Election Headline from the Year 2025

[Nationalist]

1 hour ago, robosmith said:

Charlie Kirk Says a ‘Patriot’ Should Bail Out Alleged Paul Pelosi Attacker

Would this make the VP an "extremist" as well?

[robosmith]

2 hours ago, Nationalist said:

hilarious.

^idiot

[ironstone]

4 hours ago, robosmith said:

Charlie Kirk Says a ‘Patriot’ Should Bail Out Alleged Paul Pelosi Attacker

He may just be feeling a bit sarcastic about this. For the sake of comparison, the Pelosi attacker is being held without bail as he should be. It's a no brainer. Contrast that with the attack against Lee Zeldin. Some guy attacks him on stage, trying to stab him. It's on video and not in dispute. 

July 22, 2022 An attempted assault on Representative Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor of New York, inflamed a fierce debate over the state’s public safety laws on Friday, hours after a man accused of charging the candidate with a pointed weapon was released without bail.

The man who allegedly tried to stab Republican candidate for New York governor Lee Zeldin with a bladed weapon during a campaign stop on Thursday was released from jail within hours of his arrest on a felony charge — just as Zeldin had predicted.

David Jakubonis, 43, from Fairport, New York, was arraigned overnight in Perinton Town Court on a count of second-degree attempted assault stemming from the attack on Rep. Zeldin but was quickly released on his own recognizance.

Quite a difference isn't it.

And Republican Lee Zeldin has strongly condemned this violent attack against Pelosi, as should everyone.

And what font size are you using now? Is that like a 56 or 72?

 

[ironstone]

23 hours ago, robosmith said:

You ARE mistaken. The EC representatives are required by law to be assigned according to the popular vote in ALL states.

That is democratic. Republicans are SEEKING to change that, independent of their state constitution, review by their courts, and VETO by their governor, as described ABOVE in BeaverFeaver's post on Moore v. Harper currently being heard by SCOTUS.

So do you think these celebrities asking that the Electoral College not certify the election for Trump some years ago were encouraging them to do something illegal? Trump did win those states after all.

Ok I'll concede that these are not A list celebrities.?

Has-been Martin Sheen is the only one that I recognize.

I highly recommend Mark Dice!

[Hodad]

40 minutes ago, ironstone said:

So do you think these celebrities asking that the Electoral College not certify the election for Trump some years ago were encouraging them to do something illegal? Trump did win those states after all.

Ok I'll concede that these are not A list celebrities.?

Has-been Martin Sheen is the only one that I recognize.

I highly recommend Mark Dice!

No, faithless electors are not breaking the law, but they are breaking the trust of their party.

Honestly, that we still utilize actual, human electors casting votes is probably the silliest aspect of this already archaic system. 

FWIW, I think I could name all of those actors as well as a couple of their most notable projects. 

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by Hodad

[ironstone]

14 minutes ago, Hodad said:

No, faithless electors are not breaking the law, but they are breaking the trust of their party.

Honestly, that were still utilize actual, human electors casting votes is probably the silliest aspect of this already archaic system. 

FWIW, I think I could name all of those actors as well as a couple of their most notable projects. 

 

robosmith was very specific in that he stated "The EC  representatives are required by law to be assigned according to the popular vote in ALL states. Required by law. I don't know if it is required by law or not.

And there were those celebrities urging the EC representatives to ignore the popular vote in those states Trump won. They are mostly the same bunch that shout about the importance of winning the popular vote.

[BeaverFever]

12 hours ago, Nationalist said:

I have no intention of climbing down a rabbit hole with a rodent like you...Beaver.

In other words you have no idea and have never heard of it 

[robosmith]

56 minutes ago, ironstone said:

robosmith was very specific in that he stated "The EC  representatives are required by law to be assigned according to the popular vote in ALL states. Required by law. I don't know if it is required by law or not.

And there were those celebrities urging the EC representatives to ignore the popular vote in those states Trump won. They are mostly the same bunch that shout about the importance of winning the popular vote.

The EC reps are put forth by the Party and are required by LAW to be the ones who vote at the EC.

Whether they vote for the Party's candidate is a different issue.

