Ankle-biting Democrats

Go Beavers

Lerxst1992 said:

PJ_Soul said:

josevolution said:

PJ_Soul said:

Maybe the Dems need to start talking about how they're going to immediately undo all of Trump's ridiculous tariffs and re-negotiate actual good trade deals, re-fill/reestablish all the ransacked important federal departments, renew all the cancelled grants, rebuild USAID, restore funding to public broadcasters, rebuild the broken relationships and research in universities, give those 7 million people back their health insurance, and save the non-criminal immigrants who got send off to random third-world countries, and pull the military out of DC and whatever other cities end up under military control by the Trump is finished, release the DOC and all the other federal law enforcement agencies from presidential control..... Basically, run on undoing all the stupid, harmful things that Trump has done. 

That should be the message but I believe that this administration more particularly this president did all these things with the intention of not giving up power! Why do all these screwed up things if there’s a chance a democrat could win in 28 and reverse it all? They have a plan to stay in power! They will claim the elections can’t be trusted because Democrats are going to cheat and he will not allow election to happen, that’s how I see it happening 

Agreed, but that doesn't mean the Dems shouldn't try. 

It is not fair to say ending crackdowns on universities would be widely popular. At best it’s a divisive 50/50 issue.

It may not be smart politics for Dems to believe the administration did not put research into this issue before acting. Who knows what their internal polls told them. Here’s a public one.

https://manhattan.institute/article/national-higher-education-poll-americans-distrust-universities-but-back-bold-reforms

Americans of all ages, party affiliations, and racial backgrounds are sounding the alarm: trust in higher education is crumbling, and the system is in need of sweeping reform. Just 15% of voters say they have a great deal of trust in Ivy League colleges—less than almost every other major public institution, including the media. By a double-digit margin, and across a range of demographics, Americans believe that universities are on the wrong track, with overwhelming bipartisan and multiracial support for bold changes: banning disruptive protests, abolishing race-based admissions, reining in DEI, and restoring free speech and academic rigor. Despite deep political division, Americans agree that higher education has lost its way and that it is time to restore excellence.

Trust Levels

Colleges and universities face a crisis of trust. Only one in five (20%) registered voters say they have a “great deal” of trust in America’s public colleges and universities to act in the best interests of the public. Almost four in ten say they have “not much” trust (23%) or no trust at all (14%) in public colleges and universities, while 58% say they have a great deal (20%) or some trust (38%).

Private Ivy League colleges and universities inspire even less confidence. Only 15% of registered voters say they have a great deal of trust in these institutions, while three in ten (31%) have some trust. 46% overall say they have not much (25%) or no trust at all (21%).

A common theme with authoritarians is to attack educational institutions and scientific research. 

Halifax2TheMax

Go Beavers said:

Lerxst1992 said:

PJ_Soul said:

josevolution said:

PJ_Soul said:

Maybe the Dems need to start talking about how they're going to immediately undo all of Trump's ridiculous tariffs and re-negotiate actual good trade deals, re-fill/reestablish all the ransacked important federal departments, renew all the cancelled grants, rebuild USAID, restore funding to public broadcasters, rebuild the broken relationships and research in universities, give those 7 million people back their health insurance, and save the non-criminal immigrants who got send off to random third-world countries, and pull the military out of DC and whatever other cities end up under military control by the Trump is finished, release the DOC and all the other federal law enforcement agencies from presidential control..... Basically, run on undoing all the stupid, harmful things that Trump has done. 

That should be the message but I believe that this administration more particularly this president did all these things with the intention of not giving up power! Why do all these screwed up things if there’s a chance a democrat could win in 28 and reverse it all? They have a plan to stay in power! They will claim the elections can’t be trusted because Democrats are going to cheat and he will not allow election to happen, that’s how I see it happening 

Agreed, but that doesn't mean the Dems shouldn't try. 

It is not fair to say ending crackdowns on universities would be widely popular. At best it’s a divisive 50/50 issue.

