The Trump Riot Aftermath (Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes found guilty of seditious conspiracy. Proud Boys join the club)

[86 Snyder]

3 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

But guys, they aren’t brainwashed by big media.  They are “free thinkers” that choose to solely absorb right wing media, memes and Internet personalities.  🤣

What I find ironic, is how the right loathes Zuckerberg and all the other social media heads, but if not for their platforms the GOP would be damn near extinct.  The right has used these platforms strategically better than the Dems could ever think about.  They have converted so many folks that voted Democrat or not at all to vote Red with their 24/7 propaganda on social media outlets.  I can’t tell you how many people I personally know- family, friends, acquaintances- that never gave an iota of a crap about politics, started transforming into hardcore ‘conservatives’ from the moment they started a profile on Facebook.

I signed up for Truth Social last night because I wanted to keep an eye on what the traitor in chief has to say about all of this.  It’s worse than you could imagine.  The comments section on every post are just cult leader pic after cult leader pic.  You know the ones, Trump as Superman, etc.  And if you click on any of their bios, every last one of them proclaim to be christians and blah blah blah. 
 

It’s just all incredibly alarming.  

We need to fast forward like 100 years when the internet is no longer in its infancy and humanity has learned to understand the effects it imposes.

[The 12th Commandment]

It's so much easier to foment and keep people's attention (particularly those with limited attention spans) using fear, anger, injustice and an implied feeling of superiority than it is telling people the hard truth about things and expecting them to react rationally and support policies that include a measure of change and sacrifice to address those things.

 

[PleaseBlitz]

Oh how I love that the WaPo published an opinion by George Will today where he insists that the DOJ explain themselves for having the gall to execute a search warrant on Trump the same day the front page reports that Trump kept nuclear secrets. 

[TradeTheBeal!]

3 minutes ago, 86 Snyder said:

I signed up for Truth Social last night because I wanted to keep an eye on what the traitor in chief has to say about all of this.  It’s worse than you could imagine.  The comments section on every post are just cult leader pic after cult leader pic.  You know the ones, Trump as Superman, etc.  And if you click on any of their bios, every last one of them proclaim to be christians and blah blah blah. 
 

It’s just all incredibly alarming.  

We need to fast forward like 100 years when the internet is no longer in its infancy and humanity has learned to understand the effects it imposes.

It’s all Soviet psy-ops.  Always has been going back to 2011 or so.  So was Bernie’s Dank Meme Stash.

 

Anyhoo…”concerned”?  Oh yeah, they’re “concerned”.

 

 

[hail2skins]

52 minutes ago, Darrell Green Fan said:

 

Be honest with us.  If Trump wins the GOP nomination, and at this point I am not ready to dismiss this possibility given so much blind loyalty to the man, and he ran against President Biden which way do you go?  

"Not ready to dismiss the possibility" that Trump will be the GOP nominee?  Yes, I know we're still a ways away from the beginning of the primary cycle, but at this point Trump still has to be considered the heavy favorite to get the nomination if he chooses to run, and if that happens, its tough for me him not getting reelected to the presidency. DeSantis would probably be his only serious challenger on the GOP side, but I think that DeSantis' relative lack of charisma might prove to be his undoing in the primary cycle, especially compared to Trump.

 

I was reading the WSJ today and Kim Strassel, who's a right-wing flak, wrote a column titled "The Payback Will Be Brutal."  It discusses the supposed Dem and media overreach on this issue and at one point mentions how it could help lead to a second Trump term. She surmises that Trump would be more unleashed in a second term than he would be in his first term, and that you wouldn't have the "number of adults" that you had in his first term.  But that result would supposedly be the fault of the Dems, instead of the GOP voters which will have their chance to choose somebody else in the primary. But that's where we're at.

[Jabbyrwock]

2 minutes ago, TradeTheBeal! said:

"We want to know the imminent national security threat upon which this was based"

"We are also very concerned about the disturbing reports that there was an informant at mar-a-lago or around Trump"

 

Did anyone read this before they went and said it in front of a microphone?

