leh-nerd skin-erd

Well, there are two issues you're addressing here, and I'll handle them separately. First, it's presumptuous to assume I hadn't considered people like you. People grow, evolve, devolve, their opinions change, their political affiliations shift and yesterdays liberal is today's conservative or vice versa. For every line item addressed, there is a separate, yet equal line item that can be pointed to where the dems seem to have moved farther to the extreme. What I said, and what you seem to acknowledge, is that you voted for Biden because his agenda made sense to you. I don't see this as earth-shattering, controversial or even debatable, but do see people attempting to recast their choice as Biden's cognitive issues accelerate. The fact is simple, you voted for the guy and got the guy you wanted. Second, on the issues that bother you about the GOP, I respect your right to your opinion on all of it. Vote liberal, vote socialist, vote how you feel. However, for every line item listed, there is a separate yet equal line item of the dems moving to the extreme that bothers a fellow voter. The most extreme example recently was the allegation that the 2016 election was illegitimate, the result of a coup, and that Trump was guilty of treason. That was a major disinformation campaign, not because I don't like the messaging, but because is spite of having the dems having the full weight of the US government, an exceedingly hostile prosecution, an unlimited budget and the opportunity to coerce and intimidate witnesses, they failed to prove the election was illegitimate, or the result of a coup, or that Trump was guilty of treason. I get that the scheme worked, but I don't understand how if you reaaaalllllly feel the way you feel about Kenneth Starr, why you would accept a supersized version of it just a few decades later. More importantly, I'm not sure why you would be surprised that Trump followed suit with the stolen election claim just a year or two after the Russia game fizzled out in the nationally televised unraveling of Bob Mueller.

https://nypost.com/2022/11/15/nbc-news-reporter-suspended-over-retracted-paul-pelosi-story/amp/ So, the reporter has been suspended for this report. Yet another odd domino to fall in this story. No comment on whether his producer or editor has been suspended. It seems unlikely this story would not have been vetted by upper management at the station. This would be a great story for another media outlet to report on.

You’re saying the Biden agenda will motivate people to vote for Biden, which is what I said in my post. I was responding to BackDays comments about losing to a horrible candidate in Joe Biden. I think he lost because people like you, BackInTheDay and millions of others voted and believed in his agenda. None of the other stuff mattered—his history with women, his racist commentary, his partnering with segregationists, his decades of telling tall tales, and the obvious cognitive decline. What mattered was student loan buyout, who would qualify, abortion on demand, his tax plan, green energy scheme and so on. He sold a plan, you liked what he had to offer, and you bought it. If he runs again, in spite of his continued and frankly tragic decline, millions will vote for him again if he offers the same agenda, or more likely, supersizes the promises and give always. If, on the other hand, he tightened the belt and took those offers off the table while another candidate offered more goodies, the other candidate—Sanders for example, would be the new favorite.

I’m not certain we even disagree on this issue, that’s why I asked you specifically. I don’t know that you’re left-leaning, but I felt you were clear on the craziness of the stolen election theory based on your post. I ask the question from time to time and haven’t really ever gotten an answer. I don’t think the 2020 election was stolen, not because I think people wouldn’t manipulate the vote (they would), but because I haven’t seen proof of it occurring. I don’t think the 2016 election was illegitimate, a result of a coup, or that Trump committed treason as repeated by leaders in the Democrat party. I guess I just think it’s impossible to have a big picture conversation with people who express outrage over claims of a stolen election in 2020 when they have no concerns over claims that the 62,000,000+ votes cast, or the convincing win in the Electoral votes was illegitimate, represented a coup or that he committed treason in 2016. So, I ask in hopes I get an answer. I usually don’t.

Hogwash. Well, it’s true he lost. Biden motivated people to get out and vote based on his agenda and messaging, which included green energy initiatives, student loans forgiveness and his international expertise. The reality is he didn’t need to come out if his basement because what he sold, sells to certain people. There’s no need to reset the narrative.

I’ll ask you, Goatski, for feedback. When Trump was accused of being an illegitimate president, elected in a coup, guilty of treason…and when sitting VP Harris suggested the vaxx developed under a Trump admin couldn’t be trusted, leading to confusion and reinforcing vaxx hesitancy at a time when we all needed to be onboard—-is that disinformation and the same sort of laughable stuff as you see it? We’re 6 years post-election, the illegitimate and Russian agent stuff went nowhere, and Trump certainly didn’t personally make the vaccine in his basement. What say you on all that brand of crazy talk? I ask because context matters to me. I’m fine discussing issues involving allegations of stolen elections, and whether or not proof exists in that regard, but I also try to see the big picture. Most of the left leaning folks seem to prefer to skip that whole deal.

I see it now. Ned was right the whole time, with your chicanery, questions and Fox News.

Ned, it’s not my discussion nor my fight. However, Chef’s question was neither extreme trickery nor dumb. I think where you jumped the rails was when you didn’t answer the follow up question after accusing Chef of playing games. It gave the appearance that you were trapped in a maze of your own design, and lashed out to deflect. Submitted without comment, except of course for the comments I included. L. Skin-nerd, 2022

@nedboy7 says “The Dementors”, final answer.