It may not be smart politics for Dems to believe the administration did not put research into this issue before acting. Who knows what their internal polls told them. Here’s a public one.

https://manhattan.institute/article/national-higher-education-poll-americans-distrust-universities-but-back-bold-reforms

Americans of all ages, party affiliations, and racial backgrounds are sounding the alarm: trust in higher education is crumbling, and the system is in need of sweeping reform. Just 15% of voters say they have a great deal of trust in Ivy League colleges—less than almost every other major public institution, including the media. By a double-digit margin, and across a range of demographics, Americans believe that universities are on the wrong track, with overwhelming bipartisan and multiracial support for bold changes: banning disruptive protests, abolishing race-based admissions, reining in DEI, and restoring free speech and academic rigor. Despite deep political division, Americans agree that higher education has lost its way and that it is time to restore excellence.

Trust Levels

Colleges and universities face a crisis of trust. Only one in five (20%) registered voters say they have a “great deal” of trust in America’s public colleges and universities to act in the best interests of the public. Almost four in ten say they have “not much” trust (23%) or no trust at all (14%) in public colleges and universities, while 58% say they have a great deal (20%) or some trust (38%).

Private Ivy League colleges and universities inspire even less confidence. Only 15% of registered voters say they have a great deal of trust in these institutions, while three in ten (31%) have some trust. 46% overall say they have not much (25%) or no trust at all (21%).

A common theme with authoritarians is to attack educational institutions and scientific research. 

And couch it in a way that implies "discrimination" against the white, ruling class. You know, the things that were to correct for past injustices like AA and DEI but we now know that those past injustices never happened because they're no longer in the museums or taught in schools.

Bible is truth. Just obey.

Lerxst1992

Go Beavers said:

Lerxst1992 said:

Go Beavers said:

Lerxst1992 said:

Tim Simmons said:

No. What I'm pushing back on is "death knell". Its overly dramatic. The 2 parties have lost voters to each other in the past 170 years. Hand wring for the short term, not for the Democrats long term viability. 

The phrase is meant to be amusing hyperbole.

However a net migration of 5 million registered voters from D to R is a significant problem. Voter reg is supposed to be the dem sweet spot. No more.

I didn’t read every word of what you posted earlier, but I don’t think it said there was a migration of D to R. Maybe I missed it though. 

It was a major analysis of voter registration published by the NYT, and discussed by quite a few commenters in the last week or so.

”

 According to an August 2025 analysis by 

The New York Times, the Republican Party saw a net migration of registered voters from the Democratic Party between the 2020 and 2024 elections. The study found that Republicans gained a net of 4.5 million voters over Democrats in the 30 states that track party registration. 

Key findings from the Times analysis

The voter registration data analyzed by the Times, in collaboration with the data firm L2, highlighted several key shifts: ”

And if you read the article, it talks about gains and losses. The only reference about ‘migration to’ is when it talks about Pennsylvania. 

We're going to get lost in the interpretation of words used or consider the net impact?

Halifax2TheMax

Depends on what the definition of "is" is.

Lerxst1992

Halifax2TheMax said:

Go Beavers said:

Lerxst1992 said:

PJ_Soul said:

josevolution said:

PJ_Soul said:

Maybe the Dems need to start talking about how they're going to immediately undo all of Trump's ridiculous tariffs and re-negotiate actual good trade deals, re-fill/reestablish all the ransacked important federal departments, renew all the cancelled grants, rebuild USAID, restore funding to public broadcasters, rebuild the broken relationships and research in universities, give those 7 million people back their health insurance, and save the non-criminal immigrants who got send off to random third-world countries, and pull the military out of DC and whatever other cities end up under military control by the Trump is finished, release the DOC and all the other federal law enforcement agencies from presidential control..... Basically, run on undoing all the stupid, harmful things that Trump has done. 

That should be the message but I believe that this administration more particularly this president did all these things with the intention of not giving up power! Why do all these screwed up things if there’s a chance a democrat could win in 28 and reverse it all? They have a plan to stay in power! They will claim the elections can’t be trusted because Democrats are going to cheat and he will not allow election to happen, that’s how I see it happening 

Agreed, but that doesn't mean the Dems shouldn't try. 

