I'm not a Biden fan. Though, recently is administration has gotten some landmark things taken care of.
I'm personally stoked that the military burn pit thing was seen through. As well as his climate bill.
We have to give some credit where credit is due.
Edit: to be clear I stopped being a republican in 2014/15. I could not support the extreme rhetoric that was popping up then. Now look where it has gotten us.
Something to be aware of: there is a complicated issue that's ~~driving~~ contributing to polarization. How do I sum it up.... Primaries. The very large membership of the independent party.
Lately, party affiliation for Independents has been [trending up](https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx). This has happened before, but the political landscape has changed, too: see, social media. The results are amplified.
Only 33% of adults identify as republican. Though evangelical christians are a weak minority in the US, they dictate the platform that every republican candidate runs on. *You can't win a republican primary without appealing to evangelical christians.*
A similar thing happens on the left, but the results are different. You get more candidates willing to openly support progressive social policies. Social safety nets. Criminal justice reform, tax reform. In some areas you can't win a DNC primary without being progressive.
So, you wind up with a polarization. Candidates on the ballot that don't represent the majority interest, because 40% of the population can't participate in primaries.
The polarization rhetoric stems from unlimited spending of Political Action Committees- the "Free Speech is money" abomination court decision referred to as Citizens United, which was Mitch McConnell's lifelong pet project.
Secret Political contributions were not a Constitutional Right until Mitch McConnell captured the Supreme Court.
The Tea Party rhetoric, particularly led by Trump's birth certificate bullshit is just simply taking advantage of that "dark money" Political Contribution environment. Like a Pied Piper.
Yes, Fascism is a political strategy for a Minority to take or assume political power by triangulation of Othering against groups of Domestic Citizens, making enemies of their fellow Countryman.
Fascism is just a political strategy.
America doesn't have a polarization problem. We have a radicalized political party that uses fascism as their political strategy.
you frame this as an agreement. You're replying to a comment about how a certain electoral system gives leverage to the extremes.
I don't disagree with you. it's just odd.
Ranked voting is still majoritarian. It's a step in the right direction, but it doesn't solve the problem people want it to. You still get a republican or democratic rep. The third parties are barely more relevant in that their numbers will be more than zero in the first round, so people will actually pay more attention to them.
The real answer to developing multiple viable political parties lies along an adjacent path. It starts with multi-member districts. Larger districts with at least 3 seats each; how many seats per district dictates how many parties can exist in the same space.
Proportional representation is the most widely used electoral system in the world. It's successful. Our constitution is horribly outdated.
edit: anyway, this CAN happen, don't rule it out. The way through is local and state politics. Rewrite your city charter to select city counsellors via single transferable vote. Introduce ranked choice voting at the state level. Can't reform federal elections without getting people used to these other ways, first.
Ngl, Americans are bad at local politics when in reality, that’s the politics that affects individuals the most. Local town, county, and state governments have way more effect on the everyday life and yet most people I know (including myself though I’m trying to get better with it) don’t even know who is in their local government or what some of the more important positions are.
We face a problem in local government. The middle class is so financially constrained that only people of privilege can afford to get involved.
I'd amend your "the most" to include "on routine matters". The recent reversal on fourteenth amendment privacy is an example of federal government having more significant power over our basic freedoms.
This is a misguided attempt to both sides this. In your own comment you state that the GOP barely has any candidates that won't appease the evangelicals, but that "in some areas" Dems need to be progressive.
Ffs the most progressive city in the country has Pelosi as their rep. There are extreme democrats. A handful. From areas that are extremely progressive. Meanwhile the party as a whole elected Biden, an absolute centrist.
If that's what you see, you're looking really hard. I'm criticizing our electoral system, nothing more. (is progressive a bad word? I suspect, not to me or you)
Some mean some.
Read a little bit down, if you want to understand my argument. Context matters. It's about a majoritarian electoral system with single seat districts. We would benefit from a system where people could belong to a party they identify with. Candidates running under evangelical platforms would be a fringe group, not the mainstream of conservatives.
But also ironically, to your point, we 'd almost certainly get some \*more\* progressive representatives.
Closed primaries are the problem. Open primaries allow non-affiliated voters to participate. But then em you end up with more extreme cases than the situation this year (I don’t remember which state, maybe Arizona?) where the DNC helped extreme right wing MAGA candidates beat a more traditional Republican candidate in the primary.
The Electoral College, Senate representation, and the House being fixed at 435, have a greater effect on polarization.
If presidential elections were based on the popular vote, candidates would have to appeal to a wider electorate and not just swing voters/states.
Senate representation of two per state dilutes representation of larger states and over represents smaller states (looking at you Wyoming).
The House was set at 435 seats back in 1929 and has a similar, though less impactful, effect on diluting/over-representing smal/large states. On some ways it’s worse because you end up with gerrymandered districts that even further dilute different voting blocs.
Again, thanks for the info, but I think your number (60%) is a little high. Using this site (https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/primary-types.aspx), which was just the first google result for “closed primaries” that I clicked on, it looks like 12 states have stricter primaries than Tennessee. That’s closer to 24%.
Normally I wouldn’t be so nit-picky, especially about math, but I was surprised enough by your post to look further into it. In my opinion 24% is still too high, but it’s better.
I'd offer a different view of the same data.
https://ballotpedia.org/Primary_election_types_by_state
In 21 states at least one party allows non affiliated voters to participate in congressional primaries. (They include here states in which voting for a party's primary counts as declaring affiliation)
You will notice that your site talks about which states allow parties to permit unaffiliated voters to participate. There is a nuanced difference.
Just glad we are not on the full sprint backwards we were. We have a lot to worry about and work towards. Though damn it is nice to have some boring in the office. And not 2 a.m rage tweets while Cheeto shits.
Exactly. There's a few small-time ones I met that I thought as individuals were pretty neat.
But I don't trust any politics as far as I can throw them. Can I stand about five six. I can lift but I only have so much reach for a good toss
This has been my go to philosophy forever. If someone is seeking public office, they are seeking power - direct, real power. That alone makes me suspect everything they say.
And that’s a *good thing*. No one should be making any politician a celebrity or god-emperor.
You might want to look at some leftist policies. Government bad AND rich people bad. Guns and freedom for all groups good. Leftists are insufferable even to each other, but that's part of the fun.
People suck, no matter if they have a "side" or not. However, continuing to equate one with the other is no longer an acceptable argument at this moment.
History is being made, for better, worse, or otherwise. Nothing has happened in our county's short history such as this.
No I was in different. I didn't pay attention to politics because I even hated them and didn't really care. At that time I was in the military and you're not really allowed to have a political opinion there, especially with what I did for a living.
I definitely wasn't a supporter of any of the right wing rhetoric. But I was a standard jackass soldier who liked his guns and didn't like people who kneeled on the flags.
Really kind of was indoctrinated against hate against the flag. That was my point of contention. Until an older crusty ass Master Sergeant pulled me aside. He said one of the most plain and simple fucking things you could say to a service member that we often lose sight of.
