I traditionally have a thread heading to the election, here we go.

Get out the popcorn for this one.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to formally announce next week he is running for president in 2024, NBC News reported Thursday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The governor's official entry into the Republican primary field will put him head-to-head with former President Donald Trump, the party's current frontrunner for the nomination. Trump has already spent months treating DeSantis as his primary campaign rival, thrashing him with torrents of criticism over his gubernatorial record, his political skills and his personality.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/18/desantis-plans-to-officially-announce-presidential-run-next-week.html

subee said:

They are afraid that the opposition will bring guns to march in front of their houses after they dox them.

I think this is a bigger problem than we think. Intimidation is a very effective dominance display.

heron said:

I think this is a bigger problem than we think. Intimidation is a very effective dominance display.

I know for sure that I would never run for office in a country where there are more guns than people....I just read about 12 guns per person.  Now, even  if that figure were 50% incorrect, we'd only have 6 guns per person.  Not such a big difference since one can't shoot 12 guns at a time.  I thought about running for local office but we had second thoughts very quickly, especially being a minority in town in a state where the legislature takes a week off to go hunting:)

heron said:

I think this is a bigger problem than we think. Intimidation is a very effective dominance display.

We got a real time look at the use of threats and intimidation during the recent SOTH campaigns and votes.  Such tactics are now relatively commonplace in GOP politics, it appears.  While violence is deeply rooted in our American culture and society, hateful and violent rhetoric has an elevated position in republican discourse.  

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-some-members-of-the-republican-party-have-normalized-the-use-of-violent-rhetoric

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3704566-violent-rhetoric-is-making-america-a-dangerous-place/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/202211/does-violent-political-rhetoric-lead-real-violence

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Faced with the facts that violent political rhetoric on the right has become an all-too-common reality, what about the claim that it's only that—rhetorical speech that just amounts to harmless metaphor? There's good reason to recognize that that isn't true. Indeed, for over a decade now, Louisiana State University political science professor Nathan Kalmoe has been warning us that violent political rhetoric—even when it's metaphorical like when we talk about political "fights,” "battles,” and "wars”—can not only further fuel anger and political polarization but also pave a path to real aggression and violence.1,2

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The bright line connecting violent political rhetoric and the potential for real violence is impossible to ignore. As violent rhetoric has increased, so too has support for political violence. While polls from 2010 found that only about 16 percent of Americans condoned political violence under certain circumstances, that proportion rose to 23 percent in 2015 and peaked at 34 to 40 percent between 2020 and 2022.3,4 With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that in an act unprecedented in American history, an angry mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in 2021 looking for Pelosi and other political leaders while chanting "Hang Mike Pence!”

 

We are encouraged to ignore that bright line that connects hateful, divisive and increasingly violent rhetoric. We should ask why we are supposed to ignore the dangerous rhetoric.

 

toomuchbaloney said:

We got a real time look at the use of threats and intimidation during the recent SOTH campaigns and votes.  Such tactics are now relatively commonplace in GOP politics, it appears.  While violence is deeply rooted in our American culture and society, hateful and violent rhetoric has an elevated position in republican discourse.  

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-some-members-of-the-republican-party-have-normalized-the-use-of-violent-rhetoric

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3704566-violent-rhetoric-is-making-america-a-dangerous-place/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/202211/does-violent-political-rhetoric-lead-real-violence

We are encouraged to ignore that bright line that connects hateful, divisive and increasingly violent rhetoric. We should ask why we are supposed to ignore the dangerous rhetoric.

 

It's violence of the tongue which, not to far back, was just giving a verbal finger between two people.  It's evolved into the realm of physical violence plus constant intimidation.  Now, will AI make this better or worst?  I dread the future.

subee said:

It's violence of the tongue which, not to far back, was just giving a verbal finger between two people.  It's evolved into the realm of physical violence plus constant intimidation.  Now, will AI make this better or worst?  I dread the future.

Currently, the notion of an actual civil war of violence is a popular theme among some politicians and pundits.  It flows from the top of republican leadership.  

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4187490-republicans-just-cant-stop-calling-for-civil-war/

toomuchbaloney said:

Currently, the notion of an actual civil war of violence is a popular theme among some politicians and pundits.  It flows from the top of republican leadership.  

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4187490-republicans-just-cant-stop-calling-for-civil-war/

They don't believe in democratic elections, why should they believe in the criminal justice system?   

They've been conned.  It's disturbing to think about.  It's the same rhetoric we heard on January 6th as they donned military apparel and weapons.  Many of them are rotting in jail while MAGA are remaining brainwashed with the next batch of "patriots".  

AP News 11/12/23

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina says he is dropping out of the 2024 GOP presidential race

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...The South Carolina senator made the surprise announcement on "Sunday Night in America" with Trey Gowdy. The news was so abrupt that one campaign worker told The Associated Press that campaign staff found out Scott was dropping out by watching the show. The worker was not authorized to discuss the internal deliberations publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity....

.“I love America more today than I did on May 22,” Scott said Sunday night. "But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign. I think the voters who are the most remarkable people on the planet have been really clear that they're telling me, 'Not now, Tim.’”

 

 

ABC News  11/15/2023

14th Amendment challenges to Trump's campaign fail in 2 states with Colorado case pending

Experts say the appeals could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
.

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..Judges in Michigan and Minnesota over the past two weeks have ruled that Trump, the 2024 Republican primary front-runner, can be on the ballot in both states, dismissing lawsuits filed by citizens and watchdog organizations that claimed the former president should be barred because of his actions around the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss.

Trump's team has rejected that argument, claiming it is undemocratic and a fringe theory. He has denied all wrongdoing related to Jan. 6.

The remaining major lawsuit seeking to disqualify Trump under Section 3, in Colorado, could be decided by the end of the week....

 

 

NRSKarenRN said:

 

ABC News  11/15/2023

14th Amendment challenges to Trump's campaign fail in 2 states with Colorado case pending

Experts say the appeals could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
.

 

 

NRSKarenRN said:

Trump's team has rejected that argument, claiming it is undemocratic and a fringe theory. He has denied all wrongdoing related to Jan. 6.

Who knew that there were fringe theories that Trump wouldn't embrace?

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/17/1213374716/iowa-voters-apathy-caucus-trump-desantis-reynolds

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"Even in my own family, we've got big Trump supporters," she explained. "It's more Trump or anti-Trump than Trump or Biden."

Moore was leaning toward supporting Tim Scott until he dropped out.

Trump's golden armor might need some polishing.  His indictments are adversely affecting his reputation.

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Running with a promise to "spoil" the 2024 presidential contest, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just received a sign that he might be making good on that pitch: A recent poll shows him with 22 percent support in a hypothetical three-way race against President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Biden, by contrast, would take 39 percent of the vote, and Trump would come away with 36 percent, according to the Quinnipiac University's survey. In another positive sign for Kennedy, he came away with the backing of a plurality of independents: 36 percent chose him, compared with 31 percent for Trump and 30 percent for Biden.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/01/spoiler-alert-rfk-jr-takes-eye-popping-22-in-poll-against-biden-trump-00124855

Tweety said:

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/01/spoiler-alert-rfk-jr-takes-eye-popping-22-in-poll-against-biden-trump-00124855

He can't win, but may decide who does although it's unclear which way that would go. 

Interesting.