Monday's Most Active Threads

The two most active threads yesterday were ones that I've already discussed and will skip today. The third most active thread was one titled, "Puerto Rico". All of the top threads that I will discuss today were posted in the "Political Discussion" forum and that will likely be the case for at least the next week and perhaps indefinitely after that depending on events. When I wrote yesterday about the thread discussing former President, current cult leader, and convicted felon Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, I mentioned "jokes" by Tony Hinchcliffe that many found offensive. One of those described Puerto Rico as an "island of garbage". The original poster of this thread embedded a tweet describing Vice President Kamala Harris' plan for Puerto Rico, which includes improving health care and rebuilding the power grid, and a video of Hinchcliffe's remarks. The original poster noted the contrast in messages. It is interesting how late in a campaign something unexpected can take on a life of its own. Think back to 2012 when Mitt Romney was filmed saying that "Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax". Romney was technically correct, but the context of the statement — he also described that 47 percent as dependent on the government and as considering themselves victims and was speaking to a room full of extremely wealthy people — infuriated many voters. The statement helped catalyze the impression that the election was a choice between a candidate who would serve the wealthy and a candidate supportive of the interests of the poor and middle class. In many ways, Romney's quote came to define that campaign. Hinchcliffe's "jokes" could well end up serving the same role this time around. Trump has always made opposition to immigration, especially by those from poor countries and specifically by Mexicans and other Hispanics, the bedrock of his campaigns. But over the years, Trump has been somewhat successful in convincing the public that he is really concerned with undocumented migrants and violent criminals and not the broader community of legal, Spanish-speaking immigrants. Hinchcliffe's jokes, however, tore away that facade. To many, Hinchcliffe demonstrated exactly what Trump and his supporters really believe about Hispanics, and not only undocumented migrants. Puerto Ricans, after all, are U.S. citizens. Along with a second joke about Latinos making babies, Hinchcliffe made clear that his target included all whose origins are poor Spanish-speaking countries (or in the case of Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth). The impact seems to have been the waking of a sleeping giant. Puerto Ricans specifically and Hispanics generally are outraged. Throughout this thread posters report sending links to Hinchcliffe's remarks to friends and relatives. There are reportedly a half million Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania, enough to easily sway the election to Harris. Several Republican politicians, understanding the electoral danger, criticized Hinchcliffe's remarks. The Trump campaign even disassociated itself. However, Trump himself has been silent. MAGAs in this thread are beside themselves, complaining that it was only a joke and refusing to recognize how Hinchcliffe's "jokes" have been received. MAGAs have never believed that they should suffer consequences for what they say. Their understanding of the 1st Amendment is that it allows them to say whatever they want without repercussions. Even criticizing their hateful statements is considered a free speech violation. The fact that they could lose an election as a result of a joke is beyond their ability to comprehend.