You hop in a time machine, go back 20 years and remove people from office that deliberately sow seeds of doubt about the integrity of our process, about other political candidates, and you replace them with issues-based elections. It seems logical to me that the steady, constant drumbeat of messaging that boils down to “you, the voter are getting ****ed by the other guy” leads to people skeptical of the process, but only when their guy loses. One of the more troubling aspects of the Search For WMDs and advent of the Obama era….was the complete lack of accountability for W Bush, or the D leaders who claimed he lied and people died. The nation went from patriotic fervor, to the deaths of thousands of the best types of people our country has to offer, to a declaration that W Bush and his administration manufactured evidence of WMDs in order to invade and topple a sovereign nation. A few short months later, W Bush and the Obama’s are fast friends, W Bush is recast as a lovable old guy who just loves to paint and be a grandpa. No public hearings, no deep dives, no DOJ knocking down doors, just 37,000 dead or injured Americans, and as many as 500,000 Iraqis dead and countless more injured. There’s a disconnect there, and somewhere, somehow one or the other spread disinformation on a massive scale. We can pretend that’s the first time it happened in our history, or, we can be rational and cynical at the same time. So, yeah, forgive me if I don’t spend too much time worrying about 2000 Mules. Or that the other video, the one that lead to the attack on the embassy in Benghazi. My suggestion on Maricopa County would have been not to *&$# up the process to begin with, and maybe to have people in there to ensure it ran smoothly. When it didn’t, recognition that people don’t trust the system is as natural as day following night.

That’s pretty harsh, and a bit extreme. His children certainly seem to love him, his wife as well. He’s employed thousands of people, and in spite of you sitting in judgement there are people who see it differently. Be that as it may, the political arena is probably the last place you want to look for people that share your particular views on honor and values. Would a Joe Biden be the type of person with “values and virtue”? He seems to have issues pretty much across the board, no? Yet, publications, newspapers and groups pimp him as the go-to candidate. Why is this any different?

In this scenario, there is data missing to figure out if it’s why “we got into the situation we are in”. What was the original loan balance? What choices were made while incurring the debt? What school did the borrower attend, did they live at home or on campus? What degree did they pursue, and how long did it take to complete coursework if indeed they did? Are they working in their chosen field, and what are the job prospects in the area they live in? Was it reasonable to assume they would make sufficient money in their career in order to repay the debt? Were there more reasonable options to complete degree work at other schools? How much money are they making? How much money might family members be able to contribute to repayment? In addition, the government recently extended economic recovery loan offers through the SBA for small businesses at 3.5% with a 30 year repayment term. Is this a similar situation where one might wonder about the government profit motive?

Yet, smart enough to figure out the math on that whole loan thing.

That’s why need the money men/people!

Agreed. It’s not that long ago the ugly rich folk class started at $250k annual income. That’s been reset to $400k. The Dems have been quite successful reimagining exactly where folks qualify for victim status. The student loan forgiveness program likely paid huge dividends by positioning a couple making up to a quarter-million per year as needy and set-upon, and that’s really just getting started. There are people looking at a $20k windfall, and perhaps a similar windfall for their educated children, it’s understandable people would not want to walk away from that. The signs are there already pointing to “…it doesn’t go far enough” which sets the stage nicely for the next buy down. If you’re an individual making $60k as a _________ with $110k in student loan debt, that carrot of $50k+ floated by prominent Dems is would likely be pretty enticing. Add in the abortion issue and its appeal to a large portion of women, and a general sense that the American political system is pretty f’d up to begin with, people voted in their best interest. Same as it ever was.

That’s a fallacious question, and it’s less “trying again” and more “I don’t want to answer”. The real question is: Why do you as an individual feel compelled to tell me I have no right to engage in brisk, vigorous and reasoned political debate simply because you don’t like my religious views?

I already knew that, you made it clear in your original post. I also recognize that as a matter of conscience, you may support abortion up to delivery. The question is why you would suggest I shouldn’t have a seat at the table simply because you don’t like my position on when abortion should be legal or not. That sounds more like tyranny than freedom.

That’s the answer after the tear you went on? Ah, No, I’m unwilling to surrender my right as a citizen simply because my opinion is in conflict with yours. Or, more accurately, because I’m right and you’re wrong, at least from my perspective.

No, it doesn’t, not at all. You sound almost like a fundamentalist preacher here. It’s a complex subject, with lots of moving parts, and citizens have a right to have a seat at the table. I’ll backtrack a bit to find what you think the solution should be policy-wise, but in the meantime, what policy would you suggest?

“ Rush Limbo” though, ya gotta give @Tiberius credit for slipping in a humdinger there.

I think the messaging here is while American’s question every single industry, product and service that goes awry, it’s completely crazy to question any issue with Rocking The Vote, unless it benefits the other team.

President Biden can ask next time he’s hanging out with the Fresh Prince of Kho-Bar?

Twitter by Musk?

If you walked by a Jennifer Rubin raging at Glenn Youngkin for not publicly apologizing while she was chomping on three slices of Sbarro meat-lover pizza at the local mall, would you stop and engage? Take a minute to explain why a handwritten note is sufficient to apologize to the offended party? Remind her that people devoted to a life of public service make mistakes, too? No, more than likely, you would shake your head, catch the eye of another shopper and both shake your head at the crazy woman making a fool of herself. Who cares?

Wrong guy Chief. This is an “it is what it is” situation. If Hochul morphs into something good for NY, in a manner that makes sense to me, I’ll be happy for the good people of NY. The math and her history suggests that won’t happen, but we’ll see. For me, it’s all about creating options for personal choices moving forward. Enjoy the tears though.