The Next President is...

[slc]

14 minutes ago, Lord Ratner said:

Except for the part that incentives nuclear power. That's the one silver lining

Oh and all the EV/solar/energy efficient booolshit cause, well, up here in the Great White North that's real beneficial....lol

[nsplayr]

12 minutes ago, Lord Ratner said:

I'm not sure there is a "mainstream" Democratic party right now. I think there are (D) voters who believe their party is mainstream, but this is coming from the Biden admin. If Biden isn't a "moderate" Democrat, who is?

Whether you believe it or not, people like Joe Biden are the mainstream of the party and have been for a while. More liberal in many ways than in the past, even Clinton 90s past, but parties change and evolve all the time. More conservative in other ways than, say, FDR or LBJ.

The GOP has certainly changed quite a bit in my lifetime, especially in the last ~10 years from Romney/Ryan 2012 to MAGA & Trump today. There’s a very broad swath of ideology between those two camps just within the Republican Party!

There is a large part of the Dem party to the left of Biden, like Bernie et al, and there are some to the right like Manchin, Eric Adams, etc. It also varies by issue and region and there’s not a smooth alignment of ideology or policy along any one axis as I’m sure you know.

You don’t have to like it or agree with current admin policies, but calling Biden a radical is not a winning strategy and not believable to the American public. In fact, it’s such a bad strategy that I really hope all my Republicans friends go for it full bore!

[Lord Ratner]

14 minutes ago, nsplayr said:

Whether you believe it or not, people like Joe Biden are the mainstream of the party and have been for a while. More liberal in many ways than in the past, even Clinton 90s past, but parties change and evolve all the time. More conservative in other ways than, say, FDR or LBJ.

The GOP has certainly changed quite a bit in my lifetime, especially in the last ~10 years from Romney/Ryan 2012 to MAGA & Trump today. There’s a very broad swath of ideology between those two camps just within the Republican Party!

There is a large part of the Dem party to the left of Biden, like Bernie et al, and there are some to the right like Manchin, Eric Adams, etc. It also varies by issue and region and there’s not a smooth alignment of ideology or policy along any one axis as I’m sure you know.

You don’t have to like it or agree with current admin policies, but calling Biden a radical is not a winning strategy and not believable to the American public. In fact, it’s such a bad strategy that I really hope all my Republicans friends go for it full bore!

This is where your ignorance shows. Just because *you* don't know the academic basis for the policies being pushed, you assume they must be reasonable, because you feel like a reasonable person.

 

But reading the works of the people who have been publicly embraced by the mainstream left, such as Biden, give a very different picture. Robin Diangelo. Ibram Kendi. Kimberle Crenshaw. This stuff is bat shit crazy, and will necessitate a civil war if it was actually enacted. Remember when reparations was just a conservative fever dream? 

 

You say the conversations have changed, but they haven't that much. What exactly are they against now that they weren't 30 years ago? Chemical castration for children? Illegal immigration? Reparations? Gun rights? The only difference is that 30 years ago no one was in favor of cutting the tits off a confused teenager. 

 

If the Republicans were inviting David Duke, or the proud boys, or any other right wing lunatic to the White House and espousing their theories to the masses, you would have a point. But they aren't. The difference has always been that the left embraces their lunatics.

 

Saying that Joe Biden is a moderate is meaningless if the people he empowers to enact and develop his policy are radicals. And they are.

 

I have no love for the Republicans in Washington. Just a bunch of assholes there to enrich their families. But they aren't trying to flip over the underpinnings of American society while they do it, so it's immoral, but not dangerous.

 

The people steering the ideological soul of the left today fundamentally disagree with the American system, and their preferred replacement is a time-tested failure. Klobuchar is great, as is Gabbard. Even Ro Khanna (sp?) has reasonable things to say. But they aren't leading the party. 

 

[Biff_T]

1 hour ago, Lord Ratner said:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-considers-asking-black-americans-on-census-if-they-are-slave-descendants-f9b5eb09?mod=hp_lead_pos5

 

I'm not sure there is a "mainstream" Democratic party right now. I think there are (D) voters who believe their party is mainstream, but this is coming from the Biden admin. If Biden isn't a "moderate" Democrat, who is?

 

Reparations for the distant relatives of slaves are about as far-left as you can get.

If they give out reparations, where will all of those billions of dollars come from?   My guess is from nowhere.  Imagine the inflation that might occur if you give out billions of dollars to citizens for nothing.   

