2020 Elections

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

Unread post by Vrede too »

A letter to America from Leslie Knope, regarding Donald Trump

... I acknowledge that Donald Trump is the president. I understand, intellectually, that he won the election. But I do not accept that our country has descended into the hatred-swirled slop pile that he lives in. I reject out of hand the notion that we have thrown up our hands and succumbed to racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and crypto-fascism. I do not accept that. I reject that. I fight that. Today, and tomorrow, and every day until the next election, I reject and fight that story.

I work hard and I form ideas and I meet and talk to other people who feel like me, and we sit down and drink hot chocolate (I have plenty) and we plan. We plan like mofos. We figure out how to fight back, and do good in this infuriating world that constantly wants to bend toward the bad. And we will be kind to each other, and supportive of each other’s ideas, and we will do literally anything but accept this as our fate.

And let me say something to the young girls who are reading this. Hi, girls. On behalf of the grown-ups of America who care about you and your futures, I am awfully sorry about how miserably we screwed this up. We elected a giant farting T. rex who does not like you, or care about you, or think about you, unless he is scanning your bodies with his creepy T. rex eyes or trying to physically grab you like a toy his daddy got him (or would have, if his daddy had loved him). (Sorry, that was a low blow.) (Actually, not sorry, I’m pissed, and I’m on a roll, so zip it, superego!)

Our president-elect is everything you should abhor and fear in a male role model. He has spent his life telling you, and girls and women like you, that your lives are valueless except as sexual objects. He has demeaned you, and belittled you, and put you in a little box to be looked at and not heard. It is your job, and the job of girls and women like you, to bust out.

You are going to run this country, and this world, very soon. So you will not listen to this man, or the 75-year-old, doughy-faced, gray-haired nightmare men like him, when they try to tell you where to stand or how to behave or what you can and cannot do with your own bodies, or what you should or should not think with your own minds. You will not be cowed or discouraged by his stream of retrogressive babble. You won’t have time to be cowed, because you will be too busy working and learning and communing with other girls and women like you. And when the time comes, you will effortlessly flick away his miserable, petty, misogynistic worldview like a fly on your picnic potato salad.

He is the present, sadly, but he is not the future. You are the future. Your strength is a million times his. Your power is a billion times his. We will acknowledge this result, but we will not accept it. We will overcome it, and we will defeat it.

Now find your team, and get to work.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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1312. ETTD.

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homerfobe
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Re: 2020 Elections

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A reply to Leslie Knope, regarding your soapbox speech
.. I acknowledge that Donald Trump is the president. I understand, intellectually, that he won the election.
You're smarter than the average dumbass liberal; intellectually and all that horseshit.

But I do not accept that our country has descended into the hatred-swirled slop pile that he lives in.
I take back what I said about you being smart. Look around you. It was your kind that brought this nation to being a hatred-swirled slop pile by your swooning over the goddam fags, twat twinkies, and half and halves that want to piss with the wrong half, and every other goddam filthy deviation that comes along. So Trump grabs pussy. Big effing deal. At least he didn't grab some twinks cock. Had he done that, your kind would have swooned and bubbled while celebrating his "tolerance" for diversity. You goddam idiot.

I reject out of hand the notion that we have thrown up our hands and succumbed to racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and crypto-fascism.
We've not totally succumbed to the acceptance of queers, half-humans, and Islamic fascists either. I'd like to how why a man who would rather have a nice soft pussy rather than some faggot-ass cock can be labeled a misogynist. That's typical of you faggot loving, inbred, freaks of nature.

I do not accept that. I reject that. I fight that. Today, and tomorrow, and every day until the next election, I reject and fight that story.
Well la-de-da-de-la-da. Ain't you fuckin' special! Take you horseshit specialness and ram it up your ass. How's that for hatred, you inbred bastard? Can we wave the flag and play Kum bah yah now?
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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

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We don't need to wait for federal action.
Petition to all state legislatures:

Whoever wins the most votes should be elected president. Please join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, and end the Electoral College's power to overturn the popular vote.
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among a group of U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their respective electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected president, and it will come into effect only when it will guarantee that outcome. As of 2016, it has been adopted by ten states and the District of Columbia. Together, they have 165 electoral votes, which is 30.7% of the total Electoral College and 61.1% of the votes needed to give the compact legal force.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