It is not fair to say ending crackdowns on universities would be widely popular. At best it’s a divisive 50/50 issue.

It may not be smart politics for Dems to believe the administration did not put research into this issue before acting. Who knows what their internal polls told them. Here’s a public one.

https://manhattan.institute/article/national-higher-education-poll-americans-distrust-universities-but-back-bold-reforms

Americans of all ages, party affiliations, and racial backgrounds are sounding the alarm: trust in higher education is crumbling, and the system is in need of sweeping reform. Just 15% of voters say they have a great deal of trust in Ivy League colleges—less than almost every other major public institution, including the media. By a double-digit margin, and across a range of demographics, Americans believe that universities are on the wrong track, with overwhelming bipartisan and multiracial support for bold changes: banning disruptive protests, abolishing race-based admissions, reining in DEI, and restoring free speech and academic rigor. Despite deep political division, Americans agree that higher education has lost its way and that it is time to restore excellence.

Trust Levels

Colleges and universities face a crisis of trust. Only one in five (20%) registered voters say they have a “great deal” of trust in America’s public colleges and universities to act in the best interests of the public. Almost four in ten say they have “not much” trust (23%) or no trust at all (14%) in public colleges and universities, while 58% say they have a great deal (20%) or some trust (38%).

Private Ivy League colleges and universities inspire even less confidence. Only 15% of registered voters say they have a great deal of trust in these institutions, while three in ten (31%) have some trust. 46% overall say they have not much (25%) or no trust at all (21%).

A common theme with authoritarians is to attack educational institutions and scientific research. 

And couch it in a way that implies "discrimination" against the white, ruling class. You know, the things that were to correct for past injustices like AA and DEI but we now know that those past injustices never happened because they're no longer in the museums or taught in schools.

Bible is truth. Just obey.

By that logic unis should ban all southerners. Asians and white boys in the North have not committed any of the alleged crimes in that fantasy.

Halifax2TheMax

Lerxst1992 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

Go Beavers said:

Lerxst1992 said:

PJ_Soul said:

josevolution said:

PJ_Soul said:

Maybe the Dems need to start talking about how they're going to immediately undo all of Trump's ridiculous tariffs and re-negotiate actual good trade deals, re-fill/reestablish all the ransacked important federal departments, renew all the cancelled grants, rebuild USAID, restore funding to public broadcasters, rebuild the broken relationships and research in universities, give those 7 million people back their health insurance, and save the non-criminal immigrants who got send off to random third-world countries, and pull the military out of DC and whatever other cities end up under military control by the Trump is finished, release the DOC and all the other federal law enforcement agencies from presidential control..... Basically, run on undoing all the stupid, harmful things that Trump has done. 

That should be the message but I believe that this administration more particularly this president did all these things with the intention of not giving up power! Why do all these screwed up things if there’s a chance a democrat could win in 28 and reverse it all? They have a plan to stay in power! They will claim the elections can’t be trusted because Democrats are going to cheat and he will not allow election to happen, that’s how I see it happening 

Agreed, but that doesn't mean the Dems shouldn't try. 

It is not fair to say ending crackdowns on universities would be widely popular. At best it’s a divisive 50/50 issue.

It may not be smart politics for Dems to believe the administration did not put research into this issue before acting. Who knows what their internal polls told them. Here’s a public one.

https://manhattan.institute/article/national-higher-education-poll-americans-distrust-universities-but-back-bold-reforms

Americans of all ages, party affiliations, and racial backgrounds are sounding the alarm: trust in higher education is crumbling, and the system is in need of sweeping reform. Just 15% of voters say they have a great deal of trust in Ivy League colleges—less than almost every other major public institution, including the media. By a double-digit margin, and across a range of demographics, Americans believe that universities are on the wrong track, with overwhelming bipartisan and multiracial support for bold changes: banning disruptive protests, abolishing race-based admissions, reining in DEI, and restoring free speech and academic rigor. Despite deep political division, Americans agree that higher education has lost its way and that it is time to restore excellence.

