4 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

How about 9th grade MAGAs?

This comment confused me. I thought I was in the Epstein thread and you were talking about Trump's dating pool.

4 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

How about 9th grade MAGAs?

I don’t know any 9th graders that give a sheet about politics at any level beyond a punchline. And I hope I never meet one.

1 hour ago, HazletonEagle said:

They are pretty unsightly.

But glorious!

17 hours ago, Gannan said:

I feel that way about Rubio and Vance. As much as I don't like them, they're both intelligent. To the average republican primary voter that adds up to:

If we have an election without Trump in 2028, it will have to be someone really really stupid on the right to appeal to the MAGA base. Like the male equivalent of Lauren Bobert.

so george santos?

I think you need both the presence and the policy to win on the left. But you have to thread the needle a bit.

The left has more people who have pet issues, maybe even single-issue voters. A winning Democratic candidate has to be able to strike the right tones on policy to collect enough of these voters to win, while also being as vague as possible on actual policy details in order to limit the right's ability to activate their own base against you.

But they also can't be stiffs.

Obama was very good at this IMHO. His presence and engagement as a political figure is phenomenal. He spoke to his audience about policy in abstract but relatable terms when he was at his best. It was his presence and aura that allowed him to maintain his popularity despite some of his presidential actions being at odds with his base: he was quite aggressive on going after illegal immigrants (this was moderated by focusing on criminal illegals that represented a public safety risk, not just "all illegals are equal criminals"), and his drone strikes both resulted in criticism from corners of the left, but overall most were willing to continue to support Obama.

I really like Pete, but he's probably too policy oriented, he has great speaking ability but is diminutive at 5'8" and comes off nerdy. I think he is best deployed as a foil on Fox.

I don't know what the answer is, but I don't it's as simple as "just focus on style and ignore policy", there's too many left-wing voters that subscribe to one or two issues at the expense of the big picture for that. Which is why the left is particularly vulnerable to the "Jill Stein" type effects.

You need both.

I have no idea what his presence is like, but a guy like Andy Beshear may fit the mold.

Long read, but quite interesting what consequences this would also have on the US..

The Suicide Pact: What Happens the Moment We Touch Greenland…

If the United States follows through on the threat to invade Greenland, we need to be crystal clear about what happens the next morning. This is not a real estate transaction or a routine military exercise. It is the geopolitical equivalent of pulling the pin on a grenade in a crowded elevator. The moment American boots hit the ground in Nuuk to seize territory from a fellow NATO member, the world as we know it ends. The consequences will not be temporary sanctions or angry letters. They will be total, permanent, and devastating.

The first domino to fall is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization itself. NATO is built on the sacred promise of Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all. If the U.S. attacks Denmark, we are not just breaking the treaty; we are triggering it against ourselves. NATO dissolves instantly. The alliance that kept the peace in Europe for 75 years evaporates, leaving the continent to rearm and realign against the new aggressor across the Atlantic. We don't just lose an ally; we create a unified enemy.

The military repercussions will be swift and humiliating. Europe will immediately demand the closure of every U.S. military base on the continent. Ramstein in Germany, Aviano in Italy, Lakenheath in the UK, all gone. Our ability to project power into the Middle East and Africa vanishes overnight. We will be evicted from the very soil we helped liberate and defended for decades, forced to retreat to our own shores as a fortress nation, isolated and friendless.

Then comes the economic nuclear option. The European Union is the largest single market in the world, and they will weaponize it. Europe will likely move to call in U.S. debt and dump their dollar reserves, sending the value of our currency into a death spiral. The U.S. economy, which relies on the dollar being the global reserve currency, will collapse. Inflation will make the post-COVID spikes look like a rounding error. Your savings will be worthless before the ink dries on the invasion orders.

Corporate America will face an extinction event. U.S. companies will be expelled from the European market. Apple, Google, McDonald's, and Tesla will see their assets seized or their operations banned. Trillions of dollars in market capitalization will be incinerated in minutes. The stock market will not just crash; it will close. We are talking about the complete de-globalization of American industry, cutting us off from the wealthiest consumers on the planet.

The skies will go silent. European aviation authorities will almost certainly ground all Boeing jets and ban U.S. airlines from their airspace. Transatlantic travel will cease. If you are in Paris or Berlin, you are stuck there. The logistical arteries that feed our supply chains will be severed. We will be cut off from European medicine, machinery, and technology. We will be an island nation in the worst possible sense.

The cultural isolation will be just as stinging. The International Olympic Committee and FIFA will have no choice but to bar the United States from competition, just as they did with Russia. There will be no World Cup matches in New Jersey. There will be no Team USA in the Olympics. We will be treated as a pariah state, unwelcome on the global stage, forced to watch the world celebrate without us.

