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comment by usualgerman
usualgerman  ·  978 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Delta Variant

I'm a lot more pessimistic than you.

The GOP is running the political equivalent of prevent defense. Just like in 2008, they have the game plan of standing against anything the democrats want to do. They're going to make very good use of the filibuster that the democrats failed to do anything about. Our courts are packed with John Birch society vetted conservatives, which effectively means that a lot of legislation, provided that it actually gets past the Senate Filibuster, will be dead the minute it hits the courts. As far as democrats getting elected, I'm doubtful of this especially in the senate and the whitehouse. Reading the new voting laws that the GOP are putting in for the states they control, it's easy for them to manipulate the system to win no matter what the general public actually wants. I say this with a heavy heart, but I don't think our pseudo-democratic system is going to let the plebs get anything they want or need. No loan relief, no minimum wage increase, no infrastructure, and definitely no green new deal. To be blunt, anyone who still thinks the government will do anything for the plebs is willfully blind. We are on our own, for the most part.

Preview of coming attractions: the Attorney General of MO is suing to prevent a mask mandate. I don't think lockdowns are remotely on the table here. And again, I m telling you, if you're vulnerable, you need to figure it out yourself because there's no bailouts or lockdowns coming that I can see in the future. And those cities and states that try will be heavily resisted because everyone understands now that they'll lose a year of income and get $1400 with only a moratorium on payments of their rapidly expanding debt. That's if (as happened last summer) local cops don't simply announce that they have no intention of actually enforcing those mandates. If you want a real lockdown, you'll need the National Guard.





kleinbl00  ·  977 days ago  ·  link  ·  

"Motive, means, opportunity", my friend.

We both agree that the GOP's motive is craven, inhuman and unhelpful. Where we differ is means and opportunity. I agree with you as to what the Republicans want to do. Means? They're too busy spooling up about Mr. Potato Head. Tucker Carlson is currently at war with... Fox News. The general Republican response is to try and pin January 6th on the Democrats, which will definitely work with some people but let's be honest - they're unreachable by reason.

Opportunity? The Republican Party has become a party in exile, a force arrayed entirely and completely around a bored demagogue easily baited by Tom Brady.

And really - the economic locus of the country is vaccinated. The productive centers are inconvenienced by a mask mandate. No, there will be no further lockdowns. They're unnecessary for the vaccinated and the vaccines are abundant and free. The Republicans are big on whipping out Nazi imagery without realizing they're painting a picture whereby Anne Frank gets to flee the attic in exchange for two injections. We encountered this just yesterday - a friend who we assumed had been vaccinated is now quarantining for two weeks because lo and behold that cough is COVID. If I could sum up our professional experience of the past three weeks it would be "well shit looks like you can catch COVID after all."

Motive, Means, Opportunity. The forces of fascism definitely wanna be fascist. But they took their shot and got bupkis.