USA Politics Thread |OT| Cleaning up the town

[tiesto]

Florida looks bad for dems, Pennsylvania looking good for dems. I'll take it. My priorities for Tuesday...

1. Hold PA governor seat
2. Hold MI governor seat
3. Hold US senate

1 and 2 seem like the most important for 2024, to ensure those elections are run in a logical and democratic way. Holding the senate is important for hopefully getting another supreme court seat, among other things.

Also hoping that Hochul beats anti-abortion, election denier, Trump lapdog Zeldin. Guy was my rep for the last 8 or so years and he's terrible. The best is, he's running on "crime is out of control!" yet he can't even keep crime out of his own backyard. Literally (to be fair, Shirley is kind of a trashy area):

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/two-shot-outside-new-york-congressman-lee-zeldins-home-2022-10-10/

I kind of view NY the same way I view TX. The minority party winning a state-wide election is a herculean effort. Of course this is complicated by Hochul apparently sucking (?) and only being governor due to scandal. Given how high turnout is across the nation you gotta expect dems to hold NY the same way I'd expect republicans to hold TX.

I'm in the heart of Zeldin land (NY district 1), and there's like probably a 100:1 ratio of Zeldin (and his supporters like LaLota) to Hochul (and Fleming, who is running for district 1 rep). A bunch of Zeldin rallies are happening all over the island, passed 3 of them in the past 2 weeks or so. Nobody really has much enthusiasm for Hochul, personally I'm not a fan of her because she's that corporate neolib type, but I'd take anything over the Legend of Zeldin: The Windbag Wanker.

The ironic thing is that Biden barely won Nassau and lost Suffolk by a little over 200 votes (in a county of 1.5 million!).

[Himu]

Hoping for lots of backlash against NY covid policy in 2021. Come on, New Yorkers. Make it close! Hochul sucks rocks. Make her beg for re-election (oh wait, she wasn't elected! Hyuck!)

[Himu]

Florida looks bad for dems, Pennsylvania looking good for dems. I'll take it. My priorities for Tuesday...

1. Hold PA governor seat
2. Hold MI governor seat
3. Hold US senate

1 and 2 seem like the most important for 2024, to ensure those elections are run in a logical and democratic way. Holding the senate is important for hopefully getting another supreme court seat, among other things.

Also hoping that Hochul beats anti-abortion, election denier, Trump lapdog Zeldin. Guy was my rep for the last 8 or so years and he's terrible. The best is, he's running on "crime is out of control!" yet he can't even keep crime out of his own backyard. Literally (to be fair, Shirley is kind of a trashy area):

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/two-shot-outside-new-york-congressman-lee-zeldins-home-2022-10-10/

I kind of view NY the same way I view TX. The minority party winning a state-wide election is a herculean effort. Of course this is complicated by Hochul apparently sucking (?) and only being governor due to scandal. Given how high turnout is across the nation you gotta expect dems to hold NY the same way I'd expect republicans to hold TX.

NY isn't like Texas or even California. NY is more like Illinois: a mostly red state beholdened to a really blue city (NYC) taking over the entire election process due to its population. NY isn't a blue state. Fucking NYC is blue. The key is to flip some areas in NYC red rather than the state. Staten has it, Nassau county and the Hamptions have it. Thankfully, Dems have many weak points in NYC and targeting specific areas is helping what was once blue, become a bit more purple, particularly Sunset Park and various areas of Brooklyn that impact Asian and Latino voters. Legislators in the city pushing for more "equity" and taking opportunities away from Asian Americans, African American, and Latinos with an upward mindset and not a pathetic sniveling, weak victim mindset will make more red voters. Here's hoping the people of Coney Island and Little Russia come in too.

You won't make NY a red state. You can, however, make it more  of a purple state. With the way things are going that will be achievable.

[Uncle]

https://www.theverge.com/23435358/first-amendment-free-speech-midterm-elections-courts-hypocrisy

[james]

Hoping for lots of backlash against OK covid policy in 2021. Come on, Okies. Make it close! Stitt sucks rocks. Make him beg for re-election

[Phoenix Dark]

Presidential vote in the last 4 NY elections

2008: 63% D
2012: 63% D
2016: 59% D
2020: 60% D

"New York isn't a blue state"

[james]

Presidential vote in the last 4 NY elections

2008: 63% D
2012: 63% D
2016: 59% D
2020: 60% D

"New York isn't a blue state"

Buffalo voted for Biden by like 90-10 but Himu struggles to understand maps and data



Meanwhile, the Biden economy is BOOMING

U.S. payrolls surged by 261,000 in October, better than expected as hiring remains strong
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/04/jobs-report-october-2022-.html

[Himu]

Presidential vote in the last 4 NY elections

2008: 63% D
2012: 63% D
2016: 59% D
2020: 60% D

"New York isn't a blue state"

I said,"New York isn't a blue state, fucking NYC is blue".

