[Gilithin]

shyams, on 2023-December-31, 21:47, said:

I think it was from the 47 yard line (total distance was 63 yards). I also believe the record has since been broken at least a couple of times.

No, his record was set before the goal posts were moved back 10 yards. Therefore he is the only player in NFL history to kick a field goal from inside his own team's 40 yard line. Along with his special boot, that's kind of his main claim to fame.

[barmar]

Birtherism is back!

Trump has started promoting the conspiracy theory that Nikki Haley isn't eligible to be POTUS, because her parents were immigrants when she was born.

[shyams]

Obamas are back!

Michelle raised her head above the parapet to see if there will be a hostile salvo aimed in her direction. But so far it is all bouquets... so I guess it is nearly time. Maybe she will really run for President!

[pilowsky]

A number of actual elected officials - who get paid real money to make actual laws in the USA are pushing for more transparency on UFO's.
This will present a significant problem because if they're transparent, how will they see them.
Democracy at its finest.

[Winstonm]

UFOs are on a mission from Gawd. You want I should wipe the dead bugs off the windshield?

[Winstonm]

An important explanation of the Trump phenomenon that is not about Trump at all:

Boston Review: Our Prophet of Deceit

https://www.bostonre...ay-about-trump/

[kenberg]

pilowsky, on 2024-January-12, 18:53, said:

A number of actual elected officials - who get paid real money to make actual laws in the USA are pushing for more transparency on UFO's.
This will present a significant problem because if they're transparent, how will they see them.
Democracy at its finest.

I believe it was in 1951 that my fellow 12-year-old Stan told me he had just read in Readers Digest that Flying Saucers were a top-secret government project and when the public announcement was made we would see that it was great news for the USA. It all sounds very thrilling.

[sharon j]

Winstonm, on 2024-January-13, 15:03, said:

An important explanation of the Trump phenomenon that is not about Trump at all:

Boston Review: Our Prophet of Deceit

https://www.bostonre...ay-about-trump/

Thanks for sharing that Article. It was enlightening. It was also depressing.

[barmar]

There was a copy of the latest issue of "The Atlantic" laying around at the bridge club last week. It's a special issue with a number of articles on what things like be like if Trump wins in November.

Scary stuff. One general theme is that in his last presidency he hired advisors and cabinet members who had integrity and didn't just cowtow to him. He's not going to make the same mistake again.

[Winstonm]

barmar, on 2024-January-17, 19:03, said:

There was a copy of the latest issue of "The Atlantic" laying around at the bridge club last week. It's a special issue with a number of articles on what things like be like if Trump wins in November.

Scary stuff. One general theme is that in his last presidency he hired advisors and cabinet members who had integrity and didn't just cowtow to him. He's not going to make the same mistake again.

If it were only Trump at least there would be a sembllance of at timeline with life expectancy; trouble is it is the entirety of the MAGA universe, anit-liberal democray, anti-rule of law, pro totalitarianism, supporters of Puntin's attempted genocide in Ukraine and welcoming throng of Hungary's Orban and his message of non-inclusion.


We have met the enemy; he might live right next door to you.

[kenberg]

Just about everyone who posts on this thread agrees that Trump is not only awful he is so awful that his popularity shows that something is seriously wrong in this country. I know I have said this before but I say it again. There are a lot of people out there who do not spend a lot of time thinking deeply about politics or social issues etc who have concluded that Trump is asking them for their vote and Biden is not asking them for their vote. Of course, he hopes for their vote, and he will accept their vote, but he says nothing and does nothing that they understand as Biden being interested in what their issues are.

There was something on PBS Newshour the other night that jumped out at me. Not from Bidem but still. There is a plan to ban menthol cigarettes. On what basis? I started smoking around my 15th birthday. A really stupid choice. I tried menthol cigs, I did not like them. I don't know if we should ban cigs, or maybe just menthol cigs, I really hope people avoid them, I am glad my kids and grandkids don't smoke. I quit some 45 years ago. Please don't smoke.. All that is true, But here was the argument for banning menthol cigs: It turns out that on a percentage basis, Blacks are more likely to smoke menthol cigs than Whites are. So that's why we should ban them
This strikes me as bizarre. But in addition to being bizarre, it's a loud shout: This is how we decide things now. We do not ask if menthol cigs are in some way more of a problem than non-menthol cigs, perhaps they are, perhaps they are not. But Blacks are more likely to smoke them than Whites so that's why we will ban them.

