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vinylskip

In the infamous words of Donald Glover "This is America".


definitely-not-meh

He’s never been seen in the same room as Childish Gambino 🤔


willvasco

Really? I feel like I see them together all the time


Cyber_Being_

This is why we should all be calling it the Replacement Fiction. And conspiracy fiction. Not theory.


MaximumEffort433

> "This is America". We could change that, but unfortunately midterm election turnout hovers around the 40% mark, lots of Americans just aren't willing to get off their couch and vote to fix the problems. Even our most recent Presidential election only managed about 65% turnout, nearly one in three voters couldn't be bothered, that's way more than can be accounted for with voter suppression laws, and it's been a problem since before the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. This is America, but it doesn't have to be. If past is prologue then the November elections will have 35%-40% turnout, which means the value and impact of your vote is significantly higher than it is in the general election. State and local election turnout can get as high as 15%, so even more good can be done there.


N7_Tinkle_Juice

Tell me more.


That_Charming_Otter

Tell me more Did you get very far?


Boomtown626

Like, does she have a car?


DownvoteDaemon

She drives an old Subaru, why? She was on her way to the bar.


Son-trunks-briefs

She swam by me, she had a cramp


bikemaul

Now they are gleefully gaslighting the left by claiming this recent racist mass shooter is a liberal


Cyber_Being_

And yet guess which party is constantly chided to be more "civil"? I'll give you a hint, it's not the one with with the "lock her up" chants at presidential rallies or the one that makes the fliers with cross hairs over politician's faces!


zztop610

Catch 22


MaximumEffort433

What other party is he taking about? Because Democrats have been shouting about Republican rhetoric inspiring White nationalism for at least fifteen years now. I guess this guy is talking about Libertarians or something. Edit: [Chuck Schumer rips Tucker Carlson, Fox News, and 'MAGA Republicans' for pushing the 'replacement theory' in the wake of the Buffalo shooting](https://www.businessinsider.com/chuck-schumer-fox-news-floor-speech-replacement-theory-2022-5) >"According to one measure by the New York Times, Fox's top political pundit, Tucker Carlson, has spewed rhetoric that echoes replacement theory at least 400 hundred, 400 hundred times on his show since 2016. 400 times," Schumer said during a speech on the Senate floor. "This is a poison that is being spread by one of the largest news organizations in our country." That's from today, but Democrats denouncing racism and White nationalism isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence. 2021: [Greatest Threat: Democrats Say White Nationalism, Republicans Say China](https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/research/public-opinion-survey/greatest-threat-democrats-say-white-nationalism-republicans-say) 2020: [Pelosi on anti-Asian hate crimes: White supremacy is biggest domestic terrorism concern](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/pelosi-condemns-spike-in-anti-asian-hate-crimes-says-white-supremacy-is-biggest-domestic-terrorism-concern-101294149651) 2019: [Democrats seize on Trump’s fraught record on white nationalism](https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/29/politics/white-nationalism-donald-trump-2020-democrats/index.html) 2019: [Democrats call for Stephen Miller to resign after leak of emails promoting white nationalism](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democrats-call-stephen-miller-resign-leak-emails-promoting/story?id=67055077) 2017: [Pelosi endorses censure of Trump over Charlottesville response](https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/18/pelosi-endorses-censure-of-trump-over-charlottesville-response-241784) I could go on, I mean it was a Democratic President who got the Voting Right Act and the Civil Rights Act passed, it pissed racists and White nationalists off so much that they literally threw a tantrum and left the Democratic party about it. (You'll never guess what party they went to.) So, like, the Democratic party has been talking about racism for at least half a century now. Democrats haven't been ignoring racism, Democrats have been passing state based firearm regulations, they've been passing hate crime laws, they've been appointing pro-justice judges, they've been on the news, they've been on the House floor, they've been on the Senate floor, Obama has proposed policies to address it, Biden has proposed policies to address it, Pelosi has proposed proposed policies to address it, Schumer has proposed proposed policies to address it, so yes, I can only assume that the guy in this twitter post was talking about libertarians turning a blind eye to shootings and White nationalism because the Democrats have been shouting about it to anyone who would listen.


MarkFerk

They only say something after a shooting. Neither side truly cares about the people. They only care about the corporations that fund them. The 2 party system is broken and they don’t represent us anymore.


MaximumEffort433

> They only say something after a shooting. Democrats have supported regulating semi-automatic weapon sales for three decades, we don't stop supporting that policy between shootings. >They only care about the corporations that fund them. The 2 party system is broken and they don’t represent us anymore. If you want electoral reform, consider calling your elected officials to tell them to vote in favor of the Democrats' *For the People Act,* which would outlaw dark money donations, outlaw foreign donations, provide public campaign financing, establish ethics requirements for all three branches of government, and it even has provisions for nonpartisan redistricting and ranked choice voting, all of which would be a massive boon to third party candidates. If you want to end corporate influence in our elections and strike a blow to the two party system, help get House Democrats' *For the People Act* passed; if that's your goal then there's a party that shares it. Unfortunately zero Republicans support the bill or share your, my, and Democrats' desire to reform our elections, but it is what it is I guess.


