American Politics Discussion Thread

[darrelljs]

Amusingly, I don't think Gaetz was aware there was this thing called a confirmation process when he snap resigned.  There may be enough courage left in the Republican senate to block his appointment, and he will be left without a job .

Darrell

[Mjmd]

His house ethics report was due out in two days. The release of that was cancelled when he left the house. Which may have made it an even more awkward appointment. Mind you republicans don't care about that, they support Trump after all who has done worse. Other members of his cabinet are as bad or worse. In fact I more than half suspect RFK was announced after Gaetz specifically to take away the news focus. No no. Greenline is right. They are afraid. Its about the type of yes man Gaetz is. One fully dependent and indebted to Trump AND more importantly someone who is proven that he is willing to go after other Republicans. THAT is what they are scared of. That is the answer as to why Gaetz. AND if the republican senate does grow some balls Trump still wins x3. It will look good that republicans were willing to stand up to him once. They are unlikely to do so again so he can get some other probably even worse person in (/ his other appointments in). AND he then knows which Republicans are willing to oppose them and can start prunning them from the party via RNC / Trump backed primary challengers (or have some "investigations" suddenly start up around them).

Maybe I'm giving Trump too much credit, but Greenline got me into thinking like an autocrat and its always possible he is taking advice from someone else. Honestly I hope I am wrong, it shows more competence than I would prefer.

[BING_XI_LAO]

We all know you don't actually believe any of that, you can stop pretending to.

I went to school at a cathedral that was built 800 years ago, I've read books which are not just centuries but a couple of them thousands of years old (Xenophon and Thucidides are fun and easy reads). And of course Jesus' teachings are from 2,000 years ago. But I couldn't possibly despise something which was first invented 100 years ago and only grew widespread 10 years ago?

I couldn't possibly see it through the framing of the ancient religions which sacrificed people? Instead I have to see it through the frivolous modern framing of individual rights and choices? Just like everyone has to see the Ukraine and Taiwan as 'independent' because that's what the people there claim. Can't have any other definition of nationhood other than the one stemming from the American rebellion. Even if I grew up in England, in a vestige of its mediaeval culture, from before the American betrayal was ever conceived of, from before we smashed a single stained-glass window, closed a single monastery, or murdered the king. I can't see things from the premodern point of view, only from the point of view of the rootless American...

Do you think the Taliban were just pretending when they defeated you 3 years ago? (Maybe you aren't an American, but you've been culturally colonised by them)

[BING_XI_LAO]

What's the controversy on Gaetz anyway? Specifically curious as to how MJMD would criticise him.

I remember liking him a few years back because he had scandals and was being called a terrible person for some reason. Rather like how I always thought Dominic Cummings was wonderful just because of the butthurt, well before I started reading his blog.

[greenline]

Gaetz was involved in several gnarly cases of child sex trafficking, drug use, and statutory rape prior to his appointment. Those charges appear to be legitimate by most accounts, rather than fraudulent.

[BING_XI_LAO]

Oh right, this one. Well, the "blackmailable/pardonable AG" theory sounds solid.

[Japper007]

We all know you don't actually believe any of that, you can stop pretending to.

I went to school at a cathedral that was built 800 years ago, I've read books which are not just centuries but a couple of them thousands of years old (Xenophon and Thucidides are fun and easy reads). And of course Jesus' teachings are from 2,000 years ago. But I couldn't possibly despise something which was first invented 100 years ago and only grew widespread 10 years ago?

I couldn't possibly see it through the framing of the ancient religions which sacrificed people? Instead I have to see it through the frivolous modern framing of individual rights and choices? Just like everyone has to see the Ukraine and Taiwan as 'independent' because that's what the people there claim. Can't have any other definition of nationhood other than the one stemming from the American rebellion. Even if I grew up in England, in a vestige of its mediaeval culture, from before the American betrayal was ever conceived of, from before we smashed a single stained-glass window, closed a single monastery, or murdered the king. I can't see things from the premodern point of view, only from the point of view of the rootless American...

Do you think the Taliban were just pretending when they defeated you 3 years ago? (Maybe you aren't an American, but you've been culturally colonised by them)

My bad, I assumed at least a functional level of sanity from RB. Evil ideas sure, but not just insanity. Guess I should've applied Hanlon's razor. Never attribute to malice what can be more easily explained by someone being a crazy cultist who believes in fairy tales.

Also no, intergender, transgender and other types of non gender conforming people have been around longer than your desert cultism. Genderfluidity occurs in stories as long as we've written down stories. Not our modern gender identities, but then those ARE actually an invention of the past 100 years, since they are continually evolving.

[T-hawk]

We all know you don't actually believe any of that, you can stop pretending to.

Yeah, I have no idea what Bing really believes either, but it's entertaining to watch.

I'm feeling frisky to throw in this comment:

Just like everyone has to see the Ukraine and Taiwan as 'independent' because that's what the people there claim. Can't have any other definition of nationhood other than the one stemming from the American rebellion.

If you (generic you) side with the places that want independence like Ukraine and Taiwan and Gaza... shouldn't you also have sided with the Confederate states that wanted independence?

[greenline]

It is rather sad to observe that the kind of person who argues most fervently for the complete independence of Ukraine and Taiwan is also the kind of person likely to post rants about how great Sherman's march to the sea was and how Reconstruction didn't go far enough in razing Southern cities and utterly demoralizing all of the treasonous rebels. But that's life with imperial politics.

[Mjmd]

Did the US / UK invade the Solomans when they signed security agreements with China? Those used to be ours, we should clearly go take them back! China could station nukes there! They could threaten supply lines to Australia! They are building a naval base there.

I think MOST people when they are talking about reconstruction didn't go far enough are talking about protecting civil rights. I'm not saying there aren't people who say what you are saying, but its far from a majority. I prefer to usually go with what most people say and not to group people into the worst grouping. You often treat a group of people as a monolith and of course the monolith you choose is the worst one (a criticism I've noted before btw).