What did Democrats do wrong?

[theprestige]

The lack of evidence is the evidence?

The lack of evidence is not evidence of lack.

 

[Reformed Offlian]

The lack of evidence is not evidence of lack.

But it is lack of evidence, which raises the question of why one would contend for stuff for which there is no evidence.

The proposition that there is rampant fraud, waste, and abuse in the government is not a default position.

 

[johnny karate]

The lack of evidence is not evidence of lack.

Embarrassingly pathetic.

 

[Hercules56]

If only the people responsible for gathering and publishing the evidence didn't have a vested interest in not doing so.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. No evidence means it didn't happen.

The End.

 

[Donal]

The lack of evidence is not evidence of lack.

You put yourself in the company of Donald Rumsfeld and 9/11 Truthers. Do you think we should take you seriously?

 

[theprestige]

You put yourself in the company of Donald Rumsfeld and 9/11 Truthers. Do you think we should take you seriously?

You put me in that company, even though I don't belong there. And yes, of course I think you should take me seriously.

 

[theprestige]

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

I'm pretty sure "politicians are by and large corrupt and scheming" is an entirely ordinary claim.

 

[Donal]

is this where we apply the Law of Conservative Projection?

 

[Reformed Offlian]

I'm pretty sure "politicians are by and large corrupt and scheming" is an entirely ordinary claim.

But we aren't talking about politicians. We are talking about civil servants.

 

[Random]

It's easy to fall into the "waste, fraud, and abuse" mindset. The right wing has been hammering home the message that there is enormous amounts of waste, fraud and abuse in government for decades. Would Republicans say something over and over again like that if it wasn't true?

Of course, yes, there is waste, fraud and abuse in US Federal Spending. There almost always is in any kind of large organization. But is there hundreds of billions of dollars of the stuff just laying around, waiting to be picked up by a clever deficit-cutter? No. Take a look at pretty much any "list of government waste" and you will probably find a few things on the list that you actually think are worthwhile, or could at least see the point of (they are usually small potatoes as well, not even making up a tiny fraction of Federal spending).

If you genuinely believe that a particular project is a waste of Federal resources, and someone else genuinely believes that it is worthwhile, that is not really "waste". That is a policy dispute.

 

[dirtywick]

But we aren't talking about politicians. We are talking about civil servants.

we are talking about a group of guys that have all, in various capacities, committed actual fraud telling you these civil servants are the ones committing fraud. while they strip back regulations and strip down the government of the means of investigating fraud.

this is indefensible behavior.

 

[thaiboxerken]

It's like voter fraud.

The Republicans claim that it is widespread, extensive and exclusively committed by Democrats.

When it's investigated, it turns out to be rare, small scale and largely committed by Republicans.

Regardless, measures are put in place to prevent it which has no effect on the fraud (because it's mostly absent) but does further Republican objectives in other areas.

Not only do those measures not prevent nonexistent things, but it also weirdly has a bonus of disenfranchising brown people.

 

[thaiboxerken]

The lack of evidence is the evidence?

A good conspiracy theory always has explanations for why there is no evidence to support the conspiracy theory.

 

[Hercules56]

You put me in that company, even though I don't belong there. And yes, of course I think you should take me seriously.

Claiming we should believe something extraordinary without any evidence to support it, is indeed in the realm of 9-11 Truthers. You kinda did this to yourself.

 

[Hercules56]

I'm pretty sure "politicians are by and large corrupt and scheming" is an entirely ordinary claim.

Paranoid baseless speculation is not evidence. Its nonsense.

 

[johnny karate]

I'm pretty sure "politicians are by and large corrupt and scheming" is an entirely ordinary claim.

It is unclear why you pivoted to a completely different claim.

 

[thaiboxerken]

Paranoid baseless speculation is not evidence. Its nonsense.

It is nonsense that many, if not most, people believe. However, so is the belief that there is a god. Popular nonsense is still nonsense.

 

[theprestige]

Paranoid baseless speculation is not evidence. Its nonsense.

I think we have ample basis to think politicians are corrupt and scheming

 

[thaiboxerken]

I think we have ample basis to think politicians are corrupt and scheming

Which ones? How many? What percentage? What is the basis?

 

[johnny karate]

I think we have ample basis to think politicians are corrupt and scheming

Your generalized claims about a different topic continue to not address the specific topic being discussed.

Here, I'll repost it for you:

well there’s supposedly trillions of dollars of it. it would be pervasive and everywhere, the evidence would be overwhelming and obvious.