Lurker > Wanglicious

or you could just take the goose checklist and have it be able to do any one of those things, but only once. after completing the task of that checklist it crosses it out and can no longer do it again. since it's a goose it can't help but be a dick and can never be fired.

just tweak up the list there and honk honk away.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

man, this is the sort of game i just kinda drop into, do stuff, leave, drop into, repeat.
these charity 7* things are nice, had one last time and i see Garland is the one this time. free 7* that's actually quite serviceable, free TMR, free STMR? hell yeah.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

wow. it's pretty impressive for them to give out 3 more games, even if i already own Darksiders 1 and 2 along with these upgraded editions.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

yeah this ain't a fair or valid attack on biden. hell, it's entirely accurate to say that our culture is based on british values or on european values, that's factual. all you're doing is bringing up a twitter troll account to confirm your bias against him.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

oh for all the shit we give north korea they were 100% correct to rush nukes and refuse any other options. we've proven multiple times already that if you disarm, we fuck you.

also while i fully support the policy banning robocalls i do wonder what the language they're using is to do so. this feels like it could be one of those "devil's in the details" bills depending on what powers it gives/what extra data collection they can do.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

red13n posted...

Theres lots of very normal jobs out there.

More will be created in a healthy, productive country.

and not one word of that is going to be something that the vast majority of those 3 million people care about.
and i don't mean the "few people in the lower ends of the industry," i mean the overwhelming majority. enjoy some numbers. note that the median ranges from 40k to 80k.

https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag524.htm

the people on the top will be fine and mostly unaffected as they'll shift to other financial industries. everyone else gets fucked as a sixth of the economy is disrupted. and don't expect any of these details to be quiet come general election time, along with a list of all the industries affected and the millions more jobs that'll be added on. this is getting an interesting pass in the democratic primaries: the morality is taking center stage over the direct results so when a general election comes by those who started negotiating from weaker positions - Warren/Pete, Biden, Yang - won't have as jarring a result. just depends on how you want to deal with it: as politics or as an issue with people? if the former you stick with it the way Bernie has, if the latter you focus on reforms that don't do as much (Warren/Pete are gradual changes to minimize impact, Biden is probably the most realistic tweaking with a focus on minimal impact, Yang's is a strange long term idea to change the way multiple industries work where the biggest job risk is in pharmaceuticals).

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

main thing i'll say is that it's way more than 900k people. it's around 3 million in that industry alone, from there you can expand the impact to other industries and have the number keep going up. most people in that industry don't make that much money either, it's a very normal job.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pAsss_nTlk

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Jakyl25 posted...

And yet

https://news.gallup.com/poll/269711/republican-satisfaction-healthcare-costs-surges.aspx

while there's still partisanship...

• Overall, 26% of Americans are satisfied with U.S. healthcare costs

it's ripe for tweaking.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

yang's proposal may not be the widest of them all but it seems quite plausible. hardest parts seem to be the the RX negotiations and the change to salary but that, compared to M4A, is a walk in the park. it doesn't take much to point out how ridiculous drug costs and treatment can be, especially to anyone who has seen what cancer, diabetes, or HIV can do. especially cancer, which is a personal issue to quite a few people and a legitimate concern to more as they get older. hell, that aspect might actually have bipartisen support as it's been mentioned by republicans before. that aspect carries some major long term effects too since if we have the government getting involved with the production of drugs it means government is now getting directly involved with everyday medicine. changing doctors to salary would change that industry to a point where the idea of a government provided insurance is a quick hop from it - it's just another doctor making another salary using drugs you already are getting by the government. the groundwork gets made really well for M4A-like ideas without massively disrupting tens of millions of jobs.

the approach is entirely different than covering everyone or a public option, it's quite conservative in its framework to tackling what's already there as opposed to making anything new. but that's also what makes it really difficult to argue against in a general election.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

nah, that wouldn't work. don't even know why that's even a talking point dems have used when she's repeatedly rejected it.

you've got a better chance of her becoming secretary of state. that's the other main pathway i can think of.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

something that only republicans and independents would like and see as a person trying to find the truth. majority of dems meanwhile will utterly hate it, especially hardline ones, though those already consider her to be a republican with a D next to the name. politically it's an interesting move but i don't know where she's going with it, apart from quite possibly the republican party.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

point taken.
dems would see it as a conservative court ruling for trump should they lose, republicans would see it as irrelevant since "EXONERATED! AQUITTED! TRUMP 2020!" would be a louder message anyway.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Jakyl25 posted...

