US Politics, March 2020 — There’s a very good chance you’re not going to die.

how much do you wanna bet Trump actually claims the infected numbers are "off" soon

"i don't trust the test"....

I know why Yerac watches, why are the rest of you watching, do you hate yourselves that much

“Unskew the death tolls”

xp same reason I went up on my roof 19 years ago Septemeber

(we also only have one controller for the ps4).

lol

“Unskew the death tolls”

― Karl Malone, Monday, March 23, 2020

UNFURL THE FLAG

https://66.media.tumblr.com/b0540683b09b9df21fea19e8935927a0/tumblr_n3yo0gsyoA1rd76vjo1_500.gif

why are the rest of you watching, do you hate yourselves that much

Honestly: the compulsion to come onto this thread and ridicule people for watching is as bizarre to me as watching is to you.

agreed, also I don't hate myself

Honestly: the compulsion to come onto this thread and ridicule people for watching is as bizarre to me as watching is to you.

― clemenza, Monday, March 23, 2020 5:36 PM (thirteen minutes ago)

takes all kinds! I won't even watch politicians I like.

If Robespierre rose from the grave to give a eulogy at my grandmother's shiva I'd've left the room

I won't even watch politicians I like.

seeing Katie Porter in action is far more satisfying than reading summaries of her interrogatory performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muRXMOW_wVI

Well the Texas Lt. Gov. got the message: https://www.mediaite.com/tv/texas-lt-gov-says-we-cant-sacrifice-the-country-to-combat-coronavirus-older-people-like-me-will-take-care-of-ourselves/

“No one reached out to me and said as a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren. And if that’s the exchange, I’m all in.”

The "America that all America loves" obviously is one where you can sit your ass down at Shoney's and eat off the buffet like God intended.

Ponderosa iirc

hey look if Dan Patrick would literally rather die than pay taxes I guess that’s on him. but something tells me them at he and alllll his friends will be (mostly) just fine if they catch it.

Between that and the chloroquine poisoning it's like we've reached the Jonestown phase of Trumpism.

Dan Patrick, receiving a briefing

https://media.giphy.com/media/LGuu9NopqzwHK/giphy.gif

https://media.giphy.com/media/BPDKh56KtTNRe/giphy.gif

so can we change the thread title to, um, something more this minute?

Statistically it will probably stay true at least through the end of the month. We only have about a week to go.

Dan Patrick is one of Trump's biggest bootlickers on a state government level, so his comments are vmic.

Also vmic, me wishing him all the luck in the world for getting it, spreading to certain others in his orbit, and them all going to hell after an acceptable amount of suffering.

I've been trying to figure out the right-wing reaction to all of this -- I live surrounded by it -- and I think there has been this quasi-mystical thing about Trump and the stock market, the endlessly rising DJIA as a neverending triumph over doubters and enemies. Trump has thought and acted that way all along, but I think a lot of people really bought into it. Never mind that it was just the continuation of an existing trend line, it became the answer to everything. Don't like his tweets? Well, how do you like your IRA? And of course reasonable know the stock market isn't really the economy, but there was also the record low unemployment rate -- "lowest ever for African-Americans," they would solemnly intone, like people who had ever spent much time thinking about African-American unemployment or saying the words "African-American." Right, low wages, stagnation, blah blah blah, but those graphs looked great. They became like holy relics, signs that they were right and magical and everyone else was wrong and bad.

And now this stupid virus shows up and just wrecks it all in a month, like none of it mattered or was real to start with. You don't have to go all the way to "cult leader" to characterize Trump's relationship to his devotees as something beyond normal political partisanship. As long as the stock market went up, he was winning, and as long as he was winning, they were winning. Suddenly it all seems vulnerable. I think they're freaked out on more than an economic level.

*reasonable people know*

Suddenly it all seems vulnerable. I think they're freaked out on more than an economic level.

Are you seeing this from Trumpists you know? What are they saying?

spreading to certain others in his orbit

not how this virus works iirc I mean I know you're joking but we should fear people who don't care if they get infected, because the number of people they'll infect will not be limited to their circle.

And now this stupid virus shows up and just wrecks it all in a month, like none of it mattered or was real to start with.

You can apply this sentence to George W. Bush in October 2008. I'm not convinced yet. Time will tell if we stand the test of time #VanHagar.

