Election 2023

[LadySkinsFan]

1 hour ago, MintHillSkinsFan said:

I just don't understand how poor the republicans are at getting their message out and getting people to the polls.  Kentucky should have been a slam dunk.  I also find it hard to believe that abortion is the hill that everyone on both sides is willing to die on(no pun intended).  With the state of the economy, being drawn into two wars, and the mess at the border, the democrats have been very effective at making abortion the number one issue.  Or conversely, the republicans have been completely inept at making the other issues the priority. Totally mind boggling to me.

 

It's because 50% of the population is female, antiabortion message is really about control of female bodily autonomy by legislators (mostly old males), birth control abolition, revoking female voting rights, and more along those rights. Women aren't having it!

[Cooked Crack]

 

[Simmsy]

1. I ****ing told you guys! Polling people's opinions doesn't equal how they're going to vote, at least not anymore. As I said before: you can look at cold calling, landline polls if you want, I'm going to look at the election results. Democrats have never shown up in midterm or off year elections, I think we may have finally gotten over that hump. Yeah, I may be dissatisfied with Biden at times and I may not want him to run again, but I'm still picking him over Trump.

 

2. I'm glad America seems to be rebuking Maga to the point where they may no longer be a political threat, at least not to the Dems. Hopefully, after two more failed presidential elections, MAGA might be dead for good.

 

3. Finally, I'm so ****ing proud of Virginia! Youngkin slithered his way into the governorship when we underestimated him, but not again. We were prepared for him and it seems like no one is falling for his fake, moderate, GOP bull**** anymore either. I can't tell you how sick I would feel if  sweater vest were the one to drag us back into the stone age. Even worse, if he got into the White House and his path was through our state of Virginia...I would legit feel ashamed. Glad I don't have to be.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Simmsy

[Califan007 The Constipated]

15 minutes ago, Cooked Crack said:

 

 

 

 

 

😂 😂 😂

[tshile]

It’s fun watching the religious right try to explain why the problem isn’t that people don’t like their opinions on abortion, it’s that they haven’t done a good enough job explaining their opinions on abortion. 
 

 

[Larry]

Just now, tshile said:

It’s fun watching the religious right try to explain why the problem isn’t that people don’t like their opinions on abortion, it’s that they haven’t done a good enough job explaining their opinions on abortion. 
 

 

 

Granted, we're talking about a political party that's spent the last 40 years saying that they just have to figure out a better way of messaging "hand out tax cuts for the rich, and trust us, they'll give some of it to you."  

[MintHillSkinsFan]

3 hours ago, TradeTheBeal! said:

It’s almost as if decades of Fox talking points have scrambled their tiny, racist brains.

Only two replies to play the racist card.  Congratulations. 

3 hours ago, @DCGoldPants said:

Well, telling me eggs are $8 and I go to the store and they are less than half of that. Telling me gas is $5 and it's under $3 now. I have no memory in decades of the GOP leaving the economy in better shape than they inherit it. All they do is cut taxes mostly for those who need it least. Then with less money, they still spend into debt on things I don't see every day. The pothole doesn't get fixed by them. They don't innovate or develop for the future. 

 

What else do they promise? Tax cuts. 

Thank you for making a reasonable and well thought out reply.  I may not agree 100% but I can appreciate your point and perception.

[Jumbo]

1 minute ago, MintHillSkinsFan said:

Only two replies to play the racist card.  Congratulations. 

 

Even valid issues of concern, right or left politically, certainly can be exaggerated or overstated. And debating whether they are or not is fair game of course.

 

I'm curious.

 

Are you most concerned about what you regard as the depth and breadth of actual, legitimate, racism within the gop at large or about people who call it out? 

 

Is there a problem as I've worded it, and if so how would you characterize it's level?

 

[MintHillSkinsFan]

2 hours ago, LadySkinsFan said:

 

It's because 50% of the population is female, antiabortion message is really about control of female bodily autonomy by legislators (mostly old males), birth control abolition, revoking female voting rights, and more along those rights. Women aren't having it!

