Doug Jones Victory Dog Dance Party! Open Thread for laughing at Roy Moore

I must admit, I’ve seen more than my fair share of dehumanizing language on one of my standard podcasts. Driftglass of the Pro Left podcast will sometimes refer to the typical Fox News watching Republican base voter as a “reprogrammable meat robot”. But in all honesty, it’s tough to dispute that assessment because they really do just forget the past ever happened.

“God bless George W. Bush. He’s a good Christian man! He passed a giant tax bill that blew a hole in the deficit? Who cares, libtards are traitors! Oh wait, Bush sucks and let a whole city drown and I look dumb in front of the libtards, so I’m an independent and always was! No, wait, I’m a Tea Partier! Too much government spending! The deficit is important! No, wait, forget the deficit, Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! Damn, Hillary’s still standing, forget Benghazi… immigration is what really matters! Build that wall! Trump that b****! He’s a great businessman! What, he sucks at governance? Ah who cares, he says what I think! Repeal that Obummercare! God bless Donald Trump! He’s a good Christian man! Wait, he’s passing a giant tax bill that will blow a hole in the deficit? Who cares, libtards are traitors!….”

And around and around it goes. Make no mistake, this is 25-30% of the American populace. The same 25-30% that backed Nixon after Watergate. That stood by Reagan during Iran-Contra. That approved of George W. Bush during the nadir of his presidency. That stand by Trump now. They only know what Hannity or Rush told them that morning. Last week is a distant memory. They’re walking talking Etch-A-Sketches, and they represent a fundamental danger to the body politic of the United States. I think they’re just as deserving of good schools, universal health care, food and shelter as all of us, but electorally, they are holding the world hostage and they need to either surrender their ballots or they have to be shoved aside so that those actually interested in the health and well-being of all citizens can actually get some work done.

And they’re not going to listen to me. I may be white, I may be male, but I’m a Canadian socialist, which might as well be “space alien.” But at the same time, I can’t take away the fact that they voted for the Klan-backed candidate. There’s no taking that back, no matter what their own personal politics regarding race may be.

@OoglyBoogles

As it’s been explained to me, yes congress can still pass the Save Net Neutrality bill.

@Josh
My feeling are what Peevee said:
@PeeVee the (Tired of the Militant Plasticfaced) Sarcastic

The GOP-led Congress won’t save it.

Regardless might as well use what minuscule power we have to try to get the FFC’s decision killed. I even called my gop rep’s office and Ajit’s office to leave a message of disapproval. Hopefully we can actually see this fucking thing die before we lose yet another thing to these soul sucking parasites.

It’s just exasperating for every month for Congress to destroy our lives and us calling and politely asking “could you please not ruin us, again? k thx by”

I don’t have much hope that the current congress will pass a bill to save net neutrality. The only hope is for this to cause high turnout – particularly among under 30 voters – for November’s midterms. This depends on Democrats successfully framing this as what it is. Trump and the Republicans want to make it more expensive and difficult for individuals and small business to use the internet.

I’m thinking besides calling our congresspeople that writing to the DNC and DCCC to ask them to be sure and encourage Democratic candidates to campaign on this issue might also be a good idea?

ETA: I see in the sidebar that state attorney generals can also file suit against this. I’m definitely contacting Lori Swanson now!

State level action. Surely each state can pass legislation requiring that telcos doing business in the state adhere to net neutrality principles vis-a-vis connections sold to consumers in the state?

Folks, what things specifically, and how much overall, of what the Trump administration has done, and is doing, is reversible? Has it instituted anything truly permanent, which can never be undone, no matter how much time passes or how much power the Democrats retake?

The Muslim ban, transsexual military ban and tax bill, among things, can be repealed, right? The Dream Act and net neutrality, among other things, can be reinstated, right? The Paris Climate Agreement can be rejoined, right? Even the judges he appoints will eventually either retire or die, right?

I believe that, eventually, and inevitably, the white Evangelical demographic the GOP has exclusively anchored itself to will die out, and the POC and Millennial demographics the GOP has severely alienated itself from will grow, thereby preventing the GOP from ever getting elected again. I believe that the Democrats will retake power, fully and permanently. And once they do, they’ll have forever on their hands to fix things, right? It may take decades, but surely, however, it’s just a matter of waiting, right? Nothing the GOP does is set in stone, right?

Please, tell me I’m right!

@abars

Please, tell me I’m right!

You’re, um, not right. 😛

Repeat after me:

Power corrupts.
Power attracts arseholes.
Corrupt arseholes will therefore always exist in positions of power.

If the GOP disappeared in a flash of light tomorrow – the Dems would split into two or more parties within a year, as the mere existance of the Repubs is the only thing holding the various factions of the left together (vice versa also true).

Thing I learned today: It’s virtue signalling to be against rape and sexual assault.

@steampunked

Wait, what? Tell the tale, please!

In other news – Trump just did something. Something ….. Not stupid? Less gross than usual? Right?

He’s renominated Chai Feldblum for Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Stopped clock moment or he’s too idle to think about a post he doesn’t care about are my guesses.

Trump and the Republicans want to make it more expensive and difficult for individuals and small business to use the internet.

One problem is that people always refer to this issue as Net Neutrality. Unless you look into it, you get the impression that the FCC and Congress are for Net Neutrality. And neutrality is good, isn’t it?
But they aren’t. They are for “Net Discrimination”. They are supporting an act that will permit providers (who have been granted monopolies by the government for providing service) to discriminate against content providers and consumers.
Point this out to people. The FCC, the service providers, Trump & the Repubs in Congress want the right to discriminate against them.

While I understand the general elation whenever the least shitty candidate is elected, it’s worth noting that many of the disastrous societal developments that leave people at the mercy of unfettered business interests are usually championed by the Democrats as well. The neo-liberal (yes, in the European sense) consensus is well-entrenched in the Democratic Party as well, and they simply manage to maintain a veneer of palatability compared to the Republicans, who are unapologetically in favour of dismantling all protections and rights enjoyed by the ordinary citizenry.

The Democrats may be less openly pro business, but historically they have been pushing a nearly identical market-oriented agenda that ultimately benefit only the rich elites, at least on a national and international level. It might differ on a regional basis, have to admit that I am not that familiar with locally enacted legislation.

Depressingly enough, the same seems to be true of most of the so-called Social Democrats and even Socialists in a European context.

As they say in Germany, “Wer hat uns Verraten? Socialdemokraten!” (“Who have betrayed us? Social Democrats!”).

Even the judges he appoints will eventually either retire or die, right?

Sure, and in a billion years, the dying Sun will boil off the Earth’s oceans and spark sentient life on the moons of Jupiter, but who gives a shit? If your solution to a blatantly criminal regime is “someday they’ll all get old and die of kidney failure”, that’s not actually a solution. Especially not for the people suffering under said criminal regime, for two or three or however many generations, while they’re waiting on the Grim Reaper.

*rises from the floor in a cloud of smoke*
Did someone summon me to a Debbie Downer-off?