[Youngian]

After issuing death threats to Liz Chaney this week, Trump rounds the week off by simulating blow jobs with a microphone.

[Oboogie]

Trump rounds the week off by simulating blow jobs with a microphone.

Was that to the YMCA by any chance?

[davidjay]

This is the next leader of the free world, people.

[Crabcakes]

Normally I wouldn’t put too much stock in celebrity endorsements. But Harrison Ford endorsing Harris and Walz is essentially Indiana Jones saying don’t vote Nazi. And I’m not sure the imagery gets much stronger than that.

(It’s also a very good ad.)

[Crabcakes]

Harris now polling ahead in Iowa, according to a reputable pollster.

Trump won Iowa in 2016 and 2020. This is very bad for him - and consequently fucking excellent for the rest of us.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This seems almost too good to be true.

To set against that, the acknowledged Nevada guy. Jon Ralston, is pessimistic about Democrats winning there. Nevada might be in the Trump sweet spot, with people who've from California and with a lots of Roman Catholics not fussed about abortion and more worried about immigration. And the Republicans did win the Governorship in 2022, defeating the Democrat incumbent.

[davidjay]

Yet again, you wonder how so many seemingly normal people will vote for a man who only wants to be President because it'll keep him out of prison. I don't mean the gun-totin', conspiracy-theorising MAGAs, but people who in other respects are perfectly sane but are prepared to forget when America became a pariah state under a President who encouraged armed insurrection.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

1. Racists
2. Misogynists
3. Anti-abortion evangelical Christians
4. Know-nothings*


*People who are scared of having a President with intelligence, which they don't trust...

[Malcolm Armsteen]

The problem of America, the failing state...

The foundation of the nation was on a basis of religious puritanism and intolerance, racism and misogyny. The Puritan world view and attitudes has been imposed on people of many cultures as a result, even though they do not subscribe to it. This leads to tension and a divided society. One might almost say a schizophrenic society.

Conformity and obedience have always been a determinator of acceptability, where any movement from the norm is seen as deviance and is heavily punished. Authority is to be obeyed, not challenged. Seen in the position of women, in the 1950s and again now, and in the Hippy movement of the 1960s and 70s, and the mainstream reaction. Think Gilead, it’s all about control by a small group of white men.

There has always been this deep misogyny in society. This comes from the primitive religious beliefs of the Founding Fathers and the controlling mindset.

There has always been institutionalised racism in society. Even after slavery was abolished. It is significant that the USA was the last major nation to abolish serfdom, at least in law if not in custom. The racist attitudes from slavery are still present in much of society.

The Declaration of Independence was deeply flawed and has been a hindrance to progress as a result. It does not take into account women, Indigenous Americans or slaves. It should be seen as a document aimed against the British crown, not a statement of universal freedom.

The reliance on a 200 year old constitution is fetishistic and harmful. This is particularly true of the 1st and 2nd Amendments which were drafted in very different circumstances and for very different purposes from those for which they are invoked now. Every other nation knows that constitutions must change according to circumstance, but amendments to the constitution have never been enough and can show caprice and are never permanent - see Prohibition.

The ‘American Dream’ is essentially self-centred and anti-social. Everyone believes that, with the right breaks, they too could be a millionaire, so anything which degrades the position of millionaires is seen as an attack on aspiration.

There is a cultural suspicion of clever people, especially politicians. At one time this led to the formation of the ‘Know Nothing’ party - in the 1850s, but the attitudes never went away.

The ‘Frontier Spirit’ fosters anti-social attitudes. Rugged Individualism is the exact opposite of responsible social attitudes and has led to the current position in healthcare, working conditions and so on.

American exceptionalism is deep rooted, uncalled for and populist (so never challenged).

And the final destructive factor; there are many movements opposing all of these factors, and the reaction against them deters progress and causes dysfunction.

[Youngian]

The areas Puritans settled in New England became the most secular and non religious parts of America. Can't quite remember the reason why but I think it's to do with the value they placed on educational development.

