The Democrat agenda 2022 and going forward

[MEJHarrison]

I was in HS in the early 80's and college in the mid 80's right in the middle of the "War on Drugs". Nancy Reagan & Just Say No and "This is your brain" commercials. So my friend got popped with a baggie of weed on his way to a fraternity retreat. Just about lost everything. Arrested, kicked out of college, threatened with real jail time for "distribution" and the shame he felt from disappointing his parents.

I'm just a few years behind you and went through almost the same thing. A friend in college was expelled for basically identical circustances. The only striking difference is my friend was from England and the son of some Earl or Lord or some damn thing. We didn't keep in touch, but I have no doubt he ended up landing on his feet.

I came from a blue collar family and put myself through college with scholarships, loans and financial aid. But I went to Pepperdine in Malibu. So I was surrounded by the rich and powerful on and off campus. Which is why I'm sure my buddy probably ended up doing just fine after his expulsion. I actually had an English class with Kim Fields (Tootie). In real life she was the kid sticking her hand in the air for EVERY question. I can't recall a time when she didn't know the answer. She was brilliant.

In my junior year Montell Jordan ("This is how we do it") lived in room next to mine in the dorm. I don't need to hear the song (which came after we crossed paths in college). For a whole school year, I heard exactly how he did it through the wall. Every. Damn. Weekend!!! He was a tall, shinny dork, but he (and his roommate) were REALLY popular with the ladies. And just so I don't stray too far off topic, Montell and his roommate Dave didn't do any drugs whatsoever. And he was also a really nice guy. Last I heard, he was a pastor in Georgia.

Oddly, it was my college roommate who schooled me on drugs. He said "If you can go out and pick it, it's probably safe. If it comes from a lab, stay away".

 

[GermanSuplex]

I'm just a few years behind you and went through almost the same thing. A friend in college was expelled for basically identical circustances. The only striking difference is my friend was from England and the son of some Earl or Lord or some damn thing. We didn't keep in touch, but I have no doubt he ended up landing on his feet.

I came from a blue collar family and put myself through college with scholarships, loans and financial aid. But I went to Pepperdine in Malibu. So I was surrounded by the rich and powerful on and off campus. Which is why I'm sure my buddy probably ended up doing just fine after his expulsion. I actually had an English class with Kim Fields (Tootie). In real life she was the kid sticking her hand in the air for EVERY question. I can't recall a time when she didn't know the answer. She was brilliant.

In my junior year Montell Jordan ("This is how we do it") lived in room next to mine in the dorm. I don't need to hear the song (which came after we crossed paths in college). For a whole school year, I heard exactly how he did it through the wall. Every. Damn. Weekend!!! He was a tall, shinny dork, but he (and his roommate) were REALLY popular with the ladies. And just so I don't stray too far off topic, Montell and his roommate Dave didn't do any drugs whatsoever. And he was also a really nice guy. Last I heard, he was a pastor in Georgia.

Oddly, it was my college roommate who schooled me on drugs. He said "If you can go out and pick it, it's probably safe. If it comes from a lab, stay away".

That’s is quite a neat story! Say what you want about how played out the song is, you got to hear a real classic being made.

 

[Herdfan]

I came from a blue collar family and put myself through college with scholarships, loans and financial aid. But I went to Pepperdine in Malibu.

One of my dream schools. But there was enough baseball talent in CA for them not even bother with some redneck kid back east.

Was it as cool as we imagined?

In my junior year Montell Jordan ("This is how we do it") lived in room next to mine in the dorm. I don't need to hear the song (which came after we crossed paths in college). For a whole school year, I heard exactly how he did it through the wall. Every. Damn. Weekend!!! He was a tall, shinny dork, but he (and his roommate) were REALLY popular with the ladies. And just so I don't stray too far off topic, Montell and his roommate Dave didn't do any drugs whatsoever. And he was also a really nice guy. Last I heard, he was a pastor in Georgia.

Cool.

Oddly, it was my college roommate who schooled me on drugs. He said "If you can go out and pick it, it's probably safe. If it comes from a lab, stay away".

From your roommate to a movie:

 

[MEJHarrison]

One of my dream schools. But there was enough baseball talent in CA for them not even bother with some redneck kid back east.

Was it as cool as we imagined?

I guess? But I'm an oddball. A redhead who burns at really, really easy. I went to the beach at the beginning of my freshman year because all the new freshman were going to the beach. The next time I went was the end of my senior year. I thought it would be cool to wake up with the sun, run down to the beach, go swimming, then jog back home. So I did that. 2 beach trips in 4 years.

Oddly, I only ended up there because a buddy had an application and decided to pass. So I took his application and submitted it. I hadn't even heard of them till that point.

Had they not started their school year early, I might have ended up at USC. I got a really good scholarship there. But they sent it to me at my Pepperdine address my third week of school. Not sure of the thinking behind that.

