America's descent into authoritarianism, and it's titular head is a mad man

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Patricio Da Silva, Dec 18, 2024.

  1. Kode

    Kode Well-Known Member

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    Personally, I want a front-row seat to watch his regime implode and lead to his suicide.
     
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  2. drluggit

    drluggit Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    LOL... Who said y'all weren't fun at parties...
     
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  3. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The past four years have sucked for America, but the good news is that we'll be done with Crazy Joe and the "progressive" fascists around him in 10 days.
     
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  4. Kode

    Kode Well-Known Member

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    You read too much of the lying right wing insanity rags.
     
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  5. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Not that it has anything to do with the "progressive" fascism America has endured the past four years, you have absolutely no idea what I read.

    But since you brought up in lying in your poorly played deflection, go ahead and read my signature. In that excerpt from "The Power of the Powerless", Václav Havel was writing about your authoritarian "progressive" comrades in communist Czechoslovakia, but he could have been writing about your authoritarian "progressive" comrades in the Biden Administration.
     
  6. Kode

    Kode Well-Known Member

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    Anyone who claims to find Biden and/or the Democrats to be as-or-more authoritarian than the current Republicans, is hopelessly biased, partisan, and a willing victim of political lies and spin of the type authoritarians are so well known for.

    BTW, if your signature line is intended to accurately describe Republicans today you have my full agreement.
     
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  7. Turtledude

    Turtledude Well-Known Member Donor

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    1) Biden and his handlers bullied big tech into suppressing free speech
    2) Biden and his handlers have pushed for gun bans and have appointed Gun banning or anti gun advocating officials-be it the surgeon general of the USA to Supreme court and lesser jurists
    3) Biden and his handlers have used federal and state law enforcement to harass and attack his political enemies

    without a doubt, The Biden Regime is the most authoritarian regime in decades
     
  8. fmw

    fmw Well-Known Member

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    I view it is normal corruption. Government it infected with it from top to bottom.
     
  9. fmw

    fmw Well-Known Member

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    A hopelessly biased and partisan notion.
     
  10. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

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    Power always corrupts always breeds hubris
     
  11. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

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    And you read too many of the lying leftwing insanity rags, see how that works?
     
  12. Noone

    Noone Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, when you don’t have anything, you accuse the left of what the right is guilty of.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2025
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  13. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

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    Lefty has been doing that crap since I was in high school. Yeah the people that want to reduce the size of government are the Fascist not the guys that have increased the size of government `10 fold since 1910 and it's cost exponentially.
     
  14. Patricio Da Silva

    Patricio Da Silva Well-Known Member Donor

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    We're not talking about 'rules'. You just made that up. All that exists here is to debate points, and that is precisely what we are doing.

    Yes, some facts are indisputable. The fact that there were fires in L.A. is indisputable.

    But not all claims of fact are indisputable.

    I claim the fact that Jan 6 was an insurrection because

    1. It fulfills the legal definition
    2. 3 judges in CO upheld it as insurrection
    3. Where the SC had an opportunity to rule whether or not it was an insurrection, they chose not to, thus upholding the lower court's ruling.
    4. Under 18 U.S. Code § 2383, the legal definition of insurrection does not explicitly require the desire to overthrow the government


    But, that claim, which I uphold as fact, would be disputed on this forum.

    THAT is my point.

    so, don't be surprised if you claim a fact as a fact and it disputed.

    Now YOU might claim that, since it IS 'disputable' it cannot, therefore, be a 'fact'.

    Maybe YOU wouldn't, but others do, and THAT is my point.

    Once again, don't be surprised if you claim a fact as a fact and it disputed.

    Be WILLING to state your case, prove your point, be willing to DEBATE.

    And the ONLY reason we are having this conversation because it arises out of the fact that some on this forum choose not to debate because they ASSUME their 'fact' is a fact, when it is, in fact, DEBATABLE. just as I am, at this very precise moment, DEBATING YOUR POINT, which you have assumed is 'fact'.

    Not only that, what appear to be clear cut facts, may still be debatable. I once asserted the fact that the sky is blue, and some science guy gave me the perfectly scientifically sound explanation why it isn't. Don't assume your 'fact' isn't debatable.

    Is that clear enough?
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2025
  15. Patricio Da Silva

    Patricio Da Silva Well-Known Member Donor

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    So you think that there's no authoritarianism in America, eh? That we’ve been skipping down the garden path of “wokeism,” as if it's some kind of dystopian Sesame Street? Well, buckle up, because here’s a reality check.

