America

[Son of Mathonwy]

I've an American friend who's doing heroic work of actually reading the whole thing, bit by bit.

She's obviously up to the childcare provisions bit.
Yesterday's highligh was: all contraception to be banned (condoms are murder folks).
Today's is: all children under 18 who are donor conceived and don’t live in a male-female parent situation will be removed and placed into foster care.

The whole thing seems to be "kill the Taliban, steal their ideas, turn them up to 11"

Sounds like someone watched The Handmaids Tale and considered it prophecy rather than dystopian fiction.

They must wonder why those Gideon guys are portrayed as the bad guys.

Why aren't the Dems using this to destroy Trump? Are they waiting till closer to November? Or is this just another example of their cluelessness?

[Which Tyler]

They must wonder why those Gideon guys are portrayed as the bad guys.

There's a notable proportion of Americans who watch "The Boys" and think that blond-guy is the hero and a roll model (can't remember his name - I stopped watching part-way through the 2nd season).

Why aren't the Dems using this to destroy Trump? Are they waiting till closer to November? Or is this just another example of their cluelessness?

They are, but barely anyone seems to have pointed out that the Trump campaign is (apparently) the biggest donor to the Heritage Foundation. Basically, they're too busy fighting amongst themselves to land any punches.

[Puja]

I've an American friend who's doing heroic work of actually reading the whole thing, bit by bit.

She's obviously up to the childcare provisions bit.
Yesterday's highligh was: all contraception to be banned (condoms are murder folks).
Today's is: all children under 18 who are donor conceived and don’t live in a male-female parent situation will be removed and placed into foster care.

The whole thing seems to be "kill the Taliban, steal their ideas, turn them up to 11"

Sounds like someone watched The Handmaids Tale and considered it prophecy rather than dystopian fiction.

They must wonder why those Gideon guys are portrayed as the bad guys.

Why aren't the Dems using this to destroy Trump? Are they waiting till closer to November? Or is this just another example of their cluelessness?

The issue is that it's not official policy that can be unequivocally tied to them and the US populace has largely stopped listening. So the Democrats say, "Look what he's planning to do!" and he'll say, "It's terrible, just terrible all these lies that they're spreading about me, I don't have any connection to these people, it's just advice, just advice, I didn't write it! It's Trump derangement syndrome, it's Project Fear, of course they're trying to scare you cause they don't have anything else."

Add to that is the fact that so much of the wickedness in there is complicated and boring procedural stuff about using schedule F to reclassify federal employees and the average person is already asleep. But if you don't go into the weeds of "These are the very specific ways in which they're planning to fuck up your democracy," and just give the headlines, then it sounds like ridiculous overexaggeration and people will dismiss it as lies.

Puja

[Sandydragon]

Sounds like someone watched The Handmaids Tale and considered it prophecy rather than dystopian fiction.

They must wonder why those Gideon guys are portrayed as the bad guys.

Why aren't the Dems using this to destroy Trump? Are they waiting till closer to November? Or is this just another example of their cluelessness?

The issue is that it's not official policy that can be unequivocally tied to them and the US populace has largely stopped listening. So the Democrats say, "Look what he's planning to do!" and he'll say, "It's terrible, just terrible all these lies that they're spreading about me, I don't have any connection to these people, it's just advice, just advice, I didn't write it! It's Trump derangement syndrome, it's Project Fear, of course they're trying to scare you cause they don't have anything else."

Add to that is the fact that so much of the wickedness in there is complicated and boring procedural stuff about using schedule F to reclassify federal employees and the average person is already asleep. But if you don't go into the weeds of "These are the very specific ways in which they're planning to fuck up your democracy," and just give the headlines, then it sounds like ridiculous overexaggeration and people will dismiss it as lies.

Puja

The job of the Dems Shirley has to be to take that inaccessible crap and put it into language people understand. But I suspect the arguments around Biden are all consuming and distracting. Someone seems to be advising trump to stfu for the time being and allow the dems to fuck themselves up.

[Puja]

Biden just introduced Zelenskiy's speech as "Now, I'll hand over to the President of Ukraine, President Putin."

