JD Vance, Trump and the state of US politics

[phyllo]

After being called out for spreading lies about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance doubled down over the weekend. Strikingly, he didn’t do this through weasel words or by pointing to some undiscovered set of evidence. Instead, he appeared to defend the idea that fabricating facts to support his worldview is appropriate. It was a startling confession that helps distill the corrosive nihilism of the MAGA worldview.

“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m gonna do,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash, “because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”

Vance’s admission that he's okay "creating" the story gets to the heart of MAGA philosophy: Truth is subordinate to the pursuit of power.

That exchange between Bash and Vance had begun with the anchor repeatedly pointing out that there was no evidence behind Vance’s claims about illegal Haitian immigrants eating their neighbors’ pets or eating geese taken from public parks. Among other things, Bash mentioned that Vance boosted a video on X claiming to show immigrants cooking cats in Dayton, Ohio. That video is unsourced, uncorroborated by evidence, was reportedly recorded somewhere other than Springfield, and was published by Christopher Rufo, a right-wing activist who specializes in manufacturing narratives about left-wing extremism. Rufo had offered a $5,000 bounty for evidence of the pet-eating slander. (Additionally, Dayton’s police chief called the claim “outlandish” and stated there was no evidence to support it.)

When Bash pressed Vance to “affirmatively say” that the claim was a “rumor that has no basis with evidence,” Vance called it “the firsthand account” of his constituents. Of course, an alleged phone call from someone claiming to be a witness to an act is not evidence. But then Vance made that startling admission. “The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes,” he said, before defending the imperative to “create stories” to get the media to pay attention.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opi ... rcna171326

[promethean75]

Can someone please look up the number of animal abuse cases in the state of Ohio (or any other state) that involved people who weren't immigrants so i can be underwhelmed by the dangers immigrants pose to animals and pets? Kay thanks.

[FlashDangerpants]

Apparently the insane GOP candidate for gov of North Carolina had all his dirty secrets put out there by his own side in hopes that that he could be forced to remove himself from the ballot while there was time to replace him on it. And this didn't work.

So now the guy running for governor is the dude who famously wrote ‘I’m a black NAZI!’ in the porn forum, and admitted a fetish for transsexual porn which conflicts a little with his public position such matters today, and this all came out now because his own party did oppo research on him and leaked it.

[promethean75]

Clayton!?

[Flannel Jesus]

I wonder if trump could have picked more of a train wreck of a running mate.

[promethean75]

Just saw this on comrade Lichtenstein's quora page. In a weird way he's managed to earn one point of respect from me by saying this. It means he's strong enough (or once was) not to have to conceal the entirety of his scumbaggishness. It's when the scumbags try to hide that pisses me off.

1000003295.jpg

[Gary Childress]

Just saw this on comrade Lichtenstein's quora page. In a weird way he's managed to earn one point of respect from me by saying this. It means he's strong enough (or once was) not to have to conceal the entirety of his scumbaggishness. It's when the scumbags try to hide that pisses me off.



1000003295.jpg

Unfortunately, the quote pictured above has been debunked as not true.

[promethean75]

Can i see the debunking so i can be sure the debunking can't be debunked?

If it is true he didn't say that, I'm still impressed becuz it's excellent propoganda.

[promethean75]

"But doesn't the truth matter" - Gary

"No. That ship sailed when Lenin died, Gary." - prom

[Gary Childress]

Can i see the debunking so i can be sure the debunking can't be debunked?

If it is true he didn't say that, I'm still impressed becuz it's excellent propoganda.

Really, all propaganda does is make those using it look foolish when we are caught posting it (thinking it's true) and those who produce it are essentially just dishonest people.

https://apnews.com/article/archive-fact ... 5466940186

[promethean75]

"Really, all propaganda does is make those using it look foolish"

What happens when a piece of propaganda is spread that results in making circumstances better for those who believed it, despite it not being true? Do the ends justify the means here?

Discuss.

[promethean75]

Like your homeboy Clayton. There's a decent chance that somebody hacked his account at that porn site and posted that shit. But fuck em anyway, Gary. All u gotta do is look at the guy and know that.

[Gary Childress]

"Really, all propaganda does is make those using it look foolish"

What happens when a piece of propaganda is spread that results in making circumstances better for those who believed it, despite it not being true? Do the ends justify the means here?

Discuss.

That's a "what if" question along the lines of "what if there is a ticking clock on a bomb in a room full of school children somewhere and torturing Prom might be the only way to find out where the bomb is in time to disarm it." Might it therefore be justified to torture you?

[promethean75]

Absolutely. But good luck catching me and tying me to the chair.

[Gary Childress]

Absolutely. But good luck catching me and tying me to the chair.

Let's cut to the chase and just say you were a victim of propaganda. It happens to the best of us. Or are you going to quadruple down on being "right"?