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

7 minutes ago, 86 Snyder said:

The comments section on every post are just cult leader pic after cult leader pic.  You know the ones, Trump as Superman, etc.  And if you click on any of their bios, every last one of them proclaim to be christians and blah blah blah. 
 

It’s just all incredibly alarming.  

I don't give Trump credit for much, but I have to hand it to him and anyone who has played a part in turning him into this political superhero.  I've never witnessed anything like it - not just in politics, but any celebrity ever.  What makes it even more unreal is that the dude has actually always been a POS and the whole world knew it, but found him entertaining on TV.  And now they twist their brains into pretzels to excuse all of his actions.  

[86 Snyder]

5 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

I don't give Trump credit for much, but I have to hand it to him and anyone who has played a part in turning him into this political superhero.  I've never witnessed anything like it - not just in politics, but any celebrity ever.  What makes it even more unreal is that the dude has actually always been a POS and the whole world knew it, but found him entertaining on TV.  And now they twist their brains into pretzels to excuse all of his actions.  

I’ve never seen a single episode of the Apprentice so his rise to power really caught me off guard.  You’re absolutely right though.  He is an incredible copywriter.  He says things in such an unusual (stupid) way that it’s off beat enough it just sticks in peoples brains and makes them think they’re finally hearing the truth for the first time.  The entire financial newsletter industry (which I have some background in) exists to exploit people in the same manner.  Trump totally laps the field when it comes to that sort of thing.  

He’s a natural born exploiter of idiots.

[The Evil Genius]

 

Edited August 12, 2022 by The Evil Genius

[Bang]

Sometimes i feel the need to post a reminder that I AM a conservative, the only party I ever belonged to was the GOP.

WAS.

I gave it up around 2000, it became obvious I couldn't get behind where it was all going.
But i am not a liberal any more than I think an enlightened society does have safety nets and does try to empower it's citizens to be their best.

I DO like some conservatives. I really like Larry Hogan. I like Evan McMullin. 
But any sort of attempt to bring reasonable old-school Esienhower type conservatism that is not rooted in hatred or racism or fear doesn't stand a chance until the fascists and authoritarians and religious fanatics are burned out.

 

~Bang.

 

Edited August 12, 2022 by Bang

[The Evil Genius]

 

[Dan T.]

42 minutes ago, 86 Snyder said:

 

We need to fast forward like 100 years 

 

Aren't you the rosy optimist.

[Jabbyrwock]

11 minutes ago, Bang said:

Sometimes i feel the need to post a reminder that I AM a conservative, the only party I ever belonged to was the GOP.

WAS.

I gave it up around 2000, it became obvious I couldn't get behind where it was all going.
But i am not a liberal any more than I think an enlightened society does have safety nets and does try to empower it's citizens to be their best.

I DO like some conservatives. I really like Larry Hogan. I like Evan McMullin. 
But any sort of attempt to bring reasonable old-school Esienhower type conservatism that is not rooted in hatred or racism or fear doesn't stand a chance until the fascists and authoritarians and religious fanatics are burned out.

 

~Bang.

 

 

True conservatism in the United States is basically dead; its shambling corpse is being dragged around for the mob by shysters and con-men.

[redskinss]

12 minutes ago, Bang said:

Sometimes i feel the need to post a reminder that I AM a conservative, the only party I ever belonged to was the GOP.

WAS.

I gave it up around 2000, it became obvious I couldn't get behind where it was all going.
But i am not a liberal any more than I think an enlightened society does have safety nets and does try to empower it's citizens to be their best.

I DO like some conservatives. I really like Larry Hogan. I like Evan McMullin. 
But any sort of attempt to bring reasonable old-school Esienhower type conservatism that is not rooted in hatred or racism or fear doesn't stand a chance until the fascists and authoritarians and religious fanatics are burned out.

 

~Bang.

 

You're a very smart person.

There are several posters I've liked in here over the years but your one of the few I've thought on many occasions that I wish I knew in the real world. 

