Chit-Chat: The Feels

[ProudMary]

A piece of good news, via Reuters:

US Air Force resumes teaching video on first Black pilots after DEI review

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-air-force-says-it-will-teach-video-first-black-pilots-after-dei-review-2025-01-26/

[DrSpaceman73]

Well already a trade war with colombia. That took less than a week

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/26/trump-threatens-sanctions-as-colombias-petro-blocks-us-deportation-flights

I know the link is al Jazeera but it's widely reported many sources

Also the number one import from colombia is oil

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, Blergh said:

I always said that no good would come from glorifying, and lionizing the Palpatine and the Dark Side with cruelty, depravity and deception  celebrated while all the Jedi and all the heroes along with the concepts of  kindness, compassion, mercy and empathy got belittled, demeaned and reduced to punching bags by virtually every production, publication,etc. after Return of the Jedi. 

Add this to so many other entertainment productions that have celebrated  evil  (with zero comeuppances or triumphs by good) in the last few decades and then  why should we should be surprised that so many have sided with it  re their own lives.

Americans love the triumph of the "little guy" over the big bad entity. The rogue cop that goes outside the law to prevail and solve problems where others fail following "the rules". The rough cut straight talking guy that can outsmart the effete establishment and beat them at their own game. Trump is every action movie and TV trope in one person. And that's why his base loves him. It's all a big show with him. All smoke and mirrors. And all to get the adoration of his base.

5 hours ago, anony.miss said:

Perhaps what you label as "fear mongering" is just people using a different threat assessment for Trump. As a Republican, your party ran a convicted felon who was also found criminally liable for sexual assault. To millions of Independent and Democratic voters, Trump's criminal history alone was a three alarm fire; not fear mongering, but disgust at his lack of humanity, morality and trustworthiness. Unfit to serve anything but a jail sentence.

And after this last week in office - milking fools for meme coin millions,  pardoning violent January sixers bent on revenge,  attacking a Bishop for speaking of Christian values, pushing through an admitted chronic drunk as head of the military, announcing he wants to clear Gaza like a lawn of grass cuttings, etc, etc  - there's no need for many of us familiar with this horrible human being to "wait a while". Given the repugnant things Trump did in the past, the rapid escalation of degradation this time around,  he's made it clear what his agenda is. Chaos. Revenge.  Expanding American territory by hook or crook. And fuck the price of eggs.  What you call "fear mongering" is just many of us calmly assessing the evidence in front of us.

"I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters."  Donald Trump, 2016.

Trump supporters seem to think we don't get where Trump is coming from. The problem is WE DO and THEY DON'T. They think we're exaggerating or taking what he says in the wrong light. They think we're calling him unfair things and are afraid of him because we've been "brainwashed" by the "liberal media" or whatever they think. But I would seriously like to call their attention to the fact that people feeling the way we do about Trump is nothing new and started way before he ever entered politics.

As a New Yorker I "remember him when" as they say. He was always a sleazebag. He wasn't rejected by NYC society because they were prejudiced against his rough cut, plain talking ways. Lord knows there are many such people in NYC. No, he was rejected because he and his father were widely known as dishonest and unethical. He made deals that screwed people over. No conscience, no class. And then he was pissed off when "high class society" (which in NYC is largely rich and Democratic) rejected him. Incidentally, that's his motivation now - to get back the people that rejected him from the society he so badly wanted to be a part of. If he had been accepted by them I could guarantee every Trump supporter right now that he would likely be a Democrat (like he once was briefly) and never would have entered politics because he didn't have a grudge to work off.

The only reason Trump is ingratiating himself to the blue collar racists is to use them to get back at what he sees as the "rich liberal Democrats" that rejected him. It's all about Trump and his grudge, it's not about helping the American people, even "his people". He doesn't give one crap about them. I am sure he thinks of all of them as "suckers". And if anyone thinks that hitching themselves to that train is going to get them where they want to go, I have news for them - they are sadly mistaken because as soon as things change and/or he is not in a position to wield power over anyone, they are the FIRST people he's going to leave in the dust. His "loyalty" to them is only as far as they are useful to him.

5 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

He is going to end up pissing off every other country in the world.  And what is he going to have to show for it? MAGA's adoration?  His appeal doesn't go far beyond red state America.

Yes, and it is not "fear mongering" if he pisses off the wrong people and all of us have to pay for it in spades. This is dangerous stuff he is playing with here all in the service of his overblown and immature ego. There is no wisdom in anything he's doing. His strategy is crude and gangster-ish, but he isn't even doing it for it to work. It's all for show so his people think he's a big badass that "don't take no shit". Even if he intended it to work it wouldn't work, contrary to what the movie tropes have conditioned people to believe. Meanwhile he's like a kid with a box of matches. I can't get over the many otherwise rational people that can't see this about him. I can't imagine the mental gymnastics they would have to go through to justify even what we've seen in the past WEEK let alone any time before that!