So you dont think it will evolve into Im not impeached even after the Senate starts the trial

not in that wording, no.
i think it'll go from "Democrats can't decide on something they voted on"/"Democrats get cold feet" style of rhetoric to "Totally Exonerated 2.0." potentially more so, depending on the Supreme Court's decision on the second impeachment articles as the last thing Dems want is him to say illegally impeached with a basis of truth.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

also do bear in mind that this may also be an argument Pelosi wants as it gives her and the house more power, though it's optically shit. they don't need to give the senate the trial because as long as they don't complete their half, impeachment has not legally happened yet, meaning this is still in their sole discretion. just like the senate has the sole discretion to do the trial. no reason why, say, another article of impeachment can't be brought up at a later time. it'd be akin to a prosecutor bringing up another charge before a trial began. it actually gives them more control on the situation, legally speaking. it just looks like crap. though it always did and it ain't like trump's base cares if he's got the asterisk next to his name or not so who are you trying to impress by weakening your position?

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

he's got a valid point, it's not a misleading argument if you read what he said. if the house did impeach then the senate should be able to be in control, if they did not then the house has not finished impeachment. it's a technical argument though considering he's a constitutional lawyer, of course that's what you're gonna get. and it ain't like he wants this argument to be used by trump, his opinion is that this isn't what the democrats want messaged.

the main thing you will see argued though is that this makes the dems look more wishy washy and incompetent. 'they make the vote to impeach then can't decide if they want to do it or not, what great decision making leaders we've got.' but that's something you're gonna get no matter what at this point.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

uh... do note that this argument of trump not being impeached didn't really come from trump's camp. everything is being related to this piece:

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-12-19/trump-impeachment-delay-could-be-serious-problem-for-democrats

written by one Noah Feldman, a left wing constitional lawyer who was a witness for the Democrats and wants Trump out. this is also clear in the CBS link posted earlier.

The White House is considering making the case that Mr. Trump has not been impeached based on an opinion piece by Harvard Law Professor Noah Feldman on Bloomberg's opinion page Thursday. Feldman was one of the legal experts called by Democrats to testify before the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month and has advocated for Mr. Trump's impeachment and removal from office.

so this isn't really a case of 'OH TRUMP SO WACKY' it's literally the argument by a guy the democrats brought in, whose career is studying the constitution, and who wants trump out.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

man, this reminds me i never did play through Force.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Corrik7 posted...

Whoa Trump raised the legal age to smoke to 21?

That ain't gonna sit well with the young vote.

they've got 9 months to stockpile up to 3 years worth of vapes.
or do what they already do for beer and henny: rely on the older person in the group.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

red sox 777 posted...

So people seem to be taking the position that it was okay for Joe Biden to engage in a quid pro quo with the Ukrainian government based on massive pressure (withholding a billion dollars of aid) because it was done to fight corruption.

If that's the case, the Donald Trump is definitely innocent, because that's exactly what he did.

i'd go a step further: it'd even be okay if Biden did it fully aware that he's benefiting his son. as long as Joe doesn't explicitly connect anything directly to Hunter, his situation gets a pass. if Trump goes on the attack for it, he can counterpunch with Ivanka, Jared, and Jr (sorry Eric) so hard that it'll become an irrelevant point at worst and a point in his favor at best. yet when you make this situation be the basis of your impeachment the whole thing looks shitty. "you impeached Trump because he went after a corruption scandal involving a political rival's son making a million bucks a year in a foreign country doing a job he didn't earn?" if you're gonna go after him don't make it on a subject that sounds two-faced or like you're protecting one of your own. you can say it's the quid pro quo but that's the same way perjury was the crime with Bill: we all can see the underlying reason and that it's bullshit. then you add in the political theater aspects and it becomes really smelly bullshit.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

LordoftheMorons posted...