[robosmith]

2 hours ago, ironstone said:

He may just be feeling a bit sarcastic about this. For the sake of comparison, the Pelosi attacker is being held without bail as he should be. It's a no brainer. Contrast that with the attack against Lee Zeldin. Some guy attacks him on stage, trying to stab him. It's on video and not in dispute. 

July 22, 2022 An attempted assault on Representative Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor of New York, inflamed a fierce debate over the state’s public safety laws on Friday, hours after a man accused of charging the candidate with a pointed weapon was released without bail.

The man who allegedly tried to stab Republican candidate for New York governor Lee Zeldin with a bladed weapon during a campaign stop on Thursday was released from jail within hours of his arrest on a felony charge — just as Zeldin had predicted.

David Jakubonis, 43, from Fairport, New York, was arraigned overnight in Perinton Town Court on a count of second-degree attempted assault stemming from the attack on Rep. Zeldin but was quickly released on his own recognizance.

Quite a difference isn't it.

And Republican Lee Zeldin has strongly condemned this violent attack against Pelosi, as should everyone.

And what font size are you using now? Is that like a 56 or 72?

 

So you're saying Kirk says extremist things just to troll people? How is that better than really meaning it?

Idiots can still take him seriously and act on it.

[Hodad]

1 hour ago, ironstone said:

robosmith was very specific in that he stated "The EC  representatives are required by law to be assigned according to the popular vote in ALL states. Required by law. I don't know if it is required by law or not.

And there were those celebrities urging the EC representatives to ignore the popular vote in those states Trump won. They are mostly the same bunch that shout about the importance of winning the popular vote.

Two very different things. Voters elect the electors. The electors (hypothetically) vote based on the voters who elected them, but they're not always required to do so. 

That's different than the partisan state legislature ignoring the voters and choosing their own electors.

Yes, it's a stupid system and it never seems sillier than when trying to explain it. Like the episode of Friends in which Joey is practicing to host a game show called "Bamboozled."

 

FWIW, I think there are actually a few states that split electors versus awarding them winner takes all.

 

 

[Nationalist]

1 hour ago, BeaverFever said:

In other words you have no idea and have never heard of it 

No "other words" about it.

[WestCanMan]

On 10/31/2022 at 1:01 AM, MajorJo said:

Trump is so bad it makes me feel sick that anyone with brains voted for him... But I don't think Hilary was very better at all... maybe a little bit.

I don't think anyone with any brains ever said that "Hilary was very better". I can see why you'd vote for her though. 

[WestCanMan]

On 10/30/2022 at 8:09 PM, BeaverFever said:

NY Times headline from 2025 "America's emerging dictatorship has liberals on edge. But for some, the stability and absence of hard choices is a welcome change."
 

Dante Atkins, a progressive communicator, and strategist, and principal at Atkins Strategies, laid out a plausible scenario for an American dictatorship.

I'll help you with this one:

Quote

plau·si·ble

/ˈplôzəb(ə)l/ Learn to pronounce adjective

1. (of an argument or statement) seeming reasonable or probable.

An actual plausible scenario for an American dictatorship is where the Dems can enact all of their voter-fraud-friendly election reforms, and they have Vanderbilts and members of the American political nobility, like the Cuomos, in prominent positions in the media, demanding which election results the electorate should and shouldn't trust. 

I guess an unhealthy amount of control over the FBI would help too. 

Kinda like what happened in 2020. 

Funny how that article touched all the buttons of the leftards who still believe in Wushin Cowushin and the Jan 6th holocaust though. 

"Biden led by a hunnerd fity millionty votes but he lost cuz sum trukers didint lyke him an a white supremmissist black judj got bulgy iyes an sed "democercy iz ovur!" - Dante

"" - Beave

Edited November 2, 2022 by WestCanMan

[WestCanMan]

4 hours ago, robosmith said:

^idiot

Your arrow was pointing the wrong way. Shocker.

It looks better now though.

Edited November 2, 2022 by WestCanMan

[BeaverFever]

37 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

I'll help you with this one:

An actual plausible scenario for an American dictatorship is where the Dems can enact all of their voter-fraud-friendly election reforms, and they have Vanderbilts and members of the American political nobility, like the Cuomos, in prominent positions in the media, demanding which election results the electorate should and shouldn't trust. 

