Official LRC President Joseph R Biden Thread

Thanks I appreciate that.

It shows that people remain confident in their own finances, but their opinions on their local and national economy have declined. Interestingly, the "own finances" category remains mostly stagnant for the last 5 years, even through Covid where people lost their jobs (but were given a lot of unemployment money to chill at home). 2020 was actually the highest.

Too lazy right now to look for the version of this graph that goes back further, but I would guess that the "own finances" category probably aligns more with employment numbers, which are great or even excellent right now. These people could be thinking "sure, I can't buy a house and everything costs a lot more, but I do have a job and can buy ground turkey instead of steak and everything will be pretty much fine for me." It doesn't mean that everything is fantastic, but it does mean that things aren't bad enough that the working class is losing jobs and struggling to put food on the table.

Also, I'm a younger millennial. Don't have much in common with the elder millennials. I'm kind of a tweener between the most stereotypical versions of Gen Z and millennials.

I don't know how smartphones will develop in the next 15 years around the time my first kid would be the age to get one, but I do not like them. I wouldn't want my middle schooler to have one as they exist now, although not having one could stunt their growth in other ways. Feels like a lose lose.

Noyankee is amusing because he isn't giving up on his championed #1 Trump lie. He is a global man of peace. Koombaya!

1. Nevermind the fact that we were in perpetual war during his entire Presidency.

2. Nevermind the fact that we set historical records in the amount of drone attacks killing people.

3. Nevermind the fact that Trump just this week he said it is better if we plunder the nations when we are at war like the good ole days. (War plus theft = Good!)

4. Nevermind the fact that Trump wants a policy of shooting drug dealers and immigrants on sight.

5. Nevermind the fact that Trump is likely responsible for hundreds of foreign deaths by outing them as foreign spies to their host country right before leaving office.

6. Nevermind the fact that right before he left power he demanded a bunch of death row inmates to be put to death immediately.

7. Nevermind the deadly attack on the Iranian leader that Trump gave a ridiculous and embarrassing press statement about.

Yeah, Trump is a regular Peacenik. Fly that Dove flag right next to your FJB flag.

It seems to be a deranged offshoot of Trump's claim that all problems will cease with a phone call on his first day of office if you only elect him to see. The good news is that he seems to be the only Trumper so gullible to believe this lie.

So, read The Economist article, and I agree with it's shortcomings. First and foremost, it's taking a global view, and, since Hillary didn't win in 2016, globalism doesn't rule economic policy. No mention of how Gen Z (which the article is about, not millenials) grew up during more prosperous times than the post-9/11 millennial (OK, passing mention...but it matters a great deal to the article's thesis). Millenials took to French streets with their "yellow vest" protests (about getting screwed on retirement) in France; similar protests happened in Greece. Iceland almost went bankrupt. But Olivia Rodgrigio, who could retire today, is telling her fellow Gen-Z'ers that it's awesome, so it must be, despite rather shocking norms related to work that will hasten AI replacement. "Bare minimum Mondays" are going to be replaced with "Pink Fridays," as in "pink slip" if there is a downturn in the economy, which you and I seem to agree is either imminent or already underway..

Ironically, the article namechecks Haidt's book "The Anxious Generation"...which I just happened to be reading. Haidt's previous work, "The Coddling of the American Mind" is more relevant. (It's about how younger people view speech as violence, and, in turn, have received feedback from older generations that violence is an appropriate response to speech. There is no clearer example than Antifa, who has no members over thirty.)

Economic numbers are, as a matter of course, political. Around the 2022 midterms, we had two quarters of negative GDP growth. It was not labeled a "recession." By, among others, the same Paul Krugman who wrote that "vibecession" article. If you own stock, you're doing fine, despite high gas prices and high costs for basic necessities. If you don't--and I mean outside of your employer-sponsored 401(k) that replaced a defined-benefit pensions--you might be skipping meals or feeling actual pain when you fill up your gas tank. I'm pretty sure Krugman, and the entire cast of MSNBC does neither (CNN, on the other hand...).

I hate, with a white-hot passion, the idea that people vote for unappealing candidates because they are "low-information voters." I hope what I wrote above explains why, without further comment.

who's up next is the real question

Biden cant run even if he's still alive.

Trump can't run again thank goodness.

2028 do we get DeSantis v Newsome? Who's up, maybe that governor of MI?

For all oh his faults, he is the most common sense Democrat in DC, give him credit.
Im not sure if the brain thing was an act or real at this point, seems to have made a remarkable recovery.

Ivanka will be next.

Re: who's next...

Dems: It's clearly Newsome with Gretchen Whitmer being a dark horse. If Trump wins Michigan, forget about Whitmer. She did, after all, face off against Trump-prototype Tudor Dixon in a race that was close until it wasn't.

About 20 years ago, I read that the Republican Party's first fault line was the state of Illinois. If you look at the post-2004 list of Governors, you see clear and convincing evidence. (Rauner was an abberation, and a Trump-inspired one, at that). If the Democratic Party falls into a similar crisis, which I suspect it will, I think people will say the same thing about Michigan.