[tearknee]

It wasn't "MAGA" that caused Brexit or caused two Trump wins (or the loss of the 2023 referendum in Australia).

People despise what can be short-handed as "academics, Guardian columnists and celebrities' calling them "white trash", "chavs" or "bogans".

Saying "our rights should not be up for a public vote" also tends to be remembered by the public when it turns out that you actually need votes in something that is required to be voted on.

[Yeah No]

3 minutes ago, tearknee said:

It wasn't "MAGA" that caused Brexit or caused two Trump wins (or the loss of the 2023 referendum in Australia).

People despise what can be short-handed as "academics, Guardian columnists and celebrities' calling them "white trash", "chavs" or "bogans".

Saying "our rights should not be up for a public vote" also tends to be remembered by the public when it turns out that you actually need votes in something that is required to be voted on.

I was bullied as a kid but as far as I know I didn't turn into one. I stand for principles, not react to get back at those that did wrong to me and in the process screw the principles. And an awful lot of people are being lumped together that never called people those names. I understand the feelings but don't condone the behavior. And if they don't like it that I would say that, too bad.

[Annber03]

Yeah, I grew up in a traier park and had to deal with being lumped into the "white trash" description because of htat. 

Still not a Trump supporter. People who voted for the kinds of policies Trump supports were going to do that no matter what the "academic elite" called them.

Also, this claim continues to ignore the role that social media and right-wing outlets have played in brainwashing and manipulating people into believing lies and falsehoods. 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

Also, this claim continues to ignore the role that social media and right-wing outlets have played in brainwashing and manipulating people into believing lies and falsehoods. 

Emphasis mine, because, yeah, as I said last time (and, yes, I get it that now I'm repeating myself), repeating it won't make it true.  Saying MAGA didn't cause Trump's wins is like standing in a downpour and saying water isn't what caused me to get wet.

Edited January 27 by Bastet

[Annber03]

I'm just tired of people finding reasons to let Trump voters off the hook for their role in creating the shitstorm we're in. Even back when he was running in 2016, we knew Trump had spent the entirety of Obama's time in office spreading racist birther conspiracy bullshit about him. We also heard all the vile things he kept saying about women, both on those "Access Hollywood" tapes and in general. 

And people listened to that and still decided to vote for him anyway. 

So no, I'm not going to give them and their support of racsit and misogynistic behavior and attitudes a pass because some academic elites might've been snooty towards them. They clearly have no problem with supporting someone who insults and demeans vast swaths of the population on a daily basis, so you'll pardon me if I can't really be sympathetic to someone calling them "white trash". 

[peacheslatour]

5 hours ago, tearknee said:

A detective from a film noir? ;)

Mob boss.

[Lantern7]

6 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Trump just posted this about slapping Columbia with tariffs.

Uh huh. I think we need to remember that artificial intelligence can perform miracles in our day-to-day lives, but only if it is utilized properly. This is not how it should be used.

I also feel that we need to let the world know that when our nation succeeds in anything, it will be in spite of Donald Trump, not because of him.

[Anela]

6 hours ago, ProudMary said:

The people who were flown to Brazil were accepted by that country. It is true that we don’t know why they chose to leave and come to the US. We don't know if they are asylum seekers who were in danger in their country. It's possible we will never know. 😔

I'm also concened about the Colombians who were not accepted. Where are they being held and under what conditions?

I’ve just read that Colombia will accept them back, and send their own transportation, as long as those detained are treated well.  

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Mob boss.

I was confused, too. Mob boss makes more sense.  

[tearknee]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I was bullied as a kid but as far as I know I didn't turn into one. I stand for principles, not react to get back at those that did wrong to me and in the process screw the principles. And an awful lot of people are being lumped together that never called people those names. I understand the feelings but don't condone the behavior. And if they don't like it that I would say that, too bad.

To borrow a quote from Dr. Who, some become monsters (Jozsef Barsi), some go mad and some run away (Michael Landon).

I meant no harm by what I said, I'm just a hard boiled pragmatist due to what i have been through. And my Acquired Brain Injury on top of the autism means that i do not see the psychological masks that everyone uses. The mask of sanity is the most well-known but there are others.

4 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Yeah, I grew up in a traier park and had to deal with being lumped into the "white trash" description because of htat. 

Still not a Trump supporter. People who voted for the kinds of policies Trump supports were going to do that no matter what the "academic elite" called them.

