For Donald Trump, internet bullying is a highly effective campaign tactic

eh, it’s not like the Democrats have been courting extremely wise, logical, rational far thinking individuals in that time frame as well. I mean, I like Bernie’s ideas, I think he has a snow ball chance in hell of making more than 30% of any of it work so there’s that. And Hillary…I’ll vote for anyone else. If I want another 8 years of mediocrity while she positions herself to come out the other side with enough side deals to be loaded for 10 lifetimes then she seems like a good bet.

No argument there - they’ve gone way far to the right and work on the notion of focus group politics. The problem with clinton is that she goes where she perceives the wind blowing, within a narrow band of acceptable democratic politics. As a result, they’ve moved to the right because they think they need to try and pick off moderate republicans. They need to stake out a platform, and stick with it. Which Sanders has done, actually. The problem is that he can’t get media traction. Once he lost Nevada, the media went back to almost entirely ignoring him.

4 Likes

I’m sure you would like your strawmen to be attacked. That is, after all, the entire purpose of erecting them. I don’t play that game.

3 Likes

First off I’m sort of the “other” on BB (ie. a conservative). I’m not going to say I agree with you on everything you have put out so far, but I understand your point of view. I don’t think you are imagining some level of demonizing western society or white men or a while host of other things, but I think the problem sort of extends into an area of unforeseen consequences.

Like you said, it’s possible for a lot of countries to open up and except a lot of refugees all for good intentions. It’s also very possible in doing so it puts a terrible strain on their social programs and creates other internal issues because you just brought in a lot of people who aren’t homogeneous with that society, customs, or beliefs. I don’t see anything wrong in stating that. In fact I see nothing wrong in pointing out any factual information no matter how much it hurts or makes people upset.

As a side point I work with a lot of Republicans and the general tone on BB regarding people who don’t automatically think Trump is a “insert your choice of derogatory term here” is very palpable. At one time the shtick of the American South was to be “redneck”, from the country, not well educated, probably somewhat racist, sexist, and a couple other “ist” thrown in for good measure. Now that seems to be extending to a lot/most of the blue collar people I work with. People who are hard working, dedicated, honest and I feel somewhat justified in being upset because they have lost what things used to be. Most of them want to work their 40 hour week, make enough money to live a good life and save some for retirement and that’s it. That’s not in opposition to Bernie exactly - he would like that too, but it is in direct opposition to how they were raised/taught. For them having a chunk of their paycheck taken for the greater good, even if it benefits them indirectly is a very hard thing to understand. Just like I believe it’s hard for some people on left to hear that sometimes we shouldn’t try and save everyone for the sake of our selves.

I’m not saying your are right or wrong, but American politics rarely looks at the long game (a decade or more). Depending on how you see things this will project scenarios that cast the other side in worse light than may come to fruition. I think part of the discourse should be to find some levels of common ground and build up. While I’m a conservative I think some form of national health care is a good thing - Obamacare isn’t it. Maybe it’ll be better next time, maybe not. Honestly I think some weird combination of Bernie and Trump would make a wonderful president. Bernie has excellent program ideas and Trump at least has an understanding of where you can get money from that isn’t going to destabilize the entire structure.

Tell us the top 5 attributes of Trump that make him a candidate worthy of respect.

2 Likes

He’s rich? Winning? He’s rich? ahhh… He successfully ran a business (except where he failed)? He’s rich?

Does anything else matter, really?

4 Likes

Jean-Marie La Penn has endorsed Trump…

And of course, so has David Duke, and that racist mayor too.

Are you a real Trump supporter? Because if you are, what is there that turns you on to him, if not his sleazy demagoguery?

What appeal does he have left if you deny him his extremism?

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.
They’re not sending you.
They’re not sending you.
They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us.
They’re bringing drugs.
They’re bringing crime.
They’re rapists.”

Isn’t his contempt for minorities his draw? Isn’t that what y’all like about him?

10 Likes

I believe the words “hoisted” and “petard” are applicable.

5 Likes

“He and his social media team uses Twitter in abusive ways that few might have predicted a serious contender for President of the United States would employ.”

I suspect that all the politicos who monitor internet discussions are watching how effectively this is working. This election is on the same par in terms of a technology leap as the Kennedy-Nixon contest in 1960 when television first had an impact. I’ll bet that any political campaign consultant who can add “Twitter guru” to their resume will be in hot demand for the next several election cycles. This isn’t going away, and will only get more intense.

3 Likes

I think ‘mind’ was doing one of those SAT test analogies, "car is to road, like boat is to ____. " So “Bernie is to likable, as Putin is to autocratic.” Ehh, I can live with that I guess.

I see the post has been removed, odd-- I didn’t think it was too unreasonable, albeit kind of rambling. But in reply to ‘mind’: I wouldn’t approve of a Trump supporter disrupting a Bernie speech, so I can’t really defend a liberal disrupting a Trump speech. That said, Trump telling his people to rough up protesters is another matter (I can’t see Bernie doing that), nor should anyone be ejected from an event just because they are wearing the other candidate’s shirt (another thing the Trump campaign is guilty of.)

When someone thinks a candidate is the next Hitler or Stalin, they can find a way to justify extreme measures, and that’s a dangerous trap to fall into. Admittedly, when I mentioned “the brown-shirting of the internet” above I was making a reference to Hitler. I don’t think Trump is Hitler, and I don’t think he should be silenced (particularly because every time he talks he exposes how much of an egotistical, buffoonish demagogue he is), but harassment is reminiscent of the Sturmabteilung, and there’s no way around that.

I don’t think it’s possible to convert voters with violence and epithets, and Trump supporters harassing people over social media won’t help them get more votes. Speak truth to power, have facts and figures ready, ask difficult questions. I trust Bernie can answer the most ridiculous, leading question anyone can ask, in the same way I trust Trump won’t answer, and instead call the person a “total loser” for asking.

2 Likes

Bankruptcies that leave employees and creditors hanging didn’t destabilize Trump but the entire structure of everything around him didn’t fare so well. What do you base your assertion on?

6 Likes

What do you base your assertion on?

On whom bszo thinks matters, and on what structures they think matter.

It all becomes clear:
http://feednewz.com/top-news/641494/disbelief-as-donald-trump-quits-announces-that-he-was-just-trolling-26374

http://feednewz.com/top-news/641503/clint-eastwood-backs-trump-attacks-princess-pricklepants-9475

3 Likes

Ya know, it’s a pity they can’t actually throw their quills. Clint with a face-full would be amusing.

1 Like

Well, at least Trump is about to bleed.

2 Likes

I find his mockery of the journalist’s disability to be the purest Trump move

I don’t think this whole “only way to hold politicians accountable by voting them out” thing is working out to well. Of course I could be completely wrong.

This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.