The Marjorie Taylor Greene thread.

[smartcooky]

Indeed.

This culture war clowning that MTG is doing might make libs mock her, but it is absolutely effective messaging for the reactionary base. The party is going to keep pushing harder on the message of grievance politics. It's all they really have left, and it's a proven winner for them.

Sparring with the libs over tedious culture wars issues is good politics for the right wing. It works very well to boost their voting base.

But does it though - does it boost their voting base?

The Republican/Trump base is just that, a core base percentage of the electorate made up of people who are racists, bigots, far right extremists, Qnuts and other assorted deplorables. They are either too stupid to see through Trump, or are smart enough to see through as well as to regard him as a useful idiot, or who are people with the "I'd rather be a Russian than a Democrat" mentality - unshakeable R voters who vote R no matter who is on the ticket, be it anyone from Bozo the Clown to Attila the Hun.

Is there really a significant number of undecided, independent voters out there to add to the base in order to boost its numbers? Are there any at all?

 

[TurkeysGhost]

But does it though - does it boost their voting base?

The Republican/Trump base is just that, a core base percentage of the electorate made up of people who are racists, bigots, far right extremists, Qnuts and other assorted deplorables. They are either too stupid to see through Trump, or are smart enough to see through as well as to regard him as a useful idiot, or who are people with the "I'd rather be a Russian than a Democrat" mentality - unshakeable R voters who vote R no matter who is on the ticket, be it anyone from Bozo the Clown to Attila the Hun.

Is there really a significant number of undecided, independent voters out there to add to the base in order to boost its numbers? Are there any at all?

I suspect it boosts their base more than droning on about flat tax, deregulation, trickle down economics, and all the other boring crap that the Republican party used to believe in.

Trump's popularity among the conservatives has shown that attitude is much more important than substance. Trump doesn't really seem to believe in anything at all beyond triggering the libs, and that's all that really matters anymore for these freaks.

 

[smartcooky]

I suspect it boosts their base more than droning on about flat tax, deregulation, trickle down economics, and all the other boring crap that the Republican party used to believe in.

Trump's popularity among the conservatives has shown that attitude is much more important than substance. Trump doesn't really seem to believe in anything at all beyond triggering the libs, and that's all that really matters anymore for these freaks.

All true, but it doesn't answer my question.

In order to grow a political base you either have to convince undecided people to join it, or you have to convince others to switch allegiances or you have to push moderates to become racists and bigots. These all require those people to undergo a sudden and dramatic shift of philosophy and worldview.

Is there really a big pool of people out there who are ripe to be convinced to become deplorables?

 

[TurkeysGhost]

All true, but it doesn't answer my question.

In order to grow a political base you either have to convince undecided people to join it, or you have to convince others to switch allegiances or you have to push moderates to become racists and bigots. These all require those people to undergo a sudden and dramatic shift of philosophy and worldview.

Is there really a big pool of people out there who are ripe to be convinced to become deplorables?

I think the importance of undecided voters is vastly overstated. It's about turnout as much as anything, and getting the rubes all frothed up with trans panic or whatever is as good as a motivator to vote as any.

There are plenty of CHUDs out there that are pure pieces of ****, through and through, that were too lazy to go vote. It's about overcoming that instinct of laziness, not changing minds.

 

[JoeMorgue]

I think it's... both sorta.

Yes there are a lot of "undecided" voters out there who are not totally happy with the Democrat or Republican Parties (and this includes the Progressives, Tea Partiers, and all the other various subgroups within those parties.)

But we have a winner take all, first past the post voting systems (nearly) universally so without a small number of "issues" that inform these voters what's the point?

Now obviously I can't cite exact numbers but surely there... *pulls combination out of thin air* people who a very pro-abortion but also very pro-gun ownership let's say. (And to be clear as using that as two random examples, they are hypothetical and the discussion is NOT ABOUT THOSE TWO TOPICS or anyone's ever so strong opinions about them)

You're a mainstream (or even extremist) Republican or Democrat politician. How do you reach out to that person? Gun control vs gun rights and abortion rights vs abortion restrictions are pillars of both parties. Reach out to this voter and you're cutting your own throat with a very, very many other voters.

That's the problem. The idea that everyone who is pro or anti this or that is also by default pro this or that other things. So basically only a relatively small number of people who all agree but most things form the solid core of the parties and that leaves a lot of people out.

And it leaves the only forces IN the parties with no real disagreement, so all the internal debate boils down to "Be more extreme about the stuff we already agree on" versus "No let's get more extreme about the stuff we already agree on."

 

[newyorkguy]

Truss the sience. Okay?

 

[smartcooky]

Truss the sience. Okay?