Slavery sucks.  But so does depleting your country's budget for something that nobody alive experienced.  Just like I didn't experience the Irish potato famine in the 1800s.  It sucked for my family to leave their homeland because they were starving.  Once again, do I get any reparations from England?   What about the vikings who invaded Ireland and had their way with those beautiful Irish women.  Can I sue them?  It was about  1000 years ago but I'm still mad.  I hate having 5% Norwegian blood diluting my Irish Ancestry.  

There will be no logical plan.  Just more idiots giving out money that we don't have.  

This will be the nail in the coffin for race relations in the U.S.  

[nsplayr]

1 hour ago, Lord Ratner said:

This is where your ignorance shows.

I'm not ignorant about Democratic Party politics or policy, I'm not sure why you would believe that.

1 hour ago, Lord Ratner said:

But reading the works of the people who have been publicly embraced by the mainstream left, such as Biden, give a very different picture. Robin Diangelo. Ibram Kendi. Kimberle Crenshaw. This stuff is bat shit crazy, and will necessitate a civil war if it was actually enacted. Remember when reparations was just a conservative fever dream? 

There is some batshit crazy stuff on the left, yep, congrats on identifying that! I will again point out that the only people talking about (wishcasting?) a civil war are those on the right. WTF is with y'all and all this civil war talk, seriously? I'd like our country to continue on for many more prosperous, harmonious years as a multi-party, multi-racial capitalist democracy that's the leader of the free world - feel free to join me in that.

DiAngelo sucks and I strongly dislike her entire worldview. Kendi is a somewhat radical academic, but hey, it's a free country. Have you read any of his work? I can see from his point of view why he believes what he believes, even if I don't necessarily agree. Same with Crenshaw, although I'm even less familiar with her or her work. I don't find any of the above have a particularly strong influence over Joe Biden or even a connection in almost any way to his administration.

I promise you that conservatives think about and worry about things like CRT 1,000x more than your average normie Democratic voter does. I don't particularly think about or care about that stuff at all. Economic growth, national defense, clean energy transition, healthcare costs & effectiveness...those are the big drivers for my vote.

1 hour ago, Lord Ratner said:

If the Republicans were inviting David Duke, or the proud boys, or any other right wing lunatic to the White House and espousing their theories to the masses, you would have a point. But they aren't.

How sure of this statement are you? And I'm not even including people like Steve Bannon or Sebastian Gorka, who have both said some absolutely batshit crazy stuff and affiliate frequently with the most far-right radicals out there. They both were appointed to very high-level White House positions in the Trump admin.

Look, I'm willing to agree in general that Trump isn't necessarily responsible for or in agreement with everyone crazy right-wing person, but I think it's fair to say the same for Biden and every person on the left you hate. Is that not fair?

1 hour ago, Lord Ratner said:

Klobuchar is great...Even Ro Khanna (sp?) has reasonable things to say. But they aren't leading the party. 

Amy Klobuchar is a close ally of Biden and his administration, and somewhat famously dropped out of the 2020 Presidential primary and endorsed Biden as a way to consolidate mainstream Dem support behind him and to block Bernie from winning. If you like her and her policies, there's really no reason why you should think Biden and his admin are the devil. She spoke at his inauguration!

Ro Khanna is very progressive, more than me by far, and was a big Bernie endorser in 2020...I'm surprised you like him and then also think Biden is super radical left or whatever. BL: you seem to have some very interesting political views!

Edited March 31, 2023 by nsplayr

[BashiChuni]

3 hours ago, nsplayr said:

 calling Biden a radical is not a winning strategy and not believable to the American public. In fact, it’s such a bad strategy that I really hope all my Republicans friends go for it full bore!

kind of like Biden using "extremist MAGA republicans"

funny how that works

[nsplayr]

35 minutes ago, BashiChuni said:

kind of like Biden using "extremist MAGA republicans"

funny how that works

Yet many “extremists MAGA republicans” lost winnable senate and House races in the midterms. Seems like it was more believable in that direction this time around!

The same line that doesn’t have any impact on Susan Collins works pretty well against Hershel Walker for instance.

Calling Biden an extremist won’t work and it’s not the best line of attack Republicans could use against him. But by all means…please try if you’re ok with losing again.

[uhhello]

3 hours ago, Biff_T said:

If they give out reparations, where will all of those billions of dollars come from?   My guess is from nowhere.  Imagine the inflation that might occur if you give out billions of dollars to citizens for nothing.   

Slavery sucks.  But so does depleting your country's budget for something that nobody alive experienced.  Just like I didn't experience the Irish potato famine in the 1800s.  It sucked for my family to leave their homeland because they were starving.  Once again, do I get any reparations from England?   What about the vikings who invaded Ireland and had their way with those beautiful Irish women.  Can I sue them?  It was about  1000 years ago but I'm still mad.  I hate having 5% Norwegian blood diluting my Irish Ancestry.  

