17
votes
Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of August 19
This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.
This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.
Tim Walz made an impression in China, students and teachers say
I was unaware that Walz had traveled to China so much. This makes him a stronger candidate IMO, and I hope the attack line from the Republicans doesn't stick. This seems like the kind of bogeyman they could "just ask questions" about for the next few months.
The fact that the US state department paints China as an opponent and not a partner is super problematic. This is not the way you maintain hegemony and is just a signifier of a dying empire.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/rfk-jr-plans-drop-presidential-race-end-week/story?id=113028999
I guess he's afraid he could help Harris win. I don't understand this dude at all beyond "a worm ate his brain."
I don't think anyone but himself understands him beyond the worm thing. Like it was such a weird thing to bring up on the campaign trail.
And good luck to RFK Jr. with telling the Libertarian party to vote for Trump, after they had booed him off the stage at their convention this past May.
I'm pretty sure he's just acting from spite since:
Although I guess it's not impossible they're doing so at the request of the Democratic National Committee.
Whoops, good catch!
Why abortion won't be on the Arkansas ballot in November (Adam Unikowsky)
Oh wow, that's some weapons-grade fuckery.
Both on the part of the ASC and especially their DA/Secretary of State.
I guess this really should have been in last week's post, but now we're in this week 🤷
Trump Suggests He’ll Flee to Venezuela If Harris Wins the Election
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-suggests-hell-flee-to-venezuela-if-harris-wins-the-election
Sadly, this is the most American thing ever... make an idle threat to leave the country if your side loses an election.
However... It's interesting that Trump is talking about the possibility of loosing.
Fact checking historical speeches the way the WaPo fact checker has been fact checking the DNC.
Did Obama just make a joke about Trump having a small dick?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXdlX1BZBIs
Lmao and then topping that with "don't boo, vote" right after
Oh it may have been a joke about Trump's small hands instead
Or both
I wish he hadn't. Mainstream liberalism has a massive double standard around body shaming.
Also, it's just cringe. There's a reason "orange man bad" is a right-wing meme.
It echoes Tim Walz saying he is happy to debate Vance if Vance will get off the couch and meet him to debate.
I think a little bit of trash talk is not a terrible thing.
It's about fixed versus chosen characteristics. Someone can choose to not fuck couches, but few people get to pick the size or shape of their genitals. Mocking those bodily characteristics not only shames Trump, but everyone else around you who shares them.
Especially something like penis size, you can be hurting people you care about without even knowing it.
You make a very good point.
Reading about it the next day, it's no longer clear to me that it was even a dick joke, rather than Obama imitating the way Trump uses his hands when speaking.
I have read though, that Obama's speechwriters included the "obsession with crowd sizes" bit in the speech as a joke about Trump's manhood. However, whether Obama was aware of the joke's insinuation or not, or even meant to make the gesture or not, his hand movements were apparently impromptu, and not part of the speech itself.
I thought about this, but I think it's both. And while I don't care about insulting Trump and his gestures and his crowd size obsession, I do care about not body shaming.
And I'm gonna give the very educated, very intelligent Barack Obama the credit to "get" that it was also a dick joke.
After Trump led the charge to declare Barak Obama a non citizen with a faked birth certificate, I am pretty sure Obama hates, loathes and despises Donald Trump and would be happy to hit back, both above and below the belt.
Yeah I am sure he said what he did by choice. It makes zero sense orherwise
My opinion about body shaming is a principled one.
Yeah, Trump has gotten away with many of the despicable things he has said over his career, including painting Obama's parents as immigration scammers, because we no longer allow duels. I'm not saying that we should go back.
I understand why Obama would break the usual rules in this case.
I'm aware of all of this, and that Obama made a deliberate choice. I pointed that out initially as the previous post has said "whether or not he knew" because of course he knew.
I'm feeling like you're trying to convince me it's ok to make this joke here, because of the awful human that Trump is. Or because Obama was ok making it? Idk. But we're in agreement about the facts, though it seems not about the ethics of the actions so it feels like thats where this is going. Am I off?
I'm not sure whether your objection is because normalizing insults of that category will spill over and harm innocents or just exactly what.
Obama as a political candidate was not free to sue for defamation and slander.
There are ethical questions about when it is ok to do something that would normally be wrong for the greater good. Democrat politicians are trying to get in Trump's head, get him off balance and encourage him to make mistakes and show the world just how unhinged he is.
But even if it were decided that the joke was the wrong choice, Trump's provocations were of a type that would have ordinary people fantasizing about running the perpetrator over and then reversing.
I think her point is that making fun of Trump for physical characteristics that he doesn't have any control over, like the size of his penis or hands, normalizes ridiculing people for characteristics they don't choose. It spills over onto other folks who haven't done anything wrong and just happened to be born with the same physical characteristic that this person who is absolutely deserving of ridicule also has. Make fun of Trump for the things he does and chooses to be, not because he's overweight or has a weird dick or whatever. That's my take, anyway, and if I'm understanding her objection correctly I completely agree.
Absolutely correct. Hell, mock his shitty tailored suits that don't fit him, because he likes shittily tailored suits, not because he's fat.
It's ok to not mock the shitty person for the thing they can't control. Preferable even. When they're THIS shitty, there's plenty of other things to say.
Ok, so once again, I'm genuinely asking if you're trying to get me to change my mind here?
My objection is that body shaming is wrong regardless, and yes, that whether Trump hears them or not - due to the speaker I'm sure he heard this one - the people around you will hear them. As I said this is a principled stance.
I think it's wrong, ethically and morally, to body shame people. I think it's hypocritical to be pissed if other people are mocked in this way and then be fine with it happening to Trump. Yeah, he sucks in particular. Yeah, the memes after the assassination attempt made it clear that plenty of people, myself included, have some feelings about him as a person and politician. I don't know why you're explaining all of this like I haven't existed for the past 8 years.
They're still free to do it. I'd rather they not, but it's far from the most unethical/immoral action that will happen in this campaign. Just don't sell me that it's "for the greater good" Hell, I did laugh when it happened, and it was hypocritical of me to do so. I'm ok with acknowledging that. It's just cognitive dissonance otherwise.
All I said was "I do care about not body shaming" which I admit is awkwardly worded, but I'm not sure why you feel the need to keep explaining how upset Trump makes everyone and how this is just political strategy and thus it's fine? Or something? I don't need this explained to me.
I think we are talking past each other and it's time for me to back away.
Thanks for clarifying your position. It's also wrong to lie under most circumstances, to kill under most but not all circumstances
I don't doubt Obama understood the insinuation either, although part of me does want to believe his speechwriter's got one over on him and his reaction to his own hand gesture was genuine. That would be even funnier than making a joke about Trump having a small dick
They are having a blast at the DNC; I have to give them credit for the positive vibes.
Donald Trump Hosting Jan. 6 Awards Gala Sparks Fury: 'Absolutely Horrid' (Newsweek)
Harris is mobilizing an army of Congress members as campaign surrogates
How democratic politicians are starting to speak plain truth again