Just a PSA: people from Ukraine find the phrase "the Ukraine" offensive because it dates back to when they were a part of the USSR. They've requested that the rest of the world use "Ukraine" since gaining independence.

didn't know that.

Jakyl25 posted...

Actually I saw a headline tonight that they found some tapes? Not sure which ones. I did not look further.

*checks*
oh hey it's the same one i was talking about there. apparently they found the tapes the day after.

red13n posted...

So tell me again, what did Joe Biden do that was corrupt exactly?

tell me again, when did i say what he did was corrupt? when have i made that accusation? look back and realize how far you have driven this point: the initial point i made was how impeachment was unpopular with 3 major causes being that it's a shitty premise, it's an election year, and that it's clearly all for show. i then further pointed out that the more politics you know the more obvious this is, citing the 2016 interference and the stuff house dems are approving. when pressed on the 2016 stuff, my info is straight from Ukrainian sources, then tied back to the current situation involving the Bidens as a case of soft corruption/nepotism that nobody would be surprised about since it's about another Obama-era official being involved with e Ukraine.

at that point you came in going crazy. i have no intention of steering away from my initial point.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

xp1337 posted...

whoa obama is on this too?

Burisma almost certainly hired Hunter hoping they'd gain influence in the Obama administration. However there remains no evidence that the administration's policy was influenced.

I agree it looks bad optically but there has never been any substance there and it continues to be used alternatively as a means to attack a political rival because the optics aren't great or as a smokescreen to try and distract from Trump's misconduct in the impeachment hearings.

Biden repeatedly insisted on being the point man for issues around Ukraine and Russia and did eventually get it, so he was the defacto #1. i think that predates Hunter's time but not entirely sure. not that i think it matters as he was always much more interested in foreign policy so that's consistent with his mannerisms.

and i mostly agree with the last paragraph but do need to make a clear distinction, back to my original point: while it is a bad look, most people don't actually care. not only would nobody be surprised, this is the president whose daughter and son in law are making tens of millions while sitting in the white house. business as usual, soft corruption like this isn't actually cared for right now so if the dems had just left it alone, wouldn't have mattered. especially as there's no way a normal outsider sees that situation and goes "yeah totally on the up and up," just let it ride with Joe saying he wasn't influenced, don't let Hunter do another interview, and if it ever gets brought up counterpunch with Trump's family because if people object to a million a year they sure as fuck are gonna have a problem with 83 million.

the fact that this is what they chose to impeach trump over, however, becomes bad optics for the dems. ya had a ton of other things and your objection came because... the son of a political rival was making a million bucks a year in another country as we were heavily involved with them politically. everything else trump's done was cool, this is your objection? it's a shitty premise. even those on the left have issue with that, so as you expand outwards you end up getting another reason why impeachment keeps dropping in favorability and why trump keeps going up.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Corrik7 posted...

Epstein 100% committed suicide. Though I believe he was definitely helped to be able to do it.

that's a fair take. do also consider that to be a very possible result, though of course that's put in same harmful conspiracy category by him.

reminds me that i'm still amused by the recent finding that the tapes of his initial failed attempt also magically disappeared so now we don't even know how that one went either. the man just had bad luck with cameras no matter where he went!


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

red13n posted...

You are here spouting debunked conspiracy theories and I am telling you that you are a gullible conspiracy nut.

no, i'm here saying what the Ukraine has said on it.
you're over there throwing a fit and calling other people gullible while not connecting why, in a nation known to be very corrupt, someone would get a million dollars a year when their dad holds the most influence on the military. glad to see we've stamped out nepotism in the world.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Jakyl25 posted...

