BobDylan

Part Two: Personally, I have always been honest, open, and straight up about my politics in dating profiles, even tho I know it cuts down the interest and number of women that will reply to my first messages to them, etc., but I care enough about compatibility, that I'm already pretty selective in who I approach on dating sites, within the limits of what they share in their profiles. With how polarized America is, and with how much politics is currently affecting the lives of most people here, I just don't get why so many people feel like it either doesn't matter, for compatibility or that they can ignore it. Unless they are either just after something that is casual and mostly just physical, or they are so privileged, selfish, or uncaring about the less privileged people who are getting hurt by our current politics. No matter which of these, someone like that is a hard pass for me, since my values include really caring about less privileged people, even tho the current politics aren't really affecting or hurting me much at all, not yet. So I'm really curious what the rest of the members feel about and have experienced regarding this issue. What says the tribe?

Last month I went to a local speed dating event, and had an interesting experience with it, particularly regarding politics. I chatted with 21 different women during the series of 4 min. rounds, and because having compatible political views is important to me in who I choose to date, as well as also having compatible values in other areas, including religion and lack of religion in them and me, I asked each woman to say where they feel they fit in the political spectrum, from conservative to liberal, etc. Surprisingly, at least to me, 7 of the 21, a full third of them, refused to answer this simple,, basic ?, saying either that they "weren't political", "don't discuss politics with anyone", to saying " I only discuss politics with those close to me,,,,, (adult children, closest friends, etc.). I respectfully honored their refusals and didn't try to argue with or criticize them for their stance, even tho I suspect that all of them were either closet Trumpers or conservatives, and felt defensive or embarrassed by how their side is acting these days or the backlash against them, etc. But I did immediately write each of them off, as far as compatibility or any further interest in getting to know more about them, since they had already failed one of my few dealbreakers on a woman's personality, character, values, etc.. I have also run into much of this same thing with the dating sites like Match, Bumble, etc., where the women don't openly say they refuse to discuss politics, but instead, they simply leave out any indication of their political views or political affiliation, also sometimes they use evasive or dishonest language to describe their political traits, such as saying they're apolitical, when they later inevitably turn out to be Trumpers or conservatives, once you connect with them and begin trading messages. Or they use vague, misleading labels like Independent, or Moderate, when they also later turn out to be conservative or a Trumper.

It is also about his eventual orders to have the troops shoot peaceful protestors with live ammo, and to shoot to kill...

I'm old, but I still have a brain., and have learned how the world really works, sadly enough. But I still never learned to be greedy or selfish, so I remain a proud socialist. If others choose differently, that's their right, but it doesn't mean I have to like them or agree with them.. I guess that's why I've seldom been friends with any Repubs, and would also never date one of them, almost never voted for any of them either..

Her, as well as Nancy Pelosi and other Dems in congress. Both parties these days are corrupt as hell, and cash in with insider trading, from their inside info they have about upcoming govt. policies, from the info that only congressional committee members have access to..

I think I've heard of this guy and this program before, good luck to him, he's going to need it with them. It really is no different than people leaving a cult and getting deprogrammed, or leaving evangelical religion for either no religion or something less extreme. In all those cases, it is a huge emotional crisis for them, and the complete loss of a former identity, as well as their whole tribal circle. Few people have the guts and strength to handle all that, so few people ever leave those kind of groups. More often, they only leave the group after being already rejected by their group or even banished from it. I personally want nothing to do with anyone in MAGA, and even after they leave MAGA, until, like any addict in a 12-step program, they have done the necessary self reflection, admission of their wrongs, made their amends, etc. and reclaimed themselves. Until then, they deserve no acceptance in society, as far as I'm concerned, and certainly none from me. And even then, they need to prove again that they can be trusted, before we should forgive them for their past sins..

Agreed, V3, I'm a socialist and for all that you said. The problem is, what to do with bullies and Nazis once they are already formed? Asking them nicely to behave differently accomplishes nothing, and is simply laughable. The only thing that works at that point is force and punishment, and making them too scared to continue doing what they've been doing, if not incapacitating them. So far, the Dems mostly seem to have been sticking to wringing their hands, asking nicely, and writing sternly worded letters. No wonder most people see them as a joke, and weaklings... Kicking the can down the road, has been the policy of both neoliberal major parties in America, leaving the working class behind, abandoning them and the poor, and no wonder the justified anger, resentment, and grievances of the working class were allowed to boil over, until they were easy prey for a con man like THE LYIN' KING. So here we are...

I think the captain is comparing MAGA to the hive mind of The Borg, a la Star Trek... An apt comparison..

The only way to stop a bully, or a Nazi, is to punch them in the face. Period.. So far, that's the diff between here and reddit.com, where I would get banned for saying that...

I agree with Connie and Tumbleweed, these are not normal times and I really don't see any cooperation and compromise as possible or coming with MAGA. You simply can't do that with fascists or a cult, not until they have been deprogrammed or their cult has died out. The Nazis were not going to back down, they could only be defeated militarily, same with the South during the Civil War, after which they never really gave up their racist cause...

I agree, I will let the rubes be rubes and not waste time, energy or thought trying to change them. But I will also not deny that I do feel superior, smarter, and more informed than them. So call me a snob or elitist for saying and feeling that way about them and myself, but my next ? would be, as my former boss used to say, "Now, want to ask me if a give a 🍆>🐱 (what people think of me for that)?"..... And yes, I am referring to Maxwell, but also to the suburban white female voters who supported THE LYIN' KING, as well as the Repub women in congress who are also loyal THE LYIN' KING supporters..

