The 2018 Trump Presidency thread

[swilow]

^Rather than vent like that, why not report problematic posts or even PM me?

Of course, bluelight doesn't give a shit for broader rights to freedom of speech. It's a harm reduction website that we try to protect and so certain things are against the rulea to discuss. If you don't like that, you're free to leave. But please don't do that, I appreciate your contribution despite rarely agreeing with you. . .

There are better avenues to raise concerns and they are open to you.

 

[alasdairm]

I don't care what you think. Ban me if you like. You guys run the show, right? You can do whatever you want. Tell me to fuck off all you like. They are words on the internet. I really don't give a flying shit. CH is blatantly abusing his position as a moderator. He is the most consistently insulting person in CEP... People criticise me for being insulting but they just turn the other way when people are way more insulting towards me. With all due respect, I care what you think about as much as I imagine you care what I think.

Tell me to fuck off. Ban me. Do whatever you like. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. If anything, it just confirms the fact that the left is afraid to have their beliefs challenged. When a real discussion comes along, they say "troll" and "racist" and they ignore any inconvenient facts. If you want to contribute to this, that's up to you. I seriously don't care. I'm not the sort of person that's just going to sit around and take shit from authority figures, which is ironic considering how y'all are going on about Trump being authoritarian. This website doesn't promote diversity of opinions or free speech. [/COLOR]

perhaps i made my point too subtly.

of trump's response to criticism you said this: " I like how Trump reacts to criticisms. He doesn't play that silly game. He just says fuck off. He's a bit of a pimp."

so i asked you how you would feel if bl staff responded the same way to your criticisms. if they told you to fuck off would you respect that and think they're 'pimp'? i doubt it.

you say you don't care but you obviously do care to some extent. just looking for a little consistency is all because sometimes these criticism appear very muddled.

alasdair

 

[TheLoveBandit]

If Beto wins, I'm literally gonna cry (happy tears). It will be a new era for Texas.

I don't have have high hopes, but you never know.

I don’t think he will.

Cruz is the devil and I would go move there just to vote for O’Rourke if I had the $/time.

The poll #’s look pretty bad.

I don't know a damn thing about Beto. But if I were in TX, and had a vote? I'd vote against Cruz in a heartbeat. Like most politics these days, rather go with the evil you don't know than the one you know.

Though, I may need a ride to the polls. My Lexus is in the shop. Some fker keyed it.

 

[|~~ANT~~|]

Oh, okay, I see what you're saying alasdair. My bad...

Like I said, I don't think the president should have to jump through hoops. It was a waste of Obama's time and it's a waste of Trump's time. The MSM aren't interested in the truth, they're interested int he profitable truth. They aren't trying to help the country. They're only looking out for themselves. Trump's attitude makes sense to me. He shouldn't have to constantly answer stupid questions from media scum... There's a big difference (in my mind, anyway) between telling media scum to fuck off and staff in discussion sub-forum (within a harm reduction forum) discriminating against people of a particular political persuasion. Trump supporters take drugs. They need help too. The attitude on here makes me feel distinctly unwelcome.

I'm going to stop posting off-topic stuff and just start reporting people. I responded to this because you're making a point about Trump... All insulting comments from now on will be officially reported. Because apparently without an official report, staff just look the other way when their friends - and/or other staff - are blatantly breaking the rules. I seriously doubt the reports will be taken seriously, but we'll see.

 

[zephyr]

Trump supporters take drugs. They need help too. The attitude on here makes me feel distinctly unwelcome

It might help to visit other areas and to about other stuff that's not so full on, chillax and take the time to get to know people, and noobs get hazed a bit, it's just a thing.



Spending too much srs time isnt great, a balance is better, speaking of which, going outside and relaxing in order.

This bloke Trump isnt worth getting the shits over, just chillax man, or do the stealth ignore , or better yet turn phone off, great idea really.

 

[swilow]

Definitely, stepping back from bl, or the more serious parts can be refreshing. I'd go mad and burn the place down if I only had futile arguments here in cep. :D

 

[|~~ANT~~|]

I'm not on BL all day. I jump backwards and forwards between playing with my baby girl, building my vegetable garden, working on my business, watching funny stuff on Youtube / TV, playing Into the Breach, and having insane petty arguments on BL... I'm perfectly chill when I'm not being insulted by random individuals. Not going to post anything off topic any more. I'm tired of defending myself. If people insist on assuming I'm joyless and/or giving me unsolicited advice about life, please do it via PM. Thanks.

 

[cduggles]

Though, I may need a ride to the polls. My Lexus is in the shop. Some fker keyed it.

Nice follow-through! :D

ANT: I think we've gotten a sufficient amount of personal information about you from you for the Trump thread.

