2024 Election - Thread #1

[robkelk]

Y'know, if two different people try to assassinate you in as many months, maybe you're the one who's doing something wrong.

Suspect in second attempt charged with gun-related crimes

[Dartz]

They only need to get lucky once. Trump needs to be lucky every time.

[GethN7]

Y'know, if two different people try to assassinate you in as many months, maybe you're the one who's doing something wrong.

Suspect in second attempt charged with gun-related crimes

I vehemently disagree with that argument on the grounds I'd be just as horrified if it was Kamala's life being threatened. When you live in a democratic society and you go for murder as your FIRST option to deal with a politician you don't like, the would be assassin is wrong, not who they want to kill.

I get it, people despise Trump and are afraid of him getting another four years as President. Fine, not very thrilled with him (or Kamala) myself, would love better options, but we are stuck between two chairs here. Anyone who thinks the solution is to destroy one of the chairs when they can simply pick one of them is a criminal worthy of contempt.

That said, the idiots trying this madness, they are just giving Trump more publicity and hardening his base. Malcom X once said if we didn't have the ballot, we'd need to resort to the bullet. We still have the ballot, so I condemn the use of the bullet no matter the target.

[classicdrogn]

I'll agree that the number of people willing to do harm to a public figure isn't a useful measure of their moral charadcter or polict positions. I'll also add that if it comes to shooting to settle the current divide in American politics, just one wouldn't come close to solving the problem, and a lot of relatively innocent people would get caught in the middle, so it's better not to open that cask. But refraining from cheering is as far as I'm willing to go when it's Trump or any of his sycophants.

[nemonowan]

I'm just waiting for a Republican to state that politician shootings are just a fact of life.

[Bob Schroeck]

Of course they won't. It's a Republican being shot at, after all -- someone important, unlike children.

[Bob Schroeck]

[robkelk]

Y'know, if two different people try to assassinate you in as many months, maybe you're the one who's doing something wrong.

Suspect in second attempt charged with gun-related crimes

I vehemently disagree with that argument on the grounds I'd be just as horrified if it was Kamala's life being threatened. When you live in a democratic society and you go for murder as your FIRST option to deal with a politician you don't like, the would be assassin is wrong, not who they want to kill.

I get it, people despise Trump and are afraid of him getting another four years as President. Fine, not very thrilled with him (or Kamala) myself, would love better options, but we are stuck between two chairs here. Anyone who thinks the solution is to destroy one of the chairs when they can simply pick one of them is a criminal worthy of contempt.

That said, the idiots trying this madness, they are just giving Trump more publicity and hardening his base. Malcom X once said if we didn't have the ballot, we'd need to resort to the bullet. We still have the ballot, so I condemn the use of the bullet no matter the target.

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
-- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House (1 August 1775)

"Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us to tamely surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us.... Our cause is just. Our union is perfect. Our internal resources are great; and, if necessary, foreign assistance is undoubtedly attainable."
-- Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson, Continental Congress Declaration on the Necessity of Taking up Arms

"We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in."
-- Thomas Paine, The Crisis No. IV (12 September 1777)


I can quote more of your Founding Fathers if you want.

Your country is founded on this behaviour. The only difference between the American Revolution and the current taking up of arms is that the former was done by organized groups -- they're both examples of armed opposition to the political process.

[robkelk]

I'm just waiting for a Republican to state that politician shootings are just a fact of life.

I wouldn't dream of finding recordings of people making those statements in other contexts and running them through this trope... because copyright law is a thing.

[robkelk]

Oh, hey - other elections in 2024.

We had two by-elections in Canada yesterday. The "lessons learned" could apply to the current US election...

Bloc Québécois win longtime Liberal seat and deliver stunning blow to Trudeau in Montreal byelection

While the other parties squabble with one another and take on an increasingly nasty tone in the House of Commons, the Bloc "presented ourselves to voters as the adults in the room," said Bloc MP Christine Normandin from Sauvé's victory party.

...

Before Monday's byelection, there were few seats safer than LaSalle-Émard-Verdun for the federal Liberals in Quebec.

So, yeah... current behaviour by politicians of all stripes is turning every seat into a "battleground" seat.

[GethN7]

Y'know, if two different people try to assassinate you in as many months, maybe you're the one who's doing something wrong.