 

Keep up the good fight, we need more independent thinkers like you.

[gbear]

26 minutes ago, Bang said:

Sometimes i feel the need to post a reminder that I AM a conservative, the only party I ever belonged to was the GOP.

WAS.

I gave it up around 2000, it became obvious I couldn't get behind where it was all going.
But i am not a liberal any more than I think an enlightened society does have safety nets and does try to empower it's citizens to be their best.

I DO like some conservatives. I really like Larry Hogan. I like Evan McMullin. 
But any sort of attempt to bring reasonable old-school Esienhower type conservatism that is not rooted in hatred or racism or fear doesn't stand a chance until the fascists and authoritarians and religious fanatics are burned out.

 

~Bang.

 

I often disagree with your policy preferences, but I always thought you are a a reasonably thoughtful poster.  Don't stop.  Labels are just things we use so we can stop thinking about positions or people.  Lately, I have tried to distance myself from being a "liberal" or a "conservative", a "Dem" or a "Rep."  I still find myself supporting more liberal ideals, but I am open to more Republicans.  For example, I voted for Hogan the first time around.  I didn't the second time because there are some areas I wanted changed, like census reapportionment, to allow more of the ideals I support to become law. 

 

Still, I just spent two weeks in Arkansas, and I bet they all thought I was the liberal from D.C., especially when I talked about healthcare.  I may have a few of them over though when talking about what they should do and need to do (many of them help run or own a pharmacy)...maybe...right up until I told them I thought the whole Pro Life movement needs to put its dollars and time where its mouth is.  I told them they need to start fostering and adoption many more if they want the mothers who would abort to give birth and "just put the kid up for adoption."  Still, it was a family reunion, and  I had my four adopted children with me, so they could see I did put my money and time where my mouth is on that issue when I told them I was pro choice until the families with the kids (adopted or raised) can get the support they need...

 

but in the end, I think I was still the liberal from D.C., no matter how well intentioned and devoted to my family...which has included them for the past 18 years. 

[86 Snyder]

33 minutes ago, Bang said:

Sometimes i feel the need to post a reminder that I AM a conservative, the only party I ever belonged to was the GOP.

WAS.

I gave it up around 2000, it became obvious I couldn't get behind where it was all going.
But i am not a liberal any more than I think an enlightened society does have safety nets and does try to empower it's citizens to be their best.

I DO like some conservatives. I really like Larry Hogan. I like Evan McMullin. 
But any sort of attempt to bring reasonable old-school Esienhower type conservatism that is not rooted in hatred or racism or fear doesn't stand a chance until the fascists and authoritarians and religious fanatics are burned out.

 

~Bang.

 

What I truly don’t understand, more than anything else, is how the *entire party* except for a few Liz Cheneys made the choice to go along with all of it…over and over and over again.

 

I KNOW it’s for personal gain.  I KNOW it’s to keep political positions and to line their own pockets.  But how did the *entire party* (except like three people) stare down a true moral crisis and make the conscious choice to continue down the road with this absolute charlatan?  
 

I can understand the average idiot falling for it.  I cannot fully grasp how people that absolutely know what was at stake and truly know better decided to leave every oath and moral obligation to country behind and followed him.

 

We are witnessing the end of the GOP.  It will take awhile longer, and the margin is a million times slimmer than it should be, but this will prove to be their extinction event.

[Fergasun]

"True conservatism"?  I would say Goldwater is the grandfather of conservatism now... and Reagan the father.  

 

In the end Goldwater ended up breaking with the "social conservatism" -- which would leave "limited government conservatism" and "fiscal conservatism".  Reagan killed "fiscal conservatism" with the "deficit doesn't matter" stuff... since the 1990s the GOP has only opposed Democratic spending.  Limited government conservatism died with 9/11, the Patriot Act and today's local police worship.  

 

"Conservatism" today is about being racist (reaction to Obama); anti-LGBT; anti-"woke"; anti-immigrant: and pro gun.  I forgot the new "America is a Christian nation" stuff as well.  

