Politics

[Datchew]

I can understand and empathize why non Americans feel strongly about the election.

California has an economy larger than some European companies and hosts some media and social media companies that have very real effects around the world. Brazil anybody?

While I disagree with the notion that the dollar is just fine because we own the printing press, that's another topic that's more accurately described as we own more of the guns.

But the main export of the USA is debt. And our inflation is exacerbated as it trickles down to countries that have to eventually get priced back to dollars as they trade. They feel it in the pocketbook.

Also... Culture, to my vast embarrassment at times, flows generally from USA outward.

So from what I've seen, the influence is really felt in other places.
Our state department has ways of making itself and it's wishes strongly felt and those ways are based on elections.

 

[Hunt anything]

Had your logic applied in the 18th century, France would not have aided us and the US would be called something else - perhaps Canada? And would be a member of the Commonwealth.

This is true but during the 1700’s weren’t England and France pretty much in a constant state of war? They didn’t seem to need much of an excuse to fight one another and a weakened England would have been very advantageous to France. It’s been many years since I’ve studied any of this so I may be completely off base.

 

[wesheltonj]

. . . I don't know who's been running the executive branch since 2021, but it's for certain not been Biden, and it's equally certain she's aware that "they" have been running an unconstitutional government all that time. They hid him in the basement back in 2020 for a reason.

Barry has been calling the shots. Obvious on day one.

 

[deewayne2003]

Good question, but I don’t believe that is the point being made. He is stating that Harris will tax realized capital gains at your standard income tax rate, a major hit for those of us living off investment portfolios.

@WAB is correct, realized capital gains will be the first target....... But certainly not the last!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

@WAB is correct, realized capital gains will be the first target....... But certainly not the last!

Biden already targeted unrealized gains, his own party shot that down pretty quickly. And as I read it so would Harris originally, albeit it was supposed to be targeted at those with $100 million in wealth only, but she has since backed off that too. At least that's my understanding.

I would not be surprised if this changes in the future.

 

[sgt_zim]

 

[sgt_zim]

 

[spike.t]

Kamala Harris has thrived in debates - will her tactics work on Trump?

Debates have played a major role in her political career, but the showdown on 10 September will have the highest stakes yet.

www.bbc.com

 

[sgt_zim]

Kamala Harris has thrived in debates - will her tactics work on Trump?

Debates have played a major role in her political career, but the showdown on 10 September will have the highest stakes yet.

www.bbc.com

What utter rubbish - "thrived in debates."

Tulsi Gabbard absolutely eviscerated Cackles during the primary debates in 2020. It was a more savage beat-down than Holly Holms ending Rhonda Rousey's UFC career.

 

[LivingTheDream]

For what it is worth, it sounds like Harris is possibly running the worst campaign I have ever seen. They are trying not to lose rather than running to win. The details that come, even from CNN and left wing media, is kind of shocking.

 

[mdwest]

I’m not sure the debate matters…

Shy of proving mental incapacity like Biden did.. who is changing their vote based on anything that might be said or done during the debate? What is it we hope to learn about either candidate that we don’t already know?

If trump is “mean”… is anyone that was already voting for him changing their mind now? Or anyone that wasn’t voting for him going to vote harder against him now?

If Harris laughs her way through serious questions or word salads every response.. are any Harris supporters suddenly going to decide Trump is a better option? Or are Trump supporters going to decide they really like her smile and decide to switch sides?

Tonight’s debate is nothing more than bread and circuses…

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I’m not sure the debate matters…

Shy of proving mental incapacity like Biden did.. who is changing their vote based on anything that might be said or done during the debate? What is it we hope to learn about either candidate that we don’t already know?

If trump is “mean”… is anyone that was already voting for him changing their mind now? Or anyone that wasn’t voting for him going to vote harder against him now?

If Harris laughs her way through serious questions or word salads every response.. are any Harris supporters suddenly going to decide Trump is a better option? Or are Trump supporters going to decide they really like her smile and decide to switch sides?

Tonight’s debate is nothing more than bread and circuses…

If an individual has already decided who they will vote for, this debate will not make any difference. If there was a clear leader in the poles, same thing. There are still a lot of independent voters on the fence. This debate could make or break either candidate.

 

[mdwest]

If an individual has already decided who they will vote for, this debate will not make any difference. If there was a clear leader in the poles, same thing. There are still a lot of independent voters on the fence. This debate could make or break either candidate.

I wish I agreed with you... but I just dont see it...

Granted AH isnt really representative of American society as a whole.. but who here is undecided at this point? Its got to be a very, very small number.. and most of those people are in states where because the number is so small, there will be little to no impact on the end result of the election (if youre a Texan and decide not to vote for Trump or to actually vote for Biden.. no big deal.. Texas will be going red again in November... or if youre a Californian and decide to vote for Trump.. or not to vote for Harris.. again, no big deal.. California will be going blue again in November...)... so unless that tiny piece of the AH population is in one of a handful of swing states, theres zero impact.. and even then I think the number of people we're talking about are so small, that the potential for impact is pretty minimal..

Then I look outside of AH.. Granted most of the social groups and business circles I run in are overwhelmingly conservative fiscally and socially.. but I do maintain a fairly substantial number friends and business contacts that range from more centrist conservative to hard left leaning progressives (Ive actually got a dinner meeting with a group of execs from a firm we sometimes do business with that are among the extremely hard left leaning types).... No one I know in those circles is undecided..