For individual Americans, the consequences will be personal and painful. Visa-free travel to Europe will end immediately. Americans currently living or working in Europe will lose their legal protections and residency status. They will become persona non grata, potentially facing deportation or internment. The "blue passport" that used to open every door will suddenly be a red flag at every border crossing.

This is the end of trust, and it does not reset. You cannot invade a democratic ally and then say "my bad" four years later. The psychological break will be permanent. Europe will realize that the United States is no longer a partner but a predator. They will build their own defense architecture, their own financial systems, and their own alliances that specifically exclude us. The West will continue, but the United States will no longer be part of it.

Invading Greenland is not a show of strength; it is an act of national suicide. We are trading our reputation, our economy, and our security for a frozen island and a handful of minerals we can't even process. The price of this real estate deal is everything we built over the last century. If we cross this line, there is no going back. We will be the lonely superpower, ruling over nothing but our own decline.

5 minutes ago, Frankfurteagle89 said:

Long read, but quite interesting what consequences this would also have on the US..

The Suicide Pact: What Happens the Moment We Touch Greenland…

If the United States follows through on the threat to invade Greenland, we need to be crystal clear about what happens the next morning. This is not a real estate transaction or a routine military exercise. It is the geopolitical equivalent of pulling the pin on a grenade in a crowded elevator. The moment American boots hit the ground in Nuuk to seize territory from a fellow NATO member, the world as we know it ends. The consequences will not be temporary sanctions or angry letters. They will be total, permanent, and devastating.

The first domino to fall is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization itself. NATO is built on the sacred promise of Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all. If the U.S. attacks Denmark, we are not just breaking the treaty; we are triggering it against ourselves. NATO dissolves instantly. The alliance that kept the peace in Europe for 75 years evaporates, leaving the continent to rearm and realign against the new aggressor across the Atlantic. We don't just lose an ally; we create a unified enemy.

The military repercussions will be swift and humiliating. Europe will immediately demand the closure of every U.S. military base on the continent. Ramstein in Germany, Aviano in Italy, Lakenheath in the UK, all gone. Our ability to project power into the Middle East and Africa vanishes overnight. We will be evicted from the very soil we helped liberate and defended for decades, forced to retreat to our own shores as a fortress nation, isolated and friendless.

Then comes the economic nuclear option. The European Union is the largest single market in the world, and they will weaponize it. Europe will likely move to call in U.S. debt and dump their dollar reserves, sending the value of our currency into a death spiral. The U.S. economy, which relies on the dollar being the global reserve currency, will collapse. Inflation will make the post-COVID spikes look like a rounding error. Your savings will be worthless before the ink dries on the invasion orders.

Corporate America will face an extinction event. U.S. companies will be expelled from the European market. Apple, Google, McDonald's, and Tesla will see their assets seized or their operations banned. Trillions of dollars in market capitalization will be incinerated in minutes. The stock market will not just crash; it will close. We are talking about the complete de-globalization of American industry, cutting us off from the wealthiest consumers on the planet.

The skies will go silent. European aviation authorities will almost certainly ground all Boeing jets and ban U.S. airlines from their airspace. Transatlantic travel will cease. If you are in Paris or Berlin, you are stuck there. The logistical arteries that feed our supply chains will be severed. We will be cut off from European medicine, machinery, and technology. We will be an island nation in the worst possible sense.

The cultural isolation will be just as stinging. The International Olympic Committee and FIFA will have no choice but to bar the United States from competition, just as they did with Russia. There will be no World Cup matches in New Jersey. There will be no Team USA in the Olympics. We will be treated as a pariah state, unwelcome on the global stage, forced to watch the world celebrate without us.

For individual Americans, the consequences will be personal and painful. Visa-free travel to Europe will end immediately. Americans currently living or working in Europe will lose their legal protections and residency status. They will become persona non grata, potentially facing deportation or internment. The "blue passport" that used to open every door will suddenly be a red flag at every border crossing.

This is the end of trust, and it does not reset. You cannot invade a democratic ally and then say "my bad" four years later. The psychological break will be permanent. Europe will realize that the United States is no longer a partner but a predator. They will build their own defense architecture, their own financial systems, and their own alliances that specifically exclude us. The West will continue, but the United States will no longer be part of it.

Invading Greenland is not a show of strength; it is an act of national suicide. We are trading our reputation, our economy, and our security for a frozen island and a handful of minerals we can't even process. The price of this real estate deal is everything we built over the last century. If we cross this line, there is no going back. We will be the lonely superpower, ruling over nothing but our own decline.

you lost every trumper after these words .... Long read,

17 minutes ago, Alpha_TATEr said:

you lost every trumper after these words .... Long read,

I know…🤣 still thought I’d put it up. Some really good points that I hope someone is able to transport into that toddler’s demented brain.😅

1 hour ago, JohnSnowsHair said:

I think you need both the presence and the policy to win on the left. But you have to thread the needle a bit.

