Cleanup in Aisle Lunatic (h/t romad1)

[mtutiger]

17 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

I get that there is a desire for certain political outcomes to arise from this, but the idea that nothing comes of it doesn't mean that the exercise isn't worth it or doesn't make it meaningless.

I would just add that, regarding the grift portion of the hearing today, that may be talked more about in future hearings, while there's a tendency to demean and mock those who contributed to the cause, but those who did and felt that they were doing so in good faith deserve the right to be educated.

With that information, they can take it or leave it, but I don't see educating the public on how this campaign may have systematically defrauded people as a useless or fruitless endeavor. Regardless what (if any) macro political impacts it has.

[CMRivdogs]

1 minute ago, mtutiger said:

 

Trump is gonna die someday... and, along with him, a lot of his influence. And they may have the opportunity to fix a lot of the wrongs we are seeing today.

I know this is probably a bit "glass half full" for this board, but being constantly negative all the time accomplishes nothing.

Maybe it's the old man in me today, but Trump was the conduit for a lot of what has been festering in this country for decades. He made it acceptable, not necessarily to the main stream but to enough to make it dangerous. Trump spurred on by Right Wing Media, folks like Rush, Hannity, even Tucker and such would have never had the chance to have a platform like they do now 30 or so years ago. Not to mention a generation of opportunistic politicians who see the golden ring. 

And to all those folks its mostly a way to get richer, but to their audience its gospel.

[CMRivdogs]

44 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Democrats will lose because 

and there will be no accountability in the end.

And folks will still cling to their guns and gas guzzlers. We're still cheaper than a lot of other countries.

[CMRivdogs]

13 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

Obama.

Exactly

[Mr.TaterSalad]

3 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

And folks will still cling to their guns and gas guzzlers. We're still cheaper than a lot of other countries.

We've been taught as capitalist consumers and Americans that it is our patriotic duty to buy more and spend your money on things and services. A good quality of life is measured in America not by your relationships you build or your health or education level, but rather measured by the amount of crap you are able to amass as a good capitalist consumer.

With inflation and higher gas prices there are legitimately low-income and poor people who are severely and dramatically effected by the rise in the cost of living. These people have been falling further behind for a while and haven't felt real, nominal wage increases for a long time, if ever.

Then there is another group of Americans, working class, lower-middle, middle, and upper-middle earners. Folks with median household incomes north of $50k. These are your capitalist consumers who just want to spend, spend, spend! These people want to spend a big percentages of their paychecks on Amazon, at Target, and taking vacations. They drive into work and feel the pinch of gas prices. They also vote, unlike the average low income individual, and are probably blaming Biden and Democrats on higher prices and will thus stay home out of apathy or vote Republican because they can't buy, consume, and travel exactly as they had been. Inflation and gas prices have forced cutbacks.

 

[CMRivdogs]

7 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

We've been taught as capitalist consumers and Americans that it is our patriotic duty to buy more and spend your money on things and services. A good quality of life is measured in America not by your relationships you build or your health or education level, but rather measured by the amount of crap you are able to amass as a good capitalist consumer.

With inflation and higher gas prices there are legitimately low-income and poor people who are severely and dramatically effected by the rise in the cost of living. These people have been falling further behind for a while and haven't felt real, nominal wage increases for a long time, if ever.

Then there is another group of Americans, working class, lower-middle, middle, and upper-middle earners. Folks with median household incomes north of $50k. These are your capitalist consumers who just want to spend, spend, spend! These people want to spend a big percentages of their paychecks on Amazon, at Target, and taking vacations. They drive into work and feel the pinch of gas prices. They also vote, unlike the average low income individual, and are probably blaming Biden and Democrats on higher prices and will thus stay home out of apathy or vote Republican because they can't buy, consume, and travel exactly as they had been. Inflation and gas prices have forced cutbacks.

 

I agree whole heartedly. Yet a lot of the people I see whining about gas and grocery prices are the same people who are ardently opposed to things like good mass transportation. A decent healthcare policy (basic medicare for all would be a good first step), who oppose efforts to enhance education and training programs in areas where they are really needed. Especially as we enter the post service industry world.

Yet they'll still cling to their two bedroom SUVS as god given rights (small g on purpose)

Edited June 13, 2022 by CMRivdogs

[chasfh]

1 minute ago, CMRivdogs said:

I agree whole heartedly. Yet a lot of the people I see whining about gas and grocery prices are the same people who are ardently opposed to things like good mass transportation. A decent healthcare policy (basic medicare for all would be a good first step), who oppose efforts to enhance education and training programs in areas where they are really needed. Especially as we enter the post service industry world.