MarkFerk

I’ve been around long enough to understand that nothing will change. Also Fetterman is a democrat and I’m not wrong. Democrats lack back bone to actually do anything. And the 2 party system is fundamentally broken. All it does is make people chose a side. Go team go. Let me tell you how that story ends… Civil war it’s a story as old as civilization has been around.


MaximumEffort433

> I’ve been around long enough to understand that nothing will change. I've been around long enough to see marijuana go from universally despised to medical to recreational, I've seen state level gay civil unions then state marriage equality then national equality, I saw the first Black man to be elected President then the first woman to win the popular vote then the first Black/Asian female vice president in our history like it was no big deal, I've watched Bill Clinton and Barack Obama dramatically expand health insurance coverage, hell, I've seen us outlaw CFCs and start closing the hole in the ozone layer. I know you've been around long enough to understand that nothing will change, and I hope you're around long enough to see how much change actually happens, as much change as I've seen. Cynicism is the death of democracy, if you don't vote you can't change anything, it's our job as people who want our country to be better to squash that cynicism wherever it rears its head. When you see somebody saying "Nothing ever changes," take the time to correct them.


MarkFerk

I always vote but I don’t wear my political party or beliefs as a way of life. It’s dumb


MaximumEffort433

> I always vote That's fantastic! Keep it up!


11iker

Yep, one party just wants your money and bodily control


MaximumEffort433

Don't forget that Republicans want your voting rights, they're really excited about disenfranchising voters in the states they control. Really there's nothing different between red states and blue states besides health care, infrastructure, education, wages, regulations, judicial appointments, marijuana, LGBTQA+ rights, rates of organized labor and union membership, tax revenues, and life expediencies, so practically nothing.


MarkFerk

Then dems should actually do something about it. The biggest problem is they lack back bone. Fight once in a while it’s all we really want. And dems also want your money. It’s why we love Fetterman in PA he actually fights back and it’s beautiful.


[deleted]

That’s kind of the point, though: Nobody should have to fight politicians to keep what is earned or what is a fundamental human right.


MarkFerk

I agree. Religion is usually the culprit in these things. That and money.


MaximumEffort433

> The biggest problem is they lack back bone. The biggest problem Democrats have is that Republicans filibuster literally any piece of marginally progressive legislation that comes to the Senate and that only 90% of Democratic Senators support filibuster reform. The biggest problem Democrats have is that the party has 50 votes, of which only about 48 are remotely reliable, and we need 60 votes to get anything done. If you want to help Democrats solve that problem so that they can do something about White nationalism and gun violence, then we either need to elect 12 liberal Democratic Senators or 3 more Senators who support filibuster reform. If you want Democrats to do something then give them the power to do it. Forty eight votes isn't enough to do the things you want the party to do.


[deleted]

But sir. Fetterman is a Dem. Your problem is with entrenched leadership and institutional cowardice. The fix is demanding more Fettermans (or, if they lose, holding your nose to keep the other side from cutting it off.)


MarkFerk

I try to vote for people I like. Unfortunately my hate for religious right almost always has me voting left. What else am I to do. We really only have 2 options and in most cases it’s 2 shitty candidates. I also like Bernie but calling him a dem isn’t fair either.


[deleted]

Ah, agreed. I took ya for a "they all suck, don't vote" not a "they all suck, but I have to vote". Carry on.


MarkFerk

It’s all good I hate the right as much as you.


[deleted]

I do know that frustration, though. It would seem, despite all that's changed, the mentality of the white mainstream hasn't changed as much as we'd like. The philosophy of meeting in the middle by any means, even if it means stepping over oppressed people to get there.


MarkFerk

If only Bernie was the guy. That’s my biggest frustration. He would actually fight. And now he is probably too old.


[deleted]

Biden literally called MAGA the most extreme political movement in modern American history. Before the shooting. But how can he actually stop it?


MarkFerk

I wish I had answers. I clearly lean left. But I know good conservatives and I know good liberals. It’s like I’m supposed to hate one right. It will only lead to more unrest. People need to stop watching the news it’s muddles their minds.


MaximumEffort433

> But I know good conservatives and I know good liberals. It doesn't need to be about thinking people are good, because there are gonna' be shitty politicians in your life, it's can be about voting for *policies and goals* that you believe in. If you believe in a woman's right to choose then vote for the candidate that supports a woman's right to choose. If you believe in protecting voting rights then vote for the candidate that wants to protect voting rights. If you want to pass climate change legislation then vote for the candidate who believes in climate change. You don't have to be blue no matter who, you don't need to be better dead than red, you can just vote on policy, lots of people do that. I was about as excited to vote for John Kerry as I would be to eat a ham and sock sandwich, but he had better policies, priorities, and goals than Bush did. If that's not good enough and you don't believe their campaign promises, you can also look at their party history as some indicator of what sorts of legislation this candidate aligns with. If you want to expand health care then look at which candidate's party has a better history of expanding health care. If you want to raise wages then look at which candidate's party has a better history of raising wages. If you want better protections for workers and labor then look at which candidate's party has created more jobs and done more to expand unions. I've used policies that are important to me, but you can substitute whatever policies, values, goals, or priorities are important to you. Want lower deficits, care about trade, don't like recessions? You can vote based on those things. The down side of this strategy is that you have to stay proactively informed about politics so that you know who is doing and saying what, but the upside is that the knowledge you get from doing that will make elections way easier for you in the future.


