The executive branch isn't the only issue, if we're talking state problems.
Moscow Mitch is basically holding the Senate hostage and using that position to cram the courts with regressive judges. This is and was their goal. This will shape policy for years. Thank god RBG's managed to hold on for so long.
My biggest sadness with this whole discussion is that it highlights the prevailing sentiments of opposition and being against things, rather than being for things.
Instead of a society full of hope and possibilities, we're in an environment full of fear and "what can we do to stop X!?" That applies across the entire political spectrum as I see it.
It's the not-so-subtle difference in worldview between "let's improve X" and "let's stop (the converse of) X". I understand there is a place for both views, but they need to be in balance. Right now I see very little balance, and that makes me tired.
EDIT: An example here is from the above discussion talking about the fears that drive far- and alt-right behaviors: if we focus on addressing the fears the resulting behavior is likely to vanish, but if we focus on trying to stop the behaviors it's going to be a drawn-out battle. I would prefer most of the effort going to relieving fears, rather than most of the effort focusing on the bellicose. Put another way - if you could make people comfortable, they are probably not going to behave aggressively unless they are just the type of people who like aggression.
Societies tend to get overly aggressive only when a large enough population feels like they are no worse off for being aggressive than they are for being passive; that is, people do enjoy aggression so to help avoid it you have to make it not worth the risk. Right now we have a situation where the risks aren't enough to avoid the aggression: people feel they have nothing to lose, so aggression makes sense.
i'm absolutely of the mindset of "let's improve". Let's improve access to healthcare and higher knowledge. Improve infrastructure for more efficient transportations of goods. Improve our energy generation and that infrastructure too so it's cheaper (damn near free) and as environmentally friendly as possible.
That is simply not possible in this system. CEOs are beholden to their stockholders, and stockholders want money. They don't care how they get it. Fines for polluting the environment and deaths accrued to the damages are the cost of business. Republicans jump on the fears of the common man to turn him against himself in order to stay elected and grift the system.
This is why I'm voting Bernie/Warren/Blue. It better not be Biden. I hope reform is still possible. But there are fires in communities that need to be tamped out. And I'm not going to fault those communities for doing it themselves.
Besides, there's no epidemic of undirected Antifa violence. No Antifa shooters targetting white supremacist gatherings. Even after Nigel Farage got milkshaked, it fell out of the news quickly. Even quicker when Sargon of Akkad got shaked. And when the Australian fascist got egged. These moments were generally celebrated and fell out of the news quickly. (Save the egg, but that's because the kid got assaulted by two very large men afterward.)
Like SalmonGod said, Richard Spencer, the face of the Alt-Right for the longest time, stopped because it "wasn't fun anymore". At rallies, people are removing their hateful symbols and trying to leave quietly. They can't play the pity game when we keep calling them out and taking control of the dialogue.
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Topic: AmeriPol thread (Read 4453132 times)