Also, this claim continues to ignore the role that social media and right-wing outlets have played in brainwashing and manipulating people into believing lies and falsehoods. 

Calling people brainwashed and manipulated isn't really helpful when you want to convince them to crawl out of the abyss that they have fallen into.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, tearknee said:

Calling people brainwashed and manipulated isn't really helpful when you want to convince them to crawl out of the abyss that they have fallen into.

The irony of being told that when they call us the same things is not lost on me. Also my goal here is not to convince anyone to see things my way but to share how I feel with others that may feel the same way. And many of them here do. And it's been therapeutic for many of us, and something we've needed.

[Dimity]

33 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

The irony of being told that when they call us the same things is not lost on me. Also my goal here is not to convince anyone to see things my way but to share how I feel with others that may feel the same way. And many of them here do. And it's been therapeutic for many of us, and something we've needed.

Absolutely. I have been so grateful for this thread. Aside from all else it has reminded me that there are still many good and caring people in this world. I needed to be reminded of that this month.

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

5 hours ago, tearknee said:

Calling people brainwashed and manipulated isn't really helpful when you want to convince them to crawl out of the abyss that they have fallen into.

Wait, what? They didn't helplessly fall into the abyss. They jumped. Willingly. Joyfully.  And just before they jumped, they grabbed onto the ankles of the  millions warning them to go that way, not this way, and dragged the rest of us into the abyss with them. 

They fucked around and now we all get to find out.

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Yeah, I grew up in a traier park and had to deal with being lumped into the "white trash" description because of htat. 

Still not a Trump supporter. People who voted for the kinds of policies Trump supports were going to do that no matter what the "academic elite" called them.

Also, this claim continues to ignore the role that social media and right-wing outlets have played in brainwashing and manipulating people into believing lies and falsehoods. 

The role of right wing mouthpieces online and on TV is a big deal because they definitely have incited more hate and division between Republicans and Democrats, especially since Trump. Before Trump we had a lot of griping from the right depending on who they were tuning into, but not a full blown movement like Trump has created. While it's true that many of his supporters were already believing lies and falsehoods and holding racist/misogynist viewpoints, he spread it even further, legitimized it and gave it a name and a shape. He passed along his grievance mentality to them and empowered them to feel important and see "the other side" as actively trying to oppress them.

Meanwhile, there was no such opposing movement on the Democratic side. The worst you can say about the Democrats is that maybe they didn't even see this audience mush less know how to appeal to it, but most of them were in no way organized to oppress them nor were they spewing hatred of them on any grand scale, except maybe the most extreme and visible offenders like the neo-Nazis and known sexual predators and such. And if Liberals and Democrats were speaking out against racism and misogyny, it was in general and not directed at this particular group in any particular way. If they took it personally maybe they were racist and misogynist, in which case I would say, "too bad" and "if the shoe fits, wear it". Unfortunately with their grievance mentality they feel justified in their racism. Sad but that's what I see.

I was decidedly apolitical for a very long time and while waking out of that slumber thanks to Trump I noticed how gob smacked the Democrats and even many of the Democratic leaning TV hosts were to find out how much hatred was being directed at them by the poor whites in the South. I got that because I too was gob smacked by it. I was obviously living in some kind of bubble here in the mostly urban and suburban Northeast. I haven't been to the South much in decades. I thought most people everywhere were above certain beliefs and opinions by this time or that if people with them still existed they were in a small and much less radicalized minority by now.

Obviously many of us were wrong about that. Resentments were ripe for being encouraged to grow and capitalized upon for political gain. We didn't even know how many of them existed or how unhappy they were about not being catered to or given a voice by politicians and government. Trump knew that they were ripe for turning into an organized force he could use as a weapon against the Democrats. He knew it wouldn't be hard to convince them that Democrats didn't care about them and hated them, and that the only people Democrats cared about were liberal women and minorities. They were already feeling forgotten. I really don't think Democrats meant to forget them. They, like me didn't even know they existed or that they felt that way. Well, we know now, except maybe it's too late or otherwise impossible to change it. I hope not, but it doesn't look promising.

[bluegirl147]

47 minutes ago, Milk-Eyed Mender said:

Wait, what? They didn't helplessly fall into the abyss. They jumped. Willingly. Joyfully.  And just before they jumped, they grabbed onto the ankles of the  millions warning them to go that way, not this way, and dragged the rest of us into the abyss with them. 

They fucked around and now we all get to find out.

When all is said and done and Trump and the Republicans have made things worse, as they always do, their base will still blame Democrats.  And when Dems come in clean up the mess, as they always do, Republicans will take credit for it, as they always do. 