******* hilarious.

How I wish we got SNL here!

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

******* hilarious.

How I wish we got SNL here!

I watch it on Youtube. Maybe it won't be blocked for you. For whatever reason there weren't any new episodes this Sat or last but usually around the time it normally airs I can find clips one at a time. Or I just wait until Sunday. Watching it one clip at a time the whole show is available.

Like this from 2 weeks ago:

 

[smartcooky]

I watch it on Youtube. Maybe it won't be blocked for you. For whatever reason there weren't any new episodes this Sat or last but usually around the time it normally airs I can find clips one at a time. Or I just wait until Sunday. Watching it one clip at a time the whole show is available.

Like this from 2 weeks ago:

"Video Unavailable
The uploader has not made this video available in your country"


Time to get a VPN methinks!!

 

[gnome]

I think the importance of undecided voters is vastly overstated. It's about turnout as much as anything, and getting the rubes all frothed up with trans panic or whatever is as good as a motivator to vote as any.

There are plenty of CHUDs out there that are pure pieces of ****, through and through, that were too lazy to go vote. It's about overcoming that instinct of laziness, not changing minds.

Here's the thing--you don't have to get undecided to vote for you, you just have to make lots of them so cynical they stay home, so that the base you're riling up is a greater portion of the votes. This can be done by the same behavior that galvanizes the core voters, especially since you can often count on your opponents to help you make the undecideds disgusted with everyone.

 

[newyorkguy]

More sience from Marj.

Marjorie Taylor Greene @mtgreenee:
It’s been a year now that most of you have spent
your days afraid of dying.

In reality, all that has done has been to train most
of you to be afraid to live. Twitter link

Here was a good comeback posted to Marj's account.

Well, if u guys would have taken it seriously and worn
masks, social distanced, etc we wouldn’t be here with
540,000+ deaths and counting. Oh, and we’re not the
ones who need guns everywhere we go. Talk about
being afraid

 

[Bogative]

Looks like the Guamian delegation fortunaely has a sense of humor.

That is a good thing considering how close their island is to a tipping point.

 

[Norman Alexander]

That is a good thing considering how close their island is to a tipping point.

Whataboutism. Fail.

 

[Shalamar]

Whataboutism. Fail.

I think that was a reference, and thus a joke, over the comment of Guam tipping over into the ocean.

 

[Norman Alexander]

I think that was a reference, and thus a joke, over the comment of Guam tipping over into the ocean.

Indeed it was. A metaphor being used as a literal. But because it was a Democrat involved, our B-friend was making it a whataboutism.

 

[Shadowdweller]

I think that was a reference, and thus a joke, over the comment of Guam tipping over into the ocean.

Reference to Hank Johnson (D-Ga) citing ecological concerns from an EPA report in a slightly awkward manner. "Tipping point" of course is a widely used ecological concept.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-019-0797-2

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-environ-102511-084654

https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/blog/ecological-tipping-points-and-warning-signs

But the conservative echo chamber in its infinite wisdom decided that Johnson must have been speaking about the island of Guam literally tipping over. Not exactly a brilliant ploy - trying to distract from Greene's idiocy with general conservative idiocy instead.

 

[smartcooky]

Reference to Hank Johnson (D-Ga) citing ecological concerns from an EPA report in a slightly awkward manner. "Tipping point" of course is a widely used ecological concept.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-019-0797-2

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-environ-102511-084654

https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/blog/ecological-tipping-points-and-warning-signs

But the conservative echo chamber in its infinite wisdom decided that Johnson must have been speaking about the island of Guam literally tipping over. Not exactly a brilliant ploy - trying to distract from Greene's idiocy with general conservative idiocy instead.

You misspelled "collective stupidity"

 

[newyorkguy]

Reference to Hank Johnson (D-Ga) citing ecological concerns from an EPA report in a slightly awkward manner...

There's probably something else at work here too -- this comment was made ten years ago -- and that 'something else' is, Mr. Johnson is, y'know.

 

[Bogative]

There's probably something else at work here too -- this comment was made ten years ago -- and that 'something else' is, Mr. Johnson is, y'know.

A moron who thinks islands tip over?

Fact check: True.

 

[kookbreaker]

There's probably something else at work here too -- this comment was made ten years ago -- and that 'something else' is, Mr. Johnson is, y'know.

The psycho-partisans of the right cling to any such comment like Gollum and the One Ring. Their idols can make openly cruel statements or completely wrong claims (how many authoritarian righties have claimed that a woman's reproductive system shuts down when being raped?) at a constant flow and its all resolved in their liquified brainpans 'cause "Obummer sed der was 57 states one time, over twelve years ago. hurr, hurr hurr,".