I guess an unhealthy amount of control over the FBI would help too. 

Kinda like what happened in 2020. 

Funny how that article touched all the buttons of the leftards who still believe in Wushin Cowushin and the Jan 6th holocaust though. 

"Biden led by a hunnerd fity millionty votes but he lost cuz sum trukers didint lyke him an a white supremmissist black judj got bulgy iyes an sed "democercy iz ovur!" - Dante

"" - Beave

Except  that only exists in your fever dreams.  In reality the ones who want an American dictator are the same as those who admire the current Russian dictator and actively trying to get an American Putin in White House 

[robosmith]

5 hours ago, WestCanMan said:

I'll help you with this one:

An actual plausible scenario for an American dictatorship is where the Dems can enact all of their voter-fraud-friendly election reforms, and they have Vanderbilts and members of the American political nobility, like the Cuomos, in prominent positions in the media, demanding which election results the electorate should and shouldn't trust. 

I guess an unhealthy amount of control over the FBI would help too. 

Kinda like what happened in 2020. 

Funny how that article touched all the buttons of the leftards who still believe in Wushin Cowushin and the Jan 6th holocaust though. 

"Biden led by a hunnerd fity millionty votes but he lost cuz sum trukers didint lyke him an a white supremmissist black judj got bulgy iyes an sed "democercy iz ovur!" - Dante

"" - Beave

Far more plausible that Trump would succeed at overturning an election that went against him NEXT TIME, since he PUBLICLY declared that was what he'd do. At least Bannon disclosed that was HIS PLAN and Trump only committed to respecting the will of the people IF it was IN HIS FAVOR. Not sure whether you're ignorant of that, or just don't understand that is how FASCISTS come to power. It worked for Hitler. Do you at least understand THAT?

㊙️ Democrats believe in democracy. Unfortunately Republicans and right wingers no longer do.

[WestCanMan]

9 hours ago, robosmith said:

Far more plausible that Trump would succeed at overturning an election that went against him NEXT TIME, since he PUBLICLY declared that was what he'd do. At least Bannon disclosed that was HIS PLAN and Trump only committed to respecting the will of the people IF it was IN HIS FAVOR. Not sure whether you're ignorant of that, or just don't understand that is how FASCISTS come to power. It worked for Hitler. Do you at least understand THAT?

㊙️ Democrats believe in democracy. Unfortunately Republicans and right wingers no longer do.

You guys clearly have no idea what it takes to run a dictatorship, that's why you don't even see Trudeau and Biden doing it.

Control over the media and police are the key, just like Trudeau has here. Trudeau can denigrate anyone he wants, get away with any crimes he wants, force people to take harmful injections, seize the bank accounts of dissidents, and even prevent people from participating in society if they don't dance to his tune. It's completely insane.  

[BeaverFever]

3 hours ago, WestCanMan said:

You guys clearly have no idea what it takes to run a dictatorship, that's why you don't even see Trudeau and Biden doing it.

Control over the media and police are the key, just like Trudeau has here. Trudeau can denigrate anyone he wants, get away with any crimes he wants, force people to take harmful injections, seize the bank accounts of dissidents, and even prevent people from participating in society if they don't dance to his tune. It's completely insane.  

You’re right, what you’ve said is completely insane. I also don’t doubt that Republicans know more about what it takes to run a dictatorship. 

[WestCanMan]

8 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

You’re right, what you’ve said is completely insane. I also don’t doubt that Republicans know more about what it takes to run a dictatorship. 

Everyone knows what it takes, leftists just deny that they're doing it, while they're busy doing it. 

[BeaverFever]

2 hours ago, WestCanMan said:

Everyone knows what it takes, leftists just deny that they're doing it, while they're busy doing it. 

^ Says the guy who wants to overturn an election based on lies and supports a brutal Russian dictator 

[BeaverFever]

A new wave of celebrity politicians breaks the rules on acceptable behavior, inspired by Trump

Published: November 2, 2022 8.30am EDT

 

…,,We are sociocultural anthropologists who have studied white-collar crime and political corruption in the U.S. and Latin America. We can confidently say candidates like Walker, whose rule-breaking might have doomed a candidate in earlier times, benefit from a template developed by former President Donald Trump, who figured out how to turn celebrity status into political success.
 

