r/politics
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u/swingadmin
New York
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13d ago
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Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board Says GOP Candidates Are Too Nuts to Endorse No Copy-Pasted Submissions
https://www.thedailybeast.com/philadelphia-inquirer-editorial-board-says-gop-are-too-insane-to-endorse-anyone-for-governor-or-senate[removed] — view removed post
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u/Lawn_Orderly
13d ago
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In a blistering editorial on Friday, the board said that while it has historically leaned toward Democrats, it has also endorsed Republicans “even when a candidate’s views didn’t exactly align” with their own. However, when sending out surveys to Pennsylvania GOP candidates in the Senate primary, only one would even acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. “How do you find points of agreement when you can’t reach common ground on facts so basic that they could be used in a field sobriety test?” the editorial board wrote.
The editorial board is right.
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u/IamFrom2145 13d ago •
facts so basic that they could be used in a field sobriety test
This isn't even an exaggeration and it's hilarious as well as deeply frightening at the same time.
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u/LaGranTortuga 13d ago
It’s actually an understatement. Who’s the president is more of a sanity screening question than for sobriety.
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u/mmcmonster 13d ago
Up until a couple years ago, we used to use that to help figure out how demented a person was.
- What's your name?
- What year is it?
- Who's the president of the United States?
- Where are you?
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u/sciencetown 13d ago
I work in a hospital in a rural area. I stopped asking who the president was because I got so goddamned tired of the speeches I would get of how Biden stole the presidency/wasn’t really the president and Trump still was/is a clone and not really Biden. Meanwhile, all the family members in the room are nodding along as Grandma babbles on about conspiracy theories she saw on Fox News. These people are living on the same planet but in a different world.
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u/annewithan_e 13d ago
I stopped using the question during the Obama era when I found people’s racist remarks made it really hard to care for them impartially. A patient once said about my coworker from Uganda that “he didn’t want any monkeys taking care of him.” I told my coworker he could leave and we would reassign the patient. Patient ended up with a much less qualified nurse- crazy how people can be so racist they would rather anyone white no matter how dumb take care of them and refuse to be cared for by one of the brightest and most compassionate people while they are in the ICU lol. Die on the hill I guess.
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u/PalpitationNo3106 12d ago
My middle school teacher used to tell the story of how, as a medic in Vietnam a guy refused a transfusion from a fellow soldier because he didn’t want any of that dirty blood. Guy died, of course. What a maroon.
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u/NobleGasTax 12d ago
Racism is crazy and nothing but harmful
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u/oeuf_fume Iowa 12d ago
one of my own elderly relatives just told me, “I don’t like racism but I’m actually afraid of all this anti-racism.” Pressed to explain she said that at least racism has some “basis in reality.” This is sad to hear from an intelligent person, but reality does tend to get simpler as you grow old.
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u/panormda 13d ago
At what point do these people cross the line into clinical delusion? It seems like these people are so out of it that they actually need intervention because this behavior is dangerous to society...
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u/tunedout 13d ago
Patient is demonstrating signs of extreme delusion. 72 hour hold for a psychiatric evaluation is recommended.
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u/prodrvr22 12d ago
72 hours later...
Doc: Who is the current President? Patient: Trump
Instant institutionalization.
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u/Mywifiisntworking 12d ago
Right? Instead we keep letting them vote and keep letting them think their opinion matters. At what point do we realize they aren’t competent to vote. They have no business making decisions for this country when they begin to deny facts.
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u/sneeds-feed-n-seed 13d ago
Biden stole the presidency/wasn’t really the president and Trump still was/is a clone and not really Biden.
So does that mean Trump is responsible for inflation and gas prices?
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u/BoneDogtheWonderBoy 13d ago •
It still applies. If they say anyone other than Biden, they are demented
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u/Then_I_had_a_thought 13d ago
Man Woman Person Camera TV
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u/system0101 13d ago •
"One of the greatest memories of all time. Nobody remembers like I do." 👐
note: hands are drawn accurately to scale.
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u/Independent_Plate_73 13d ago edited 13d ago
“Small handed vulgarian”
Eta: as someone below helpfully pointed out it’s “short fingered vulgarian”.
Graydon Carter sucks for other important reasons but I’d hate to ruin his wordsmithing re trump.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/history-donald-trump-small-hands-insult/story?id=37395515
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u/GiantSquidd Canada 13d ago
What a great quote from someone who is “much more humble than anyone can understand”.
Ugh.
