America - The Official Thread

[UKMikey]

Relevant:

Maybe he was influenced by the ideas behind our Rwanda initiative in the UK.

 

[Dotini]

Fact #1: Price stability is the bedrock of the economy. All nations who stray from this are ****ed.

 

[Blitz24]

Maybe he was influenced by the ideas behind our Rwanda initiative in the UK.

Or (sort of) by the Australian model.

 

[Danoff]

@Danoff

I have argued with many Republicans who still believe that they are the party of personal liberty, business opportunity, and small government. In fact I was just arguing with one yesterday. He looked at me with a straight face and said those things.

None of that has been particularly true in 20 years. And it has been actively untrue for at least 10. Yet that mythos persists, at least in some of their own minds.

But then... can you be a good person?

Suppose that you're supporting the republican party because you believe in personal liberty, business opportunity, and small government. You're doing so then with complete disregard for all of reality, and actively helping bad people as a result of your own self-imposed blindfold. I'm not sure you can call that "good".

 

[TexRex]

Maybe he was influenced by the ideas behind our Rwanda initiative in the UK.

I like to think of it as anti-liberal virtue signaling or even unvirtue signaling; showing those to whom you wish to appeal just how awful you can be. It's no longer sufficient to say "I'm not politically correct." And I think it's a major component of modern American conservatism.

I don't blame Trump for what the GOP has become on the whole. I'm certain I've said this before. The GOP was broken and he capitalized on that fact. But what I absolutely do blame Trump for is the GOP's recognizing that being wantonly cruel is actually appealing to the base. Of course they do recognize it and that they do is on display with recent policy efforts enabled by the conservative activist majority Supreme Court.

 

[UKMikey]

I like to think of it as anti-liberal virtue signaling or even unvirtue signaling; showing those to whom you wish to appeal just how awful you can be. It's no longer sufficient to say "I'm not politically correct." And I think it's a major component of modern American conservatism.

Vice signalling.

 

[TexRex]

Vice signalling.

Eh. I've got vices. I don't think vice is quite the contrast to virtue in this context.

If I try to replace virtue with vice in the context of signaling, what comes to mind is rock and roll hedonism wherein it's not enough to indulge in vice, rather the culture necessitates doing so publicly.

 

[UKMikey]

If I try to replace virtue with vice in the context of signaling, what comes to mind is rock and roll hedonism

Damn it. Don't make me dig out my old punk records.

In reality I figure those Republicans who indulge their vices prefer to keep them under wraps rather than signal them to the world, so your point is very much taken.

 

[Duke]

But then... can you be a good person?

Suppose that you're supporting the republican party because you believe in personal liberty, business opportunity, and small government. You're doing so then with complete disregard for all of reality, and actively helping bad people as a result of your own self-imposed blindfold. I'm not sure you can call that "good".

I'm not sure of the importance of this question. But no, if what you actually do (as opposed to what you think you're doing) directly empowers bad people to do bad things, you're not being a good person.

At best it gets filed under 'unintended consequences'. At worst it forms a real, psychotic disconnect with reality.

None of that is specific to Republicanism, however.

 

[Joey D]

What a god-awful trade this is:

CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan

After months of internal debate, the Biden administration has offered to exchange Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US prison sentence, as part of a potential deal to secure the release of two Americans held by Russia, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, according...

edition.cnn.com

 

[Danoff]

I'm not sure of the importance of this question.

I'm not entirely sure either, but I was musing on whether you can identify as a Republican and be a good person in response to this:

Likewise, there’s exponentially more good people who identify as [snip] Republicans.

It's probably possible, but I'm struggling to see it as more than a very special, if not entirely hypothetical, case.

None of that is specific to Republicanism, however.

Naturally.

 

[TexRex]

What a god-awful trade this is:

CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan

After months of internal debate, the Biden administration has offered to exchange Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US prison sentence, as part of a potential deal to secure the release of two Americans held by Russia, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, according...

edition.cnn.com

Yeah, prisoner swaps are murky business.

 

[Tornado]

Sure am glad that the US isn't setting itself up for hostile foreign countries to essentially kidnap Americans too stupid to not get the hell out of a hostile foreign country while carrying narcotics on their person.






What 9/11 head honcho do we got in Gitmo that Saudi Arabia could grab an LIV golfer for drinking during a practice match and force Biden to release in response?

 

[Danoff]

Sure am glad that the US isn't setting itself up for hostile foreign countries to essentially kidnap Americans too stupid to not get the hell out of a hostile foreign country while carrying narcotics on their person.

What 9/11 head honcho do we got in Gitmo that Saudi Arabia could grab an LIV golfer for drinking during a practice match and force Biden to release in response?

China seems more likely than Saudi Arabia, of course China already does that anyway. China could nab Elon Musk next time he's there. It would not be out of character for them.

 

[Blitz24]

Sure am glad that the US isn't setting itself up for hostile foreign countries to essentially kidnap Americans too stupid to not get the hell out of a hostile foreign country while carrying narcotics on their person.






