this isn't an exaggeration either

Actually it's pretty much the same now as it was then, as those people were also demonized and put in concentration camps to die as well. The Nazis made them were pink triangle patches, like Jews had to wear yellow stars (of David).

Not to minimize the shameful and particular dehumanizing of trans people, but. Let's realize we're all in this boat together.

They're labeling all Democrats, period, as pedophiles and baby-killers with extremist rhetoric tracking with same kind of blood libel that was used to smear Jews and justify pogroms against them for centuries. That's what QAnon is, in a nutshell. Modernized blood libel. Even the "pro-life" movement is that, in their insistence that a 1/2-day old fertilized egg that the woman doesn't even know exists yet is a "baby."

I'm a straight white man who's college educated, married, and makes a good living, and no, even I don't feel particularly safe right now. Not when trans people, gay people, black people, immigrants, women, everyone is being demonized and actually losing tangible rights.

The Great Reset too. Refrains about the onset of Globalism, Socialism, Communism, Liberalism, Leftism - these are all anti-Semitic dog whistles going back to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and prior. Even the Civil Rights movement was claimed by Right Wingers to be a Communist/Zionist plot, and that they pose as progressives and enlist others for the nefarious purpose of pushing their agenda incognito.

btw, I still owe you a reply for a long one from last week...

Yeah, two can play at that game. Anybody who dares go against the leftist narrative is a racist sexist homophobic transphobic xenophobic fascist Nazi magat insurrectionist Russian agent who’s in the Maga cult, and I seem to recall leftists calling conservatives groomers long before conservatives started saying it back. Quit playing the victim and acknowledge the fact that you and your side have been contributing to the hyperpolarizing rhetoric you seem to be so worried about here just as much if not way more than the right has.

I haven’t yet squared the circle of figuring out how to honestly describe the Republican Party’s extremist trajectory over the past decade or so without using forceful language.

Example: Trump’s “Birtherism.” One of his first crimes against the decency of our Republic, and for that very reason, something that put him on the map for the GOP base. I don’t know how to accurately describe it other than as bigoted conspiratorial trash that has no place in modern society, let alone of a Presidential candidate, and that anyone stupid enough to believe in that crap and in every other wild-eyed conspiracy Trump has pushed since then is an uneducated mountain hick. Like I said, haven’t figured out how to be polite about that one. Still working on it!

The Right doth protest too much. Being accused of racism has simply become an occupational hazard for anyone who who is a politician, or who comments on politics, period. Right or Left. I’ve been called racist many times for supporting Black Lives Matter. Lol. Who cares anymore? The Right have become huge fans of unfounded accusations of racism and sexism. They cynically think it’s just a cudgel for gaining power and manipulating people rather than a way to describe real attitudes.

But sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia — these are still real things! And if the occupational hazard of calling a racist a racist is to be called a racist by that racist, that’s something I can live with.

I agree with you that Trump pushing the birtherism stuff was out of line, especially back in 2012 when most of that was occuring. It did nothing to help advance any cause to better this country. That being said, your side has been pushing the conspiracy theory that Donald Trump is a Russian asset and that Russia stole the 2016 election, and the lie that Trump called white supremacists "very fine people", as well as the absolute lie that Trump planned an insurrection against the US. I won't say the right has never pushed any conspiracy theory ever, but if you think the left has never pushed any conspiracy theories, you're either misinformed at best or downright lying at worst.

"They cynically think it’s just a cudgel for gaining power and manipulating people rather than a way to describe real attitudes."

Lol, that's kinda what happens when you on the left use unfounded accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc... as a cudgel against your political enemies to gain and maintain power. Joe Biden and many other Democrats can say all the racist stuff they want and you all don't bat an eye, but if Ron DeSantis says teachers have to keep parents in the loop about what they're teaching kids, you act like he's the second coming of Hitler. If you were genuinely calling out actual racists in good faith, I and many other conservatives would stand alongside you and call them out, but your side almost never does that.

"And if the occupational hazard of calling a racist a racist is to be called a racist by that racist, that’s something I can live with."

I have a feeling you would have a very different reaction if someone went to your boss and accused you of being a racist to get you fired, as the left is so fond of doing.

At risk of stating the obvious, Racism is Bad. And if someone is being racist on the job, that is Also Bad. The traditional remedy for that is, and has been since long before #CancelCulture was a thing, in fact, to fire that employee as retaining him or her would violate Equal Opportunity Laws.

With a nudge from the law, but for other reasons as well, most companies have concluded racism is bad for business. And I can’t regard the social shunning of racists as anything but good.

Where’s the evidence that average folks are being framed and losing their jobs left and right over unfounded accusations of racism because somebody has some political axe to grind against them? I really just don’t see it.

Yeah, Joe Biden’s not immune when Joe Biden said that cringey “you ain’t black” stuff most of us acknowledged it, called him out, and Biden did something remarkable… he apologized.

Apologized!