Wang where do you stand on Trump and the GOPs insistence that Ukraine is hiding a CrowdStrike server

false and BS. whether they all know they're spreading active BS, i don't know, but i'd assume some do and are willing to go with the idea that since there's some element of truth it's good enough, which is obviously wrong. you'll note that all i've stuck with is specifically stuff that is directly tied back to the Ukraine. i did not zero in on US heavy info in either direction, i purposefully stuck with Ukrainian information because that's a lot more valid of a source than anything else we're gonna find on the subject. if top prosecution (who we can verify as an anti-Russian activist) is willing to say it on record, if a court is willing to rule on it, it's a valid and a legitimate point to make. going further from that gets into much more murky waters that nobody but those involved can really detail since even higher level dems are willing to admit that there was involvement of some people but try to leave it at that, without specifying who. so instead of dealing with US politicizing, i'll stick with the most direct sources.

Corrik7 posted...

To be fair, liberals can't really argue without likening you to a monster, acting like you lack empathy, or are immoral because you don't agree with them. It is a consistent playbook in arguing with them.

eh, while i'm aware that is something the left has done a lot this is mostly just red being red. he also considers stuff like Epstein not committing suicide - the last time he flipped out on me - to be one of these crazy and harmful conspiracy theories. so take that as you will.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

xp1337 posted...

WaPo wrote a piece looking into the central points of the GOP's "Ukraine interference!" thing:

i'd use a different link largely because WaPo is a paywall. politico and NYT both have covered it i think. GOP has muddied the waters a lot on this and gotten details messed up. they also do overplay the extent of influence the Ukraine had, though the dems go so far in the opposite direction to act like nothing was happening and it's a total conspiracy that they end up looking even more insane. like it ain't hard to say yeah, there were major people in the Ukraine that favored the dems, including oligarchs and political officials, who tried to run interference, investigations, and control various aspects. the US is known to meddle in other nations' affairs, we've done this for the better part of the past 100 years now. similarly the Ukraine is heavily corrupt so of course this was a thing. it just ultimately didn't amount to much in the election. not a very hard position to take but going the whole mile to acting like nothing ever happened just comes off as trying too hard.

anyway, non-wapo link for ya:
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/02/senate-panel-ukraine-election-interference-074796


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

red13n posted...

And I'm going to reiterate this Wang,

that you just like attacking me? yeah, i got that.
you consider stuff like a man making a million bucks a year in an industry he has nothing to do with to totally not be due to his dad being literally the most powerful man involved in that government's military. you also consider stuff like a Ukrainian court agreeing that yeah, there was involvement, to be conspiracy theory. and that the top Ukranian prosecutor who has said US involvement was much more than that in interviews to also be peddling conspiracy theories. all that is loud and clear.

you done being an asshole or are you gonna continue rambling for another six posts about how i'm a terrible person? you know what you can do to avoid that? use that nifty gamefaqs feature to ignore me. then you'll never have to see a post of mine again and never have to stress yourself out.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

xp1337 posted...

a determination that was thrown out on appeal

not really "thrown out," the exact phrasing is that it was canceled. i don't think we have exact wording of why but the defense being argued against the case was 1) lack of standing, and 2) statute of limitations had expired. it was not that the findings were wrong, just that the courts can't do anything about it. if that was the correction, pretty sure it would've been reported on. same if it had been reversed, but that wasn't it.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

red13n posted...

Anyway, the short version of Hunter Biden and Ukraine is that he was basically a consulting lawyer for a Ukranian company that had been having issues while a the same time Joe Biden was literally dealing (effectively, might I add) at helping curb corruption in Ukraine. At no point did any conflict of interest ever arise(Aside from maybe, a bad look from a very broad public view because people like Wang are gullible as heck and want to latch onto any fake story).

if you seriously think he was paid $80,000 a month for "consulting" and that it had no connection to the fact that his dad was the man in charge of matters with the Ukraine in the US, gotta tell you, i'm impressed at how much you suck at seeing bullshit.

red13n posted...