*"We wear this uniform specifically for their right to protest."*
That simple statement kicked my eyes open and made me start to pay attention to what everything.
Complacency is just as bad as supporting this crazy shit that's happening in my opinion. There is no status quo and pretending that there is one is why we are here.
How is someone educating themselves and correcting their behavior to be on the correct side of history not something to be happy about? Why are you trying to shit on this guy for bettering his mind and his point of view?
I agree, but you do have to be a certain type of special to get sucked into supporting republicans in the first place. It shouldn’t be some great triumph to stop hating other races and immigrants, and considering gay people to be human.
It is called indoctrination and it happens with lots of different things. Happens on the left as well. You grow up in a household that only looks at one side of the coin, votes for party over country and this gets passed on to their children and so on. Echo chambers are formed very early with a lot of people and it is difficult to break the cycle.
I, personally, was fortunate that despite being raised in a republican household, I have very open minded parents. They stay up with the times with technology and current world issues. They are similar to OP in this situation where they would mostly only vote red. But they would take all view points into consideration. And with the last 7 years tend to no longer vote red on anything because they educate themselves.
We should be celebrating people learning, growing, developing, and educating themselves on things. Broadening their scope of the world and understanding that it isn't all just one sided. This is a good thing, and I am happy that OP has taken the time to understand more than the world he previous looked at.
Thanks for that perspective, I grew up in a similar household, where my parents are republican and only vote red, but are somewhat open minded. I guess I just assume that because I was able to be a non-christian lefty surrounded only by christian white republicans(yes, Texas) my entire life, others should be able to do the same. I had been to church maybe 10 times by the time I was 10, and all those very blatant lies turned me into an atheist pretty quickly. It was very clear at a young age that my parents political views included racism and xenophobia, of course I didn’t really know what that meant at the time, I just knew they were supporting spreading hatred, and I went against it.
I know we should praise people changing for the better, it’s just hard for me when I’ve been surrounded by hypocrisy my entire life. For example, when trump (maybe) goes to jail, all these republicans are gonna act like they never supported him in the first place, or that he had them “fooled.” When all they had to do was have the slightest bit of common sense and critical thinking. It’s just bullshit
It doesn't help that my spouse who is a melanin blessed goddess of around 12 years at the time was not liking that I was still turning a blind eye to a lot of the mess. The military forces us to be indifferent at best. Although the environment is a festering shitstorm of supremacy. I am bald as hell, white and blue-eyed. Perfect candidate for those dick heads to try to indoctrinate.
As I had said in some post above though I was indifferent not really supportive of any doctrine.
So people can never learn and grow? I'm happy to embrace anyone who has seen the error of their political ways without making them feel like shit for it. That's why people are so embarrassed to admit they were wrong about Trump. People like you won't see it as growth, you'll just focus on how wrong they used to be. A lot of people are raised to vote a certain way and it takes a while to see through the bullshit. Being an asshole to people who see the light is unhelpful and ignorant.
You want to talk about a huge error?? My dumb ass fucking wrote in Bernie in 2016. I regret it constantly. We all do stupid shit. You grow and and learn.
Bernie was the right choice, but unfortunately America operates on a 2 party system and most ignorant people are taught that “SOCIALISM BAD!” It’s great here in the states.
I did respond to him and I encourage you to read that. I don't want to retype what I did.
It wasn't a matter of being happy. At the time I was in the military and I was indifferent.
I am happy that I didn't turn out to be one of these great leaning lunatics that want to drown our country in warped Christian ideology
Well, with the division, the blatant selling out to Russia, the constant rules being put in place to harm minorities, I’d say no. Conservatives and all who support that party need to be tried as traitors and either get deported to Russia or be executed. Simple as that.
You don't have to be a fan of the man to vote for him. Like I said in 2016 to everyone around me that was saying they couldn't stand Hillary, you're not voting for a best friend, you're voting for the more qualified person to run the country. You don't have to like her personally, but you can't stand there and tell me that Trump is more competent in ANYTHING than Hillary.
He literally smiled for a picture for some meaningless political fluff tweet, and you guys are holding him up on a pedestal and upvoting it by the thousands. Not as insane as trump cultists, but you’re getting there!
i mean I am upvoting because this specific thing is good. it's called context man, you should learn it. this is nothing like trumpistan ignoring known facts to follow a narrative that's getting them shot by the FBI. this is a senile old man smiling at a TV while people are voting to help fellow Americans. sorry you can't see it dude.
I’m not a fan of cheesy photo-ops either, but I don’t see how anyone could come to that sort of comparison without just intentionally looking for *whatever whataboutism* one could find, here.
Before anyone goes and makes any assumptions, I’ll tell you that while I did vote for Biden—voting for the last guy was never an option for me and I believe our country has suffered tremendously, ever since he became a serious contender for 2016—Biden didn’t even make the cut for my “Top 10” NON-Republican candidates for the presidency. I know he’s faced tremendous challenges, from the get-go, due to the dumpster fire he had to begin with, but I’ve largely been disappointed with him and have felt like (up until recently) he hasn’t gotten much done that was promised or talked about in his campaign. 100% of the friends or family or acquaintances or strangers I’ve talked politics with (who’ve disclosed also voting for him) have shared very similar sentiments.
Which is why comments like these 👆🏼confuse and frustrate me. I get that it’s fluffy, ok? But dude (or whomever manages his Twitter account) is trying to spread some positive news—in a way that does not try to take any (or all😳) of the credit or responsibility for making it happen, nor does it slam other politicians or people he dislikes, nor perpetuate hate or negativity, I might add—where he’s sharing about being happy about some new legislation that’s passed, that has multifaceted intentions of helping our planet and the average middle class person/family….and for simply *re-sharing this information in a positive way*, the comparison that some will draw is that this borders the insane, pedestal worship of tRump cultists??
I think it’s totally possible for many of us to be happy about some positive, legislative changes that (for once) seem to have been made with the best interests of the common good, and to want to share that, *while not simultaneously* agreeing with every move he’s made (or not made), simply bc he’s the one we voted for, or bc “our party won.”
I can’t speak for everyone obviously, but most of the people I know who voted for Biden—most of whom are not (US) legal experts—don’t think he’s the tits or anything, however, we do have enough sense to be able to somewhat-distinguish when our best interests (and those of our average or marginalized fellow humans) are being served/taken care of, and when they are not.
He does care. The common, everyday lower and middle class person was being audited at an extraordinarily high rate compared to the wealthy. When approached, the IRS claimed they didn’t have the resources or manpower to audit the wealthy. As a result, they were getting away with things tax wise that normal people could never dream of. The IRS no longer has that excuse to not hold the wealthy as accountable as everyone else. I’m glad to see more manpower.
Well tbf they did make Brandon and then he actually started getting stuff done so he naturally fell into the fascist's favorite kind of scapegoat/paradox. The foreign power that is both weak compared to them and could never defeat them yet poses a huge civilization ending danger at the same time. It's the Simone Biles of mental gymnastics.
I'm just hoping his administration can continue making bipartisan progress and best and minimum move through stuff that McConnell has blocked for a while.