6 hours ago, tearknee said:

Calling people brainwashed and manipulated isn't really helpful when you want to convince them to crawl out of the abyss that they have fallen into.

Sometimes the truth hurts.  They are in a cult.  A lot of them have been brainwashed and manipulated not just by Trump but by the right wing media apparatus that has slithered it's way into the mainstream.

Edited January 27 by bluegirl147

[Dimity]

27 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

They were already feeling forgotten. I really don't think Democrats meant to forget them. They, like me didn't even know they existed or that they felt that way. Well, we know now, except maybe it's too late or otherwise impossible to change it. I hope not, but it doesn't look promising.

We have the same thing going on in Canada.  It's easy to think it's because the Liberals, or in your case, the Democrats, dropped the ball but I really don't think it's that simple.  

1 minute ago, bluegirl147 said:

Sometimes the truth hurts.  They are in a cult.  A lot of them have been brainwashed and manipulated not just by Trump but by the right wing media apparatus that has slithered it's way into the mainstream.

and this is the biggest problem.  This is a world wide issue.  Made worse in the US thanks to Trump of course.  But the right wing media have lied and manipulated here in Canada for years and it's starting to bear fruit.  Extremists are easy to dismiss it's the 'regular' folk who've swallowed their propaganda whole who are the real problem.

[Yeah No]

2 minutes ago, Dimity said:

We have the same thing going on in Canada.  It's easy to think it's because the Liberals, or in your case, the Democrats, dropped the ball but I really don't think it's that simple.  

I think Democratic politicians played to their strengths and their supporters and didn't spend enough time appealing to those that they knew weren't their base. But to get those people organized to hate and see Democrats as against them is really not on Democrats but on Republicans and of course Trump.

[Dimity]

[bluegirl147]

7 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Extremists are easy to dismiss it's the 'regular' folk who've swallowed their propaganda whole who are the real problem.

I've been saying this for years.  Yes the Republican politicians are a problem but it's the voters that keep voting for them. They are the reason MTG and Boebert and Cruz and McConnell keep getting elected. They would rather believe the lies they are told than the truth that could actually help them. 

3 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I think Democratic politicians played to their strengths and their supporters and didn't spend enough time appealing to those that they knew weren't their base.

Not necessarily.  Democrats especially those running in swing state/districts try to appeal to Republican voters in hopes of winning.  But doing so can and does alienate Democrats.  I remember back in 2009 when the ACA was coming together Democratic House members were reluctant to go home and do town halls about it because the Tea Party was protesting it. Of course now it's popular but if Dems had embraced back then people would have been more receptive to it. 

[PRgal]

I think it's time to admit that EVERYONE is a victim of SOMETHING, regardless of ethnic heritage, gender, religion or socio-economic background.  Or whatever else I'm missing.  No one is completely NOT a target.  I'm seeing that with the narrow view of masculinity compared to femininity, for example.  And yes, even middle class/wealthy Anglo-Protestant, hetero cisgender males can be targets (see narrow definition).  

That said, I'm worried for some of my family members in Hong Kong.  It's not a great place to be right now, I don't think.  Mainland culture is infiltrating quicker than it should be (Hong Kong is supposed to retain its culture and special administrative status/self rule until 2047).  If you're Canadian, you can sort of use Quebec as an analogy.  Own language, own legal system, yada, yada.  Except HK takes it a step further and has its own currency.  They even drive on the left like the British while mainland drives on the right.  That's why the current concentration on deportation and tariffs to us and Mexico is crazy when they REALLY should be concentrating on what China might be doing to the world.  Just this morning, tech/AI stocks TANKED thanks to the news that a mainland AI company is able to be just as advanced as companies like Nvidia for a much lower cost.  Since those of us here are worried that these AI companies could come with other issues (think why they want to ban TikTok) THIS should be the primary focus.  

[heatherchandler]

On 1/26/2025 at 9:20 AM, Yeah No said:

I notice it's crickets from a lot of people that voted for Trump for whatever one pet issue they thought he could magically resolve in one day or week, like egg prices or the Middle East. Those one issue voters were so fixated on that one thing that they were sucked in by the BS that "Trump will fix it" and lost sight of everything else. And now he's not even going to fix what they thought he was going to fix but just make it worse. So they've been "vewy, vewy qwiet", to quote Elmer Fudd. And they include those that dismissed some of the extreme stuff he said he was going to do as just more of his "bluster". Meanwhile in the first week alone he's pursued at least 5 things that appear in project 2025, which he attempted to distance himself from during his campaign. I'd like to see any of those very quiet people defend that right now but I doubt it's going to happen. Instead I expect more crickets from them.