You are literally saying they are somehow correct based on a technicality of releasing information that Paul Manafort was actually corrupt.

no, i'm saying that a court in that region determined that there was interference. i'm also saying that their head prosecutor has gone on record to saying everything else that i pointed out above. what you're flipping out about and going "OH SO CRAZY" is literally what their top guy, a very anti-Russia, pro-Ukraine, has said. and none of this should be particularly surprising or upsetting either really, it's all very business as usual. of course they're going to want to curry favor with the dems, Hillary was the obvious choice, they already had a connection with the DNC, the VP's son was there, both had reason to continue being anti-Russia, both believed Trump and Putin were connected... none of this is particularly abnormal.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

ah yes, the conspiracy theory that a Ukrainian court agreed on, pushed on by their top prosecutor, who is very anti-Russia. because that clearly makes sense.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Jakyl25 posted...

Also Im not sure most of the nation isnt for impeachment?

https://news.gallup.com/poll/271691/trump-approval-inches-support-impeachment-dips.aspx

a few trends have been pretty consistent throughout impeachment:

• approval of impeachment goes down
• approval of Trump goes up
• in polls for head to head matches, Trump is getting better numbers, often now beating each candidate

based on the last two points especially, impeachment ain't working. the fact also is he now can also push both the defense spending budget success and USMCA as major successes by his campaign so his numbers probably won't be dropping anytime soon, but impeachment will as more people see it as him doing a good job and/or come around to the idea of "it's an election year, the fuck are you doing?" there's no way to make it popular as the campaigns continue.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

...Ukraine was in Hillary's corner in 2016.
this info was released shortly after the election results. the scope included digging up as much info as they could on Manafort, a connection between the Clinton Foundation and a Ukrainian backed think tank, and a few other officials that were working with both the DNC and Hillary. there's literally a ruling by a Ukrainian court that they illegally got involved in America's politics, that was a year ago almost to this day.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/world/europe/ukraine-paul-manafort.html

additionally the top prosecutor in the Ukraine, an activist against Russia, has been digging into this more and points out how the Obama-era embassy was actually not letting him prosecute certain people. to what extent all this is true nobody really knows except for people directly involved. but Republicans have been bringing it up consistently over the past month as it ties really well with the accusation of the Bidens being stuck in a case of soft corruption/nepotism, which i don't think anybody's really able to dispute as there really isn't any other reason Hunter was making 7 figures a year. if you know of their involvement in passing then you're basically faced with the idea that another Obama-era official was involved with the Ukraine and it isn't shocking.

but the gaslighting pretending none of the above is true is.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

don't think it's been posted in here yet.
last H3H3 podcast of the year!

yang's internet game is way too fucking good. just hope he can translate that to votes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HXVws8ZQRc


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

thanks, would've missed more games.
still doubt i'll put a penny in the epic store but hey, they can keep throwing free shit at me.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Nelson_Mandela posted...

How many people are actually bankrupted by medical debt in the US? How many of those are bankrupted because they could not afford to pay for private insurance vs willfully choosing not to pay for private insurance? How many in the former were not eligible for Medicaid?

I honestly would like to see that breakdown, because that segment of the population is (in my mind) the only group where a solution is needed. And I would be shocked to learn that this amounts to more than .1% of the population.

bankrupt is the most extreme case.
situations like notable credit hit due to medical debt is something like 10-15%.

for the most part the issue is out of network costs. if that alone got fixed you'd be able to eliminate the worst of it for most people.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

eh, you just come across to me as a person looking for a plausible, "this would pass" solution as opposed to an ideological "health insurance above all else!" type. you want your "real solutions" as opposed to the utopian ones, partially out of fear that it'll collapse into a dystopian one should it fail. climate change hasn't been brought up but i'd assume there's a similar approach on that; bernie's very extreme on both of those positions and so are many of his diehard supporters. it's also why there's a clear limit on how far he can go and while he's doing very well at moving the needle he does need a completely messed up field or major failings by the top guys to win. the hate on him ain't all "oh he's a socialist!", it's more of a quiet dislike of "eh, too many promises, not enough reality." his success in this campaign is a testament to how much better the messaging has gotten.

bear in mind i pop in and out of these topics with months long breaks so i ain't the best judge. and i've been called everything under the sun.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

HeroDelTiempo17 posted...

