2020 Presidential Election

[OldPhiKap]

Two "furriners" and an already widely celebrated athlete, who has been dead for 64 years. Hmmm... I wonder how many MoF have been awarded to non-citizens.

Is Putin coming to D.C., or is Donnie gonna bring it over to him?

[CameronBornAndBred]

I wonder how long he will stay in DC now. Many of us thought that he would MAL it for Christmas and never come back. Obviously that was way wrong.

Does he stay through the 20th? Is locking the doors of the White House any more effective than locking the doors of the Capitol building?

[sagegrouse]

Two "furriners" and an already widely celebrated athlete, who has been dead for 64 years. Hmmm... I wonder how many MoF have been awarded to non-citizens.

A bunch, actually. #4 on the list is cellist Pablo Casals. The MoF began under JFK. Trump's only previous may have been Mariano Rivera, but I'd bet he's become a citizen.

Unsurprisingly, Maggie Thatcher is on the list.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Giving out Presidential Freedom Medals to three golfers. Yes. Really.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnb...s-capitol.html

Tangentially related, I used to play a few rounds on the Babe Zaharias municipal golf course in Tampa when I was growing up.

[cspan37421]

If anyone needs a laugh (gallows humor maybe), The Onion is running on all cylinders.

[OldPhiKap]

If anyone needs a laugh (gallows humor maybe), The Onion is running on all cylinders.

I actually believe the article about Ted Cruz to be accurate.

[SouthernDukie]

Tangentially related, I used to play a few rounds on the Babe Zaharias municipal golf course in Tampa when I was growing up.

I used to go cast netting at Rogers Park Golf Course in the late 70's, but don't remember going to the Babe.

[duke79]

I would love to know how many of the rioters in the capitol yesterday were there because their government failed to recognize and treat as an emergency declining life expectancy in middle-aged whites.

I assume you're being sarcastic here? And I think the author of that story in the National Review was, at least, a little "misguided" in his attempt to explain the behavior of the MAGA supporters who stormed the Capital building yesterday (and IMHO, many of them were simply "hooligans" who saw an opportunity to wreak some havoc and took advantage of it). I think their main gripe with our existing political landscape has very little to do with declining life expectancy in rural, white America (although this may a symptom of the larger issues).

This discussion may not be allowed on this board, but if you look back at the past 30 years (at least) of Presidential voting, the country REALLY is divided into two distinct voting preferences - the "red" counties - that have almost consistently voted Republican in every Presidential race (and some by wide margins) and tend to be rural/suburban, Southern, Western, etc and the "blue" counties - that have almost always voted (by large margins in many cases) for the Democrats and tend to be urban/suburban/Northeast/West Coast, etc. The red counties, on a geographic basis, make up 90 to 94% of the country and the blue counties about 6 to 10% of the country. Unfortunately, the two sides have very different views (mostly) on tax policy, government social programs, 2nd amendment rights, individual liberties, social issues, etc. I hate to be pessimistic but I think it is going to be very difficult to reconcile these two divergent viewpoints in the future, so that we become "one nation" (of course, I am not sure that we have ever truly been one nation). And I do think that part of what happened yesterday is a result of the frustration that some of the "red folks" feel in America today.

[Tripping William]

There are 15 official cabinet-level department heads, so 8 would be needed.

Apparently Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will not be one of them, because she says she is resigning (per a WaPo reporter, citing two unnamed officials).

Edit: Politco now saying so, too. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...cretary-455919

[LasVegas]

I assume you're being sarcastic here? And I think the author of that story in the National Review was, at least, a little "misguided" in his attempt to explain the behavior of the MAGA supporters who stormed the Capital building yesterday (and IMHO, many of them were simply "hooligans" who saw an opportunity to wreak some havoc and took advantage of it). I think their main gripe with our existing political landscape has very little to do with declining life expectancy in rural, white America (although this may a symptom of the larger issues).

This discussion may not be allowed on this board, but if you look back at the past 30 years (at least) of Presidential voting, the country REALLY is divided into two distinct voting preferences - the "red" counties - that have almost consistently voted Republican in every Presidential race (and some by wide margins) and tend to be rural/suburban, Southern, Western, etc and the "blue" counties - that have almost always voted (by large margins in many cases) for the Democrats and tend to be urban/suburban/Northeast/West Coast, etc. The red counties, on a geographic basis, make up 90 to 94% of the country and the blue counties about 6 to 10% of the country. Unfortunately, the two sides have very different views (mostly) on tax policy, government social programs, 2nd amendment rights, individual liberties, social issues, etc. I hate to be pessimistic but I think it is going to be very difficult to reconcile these two divergent viewpoints in the future, so that we become "one nation" (of course, I am not sure that we have ever truly been one nation). And I do think that part of what happened yesterday is a result of the frustration that some of the "red folks" feel in America today.