He surely must go. There's no way he can survive this.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

I would hope you're joking but I think not. There's putting your foot in your mouth and then there's whatever that is.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Biden just introduced Zelenskiy's speech as "Now, I'll hand over to the President of Ukraine, President Putin."

He surely must go. There's no way he can survive this.

Puja

This is a good thing. No way can he get through this.

[morepork]

Fuck my arse.

[morepork]

and a collective international security issue turns into a domestic campaign speech. Fucking hell, what an insult to alliance.

[morepork]

Christ on a bike.

[Sandydragon]

Biden just introduced Zelenskiy's speech as "Now, I'll hand over to the President of Ukraine, President Putin."

He surely must go. There's no way he can survive this.

Puja

This is a good thing. No way can he get through this.

Wanna bet? He still has to decide to go of his own accord. We’ve been talking
About this for the last two weeks. Trump can basically sit back and let the dems lose the election and not have any scrutiny of his own plans. Biden just won’t shake this off

[Puja]

I've an American friend who's doing heroic work of actually reading the whole thing, bit by bit.

She's obviously up to the childcare provisions bit.
Yesterday's highligh was: all contraception to be banned (condoms are murder folks).
Today's is: all children under 18 who are donor conceived and don’t live in a male-female parent situation will be removed and placed into foster care.

The whole thing seems to be "kill the Taliban, steal their ideas, turn them up to 11"

Worth noting: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/nYM7CF35Ugf57vsK/

Puja

[Puja]

Biden just introduced Zelenskiy's speech as "Now, I'll hand over to the President of Ukraine, President Putin."

He surely must go. There's no way he can survive this.

Puja

This is a good thing. No way can he get through this.

Wanna bet? He still has to decide to go of his own accord. We’ve been talking
About this for the last two weeks. Trump can basically sit back and let the dems lose the election and not have any scrutiny of his own plans. Biden just won’t shake this off

You're absolutely right. In the unscripted press conference after the "President Putin" fuck-up, he then referred to Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump" while continuing to insist that he was competent and there was no way he would be stepping down.

I think the only option is a mass rebellion by the Democratic party that makes his position untenable, and I don't think enough of them have the minerals for that.

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

Biden just introduced Zelenskiy's speech as "Now, I'll hand over to the President of Ukraine, President Putin."

He surely must go. There's no way he can survive this.

Puja

This is a good thing. No way can he get through this.

Wanna bet? He still has to decide to go of his own accord. We’ve been talking
About this for the last two weeks. Trump can basically sit back and let the dems lose the election and not have any scrutiny of his own plans. Biden just won’t shake this off

It was already too late for Biden to win the election. The damage had been done. Now things have to get bad enough to make him go. There needed to be a disaster for Biden and his people to notice it and to make the congressmen and women speak out. I'm thinking this was bad enough to be noticed. (Yeah, I could be wrong )

Jesus, he needs to go now, while he still has some dignity. I'm sure there are a lot more who've only expressed doubts in private. If he doesn't go now they all need to speak out, Obama included. Not a good look but he's bringing this on himself.

[Sandydragon]

This is a good thing. No way can he get through this.

Wanna bet? He still has to decide to go of his own accord. We’ve been talking
About this for the last two weeks. Trump can basically sit back and let the dems lose the election and not have any scrutiny of his own plans. Biden just won’t shake this off

You're absolutely right. In the unscripted press conference after the "President Putin" fuck-up, he then referred to Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump" while continuing to insist that he was competent and there was no way he would be stepping down.

I think the only option is a mass rebellion by the Democratic party that makes his position untenable, and I don't think enough of them have the minerals for that.

Puja

I’ve written before about the lack of balls in the Republican Party in refusing to oppose extremism.

Sadly the democrats are also displaying a total lack of moral courage.

[Sandydragon]

This is a good thing. No way can he get through this.

Wanna bet? He still has to decide to go of his own accord. We’ve been talking
About this for the last two weeks. Trump can basically sit back and let the dems lose the election and not have any scrutiny of his own plans. Biden just won’t shake this off

It was already too late for Biden to win the election. The damage had been done. Now things have to get bad enough to make him go. There needed to be a disaster for Biden and his people to notice it and to make the congressmen and women speak out. I'm thinking this was bad enough to be noticed. (Yeah, I could be wrong )

Jesus, he needs to go now, while he still has some dignity. I'm sure there are a lot more who've only expressed doubts in private. If he doesn't go now they all need to speak out, Obama included. Not a good look but he's bringing this on himself.