So to the extent that voters actually care about policy...Warren's loyalty to M4A isn't the issue. But the Warren/Pete suburban audience is pretty fickle.

same one Harris had, same one Beto had, same one Klobuchar has, similar one to Bloomberg's too. almost all with zero stickiness. those ain't really policy votes, it's mostly mood, tone, and advertisement.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Jakyl25 posted...

Lol who, Haley?

i don't have anybody in mind, i just think conservatives have 1) a better grasp of what's more popular on a national level, and 2) because they don't make a big deal of the sex of the politician it paradoxically makes it easier to happen as when it does most will believe she's there mainly for her own merit, not because she's a woman. i mean just ask the UK how that whole "we want a woman in charge!" rant Labour wants, all while May was in power and they recoiled in horror to go "not her!" for US politics i just see the way Tulsi's treated and see the same issue: woman, check. minority race, check (Samoan). minority religion, check (Hindu). military background, been in politics for years, by far the best crossover support. checks all the boxes you could ask for... but not very big with the establishment of the party, picked Bernie in 2016 over Hillary, isn't liked for bucking trends hard. conservatives quite like her, as do moderates, but it's a handful of liberals and anything more left utterly hates her. in other words, dems will pick a female candidate but odds are it'll be one who can't win due to no crossover appeal.

edit: Palin's the obvious counterpoint of "she was picked for being a woman," yeah. and was called out by everyone, including conservatives on it. i don't think they're gonna do that mistake again for a while.

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

Trump supporters (and Im not saying Wang is one, but we both know he spends a lot of time congregating with them for some reasonnot sarcasm), are utterly convinced Ivanka has 2024 on lock.

any who think that are really dumb. the only things Ivanka has going for her are that 1) she's really hot, and 2) her dad is a campaigning and fundraising monster. and i spend plenty of time in all camps really, more Bernie/Warren fans than the rest by virtue of, y'know, NYC. have met a few conservatives and know a good chunk of displaced liberals the left's abandoned though, the latter does vote Trump but ain't particularly diehards, they just don't see people like Biden as a better option. maybe Bernie. definitely Yang, definitely Tulsi. you know, the top 3 candidates with crossover appeal.

Nelson_Mandela posted...

I know that's what they did for alcohol and I guess it's vaguely justifiable from a drunk driving perspective, but is that same tactic used for smoking? It makes no sense to me why any local government would feel the need to raise it beyond age 19.

state has a vested interest to protect the kids. yes this is tied back to the recent vaping deaths. most states were either doing it or on their way to doing it so this just sped that process up by a couple years.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

DoomTheGyarados posted...

Democrats are not too stupid,

could've fooled me with their constant ability to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Jakyl25 posted...

What is the thing about cigarette age?

exactly what he said, age for cigs is raised to 21. sales of tobacco, e-cigs, and vaping all go up to that age in nine months.

this is technically being argued as the compromise position between outright banning flavors for vaping but a third of states were already doing this and more would've joined so it's not that surprising. that said, he'll tout it as a win for protecting children and a win for protecting businesses.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Ashethan posted...

I want to see a female President before I'm 40.

i'd honestly expect to see this out of conservatives first so be careful what you wish for.

Ashethan posted...

But until we see some primary results and she stands no realistic shot, she has my support.

it's fair to have your support but Iowa is the first primary result, she's steadily been collapsing there, Pete's #1 status is now in question, and Bernie and Biden are 2nd and 3rd in most polls (not in that order) so uh...?

i'll still say to know what her base actually is. it's older, white, middle and upper class types. pete took wall street voters from her and bloomberg further pushed this, so her base dropped. some of it was due to her abandoning M4A but it's not very proportional there. she does pretty well with women but after last night media will give klobuchar her moment in the sun (they've wanted this for months now) and moderate dems have already been pushing for that, which is a base she was actually with decent inroads. keep up with the polling as Iowa gets closer but don't expect her to perform crazy well. if your goal is Bernie or Warren, the former's much better positioned right now and barring another heart attack, should be clearly stronger as time passes.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

all of it's pretty accurate.
yes, the dems impeached him and the very next day gave him almost $800 billion for a defense bill.
and passed a trillion dollar trade deal.
and renewed the patriot act along the way.

the whole process has continued to be in his favor and given him a ton of talking points that he'll use in re-election.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Maniac64 posted...