 

[Herdfan]

I guess? But I'm an oddball. A redhead who burns at really, really easy. I went to the beach at the beginning of my freshman year because all the new freshman were going to the beach. The next time I went was the end of my senior year. I thought it would be cool to wake up with the sun, run down to the beach, go swimming, then jog back home. So I did that. 2 beach trips in 4 years.

Sounds like my daughter in Savannah. The only times she went to Tybee Island was at dawn to watch the sun rise.

 

[Eric]

Michigan Republican unseated after losing to Democrat by 20 points

The ousted Republican incumbent Lucy Ebel had previously described Ottawa County as "very conservative."

www.newsweek.com

Michigan Republican Unseated After Losing to Democrat by 20 Points

 

[Edd]

Michigan Republican unseated after losing to Democrat by 20 points

The ousted Republican incumbent Lucy Ebel had previously described Ottawa County as "very conservative."

www.newsweek.com

Michigan Republican Unseated After Losing to Democrat by 20 Points

Commence baseless accusations of election fraud.

 

[Eric]

Sounds legit.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Trump is relying almost exclusively on his cult and congressional surrogates to do his work. He’s campaigning today, but he isn’t making the most of his time away from court. His rallies are smaller than usual, and I promise you the people running the Biden campaign are far more experienced and focused than whoever Trump has hired across the nation, if anyone.

This is going to be a very interesting six months.

Inside Biden's push to squeeze Trump in red counties — Axios

President Biden's campaign is investing in dozens of field offices in some of the nation's reddest counties, pressing its early money advantage to establish political beachheads in hostile territory.

apple.news

 

[Citysnaps]

Some Biden vs. trump numbers to chew on (via CNN):

 

[GermanSuplex]

I’m looking forward to the RNC this year, it should solidify the GOP behind Trump, but I think the odds are good it may scare a couple independents Biden’s way.

I’ll make the Trump deal - if Trump wins, you’ll never see me again. Unless I think he stole it, in which case I’ll double my daily average post count.

 

[Eric]

Some Biden vs. trump numbers to chew on (via CNN):

Yep, not a fan of the reality that Trump may win but it's seeming more and more likely each day. He could be sitting in a jail cell raping people and would still win. It says way more about the American people than it does Donald Trump. We are our own worst enemies and deserve whatever we ask for from giving this maniac another term.

 

[Eric]

I’m looking forward to the RNC this year, it should solidify the GOP behind Trump, but I think the odds are good it may scare a couple independents Biden’s way.

I’ll make the Trump deal - if Trump wins, you’ll never see me again. Unless I think he stole it, in which case I’ll double my daily average post count.

I don't think he'll need to steal this one from the way it's looking.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Eh, I’m over being worried. Cons will be happy for about two hours after he takes office before he golfs and complains incessantly that he was going to make America great again, but the dems keep getting in the way.

Just like last time - was supposed to fix immigration, but instead spent time during the lead up to the midterms whining about migrant caravans. Could’ve easily won re-election if he had been a leader during COVID and not Dr. Oz’s failed intern.

Six months is a long time, I’ll get worried around mid-October, because anything can swing wildly before then.

 

[ArgoDuck]

As an outsider to the US and US politics I generally confine myself to ‘emoji’ comments, however I do have a little to say here.

Being one of a number of statisticians on this forum - and also a social scientist - I maintain a degree of scepticism about poll trends. Whilst I claim no expertise in political polling, I do note that they intersect an awkward area of social science which concerns the predictive utility of attitude measures. Survey questions in general are meant to measure a hypothesized ‘fixed position’ on any issue which is assumed to lie in our heads, and is further assumed to be stable or (usually) to only change very slowly, hence the interest of intelligent observers of polls in ‘poll trends’.

The problem is that such measures are not uniformly strong predictors of behaviour (such as one’s vote). Part of the literature that speaks to this issue - so called discursive psychology, a field in which I used to work - proposes and indeed marshals a good deal of evidence that people typically respond to questions strategically; that is, to send a message. Indeed, this is a feature of everyday, normal conversation, and a fascinating property of it is that people typically contradict themselves from moment to moment as they defend, bend or abandon one position after another to maintain their status or ‘face’. And yet, polling instruments - indeed, most attitude measures - capture only one of these moments.

Right now, some months out from the election, I would like to hope that poll respondents are making strategic use of this tool to send Biden a message about unusual and extenuating crises in the world right now.

We appear to be in a time of unusual ferment and uncertainty, which is another reason I’m disinclined to trust polls and surveys right now. I don’t know that people know what to think, what to do, where to look, any of it…

Personally, I think the re-election of Trump would be a disaster: for you in the US, and for the world.

It would be a disaster not because of Trump’s paranoid and highly limited world view, manifest in indecision and lack of leadership, but more so because of the legions assembled around him, ready to unleash a highly coherent programme of ideas and actions that will both stifle democracy and nurture and accelerate well-advanced existential threats to the globe. Concerning the climate crisis Trump’s own words come to mind, that ”we’re going to drill baby, drill”.