The left has more people who have pet issues, maybe even single-issue voters. A winning Democratic candidate has to be able to strike the right tones on policy to collect enough of these voters to win, while also being as vague as possible on actual policy details in order to limit the right's ability to activate their own base against you.

But they also can't be stiffs.

Obama was very good at this IMHO. His presence and engagement as a political figure is phenomenal. He spoke to his audience about policy in abstract but relatable terms when he was at his best. It was his presence and aura that allowed him to maintain his popularity despite some of his presidential actions being at odds with his base: he was quite aggressive on going after illegal immigrants (this was moderated by focusing on criminal illegals that represented a public safety risk, not just "all illegals are equal criminals"), and his drone strikes both resulted in criticism from corners of the left, but overall most were willing to continue to support Obama.

I really like Pete, but he's probably too policy oriented, he has great speaking ability but is diminutive at 5'8" and comes off nerdy. I think he is best deployed as a foil on Fox.

I don't know what the answer is, but I don't it's as simple as "just focus on style and ignore policy", there's too many left-wing voters that subscribe to one or two issues at the expense of the big picture for that. Which is why the left is particularly vulnerable to the "Jill Stein" type effects.

You need both.

I have no idea what his presence is like, but a guy like Andy Beshear may fit the mold.

Beshear's immediately disqualified by your "no stiffs" line. He's terrible on camera. Newsom's the only one so far who's positioned himself well. Though I guess I'd leave the door open a bit for Pritzger.

Something like that yeah

1 hour ago, Frankfurteagle89 said:

We will be the lonely superpower, ruling over nothing but our own decline.

This is everything MAGA libertarians want: Fence up the borders, out of all the world affairs. Without realizing our own worth is directly tied to the rest of the world. It is extremely short-sighted. They love the country so much they want to sit back and watch its demise.

2 minutes ago, toolg said:

This is everything MAGA libertarians want: Fence up the borders, out of all the world affairs. Without realizing our own worth is directly tied to the rest of the world. It is extremely short-sighted. They love the country so much they want to sit back and watch its demise.

MAGA Libertarian is an oxymoron. By definition, if you voted for Trump, you're not a Libertarian.

49 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Beshear's immediately disqualified by your "no stiffs" line. He's terrible on camera. Newsom's the only one so far who's positioned himself well. Though I guess I'd leave the door open a bit for Pritzger.

Newsom and Kelly seem by far the most serious contenders. I have my doubts though that there will be any more elections. Serious doubts.

2 hours ago, Frankfurteagle89 said:

Long read, but quite interesting what consequences this would also have on the US..

The Suicide Pact: What Happens the Moment We Touch Greenland…

If the United States follows through on the threat to invade Greenland, we need to be crystal clear about what happens the next morning. This is not a real estate transaction or a routine military exercise. It is the geopolitical equivalent of pulling the pin on a grenade in a crowded elevator. The moment American boots hit the ground in Nuuk to seize territory from a fellow NATO member, the world as we know it ends. The consequences will not be temporary sanctions or angry letters. They will be total, permanent, and devastating.

The first domino to fall is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization itself. NATO is built on the sacred promise of Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all. If the U.S. attacks Denmark, we are not just breaking the treaty; we are triggering it against ourselves. NATO dissolves instantly. The alliance that kept the peace in Europe for 75 years evaporates, leaving the continent to rearm and realign against the new aggressor across the Atlantic. We don't just lose an ally; we create a unified enemy.

The military repercussions will be swift and humiliating. Europe will immediately demand the closure of every U.S. military base on the continent. Ramstein in Germany, Aviano in Italy, Lakenheath in the UK, all gone. Our ability to project power into the Middle East and Africa vanishes overnight. We will be evicted from the very soil we helped liberate and defended for decades, forced to retreat to our own shores as a fortress nation, isolated and friendless.

Then comes the economic nuclear option. The European Union is the largest single market in the world, and they will weaponize it. Europe will likely move to call in U.S. debt and dump their dollar reserves, sending the value of our currency into a death spiral. The U.S. economy, which relies on the dollar being the global reserve currency, will collapse. Inflation will make the post-COVID spikes look like a rounding error. Your savings will be worthless before the ink dries on the invasion orders.

Corporate America will face an extinction event. U.S. companies will be expelled from the European market. Apple, Google, McDonald's, and Tesla will see their assets seized or their operations banned. Trillions of dollars in market capitalization will be incinerated in minutes. The stock market will not just crash; it will close. We are talking about the complete de-globalization of American industry, cutting us off from the wealthiest consumers on the planet.