I’ve heard a lot and it’s very positive.  Are you talking about people you know or the news?  The right is celebrating.  I don’t talk politics with friends but all the Trump voters I know who post of FB, etc are expressing joy.  They are saying that he’s “getting things done.”  I am not a Trump supporter but I watch right and left news and am friends with right and left-leaning people.  

 

18 hours ago, Dimity said:

 

Handcuffed AND bound?  So, America, feeling great again now?  Shameful.  Absolutely shameful.

I am guessing you’ve never seen footage or heard about the US prison system.  That’s how prisoners are treated here.  And it’s not political.  It’s barbaric and no one says a thing. No one expresses outrage that prisoners are freezing in the winter and burning up in the summer in prisons here.  
 

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

 

Meanwhile, there was no such opposing movement on the Democratic side.

I was decidedly apolitical for a very long time and while waking out of that slumber thanks to Trump I noticed how gob smacked the Democrats and even many of the Democratic leaning TV hosts were to find out how much hatred was being directed at them by the poor whites in the South. I got that because I too was gob smacked by it. I was obviously living in some kind of bubble here in the mostly urban and suburban Northeast. I haven't been to the South much in decades. I thought most people everywhere were above certain beliefs and opinions by this time or that if people with them still existed they were in a small and much less radicalized minority by now.

 

No, on this very board there is a very clear expression of hate for Republicans.  Or, anyone who voted for Trump.  I truly haven’t seen anything even close coming from the right.  Not here or anywhere.  Where do you see this?  Why do you think the south hates democrats?  
 

 

[bluegirl147]

11 minutes ago, Milk-Eyed Mender said:

Hahaha! Eric the Unloved cosplaying  as a Big Bad Wolf....

I thought they wanted to bring everyone together?  And weren't we told it was Democrats who were being divisive.

[Browncoat]

41 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

Why do you think the south hates democrats?

Please do not paint "the south" with such a broad brush.  We are not monolithic -- there are more than a few of us Democrats down here.

[peacheslatour]

Looky here. Guess who?

Senate Democrats offered a resolution Monday to condemn President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon Jan. 6 defendants who assaulted Capitol Police officers, saying the move invites future political violence.

All Democrats and independents who caucus with them signed onto the resolution except one: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). His office did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lugal]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

The role of right wing mouthpieces online and on TV is a big deal because they definitely have incited more hate and division between Republicans and Democrats, especially since Trump. Before Trump we had a lot of griping from the right depending on who they were tuning into, but not a full blown movement like Trump has created.

It started in the 90's when a few people realized they could make a lot of money by dividing the American people.  That's when right wing talk radio really became a thing.  Billionaires will always support right wing causes because the right will not threaten their fortunes.  Then came the Tea Party movement, and while there was a lot of racism involved, Obama came in with a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and promising transformational things, and they didn't happen (not entirely his fault, I know) but the right was able to fill the void and the wave of populism at the time went in their favor.  Trump had that build on when he came on the scene.

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I was decidedly apolitical for a very long time and while waking out of that slumber thanks to Trump I noticed how gob smacked the Democrats and even many of the Democratic leaning TV hosts were to find out how much hatred was being directed at them by the poor whites in the South. I got that because I too was gob smacked by it. I was obviously living in some kind of bubble here in the mostly urban and suburban Northeast. I haven't been to the South much in decades. I thought most people everywhere were above certain beliefs and opinions by this time or that if people with them still existed they were in a small and much less radicalized minority by now.

Most of the poor and working class people didn't vote for Trump in 2016, it was largely the upper middle class (PMC, Petty Bourgeoisie, whatever you want to call them).  The people of some means who felt their privilege threatened.  Working class and poor people do have longstanding grievances against the elites, who generally look down on them while it is those same working people that make their privileged lives comfortable and often possible to begin with.

The Republicans' problem is they are so transparently the party of the wealthy elites that they have nothing to offer anyone else so they have to stoke culture wars and appeal to the worst elements out there.

The Democrats' problem is they largely abandoned class analysis to focus on identity politics, which is why the Republicans always attack them as "woke".  And they've also been captured by wealthy elites.

[Anela]

1 hour ago, heatherchandler said:

 

 

I am guessing you’ve never seen footage or heard about the US prison system.  That’s how prisoners are treated here.  And it’s not political.  It’s barbaric and no one says a thing. No one expresses outrage that prisoners are freezing in the winter and burning up in the summer in prisons here.  
 

Liberals do.  You haven’t seen that?

[annzeepark914]

26 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Looky here. Guess who?

Senate Democrats offered a resolution Monday to condemn President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon Jan. 6 defendants who assaulted Capitol Police officers, saying the move invites future political violence.

All Democrats and independents who caucus with them signed onto the resolution except one: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). His office did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is wrong with Fetterman? Is it a result of the stroke (or was he always this way)?