NYC has a population of 8 million. It runs the states politics. This is why I likened it to Illinois and Chicago.

Therefore, the key to NY is the NYC metro area. Since so many problems persist in NYC and the Democrats virtually run it without contest, it puts the failures in the city on the Democratic Party. Therefore, by poking those weaknesses - and there are many weaknesses and holes to exploit - you can definitely push to that 59-60% to a solid 50. And low and behold, you have a nice, princely purple.

You should read more and try to understand messages rather than dismissing them entirely.

Democrats in NYC have many problems, especially in Brooklyn. A couple of areas are problematic. If this race is close (my hopes), and Dems continue to spiral with their one party rule, there's a high possibility that even if Zeldin loses, GOP will be in play in a more purple NY the next governor election. Not a 100% likelihood, but a real possibility.

[Phoenix Dark]

Right wingers not understanding how maps and districts work is weird as fuck. If the people live in a large portion of a state - vs far fewer people living in a bunch of small counties and districts....and the people in the large portion of the state heavily out number the rest...

You see where I'm going with this.

[james]

Right wingers not understanding

I mean, this is who they are

[Nintex]

It's funny how the political situation has turned on its head since 2016. 2016 was simply a matter of would the white people^TM outnumber the droves of minorities and suburban white women.
Trump got just enough 4chan shitposters, American Psycho cosplayers, anti-communist cubans and angry truckers who normally didn't vote or hadn't voted in forever to make that happen.
Abuela Hilldawg just couldn't bring enough African Americans and Latinx to the polls as Obama did. In 2020 Joe Biden appealed to just enough White People with a mailbox to make up for Trump's inroads with people who never voted before 2020 and his newsletter subscribers regardless of background.

The Republican victory in 2022 much like 2020 depends on 2 things
1. Can they get enough minorities(!) to the polls
2. Can they keep enough educated white people^TM in their lane

If the Republicans bleed too many rich educated and suburban white folks (especially women, as they did in 2020) they lose.
However their strength this time is the growing anti-establishment movement, the Qanon weirdo's and just folks angry with high gas prices. But also the more vocal conservative subculture, from Elon Musk and Joe Rogan to Kanye West. Who would normally be 'independent' or 'on the fence' and now fully support the GOP or rather the Trumpian elements of the GOP because Mitch is a RINO.

I think the polls underestimate the Republicans because some of their voters just aren't registering on the polling radar and we will see some wild shit on election night. I'm just not confident that their candidates can bring out the entire Trump coalition.
It's also possible that some conservatives who generally like the idea of a stable and boring government that McConnell and Liz Cheney provide them switch to the Democrats seeing that even without Trump their party is a clown circus.

With all that said I just don't see old people switch away from the horse that they backed in 2020 because they simply don't like the 'freewheeling' of Trump.
They're probably more in favor of lockdowns and decorum than they are of freedom^TM and signing Playboy's at Saudi Golf Tournaments.
A big missed opportunity for the Democrats is not focusing on the 'don't switch your horse mid-race' mentality of the Biden boomers.

[Himu]

Presidential vote in the last 4 NY elections

2008: 63% D
2012: 63% D
2016: 59% D
2020: 60% D

"New York isn't a blue state"

Buffalo voted for Biden by like 90-10 but Himu struggles to understand maps and data

2017:



2021:



Barely won.

DeBlasio lost to a former police officer who promised to crack down on crime in Adams. A lot can happen in a few years. Like, say, a pandemic that the government thinks is worth shuttering businesses for months for, closing schools, and making lives harder. A little here, a little there, a couple of degenerates pushing people into subway trains and raping women in front of art museums with progressive DA's that minimize crime, and a party that says accusations of crime is wacist and low and behold. Magic.

You accuse me of not understanding maps and data. You're in Jersey. You don't nor did you live in the thicket of NYC in 2021 and 2022. I did. A lot can change real fast. A lot of presumptions on your part but that arrogance is a collective Democratic attribute, much to your peril.

Say hello to Virginia for me.

[Himu]

Right wingers not understanding how maps and districts work is weird as fuck. If the people live in a large portion of a state - vs far fewer people living in a bunch of small counties and districts....and the people in the large portion of the state heavily out number the rest...

You see where I'm going with this.

Always remember your avatar and humble yourself.

[tiesto]

Presidential vote in the last 4 NY elections

2008: 63% D
2012: 63% D
2016: 59% D
2020: 60% D

"New York isn't a blue state"

I said,"New York isn't a blue state, fucking NYC is blue".

NYC has a population of 8 million. It runs the states politics. This is why I likened it to Illinois and Chicago.

