Kamala Harris

[Xanthangum]

... has been selected as Joe Biden's running mate.

Important for all sorts of reasons I feel

twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1293281838337871875?s=20

[ListeningQuietly]

Fire
Baby steps
Biden is a baby step

[Iminthewrongstory]

A fun response from Randy Rainbow (if you don't know Randy's work you should.)

So far good poll numbers for her as the pick: edition.cnn.com/2020/08/16/politics/kamala-harris-polls-voters-like-pick/index.html

And an objective account of her stance on issues. Good on environment, women's issues and gun control - all important to me.

[merrymouse]

Literally all they have going for them is a veneer of respectability, scratch the surface and they are just as corrupt and self serving as Trump.

That is not true.

Most politicians are flawed, but only Trump is suggesting that its worth getting advice on covid from a doctor who thinks that endometriosis is caused by women having sex with demons.

Its difficult to know where to start or end with Trump, but he really is on another level when it comes to corruption and incomptetence.

[merrymouse]

However colour me sad that in 2020, and on a feminist board no less someone can earnestly and unironically advocate for a man stood accused of sexually abusing women

There is no alternative choice.

Not voting does not have neutral consequences.

[Iminthewrongstory]

Oops meant to include this on Kamala's stance on issues: www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2020-53770654

Just a reminder that the topic is Kamala Harris. On a feminist board, I am happy to celebrate that an accomplished woman (of colour, as well) who supports many issues that I do being chosen as the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Many woman I admire are happy and actively supporting her, such as Barbara Lee, who worked for Shirley Chisholm and who took a remarkably brave stance against the Iraq war. www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/08/kamala-harris-barbara-lee-black-women-leadership-podcast-bonus-livestream/

[Iminthewrongstory]

And yes, merrymouse, not voting is for the birds - or for people who don't care what happens or who gets hurt. Being endlessly cynical is the easiest thing in the world - trying to build something up takes work.

[merrymouse]

Many, many people will be voting Biden/Harris despite having big disagreements on policy.

It’s far more delusional to believe that Trump and his Republican Party supporters care about protecting women’s rights.

This is a man who is openly admitting that he wants to restrict funds to the postal service to influence the election in his favour and who is suggesting that he deserves to run for a 3rd term for completely made up reasons.

[merrymouse]

It is likely that any legislation created by Trump that pretends to protect women's rights won't last because

1. He doesn't care about protecting anyone's rights, even the people he claims to support
   
   
2. Neither he nor his government are competent

[JustTurtlesAllTheWayDown]

Whatever happens, no matter who you vote for whether its third party or not voting at all, ultimately it's going to be either Biden/Harris or Trump/Pence.
Sitting out or voting for a third party won't change that.
It's not about choosing the best candidate, it's about who is the least worst and who will do the least damage.
I'm not American so I dont get a vote in this but when I look at Trump, all I see is children in cages and even the trans stuff isn't worse than that.
And others have said, he'll also likely have the chance to appoint more supreme court justices. That'll do more long term damage than almost anything else, because you'll end up with a hard right supreme court for decades. I really don't think it's much of a contest, despite the Democrats flaws and stances on trans issues.

[SetYourselfOnFire]

Ben Carson got federal women's only shelters transwoman free. He didn't do it in a cruel waythey don't throw transwomen out on the streets they place them in different shelters. Biden's policy is to force all women's only crisis shelters to accept transwomen and penalize them monetarily. Yank all funding and fine them. Throw out women who object. So that's one difference where the Trump Admin is better for vulnerable women.

I think both Biden and Trump are women-hating senile sexual assaulters. I wish Harris were the candidate. I get the sense she's just lying her ass off because TRAs are making her. I think Biden is a true believer with a close AGP friend guiding his hand.

