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The cynic in me can't help but notice that all these platforms are suddenly growing a backbone now that we know Democrats will control both the executive and le
by slg 6y ago
The cynic in me can't help but notice that all these platforms are suddenly growing a backbone now that we know Democrats will control both the executive and legislative branches.
- Traster 6y agoI think it's impossible to say. The fact that the capitol got stormed the same day as the democrats won control means it's impossible to disaggregate. It might be a cynical move by Facebook but is it also a cynical move by Betsy Devos? What difference did democrat control make to her?
- paxys 6y agoIf Pence invokes the 25th amendment then she would have to go on the record with a vote. So just resigning is the easier decision.
- llbeansandrice 6y ago> What difference did democrat control make to her? Nothing imo. Before it was probable that there could be careers and jobs outside of the presidency. With these moves it seems like Trump decided to make his bed with the worst of his base and a lot of people have finally decided that it's a bridge too far. Last-minute attempts to distance themselves after playing along the entire time.
- mywittyname 6y agoI don't think you know who DeVos or her family is. Her family owns the largest private military in the world. They don't need jobs; they aren't going anywhere. They are going to continue shoving billions of dollars of government funds into their pockets. They will be standing right there to fill key cabinet roles for the next Republican administration.
- llbeansandrice 6y agoI think we're agreeing. A lot of people hitched their wagon to Trump as long as it was printing. His supporters attacking the US capitol means that they finally have to make a choice to either stay or cut ties so that they can be there to fill cabinet roles in a Rubio/Cotton/Cruz administration rather than a Trump Jr. one.
- chambo622 6y agoMy take is that resigning now prevents having to answer the question of supporting action under the 25th amendment.
- conception 6y ago25th amendment questions
- emdowling 6y agoFor cabinet members resigning, it helps them avoid being part of the decision to invoke (or not invoke) the 25th amendment. Betsy can say she resigned, rather than be faced with the decision to remove a President from office. So while not linked to Democrats at all (she was 2 weeks from losing her job anyway), resigning was politically safer.
- Rebelgecko 6y agoResign in the last 2 weeks of his presidency when their jobs don't really matter, make the transition process marginally more complicated by leaving, avoid having to take a stand on the 25th amendment, and they can start trying to rehabilitate their images by pretending they were shocked by the administration they've been a part of for 3.9 years
- slg 6y agoThe difference for me is that these companies are blaming it on the rhetoric of Trump and his supporters. However the rhetoric was no different on the morning of the 6th than it was before that. They are simply judging it based off the fact that the violence inciting rhetoric actually resulted in violence this time. If the rhetoric was the problem, these platforms should have acted much sooner.
- aylmao 6y ago> What difference did democrat control make to her? In her case a bigger factor is probably that Trump has also fallen off the grace of a lot of Republicans. The guy is done. He's still massively popular and a threat given his popularity amongst pretty fanatical groups of people, but as far as raw, democratic power he lost his election by a pretty decent margin, and lost the House/Senate for Republicans. A lot of people who sucked up to him and his rhetoric must be realizing it's time to suck up to someone/something else. He's always attracted an uncomfortable amount of media attention and now that he can't attract political power to remain in office he's a liability rather than an asset.
- Ericson2314 6y agoThe fact the capital got stormed has more to do with the Trumpist sympathize of the Police, then the protesters themselves. If the were a "normal" police reaction (say midway between BLM and this, like in Hong Kong), they would have never gotten inside, and this would be a non-story. Going after Trump fans is just center-left back-slapping, and all the worse because ignoring the police partisanship is extremely reckless and irresponsible. Our civil liberates will continue erode for no good reason, and our institutions will be no safer. Replace the police with something else they're not afraid to hold accountable. If there is to be a monopoly of violence, it must be held only in (small d) democratic authority.
- elefanten 6y agoThe evidence more supports the thesis that security was underprepared and blundered into this outcome rather than a conspiracy to allow it. Have you not seen the videos of officers swarmed and overwhelmed, being attacked and beaten? Are you saying the police pulled a "false flag" on themselves? Seems like a Trumpist argument.
- ModernMech 6y agoThis doesn't explain why the Governor of Maryland was prohibited from moving its troops into DC by the Pentagon while Senators were begging for backup; and why it took Pence, who was in the middle of the siege, to make the call.