    First of all, wokeism? What even is that? A vague little boogeyman to pin all your grievances on because you can’t articulate a coherent thought about systemic inequities? It’s not wokeism when people want basic human rights; it’s called progress. You don't get to slap a scary label on every social movement you don't understand and call it a descent. That's just lazy -- and, frankly, it reeks of fear that the world’s leaving your outdated worldview behind.

    And no whisper of authoritarianism? No whisper? You must be wearing noise-canceling headphones, friend, because the whispers are deafening -- hell, they’re practically shouting through a bullhorn. Let’s talk about a president who tried to overturn an election, bullied election officials to "find" votes, and weaponized the Justice Department like a mafia boss running out of cronies. Personal pronouncements? Oh, like suggesting the Constitution should be "terminated" because it’s inconvenient? That's not lawlessness? What planet are you living on? Pluto?

    Let me guess, your definition of "authoritarianism" is someone kicking your door down and declaring your living room a gulag, right? Newsflash: it doesn’t have to look like some Hollywood dystopia. It can be subtle -- a leader exploiting the machinery of government for personal gain, undermining democratic norms, spreading propaganda so people like you swallow the nonsense whole. That’s how it starts. You don’t see it because you’re too busy chasing shadows of “wokeism” while the real authoritarian is standing right there in a MAGA hat, waving a Big Mac and screaming about fake news.

    And the cherry on top? "Nobody knows who heads it." Wrong again, chief. Your so-called “wokeism” doesn’t have a leader because it’s not a conspiracy. It’s just millions of people trying to make the world less awful. But authoritarianism? Oh, that’s got a titular head, alright. He’s loud, he’s orange, and he thinks Sharpies are a valid cartographic tool. Maybe you’ve heard of him?

    So here’s the deal: before you come at me with more of this faux-intellectual drivel, do yourself a favor and figure out the difference between authoritarianism and accountability. Because the real madman is the one who convinced you that compassion is tyranny and that his tantrums are patriotism. That’s the descent. And if you’re not careful, you’ll be applauding all the way down.
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2025
  16. Patricio Da Silva

    Patricio Da Silva Well-Known Member Donor

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    I love how the right tries to reduce a complexity to simplisticism, when it demands otherwise in order to be fully understood, it's like you guys cannot process anything but simple black and white slogans, thought-terminating cliches, etc.

    So, you you think the past four years have sucked because of "Crazy Joe" and his so-called "progressive fascists." Let me
    guess -- you’ve been hanging out with folks who can’t see past the price of eggs and butter to notice the bigger picture. So let’s unpack this with some facts, shall we?

    First, let’s talk inflation, since that’s the underlying elephant in the room here. Sure, it’s been rough, but let’s not pretend this all started with Joe Biden. Inflation didn’t magically appear on January 20, 2021. Trump’s CARES Act -- a $2 trillion money cannon -- flooded the economy with fiat dollars at the height of the pandemic. And guess what? Biden’s American Rescue Plan did the same thing, also injecting $2 trillion into the economy. Both were responses to unprecedented crises, and both contributed to inflation. But let’s be honest, when Trump was signing those checks, nobody on the right was crying “economic collapse.” You were too busy applauding his “bold leadership.”

    Second, inflation isn’t the sole measure of economic success, even if it’s all some people focus on. The economy under Biden has seen record job growth, unemployment hitting 50-year lows, wages rising, and GDP growth holding steady. Gas prices, after their global spike, have come down significantly. And yet, folks on the right ignore these wins because they’re laser-focused on how much butter costs this week. It’s like complaining about the weather during a record harvest -- missing the forest for the trees.

    Now, let’s address the sentiment that the past four years have “sucked.” Sure, we’ve been through tough times. A global pandemic, supply chain crises, and geopolitical instability don’t exactly scream “smooth sailing.” But pinning all that on Biden and “progressives” is disingenuous at best. The real problem is that partisanship has driven people to view every challenge as evidence of failure rather than a call to action. If people spent half as much time working toward solutions as they do scapegoating, we might actually get somewhere.

    So here’s the reality: Trump and Biden both acted in extraordinary circumstances, and their policies had similar economic impacts. The difference is how their outcomes are framed. When Trump spent trillions, it was “saving the economy.” When Biden did it, it became “fiscal irresponsibility.” The hypocrisy is as loud as a MAGA rally, and it’s about time we called it out.

