Scared yet?

@MeganBallet the whole situation is looking more and more like Germany in the 30s

@Convivial It is. History has a way of repeating itself when we're not vigilant.

@MeganBallet sadly true...

@MeganBallet Considering that around 40 percent of Americans don't even vote in Presidential elections, with far more not voting in midterms and local elections, I'd say complacency is baked in to the cake. Will this election, where Democracy is TRULY on the table, change that? I'm not so sure.

@Ynotisay How do we make them realize the significance of their voice?

@MeganBallet I wish I had an answer. But I can't wrap my head around it. You get a ballot in the mail, you take a minute to tick a couple of boxes, and then you mail it back for free. If tens of millions can't even do that...

@Ynotisay It's frustrating! It's a lack of understanding about how decisions made in government directly affect their everyday lives. Education might be a start.

@MeganBallet Maybe. But some choose willful ignorance. I personally find not voting the epitome of selfishness. It's disgusting to me.

@Ynotisay I get where you're coming from, It's disheartening when people neglect such a crucial responsibility, especially when it impacts everyone.

@MeganBallet it’s curious, but real people on both sides are making the same statements and asking the same questions. How can so many people see the exact same thing on both sides. 🤪

@needsmilk808 This isn't a joke. We're talking about the very foundation of our democracy here. It's not a partisan issue; it's a threat to the core values we hold dear.

@Convivial If he is elected, I may retire early and emigrate. This feels like the 1930s in Germany.

@needsmilk808 Because some people believe in truth, Democracy and the plight of others and some believe in authoritarianism, lies and wanting to hurt others. It's a very clear line that anyone with a modicum of self-respect can see.

@Ynotisay you haven’t made a convincing argument since I just stated both sides are saying the same about the other. Don’t get me wrong your right, I just see the same comments coming from both sides.

@MeganBallet What’s probably even scarier than reading what Trump intends to do in his potential second term was an article I read today saying that the problem is that the people that need to be informed about what Trump intends to do in his second term aren’t going to listen. The story is only being carried by highly reputable sources like The Atlantic and The New York Times; however, the low-info swing voters and people who might or might not vote at all aren’t receptive to those sources. They see those sources as merely the left wing equivalent of Fox News or Newsmax, so they will write it off as liberal hysterics. For too long, mainstream media followed a doctrine of “bothsidesism”. On any given issue they would interview someone from the left, then give roughly the same amount of time to someone on the right, and then say something like “Now you’ve heard what each side has to say, so you decide.”

They presented each side as equally legitimate, even on issues like climate change on which only the pro-fossil fuels side was lying. With persistent government dysfunction on the rise as well as partisanship, vitriol, and incivility in politics, what conclusion does the average swing voter who will most likely decide the outcome of the 2024 presidential election draw from all this? That both the Left and the Right are equally full of shit and they want to tune out all things political as much as possible. The article indicated that what little news these potential voters do consume comes mostly from social media, sources like Facebook, Tik Tok, and X.

The article drew two frightening analogies/metaphors that really stuck with me. The first was of parents hiding the Christmas presents among the cleaning supplies because they new the kids would never look there, just as Trump’s team leaked their plans to the New York Times because they knew swing voter wouldn’t pay attention to it. The second was of a woman being sexually assaulted in broad daylight downtown, but none of the onlookers would do anything to help her because they wouldn’t know whether to believe her or her attacker. Brought to my mind something Elie Wiesel once said about neutrality always favoring the attacker at the expense of the victim.

@needsmilk808 Nope. Both sides aren't saying the 'same thing' about the other. There ARE NO "alternative facts." That's the line. Truth is the line.

@Ynotisay and both claim they are the arbiters of truth as well.

@Theyitis Brainwashed leftist liar.

@Theyitis The media in this country now serves the political class. They have lied and lied and lied some more on Trump, Biden, Clinton, Covid 19, the border, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, the 2020 riots, January 6, etc.

The Atlantic and the New York Times are NOT credible except to the liberal left, the political class, and the C Suite executive class. Anyone who works for a living doesn't feel that any of the mainstream media entities are credible. Nobody listens to any MSM media entity except to point out their propaganda and lies.

@SumKindaMunster I’m not surprised by anything you said. My comment was not intended for cult members like yourself but for people with the moral clarity, be they left, right, or center, to recognize Donald Trump for the psychopath and demagogue that he is. And cult members are [i]not[/i] the only people that work for a living, there are still plenty of people with jobs that pay attention to mainstream media.

@Theyitis [quote] there are still plenty of people with jobs that pay attention to mainstream media.[/quote]

No, sorry, trust in the media is at an all time low:

https://news.gallup.com/poll/403166/americans-trust-media-remains-near-record-low.aspx

[quote] At 34%, Americans' trust in the mass media to report the news "fully, accurately and fairly" is essentially unchanged from last year and just two points higher than the lowest that Gallup has recorded, in 2016 during the presidential campaign.

Just 7% of Americans have "a great deal" of trust and confidence in the media, and 27% have "a fair amount." Meanwhile, 28% of U.S. adults say they do not have very much confidence and 38% have none at all in newspapers, TV and radio. Notably, this is the first time that the percentage of Americans with no trust at all in the media is higher than the percentage with a great deal or a fair amount combined.[/quote]

The working class supports Trump over Biden. Don't take my word for it, do your own research, you can start here:

https://www.deseret.com/2023/6/4/23735096/working-class-biden-trump

And you think Trump supporters are in a cult? Just because you can't see or touch the sides doesn't mean you don't yourself live in a bubble of propaganda and fear.

@needsmilk808 You're not following me. For a reason. That's why one con artist climate denying "scientist" can carry weight while thousands and thousands show the other side with real evidence. it feeds the feeeeelings of the fearful. It's pitiful. The 'both sides' argument is right in line with "but what about." It's for the ignorant and emotional. So what they say becomes a moot point.