Post AjkZlconsvutzWUtnM by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) More posts by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #AjkYad12i8R9SpPlVQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T09:31:33Z
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It's interesting that Democrats in general are doing better than Biden in particular in some swing state polls. There has been an increase in "split ticket" responses to polls in swing states. People who say they will vote for Trump for president, but Democrats in down-ticket local races. These aren't large numbers of people but they are larger than normal and enough to swing races. This shows the sheer power of media IMO. 1/
(DIR) Post #AjkZ0UeqPNkV4TMgb2 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T09:36:13Z
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Media have been repeating this idea that Biden's age is a serious problem. If you keep hearing that there is something wrong you assume it's important. But what exactly is the problem? I remember Ronald Regan, Mitch McConnell, both being in similar states. It makes me sad to see old men wasting the twilight years of their life clinging to power, but it's nothing new. And if Biden can't function we have a vice president. It's just not a "problem" on the same scale as Trump. 2/
(DIR) Post #AjkZHIIXcB2xf2waUy by tuban_muzuru@ohai.social
2024-07-09T09:39:13Z
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@futurebird Biden: I'm gonna increase taxes on big corps and billionaires.BC+B: Oh really? Watch this, old guy.
(DIR) Post #AjkZImmVlPgWUdfozA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T09:39:14Z
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Only Biden himself can decide to pass the baton. I don't think pressuring him is working. I understand that it's exciting to think about being free of the guy. But Harris isn't a big improvement in terms of policy. Harris would invigorate the black vote. Harris would face sexism and racism that will cancel this advantage. If you put in anyone other than Harris you invite disaster. And if Biden is so near to the next plane anyway, maybe you get her anyways. Who Cares?3/
(DIR) Post #AjkZe8gbW9eoVj5nay by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T09:43:21Z
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I don't really care what Biden decides at this point. Just aim to win. He seems to have decided that he thinks he can stay, so at this point those still beating the "retire" drum seem like they are undermining the larger project. I'm writing post cards, and will be canvassing in PA. If this goes south I won't be the one feeling like maybe I should have done more. 4/
(DIR) Post #AjkZlconsvutzWUtnM by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T09:44:44Z
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I've said I can't stand Biden and that's still true. But I consider the plans and rhetoric of republicans so deeply antithetical to the few things that make this country good I've been compelled to act. Could we please have a little less of the friendly fire? Please?It doesn't matter to me if it Biden or Harris or god help us someone else, we must not allow Trump back in office and it's within our power to stop him. 5/5
(DIR) Post #AjkZz2J0R4qEnq1Fk8 by Extra_Special_Carbon@mastodon.world
2024-07-09T09:47:08Z
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@futurebird I don’t think Biden can drop out without legal challenges that have Republicans salivating. Imagine no opposition to Trump on the ballot. If Biden drops out, it’s likely. SCOTUS won’t save us, we know that.
(DIR) Post #AjkaDq0ISJKqzeKH20 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T09:49:47Z
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@Extra_Special_Carbon Really? That makes this all even worse. But who would bring the challenges if Biden says "No I do not want to."The first key deadline WAS OH. But when Biden decided to use that to lock in the nomination early the republicans in OH had a special session to take it away!Politics is so ugly isn't it?https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-biden-ohio-ballot-af8793cb7ab488bdba37f71d03a10f43
(DIR) Post #Ajkaqo7FPORMQq9wI4 by Extra_Special_Carbon@mastodon.world
2024-07-09T09:56:51Z
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@futurebird Republicans would bring the challenges. Politics is particularly ugly when media has clearly picked a side. Everyone is being manipulated.
(DIR) Post #Ajkb0VDOXJSehwepoO by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T09:58:37Z
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I've seen some people saying it's democratic partisans who are "ignoring the age issue" and trying to shut down these calls for Biden to drop out.But I think the real difference is who is taking the threat posed by Trump seriously. He wants to make nearly all government jobs political appointments. Everything from the post office to the EPA, FDA everything politicized-- What would a political FDA do with treatments for things they don't think exist?
(DIR) Post #AjkbIsJ7PzoVXX5zMm by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T10:01:56Z
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Remember acid rain? Remember the hole in the ozone? For all the imperfections we *have* made progress. This is down to having people doing all these regulatory roles who are well schooled in their work, not trying to follow conservative buzz word trends. This is a plan to wind the clock backwards. It will be very bad and take decades to undo.
(DIR) Post #AjkbTKVFRUXvsnkpEm by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T10:03:50Z
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@Extra_Special_Carbon Media want this to be a media event. If they were truthful and balanced Trump would be so unelectable that the race would be boring. But we can't have that. Never mind what all is at stake, think of all the ad buys and eyeballs. It's worth billions to them, they can't help it I supposes. So they MUST make it seem like this is a "race" --
(DIR) Post #Ajkby8MQdYNdCYJkfI by Extra_Special_Carbon@mastodon.world
2024-07-09T10:09:22Z
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@futurebird The media could have their media event. Trump is a disaster on every front. He was found guilty on 34 felony counts. His people are in prison. He tried to overthrow the government.They don’t want a media event, they want Trump to win. We’re being manipulated to make Biden look bad.