Therefore, the key to NY is the NYC metro area. Since so many problems persist in NYC and the Democrats virtually run it without contest, it puts the failures in the city on the Democratic Party. Therefore, by poking those weaknesses - and there are many weaknesses and holes to exploit - you can definitely push to that 59-60% to a solid 50. And low and behold, you have a nice, princely purple.

You should read more and try to understand messages rather than dismissing them entirely.

Democrats in NYC have many problems, especially in Brooklyn. A couple of areas are problematic. If this race is close (my hopes), and Dems continue to spiral with their one party rule, there's a high possibility that even if Zeldin loses, GOP will be in play in a more purple NY the next governor election. Not a 100% likelihood, but a real possibility.

We've actually had a Republican governor from 95 - 06. But he was pretty moderate - pro choice, pro environment, pro lgbtq. But also tough on crime with lots of business tax breaks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pataki

You're not getting a theocratic, anti-lgbtq, anti-abortion "ultra MAGA" Republican here, you're getting a centrist corporatist neolib type (i.e. a Bloomberg or a Pataki) if anything. I bet if Pataki were active now he'd run as a Dem, with how far the Republican party moved to the right post-Romney.

Obviously, NYC is 'blue' (except for white working class heavy Staten). But NY does have a lot of other blue areas as well. Albany and its burbs filled with gov't workers and contractors. Westchester, filled with wealthy white professional-managerial class people and Hillary Clinton. The rust belt Erie Canal cities of Buffalo/Rochester/Syracuse/Utica (though their suburbs and exurbs definitely trend Republican). The scattering of college towns like Binghamton, Ithaca, and Oneonta. Even some rural retreats like Lake Placid and Saratoga Springs. And as I said before, LI is pretty damn split down the middle.

The middle of nowhere towns in the southern tier and the Adirondacks are where Trump won a majority. The kinds of places where the town getting a second traffic light installed is a major occasion, there are more cows than people, and the majority of their budget comes from state troopers pulling you over on the expressway for doing 2 miles over the speed limit.

[Phoenix Dark]

I think it's mainly the economy and many democrats having this almost Trump like blinding spot on the issue. Let us imagine that Trump won in 2020. We'd have the same supply chain/demand/China/Russia/etc problems today, meaning inflation would still be high. Just as it is in the rest of the world (but lower here, I might add). Beyond whatever gimmicks Trump may try to fix an issue has no real power to fix, most of his economic messaging would boil down to gloating about how amazing the jobs market is, how fast the labor market rebounded, most jobs in decades etc etc...basically, what Biden and the WH have done. And the results wouldn't be pretty either.

I'm sure Trump would find someone or something to blame all this on, and spread his message across his base effectively. Wouldn't work with normal voters but true believers would be ready to vote. Frankly, just as democrat true believers are ready to vote based on a variety of non-economic issues (democracy, climate change, etc).

Dems have wanted to talk about anything except inflation. I get it. From my professional view I understand this is largely about global events and the Fed. Laymen don't understand that, nor would I expect/demand them to. It's a game of musical chairs and sometimes you gotta sit in the chair full of shit. But the worse thing you could do is pretend none of this is happening, and it doesn't matter even if it is happening. I think preventing anti-democracy candidates from taking office is important but if I was a struggling mom trying to afford food/rent/gas, and too ugly to have my own Only Fans...sure I'd probably be considering my voting options right now.

[james]

Trump would be on TV blaming China for the inflation.

And he'd sort of be right? A lot of the supply chain issues are due to their Covid-zero policy where they close giant manufacturing cities for two weeks at random.

"Blame the scary foreigners" is a tried and true tactic for getting votes.

[Uncle]

https://www.twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1588318495082573824

[Nintex]

She's a real patriot like Herman Cain.

May her soul rest on Twitter

This story is still weird
https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1588585442005618692

[Potato]

Trump would be on TV blaming China for the inflation.

And he'd sort of be right? A lot of the supply chain issues are due to their Covid-zero policy where they close giant manufacturing cities for two weeks at random.

"Blame the scary foreigners" is a tried and true tactic for getting votes.

Well, it's that AND the trillions of dollars in cash that western countries printed to keep economies afloat while we shut our own economies down for months at a time.

[Nintex]

There it is Benji, the best ad this cycle 
https://twitter.com/KyleMartinsen_/status/1588360460193202178

[Uncle]

I actually know this one, I think it was also parodied on sesame street 

[Uncle]

 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbhka3

[Nintex]

https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1588244437544554497

[benjipwns]

Presidential vote in the last 4 NY elections

2008: 63% D
2012: 63% D
2016: 59% D
2020: 60% D

"New York isn't a blue state"

Buffalo voted for Biden by like 90-10 but Himu struggles to understand maps and data

2017:

(Image removed from quote.)

2021:

(Image removed from quote.)

Barely won.

This is New Jersey, breh, not New York.