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u/Bill_Brasky_SOB 12d ago
Don’t forget the alcoholic doctor he paid off to say he was the height and weight of peak Brian Urlacher despite thinking exercise is fatal
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u/the_buckman_bandit America 13d ago
Holy shit! How did you do that? Real Einstein right here in the comments!
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u/modi13 13d ago
"What's your name?"
"Do you mean my actual name, or the name that was assigned to a corporate entity when I was issued a birth certificate and social security number in order for the Democrats to siphon funds to use towards child trafficking?!"
"Oh dear, we've got another demented one..."
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u/old_righty 13d ago
Followed by “wake up sheeple!!!”
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u/patsdadsmen 13d ago
Am i the only one who finds it odd that people who use “woke” as a term to describe what they believe to be crazy or wrong with society, say things like “wake up sheeple” ?
And these same jerk offs, are the ones believing conspiracy theories like the election was stolen, trump is still president, child trafficking rings, or whatever they believe this week, isn’t that definition “woke”? Being able to see the “truth”? See the “big picture “?
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u/Archensix 13d ago
They probably haven't figured out that woke is just a pass tense version of "wake up". That one might be a bit too high level for conservatives. They probably just think of woke as an insult
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u/hardspank916 13d ago
Johnny Knoxville got a concussion and thought Obama was still president. I wouldn't say hes demented. But yeah, if you say anyone pther than Biden without a bull giving you a midair 360 there not firing on all cylinders.
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u/BoneDogtheWonderBoy 13d ago
That’s fair: let’s just say that if they think anyone is president other than Biden, it’s a potential symptom of brain damage, whether it’s trauma, disease, or Fox News induced.
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u/GingeAndJuice 13d ago
This is still current and relevant. My father is currently hospitalized with neurological issues and that are the exact baseline questions we and hospital staff use to determine his mental status and whether or not he is experiencing a brain event
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u/fdc7719 13d ago
I had my first and only seizure when Trump was actually in office. The paramedics used the same questions. In spite of the situation, when asked who the president was I responded deep exhale through nose “Donald motherfucking Trump.”
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u/CaptainKlamydia America 13d ago
Yeah, same thing happened to me. Dropped at work and the paramedics asked who was president. Even post seizure brain, those words felt dirty
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u/moistpanties4freeHMU 13d ago edited 12d ago
this is a really nuanced yet poignant feeling. we loathe trump. but some people violently hate biden. our negative feelings against trump are not as strong as the negative feelings trump people have against biden. trump people feel even more righteous than us. they KNOW biden stole the presidency, even though he didn’t.
we are living in a cold civil war.
i fear it will turn hot soon.
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u/kcg5 13d ago
Same situation with me but 20 years ago. I had a seizure and they asked me in the ambulance and I said “unfortunately George Bush”
Btw, check out r/epilepsy !
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u/isthatmyusername 13d ago
I stopped asking who the president was under Obama. "That gawddam n***er!"...
Extra long and bumpy road to the ER for you it is.
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u/DadJokeBadJoke California 13d ago
Who's the president of the United States?
"Ronald Reagan"
"Ronald Reagan? The actor!? [chuckles in disbelief] Then who's vice-president, Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady? And Jack Benny is Secretary of the Treasury!→ More replies92
u/atvw 13d ago
Years ago my mom had a dementia check. They asked who the prime Minister of the Netherlands was. And my mom said "well, I know it's not me" :)
Her second attempt was better if I remember correctly.
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u/jumpy_monkey 13d ago
When Trump was president I had to go to urgent care several times and since I wasn't seeing my regular physician they had to ask me intake questions, one of which was "Do you feel like hurting yourself or others?"
I always answered "Does hurting Donald Trump count?" and they always answered "No."
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u/paul_wi11iams 13d ago edited 13d ago
When Trump was president I had to go to urgent care several times and since I wasn't seeing my regular physician they had to ask me intake questions
From what I've been reading, another one in a similar vein is the questions emergency doctors use on patients in case of suspected CVA. "What is the name of the President of the United States" used to be a standard question but can no longer be used since the election of Biden...
It still makes a good sanity check IMO.
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u/cwfutureboy America 13d ago
- Who is your Daddy?
- What does he do?
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u/joey_yamamoto 13d ago
Oh man those were the days.
I miss making prank calls with the Arnold Schwarzenegger sound board
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u/SageoftheSexPathz 13d ago
when trump was in office that question would cause so much anger, we switched to other ones.
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u/Jiminyfingers 13d ago
I remember a while seeing a Republican voter being interviewed. First he railed again critical race theory but couldn't articulate what he didn't like about or what it actually was. He then went on to insist that Trump was still actually running the country, but then insisted it was Biden's fault for the Afghanistan withdrawal.
