"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
06/07/2020 at 21:09 • Filed to: None
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"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
06/07/2020 at 21:09 • Filed to: None | 3
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Donald “Grab Em By the Pussy” Trump vs. Joe “You Ain’t Black” Biden. I am not making any predictions, because the way this year has gone, anyone who thinks they know what things are going to look like come November is crazy. My prediction would be useless anyway, because even on Election Day, I thought Hillary was going to wipe the floor with Trump.
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I live in a region that is a white minority. Latinos are our largest ethnic group, we have a sizeable Asian population, and about 8% black. Most of my clients are Mexican business owners. My longest term associate, who has been working for me since the start of his career is the son of Mexican immigrants. He hates Trump and would never vote for him for obvious reasons. (You might have heard that Trump has had some derogatory things to say about Mexicans.) But many of my Mexican clients, especially the ones in agriculture, are very pro-Trump because California Democrats are waging a very destructive war on agriculture. From the people I see every day, the lines are not at a clear. Trump is marginally better for me personally because he is likely to keep income taxes down, but I wouldn’t vote for him.
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Disclosure: I feel very much as I did in 2016. I am disgusted by both candidates and don’t think I could vote for either one. I might feel differently if I lived in a swing state, but I doubt it. I voted for Johnson last time, and it is very likely Jo Jorgensen will get my vote this time, even though I think she is a weak candidate who emerged from a chaotic nomination process in her party. But I feel very strongly that the only way we break the duopoly is to start voting for third parties; continuing to have the same entrenched assholes running the country is insane. Pelosi, McConnell, Schumer, and the rest on both sides have been in power forever. The differences between the parties is a pro-wrestling work that masks that they are all working for the same people: the 1000 richest Americans and the military industrial complex. Want proof? The Dems just nominated a man who wanted to slow the pace of school desegregation. I lean toward backing the Libertarians, but if you vote Green I get it. I just think the only way to stop these assholes is to stop voting for them. No third party will ever gain credibility to even present an alternative until they get enough votes that they get some attention to present their ideas so the public can pass judgment on them.
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It seems particularly problematic in light of recent events that for most of his career Biden has been a tough on crime Democrat and was one of the leading forces for the 1994 crime bill. And the Iraq War. And the Patriot Act. But in a world where GW Bush and Colin Powell, men who lied us into war and the murder of innocents, get to be heroes to the left, I don’t know what to think anymore. GW punished inner city schools for testing poorly with NCLB, justifying reducing funding and resources due to test scores that showed they needed more resources, not less. I think we went through the looking glass a while ago.
I found the link I posted at the top interesting. These demographics are complicated, and Trump is the most confounding politician of my lifetime. He inspires an irrational rage in people, but often finds support in strange places.
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Biden is a longtime party hack who has always been known for being pretty dumb, and at the conservative end of the Democratic Party. I remember when his presidential campaign in 1988 was derailed because he kept stealing speeches.
He seems to still have this problem.
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Trump’s outrageous statements have been covered exhaustively, so I haven’t bothered to link them here. You can look at his Twitter if you need to. I’m not making predictions, but there is one thing that should concern Democrats, or those who want Trump gone. Nobody who wants Biden seems to be able to present a reason why he should be President other than he isn’t Trump. Rightly or wrongly, Trump’s supporters seem to have actual reasons for supporting him. That would seem to give him an upper hand, but what do I know?
Polls are all over the place, but polls generally predicted a Hillary win last time. Add to that that just about anything could happen next, including alien invasion, and I would not be surprised. 2020 is only going to get weirder, and no matter how ot goes, a lot of people are going to be enraged on election night. The next day, don’t wake up hating the people who voted for the other guy. In 4 years, we can do it again and it might go your way. Until then, we have to deal with each other.
However you lean, keep this in mind. 63 million people voted for Trump last time. Those people are still here even of Trump is finished , and they are all around you. 65 million people voted for Clinton last time. Those people are still here even though she lost , and they are all around you.
How a person voted does not tell you much about that person. Politics are generally the least important and least interesting thing about a person. I don’t think Trump is a particularly good President, but I don’t think he is as bad as his detractors claim; his main failing is his consistent ineffectiveness . (GW was so much worse). You don’t have to agree, but you don’t have to hate me or call me a racist. You might think Obama was our greatest President or that Bernie holds the keys to the future . I’ll disagree, but I promise not to hate you for it or call you a traitor to the nation. We all have our reasons.
Let’s be patient with each other, and not presume ill will or evil in our fellow citizens simply because they voted or thought differently from us. People do what they do politically for a myriad of reasons, and I continue to believe that people are generally decent, even those who think differently from me.