My plan is to pick between Bernie and Warren at the Caucus based on how it looks for both. If I can help get one an extra delegate or the top spot I'll do so.

Bernie.
frankly if you're a Bernie/Warren voter who hasn't left her then i'm not sure what you're doing. her loss in polls has been largely to Pete's benefit first, Bloomberg's second. that's the majority of her base and they ain't coming back.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

in terms of overall numbers, Biden is #1 with voters and #2 with people sticking to him. Bernie's the opposite.
in terms of state specific numbers, both muddle around a lot but the voters that seem most up for grabs - the Klobuchar/Warren/Pete base - would be more Biden. the only person Bernie really has to pull votes from is Yang; Warren's base and his don't really overlap as much as one would've thought. in other words, for Bernie to win he needs to make sure that all of these names and others - Booker, Steyer - stay in the race to minimize Biden's actual majority and win via minor plurality in a few major states. as it stands, Klobuchar might've just given Biden Iowa which is the last thing anybody else in the race wants: he's already gonna dominate South Carolina, if he also wins the first one too then even if Bernie wins New Hampshire it's gonna move the needle on educated white middle/upper class vote, which is relevant for the eventual Biden/Bernie clash in California. if Biden wins that, it's over. if Bernie wins that, he's got a shot.

alternatively you're hoping the senate decides to really fuck with the race and zeros in on Biden, Hunter Biden, how corrupt the man is, and manage to make him look incompetent. that or old man health issues, which both are prone to so who knows how that goes. in those regards, it's anybody's race.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Anagram posted...

Best movie of 2019 for me. It has a few slow parts, but most of the movie is terrible enough to entertain. Definitely recommend.

...on a scale of 1-10, 1 being a headband with cat ears and 10 being bestiality, just how furry is this movie.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

not even close, though also not surprising they'd say that since it's what they want.
biggest loser was pete by a long shot. everyone beat the shit out of him all debate. after pete? probably warren actually, though indirectly. she's kind of just "there" right now and has been trying to hang onto her support as they get split between pete and bloomberg. with klobuchar's performance i expect her to take a chunk of voters from that same flexible base, so warren's screwed. i always forget steyer exists but he always shows up, the magic of $80 million spent.

sanders did have an awkward moment of turning racial stuff towards climate change that i'm sure will be played plenty but shouldn't affect his numbers much. biden did fine. yang had more speaking time and he naturally does great anytime he gets to talk. he gets the concept of connecting with people far better than anyone on that stage.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Police said Adolfo Martinez, 30, got into a dispute at the Dangerous Curves Gentlemen's Club at 111 Fifth Street, was kicked out of the bar, and then came back early Tuesday morning.
"He told the people in the bar that he was going to burn the place to the ground and at that point he made reference to burning 'their flag,'" Ames police Cmdr. Jason Tuttle said.

Tuttle said Martinez didn't make his motive clear to officers. But Martinez, now out of jail, did make his motive clear when KCCI went to his house to ask him about the charges Wednesday.
"It's my honor. It is written. It is a judgment and it's written to execute vengeance on the heathen and punishments on the people," Martinez said. "It's my honor to do so. It was an honor to do that. It's a blessing from the Lord."

okay then.
nevermind any criticism i could've possibly had on this case.
not even sure i'm objecting to that sentence now. 16 years between this, him committing felonies beforehand, his lack of wanting a lawyer? yeaaahhh... suddenly i don't have a problem. good judge, good result.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Corrik7 posted...

That's a problem. Desecrating the American Flag should definitely not be fine and should be criminal. I consider it no less than desecrating the graves of your family.

strange counterpoint, with a minor bolded edit:

Corrik7 posted...

Scenario one points moreso to action directed at what the establishment is / it's patrons have in common. In this example, Americans.