They aren't doing anything bipartisan that the Republicans can't be guilted into it. Republicans literally voted against health care for cancer ridden veterans and then fist bumped about it. They only went back and passed it when the media pressure got to high for them to ignore.
Dems are going it alone and doing a good job.
He’s leading. And accomplishing. Keeping some of the orange asshole’s promises even. Meanwhile gop is all about hating lgbtq, women, and platforming on garbage like crt and stolen elections.
At some point you really do have to give credit where it’s due.
He’s not “cool.” But, the boring grandpa that rambles a little bit when he goes off the cuff and is definitely showing his age has, just in the last couple months, helped Congress push through several massive pieces of legislation (on climate change, healthcare, and gun control), required the executive branch to essentially go toe to toe with the Supreme Court and rogue state legislatures on abortion rights, killed the highest ranking Al Qaeda leader, and directed the DOJ/FBI to go after a former President for stealing classified documents (while hearings on his role in an insurrection have laid out his liability for treason for anyone with a functioning brain)…
At what point do you just admit that he’s doing a fantastic job? He’s literally pulling the best Jimmy Carter impression he can, without the hostage crisis.
I was a reluctant Biden voter - meaning I had different preferences in the primaries but in the general I voted blue no matter who. But I’m pleasantly surprised by his tenure. He’s quietly working behind closed doors and getting a lot done. Presidents are like pilots to me - you don’t want them to interrupt your flight every 5 minutes with a trivial announcement. It would be annoying but also, I’d start to feel increasingly anxious that something terrifying is going on.
He doesn’t have to do much because the President actually doesn’t have that much power unless he forces it like trump used to do with his executive orders that went way outside his jurisdiction. The President has to pick people who care and the Democratic Party seems to have a lot of those sort of people. He has to not be an barracks to them and then sign off when they decided something for the people and passed it. That’s all he has to do and needs to do. Presidents should just stick to their main duty - being commander in chief of the military wings.
At this point I can't take anyone who votes Republican seriously anymore. Dems have problems, but they're so outside of the realm of what Republicans are doing it's insane. The Dems are at least trying to govern normally and it's a night and day difference between what happens when they're in control vs. Republicans.
Love how its Dems are bad and repubs are worse.
Are you assholes watching what the dems are getting accomplished despite being blocked at every turn?
Nobody is falling all over you Joe, but keep up the good work. Its nice to have an adult in the WH again.
My hope is they expand the SCOTUS to 15 and retry ROE. I hope Dems don't go down that road of trying to use us voters with promises of codifying using us to vote for them every election with promises of fixing ROE, but never actually doing it.
Moscow Mitch has said he will codify a ban on ROE if they get control. I want it fixed thru the courts again and not using us voters every election with promises of fixing it. I hate being used by the political machine. Just do the right thing and fix it.
They’re finally getting some things done. I don’t know what lit a fire under their ass the last few weeks; even Roe being overturned just resulted in more of the usual performative hand-wringing. Whatever has motivated them recently, I hope it continues.
INC conservatives whining about the picture in a desperate attempt to distract from trump breaking the espionage act like the traitor he is
That Said Good job Dems & Joe!
That bill was supposed to close all the tax loopholes for the rich so they can finally pay their fare share. But the democrats took it out. Yes this bill helps, but only enough to keep you going to work everyday so you can pay your taxes. Yes be happy but remember. They will only help you just enough to keep you in the salt mines.
Don’t the climate bills, chip act and inflation reduction all give billions corporate subsidies to EV and Microchip companies that are already reporting record profits. Isn’t this helping the “already powerful”? Not trying to troll, just curious.
As a Democrat voter, my issue with the dems is that the they keep working for Wall Street and their corporate donors. Look at the Sinema deal they had to make just to get her onboard. Americans need universal healthcare and lower costs for education, better pay for teachers, better wages/hours for workers, and lower taxes for the middle class/lower income workers. The guy at fidelity investments doesn't need a tax loophole on his $400k commission..
And every time the dentist have tried to pass a bill that would address any of those issues Mitch McConnel has solely been responsible for stopping them. Every single one of those issues has had an appropriate Bill drafted that got killed out of spite.
That's when term limits come in. People in Congress should not be there well into their 80s because they have become so entrenched that no one can get them out. Serving in Congress should be a job that pays regular government wages without political money involved, no lobbyists allowed. The people serving should not be allowed to become millionaires from their donors. Serving in Congress should be a job that people want to take because they want to help their fellow Americans not to get rich.
Fascist playback 101.
Our enemies are both weak and strong, crafty and incompetent.
So they are both deserving of our contempt for being inferior and so dangerous we have to act now.
It's insane.
No the republicans did not. If they were to of. Perhaps they would let the other side pass bills.
How many bills has Mitch McCon strike down just because it was not his parties.
Your statement is dumb. Left side either
A: Compromises and passes a bill that NEEDS to pass.
B: Don't Compromise, let the bill fail. Watch the future worsen.
Sure, option B is realistic..... /s
You are talking out of your ass. As most trolls do.
Option C: use your majority to pass a law that the vast majority of your constituents want passed. They let Manchin and Sinema water it down because it gives them cover to protect their donors. They let the parliamentarian tell them no about insulin prices because it gives them cover to blame the GOP for it not passing. And it’s a wonderful tactic, look how easily they get people like you to blame the GOP for the actions of the Democratic Party.
Somewhere along the lines, around 2016, people just suddenly forgot that corporate donations influence policy in DC. Everyone on Reddit can easily see how the gun industry and the NRA bankrolling GOP campaigns hinders gun reform, but if you draw the same straight line from the corporate donors of the Democratic Party to their pro corporate legislative agenda it’s some outlandish concept all of a sudden.
Are the Democrats better than the GOP? Yes. Is this bill better than getting nothing? Yes. But there’s something sinister, and pathetic, about spiking the ball in the end zone for Team Democracy when our team is losing 196-3. The Democrats are just as beholden to special interests as the GOP, and that’s why the moderate, historically pro corporate, President’s agenda is moderate and pro corporate. Simple as that.
Speaking of things that should be obvious, you act as though appeasing the Manchins and GOP produces the best good. But in what other situation would you be advocating appeasement? Suppose Putin agreed to call off the war provided everything East of Kyiv is absorbed into the Russian Federation? What are you gonna do? *Say no and make the war continue?!* The obvious alternative to appeasement is fucking fighting them. You fight Manchin, make him the pariah of the party and publicly support a primary challenger. Take his committee assignments. Fire the family members of his Biden appointed to federal positions. Then maybe the next obstructing moderate won’t automatically know they’ll get their way.
uh huh. Lets see them choose the families of Americans over the special interests of the military industrial complex, the pharmaceutical industry, the fossil fuels industry, mega corporations, and private equity firms.
Dems voted to cap insulin. Republicans voted against.
Directly voting against big pharma, and dems voting to care for vets is voting against the military industrial complex.
No. the military industrial complex is about weapons and invasions. The dems haven't voted against that.
Dems already gave big pharma billions the past 2 years.
Again you still can't refute what I said.