The next most active thread, which like all others today was posted in the "Political Discussion" forum, was titled, "Donald Trump to rally in VIRGINIA". The original poster is very excited about this event and outlines the logistics of getting to Salem, VA —where former President, current cult leader, and convicted felon Donald Trump will speak — from northern Virginia. His plan seems to be to leave home nearly 24 hours before the event time and spend the night in line. This thread really demonstrates the fanaticism of Trump supporters. It is crazy to me to think that someone would drive 3 hours or more and wait overnight to see something that can easily be streamed from the comfort of your own home. But apparently Trump rallies have come to rival Grateful Dead concerts, only without the pot and tie dye. Trump's location choices have been subject to considerable discussion. Recently he has held rallies in California, a state that he has no chance of winning, New York, another state that he has no chance of winning, and now Virginia, a state that he has only the smallest chance of winning. Many posters questioned the choice of Salem, which is located near Roanoke, VA, but it is in the midst of Virginia's MAGA country. However, spending the last weekend before the election in a long-shot state rather than one of the critical "must win" swing states is an unusual choice. To Trump supporters, Trump's choices reflect the particular genius with which they believe he operates. They have been indoctrinated with Trump-leaning polls that they believe show, as Trump says, him "winning bigly". They have been convinced for some time that Trump will easily win the election and they view his stop in Virginia as a sign that Virginia is winnable as well. Several MAGA posters in this thread claim that Virginia is leaning Trump and are sure that this rally can make the winning difference. Other posters point out that Trump's recent Madison Square Garden rally, which drew comparisons to a 1939 Nazi rally, will now be followed by a rally in the heart of the confederacy. This, they claim, is done in order to reinforce his racist messages. While the MAGAs are influenced by Republican-leaning polls of dubious quality, other posters highlight more authoritative polls showing Vice President Kamala Harris with a significant lead in the state. Some of the MAGA posters believe that Trump's objective is to win Virginia because, being on the East coast, the winner of the state should be announced early and could establish the narrative of a Trump victory. Personally I don't think that there is a lot of political thought put into Trump's appearances. Symbolism seems to be Trump's priority and he emphasizes that, but otherwise it's anybody's guess why he chooses certain locations. I am more inclined to view the opportunity for personal profit, not only by Trump but his associates as well, as a major driver of decisions. More than likely, one of Trump's campaign officials, if not Trump himself, has a way of profiting from this location choice.

The next most active thread was the one I discussed yesterday about abortion. After that was a thread titled, "What happens next Wednesday?" and, of course, posted in the "Political Discussion" forum. The original poster says that former President, current cult leader, and convicted felon Donald Trump's internal polling shows that he is losing (note, I have no knowledge of the veracity of this claim) and that his Madison Square Garden rally and upcoming rally in Virginia are attempts to stir anger among his supporters. The original poster suggests that DC-area law enforcement would not "sacrifice themselves to a mob or any chaos". The original poster concludes by asking what Wednesday (a week from tomorrow) will look like given that one side is trying to inflame its supporters. It has become expected over the past several elections that the losing side will protest the outcome. After Trump's election, women staged a huge march that was remarkably peaceful. However, Trump supporters often fixate on protests on the day of Trump's inauguration. To hear them tell it, the streets were awash in violent leftists. In reality, the "violence" amounted to a broken McDonald's window and a limosine that was set on fire. Moreover those attacks were conducted by anarchist members of the Black Bloc rather than anyone associated with the Democratic Party. The same group had previously protested President Barack Obama. However, later protests against the killing of Black men and women by police involving Black Lives Matter and Antifa solidified in Republican minds the idea that at any minute feral leftists might burn down their towns. Trump himself courted violent right-wing groups such as the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory. These groups all participated in the insurrection on January 6, 2021. Trump has lately been referring to members of these groups, many of whom are jailed, as "patriots" and promised to parden them if re-elected. In addition, Trump recently adorned himself in a "Make America Great Again" hat that, instead of its standard red, was in the Proud Boys colors. This along with Trump's rhetoric has caused fears that a Trump loss could lead to violent protests, particularly in Washington, DC. With DCUM centered in DC, many of our users, like the original poster, are worried about the aftermath of the election. This thread demonstrates that not only do Democrats and Republicans disagree about polls and the likely election outcome, but they also disagree about which side is likely to protest and the nature of those protests. Almost everyone, however, agrees that the immediate outcome of the election is likely to be messy. Democrats are worried that there will be a repeat of January 6 or other violent protests led by the Proud Boys and other groups. Republicans, who tend to be obsessed with Antifa at the best of times, expect violence from that group. Other posters look beyond the possibility of violence and discuss the political and legal moves that might follow the election. Several posters predict that the election results will end up in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. One factor that has come up in several threads is the political betting markets that tend to show Trump with a huge lead. These are being treated by MAGAs as if they are scientifically proven. In reality, there is ample evidence that these markets are being gamed, especially by individuals in foreign countries.

I normally write about four threads but today's post has taken longer because I keep having to stop to attend to the website. The upcoming election is making things crazy on the website with trolls of all sorts and the reports that they generate. So, I need stop now and devote my energies elsewhere.