Trust Levels

Colleges and universities face a crisis of trust. Only one in five (20%) registered voters say they have a “great deal” of trust in America’s public colleges and universities to act in the best interests of the public. Almost four in ten say they have “not much” trust (23%) or no trust at all (14%) in public colleges and universities, while 58% say they have a great deal (20%) or some trust (38%).

Private Ivy League colleges and universities inspire even less confidence. Only 15% of registered voters say they have a great deal of trust in these institutions, while three in ten (31%) have some trust. 46% overall say they have not much (25%) or no trust at all (21%).

A common theme with authoritarians is to attack educational institutions and scientific research. 

And couch it in a way that implies "discrimination" against the white, ruling class. You know, the things that were to correct for past injustices like AA and DEI but we now know that those past injustices never happened because they're no longer in the museums or taught in schools.

Bible is truth. Just obey.

By that logic unis should ban all southerners. Asians and white boys in the North have not committed any of the alleged crimes in that fantasy.

Makes as about as much sense as AI.

Lerxst1992

Halifax2TheMax said:

Lerxst1992 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

Go Beavers said:

Lerxst1992 said:

PJ_Soul said:

josevolution said:

PJ_Soul said:

Maybe the Dems need to start talking about how they're going to immediately undo all of Trump's ridiculous tariffs and re-negotiate actual good trade deals, re-fill/reestablish all the ransacked important federal departments, renew all the cancelled grants, rebuild USAID, restore funding to public broadcasters, rebuild the broken relationships and research in universities, give those 7 million people back their health insurance, and save the non-criminal immigrants who got send off to random third-world countries, and pull the military out of DC and whatever other cities end up under military control by the Trump is finished, release the DOC and all the other federal law enforcement agencies from presidential control..... Basically, run on undoing all the stupid, harmful things that Trump has done. 

That should be the message but I believe that this administration more particularly this president did all these things with the intention of not giving up power! Why do all these screwed up things if there’s a chance a democrat could win in 28 and reverse it all? They have a plan to stay in power! They will claim the elections can’t be trusted because Democrats are going to cheat and he will not allow election to happen, that’s how I see it happening 

Agreed, but that doesn't mean the Dems shouldn't try. 

It is not fair to say ending crackdowns on universities would be widely popular. At best it’s a divisive 50/50 issue.

It may not be smart politics for Dems to believe the administration did not put research into this issue before acting. Who knows what their internal polls told them. Here’s a public one.

https://manhattan.institute/article/national-higher-education-poll-americans-distrust-universities-but-back-bold-reforms

Americans of all ages, party affiliations, and racial backgrounds are sounding the alarm: trust in higher education is crumbling, and the system is in need of sweeping reform. Just 15% of voters say they have a great deal of trust in Ivy League colleges—less than almost every other major public institution, including the media. By a double-digit margin, and across a range of demographics, Americans believe that universities are on the wrong track, with overwhelming bipartisan and multiracial support for bold changes: banning disruptive protests, abolishing race-based admissions, reining in DEI, and restoring free speech and academic rigor. Despite deep political division, Americans agree that higher education has lost its way and that it is time to restore excellence.

Trust Levels

Colleges and universities face a crisis of trust. Only one in five (20%) registered voters say they have a “great deal” of trust in America’s public colleges and universities to act in the best interests of the public. Almost four in ten say they have “not much” trust (23%) or no trust at all (14%) in public colleges and universities, while 58% say they have a great deal (20%) or some trust (38%).

Private Ivy League colleges and universities inspire even less confidence. Only 15% of registered voters say they have a great deal of trust in these institutions, while three in ten (31%) have some trust. 46% overall say they have not much (25%) or no trust at all (21%).

A common theme with authoritarians is to attack educational institutions and scientific research. 

And couch it in a way that implies "discrimination" against the white, ruling class. You know, the things that were to correct for past injustices like AA and DEI but we now know that those past injustices never happened because they're no longer in the museums or taught in schools.

Bible is truth. Just obey.