Admitting fault these days is increasingly viewed as political suicide, but I think apologies ought to count for something, and in fact ought to count in your favor. Nobody is 100% perfect 100% of the time, especially when cameras and microphones are following you around 24/7. Apologies acknowledge that and provide a way to lower the temperature and make a teachable moment.

Biden is a dinosaur and also a gaffe machine, that much is clear, but I don’t doubt for a second that the VP to the first-ever African-American President — and the selector of the first-ever African-American VP, and of the most racially diverse Cabinet ever — means well.

Those are all certainly mitigating factors, and when you stack these rare and uncharacteristic examples of cringey Biden talk up against the mountain of Trump’s vicious speech, it’s no contest.

I’m not talking about DeSantis primarily, from what I know he’s a bit more polished, but I do think his dragging of schools and teachers into these culture wars over LGBTQ and such is pretty despicable, and I seriously doubt “protecting kids” is the true objective. Interested to see where he lands on all this abortion stuff as the Governor of a purple-ish state.

Cancel culture in the workplace exists. Many people I know have to walk on eggshells because if they ever say something someone doesn't like, or god forbid come out as a Trump supporter, some overzealous leftist will try and get them fired. HURR DURR, dAT mUSt MEeN u KnoW A tOn OF RaYYYCiztS!!! Literally nobody I know is a racist, they just don't want to lose their jobs because you all in the mob have your panties in a bunch.

"Yeah, Joe Biden’s not immune when Joe Biden said that cringey “you ain’t black” stuff most of us acknowledged it, called him out, and Biden did something remarkable… he apologized. Apologized!"

Yeah, cetacean needed for that one.

"Biden is a dinosaur and also a gaffe machine, that much is clear, but I don’t doubt for a second that the VP to the first-ever African-American President — and the selector of the first-ever African-American VP, and of the most racially diverse Cabinet ever — means well."

The only thing Joe Biden means well to is his wallet, just ask Hunter how much "the big guy" gets. The man you chose for President began his campaign on a lie, has been the most racist individual elected to the presidency since Woodrow Wilson, and has made almost every facet of life worse for the average person. Seriously, name three thrings Joe has done to improve the lives of average Americans. You honestly can't do it.

"Those are all certainly mitigating factors, and when you stack these rare and uncharacteristic examples of cringey Biden talk up against the mountain of Trump’s vicious speech, it’s no contest."

Umm, are you aware of what the word rare means? Because the rate of Biden saying racist things and pure nonsense is a helluva lot more than rare. And as for Trump... https://i.imgflip.com/6nw07b.jpg

KKKomunist Kenya*

"the absolute lie that Trump planned an insurrection against the US."

The January 6th Committee has proved that debateably almost beyond a reasonable doubt. To call it an "absolute lie" is itself a lie.

Trump literally told his supporters to go and peacefully protest. Emphasis on the word "peacefully".

Show me where Donald Trump told his supporters to riot at the Capitol

Except that it wasn't a lie. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania both have been proven in a court of law that there were illegalities in their elections. Wisconsin was collecting absentee ballots in an illegal manner and a Pennsylvania court has already ruled that the mail in voting law enacted in 2019 is unconstitutional. Is it enough to prove Trump would have won the election? No, far from it, but it is enough to prove there were shenanigans afoot and that 2020 was far from the most free, fair, and secure election ever as leftists like to claim.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/wisconsin-supreme-court-outlaws-ballot-drop-boxes-elections-2022-07-08/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/us/politics/wisconsin-drop-boxes.html

https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/gop-lawmakers-celebrate-act-77-ruling-though-whats-next-is-unclear/

Even if you still disagree with me and think 2016 was stolen and 2020 wasn't, there is no denying the fact that there is not faith in our elections anymore. We all know that if Trump gets into the White House again, we're going to hear for another 4 years about how 2024 was stolen.

After four years of Democrats screeching that the 2016 election was stolen and seeing all the shenanigans that occured in the 2020 election without any sort of investigation, yeah people were worked up, as they should have been. Trump still never ordered an insurrection or told them to riot though.

They didn’t watch the second impeachment, nor would they care to listen to it all

🙄
I've been keeping a disgusted eye on trump since the late 80s/early 90s. He's always lied and talked out both sides of his mouth. I don’t take what he says for public consumption and plausible deniability as being the same as what he tells his mob lieutenants.

Former politicsTOO mod Crankyhead and other politifake users targeted a bunch of conservative users, Presidents stream users, and Community Mods making up groomer accusations when Cranky started getting into trouble for harassing people and alt abuse.

Well I hope Crankyhead and his followers were all banned.

Conservative ≠ Republican

Your point?

That many justified criticisms of Republicans do not reflect on principled, good-faith conservatives.

In that case, I agree with you

"But to what extent?"

Did you read the links?

"Wasn't it Trump's own administration that said that?"

https://i.imgflip.com/6nwnv4.jpg

You should be able to sign up and continue with your email address, I don't pay a penny for NYT.

Half the stream is complaining about how bad white people are, so yeah, I’m not giving you a platform to promote your racism in any of my streams.