had name recognition (especially among older voters, who are consistent voters), executive experience, more moderate than the other Democrat primary candidates (more attractive to independents and Republicans who hate Trump, and may at best encourage them to vote for the democrat nominee over abstaining from voting, or at worst voting for Trump as a vote against a perceived worse far left candidate).

That's why I voted for Trump in 2016 (vote against Hillary), but couldn't bring myself to do it again in 2020. But I also didn't want to vote for Biden either as a vote against Trump; voting as a vote against someone else just doesn't feel right to me anymore. Especially when it means I'd be part of their "popular mandate". It's not "wasting" my vote, it's voting my conscience over voting to be with a (potentially) winning candidate I don't agree with.

The Republican party sold it's soul by nominating Trump.

 

100% agree that many 2016 votes were against Hillary and not for Trump.  I voted for Trump this time and it absolutely pained me.  I did it because I could not vote for the DNC polices which are now being thrust upon us (draconian gun control, "free" everything, seven-fold increase in immigration and enabling the Squad agenda). 

I disagree with your assessment that the GOP sold it's soul nominating Trump...what were they supposed to do...rig the nomination like the DNC (sucked to be Bernie in 2016 with Super-Delegates).  If Trump had the votes, he had the votes.  I can however support the soul selling argument when it comes to protesting the election and other issues. 

[ClearedHot]

And this gem from the NY Times this morning calling Biden "the most religiously observant' president in 50 years"  SERIOUSLY?  Last I checked he is a Catholic who advocates for abortion.  The mainstream media just can't help but slobber all over his knob.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/us/biden-catholic-christian.html

[jazzdude]

100% agree that many 2016 votes were against Hillary and not for Trump.  I voted for Trump this time and it absolutely pained me.  I did it because I could not vote for the DNC polices which are now being thrust upon us (draconian gun control, "free" everything, seven-fold increase in immigration and enabling the Squad agenda). 
I disagree with your assessment that the GOP sold it's soul nominating Trump...what were they supposed to do...rig the nomination like the DNC (sucked to be Bernie in 2016 with Super-Delegates).  If Trump had the votes, he had the votes.  I can however support the soul selling argument when it comes to protesting the election and other issues. 

I guess I'm naive to believe that the GOP would hold to it's professed values, and boot extremists from the party. Instead, they clung to "well, they'll increase our voter base" in the name of maintaining power ahead of maintaining their values. So they sold out their soul to increase party membership, and that caused a shift in values, which was reflected in the party's nominee. Trump is the symptom, not the disease

[Disco_Nav963]

2 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

100% agree that many 2016 votes were against Hillary and not for Trump.  I voted for Trump this time and it absolutely pained me.  I did it because I could not vote for the DNC polices which are now being thrust upon us (draconian gun control, "free" everything, seven-fold increase in immigration and enabling the Squad agenda). 

I disagree with your assessment that the GOP sold it's soul nominating Trump...what were they supposed to do...rig the nomination like the DNC (sucked to be Bernie in 2016 with Super-Delegates).  If Trump had the votes, he had the votes.  I can however support the soul selling argument when it comes to protesting the election and other issues. 

Super delegates didn't thwart Bernie in 2016. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/jul/25/donald-trump/no-donald-trump-bernie-sanders-wouldnt-have-won-ev/

That's a claim Trump made to try to encourage division within the Democratic base, but like most things he says it wasn't true.

[slackline]

4 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

And the spin begins...before your panties climb up your back, I fully admit both sides do it...I know I know...it's all Trump's fault.

An interesting corollary...I had a potential business trip to New Mexico only to discover they are still in FULL lockdown (and have been since September).  Did a bit of quick research and in a very simplistic comparison of Florida to New Mexico, the lock down is having ZERO impact on infection rate, but it has destroyed the economy.  Florida which is fully open has the exact same infection rate as New Mexico where you must quarantine for 14 days if you enter the state and does not allow indoor dinning or any bar activity.  Apparently there is a massive fight brewing with the governor over how much power she has "taken"...several retired NW Supreme Court Justices are now speaking out in the press.  I guess it is no surprise that DNC mayors and governors are saying they must open.  NY is screwed by the way if you look at the numbers.

That is mind bogglingly frustrating. I'm 100% with you on the economy and covid. It's long since past time to open up smarty. It's really too bad that a certain someone in power made this a political thing from the get go where one side stupidly has to show how 180 out from him they are, thereby ruining the economy.  Completely blame the Dems for not being smart enough to ignore his childish games.  Had this not been a political thing, and instead a "let's keep everyone safe thing" we'd be in a totally different economic situation right now. 