[Anela]

27 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Looky here. Guess who?

Senate Democrats offered a resolution Monday to condemn President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon Jan. 6 defendants who assaulted Capitol Police officers, saying the move invites future political violence.

All Democrats and independents who caucus with them signed onto the resolution except one: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). His office did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know if it’s my iPad, or my internet, but I can’t see  anything, other than what you wrote.  

[Turquoise]

40 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

No, on this very board there is a very clear expression of hate for Republicans.  Or, anyone who voted for Trump.  I truly haven’t seen anything even close coming from the right.  Not here or anywhere.  Where do you see this?  Why do you think the south hates democrats?  
 

Just curious, what part of the country do you live in? I ask because I lived in Nashville a couple years prior/during the 1st Trump administration. There was a lot of you-vote-for-the-R-or-else-you're-a-<enter slur here> attitude. During the 2016 election a lot of not-Republican signs were shredded in people's yards, some with "charming" notes attached stating that it was a courtesy call, don't make them make a business call. Several Asian-owned businesses were vandalized because Trump made the declaration about "Kung flu". I now live in a red area in a blue state. It's not as in your face, but Harris signs did mysteriously disappear last fall (without threats attached). On our small-town FB page someone innocently asked why an area by a strip mall was being cleared, was a new business coming to town? Someone had to jump in with they hoped it was a concentration camp for immigrants, with someone else piling on that those that disagreed with Trump should be thrown there too. Now I don't think this is representative of all Trump supporters, but I have definitely seen hatred come from the right. An area where this isn't occurring sounds nice.

[Anela]

Just now, annzeepark914 said:

What is wrong with Fetterman? Is it a result of the stroke (or was he always this way)?

So many people supported him, against the gross attacks coming from republicans, who claim the moral high ground, because of religion (virtue signaling the democrats are always accused of, when it comes to other things). I was wondering the same thing.  

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

36 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

 

All Democrats and independents who caucus with them signed onto the resolution except one: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). His office did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

What the hell, Fetterman? I have trouble believing a stroke transforms a Democrat into a Republican, any more than Autism causes Sieg Heil motions when you're just trying to make a heart. Between this and the Noem support from Kaine, Kim, Slotkin and others, this is not the way one fights fascism. 

Edited January 27 by Milk-Eyed Mender

[Anela]

1 hour ago, heatherchandler said:

I

No, on this very board there is a very clear expression of hate for Republicans.  Or, anyone who voted for Trump.  I truly haven’t seen anything even close coming from the right.  Not here or anywhere.  Where do you see this?  Why do you think the south hates democrats?  
 

 

A lot of us have experienced that hate, outside of this board. Online, and off.  There is plenty of video out there, too. 
 

and have you never heard, “I’d rather be Russian, than a democrat” from the same people who claim to be the only real Americans, and true patriots? 

1 minute ago, Milk-Eyed Mender said:

What the heck happened to Fetterman? I have trouble believing a stroke transforms a Democrat into a Republican, any more than Autism causes Sieg Heil motions when you're just trying to make a heart. Between this and the Noem support from Kaine, Kim, Slotkin and others, this is not the way one fights fascism. 

I remember some people having a problem with him being really pro-police, or was it in one specific case? 

[bluegirl147]

Fetterman could just simply be a politician that was bought.  The fact he has a previously progressive record makes it more jarring.  I look for him to be primaried in 2028. Although he might be part of the Republican party by then.

[tearknee]

18 minutes ago, Milk-Eyed Mender said:

What the hell, Fetterman? I have trouble believing a stroke transforms a Democrat into a Republican, any more than Autism causes Sieg Heil motions when you're just trying to make a heart. Between this and the Noem support from Kaine, Kim, Slotkin and others, this is not the way one fights fascism. 

Putin has blackmail material a comprehensive insurance policy over more than just Trump.

39 minutes ago, Lugal said:

It started in the 90's when a few people realized they could make a lot of money by dividing the American people.  That's when right wing talk radio really became a thing.  Billionaires will always support right wing causes because the right will not threaten their fortunes.  Then came the Tea Party movement, and while there was a lot of racism involved, Obama came in with a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and promising transformational things, and they didn't happen (not entirely his fault, I know) but the right was able to fill the void and the wave of populism at the time went in their favor.  Trump had that build on when he came on the scene.

Most of the poor and working class people didn't vote for Trump in 2016, it was largely the upper middle class (PMC, Petty Bourgeoisie, whatever you want to call them).

Most white working class guys without degrees voted for him in '16 (ironically, they are the supposed 'engine of the socialist revolution').

