Anybody that the Republicans put in charge of any federal agency is there for the purpose of destroying that agency. I used to think defense was an exception but, given Republican’s new found love for Russia, I don’t think that can be assumed any longer.

Right wingers have an unreasonably radical view of liberals because that’s what the right wing hate machine churns out relentlessly. Liberals think most right wingers are confused but reasonable because thinking otherwise clashes with liberal philosophy. Leftists think that right wingers are rabid fascists because right wingers always show themselves to be rabid fascists the moment someone gives them permission. Enlightened centrists think both sides have equal and opposite prejudices because they like that vibe, not because it reflects reality.

He was arguably a worse president than even Trump. Which of them is a worse human being is a different question.

After End Game they stopped being Marvel movies and started being Disney movies.

Agreed. It’s pretty telling that none of these corporations would accept an open ended arbitration clause in their dealings with any other corporation.

I could see very specific cases where arbitration makes sense with a very well defined scope. “Parties agree that disputes over widget quality related to this agreement are to be adjudicated by the Widget Quality Counsel”. The courts are not always the best arbiters for every dispute.

However, what we have now is every corporation finding ways to slide arbitration clauses of global scope into every transaction. That is always bullshit.

Arbitration contracts, especially in click-through licenses, are always bullshit and should be universally thrown out.

It was pro-Israel protesters that rioted and pro-Palestine/anti-genocide protesters that paid the price.

Are you implying that this hasn’t also happened recently in the US?

Means testing is almost always a bad approach, but neoliberals love it. Verifying eligibility often adds administrative overhead costs that overwhelm the savings for the program. It also creates income traps where people are effectively punished for doing better, and such effects get worse over time as the eligibility requirements often don’t get adjusted for inflation. Universal benefit programs are also harder for the right wing to vilify and terminate.

Progressive taxation policies are a much better way to address inequality issues.

If someone wants to do that, why would they be Republican?

Right wing political propaganda is indeed everywhere, and that is a serious problem. However, encouraging citizens to “TUNE OUT” media in general is the opposite of a solution. The ONLY defense against misinformation is an informed public. Propaganda thrives in ignorance.

You attempt to sidestep this by suggesting that people look just at voting records, but that is a far from complete solution. First of all, voting records exist in the “everywhere” of right wing propaganda, because bills so often combine good and bad features that must be balanced. Politics is about compromise, and compromise greatly complicates voting records. Second, the party establishments get to decide what does or doesn’t come up for a vote, which gives them tremendous power to manipulate what those voting records look like.

You and I have been paying attention for the same period, but clearly have different perspectives on what happened. I’ve watched for over 30 years as the Democrats have painstakingly done everything necessary to create the fertile soil for the right wing to plant the seeds of fascism.

Step one in creating a fascist movement is to create a disaffected population, and the message of “shut-up and vote” is exactly what gets that done.

No, Democrats and Republicans are not “the same”, but they are more similar than they should be. Bill Clinton was right of even Reagan on several important issues. It was Clinton that dismantled the federal welfare state, and I see absolutely no evidence that he has grown to see the issues differently. He was not a victim of the times, he was leading the charge. Obama has likewise shown zero evidence that he has moved beyond the views of his pathetically ineffective presidency.

Biden was even further to the right in than Clinton, and his presidency has been surprisingly progressive. Credit where credit is due, Biden indeed has evolved. He’s still not “my guy”, but he is a rare instance where a prominent Democrat has learned something from his mistakes, and that should be acknowledged.

My message is “Stay informed and engaged, and make your voice heard. We should seek to be represented, not ruled by either party.”

I almost admire the way you’ve distilled Democratic messaging down to it’s very essence. “Don’t think, just vote. All media but captured mainstream sources are infotainment and will make you sad, so only listen to the vapid elites!”

Sure, yes, please, everyone vote for the Democrata this fall. But this messaging is everything that led to the rise of Trump and his band of fascists in the first place.

Why is it that only the worst legislation gets bipartisan support?

I was in IT back in 2001 when the Code Red virus hit. It was a very similar situation where entire enterprises in totally unrelated fields were brought down. So many infected machines were still trying to replicate that corporate networks and Internet backbone routers were getting absolutely crushed.

Prior to that, trying to get real funding for securing networks was almost impossible. Suddenly security was the hottest topic in IT and corporations were throwing money at all the snake oil Silicon Valley could produce.

That lasted for a couple years, then things started going back to business as usual. Microsoft in particular was making all sorts of promises and boasts about how they made security their top priority, but that never really happened. Security remained something slapped on at the end of product development and was never allowed to interfere with producing products demanded by marketing with inherently insecure designs.

Kamala’s campaign is a few hours in, but she isn’t suddenly in the lead (although she actually is) so it’s time to give up folks! Sure, that makes sense.

She was never a federal prosecutor. She has never been accused of this kind of “behavior”.

Pretty much right wing think tanks and their RNC contacts. You can start with anyone involved in project 2025.

The party of working Americans. /s

Sorry I participated in the grizzley murder of your loved ones, but don’t forget to vote for me this November! You wouldn’t want us to blame you of the other guy wins!