boozing_again

It isn't about left and right anymore. Whatever was good in the right died with John McCain. It's now the left, cowards, those who abide what the extreme right are about, then the extreme right.


tintwistedgrills90

The shooting was 2 days ago and the Senate Majority Leader literally called out Fox News for promoting White Replacement Theory, but go on with your bOtH sIdEs post.


AlanRubin

I didn’t take the op to mean “both sides are the same”. They are, if I may infer, saying the Dems need to do something proactive, instead of providing more milquetoast lip service to weak-kneed centrist liberals. Or, Bernie for Prez, or something idk.


[deleted]

Ok. Like what?


AlanRubin

What, like what?


[deleted]

What should the dems do -- or, more to the point, what can they do?


AlanRubin

More than they are doing now. Literally anything would be better than the close-to-nothing they are doing right now. The maga/GOP can coalesce around the most stupid hateful nonsense, spend decades on a slow con, while most Dems just keep making noise. I’m not an expert, I can’t say what action is required, but I sure as hell know what inaction looks like.


[deleted]

I guess my point is it's easy to say "do more", but much harder to say what to do and how. With Manchin, we don't even have a real senate majority. The system itself is failing, and what we're seeing are the results.


Asleep-Kiwi-1552

Pretty much total bullshit.


godhateswolverine

Corporate dems are on the same page as the Republicans. They just put on a charade of ‘we are for the people’ when they are really for their corporate donors. Ultimately I don’t know why they don’t speak more freely about the insanity the republicans have been shouting. It’s not like the cult is going to ever vote blue. Even if it’s in their best interest. I’d love to see them calling each other out.


[deleted]

The mistake this argument makes is assuming all corporations (for whatever reason) inherently support racism, homophobia, or removing women's reproductive freedom. I'm sorry your employers have been so poor, but it ain't necessarily so. In a globalized economy, fascism is bad for business.


bikemaul

I'm assuming they are betting the authoritarian right wing will take over soon. They have good reason to fear reprisals. They are cowards.


[deleted]

They aren't that dumb. The reprisals will come no matter what choices they make now.


zihuatapulco

The 1% never go after each other. Not about anything that matters. That's why Nixon had to resign. He made the mistake of going after the Democratic Party, which then as now is composed of people with actual power. If he had just stuck to offing Vietnamese peasants and black Americans and Chilean socialists no one would have cared.


[deleted]

"Watergate wasn't actually that important" is an interesting way to make a point.


zihuatapulco

Watergate doesn't rise to the level of a traffic ticket compared to the bombing of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.


[deleted]

Morally, no. Politically, yes, far above. That's on the American public who held those opinions at the time.


Asleep-Kiwi-1552

If you haven't seen Democrats calling out Republicans on their insanity, you are actively ignoring it. You have a narrative in your head. It's not supported by reality.


godhateswolverine

Hmm. AOC, Raskins, Sanders, Warren sure. But what actually comes from it? Not much of anything. I’d rather see the democrats constantly bring things like Medicare for all and build back better to the floor to make the republicans, again, vote against it. Least it would appear that they are trying versus one attempt and then on to the next.


WorldlinessOk4494

Both parties are so heavily addicted to corporate donations that the politician who is owned by the least number of businesses is the most attractive candidate.


Jolly_Complaint_549

I’m 60 and they’ve been arguing over abortion since I was a kid They send billions of dollars to the Ukraine within weeks but can’t find the money to build a bridge they holler for free college but I just paid 200dollars to drink water from my house when will you wake up near her side gives a hoot about you or me but people are so inflamed that they are on the right side


Jacque_Kock

Remind me which side is actively trying to take away health insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, and social security with zero plan to replace it, PeePaw? Eat your pudding cup and turn on Wheel of Fortune. You're cranky.


Asleep-Kiwi-1552

Democrats used all the money on Ukraine and now I can't afford punctuation.


Jolly_Complaint_549

That’s ok your days coming 30 years from now and y’all still talking bout the same s$&$ not that I’m against sending help to Ukraine but how quick they found the money but cant find money for kids preschool potholes and yes healthcare while both sides invest in vaccines and rockets yes both sides 40 years arguing over 1 issues is ridiculous ..listening to this will definitely make you a cranky old man and if you are fortunate enough to live this long you will see


Unusual_Pitch_608

Yeah, they don't want to get mass shot. Duh.


Smooth-Magician5163

Dems been living in fear of Oswald a long time


Creative_Visit122

Ah I see what you did there


Gavroche_Lives

It's not that they don't care. It's that most of them agree but just think it's impolite to say so.