don't forget entering trade wars. he got that done......

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Trade wars are easy. He won them. Bigly.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

That’s because they’re easy.

The real difference is that you are time and time again ignoring real-life failings of the present POTUS, and eleveating hypothetical fears to same level as reality. When forced to make any judgment about POTUS, you engage in obvious false equivalences to rationalize your decision to not consider his falings.

Every point that you raise is primarily an attack to win the upcoming election. Witness your favorite "47-year politician". Are you interesting in proving that a life-long public servant is truly evil? Not really, you are satisfied that "politican" is enough condemnation. The more particular attack is that he "hasn't done anything in 47 years" (except for a handful of policies that you specifically cull to attack him further). Of course, you are endlessly arguing with yourself. You are "appalled" that he has not passed very much (careful not to cast any blame for gridlock on your side!), yet you are more appalled by the possiblity that he could pass a great deal of legislation. Scratch the surface of your talking points, and their integrity vanishes to reaveal that they only exist to mount an attack, and they lack any internal logical consistency. That is totally fine, that is what partisn attacks are for, they are perfectly logical in their goal of attacking the other side. That is the only logic that they require.

i think two things are clear from this exchange:

1. that jharris is a more civil, less caustic, version of amstel. nice guy. but it was always a fiction that he was anything but a trump devotee.

2. jharris is a good enough man that he knew that if he took a square look at trump's assault on our democratic institutions, it would have caused him some real trouble. so he avoided it wholly. trump's narratives make you feel good.

that's what ethnic nationalism does. it feels good. it resonates. civilization is plastic surgery on mankind. but ugly, as they say, is to the bone. jharris has had his brain stem tickled, and an assault on democracy can't compete with that.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

My wife and I have been talking about this. This is Trump's most useful skill. He has done it his whole life. He can't get everyone. There are a whole lot of people that see or hear him and are immediately turned off. But there are enough people he has gotten what he wants.

In business there are a lot of people who would never come close to him, banks who would never loan him money, vendors who would either not do business or make sure they were paid up front. But he could always find someone.

In the primaries he was sitting at 30% of Republicans. But in a crowded field that was enough. And that 30% were enthralled. Then in the general election who else would Republicans vote for? Hillary? No way. So he got what he wanted.

What I have not completely decided is how my neighbors are so susceptible. I live in north central rural Ohio. My county went 72.4 - 22.9 for Trump. They have nothing in common with him. They are 55th of 88 counties in per capita income. Household income is $49,891/year. No large towns, mostly farmland. So the trade war with China that crushed grain prices hit them hard, but they didn't care. These are guys who do things and make things, something Trump has never done.

But man he can reach into their brains and tickle the right buttons. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and ascribe it to only the best intentions, but I am not naive.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

This. You can respect a person, but not respect all of their opinions. We probably need some kind of civic based emotional education in this country.

Republicans don't actually need to do anything as long as they stop Democrats from doing something. It really is that simple. Hell, Republicans even get a pass on doing things they accuse the Democrats of wanting to do, like blow up the national debt through carefully selected socialist programs. Your neighborhood farmers are one of the biggest recipients of those. The boogeyman is real. We've been taught to be fearful of them from the time we could walk and talk. It's a powerful tool that doesn't require any validation other than they bad, we good.

Biden is great. He's the best candidate standing. He's not banana republic Donald, and he's not a radicalized hater.
We don't need someone at the peak of health, vigor, and effectiveness. This is the government we're talking about here.
Just give me someone with real life experience, real political experience, that loves this country, and isn't a douchebag.
The remaining ~330 million will pick up the slack.

I grew up on a farm. As did my dad and his dad and presumably every dad in the lineage before that. Apparently we have those good genes Trump likes to talk about because we aren't susceptible to his charms. Hell, I'm even mostly German, he might have a point.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

Ahh yes, Germans famous for not falling for charismatic leaders that blame a countries problems on boogeymen.

I'm so German my mom's grandfather and dad ran a brewery in Defiance, OH. My dad's family grew up around a small town in NW Ohio named New Bavaria. There is a little French thrown in so we do give up every now and then, Bouvier to be exact. Yes that Bouvier. Jackie was like 4th - 6th cousin, can't remember exactly. I didn't even get a Christmas card.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

Don’t take it too hard, many people are saying that hating Christmas is a tradition among First Ladies.

Dangit. Trying to post a gif but link to file won't work and it is too big to upload.

Pro tip: open in Paint and resize appropriately. Usually 50 will do, but sometimes 25 is necessary.

That was easy. Thanks.

Apparently not. Now it isn't animated. I give up.