 

It got there because the Goldwater conservatism either didn't win elections, or wasn't pushed enough.  I also think that money in politics is corrupting... Trump is the first Presidential example of this... but so many of our politicians just do it for the paycheck and power and they are controlled by donors and not voters.

[The Evil Genius]

Fwiw I would not use Liz Cheney as an example. She'd be bootstepping with the rest of the MAGAts if Trump had won in 2020.

 

Bang's GOP officially died in 2016. But it really had been dying a slow death for 46 years prior to that. That's what happens when you sell out to conmen Christians and southern rednecks. 

Edited August 12, 2022 by The Evil Genius

[LD0506]

1 hour ago, 86 Snyder said:

I signed up for Truth Social last night because I wanted to keep an eye on what the traitor in chief has to say about all of this.  It’s worse than you could imagine.  The comments section on every post are just cult leader pic after cult leader pic.  You know the ones, Trump as Superman, etc.  And if you click on any of their bios, every last one of them proclaim to be christians and blah blah blah. 
 

It’s just all incredibly alarming.  

We need to fast forward like 100 years when the internet is no longer in its infancy and humanity has learned to understand the effects it imposes.

 

I wouldn't miss this for anything.

 

We are racing towards a critical historical singularity, a big bang in reverse with everything banging together and speeding up until we hit that moment.

 

I've read history my whole life and now, while I'm still here, I get to see one of these earth-shattering moments happen.

 

I don't want to fastforward, if anything I'd take being able to watch it unroll in slo-mo

[Fan since a Fetus]

2 hours ago, FLSkinz83 said:

 

in the famous words of Joe Biden....Come on, man!     I can't imagine ever voting for a Dem.    Especially the modern day Dem party.

Incredibly narrow minded and simple. Playing teams with politics gets us into these messes. Why don’t you learn the issues and make informed decisions? 
 

Signed,

A guy that has only voted Democrat once and that was Biden. 

[86 Snyder]

3 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

Fwiw I would not use Liz Cheney as an example. She'd be bootstepping with the rest of the MAGAts if Trump had won in 2020.

 

Bang's GOP officially died in 2016. But it really had been dying a slow death for 46 years prior to that. That's what happens when you sell out to conmen Christians and southern rednecks. 

Sure but if he’d won, J6 doesn’t happen.  Up until that point I can at least get my head around the party taking a deep breath, a shot and a beer and keeping on behind him.  Once the big lie and J6 occurred and we learned about the orchestrated coup, anyone with a soul should have peeled off.

 

Liz Cheney sucks a million dicks but at least she drew a line somewhere.  Granted it was at the very last possible moment of acceptability, but still.

6 minutes ago, LD0506 said:

 

I wouldn't miss this for anything.

 

We are racing towards a critical historical singularity, a big bang in reverse with everything banging together and speeding up until we hit that moment.

 

I've read history my whole life and now, while I'm still here, I get to see one of these earth-shattering moments happen.

 

I don't want to fastforward, if anything I'd take being able to watch it unroll in slo-mo

Im not particularly fond of this moment because Id prefer to live in a well run society, but we are smack in the middle of an incredible time period in history, no doubt.

[Spaceman Spiff]

11 hours ago, Going Commando said:

That ****ing traitor.  Let justice be done on him and his entire cabal of venal traitors.  Let his unpatriotic, un-American movement of MAGA vermin be swept back into the muck where they belong.

 

I can't help it, it just goes back to my overriding point.  I mean, I want to see Trump in prison for life, at the very least.  

 

But that's not going to stop his ****ing idiot followers from complaining, for the foreseeable future, that the FBI PLANTED THESE DOCUMENTS and that this is A HOAX and a SETUP and a WITCH HUNT and blah blah blah blah blah.  

 

That's how I know we're ****ed as a society.  There's a large part of the population that can't agree on what facts are.  They can't agree on what reality is.  It's not just a few wingnuts out there who think this way, it's a large amount of people.

 

If people can't agree on facts, if people can't agree on HISTORY AS IT'S UNFOLDING IN FRONT OF THEM, there's no chance for us as a society.  None.  