[Tubby Isaacs]

And yet, failing state America has surged ahead of Europe since 2008. Sure, you got a lot of disingenuous bollocks from Republicans about Ben Bernanke debasing the dollar, and Obama deliberately ruining America with debt, but they know deep down how unpopular the results of their cuts would be. When they controlled Presidency, House and Senate they swerved fiscal conservatism. Europe didn't.

I don't know if this was a happy accident, or there's something American which explains it.

[Youngian]

US isn't facing the same depopulation problems as Europe and East Asia. Despite Trump it can still attract the brightest and best who want to and can become Americans.

[Tubby Isaacs]

That doesn't help Europe, but it only explains a small part of the difference, and anyway, Europeans could have made a sensible pitch to their electorates about immigration. Fiscal policy is more important, and Obama held off austerity till about 2013. The Republicans went expansionist in 2016, and Biden (the first Democrat for 30 years not to take Republican debt hawkers as good faith) continued that. Biden and Trump appointee Jerome Powell got the Covid stimulus right, despite all the crap they took for it. As Simon Wren-Lewis said when Biden was taking criticism, Germany was likely to get the inflation without the growth. And so it proved.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Another area I think America may have got it right, despite it not having been universally thought at the time, was in its relatively relaxed attitude to anti-trust. The European Commission are much hotter on it, and that's what textbooks said should be done. Did it work though? Maybe Microsoft got away with too much, but equally it built on its position in America to become a worldwide asset for America (albeit less so than for Bill Gates). The Single Market was supposed to be a launch pad for this sort of worldwide firm, but it seems like it's not been.

Was that luck or design? Perhaps, America fluked a good outcome because it was corrupt.

On the downside, America is now stuck with domestic tech bro oligarchs. None of these have endeared themselves to the Democrats, and hopefully they will get trustbusted now.

[The Weeping Angel]

And yet, failing state America has surged ahead of Europe since 2008. Sure, you got a lot of disingenuous bollocks from Republicans about Ben Bernanke debasing the dollar, and Obama deliberately ruining America with debt, but they know deep down how unpopular the results of their cuts would be. When they controlled Presidency, House and Senate they swerved fiscal conservatism. Europe didn't.

I don't know if this was a happy accident, or there's something American which explains it.

Also compare and our contrast our economy with theirs over the last four years and see whose the failing state.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I was including that period in what I said.

Republicans are obviously awful, especially in the Senate, but a bunch of them voted for the infrastructure bill. And even Mike Johnson let a handy tax credit pass in return for something else I can't remember.

[The Weeping Angel]

I was including that period in what I said.

Republicans are obviously awful, especially in the Senate, but a bunch of them voted for the infrastructure bill. And even Mike Johnson let a handy tax credit pass in return for something else I can't remember.

Didn't see that. As for Mike Johnson he's said he would repeal the CHIPS act so that will go down well in the rust belt.

[kreuzberger]

And they have the audacity to her "camel-toe"...

[Malcolm Armsteen]

And yet, failing state America has surged ahead of Europe since 2008. Sure, you got a lot of disingenuous bollocks from Republicans about Ben Bernanke debasing the dollar, and Obama deliberately ruining America with debt, but they know deep down how unpopular the results of their cuts would be. When they controlled Presidency, House and Senate they swerved fiscal conservatism. Europe didn't.

I don't know if this was a happy accident, or there's something American which explains it.

Also compare and our contrast our economy with theirs over the last four years and see whose the failing state.

Only if you also look at racism, religious bigotry, acts of mass violence, worsening working conditions, the loss of women's rights, problems of drug abuse, inflation and the costs of medical care.

[The Weeping Angel]

Well for one thing America's unions have actually been doing quite well in America under Biden, Inflation is actually falling and is lower than it is over here. Crime is on the whole down in America as for racisim well I remember the summer here so it's not like we're immune from that. Its also not like we've got a problem with drug abuse here either. As for Abortion well ironically that has proven to a problem for Republicans.