(February 5, 2024 at 11:41 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(February 5, 2024 at 11:16 am)The Grand Nudger Wrote: Pretty much.  To win the gig he promised not to do anything, and that impression stuck.

I’m sure he’s got PR people on the payroll. He should use them.

Boru

Biden delivers what Trump promises.

Trump promised cheaper meds.

Biden delivered them.

Trump promised to bring back manufacturing jobs.

Biden delivered them.

Trump promised GDP growth over 3% per year.

Biden delivered it.

(February 5, 2024 at 10:00 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(February 5, 2024 at 1:39 am)neil Wrote: I wouldn't provide opinions on what the specific numbers are; I'd do what anyone can do - look them up.

I tried and couldn't find any, hence, my request that you support your point with data.

You don't have it; that's fine. Have a nice day.

Well, I haven't been able to post links on this forum. I think I have to be a member on this forum for at least a month before I can start posting links, and I've only been a member here for a few weeks. I don't want to post any "data" or information without citing sources by posting links.

I'm able to get millions of search results with all kinds of data in the result articles, so it sounds a bit bizarre to me that someone else couldn't find any.

I'm going to include one of the links here as a test: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/202...-diplomacy

(February 4, 2024 at 5:39 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: It’s interesting that Democratic support for Biden is - or at least appears to be - astronomically higher than Republican support for Trump.

I’m sure there are other factors at play, but Trump pulled 51/54% in Iowa/New Hampshire, while Biden got 64/96% in New Hampshire/South Carolina. It’s early days yet, but still.

Boru

Who else are they gonna vote for, Dean fuckin Phillips?

(February 5, 2024 at 6:13 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(February 5, 2024 at 2:24 am)Belacqua Wrote: As far as I can tell, the whole debate revolves around how much people hate Trump. Do Muslims hate him enough? Do blacks hate him enough?

What's missing is why anyone would vote for Biden. Why doesn't he take some action that would motivate people to vote for him? 

"Trump" or "Not Trump" seems to be the whole campaign.

(Bold mine)

My, aren't you the poorly informed wretch?

Is Biden perfect? Obviously not. But the contention that he hasn't done anything to motivate people to vote for him is just idiotic.

His problem is messaging, not performance.

Boru

I think you're both right. Biden has plenty to run on besides not being Trump, but for some reason the DNC doesn't know that.

It's also difficult for him to gain popularity when the entire world can tell that he is dying in real time, barely cognisant of his surroundings. How do you get a surge of energy going when your candidate can barely string together sentences? And don't whataboutism with Trump on that front, please - yeah, I know the guy sounds like a moron, but that's not the point. He might be literally stupid, but he also sounds like he knows what year it is. Biden fades in and out of existence mid-speech.

(February 5, 2024 at 6:32 pm)neil Wrote:

(February 5, 2024 at 10:00 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: I tried and couldn't find any, hence, my request that you support your point with data.

You don't have it; that's fine. Have a nice day.

Well, I haven't been able to post links on this forum. I think I have to be a member on this forum for at least a month before I can start posting links, and I've only been a member here for a few weeks. I don't want to post any "data" or information without citing sources by posting links.

I'm able to get millions of search results with all kinds of data in the result articles, so it sounds a bit bizarre to me that someone else couldn't find any.

I'm going to include one of the links here as a test: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/202...-diplomacy

You are link-enabled as of today.

I find that polling to be a little hinky, because

Quote:When asked how knowledgeable they are about the Israel-Palestine conflict, 25% of voters say they have either an “extensive” or “proficient” level of knowledge, while 35% say they have a “moderate” knowledge level. Voters who get their news from social media are especially likely to consider themselves knowledgeable: 36% of voters who get news from Instagram, 33% of voters who get news from TikTok, and 30% of voters who get news from Facebook say they have extensive or proficient knowledge about the conflict.