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u/Jerimiah_da_Bullfrog 13d ago
they were doing the same thing with common core - thinking it was a backwards way to do math ONLY.
No. Common core is a statewide curricula that lists out the minimums kids should know in each class at each grade. Right wing talking heads don't like it because they want stupid kids to continue the time old tradition of having useful idiots voting in more right wingers.
And, no, the newer style algorithms they teach kids for advanced arithmetic are way better than what Boomers through Millennials in the 80's were taught. My kids understand the theory and logic behind why 4 x 9 =36; not just blindly memorizing it.
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u/gofastdsm 13d ago
A couple years back I realized that when I do mental math I use those newer algorithms. It just makes sense.
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u/PurkleDerk 13d ago
That's exactly why they teach it that way. Most people who are good with mental math do it that way already. The new math algorithms are just explicitly putting it to pen and paper so that everyone can develop good mental math abilities.
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u/thisnameismeta 13d ago
I had the exact same realization. And my mental math methods were self derived or taught independently by my parents. I'm much better at mental math than many of my peers, but that's just because I was lucky. If they'd been taught the methods I learned on my own/through outside of school resources I'm sure there'd be less of a gap.
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u/patb2015 13d ago
It’s also used for conscientiousness and cognitive function.. senility shows up in using trapped memories
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u/MacAttacknChz 13d ago
When I was in nursing school, the question "Who's the president?" was used to determine if your patient is oriented. After 2021, I stopped asking and used other questions. Even if they got it right, it wasn't worth the diatribe that would follow it.
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u/Gathorall 13d ago
A shame really, because it is in itself an efficient question, where the correct answer fulfills two criteria at once.
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u/slhuillier 13d ago
I stopped using that question during Obama's term for the same reason.
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u/ditto958 13d ago
My mom answered “the black man” but she really did have dementia and could not remember his name.
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u/Great_Chairman_Mao California 13d ago
Welcome to Trump’s America. That dude isn’t president any more, but the GOP is his personal money machine now and everyone who wants a piece has to out crazy each other to get in his good graces.
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u/Sweatsock_Pimp South Carolina 13d ago edited 13d ago
Meanwhile, Kathy Barnette is surging in the Pennsylvania polls thanks to a Twitter history that looks like this
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u/LostWoodsInTheField Pennsylvania 13d ago
I don't think people realize how badly PA might be going. There are very very few republicans who aren't at least a bit nutty, and the ones running for highest offices are the worst.
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u/n3rdychick California 13d ago
Fuck, we're moving back there this summer. Hope our blue votes can help stop it from turning into crazytown, otherwise yeesh.
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u/LostWoodsInTheField Pennsylvania 13d ago
Nov election is going to really decide the future of PA for a long time imo. There is a ton of resentment and hatred towards democrats in rural areas, and Wolf is front and center on that. I think if he could run again he would and would lose. Glad we will have a different option that could possibly win.
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u/MILITARY_SOURCE 13d ago
I don't think people realize how badly _______ might be going.
Applies to lots of things in America.
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u/qdatk 13d ago
This is the first time I've heard of this person, and now I wish I hadn't: https://twitter.com/Shitstrophy/status/1522961800907530240
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u/dcdttu Texas 13d ago
The next 5-10 years are going to be interesting here in the USA. Either we stop this, or it continues to it’s inevitable conclusion.
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u/xclame Europe 13d ago
I remember seeing a few first responder videos on YouTube and in one of them a paramedic asked someone that needed help who the president was and the the person said "don't make me say his name" and the paramedic laughed, knowing that they knew the right answer and said something alone the lines of "I don't make you say it".
Conservatives liked to say that the left didn't acknowledge Trump's presidency or mock them for "not my president" slogans, but the fact remains that even though many would agree that Trump got elected under dubious circumstances, I think most would agree that he was the president.
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u/kgolovko 13d ago
The problem is who applies the test though… we’ve seen through convictions of January 6 insurrectionists that many police officers would fail you on a sobriety test if you didn’t say tRump won.
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u/harbison215 13d ago
Sadly tho they are about 10 years too late and noting this. Republicans have been in denial of reality for a long, long time
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u/Galaxy_Ranger_Bob Virginia 13d ago
My wife has told me that they had to start leaving off the question of "Who is the President of the United States," as part of their diagnostic criteria in cases of head trauma because there are too many people without other signs of head trauma that insist that Donald Trump is still the President.