DeBlasio lost to a former police officer who promised to crack down on crime in Adams.

No, he didn't. de Blasio was term limited.

You accuse me of not understanding maps and data.

We're just trying to tell you that land doesn't vote.

tiesto has this right because every single Republican who has won in a Blue State in recent memory except Maine (which was an unique race) has been this model. Running culture warriors means moderates stay home, running "business-like guy who doesn't care about abortion is gonna try to run things better" is how they win there. (The irony of this describing Trump's political persona before he became obsessed with Obama remains amusing.)

[benjipwns]

"I have actually never heard a person who isn't an economist or works on CNBC [use the word inflation]," Reid said out loud.

"The only people I ever hear use the word inflation are journalists and economists," Reid said on television. "So, that is not part of the normal lexicon of the way people talk. So, it is interesting that Republicans are doing something that they don't normally do, right? Which is not use the common tongue, not use just common English to sort of use their campaigns like they do with crime. But what they’ve done is they've taught people the word 'inflation.' Most people would have never used that word ever in their lives are using it now because they’ve been taught it."

"Including on TV, including in newspapers," an incredulous Reid said. "They've been taught this word and they've sort of wrapped this word around whatever it is they really want to vote -- you know, the reasons they really want to vote."

[Himu]

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2022/11/02/436569/alexandra-mealer-quadruples-lina-hidalgo-fundraising-final-month-harris-county-judge-campaign/

YES YES YES GET FUCKED HIDALGO

[Himu]

Presidential vote in the last 4 NY elections

2008: 63% D
2012: 63% D
2016: 59% D
2020: 60% D

"New York isn't a blue state"

Buffalo voted for Biden by like 90-10 but Himu struggles to understand maps and data

2017:

(Image removed from quote.)

2021:

(Image removed from quote.)

Barely won.

This is New Jersey, breh, not New York.

DeBlasio lost to a former police officer who promised to crack down on crime in Adams.

No, he didn't. de Blasio was term limited.

You accuse me of not understanding maps and data.

We're just trying to tell you that land doesn't vote.

tiesto has this right because every single Republican who has won in a Blue State in recent memory except Maine (which was an unique race) has been this model. Running culture warriors means moderates stay home, running "business-like guy who doesn't care about abortion is gonna try to run things better" is how they win there. (The irony of this describing Trump's political persona before he became obsessed with Obama remains amusing.)

I brought NJ and VA to show it can be surprisingly close not to say it's NY.

On the ground in NYC I hear Hochul is barely campaigning. I want it close. I doubt he will win but I want NY to get more purple. The Democrats strategy won't work long term there because despite whatever party affiliation you say they are, New Yorkers are surprisingly moderate. Hochul doesn't even admit crime is a problem. If her opponent weren't such a Trumper he could win.

The fact that Kamala and Hillary traveled to NEW YORK STATE to help in the governor's race says in itself a clear message to me and that's justice. The best part is that Hochul being weak might hurt D's down ballot. Burn. BURN!!!!

[benjipwns]

I brought NJ and VA to show it can be surprisingly close not to say it's NY.

NY/NJ/VA D Presidential Share
2008: 63/57/53
2012: 63/58/51
2016: 59/55/50
2020: 61/57/54

NY/NJ/VA D Gubernatorial Share (closet election to above)
2009/2010: 63/44/41
2013/2014: 54/38/48
2017/2018: 60/56/54
2021/2022: tbd/51/49

The states aren't remotely the same. Go back one more election in New York and Spitzer is at 65%. You can go back in the other two also if you want, Tim Kaine got 52% and Jon Corzine got 54%. A D gubernatorial candidate hasn't cracked 60% in NJ since 1989 and in VA since 1961. A D presidential candidate hasn't cracked 60% since FDR in VA and only LBJ has ever done it in NJ.

On the ground in NYC I hear Hochul is barely campaigning.

Why would she campaign in NYC? Staten Island's the only place not D+40 or higher.

[Himu]

I need her to lose, Benji. She is so bad!

The fact the race is tightening gives me hope but it's a long shot. The good news is that NY Democrats will keep FUCKING IT UP and Hochul will continue down her tunnel to authoratarian bullshit.

[benjipwns]

I need her to lose, Benji. She is so bad!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is%E2%80%93ought_problem

[Himu]

I need her to lose, Benji. She is so bad!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is%E2%80%93ought_problem

Grrrr!

I want a tight race. That's all I want. I want to see her sweat!

Biden won NY by 24 point margin! The fact it's so close after 2020. I can almost taste it! To be able to lead in the single digits in NY is a message in itself. She's. So. Fucking. Bad. Republicans have to make some noise. I don’t expect Zeldin is going to win. But I think he is going to get much closer than a Trump Republican should in NY and it will be a wake up call. It needs to be a wake up call. They cannot do what they did and get away with it.