When I visit St. Paul I sometimes go back to the neighborhood where I grew up. I lived about a half block from Edgecombe Playground if anyone is familiar with the area. The house looks pretty much the same as it did 70 years ago and I sometimes chat with people in the neighborhood and it seems to be a lot the same. But I would place a large bet that instead of being predominantly Democratic as it was back in 1950 it is now predominantly Republican. We took both the morning paper (The Pioneer Press) and the evening paper (The Dispatch). I read them both, I remember when the Korean War broke out in June of 1950, I was thrilled later by the Inchon landing. I read about local events. But political discussions were rare.They happened, but they were rare. Most of the men in the neighborhood belonged to unions, unions encouraged voting Democratic, so mostly they did. Probably no longer.

The Democratic Party has to decide if they want to actively seek the votes of people who are similar to my mother and father. Choosing to ban menthol cigarettes based on the percentage of Blacks who smoke them rather than on some general health argument is not the way to do that.

People can say "This guy is interested in me, that guy isn't" You would think a professional campaign advisor would understand why that's important and have ideas as to what to do about it. They don't seem to.

[Winstonm]

Quote

People can say "This guy is interested in me, that guy isn't" You would think a professional campaign advisor would understand why that's important and have ideas as to what to do about it. They don't seem to.

It is much more likely that you are simply not hearing it being said than it is not being said at all, and that has nothing to do with you or your hearing. What it has to do with is the way our modern media treats news.

Look at any recent news story about Trump and you will only find the outlandish things that he said or did in his recent appearance in a courtroom. There will be nothing said that he has already been found guilty in civil court of business fraud and of sexual assault. To the media, the noise is the news. To find real, genuine reporting requires a deep dive into blogs and online resources; MSM such as the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, CBS, ABC and others are consumed with remaining profitibable; nothing in its death throes cares about truth or honesty.

Just as occurred in 2016, news coverage is running heavily in Trump's favor. The Democratic party cannot overcome that or change it. The problem is systemic. The article I posted above is quite accurate, I believe, and quite telling. Our own economic system and our modern society has created the malaise that a demogogue can capitalize on.

We are all being told to look elsewhere to find blame instead of honestly addressing ways we can begin to solve our problems. One party, the Republicans, do not want those problems solved or even discussed, as their very existence relies on the malaise the status quo creates.

The question is how does a Victor Orban in Hungary get into power and become impossible to vote out? Because people like those in Minnesaota let him.

[kenberg]

Winstonm, on 2024-January-20, 10:56, said:

It is much more likely that you are simply not hearing it being said than it is not being said at all, and that has nothing to do with you or your hearing. What it has to do with is the way our modern media treats news.

Just taking your first line:
Perhaps, I'll give you perhaps, you are right. But I repeat " You would think a professional campaign advisor would understand why that's important and have ideas as to what to do about it. They don't seem to."


We have to take the world as it is, and see what we can do. I suggest, for starters, that an argument for banning menthol cigs should be based on general issues of health instead of on the fact that Blacks choose menthol more often than Whites. There are some totally obvious things that Democratic strategists are determined to ignore.

Try it this way: When things go very wrong, that could be partly because of causes that are beyond any hope of correction, and partly because of things that could be at least partly addressed. However much the former may be important, it is the latter that we can do something about. Whatever one thinks about the relative merit of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden, I think Obama knew how to run a campaign and Clinton and Biden didn't or don't. Trump should have been and should be very easy to beat. If that is not the case, then Democratic strategists must at least give some consideration to the possibility that they are approaching things incorrectly. Blaming other people, and insisting it is all the fault of someone else, is the path to failure. Some of the mistakes are pretty obvious.

[Winstonm]

I just read the American Lung Association website about plans to outlaw menthol cigarettes. The black, brown, and LBGQT communities have a disproportionately higher percentage than others but that was not the reason but a finding within the reason. Maybe PBS is little different than NBC.

[hrothgar]

kenberg, on 2024-January-20, 12:06, said:

You would think a professional campaign advisor would understand why that's important and have ideas as to what to do about it. They don't seem to."[/size][/color]

Here's what I'd do...

I'd start by waving my magic wand and making Fox News and OAN and like disappear off the face of the earth.

And while I was at it, I'd make sure that the viewers of those networks gained 30 or so IQ points
That would be a damn good start!

There's limits to what you can do when a bunch of the country consists of brain addled "deplorables" lost in their vibecession.