This formula, which helped to transform Trump from a real estate mogul and celebrity TV character into the leader of the Republican Party, involves getting the public to register transgressive behavior as entertainment. 

By adopting this template, several Trump-backed celebrity candidates have translated their personal fame into support from Trump’s base in the 2022 midterms.

A close look at Walker; Kari Lake, the GOP gubernatorial candidate in Arizona; and Mehmet Oz, the Republican senate candidate in Pennsylvania known as Dr. Oz, reflects how Trump has led politics down a path that not only prioritizes personality over policy, but also rewards celebrity politicians for behaving badly.

…

Such performances by celebrity candidates don’t appear to diminish their reputations. In fact, they seem to attract voters who appreciate that these candidates don’t even try to act like conventional politicians. 

Bad behavior before Trump

Celebrity politicians have always been held to a different standard than traditional politicians. 

As media critic Neil Postman has noted, former U.S. president and Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan frequently said things that were untrue – and was not held accountable for doing so. Reagan praised the apartheid regime in South Africa for having ended segregation when it had not, and he repeatedly insisted that trees were harmful to the environment. Yet, he remained a popular political figure because most voters who backed him cared less about the veracity of what he said and more about his ability to tap into their emotions. 

Sensing this, Reagan spent his time in the White House focusing on emotional impact rather than accuracy.

There are also examples of Democratic politicians behaving badly, and at odds with how they presented themselves as professionals. Jerry Springer was aCincinnati councilman in the 1970s, before he resigned for paying prostitutes for sex. Springer went on to have a successful television career as a daytime talk show host. “Saturday Night Live” comedian Al Franken, who later became a Minnesota senator, resigned from his post in 2017 over sexual misconduct allegations. But in his case, Franken’s bad behavior pushed him out of politics, not further into it. 

These kinds of political norms shifted with the rise of Trump’s political power, however, as Trump has relied less on his ability to inspire confidence than on his ability to amuse and entertain his fans.
 

The Trump shift

Throughout his political career, Trump has effectively used crude and derisive humor to elevate himself as an entertainer while transforming his opponents from sometimes stiff and humorless politicians into grotesque and laughable people. This humor would have been seen as rude and unpresidential if uttered by another person, or if said by Trump himself outside of the political arena. 

Trump purposefully shames and embarrasses his political rivals, and his supporters celebrate these transgressions at his campaign rallies, which have become a collective space for his followers to revel in humiliating those he perceives to be his opponents. 

At a 2016 rally, Trump mimicked firing a gun while critiquing a member of the U.S. Army who had been accused of desertion. In October 2022 at a rally, Trump threatened journalists with prison rape. 

Such performances are effective not only because they inspire a call-and-response style of sycophantic celebrity fandom, but also because they resist the effect of criticism. No matter how harmful and demeaning Trump’s performances are to their targets, they can always be dismissed as comedic entertainment.

…..,

 

https://theconversation.com/a-new-wave-of-celebrity-politicians-breaks-the-rules-on-acceptable-behavior-inspired-by-trump-193056

[BeaverFever]

The Republican attacks on the 2022 election are already well underway   Self-appointed Republican thugs go door -to-door in official-looking outfits intimidating voters and demanding answers to private questions   Meanwhile the Texas government pursues baseless charges against election officials they feel aren’t biased enough in favour of Republicans and who won’t back the Big Lie   Them of course tou have the Republican AR-15 carrying thugs in Arizona wearing ski masks “guarding” absentee ballot drop boxes trying to scare away voters 

 

 

 

 

 

In the hunt for voter fraud, Republican door knockers are intimidating residents: officials

 

Nov 3 (Reuters) - The canvassers in California's Shasta County in September wore reflective orange vests and official-looking badges that read “Voter Taskforce.” Four residents said they mistook them for government officials.

But the door knockers didn't explain where to vote or promote a candidate, the usual work of canvassers ahead of a big election.

Instead, they grilled residents on their voting history and who lived in their homes, probing questions that might have violated state laws on intimidation and harassment, according to the county's chief election official.

