volkris @volkris@qoto.org

A lot of people don't understand this, and I think it's an interesting factoid, so without trying to make any particular point I want to repeat that the #SecretService works for the current president, whoever they may be, and not for the person they are protecting.

They aren't private security hired by the person. They are a police force, basically, operated by the executive branch.

And it's protection that the executive branch can choose to discontinue. Again, I'm not trying to make a point or say that it should or should not be discontinued, I just think this is interesting and a lot of people don't understand it.

It's back in the headlines with another #Trump assassination attempt, so when people start thinking about the Secret Service, I think it's useful to keep them in context.

I've heard it said that if you don't vote with whichever party then you are a coward. I think that's exactly backwards, and even reflects poorly all the person making that argument. It doesn't take much courage to go with the group.

Instead I go the other way: no matter which party you might prefer in general, it takes courage to say they nominated a moron, and fortunately the other party also nominated a loser, so no matter what the US is going to slog through these next few years.

In my opinion the courageous position is to say no, you nominated a moron, and I'm not going to give you my vote. We're going to be okay I guess, whether you win or not, but I'm not going to let you assume that you have my vote if you insist on nominating a moron. You should have nominated someone better. You should have nominated someone worthy of my vote. Do better next time.

That's the state of #USPolitics . As South Park said, big douche versus turd sandwich. So screw both #Democrats and #Republicans. Neither of you managed to nominate someone worth voting for, so I'm voting for my dog.

To give either party our votes is to sign on to their nomination of garbage people. Let's not. Let's say that they need to actually nominate worthwhile administrators.

But more practically, let's focus on #Congress. No matter who wins this election, they're going to suck, but we can still express ourselves through our representation in Congress, and that's honestly how it should be anyway.

Check out your representatives. See how they have actually been voting, and vote them out if they have been letting you down. That's really where our focus should be anyway.

Not on which jerk ends up in the Oval Office.

(But thank God #Biden is on his way out, as he has been terrible for #science in the US, which has not gotten nearly enough attention from the press.)

#KamalaHarris is such a flawed candidate for #Democrats, one with so much baggage and historically bad choices that to nominate her is to risk giving #Trump another term as president.

Almost any other candidate would cinch the election, so why risk it with Harris? Do Democrats not want to win?

We've already seen that Democrats can choose a different candidate. All the folks insisting over and over that it has to be Biden have been shown to be wrong, so let's not believe the new chants that it has to be Harris.

Democrats need to nominate someone more electable, someone that more voters would get behind. Because that's just how this works. Whatever you think of Harris, to put her forward is to take a risk that Democrats don't have to take.

To paraphrase Archer, You like Trump? Because this is how you get Trump.

The DNC needs to nominate somebody more electable.

#USPolitics

Folks upset that the #SecretService may have denied #Trump more security resources for his events need to think about it the other way around:

If his events were getting so dangerous, then they shouldn't have had the events.

At that point it's really about questionable judgment on the part of Trump's team, and it's fair to call them out over that.

#USPolitics

Watching some videos of #Biden speaking over the last couple of years, and seriously you guys, you're misidentifying the fascist. Biden insists on claiming more power, insists on holding down the little guy, insists on imposing his personal unilateral will.

If anyone is fascist in this arrangement, it's Biden.

The Supreme Court in this term has ruled against him over and over, diminishing his power, opposing fascism. It said he can't prosecute people illegally, he can't redefine the law without democratic process, he can't violate due process just because he's president.

So much reporting is getting all of this exactly backwards.

Biden is the problem. We need to get rid of him. #Democrats please give us someone better to vote for.

I, for one, will not vote for the fascist Biden.

#USPolitics

For folks upset about the #Trump case being thrown out over the unqualified prosecutor, remember that it was Biden's administration that screwed that up by not having any of their properly appointed and qualified officials lead the case.

We really need to be holding folks like #Biden accountable for their screwups, and it's just one more reason Democrats should dump him as their nominee.

But no, so many that are most disappointed in the guy's performance are going to vote to keep him in power.

#USPolitics

BBC is reporting that #Democrats are huddling to decide whether to ask #Biden to step aside as presumptive nominee.

The thing is, that's not really up to Biden. The party sets its own rules, and it can nominate whomever it wants. They don't need Biden's permission.

The thing I find funniest, though, is that it's like politely asking #Trump to leave the presidency after he lost the election.

No, that's not how this works. We don't ask; we tell. The Democratic Party will tell Biden if he's the nominee, just as the EC process told Trump that he's no longer going to be president.

It does come across as people hoping they don't have to make tough decisions or take action, though. Or be held accountable for the result.

Much easier just to let the individual choose for himself.

#USPolitics

Here's a quip:
Maybe #Biden's debate performance sucked, but even worse is that his record in office required him to perform well in the debate to make up for it.

For goodness sake, can one of the parties please nominate someone worth voting for?

#USpolitics

For anyone who cares about Elon #Musk , videos like this by Everyday Astronaut are critical to, well, criticize.

Notice how the host prompts Elon. The host puts out these ideas and asks Elon to confirm them.

That's really how the mythology around Musk is built. He's not asking for it, people are projecting it onto him. And so much stuff that people complain about Musk over come down to things that are being projected onto him. And for his sake, he's rich enough to just take it.

And this is a lesson because it can also be applied #Trump.

Rightly or wrongly, these are public figures that are loved and hated based on what is being projected onto them, not their own stuff.

I think it's really important to recognize this phenomenon, and it goes both ways: If you love Musk/Trump you need to realize that what you love might be a projection and not actually part of the person. If you hate them, same thing.

It's academically really interesting. It's practically really sad.

https://youtu.be/aFqjoCbZ4ik

#USpolitics