America - The Official Thread

[Danoff]

The Von Hassler Doctrine. I've actually stopped listening to Rush and Hannity after they kept pushing the election fraud BS. While they do joke around they might have played the segment as a joke or for real. When I don't know I come here. I probably could change my posting style but I feel y'all should know me by now.

Looked up the show. Looks like it's slightly right wing comedy show. It apparently plays like it's even-handed, but then picks up on random stuff like pretending that Obama cooked the books on the GDP, but not touching that kind of thing under Trump. So this kind of thing (the AOC bit) seems like it would be right up the alley of this particular show. It's not peddling Qanon, and it's willing to criticize the right, but it will strawman the left in a big way.

Strikes me as a less intellectually honest version of Kimmel, but whereas Kimmel leans left, this one leans right. They're both comedians. Anyway that's without listening to any of it - just reading reviews (and examples) from a smattering of people.

 

[McLaren]

Actually two, Manchin doesn't want to abolish the filibuster either. Because reaching across the aisle and bipartisanship is more important than ensuring that Americans get anywhere even close to appropriate COVID relief.

When it comes to moderate Dems, Biden included, there seems to be this notion that bipartisanship is something that is good by default. Working together with Republicans is good because it shows unity and putting partisan differences aside. But in actuality, "bipartisan" mostly means "on Republicans' terms"; republicans usually heavily water down any Democrat proposal, to the point where it is effectively useless. I'm nervous that Biden, being the good ol' moderate that he is, will actually accept to Susan Collins and the Republicans' measly COVID bill. Especially since there is a super-majority, we need Democrats who refuse to compromise unless they absolutely have to, and have a strong agenda. No legislation passed under the Trump administration was remotely bipartisan; Republicans did whatever the heck they could get away with without the Dems stopping them. After all this, I doubt the Democratic voter base, regardless of whether they're more moderate or progressive, is wanting unity with the Republicans right now.

Last I read, it doesn't seem like he budged much at all from the first meeting he had with GOP members. I think it was Susan Collins who made a comment about there will be a few more meetings with Biden to discuss it, but a comment was reportedly made that Dems will just move forth & not waste time which I agree with, I think the meetings will be done just to waste time & draw out relief when both sides have acknowledged they're very far apart. Reading a Reuters article this morning, Republicans apparently want amendments involving blocking the minimum wage, stimulus for illegals, & reversing the Keystone pipeline decision. What the hell does that last thing have to do with Covid relief? I wish these bills would be written & voted on as single issues and not for any party looking for a way to squeeze in something during negotiations as some sort of favor.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Looked up the show. Looks like it's slightly right wing comedy show. It apparently plays like it's even-handed, but then picks up on random stuff like pretending that Obama cooked the books on the GDP, but not touching that kind of thing under Trump. So this kind of thing (the AOC bit) seems like it would be right up the alley of this particular show. It's not peddling Qanon, and it's willing to criticize the right, but it will strawman the left in a big way.

Strikes me as a less intellectually honest version of Kimmel, but whereas Kimmel leans left, this one leans right. They're both comedians. Anyway that's without listening to any of it - just reading reviews (and examples) from a smattering of people.

Speaking of Kimmel, its remarkable to me that he has so far evaded any sustained criticism for his time at the Man Show. Yes it was parody, but I am genuinely surprised that his use of blackface (repeatedly!) and constant objectification of women during the course of that show have not resurfaced. I think it's because the right doesn't want to go there (though, owing to their bad faith, it still surprises me) and the left likes him too much.

Don't get me wrong, I think Kimmel is a nearly heroic figure of the Trump era - the relatable every man with wit and, somehow, grace. Where Colbert always felt barely composed, and Trevor Noah always a little bit arms-length away, and Seth Meyers always a little robotic (not to mention Fallon who just seems out to lunch)...Kimmel remained remarkably human and steady. Watching Kimmel throughout the Trump presidency was always reassuring. Watching Colbert was always alarming. Watching Trevor Noah was typically funny but a little hollow. Watching Meyers was almost always tedious. Not sure how others felt.

(Bill Maher is a talentless hack who is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is - I don't know how anyone can watch him)

 

[GranTurNismo]

Yes, Maher sucks. Not only is he unfunny, his political commentary is rarely ever accurate.

 

[McLaren]

I think it's because the right doesn't want to go there (though, owing to their bad faith, it still surprises me) and the left likes him too much.

The right won't go there because Carolla was on the show & he's a right-wing bull horn, esp. with Covid, and Carolla is not near worth the effort for the left to attack as vice-versa.

 

[Famine]

Fallon who just seems out to lunch

And a liquid lunch at that.

 

[Danoff]

Speaking of Kimmel, its remarkable to me that he has so far evaded any sustained criticism for his time at the Man Show. Yes it was parody, but I am genuinely surprised that his use of blackface (repeatedly!) and constant objectification of women during the course of that show have not resurfaced.