But not the matching band moms from my son’s high school. Those women are pure evil with only one solution. T hey can burn in hell.
CB
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 21:16 |
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“Nobody who wants Biden seems to be able to present a reason why he should be President other than he isn’t Trump.”
Oh nice, you guys have caught up to Canadian politics.
I lived with a communist and a republican in university. They got along great, and political discussions were always tempered with respect.
Lastly, there should be a “no one” option on ballots that, if it gets enough votes, means a redo election with new political candidates.
DipodomysDeserti
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 21:24 |
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Calling for the military to be put on the streets and unleashed on the American people changes the algebra for a lot of people.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 21:24 |
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My preferred candidate was out of the race in March. I was surprised because she was doing great until the primaries. My feeling is per typical Democratic Party politics Biden got ramrodded to the front regardless of what Dem voters wanted. As for Trumps chances? I think it rests on the economy. If things are looking up in November he has a good chance at winning. If not he will loose and we will be 8 months into the most terrible economic depression this country has ever seen.
Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 21:29 |
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I actually agree with everything written here for the most part. I dislike both men strongly and don't blame anyone for chosing what they think is the lesser of two evils. Until cooler heads prevail I'm just being the least terrible to people I possibly can be.
fintail
> DipodomysDeserti
06/07/2020 at 21:45 |
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We can hope. However, never underestimate the cult, and how many out there salivate at the idea of authoritarianism.
For Sweden
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 22:13 |
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Sure but who is going to end the 25 year import rule
shop-teacher
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 22:15 |
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The world is full of shades of grey. The people who only see black and white, are the ones that drive me bonkers .
I think Biden is a far less decisive candidate than Hillary was. I know lots of people who HATE Hillary with a passion. I don’t know anyone who feels nearly as strongly about Biden.
That cuts both ways though. I can’t think of a reason he should be president, other than he isn’t Trump. To be perfectly honest, that’s enough of a reason for me.
Alright, that’s enough politics for me.
MiniGTI - now with XJ6
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 22:50 |
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What concerns me most is that the whole thing will be a giant shit show; this is most certainly true. Be assured there will be massive objection to the results, far worse than ever before.
ranwhenparked
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 23:19 |
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With double digit unemployment, the economy mired in recession, and mass demonstrations in 60+ cities, some of them at least occasionally bordering on violence, and a major worldwide pandemic still killing people, I’d be very surprised if any President could win reelection. He’d have to be a highly skilled and cunning politician with a sharp, professional campaign team, a perfect grasp of the electorate, and well crafted messaging. Trump doesn’t have any of that, he’s basically like the loud, opinionated, slightly inebriated uncle that grabs you by the elbow at a barbecue and talks your ear off when you were just trying to sneak past to use the bathroom. I think even Bill Clinton would struggle to get reelected under these circumstances, and he was easily the most masterfully skilled politician we’ve seen in ages. In other words, even if Trump wasn’t Trump, he’d be in serious trouble right now, and he is Trump, so that doesn’t help him.
For him to have a prayer, every state that is still heavily restricting their economy would have to fully open back up, unemployment would have to quickly fall back down into singl e digits, the pandemic would have to die down a bit, and the mass protests would have to settle down. And even then, things will still be tough economically, the virus will still be out there, and memories of the demonstrations - both peaceful and otherwise - will still be fresh. And what is the likelihood of all that happening in the next 5 months? I am not a betting man, but if I was going to start now, I’d definitely be more comfortable putting money on Biden.
Plus, with few exceptions (Trump and Gore, mainly) politicians can pretty much be counted on to win their home states, which means Biden’s got the all important and highly decisive Delaware vote sewn up.
Spanfeller is a twat
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 23:23 |
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It is a sad reflection of the World Order that the United States is going to have an election between Biden and Trump. I very obviously want Biden to win, even if he isn’t very sharp, I imagine most of the team he’ll bring in probably aligns more with my ideals and interests than Trump’ s team will .
Of course, I’m not an American citizen and I can’t vote in that country. But I can certainly have an opini
on about who gets to be the
person that
could, potentially, end the world as we know it.
Baby steps, I guess. You can’t have a nation that has been systematically polarized for its entire history
elect a mild leader. But I certainly think Biden is a step towards less polarization and his team will probably be
more empathetic to those most dependant on government
. Which for me, ideologically, is the right thing to do.
I encourage Americans
to lose faith on the feds, because politics becomes more abstract as those in power are distanced from those who they serve. It’s why Trump, all in, hasn’t really changed the lives of Americans drastically... Except those who are the most marginalized and those who are the most privileged.
