Is Biden really that bad?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Weedvin

Well-Known Member
Shrub and Donald both had the best economies for cutting deficits yet they only ever increased them. Obama and Biden were dealing with the wreckage their predecessors left behind and STILL managed to reduce deficits. Democrats are better administrators. Plain and simple.

@Weedvin
Democrats are for the people? Republicans are for the rich. Having said that, it's my belief that 8 years Republicans, 4 years Democrats, we'll do just fine. The country first, without it .....
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Democrats are for the people? Republicans are for the rich. Having said that, it's my belief that 8 years Republicans, 4 years Democrats, we'll do just fine. The country first, without it .....
The implication here is that you want a Republican to win the next one.
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Just last year people were moaning about Biden pulling troops from Afghanistan on the schedule Trump set. 20 years of occupation. 18 years too long.

I miss the days when a stained dress could become a national scandal.
There is a both sides scam here. Democrat sex scandals generally involve consenting adults. Republican ones lately have featured numerous instances of rape, pedophilia and trafficking.

They don’t discriminate, since to them all sex is sin.

The analogy is to the laptop affair, a figurative guinea pig, being held up against Executive betrayal of national security information leading to exposure and subsequent loss of our immensely brave human assets. A figurative enraged bull elephant.

Both sides, my maiden aunt Fanny.
 

Fogdog

Well-Known Member
There is a both sides scam here. Democrat sex scandals generally involve consenting adults. Republican ones lately have featured numerous instances of rape, pedophilia and trafficking.

They don’t discriminate, since to them all sex is sin.

The analogy is to the laptop affair, a figurative guinea pig, being held up against Executive betrayal of national security information leading to exposure and subsequent loss of our immensely brave human assets. A figurative enraged bull elephant.

Both sides, my maiden aunt Fanny.
Looking back, almost all "sex scandals" involving Democratic Party leaders were accusations of sexual harassment that aren't even considered scandals by Republicans. Al Franken, for example.

Good point about the laptop affair being the worst Republicans can say about Biden and GOP MAGA literally threatened bloody murder when the Mar a Lardo documents were found during a legal search of Trump's home. 43 classified documents gone missing from their folders. "bbbut the laptop". Or Hillary Clinton's e-mails, a scandal not even close to what Trump was caught doing. GOP MAGA still say "lock her up".

This is another example of the right wing authoritarian's need to compartmentalize contradictory information to avoid confronting their cognitive errors.
 

Fogdog

Well-Known Member
Joe Biden is getting a nod of appreciation in recent polls.

He was blamed for the mess that Trump left behind, but he cleaned it up anyway. He's not done but people are taking notice of the good work that Democrats, with Joe Biden as their leader, are accomplishing.


Fifteen percent shift in sentiment of independent voters from 12% against Biden to 3% for.
 

Fogdog

Well-Known Member
Here's something to think about ; Americans constantly MOUTH OFF about Americans. The majority vote is the one in power, MAJORITY VOTE, NOT THE MINORITY. THERE ALL AMERICANS. QUIT FUCKIN Whining , SORRY ASS LOOSERS .
Republicans are making claim that the constitution was written to keep an elite minority in power and they are not wrong. Here is what the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation said on the subject in 2018

Preventing "The Tyranny of the Majority"

People often refer to the United States as a democracy, but technically speaking, that’s not true. It’s a republic.

Big deal, you say? If you care about your rights, it is. The Founding Fathers knew their history well, so they knew better than to establish the U.S. as a democracy.

In a democracy, of course, the majority rules. That’s all well and good for the majority, but what about the minority? Don’t they have rights that deserve respect?

Of course they do. Which is why a democracy won’t cut it. As the saying goes, a democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner.

The Founders were determined to forestall the inherent dangers of what James Madison called “the tyranny of the majority.” So they constructed something more lasting: a republic. Something with checks and balances. A system of government carefully balanced to safeguard the rights of both the majority and the minority.

That led, most notably, to the bicameral structure of our legislative branch. We have a House of Representatives, where the number of members is greater for more populous states (which obviously favors those states), and the Senate, where every state from Rhode Island and Alaska to California and New York have exactly two representatives (which keeps less-populated states from being steamrolled).

Being a republic, we also don’t pick our president through a direct, majority-take-all vote. We have an Electoral College. And a lot of liberals don’t like that.



The problem with this line of thinking is that it is entirely academic. There are no examples of a tyranny of the majority. It's entirely a fear based and theoretical argument. However, six SCOTUS judges believe this theory and they have no problems with denying rights to people based upon this falsehood. They believe there is no right to privacy, no right of people to make their own medical decisions, no right to marry the person you love, no right to vote. MAGA Republicans are utterly illiberal and do not believe that the majority should rule. They believe they should rule.

Here is a counter-argument:

Minority Rule Does Not Have to Be Here Forever
Arguing that the Framers intended it is specious and ignorant of history.


