American Politics

[kkck]

It might be due to HIMARs, etc.

Russia didn't commit all of its forces to the invasion though. Their aircraft were notably absent.

The ukraine invasion is being waged on a shoestring budget.

One source claims russians invaded ukraine despite lacking radio encryption. Crazy if true.




...

Putin approval rating Russia 2026| Statista

Vladimir Putin's popularity level remained fairly stable in early 2026. The vast majority of Russians approved of the activities of their country's president.

www.statista.com

Putin has an 80% approval rating in russia?

Welp, russia IS a third world country. Shoestring budget is the only option. At least compared to what first world countries can otherwise manage. AFAIK russia's airforce has been pretty damn present in ukraine. Just, russia's airforce is not particularly impressive just in general (probably due to the shoestring budget).

The bits I read were not so much about approval ratings as they were about politians and state media speaking out against russia. Which is fairly surprising in a state where critics end up accidentally consuming deadly neurotoxins. His popularity at this point is fairly surprising to me though.

 

[M3J]

What about DeSantis busing illegal immigrants to blue states.

Won't that make it easier for democrat voters to blame republicans for our immigration crisis.

Who was it that supported open borders anyway.

No. The dems will accept the immigrants and say they accept immigrants with open arms, whereas republicans are full of hatred and deceit.

 

[ninjabot]

https://www.axios.com/2022/09/17/desantis-florida-migrants-relocation-immigration

This piece of shit only won by like, less of a percent, keep that in mind.

So what happens when migrants continue heading to Florida? Bleed the state dry as Desantis wastes tax money shipping immigrants to democratic cities continuously? Over and over, ad nauseum?

• Some of the families said they were promised housing and other opportunities if they agreed to take the flight. Many also said they were not told where they were heading. DeSantis disputed that claim Friday, saying the families signed a waiver to participate.

I can only assume that he has this idea that democratic cities will destroy themselves with crime and high taxes trying to take care of all of these migrants. So it's at least partially racist, but I love the idea that he thinks he's protecting a red state from turning blue by doing this. This is an optics win amongst other Republicans, but it's not gaining more Republican voters. It does make more potentially democratic voters though. Your vote goes to the party you owe your livelihood to. And these people won't stay in democratic cities forever. It's a stop-gap.

Not to mention there are trains to relocate migrants to camps already... so this is probably a stunt intended to make his anti immigration policies more visible for those that might not know them well. Most Floridians hate him... and he isn't doing this for Florida.

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 17, 2022, Original Post Date: Sep 17, 2022 ---

Yep, evil cunt (Desantis) lied.

They were told to report to the nearest ICE facility closest to the FAKE addresses they were stated to have to go to or else they'll be permanently removed from the country.

 

[xi0]

"Compassionate Conservatism" runs and hides as long as there's an opportunity to own the libs by treating people's lives like a political football

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 17, 2022, Original Post Date: Sep 17, 2022 ---

I love the grifters online cackling at the situation and acting like Northeastern Elites going full NIMBY is a pathway to addressing any issues involved.

What even was the proposed endgame here? You know, the lie they tell everyone?

 

[ninjabot]

Desantis wants to assure would-be MAGA Republican voters that he's just as shitty as Trump is... but I dunno about the pundits. I think they just wanna fall in line too because Trump is taking forever to confirm he's gonna run again. And it's looking more and more like he won't be able to.

 

[xi0]

At this point I might prefer him honestly. Most of what Trump made headlines for was not following the "rules" and awful rhetoric, but not shit like this.

 

[ninjabot]

Yeah... but I think now that he's seen the reaction it's gotten from Republicans the GOP would adopt it. I think they toyed around with the idea but chose not to go through with something similar while Trump was still in power.

 

[Franckie]

No. The dems will accept the immigrants and say they accept immigrants with open arms, whereas republicans are full of hatred and deceit.

Nativism/racism/whatever certainly drives a good chunk of the immigration debate, but bear in mind that social research repeatedly shows that greater diversity of ethnicity and nation origin induce weaker cultural ties, social outgoingness, and greater social conflict. In plain English, people dislike diversity, which is a hard thing for political elites, especially liberals, to digest. Typically they insist greater immigration will benefit society in the long run, but this is at odds with the human (and animal) enterprise. The truth is that Democratic elites generally have one-dimensional understandings of science and Enlightenment rationalism.

 

[Sanity Check]

I don't like DeSantis.

Another career politician who only cares for money and power.

 

[xi0]

I don't like DeSantis.

Another career politician who only cares for money and power.