And Last November, many Muslim and Hispanic/Latino men joined them.

 

[Anela]

7 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Putin has blackmail material a comprehensive insurance policy over more than just Trump.

Most white working class guys without degrees voted for him in '16 (ironically, they are the supposed 'engine of the socialist revolution').

And Last November, many Muslim and Hispanic/Latino men joined them.

 

Misogyny is still a big thing in this country. 

[tearknee]

1 minute ago, Anela said:

Misogyny is still a big thing in this country. 

Oh i agree. There's just some weird expectation that non-white people would support non-white candidates far more than they end up doing (see what happened to Bradley and Wilder).

The young voters usually don't turn out as hyped, either.

[Anela]

11 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Oh i agree. There's just some weird expectation that non-white people would support non-white candidates far more than they end up doing (see what happened to Bradley and Wilder).

The young voters usually don't turn out as hyped, either.

We know why a lot of young voters didn't turn out last year. 

It was mostly non-white people who voted for Kamala. A woman was the non-white candidate. Hence my saying: misogyny is a big thing here. 

When trump says that he loves the uneducated, it isn't a compliment. 

Edited January 27 by Anela

[atomic]

I am no fan of Fetterman and think he probably was reluctant to sign the resolution, but for the record he did end up doing so.

Quote

 

All 47 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus co-sponsored the resolution. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was not initially included as being a co-sponsor in a release from Murray’s office, but his name was included on the resolution itself. 

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5108507-donald-trump-january-6th-pardons-democrats/

 

 

[PRgal]

1 minute ago, tearknee said:

Oh i agree. There's just some weird expectation that non-white people would support non-white candidates far more than they end up doing (see what happened to Bradley and Wilder).

The young voters usually don't turn out as hyped, either.

This.  It often ignores cultures of people whose families have been in the new country for fewer than 100 years.  Most of these people still have deep connections in one way or another to their ancestral homelands and their cultures.  There's also the ignorance of these cultures' histories and I am tired of hearing that cultures' misogyny is related to colonialism.  It's not always based on that, and to say that it ALWAYS is dismisses/ignores, say, the 3,500+ history of Confucianism.  

[Anela]

Exit polls show majority of Black men and women voted for Kamala Harris Despite narratives that doubted Black voters would show up for Harris, they did. There were pockets of America where Trump’s pull was strong, with certain states like North Carolina pulling in a greater share of Black men’s votes.

&nbsp;This article is more than 5 months old ‘Excited to show up for her’: mixed-race voters finally feel seen with Harris’s nomination

Black Men Will Vote for Harris—White Men Are the Problem

"Why is the media talking so much about the fraction of Black men who might go MAGA when more than 60 percent of white men will vote for Trump?"

Asian Americans Are Flocking To Kamala Harris. Why?

By comparison, far less attention has been paid to Harris’s gender as a potentially historic moment for the presidency. This stands in stark contrast to Hillary Clinton’s presidential run in 2016, when gender dominated the identity conversation, from campaign slogans like “I’m With Her,” to convention speeches and news coverage that focused on the “glass-shattering” aspects of her potential presidency. Given the outsized attention to Kamala Harris’s race and the comparatively muted attention to her gender, we would expect racial representation to reign supreme in the minds of Asian American voters who, for the first time, have a major party presidential candidate of Asian origin.

Recent data released by AAPI Data and Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) indicate that gender representation plays a stronger role than racial representation in shaping voter support for her candidacy. The survey, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago in September asked respondents, “Thinking specifically about Kamala Harris, how important to you are the following aspects of her identity?” providing choices that included “her identity as an African American,” “her identity as an Asian Indian or South Asian,” “her identity as a woman,” and “her age.” 

Black voters support Harris over Trump and Kennedy by a wide margin

Kamala Harris is viewed more positively by Hispanic voters than Donald Trump

Male Hispanic registered voters tend to be divided on their overall opinion of both Harris and Trump or if either one would make a good president. Female Hispanic voters are inclined to have more positive views of Harris than Trump, and most think she would make a good president.

- - - - -

White people went more for Trump. Misogyny also played a huge part. 

 

8 minutes ago, PRgal said:

This.  It often ignores cultures of people whose families have been in the new country for fewer than 100 years.  Most of these people still have deep connections in one way or another to their ancestral homelands and their cultures.  There's also the ignorance of these cultures' histories and I am tired of hearing that cultures' misogyny is related to colonialism.  It's not always based on that, and to say that it ALWAYS is dismisses/ignores, say, the 3,500+ history of Confucianism.  

I was talking about the misogyny of white men, and internalized misogyny of some women. And of the US in general. Who said anything about the misogyny of other cultures? 