As someone who had fertility challenges, I'm not a fan of abortion but I feel there can be common ground. I'm not here for that debate though.  

What do you mean by repealing women's voting rights?  That's not something I've heard. Can you enlighten me on that?  I'm truly curious. Thank you.

[MintHillSkinsFan]

6 minutes ago, Jumbo said:

 

Even valid issues of concern, right or left politically, certainly can be exaggerated or overstated. And debating whether they are or not is fair game of course.

 

I'm curious.

 

Are you most concerned about what you regard as the depth and breadth of actual, legitimate, racism within the gop at large or about people who call it out? 

 

Is there a problem as I've worded it, and if so how would you characterize it's level?

 

I'm certainly not naive enough to think that there is no racism left in our country.  And I will be the one to call it out when I see it.

 

So yeah, my concern is that "calling it out" every time someone disagrees with your point of view is the equivalent of the boy who cried wolf.  It minimizes the significance of the word and desensitizes us to those who see and call out racism when and where it truly exists.

 

My issue is with categorizing a whole group, or in this case a political party as racist/sexist/whatever just because they disagree with your views.  Especially when you then(not you personally) turn around and call African American candidates "Uncle Tim" or a "house n-word" or a mouthpiece for white supremacists, and the list goes on.  I mean, how racist is that?   I don't mean this to be a "good people on both sides" moment but there are plenty of bad ones on both sides.  

 

So circling back, my initial post was a comment on abortion being the number one issue over all else so I felt a drive by reply screaming racism was unnecessary.   I hope I was able to answer your question.

 

 

 

[Ball Security]

@MintHillSkinsFan you mentioned that the Kentucky Governor should have been a slam dunk. I’m curious as to why you say that. Are you familiar with the Beshear family in Kentucky politics?

[MintHillSkinsFan]

5 minutes ago, Ball Security said:

@MintHillSkinsFan you mentioned that the Kentucky Governor should have been a slam dunk. I’m curious as to why you say that. Are you familiar with the Beshear family in Kentucky politics?

I admit I said it from the point of view of an outsider looking in at what appears to be a deep red state.  I am not familiar with the Beshear family; I will make a point of educating myself further.

[Ball Security]

1 minute ago, MintHillSkinsFan said:

I admit I said it from the point of view of an outsider looking in at what appears to be a deep red state.  I am not familiar with the Beshear family; I will make a point of educating myself further.

He’s really popular in the state. His pops was a two term governor from 2007-2015. Young Beshear was AG during 2015-2019 when the governor was not so popular and screwed over teachers’ pensions.

 

If this was an on cycle (ie 2020/2024) election, he may have run into a little bit of trouble. But as an off cycle election, his win was pretty much expected.

[Jumbo]

4 hours ago, MintHillSkinsFan said:

I'm certainly not naive enough to think that there is no racism left in our country.  And I will be the one to call it out when I see it.

 

So yeah, my concern is that "calling it out" every time someone disagrees with your point of view is the equivalent of the boy who cried wolf.  It minimizes the significance of the word and desensitizes us to those who see and call out racism when and where it truly exists.

 

My issue is with categorizing a whole group, or in this case a political party as racist/sexist/whatever just because they disagree with your views.  Especially when you then(not you personally) turn around and call African American candidates "Uncle Tim" or a "house n-word" or a mouthpiece for white supremacists, and the list goes on.  I mean, how racist is that?   I don't mean this to be a "good people on both sides" moment but there are plenty of bad ones on both sides.  

 

So circling back, my initial post was a comment on abortion being the number one issue over all else so I felt a drive by reply screaming racism was unnecessary.   I hope I was able to answer your question.

 

 

You did to an extent, my thanks, and I largely, though not totally, agree with your reply.

 

However, I'd still like some response to a significant part of the question I asked: how would you characterize the level of actual racism specifically in the GOP demographic as a whole at this time? 