First, the author makes the point that the House is no longer where the majority rule because Gerrymandering give states controlled by minority groups the ability to skew representation in the house strongly their way. So, the idea of bicameral control is defeated. We will see this happen in November when Gerrymandering will produce the desired effect for Republicans by putting the minority this nation in control of that body.

He goes on to discuss the Supreme Court, where a minority-elected President rammed through the minority controlled Senate, two judges who hold minority views on a wide range of policies, including the right of people to make medical decisions.

The author makes a point that the "constitutionalist" MAGA Republicans and Tea Party Republicans before them do not understand.

Lurking behind arguments about “minority rule” is a more fundamental dispute about the structure of American democracy. Was it set in stone with the ratification of the Constitution, or is it subject to reform and revision, to meet the changing sensibilities and beliefs of Americans?

The Constitution was not set in stone. It was written in such a way that we can change with the times. The majority in this country are demanding it rule and the reason GOP MAGA are so violently resisting is they had it pretty good when the majority was suppressed. This argument isn't really about what should happen. It's about powerful elites who love their golden toilets.
 

Highway61

Well-Known Member
Republicans are making claim that the constitution was written to keep an elite minority in power and they are not wrong. Here is what the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation said on the subject in 2018

Preventing "The Tyranny of the Majority"

People often refer to the United States as a democracy, but technically speaking, that’s not true. It’s a republic.

Big deal, you say? If you care about your rights, it is. The Founding Fathers knew their history well, so they knew better than to establish the U.S. as a democracy.

In a democracy, of course, the majority rules. That’s all well and good for the majority, but what about the minority? Don’t they have rights that deserve respect?

Of course they do. Which is why a democracy won’t cut it. As the saying goes, a democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner.

The Founders were determined to forestall the inherent dangers of what James Madison called “the tyranny of the majority.” So they constructed something more lasting: a republic. Something with checks and balances. A system of government carefully balanced to safeguard the rights of both the majority and the minority.

That led, most notably, to the bicameral structure of our legislative branch. We have a House of Representatives, where the number of members is greater for more populous states (which obviously favors those states), and the Senate, where every state from Rhode Island and Alaska to California and New York have exactly two representatives (which keeps less-populated states from being steamrolled).

Being a republic, we also don’t pick our president through a direct, majority-take-all vote. We have an Electoral College. And a lot of liberals don’t like that.



The problem with this line of thinking is that it is entirely academic. There are no examples of a tyranny of the majority. It's entirely a fear based and theoretical argument. However, six SCOTUS judges believe this theory and they have no problems with denying rights to people based upon this falsehood. They believe there is no right to privacy, no right of people to make their own medical decisions, no right to marry the person you love, no right to vote. MAGA Republicans are utterly illiberal and do not believe that the majority should rule. They believe they should rule.

Here is a counter-argument:

Minority Rule Does Not Have to Be Here Forever
Arguing that the Framers intended it is specious and ignorant of history.


First, the author makes the point that the House is no longer where the majority rule because Gerrymandering give states controlled by minority groups the ability to skew representation in the house strongly their way. So, the idea of bicameral control is defeated. We will see this happen in November when Gerrymandering will produce the desired effect for Republicans by putting the minority this nation in control of that body.

He goes on to discuss the Supreme Court, where a minority-elected President rammed through the minority controlled Senate, two judges who hold minority views on a wide range of policies, including the right of people to make medical decisions.

The author makes a point that the "constitutionalist" MAGA Republicans and Tea Party Republicans before them do not understand.

Lurking behind arguments about “minority rule” is a more fundamental dispute about the structure of American democracy. Was it set in stone with the ratification of the Constitution, or is it subject to reform and revision, to meet the changing sensibilities and beliefs of Americans?

