Active Users:1192 Time:22/11/2024 01:43:28 PM
It would be an interesting read, if it actually meant anything, but does it? Legolas Send a noteboard - 12/07/2024 04:42:21 PM

In the US, it's apparently normal - and not only on the Republican side, not only now under Trump - that the national party and the presidential campaign / presidency if the president is from said party, become essentially indistinguishable. But then they publish something like this, which, not only does Trump not give a fuck about any of it, not only is it full of pie in the sky fever dream nonsense, but a lot of it is on topics that aren't even in the president's power and would have to be decided by Congress or the states.

It's very confusing for me because in here, parties and party leadership are immensely powerful - since every government is a multi-party coalition, even the prime minister can only survive as long as he's in the good graces of the leadership of all the parties in his government. And those party HQs can indeed set out an agenda or priority list that drives the actions of their elected representatives at all levels, regional, state level, national both legislative and executive. Though on the other hand, given that on all those levels coalitions will be required for a majority, the final governing agreements at each level will not resemble any single party's platform all that much in the end.

But in the US, where in all elections people need to be elected individually first past the post and a national party HQ is just an extension of the president or presidential candidate, what's even the point of them having a platform like this?


View original postIn fact, that’s my general verdict on this entire RNC platform. The national-level GOP has improved on policy by leaps and bounds — refocusing on economics, taking more reasonable positions on culture wars, and triangulating some of Democrats’ ideas. If the party were actually being led by someone who was on board with this agenda — a Reagan-type figure — I’d be much more optimistic about the next four years.

I'm not sure where you see all that improvement in leaps and bounds... large parts of that text reminded me of how Republicans were (rightly, tbh) describing AOC's Green Deal, as a long wishlist with very little regard for what is possible in the real world.
View original postIf Romney were heading the GOP ballot, I'd be much, much less concerned.

That's for sure.
Reply to message
When the NYT Editorial Board calls for the incumbent President to step down... - 29/06/2024 02:51:38 PM 421 Views
Yeah, pretty crazy stuff... - 30/06/2024 12:53:46 AM 84 Views
Not competent to run for president - 30/06/2024 03:46:13 AM 71 Views
Was Biden ever really competent, though? - 30/06/2024 01:33:00 PM 85 Views
Re: Was Biden ever really competent, though? - 01/07/2024 04:48:04 PM 72 Views
the slip - 30/06/2024 11:06:40 PM 79 Views
Now the Biden campaign is calling the people who are sounding these alarms 'bedwetters' - 01/07/2024 05:16:12 PM 71 Views
That term has been used for months if not years, they didn't just make it up... - 01/07/2024 11:52:54 PM 75 Views
How can you say this with a straight face? - 04/07/2024 03:24:48 PM 80 Views
Very easily, I assure you - though there's a difference between 'did' (past) and 'would' (future) - 04/07/2024 07:23:44 PM 82 Views
Re: Very easily, I assure you - 08/07/2024 05:35:19 PM 66 Views
I'm not fool enough to think I can go toe to toe with you on the Russian-American relationship. - 08/07/2024 09:33:57 PM 70 Views
Security doesn't exist in a vacuum - 09/07/2024 02:42:36 AM 86 Views
Sure, but Russia is a threat to others far more than others threaten it. - 10/07/2024 09:45:58 PM 66 Views
That's actually empirically not true - 11/07/2024 02:35:23 PM 73 Views
You're right that I was thinking of Eastern Europe re: NATO, not Central Asia or the Caucasus. - 12/07/2024 04:07:43 PM 69 Views
Let's not fool ourselves about Montenegro and Macedonia - 15/07/2024 03:41:14 PM 74 Views
A smarter NATO - 16/07/2024 11:35:46 AM 67 Views
I agree with most of this. - 16/07/2024 06:14:07 PM 55 Views
I don't think there's any issue to Ukraine joining the EU - 16/07/2024 06:42:27 PM 62 Views
I agree with this 100% - 16/07/2024 06:41:20 PM 62 Views
Sure, for those two it was clearly more the political factors. For others not, it varied. - 16/07/2024 06:02:47 PM 57 Views
You sound so naive there - 16/07/2024 06:57:38 PM 62 Views
It was a bad debate, but I can't imagine a lot of people are actually swayed by it. - 07/07/2024 01:56:44 AM 74 Views
I'm centrist enough to consider voting Red over voting Blue this year due to - 08/07/2024 10:51:46 AM 71 Views
I've voted Libertarian for President the last two times - 08/07/2024 02:55:35 PM 66 Views
You make a good point about the popular vote. - 08/07/2024 03:01:42 PM 69 Views
Re: You make a good point about the popular vote. - 08/07/2024 03:26:20 PM 66 Views
This is the part that bothers me as well. - 08/07/2024 03:46:15 PM 69 Views
Re: This is the part that bothers me as well. - 08/07/2024 04:00:14 PM 67 Views
Re: I've voted Libertarian for President the last two times - 08/07/2024 03:23:12 PM 61 Views
Your analogy is pretty poor honestly. - 08/07/2024 04:54:45 PM 77 Views
You also are trying to redefine how the score is kept - 08/07/2024 05:44:02 PM 66 Views
Sure, that's how it has always been - doesn't mean it's fair or that the popular vote is irrelevant. - 08/07/2024 08:06:01 PM 66 Views
If popular votes were paramount then Rassemblement National - 08/07/2024 08:29:13 PM 71 Views
FPTP sucks in general, yes, whether in the US, in France, or elsewhere. - 08/07/2024 09:53:57 PM 70 Views
Re: FPTP sucks in general, yes, whether in the US, in France, or elsewhere. - 08/07/2024 10:34:12 PM 68 Views
To be clear I didn't say it should be eliminated entirely, but as for what would happen if it was... - 08/07/2024 10:50:57 PM 63 Views
You're wrong. - 09/07/2024 01:19:30 AM 68 Views
You're still looking at it from the current two-party system framework. - 09/07/2024 07:17:39 AM 63 Views
Re: You're still looking at it from the current two-party system framework. - 09/07/2024 01:45:33 PM 68 Views
It doesn't necessarily require amending the constitution. - 10/07/2024 03:03:19 AM 66 Views
Re: It doesn't necessarily require amending the constitution. - 10/07/2024 04:13:02 PM 58 Views
I meant California - 08/07/2024 08:43:35 PM 71 Views
I'm concerned about a lot of things. - 09/07/2024 04:41:03 AM 68 Views
From a left of center/liberalish substack author about the Republican national platform - 09/07/2024 11:15:00 AM 68 Views
It's an interesting read. - 09/07/2024 09:46:47 PM 64 Views
Trump is a Trumpist. Republicans are Republicans. - 10/07/2024 11:09:05 AM 70 Views
I think a significant wing of the party has become Trumpist. - 10/07/2024 02:23:45 PM 66 Views
It would be an interesting read, if it actually meant anything, but does it? - 12/07/2024 04:42:21 PM 59 Views
The most interesting thing to me, so far, about this debate - 08/07/2024 10:54:50 AM 71 Views
Re: The most interesting thing to me, so far, about this debate - 08/07/2024 02:58:44 PM 62 Views
Re: The most interesting thing to me, so far, about this debate - 08/07/2024 03:20:14 PM 74 Views

Reply to Message