What 9/11 head honcho do we got in Gitmo that Saudi Arabia could grab an LIV golfer for drinking during a practice match and force Biden to release in response?

I assume it will be a future draft pick or a player to be named later.

 

[Tornado]

China seems more likely than Saudi Arabia, of course China already does that anyway. China could nab Elon Musk next time he's there. It would not be out of character for them.

That's a pretty elaborate way to get out of the Twitter buyout.

I assume it will be a future draft pick or a player to be named later.

I don't think Russia would take Westbrook., though; so that doesn't help LeBron any.

 

[Joey D]

Yeah, prisoner swaps are murky business.

Especially this one. Viktor Bout is responsible for arming genocides. The man doesn't deserve to ever see anything other than the inside of a prison cell for the rest of his life and having him locked away has certainly made it more difficult for warlords to carry out their ambitions. For those who don't know about Bout, watch the movie Lord of War with Nicolas Cage. While that's a fictional movie, the character of Yuri is heavily influenced by Bout.

While it sucks for Griner, she sort of did it to herself by running off to Russia to play basketball and then trying to board an international flight with an illicit substance in a country with incredibly harsh drug laws. I don't really think we should be bailing her out. The same goes for Whelan. I only know the high-level overview of his case, but it certainly seems like he was treading pretty close to espionage and while Russia might've exaggerated the evidence, I still think there was some evidence there.

 

[Danoff]

Especially this one. Viktor Bout is responsible for arming genocides. The man doesn't deserve to ever see anything other than the inside of a prison cell for the rest of his life and having him locked away has certainly made it more difficult for warlords to carry out their ambitions. For those who don't know about Bout, watch the movie Lord of War with Nicolas Cage. While that's a fictional movie, the character of Yuri is heavily influenced by Bout.

While it sucks for Griner, she sort of did it to herself by running off to Russia to play basketball and then trying to board an international flight with an illicit substance in a country with incredibly harsh drug laws. I don't really think we should be bailing her out. The same goes for Whelan. I only know the high-level overview of his case, but it certainly seems like he was treading pretty close to espionage and while Russia might've exaggerated the evidence, I still think there was some evidence there.

Maybe instead of Bout we could get them to kidnap Bill Cosby.

"In exchange for two lower-profile innocent Americans, we'll give you one higher-profile innocent American"

 

[Tornado]

And OJ.

 

[TexRex]

lol

 

[UKMikey]

lol

I know that US presidents continue to hold the rank of President when they leave office and I don't know whether this is tied up with his dispute but has there ever been a retired president in recent memory who is so eager to have everyone refer to himself as "President" at all times? Tiny wiener energy.

 

[Danoff]

I know that US presidents continue to hold the rank of President when they leave office and I don't know whether this is tied up with his dispute but has there ever been a retired president in recent memory who is so eager to have everyone refer to himself as "President" at all times? Tiny wiener energy.

For a little while it looked like he was trying to set up an alternative presidency, essentially continuing his coup attempt to just declare himself president at the same time as Biden. That seems to have subsided, but yea he's still trying hard to maintain the title. I've heard he has small hands.

 

[Scaff]

lol

Oh I so want this to go to court

 

[TexRex]

Oh I so want this to go to court

While it's sure to be entertaining, it serves no purpose but to fundraise and to delegitimize the legal system.

Edit:

 

[UKMikey]

While it's sure to be entertaining, it serves no purpose but to fundraise and to delegitimize the legal system.

This is exactly what I thought as soon as I saw CNN named as the "plaintiff". In the archetypical Trumper's mind CNN appears to be synonymous with "all left-wing [i.e. anti-TFG] media". My mum's Trumpist friend keeps referring to me getting my news from them even though I've never watched a minute of their broadcasts in real life.

 

[Danoff]

This is exactly what I thought as soon as I saw CNN named as the "plaintiff". In the archetypical Trumper's mind CNN appears to be synonymous with "all left-wing [i.e. anti-TFG] media". My mum's Trumpist friend keeps referring to me getting my news from them even though I've never watched a minute of their broadcasts in real life.

Right wing rule number one, accuse everyone else of doing what you're doing. The number of media outlets that support right-wing nonsense is small.

 

[UKMikey]

Right wing rule number one, accuse everyone else of doing what you're doing. The number of media outlets that support right-wing nonsense is small.

Yup, the radical commie left only has one Pravda-like spigot of lies while at the same time they own the majority of the lying MSM and Hollyweird.

The enemy must appear strong and weak simultaneously.

 

[McLaren]

Oh I so want this to go to court

It would be interesting, but we all know what it is.


Coming to a Conservative inbox near you: "Dear Patriots, Trump has announced he will be leading the fight against the radical left wing media in courts against all odds, and he needs your help. Give us money now & also make sure to not turn off that automatic re-billing box, too."

 

[Liquid]

Right wing rule number one, accuse everyone else of doing what you're doing.

Jawohl, Herr Goebbels.

 

[UKMikey]

Jawohl, Herr Goebbels.

Why else do you think they call it the Big Lie?