 

[JessFR]

perhaps i made my point too subtly.

of trump's response to criticism you said this: " I like how Trump reacts to criticisms. He doesn't play that silly game. He just says fuck off. He's a bit of a pimp."

so i asked you how you would feel if bl staff responded the same way to your criticisms. if they told you to fuck off would you respect that and think they're 'pimp'? i doubt it.

you say you don't care but you obviously do care to some extent. just looking for a little consistency is all because sometimes these criticism appear very muddled.

alasdair

Also, trump doesn't play silly games? Uhh what?

No, a president who doesn't play silly games would simply ignore the media. Constantly berating them and spending all day with an eye on Twitter is nothing but playing silly games.

 

[atara]

People who don't like Trump are so opposed to him that they hate on his followers. [...] I never saw it with Obama.

I think the very fact that you refer to people who approve of President Trump as his followers shows that you know, on some level, that there's a problem. Nobody attacked Obama's followers because Obama did not have followers.

Obama didn't hold political rallies outside of election season. He didn't (for the most part) use his position to interfere in the operations of businesses and institutions which were not supposed to be under his purview (such as the NFL). He didn't sell political symbols for people to wear on their heads to signal support for him. The propaganda techniques that Donald Trump uses are bad for society. More importantly, Trump's political-brand-techniques are the kind of thing that politicians around the world agreed to stop doing after 1945 (in the West; 1953 in the East), because they saw how dangerous it could be. Trump does something that Hitler and Stalin were known for, and that Hugo Chavez used to great effect: he tries to cultivate the emotions and sympathies of his supporters. He drums up rage in a way that politicians are simply not supposed to do.

For that matter, Trump also spends a lot of time and energy telling his supporters that other people hate them. It's a typical isolating tactic that cults use. The very claim, "people hate me for being a Donald Trump supporter", is precisely what Donald Trump wants you to believe. Can't you see that?

Is he a fascist? I don't care about the classifications. Classifications are a way of telling bedtime stories. The important things about Donald Trump are the things he says and does, of which some are okay, most are mediocre, but a handful are truly awful.

Here's something that's not a classification: Trump spreads lies (the incidence of voter fraud) among his supporters to justify anti-democratic policies (voter registration rules that disenfranchise voters). This includes laws that have seen the Supreme Court, e.g. Brakebill v. Jaeger. Even if it's not a violation of the Constitution, the fact that it is nearly a violation of the Constitution should bother you because it is already based on a lie. Previous voter fraud protections were fine and the incidence of voter fraud has been very low.

I don't have to argue about whether that's fascism, I just know that I draw the line somewhere before that. Manipulating elections is not okay.

 

[|~~ANT~~|]

Obama did not have followers

You can try and twist the word "followers" however you like... Trump has followers / supporters / whatever, and so did Obama.

I don't want to split hairs with you.

Is he a fascist? I don't care about the classifications.

You don't care about the word fascist, but you do about the word followers?

trump doesn't play silly games?

He doesn't play the bullshit say-what-everyone-wants-to-hear game... I didn't say he doesn't play games. I said he doesn't play "that silly game".

 

[swilow]

Nah, Trump has used strongman tactics to try and personify his ideology. People are way more invested in Trump as a symbol than in Obama. Trump is using personality cult tactics imo where Obama never did. It seems that people voted for Trump and not the GOP.

 

[JGrimez]

I'm done disagreeing with you because your Trump brain is now racist mush. (Remember when you got suspended from BL for a day for being racist...

Ad hom and lie.

 

[invegauser]

Nah, Trump has used strongman tactics to try and personify his ideology. People are way more invested in Trump as a symbol than in Obama. Trump is using personality cult tactics imo where Obama never did. It seems that people voted for Trump and not the GOP.

prove this. this is very true but it can't be true, it must not be true.

i want proof that trump is a symbol. i mean hundreds of millions of americans can't be wrong... can they?!

oh, it's fun to poke fun at my own country but in all due seriousness. it's a drag. i mean this guy was elected and a lot still believe he is worth the TP we wipe our butt with.

sad thing to say about americans but don't give up, we're not all this way. after all, he can only be elected twice and burned bridges can be repaired. hopefully 8(

fwiw trump is only good at one thing... making money the wrong way.

@TLB: i'm working on the answer to your question still. (the one you pose to everyone here) give me a lil more time. it's hard keeping things in terms of politics and government when the whole system is working not correctly.

 

[|~~ANT~~|]

People are way more invested in Trump as a symbol than in Obama.

Yes, please prove this.
I very much disagree.

 

[alasdairm]

Oh, okay, I see what you're saying alasdair. My bad...

no worries. i obviously didn't make my point clearly enough.

alasdair

 

[JGrimez]

I think the very fact that you refer to people who approve of President Trump as his followers shows that you know, on some level, that there's a problem. Nobody attacked Obama's followers because Obama did not have followers.

Obama has cult members that ignore his transgressions while hypocritically and obsessively criticizing Trump for doing similar things.

Obama didn't hold political rallies outside of election season.

