Erik Haugen @ech@qoto.org

@dangillmor https://twitter.com/tracewoodgrains/status/1858265387412095373

@Discountgothamknight Mastodon.social by default shows you popular posts, sort of, and lots of Mastodon instances are basically a lefty echo chamber so this is what you get.

You can go here instead just to see the latest posts: https://mastodon.social/public/local

Or you can start following a bunch of people that you *are* interested in, and then just read those posts. lots of options! good luck!

@UlrikNyman @crazyeddie @randahl I feel like a better example of what you're trying to talk about is "I'm going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money." That's not something you want your president to say, for sure. But, at least he didn't do it, for whatever that's worth.

@UlrikNyman @crazyeddie @randahl same thing there, he was pretty clear what he meant. You probably also think he called the white supremacist rioters "some very fine people", don't you.

@UlrikNyman @crazyeddie @randahl You realize the dictator for the first day thing was just him being silly and saying he's going to close the border and drill on day 1, right?

@andrewt well-actually-guy here: there is an algorithm, e.g. on mastodon.social it's "Newer posts with more boosts and favorites are ranked higher."

@scallopede @QasimRashid Unequal in the sense that outcome isn't popular vote, but it's unequal in a sort of random way, right? I mean, I don't like it because it's weird, but it seems mostly ~harmless.

@freemo I like that silver lining: no matter who wins, you can say at least <X> isn't president.

@freemo @cobratbq "the 2 dominate parties have been replaced 8 times" – sure, but it was pretty much always 2 parties.

Is anyone arguing that it always and forever must be the two parties we have currently?

I think the claim usually made is that structurally the only stable thing is 2 main parties, and they'll morph as needed to always be ~half the country. There can be (*very* temporary) disruptions like a third party that e.g. replaces one of the others, or a party can change wildly (like Dems mid-1900s) etc.

@timorl @ABScientist @freemo I kinda doubt moving the embassy around is a top priority for very many people living in Gaza right now.

@crazyeddie @edgeofeurope @UlrikNyman @randahl @NMBA I don't think that's the vibe here; I think the point is just Europe should step up and handle its own security/etc; they can do it easily if they just, you know, do it.

I disagree with Randahl on almost everything, but not this! In fact, like everyone agrees with this, I think – it's one of Trump's main foreign policy pushes, from what I can tell, even.

@malwaretech FWIW this is I think one of Trumps main foreign policy goals: the good guys in Europe can easily take care of their own security if they step up and do it.

@QasimRashid FWIW even Trump agrees with you!

@gwynnion Trump didn't close borders (except during Covid) remove all immigrants (or even more immigrants than Obama), tariff to the moon, create jobs only for men, force women to submit to men in any particular respect, etc in his first term, so it's odd to suspect he'll do any of those things in his second term if he gets one.

@JoshuaHolland I doubt someone clueless enough to not understand how tariffs hurt consumers is going to be moved by this argument.

But probably best to focus on his first term; unlike in 2016, we can actually see with some degree of confidence what he'll do if elected again. I think it's uncontroversial to say that from a trade perspective at least it wasn't /that/ bad?

@freemo @louis Louis, it's part of his charm. If typos bother you subscribe to someone else 😂

@freemo The Ayatollah is more than happy to pay this price, never forget that.

@hazz223 @hacks4pancakes well, his last term coincided with a brief pause in the world's descent into Iran/Russia madness, although I admit that could just be a coincidence.