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u/Carnivean_ 13d ago
Those people are also suffering from brain damage so just leave the test alone.
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u/captainAwesomePants 13d ago
I have to imagine that another reason to leave it off is that police officers are the ones who would be asking this question and they might not agree with the answer.
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u/waltjrimmer West Virginia 13d ago
If you're judging for brain damage, you're probably looking at medical or welfare personnel rather than police. An ex of mine was an RA in college and that same standard list of questions (with one that varied) was used on drunk/high/other kids to see if they needed taken to their rooms or an ambulance.
No, the cops are more likely to be causing the head injury rather than diagnosing it.
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u/sonofaresiii 13d ago
I mean, practically speaking you would still be able to tell if their answer is because of trauma or because they're a right wing nutjob. I doubt any right winger would answer Donald trump without following it up with something about stolen elections and whatnot
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u/Terrible_Tutor 13d ago
They’ve all realized the conservative media mindfucked “right” are all drawn to batshit crazy. They live in an alternate dimension where there’s evil vampire pedo democrats everywhere. Whoever can stand up to them the most aggressively wins.
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u/WigginIII 12d ago edited 12d ago
Yup.
Dehumanize the opponent.
Convince them the fight is a holy war.
Now you’ve conditioned a body of supporters that is willing to kill, and die, for their political beliefs.
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u/Babiesarentcute 12d ago
Exactly. They’re ready to kill Democrats.
At the first sign that their power is in danger (the last time was Jan 2021), they’ll unleash the hordes of overweight boomers
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u/treetyoselfcarol 13d ago
The first qualification for a GOP here in NC is a Trump endorsement. Shit is fucked.
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u/windnative 13d ago
I remember a comment in these boards by some conservative in 2019, where he was arguing that conservatives are so upstanding and righteous that even if 'the other guy' won, they would keep quiet and accept the results of the election. He then said 'unlike democrats who refuse to accept Donald trump as president'. Boy was he wrong.
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u/TheStinkfoot Washington 13d ago
The real nightmare is that we get into a Wisconsin-situation. That's to say, Republicans take over in an off year election when most people aren't paying attention then use their essentially randomly assigned authority to change the rules such that they can't lose and have a permanent political majority. In Wisconsin a 50/50 vote would result in a Republican supermajority, and a Democratic majority is functionally impossible.
And now we have the added threat of Republicans using their off year election wins to rig the presidential election and install permanent non-democratic rule there, too.
Folks gotta vote every damn time.
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u/BuckRowdy Tennessee 13d ago
This is exactly what is coming in every red state. I hope people aren't still on the fence about this because they are planning on changing things to enable them to never lose power of state governments ever again.
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u/PigFarmer1 Wyoming 13d ago
Nope. This isn't going to happen in Wyoming, the reddest state in the country. Here the GOP is trying to rid itself of moderate office holders and candidates. Heck, the gerrymandering here is Republican vs. Republican. It's suburban vs. rural as they eat their own. In this state moderates are way to the left of the party leadership.
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u/FuckinPeacemaker 12d ago
I do wonder what the end looks like here. People don’t live forever and you gotta hold elections as rigged as they may be. So will we just have insane Republican vs insane republican? How long will that be viable? Will we eventually have RINOs running on socially popular campaign promises against batshit crazy conspiracy theorists? Or are we supposed to just expect to be ruled by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz’s stupid kids and grandkids forever? That’s not sustainable either, there’s no honor amongst thieves eventually they will all turn on each other. I probably won’t live to see the rise AND fall of the looming dictatorship in this country so just really curious how they plan on locking down such a huge and diverse land mass. Short of a holocaust I just don’t see how it’s possible long term.
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u/hurr_durr_gurr_burr 12d ago
what the end looks like here
I think if enough people lose faith in the power of the government, it essentially ceases to exist
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u/IIIllIIlllIlII 12d ago
what the ends looks like
Diehard republicans saying: - you’re hurting the wrong people - I didn’t vote for this - the face eating leopard ate my face
Of course it’s too late by then.
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u/SurpriseHamburgler 12d ago
States rights… it’s the whole fundamental goal they’ve been trying to achieve forever. Police state on a nation scale could not work in America. Police state on a ‘state’ or regional level is entirely possible; most would agree, I think, the foundations for which have already been conceived and constructed. We just need a Federal government that has smaller puppet regimes.
Mention this idea to a a fair minded, slightly right of center American conservative and they will say: without the puppet regime thing? EXACTLY.
