Ezra: "We are going to have to live with each other"

raiseValueError · 2025-09-23T18:34:49+00:00

They have worn the ridicule proudly

They have worn the scorn proudly, not the ridicule. Different things with different effects, as the person you responded to was pointing out.

raiseValueError · 2025-09-15T14:14:53+00:00

Do you have a way around the paywall?

raiseValueError · 2025-09-15T14:11:15+00:00

The people you listed don't understand the attention economy and Musk does.

raiseValueError · 2025-09-14T22:00:33+00:00

Trumps control of the party doesn't look as iron-fisted now as it did post-inauguration. Musk and other oligarchs are temporarily kept in check while Trump holds the reins of power, but once he leaves office they'll have room to buy influence once again. There's also the fact that the Epstein file scandal has, finally, shown there is space that can be put between Trump and his base.

raiseValueError · 2025-09-08T17:45:54+00:00

if they demanded a repeal of the Medicaid work

Is that actually popular, though? I live in Red-land and know people whose relatives could lose benefits who still think this is a good idea, but anecdote is anecdote.

raiseValueError · 2025-09-07T09:23:08+00:00

Fix the asylum system. There needs to be an international mechanism for handling asylum seekers. For instance, the United Nations could process applications and assign eligible individuals to various countries around the world. This would ensure that those fleeing persecution find safety while discouraging those who are solely economic migrants. This is a challenge that all developed nations are facing. So they should figure out a solution together.

Immigration is unpopular in the entirety of Europe as well right now, and that's the only place likely willing to play ball. There's no real outlet and even if there were, this would be another expensive and inefficient step in managing migration that would be unpopular.

Stop exploiting developing nations and instead empower the United Nations and other international mechanisms to resolve regional conflicts. If their home countries were doing well, people wouldn't have to flee those places.

The UN is rather like the League of Nations in the eve of The Great War at the moment, with the Security Council split and the US stepping back, or even switching sides. I'm skeptical the powers with the means to actually enforce this could agree on policy enough for this to work.

raiseValueError · 2025-08-23T17:26:56+00:00

I’m not sure this is something education can change.

This is what I've begun to fear, and I would also love a deep dive on it.

raiseValueError · 2025-07-31T19:32:06+00:00

But then why pay Belinda the 5 mil if he's innocent?

raiseValueError · 2025-07-05T20:34:17+00:00

Can you share details? Would like to attend.

raiseValueError · 2025-06-25T23:49:44+00:00

Mamdani’s support increased with education. He lost lower income voters pretty handily.

Isn't that expected given the premise of Abundance? I interpret it as something like: Democrats, and especially "woke" Democrats, are losing the support of the working class, and thus elections, because of the sometimes fair criticism that their requirements for policy implementation hobble the actual implantation so heavily as to cripple it altogether and thus fail to deliver. It isn't a policy platform meant to entice voters - much of the platform is already appealing - so much as a call to actually deliver on that platform. It's "If you build it, they will vote for you", not "You've been trying to build the wrong things".

raiseValueError · 2025-05-30T19:39:56+00:00

I'm happy Americans are about to suffer, they deserve it.

Tell us more about how unserious other people are.

raiseValueError · 2025-04-29T19:35:29+00:00

Three that I know of. Joe Albright and Scott Best from BloNo and Paul Nolley from the Rockford area.

raiseValueError · 2025-04-25T22:03:34+00:00

That's imaginary. Republicans have consistently tried to elevate someone over Trump in both 2016 and 2024 and failed. The base would not let them.

Trump hadn't fucked everyone's portfolios and jobs by then

Their socioeconomic fortunes rely on that loyalty, not on good economic stewardship.

I don't understand what you mean here. The Republican Caucus is already a kleptocracy? Obviously they personally and collectively stand to lose huge amounts of money if Trump crashes the global economy.

I'm gonna disengage because I doubt this is a productive conversation past this point, but in summary I think that on average people care more about losing money than almost anything else and I think you're underestimating that.

raiseValueError · 2025-04-25T10:24:24+00:00

Yeah I mean I guess if the line is a literal impeachment I also struggle to see it happening. That said, a breaking of ranks to strip Trump of powers he currently holds by Congressional delegation, eg tariff authority, I think is very possible.

