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Harry Marks
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Re: Trump Watch

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Jinx.

Like most superstition, it's a variety of acausal significance, as Jung would have it. Meaning nobody in their right mind believes that a simple prediction, especially if based on the polls, could cause a karmic backlash that causes the election to tilt differently than it would have. But the hint of a possible mysterious source of influence is a warning to our unreason, a warning against arrogance. Against thinking that, because you know something about how things work, you can go on with your privilege and ignore those who might be run over by the steamroller you think you are riding.

So it's worth thinking a little in advance about who we should not run over if the Democratic Party wins.

First, we should not indulge in the same "because we can" grasping that has been so offensive from the Republicans. If our guy is caught in a crime (even perjury about sex) let him take the consequences. Let the course of justice follow impartial norms, rather than quietly knifing the uncooperative and freeing the henchmen. Rule of law is not to be trifled with. I'm going to go so far as to say that the Supreme Court should be let alone, or reformed on non-partisan lines.

Gerrymandering could well be dismantled, but on a non-partisan basis. We already have a rule that equal protection under the law requires that Congressional districts be roughly equal in size. The same principle can be extended to say it must be balanced, subject to equal populations, by income and education or at least put in coherent units of common economic interest. Assigning the job of balance to non-partisan commissions would be good.

There's a limit to avoiding taking advantage of opportunities for power, but it should be defensive rather than acquisitive. (By which I mean, a reasonable degree of procedural fairness is more important than forcing what we see as equitable outcomes, because everybody wants equity for their own case, but we are remarkably good at ignoring it for others.) We do not need to pack the court even over a reversal of Roe v Wade, but if the Supreme Court goes so far as to declare abortion to be murder, then self-defense requires that the court be at least given a composition reflecting the principles of the population as a whole. Reversing Roe v. Wade would devolve the issue to the people, but imposing limits on what the majority can legislate requires that the underlying rationale be one that the bulk of the population can agree to accept.

Likewise, there is talk of rolling back the law on Interstate Commerce to the situation before the 1930s when the Supreme Court held that New Deal programs were unconstitutional by virtue of being Federal. A constitutional amendment might be the best solution, but packing the court to save Social Security, Medicare and even Obamacare should not be ruled out.

Second, we need to learn to respect traditional values. Even if we don't agree with them, or we don't agree on how to implement them, a measure of mutual respect and even empathy can go a long way toward creating solutions that honor them. There is always a question of where to draw the line - some would say laws against mixed race marriage are just about "traditional values". But I am sure we can draw it much more respectfully than we have been. My general rule is to give everyone the same level of respect that I would give my boss, or other person who has power over me. I fear I broke that rule with KindaSkolarly on more than one occasion, but I tried mightily to frame things in terms of particular behaviors and not to characterize him as a person.

That means not insulting women who stay home to be homemakers (or men who do) or people who are into guns. It means a clear system of immigration control until such time as a clear majority of the population rejects that, and not accepting insults and dehumanization of those opposing immigration any more than we would of those seeking to immigrate.

And finally, the educated classes need to look out for those who are marginalized by economic trends. Serious thought needs to be given to developing employment for those who are not academically or technologically inclined. Incentives, like the Earned Income Tax Credit, are important and so are training opportunities to upgrade vital skills that might go neglected by the marketplace. Software to make services more efficient can be fostered by the government and not turned over free of obligations to corporations. (I list specific examples to illustrate the general area of priority rather than to raise these specific items as requirements.)

Instead of rejecting superstition as a simple violation of rationality, we need to learn to listen to it, and understand what it is telling us about our deep motivations and allegiances. Don't give it the last word, but think about why it is there, in a teleological framework rather than an explanatory framework. In other words, think about what values and feelings it represents and communicates, rather than stopping with an evaluation of its explanatory correctness.
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Taylor

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Re: Trump Watch

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In less than 4 days the world will have witnessed what America thinks about current politics.

The removal of PSfB will be cheered on by people all over the world. But those cheers aren’t guaranteed to happen. We still have to vote PSfB out. No guarantee of that either. Metaphorically it’s perfect because in life there’s no reason to expect guaranteed outcomes.