I think it's hard to figure out sometimes how much of the man show was making fun of men.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I think it's hard to figure out sometimes how much of the man show was making fun of men.

I'd be willing to bet the majority of the audience did not perceive it as satire at all.

 

[McLaren]

I'd be willing to bet the majority of the audience did not perceive it as satire at all.

To the audience's defense, beer & bikinis are very distracting for men.

 

[Joey D]

Zicke, Zacke, Zicke, Zacke, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi!

Also, I'll never forget Kimmel in black face doing his impersonation of The Mailman.

 

[Danoff]

I'd be willing to bet the majority of the audience did not perceive it as satire at all.

To the audience's defense, beer & bikinis are very distracting for men.

...case in point. It's hard to figure out how much of the joke is on men.

 

[TexRex]

 

[McLaren]

Gov Noem is a voice of reason. One that resonates well with America.

That's about all I needed to read to deduce Brendon's intelligence.

We are not—and will not—be the subjects of an elite class of so-called experts.

For those who don't know, she's referring to doctors advising coronavirus precautions. Doctors are "so-called experts".

 

[TexRex]

That's about all I needed to read to deduce Brendon's intelligence.

For those who don't know, she's referring to doctors advising coronavirus precautions. Doctors are "so-called experts".

This communism.

 

[Populuxe]

To the audience's defense, beer & bikinis are very distracting for men.

Okay, I will admit I enjoyed the girls in bikinis jumping on trampolines during the end credits.

To be fair, both Man Show hosts have moved on. Fallon to the left, and Carolla to the right. It doesn’t do people on either side of the political spectrum any good to go after one of them, as both were guilty of wallowing in the same cringe.

 

[Jezza819]

Yes, Maher sucks. Not only is he unfunny, his political commentary is rarely ever accurate.

I don't know, he has been saying for years that if Trump lost there would be no peaceful transition of power. I like Maher, not necessarily for his humor but he usually has interesting guests on his show.

John Oliver is my favorite because he covers a wide range of topics and I do find him quite funny.

I don't watch the typical weeknight talk shows but I do watch Youtube clips and I would say Colbert is my favorite of them with Kimmel second. I rarely watch anything from Fallon because he just gets on my nerves in general.

 

[Keef]

Apparently targeted at people who don't watch the minute long video? I just watched it and there is specifically not anything about using government force against private businesses. I don't know who the hell Brandon Leslie is or why he matters to the world at large but the statement in his post, if it has anything at all to do with that video, is a blatant lie at best and purposeful misinformation at worst.

I reported it and I hope you all did as well. This sort of behavior is getting so out of hand that I think it's necessary for everybody to report all of it whenever they see it because it's just unacceptable. Something has to be done, something needs to be enforced. Twitter apparently doesn't even have a "misinformation" report function like Reddit often does so I reported it as "something else" in the spam section.

 

[TexRex]

Apparently targeted at people who don't watch the minute long video? I just watched it and there is specifically not anything about using government force against private businesses. I don't know who the hell Brandon Leslie is or why he matters to the world at large but the statement in his post, if it has anything at all to do with that video, is a blatant lie at best and purposeful misinformation at worst.

I gather he's some kind of conservative vlogger. I don't know anything about him beyond the tweet above and his bio.

One needn't even get to the clip to question his particular brand of logic, and his remarks key into the notion that the right's use of communism as a bogeyman has dragged the base down into a near unbelievable (if not for the evidence above) stupor. Communism--and I mean actual communism--concerns me, but this is "communism is bad, and I think this thing is bad, so this thing must be communism" stuff. It's ridiculous. They've gone from Red Scare to Red Stare.

...

Oh and it's Brendon, an absurd combination of Brandon and Brendan that borders on communism. /s

Edit:

I reported it and I hope you all did as well.

I don't have any interaction with Twitter. I look in on it from the outside, with a few users that I "follow" (by googling their handles and browsing their postings). I've never signed up for the platform and I don't intend to.

 

[NotThePrez]

Ladies, ladies. Can we be happy for a moment that we aren't bombarded every morning by whatever new and stupid thing Trump said overnight? I'm not nearly as stressed out lately. I'm confident that the Biden administration knows what it's doing. Many positive moves have been made already. Sure there are some morons in Congress but they're small-time. Lately I can't even find the motivation to drown myself in politics, hoping for some good news. I'm fine, everything will be okay. I might even take a nap.

So I was listening to the recent Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! episode that had White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on it. Even though there wasn't anything noticeably political said during her segment on the show, there was a somewhat soothing feeling during it that made me think of your post. The current secretary was quite jokey, while also being fairly professional, and demonstrated what I would describe as a higher respect for the journalists she took questions from. She also made a point about talking about how important her communications team is to her, demonstrating a camaraderie that I feel is the SOP for the Biden Administration.