FWIW, I do think that the campaign advisors have a plan.

But there's a whole bunch of voters who don't favor into it.
Eventually, they'll all be dead.
And the world will be a better place for it.

[kenberg]

hrothgar, on 2024-January-20, 15:49, said:

Here's what I'd do...

I'd start by waving my magic wand and making Fox News and OAN and like disappear off the face of the earth.

And while I was at it, I'd make sure that the viewers of those networks gained 30 or so IQ points
That would be a damn good start!

There's limits to what you can do when a bunch of the country consists of brain addled "deplorables" lost in their vibecession.

Except that we don't have a magic wand. Another problem is that I have known some very high IQ types who use this brainpower to come up with very weird ideas. Ok, not Trumpees, but seriously weirdo.

Hey, you haven't posted much for sometime.

[Manastorm]

I have a recent experience with people I have tried successfully to avoid for 35 years. They still talk the same things when they were 15, the shallowness of their mind is staggering, they have not tried to learn anything and have not learned anything in life. They are unable to talk about anything interesting, I have been forced to listen to them for 8 months and every moment has been painful. If what they talk about reflects what they think about, they are empty. I cannot believe how lucky I have been, when I made the decision 35 years ago. Most people I know by name have been worth knowing, I am amazed.

[kenberg]

Manastorm, on 2024-January-21, 18:11, said:

I have a recent experience with people I have tried successfully to avoid for 35 years. They still talk the same things when they were 15, the shallowness of their mind is staggering, they have not tried to learn anything and have not learned anything in life. They are unable to talk about anything interesting, I have been forced to listen to them for 8 months and every moment has been painful. If what they talk about reflects what they think about, they are empty. I cannot believe how lucky I have been, when I made the decision 35 years ago. Most people I know by name have been worth knowing, I am amazed.

Well, it's good you can end the post on an upbeat note. The first part sounds dismal. Other than that, I can't comment.

[kenberg]

More than once, far more than once, I have expressed frustration with the Democratic campaign strategy. Today I will express similar frustration with Nikki Haley. Trump, repeatedly, got Haley confused with Nancy Pelosi. So Haley speaks of how we should not have a president who is approaching his 80s. Ok, but some thoughts on this.

1. If by magic Trump could be 40 again I still do not want him as president. Yes, I would hope a president could remember who is Nikki Haley and who is Nancy Pelosi, but that's far from the major issue.

2. Ok, I am, for the most part, a Dem and NH is running for the Republican nomination. But still, I would much prefer her to say something such as "Hey folks. We have to decide on what sort of Republican Party we want to have. Let me explain why it should not be the party of Trump". She should be addressing Republicans and explaining the importance of pulling the party back from Trump. Getting NH confused with NP should not be the biggest issue with Republicans either.

3. Yes, confusing NH with NP might well have something to do with Donald Trump's age, but confusion is confusion. Age is important, and it is not ageism to say so. Here in Maryland the last time my driver's license was renewed it was renewed for eight years. I think it is nuts to renew a license for eight years for someone in their eighties. But whether it should be renewed now should depend on my ability to drive now. I am fine with checking in a couple of years from now to see if I am still ok.



General summary: I hope Nikki Haley becomes the Republican candidate. I hope she can restore the Republican Party to respectability. But the way she is going at it will not be successful. There are many many many worse things about Trump than that he got confused about Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi. I want her to say that.

Over and over again I see what I think are very obvious issues that politicians and their advisors are blind to. Ok, we can talk about age and say what can I expect, I am 85, of course I don't understand modern thinking. Maybe so, but I don't think that's really it.

[shyams]

I watch a lot of YouTube videos. When it comes to US politics, my viewing is mostly left-leaning (some might say "far-left") commentators.

On the left:
1. A recurring discussion theme is: "Who will be less harmful to the USA if reelected in 2024. Biden or Trump?". These left-leaning commentators have already decided that both are terrible --- so it's about weighing which of them will have caused lesser damage to USA and/or the world over the next 4 year term.
2. All lefties hate Nikki Haley. They think she is a supreme warmonger who will match Dubya & Cheney in terms of launching numerous war fronts.
3. Some think Biden is a terrible president (current term in office) while others think he is doing the best he could.

I also watch a few right-leaning people on YouTube. The recurring theme among these few videos is a belief that Trump will never be allowed to become President again. Some of these voices are convinced that even an assassination by "the deep state" may be used to prevent a Trump victory. Scary!