US Election 2020

[Nearly Sane]

Historian Tom Holland's view on comparisons with Rome


https://unherd.com/2021/01/is-this-americas-decline-and-fall/

[Nearly Sane]

Behind the times, at least a bit. Didn't the R&A remove Turnberry from potential Open Championships two years ago?

Not openly because of Trump but rather because of capacity issues. I suspect after the fuss with Muirfield last time because of the then male only members policy, they would be reticent to hold it at Turnberry and have found a sensible reason not to do so. 

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/golf/1247250/Donald-Trump-R-A-Turnberry-Troon-2023-The-Open

[Nearly Sane]

The flip-side of the Voltaire non-quote is that no-one is obliged to give anyone a platform. I'm sure he'd be welcome on Parler.

Parler pretty much gone

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/technology-55615214

[Steve H]

Good bloody riddance.

[Roses]

Parler pretty much gone

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/technology-55615214

Good

[Nearly Sane]

From the BBC live feed

'German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed concern at the suspension of Donald Trump from several social media platforms, according to her spokesman.

In a statement, Steffen Seibert said the move was "problematic" because freedom of opinion should be determined by legislatures, not tech bosses.

However the chancellor said she was "furious and saddened" by the storming of the US Capitol last week, and accused President Trump of stoking unrest by refusing to concede to Joe Biden.'

[jeremyp]

Even Trump's golf courses being affected

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/55615022

Dammit! I was going to post that.

[jeremyp]

From the BBC live feed

'German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed concern at the suspension of Donald Trump from several social media platforms, according to her spokesman.

In a statement, Steffen Seibert said the move was "problematic" because freedom of opinion should be determined by legislatures, not tech bosses.

However the chancellor said she was "furious and saddened" by the storming of the US Capitol last week, and accused President Trump of stoking unrest by refusing to concede to Joe Biden.'

What about the freedom of tech bosses to say what their platforms will publish?

[Nearly Sane]

What about the freedom of tech bosses to say what their platforms will publish?

They are not publishers in the legal sense. Indeed they have fought very hard to get away from being seen as publishers.

[jeremyp]

They are not publishers in the legal sense. Indeed they have fought very hard to get away from being seen as publishers.

They still own the platforms and have the right to say what other people publish on their platforms.

[Nearly Sane]

They still own the platforms and have the right to say what other people publish on their platforms.

As noted further up the thread the democratisation caused by what social media are causes issues for this. If they want to be treated and publishers, than the exemptions that they have should be removed.

[Nearly Sane]

A hero for our times.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55623752

[Owlswing]

Still no bets on a Second Civil War?

From the news feeds I have seen it would appear that some are intending armed protests following on from the Capitol insanity!

[Nearly Sane]

Still no bets on a Second Civil War?

From the news feeds I have seen it would appear that some are intending armed protests following on from the Capitol insanity!

Just don't see how they have the structure to create a civil war. Outbreaks of violence, yes, but if you watch the video of the Capitol insurrection, it's not exactly a well drilled militia

[Nearly Sane]

Arnold Schwarzenegger on the insurrection


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x_P-0I6sAck

[Roses]

Arnold Schwarzenegger on the insurrection


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x_P-0I6sAck

Good for him!

[Owlswing]

Just don't see how they have the structure to create a civil war. Outbreaks of violence, yes, but if you watch the video of the Capitol insurrection, it's not exactly a well-drilled militia

Probably a worse scenario as they are totally unpredictable in virtually all respects.

Owlswing

)O(

[Nearly Sane]

Probably a worse scenario as they are totally unpredictable in virtually all respects.

Owlswing

)O(

I saw lots of suggestion that the insurrection would be cathartic and stop people in their tracks. I didn't believe that to be the case, and I think that there is s strong enough indication that for many people that has not been the case but for some it has. I wonder if some more acts of violence might reduce them to a tiny group.


I look at Biden who has been aiming at the Presidency for all of my adult life, and I half feel sorry for him winning it now. What with the need to heal the US, Covid, China, and climate change, it's not an easy four years.

I think though that Schwarzenegger was right in the link I posted that tye institutions are stronger than is often portrayed. In the end other than the Supreme Court, they have not been changed by Trump, and that change would have happened under any Republican and owe more to Mitch McConnel than Trump

ETA I watched the events last week and the starting words from The Story of Booth from Assassins kept running through my head

https://youtu.be/BmVjAMm1ryA

[jeremyp]

Here's a "behind the scenes" account in the Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-mob-failure/2021/01/11/36a46e2e-542e-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html

I believe the apposite saying is "fiddling while Rome burns", except Trump wasn't doing anything so creative, he was watching TV.

[jeremyp]

I think though that Schwarzenegger was right in the link I posted that tye institutions are stronger than is often portrayed. In the end other than the Supreme Court, they have not been changed by Trump, and that change would have happened under any Republican and owe more to Mitch McConnel than Trump

I was very impressed at how the election institutions have stood up to the onslaught by Trump and the Republicans in spite of their obvious (from out point of view) flaws.

I also don't think that the courts (not just the supreme courts) have been changed as much as people might think. Trump has filed more than sixty law suits against the elections and all but two fairly trivial ones were dismissed pretty much instantly. The one case that reached the apparently loaded Supreme Court was rejected out of hand. They refused to even hear the case. Only two justices dissented from that view, saying they should hear the case but they believed it was almost certainly without merit.

[ProfessorDavey]

I was very impressed at how the election institutions have stood up to the onslaught by Trump and the Republicans in spite of their obvious (from out point of view) flaws.

I also don't think that the courts (not just the supreme courts) have been changed as much as people might think. Trump has filed more than sixty law suits against the elections and all but two fairly trivial ones were dismissed pretty much instantly. The one case that reached the apparently loaded Supreme Court was rejected out of hand. They refused to even hear the case. Only two justices dissented from that view, saying they should hear the case but they believed it was almost certainly without merit.

It was always naive of Trump to think that the Supreme Court would come riding to his rescue. Firstly because although their may be a right wing bias now due to recent appointments the Supreme Court members are in the business of making legal judgements not political judgements - hence they'd never simply support a president just because he was of the party they may typically support, or even a president that appointed them.

Moreover, a seat on the Supreme Court is (literally) for life, while a president is just for a few years, maximum 8. No member of the Supreme Court with prostitute their ultimate career and legacy for a simply president. Their reputation would be in tatters and their ability to work with the next president and the one after etc would be severely impeded.

[jakswan]

I knew there was something I was missing, How Biden stole the election reveals all :-

https://howbidenstoletheelection.com/

[Aruntraveller]

I knew there was something I was missing, How Biden stole the election reveals all :-

https://howbidenstoletheelection.com/

 

[Roses]

I knew there was something I was missing, How Biden stole the election reveals all :-

https://howbidenstoletheelection.com/

How dare Biden get more votes than Trump!!!!!! 

[Harrowby Hall]

I knew there was something I was missing, How Biden stole the election reveals all :-

https://howbidenstoletheelection.com/

I think that this misses the point. It's not that Biden received more votes, he received them in the wrong places.