Because he saw an opening and turned on Trump?

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 18, 2022, Original Post Date: Sep 18, 2022 ---

Nativism/racism/whatever certainly drives a good chunk of the immigration debate, but bear in mind that social research repeatedly shows that greater diversity of ethnicity and nation origin induce weaker cultural ties, social outgoingness, and greater social conflict. In plain English, people dislike diversity, which is a hard thing for political elites, especially liberals, to digest. Typically they insist greater immigration will benefit society in the long run, but this is at odds with the human (and animal) enterprise. The truth is that Democratic elites generally have one-dimensional understandings of science and Enlightenment rationalism.

There may be some evolutionary reasons why humans behave this way, but... so what? Maybe it's a false equivalency, but people used to kill each other to eat and dragged whoever they wanted to mate with off to the cave by their hair. People have overcome these things (mostly). Some people may have an issue with diversity, others don't care. Very few of the people handwringing about lost culture even have cultural ties to Europe at all.

None of this matters really, the manner in which they're here is the only thing most decision makers squabble over.

 

[Franckie]

There may be some evolutionary reasons why humans behave this way, but... so what? Maybe it's a false equivalency, but people used to kill each other to eat and dragged whoever they wanted to mate with off to the cave by their hair. People have overcome these things (mostly). Some people may have an issue with diversity, others don't care. Very few of the people handwringing about lost culture even have cultural ties to Europe at all.

None of this matters really, the manner in which they're here is the only thing most decision makers squabble over.

People aren't going to overcome their "us vs. them" mentality that is literally hardwired into their DNA. The US has always been a fractured country, mainly because the US has always been a multiethnic country. It's the main reason why it's so hard to get anything done politically in this country. Americans hating each other is as American as apple pie.

 

[Sanity Check]

Because he saw an opening and turned on Trump?

Nothing to do with Trump.

DeSantis is and always was Mike Pence 2.0.

Trump had a heel turn of his own back when he threw hydroxychloroquine under a bus and supported remdesivir instead.

Then Trump supported COVID vaccines which many of his supporters did not like.

There aren't any players left on the board who are squeaky clean. They've all sold out and compromised in one way or another.

 

[ninjabot]

Nothing to do with Trump.

DeSantis is and always was Mike Pence 2.0.

Trump had a heel turn of his own back when he threw hydroxychloroquine under a bus and supported remdesivir instead.

Then Trump supported COVID vaccines which many of his supporters did not like.

There aren't any players left on the board who are squeaky clean. They've all sold out and compromised in one way or another.

Whoa whoa whoa: your problem with Trump isn't that he didn't take Covid seriously enough which resulted in the deaths of a huge portion of his voter base... but the fact that he stopped trying to hock snake oil that would result in the deaths of more of them?

Should he have promoted Ivermectin instead?

 

[shionoro]

By now, it seems clear to me that Ukraine can throw russia out if the west delivers them the weapons to do so. If Ukraine gets the tools they need (leopard tanks, for example), they will have the power to clear all of Donbass.

Western Politicians seem to want to make Putin lose as slowly as possible until he comes to the conclusion to withdraw himself. Elseways, they'd deliver faster.
The reason seems to be that they think it is safer for everyone if putin loses slowly instead of being overrun. I am not sure whether that is true. It might be the safest option to just end this fiasco.

 

[xi0]

People aren't going to overcome their "us vs. them" mentality that is literally hardwired into their DNA. The US has always been a fractured country, mainly because the US has always been a multiethnic country. It's the main reason why it's so hard to get anything done politically in this country. Americans hating each other is as American as apple pie.

I don't really buy into this. Like I implied, there's many things you could say are hardwired into our DNA, but to keep a functioning modern society we overcome them. Attitudes towards those different from us can never be 100% neutral or friendly, but we shouldn't ignore progress entirely.

Plus, the whole diversity/division preventing us from getting things done is also highly questionable. Most of the country's "power" is concentrated in the hands of very few, despite the lie sold to us about how "free" we are.

 

[shionoro]

@xi0 @Franckie

I think that a lot of foulplay was done with "hardwiring". The claim that some things are human nature is rarely backed up (especially when it comes to discussion about capitalism).

Humans consist of many different possible behaviors. Empathy towards strangers is just as normal as hate against strangers. The big question is what supports which kind of behavior.
People disliking diversity is not really the truth. People dislike it if they do not feel like they are belonging to the world around them. And diversity does not mean that people cannot feel belonging.

