A good in-depth discussion of media bias in political reporting, or why is it that Biden voters are encouraged to understand an empathize with Trump voters but Trump voters are never asked to understand Biden voters?

  • Introversion@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    As a liberal, I don’t need to idolize my president. I don’t want to have a beer with them. I don’t buy Democratic President merch.

    I do want them to be competent. I do want them to respect the rule of law. I do want them to be truthful though I understand politics means they sometimes aren’t. I want them to govern for the good of all, even conservatives that didn’t vote for them. I want them to respect history and science, rather than spouting bullshit conspiracy theories with zero basis in fact.

    By those criteria, Biden has been as good a president as I could hope for.

    Trumpers just seem to care that Trump hates the people they hate. They seem to love the bullshit he spouts; the endless lies, the conspiracy theory nonsense, all of it.

    I think I understand Trumpers well enough, without reaching out and trying to understand their point of view. If they could coherently form complete sentences that didn’t involve regurgitating Trump lies or rightwing media conspiracy nonsense, I might try — but they can’t and don’t, so it’s a waste of time. Two groups who can’t agree on the difference between up and down might as well be speaking different languages, so, just no.

    • cogman@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s more basic than he hates the right people. Trumpets love trump because he’s a bully. He makes people upset.

      That’s just how authoritarians work. The reason the other Republicans are failing at the primary is they all appear weak. To ACTUALLY take down Trump, a Republican candidate needs to out bully him. They need to call him an orange asswipe.

      But they won’t because that will upset trumpets. And that’s why they are doomed to lose the primary. Trump can call their wives ugly and they’ll just take it for fear of upsetting his mob.

    • Arsenal4ever@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      If you love a politician, you are in a cult. I voted for Joe Biden but I think he’s basically a Republican, and wish the democratic party would field a candidate who is better. But this is politics. You don’t trow up your hands like a baby and demand better, you work with what you have.

      • yukon0@lemmynsfw.com
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        1 year ago

        That and the narrative of “lesser of two evils” creates a race to the bottom. We have Biden because there’s no real incentive to get good candidates, when all we have to do is find one mildly less shitty than the alternative.

        • ramble81@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Sanders tried that but until we dissolve the DNC (and for that matter the RNC), technically those picks will always occur by a pair of privately managed entities.

          • rifugee@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Privately managed entities? They’re organizations literally made up of elected officials. In some states, voters directly elect their states members, as in anyone can run to be a member, and in others the members are chosen by other elected officials. Either way, there isn’t anything private about it.

            • ramble81@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              Might want to read this. This is what I was getting at that there’s no public accountability in a supposedly public process.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Updooting for “the Liberal attitude toward democracy oliticians”, but I really would have liked to have a beer with Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In addition to being good national leaders, they appeared to be good people to know socially

      • rifugee@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I’d like to be at a dinner with the Obama’s and the Bush’s because I think the conversation would be fascinating and likely hilarious. I think that you can disagree with Bush’s politics and think he was a terrible president but still recognize that he isn’t a total asshole of a person.

    • davi@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      … I want them to govern for the good of all, even conservatives that didn’t vote for them. I want them to respect history and science, rather than spouting bullshit conspiracy theories with zero basis in fact.

      By those criteria, Biden has been as good a president as I could hope for.

      here’s an article going over biden spouting bullshit conspiracy theories with zero basis in fact and providing shitty governance for lgbtq people by singling them out for political gain: https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-1973-gay-federal-employees-security-risk-frank-camp.

      there are many more examples from in his 2020 campaign that prove biden’s a shitty establishment politician that still stands by his bullshit racist, homophobic, and classicist conspiracy beliefs to this day.

      trumpers are no different than you; they’re simply operating w a different style of ignorance.

      • MacGuffin94@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        An article about someone’s opinions from 50 years ago is not a valid criticism when those opinions have adapted with time. This is just like arguing that Republicans don’t have racist policies since Lincoln abolished slavery. Could Biden do more to be more progressive yes but this is not a good argument for that stance.