 

It's almost to the point that I really don't care what happens to Trump.  I mean, I obviously DO but he's just a symptom (a big fat ****ing herpe sore of a symptom, mind you) to what's wrong with the country.  So he gets life in jail or he gets to walk...either way, his ****ing fans are going to be who they're going to be.

 

 

6 hours ago, EmirOfShmo said:

 

 

 

**** all the way off, Trump!  Why are you using Commanders colors?  This franchise has had enough ****, doesn't need you ****ting on it anymore.  Go use Ravens colors or something, mother****er.

 

2 hours ago, FLSkinz83 said:

 

in the famous words of Joe Biden....Come on, man!     I can't imagine ever voting for a Dem.    Especially the modern day Dem party.

 

I voted for Joe, first time I ever voted for a Democrat and I was happy to do it.  Other elections I've voted Republican or not voted.

 

I'm assuming you were born in '83, I was born in '81.  You talk about the modern day Dem party, I'm assuming you're clinging to some notion of what the Republican party used to be.  Or at least, what they sold themselves as, and what we grew up believing in.  Fiscally responsible (ha-****ing-ha), mainly.  Limited federal government (lol), personal freedoms (LMAO).

 

It's all ****ing dead.  A few years ago, there was this romance thing about Ronald Reagan going on but everyone failed to realize that the modern GOP would throw Reagan out on his ass today.  

 

Here's a quote by Carl Sagan, it's absolutely brilliant.  It's perfectly sums up every Trumper who's still in lockstep.  And I know you said you're for DeSantis which is like switching from Coke to Pepsi.

Quote

 

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”

 

That's it.  That's exactly it.  It's too hard for people that have been bamboozled to acknowledge it.  It's just easier for them to dig their heels in.

 

I would urge you to take your power back.  I think a lot of these people that are in lockstep with Trump or in lockstep with their party are just simply too afraid of what will happen to them socially if they decide to break ranks.  Are they going to lose friends who have been down with the cause, too?  Are they going to hurt relationships with family members?

 

Here's a hint:  If someone treats you different or stops talking to you because you have a change of conscience about who you are from a socio-political perspective, they really didn't like you for you in the first place.

 

1 hour ago, Bang said:

Sometimes i feel the need to post a reminder that I AM a conservative, the only party I ever belonged to was the GOP.

WAS.

I gave it up around 2000, it became obvious I couldn't get behind where it was all going.
But i am not a liberal any more than I think an enlightened society does have safety nets and does try to empower it's citizens to be their best.

I DO like some conservatives. I really like Larry Hogan. I like Evan McMullin. 
But any sort of attempt to bring reasonable old-school Esienhower type conservatism that is not rooted in hatred or racism or fear doesn't stand a chance until the fascists and authoritarians and religious fanatics are burned out.

 

~Bang.

 

 

I wish I lived closer to Solomon's, we could meet up, grab a beer and watch an Orioles game.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Spaceman Spiff

[Califan007 The Constipated]

33 minutes ago, 86 Snyder said:

But how did the *entire party* (except like three people) stare down a true moral crisis and make the conscious choice to continue down the road with this absolute charlatan?  
 

 

Right after Jan 6 many of those top Republicans went on record as saying enough was enough when it comes to Trump...they were telling the country that they were giving up on him...and like a week later were walking down that road again, as if they never said any of it.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Califan007 The Constipated

[hail2skins]

Trump just put out a statement referencing all the docs Obama had. Of course Trump spelled out Obama's full name, including the Hussein for the benefit of all his rubes who believe Obama was an evil Muslim.

[86 Snyder]

3 minutes ago, Califan007 The Constipated said:

 

Right after Jan 6 many of those top Republicans went on record as saying enough was enough when it comes to Trump...they were telling the country that they were giving upon him...and like a week later were walking down that road again, as if they never said any of it.

I know.  And I can’t understand how they consciously backpedaled from that moment.  I know the answer to every question is money and power but…