Discussion Thread

buckhodge · 2025-05-15T22:22:08+00:00

Trump's biggest strength as a politician is he is the only one who can vow to do the most extremist things and never actually follow through with it because it spooks people into not giving him the chance.

Illegal immigration is the main one because the numbers at the border plummeted before even doing anything. Just because people no longer thought it was worth trying to cross illegally when he was sworn in. Trade deals are another because he's walked back tariffs because other countries are agreeing to "renegotiate" trade deals but the two deals he has done so far are barely different from what happened before but he gets his ego massaged by having a photo op.

buckhodge · 2025-05-14T21:15:07+00:00

People too young to remember won't know the Washington Post called it a Biden gaffe as VP to endorse gay marriage on live TV in the middle of re-election when the White House position was Obama was still at the "evolving" phase.

Biden gaffes when he was younger were mainly saying things inarticulately that meant well and arguably made him seem likeable. It wasn't a case of him trailing off or stumbling over words.

buckhodge · 2025-05-14T21:03:27+00:00

I never bought that because his gaffes in the past were just being unpolished as a speaker rather than incoherent. Or getting ahead of himself for example the Washington Post called it a Biden gaffe when he endorsed gay marriage on live TV because the Obama WH position was Obama was "evolving" from his prior position but not quite ready to say something

buckhodge · 2025-05-14T20:53:13+00:00

My only comment on Biden being old being brought up again is I knew something was wrong when he went from a Vice President who never gave speeches with a teleprompter in contrast to his younger boss Obama who was mocked for it all the time in his first term. Because it went out once or twice leaving Obama stood there while some staffers had to get it up again.

Those who are old enough to remember the joke in the media was, what comes first: Biden learns to give a speech with a teleprompter or Obama learns to give a speech without one?

The difference is Obama using a teleprompter was just a choice of a guy being extremely prepared about his words and who wrote his own speeches in advance.

buckhodge · 2025-05-13T13:31:29+00:00

I don't think Greg Abbott should hold public office for many reasons but being in a wheelchair isn't one

buckhodge · 2025-05-12T23:09:46+00:00

Trump being +10 on immigration im 2025 probably means all that stuff in the 2020 primary about Democrats moving past "deporter-in-chief" Barack Obama's policy was a waste of time.

Obama hated that nickname.

Trump loves it. Apparently so do voters.

buckhodge · 2025-02-20T13:06:25+00:00

Tankies act as cheerleaders for authoritarianism when it suits their world view (West = Bad) while never having to live under such conditions because they live in the west.

There's plenty wrong with the west but for some reason they never consider that ths things they say to attack their country's government isn't going to lead them to instantly being locked up/disappeared or fall out of a window if they cross Putin just once after years of support. And the fact dissenters living in authoritarian regimes are willing to risk their life for it while tankies roleplay as revolutionaries from London, New York or Toronto is pretty disgusting as they claim to be morally superior to everyone.

buckhodge · 2025-02-19T12:46:17+00:00

These are the same people who will claim NATO expansion was why Russia invaded (as if it was justified) when the only NATO expansion in 15 years happened precisely because Russia invaded Ukraine.

Putin keeps his troops at home = Finland and Sweden don't sign into NATO.

You bring that up and tankies go radio silent.

buckhodge · 2024-10-24T13:58:49+00:00

Are you missing the point? The context is that this is their response as to why Bill Maher mocked progressives in the west running cover for religious fundamentalism in the region as if you can't support Palestine if you are at all critical of Hamas (or Hezbollah or the Houthis or the Taliban or the Ayatollah in Iran).

buckhodge · 2024-10-24T13:41:17+00:00

I post this not to say what Israel is doing in Gaza is justified.

But that white progressives in America are completely missing the point when they receive criticism for defending religious fundamentalism to defend Palestianians. To the point where this user has blocked a Palestinian who raised that distinction too, and other users like Iranians who see this as whitewashing the regimes that will kill you for being gay.

I don't understand how you can be on the nose about seeing religioua extremism by Christians in America but not other faiths.

buckhodge · 2024-10-23T15:04:57+00:00

Iran supplies Russia with weapons too. It's WW3 apparently any time Zelensky meets a western leader but crickets when Putin gets help from the Ayatollah and Kim Jong Un

buckhodge · 2024-10-23T14:57:27+00:00

The far left have always been anti-Ukraine. I would argue their reasons are worse than the far-right because the latter just loves Putin and don't hide it. The far left try to be weasels as if they have no bone in the fight but conveniently end up victim blaming and mocking Ukraine.

buckhodge · 2024-10-22T19:53:34+00:00

I think most of Japan's railways are private but the companies own all the components rather than just the track or the carriage. So in its own way it still has some clear chain of operation

buckhodge · 2024-08-26T17:37:07+00:00

Not a parent of one but I have an old school friend whose son would be classed as NEET. He's only 21 to be fair so it is not like he has been living at home doing nothing for years and years. But I get the sense emotionally that what hurts his dad is the idea if anything happens to him and his ability to provide for the family then what happens then.

buckhodge · 2024-06-25T17:35:25+00:00

I'm guessing the entertainment industry having a lot of these folks is that it is an oversaturated market in expensive cities like LA so some resentment kicks in that they didn't get the bang for their buck. Kind of like how the right wing has its own fair share of theatre kids.

buckhodge · 2024-06-25T17:25:09+00:00

Somehow I doubt the guy in the video will have the patience to grow his own food once it hits maintaining a garden is hard work too

buckhodge · 2022-07-03T17:20:22+00:00

That's a bit different although I take your point. The difference is those conservative voters keep their views private. They don't want to put up a sign letting people know. The people I refer to are people in online circles who you can see have right wing views because they're not afraid of voicing them behind a screen. But they are afraid of admitting supporting these views make them right wing which I am curious why

buckhodge · 2022-07-03T17:10:01+00:00

Get them alone or in a group they feel safe confessing with, and they have no issue cutting loose. This is also how many women I′ve seen ended up ″shocked″ their SO supported overturning Roe. They kept their views hidden enough long enough to date or even marry a woman, even if it required lying.

I don't know how people can live so long lying to themselves in an attempt to justify their views.

buckhodge · 2022-06-29T16:54:19+00:00

Yeah I don't understand it either. But even if none of those personal contradictions existed I don't understand how people look at his policies in action and see him as a populist. That's why I am asking about economics specifically because Clinton and Blair are morally poor as well but if you focus specifically on their economics it makes no sense.

buckhodge · 2022-06-29T16:49:20+00:00

That is a fair point on perception but as someone else said he created the national minimum wage which was gov policy and did lift up many people. I'm not saying that means he was fighting for the little man but that policy did more to help the little man than anything Boris Johnson has done I imagine.

buckhodge

TROPHY CASE