(DIR) Post #AjkcpJPGIefMo604Js by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T10:19:00Z
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@Extra_Special_Carbon If this were totally true we'd be in worse shape I think. I don't think it's cut and dry either way. Media is an organism, full of intersecting and different interests. There is a lot of money and some people in positions of power in media who are trying to help Trump in every way that they can. But what I'm talking about are more aggregate forces that permeate all institutions.
(DIR) Post #AjkdaTL7BcjrDyY2oC by CedarTea@social.coop
2024-07-09T10:27:31Z
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@futurebirdWhen I've seen people bring up Biden's age, at least on here, it's mostly in the context of it being a liability for him beating Trump. I don't think it's fair to say that they're not taking the threat of Trump seriously, only that they have a different analysis of what the best way to beat him is.And if none of the candidates will take any meaningful action then I agree it really doesn't matter who it is - just pick the best horse for the race.
(DIR) Post #AjkjB1wwU3bOlHUdm4 by lkngrrr@hachyderm.io
2024-07-09T11:30:08Z
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@futurebird Thing is, we already survived the spoils system.It was Chester A. Arthur, a major beneficiary of the spoils system and otherwise unnotable replacement-level Gilded Age president, who actually ended it and installed a proper civil service.
(DIR) Post #AjkjuHwFssKRNikiH2 by nazokiyoubinbou@mastodon.social
2024-07-09T11:38:20Z
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@futurebird @Extra_Special_Carbon The thing that drives me positively *batty* about this is each of these media companies who are doing these things that ultimately help Trump for temporary profits are also among those that if Trump manages to regain power he legitimately might actually have executed... (This is not hyperbole, he's already floating the idea of executing his "enemies" and he is VERY mad at almost every actual MSM -- even Fox has managed to anger him...)
(DIR) Post #AjkkgLpYiVdVLuXRZ2 by nazokiyoubinbou@mastodon.social
2024-07-09T11:47:01Z
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@futurebird I imagine ultimately the Trump FDA would focus solely on maximizing profits. That means turning the medicine industry into the same thing as the "dietary supplement" industry (there is a reason all those dietary supplements have to say "this is not intended to diagnose or treat a disease in very fine print.)I'm reminded of how the real FDA once cracked down on someone selling bitter almond as a cancer cure. Trump's FDA would turn that into a large-scale industry instead.
(DIR) Post #Ajkku5mrABiZeFpJdg by CatHat@mstdn.party
2024-07-09T11:49:29Z
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@futurebird Genocidal authoritarian absolutely determined to genocide 2.3 million people on behalf of a foreign country..American cops are trained by the same ones committing genocide in gaza and Bidenthinks it should be illegal to be disloyal the Zionist colony.The IOF a like Isis.Meanwhile...Since the 2006 election of 🔻Palestinian resistance factions in gaza have zilch record of doing anything that isn't consistent with justified resistance given their situation.
(DIR) Post #AjksPAw4lnLSGyuKoK by kynyc@mas.to
2024-07-09T11:46:36Z
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@CedarTea @futurebird Biden could have shut down replacement talk with a press conference and showing ability to talk without losing his train of thought. He can't do it, and this means he's likely going reveal worse things and lose.
(DIR) Post #AjksPBrrIxZ9ABwTsO by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T13:13:34Z
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@kynyc @CedarTea He's done this? I don't think that it's that easy to shut down this talk when variously you have people who want power among democrats, people who want to divide the party, and all the lookyloos of the media all searching for some gristle to chew upon and this issue is the only one that seems to engage the public to make the race seem "close"
(DIR) Post #Ajl1DUSTG7oUvvYyHI by kellogh@hachyderm.io
2024-07-09T14:52:13Z
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@futurebird a software engineering mentor once told me that, instead of failover to other components, spend time fixing the problems with the primary component so you don’t need to failover at all.i keep thinking about this with biden. sure, harris can step in, so why not just make her the president to begin with?what about partial failure? what if biden’s performance degrades but not enough for VP failover? seems like it turns over to unelected admin staff, which is probably worse
(DIR) Post #Ajl1SMbYjwv4v6uFRw by kynyc@mas.to
2024-07-09T14:54:57Z
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@futurebird @CedarTea I would like to step away from total fascism, just like you. I think his refusal to take any cognitive test is disqualifying. There's got to be some basic ones, where he only discloses if/when he passes. Being less coherent than Trump is pretty newsworthy, IMO. Trump didn't deteriorate, but Biden's mental acuity was hidden and is now a major issue according to polls.
(DIR) Post #AjlDOVPVG4iUWPC59E by Elizabeth3@toot.community
2024-07-09T17:08:42Z
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@futurebird @Extra_Special_Carbon whichever way it is, it’s disastrous. What should we be reading? I just canceled my nytimes subscription. I don’t just want just a left perspective either, I want a good newspaper.
(DIR) Post #AjlXSMpt4ta8AbeaZc by mrcompletely@heads.social
2024-07-09T20:53:32Z
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@futurebird side note (i agree with where you're going in this thread) - imo a lot of the "Biden is too old" talk is a proxy for misogyny and racism, i.e. "Biden will likely die in office and I don't want the mean black lady as president". I think this extends to some of the media who simply dislike Harris.
(DIR) Post #AjlXZa2QOID58vxPfs by mrcompletely@heads.social
2024-07-09T20:54:49Z
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@futurebird cheers to you for this. I'm a hard radical left idealist in my heart, but in this world full of vulnerable people I care about I'm a realpolitik progressive when I have to be. So I'm with ya