I totally agree that many men are intimidated by women who are smarter or have more education than them. You see that all the time in the dating game and on the dating sites. And the strong father thing has long been a feature of why some people, both men and women, are attracted to fascists and authoritarian strongman leaders, like Hitler and now THE LYIN' KING. It was well-documented after the Nazi era that Germany was particularly vulnerable to his movement because of how all Germans, of both genders, were socialized to support or prefer strong father figures in their families and their society. I too am interested in your idea of our American neurosis, as well as why so many American women still supported and support THE LYIN' KING, despite his open misogyny and his history of abuse towards women. One theory I've heard is that those women are "Pick Me" types, who are attracted to those sorts of men in their personal lives, and also in the political realm, they want such men to pick them out for positions of power and privilege, etc.. I also agree that the women who supported THE LYIN' KING and who support his party, are almost entirely white. They sure seem to be traitors to their gender, in my mind, but then again, even in The Handmaid's Tale, there were still the Aunt Lydias, who sold out their gender and collaborated in the oppression of other women, just so they could have some greater privileges than the vast majority of women who weren't married to the male leaders of the fascist patriarchical group that ran things. It's nice to see fiction reflect reality so well, esp., when it's written long before the fiction becomes reality.. Right now, AOC would seem to be the leading female candidate for prez, but I have my doubts about her being able to win, and even about whether she would end up running for it. I also have my own personal doubts about whether she could be trusted to not end up being just another corporate sellout, same as Obama was, and that Biden also was, altho with Biden, everybody in the know and paying attention, already knew that he would be just another corporate Dem centrist, since that's what he'd always been in the Senate.. And don't even get me started on what a sellout and traitor to the working class, that Bill Clinton was...

I'm with you, always follow the money, as they say, when you're looking for people's motives and agenda in politics. Very few congress critters are in DC to actually serve the public and do some good, the rest are there merely for the power, the privilege, and most of all, the money... BTW, I love your username, as I too am very happily retired, wish I'd been able to even sooner..

The part about her congressional pension doesn't surprise me one bit.

I agree, resigning because of someone you oppose, might be better for your own life and welfare, but it does nothing to stop the 🧻hole you oppose. If anything, it gives them a win, and makes them look and feel stronger... To me, the congress critters who start finally opposing THE LYIN' KING before they resign, are not profiles in courage, rather they are cowards. I have more respect for a Liz Cheney, who stand and fight, all the way to being defeated at the polls, compared to those who virtue signal thru resigning, rather than staying on and fighting, down to the last election they face..

I disagree. I was glad when she said it out loud, tho in retrospect, it now looks like she said it in order to pressure for the release of the files, who knows? Either way, I was hoping she would go ahead and do it on the House floor, but now it seems likely that she will not do it before she leaves, and even if she did try it, Johnson would find some way to block her from doing it. Which is what I expected would happen, after she announced that she was going to do it, that Johnson would never allow it. So it may have just been an empty threat to pressure for the files release.. We'll probably never find out the real story behind her decision..

I was really surprised to hear this news, since I figured she was angling for a presidential run later on, with her recent stands against THE LYIN' KING. Now I don't know what she's thinking. So I'm curious what the other members think.. I'm assuming she thought she would lose the primary, against a THE LYIN' KING backed challenger.. I was really hoping she would read the whole client list from the Epstein survivors, on the floor of the US House, as she said she would do, before she leaves congress. But now I really doubt she will do it before she leaves. Which is a pity, because that is the one forum where it would be immune from any lawsuits for defamation, since congress is exempted from that during floor speeches..

They all need to and should, but I have zero confidence that it will ever happen, simply because they have too much money and power these days, esp. with the US govt., so they can always find ways to block and avoid any real accountability or punishment. And in their social circles, even being publicly shamed, such as full disclosure of the files, would still not make them pariahs, at least in their social circles. Only poverty would make one a pariah in those circles, sick as that sounds..

Agreed. Like I said, we will have a woman president eventually, assuming we keep having any sort of free and fair elections, which is still an if, in my mind. But even then, the first woman president will be a right wing, hawkish Republican candidate, simply because that will be the necessary pedigree to get most men, and even women, to feel safe and comfortable enough about voting for her. Because otherwise, both men and women voters are still too biased in thinking any Dem woman candidate is not tough or strong enough to handle the job.

I fully agree with the fourth option in the poll, and that's because most Americans are uncomfortable with a female president, feeling distrustful that a woman would be "tough" or "strong enough" to lead the country. So, in order for them to feel safe about choosing the first woman as president, it will be a woman from the Repub Party who is right wing and militarily hawkish, which Hillary Clinton tried to do, in building her image before running for prez, but she failed, partly because she was a Dem.. But I do agree that we will eventually have a woman president, too bad that the first one will inevitably be a right winger..

I sure as hell hope you're right about this. Even if more rats start leaving the sinking ship, I still will never trust them, support them or vote for them. They have already proven how cowardly, selfish, and immoral they are, just by having supported him so long..

Responsibility not only comes with fame, but also with wealth, or at least it used to....

Hope you're right about her seeing THE LYIN' KING as a sinking ship. Time will tell. I do think more Repubs in congress will start seeing THE LYIN' KING and loyalty to him as a liability towards them getting re-elected...

Personally, I was waiting and hoping for Zelensky to charge across the room and clock him when he and Vance were doing their ambush of him during his first WH visit, but he showed amazing restraint, only because he cared more about helping his country, than about giving THE LYIN' KING the beating he's needed and deserved his whole 🍆>🐱ing life! I would have cheered if Zelensky had done it, because he's the only person who could get away with it without being gunned down by the Secret Service..

Just watched the Stewart episode. Priceless slam on the Repub hypocrisy..