American Election 2024
- Thread starter Sbooker
- Start date
We can't say Harvey didn't warn us.
I have thought about inviting former admin into this thread. But given that he won't even post links on FTO to his FB ski content or his Grand Adventure RV travel spots, I figured that would be wasting my time.
So now we have Ctrygun, and within 15 minutes we see this:
ChrisC works in tech, so I presumed he knew a way to determine this, and I was about to ask.
ChrisC also lives in San Francisco. Not his fault, but I'll bet he doesn't interact with many Trumpers, and if so they probably don't admit it in SF. Please recall that ChrisC did not express great enthusiasm for Harris' career beginnings in SF.
I guess now is the time for me to wade in. Shifty seems to hate Trump as much as anyone here, but still wanted to hear from the other side.
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jimk
Active member
Actually glad he's a real human. Bots start threads on Alpinezone all the time, but they don't usually interject thought provoking posts in existing threads. Don't like the idea that bots/AI could steer discussions in forums like this.
Tony I'm ok if you kill this thread. Political discussions are just so treacherous online or sometimes in person. But at the same time I enjoy respectful interchange because it offers insight into how other sentient beings deal with this stuff.
Edit: Alpinezone also had a thread during the pandemic on that subject. it got very political and very ugly.
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This pretty much sums up my attitude. I was a big fan of McCain, only presidential candidate to whom I ever made a contribution. It was a shame he did not win the nomination in 2000.
But when McCain lost to Obama in 2008, I recognized the historic moment and never thought the world was coming to an end. But the populist right went absolutely apesh!t. You would think we had elected Fidel Castro. The Tea Party movement formed, with much of its energy focused on opposing "socialist" Obamacare. This was the healthcare program endorsed by Bob Dole vs. Hillary's plan back in 1994 and which was implemented in Massachusetts by governor Mitt Romney (yes, the Republican who ran against Obama's reelection in 2012)! But Tea Party fervor helped the Republicans to a blowout win in the 2010 midterm elections. So this was the era when I believed the Republican Party was losing its credibility to rank opportunism and hypocrisy.
The victories in 2010, and again in 2014 made the Republican Party ripe for a Trump-type populist leader. This is when Biden should have run for President. But no, the Democratic establishment decided it was Hillary's turn and we all saw how that worked out.
So now I'll ask those questions of Ctrygun. JimK can respond too if he wants.
I looked it up, and I'm fairly sure that 20-gauge shotgun is not restricted in Canada (sawed-off shotguns are banned). That would apply to hunting rifles as well. Canada is considered "middle of the road" vs. other countries in terms of gun laws. I suspect there is a strong hunting culture up there that needs to be respected. Military type rifles are banned and handguns are subject to permits and registration. I'm guessing the broad political middle to which JimK refers would not have a problem with Canada's approach.
So, why does that not apply to accidental pregnancies or consenting adults' private sexual behavior and whom they wish to marry? FYI I was on the "liberal" side of these issues way before 2010. If you say you believe in freedom, be consistent about it.
I'll anticipate the issue of the day. Medical treatment to change one's gender is a right for any adult IMHO, but as it's irreversible I'm not in favor of it for anyone under 18. The Brits and many Euro countries have come around to this view in recent years.
It was Trump's HHS department that made the $Billion bet on vaccine development and prepurchase from Pfizer and Moderna for faster vaccine rollout than any other country. In September then VP candidate Kamala Harris suggested people not take the vaccine if approved before the election. Anti-vax was not a red/blue issue before 2021, and if anything childhood antivaxxers were more common on the left, RFK Jr. being Exhibit A. A crash vaccine program seemed like something Republicans should have embraced: "Let's put American expertise to work and get out from under the lockdowns, with their detrimental economic and social side effects." But no, once we got into 2021 the QAnon antivax loonies gained traction (another Mind Virus, see below), so Trump distanced himself from a great success of his term. Ironic, as he's very good at claiming credit for events he had nothing to do with.
The main questions I'd ask anyone considering voting for Trump.
One of the reasons I was a Republican for 45+ years is that I believed the Cold War was a righteous cause and that we needed to stand up to the Evil Empire. Thanks to Trump the parties are completely flipped now regarding an expansionist autocratic Russia. Remember Helsinki? And the Zelensky phone call that led to the first impeachment? Biden mobilized NATO in the leadup to the 2022 Ukraine invasion, so the Ukrainians had enough support to stop it. With Trump's admiration for Putin and bad relations with NATO, I think the outcome in Feb. 2022 would have been very different if Trump were president. Ronald Reagan must be rolling in his grave at this.