By that logic unis should ban all southerners. Asians and white boys in the North have not committed any of the alleged crimes in that fantasy.

Makes as about as much sense as AI.

At least (s)he is willing to discuss multiple sides of a problem.

..

"The question of "how much sense does AI make" is complex and can be interpreted in a few different ways. Here's a breakdown of the topic, looking at it from different angles:

1. Does AI "make sense" in its application and impact?

From a practical standpoint, AI makes an enormous amount of sense. It is already integrated into countless aspects of our daily lives and is a driving force behind innovation in many industries.

 * Automation and Efficiency: AI excels at performing repetitive and data-intensive tasks with speed and accuracy far beyond human capability. This improves efficiency in fields like manufacturing, finance, and logistics.

 * Problem-Solving: AI can analyze massive datasets to identify patterns and insights that would be impossible for a human to uncover. This is used in everything from medical diagnosis and scientific research to predicting market trends.

 * Enhancing Human Abilities: AI is not just about replacing humans; it's also about augmenting them. For example, AI-powered tools assist doctors in diagnosing diseases, help cybersecurity experts detect threats, and enable artists to create new forms of content.

 * Personalization: AI is the engine behind personalized experiences in online shopping, streaming services, and advertising, providing recommendations tailored to individual users.

2. Does AI "make sense" in the way it "thinks" or operates?

This is where the topic gets more philosophical and technical. While AI systems can produce seemingly intelligent results, the way they arrive at those conclusions is fundamentally different from human cognition.

 * Data-Driven vs. Common Sense: Most AI systems, particularly large language models and deep neural networks, are trained on vast amounts of data. They learn patterns and correlations from this data to generate outputs. Humans, on the other hand, possess "common sense"—a deep understanding of the physical and social world, causality, and abstract concepts. AI lacks this innate understanding.

 * "Visual Bias": Research has shown that even when AI and humans appear to perform the same task (like image recognition), they often use different strategies. Humans focus on the meaning and function of an object, while AI tends to rely more on visual characteristics like shape and color. This can lead to unexpected errors or a lack of true understanding.

 * Lack of Consciousness and Emotion: AI does not have incentives, opinions, or empathy. It cannot "feel" or "think" in the way humans do. Its "intelligence" is a simulation based on mathematical models and data processing.

3. Does AI "make sense" from an ethical and societal perspective?

The rapid development of AI brings with it significant benefits, but also serious risks that require careful consideration.

 * Potential Harms: AI can be used for malicious purposes, such as generating misinformation, enabling cyberattacks, or creating autonomous weapons. There are also concerns about job displacement, the concentration of power in the hands of a few large companies, and algorithmic bias that can perpetuate and even amplify societal inequalities.

 * Accountability: Because AI models can be "black boxes" where the exact reasoning for a decision is not transparent, it can be difficult to hold developers and users accountable for harmful outcomes.

 * Privacy: AI systems often rely on massive amounts of data, raising concerns about individual privacy and the potential for misuse of personal information.

In conclusion, AI makes a great deal of practical sense as a tool for solving complex problems, automating tasks, and driving innovation. However, it does not "make sense" in the way that a human does, as it lacks common sense, consciousness, and a true understanding of the world. The long-term "sensibility" of AI will depend on how we address the ethical and societal challenges that come with its increasing power and influence.

Go Beavers

Lerxst1992 said:

Go Beavers said:

Lerxst1992 said:

Go Beavers said:

Lerxst1992 said:

Tim Simmons said:

No. What I'm pushing back on is "death knell". Its overly dramatic. The 2 parties have lost voters to each other in the past 170 years. Hand wring for the short term, not for the Democrats long term viability. 

The phrase is meant to be amusing hyperbole.

However a net migration of 5 million registered voters from D to R is a significant problem. Voter reg is supposed to be the dem sweet spot. No more.

I didn’t read every word of what you posted earlier, but I don’t think it said there was a migration of D to R. Maybe I missed it though. 

It was a major analysis of voter registration published by the NYT, and discussed by quite a few commenters in the last week or so.

