Is America Dying?

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

Not a troll thread.

What's going to happen? :dts:

[Captain]

It's a rough time to be a blockheaded blubberboy in floriduh

[Dark Metal]

America is eating itself like a lesbian with a 4 foot tongue.

[xer0s]

America is eating itself like a lesbian with a 4 foot tongue.

Are you talking about something specific or just in general?

I’m not sure we’re any worse off than we were when Trump was prez just a few years ago…

[Transient]

Bin Laden won.

[Eraser]

I think Bin Laden was little more than a catalyst to expose what was already there.

[Transient]

More like an accelerant.

[Eraser]

Yeah that's probably a more accurate term.

[raw]

Not a troll thread.

What's going to happen? :dts:

Yes. Our democracy is dying and is on its last leg due to corruption.

Voting Rights since the 2020 election, Republican-controlled states have passed voter suppression legislation almost sweepingly while using the big lie to justify it. Florida claimed it had the most-secure election ever and was cited as the model of how mail-in ballots should work. However, despite these boasts, the Republicans who control Florida have passed and actively fought to suppress the vote of anything Democrat.

Florida votes to allow convicted felons to vote
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/convict ... d=73822173

DeSantis fought this in the Republican-controlled courts and this was the result.
https://apnews.com/article/florida-voti ... c74ae93de3

Florida Enacts Sweeping Voter Suppression Law
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ ... ession-law

DeSantis broke Florida Senate tradition and submitted his own districting map with the subtle threat that this would be the only map he would accept from the Senate as he will veto anything else. The new map breaks up minority districts to provide more Republican officials.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politi ... 82259.html

Once submitted, DeSantis will be sued by Marc Elias.
https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1 ... 63846?s=20

Apparently, also in 2020 there were ghost candidates with similar names to Democratic candidates which was a ploy to siphon off legitimate votes for Democrats to give Republican candidates an advantage. It worked and the Republican candidates won by narrow margins.

Apparently, this was funded by the power monopoly in Florida FPL who used dark money groups to fund the operation to subvert democracy. You literally cannot get power anywhere else.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politic ... story.html

Also, Publix the largest and most-predominate grocery store chain in Florida (if you live here you know how dependent you are upon this chain for certain products) has also paid money into the big lie and also supported the insurrection and the attempt to subvert democracy.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2 ... ump-rally/

Florida also has the most arrests for folks involved in the January 6th insurrection.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/new ... 055949002/


This is JUST my state. I could provide examples of this ALL DAY for other states as well. If we do not get the big voting rights bill passed, we will see the collapse of the American democracy by 2024. The 2022 midterm elections will be the breaking point if Democrats lose and do not gain seats in the Congress (house/senate).

Edit #1
To answer the question, we aren't dying, our democracy is and we are sliding into authoritarianism. There's a very narrow chance we can save the democracy but it all lies on the Democrats pulling together to get the votes needed to pass voting rights legislation which is looking grim thanks to Joe Manchin (WV) and Kirsten Sinema (AZ). They are bought and paid for by big interest groups so while I have faith, it doesn't look great to me.

Edit #2
It's easy to blame the Democrats for everything right now but it's of note that NOT A SINGLE REPUBLICAN supports any voting rights legislation not even the moderates or the ones that supported the same voting rights decades ago. This effort by a single party to destroy American democracy for their own power grab is quite disgusting. I think it's quite obvious to anyone who has paid attention.

[seremtan]

can someone give me a quick explanation of this whole voting rights kerfuffle? can't everyone just vote right now? what's the story?

[raw]

can someone give me a quick explanation of this whole voting rights kerfuffle? can't everyone just vote right now? what's the story?

Not sure if it's quick to explain. However, voting isn't a right given at birth or citizenship and there are a lot of games being played to prevent folks from voting like long lines, criminalizing giving folks food/drink while in long lines, voter-id (sort of a poll tax), gerrymandered maps, ...etc.

[Transient]

They used to make black people guess how many jellybeans were in a jar, and if they got it wrong, they couldn't vote. We aren't very far off from that.

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

The extreme measures that Republicans are seeking to put in place to curtail voting by minorities aside, there is a narrative that has been widely adopted by Republicans (75%?) who believe voter fraud was the reason Trump lost. This despite court rulings and no actual meaningful evidence produced. Both equally frightening, but it is the whipping up of tensions over the latter belief that I believe can cause violence.

[raw]

It already caused violence on January 6th and GQP people I know down here are ramping up for a civil war since like 2017. Full MAGA boners over it.

Look at this!
https://www.wsj.com/articles/oath-keepe ... 1642693058

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

And Trump co-opted so many politicians to back his plan to overrule the election results. It's really interesting that it didn't work in the end.

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

And can we agree that one main aspect of the divide is white supremacy? Not to mention the existential threat to Repubs due to changing American demographics. Which is an ironic duo.

[raw]

White fragility is real and white supremacism is the biggest threat to the US currently.

[seremtan]

is it though?

as opposed to, say, an entrenched plutocratic class buying the laws they need to hold on to their position? (and don't say "but most of that plutocratic class are white" - would it improve anything if the exact same racial profile as the country as whole?)

[raw]

I agree that the class war is the issue and is disguised as culture wars to keep us fighting with each other while they enrich themselves and chip away at our rights.

It’s been a downward spiral for democracy since Citizens United.

[Captain]

It’s been a downward spiral for democracy since the Constitution.

Fixed :p

[raw]

:olo: I was actually waiting on that.

[seremtan]

looking forward to this fascism everyone's so hyped about

finally the fucking trains will run on time

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

is it though?

as opposed to, say, an entrenched plutocratic class buying the laws they need to hold on to their position? (and don't say "but most of that plutocratic class are white" - would it improve anything if the exact same racial profile as the country as whole?)

The plutocrats in America are pretty much equally served by both parties at this point. Their role shouldn't be diminished mind you. They are pulling strings and winning hearts and minds (manipulating fearful, deprived humans).

[Eraser]

Eh ... Plutocrats? What's that? Not Disney related I guess

[raw]

Control by the wealthy