In December 2020 I wrote:
And this was before Jan. 6.
Here's my lengthy FB exchange with the former admin of this forum and some of his FB colleagues in May 2024:
Brendan McKelvey
Tony Crocker
Marc Guido
Tony Crocker
Marc Guido
Tony Crocker
None of the posters in that thread responded to my final question above.
Elon Musk speaks, correctly I believe, about the "Woke Mind Virus." He explained some of the more loony ideas of the left gain traction and spread far more widely in the Internet Age than they ever would have before. I'd like to ask Elon what he thinks about the "Election Denial Mind Virus."
There is plenty of blame to go around for Trump still being politically viable in 2024. The most appropriate way to deal with Trump after Jan. 6 was via an impeachment conviction, barring him from politics. But the Vichy Republicans in the Senate, led by
The Jan. 6 House Commission did not present its findings until late 2022. The Justice Dept. waited well into 2023 to file cases. It was inevitable that there would be delays. These cases should have been started earlier so they would be resolved before the 2024 election season. Trump's only conviction is for crimes that resemble Bill Clinton's impeachment more than anything else.
Finally we have Biden's delay in bowing out. He signed significant legislation the first two years and with a Republican House wasn't going to get much done in 2023-24. So now we are left with a fairly blank slate VP as the candidate. Kamala Harris is far from the first example of someone with modest qualifications being elevated to VP candidate for political reasons: Ferraro 1984, Quayle 1988, Palin 2008. My parents said most Americans were horrified when FDR died with World War II still going on. Who the hell is this Harry Truman? Sometimes people rise to the occasion. I'd be a lot more comfortable with the spots on the Democratic ticket being reversed though.
[/soapbox]
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jamesdeluxe
Administrator
This ^^ is a problem with political threads.
I have been following FTO for years. Have an old account , but it was under a different email. Someone wanted a different opinion so I gave it.
Tony I was a Democrat till 2012 . Democratic flip flop and them moving away from the middle class made me go Independent
I also am not anti-vax.. Just don’t want to be forced into anything.
Who you love and live with is not my business or the Government's. Freedom reigns.
The children are God’s children and they are NOT FOR SALE!
ShiftyRider
Member
He doesn't believe your vote should count. Your freedom and personal rights are gone without your right to vote.
What did I warn you about, that actually happened?
I also don't understand this, what is not his fault?
Increased level of controversy, not yet at a level that requires admin intervention.
That he lives in an environment where the right half of the political spectrum is practically nonexistent.
Nearly all the ski town counties are blue now. That's what flipped Colorado in the decade of the 2000's.
jamesdeluxe
Administrator
We often joke about how, to quote Spinal Tap, FTO's appeal over the past five years has "become more selective"
; however, the upside is an excellent signal-to-noise ratio, even in this thread. Having new posters join our tiny group is great to get more diversity of opinion but increases the likelihood of food fights when people are confronted with political/cultural ideas that they don't usually run into:
Someone asked for another opinion and Gunny gave his.
The idea that that situation qualifies for moderation is nuts.
For the most part, both blue and red voters have information sources that lead them to their sincerely held views.
They only real evil is at the top, where the truth is evident.
The idea that that situation qualifies for moderation is nuts.
For the most part, both blue and red voters have information sources that lead them to their sincerely held views.
They only real evil is at the top, where the truth is evident.
jamesdeluxe
Administrator
I read and regularly post links from the NY Post.
jimk
Active member
I have a subscription to the WaPo, but I'll also look at the NY Post (no paywall) for more conservative angles. BTW, I have an adult child who was a journalism/communications major in college and works for Fox News in Wash DC. She's not particularly political. I've toured their studios with her, but I very rarely watch Fox News on TV.I read and regularly post links from the NY Post.
I read and regularly post links from the NY Post.
Does it inform your views? I'm not sure why you are singling out the Post.
Where we are now, I agree 100%. JimK should know this thread would have been squelched immediately on a certain other ski forum.
I applaud James' effort not to restrict himself to
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I was hoping ChrisC might have some more direct insight. I view the above comment as a positive.
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Whatever your sources, they will lead you to your views.