5 ms·

This is so insidious and depressing. Nothing the Republican party does surprises me anymore. He outright said today that he's doing this to stymie mail-in votin

This is so insidious and depressing. Nothing the Republican party does surprises me anymore. He outright said today that he's doing this to stymie mail-in voting, and the Republican party supports him on it. The president is outright saying "I want to hinder the vote for everyone, across the board" and the Republican party supports it. It's so sad. This is a taste for Americans of what it must feel like for many people across the world in less fortunate countries every day, for as long as anyone can remember. I can't imagine living with this indefinitely with no hope of change.

tunesmith 6y ago
It's also another disincentive for him to get the pandemic under control. Because if we got down to tens or hundreds of infections per day per state, there'd be less need for mail-in voting.
- Falling3 6y ago
  Who specifically is being disincentivized?
  - tunesmith 6y ago
    Trump. The pandemic works for him, because then more people want to vote by mail, which he can limit through defunding the post office. If the pandemic isn't as much of an issue, then he can't limit the supply of voters as easily.
pstuart 6y ago
It's only going to get more brutal -- Trump is terrified of losing the legal protection of the presidency and will not hesitate to do literally anything to hold on to it. This election is a referendum on the survival of humanity. I recognize that the previous sentence seems hyperbolic but I believe it to be the case. I'm terrified.
- syshum 6y ago
  In some ways I agree, but I bet I disagree what they referendum is because a Biden/Harris Presidency Terrifies me
  - qdigital 6y ago
    What exactly about a Biden/Harris presidency terrifies you? Strong language there.
    - syshum 6y ago
      Well I am a libertarian, Both Biden and Harris are known "Tough on Crime" Authoritarians, I also oppose 99% of their platform including government run healthcare, extreme theft errr taxation, open social programs for anyone that happens to be physically located inside the boarders, their Identity / Social Justice Warrior politics, I could go on and on I support federalism, I support individual liberty, I support meritocracy. all of which they stand against
      - Miner49er 6y ago
        They literally support none of those things (except maybe identity politics).
        pstuart 6y ago
        The think tanks' efforts to brand "socialism" as authoritarianism have paid off. M4A being painted as an authoritarian nightmare is a slick trick on their part.
        syshum 6y ago
        Can you point me to a non-authoritarian socialist nation, now or at any point in the past... Socialism fails very quickly if not backed by an Authoritarian form of government... Only with Authoritarian enforcement can it survive and then only with extreme poverty and misery for most people.
thu2111 6y ago
The president is outright saying "I want to hinder the vote for everyone, across the board" No, he isn't "outright saying" that. This is the kind of statement that Scott Alexander rightfully criticised some years ago when people started saying Trump is "openly" racist: http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/11/16/you-are-still-crying-wolf/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/11/16/you-are-still-crying-wo... Here's an actual quote from him: "Mail-in ballots are very dangerous - there's tremendous fraud involved." That's what he is outright saying. Mail fraud is not a US specific problem. UK elections have had the same problems. In one case someone who had previously been jailed for mail voting fraud took an Instagram selfie of himself in the counting room. An MP has written an article about mail voting fraud here: https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/there-is-widespread-abuse-of-postal-votes-this-simply-cannot-go-on https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/there-is-wides...

tunesmith 6y ago

It's also another disincentive for him to get the pandemic under control. Because if we got down to tens or hundreds of infections per day per state, there'd be less need for mail-in voting.

Falling3 6y ago
Who specifically is being disincentivized?
- tunesmith 6y ago
  Trump. The pandemic works for him, because then more people want to vote by mail, which he can limit through defunding the post office. If the pandemic isn't as much of an issue, then he can't limit the supply of voters as easily.

pstuart 6y ago

It's only going to get more brutal -- Trump is terrified of losing the legal protection of the presidency and will not hesitate to do literally anything to hold on to it. This election is a referendum on the survival of humanity. I recognize that the previous sentence seems hyperbolic but I believe it to be the case. I'm terrified.

syshum 6y ago
In some ways I agree, but I bet I disagree what they referendum is because a Biden/Harris Presidency Terrifies me
- qdigital 6y ago
  What exactly about a Biden/Harris presidency terrifies you? Strong language there.
  - syshum 6y ago
    Well I am a libertarian, Both Biden and Harris are known "Tough on Crime" Authoritarians, I also oppose 99% of their platform including government run healthcare, extreme theft errr taxation, open social programs for anyone that happens to be physically located inside the boarders, their Identity / Social Justice Warrior politics, I could go on and on I support federalism, I support individual liberty, I support meritocracy. all of which they stand against
    - Miner49er 6y ago
      They literally support none of those things (except maybe identity politics).
      - pstuart 6y ago
        The think tanks' efforts to brand "socialism" as authoritarianism have paid off. M4A being painted as an authoritarian nightmare is a slick trick on their part.
        syshum 6y ago
        Can you point me to a non-authoritarian socialist nation, now or at any point in the past... Socialism fails very quickly if not backed by an Authoritarian form of government... Only with Authoritarian enforcement can it survive and then only with extreme poverty and misery for most people.

thu2111 6y ago

The president is outright saying "I want to hinder the vote for everyone, across the board" No, he isn't "outright saying" that. This is the kind of statement that Scott Alexander rightfully criticised some years ago when people started saying Trump is "openly" racist: http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/11/16/you-are-still-crying-wolf/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/11/16/you-are-still-crying-wo... Here's an actual quote from him: "Mail-in ballots are very dangerous - there's tremendous fraud involved." That's what he is outright saying. Mail fraud is not a US specific problem. UK elections have had the same problems. In one case someone who had previously been jailed for mail voting fraud took an Instagram selfie of himself in the counting room. An MP has written an article about mail voting fraud here: https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/there-is-widespread-abuse-of-postal-votes-this-simply-cannot-go-on https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/there-is-wides...