And now this stupid virus shows up and just wrecks it all in a month

Sounds best in a Homer Simpson voice.

I've been trying to figure out the right-wing reaction to all of this --

I don't know about right-wingers, but Trump was right in 2016: I'm so fucking tired of 'winning' by now that I'd like a long, restful break from it.

I'm convinced that this virus has wrecked it all

not how this virus works iirc I mean I know you're joking but we should fear people who don't care if they get infected, because the number of people they'll infect will not be limited to their circle.

Oh yes, he certainly couldn't be trusted to do the right thing in peacetime, and even less so now. The emboldening these people are getting through this disaster is no laughing matter.

Are you seeing this from Trumpists you know? What are they saying?

There is a great fear in social media chatter about damage to "the economy," which is always something people say, but it feels personal and possessive. It's their economy, the "Trump Economy." They take the stock market fall as some kind of scam, something that's been done to Trump and them in particular. Never mind that a lot of the people most hurt by a recession won't be Trump supporters, that's not so much the point. Feels more like a punctured dream.

Which has emphatically not led to any turning on Trump that I've seen. Far from it. He's the victim.

They I.D. as 'winners', and anything that refutes that is a "Hoax/Fake News/The Democrats' Fault/Bad For Our Country".

Tipsy, when you say they're freaking out - do you think of this as a break from their mentality up to this point, or a strengthening/escalation of it?

Yeah, good question. I think maybe both? It's definitely a break in that while they're accustomed to Trump being constantly attacked and criticized, they're also accustomed to having the infallible fallback of the economy. So the defensive paranoia isn't new, but it's maybe more tinged with a sense of actual vulnerability?

Whats their stance on social-distancing or self-isolation? And on getting back to work asap to fix the economy?

Based on my observations of humans in action for six decades, I'd guess their stance is mostly a lot of wishful thinking that somehow or other the whole thing blows over and won't be all that bad after all.

RESEARCHER: In front of you is one marshmallow. But if you can wait 15 minutes, I'll give you--

TRUMP: (eats marshmallow and researcher)

— Dan Amira (@DanAmira) March 23, 2020

Republicans will be decomposing, bits of flesh flaking off in the mouths of worms, and empty eye sockets, and they'll still be trying to check their stock prices.

Republicans had a deal until Nancy Pelosi rode into town from her extended vacation. The Democrats want the Virus to win? They are asking for things that have nothing to do with our great workers or companies. They want Open Borders & Green New Deal. Republicans shouldn’t agree!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2020

The Democrats want the Virus to Win? for April thread title

I have no doubt many ppl truly believe they do

Whats their stance on social-distancing or self-isolation? And on getting back to work asap to fix the economy?

I think there's still a lot of denial about the whole thing even being serious. They care about it at all mostly because it's hurting their precious economy, so they'd like nothing better than to believe everyone can go back to work. We'll see how that holds up. I don't really like to think about what level of sickness and death it would take to fully persuade them that this isn't at some level all bogus. I don't want to find out.

there are many who can not be persuaded, it’ll always be something. we’re all pretty convinced at this point that there is a core for every bullshit egregious belief that just won’t give, right? the best you can do is beat their asses so hard and so bad that they stfu for a few years.

there are many who can not be persuaded, it’ll always be something. we’re all pretty convinced at this point that there is a core for every bullshit egregious belief that just won’t give, right? the best you can do is beat their asses so hard and so bad that they stfu for a few years.

That Pelosi tweet above answers a question I was pondering during the briefing: "He seems unusually restrained about the Democrats, like he's terrified they won't strike a deal--but who knows what he's tweeting?"

Nancy's bill: https://www.axios.com/nancy-pelosi-coronavirus-stimulus-proposal-d7b4a9a0-610a-4324-a07b-6bb64e1f5c81.html

I imagine this includes pawns so they have something to surrender? Because these two in particular are right in R's wheelhouse for spinning a no-vote:

• Creates new carbon offset guidelines for airlines, with a long-term goal of reducing jet fuel emissions by 50% by 2050.

• Addresses broader health care concerns that Democrats have pushed for months, including increasing subsidies on the individual market and creating new incentives for states to expand Medicaid.

Good morning!

Xpost yeah, bargaining chip mostly