At one house, they interrogated a couple about the whereabouts of their adult daughter. At another, they listed names of registered voters and demanded to know if they still lived at the address.
 

…

But the activists often seem more interested in undermining confidence in U.S. democracy than trying to improve it, said Arizona's Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican. "They're hoping that we fail. They're hoping that mistakes occur and they're even trying to do things to disrupt the system," he said…..

 

https://www.reuters.com/legal/republican-door-knockers-intimidate-voters-while-hunting-voter-fraud-say-2022-11-03/

 

 

“Enormous damage to democracy”: Ken Paxton targeted election workers with probes that went nowhere

The Texas attorney general investigated at least 10 election workers resulting in zero charges

Over the past two years, Paxton's office opened at least 10 investigations into alleged crimes by election workers, a more extensive effort than previously known, according to records obtained by ProPublica. One of his probes was spurred by a complaint from a county GOP chair, who lost her reelection bid in a landslide. She then refused to certify the results, citing "an active investigation" by the attorney general.

In at least two of the cases, Paxton's office unsuccessfully tried to indict election workers, attempts that were first reported by the Austin American-Statesman. In the remaining eight investigations identified by ProPublica, it is unclear just how far the probes went. As of mid-October, none of the cases resulted in criminal charges.

 

https://www.salon.com/2022/11/03/enormous-damage-to-democracy-ken-paxton-targeted-workers-with-probes-that-went-nowhere_partner/

[reason10]

On 10/31/2022 at 4:01 AM, MajorJo said:

Trump is so bad it makes me feel sick that anyone with brains voted for him... But I don't think Hilary was very better at all... maybe a little bit.

Trump was the best president in history.

[BeaverFever]

Is America ready to trade democracy for cheap gas? That's fascism in a nutshell

Americans understand that democracy is in dire peril. That doesn't mean they believe in it, or give a damn
 

The details are grim. Voters "overwhelmingly believe American democracy is under threat, but seem remarkably apathetic about that danger," with relatively few calling it "the nation's most pressing problem," according to a new poll conducted for the Times by Siena College. More than one-third of independent voters in the poll "said they were open to supporting candidates who reject the legitimacy of the 2020 election," because economic concerns were more urgent. While 71 percent of voters agreed that "democracy was at risk," only 7 percent said that was the country's most important problem.

…

Most Americans are relatively unsophisticated in their understanding of politics and public policy, and tend to be disengaged on issues beyond the few that appear to be of immediate concern to them, their families or their communities, barring a national emergency or crisis that demands collective attention.

…

In total, the recent New York Times poll just offers further evidence that the American people may claim to be concerned about "democracy," but are fundamentally unclear as to the cause of the crisis and have no idea what to do about it. It's actually worse than that, in that many Americans don't even pretend to care about democracy and are more concerned about lower prices for gas and groceries — and have no problem trading away their rights and freedoms for the promise of ending inflation.
 

In a similarly dark vein, a new CBS News poll finds that 63 percent of likely Democratic voters believe that a functioning democracy is more important than a strong economy, but that those numbers are more than reversed among Republicans, 70 percent of whom rank a "strong economy" (whatever that means) above a functioning democracy. 

It's not hyperbolic or metaphorical to describe those numbers as a textbook example of how democracy gradually, and then more swiftly, rots away and succumbs to fascism. The naive faith that "it can't happen here" is severely misplaced: It's happening here right now.

 

https://www.salon.com/2022/11/03/is-america-ready-to-trade-democracy-for-cheap-gas-thats-fascism-in-a-nutshell/

Edited November 6, 2022 by BeaverFever

[Infidel Dog]

Lots of talk about "Democracy" up there, but the far left, Salon doesn't mean the same thing by "Democracy" that most of us do.

When they say, "Voters overwhelmingly believe American democracy is under threat" they're not talking about the same thing you or I are when we use the term. They'd like you to believe they are so they can claim the statistic but they aren't. "Voters" would include Republican and Independent voters. It would even include Democrats who believe Democracy means when you vote your vote matters. It doesn't matter who that vote is for. It still matters.

Tucker explains what the far left like Salon means by "Democracy":

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by Infidel Dog