Of course, I plan to criticize the Biden Administration if/when they screw up or do something sketchy, but I don't think they're going to do much in they way of bonafide dumbassery, and won't use Twitter as a platform to further tank our international reputation. As of writing this post I at least feel like I can go back to "just" complaining about the government, rather than being actively worried about my rights being upheld and whether or not my country can proverbially go a few months without nearly destroying itself.

 

[Danoff]

As of writing this post I at least feel like I can go back to "just" complaining about the government, rather than being actively worried about my rights being upheld and whether or not my country can proverbially go a few months without nearly destroying itself.

I don't even feel like I can get back to complaining. The bar has been set so low, that stuff i normally would have ranted about is just... meh. I mean, can you see me not ranting about $1.9T of government spending prior to the Trump era? Because I absolutely would have. Can you see me not spolling up over a $15 minimum wage, or at least half of the environment regulations planned... I mean I'm not a huge fan of some of this stuff.

But I just don't care anymore. At least it's not the end of representation and the murder and incarceration of political enemies or whistleblowers who uncover corruption.

 

[Joey D]

Mitt Romney has proposed the Family Security Act which would send parents $350 a month for young children and $250 a month for school-aged children.

Mormon families in Utah?

 

[Danoff]

Mitt Romney has proposed the Family Security Act which would send parents $350 a month for young children and $250 a month for school-aged children.

Mormon families in Utah?

Eliminates the SALT deduction? That's kinda heavy. "Hey, we know all you did with that money was pay taxes with it, but you still have to pay taxes on it".

 

[Joey D]

Eliminates the SALT deduction? That's kinda heavy. "Hey, we know all you did with that money was pay taxes with it, but you still have to pay taxes on it".

It does, but apparently, families get more money? I have no idea and I don't really understand taxes all that well past how much I pay in them every year. I don't think I take the SALT because I don't itemize.

 

[Danoff]

It does, but apparently, families get more money? I have no idea and I don't really understand taxes all that well past how much I pay in them every year. I don't think I take the SALT because I don't itemize.

Basically it's a federal deduction for the amount of property and income tax you paid to your state, currently capped at $10k for married couples. If you take the standard deduction (no itemization), you don't get it.

 

[Keef]

and won't use Twitter as a platform to further tank our international reputation.

Speaking of which, has anybody noticed that Biden has chosen to use Twitter's official POTUS account rather than using his own like Trump did? That simple fact speaks volumes. Unlike Trump, who attributed everything he said as President to himself, rather than to the office, and refused to separate his personal life and existence from his time in office, Biden like any reasonable person is making a clear distinction between what he says on his free time and what he says as President, which of course is a 24/7 job for the next four years. He's set his personal life aside, even his Twitter account, to be a public servant.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Greene has been voted out of committee assignments by the House. Only 11 republicans voted in favor, which is probably about how many are left.

 

[Joey D]

Greene has been voted out of committee assignments by the House. Only 11 republicans voted in favor, which is probably about how many are left.

I think several Republicans want her gone, but at the same time don't want to set a precedent of having the majority party dictating committee assignments. It was going to be a tough vote and it's entirely the fault of McCarthy.

 

[CTznOfTime]

I don't know, he has been saying for years that if Trump lost there would be no peaceful transition of power. I like Maher, not necessarily for his humor but he usually has interesting guests on his show.

John Oliver is my favorite because he covers a wide range of topics and I do find him quite funny.

I don't watch the typical weeknight talk shows but I do watch Youtube clips and I would say Colbert is my favorite of them with Kimmel second. I rarely watch anything from Fallon because he just gets on my nerves in general.

I concur with everything you said here... Especially the bit about Fallon, I just can't seem to be bear with Fallon at all... I find him annoying for some unknown/undefined reason...

Speaking of which, has anybody noticed that Biden has chosen to use Twitter's official POTUS account rather than using his own like Trump did? That simple fact speaks volumes. Unlike Trump, who attributed everything he said as President to himself, rather than to the office, and refused to separate his personal life and existence from his time in office, Biden like any reasonable person is making a clear distinction between what he says on his free time and what he says as President, which of course is a 24/7 job for the next four years. He's set his personal life aside, even his Twitter account, to be a public servant.

No one is perfect, but if I have to choose, and as I have voted, Biden is more human.

Like you said, Biden is publicly set himself as a public servant, as opposed to trump who privately believe the public are his servants...

 

[UKMikey]

Like you said, Biden is publicly set himself as a public servant, as opposed to trump who privately believe the public are his servants...

Unfortunately, some of them are.

 

[TexRex]

Greene has been voted out of committee assignments by the House. Only 11 republicans voted in favor, which is probably about how many are left.

*sad trombone*

The upside is that now she's free of distraction amd can lean into being the unhinged firebrand that people who voted for her want.

[meekly] Yay.

It was going to be a tough vote and it's entirely the fault of McCarthy.

Cancel Culture. You mean Cancel Culture. It's entirely the fault of Cancel Culture.