Polling as it is, is just a series of what if’s. Biden-Harris could win by a slim margin or a blowout. The exact same can be written for PSfB.

So Harry is describing the possibility of ‘if’s’ .

I’m to old to fear the “if’s’ threat. I’m also inclined to think that ‘if’ Biden-Harris wins, that ‘if’ the Democratic Party wins a congressional majority there will be much work to be done just unfucking the bureaucratic degradation wrought by the Libertarian practices of the current regime. I’m also inclined to think that the Social Security’s secure act 2100 will be a top priority. Covid 19 will certainly be a time killer as well.(its more than just a public health concern). Health Care will be a hotly debated issue and will also be time consuming. DAKA will have its time of debate, reintroduction into the Paris Climate Accord will be the gateway for the U.S. back into a shared leadership role in the myriad issues that have been demeaned by PSfB’s America First austerity.

Packing the Supreme Court is for Biden a nonstarter. The implied alteration of the court is sufficient for the maintenance of the balance of power, checks and balances. The courts conservative majority may be a threat on the surface but it could also mean that cases presented to this new court will require an improved argumentative logic. I don’t at this time fear for Roe v. Wade as I don’t think that there will be a consensus among the public to re-litigate. My caveat is the ‘if’s’ . If Biden-Harris wins that consensus will wither. If PSfB is re-elected Roe v. Wade will be overturned.

Character matters, I think presenting a consistent character along with a correct moral character is what makes a difference. Presenting a barrage of conspiratorial claptrap is an example of constancy but correct moral reasoning is the core essential. A person is their character, when separated some portion of that person is a charade.

To be ‘into something’ like guns for example, is no guarantee against mockery. I grant that mockery may become a cruelty but is it not a truism that sometimes we must be cruel to be kind. I sometimes ‘kid’ in a mocking way but I also do it out of love. It’s a ‘way’ that some people have used to communicate an idea, mockery is not always ideal so it is not the only arrow in the quiver.

I think that the ‘if come’ of a Biden-Harris regime will have its hands full just in dealing with surface level issues. I think that for them they’ll have approximately two years to handle the surface issues in a way that does have a broad consensus and a majority support, 2022 will be here before we know it, there will be the need to maintain the ‘if’s’ of that Democratic majority. Beyond that, there is 2024. In those final two years It will be Biden-Harris’s job to prepare the U.S. for the potential of the first female president, the first who also happens to be nonwhite.

Not a big deal for some people but for others it may be a big deal. I wonder of the ‘if’s’ to come?.
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Robert Tulip

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Re: Trump Watch

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Here is a rather refreshing article from today's Murdoch press in Australia commenting on the US election
Time for America to tip Trump into history’s bin
TROY BRAMSTON
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commen ... c9253afb86

11:00PM NOVEMBER 2, 2020
1307 COMMENTS
Donald Trump is the worst president in US history. Tonight (AEDT), Americans have an opportunity to terminate his chaotic, dysfunctional, divisive, dangerous and degraded administration. While Trump might yet achieve another remarkable election victory, the odds are against him. Americans, we can hope, are wise enough to recognise it is time to bring the curtain down on The Trump Show.

Trump has debased the office of president, divided rather than united the country, and diminished the standing of the US overseas. He has lied thousands of times, deliberately downplayed the threat of COVID-19, withheld aid to Ukraine unless Kiev investigated Joe Biden’s family, and used the presidency to enrich his businesses. He deserved to be impeached.

Nobody should excuse Trump’s unhinged rhetoric or deranged tweets as merely a sideshow. This behaviour should not be normalised. Words matter. Trump boasted about sexually assaulting women with his “grab ’em by the pussy” remark. He called dead American soldiers “losers” and “suckers”. He accused Barack Obama of being “corrupt” and said he should be “locked up”. All this is indefensible.