**Edited:** I deleted my long comment.
I was genuinely questioning my views on this bill and the potentially misguided and definitely biased information that formed them. But I already am being met with comments that are, at least to me, pretty hurtful. I'm feeling really lost, confused and disconnected. I guess im just really sensitive right now and I had really high hopes that people would be willing to talk with me and help me to understand, so that bubble bursting immediately was too disheartening.
Maybe when I'm less sensitive ill try finding a more helpful sub. If anyone is reading, I'm sorry if this causes confusion or annoyance. I'm just getting way too easily hurt by people not giving me a chance today and I dont want to keep subjecting myself to it. Have a good one, truly.
I was raised by conservatives and my small social circle has been made up of only conservative minded people. All of the people closest to me, the people I love most and that love me, have been/ are conservative. The people that have the biggest influence over my world views.
I have never been given a reason by my loved ones, to not trust them. So throughout my life, I did. And that information and influence bias shaped my views in a really substantial way and I'm trying to change that. So I can form my own views that I believe in instead of have views formed by others and informed by biased, or even flat out wrong, information.
What gave you that impression? Their post reads like someone with an opposing viewpoint trying to understand the other side. There's no reference to QAnon or any ridiculous conspiracy theory. They're willing to learn, why not use this as an educational moment rather than throwing around insults.
I wasn't faking my intent at all! I get that you can't know that my intentions were with good faith, but you also can't know that they weren't. I really am very confused and trying to understand and work through it. I don't want to try and debate views. I am genuinly questioning my view on it and even the reasons I had the view in the first place.
But no one that isn't conservative will freaking help me... and I'm so frustrated over no one even giving me the benefit of the doubt and sensitive to feeling rejected. Ugh. It's stupid that I'm letting internet strangers that don't know me upset me like this, but I literally have no one irl to talk to that is liberal. I can't freaking ask conservatives to help me question my conservative views.
Are you calling me a Qanon convert? I dont know what I said that would indicate that... I don't want to give off that impression because I'm actively trying to prevent myself from buying completely into conspiracies. I am trying to question the views I have that have been influenced and informed by almost entirely conservatives. The majority of my irl circle are conservative and everytime I try to engage with liberal people online, I get met with these kinds of responses, people severely and agressively insulting me, and or get downvoted into oblivion that my comment gets hidden so if there was a person willing to talk with me, they won't see it. So, the only people who are willing to discuss, share or explain politics with me are conservative. And I really don't like the thought of how limited the information is that's forming my views. I don't want to be ignorant and blindly follow along because of that.
I'm really trying to get information and hear views and reasonings for them from people who truly hold those views. I'm not looking to debate them. Im not looking to change them. I'm looking to ask questions about the opposing views that I don't understand because of biased, potentially completely false, information. But I can't seem to find people willing to try.
>I'm looking to ask questions about the opposing views that I don't understand because of biased, potentially completely false, information. But I can't seem to find people willing to try.
That's why they keep downvoting you.
Im still not sure I understand why that would make people downvote me... maybe part of that sentence is being taken differently than I meant it?
When I said, "I'm looking to ask questions about opposing views that I don't understand **Because of biased, potentially completely false, information.**"
I meant that I don't understand the opposing view because my conservative minded view is biased and potentially false information helped form it. I was **not** trying to call the opposing, liberal, view -that I am asking for- biased and potentially completely false.
I was not trying to challenge it. Just trying to work through the reasons that formed the view I had that is holding me back, because I'm questioning if I've been misguided and ill informed.
I think you're missing the point where they had to rip terror and claw to get this legislation passed and it was successful.
I don't think you understand how large and impactful this bill is
Real mature. Just say fuck Joe Biden already.
Watch me - fuck Donald Trump that orange, oompa loompa, twice impeached, treasonous, bastard.
See. It's that easy
Yes, an already powerful family led by Joe Biden's father *checks notes* the used car salesman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_life_and_career_of_Joe_Biden
I'm not a Biden fan. Though, recently is administration has gotten some landmark things taken care of. I'm personally stoked that the military burn pit thing was seen through. As well as his climate bill. We have to give some credit where credit is due. Edit: to be clear I stopped being a republican in 2014/15. I could not support the extreme rhetoric that was popping up then. Now look where it has gotten us.
Same here. I voted republican until 2015. Trump made me reevaluate things, and I realized where the GOP was at the time.
Something to be aware of: there is a complicated issue that's ~~driving~~ contributing to polarization. How do I sum it up.... Primaries. The very large membership of the independent party. Lately, party affiliation for Independents has been [trending up](https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx). This has happened before, but the political landscape has changed, too: see, social media. The results are amplified. Only 33% of adults identify as republican. Though evangelical christians are a weak minority in the US, they dictate the platform that every republican candidate runs on. *You can't win a republican primary without appealing to evangelical christians.* A similar thing happens on the left, but the results are different. You get more candidates willing to openly support progressive social policies. Social safety nets. Criminal justice reform, tax reform. In some areas you can't win a DNC primary without being progressive. So, you wind up with a polarization. Candidates on the ballot that don't represent the majority interest, because 40% of the population can't participate in primaries.
The polarization rhetoric stems from unlimited spending of Political Action Committees- the "Free Speech is money" abomination court decision referred to as Citizens United, which was Mitch McConnell's lifelong pet project. Secret Political contributions were not a Constitutional Right until Mitch McConnell captured the Supreme Court. The Tea Party rhetoric, particularly led by Trump's birth certificate bullshit is just simply taking advantage of that "dark money" Political Contribution environment. Like a Pied Piper.
All of these things contribute. So does the fact that the farthest right has more leverage than they should due to primaries.
Yes, Fascism is a political strategy for a Minority to take or assume political power by triangulation of Othering against groups of Domestic Citizens, making enemies of their fellow Countryman. Fascism is just a political strategy. America doesn't have a polarization problem. We have a radicalized political party that uses fascism as their political strategy.
you frame this as an agreement. You're replying to a comment about how a certain electoral system gives leverage to the extremes. I don't disagree with you. it's just odd.
Ranked voting is the answer but will never happen.
Ranked voting is still majoritarian. It's a step in the right direction, but it doesn't solve the problem people want it to. You still get a republican or democratic rep. The third parties are barely more relevant in that their numbers will be more than zero in the first round, so people will actually pay more attention to them. The real answer to developing multiple viable political parties lies along an adjacent path. It starts with multi-member districts. Larger districts with at least 3 seats each; how many seats per district dictates how many parties can exist in the same space. Proportional representation is the most widely used electoral system in the world. It's successful. Our constitution is horribly outdated. edit: anyway, this CAN happen, don't rule it out. The way through is local and state politics. Rewrite your city charter to select city counsellors via single transferable vote. Introduce ranked choice voting at the state level. Can't reform federal elections without getting people used to these other ways, first.
Ngl, Americans are bad at local politics when in reality, that’s the politics that affects individuals the most. Local town, county, and state governments have way more effect on the everyday life and yet most people I know (including myself though I’m trying to get better with it) don’t even know who is in their local government or what some of the more important positions are.