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u/Nemisis_the_2nd Great Britain 12d ago
In Wisconsin a 50/50 vote would result in a Republican supermajority, and a Democratic majority is functionally impossible.
Sounds like a mild version of the UK. The tories won a 60% majority in Parliament from 40% of the vote. In our recent local elections, they had one instance where 43% of the votes translated to a 70% majority.
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u/Interactive_CD-ROM 13d ago
then use their essentially randomly assigned authority to change the rules such that they can’t lose and have a permanent political majority
How have the courts considered this legal? Surely this must be unconstitutional.
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u/TheStinkfoot Washington 13d ago
This is going to shock you, but the Republican majority on the Supreme Court is perfectly okay with Republicans cheating to maintain power.
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u/check_out_times 12d ago
Been that way the ENTIRE Roberts court.
During his 'reign' fascism has risen.
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u/MILITARY_SOURCE 13d ago
In regards to gerrymandering, it has been ruled on at the Supreme Court. It is legal unless you can prove that the districts were drawn with a racial bias.
Districts with a political bias, even if they permanently disenfranchise the political majority, are 100% A-OK, in black and white, from the highest court.
If a state used any other kinds of tricks to cement minority rule, as long as those tricks were legal under state law (and did not have an explicit racial bias), they would probably be allowed as well.
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u/nicolauz 12d ago
You haven't even read about the 'investigation' by a former state Judge that pays 600k a year to harass election officials, approved by the state leader Vos. It's a test ground for calling any election fake if they lose. It's beyond fucked. Only hope is to reelect Evers so the GOP can't fuck the state more (they gavel out and don't do shit, literally since he's been elected).
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u/DG_Now 12d ago
Yes.
And people have to stop saying democrats are bad too. Yes, but by memory standards of deviation fewer.
Democrats are sometimes ineffective at governance, but they try.
Republicans don't believe in government, are likely comprised by external forces, and are actively trying to destabilize everything that makes us function.
Our country is in the middle of a civil war and "independents" are picking the wrong side.
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u/TheStinkfoot Washington 12d ago
The fact is, "both sides are the same" is the wrong side. Only one side is trying to actively end democracy and roll us back to the 17th century.
You think Obamacare doesn't go far enough? That's fine, but we can debate that after we stop the regressives.
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u/Lonely_Set1376 12d ago
And Obamacare wasn't limited by Democrats. It was limited by Republicans. The original plan went way further, but Republicans were able to block many parts of it.
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u/hecate37 13d ago
Kakistocracy - government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state, government by the worst people, a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. The word was coined during crazy King George's reign (the reign that our founding fathers held a revolution and signed a declaration of independence against).
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u/JarlStormBorn 13d ago edited 13d ago
You know the etymology of kakistocracy? Never heard of it before Edit: looked it up, comes from kakistos (worst people) and kratos (rule).
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u/phillytimd 13d ago
Pa republicans are running on, no lie, firing fauci and taking on china. They’ve offered literally zero policy. Oh and they like guns
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u/fernon5 13d ago
Don't forget a woman's right to choose. They HATE that.
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u/buzzkill_ed 13d ago
Luckily the current governor of PA has explicitly said he will veto any pro life legislation that makes it to his desk.
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u/Lafreakshow Foreign 13d ago
Of course. Women and choosing? Have you ever accompanied your
wifeproperty to buy some clothes? They can't even choose a dress you'll like them to wear so how can you expect them to decide anything else? That's Preposterous! What's next? Allowing women to vote? Giving them access to Education? Listening to their opinions!? Where would that lead us? Next you'll tell me a women vice president should be a thing! How outrageous!→ More replies74
u/ReyTyler 13d ago
Any channels I get at home based in PA is full of republican ads about firing Fauci and being pro-life, and half of them are calling Dr. Oz a liberal. I need the primaries to be done because every ad break is these nut jobs repeating each other’s stupidity and insanity.
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u/Luke-HW 13d ago
I honestly hope Oz wins the primaries just to split the Republicans
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u/Lord_Abort 13d ago
If he wins, they might have shot themselves in the foot. They've run ads nonstop of him saying things about abortion like "the heart's not beating," acknowledging that trans people exist, and (the horror!) having Michelle Obama on his show to promote healthy living to kids. That has to have turned off a lot of ass hats from ever voting for him.
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u/Anthem2243 13d ago
Jesus Christ, i never thought their best possible candidate was a scam doctor that actually believes in science
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u/fondots 12d ago
He has trump's endorsement so the GOP spin machine is ready to pivot to him in case he does win.