[JohnRokesmith]

@JustTurtlesAllTheWayDown

Whatever happens, no matter who you vote for whether its third party or not voting at all, ultimately it's going to be either Biden/Harris or Trump/Pence.
Sitting out or voting for a third party won't change that.
It's not about choosing the best candidate, it's about who is the least worst and who will do the least damage.
I'm not American so I dont get a vote in this but when I look at Trump, all I see is children in cages and even the trans stuff isn't worse than that.
And others have said, he'll also likely have the chance to appoint more supreme court justices. That'll do more long term damage than almost anything else, because you'll end up with a hard right supreme court for decades. I really don't think it's much of a contest, despite the Democrats flaws and stances on trans issues.

But here’s the thing; those “cages” weren’t instituted by Trump/Pence, but by the previous administration, that of Obama/Biden. Associated Press ran an article on the matter, which is definitely worth a read:

apnews.com/2663c84832a13cdd7a8233becfc7a5f3

One really significant problem is that our media sources have now become incredibly corrupted, so many events and policies are represented in a partisan manner. It becomes incredibly hard for the average voter now to distinguish the who/what/how/why of politics in the modern world.

[merrymouse]

It becomes incredibly hard for the average voter now to distinguish the who/what/how/why of politics in the modern world.

Indeed, particularly when people pretend that the two policies are comparable.

Trump is not the first US politician to put a child in a cage. He did distinguish himself by introducing a policy of putting children in cages for no apparent reason.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/live-updates/election-2020/third-democratic-debate-analysis-and-fact-checking/fact-checker-biden-on-immigration-policy/?arc404=true

"Contrary to Biden’s claim, the Obama administration did use caged enclosures beginning in 2014 to hold families apprehended along the southern border by U.S. authorities.

There is photographic evidence showing the cages in 2014. A former Homeland Security secretary under Obama, Jeh Johnson, has said “we expanded family detention … I freely admit it was controversial.”

The ACLU sued the Obama administration over this practice. “Locking up families and depriving them of their liberty in order to scare others from seeking refuge in the U.S. is inhumane and illegal,” Judy Rabinovitz, the deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said at the time.

The Trump administration also has been criticized for holding migrants in border facilities with cages. Biden was drawing a contrast between both administrations, but he erred when he said cages weren’t used under Obama.

However, Biden is on solid ground when he distinguishes Trump’s family separation policy from Obama’s. Under its zero-tolerance policy last year, the Trump administration systematically separated all migrant families apprehended at the border.

The zero-tolerance approach is worlds apart from the Obama- and George W. Bush-era policy of separating children from adults at the border only in limited circumstances, such as when officials suspected human trafficking or another kind of danger to the child or when false claims of parentage were made."

[ListeningQuietly]

The absolutely key point is that Biden / Harris
are far more likely to appoint a competent team around them

• climate change
• covid
• trade
• drugs
• rights
• arms trade

than Trump/Pence

Personally I doubt that either Biden or Harris have given a moments thought about trans rights in women's shelters
but the lobbyists around them have shouted loud
same with most other issues

therefore you vote for the team that will do the best for the country as a whole
see the forest for the trees

[BelleHathor]

Under its zero-tolerance policy last year, the Trump administration systematically separated all migrant families apprehended at the border.
That's because up to 30% of the children are unrelated to the adults that they are with. Children in Central American countries are being kidnapped in order to be Trafficked. As said in the video below the gangs that run the Trafficking rings have realised that "drugs can be sold once a human being can be sold over and over".
www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/ms-13-members-and-associates-arrested-sex-trafficking-minor
www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-border-patrol-dna-20180508-htmlstory.html
cis.org/Arthur/Fake-Family-Units-Border

m.youtube.com/watch?v=WgB-DhoORis

[JohnRokesmith]

@ListeningQuietly

The absolutely key point is that Biden / Harris
are far more likely to appoint a competent team around them

• climate change
• covid
• trade
• drugs
• rights
• arms trade

than Trump/Pence

Personally I doubt that either Biden or Harris have given a moments thought about trans rights in women's shelters
but the lobbyists around them have shouted loud
same with most other issues

therefore you vote for the team that will do the best for the country as a whole
see the forest for the trees

I think people believe this in much the same way that Kamala Harris believes that transwomen are women.