The skies will go silent. European aviation authorities will almost certainly ground all Boeing jets and ban U.S. airlines from their airspace. Transatlantic travel will cease. If you are in Paris or Berlin, you are stuck there. The logistical arteries that feed our supply chains will be severed. We will be cut off from European medicine, machinery, and technology. We will be an island nation in the worst possible sense.

The cultural isolation will be just as stinging. The International Olympic Committee and FIFA will have no choice but to bar the United States from competition, just as they did with Russia. There will be no World Cup matches in New Jersey. There will be no Team USA in the Olympics. We will be treated as a pariah state, unwelcome on the global stage, forced to watch the world celebrate without us.

For individual Americans, the consequences will be personal and painful. Visa-free travel to Europe will end immediately. Americans currently living or working in Europe will lose their legal protections and residency status. They will become persona non grata, potentially facing deportation or internment. The "blue passport" that used to open every door will suddenly be a red flag at every border crossing.

This is the end of trust, and it does not reset. You cannot invade a democratic ally and then say "my bad" four years later. The psychological break will be permanent. Europe will realize that the United States is no longer a partner but a predator. They will build their own defense architecture, their own financial systems, and their own alliances that specifically exclude us. The West will continue, but the United States will no longer be part of it.

Invading Greenland is not a show of strength; it is an act of national suicide. We are trading our reputation, our economy, and our security for a frozen island and a handful of minerals we can't even process. The price of this real estate deal is everything we built over the last century. If we cross this line, there is no going back. We will be the lonely superpower, ruling over nothing but our own decline.

Sounds like a good reason to cancel the elections, so the MAGAs in here say go for it.

5 minutes ago, dawkins4prez said:

Sounds like a good reason to cancel the elections, so the MAGAs in here say go for it.

I’d think elections would be the least of our worries if this scenario really happens. If the toddler really orders this lunatic attack, then he should receive the Mussolini treatment from 85% of the country.

Whats all this hubbub about no more elections? Who is going to become president after Trump? Just keep passing it to his other MAGA cabinet members?

I do believe the democrats also tried to continue letting Obama run the country.

Neither party staying in power is a good option. Until we can get a good centric candidate we need to bounce back and forth between the extremes every few years to try to balance things out.

2 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

Whats all this hubbub about no more elections? Who is going to become president after Trump? Just keep passing it to his other MAGA cabinet members?

I do believe the democrats also tried to continue letting Obama run the country.

Neither party staying in power is a good option. Until we can get a good centric candidate we need to bounce back and forth between the extremes every few years to try to balance things out.

This is some platinum level contortionism trying to shoehorn Dems into this issue.

6 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

This is some platinum level contortionism trying to shoehorn Dems into this issue.

youre just dumb. now can you answer the question? Id like to know what legitimate reasons other than scare tactics exist to make people keep saying no more elections in this thread.

2 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

youre just dumb. now can you answer the question? Id like to know what legitimate reasons other than scare tactics exist to make people keep saying no more elections in this thread.

Maybe the fact that Trump said we shouldn't have elections yesterday. Just a guess.

3 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Maybe the fact that Trump said we shouldn't have elections yesterday. Just a guess.

JFC, here we go again. he's joking/taken out of context. Until he does it and then he does what he says, rah-rah.

Yes, there is ZERO f'ing chance for Trump abiding by a lost election in November . ZERO and MAGA knows it.

8 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Maybe the fact that Trump said we shouldn't have elections yesterday. Just a guess.

@HazletonEagle "I voted for Trump because he says what he means and does what he says!"

7 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Maybe the fact that Trump said we shouldn't have elections yesterday. Just a guess.

oh ok. I figured maybe you guys understood a plan of how he would actually get away with that.

I do also remember hearing him say he wouldnt be interested in a 3rd term. So now do we not freak out? Or do we continue freaking out?

1 minute ago, HazletonEagle said:

oh ok. I figured maybe you guys understood a plan of how he would actually get away with that.

I do also remember hearing him say he wouldnt be interested in a 3rd term. So now do we not freak out? Or do we continue freaking out?

Why would a president say any of that nonsense though? Seems silly

Just now, Boogyman said:

Why would a president say any of that nonsense though? Seems silly

It was a theory from the left far before he ever mentioned it. Then of course he starts getting asked about it. Then he trolls you.

I dont know if its true or not. Im just curious to see if there is any legitimacy to the rumor of if its just people being scared.

3 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

oh ok. I figured maybe you guys understood a plan of how he would actually get away with that.

I do also remember hearing him say he wouldnt be interested in a 3rd term. So now do we not freak out? Or do we continue freaking out?

Brother you are the one being ridiculous. The only reason he abided by the election results in 2020 is because Mike Pence and some GOp election officials refused to follow his blatantly illegal attempt to stay in power. That happened, why do you pretend it didn't?