That’s awfully pissy of you, just in general. And I don’t want to get into a pissing match. Did I waffle? Maybe a little. And it’s true that we have some control over foreign influence in our elections. But... I think too much discussion of Russian (or Ukranian) meddling provides a convenient distraction from other…

https://splinternews.com/1838361567

yeah. i just wish people would focus more on the stuff we have more power to change. i think it’s convenient to shift the focus towards scapegoats we have little or no control over. we can’t vote Putin out - Russians can’t even really do that. we have more control over who wins (and loses) primaries and other elections…

Would statehood help? Only if we also had a president who doesn’t hate brown people? FUCK. If I had more money to spare I’d send some of it their way.

I (think I) agree - it can be very hard to gauge what effect a propaganda campaign has. There were several factors that played into getting Trump elected; maybe none of those factors alone were enough to win him the electoral college - but combined, they put him over the top. I think Russia and Putin were minor…

For some reason, I was reminded of this clip:

Have you ever seen Patrick Redford and Joe Kennedy in the same room?

i think you’re either naive, misinformed, or you’re trolling me/us. Joe Kennedy III’s twitter (or at least one of them) is @RepJoeKennedy. Pretty sure @redford is Patrick Redford’s twitter, and despite being verified, I’m guessing “former congressman” is a joke - again, along with the “Rep. Joe Kennedy III” above…

i wouldn’t go that far; i think there was a little influence (otherwise why would the “BUT HER EMAILS” meme have gained so much traction? The Comey Letter Probably Cost Clinton The Election), but i think it pales in comparison to the influence of, as I said, “other fuckery” including the DNC. And yes, I agree she was…

i’m lost. this smells ‘shopped, but i have no idea who @redford is despite the fact that they’re verified and claim to be a former congressman

McConnell is great at using the filibuster, killing stuff in committee, etc., that’s certainly true

in fairness, it’s changed some over time - in good ways and bad. but i agree, the system sucks.

well, there’s who she is, and there’s how she’s seen, and they’re often very different; it sounds like we at least agree on that

It may be closer than you think:

I vaguely remember when Pelosi was used as this “liberal bogeyman.” Republicans were using her as an example of those “out-of-touch West Coast elites” you keep hearing about - as if the Koch Brothers were just salt-of-the-earth patriotic Americans who were somehow espousing “middle-class values.”

Agreed for the most part, although I don’t think political parties are inherently dangerous. If Americans are ignorant enough that they can’t distinguish between two candidates, political parties can provide a useful shorthand. I’d like a more parliamentary system, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. But getti…

maybe, although i think we have lots of rules - and even laws - on the books that would apply, but they’re pretty irrelevant if no one’s gonna enforce them.

ok... sometimes arguments like:

I may be in the minority here, but I think Russia had little or no influence on the 2016 election. I know there’s plenty of evidence - even some proof - that Russia tried to influence the election, from Wikileaks hack of the DNC to the meeting in Trump Tower with Veselnitskaya et al. And it appears Russia hacked a…

I’m not even sure what degree the system is broken; a system only works when you use it. Or maybe it’s working more or less the way it was designed to work?