The Truman Tavern of Simple Truths and Smart One-Liners 33 1/3: The Final Insult

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

"Please Mr. EU, give me the deal to end all deals! Or else I'll be forced to shoot myself in the head!"

Quite the bargaining chip indeed.

Yeah, that's exactly what the "threat" of No Deal was. You'd have to be a complete and total cretin not to understand that 1 country cutting ties with its 27 biggest trading partners is going to hurt the one more than the 27. Even BoJo and his buddies ultimately showed they understood that, even if the nutjobs in the ERG might not.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Context:

New users desperately trying to be a "character", presumably in the hope of getting an Opinion of thread, rather than actually contributing.

People obstinately refusing to learn that trends should be looked at relative to the national swing - if a state sees a 2 percent swing in a national environment of a 2 percent swing,has not trended. Similarly, people who always extrapolate trends to absurd ends.

The recent phenomena of megathreads, which is worst in the 2020 board where all news gets burried in 500 page monsters.

The fact that there is no specific board for historical congressional or international elections.

People making up strawmen on Atlas percieved wisdom and spamming threads with boring inanities about them.

Empty quotes with strikethroughs

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Yes he is detached from reality in so many ways.

And yes it does seem strange that he said that about his wife.

He's just weird all around.

He doesn't see this as a shortcoming. He assumes most marriages are like his. I'm sure his parents didn't display much love.

I feel bad for him in this regard. I'm sure his life would be very different if there was more true affection in his life, especially early on.

This. It's quite sad that he's perplexed by the sight of a wife sobbing over her husband being shot. It explains a lot, though.

It also says something about Melania. People may like her or think they like her because she stays in hiding most of the time and tries to stay out of trouble, but in my view those two are two peas in a pod.

If he is as you state "detached from reality in so many ways," why would you assume this is an accurate statement about Melania?

For that matter why is everyone assuming Trump is making a somber and serious statement about his marital relationship at the same time as he is talking about how he would not recommend getting shot?

I say it from experience watching her. Remember that jacket she wore that said "I don't care, do you?" That was all about her, nothing that a First Lady "should" say. From then, on I saw how her character was so much like Trump it was unsettling. Not in the bully sense, but in the egoistic "it's all about me" sense. There's a reason she can stand being around Trump.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

AOC slapped GOPete around.

Twitter isn’t real life. The vast majority of Americans share Pete’s positions on education and healthcare.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I would support a Republican over Joshua Collins. His foreign policy is completely f**king stupid- he supports trading with Iran, North Korea and Venezuela, he supports withdrawing all foreign involvement which would lead to tens of thousands of people dying, he says Israel is committing genocide and thus reveals himself as a dumbass who doesn't give a sh**t about actual genocide, and he wants to unilaterally dismantle the US of nuclear weapons and put it at the mercy of the rest of the world.

Anyone supporting him is supporting the creation of a hellworld controlled by China and Russia, terrorism and (actual) genocide. Atlas #progressives really need to stop salivating over any dumbass who calls himself a socialist.

All true, but especially the last paragraph.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I understand that you are having difficulties coming to terms with the fact that your candidate got himself annihilated in a way few believed possible by the nice lady from Minnesota, but making Atlas threads is not a healthy coping mechanism.

do you honestly believe this is an accurate depiction of what happened?

I have never made a joke on the US Election Atlas.

What voter group do you think is going to swing to Klobuchar because she belittled Mayor Pete for losing some election?  I guess her numbers might go up because she got a lot more airtime than she has in the past and her poll numbers are so low right now, but I don't see how this helped her in any way and I don't think attacking him histrionically is going to make his supporters in Iowa suddenly not like him.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I don't get the Abrams hype. Her highest office was GA state house, and she whined about losing the governor race, refusing to concede for months. What a loser.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

So funny how these people are threatening to not vote for Biden the same way they clearly didn't vote for Bernie.

They were never going to vote for any Democratic nominee. Not even Senator Bernie Sanders.

Note that during the week in February where it looked like Bernie would get the nomination, Howie Hawkins was gearing up to run against him, attacking him as "just another liberal politician." The Green Party exists solely to win elections for the GOP. I'm bummed about the way the primary turned out and Biden was far from my first choice, but Bernie and his movement are clearly winning,  and in 2-3 cycles, we'll get a Leftist nominee and eventually a Leftist president. Until then, we have to prevent the GOP from stacking the judiciary with Far Right Hacks.

The bolded section, especially the underlined part, can't be stressed enough.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

shouldn't this be titled Cynthia McKinney goes full British Labour?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Hate Engel for putting Jews in this position. Fostering a relationship between black people and Jews, especially in New York where the history between the communities is delicate and sometimes unfourtunate, is one of the things I really want to see. This is just really damaging.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Credit where credit is due

*snip*

I'm fine with commutation of this sentence.  Stone deserves a new trial due to bias issues with the jury foreperson, but one isn't forthcoming due to the bias of an activist Obama appointee. *snip*

With all due respect, the quoted part of your post is "1+1= Eleventy-Twix" level absurd.  I mean, it simply has no objective basis in reality.  I'm sorry, but there is no way that any reasonable person could honestly believe the quoted part of your post unless they had been so blinded by partisanship that they were no longer capable of reacting to current events with any semblance of objectivity.  