The lack of total loyalty has made it obvious there is a split. Better to finish the job and get rid. The half way house is fooling no one and already reducing the chances of beating Trump.

And imagine the energy and bounce a new candidate would bring? Suddenly Trump would look like the old man.

[Puja]

Headline that got my hopes up for a second.

Joe Biden is pulling out...




.
.
.


Joe Biden is pulling out all the stops to prove his competency – but will it work?



Puja

[morepork]

Shit just got real. What manner of fuckwit does this? Here come a martyr .

[Puja]

Shit just got real. What manner of fuckwit does this? Here come a martyr .

Seconded. Massive bump in the polls coming for him because of this.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Yup, that's my fear.

Conspiracy theory incoming in T-minus 5 seconds, however.

[Puja]

Yup, that's my fear.

Conspiracy theory incoming in T-minus 5 seconds, however.

I will admit, that was my first thought when I heard, although it didn't last long when I saw the facts of the situation.

Although speaking of conspiracies, how long before a Trump fanatic who thinks Biden ordered a hit decides to have a pop back? Worrying times.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

I will admit, that was my first thought when I heard, although it didn't last long when I saw the facts of the situation.

Although speaking of conspiracies, how long before a Trump fanatic who thinks Biden ordered a hit decides to have a pop back? Worrying times.

I've not really seen the facts yet, my first thought (first time ever) was black-ops fake attempt (primarily, that photo of him standing proud, first raised and defiant, when he's an absolute coward - but people are always capable of surprising you).
2nd was the one you mentioned, a new target for the MAGA, accusations flying around everywhere, and someone taking a pot-shot of their own.
I'm trying hard to clamp down on both thoughts as utterly unworthy.

Now got the news on.

[Puja]

I will admit, that was my first thought when I heard, although it didn't last long when I saw the facts of the situation.

Although speaking of conspiracies, how long before a Trump fanatic who thinks Biden ordered a hit decides to have a pop back? Worrying times.

I've not really seen the facts yet, my first thought (first time ever) was black-ops fake attempt (primarily, that photo of him standing proud, first raised and defiant, when he's an absolute coward - but people are always capable of surprising you).
2nd was the one you mentioned, a new target for the MAGA, accusations flying around everywhere, and someone taking a pot-shot of their own.
I'm trying hard to clamp down on both thoughts as utterly unworthy.

Now got the news on.

He got shot in the ear was the main thing - no-one's that accurate for a fake. The gunman's shot dead and so was a bystander - a fake wouldn't have a body count. Lastly, the gunman's white - if it was orchestrated, they'd be making a point with the perpetrator.

It's appalling that it's a reaction that we're having, even if only for a moment, but it is the world that we've ended up in.

The photo of him with the fist is after he's been told the gunman's dead and while he's being ushered to his armoured car surrounded by a phalanx of Secret Service - it looks good, but he's completely safe at that point and, if there's one thing he does know, it's how to grandstand.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Yeah, seeing more pictures, and he was hit in the ear, whilst the photo was significantly later, after the gunman was nullified.
Body count - meh, plenty of alleged black ops have had innocent body counts.

News now saying the shooter was a "registered Republican" - there's more to come here, including the conspiracy theory that he's a left-wing plant etc etc.



Please note thought, I'm not claiming a conspiracy, it's just the first thought that came to my head, given just the headline, and the triumphant photo.

If there's got to be a conspiracy - I'm going for would be someone coming back from the future to do a "kill hitler before he takes power", but choosing Trump instead - and no, I don't actually mean it.

[Sandydragon]

Anyone with half a brain will see that was a genuine attempt. Even a puff of wind would have made that fatal and does anyone really think Trump would risk that?

I agree with Puja. It’s easy look
Brave when the gunman is dead and you have dozens of armed police and secret service covering you.

I suspect there will be accusations of a plant etc. the secret service will be even more paranoid around Biden now, and they are pretty paranoid at the best of times.

I also suspect this will help trumps polling. Sadly