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Out of seven candidates for DNC chair, only one (Keith Ellison) supports reinstating President Obama’s ban on lobbyist cash.
Petition to candidates for DNC Chair:
When Barack Obama became the Democratic nominee for president in June 2008, he pledged to bring the voice of the American people back to the Democratic Party and the White House, banning all contributions from lobbyists and special interest PACs. But last February, Debbie Wasserman Schultz lifted the ban. Democrats must show they are firmly on the side of working people, not lobbyists and big corporate interests. If you are elected DNC Chair, please reinstate Obama’s ban on contributions from lobbyists.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

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A Woman President? The Dream Lives On With Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris And Others Who Could Run in 2020

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Sen. Amy Klobucher (D-MN)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Former Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina (R-VA)
Former SC governor and current ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (R)

I don't want Hillary, like Warren and Harris, and don't know enough yet about the other Dems.
Fiorina is a joke, no chance.
Haley would be formidable, but she's now Trump-tainted and what are the odds that the GOP will nominate a nonwhite woman?
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

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Stephen Colbert Trolls Trump, Announces 2020 Presidential Run on Russian TV
While in St. Petersburg to film segments for ‘The Late Show,’ Stephen Colbert made a very big announcement on a Russian late-night show.


“To the beautiful and friendly Russian people. I don’t understand why no members of the Trump administration can remember meeting you. I am here to announce that I am considering a run for president in 2020, and I thought it would be better to cut out the middleman and just tell the Russians myself. If anyone would like to work on my campaign in an unofficial capacity, please just let me know. A strong America! A strong Russia!”
:D
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Boatrocker
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Re: 2020 Elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:33 pm
Stephen Colbert Trolls Trump, Announces 2020 Presidential Run on Russian TV
While in St. Petersburg to film segments for ‘The Late Show,’ Stephen Colbert made a very big announcement on a Russian late-night show.


“To the beautiful and friendly Russian people. I don’t understand why no members of the Trump administration can remember meeting you. I am here to announce that I am considering a run for president in 2020, and I thought it would be better to cut out the middleman and just tell the Russians myself. If anyone would like to work on my campaign in an unofficial capacity, please just let me know. A strong America! A strong Russia!”
:D
Colbert always makes me think of Gordon Deitrich (Stephen Frye) in V For Vendetta. Wonder if that's occurred to Colbert.
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billy.pilgrim
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Re: 2020 Elections

Unread post by billy.pilgrim »

Boatrocker wrote:
Sun Jun 25, 2017 11:28 am
Vrede too wrote:
Sat Jun 24, 2017 7:33 pm
Stephen Colbert Trolls Trump, Announces 2020 Presidential Run on Russian TV
While in St. Petersburg to film segments for ‘The Late Show,’ Stephen Colbert made a very big announcement on a Russian late-night show.


“To the beautiful and friendly Russian people. I don’t understand why no members of the Trump administration can remember meeting you. I am here to announce that I am considering a run for president in 2020, and I thought it would be better to cut out the middleman and just tell the Russians myself. If anyone would like to work on my campaign in an unofficial capacity, please just let me know. A strong America! A strong Russia!”
:D
Colbert always makes me think of Gordon Deitrich (Stephen Frye) in V For Vendetta. Wonder if that's occurred to Colbert.

Someone - maybe here - said Franken for president and Colbert as press secretary

I like it
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

Unread post by Vrede too »

Franken might be a real possibility - name recognition, articulate, the progressive chops to sway primary voters, a fighter, and a show biz past doesn't seem to be a hindrance. He's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him.

Image

But, he's also pretty old - 69 in 2020.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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JTA
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Re: 2020 Elections

Unread post by JTA »

Franken looks pretty gay in that picture, so we'll first need concrete proof he's grabbed some pussy like our Lord and savior Trump to see if he's got what it takes to be president. Otherwise it's a no go.
You aren't doing it wrong if no one knows what you are doing.

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Re: 2020 Elections

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Stuart Smalley: Character

... He is an effeminate man with a perfectly coiffed bleached-blond hairdo, who regularly wears a yellow button-down shirt with a powder blue cardigan.

It is frequently hinted that Stuart may be gay, but his sexual orientation is never clearly stated. All his romantic partners have names which could be male or female, like Dale, Chris, or Merle. His father gripes, "You'd drink too if you had Liberace for a son." ...
If a draft-dodging, childish reality TV host with tiny hands can play a POTUS, why can't a possibly gay character?
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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rstrong
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Re: 2020 Elections

Unread post by rstrong »

One can imagine how that will go:

Republicans: FRANKEN WAS AN ACTOR COMEDIAN WE CAN'T HAVE A FORMER ACTOR COMEDIAN PRESIDENT IT WOULD UNDERMINE THE DIGNITY OF THE PRESIDENCY

Journalist: Ronald Reagan did films like "Bedtime for Bonzo." Donald Trump appeared a whole bunch of comedies, plus three softcore porn films.