The Constitution was not set in stone. It was written in such a way that we can change with the times. The majority in this country are demanding it rule and the reason GOP MAGA are so violently resisting is they had it pretty good when the majority was suppressed. This argument isn't really about what should happen. It's about powerful elites who love their golden toilets.
Part of the fallacy with the GOP argument that "America is not a democracy" is that the definition of "Republic" includes "representative democracies". Representative democracies are real democracies. There are no direct democracies anywhere in the world. America is a democracy because we the people through our elected representatives say that we are a democracy. The biggest threat to America right now is that the GOP no longer believes in democracy because majority rule works against them. The GOP is packing election boards with partisans in order to perpetuate one party rule in red states. Voting rights are under attack. The GOP's aversion to democracy is precisely the reason we cannot trust them with the levers of government. I refuse to accept the lie that "America is not a democracy" just because radical republicans cannot tolerate that the rest of us get to vote. I would prefer GOP politicians stand up and own their anti democracy strategy rather than let their fanboys justify it. I suspect that there are a lot of GOP voters who still think that the GOP is a pro democracy party without understanding the GOP southern strategy, gerrymandering, voter suppression and the war on drugs - all of which are intended to undermine majority rule.
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Part of the fallacy with the GOP argument that "America is not a democracy" is that the definition of "Republic" includes "representative democracies". Representative democracies are real democracies. There are no direct democracies anywhere in the world. America is a democracy because we the people through our elected representatives say that we are a democracy. The biggest threat to America right now is that the GOP no longer believes in democracy because majority rule works against them. The GOP is packing election boards with partisans in order to perpetuate one party rule in red states. Voting rights are under attack. The GOP's aversion to democracy is precisely the reason we cannot trust them with the levers of government. I refuse to accept the lie that "America is not a democracy" just because radical republicans cannot tolerate that the rest of us get to vote. I would prefer GOP politicians stand up and own their anti democracy strategy rather than let their fanboys justify it. I suspect that there are a lot of GOP voters who still think that the GOP is a pro democracy party without understanding the GOP southern strategy, gerrymandering, voter suppression and the war on drugs - all of which are intended to undermine majority rule.
States’ rights is an enabling idea for the antidemocrats. I view anyone championing them as a probable divide-and-conquer authoritarian.
 

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
Part of the fallacy with the GOP argument that "America is not a democracy" is that the definition of "Republic" includes "representative democracies". Representative democracies are real democracies. There are no direct democracies anywhere in the world. America is a democracy because we the people through our elected representatives say that we are a democracy. The biggest threat to America right now is that the GOP no longer believes in democracy because majority rule works against them. The GOP is packing election boards with partisans in order to perpetuate one party rule in red states. Voting rights are under attack. The GOP's aversion to democracy is precisely the reason we cannot trust them with the levers of government. I refuse to accept the lie that "America is not a democracy" just because radical republicans cannot tolerate that the rest of us get to vote. I would prefer GOP politicians stand up and own their anti democracy strategy rather than let their fanboys justify it. I suspect that there are a lot of GOP voters who still think that the GOP is a pro democracy party without understanding the GOP southern strategy, gerrymandering, voter suppression and the war on drugs - all of which are intended to undermine majority rule.
There are formal and informal structures that cause America to fall short of a perfect democracy, but they can be amended over time to form that more perfect union. The senate has the filibuster and represents geography, not people, the president is not elected by the popular vote and the house is severely gerrymandered to the point where republicans can't even control the radicals coming out of the districts. In many states the vote is suppressed and it has recently gotten worse.

However it worked well for a long time, as long as both parties agreed to screw African Americans, now however the parties are polarized and black people are strong within the democratic party. The attitudes and demographics are shifting, with the republican ideology, such that is, being well past it's best before date. Trump drove the remaining decent people out of the GOP, while Obama filled it with racists. The republicans know they are on the losing side of history, need to cheat and resort to violence to attain and hold power, the base is ok with this and more. The republicans tossed the constitution, democracy and the rule of law out the window and are an existential threat to the constitution and liberal democracy in America. Now they have a political wing of con artists, a domestic terrorist wing and a propaganda wing to keep the ball rolling and the base bamboozled. The flaw is more in the people, than in the constitution.
 
Last edited:

Fogdog

Well-Known Member
Part of the fallacy with the GOP argument that "America is not a democracy" is that the definition of "Republic" includes "representative democracies". Representative democracies are real democracies. There are no direct democracies anywhere in the world. America is a democracy because we the people through our elected representatives say that we are a democracy. The biggest threat to America right now is that the GOP no longer believes in democracy because majority rule works against them. The GOP is packing election boards with partisans in order to perpetuate one party rule in red states. Voting rights are under attack. The GOP's aversion to democracy is precisely the reason we cannot trust them with the levers of government. I refuse to accept the lie that "America is not a democracy" just because radical republicans cannot tolerate that the rest of us get to vote. I would prefer GOP politicians stand up and own their anti democracy strategy rather than let their fanboys justify it. I suspect that there are a lot of GOP voters who still think that the GOP is a pro democracy party without understanding the GOP southern strategy, gerrymandering, voter suppression and the war on drugs - all of which are intended to undermine majority rule.
In the world of propaganda, there is a technique that might apply here -- Framing

From Wikipedia's page on Propaganda Techniques:

Framing (social sciences)Framing is the social construction of a social phenomenon often by mass media sources, political or social movements, political leaders, or other actors and organizations. It is an inevitable process of selective influence over the individual's perception of the meanings attributed to words or phrases.

The GOP are enacting laws that will make it harder for poor people to vote. They are attacking the election workers for not helping them steal the 2020 election. Red states look to place election deniers into positions of power over elections. I'll hand this to them: they are telling us in advance that they intend to see to it that a Republican wins in 2024 regardless who is the choice of the majority. Hence the need for framing the word "democracy" as something suppresses "freedom" and frames "majority rule" as "tyranny".
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top