Probably because they do not want the way they live to have to change even a little. They’re conservatives.

Edited June 13, 2022 by chasfh

[CMRivdogs]

1 minute ago, chasfh said:

Probably because they do not want the way they live to have to change even a little. They’re conservatives.

Hey I still want live radio shows in small markets and control boards with slide pots...

[Tigeraholic1]

Any Stimmy checks on the way? You would think with inflation skyrocketing the folks in DC would look to help those being crushed by the added cost of everything lately.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

11 minutes ago, Tigeraholic1 said:

Any Stimmy checks on the way? You would think with inflation skyrocketing the folks in DC would look to help those being crushed by the added cost of everything lately.

Nope. According to bozos like Larry Summers, the entire reason we have inflation is because of the $1,400 stimulus checks in the American Rescue Plan. Mind you, this is the same Larry Summers who told Obama and his White House team to cut down the size of the stimulus plan after the economy had just fallen off a cliff and into recession in 2008-2009. Summers pushed and was victorious in getting a significantly smaller stimulus than was actually needed to help people during the Great Derivatives Financial Crises.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Mr.TaterSalad

[CMRivdogs]

As we were saying.

As we wee saying....

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

Times are different, the two parties are more divided now than in 1974. I'd really like to know what turned so many of what we thought were conservative but not crazy Republicans to the dark side?

I think it's that in 1974 Republicans still had things they believed in that could make the country better if they won. So they had a program and the program was more important than Nixon or a single cycle in the WH. But the GOP finally got their program under Reagan and by 2001 and certainly 2008 it had failed miserably. Today GOP ideology is bankrupt, they run to do nothing but win. They are a party of nihilism. This enforces that's only about the tribe and the win.

Edited June 13, 2022 by gehringer_2

[RatkoVarda]

2 hours ago, mtutiger said:

I would just add that, regarding the grift portion of the hearing today, that may be talked more about in future hearings, while there's a tendency to demean and mock those who contributed to the cause, but those who did and felt that they were doing so in good faith deserve the right to be educated.

With that information, they can take it or leave it, but I don't see educating the public on how this campaign may have systematically defrauded people as a useless or fruitless endeavor. Regardless what (if any) macro political impacts it has.

I think the vast majority of these people are delighted to be lied to; they are willfully and aggressively ignorant.

[gehringer_2]

1 minute ago, RatkoVarda said:

I think the vast majority of these people are delighted to be lied to; they are willfully and aggressively ignorant.

correct. More about the dopamine hit for the lie than the necessity to deal with discomforting truth.

[Dan Gilmore]

They sound like deplorables.

[1984Echoes]

29 minutes ago, Dan Gilmore said:

They sound like deplorables.

They are.

Hillary was correct.

[mtutiger]

1 hour ago, RatkoVarda said:

I think the vast majority of these people are delighted to be lied to; they are willfully and aggressively ignorant.

 

1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said:

correct. More about the dopamine hit for the lie than the necessity to deal with discomforting truth.

All of this may be true. 

But still, what the public does with the information doesn't change the fact that we all deserve to have it

[mtutiger]

 

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

 

[gehringer_2]

58 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

 

All of this may be true. 

But still, what the public does with the information doesn't change the fact that we all deserve to have it

I wasn't referring to the hearings, I meant the way the MAGA crowd consumes the lies.

[oblong]

The craziness of the GOP also started to show itself with Bill Clinton.  There was just no way they could accept a womanizing philanderer who lacked character and who didn’t serve in any kind of military as a legit president. 

[chasfh]

2 hours ago, oblong said:

The craziness of the GOP also started to show itself with Bill Clinton.  There was just no way they could accept a womanizing philanderer who lacked character and who didn’t serve in any kind of military as a legit president. 

Contract on America, baby. 

[gehringer_2]

6 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Contract on America, baby. 

I see what you did there.

[CMRivdogs]

7 hours ago, oblong said:

The craziness of the GOP also started to show itself with Bill Clinton.  There was just no way they could accept a womanizing philanderer who lacked character and who didn’t serve in any kind of military as a legit president. 

Not to mention a wife who wouldn't stay home smile and bake chocolate chip cookies.

[Motown Bombers]