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Post by bjd on Nov 1, 2019 15:12:37 GMT
Of course, I meant British citizenship --just got confused because his mother was Scottish. Of course, if Brexit goes through, the Scots might vote for independence.
Trump should move to Alaska. I'm sure he'd get on like wildfire with Sarah Palin.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 1, 2019 15:41:17 GMT
He should really move to Russia and resume his bromance with Putin.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 1, 2019 16:20:57 GMT
I was watching a report on some channel, maybe BBC News, maybe Skynews, maybe CNN showing the continued support among numerous interviewed people for Trump, but it is very clear that it is not personal support for Trump at all. It is just support for right wing politics, no matter who is the figurehead nor what their background. Trump is probably appealing because he is rich and has a big mouth. He has no fear to speak (or tweet) his mind, and people like that, because the right wing had to keep a low profile for so many years (yeah, racism, homophobia, sexism, all of those little things that became unfashionable). At last they have been able to let loose, and if Trump is the symbol, that is just fine.
As for left wing politics (I know that many Americans prefer the softer label of "liberal"), the fact that they won a lot of battles in recent years actually weakens them. They don't dare to push much more for things like free health care or education or better treatment of immigrants (let's not even mention protection of the environment or rail transportation), so they just use wimpy terms like "social justice" and "equality" which don't really spark anything in the public's mind.
I guess that they will just have to relax with the new cannabis laws and watch the world go by.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 2, 2019 15:05:09 GMT
The very establishment "moderate" Joe Biden does have an admirable affection for rail transport and had been pushing for faster, more modern trains including one I'd like very much, the Northern New England which would run from Montréal (hey, we're New France!) and Boston, via Vermont and New Hampshire. I was trying to imagine the crowd; scholars from various universities, boisterous hockey fans, Chinese and other Asian tourists discovering the famous autumnal foliage, etc. But of course it came to nothing.
And obviously, there is no social justice without public healthcare and higher education (technical as well as academic).
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 2, 2019 15:16:57 GMT
Unfortunately, rail travel is a totally fringe issue in the United States since the perceived need for it died out long ago. So supporting rail travel only garners marginal support in the Northeast and a few niche markets such as Los Angeles-San Francisco, Miami-Orlando and Dallas-Houston. Other markets could be tempted except for the fact that each possible line costs many billion dollars and "middle America" could not possibly go for this when there are so many other urgent needs. And even in the main markets, it would take a very long time for people to consider rail travel to be something other than a novelty and not an example of real environmental progress.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 2, 2019 15:22:55 GMT
However, smaller markets like Montana could totally benefit from a commuter line connecting bedroom communities in the 70 mile long Bitterroot Valley (Lolo, Hamilton, Darby) to Missoula (where the jobs are), and a tourist line between Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, at least in the warmer months.
As a side benefit, a Bitterroot Branch line could serve as a shuttle for bicycle riders on the 50 mile long trail, and even floaters on the adjacent Bitterroot River who don’t want to plant a 2nd shuttle vehicle for their float. BTW, the tracks are already there, from days when logging and sawmills dominated the economy.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 2, 2019 15:27:01 GMT
I’m voting for the candidate who will be the much-needed adult in the room. If that ends up being Uncle Joe, so be it. I’d prefer he serve only one term though and allow his more progressive more diverse running mate take over for 2024. Could that be Kamala Harris?
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 2, 2019 16:12:10 GMT
When the tracks are already there, it obviously makes rail service much easier, as long as people are not in a hurry. But the fashion which is now causing jealousy is high speed rail such as is offered in China, Japan, France, Spain and now even Morocco among other countries. One of the best things about the Eurostar or even just the train from Paris to Lille is the fact that it runs alongside the freeway most of the way and passes all of the cars driving at 130 km/h (81 mph) as though they were sluggards.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 2, 2019 19:21:37 GMT
The French evening news tonight laughed and shuddered at the report about his new guru Paula White. With 25% of the United States being under the control of evangelistic sects, it is pretty close to clinching his reelection.
Be thankful for this 2 and a half minute clip because most of the things on YouTube seem to last an hour and a half.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 3, 2019 0:29:08 GMT
I note that in your post you were not able to make yourself put the words "Trump" and "spiritual" in the same sentence, logically enough.
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Post by questa on Nov 3, 2019 6:41:05 GMT
Oh, Please! Someone slip some vodka into her so she does her invocation with the same joie de vivre that Boris Yeltsin showed at special functions.
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Post by mickthecactus on Nov 3, 2019 9:38:35 GMT
And people really believe this mumbo jumbo...
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Post by lagatta on Nov 3, 2019 11:31:37 GMT
Why do so many people in the US believe in this kind of mendacious crap?
As for the mouth, trout-pout. Cosmetic surgery fail. For some reason, they are all fakey-fake blondes as well. They probably think Jesus was blond.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 3, 2019 17:36:41 GMT
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Post by fumobici on Nov 4, 2019 0:22:18 GMT
I knew the instant I heard both of those frustrated utterances that they were a huge political miscalculation which would inevitably fuel a reaction, which I believe they did. Both helped Trump immensely.
edit: and I'm of course waaay to the left of either Obama or Clinton whom I consider just slightly less wacky right-wing nuts than the Republicans.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 4, 2019 1:07:15 GMT
Anch'io, but I don't live there. My MP (NDP, on the left, in my riding) won, but the NDP dropped seats here.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 8, 2019 17:12:37 GMT
And now Michael Bloomberg is filing to run as a Democrat in the Alabama primaries. In case fellow moderate Joe Biden falters.