    In short, Talon, the past four years haven’t sucked because of Biden. They’ve sucked because we’ve been living in the aftermath of a global crisis, compounded by division and misinformation. Blaming it all on one man or one ideology is not just simplistic -- it’s lazy.

    And you seem to forget the 4 years of the horror show that was under Trump, need I remind you about the botched pandemic response that cost hundreds of thousands of lives, the $7.8 trillion added to the national debt, the nepotism that turned the White House into a family business, the overwhelming corruption and self-dealing, tax breaks to billionaire buddies, the constant attacks on democratic norms, the incitement of an insurrection, the love letters to dictators, or the litany of criminal indictments hanging over his head? Because if you think that was smooth sailing, you’ve got a Titanic-sized blind spot.
     
  17. fmw

    fmw Well-Known Member

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    Claims of facts are not facts. Facts don't require opposition or debate. They are what they are. They are FACTS. Opinions, claims, analysis the facts, nonsense etc are not facts. Clear enough? You will get there eventually.
     
  18. Mungo Jerry

    Mungo Jerry Newly Registered

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    Not all claims of fact are relevant, applicable, or even facts.

    1: There is no federal legal definition of insurrection, only the common definition - federal law dealing with insurrection does not define the term; as such the common meanings stand.
    2: The CO courts found this in a civil., not criminal trial, without the standards, restrictions, and requirements of same. As such, the determination was not made beyond a reasonable doubt, which necessarily allows for a reasonable doubt of their determination. In short: While true, it proves nothing.
    3: The CO court determination of insurrection was not a question before the court, and thus, the court did not address it in any way; the fact the court did not address the determination in no way lends credibility to the determination. Indeed, the court would have had to go out of its way to address it, which would have, at least, elicited whines and cries from the likes of you, screaming "judicial activism!". In short: while true, it proves nothing.
    4: Terms like "insurrection" and "rebellion", in their plain meaning, have a necessary relationship to the forcible separation of the government and the parties so engaged; while not explicitly including a desire to overthrow the government, said desire would clearly fall under insurrection.

    Thus:
    Of your four arguments, only the last carries any demonstrably factual or rational weight; as such your claim that Jan 6 was an insurrection is, at best, unsupported, and at worst, unsound.
     
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  19. Kode

    Kode Well-Known Member

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    Yeahbut, looking at it from a slightly different perspective, were some of the Jan 6 attackers convicted and sentenced for "seditious conspiracy"?
    Yes.
    Does that mean their intention was sedition?
    Most likely.
    Was it a rebellion against the processes of government that were underway?
    Definitely.
    Does the 14th Amendment, Section 3 say that any person who took an oath to defend and protect the Constitution yet who gave aid and comfort to such rebels shall not hold political office?
    Yes.
    Did Trump give aid and comfort to those rebels?
    Yes.
    Was the Constitution up-held, defended and protected in this case?
    No.
    The Democrats AND the Republicans all failed.
     
  20. Turtledude

    Turtledude Well-Known Member Donor

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    fail== not a rebellion and Trump didn't do that within the meaning of the law
     
  21. Bullseye

    Bullseye Well-Known Member

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    I'm Stil waiting for a left to define exactly what "authoritarian" plans Trump allegedly has planted. Probably just. bug in you-know-who's AI output.
     
  22. Patricio Da Silva

    Patricio Da Silva Well-Known Member Donor

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    You'll get the concept, one of these days, that posturing doesn't improve your argument. (Your last sentence is an example).

    Another example of posturing is the above sentence, i.e., a little dose of your own medicine.

    Now then....

    You are just repeating yourself. Nothing in your reply refutes my comment.

    Some folks claim a fact which is debatable.

    You say it isn't a fact.

    Well, some do, and don't be surprised if your 'fact' isn't debatable.

    And, if and when that happens, just be prepared to explain yourself.

    No one is under any obligation to accept your claim of fact, as fact.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2025
  23. fmw

    fmw Well-Known Member

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    You seem to be hung up on what other people think. I recommend you concentrate on what you think. Perhaps you just think like other people do.
     
  24. Kode

    Kode Well-Known Member

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    You know as well as anyone.
     
  25. Patricio Da Silva

    Patricio Da Silva Well-Known Member Donor

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    I'm not hung up on anything, I'm just pointing you are not the center of the universe.
     

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