- notdonspaulding 6y agoIDK anything about the pentagon, but as for why Pence's call would have more gravity than Senators is fairly obvious: he's the second-in-command of the executive branch of the government. Emergency military mobilization is much more the prerogative of the executive than the legislative branch.
- ModernMech 6y ago> IDK anything about the pentagon, but as for why Pence's call would have more gravity than Senators is fairly obvious No, what happened was the Senators called Maryland Gov Larry Hogan who has command of the MD National Guard. He mobilized his troops but he needed permission from the Pentagon to move them into DC. He didn't receive authorization for over an hour while the Capitol was being overrun. This is a separate issue from Mike Pence. This isn't about Pence vs. Senators; the question there is why wasn't Trump the one to make the call? Where was he in all of this in defending the Capitol. Reports are that he was reveling in the chaos, and making calls to Republican senators to lobby them to take more time and raise objections to the electoral certificates.
- wtf_is_up 6y agoRats jumping off the sinking ship.
- mam2 6y ago>> i think its impossible to say. Lol
- tharne 6y agoCompanies don't have morals, they have interests. You're just being realistic.
- simonswords82 6y ago...and shareholders - who must be kept happy at all times.
- iso1631 6y agoGiven that the dow jones closed at a record high while the confederate flag was flying in the capitol building, I think that shareholders are quite happy
- mhh__ 6y agoThat is true, but the chain of command for a decision like this isn't that large - in the long run a company is dominated by economics, but you still have to understand that those decisions are implemented by people.
- wtf_is_up 6y agoHistorically, that's true. However, ESG factor has taken hold and corporate leadership understands this. I suppose having positive ESG profile is still an interest. So your statement stands.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- agumonkey 6y agoI can't escape that feeling either.
- Solocomplex 6y agoIt's literally as last-minute as it gets.
- netsharc 6y agoI'd rather think these platforms suddenly realize the keyboard warriors they've been entertaining (as in, hosting) on their platforms are actually capable of carrying out brutal violence...
- matheusmoreira 6y agoIsn't it more likely that advertisers found the subreddit offensive and complained?
- mbesto 6y agoOne thing I've learned these past 4 years is that most Americans don't "care" about much until you start shitting in their backyard. Democrats or not, I think there will be an outcry of "social media did this to us" and legislation will be used to get this "behind us".
- vmchale 6y agoI think everyone's just tired of his shit.
- allsystemsgo 6y agoEveryone? Tens of millions voted for him. It was a close race.
- courtf 6y agoJust because someone votes for Trump doesn't mean they aren't sick of his incompetence/dishonesty/corruption. It just means they prefer him to the alternative.
- logicslave 6y agoHe got 70 million votes
- gremlinsinc 6y agoPoint? Biden got 7-8 million more. It's over. Him bringing EC faith into the open, actually hurts GOP for decades if the EC is removed, they'll never win again. It's been a very very long time since GOP has won popular vote. Their entire future rides or dies on the E.C. unless they can become a big tent party, and regain people who have left the party.
- logicslave 6y agoDems imported millions of immigrants whose communities always vote left. Its like an escape hatch in a democracy to win elections
- nemothekid 6y agoImmigrants can't vote. Only citizens can vote.
- davesque 6y agoIs that necessarily a cynical take on things? Seems actually pretty rational on their part to do that to avoid a potential backlash by the Trump-led government. It was probably a good play that led to a better long-term outcome.
- Shivetya 6y agoThe cynic in me says, this is why changes or repeal of section 230 is possibly dangerous in that government officials already have the big social media sites under control but don't want any one springing up who is not; control being their definition of what is fake news and such. Now an interesting consideration, for both supporters and Donald Trump himself. What happens if he is effectively locked out of all the big social media sites? Does a site which lets him on suddenly catapult to the top or does it get shouted down by pressure originating from the users who are on the sites which locked him and his supporters out? I mean we are in a unique situation where by a very public official is being locked out of his accounts because of his actions and his supporters are being similarly locked out. That has never happened before and its both awe inspiring and frightening all at once.
- cheeze 6y agoDidn't Reddit literally get called out for "reddit conspiracies" from a senator recently?
- Romanulus 6y agoIt's a terrible situation (be it any side) with such power.
- Koshkin 6y agoThat's assuming they wanted to do this all along.
- pfdietz 6y agoNot to say the bans are unwarranted (they are way late, IMO), but the bans are also great one-line arguments against 230 changes.