The rule of law matters more than partisan loyalty, no matter who is in charge.  I know there was a time when you still knew this on some level because you opposed Kavanaugh's confirmation and I don't know what happened, but I really hope you put down the kool-aid because it has been really sad to watch.

You ask what's happened to me.

There are three (3) types of Atlas Left.  One is the deranged sort; runeghost, is the classic example, but there are others in his league.  (AtorBoltox comes to mind.)  They are unreachable, and they are the sort of people that give me the creeps in real life.  (Chancellor Gowron falls into this group; his hatred of Trump goes way beyond politics.)

The second (and larger type) are the Broken Record Technique Left.  Badger.  Harry.  Joe Republic.  Frodo (who has lied about me on this forum and refuses to acknowledge it).  Dr. Scholl.  The whole lot of Hyena Packers.  They repeat lies over and over again to where they become axioms.  You know this; you've SEEN this.  Between this group, and the group above, I don't expect anything more.

Then we come to the group that has actually disappointed me. It's the group of reasonable liberals who don't reflexively hate America who are needed to be the last bastion of common sense in America today that aren't showing up for that role because they can't get past their personal hatred for Trump.

As a member of the latter group, let me unequivocally affirm that nothing is more dear to me than the preservation of democracy and the rule of law. And Trump is, without question, the greatest threat to said principles in my lifetime. So your point is nonsensical — my personal distaste for Trump is a direct consequence of his appalling, authoritarian, treasonous behavior.

You're free to question my ideological bonafides, but let me assure you, I've never voted for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. What you're failing to come to terms with is the degree to which Trump's disgraceful conduct has radicalized center-left Democrats, myself included. There seems to be this pipe dream on the right that everyone will forget about the Trump administration, and the GOP will successfully shirk responsibility. I'm afraid not.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

If you’ll actually read the article and not just the title you’ll see she’s working to elect Biden.

Is the bar that low? Or is she just too good for us Biden supporters? Has she ascended to a plane above ours, where she can both refuse to endorse a candidate and also get credit for "working to elect him"?

In any case, I think this is great news. They should stay as far away as possible. I'm only disappointed people like Pelosi endorsed her and Omar- I know the reason is the "incumbency loyalty", but these two are disloyal to the party and bigoted against a large segement of its supporters and deserve no institutional backing.

She knows her constituents, as she points out in the article. If endorsing Biden will have zero effect and motivating them instead to vote against Trump brings them to the polls more effectively, then an endorsement would be nothing but meaningless virtue signaling to the party heads and might even turn off some voters--especially moderates--and she likely knows this.

And whining about "disloyalty to the party" sounds pretty authoritarian and is the sort of thing that turns off a lot of potential voters.

Her constituents voted for Biden in the primary.
Fair point about "disloyalty to the party" as a phrase- disloyalty to the cause is more apt, though when talking about institutional support from the Speaker it is fair to talk about party loyalty. I disagree with Pelosi's decision to endorse an incumbent who booed the former nominee and refuses to endorse the current nominee.

But my biggest problem is how little almost everyone cares when it comes to Jews. Imagine this headline: "Breaking: Nancy Pelosi endorses incumbent who shared a racist Ben Garrison caricature, called black neighborhoods "crime-infested", shared pizzagate conspiracy without apologizing for any of that". Would anyone let it stand? Obviously not. But when it comes to two incumbents who shared an antisemitic cartoon from an Iranian holocaust competition finalist, used a very clear antisemitic dog-whistle and shared blood libel without checking, and worst of all- refused to apologize for any of that- no one raises their voice. It's depressing.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

It's possible that Wisconsin law has moved a great distance from it (I wouldn't know), but you are all aware of what the general Common Law principles around Self Defence actually are, yes? Because much of the discussion I've seen here and elsewhere suggests otherwise...

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

If you haven't abandoned Mr. Trump already, there is nothing why you shouldn't continue to support him, even if said expressions are on tape. Trumpism, which essentially has taken over the GOP, isn't a serious political philosophy or even a vision for America, it's a cult. If such a tape existed and came out, the cultists will continue to embarrass themselves by trying to defend their cult leader with the most absurd excuses, or they will claim the tape is fake. Just another Dem, radical left or mainstream media hoax to sink their dear leader.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

This thread has been a microcosm of America, demonstrating why this country is so polarized.

Yes, it is... Republicans not getting what the big deal is about breaking our national institutions for short-term gain, Democrats getting furious, and Republicans not understanding why that is.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Context:

Did he cut off his balls after writing this?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I've long held negative opinions about Justice Alito, but this rant attacking everything that opposes right-wing conservative orthodoxy is quite something. It definitely reinstates my fears about him as the most frightening and dangerous Justice on the Court.