These differences have existed for a very very very very long time. The real question is, what has happened in the last 4-12 years that has made it so hostile?

[YmoBeThere]

Apparently Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will not be one of them, because she says she is resigning (per a WaPo reporter, citing two unnamed officials).

Edit: Politco now saying so, too. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...cretary-455919

She's taken the Oath of Office many times. Now, when she needs to live up to it, she quits.

[Steven43]

can anyone possibly think that the mob would have been allowed to sashay around the bowels of the Capitol had they been black? A shocking, gutless non response from the Capitol police who assured lawmakers this week (some of them are pretty smart, they knew about the protest) that they had the situation well under control. It's a wonder some of them didn't give guided tours.

The blatant favoritism law enforcement shows to white right-wingers was on full display for all the world to see yesterday. I don’t think there’s any other logical conclusion to be drawn.

And yes, I believe the right-wing aspect of the favoritism is real. If that had been a bunch of far-left whites assaulting the Capitol they would have been met with batons, rubber bullets, tear gas, and more.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Apparently Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will not be one of them, because she says she is resigning (per a WaPo reporter, citing two unnamed officials).

Edit: Politco now saying so, too. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...cretary-455919

Totally guessing here but I'm thinking the cabinet members had a call, said "are we going to do this or not," it was determined that they would not, and she at that point decided to move on. Or the other possibility is that if there is some effort to move forward (which I think is highly unlikely), she gets to avoid having to be on the record as for or against it, which is particularly important given her husband's job.

[MarkD83]

And you are right, of course. Nobody needs to investigate the whys of this particular shooting, it was an appropriate use of force, IMHO. I am angry too, but, I am also glad that we don't have hundreds dead.

I am doing a lot of venting so thanks for putting up with me. I too am glad that the casualties are low.

[duke79]

These differences have existed for a very very very very long time. The real question is, what has happened in the last 4-12 years that has made it so hostile?

Good question and I don't have a good answer but I wonder if social media has made it much easier for people to express their opinions and to organize groups of like-minded citizens and this has led to increased political polarization?

[MChambers]

I actually believe the article about Ted Cruz to be accurate.

Me too!

[SouthernDukie]

Good question and I don't have a good answer but I wonder if social media has made it much easier for people to express their opinions and to organize groups of like-minded citizens and this has led to increased political polarization?

Social Media has certainly helped to funnel people into their different camps. No doubt about that. And that always adds to polarization. No easy answers though.

[Lord Ash]

These differences have existed for a very very very very long time. The real question is, what has happened in the last 4-12 years that has made it so hostile?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTFE8cirkdQ

[Steven43]

Good question and I don't have a good answer but I wonder if social media has made it much easier for people to express their opinions and to organize groups of like-minded citizens and this has led to increased political polarization?

Of course that’s what it is. No question.

[MarkD83]

Stepping back from all of this for a moment, I am trying to think about the big picture. And the pessimist/cynic in me thinks nothing will change. Trump is getting his wrist slapped with the twitter ban. I am highly skeptical that anyone will actually act on the 25th Amendment or impeachment. A few congress people might have changed their vote last night, but the end result was the same. Hopefully they can identify and arrest many more of the criminal rioters, but this won't impact the beliefs or behaviors of this group. Someone needs to investigate the huge failure to have adequate police protection when there was clearly a significant likelihood that something like this could happen, but ultimately a few people might lose jobs and that will be that. Maybe a few people have changed their point of view on things, but it is mainly Democrats saying "I told you so" and being slightly more angry at Trump than their already highly elevated level of anger, and Republicans staying quiet for a little while or digging in their heels and using whataboutisms.

But in a few days something else will happen. There is a decent chance it is a crisis manufactured by Trump, but it could be something else. And the newscycle will move on to follow that and we will all largely forget what happened yesterday. Rather than it being a 9/11 event where one of the few positives to come out of it was that the acts of foreign terrorists largely united our nation for a moment (with some notable exceptions), this event of domestic terrorism will do little to mend our divided nation.

I think one thing that has changed is that the Democrats are in control of the House, Senate and WH. I heard one democratic senator last night say he will no longer look at his republican brethren in the same way. He said he was a moderate and would work across the aisle and not be divisive. However, he said the republicans have the broader divide to breach in his mind.

I do believe (hope) that all of the bills that made it through the house and were stifled by McConnell will at least get a hearing on the senate floor.