 

Not baiting you at all or trying to deflect from the matter you were originally commenting on, it's of genuine interest to me.

[Renegade7]

Too many politicians, pollsters, political junkies and correspondents are clearly trying to speak things into existence that are just not true.

 

Our country does not want to be an anti-abortion hell-hole...

 

Our country loves weed...

 

Biden is not some weak incumbent clinging to his death bed...

 

The best "polls" are clearly these elections right now...

[Bloodytusk]

I am under the impression that religious people dig their heels in more than the average conservative. And, because they have so much sway in the current politics of the Republican Party, it makes it harder for the party overall to adapt (even in a secular conservative way) to modern political trends such as abortion and weed legalization.

 

 

[Captain Wiggles]

Ancient people were bigly into cannabis. Moses for example was high as ****. Talking to burning bushes n sky gods n whatnot.  🥳

[Renegade7]

1 hour ago, Bloodytusk said:

I am under the impression that religious people dig their heels in more than the average conservative. And, because they have so much sway in the current politics of the Republican Party, it makes it harder for the party overall to adapt (even in a secular conservative way) to modern political trends such as abortion and weed legalization.

 

Republican Party has the right to court who they want into their base, no one is holding a gun to their head.

 

I'm not buying this tail wagging the dog theory presented here, GOP nominated Trump to be President, no one is forcing Religious folks to try to convince themselves he's as Christian as they are.

 

In meantime, GOP stopped being fiscally conservative a long time ago.  This is really all about what folks believe will get "conservatives" to the polls and for some leopards are eating their faces because of it.

 

The bill comes due eventually. Got in bed together and forget who they was fn is the bumper sticker here.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Renegade7

[Bloodytusk]

15 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Republican Party has the right to court who they want into their base, no one is holding a gun to their head.

 

I'm not buying this tail wagging the dog theory presented here, GOP nominated Trump to be President, no one is forcing Religious folks to try to convince themselves he's as Christian as they are.

 

In meantime, GOP stopped being fiscally conservative a long time ago.  This is really all about what folks believe will get "conservatives" to the polls and for some leopards are eating their faces because of it.

 

The bill comes due eventually. Got in bed together and forget who they was fn is the bumper sticker here.

It might be that I am sleepy, but you are a bit hard to follow. 
 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

 

[@DCGoldPants]

8 hours ago, MintHillSkinsFan said:

 

Thank you for making a reasonable and well thought out reply.  I may not agree 100% but I can appreciate your point and perception.

My perception is reality, man. Otherwise the GOP would be running in real provable things they can reference. Instead it's "we were energy independent". What? Or.... "Biden Border Crisis". But, you ranted on this in 2016, and didn't fix it for 4 years. Without time travel, it doesn't work for folks who are paying attention. "Tax and spend" doesn't work when the last guy said he'd bring the deficit way down but didn't and it went the opposite way. 

 

 

[LadySkinsFan]

12 hours ago, MintHillSkinsFan said:

As someone who had fertility challenges, I'm not a fan of abortion but I feel there can be common ground. I'm not here for that debate though.  

What do you mean by repealing women's voting rights?  That's not something I've heard. Can you enlighten me on that?  I'm truly curious. Thank you.

 

The way radical right composed of orthodox Christian Nationalists have put female  rights on the table of their position to return females to ultimate subjugation along with:  abolishing bodily autonomy including birth control (see House Speaker Mike Johnson's view that all females should birth at least one child), voting rights, women out of management positions and back to the household. Basically, codifying females back into their subservient category of subhuman. 

 

They are saying this out loud now, like they've been saying it in private for decades. Start listening and it's out there.

[MintHillSkinsFan]

11 hours ago, Jumbo said:

 

You did to an extent, my thanks, and I largely, though not totally, agree with your reply.

 

However, I'd still like some response to a significant part of the question I asked: how would you characterize the level of actual racism specifically in the GOP demographic as a whole at this time? 

 

Not baiting you at all or trying to deflect from the matter you were originally commenting on, it's of genuine interest to me.