Scenario two points to a localized action directed directly to your family/home.

graves of your family is personal.
American flag is something you identify with, a symbol of what you are, but the establishment here is the country, its patrons being citizens.

going a step further, you should absolutely be able to deliver an insult of the highest order to any identifying aspect, whether it be your hair, eyes, height, weight, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, etc. the second you protect one of them you've opened the door to the rest and the first one to creep up is always going to be religion. blasphemy laws are a thing we do not need and that quickly becomes a thing - look at the way Mohammad and Islam is protected even in Europe, even after a French place got shot up over it just a few years ago. you're worried about LGBT on this case using that logic, which is fair, i'll also gladly point to the way China treats any insults on its Pooh Bear of a leader too as something on a similar thread of logic.

edit: there's clear differences in all of those but the idea is still a matter of "how much can you insult part of someone's identity until it becomes illegal?" for what it's worth, Jakyl has stated a few times that he's open to the idea in principle, it's just the specific location here that crosses the line as it becomes a threat in his eyes. with the American flag... it's not really a threat, just insulting. that's why you have to protect its desecration. if that insult is allowed, it should be applied to any insult.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Jakyl25 posted...

Youre really hammering hard the concept of potential to escalate, and in that sense, I agree with every word youre saying

yeah, because if i'm trying to compare direct threats that's a super important factor. it's not that what this guy did can't be considered a threat but it's just so drastically different i did a double take. i don't disagree with most of what you're saying exactly, we have a difference of opinion of where the line should be, but that sentence just threw me off completely because it seemed like too much of an exaggeration. sorry if i came off like a dick, was a gut reaction of "oh no not him too."

Jakyl25 posted...

In the moment though, I dont feel any safer knowing theres one guy outside who wants me dead than I would knowing there were 100 guys outside who want me dead, assuming both threats were equally as credible

would feel much less safe with the 100 guys.
definitely the 100 guys.
with one guy you can get cops on him pretty easily or he can be talked down or whatever else. even if the worst happens and he's armed, the damage he can do is limited by virtue of being one guy. yes it can be a lot but compared to 100 armed guys...
with 100 guys uhhhh i'm out. i don't think there's many ways to make this an equally credible threat without having the 1 guy extremely violent. it just takes 1 asshole and with 100 of them it means you can be 99% safe and equally as bad as the 1 guy. or to simplify it, one scenario involves a cop car, the other involves an armed police line.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Corrik7 posted...

LGBT flag is exactly the same as the American flag. A symbol of pride.

i wouldn't consider it exactly the same at this point and time because the LGBT flag isn't just pride but it's pride from a group that's been heavily persecuted against. it's a symbol rising above that and becoming accepted everywhere. now while some people do take the American flag and the identity of being an American very personally i don't think it quite compares due to that extra bit of meaning the LGBT flag carries in today's world. hopefully in the future the two can be but it's barely been a single generation of full acceptance (see: anti-sodomy laws being canned, government recognizing marriage) and a handful more of tolerance.

mind you i do still thing both are perfectly "fine" to burn in and of themselves. scenarios where the flag burning becomes a threat do exist and that's much easier to do with something like LGBT - or religion - than the American flag, which rarely will be an active threat. what, you're gonna burn it in front of a military base? okay, cool. is anyone going to think you're a threat to said military base? do it in front of a gay bar, some might think you are. do it in front of a gay man's house, definitely a threat. there is a certain point where this action goes from political and rightfully protected speech to something that clearly should not be protected. totally fair to argue where that line should be and while i don't agree that this case is fair the 16 year sentence is largely due to 1) multiple previous felonies, and 2) literally not taking a lawyer of any kind. the guy's either insane or in it for the attention. or both, if he seriously thinks a 16 year sentence is worth this nonsense.

Jakyl25 posted...

Oh fuck okay, I was only thinking of religious practices within the church. Thanks

Most of that when applied to children of religious families is bullshit.

oh i totally agree it's bullshit. just that religion definitely has some codified aspects that protect it so that should be a clear enough mark of how important it can be.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.