Some excerpts from this article:

He complained about lawmaking by an “elite group of appointed experts,” citing not just COVID rules but the entire regulatory framework of the federal government.

Alito also warned of a broader, ongoing assault on religious liberty. “In certain corners,” he alleged, “religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right.”

...

Alito also disparaged Washington state for requiring pharmacies to provide emergency contraception—which, he claimed, “destroys an embryo after fertilization.”

The justice then complained that the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling had crushed the free speech rights of anti-LGBTQ advocates by subjecting them to public criticism

There's a video for everything he said. I would've thought a sitting Justice would have more restraint, but that's clearly not the case here. He really makes no illusions as to how he'll rule in any case regarding the subjects he mentioned. Justices decide for themselves when they choose to recuse themselves.

Aledo has long been up there with Thomas as one of the worst Supreme Court justices in many decades.

I may disagree very strongly with Thomas, but he does have a very clear set of principles. For him, it's simply that it's 1789. Alito didn't even join the majority opinion in Riley v. California, but rather wrote a concurrence that was barely so. He wrote disparagingly about the "blunt instrument of the Fourth Amendment". I've legit been impressed by Justice Thomas on rare occasions. I don't think I've ever thought that about Justice Alito.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I mean, yeah, this seems pretty obvious.

Since so many people here are making comparisons to China, how many of these people do you think boycott anything made in China in addition to Israel? Why is Israel the only country I hear left wing activists wanting to boycott despite the fact that many countries have worse human rights abuses that we buy products from all the time? There obviously has to be a factor outside of human rights issues that is motivating the boycott then. Gee, I wonder what that could be?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

The problem I have with the idea of boomers acting very disrespected and aghast at being called out as "boomers" (and with the increasingly negative connotation that carries) is that it has long been a favorite pastime of all old people to negatively deride younger generations - particularly the youngest at the time - simply because they have different preferences and/or beliefs. It's pretty much a stereotype.

The unfortunate reality for boomers (and silents, really) is that their generation has presided over a massive decline in prosperity and opportunity for generations below them and America at large. I'm not going to say whose fault that is, other than that nothing meaningful has been done to fix these problems while their generation(s) have ruled over the country.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

And another one:

Looks like Michael Flynn is out and is celebrating by committing treason!

I don't care if some posters here are trolling or not, if you still think Flynn is a good man fully deserving of his pardon after this, maybe you should rethink your morals.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Hey y'all, how about we take a step back & just f**king listen before making any snap judgments? I'm not suggesting she be believed right off the bat or anything, but at least have the f**king decency to wait for the facts & see how it all plays out. It's the same as when Tara Reade came out with her allegations: she was listened to, heard out, & when what she was saying turned out to be a bunch of contradictory bullsh*t, we moved past it. Perhaps most important, though, is that she was still heard out. We should always hear accusers out before making any snap judgments or immediately accusing them of having nefarious motives just because they happen to be alleging stuff about somebody whom you may be politically-inclined to support, & I don't think this should really constitute a hot take or anything, either.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

And another one:

If Snowden were only, or even primarily, a whistleblower, he might deserve a pardon - not that he would necessarily need it, since there are at least in theory protections for actual whistleblowers. But he isn't. He is a defector who sold hundreds of thousands of military and intelligence files, the vast majority of which had nothing to do with what he allegedly was trying to blow the whistle on, to Russia and China in exchange for their protecting him from standing trial.

Edit: And yet another one:

What the hell does "totally masculine" even mean?

Insecure men basically

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

The ADL does not have to answer for the actions of every Jew on the planet. Such a suggestion is ludicrously anti-semitic

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Context:

That's almost historical revisionism. The communist regime in North Vietnam invaded the sovereign country South Vietnam for the purpose of uniting the country under a brutal dictatorship, with the help of the Soviet Union and Red China. Not that the Saigon regime was great, but still superior to the North. The United States helped that country to maintain its sovereignty and win a propaganda battle in the context of the Cold War.

While the US better should have withdrawn in 1965, it annoys me that certain people pretend everything bad that happened was only on America. There were many, many diplomatic attempts under the Johnson Administration alone to negotiate a peace if the North simply accepted the South's sovereignty. They never cared about a diplomatic solution, committed war crimes as well and sacrificed many thousands of their fighters on purpose; like knowing the Tet Offensive was going to fail militarily, but send their boys to death anyway. Let's not pretend this is a one way street.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

There are more antisemites on the right, and they're more likely to admit it and get violent.

While black swans on the left like Corbyn are a rare thing, the sheer number of left-wingers who are willing to cooperate with them and choose to sacrifice our welfare is incredibly worrying and the sign of a disturbing trend.

And then there's the cases where it's impossible to tell what side someone is actually on, because their politics mainly seem to be "socialism, but more racist".