[Negatory]

13 hours ago, AirGuardianC141747 said:

Let’s just say there were no shenanigans regarding the election itself and everything was pure, fair and balanced.

Well the shenanigans wouldn't have been needed if the republicans hadn't faked 9/11 to garner unilateral support and install fox news and the patriot act in 2001. YOU really only have yourself to blame.

[FLEA]

45 minutes ago, Negatory said:

Well the shenanigans wouldn't have been needed if the republicans hadn't faked 9/11 to garner unilateral support and install fox news and the patriot act in 2001. YOU really only have yourself to blame.

WTF?

[GrndPndr]

58 minutes ago, Negatory said:

Well the shenanigans wouldn't have been needed if the republicans hadn't faked 9/11 to garner unilateral support and install fox news and the patriot act in 2001. YOU really only have yourself to blame.

Wow, are you defending our country?

[uhhello]

39 minutes ago, GrndPndr said:

Wow, are you defending our country?

Fix your detection device.

[Negatory]

Appreciate you gents taking the bait.

Because the constant talk of the election being stolen - even by many on this forum - is a giant conspiracy theory that has no more substance than 9/11 hoaxers, yet over 70% of republicans entertain this particular theory. Including a disheartening amount of you all.

You guys spouting "let's just say that there were no shenanigans" implies that there is a debate about the election results. There isn't. And you may not understand it now, but every time that you say shit like this you're just further undercutting faith in American democracy. All for a little bit of political power. How do you see this turning out for the future of the country?

61 out of 62 election lawsuits filed by Trump/Giuliani failed in bipartisan courts The one that passed was PA saying that voters had 3 days to provide ID, but didn't come close to changing the results whatsoever. GA was recounted twice - Biden won three times in a row. Wisconsin was recounted once. Biden won twice in a row. Election officials - bipartisan officials - across all contested states have said that there is no meaningful fraud. To the point that Georgia secretary of state, a republican, has to tell the president to STFU about his elections.

And if I'm just flat out wrong here, and you can prove that there is substantial election fraud that would have affected the results, let me know.

Because the way that Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh and conservative media heads work is that they show real evidence that election fraud occurred 12 times across the state of GA. Then they have everyone take a poll that asks "do you think any election fraud happened?" And then 90% of people say "yes, of course there was election fraud, but-" and he cuts you off there and says that "an overwhelming majority of Americans believe there was a fraudulent election! Get out there and support the president! Jan 6!" Without representing the fact that the majority of rational people talking were going to finish their sentence:

"Yes, of course there was election fraud, but it was small and limited. There was fraud probably on all sides. But a handful of people registering incorrectly - or even a handful of people maliciously doing things incorrectly - does not warrant the destruction of the democratic process."

Provide proof that substantial election fraud occurred that would have changed the results or STFU saying things like "Let’s just say there were no shenanigans regarding the election itself and everything was pure, fair and balanced."

[Lord Ratner]

18 hours ago, arg said:

This shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. It should've never happened.

Agreed, but there's a lot of that going around these days...

[Lord Ratner]

You guys getting bent around the axle over the huge number of republicans believing in a stolen election are missing the forest for the trees.

 

How do you know that there isn't a breathable atmosphere on the moon? With the exception of very few people, it's because you were told. There are a whole lot of obvious truths that are only obvious because no one disagrees with them on any meaningful level. With Republican politicians seeming to resign themselves to a world where truth is a political liability, I think we're going to see a whole lot more surprising beliefs spreading through the population.

 

The anti-vax movement, even before the coronavirus, showed that for a subset of the population even a minute level of support for a counter narrative is enough to believe the conspiracy. Even when the supporters and supporting information for the prevailing narrative, in this case the vaccines are largely safe and effective, a certain number of people will choose the conspiracy. For the stolen election conspiracy, the fucking president was supporting the conspiracy. That's way, way, way more support from prominent figures than any flat earth, chemtrails, or anti-vax conspiracy ever had, so it should be no surprise that a huge portion of the population believes it.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Lord Ratner

[AirGuardianC141747]

Every country historically goes thru true culture shift or growth pains if you will due to economic, military, political aspirations, technology gains, etc. - Dictatorship, Authoritarian, Communism, Socialism, Birth of Democracy, Revolution, Civil War, Civil Rights, Civil Disobedience, etc. list goes on and on. Pick your starting point or ending point as many are born and their destiny is either cut short or end up where we are today. Every empire if you will has grown to its peak and then slowly or rapidly rescinds its title due to many shifts within itself or outside overtake. 
 