It underscores Trump’s authoritarian instincts. He admires totalitarians such as Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. He undermines institutions and alliances. He calls the media “the enemy of the people”. He declares the election “rigged”. He supports voter suppression and intimidation tactics. He talks about not accepting the election result and governing beyond the two-term constitutional limit.

There has never been a more chaotic White House. Trump has cycled through more cabinet members and staff than any other president. He is totally inept at running the executive government. It is telling that almost all of those who were fired or quit have turned on Trump and said he is not up to the job. Trump’s defenders once argued that even if you disliked Trump, you could trust the people around him. Well, their verdict has been damning.

Trump has no plan for a second term. The Republican National Convention did not adopt a new platform this year. Trump has almost destroyed the Grand Old Party of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and the Bushes. It has become a cult of personality. It is a party of grievances, cultural anxiety and economic insecurity. It has become a haven for white supremacists, xenophobes, protectionists, isolationists and conspiracy theorists.

It is revealing that George W. Bush has not endorsed Trump. Mitt Romney, who courageously voted for impeachment, did not vote for Trump. John McCain’s widow, Cindy, endorsed Biden. In 2016, George H.W. Bush voted for Hillary Clinton. Many Republican governors, congressmen and women, and cabinet members have endorsed Biden. They are sick of the narcissism, malice, dishonesty, ignorance and incompetence.

Like almost any presidential candidate, Biden has flaws. He would be the oldest president. He is not as sharp as he was. But he is lean and fit, and his debate performances showed no cognitive decline. This argument that Biden’s gaffes or stumbles — largely due to his stutter — disqualify him is absurd given Trump’s crazy rantings. And the suggestion Biden has profited from his son’s questionable business dealings has been debunked by The Wall Street Journal.

Biden’s central appeal is to restore normality to the presidency. He campaigns on rebuilding respect for the US abroad and rebuilding traditional alliances. He promises to bring Americans together. He feels compelled to say he will abide by the law and the constitution. He is experienced. He is a moderate centrist who can work across the political divide. He has united Democrats and built a broad coalition of voter support. Biden is a man of compassion, decency and integrity. He is a safe choice for president.

The biggest election issue is COVID-19. Trump’s handling of the pandemic has been the worst of any comparable advanced economy. He said the virus was contained and would go away quickly, then delayed acting, and when he did finally act, his response was catastrophic. He attacked lockdowns, lampooned mask-wearing and ridiculed social distancing. He embraced unproven medical treatments, suggested injecting bleach and endorsed ­advice from dubious medical ­sources.

Most voters believe Trump would not have become infected with the virus if he had taken it more seriously. He has endangered the lives of many Americans. White House gatherings have become superspreader events. A study by Stanford University estimated that 30,000 people have become infected and 700 have died as a result of just 18 Trump rallies. There is no other conclusion: Trump’s rallies are killing people.

Trump is well behind Biden and the odds are he is headed for defeat. None of this should come as a surprise given his utterly disastrous presidency. He has never been a popular president. Most Americans think the country is on the wrong track. Back in February, I wrote that Trump was vulnerable and his re-election was far from assured. Yet Trump would be the first president in almost 30 years not to be re-elected.

Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush are the only presidents since 1932 to win an election and serve a full term but not be re-elected. But Carter and Bush were both decent men and esteem for them has only risen since they left the White House. In sharp contrast, Trump is loathed by most Americans, he has violated presidential norms and conventions, and his policy failures are manifest.

Franklin D. Roosevelt — the greatest president of the 20th century — said the presidency was “pre-eminently a place of moral leadership”.

Trump is not the first president to fail this test but his collective failures dwarf all others. The choice for Americans is clear. They should elect Biden and send Trump to the dustbin of history. It’s the first step towards making America great again.