We also had people who wouldn't vote dem, because of Gaza, and the MAHA voters, who voted for him because of RFK Jr. 

I remember seeing some posts from women saying, "don't say she can't win, because she's a woman, this is different" but it wasn't. I wanted her to win, but I was wary after 2016. To quote Lorelai Gilmore: "We've been here before. I recognize that tree."

Looking back at the links: conspiracy theories were once again running wild, after North Carolina was badly hit by a hurricane. MAGA jumped on that, the way they did his QVC-style bible. 

Edited January 27 by Anela

[heatherchandler]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Please do not paint "the south" with such a broad brush.  We are not monolithic -- there are more than a few of us Democrats down here.

I didn’t, I was responding to a post.

 

 

1 hour ago, Turquoise said:

Just curious, what part of the country do you live in? I ask because I lived in Nashville a couple years prior/during the 1st Trump administration. There was a lot of you-vote-for-the-R-or-else-you're-a-<enter slur here> attitude. During the 2016 election a lot of not-Republican signs were shredded in people's yards, some with "charming" notes attached stating that it was a courtesy call, don't make them make a business call. Several Asian-owned businesses were vandalized because Trump made the declaration about "Kung flu". I now live in a red area in a blue state. It's not as in your face, but Harris signs did mysteriously disappear last fall (without threats attached). On our small-town FB page someone innocently asked why an area by a strip mall was being cleared, was a new business coming to town? Someone had to jump in with they hoped it was a concentration camp for immigrants, with someone else piling on that those that disagreed with Trump should be thrown there too. Now I don't think this is representative of all Trump supporters, but I have definitely seen hatred come from the right. An area where this isn't occurring sounds nice.

I’m in Hinsdale, IL.  So a pocket of red in a blue state.  I’ve only seen civilized discussion on FB.  I saw both Trump and Harris signs.  I guess I’m lucky it’s a very non-confrontational area.  Everyone is pretty respectful.  Maybe that’s why I cannot understand the hate from both sides.  It is clear that both Fox and msnbc is stoking the fires.

[fastiller]

33 minutes ago, Anela said:

Misogyny is still a big thing in this country. 

 

6 minutes ago, Anela said:

White people went more for Trump. Misogyny also played a huge part.  

Misogyny & Racism make one hell of a team!

[Anela]

I'm also going to quote one part of my post, myself:

Quote

Black Men Will Vote for Harris—White Men Are the Problem

"Why is the media talking so much about the fraction of Black men who might go MAGA when more than 60 percent of white men will vote for Trump?"

Why were white men just expected to go for Trump? No question, it was just expected. Why weren't they expected to vote for a woman? Or a woman of colour, after a lot of them voted for Obama?

Edited January 27 by Anela

[peacheslatour]

I think you just answered your own question.

5 minutes ago, Anela said:

I'm also going to quote one part of my post, myself:

Why were white men just expected to go for Trump? No question, it was just expected. Why weren't they expected to vote for a woman? Or a woman of colour, after a lot of them voted for Obama?

 

[Anela]

4 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I think you just answered your own question.

 

Yep. It was mostly rhetorical, because it came down to misogyny. 

And once again: a lot of rich, highly-educated people voted for him, too. We see a bunch of billionaires around him, celebrating him, but still hear that the regular Joes didn't feel heard by Kamala?

Edited January 27 by Anela

[PRgal]

@Anela I’ve read so many articles on how misogyny in this part of the world is due to colonialism (so not specifically White, Anglo-Protestant males) that I’ve more or less become confused.  And a lot of it comes from the hate I faced in a women’s studies class back in the late 90s as well as all the DE&I groups I attended during the pandemic making zero reference to Confucian based cultures, including people whose heritages are from these places on this side of the Pacific. People from these backgrounds live here too, you know.  

[Lugal]

1 hour ago, tearknee said:

Most white working class guys without degrees voted for him in '16 (ironically, they are the supposed 'engine of the socialist revolution').

My mistake.  I double checked and saw that 60% of white working class men did vote for him in 2016, but they made up only 30% of his winning coalition.

[bluegirl147]

38 minutes ago, Anela said:

When trump says that he loves the uneducated, it isn't a compliment. 

The uneducated do think it's a compliment.

16 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Misogyny & Racism make one hell of a team!

I'm not saying every Republican is a racist or misogynist.  However from where I sit it sure does seem like a majority of racists and misogynists are Republicans.

20 minutes ago, Anela said:

Why were white men just expected to go for Trump?

We heard a lot of theories. One was they liked him because he slept with beautiful women.  One was he got away with things they wanted to get away with.  I can only speak for myself and I say this as a white woman the only people I fear are white men with MAGA hats or shirts.