Boru

(February 5, 2024 at 6:32 pm)neil Wrote:

(February 5, 2024 at 10:00 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: I tried and couldn't find any, hence, my request that you support your point with data.

You don't have it; that's fine. Have a nice day.

Well, I haven't been able to post links on this forum. I think I have to be a member on this forum for at least a month before I can start posting links, and I've only been a member here for a few weeks. I don't want to post any "data" or information without citing sources by posting links.

I'm able to get millions of search results with all kinds of data in the result articles, so it sounds a bit bizarre to me that someone else couldn't find any.

I'm going to include one of the links here as a test: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/202...-diplomacy

I appreciate the info, but it doesn't answer my question of whether Biden or Trump stands to lose more from American Muslims objecting to Biden's approach to this issue.

(February 5, 2024 at 6:40 pm)Aegon Wrote: I think you're both right. Biden has plenty to run on besides not being Trump, but for some reason the DNC doesn't know that.

Do you live in the US? I haven't been in years, but when I talk to family there the only motivation they have for voting is "not Trump." 

Can you mention some things that Biden has done which would motivate the rank and file to vote for him? 

Brian's list has a number of questionable points.

Quote:It's also difficult for him to gain popularity when the entire world can tell that he is dying in real time, barely cognisant of his surroundings. How do you get a surge of energy going when your candidate can barely string together sentences? And don't whataboutism with Trump on that front, please - yeah, I know the guy sounds like a moron, but that's not the point. He might be literally stupid, but he also sounds like he knows what year it is. Biden fades in and out of existence mid-speech.

This I think is a major issue, for people abroad if not for Americans. It seems that both Rs and Ds in the US have decided on their loyalties and don't even care if their guy can speak or think properly. But people who can see international media can see what the alternatives are. 

All of Putin's major speeches, for example, are on line with English subtitles. He can speak coherently in full paragraphs, with logical connections. He can reply to questions, and has noticeable wit. Lavrov is even better. Xi speaks extremely well. This is not to comment on the content of their speeches at all -- whether one agrees with their arguments. But a fair debate between any top-level politician from Russia or China and one from the US would definitely NOT go in the US's favor. Presentation matters. I would think that people who want to counter Putin or Xi would at least want someone who can speak coherently. 

I suspect that this is just fine with the people who actually run the US. Comical figureheads can make fools of themselves on TV while the real decisions get made elsewhere.

Nikki Haley requests Secret Service protection from MAGA people

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has applied for Secret Service protection because of increasing threats she has received as Donald Trump’s last major opponent for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Haley confirmed the application for protection in an interview Monday afternoon with The Wall Street Journal. “We’ve had multiple issues,” the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador said after a campaign event here. “It’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do.”

Late last week in Columbia, S.C., a woman was tackled by a member of Haley’s private security detail when she tried to rush the stage. There have also been protesters in recent days at her events upset about her support for Ukraine and Israel.

https://www.axios.com/2024/02/05/nikki-h...on-threats

(February 5, 2024 at 10:33 pm)Belacqua Wrote: I would think that people who want to counter Putin or Xi would at least want someone who can speak coherently.

People do want to counter Putin and that is why they don't want Trump who is suffering from dementia. And Trump is also something that Putin and other enemies of the US want because Trump is so incompetent that he wants to start a civil war because of what used to be policy issues like tax rates, healthcare for poor people, immigration, and so on. These are all issues for which Trump wants Americans to point weapons at each other and this is what Putin, Xi, and other dictators were hoping for. Putin has hit a grand slam with Trump.

(February 5, 2024 at 10:33 pm)Belacqua Wrote: Do you live in the US? I haven't been in years, but when I talk to family there the only motivation they have for voting is "not Trump." 

I live in the US. "Not Trump" is a great reason to vote for Biden, given that Biden doesn't want to dismantle our democracy while Trump clearly does. I can deal with policies I don't agree with, but I refuse to accept the destruction of the Constitution I swore my life to defend.

Guess my ballot.