I'm registered Republican in PA just to vote in their primaries to try to get the least bad Republican candidate against whoever the Democrats put up (with mixed at best success) and it's been really hard to figure out who the least bad is. I was leaning somewhat towards the snake oil salesman, but the trump endorsement throws me a bit.
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u/ProfessorDerp22 13d ago
My favorite is Dave McCormick, hedge fund CEO, masquerading as a “good ole boy” by riding motorcycles and flying Trump flags. Sad part is, that’s enough to convince the toothless, Pennsyltucky yokels.
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u/ProfessorChaos5049 Pennsylvania 13d ago
Yeah I love Oz's add. I'm gonna fire Fauci and fight China.
Mofo, you're a senator, not the president. You're not gonna do shit.
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u/Opinionsare 13d ago
A moment of sanity in an insane election year.
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u/ghandi3737 13d ago
At first I was thinking it was the National Enquirer and there was an update on batboy, who should be batman by now.
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u/70ms California 13d ago
Batboy was Weekly World News. I used to be an avid reader (for fun, I swear 😂).
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u/ghandi3737 13d ago
There's another title I kinda wish was still out there. It was always fun to read those headlines while getting groceries.
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u/Ripster99840 13d ago
Unleash Gritty after them
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u/think_long 13d ago
I would literally rather Gritty be president than any Republican.
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u/Crashmaster007 13d ago
Gritty is of the people. The true people’s choice.
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u/robodrew Arizona 13d ago
A link to the actual article:
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/pennsylvania-senate-governor-republican-20220513.html
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u/jballs 13d ago
Each one more crazy than the last.
For example, the leading candidate in the polls, State Sen. Doug Mastriano, is the prime cosponsor of a “fetal heartbeat” ban, which would make abortion illegal beginning at about six weeks of gestation. When this board asked Zama [running for governor] if he’d sign such a bill, he said no — not because he doesn’t support a ban, but because he felt doing so would incorrectly imply that he supports abortion before six weeks of pregnancy.
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u/nemocluecrj Texas 13d ago
Every GOP candidate across the entire country needs to be asked nonstop between now and election day, who is the President of the United States? They need to be forced to say something crazy or nothing at all at every opportunity so that everyone can see it and hear it. Yes, it is genuinely nuts that they refuse to acknowledge that Joe Biden is POTUS, and voters need to be reminded daily about it.
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u/Alexispinpgh 13d ago
Look, if you saw some of the political ads on TV in PA right now, this concept would make you laugh. We’re so beyond this being a litmus test that it honestly isn’t funny. I can’t believe what I’m seeing most of the time.
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u/Smearwashere Minnesota 13d ago
Most of the GOP ads in MN are saying they will lock up Biden or fauci or liberal hoards are invading . It’s pure insanity
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u/nemocluecrj Texas 13d ago
This is also why people in PA need to stop pretending that Fetterman has that Senate race in the bag somehow. The GOPer voters, the hardcore ones that are all definitely showing up this fall, would vote for a rock with a dick spray painted on it—as long as it has an R next to its name. These people have all officially jumped the shark, and while he seems at a glance to be a much stronger candidate than aall of the Republicans put together, it is going to be a tossup and a very difficult campaign precisely because they will vote for anyone that passes their litmus test and says the right things.
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u/13143 Maine 13d ago
Problem is that a lot of GOP voters are in line with the GOP candidates. So them saying Joe Biden rigged the election resonates with the voters.
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u/YoYoMoMa 13d ago
The problem isn't that their base believes this. Or at least that's not the problem right this second. The problem is a lot of fairly reasonable people will vote for GOP candidates, and refuse to believe that they are as crazy as they actually are.
There's a whole host of studies about how voters believe that Democrats will pass legislation They never claimed to support (like defunding the police) while simultaneously believing that Republicans will not pass the things they say they support (roe is an obvious example but killing Medicare and social security or raising taxes on the middle class).
Republican propaganda is really, really, really effective. Hell it is even effective on mainstream media who treats Republican candidates as reasonable choices.
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u/garciasn 13d ago
No one doubts who the lost causes are voting for; it’s the other voters they’re trying to reach.
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u/MarksOtherAccount 13d ago
If someone is still considering a vote for a republican in this environment they're a lost cause
Saying you're a moderate or a centrist or undecided or whatever means you're a republican too embarrassed by your own party to admit what you are.
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u/Snite 13d ago
You’d be surprised at just how many people have no idea what’s going on in politics or the world in general, but then they register and go vote like they know what they’re doing.