Republicans: FAKE NEWS OBAMA PLANTED THAT STORY FAILING NEW YORK TIMES GOT IT FROM HILLARY

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Re: 2020 Elections

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rstrong wrote:
Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:18 pm
One can imagine how that will go:

Republicans: FRANKEN WAS AN ACTOR COMEDIAN WE CAN'T HAVE A FORMER ACTOR COMEDIAN PRESIDENT IT WOULD UNDERMINE THE DIGNITY OF THE PRESIDENCY

Journalist: Ronald Reagan did films like "Bedtime for Bonzo." Donald Trump appeared a whole bunch of comedies, plus three softcore porn films.

Republicans: FAKE NEWS OBAMA PLANTED THAT STORY FAILING NEW YORK TIMES GOT IT FROM HILLARY

And fights in what used to be called rasselin matches back when everyone knew they were fake and not a multi billion dollar industry
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

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Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:26 am
Franken might be a real possibility - name recognition, articulate, the progressive chops to sway primary voters, a fighter, and a show biz past doesn't seem to be a hindrance. He's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him.

Image

But, he's also pretty old - 69 in 2020.
Maybe not.
JTA wrote:
Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:34 am
Franken looks pretty gay in that picture, so we'll first need concrete proof he's grabbed some pussy like our Lord and savior Trump to see if he's got what it takes to be president. Otherwise it's a no go.
It's not the qualification that it was a year ago, at least not for a Dem.

Sen. Al Franken Expected to Resign Thursday – as 23 Democrats Turn on Him
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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JTA
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Re: 2020 Elections

Unread post by JTA »

Vrede too wrote:
Wed Dec 06, 2017 6:29 pm
Vrede too wrote:
Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:26 am
Franken might be a real possibility - name recognition, articulate, the progressive chops to sway primary voters, a fighter, and a show biz past doesn't seem to be a hindrance. He's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him.

Image

But, he's also pretty old - 69 in 2020.
Maybe not.
JTA wrote:
Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:34 am
Franken looks pretty gay in that picture, so we'll first need concrete proof he's grabbed some pussy like our Lord and savior Trump to see if he's got what it takes to be president. Otherwise it's a no go.
It's not the qualification that it was a year ago, at least not for a Dem.

Sen. Al Franken Expected to Resign Thursday – as 23 Democrats Turn on Him
The ante has been upped by Roy Moore.
You aren't doing it wrong if no one knows what you are doing.

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

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JTA wrote:
Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:12 pm
The ante has been upped by Roy Moore.
True. Can't demand Moore's expulsion from the Senate or even hold him up as an example of the GOP for 6 years if Franken and Conyers are around.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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O Really
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Re: 2020 Elections

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I could reasonably argue both sides of most of the question on all these guys, but I don't see how anybody can demand Franken leave without simultaneously demanding Trump leave. As far as I know, both committed "serious party foul" level offenses in a previous life - both of which were entertainers carrying along a certain image. Conyers apparently behaved badly while in office, which I find different. Moore could be given the "former life" pass except that he isn't in office yet and thus should be kept out - and his actions couldn't be stretched into any "playing a role" context by any imagination.

IRL (harassment rules determined by law and policy), an employer is not required to fire the offending employee - only to assure the harassing behaviour stops. So punishment varies widely depending on what was actually done. This view of "fire them all, regardless" is not likely to have a positive ending for the overall purpose of improving cultural behaviour.

The current trend seems to be toward the "zero tolerance" model, which is how we got to a drawing of a gun is the same as a gun, vitamins are "drugs", a nail clipper is a "weapon" and peanut butter is a poisonous controlled substance.

I'm not saying the actions taken toward these women who are complaining weren't egregious, and certainly not saying they're untrue. I've just found that IRL there is not "one size fits all" it's more like "one size fits none."

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Vrede too
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Re: 2020 Elections

Unread post by Vrede too »

I was mostly describing the political reality with Franken and Conyers. What "should" be done is beyond my interest in reading past the headlines and probably beyond my skill set, anyhow.
O Really wrote:
Thu Dec 07, 2017 8:35 am
I could reasonably argue both sides of most of the question on all these guys, but I don't see how anybody can demand Franken leave without simultaneously demanding Trump leave....
Have you met the modern GOP?
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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Re: 2020 Elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Thu Dec 07, 2017 8:48 am

Have you met the modern GOP?
I avoid it like it was a pile of steaming dog poop on the sidewalk.

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