It’s hard to constantly think about politics, and harder still to care about local races, but those people tend to be the most impactful to communities. It’s imperative that we feel comfortable with our local leaders, and that elections truly validate them as public servants. It’s why I’m always conflicted by
people that only vote in presidential elections... they’re making government less effective; more dependant on abstract topics that generally don’t equate to actual governing.
J
ust senseless, unending
discussion.
So, in my opinion, Americans must shift focus to local races . But in the meantime, even if Biden has little to offer. To me the choice would be clear, the system has to evolve, and for it to evolve, in the way I’d like America to evolve (and in the way I imagine it’s best for Americans and the world) Trump has got to lose.
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fintail
> For Sweden
06/07/2020 at 23:29 |
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Nobody, this is a corporate oligocracy, and M-B knows the real golden rule.
John Norris (AngryDrifter)
> CB
06/07/2020 at 23:31 |
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What a wonderful idea. There might be an implementation problem with the now fully lame duck incumbent being in place for probably significantly longer than November through late January. But even recognizing that issue I would certainly vote for a new set of candidates for this election.
Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
> ImmoralMinority
06/07/2020 at 23:59 |
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A very well written post. But let me take a stab at this:
Nobody who wants Biden seems to be able to present a reason why he should be President other than he isn’t Trump
Agreeably, “ I’m not Trump ” is hardly an effective platform. But besides his 44 years experience in politics, Biden has two things conspicuously lacking in Trump. Compassion and character. Sure he’s stuck his foot in his mouth a whole bunch of times, and has had issues with boundaries in the past (Smelling hair? WTH?) but I’ll take a guy who speaks from his heart any day over a the guy who’s shown himself to be an embarrassment to the country and has championed policies that are damaging to the US. Biden isn’t perfect, and I’d prefer to see a more progressive candidate run on the D ticket, but the idea of another 4 years of Trump would have consequences I’d rather not think of.
415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
> ImmoralMinority
06/08/2020 at 00:14 |
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It could get pretty surreal, it’s the trend. There are 328 million people in the US, I really wonder if all the insanity drumpf creates plus the pandemic will lead to record voting. I have no idea of the polling numbers are accurate, they make it look pretty good having Biden at 50% right now. I just never want to hear about him again.
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415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
> For Sweden
06/08/2020 at 00:16 |
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Yes we demand real policy changes!!! At least make it 15 years.
Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
> ImmoralMinority
06/08/2020 at 03:05 |
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“I am disgusted by both candidates and don’t think I could vote for either one.”
In the run up to the last election I was traveling a lot in the US. As a foreigner, you need to be a bit careful about what you say about politics in a work context, particularly when local opinions were as charged as they were last time round. But I quickly found that the one thing I could say that everyone, of any political stripe, agreed with was “Out of 350 million people, how the heck did you wind up with those two?”
It’s a shame that appears to be a trend.
Jb boin
> CB
06/08/2020 at 07:15 |
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The “no one” vote is called a “vote blanc” in France (that can literally be translated as a “ white vote” but means a “ blank vote” ) and does not have any real use ; let’s start the “White vote matters” protests !
The real problem is simply the system that has only two parties and two candidates, it doesn’t let much chance to outsiders or “revolutionaries” as you have to get at least half the voters voting for the person and it’s project .
French presidents are usually having between 15% and 30 % of the votes at the first turn and the one with the most votes at the first turn is not always the same as the one winning the election (at the 2nd turn that has only the 2 contestants with the most votes from the first turn).
A Boy and His Longtail
> ImmoralMinority
06/08/2020 at 08:37 |
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SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> ImmoralMinority
06/08/2020 at 09:02 |
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Yeah, well I certainly don’t envy your choices of Trump, NotTrump, Somebody Else and Another Somebody.
But they are pretty much the choices I’m faced with every three years in a Federal election and every four years in a State election. And, if Australian elections are any guide, the result won’t make a meaningful difference to anything except to the frequency with which you see TalkingHead#1 on the TV as opposed to TalkingHead#2...
After 25 years in public service of a Commonwealth nation (incidentally, Commonwealth does not mean what those two words put together should mean with a modern perspective) , one thing I’ve learned is that the flavour of government makes very little difference to most people...most of all to those in the public service.
BahamaTodd
> ImmoralMinority
06/08/2020 at 09:57 |
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Considering Biden’s early history with the black community his opposition to busing is confusing. There’s plenty out there about his opposition to federally mandated busing, but not much about his alternative ideas or plan for desegregation.