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u/Ok_Improvement_5897 13d ago
This is a mind bogglingly frustrating fact about life ugh. The ignorant always seem to feel like the enlightened.
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u/MrKite80 13d ago
"Huh, Donald Trump actually won the election, I'm hearing? Well I better vote for the Republican since they didn't rig the election like the Democrats!" - 50% of the Other Voters, probably
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u/wendellnebbin Minnesota 13d ago
Yep, but those people likely can't be saved. This is to remind the other 70% what the sane world is dealing with, maybe get a few more of them to vote for democracy.
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u/iwearatophat Michigan 13d ago
This wont work. The Michigan GOP held a debate among the primary candidates for governor. Eight people were on stage. Six of them say Trump won the election. A seventh thinks it too but wants a full on investigation before he gets declarative.
It isn't nuts to their base at all.
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u/Unadvantaged 13d ago
Their base does think these things, but they’ve been basically egged on to embrace their worst instincts by Fox News, OAN et al. The way out of this situation is to somehow make it less profitable to tell lies on TV.
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u/TheCaptainDamnIt 13d ago edited 13d ago
The way out of this situation is to somehow make it less profitable to tell lies on TV.
Yep, this is the crux of the problem and the MSM still does not get it!
Our current generation of media professionals and organizations are inherently incapable of adjusting to the current political landscape. They have been trained throughout their careers stating with journalism programs and by newsrooms in a set of 'best practices' that just cannot cope with disingenuous political actors. False balance in a story, giving politicians the benefit of the doubt about their intentions, inviting politicians who constantly lie back onto shows to lie more, repeating conspiracy theories and blatantly false allegations all work FOR the person spreading the lie. And they are wildly out of touch with how most people consume news today (in the background of their daily activity, e.g. headlines matter, repeating a false statements as a headline spreads that lie).
For most people if they hear any news story that day it’s a nightly news broadcast in the background or see a headline online when they hop on Internet or facebook or whatever. This is the world conservatives and Trump in particular thrive in. They know how to create a headline that gets their message across to voters who don’t care too much about politics but still vote. They know how to message to voters who will only hear a nightly news story that gives both sides equal time. This is why Trumps (and the right wings) lies work so well. The reality is that all most people will hear about these lies are an open to a news story that starts off with Lester Holt or some network person saying Republican politician says he's fixed 'X' or that 'Y' is a danger, and then they will go back to concentrating on their screaming kid or doing the dishes or whatever. People can decry this all they want and toss blame around. But you can rightfully blame the media in how they report things as the main culprit.
People can say these voters need to be more informed, it’s their fault, or whatever. But that doesn’t change the reality of how things are and why the rights political theater works so effectively. The lies and stupid publicity stunts will be a “win” for them even if nothing of substance ever happens because the ‘of substance’ doesn’t garner the headlines.
Sorry fo the rant.
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u/itsgeorgebailey 13d ago
They don’t care about the truth, dude. Their scotus picks lied on record. They don’t care about anything but power.
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u/nyquistj 13d ago
Hate to be “that guy” but that is exactly what their base wants to hear. Their stock will only go up every time they say Biden lost.
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u/jgzman 13d ago
Their base is gonna vote Republican no matter what.
We're wanting the normal people to see who's gonna get elected if they don't vote.
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u/PartialToDairyThings 13d ago
Traditionally, I've always been able to find at least one Republican of whom I could think "well they're not so bad I guess. At least they X, Y or Z....." but today? Not a chance. Even the ones who aren't as nuts as the Boebert/Cawthorne nutjobs have tainted themselves with their sycophantic worship of Trump, their views on Jan 6 and abortion.
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u/SoftwareAggressive11 13d ago
I live in a county that is like 70% R / 15% D / 15% Independent. Send help lol.
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u/sonofjim 13d ago
Find a new place to live I’d suggest. Move to Texas, we need as many liberal transplants to turn this motherfucker BLUE!!
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u/Whiskey_Fiasco 13d ago
Meanwhile Texas is proposing laws to prevent American citizens who move to Texas from being allowed to vote
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u/Zanchbot 13d ago
Really hoping John Fetterman wins that senate race. He's what I would consider a strong Democrat, and there are so precious few of those.
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u/Altruistic-Ad2645 13d ago
Nuts is an understatement. More like, not loose screws but missing critical nuts and bolts to make the brain 🧠 function normally.
https://www.salon.com/2022/03/23/new-research-on-voters-theyre-not-the-sharpest-tools-in-the-box/ It’s not an exaggeration. 99.9% of QAnon Terrorist are Republicans.