Future and shaping of this country has been on an ever changing path long ago before cancel culture, PC, renaming of sports teams, BLM, Antifa, those “rebel flags” (GA as an example changed their flag numerous times nearly 2 decades ago), Boomer/Snowflake/Woke/Shaming classifications somehow being perceived as a revolutionary idea of challenging the status quo or being Avant-garde - while Race/Gender/Hate crimes/Human trafficking has been an issue since the beginning of time; therefore, no generation on this forum was the first to experience any of this as it’s a cyclic hot spot in nature and a worldwide topic. An amazing desperation of labeling to further BOTH sides narrative and once again nothing new as we all are wary of having that flair pinned on our lapels. So now everyone is either Racist, Communist, Socialist or even a Nazi when heads don’t align just to get a rise or tamper down opposing fields of view. It’s a blatant use of hitting the F Button before the other side so as not to be on the defensive and be offensive (pun intended). No doubt it still exists and unfortunately will always exist. We still live in a somewhat free environment, it’s not Utopia and never will be although it’s not disgraceful to try no matter what your viewpoint may be and that is America from the beginning. Many declare they will leave this country if their needs/wants aren’t met having never stepped foot beyond our borders while thousands flock to it which is undeniable. These are the major landscapes/continental drift of changes versus minor forest for the trees myopic type statements that are really only at the 10,000ft level vs the historical data of greater than two centuries at the 30,000ft level. Citizens of countries have traded their freedoms (including the right to vote, the most sacred of freedoms) to remain comfortable, not ruffle feathers, coexist at all cost which may lead to eventual oppression. We have been living in comfort and robust technology for us keyboard warriors to bleed to each other and now Big Tech seeks to silence those not assimilated beyond an “unverified stolen election” - pure conjecture, perhaps. Obviously an accepted outcome, but it has highlighted a grand awakening ideas far beyond a single election and further consequential events that are heading our way as a nation. Good, Bad, Ugly time will tell.
 

Focusing on just one tree (there are many now): All I ask going forward is that every confirmed American citizen; however that can be accomplished, (those contributing to our nation via taxation, marriage license, some sort of accountable credentials/traceable with consequences attached, etc.) show up to the polls (Post-Pandemic I guess) in body and true American spirit and vote with some sort of signatory/voter registration card/ID with a well regulated vote counting method/technology (Last part is tougher). No mail-in ballots accepted unless vetted for those with disabilities/unable to participate in person same credentials required and of course well monitored absentee ballots military or those American working/chilling citizens abroad. While we do have a lot of the above it just needs to be uniform across the board with no last minute changes prior to election. 
 

*The American voter when given the opportunity to vote must have skin in the game. Even standing in a long line is really minimal effort. If you can remember sitting in a DMV without such a thing as a cell phone to bide your time. Everything is switching electronically, but this probably should stay in person. Granted several states have been doing this well so I can be definitely be wrong, especially when our own financial movements are largely electronic. Granted, I have already been hacked twice in 2020 but that’s life. Nothing is sacred it seems and many use this easy highway to garner something from nothing. No skin in the game.  
 

Pick at it as you will, totally fair game (not that anyone needs a green light here), call it as you see it, grammar, insult, shaming of some type it seems we can always add more, or even the drive by Boomer/Nazi/WTF, etc. This is the greatness of having even minimal voice that can be heard, debunked, cancelled, discarded, etc. We all have opinions and experiences and together with a bar napkin we can save our world with changes of course. Wishing us all the best in 2021 wherever you may be!

Definitely will apologize for wasting space, but while on layover what else am I going to do.  

 

[AirGuardianC141747]

While it’s not Cherry right now, it’s still a charmed life retrospectively.

Food for thought:

If you were born in 1900  and lived til you were 75...

You have first hand knowledge of WWI, Russian Revolution/Communism, Great Depression, WWII, Holocaust, Korean War, Cold War/Nuclear rise of Nations, Civil Rights Movement, Viet Nam, Cuban Missile Crisis, Space Race, Woodstock, Oil Crisis... etc.

Many of those would tend to put a real damper on things and some uplifted/matured our nation. Definitely missed a few more notable events. 

What lies ahead? Especially without current plumbing, electricity, air conditioning, transportation, logistics, medical, emergency services, THE INTERNET/Worldwide Web of Truth, Lies and Deceit, etc. Can you even imagine. 

*Not a Boomer by the way, just raised by the greatest generation who had a late start problem = me.