Suspect in second attempt charged with gun-related crimes

I vehemently disagree with that argument on the grounds I'd be just as horrified if it was Kamala's life being threatened. When you live in a democratic society and you go for murder as your FIRST option to deal with a politician you don't like, the would be assassin is wrong, not who they want to kill.

I get it, people despise Trump and are afraid of him getting another four years as President. Fine, not very thrilled with him (or Kamala) myself, would love better options, but we are stuck between two chairs here. Anyone who thinks the solution is to destroy one of the chairs when they can simply pick one of them is a criminal worthy of contempt.

That said, the idiots trying this madness, they are just giving Trump more publicity and hardening his base. Malcom X once said if we didn't have the ballot, we'd need to resort to the bullet. We still have the ballot, so I condemn the use of the bullet no matter the target.

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
-- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House (1 August 1775)

"Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us to tamely surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us.... Our cause is just. Our union is perfect. Our internal resources are great; and, if necessary, foreign assistance is undoubtedly attainable."
-- Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson, Continental Congress Declaration on the Necessity of Taking up Arms

"We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in."
-- Thomas Paine, The Crisis No. IV (12 September 1777)


I can quote more of your Founding Fathers if you want.

Your country is founded on this behaviour. The only difference between the American Revolution and the current taking up of arms is that the former was done by organized groups -- they're both examples of armed opposition to the political process.

And it's worth noting the very people who won our Revolution went out of their way to make sure they and their posterity wouldn't have to shed blood again to ensure it.

Basically, the way I see it, said Fathers wanted to win a country that could decide things by reason, not bloodshed, and so long as that remains the case, I desire nothing more than the continued fulfillment of that wish. And I want Kamala and Trump to survive so the public can peaceably vote for their new leader, whomever it may be.

[classicdrogn]

Yes, you're absolutely correct, Rob - and if Trump does win, I expect we'll need those second amendment guns and a lot of freshly watered fields to get him out.

[robkelk]

Trump's key to victory in the U.S. election? Men who hate politics

He's appeared on podcasts that aren't generally political, but have audiences that are young, male, and massive in size.

An episode with comedian Theo Von drew more than 13 million views on YouTube alone, not counting other platforms. For comparison's sake, that's triple the typical TV viewership of Fox News's highest-rated prime-time shows.

[robkelk]

The Register: Cards Against Humanity campaigns to encourage voting, expose personal data abuse

"Cards Against Humanity is exploiting a legal loophole," the org explains. "This whole thing should probably be illegal – so quick, give us your money before they change the law!"

That loophole means people outside of the USA cannot legally buy the new expansion pack that they're offering in exchange for SuperPAC donations.

[Labster]

It's kind of funny that this thread is entitled #1, as the previous two times, election threads went rather long. But here we are nearly a decade later, and somewhat innoculated to The Donaldness. Nothing is outrageous if everything causes outrage.

Which is why I kind of want to point out that there's been a qualitative change over the past month or so. It's not so much that Trump has gone unhinged, which is basically expected. No, we are in a new phase. There is no hinge, there are no more hinges. We are living in a post-hinge world.

• Trump declares himself ‘father of IVF’ [in vitro fertilization] at town hall with all-female audience
  
• Trump cancels town hall in middle, plays music and dances on stage for 39 minutes
  
• Apparently Haitian migrants still eating dogs in Trumpworld
  
• Trump suggests he’ll use the military on ‘the enemy from within’ the U.S. if he’s reelected
  
• Trump says "one really violent day" of policing will end crime -- is he thinking of The Purge or Krystallnacht?
  
• Oklahoma wants a Trump Bible in every public school classroom - somehow only one bible on the market met the specifications required for a classroom bible.
  

So we've now got a combination of showmanship over policy, blatant lies, blood libel, purifying society against the enemy within, violent restoration of order, and the leader's book in every classroom. Except, like, it's all so dumb. All of it. Are they like a dumb version of Nazis, or were the original Nazis also this moronic?

[robkelk]

So... His Orangeness says that he'll be a "dictator" on his first day in office, and use the US military against US citizens. He also said "You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore"

Apparently, "Nehemiah Scudder" is actually spelled "Donald Trump".