The problem is that a lot of entities actively try to undermine the sense of belonging in all different ways. They do not want workers to feel belonging to other workers. They do not want races to feel kindship with other races. They want to play minority groups against each other and they want people to be afraid because that kind of poliarization sells and is useful.

Its not the immigrants that are the problem, nor is it diversity. It is the people who try to frame them as danger instead of thinking about how everybody can get along just fine.

 

[xi0]

People disliking diversity is not really the truth. People dislike it if they do not feel like they are belonging to the world around them. And diversity does not mean that people cannot feel belonging.

A large and loud part of this is white panic at being outnumbered somewhere

The problem is that a lot of entities actively try to undermine the sense of belonging in all different ways. They do not want workers to feel belonging to other workers. They do not want races to feel kindship with other races. They want to play minority groups against each other and they want people to be afraid because that kind of poliarization sells and is useful.

Yes, it goes hand in hand with being anti-union

 

[ninjabot]

Racism and xenophobia will always be a thing, but that doesn't necessarily mean we can't reach a level where it's harder for racists and xenophobes to grasp power.

 

[Franckie]

I don't really buy into this. Like I implied, there's many things you could say are hardwired into our DNA, but to keep a functioning modern society we overcome them. Attitudes towards those different from us can never be 100% neutral or friendly, but we shouldn't ignore progress entirely.

Plus, the whole diversity/division preventing us from getting things done is also highly questionable. Most of the country's "power" is concentrated in the hands of very few, despite the lie sold to us about how "free" we are.

One of the biggest reasons countries like Denmark, France, and the Nordic countries have higher rates of social trust and social mobility is because of the homogeneous nature of the country. Are there upsides to diversity? Sure. Diversity makes people uncomfortable, but discomfort isn't always a bad things. Unease with differences helps explain why teams of engineers from different cultures may be ideally suited to solve a vexing problem. Culture clashes can produce a dynamic give-and-take, generating a solution that may have eluded a group of people with more similar backgrounds and approaches. At the same time, though, more diverse populations seem to extend themselves less on behalf of collective needs and goals.

With the US, the biggest impact is arguably on the political system. Not only does the anti-government ideology that Republicans, and to a lesser extent, Democrats, have its roots in racial uneasiness, it also influenced the shape of the political system. Hence the fragmentation of the US political system where it's too difficult to deal with issues like the rapid entrenchment of wealth within the hands of the "deserving few" and out of the hands of the "undeserving many".

@xi0 @Franckie

I think that a lot of foulplay was done with "hardwiring". The claim that some things are human nature is rarely backed up (especially when it comes to discussion about capitalism).

Humans consist of many different possible behaviors. Empathy towards strangers is just as normal as hate against strangers. The big question is what supports which kind of behavior.
People disliking diversity is not really the truth. People dislike it if they do not feel like they are belonging to the world around them. And diversity does not mean that people cannot feel belonging.

The problem is that a lot of entities actively try to undermine the sense of belonging in all different ways. They do not want workers to feel belonging to other workers. They do not want races to feel kindship with other races. They want to play minority groups against each other and they want people to be afraid because that kind of poliarization sells and is useful.

Its not the immigrants that are the problem, nor is it diversity. It is the people who try to frame them as danger instead of thinking about how everybody can get along just fine.

Higher diversity leads lower social capital. Those in more diverse communities tend to distrust their neighbors, regardless of the color of their skin, to withdraw even from close friends, to expect the worst from their community and its leaders, to volunteer less, give less to charity and work on community projects less often, to register to vote less, to agitate for social reform more but have less faith that they can actually make a difference, and to huddle
unhappily in front of the television.

Yes, it goes hand in hand with being anti-union

Another trend that goes hand in hand with being anti-union is the belief that unions coddle lazy workers. Americans are highly individualistic, and for those who still believe that hard work makes a difference despise their fellow coworkers who they perceive to be lazy. I was once in a union and I vividly remember one worker who truly believed they could retain their pension and health insurance without the union, believing that the union made it impossible for the employer to fire "lazy" people.

 

[M3J]

People aren't going to overcome their "us vs. them" mentality that is literally hardwired into their DNA. The US has always been a fractured country, mainly because the US has always been a multiethnic country. It's the main reason why it's so hard to get anything done politically in this country. Americans hating each other is as American as apple pie.

The main reason why they aren't going to overcome that mentality, despite having the intellect to do so (against DNA), is because of the wealthy and politicians keeping it like that. They want to keep people divided because people united means less power for them. Plus, it's easier to blame others than it is to blame one's self.

If we had better politicians, then maybe we could turn that into "we're in this together" mentality.