Fnord

When I was younger and more into partying, I moved from the Midwest to Cali. Those 10:00 start times were brutal for a guy used to rolling out of bed at 11:45 with a banging hangover. Fast fwd to the last couple years I spent there, now with a wife and kid, and I luxuriated in being able to watch 9+ hours of football and still be in bed before 10. I know Jerry gets his jollies from this, but it doesn’t bother me. Not all of us wanna live in a state in which summertime sunshine is a negative.

Spoiler alert! I haven't seen the movie. But I'm on board with your logic. Sadly, we are just old men that are desperately trying to hold onto our memories of a functional society powered by people, not a society where the people are in thrall to their machines.

Because of dipshits like you that are so hopelessly partisan they won't allow a scrap of sanity to reach them? We know.

Deservedly so. But then, were Don to have a D behind his name, he would never have made it out of his first year in office.

I'm telling you, they are wholly ignorant. You think Fox and Gateway Pundit are covering Don's bribery schemes? I've caught some Fox News recently because my dad watches it. Unless the news side is occasionally mentioning it, there is NOTHING. It's just a 100% bash dems for everything, praise Don for everything. It's focking lunacy. Every time I bring something up to my old man about this admin's corruption, the inevitable response is "I haven't heard about that." Dude gorges himself on RWM.

Like I said, I'm still putting 15-20% of the blame on Dems. They know they're inflicting pain, and there's a good chance many of them DGAF. The only saving grace here is that if they capitulate, all of the ensuing fallout can be squarely placed on the GOP. The flip side to that is that those getting their news from RWM know little of Trump's corruption, and are unlikely to believe any of it could possibly be the Don's fault. They will continue to believe that their ongoing malaise is somehow not Don's fault.

The story is out there being reported on. FLOOD THE ZONE is working better in practice than it did in Steve Bannon's drunken fever dream fantasies. And RWM is ignoring it completely, natch.

Thanks. You're saying the Dems don't have the votes to pass what they want, so they're throwing a tantrum. Well, the GOP doesn't have the votes they need either. So, despite the Dems offering to keep the gov't open on the stipulation that aid continues to AMERICAN CITIZENS, which are also represented by the GOP, Mike Johnson refuses to let that vote happen, which would end the shutdown, which is what MJ claims they want. Sorry, I don't buy it. This admin has shown it cannot be trusted. Given other things going on that we would disagree about and I don't want to mention in this thread, I cannot see how this can be pinned entirely on either party, but especially not the D's. There is zero incentive for them to give away the tiny shred of leverage they have. Other than people being sick and hungry, of course. But appeasement isn't going to keep anyone fed and healthy, either.

Obviously we don't agree on blame, which is fine. But allow me to ask: how is this 100% on dems when they have offered to vote immediately to pass a CR as long as it includes extensions on SNAP and ACA subsidies that are set to expire? SOTH refuses to call them back for a vote. Those are the dem priorities, and they are being blocked by the guy that also refuses to swear in a Democratic congresswoman from AZ because she'll vote to release the Epstein files. If Dems are willing to die on a hill, I think affordable health care and ensuring poor people get fed are about as good as a hill gets. I know you share concerns about these things, so what are your thoughts?

My favorite team, the Vikings, have technically played in a Super Bowl in my lifetime. I was still an infant.

Sure did! Though none of us had any idea what queer meant...

WANT TO? Agreed, neither side wants to deal with the other. The dems offered to vote on continuing SNAP payments and ACA subsidies, Reps declined. I don't like it, but at this point I don't see a way out. The dems can't vote for a CR based on promises, because this admin is completely untrustworthy. Initially, I viewed this as about 80% on the dems, now I'm closer to 85% Reps. Don't worry, though. None of the negative news about Trump ever pierces the veil for anyone supporting him, so your boy is safe, as always, from any blowback.

Alicia Vikander? Yes please.

Yeah... dishes and household chores. Let's go with that.

Oh my. Can you remind me what that emergency funding is earmarked for, and why suddenly Don can't release it because it's been congressionally appropriated to be spent elsewhere when he's never had qualms about moving money around against Congressional wishes for his own favored programs? Why does Don want people to starve? I know, of course, he'd be more than happy to have everyone that didn't vote for him die a grisly death, but many of these folks actually voted for him. How can father be so cruel?

So the solution is fock em all and let em starve! Great plan.

The Dems are in a no-win situation here. While I think shutdowns are utter bullshit and speak to a failure of our gov't as a whole, this shutdown is ultimately benefiting Trump, even if the public overwhelmingly blames him. The bolded is frightening. I've never felt nuking the filibuster was a good idea, but Trump is out there trying to get it done. At what point will people realize that everything he's doing is aligned with keeping himself and the GOP in power indefinitely?

My open enrollment starts tomorrow. I've been avoiding looking at how much the premiums are going up. I've heard some chilling numbers tossed around.

Those are like the only two people you DO interact with here. It's interesting, since you go after them every day while obviously hating both of them, but keep me on ignore. Why is that?

Jesus man! How about some warning? I made the mistake of clicking on that video and watched about 6 seconds before remembering I could probably get fired for watching that at work. Can't wait to get home to watch it though! Hubba hubba

Pfft. We've got important stuff to talk about like the SOFI stadium replica being built east of the WH. But seriously, MAGA does. not. care. I'm starting to fear that there's no coming back for some of these folks.

I'd bet your numbers are way off and that you know some people that rely on those benefits and just don't talk about it.

RAGE

File this under "bullshit meant to distract" in the FLOOD THE ZONE strategy. Funding isn't secured, it'll take forever to build, and by that time we'll have a million other things to care more about. While it's a great example of how this admin feels about the American populace, ultimately it's so far out in the future it's meaningless. If MAGA is to be defeated, we need to keep pounding the current, important, ongoing criminal schemes that resonate with people: extrajudicial murders being perpetrated by the Dept of War trampling of 1A and civil rights by ICE and CBP executive law breaking, overreach and authoritarianism cost of living/SNAP/ insurance fiascos and the gov't shutdown the massive out-in-the-open bribery schemes of the Trump crypto and WH ballroom ventures.

I was not looking to get into a debate over this. I was just pointing out that I don't believe men have ovaries, and that I feel pretty confident that those thoughts are shared by the vast majority of Americans, despite what MAGA likes to claim. As you said, we can take this to another thread, but you and I are MOSTLY in agreement on the above. I do appreciate the respectful follow up!