There will be no logical plan.  Just more idiots giving out money that we don't have.  

This will be the nail in the coffin for race relations in the U.S.  

It's already falling apart.  They are going to tear their cities apart throughout this process.  The leaders and task forces got everyone whipped up into a frenzy thinking they are getting millions and now they are saying it's going to go to city programs targeting their communities.  

[Biff_T]

I'd be ok with reparations if they only taxed the people who are ok with paying for it themselves.   They can even ask, Politicians,  Hollywood and professional athletes to contribute.  I have zero guilt paying nothing out of my pocket for this.   

Life sucks for some people more than others.  

[HeloDude]

2 hours ago, nsplayr said:

Yet many “extremists MAGA republicans” lost winnable senate and House races in the midterms. Seems like it was more believable in that direction this time around!

The same line that doesn’t have any impact on Susan Collins works pretty well against Hershel Walker for instance.

Calling Biden an extremist won’t work and it’s not the best line of attack Republicans could use against him. But by all means…please try if you’re ok with losing again.

Are there any Democrats in the House or Senate who you would label an “extremist”, and if so, who are they?

[filthy_liar]

nsplayer I think Rat made a pertinent point in his post, probably not his main point, but a good one - Republicans aren't championing the Proud Boys and whatever other loons claim to be "conservatives/right/republicans.  Democrats are championing Antifa rioting, white priveledge, "white men need to be dealt with," Black Lives Matter, the people who can't understand the biology of gender, etc.  Democrats are championing that crazy ass shit.  That's the difference.  And its driving a wedge.  If you came at me with an argument about abortion, gun control, or climate change, I'd engage.  But for whatever reason in the past 5 years the Democrats have wholesale endorsed the craziest shit that their people at the wildest margins could dream up.

To be completely fair, Republicans have fucked up politically so bad since the age I could vote, its embarrasing.  That aside, they aren't championing the marginal "wing" positions.  The Democrats definitely are.

[ClearedHot]

After months of dragging their feet the Treasury Department FINALLY gave the House Oversight Committee access to suspicious activity reports generated by the department on transaction within the Biden family.  It has come to light that SIX additional Biden family members were paid many millions of dollars by Chinese and Russian firms.

 

[tac airlifter]

10 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

After months of dragging their feet the Treasury Department FINALLY gave the House Oversight Committee access to suspicious activity reports generated by the department on transaction within the Biden family.  It has come to light that SIX additional Biden family members were paid many millions of dollars by Chinese and Russian firms.

 

Of note, President Biden literally shares a bank account with his crackhead son.  The corruption of the Biden crime family is better documented than any of the accusations thrown at Trump.  It is plain as day to anyone with eyes exactly why he is soft on China.  

[HeloDude]

On 3/31/2023 at 5:25 PM, nsplayr said:

Yet many “extremists MAGA republicans” lost winnable senate and House races in the midterms. Seems like it was more believable in that direction this time around!

The same line that doesn’t have any impact on Susan Collins works pretty well against Hershel Walker for instance.

Calling Biden an extremist won’t work and it’s not the best line of attack Republicans could use against him. But by all means…please try if you’re ok with losing again.

Since it’s been two weeks with still no response, I’ll ask you again:

Are there any Democrats in the House or Senate who you would label an “extremist”, and if so, who are they?

[Lord Ratner]

14 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

After months of dragging their feet the Treasury Department FINALLY gave the House Oversight Committee access to suspicious activity reports generated by the department on transaction within the Biden family.  It has come to light that SIX additional Biden family members were paid many millions of dollars by Chinese and Russian firms.

 

Raise your hand if you're surprised...

[Biff_T]

36 minutes ago, Lord Ratner said:

Raise your hand if you're surprised...

[ClearedHot]

In today's installment of "How can Biden F@ck Americans"...

Effective May 1st borrowers with a credit score greater than 680 will pay MORE on their loans to subsidize high risk loans.  As an example for example, non-dirtbags who pay their monthly bills and live within their means resulting in a higher credit score will pay about $40 per month more on a home loan of $400,000.   And just to make the slap to the nutsack even better, homebuyers who save and make down payments of 15% to 20% will get socked with the largest fees.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/18/joe-biden-hike-payments-good-credit-homebuyers-sub/

[HeloDude]

9 minutes ago, ClearedHot said:

In today's installment of "How can Biden F@ck Americans"...