[benjipwns]

My man, I know you're not really getting to libertarianism if you haven't yet learned they always get away with it.

[Himu]

Please expound. Them always getting away with it makes the case for the individual at all times?

[Nintex]

https://twitter.com/ColumbiaBugle/status/1588695641890639872

Now that's a take

[D3RANG3D]

[Nintex]

https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1588928438714662914

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1588931362152742917

[Occam]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/05/us/politics/pelosi-attack-misinfo-republican-politicians.html

[Sideshow Raheem]

Kathy Hochul got skewered on MSNBC. Host suggested New York City was going the way of San Francisco.

https://nypost.com/2022/11/05/msnbc-anchor-confronts-gov-hochul-on-crime-in-new-york/

"“We’ll never be San Francisco,” Hochul quickly interjected, who said the “most heinous” crimes — homicides, and shootings — were down from last year and that she was taking steps to remediate increases elsewhere.

She's had a lot of time, and now it's time to go.

(Also, personally disliked her "affordable" housing plan, which was to basically allow everyone to open up accessory apartments on Long Island. As if this dump isn't overcrowded enough.)

[Himu]

SHE CAN'T GET AWAY WHAT SHE'S DONE TO NEW YORK



She says we won't be like San Francisco but she's operating on the same progressive bs policies that have dug SF into the hole it is while using authoritarian horse shit to flex her governor agenda by decree and not democratically chosen processes while people are getting killed and assaulted and raped. She is full of shit as she accuses the crime increase as a "Republican dog whistle" to escape the ramifications of her policies. She needs to go and I have no idea how she won her primary.

She is the main reason I am voting Republican from now on. She is the approximation of the Democratic Party Machine.

Kathy Hochul got skewered on MSNBC. Host suggested New York City was going the way of San Francisco.

Does SF have zones where homeless people are allowed to shoot up heroin in public without police reprimanding? Does SF have a very packed in community where you'll interact with a mentally ill person on the subway violently lashing out and screaming passengers in the face during the work commute at 7 am? Does SF have rats copulating in the streets in BROAD DAYLIGHT because of the increase of outdoor dining during the pandemic which they use as a free picnic in after hours?

[benjipwns]

Please expound. Them always getting away with it makes the case for the individual at all times?

I was just making a joke about how libertarians know members of the state almost always get away with everything.

She needs to go and I have no idea how she won her primary.

I think the people running against her were all running to her left so they would have been even more in favor of the things you don't like.

Does SF have zones where homeless people are allowed to shoot up heroin in public without police reprimanding? Does SF have a very packed in community where you'll interact with a mentally ill person on the subway violently lashing out and screaming passengers in the face during the work commute at 7 am? Does SF have rats copulating in the streets in BROAD DAYLIGHT because of the increase of outdoor dining during the pandemic which they use as a free picnic in after hours?

You'd probably like that San Fransicko book I read:

[Himu]

Full interview:



Check the comments, assuming they're in good faith.

I'm a black woman registered democrat in Brooklyn. I already voted for Zeldin. Her "idk why crime matters to you so much comment" was repulsive.

and she insists on not changing the DA and bail laws... if she is that tone-deaf to the needs of NY citizens, she doesn't have a spirit of service.

Let’s vote this lady out or New York will never change . They don’t care about bail reform . Their community are not getting touched by violence .

I’m Asian and I voted all red today ! Safety and Inflation matter !  I have to worry my 70+ yr old parents out for doctor visit every time. We don’t live in the rich neighborhood. if u don’t feel crime is not the problem ,  then thank god u have a privilege life like our governor Hochol

She running on a national platform when there are state issues.

I live in Rochester city. Rochester had the highest rate of homicides ever in 2021. This year we might break that record. This Democrat is voting for Lee Zeldin. It's a matter of safety!

Despite how Republicans portray New Yorkers, New Yorkers are pragmatists. They are not Californian's. They vote Democratic, but they mostly love centrists. Look at their history of voting Republican lite Mayors in NYC like Bloomberg. James and PD talk about data and maps but it doesn't change anything when people don't feel safe. That's the problem with number monkeys. Meanwhile, peep me - the artist. Humans run on feelings, not data. Hochul is bad for NY and the epitome of the Democratic establishment. A candidate so bad she forced me to realize that progressive policy is a crock.

I wouldn't be shocked if my former two Asian leftist feminist roommates vote for Zeldin. Both are women and terrified of coming home or riding the subway. I bought both tactical flashlights for protection. Zeldin needs to win. I have seen absolutely zero enthusiasm for her.

One of these days I'm going to upload the video I took after the mass shooting I was almost in. Walked nearly 30 streets to get to work while fire trucks and police went by for nearly an hour.

[who is ted danson?]