TROY BRAMSTON, SENIOR WRITER
Troy Bramston is a senior writer and columnist with The Australian and a contributor to Sky News. He is the author or editor of nine books, including Robert Menzies: The Art of Politics, Paul Keating: The Bi...
Last edited by Robert Tulip on Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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DWill

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Re: Trump Watch

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Waiting with bated breath. Some of us have likened the 2016 shock and aftereffects to PTSD. That's exaggerated, but still the memory of that morning after remains a painful one. You don't need to have enormous faith in Biden or the Democrats to believe that they give the country a better chance to deal with its pressing problems. Trump gives us no chance at all, only regression.
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Re: Trump Watch

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DWill wrote:Waiting with bated breath.
I'm starting to breathe a little easier now. Biden still leads in Arizona, and now also in Pennsylvania and Georgia. Though the race is very close in these states, it certainly appears that Biden is in a much better position than Trump.

I watched Trump's press conference from the White House last night, wherein he alleges massive voter fraud, and basically tries to throw democracy under the bus to save face, just as he did in 2016. The news media has to constantly remind viewers that these assertions are baseless. Even the FoxNews anchors were saying that there has to be evidence before the courts can take such allegations seriously. Trump's statements last night were appalling and pathetic. What seems apparent to me now is that Trump actually believes the narrative of voter fraud. How else could he could be losing? And herein is the problem with narcissistic personality disorder. But there is a basic flaw in Trump's logic. On the one hand, he praises the gains made in the House, and the fact that Republicans will hold on to the Senate, but somehow his own apparent loss is not possible without massive voter fraud. And, yet, these gains are on the same ballots that he is trying to contest. He wants his cake and to eat it too!
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Re: Trump Watch

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My vow :-D . I promise that as soon as Biden-Harris get the official victory count, I will stop referring to dear leader as PSfB :shock: That is.. as soon as he is escorted out of the White House :clap2:.
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Re: Trump Watch

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geo wrote:I watched Trump's press conference from the White House last night, wherein he alleges massive voter fraud, and basically tries to throw democracy under the bus to save face, just as he did in 2016. The news media has to constantly remind viewers that these assertions are baseless. Even the FoxNews anchors were saying that there has to be evidence before the courts can take such allegations seriously. Trump's statements last night were appalling and pathetic. What seems apparent to me now is that Trump actually believes the narrative of voter fraud. How else could he could be losing? And herein is the problem with narcissistic personality disorder. But there is a basic flaw in Trump's logic. On the one hand, he praises the gains made in the House, and the fact that Republicans will hold on to the Senate, but somehow his own apparent loss is not possible without massive voter fraud. And, yet, these gains are on the same ballots that he is trying to contest. He wants his cake and to eat it too!
Reminds me of this
Adolph Hitler wrote:I die with a joyful heart in my knowledge of the immeasurable deeds and achievements of our soldiers at the front, of our women at home, of our peasants and workers and of the contribution, unique in history, of our youth which bears my name… (It’s my) wish that they should therefore not give up the struggle under any circumstances, but carry it on wherever they may be against the enemies of the fatherland… https://thewire.in/history/hubris-delusion-adolf-hitler
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Re: Trump Watch

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Taylor wrote:My vow :-D . I promise that as soon as Biden-Harris get the official victory count, I will stop referring to dear leader as PSfB :shock: That is.. as soon as he is escorted out of the White House :clap2:.
I've always been too embarrassed to ask. What does PSfB mean?
-Geo
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Re: Trump Watch

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Well done!! Hurrah!! For you’.
Only those become weary of angling who bring nothing to it but the idea of catching fish.

He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world is mad....

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Taylor

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Re: Trump Watch

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geo wrote:
Taylor wrote:My vow :-D . I promise that as soon as Biden-Harris get the official victory count, I will stop referring to dear leader as PSfB :shock: That is.. as soon as he is escorted out of the White House :clap2:.
I've always been too embarrassed to ask. What does PSfB mean?
@ Geo: Thanks for asking :mrgreen:

I’m almost to embarrassed to admit :wink:

President Shit for Brains = PSfB

I stopped writing it in full because I didn’t want to upset people by overly foul language.

I do try to be upmost in civility, poetics, originality of thought But these past four plus years had put me out of sorts.

I’m thinking that I can get some sense of peace of mind now that the people of this country have put PSfB out to pasture.
I have hope for this country again. :)
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