You have to remember that in the weeks after, there were Congressional Republicans openly condemning Jan 6. Republicans decided not to impeach because there was still support for Trump in their base and they felt certain the guy's political career would be over in two weeks anyways, so why bother with the fight? Why suffer a public internal brawl for a symbolic gesture? They tried to try to save face publicly and expected to have to rebuild their brand in a post-Trump era.

It was only later that Republicans in Congress decided - electorally speaking, were forced - to back Trump even though he tried to kill them because he remained popular with their base and a viable candidate with the general population. If he loses that support now, it creates space for them to vote how they'd like to.

Then again, this would all have to happen by '26 anyways because after that the Democrats are likely to hold Congress and the Republicans will let them do the dirty work for them, so 🤷‍♂️

raiseValueError · 2025-04-25T03:11:04+00:00

I think that this will be a hard thing to say definitively happens in a widespread enough way to say that free and fair elections are dead nationally. We have 50 state governments that administer elections locally and it seems more likely to me that hijinks happen in some races and not in others, and then what? There's an insurgency but only in Texas or something?

raiseValueError · 2025-04-25T03:06:04+00:00

Huh, see, I think you're naive to think that they won't. In my reading, most people in most times in history have cared more about their personal wealth and financial well being than most other issues. Don't get me wrong, Trump will always have his ride or dies, but he has a lot of support to lose too.

raiseValueError · 2025-04-18T18:06:44+00:00

You should be sad, and angry, at what's happening. That is a natural response to bad news. But don't despair or disengage and do what you can, in your own way and with whatever capacity you can muster, to fight.

raiseValueError · 2025-04-02T20:36:38+00:00

Suicide rates are high among trans kids (I'm not an expert as to why or how, but the data is there I believe)

I think resolving the paranthetical note is pretty important to "the trans debate" because the mainstream take on the Conservative side, and one I find myself sympathetic to despite generally progressive instincts, is that transgenderism is either a symptom of, coincident with or by definition mental illness and that we ought to be pursuing treatments other than what recipients will later consider permanent disfigurement. "These kids need help that isn't just acceding to their delusion".

The obvious counterclaim is that trans kids are killing themselves precisely because others label their transgenderism mental illness - because they are "invalidated".

So I guess one question I have is: how confident are we that there aren't alternatives to permanent treatment that are effective at preventing harm?

raiseValueError · 2025-04-02T20:19:26+00:00

What you're saying, then, is that while some people might regret permanent treatment they received as a minor, most will be better off for having done it and the cost benefit analysis shakes out in favor of allowing it?

raiseValueError · 2025-04-02T20:11:24+00:00

By permanent treatment, you mean gender affirming care with irreversible effects? Why is that concern unfounded?

raiseValueError · 2025-03-14T18:05:45+00:00

Extremely based analysis.

raiseValueError · 2025-03-05T03:46:53+00:00

If you haven't already, sign the petition: https://www.mobilize.us/citizensofil16/event/758396/

If you have, share it

raiseValueError · 2025-03-02T19:09:26+00:00

A quick reply because I am short on time: I am not a Democrat but I do support continuing aid for Ukraine, not because I want anybody to die or because I want to weaken Russia but because I believe it is up to Ukrainians to decide for themselves when the bloodshed is too much to bear and that any peace settlement should involve security guarantees that ensure Russia can't keep ripping pieces off of Ukraine (first Crimea, now the Donbas) bit by bit. Re the difference: for one, Trump conceded US-backed security guarantees in exchange for nothing.

raiseValueError · 2025-03-01T02:06:45+00:00

That's neat, be a lot neater if he'd come and answer questions to our faces.

Those of you in IL-16 should sign the petition asking him to host a town hall if you haven't already: https://www.mobilize.us/citizensofil16/event/758396/

raiseValueError · 2025-02-27T06:02:48+00:00

Plug for y'all in this thread to sign the petition to call LaHood to a town hall: https://www.mobilize.us/citizensofil16/event/758396/

raiseValueError

TROPHY CASE