Does SF have zones where homeless people are allowed to shoot up heroin in public without police reprimanding? Does SF have a very packed in community where you'll interact with a mentally ill person on the subway violently lashing out and screaming passengers in the face during the work commute at 7 am? Does SF have rats copulating in the streets in BROAD DAYLIGHT because of the increase of outdoor dining during the pandemic which they use as a free picnic in after hours?

[Himu]

You'd probably like that San Fransicko book I read:
(Image removed from quote.)

Look at SF it seems there's starting to be a really big anti-progressive movement. I welcome it. I relish it. If Democrats start to push back against progressivism and embrace 80's-90's style politics I might - then and only then - consider voting Democratic again. Progressivism has shown its face. Much like socialism and communism, it is a toothless failure. All bark, no bite. Get those homeless people off the street. Get those criminals in prison. I don't care if it's "racist". I don't care about equity. They made the choice to break the law. Let's all agree that progressive politics was a big ass experiment and go back to what works (although it definitely has its flaws as nothing is perfect) while fixing the issues of the past (like the drug war). No need to throw the baby out with the bath water.

I'll pick up this book at the library.

One of these days I'm going to upload the video I took after the mass shooting I was almost in. Walked nearly 30 streets to get to work while fire trucks and police went by for nearly an hour.

Sheeeit, I'm going to upload it this weekend.

[Himu]

I peeped the reviews.

Shit I've been saying for literally a year: progressive policy wasted billions in our tax dollars to no results. Billions. Reopen asylums and book addicts in mental institutions and rehab places to get help and off our streets.

Shellenberger is a former liberal activist who now believes progressive policies are harmful. He lives in the San Francisco area and has seen the city deteriorate into the homeless capital of America with the highest drug overdose death rate.

He explains that this downfall stems from the progressive view that the homeless, addicts, and criminals are social victims and are thus entitled to almost any destructive behavior they want. This has led to major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle allowing parks to be open drug encampments, sidewalks to be toilets, and streets to be controlled by violent criminals.

It was only about fifty years ago that homelessness was generally unknown. Back then courts would assign the mentally ill to mandatory treatment in mental hospitals. But in the 1970s civil libertarians led by the ACLU were successful in closing most of the mental hospitals and ending mandatory treatment. The result is that the mentally ill are now living on the streets, openly using drugs, filling the streets with human waste, and committing crimes to get drug money.

State and local governments, especially in California, joined the deinstitutionalization movement as it promised cost savings. But now these entities have ended up paying more in hospital, police, court, and welfare costs. California spends billions per year.

The people profiting from this system are homeless activists, contractors, consultants, service providers, attorneys, inspectors, and lobbyists who execute and support the current progressive homeless policies. But they have no legal accountability for their failed policies even though they are funded by tax dollars. California spends the most on the homeless but has the worst results.

This book was published in 2021 when the progressive homeless system seemed beyond repair. But in 2022 signs appeared the public had become sick and tired of progressive policies around the country. First voters recalled three progressive members of the San Francisco School Board. Then they recalled the progressive San Francisco District Attorney who refused to prosecute the homeless for almost any crime. Meanwhile voters in Maryland just defeated the progressive state attorney.

I consider myself a progressive Democrat but also worked in acute adult psychiatric units as a Licensed Psychiatric Technician & then a Registered Nurse. Part on my job was assessing patients in the emergency room to determine if they were a danger to themselves, a danger to others of “gravely disabled.” Back then “ gravely disabled” was defined as “unable to provide food, clothing & shelter for themselves,” and a tent on the sidewalk was not considered “shelter.” Back then, we cared about those that were unable to manage their own lives & never imagined that there was anything compassionate about letting the mentally ill live on the streets & self medicating with alcohol, opiates & meth. Back then, I could write a 72 hour hold called a “5150.” The patient would be assessed for 72 hours & then would see a judge to determine if they needed further assessment for 14 days. During these assessment periods, patients were cleaned up & often treated for lice or scabies & given psychotropic medication to treat the voices that often tormented them. They got three good meals & snacks. They had a real roof over their head & protected from the elements & others out on the streets that woukd take advantage & victimize them. At the end of 14 days, there would be another hearing with a judge to determine if the patient was now stable enough to manage their lives or if they needed long term care in a conservatorship. This kind of care was expensive, though & during the 80’s, psychiatric units began to close, leaving patients nowhere to go but the streets. Sadly, many misguided but maybe well meaning people were willing accomplices in this tragedy, saying it was a “civil right” to be tortured by mental illness, addiction & predators on the streets. Civil right? The author of this book cuts right through that nonsense. He shows clearly the failures of policies that perpetuate the false narrative that homelessness is a real estate problem. I wish every politician would read this book! You should read it too if mentally ill living in tents & pooping on the sidewalks & open air drug dealing is a concern for you. The author actually gets it.