In reality, with most of these issues there would be very little difference. Take drugs, for instance; Trump has been in office during the most widespread decriminalisation of drugs in American history, with California, Massachusetts, and Illinois decriminalising cannabis in the last four years. The presidency could effectively veto this by the strict enforcement of federal drugs law, but has chosen not to. It is unlikely that the election of Clinton in 2016 would have led to significantly different results.

And this is not to say that the election of Biden/Harris this year would be much different from the re-election of Trump/Pence. I expect with Biden we would see a more significant shift to internationalism, with a reversion to the normalisation of relations with Iran, and greater participation with international bodies, such as the WHO. Nevertheless, in domestic terms, I don't think that there will be a significant effect on the lives of most Americans regardless of who gets elected.

[merrymouse]

Nevertheless, in domestic terms, I don't think that there will be a significant effect on the lives of most Americans regardless of who gets elected.

Obviously structure of US government means that the States have a lot of legislative power, and, compared to a parliamentary system, its often difficult to pass legislation at a federal level.

However, I don't think the US can survive 4 more years of a president who endorses Q-anon, won't criticise Putin and has no interest in the job of government. It's true that Trump often doesn't follow through on his threats, but the lack of a competent US head of state affects everyone in the world.

[Floisme]

I'm not American but it seems to me that, if citizens of one of the largest democracies on earth are effectively having to choose between 2 candidates who, in their own ways, are both bad for women, then that's massive.

This should concern us all and I don't think it's good enough to keep telling us that one is the lesser of two evils. It feels like an important conversation is getting closed down and that's not right. We need to talk about this and how it came to be such a mess. If Democratic supporters don't like it then as far as I'm concerned, that's tough.

[ListeningQuietly]

Trump has deliberately emasculated the State department - bad for the USA, bad for the world.

Trump has pulled the USA out of the Paris Accord and wants to pull it out of the WHO - bad for the USA, bad for the world

Trumps campaign team included a Russian spy - bad for the USA, bad for the world.

I'm not sure how you define "bad for women" separately to the fact that Trump is bad for everybody.

Forest for the trees and all that.

Voters have to vote for the best candidate on the ballot
not abdicate responsibility by sulking at home.

[Floisme]

Yes so you have said.

I'm not sure how you define "bad for women" separately to the fact that Trump is bad for everybody.
Because on a feminist board we discuss how things specifically impact women.

[ListeningQuietly]

Floisme
Trump is bad for women because he will be bad for EVERYBODY.
Therefore any sane registered US voter
particularly those in marginal states
will vote Biden

who can then be leaned on to understand biology

[Floisme]

No need to shout. We can all hear you.

I am not a US voter - already said so. As I have already said, I would like to talk about how the self-styled greatest democracy on earth has ended up giving its citizens such an abysmal choice. Is that ok with you?

[ListeningQuietly]

I would like to talk about how the self-styled greatest democracy on earth has ended up giving its citizens such an abysmal choice
That one is easy.
The Democratic party embraced identity politics
without realising it was being played by the right
and fell into a rabbit hole of biological denial.

Biden is the stopgap
who will hopefully give us all time for the trans bubble to pop and stick gum all over their faces

PS
America's democracy is one of the weakest of the lot

• gerrymandering
• racist voter suppression
• exclusion of the poor
• incredibly low turnouts

And Trump likes it that way
so he has to go
and take his Russian paymasters with him

[Floisme]

I don't think any of it is 'easy'.

I think there's a lot to think about and I don't like being told we shouldn't be discussing it - which is how you are coming across, whether intentionally or not.

[merrymouse]

As I have already said, I would like to talk about how the self-styled greatest democracy on earth has ended up giving its citizens such an abysmal choice.

Well as I said before - its not as though they have exactly led the way when it comes to equality.

Of course men have an advantage in a country that doesn't really accept concepts that we take for granted like universal health care and birth control.