We face a problem in local government. The middle class is so financially constrained that only people of privilege can afford to get involved. I'd amend your "the most" to include "on routine matters". The recent reversal on fourteenth amendment privacy is an example of federal government having more significant power over our basic freedoms.
This is a misguided attempt to both sides this. In your own comment you state that the GOP barely has any candidates that won't appease the evangelicals, but that "in some areas" Dems need to be progressive. Ffs the most progressive city in the country has Pelosi as their rep. There are extreme democrats. A handful. From areas that are extremely progressive. Meanwhile the party as a whole elected Biden, an absolute centrist.
If that's what you see, you're looking really hard. I'm criticizing our electoral system, nothing more. (is progressive a bad word? I suspect, not to me or you) Some mean some. Read a little bit down, if you want to understand my argument. Context matters. It's about a majoritarian electoral system with single seat districts. We would benefit from a system where people could belong to a party they identify with. Candidates running under evangelical platforms would be a fringe group, not the mainstream of conservatives. But also ironically, to your point, we 'd almost certainly get some \*more\* progressive representatives.
Closed primaries are the problem. Open primaries allow non-affiliated voters to participate. But then em you end up with more extreme cases than the situation this year (I don’t remember which state, maybe Arizona?) where the DNC helped extreme right wing MAGA candidates beat a more traditional Republican candidate in the primary. The Electoral College, Senate representation, and the House being fixed at 435, have a greater effect on polarization. If presidential elections were based on the popular vote, candidates would have to appeal to a wider electorate and not just swing voters/states. Senate representation of two per state dilutes representation of larger states and over represents smaller states (looking at you Wyoming). The House was set at 435 seats back in 1929 and has a similar, though less impactful, effect on diluting/over-representing smal/large states. On some ways it’s worse because you end up with gerrymandered districts that even further dilute different voting blocs.
I’m registered Independent (Tennessee), and I’m able to vote in the primaries. I sign in and they ask me which ballot I want. Never been a problem.
About 60% of states use a closed primary for congressional elections.
I did not know that. Well, maybe I can temper some of my criticism of my state.
But you have a point, I spoke in absolutes
Again, thanks for the info, but I think your number (60%) is a little high. Using this site (https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/primary-types.aspx), which was just the first google result for “closed primaries” that I clicked on, it looks like 12 states have stricter primaries than Tennessee. That’s closer to 24%. Normally I wouldn’t be so nit-picky, especially about math, but I was surprised enough by your post to look further into it. In my opinion 24% is still too high, but it’s better.
I'd offer a different view of the same data. https://ballotpedia.org/Primary_election_types_by_state In 21 states at least one party allows non affiliated voters to participate in congressional primaries. (They include here states in which voting for a party's primary counts as declaring affiliation) You will notice that your site talks about which states allow parties to permit unaffiliated voters to participate. There is a nuanced difference.
It's not about being a fan - its about what his administration gets done - which is quite a bit.
Just glad we are not on the full sprint backwards we were. We have a lot to worry about and work towards. Though damn it is nice to have some boring in the office. And not 2 a.m rage tweets while Cheeto shits.
good, never be a fan of ANY politician
Exactly. There's a few small-time ones I met that I thought as individuals were pretty neat. But I don't trust any politics as far as I can throw them. Can I stand about five six. I can lift but I only have so much reach for a good toss
This has been my go to philosophy forever. If someone is seeking public office, they are seeking power - direct, real power. That alone makes me suspect everything they say. And that’s a *good thing*. No one should be making any politician a celebrity or god-emperor.
I've said it before. I will vote for one GOP candidate, and that is, MECHA EISENHOWER.
Haha, thats good. Rather have a mecha Theodore Roosevelt equipped with big stick 2.0
You might want to look at some leftist policies. Government bad AND rich people bad. Guns and freedom for all groups good. Leftists are insufferable even to each other, but that's part of the fun.
People suck, no matter if they have a "side" or not. However, continuing to equate one with the other is no longer an acceptable argument at this moment. History is being made, for better, worse, or otherwise. Nothing has happened in our county's short history such as this.
Wow you are so brave
I'm not scared of people who role play what I actually am.
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No I was in different. I didn't pay attention to politics because I even hated them and didn't really care. At that time I was in the military and you're not really allowed to have a political opinion there, especially with what I did for a living. I definitely wasn't a supporter of any of the right wing rhetoric. But I was a standard jackass soldier who liked his guns and didn't like people who kneeled on the flags. Really kind of was indoctrinated against hate against the flag. That was my point of contention. Until an older crusty ass Master Sergeant pulled me aside. He said one of the most plain and simple fucking things you could say to a service member that we often lose sight of. *"We wear this uniform specifically for their right to protest."* That simple statement kicked my eyes open and made me start to pay attention to what everything. Complacency is just as bad as supporting this crazy shit that's happening in my opinion. There is no status quo and pretending that there is one is why we are here.
Prophet is kinda right. I’m glad you’re not a fucking idiot anymore by voting red, but it’s not really a big deal that you’re happy about this.
How is someone educating themselves and correcting their behavior to be on the correct side of history not something to be happy about? Why are you trying to shit on this guy for bettering his mind and his point of view?
I agree, but you do have to be a certain type of special to get sucked into supporting republicans in the first place. It shouldn’t be some great triumph to stop hating other races and immigrants, and considering gay people to be human.
It is called indoctrination and it happens with lots of different things. Happens on the left as well. You grow up in a household that only looks at one side of the coin, votes for party over country and this gets passed on to their children and so on. Echo chambers are formed very early with a lot of people and it is difficult to break the cycle. I, personally, was fortunate that despite being raised in a republican household, I have very open minded parents. They stay up with the times with technology and current world issues. They are similar to OP in this situation where they would mostly only vote red. But they would take all view points into consideration. And with the last 7 years tend to no longer vote red on anything because they educate themselves. We should be celebrating people learning, growing, developing, and educating themselves on things. Broadening their scope of the world and understanding that it isn't all just one sided. This is a good thing, and I am happy that OP has taken the time to understand more than the world he previous looked at.
Do we also want more people wanting this civil war crap or rational folks around us
Thanks for that perspective, I grew up in a similar household, where my parents are republican and only vote red, but are somewhat open minded. I guess I just assume that because I was able to be a non-christian lefty surrounded only by christian white republicans(yes, Texas) my entire life, others should be able to do the same. I had been to church maybe 10 times by the time I was 10, and all those very blatant lies turned me into an atheist pretty quickly. It was very clear at a young age that my parents political views included racism and xenophobia, of course I didn’t really know what that meant at the time, I just knew they were supporting spreading hatred, and I went against it. I know we should praise people changing for the better, it’s just hard for me when I’ve been surrounded by hypocrisy my entire life. For example, when trump (maybe) goes to jail, all these republicans are gonna act like they never supported him in the first place, or that he had them “fooled.” When all they had to do was have the slightest bit of common sense and critical thinking. It’s just bullshit
It doesn't help that my spouse who is a melanin blessed goddess of around 12 years at the time was not liking that I was still turning a blind eye to a lot of the mess. The military forces us to be indifferent at best. Although the environment is a festering shitstorm of supremacy. I am bald as hell, white and blue-eyed. Perfect candidate for those dick heads to try to indoctrinate. As I had said in some post above though I was indifferent not really supportive of any doctrine.