Summary: The road to hades is paved with good intentions.

An excellent book that pretty well nails how San Francisco and California at large got to where they are today from the golden state of years past. The short answer is complex but well intentioned liberal and progressive persons (this is not an insult) attempted to make things better for the downtrodden, the drug addicted, and the now freely roaming mentally ill persons who in years past would have been institutionalized.

All notable goals to be sure, but the problem is always the same, such people seem to forget the basic tenants of human nature. Drug users will often slip back into addiction despite the best treatment available, Criminals fall back into recivististic ways, mentally ill persons stop taking their medications if there is no one to make sure they take the drugs BECAUSE the don't like the way the drugs make them feel, People start non profits to help people, but help themselves to large amounts of government grants and funds FIRST. Those same bureaucrats are just as intent on keeping the problems in place than give them jobs than to solve or end problems, Many, many people get involved intending to make things better but burn out or accept the status quo, and all in all NOTHING GETS BETTER.

California has served as the focal point of all these problems coming together under a unique set of circumstances, where despite lots of people wanting to improve things, competing interests and lots of money have made sure the problems will never get fixed.

It is truly sad. This book exposes how the situation came to be . . and even offered solutions are not likely to change anything. Beware of anyone that offers they are from the government and here to help you!

This is the fruit of trusting government to help you rather than just be something that provides the tools for success.

[Nintex]

The most astonishing liberal idiocy was copying this approach to Afghanistan 

First thing the Taliban did was pick up the drug addicts and hospitalize them

[Himu]

Have zero idea why they'd try this shit in NYC of all places. SF, Portland, and Seattle are one thing but NYC is an American anomaly where most of the population doesn't have cars and rides public transit. It's more like a European city than American. So, being so packed in together, it makes no sense to have a "let them do their thing" policy since New Yorkers walk more than any American on average.

Walking plays a central role in New York City’s transportation system. According to the US Census, two thirds of New York City residents either walk or take transit to work. Fewer than 30 percent of residents in New York City commute by personal vehicle.

https://www.walkfriendly.org/communities/new-york-city-ny/

In other cities you can get by with a car. In NYC owning a car is a negative and goes against you because of limited parking and taxes.

And you're pushing "let them sleep on the subway, they have nowhere to go" on New Yorkers? And you can't carry a gun on you for protection?? And they're pushing for more anti-gun laws?? Sheeeit. Fuck that. One time some homeless dude asked me to walk with him to a Chinese restaurant to buy him food. His approach made me uncomfortable so I said no. Dude just whipped his dick out and peed in my direction. Less than 9 feet away. In another city I avoid this by driving. If I were a woman he could have tried to rape me and if he's pulling his dick out there's a chance he's probably tried.

Liberals ignoring human nature puts a major dent in many of their initiatives, personally. Naive to a fault. It was a major burn to accept the fact that Republicans were right the entire time.

[benjipwns]

 

[D3RANG3D]

 

[Potato]

https://twitter.com/5Eyes_insider/status/1589072634423414785


Ignore the first tweet. Read the reply.

[benjipwns]

THREATDOWN:

[Himu]

THREATDOWN:
(Image removed from quote.)

They are?? I'd vote for them.

[D3RANG3D]

THREATDOWN:
(Image removed from quote.)

[Uncle]

I'm wondering if the recent surge in a culture of individual empowerment is having an effect on elections too

at one point there was a sense of loyalty to a job and the owners might try to characterize it a "family," but work reform sentiments now have the average person taking a look at whether they're being exploited by their job, and being quicker to say "nope the pay is not worth this shit" and moving on

so, to some extent has that carried over into politics? there used to be a sense of loyalty to a political party, and the idea that "I don't love the guy's work in our district but I'm straight ballot and I'd rather see D/R in power." now, everyone seems quicker to apply local scrutiny, and if the candidate is doing a shit job, are you really going to stick to some theoretical partisan ideals while actually suffering?

whether it's left or right, it feels like people aren't putting up with bullshit that directly affects them and can be voted out

[Himu]

I'm wondering if the recent surge in a culture of individual empowerment is having an effect on elections too

at one point there was a sense of loyalty to a job and the owners might try to characterize it a "family," but work reform sentiments now have the average person taking a look at whether they're being exploited by their job, and being quicker to say "nope the pay is not worth this shit" and moving on

so, to some extent has that carried over into politics? there used to be a sense of loyalty to a political party, and the idea that "I don't love the guy's work in our district but I'm straight ballot and I'd rather see D/R in power." now, everyone seems quicker to apply local scrutiny, and if the candidate is doing a shit job, are you really going to stick to some theoretical partisan ideals while actually suffering?

whether it's left or right, it feels like people aren't putting up with bullshit that directly affects them and can be voted out

Good observation!

