Could also be George Carlin? Sounds like him, too lol.

Tick tock, Murdoch.

Don’t even need to have much knowledge or intelligence; just empathy will usually get you out of the cult. Lacking both is a particularly dangerous combo; though so is intelligence and a lack of empathy. That’s how you get the psychopathic grifters at the top I guess.

Anyone notice July 4th celebrations were way more subdued than usual? Even in my predominantly red area.

30% tariffs hitting hard.

List aside, did I miss why we aren’t still talking about the 3 missing minutes and Adobe edited surveillance footage of the prison?

Fun fact: Katie Porter lost to Adam Schiff because of his crypto backers dumping money into his campaign.

Shitty is the point. It’s a verbal caricature intended to mock.

And we know how mockery gets under the skin of socio/psychopaths.

This is fascism pressuring critical media. It was one of their highest viewed shows.

Reminder the previous CEO for CBS said “Trump may not be be good for America, but he’s good for CBS. Keep going, Donald.”

Uh, what?

The judge specifically said it was rape, didn’t they?

Simple. Truthful. This needs to be repeated everywhere.

Yeah not reading that lol. Sad troll. Tagged. Bye, bye little tankie.

lol what a peculiar fella. Have a good day.

lol no fucking shit? This is a meta-discussion. I didn’t know I was talking to a Trump supporter. Thought we could discuss like adults, but clearly not.

Is that real world enough for you?

So, your plan is to waste debate time and call yourself a Socialist.

No. That is a mischaracterization and oversimplification of what I wrote (like how did you get that from my second paragraph?). I’m already going to be called a socialist; and until the word and others like it are unpacked, they will always be used to fearmonger. Best to address it head-on and take away the power to demonize. I mean just see how many times Mamdani was asked about it during his latest interviews, including with NPR. You have to confront it because it’s a curiosity with the unknown for so many people.

At its core, you must rewire the literal circuitry of people’s brains to link policies -> socialism, or better yet, Nordic model. But if you don’t strongly link these policies to a ideological package, people will feel adrift. It’s why political parties are so attractive. People like pigeon-holing things. Granted, I would also say that I am not a socialist, but a social democrat and strong advocate of a mixed Nordic Model economy— which itself is overwhelmingly more palatable for swing-voters, and even some Trump supporters I’ve talked with.

Why not do something like say “This is what Ike backed back when he was President. Are you calling Ike a Communist?”

I’m open to saying that; but neither is that mutually-exclusive to what I intended to say. And if it was Trump I’m debating, he probably would say “yes, that Ike was a communist” or “no Ike couldn’t be a commie, he was a Republican!” And then ramble on incoherently about cats & dogs.

No doubt, you need quick-witted quips back in debates that go on the attack, I agree. In fairness my response is probably better suited for a town hall or interview.

As far as my decision-making on that would go, I think it would depend on if the actual electorate is believing that mischaracterization, and if I have access to actually respond directly to those people or not.

In a debate for instance, I’d aim to hand-wave that away in dismissal but then pivot and say, "let’s talk about what I really envision for our country and you can tell me if that sounds good to you…[explains]… And so for these great things, you’ll probably end up asking, “but how will we pay for it? [explains ROI, our excess costs now, the amount of wealth of the billionaire class and corporate coffers, etc.]”

If after that the debate moderator or opponent continues to push hard on, “but are you a socialist. Are you a communist!?” I’d take that as an invitation to say explain the differences and how the happiest countries of the world are properly mixed economies between the spectrum of socialism to laissez-faire capitalism.

I understand what you’re saying. Unfortunately the amount of right-wing propaganda out there will label any real challenger as being socialist whether that’s Mamdani or the “radical marxist socialist commie” that was… Kamala Harris?

So progressives must decide whether they hide from the term, enabling the fearmongering, or openly embracing it to show there is nothing wrong with it.

Second to that, I feel they should be pivoting the questions not just to policy but to definitionally explain the notion of socialism, democratic socialism, and social democracies; how in reality — as in actual, realized, tangible results, not utopian fantasies — some of the happiest and most successful countries by the data are ones who embraced a properly mixed economy; that is, social democracies or the Nordic Model.

I recently had what was maybe one of my biggest wins in a conversation with a maga by explaining it this way. They’re so damn confused and believe all trade and bartering, all markets, and any scale of monetary income will vanish. That big bad guv’mint isn’t necessarily so bad when it’s protected from outsized corporate and billionaire power and firmly in the hands Of the People.

This is neither sustainable for Russia nor does anything but further galvanize Ukrainians against the Russian terrorist invader.

They clearly learned nothing from London stoicism.

One underestimates the power and scope of right-wing propaganda, and especially how it taps into machismo idolization, sadly.

/u/ZombiFrancis can correct me if I’m wrong but I think what they’re saying is that the DNC was unable to redefine what is perceived as electable; tha tis, the stale notion that progressivism is not palatable to rural working class voters despite evidence to the contrary. Instead, we fall for the same old trope of watering down OUR vision and OUR policy platform that we KNOW must be done (e.g., climate change as just one), and end up just looking bland to these voters. We don’t stand for anything, except for the progressive caucus of this party.

So in short, we need a 50 state strategy; but a national vision that brings that all together and is adapted to modern times. Not this incessant pivot to the “center” that is arbitrarily defined by Republican lines in the sand.

Jesus just flooded a Christian camp; it may be a sign Jesus does not approve of Christians in America.*

*poor joke expressing my general frustrations, I confess. Indoctrinated children shouldn’t be responsible for the ignorance of their parents or state and federal officials who stupidly gut weather services and deregulate to the point a camp can be built literally on a fucking dry river bed.