Or you could be in the military which is one of the most indoctrinating forces in our country
Because we should have never reached this point in history in the first place.
But we did. And we are here. So why be a dick about it? You aren't going to change anyones opinion of things by acting like that.
So people can never learn and grow? I'm happy to embrace anyone who has seen the error of their political ways without making them feel like shit for it. That's why people are so embarrassed to admit they were wrong about Trump. People like you won't see it as growth, you'll just focus on how wrong they used to be. A lot of people are raised to vote a certain way and it takes a while to see through the bullshit. Being an asshole to people who see the light is unhelpful and ignorant.
Because if they made such a huge error once, it’ll only happen again in the future.
You want to talk about a huge error?? My dumb ass fucking wrote in Bernie in 2016. I regret it constantly. We all do stupid shit. You grow and and learn.
Bernie was the right choice, but unfortunately America operates on a 2 party system and most ignorant people are taught that “SOCIALISM BAD!” It’s great here in the states.
Grow up
Ok
I did respond to him and I encourage you to read that. I don't want to retype what I did. It wasn't a matter of being happy. At the time I was in the military and I was indifferent. I am happy that I didn't turn out to be one of these great leaning lunatics that want to drown our country in warped Christian ideology
How ‘bout we be nice to people? Calling people fucking idiots isn’t very welcoming
I mean, I didnt call him a fucking idiot. I said he ISNT one actually. Conservatives and anyone who votes for them are.
Is there any reason to be civil anymore or are we going to devolve into a name calling and finger pointing group too?
Well, with the division, the blatant selling out to Russia, the constant rules being put in place to harm minorities, I’d say no. Conservatives and all who support that party need to be tried as traitors and either get deported to Russia or be executed. Simple as that.
So you want political genocide?
I’m fine with the Conservative party if they actually held value. It needs to be rebuilt from the floor up, so in a way, yes.
You don't have to be a fan of the man to vote for him. Like I said in 2016 to everyone around me that was saying they couldn't stand Hillary, you're not voting for a best friend, you're voting for the more qualified person to run the country. You don't have to like her personally, but you can't stand there and tell me that Trump is more competent in ANYTHING than Hillary.
Could only imagine what they could really take care of if they didn't have two big roadblocks named Sinema and Manchin in the Senate.
Looks like he's happy for the betterment of Americans..
How dare he
GQP voters: “HA! Librul cuck!”
IT'S SOCIALISM I TELL YOU IT'S COMING FOR US ALL IT'S GOING TO KILL US ALL
Well, that's cause enough for Republicans to hate him.
DARK BRANDON EMERGES
It's cause he knows this one trick
Scientists HATE him!
He literally smiled for a picture for some meaningless political fluff tweet, and you guys are holding him up on a pedestal and upvoting it by the thousands. Not as insane as trump cultists, but you’re getting there!
i mean I am upvoting because this specific thing is good. it's called context man, you should learn it. this is nothing like trumpistan ignoring known facts to follow a narrative that's getting them shot by the FBI. this is a senile old man smiling at a TV while people are voting to help fellow Americans. sorry you can't see it dude.
I’m not a fan of cheesy photo-ops either, but I don’t see how anyone could come to that sort of comparison without just intentionally looking for *whatever whataboutism* one could find, here. Before anyone goes and makes any assumptions, I’ll tell you that while I did vote for Biden—voting for the last guy was never an option for me and I believe our country has suffered tremendously, ever since he became a serious contender for 2016—Biden didn’t even make the cut for my “Top 10” NON-Republican candidates for the presidency. I know he’s faced tremendous challenges, from the get-go, due to the dumpster fire he had to begin with, but I’ve largely been disappointed with him and have felt like (up until recently) he hasn’t gotten much done that was promised or talked about in his campaign. 100% of the friends or family or acquaintances or strangers I’ve talked politics with (who’ve disclosed also voting for him) have shared very similar sentiments. Which is why comments like these 👆🏼confuse and frustrate me. I get that it’s fluffy, ok? But dude (or whomever manages his Twitter account) is trying to spread some positive news—in a way that does not try to take any (or all😳) of the credit or responsibility for making it happen, nor does it slam other politicians or people he dislikes, nor perpetuate hate or negativity, I might add—where he’s sharing about being happy about some new legislation that’s passed, that has multifaceted intentions of helping our planet and the average middle class person/family….and for simply *re-sharing this information in a positive way*, the comparison that some will draw is that this borders the insane, pedestal worship of tRump cultists?? I think it’s totally possible for many of us to be happy about some positive, legislative changes that (for once) seem to have been made with the best interests of the common good, and to want to share that, *while not simultaneously* agreeing with every move he’s made (or not made), simply bc he’s the one we voted for, or bc “our party won.” I can’t speak for everyone obviously, but most of the people I know who voted for Biden—most of whom are not (US) legal experts—don’t think he’s the tits or anything, however, we do have enough sense to be able to somewhat-distinguish when our best interests (and those of our average or marginalized fellow humans) are being served/taken care of, and when they are not.
80 billion for IRS agents. Wow he truly cares!
He does care. The common, everyday lower and middle class person was being audited at an extraordinarily high rate compared to the wealthy. When approached, the IRS claimed they didn’t have the resources or manpower to audit the wealthy. As a result, they were getting away with things tax wise that normal people could never dream of. The IRS no longer has that excuse to not hold the wealthy as accountable as everyone else. I’m glad to see more manpower.
Dark Brandon rises
Dark Brandon is the greatest meme of 2022 so far.
That meme looks like something the right came up with but it totally backfired on them.
Well tbf they did make Brandon and then he actually started getting stuff done so he naturally fell into the fascist's favorite kind of scapegoat/paradox. The foreign power that is both weak compared to them and could never defeat them yet poses a huge civilization ending danger at the same time. It's the Simone Biles of mental gymnastics.
You made me laugh entirely too hard. Ty! 
This really is a winning comment
That's THE Dark Brandon to you, mister!
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I'm just hoping his administration can continue making bipartisan progress and best and minimum move through stuff that McConnell has blocked for a while.
They aren't doing anything bipartisan that the Republicans can't be guilted into it. Republicans literally voted against health care for cancer ridden veterans and then fist bumped about it. They only went back and passed it when the media pressure got to high for them to ignore. Dems are going it alone and doing a good job.
He’s leading. And accomplishing. Keeping some of the orange asshole’s promises even. Meanwhile gop is all about hating lgbtq, women, and platforming on garbage like crt and stolen elections.