        • davi@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          he still stands by this decision and defended it during his 2020 campaign.

          • MacGuffin94@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Then link that article. Sodomy laws are in the books in most states into the early 2000s, being an LGBTQ ally in the 70s was rare. Growth and allyship now are much more important than being bigoted 50 years ago. Personal growth and improvement is a cornerstone of progressive ideology. I will always have patience for people who are trying to improve and understand and that means that some people are going to be starting the journey at a dark place.

            • davi@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              these engagements always go the same way, so here’s a copy/paste from somewhere else:

              since you’re clearly digging in your heels; i’m going to try to undercut your next arguments since they are always the same three from the deeply ignorant liberal crowd:

              • biden recently defended his decisions on all three [DOMA; don’t ask, don’t tell; undischargable student loan debt] plus multiple more shitty decisions; so it doesn’t matter how long ago he said it or made those laws.
              • biden refused to change his mind all the way up until his presidential campaign and has a solid history of changing his mind but only once it becomes politically convenient for him; so he didn’t “evolve” or get better, he just knows that trump is weaker on this topic and uses your ignorance about his past of truly horrific anti-lgbtq/black/poor history to get your vote.

              Additionally: no, dunking on gays for easy politically points in the past wasn’t popular, many politicians (eg bernie sanders) never did it.

              • his beliefs are the reason why he’s not bothering to improve anything, especially on the student loan debt. also: yes there are many things he can do even though congress is trying to block him; but he won’t do it no matter what. (google these too)
              • MacGuffin94@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                My guy you still haven’t answered the question. All I said was to just show me the recent article to back up your claim. You made a specific statement now show me the receipts. Don’t tell me a bunch of tangentially related, unsubstantiated statements then end with telling me to do my research.

                • davi@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  you’re steering the conversation away from the matter at hand; sodomly laws have little to do w what i said.

              • phillaholic@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                solid history of changing his mind but only once it becomes politically convenient for him

                I love this argument. You mean to tell me he only changed his mind when coincidentally so did a majority of other Americans?!?! What a fucking scandal. Have you gone to the papers?

                • davi@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  phillaholic 6•

                  solid history of changing his mind but only once it becomes politically convenient for him
                  

                  I love this argument. You mean to tell me he only changed his mind when coincidentally so did a majority of other Americans?!?! What a fucking scandal. Have you gone to the papers?

                  by that same logic trump is just as good because he too changed his mind when he ran for president.

      • Arsenal4ever@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Here is an article by a billionaire funded website that offered $50 million to Stephen Crowder explaining that Biden is bad.

        [checks notes]

        Seems legit. I mean, how could it not be?

          • Arsenal4ever@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Which argument? I think Joe Biden is a Republican, but he isn’t a fascist. Biden is responsible for Clarence Thomas, the Crime Bill, and most of the wars in the middle east. He was anti-gay marriage, and probably still is being an old grandpa who palled around with white nationalists.

            He promised to not drill on public lands, and then opened up public lands for drilling! But he did invest the most ever in climate crisis. So I guess he doesn’t suck?)

            He sucks. But he isn’t trying to destroy America from within. So there’s my vote. A guy who legit sucks or a fascist who has promised to use the DOJ to hunt down his enemies. Who has promised to take over elections and find votes. Who lies like he breaths because lying is the tactic of a bully.

            It is the difference between getting shot in the face or getting punched in the face. I don’t want either, but if you make me pick, I’ll bloody well take getting punched.

          • btaf45@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Here’s another one that shows that your thought process is heavily flawed:

            “Joe Biden is a friend of mine”. – Bernie Sanders

      • btaf45@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Biden rules dude. Take your Trump trash paid for by billionaire elites to trick you into giving them gigantic tax cuts and GTFO

        “Joe Biden is a friend of mine”. – Bernie Sanders