Please vote according to your principles.

[robkelk]

Switching to a different 2024 election for a moment...

British Columbia is having an election on Saturday, and it's too close to call.

The weather forecast for Vancouver, the largest city in BC, is for an atmospheric river and heavy rain. (The atmospheric river has already formed, and two highways are already affected.)

Oh, dear.

[Norgarth]

well, it turns out that Alexa is biased towards Kamala Harris.  Needless to say Republicans are upset with Amazon.

[classicdrogn]

Even the machines can see what a bad idea it would be to elect Trump!

[robkelk]

Switching to a different 2024 election for a moment...

British Columbia is having an election on Saturday, and it's too close to call.

The weather forecast for Vancouver, the largest city in BC, is for an atmospheric river and heavy rain. (The atmospheric river has already formed, and two highways are already affected.)

Oh, dear.

In case anybody's curious... No clear winner in B.C. election race between NDP, Conservatives They're elected or leading in 46 and 45 ridings, respectively, with the majority being 47. The Green party is leading in the two other ridings.

(For those of you south of the border, our Conservatives tend between Bush Sr and Trump, Saunders would probably be comfortable in the NDP, the Greens are the environmentalist party, and "riding" comes from a Norse word and is what you'd call a Congressional district.)

What this means for your election in a few weeks: Canada tends to get trends before the USA does, so don't count on the Left Coast remaining Left.

[GethN7]

Remember how I said I want people to vote their conscience, whomever they might choose, whether I agree with their choice or not:

Well, seems some people think threatening Trump voters much like how blacks were threatened after being liberated is a good idea

https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1846983990697512989

(below letter sourced from the above link)

Some Trump supporters in Pennsylvania are getting mailed vile threats to their lives and safety if they dare vote for him:




I do not know who is sending these letters. I will not blame anyone, Republican, Democrat, or otherwise unless I know more concrete facts. I do want to say, however, that this enrages me on a very personal level. I'm not a huge fan of either Trump or Harris, but voters for either choice do not deserve to have the same tactics the Ku Klux Klan inflicted on freed slaves inflicted on them. It was wrong then and it is wrong now.

I'm aware many in this thread who live in the U.S. intend to vote for Harris, and so long as you made that choice of your own free will, do so with my blessing. I know some people who will vote for Trump, and the same applies to them.  I'm not sure who I will pick or if I'm going to just write down Mickey Mouse or just sit this out.

But I do know whoever did this is not a true American and they have my burning contempt.

[Dartz]

It's a Twitter Blue tweet. Which means it's probably bullshit.

Anybody who pays for Twitter is either an idiot, or is pushing a false narrative.

[GethN7]

It's a Twitter Blue tweet. Which means it's probably bullshit.

Anybody who pays for Twitter is either an idiot, or is pushing a false narrative.

I wish it were:

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/donald-...d/1184623/

https://thepostmillennial.com/exclusive-...nnsylvania

https://mxmnews.com/article/1db0c882-447...mp-support


If the roles were reversed, I'd condemn this just as harshly. If this is some rogue idiot prankster or Kamala supporter, even she condemned assaults on Trump's life and safety. I just wish whomever is behind this would take notes from her example and cease sinking to this level.

[nemonowan]

Frankly it looks very much like the kind of letter they would send themselves in order to support their view that THEY are the persecuted minority.
Because history and statistics agree that these kind of tactics are overwhelmingly their own domain, not the liberal's. And the arguments are somewhat strange too. I'd be curious to know what AI detectors think of that text.
Also, which liberal group would send an anti-Trump threat written on Trump stationery bearing the Gadsden flag?

[GethN7]

Frankly it looks very much like the kind of letter they would send themselves in order to support their view that THEY are the persecuted minority.
Because history and statistics agree that these kind of tactics are overwhelmingly their own domain, not the liberal's. And the arguments are somewhat strange too. I'd be curious to know what AI detectors think of that text.
Also, which liberal group would send an anti-Trump threat written on Trump stationery bearing the Gadsden flag?

I admit it looks a bit suspicious, which is why I'm not sure who is responsible. If it is a false flag, then I'll be the first to be mad I was duped. And if that turns out to be the case, then shame on whoever thought it was a good idea.