GOP: Trump's VP (who, mark my words, will likely come out of left field) if he wins, Nikki Haley if he doesn't. Trump looms so large over the GOP that I think the party itself has become irrelevant. (If you don't believe me...fine...but at least scroll back a few pages and find all those GOP figureheads quoted trashing Trump and then consider their relationship to him once he was locked in as the nominee.)

Donald Trump is now promising to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to time served if he is elected President in November.
In case you don't know, Ross Ulbricht ran an underground website called Silk Road where thousands of drug dealers and other unlawful vendors were able to distribute hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs and other unlawful goods and services to more than 100,000 buyers, and to launder hundreds of millions of dollars deriving from these unlawful transactions.
He was sentenced to life in prison.
This is how ass backwards and hypocritical Donald Trump is - after blaming President Biden for the fentanyl crisis and overdose deaths in the United States - he now promises to pardon an internet drug lord.

Nikki Haley is finished. If Trump does not endorse, then a candidate has no chance. He will not endorse her.

wild that this poster can look at the last decades of voting (especially 2016 and 2020) and conclude that the idea low-information voters vote for 'unappealing candidates' is wrong.

Dude. My dude. it depends what you mean by 'unappealing.'

But You have to take a step back and look at all the poor and middle class white people voting for Republicans against their self-interest. Over and over again. Why have they done that?

Obviously they value things other than economics! Spend yourself some time sorting out why they do that.

First of all, you are correct:

nbcnews.com

Trump booed and jeered at Libertarian National Convention

NBCNews

Each time Trump asked attendees for their votes or the party’s nomination, he was met with raucous boos.

Link:www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election...

But...you left out the context. Trump was speaking at a convention of Libertarians. Libertarians think that drugs should be legal, that their possession and use constitutes a "victimless crime."

Elsewhere, Trump has said our drug policy should follow China's, where they execute drug dealers:

npr.org

Trump wants the death penalty for drug dealers. Here's why that probably won't happen

The former president is pledging to wage war against Mexico's drug cartels if reelected in 2024. His plan includes pushing Congress to institute the death penalty for drug dealers and smugglers.

Link:www.npr.org/2023/05/10/1152847242/trum...

In other words, he was pandering, and doing a mighty fine job of it.

As far as pointing fingers goes and governmental policy regarding drug use, here is comedian Chris Rock who nails something important (using incredibly foul language):

and..

I have taken that step back, and even read "What's the Matter With Kansas?" as that step-back-taking process unfolded. That's the book that advanced the plank of your argument that poor and middle class (actually, it's just poor...more specifically, blue collar) voters elect GOP leaders against their self-interest. That made sense when the GOP party was strong enough to elect a neocon who would lead us into two very expensive wars.

So, I have a hard time accepting this twenty year old premise at face value. Are blue collar workers really doing better under Biden? With inflation? And high gas prices? Funding an endless war in Ukraine? There is a reason blue collar workers, who used to be part of the Democratic coalition, are flocking to the GOP. His name is Donald Trump and whether he cares or just pretends to care about them doesn't matter. He doesn't take them for granted, and he talks to them in a way that resonates.

And, you pointed out, there are issues other than economic that matter. File this under "culture" and let's briefly talk about the "culture wars." Biden has gone way out of his way to ensure equality for the trans community, in a way that only the US Government can...implementing regulations that are controversial to much of the US population that isn't among the 1.03% that identify as transgender. Trump, meanwhile, doesn't want the Federal government to regulate bathroom usage. Despite telling a reporter that he feels you "should use the bathroom you are most comfortable with" when asked by a reporter.

You know what...I don't really care whether you call me "dude" or "my dude." But both are weirdly personal and I just want to offer the observation that we are like mirror images of each other on almost every single issue. Which makes me want to respect you, for the sake of our differences of opinion, even more.

So I'll leave it at that.

Your policies are completely and utterly unappealing.

Policy is what matters.

The Democrats absolutely loathe the middle class. They like the poor because their votes can be bought.

Without "low-information voters" the Democrat party would cease to exist. There aren't enough childless middle age white women and beta males to win an election without the poor vote.

The Infrastructure Act of 4 years ago Biden And Mayor Pete promised 500,000 charging stations.

SO FAR - 8 have been built. Time to bring back Trump - he is a DOER.

l.smartnews.com

Looting of pier aid shows who’s really at fault for Gazan misery (New York Post)

President Biden’s plan to deliver aid to Palestinians via a pier on the Gaza shore is being sabotaged by an inconvenient truth: Getting aid in isn’t the har...

Link:l.smartnews.com/p-d46UM/ViYbH2

But it's not a cult.

We paid billions and billions for EV charging stations. So far 8 have been built. Is that good?

Who said that? I’m just dishing facts. Unless Trump seriously commits a real crime, then any candidate will need his endorsement. Haley is finished, just like Jeb.

Paid billions for 5 new miles of border fence. Is that good?

Haley was part of Trump's administration, though. And Trump will forgive candidates who go toe-to-toe with him if they are gracious in defeat. See: Ron DeSantis. DeSantis will probably end up in Trump's cabinet if Trump prevails in 2024.