Hence, I think the stakes could not be higher.

But I also think that whilst many of the pressing issues of today are those where political action can be effective, there are others - like climate change - that are rapidly escaping our ability to address. That kind of existential issue will end up transcending politics, if we let it.

And if that happens it won’t matter who the hell is in charge.

 

[Herdfan]

Yep, not a fan of the reality that Trump may win but it's seeming more and more likely each day. He could be sitting in a jail cell raping people and would still win. It says way more about the American people than it does Donald Trump. We are our own worst enemies and deserve whatever we ask for from giving this maniac another term.

Instead of the American people, maybe look at the Democrat Party.

I know none of you believe that the party has made a hard left turn, so let's ask it a different way. Why has the Democrat Party lost the support of the blue collar worker? This used to be their main base, blue collar, union, tradesmen etc.. What did the party do to lose them as voters?

And is this trend going to continue with the next big Dem voting block: Blacks. In 2016, Trump got 8% of Black votes. In 2020, he got 12%. He is now polling at 17%. That is a huge jump for a once reliable voting block. What is happening? And why?

Maybe the Democrat Party moved to far left too quickly for most of the public's taste.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Maybe the Democrat Party moved to far left too quickly for most of the public's taste.

Then why do republicans consistently lose the popular vote? Is everyone voting a welfare queen or billionaire?

I’m not in total disagreement here, but how much is a hard turn to the left versus conservatives - by the very definition of the name - refusing societal progress?

You need only look at the conspiracies on the right to know it’s hard for someone like myself to grasp which conservatives have a valid concern about this supposed turn to the far left (most actual far-left folks in other countries, and many conservatives, seem to think our “far left” are actually centrists.

And I hate to sound like a broken record, but the answer to those concerns isn’t a buffoonish, cartoonish criminal. If I have a hard time with the far-right, it would make little sense to vote for Bob Menendez - what do I stand to gain by that? I mean, he’s a fighter and perhaps he’s also being maliciously prosecuted by the deep state.

Anyways, I’m taking in the polls but not putting faith in them until we’re much closer to Election Day.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/13/trump-narrow-lead-battleground-00157541

 

[Roller]

Instead of the American people, maybe look at the Democrat Party.

I know none of you believe that the party has made a hard left turn, so let's ask it a different way. Why has the Democrat Party lost the support of the blue collar worker? This used to be their main base, blue collar, union, tradesmen etc.. What did the party do to lose them as voters?

And is this trend going to continue with the next big Dem voting block: Blacks. In 2016, Trump got 8% of Black votes. In 2020, he got 12%. He is now polling at 17%. That is a huge jump for a once reliable voting block. What is happening? And why?

Maybe the Democrat Party moved to far left too quickly for most of the public's taste.

By moving to the left, do you mean supporting labor unions, passing legislation to battle climate change and replace infrastructure, pushing for the right of women to control their own bodies, and trying to maintain Social Security and Medicare instead of cutting back to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy? You know, the crazy stuff that most Americans don't want.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

TLDW. Some Democrats introduced a bill to stop greedflation at grocery stores, although sounds like it’s more about actually enforcing laws that are already on the books. Biden just needs to get behind it.

On a side note, this exactly why you don’t want monopolies or near to it that we do have in a lot of industries. There’s price fixing collusion all over the place. It doesn’t take much effort to find out what the few competitors you have are charging for the same product or service.

I also think this is something Trump would loudly jump on all over the airwaves and social media if he were in power. Apparently the price of eggs is among the top concern to Americans. Just recently he railed against the price of groceries under Biden with his usual way over exaggerated numbers. He’d bully this through. Let’s hope Biden doesn’t sit on his hands with this one or barely mention it.

 

[GermanSuplex]

TLDW. Some Democrats introduced a bill to stop greedflation at grocery stores, although sounds like it’s more about actually enforcing laws that are already on the books. Biden just needs to get behind it.

On a side note, this exactly why you don’t want monopolies or near to it that we do have in a lot of industries. There’s price fixing collusion all over the place. It doesn’t take much effort to find out what the few competitors you have are charging for the same product or service.

I also think this is something Trump would loudly jump on all over the airwaves and social media if he were in power. Apparently the price of eggs is among the top concern to Americans. Just recently he railed against the price of groceries under Biden with his usual way over exaggerated numbers. He’d bully this through. Let’s hope Biden doesn’t sit on his hands with this one or barely mention it.

Republican voters won't support anything to fix the problem, they'd rather pay higher prices and complain about Joelfation than support anyone who would do anything about it.

Just like the border deal. They want power, they want control, they want to be the ones to pass the things they want by themselves, they're not interested in negotiation or doing anything while Biden is in office that may move the ball forward. At least in the house. They literally hold up bills that have support of about 3/4 of congress.