Effective May 1st borrowers with a credit score greater than 680 will pay MORE on their loans to subsidize high risk loans.  As an example for example, non-dirtbags who pay their monthly bills and live within their means resulting in a higher credit score will pay about $40 per month more on a home loan of $400,000.   And just to make the slap to the nutsack even better, homebuyers who save and make down payments of 15% to 20% will get socked with the largest fees.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/18/joe-biden-hike-payments-good-credit-homebuyers-sub/

No, no…you have it all wrong.  This is to help out minorities, per the article below.  If you don’t support the measure, then clearly you’re against helping minorities achieve home ownership.

"Why was this done? The answer is simple, it was to try to narrow the gap in access to credit, especially for minority home buyers who often have lower down payments and lower credit scores," Stevens said. 
 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/biden-rule-will-redistribute-high-risk-loan-costs-to-homeowners-with-good-credit/ar-AA1a4tTx

[FLEA]

16 minutes ago, ClearedHot said:

In today's installment of "How can Biden F@ck Americans"...

Effective May 1st borrowers with a credit score greater than 680 will pay MORE on their loans to subsidize high risk loans.  As an example for example, non-dirtbags who pay their monthly bills and live within their means resulting in a higher credit score will pay about $40 per month more on a home loan of $400,000.   And just to make the slap to the nutsack even better, homebuyers who save and make down payments of 15% to 20% will get socked with the largest fees.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/18/joe-biden-hike-payments-good-credit-homebuyers-sub/

This sounds shitty and inequitable.... but I realized socialized pricing is becoming the norm on the private commodities market. We already do it with airline ticketing and education. Mortgages honestly makes sense as a next step. You're going to pay it because at the end of the day you need a house and you are willing to pay more than others for it. If anything there's a shit ton of bank executives kicking themselves in the nuts right now for not thinking of this sooner. They were leaving a lot of money on the table. 

Just watched a really interesting presentation on this but in short, the way the consumer market is moving, over the next few decades, if you make more money, you will begin paying more for the same items other people pay less for. In other words, as digital markets become more and more dominant, they are going to use data collection to profile you, and individual pricing based on your personal demand will dictate your price. If you make more money or have higher demand, companies will be able to ID that you are wiling to pay more for an identical product someone else is getting at a much lower price. 

This sounds bonkers, and I wouldn't believe it on my own, but like I said--its already happening in education and airline ticketing. 

Not saying I agree with Biden here. Just saying if he didn't do it, the bank was certainly going to do it in the next decade. 

Edited April 20, 2023 by FLEA

[nunya]

4 hours ago, FLEA said:

...if you make more money, you will begin paying more for the same items other people pay less for...

You can't fight city hall so it's incumbent on us then to work smarter not harder.

Starting a business? Your wife better own it, especially if she's a veteran.

Your (assumedly not deadbeat) early-career adult kids have access to cheaper credit? Rent your house from them.

Use UTMAs and 529s (especially with the new Roth rollover rules).

Fund Roth IRAs for your kids.

Bunch your charitable tax deductions with a DAF.

"Eat the rich" isn't going away. Better make yourself unappetizing.

[Guardian]

This sounds shitty and inequitable....

It’s the definition of making it equitable for everyone. This absolutely fits the sexist and racist goals of DEI. 100%

[SHFP]

In the meantime....awaiting another WH Presidential Invite now to the little 6yr old girl and her Family shot in broad daylight by a previous convicted individual and not by a 84 yr old senile, scared homeowner at night time.  Any bets on when that will occur???

[Danger41]

I had felt bad that my 4 kids were destroying my credit score and budget by their existence but now I’m stoked they’ll save me several hundred a year. Yay!

[HossHarris]

I’m being told that VA backed loans are exempt from this bullshit. 
 

 

[pawnman]

On 3/31/2023 at 1:58 PM, nsplayr said:

Whether you believe it or not, people like Joe Biden are the mainstream of the party and have been for a while. More liberal in many ways than in the past, even Clinton 90s past, but parties change and evolve all the time. More conservative in other ways than, say, FDR or LBJ.

The GOP has certainly changed quite a bit in my lifetime, especially in the last ~10 years from Romney/Ryan 2012 to MAGA & Trump today. There’s a very broad swath of ideology between those two camps just within the Republican Party!

There is a large part of the Dem party to the left of Biden, like Bernie et al, and there are some to the right like Manchin, Eric Adams, etc. It also varies by issue and region and there’s not a smooth alignment of ideology or policy along any one axis as I’m sure you know.

You don’t have to like it or agree with current admin policies, but calling Biden a radical is not a winning strategy and not believable to the American public. In fact, it’s such a bad strategy that I really hope all my Republicans friends go for it full bore!

You lost me when you said FDR was more liberal than Biden. At least his government spending was based around putting people to work on public projects.