Then I look at the large group of people I know in Govt (my business works exclusively with government as a customer.. the businesses mentioned above are partners and vendors that we work with to meet our govt customer needs)... without exception every single person I know in govt has their mind made up... there is no further consideration or thought that is going to be applied before pulling the lever in November..

Without exaggerating I know personally exactly zero people that are still on the fence... and only a very small group of people either through online connections or that are "friends of friends" type relationships that are still trying to make a decision (I can count them on 1 hand)..

Im going to go back to my original statement.. what do we expect to learn about either candidate that we dont already know?

In 1980 we NEEDED the debates.. shy of reading an article in the local paper or a magazine.. or maybe seeing a candidate for 2-3 minutes on TV, we really didnt KNOW much about candidates at the federal level.. and only those that really wanted to be informed were informed..

Today, between facebook, X, online forums, memes, constant MSM coverage, etc etc etc.. and the ability for information to literally travel around the entire globe in a matter of seconds... and the fact that just about everyone over the age of 9 in the US has a cell phone and access to wi-fi 24 hours a day... there is little to nothing we dont know about the candidates, if you have even a tiny bit of interest in finding out..

I dont see that very small number of independents left on the fence waiting until tonight to try to "learn" something about Harris or Trump that is going to drive a decision.. if they truly want to know anything about the D platform, whether or not Trump is a good father, who Willie Brown is and why that matters, etc..etc.. that information has already been out there for months (in many cases for years).. and theyve already accessed it..

Tonight is about people on the right hoping Trump makes Harris look like an idiot.. and people on the left hoping Harris makes Trump look like a bigot and/or racist..

Anyone that cares about how either will deal with the economy, approach foreign policy, deal with the conflicts in Ukraine or Israel, etc..etc.. already knows the answers to those questions..

 

[sgt_zim]

What utter rubbish - "thrived in debates."

Tulsi Gabbard absolutely eviscerated Cackles during the primary debates in 2020. It was a more savage beat-down than Holly Holms ending Rhonda Rousey's UFC career.

 

[PARA45]

15,000-20,000 Haitian invade a small Ohio city of 58,000. This is nuts.

Ohio city plunged into housing crisis after 15,000+ migrants arrive: 'Setting us up to fail'

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and city manager Bryan Heck joined "Fox & Friends First" Friday to discuss how the influx of Haitian migrants has strained their community.

www.foxnews.com

 

[sgt_zim]

Courtesy of Matt Taibbi, the "drinking game" rules for tonight's debate

DRINK EVERY TIME:

Harris uses the words felon, extreme, threat to democracy, or for the people.

Trump uses the words communist, socialist, radical or Marxist. Double-shot for tampon.

Harris talks about her experience dealing with predators, scammers, cheaters, perpetrators, or special interests.

Trump invokes the Kamala crime wave or defund the police, or says something like They destroyed San Francisco or You can’t buy a loaf of bread without getting shot. Any story of this sort qualifies (“These Haitians, it’s unbelievable. Who would eat a cat?”). Non-negotiable double-shot for literally third world conditions.

Harris says Let me be clear, I’m talking, or “Not going back.” Take a SMALL SIP ONLY whenever she mentions the middle class. Take a full drink when Donald Trump only cares about himself.

Trump says illegal, sanctuary, Border Czar. Double shot when Harris protests she wasn’t.

Harris cackles. Trump does “stank face” or “pinchy hands.”

Harris mentions the opportunity economy, price gouging or bringing down costs. Double for groceries. If both candidates mention groceries, take an aspirin.

“CHECK, PLEASE!” Drink if Harris runs out of things to say and has to be reminded she still has time left. (Drinking game trivia: this rule was originally written for Joe Biden years ago.)

“BILLIONS AND BILLIONS!” Drink when Trump rattles off a statistic that’s off by a factor of 10x. Double if he tells us how many people were just shot in Chicago and how it was worse than Afghanistan. (He may substitute Philadelphia tonight).

From Harris: sales tax, bipartisan, reproductive freedom, different vision. Drink for any mathematically perfect tautology/redundancy (e.g. deadlines of time). More than three seconds of stoned-looking hesitation is a drink. Strike your companion if you hear joy.

From Trump: so crazy, beautiful, fake, beating the hell, never been anything like it. Drink when he says any national problem was completely eliminated when he was president and complains the media lies its face off about it. You may also drink for take a bullet or the “pull down that chart” story if you feel under-served.

Tune in tonight to the livestream at 8:45 pm for an additional MYSTERY RULE.

IN THE POST-DEBATE COMMENTARY, DRINK WHEN:

• Any pundit uses a legal metaphor to describe the Harris performance (“A great closing argument,” “She proved beyond a reasonable doubt tonight,” “Tonight, America is her jury”)
• “Move the needle” (if a performance did or did not)
• “Trump was incoherent/rambling”
• Harris showed she was “calm” or “pragmatic”; “We saw a real leader tonight”
• The real opinion of Barack Obama is written on the face of an otherwise evasive David Axelrod; full tumescence of Brian Stelter is detected; Chris Hayes completely agrees with whatever Joy, Rachel, or Jen just said

FINALLY, THE WALTER KIRN RULE:

You must finish your bottle and arm yourself if a technical breakdown or broadcast interruption takes place in the middle of a one-sided debate.

 

[BigHill]

wow!

 

[sgt_zim]

wow!

IKR??? I'd be completely hammered 4 minutes in!