Re: United States Politics Thread 46
Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2024 10:13 am
Yeah but none of that will matter when the US falls to fascism. Plenty of horrible dictatorships could cherrypick improving metrics but that would hardly balance out their crimes or give inhabitants cause for relief. Sorry if that sounds rude or dismissive but we are facing the end of liberal democracy in the US and probably the world in general.bradrn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 12:54 pmWith all the depressing news being discussed recently, might I recommend this wonderful (though US-centric) antidote to the doom and gloom: https://acoup.blog/2024/06/28/fireside- ... e-28-2024/
I'm ever suprised at the thing about crime. it's likely social media -or maybe a coordinated plot by the right wing to militarize society?- but to see that year after crime goes down as fear of crime goes up is weird. same's happening in my own country, and likely elsewhere.bradrn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 12:54 pm With all the depressing news being discussed recently, might I recommend this wonderful (though US-centric) antidote to the doom and gloom: https://acoup.blog/2024/06/28/fireside- ... e-28-2024/
Yep, it's happening in many countries. In France at least it's older than social media.Torco wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 10:25 pm I'm ever suprised at the thing about crime. it's likely social media -or maybe a coordinated plot by the right wing to militarize society?- but to see that year after crime goes down as fear of crime goes up is weird. same's happening in my own country, and likely elsewhere.
It's pretty amusing, though, that the platform is of absolutely no importance now. Wrapping the next day's fish indeed!
I get some of your annoyance, but one thing this piece does is remind us that problems can actually be fixed, and quite often are fixed. It's a good thing to remember now.malloc wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 4:24 pmYeah but none of that will matter when the US falls to fascism. Plenty of horrible dictatorships could cherrypick improving metrics but that would hardly balance out their crimes or give inhabitants cause for relief. Sorry if that sounds rude or dismissive but we are facing the end of liberal democracy in the US and probably the world in general.bradrn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 12:54 pmWith all the depressing news being discussed recently, might I recommend this wonderful (though US-centric) antidote to the doom and gloom: https://acoup.blog/2024/06/28/fireside- ... e-28-2024/
Wait, it isn’t? Why? I thought there was still a chance for NFP to form part of government.
Presumably because replacing a sitting president is a rather difficult thing to do, and also because he has been doing a reasonably good job up until now.On Joe Biden: Okay, I asked this question before, but I think it's worth asking again: why aren't they replacing Biden right now? Are they crazy? Do they actually want to lose?
Yes. There probably will be lots of dissent in the United States, and democratic revolutions have been successful in several countries, some of them having much weaker democratic traditions than the US. The current ascendancy of the far right probably won't last forever. It takes more than just ballots to get rid of an authoritarian government, but it can be done - even without violence (and tyrannicide usually doesn't work).Ares Land wrote: ↑Thu Jul 04, 2024 7:58 amIt's pretty amusing, though, that the platform is of absolutely no importance now. Wrapping the next day's fish indeed!
I get some of your annoyance, but one thing this piece does is remind us that problems can actually be fixed, and quite often are fixed. It's a good thing to remember now.malloc wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 4:24 pmYeah but none of that will matter when the US falls to fascism. Plenty of horrible dictatorships could cherrypick improving metrics but that would hardly balance out their crimes or give inhabitants cause for relief. Sorry if that sounds rude or dismissive but we are facing the end of liberal democracy in the US and probably the world in general.bradrn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 12:54 pmWith all the depressing news being discussed recently, might I recommend this wonderful (though US-centric) antidote to the doom and gloom: https://acoup.blog/2024/06/28/fireside- ... e-28-2024/
This applies to the rise of fascism: it's good to remember that (though there has been and will be needless suffering we shouldn't forget) the crisis of democracy is not eternal and will be fixed at one point too.
They are not equally crazy (which doesn't mean that the Democrats aren't crazy - but nominating an octogenarian who has done a pretty agreeable job so far but now shows sings of senility is not equally crazy as nominating a patent crook of whom everybody can see that he'll do a lot of harm to the country and the planet). But as far as I can tell as an observer from far abroad, it is very hard to throw a candidate who has hugely won the primaries off the ticket. The only unassailable way of doing that is to persuade Biden to retreat by his own volition. Everything else will probably just lead to nasty lawsuits.Ares Land wrote: ↑Thu Jul 04, 2024 7:58 am On Joe Biden: Okay, I asked this question before, but I think it's worth asking again: why aren't they replacing Biden right now? Are they crazy? Do they actually want to lose?
Both Democrats and Republicans are equally crazy. Is there no one in the party leadership that has spent some time around 80-years-old folks? There's no way a 80 year old man is in any fit state to run a country, no matter how sharp their mind is.
…and quite probably an election loss, let’s not forget that.WeepingElf wrote: ↑Thu Jul 04, 2024 8:14 am Everything else will probably just lead to nasty lawsuits.
Of course. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a plausible scenario where the Democrats do not lose the election. Brr.bradrn wrote: ↑Thu Jul 04, 2024 8:39 am…and quite probably an election loss, let’s not forget that.WeepingElf wrote: ↑Thu Jul 04, 2024 8:14 am Everything else will probably just lead to nasty lawsuits.
(1) Conservatives always say that crime is out of control, regardless of what the crime rate actually is.Torco wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 10:25 pmI'm ever suprised at the thing about crime. it's likely social media -or maybe a coordinated plot by the right wing to militarize society?- but to see that year after crime goes down as fear of crime goes up is weird. same's happening in my own country, and likely elsewhere.bradrn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 12:54 pm With all the depressing news being discussed recently, might I recommend this wonderful (though US-centric) antidote to the doom and gloom: https://acoup.blog/2024/06/28/fireside- ... e-28-2024/
I mean... but the media has always been owned by plutocrats, and afaik screentime dedicated to crime and shit is going up too, which means it went up. par ailleurs, people these days are pretty obsessed with crime in media other than the news: famously, all chicks watch those true crime docus, right? cause
i tend to agree: I wonder if past economic bad times (say, early industrial revolution: yeah, yeah, growth, but most people lived in abject misery early in rural-urban migration, enclosure satanic mills etcetera) had a similar thing happen, or if it's idiosyncratic to this time around.
I don't know about true crime. I read and watch a lot of true crime stories. They really don't fit with conservative narratives -- when people unduly worry about crime, they're not thinking of white serial killers.Torco wrote: ↑Thu Jul 04, 2024 9:43 pm I mean... but the media has always been owned by plutocrats, and afaik screentime dedicated to crime and shit is going up too, which means it went up. par ailleurs, people these days are pretty obsessed with crime in media other than the news: famously, all chicks watch those true crime docus, right? cause
Ah, yes, I see what you mean and you're right; although judging from older newspapers the public always had a taste for crime stories.
Now, France hasn't fallen to fascism, has it?malloc wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 4:24 pmYeah but none of that will matter when the US falls to fascism. Plenty of horrible dictatorships could cherrypick improving metrics but that would hardly balance out their crimes or give inhabitants cause for relief. Sorry if that sounds rude or dismissive but we are facing the end of liberal democracy in the US and probably the world in general.bradrn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2024 12:54 pmWith all the depressing news being discussed recently, might I recommend this wonderful (though US-centric) antidote to the doom and gloom: https://acoup.blog/2024/06/28/fireside- ... e-28-2024/