I’d rather he ran against Trump as a Republican in the primaries (the ones that haven’t been cancelled). As former GOP mayor of NYC, he could take Trump down and get enough votes to step in WHEN Trump falters, or is abandoned by the toadies in Congress.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 8, 2019 20:01:35 GMT
Oh, a Republican billionaire running for the Democratic nomination again. If he had even one ball, he'd run against Trump in the Republican primary instead of as a Democrat. If you think voting for Bloomberg is a good idea, you aren't a Democrat, you're a Republican who can't quite face up to it. As it is, he'll be irrelevant until he decides to run as an Independent or Third Party candidate, which he totally should. I actually like the idea of another right-wing Dem in the field taking votes away from Biden and splitting that faction, I think it'll help get Warren or Sanders nominated. Then we can tax the fuck out of him and all the other billionaires until they are too poor to run losing vanity Presidential campaigns or buy and run political institutions and media empires. Then everyone wins.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 8, 2019 23:26:52 GMT
^ ^ ^ What he said!!! ^ ^ ^
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Post by Kimby on Nov 9, 2019 0:19:28 GMT
If Warren (or Bernie) wins the election, they will get no Republican votes and few Independent votes, but they will pull in more young voters, providing the young folks actually turn out to do their civic duty. Which is not a given.
Older voters may be more easily gotten out to vote, even if less than enthusiastically. If we had the Joe Biden of even four years ago, I’d feel more confident he could take it all. But I’m really torn.
And I feel there are some good (better, even) candidates in the 2nd and 3rd tiers, candidates who may not even make it onto the debate stage because of stupid DNC debate rules. No one even votes for 3 months.
I’m really disappointed by the DNC’s handling of this election so far.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 9, 2019 0:58:17 GMT
The asshole DNC wants to ramrod Biden through the same way they ramrodded H.Clinton through. Look how well that turned out.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 9, 2019 2:01:12 GMT
For the DNC, if they lose control of the Party, they may never get it back--the threat is a nearly existential one. On a personal level, that's a far greater loss than having Trump re-elected. They are acting in their rational self-interest and must be defeated by more people acting rationally in their own collective interest.
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Post by mich64 on Nov 9, 2019 3:18:48 GMT
If you think voting for Bloomberg is a good idea, you aren't a Democrat, you're a Republican who can't quite face up to it If we had the Joe Biden of even four years ago, I’d feel more confident he could take it all. The asshole DNC wants to ramrod Biden through the same way they ramrodded H.Clinton through. Look how well that turned out. Yes Yes and Yes. Being a Canadian, I should not intrude on American politics, but we are so bombarded by the news coverage every day it is hard not to. I have recently began following twitter (along with many other information/news gathering sites) and I told my husband that when we cross the border (eventually) if they happen to check my phone, they would find I follow many reporters, newspapers and Democrats, that I DO NOT comment, DO NOT have followers but LOVE selecting the heart icon for any animal videos!
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 9, 2019 5:04:57 GMT
Do Americans ever worry about their political parties collapsing as they did in France and Italy and risk totally crumbling in the UK and Germany, or are they so sure of their system that it never even crosses their mind?
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Post by Kimby on Nov 9, 2019 5:28:06 GMT
Sure of our “system”? Hardly. Many people are fearful that it won’t be just a political party or two that collapses, but our whole democratic republic that’s on the verge of falling into a constitutional crisis.
The Republicans are aiding and abetting an inept if not criminal President, while obstructing any legislation passed by the Democratic House of Representatives. So nothing gets done for the people, while the POTUS gleefully dismantles everything that was done by his predecessor.
All this would be bad enough, but we would survive if Trump goes quietly when his time in office is done. But since he faces prosecution for multiple crimes as soon as he’s no longer a “sitting president”, I wonder if he won’t use “foreign election interference” as an excuse to postpone the 2020 elections until we can guarantee they are secure. He’s often expressed admiration/envy for others who are leaders for life.
America may be in trouble, folks. We thought we had rules and customs that would prevent a tyrant from taking over, but it turns out that there’s no surefire way to enforce the rules if the Senate is in on it, and the courts are being packed with sympathetic judges. I’m hopeful that those who chose careers in “public service” will wake up and serve the public. But the tribalism is intense, and it’s become a zero-sum game.
Very sobering.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 9, 2019 5:37:12 GMT
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Post by questa on Nov 9, 2019 7:59:21 GMT
***Questa shakes her head in wonderment and despair*** How can a mighty nation screw up such a simple thing as "One person - one vote"? So you think you can be elected to take part in running the country. Tell me what your policy and plans are to do this for the betterment of all its citizens. If I like your plans you get my precious vote. No need for primaries, colleges that overturn votes, different rules for different states. Just on a selected day everyone marks a ballot and these direct the Administration for the next 4 years. Currently the whole election system is one big circus...where the Clown thinks he is the Ringmaster. As an Aussie I have no right to tell others how to run their elections, but as a descendant of women who fought for the right to vote, I maintain an interest here.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 9, 2019 11:26:04 GMT
Apparently the environment is doing very well under Trump.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 9, 2019 11:41:30 GMT
I was trying to embed the infamous clip of Trump and Bolsonaro exchanging football shirts, can't seem to do so. It is easy to find on the net. I guess my little new-to-me computer can't deal with two steaming turds at a time...
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 13, 2019 14:40:48 GMT
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