Does character still matter in politics?

[honorentheos]

Yeah. But you see Democrats started it by ending segregation, imposing the New Deal, marriage equality, and wanting to enforce environmental and financial accountability laws, and viewing the separation of church from state as a good thing. So it's even.

[Kishkumen]

I don't think lying and cheating are anything new for people in general, and certainly not for politicians and wealthy people. But character in the sense of, what mask do we wear? Most definitely a shift there. When did vocally and obviously lying through your teeth become so important, specifically, as a god-fearing, Christ centered Republican who now also loves Vladimir Putin and Russia?

I have to go back to the WWF. The populist base who supports Trump are pretty much the same folks who watched monster truck racing and pro wrestling in the 80s and 90s. (I was addicted to both). Hulk Hogan became the most iconic pro wrestler of all time. He was a classic "good guy". He loved his country, he said his prayers and ate his vitamins and he followed the rules. The heels cheated, had bad manners, and often were foreign wrestlers from Russia who would sing their national anthem to a booing crowd. But the narrative turned over the years. Stone Cold Steve Austin became the next biggest star years later, and his persona was a lewd beer drinker. Many of the heels were made from former good guys, including Hogan, who were now self-righteous. Instead of the crowd going ballistic shouting "USA" as Hacksaw Jim Duggan flew into the ring to smack down the Bolsheviks, there were bad guys like "IRS", who came into the ring with a white shirt and briefcase, reminding everyone to pay their taxes.

I don't think it is a straightforward connection between this shift in wrestling post-Hogan and Trump's campaign so many years later, but you can definitely see how the tastes of the crowd evolve. It's the same people making that shift. And we've been softened up with this same turn in cinema, with more conflicted characters -- The Wire, Battlestar, Breaking Bad, and without question, these shows were so much better than black-and-white cop shows. Lot's of experimenting with good guys not being so good and the bad not so bad.

Interesting take, Dean. I have to confess that I was always too much of a snob for either WWF or monster truck rallies. I love a good truck, but . . . .

And I also thought that adults, when there were such a thing, could distinguish between weekend entertainment and realms of life where decisions that seek to save lives are made. And that you might not trust the person who runs around a mat in tights playing the Mad Russian to decide your actual foreign policy.

[Kishkumen]

Yeah. But you see Democrats started it by ending segregation, imposing the New Deal, marriage equality, and wanting to enforce environmental and financial accountability laws, and viewing the separation of church from state as a good thing. So it's even.

So, Democrats are basically at fault for being humane.

Oookkkeeee!!!

I was waiting for you to tell me you had evidence they are actually communists or something.

In short, I can expect most Republican charges against Democrats to be baseless because that is their actual, honest to God, deliberate strategy.

But Republicans say that, no, this is what Democrats do, because every accusation is a confession. See the prior paragraph where it was already shown that aggressive lying is their actual, honest to God, deliberate approach to politics.

Yep. Just can’t go there. They lost me.

Sorry, ceeboo.

[ceeboo]

And yet here our friend ceeboo is telling me my thread is the problem.

I did not tell you that your thread is the problem. Here is what I said.

Thread titles like yours, play a huge role in what is damaging America. Devaluing relationships amongst the citizens in America and creating wider division in an already huge divide.

Thread titles like yours that take an extremely large group of very diverse, individual, and complex human beings and cement all of them with a negative label absolutely plays a huge role in damaging America, devaluing relationships, and creates wider division in an already huge divide.

But my thread is the problem.

Your thread title contributes to the problem - No doubt about it.

[Dr Exiled]

I have to agree with Ceeboo. These types of accusation threads are meant to divide - if those stupid Republicans could just pull their heads out of their asses then we'd be fine. Seems like a different tact is needed to convince people to not vote for the circus master. Maybe discuss issues? Maybe resurrect Sanders and his 2016 proposals? The country was aching for populist policies and tired of endless war, but, queen Hillary had to be annointed and now look at where we are.

I think you guys are blaming the wrong people. Trump should lose big to a better candidate than the corpse he's now facing. It looks like he won't and y'all better pray Rachel Maddow's stasi-like predictions for the next Trump administration don't come true or some here might face his retribution for their support of russiagate and the laptop lie.

[honorentheos]

And yet here our friend ceeboo is telling me my thread is the problem.

I did not tell you that your thread is the problem. Here is what I said.

Thread titles like yours, play a huge role in what is damaging America. Devaluing relationships amongst the citizens in America and creating wider division in an already huge divide.

Thread titles like yours that take an extremely large group of very diverse, individual, and complex human beings and cement all of them with a negative label absolutely plays a huge role in damaging America, devaluing relationships, and creates wider division in an already huge divide.

But my thread is the problem.

Your thread title contributes to the problem - No doubt about it.

Ceebs, what values do you believe the Republican party currently best represent?

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

I have to agree with Ceeboo. These types of accusation threads are meant to divide - if those stupid Republicans could just pull their heads out of their asses then we'd be fine. Seems like a different tact is needed to convince people to not vote for the circus master. Maybe discuss issues? Maybe resurrect Sanders and his 2016 proposals? The country was aching for populist policies and tired of endless war, but, queen Hillary had to be annointed and now look at where we are.

I think you guys are blaming the wrong people. Trump should lose big to a better candidate than the corpse he's now facing. It looks like he won't and y'all better pray Rachel Maddow's stasi-like predictions for the next Trump administration don't come true or some here might face his retribution for their support of russiagate and the laptop lie.

Funny how conservatives keep calling Biden a corpse, but they never refer to Trump as a bloated carcass. The latter may, in fact, beat Biden to the grave. Also, the Bloated Carcass appears to be deteriorating mentally faster than Biden.

Weird, huh?

- Doc

[honorentheos]

The country was aching for populist policies and tired of endless war, but, queen Hillary had to be annointed and now look at where we are.

There is no such thing as a populist policy. There is only populist anti-policy.

[honorentheos]

...russiagate..

I'm curious what you imagine this refers to? The results of the Muller Report? The 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee Was reports? Or whatever the amygdala tickle is that you feel when Trump says, "Russia, Russia, Russia?"

To be clear, the Senate determined there was collusion. You can read about it from primary sources, it's public record.

[honorentheos]

...the laptop lie.

I'm curious what you mean by this? That the Trump campaign attempted to portray the existance and content of the laptop as damning of Biden while withholding access to the primary materials? Tucker Carlson, after being one of the only folks to receive said access, saying it was better for Republicans to move on? Or whatever the amygdala tickle is that you feel when Trump says, "51 former spooks lied and said it was Russia when it turned out the laptop was real?"

You realize the original concerns are still available to read directly without filter by, you know, the evil media where you can find out for yourself what the real concerns were. That is if you can swim out from the conservative news riptide you seem to deny getting your information from.