He's campaigning like crazy right now, taking credit for the current success. It's not customary for ex-Presidents to campaign.

He didn't (for the most part) use his position to interfere in the operations of businesses and institutions which were not supposed to be under his purview (such as the NFL).

Yet he weaponized the IRS against political opponents and invoked the espionage act more than all other presidents combined to target journalists and whistleblowers. Trump hasn't done anything close to this.

He didn't sell political symbols for people to wear on their heads to signal support for him.

"Hope" and "Change" posters and pins, now pussy hats. How'd all that hope and change go after 8 years btw?

The propaganda techniques that Donald Trump uses are bad for society.

Almost as bad as the Mockingbird mainstream media.

he tries to cultivate the emotions and sympathies of his supporters. He drums up rage in a way that politicians are simply not supposed to do.

This is what Leftists don't get. This is easy to do. Nobody's asking why everyone is so emotional, angry and receptive to Trump's rhetoric. The majority of the serious rage being drummed up is from the Left angry that they lost, and then subverting the law and engaging in domestic terrorism (fueled by the media). But they need to take responsibility for creating the environment where Trump was able to connect with a massive amount of people (some who voted for Obama twice ie. demonstrably not racist).

For that matter, Trump also spends a lot of time and energy telling his supporters that other people hate them. It's a typical isolating tactic that cults use. The very claim, "people hate me for being a Donald Trump supporter", is precisely what Donald Trump wants you to believe. Can't you see that?

My best friend of 12 years stopped talking to me without explanation for showing support for Trump. I don't blame Trump for that. It's a close-minded, intolerant mindset. I think Hillary traffics children - I still wouldn't hate or even de-friend anyone for supporting her politically. That's bigotry innit?

Here's something that's not a classification: Trump spreads lies (the incidence of voter fraud) among his supporters to justify anti-democratic policies (voter registration rules that disenfranchise voters).

How does voter registration disenfranchise voters? Do we want electoral integrity or not?

AP just reported that Texas Democrats sent out registration forms asking non-citizens to register to vote.
ABC says that potentially thousands of non-citizens are registered to vote in Texas and California.



San Francisco, New York, Portland, Boston, Maine are cities that want to allow non-citizens the right to vote in some elections, even illegal immigrants. The GOP has passed a symbolic resolution opposing these efforts. 49 Democrats joined Republicans in declaring "that allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens." However some Democrats opposed this. Republicans overwhelmingly don't want non-citizens voting and they think it's a huge issue. Democrats care much less, they'll deny voter fraud is an issue even in the face of evidence. How can they call out Russian meddling yet ignore other direct foreign influence?

This includes laws that have seen the Supreme Court, e.g. Brakebill v. Jaeger. Even if it's not a violation of the Constitution, the fact that it is nearly a violation of the Constitution should bother you because it is already based on a lie. Previous voter fraud protections were fine and the incidence of voter fraud has been very low.

What are the implications of this case exactly? And nobody knows the extent of voter fraud so that's just an assumption.

 

[alasdairm]

i mean hundreds of millions of americans can't be wrong... can they?!

sure they can

but seriously, it's not a matter of right and wrong - it's just different opinions mostly. i think recognizing this false dichotomy and finding a way to understand that we (all) are more alike than we are different would be a revolution.

think about how much you dislike - hate even - donald trump (or hillary clinton). there's somebody else out there who hates hillary clinton as much as you hate donald trump. there's a lesson there.

alasdair

 

[|~~ANT~~|]

there's somebody else out there who hates hillary clinton as much as you hate donald trump. there's a lesson there.

Indeed there is. Well said.
I don't hate either of them at all.

(Hate is bad and stuff.)

 

[alasdairm]

How does voter registration disenfranchise voters? Do we want electoral integrity or not?

i can't speak for him but i don't think he means voter registration in principle. i assumed he meant tactics intended to deprive people of the right to vote or, at very least, make it difficult for them to do so.

widespread, trustworthy automatic voter registration - where voters can opt out of rather than have to opt in to - should be a goal.

did you know that currently in georgia, one of the candidates is brian kemp who is the current georgia secretary of state. in georgia the office of the secretary of state oversees elections. that means that the guy who is responsible for overseeing elections is also running as a candidate in an election.

that is the most egregious example of corruption i have heard of in a long time. in the past, it's typical for a secretary of state running in an election (within their jurisdiction) to step down from the post. that is the 'right' thing to do, don't you agree?

there is a chorus of voices - including former president jimmy carter - calling for kemp to resign. oh, of course, he's been endorsed by president trump. very telling.

...nobody knows the extent of voter fraud so that's just an assumption.

right? of course it is. but you know who disagrees? donald trump of course. he's made some pretty outlandish claims about voter fraud in 2016 and has failed to provide a single shred of evidence to back up his claims. so, yeah, i totally agree with you. it's just an assumption.

alasdair