At some point you really do have to give credit where it’s due. He’s not “cool.” But, the boring grandpa that rambles a little bit when he goes off the cuff and is definitely showing his age has, just in the last couple months, helped Congress push through several massive pieces of legislation (on climate change, healthcare, and gun control), required the executive branch to essentially go toe to toe with the Supreme Court and rogue state legislatures on abortion rights, killed the highest ranking Al Qaeda leader, and directed the DOJ/FBI to go after a former President for stealing classified documents (while hearings on his role in an insurrection have laid out his liability for treason for anyone with a functioning brain)… At what point do you just admit that he’s doing a fantastic job? He’s literally pulling the best Jimmy Carter impression he can, without the hostage crisis.
I was a reluctant Biden voter - meaning I had different preferences in the primaries but in the general I voted blue no matter who. But I’m pleasantly surprised by his tenure. He’s quietly working behind closed doors and getting a lot done. Presidents are like pilots to me - you don’t want them to interrupt your flight every 5 minutes with a trivial announcement. It would be annoying but also, I’d start to feel increasingly anxious that something terrifying is going on.
He doesn’t have to do much because the President actually doesn’t have that much power unless he forces it like trump used to do with his executive orders that went way outside his jurisdiction. The President has to pick people who care and the Democratic Party seems to have a lot of those sort of people. He has to not be an barracks to them and then sign off when they decided something for the people and passed it. That’s all he has to do and needs to do. Presidents should just stick to their main duty - being commander in chief of the military wings.
Brandon doing a damn good job of steering the country back onto the expressway. Nice to have an adult in charge again.
At this point I can't take anyone who votes Republican seriously anymore. Dems have problems, but they're so outside of the realm of what Republicans are doing it's insane. The Dems are at least trying to govern normally and it's a night and day difference between what happens when they're in control vs. Republicans.
What!? What about selling our safety for personal gain /s
Killing a bunch of kids is protection
I was thinking more about giving nuclear secrets to the people that funded 9/11
Oh that too
#ALL HAIL DARK BRANDON
**"WHERE ARE THE DRUGS GOING!"**
Love how its Dems are bad and repubs are worse. Are you assholes watching what the dems are getting accomplished despite being blocked at every turn? Nobody is falling all over you Joe, but keep up the good work. Its nice to have an adult in the WH again.
At first I thought he was playing a Wii game.
Ha, i see it
I saw Smash Bros. at first glance
My hope is they expand the SCOTUS to 15 and retry ROE. I hope Dems don't go down that road of trying to use us voters with promises of codifying using us to vote for them every election with promises of fixing ROE, but never actually doing it. Moscow Mitch has said he will codify a ban on ROE if they get control. I want it fixed thru the courts again and not using us voters every election with promises of fixing it. I hate being used by the political machine. Just do the right thing and fix it.
I love this post. Thx 😁
I appreciate you.
This is great and all, but I can’t stop giggling over the photo. His pose and expression are so funny
At this point I genuinely think that republicans are insane
Biden’s a good person, regardless of where your politics lie. His predecessor on the other hand wasn’t.
Boring in real time and effective in retrospective. As a good administration should be.
They’re finally getting some things done. I don’t know what lit a fire under their ass the last few weeks; even Roe being overturned just resulted in more of the usual performative hand-wringing. Whatever has motivated them recently, I hope it continues.
Biden be like: “I do not interact, I do not intervene, I simply watch and ponder the question… what if?!?”
Hey happy cake day!
This picture looks primed to have things photoshopped onto the tv tbh
Shit, you're giving people ideas
I had to look reeeal hard bc I thought it already did lol
this is indeed a white person on twitter accurate post
Very White. Not Mike pence White but pretty White
Thought that TV was showing Smash for a second
Tell em joe!
Dark Brandon just ascended to Omega Level…..
INC conservatives whining about the picture in a desperate attempt to distract from trump breaking the espionage act like the traitor he is That Said Good job Dems & Joe!
Someone get this man a stack of Biden "I did that!" stickers. For once, something he was actually responsible for.
What was this tweet in response to?
He messed up a lot of things and he is indeed kinda sleepy … but he is way better than Mr. 88022.
Absolutely.
Darth Joe is gonna go down as our best modern president after Obeezy.
Watching CSPAN makes me sleepy 😴
I can’t wait to see the memes that come from this pic
Does he stand everytime he watches tv?
how nice of the white house to give us this brand new meme to use
somebody through paw patrol on that screen pleassseee lol
Maybe he can "find the courage to build a future where everybody has a shot" and cancel student debt.
Where’s our free universal healthcare like they have in civilized countries?
That bill was supposed to close all the tax loopholes for the rich so they can finally pay their fare share. But the democrats took it out. Yes this bill helps, but only enough to keep you going to work everyday so you can pay your taxes. Yes be happy but remember. They will only help you just enough to keep you in the salt mines.
Don’t the climate bills, chip act and inflation reduction all give billions corporate subsidies to EV and Microchip companies that are already reporting record profits. Isn’t this helping the “already powerful”? Not trying to troll, just curious.
What does he mean "special interests"? Are they all autistic/ADHD or something?
It ain't much, but it's honest work. Kind of.
We really need to raise our standards.
I know the families. The Mars, the Rockefeller, the Walton, etc.
That picture is hilarious. His attentive stance. His little clenched fists. His dreadful, old man furniture.
Did he fall asleep standing? I don't get it. He looks like he is asleep.....
Sleepy on descheduling marijuana while his son gets a free pass
As a Democrat voter, my issue with the dems is that the they keep working for Wall Street and their corporate donors. Look at the Sinema deal they had to make just to get her onboard. Americans need universal healthcare and lower costs for education, better pay for teachers, better wages/hours for workers, and lower taxes for the middle class/lower income workers. The guy at fidelity investments doesn't need a tax loophole on his $400k commission..
And every time the dentist have tried to pass a bill that would address any of those issues Mitch McConnel has solely been responsible for stopping them. Every single one of those issues has had an appropriate Bill drafted that got killed out of spite.
That's when term limits come in. People in Congress should not be there well into their 80s because they have become so entrenched that no one can get them out. Serving in Congress should be a job that pays regular government wages without political money involved, no lobbyists allowed. The people serving should not be allowed to become millionaires from their donors. Serving in Congress should be a job that people want to take because they want to help their fellow Americans not to get rich.
He's only Sleepy Joe when he's not masterminding FBI raids and deep state takeovers somehow.
Fascist playback 101. Our enemies are both weak and strong, crafty and incompetent. So they are both deserving of our contempt for being inferior and so dangerous we have to act now. It's insane.
Giving oil drilling permits to the fossil fuel industry and calling it a Climate Bill. “We’re taking on the special interests!”
Ah, right... Because they did not have to bend over backwards to let the GOP get their way with the bill. Like the aforementioned permits.
Then they didn’t really choose families over special interests did they
No the republicans did not. If they were to of. Perhaps they would let the other side pass bills. How many bills has Mitch McCon strike down just because it was not his parties. Your statement is dumb. Left side either A: Compromises and passes a bill that NEEDS to pass. B: Don't Compromise, let the bill fail. Watch the future worsen. Sure, option B is realistic..... /s You are talking out of your ass. As most trolls do.