”

 According to an August 2025 analysis by 

The New York Times, the Republican Party saw a net migration of registered voters from the Democratic Party between the 2020 and 2024 elections. The study found that Republicans gained a net of 4.5 million voters over Democrats in the 30 states that track party registration. 

Key findings from the Times analysis

The voter registration data analyzed by the Times, in collaboration with the data firm L2, highlighted several key shifts: ”

And if you read the article, it talks about gains and losses. The only reference about ‘migration to’ is when it talks about Pennsylvania. 

We're going to get lost in the interpretation of words used or consider the net impact?

I’m not lost. It’s an important distinction because what’s been happening is that people have been dropping D and R affiliation and claiming unaffiliated for years now. This is important to strategy because you then game for inspiring people to claim D, as opposed to trying to be more like republicans in the hope you’ll
flip them back. 

Halifax2TheMax

Sure fire way to win elections, do what CCOOTH does as it relates to crime fighting in cities. Great strategy.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/27/politics/polling-crime-trump

DE4173

A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers

An initiative aimed at boosting Democrats online offers influencers up to $8,000 a month to push the party line. All they have to do is keep it secret—and agree to restrictions on their content.

https://www.wired.com/story/dark-money-group-secret-funding-democrat-influencers/?utm_brand=wired&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=aud-dev

tempo_n_groove

DE4173 said:

🤔

Never did I think I would read something Hogg said and agree with.  Wow.  Well said.

Gern Blansten

the right does this....TikTok is full of it in my feed

constant clips of people saying how great trump is, etc.

tempo_n_groove

I will forget whom said it but they dem did say (paraphrasing)"we need to fight like the GOP does. Take a page out of their book and use it."

If this is how both sides will act from here on out then we will just be screwed...

DE4173

They've been saying it since 2016. 

Gern Blansten

tempo_n_groove said:

I will forget whom said it but they dem did say (paraphrasing)"we need to fight like the GOP does. Take a page out of their book and use it."

If this is how both sides will act from here on out then we will just be screwed...

THey need to do it...there is currently no other way to fight

I have said it before on here and got pushback but I like what Newsom is doing and it needs to go further. Every time a dem talks about trump they should talk about his appearance, his poor health, his lying, golfing on taxpayer's dime, etc. Rinse, repeat...every fucking day

Decorum is fucking gone until trump is gone

OnWis97

Gern Blansten said:

tempo_n_groove said:

I will forget whom said it but they dem did say (paraphrasing)"we need to fight like the GOP does. Take a page out of their book and use it."

If this is how both sides will act from here on out then we will just be screwed...

THey need to do it...there is currently no other way to fight

I have said it before on here and got pushback but I like what Newsom is doing and it needs to go further. Every time a dem talks about trump they should talk about his appearance, his poor health, his lying, golfing on taxpayer's dime, etc. Rinse, repeat...every fucking day

Decorum is fucking gone until trump is gone

The high road has been a dead end.

tempo_n_groove

DE4173 said:

They've been saying it since 2016. 

Not like this.  I can see the tide shifting soon.  It's going to have to.

tempo_n_groove

Gern Blansten said:

tempo_n_groove said:

I will forget whom said it but they dem did say (paraphrasing)"we need to fight like the GOP does. Take a page out of their book and use it."

If this is how both sides will act from here on out then we will just be screwed...

THey need to do it...there is currently no other way to fight

I have said it before on here and got pushback but I like what Newsom is doing and it needs to go further. Every time a dem talks about trump they should talk about his appearance, his poor health, his lying, golfing on taxpayer's dime, etc. Rinse, repeat...every fucking day

Decorum is fucking gone until trump is gone

I'll forget her name too but a representative lashed back at MGT.  She called her a "Beach Blonde bad built butch body".  I remember the alliteration though.  It was funny.

DE4173

Sounds like Crockett

DE4173

tempo_n_groove said:

DE4173 said:

They've been saying it since 2016. 

Not like this.  I can see the tide shifting soon.  It's going to have to.

I hear you. I think they've been saying they need to fight, but now, many years later, will do so.