Election Thread 2024

[Hydra009]

Sometimes, I like to look at old rhetoric and man, it's interesting to watch positions shift.  Were they ever real positions?  Or were they just things people said to score points for their guy?

President Joe Biden has signed more than 35 executive orders, actions and memorandums in his first week-and-a-half in the Oval Office. And some of Biden's critics are saying or suggesting that his frequent early use of the presidential pen contradicts a dramatic statement he made on the campaign trail in October.

"Biden signed off on a record number of executive orders during his first week – but just three months ago, according to Biden himself, that's something only a dictator would do," Fox News host Sean Hannity said on air Tuesday.

Obviously, Trump's second term tops Biden in sheer numbers.  But sheer numbers aren't really a good indicator of executive overreach.  One of Trump's earliest acts was to establish Musk's Department by changing the existing United States Digital Service and well, we've all seen how that's going.  Many of Biden's earliest acts were related to covid, which is unsurprising considering his predecessor.

So taking covid seriously is "dictatorial" but this checkless-and-unbalanced thing we have going on right now is just peachy?  If it weren't for double-standards, he wouldn't have any at all.

[Unbeliever]

I saw Rudy Giuliani at dinner. But it might have been just a run of the mill goblin.

[Hydra009]

White House: Musk is not a DOGE employee, but an advisor to the President and has no decision-making authority

Hmmm...good news?  A reining in of billionaire-in-chief and the establishment of a pecking order?  (It's otherwise been pretty nebulous who's actually in charge)  Or is this an attempt to shelter Musk from pushback by declaring him to be the Hand of the President King?  I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

[Hydra009]

Pennsylvania lawmaker (you'll never guess the party) introduces "Two Gender Protection Act"

The legislation would enforce single-sex spaces to be based on biological sex rather than gender identity.

So...I guess at the gym, the women's locker rooms will have cis women and trans men (asigned female at birth, transitioning to male) and men's locker room having a similar problem with wildly-diverging people sharing the same intimate space.  Instead of the far too complicated and not invasive enough "just let people sort out their own business" procedure.  I can't imagine that going horribly, horribly wrong and someone potentially getting hurt because of it.

According to Senator Mastriano, Senate Bill 213 would also mandate the Pennsylvania government to use sex instead of gender in official communications and require all state-issued identification documents to use a person's biological sex as identified at birth.

*stares at the title of the bill, which doesn't even obey its own rule*

Also, we recently had a wonderful time of government records being deleted by some shitty AI because they featured the word "diverse" or "diversity" in a completely different context than what some shitty Republican thought.  I can't imagine government records with the word sex going through a similar problem, like let's say some corporation's overly harsh profanity filter.  Note that I say this while watching Youtube videos where the creators sometimes have to say "unalived" instead of killed or dead.  Also, "unpaid intern" instead of slave.

But let's say the implementation goes off without a hitch - the rare thing for the government - we're just going to let some overripe turnip with "strong feelings" about biology say what's okay and what's not okay in terms of gender?  (they tend to weigh in on sexuality and child-bearing, too.  Not to mention the "correct" religious beliefs and political beliefs and family size and even whether or not you should take vaccines or prescription medication.  It's a mess.)  Where does that path lead?  Cause I bet lots of people living in the Middle East can let us know.

[Unbeliever]

I expect it will get worse before it gets better.

[Blackleaf]

I expect it will get worse before it gets better.

You think things will get better?

[Unbeliever]

Well, yeah, once humans go extinct.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You think things will get better?

Yeah, right after Chicxulub II.

[Hydra009]

His wikipedia:

Mastriano is a prominent figure in fundamentalist Christian nationalism and has called the separation of church and state a myth.[5][6] He has made social media posts referencing QAnon and has spoken at events that promoted QAnon and 9/11 conspiracy theories.[1][7][8][9][10][11] An election denier and self-professed close ally of former President Donald Trump, Mastriano received national attention for his efforts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.[12]

He attended Trump's January 6 rally in Washington, D.C., prior to Trump supporters' storming of the United States Capitol,[12][13] and was seen on video passing through Capitol Police barriers after they had been breached by others in the crowd.[12]

What a scumbag.

[Hydra009]

King Trump orders firing of all "Biden-era" U.S. attorneys

Naturally, he claims that they've all "been politicized like never before".  I agree with him there, though as usual every accusation is a confession.

Tellingly, Trump moved to protect disgraced New York Mayor Eric Adams from corruption charges by directing the Department of Justice to drop the charges.  The US attorney handed in her resignation letter instead.  Good for her, though I doubt her replacement will be as principled.

[Blackleaf]

I wonder how bad the corruption needs to get before Republican voters realize they fucked up. Will they ever admit they were wrong?

[Unbeliever]

I've heard that many Trump voters are regretting their votes, but I don't know how many that amounts to.

[SGOS]

I've heard that many Trump voters are regretting their votes, but I don't know how many that amounts to.

I haven't heard that, but then I haven't heard anything to the contrary either. I'm sure there are some. But it seems too early for many to be disenfranchised. But I've lost all confidence in my ability to explain politics.

[Blackleaf]

Yeah, the thing about voter regret is just because it's newsworthy doesn't mean it's widespread. Sometimes, it's just the opposite. It's newsworthy because it's rare. I don't see Conservates seeing the error of their ways any time soon. They're thoroughly brainwashed.

[Blackleaf]

Careful, Pence. The Right Wing don't take kindly to people speaking the truth. Might try to put you in that guillotine again.