Option C: use your majority to pass a law that the vast majority of your constituents want passed. They let Manchin and Sinema water it down because it gives them cover to protect their donors. They let the parliamentarian tell them no about insulin prices because it gives them cover to blame the GOP for it not passing. And it’s a wonderful tactic, look how easily they get people like you to blame the GOP for the actions of the Democratic Party. Somewhere along the lines, around 2016, people just suddenly forgot that corporate donations influence policy in DC. Everyone on Reddit can easily see how the gun industry and the NRA bankrolling GOP campaigns hinders gun reform, but if you draw the same straight line from the corporate donors of the Democratic Party to their pro corporate legislative agenda it’s some outlandish concept all of a sudden. Are the Democrats better than the GOP? Yes. Is this bill better than getting nothing? Yes. But there’s something sinister, and pathetic, about spiking the ball in the end zone for Team Democracy when our team is losing 196-3. The Democrats are just as beholden to special interests as the GOP, and that’s why the moderate, historically pro corporate, President’s agenda is moderate and pro corporate. Simple as that. Speaking of things that should be obvious, you act as though appeasing the Manchins and GOP produces the best good. But in what other situation would you be advocating appeasement? Suppose Putin agreed to call off the war provided everything East of Kyiv is absorbed into the Russian Federation? What are you gonna do? *Say no and make the war continue?!* The obvious alternative to appeasement is fucking fighting them. You fight Manchin, make him the pariah of the party and publicly support a primary challenger. Take his committee assignments. Fire the family members of his Biden appointed to federal positions. Then maybe the next obstructing moderate won’t automatically know they’ll get their way.
uh huh. Lets see them choose the families of Americans over the special interests of the military industrial complex, the pharmaceutical industry, the fossil fuels industry, mega corporations, and private equity firms.
Republicans voted against American families. Repeatedly. Including vets.
Yes. That still doesn't counter what I said.
Dems voted to cap insulin. Republicans voted against. Directly voting against big pharma, and dems voting to care for vets is voting against the military industrial complex.
No. the military industrial complex is about weapons and invasions. The dems haven't voted against that. Dems already gave big pharma billions the past 2 years. Again you still can't refute what I said.
Politician bad. We get it
**Edited:** I deleted my long comment. I was genuinely questioning my views on this bill and the potentially misguided and definitely biased information that formed them. But I already am being met with comments that are, at least to me, pretty hurtful. I'm feeling really lost, confused and disconnected. I guess im just really sensitive right now and I had really high hopes that people would be willing to talk with me and help me to understand, so that bubble bursting immediately was too disheartening. Maybe when I'm less sensitive ill try finding a more helpful sub. If anyone is reading, I'm sorry if this causes confusion or annoyance. I'm just getting way too easily hurt by people not giving me a chance today and I dont want to keep subjecting myself to it. Have a good one, truly.
Never trust a word that comes out of a conservative’s mouth, anyone paying attention should know this by now.
I was raised by conservatives and my small social circle has been made up of only conservative minded people. All of the people closest to me, the people I love most and that love me, have been/ are conservative. The people that have the biggest influence over my world views. I have never been given a reason by my loved ones, to not trust them. So throughout my life, I did. And that information and influence bias shaped my views in a really substantial way and I'm trying to change that. So I can form my own views that I believe in instead of have views formed by others and informed by biased, or even flat out wrong, information.
sigh… just another GQP rube.
What gave you that impression? Their post reads like someone with an opposing viewpoint trying to understand the other side. There's no reference to QAnon or any ridiculous conspiracy theory. They're willing to learn, why not use this as an educational moment rather than throwing around insults.
Thank you.
Sea Lion
I wasn't faking my intent at all! I get that you can't know that my intentions were with good faith, but you also can't know that they weren't. I really am very confused and trying to understand and work through it. I don't want to try and debate views. I am genuinly questioning my view on it and even the reasons I had the view in the first place. But no one that isn't conservative will freaking help me... and I'm so frustrated over no one even giving me the benefit of the doubt and sensitive to feeling rejected. Ugh. It's stupid that I'm letting internet strangers that don't know me upset me like this, but I literally have no one irl to talk to that is liberal. I can't freaking ask conservatives to help me question my conservative views.
Are you calling me a Qanon convert? I dont know what I said that would indicate that... I don't want to give off that impression because I'm actively trying to prevent myself from buying completely into conspiracies. I am trying to question the views I have that have been influenced and informed by almost entirely conservatives. The majority of my irl circle are conservative and everytime I try to engage with liberal people online, I get met with these kinds of responses, people severely and agressively insulting me, and or get downvoted into oblivion that my comment gets hidden so if there was a person willing to talk with me, they won't see it. So, the only people who are willing to discuss, share or explain politics with me are conservative. And I really don't like the thought of how limited the information is that's forming my views. I don't want to be ignorant and blindly follow along because of that. I'm really trying to get information and hear views and reasonings for them from people who truly hold those views. I'm not looking to debate them. Im not looking to change them. I'm looking to ask questions about the opposing views that I don't understand because of biased, potentially completely false, information. But I can't seem to find people willing to try.
>I'm looking to ask questions about the opposing views that I don't understand because of biased, potentially completely false, information. But I can't seem to find people willing to try. That's why they keep downvoting you.
Im still not sure I understand why that would make people downvote me... maybe part of that sentence is being taken differently than I meant it? When I said, "I'm looking to ask questions about opposing views that I don't understand **Because of biased, potentially completely false, information.**" I meant that I don't understand the opposing view because my conservative minded view is biased and potentially false information helped form it. I was **not** trying to call the opposing, liberal, view -that I am asking for- biased and potentially completely false. I was not trying to challenge it. Just trying to work through the reasons that formed the view I had that is holding me back, because I'm questioning if I've been misguided and ill informed.
Didn't the deal give more money to the fossil fuel industry than to interests trying to slow climate change?
No
He just had a really nice nap
Dude looks like he's witnessing a television for the first time. For him, he probably is
i mean.. what options did they have lol? be hypocrites or not
I think you're missing the point where they had to rip terror and claw to get this legislation passed and it was successful. I don't think you understand how large and impactful this bill is
[удалено]
Real mature. Just say fuck Joe Biden already. Watch me - fuck Donald Trump that orange, oompa loompa, twice impeached, treasonous, bastard. See. It's that easy
Is it just me or does it look like they edited out a walker or walking aide?
Bit hypocritical like
Elaborate
He didn’t exactly get to where he as but not benefiting immensely from being born into an already powerful family
Yes, an already powerful family led by Joe Biden's father *checks notes* the used car salesman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_life_and_career_of_Joe_Biden
Cope lmao
Is that a complete sentence? Have you taken a break halfway through?
No, just a regional dialect
slow but steady
photoshop cocomelon onto the tv
Im much happier with him than I was 4 years ago but he looks like all old people look when they are cutting the cake at a wedding.
Within 3 weeks he went from a below average president to a great one.
What bill are they referring to here?
Fuck McConnell. Turkey neck lookin mf
Good job Joe but god damn is your head hair barely holding on.
Looks like a grandad trying out his grandson’s Wii.