I think making them financially and emotionally comfortable. Reduce the wealth gap and convince them that government is advocating for them in concrete ways.

This would be real change and I’m not sure many places in the USA—especially where it’s most needed—are capable of making that change.

Certainly, Trump and his ilk are working to do the opposite while waving panaceas in their faces.

Sometimes, I think Democrats and the left get too caught up in the big picture issues and ignore the ground work that’s needed. They’re trying to grow a forest without clearing the rocks and weeds. You don’t combat transphobia, misogyny and racism just by preaching the virtues of inclusivity. You have to address the insecurities that lead to that kind of hate. That means helping the despicable people and I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to help them. But, that puts us in a vicious circle.

I don’t think change will ever come from the top. It’s got to start very local. Think about conservative talk radio and how influential that is/was. It was someone talking directly to them even if it was a syndicated show it was on a local AM station. They sowed the fear and anxiety that lead us here. The Dems/liberal/left still seems to mostly ignore that.

That was my brother-in-law. In West Virginia. Votes for Obama twice then Trump.

Near as I can tell, they want “change” and doesn’t matter much what that means. They feel powerless in the face of the “other”. The government itself is “other”. It’s who they blame for problems whether it’s taxes or complicated rules for their small business or the way “elites” get away with doing the stuff they can’t do. They have some legitimate gripes with the government and “elites”.

Obama sold “change” really well. So did Trump. It’s not the same kind of change. And, he employed many more “others”. Trump’s change is a lie but Obama’s change never materialized even though he was probably more sincere about it.

These people are dealing with feelings of frustration, inadequacy, envy and shame. They’re lashing out and their only power is their vote. Trump fed those feelings and gave them a target and convinced them that only he could help them.

What are you talking about? Alcohols ability to lower inhibitions is well known and studied.

I hope all those farmers are paying attention to who won them the right to repair their tractors.

It’s got something way better: LieAr

He brought the Bible into it so I’m betting it was a misteress.

The vaccines have been tested, reviewed and used in a majority of the population and reviewed more. All the data is there. How much more do you need?

Where is any data at all showing them to be ineffective or dangerous? Where?

Do you really think government agencies are faking and hiding data so that people can be injected with vaccines that don’t work? If so, why? What evidence is there for this? What motivation could you even speculate on?

No one is claiming scientists are perfect. The reason we know there’s some bad science out there is because the process works.

You don’t get to claim scientists are lying without showing some fucking evidence.

No, you see, they’re hiding stuff. The data that’s out there doesn’t support his hallucinations so, obviously, the real data is being hidden. ^/s

Nov 6 - Jan 21 is going to be tense. But, if Harris wins it’ll be worth it.

These little glimmers of light give me hope.

Democrats are doing creepy stuff, too.

From the Center for Voter Information:

Dear xxxxxx,

Public records indicate that you are eligible to vote in the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Remember, who you vote for is private, but whether or not you voted is public record.

We’re sending this mailing to you and your neighbors to share who does and does not vote in an effort to promote election participation. While we have hidden the name and street number of your neighbors to protect their privacy, these are their true voting records.

[table showing whether I and two of my neighbors voted on the last four elections.]

We will be reviewing these records after the election to determine whether or not you joined your neighbors in voting.

None of this is OK.

And Russia just fined Google some ridiculously large number. Coincidence? 🤔

Yeah, but if Trump loses he becomes near worthless to anybody that is paying him. He’s not going to run in 2028. I doubt he’ll be physically able to. He’ll be abandoned (or worse) by Putin/Xi/Saudis. He’ll have his cult but his handlers will be looking for the next Trump.

If people from Mint are saying it’s on their end why wouldn’t you believe them?

You’re not owed the technical details. If you want to encourage/pressure them, contact Mint support. They’ve already said that it’s a priority.

You can use RCS to message anyone on a carrier that supports it for their device from a carrier that supports it as long as you both have it enabled. There is a setting on your phone to turn it on. Consult the documentation for your carrier/device.

Yeah, I didn’t think he was gay until he, unprovoked, felt the need to assert that he’s not gay. 🤔

Newspapers have a long history of publishing editorials and opinion pieces. Newspapers are rarely, if ever, pure, objective news. Endorsements fall under the editorial content. They are an established tradition.

When the owner dictates that no endorsement should be made because it conflicts with his views, that’s a problem. It’s not the editors with domain knowledge making the call but the self-serving business-man doing it. And it’s not for the good of the paper, it’s for his business interests and personal ideology.

That is the problem.

I guess it depends on whether he needs to rile his base. The GOP already has them frothing at the name “Pelosi”. He might do it as an intimidation tactic. Hopefully, we never find out because he never gets the chance.

Did they not try an insanity defense? He must have been declared competent, I guess.

Life sentence is from the state charges. President can’t pardon that. But, yeah, he’ll pardon the federal charges if he gets the chance.

And, people are probably not good judges of how much they are influenced by the endorsements. I’m guessing most people wouldn’t admit that their opinion changed because of someone else.