In my reading, there's a few things:

1. Americans don't trust either party to have power:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ipsos-preelection-survey-likely-voters/

We also asked respondents why they felt each party had or hadn’t earned the right to govern. Sixty-eight percent of likely voters who didn’t think the Democratic Party should have continued control said its policies and plans were moving the country in the wrong direction. A 41-year-old Republican multiracial woman from Oklahoma said that Democrats “create tension between groups who feel marginalized at the expense of the country to create an emotional frenzy that will drive people to the polls. I am a former Democrat and feel disgust at the lack of morals or ethics shown by the party.” Among those who thought Democrats should continue to govern, 44 percent cited their belief that Democrats were moving the country in the right direction, while 17 percent cited their work to pass major and important legislation. Another 19 percent also said Democrats should have control simply because they were “better than the Republicans.”

As for those who wanted Republicans to control Congress, 51 percent cited GOP policies and plans, while 28 percent answered because “Democrats are ruining the country.” Just 13 percent answered that they thought the GOP would do a better job dealing with the economy, although some voters thinking about inflation or rising costs may have indicated that they broadly preferred Republican policies. Meanwhile, there wasn’t one obvious reason why some likely voters felt the GOP shouldn’t have power: Thirty-six percent said GOP policies and plans would move the country in the wrong direction, 30 percent said Republicans had not presented a clear plan for what they would do in Congress, and 16 percent felt Republican “values and beliefs were bad or wrong.” When asked to describe the values and beliefs of the GOP, a 72-year-old woman from California who identified as a Democrat wrote, “The current group calling themselves the Republican Party are a corrupt group who are no longer disguising their true intentions, which are solely to create immense personal wealth and power for themselves.”

I agree with the lady that the Democratic Party is disgusting and also my former party!

2. The President's Party or the party in power ALWAYS has trouble at midterms, especially if it's their first midterm in power since gaining the Presidency. However this midterm feels different with tight races in Democratic strongholds such as Oregon or Virginia getting a Republican governor. It won't be possible to surmise any true trends until after election and we gather data but it feels like there's more evidence towards...

3. A Party realignment. Working class voters of all races are leaving the Democratic Party and becoming Republican. Republicans are slowly becoming the new party of the working class due to Trumpism. Even McConnell shot down the idea of killing social security. GOP is becoming more economically liberal while still remaining socially conservative.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3580130-america-is-heading-toward-its-third-great-political-realignment/

https://www.newsweek.com/political-realignment-scrambling-party-lines-opinion-1659829

4. In conclusion, if both parties are flawed and they're constantly changing values year over year, and you only have two real options, and if you want to be a voter...why not vote for whoever the fuck you want?

[Himu]

Fuck the Democratic Party, their policies, their disgusting collectivism, and their vapid progressive clap trap. W was correct in their "lowered expectations" racism, in that they reward criminals from escaping justice. The terrorist of this attack, Frank James, was arrested in NY nine times. The homeless man that pushed the homeless activist in front of a subway train? Arrested ten times.



Racist? No. Truthful. Fuck liberals. Republicans were right the whole time. Humbling to admit I was wrong my whole life but it is what it is.

[Nintex]

https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1589060006766202882

Rip offs can't beat the original

https://twitter.com/DanScavino/status/1589043045198352384

[Pissy F Benny]

How awesome must it be to be in a cult and not have to think about stuff and all that shit

[Himu]

Look at the Kyrie Irving situation.

The left. Ruins. Culture.

The Brooklyn Nets (oh wow, Brooklyn. Why am I shocked?!) issues this on Twitter.

At this point it's flat out bullying. This is what has become of America: a fragile, group of candy ass mfers.

https://www.facebook.com/7331091005/posts/pfbid0rqWU4RUAeGBXA5Udy6zFW9kxDtdQLrCus1AvAH1sbdS4nEJmgiKikYv8fVXc1fuLl/?sfnsn=mo

And the beautiful part? They turn Kyrie into a martyr. These dumb ass fascistic  assholes couldn't just talk to Kyrie in private. Nah. They had to put attention on....a stupid mfing black Hebrew Israelite video which now gets more attention and play. And now a 5 game suspension? Peep the comments. They've turned him into a martyr. The left has got to go. Bad for America, bad for the world. It's truly amazing how the left simply canNOT consider human nature.

Like, I don't even care about the nicca and now they got me riding for the brother. Truly disgusting people. They make me sick. Bunch of reddit moderators irl. Dirty ass mother fuckers. 

[Himu]

https://twitter.com/joeroganhq/status/1588880781975638016

[Nintex]

She's right tho we just say everything got more expensive and it was all much cheaper when Trump was in office.

Also no wars and cheap gas.

non-American news who don't just copy/paste CNN and Reuters are also finding out that the Republicans are surging everywhere.