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u/VenusdeMiloTrap 13d ago
Say it louder for the weirdos in the basements
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u/LoneStarDawg 13d ago
Most of them can't read. Those that do are already brainwashed. There's a Let's Go Brandon license plate holder on a car in my complex and I debate slashing his tires every time I walk by.
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u/Gekokapowco 13d ago
If you have a printer, I recommend leaving political cartoons on his windshield. You don't get hit with destruction of property, and he will probably get way more pissed at drawings than his tires.
Slashed tires is a moderate financial burden for a tow and replacements. A left wing political cartoon is an attack directly on his personality.
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u/Sentazar
13d ago
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I opened up my local election ballot information packet and you bet Republicans are there with massive paragraphs of trump ramblings. Vaccines are evil. VAERS. I believe God wants me to run to make this country more Christian.
If you're thinking of not voting you're fucking up. Every extremist who thinks trump is great is likely running in your local elections. Pay attention.
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u/FoogYllis 13d ago
I listened to their debate and yes I would also concur that the GOP candidates are completely nuts.
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u/aurantiaco_bestia 13d ago
The GOP is not a legitimate political party. It is traitor central.
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u/Banzai51 13d ago
The GOP tried to fuck with Philly at the last election. They are clearly still mad. Rightfully.
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u/jumpy_monkey 13d ago
Which is worse? That they don't believe Biden won or that they just can't say it and expect to win the nomination if they do?
Gross political demagoguery is as old as the Republic itself, and to the extent some do believe this nonsense I don't think the frontrunners (meaning not just the wackos who are able to scrape up the minimal signature and filing fee to get on the primary ballot) believe it but it suggests that average Republican voters do believe it, or more likely are willing to disregard democracy and the results of free and fair elections to seize political power.
One term for this is fascism, and I think it can be fairly applied to the Republican Party at this point.
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u/InSicily1912 Pennsylvania 13d ago
I live in PA and the GOP commercials are alarmingly nuts. I both can and cannot believe it to see how absolutely unhinged and crazy this party had become.
My parents and sister are registered Rs (Biden voters) who have no idea what to do at the polls on Tuesday because they hate all the candidates and find them crazy and scary. I suspect they’ll go blue in November. They quite like Fetterman
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u/ungrundled 12d ago
Congrats on having a family of decent people! I personally know not a single R who hasn't willingly put on a clown nose and gone down the spiral right along with the party.
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u/VisualAsparagus 13d ago
Not in PA, but saw a string of three ads in a row for republican candidates in my area the other morning. First one railed against CRT, second one was all about liberals destroying the state and the "woke agenda," third one was about keeping our guns and "freedom." All three felt like SNL parodies, but nope, these are real. To be fair, many political ads from all sides are ridiculous, it was seeing these three particular ads right in a row regurgitate all the current right-wing outrage points that stood out.
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u/urbanlife78 13d ago
How long before the ones who are sane but always vote Republican stops voting for crazy right wing candidates?
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u/existentialsandwich 13d ago
That's why they want to make abortion a national issue. Need those single policy voters
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u/Deviknyte Michigan 13d ago edited 13d ago
Always something stopping them. Taxes. Brown people. Her emails. Brown people. Wokeness or CaNcEl cUlTuRe. Brown people.
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u/zombiefied 13d ago
Holy shit the story about “Justice” Thomas below this one. He wonders how long the governmental institutions will be around at the rate we are undermining them?
Not long dumbass. Especially when you and your wife ARE part of the cult undermining them.
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u/FreezeFrameEnding 13d ago
Voting red is as shameful as wearing a white hood. They are supporting the same disgusting ideologies. Do not let anyone in your life vote red without getting an earful. There are no excuses. Voting red is shameful.
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u/shutuprebeltrooper09 13d ago
When I was a medic it was common to ask a patient who the current president was to help determine mental status. Welcome to the current state of the US my fellow Americans.
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u/deadrabbits76 13d ago
Bobcat Goldthwait said he knew he was over the concussion he got during a car accident when he realized he was horrified that Trump was President.
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u/Earth_Friendly-5892 12d ago
The Republican Party is made up of cult following, racist, fascists. Those are people who do not believe in democratic values. Those are people who should not be in positions of power.
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u/LowDownSkankyDude 13d ago
In PA, and the ads are friggin crazy. The gop has gone all in on fear and lunacy, and stand a legitimate chance of taking the election.
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u/ChummusJunky 13d ago
As someone who doesn't consider himself a Democrat and once was a Republican, this is exactly how I feel.
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