It's a fair question.  In the halls of Congress I don't think it's anywhere in the same hemisphere as to what the left side of the aisle would have us believe.  Yes, there are the MTGs and Boeberts and a handful of others who are straight up bigots and awful human beings.  But for the most part, I think Republican lawmakers want everyone to have an equal opportunity to succeed.  They want everyone to be able to achieve the original American dream.  Work hard, raise a family, live a comfortable life, and have the ability to go as far as your ambition and work ethic will take you.  I certainly don't believe that the "system" is inherently racist and set up to keep women and minorities down.  We definitely have work to do on salary equality and things like that but there is more open opportunity now than there ever has been.  We just need to continue to make forward progress.

One more thing on that; for every MTG and Boebert, there is a Sheila Jackson, Maxine Waters, Tlaib, and Omar.  I have other thoughts on racism in the democratic party but you asked about the GOP.

 

Now the GOP base, I think there is significantly more there, especially at the lower end of the economic scale, and it's ignorance that's been handed down from generation to generation and shows no sign of letting up.  I wouldn't even know where to put a number on that faction as that's where the spotlight is so the perception is magnified.  10%, 20% of the overall base? I don't know.  Those people see their station in life as the fault of people that don't look like them, like in the South Park "took our jobs!" episodes.  They are perpetual victims whose station in life is always someone else's fault and not a reflection of their own actions.  Which ironically, in my view, fits better with the ideology of the democratic party.

 

Obviously there's way more nuance than can be discussed in an internet forum but that's my high level view.

[MintHillSkinsFan]

40 minutes ago, LadySkinsFan said:

 

The way radical right composed of orthodox Christian Nationalists have put female  rights on the table of their position to return females to ultimate subjugation along with:  abolishing bodily autonomy including birth control (see House Speaker Mike Johnson's view that all females should birth at least one child), voting rights, women out of management positions and back to the household. Basically, codifying females back into their subservient category of subhuman. 

 

They are saying this out loud now, like they've been saying it in private for decades. Start listening and it's out there.

The the hardcore right wing Christian faction is without a doubt extreme and many of their views are reprehensible.

But when you say things like subjugation and subservient category of subhuman, that sounds a bit extreme as well.

There are more women entrepeneurs and CEOs than ever before and that number continues to grow, as it should.  There is still plenty of work to be done for sure and I back it 100%.  I still have not seen or heard anyone speak of taking away womens voting rights but I will be sure to do more research on the subject.

I mentioned common ground on abortion.  You mentioned bodily autonomy which is a term I hear a lot.  Many(not all) of the recent proposals I've seen on abortion bans seem to be set at 15-16 weeks.  I'm interested in your opinion on this, is 3 1/2 months not enough time to decide if you are ready to be a parent?  If not, what would you say the appropriate timeframe is?  At that point, and with every day and week goes by, it's not just your bodily autonomy in the equation as there is literally another life growing inside you.  I'm not trying to be combative, I just truly want to know your view on this.  You're one of the long time respected members here so I value your insight. 🙂

[@DCGoldPants]

25 minutes ago, MintHillSkinsFan said:

I don't think it's anywhere in the same hemisphere as to what the left side of the aisle would have us believe.  Yes, there are the MTGs and Boeberts and a handful of others who are straight up bigots and awful human beings.  But for the most part, I think Republican lawmakers want everyone to have an equal opportunity to succeed.

 

Doesn't matter. Those lawmakers you believe want everyone to have an equal opportunity rolled over and are showing their bellies to the MTGs and Boeberts. They voted for this new speaker who comes across as wanting the bible to dictate US laws. If they acted on what you believe they want, their party wouldn't be in this situation right now. Say what you want about The Squad or Bernie Sanders. They don't control **** with the Dems. They are a headache at times, but if the Dems had the House, they wouldn't be holding Jeffries hostage over anything. The Dems legislate from the center now, and the GOP is hard to the right, about to leave democracy itself in the rear view mirror.