US Presidential Election 2020

Foxtrol wrote: »

it hasn't impacted a lot of people yet, they see it as a flu and media hype.

The Yanks always want the USA to be No. 1. Well they're no. 1 now - in new cases of the virus. And no. 3 in terms of total cases.

It's only really getting started there.

The World Health Organization has said it is seeing a "very large acceleration" in coronavirus infections in the United States which had the potential of becoming the new epicentre.

marno21 wrote: »

Before the massive effects of the coronavirus takes hold

Trump will spin it as him being a hero over Coronavirus. Don’t assume this will have any impact on his re-election campaign.

He is without doubt the best campaigner of our time. His re-election campaign will be completely divorced from reality so I wouldn’t rely on reality counting against him.

Headshot wrote: »

God my heart goes out to the likes of Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci to have to put up with that absolute nonsense.

The American people are asking for their leaders to stand up but we have Trump being petulant and just acting like a ****ing idiot, you just have to shake your head in disbelief

He isn't acting, he isn't acting at all.

nc6000 wrote: »

Easter Sunday is the goal, it's only kicking off in the US but will all be over by then

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1242539966120460289

I see Fox News is supportive of the idea. They’re just reporting that trump plans to do it, without much spin and definitely no opposition. In a week they’ll be in full support of the idea.

Fox median viewer age is in their 60s so they’re the at risk group. If they can sell it to the Fox News audience then they can sell it to anyone. If he can muddy the waters in the election and make it all about whether it was right to reopen the country when he did, then he can control the narrative again. That’s a potential winner.

He really could make sure the election campaign has little to do with his actual record and is all about having saved the economy by restarting things at Easter or whenever he does it.

Just wait. In 2 weeks the US will be divided completely down party lines on this issue and then he’s back in control of the race.

pixelburp wrote: »

Why wait two weeks? Everything now in the US is divided along party lines; from the outset the Corona outbreak has been labelled as a Democrat hoax, or some fault of the Democrats. The narrative has been pushed & pushed by those with an axe to grind, likely endangering folk already hardwired into this Sports Fan politicking. While I'm not au fait with every nation's position, I can't think of any other country whose response has been so heavily politicised as America's. Quibbling over timing, funding or efficacy, but never open hostility.

It would be better to take a couple of weeks to get people inside and make sure people see it as a partisan idea. It’s how he tends to do things. It’ll help when pro trump media has a couple of weeks to get his supporters used to the idea that they support the economy over all else.

everlast75 wrote: »

Everyone will hear him say it - but only those cocooned in the Fox News feedback loop may believe it.

The main demographic for Fox is an age group in particular danger. It will more than likely effect those more than others.

It will be a hard sell when the scientific community say otherwise and you know someone who passed away.

You mention the scientific community but the US has a strong tradition of disbelieving the science community in favour of politics. There are still lots of Americans who disbelieve in evolution and climate change. Believing that Trump saved the economy would be an easy step for them.

If they can shift the "debate" to whether confinement even works in the first place, then they can make it purely about political preference. I think he will get away with this TBH.

I spoke to someone with an American friend who told them just last week, that Coronavirus was mostly made up to hurt Trump. Nothing is beyond Americans ability to believe. They tend to be nice people as individuals, but as a nation they're absolute dopes.

Fox news is right now giving airtime to the Texan guy who says he, and most older people, would rather die than risk the economy deteriorating.

Trump worries US will see 'suicides by the thousands' if coronavirus devastates economy

This link shows where Fox News is going to present to its viewers

Water John wrote: »

Strangely I think mental health will improve over all with with all of us stepping off the rat race threadmill for a time.

The mortality rate is something Trump will not be able to hide from. Just put that alongside a loop playing Trish Regan's segment of it being a Democratic hoax to undermine Trump.

There will be suicides and other consequences of social isolation - there would have been suicides and negative outcomes anyway but they can spin them as being the result of lockdowns and people losing money through lost business. I gather Trump is drawing on images of people throwing themselves out of windows during the great depression.

Like everything else, supporters of trump will say he's right, opponents will say he's wrong and it will probably have very little impact one way or the other come the election in November

Rjd2 wrote: »

https://theintercept.com/2020/03/24/joe-biden-metoo-times-up/
Biden to important to be investigated for a MeToo accusation. SNIP.

Thanks for sharing the story.

A woman who was a staffer in Biden's Senate office, says Biden acted inappropriately toward her. She asks for help from:

the organization Time’s Up, established in the wake of the #MeToo movement to help survivors tell their stories.

The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund ... was launched in December 2017 and was the most successful GoFundMe in the site’s history, raising more than $24 million. Among the accusers backed so far by Time’s Up are some of those assaulted by Harvey Weinstein, as well scores of others ... The group has committed more than $10 million toward funding cases.
...
[In] February, she learned from a new conversation with Time’s Up ... that no assistance could be provided because the person she was accusing, Biden, was a candidate for federal office, and assisting a case against him could jeopardize the organization’s nonprofit status.

This seems bizarre. So if Harvey Weinstein had run for federal office, they wouldn't have assisted in the case against him?

Not too bizarre, though, when you read this:

The public relations firm that works on behalf of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund is SKDKnickerbocker, whose managing director, Anita Dunn, is the top adviser to Biden’s presidential campaign.

serfboard wrote: »

Thanks for sharing the story.

A woman who was a staffer in Biden's Senate office, says Biden acted inappropriately toward her. She asks for help from:
This seems bizarre. So if Harvey Weinstein had run for federal office, they wouldn't have assisted in the case against him?

Not too bizarre, though, when you read this:

Pretty sure no election candidate can get investigated unless they've Bill Barr's express personal permission, subsequent to the impeachment hearings

serfboard wrote: »

What large-scale conspiracy theory? I said that Time's Up excuse, that it couldn't assist Biden's former staffer with an allegation against him, becuase "the person she was accusing ... was a candidate for federal office, and assisting a case against him could jeopardize the organization’s nonprofit status" smelled like BS to me. It also smelled like BS to a professor of Tax Law:
The fact that Biden's top adviser handles PR for Time's Up, is pure coincidence, I'm sure.

You're claiming a conspiracy across two organizations, likely covering several dozen individuals, to bury an allegation related to the presumptive democratic nominee, all due to pressure by the MD of a vendor. That isn't a small conspiracy to keep under wraps. It is tinfoil hat stuff to believe that a special case was made here for Biden and it wouldn't come out.

There seems to be another huge flaw in the argument of the tax lawyer, it is based on Time's Up being 'clear regarding the criteria used as to whom it is taking to court, show that these are long-established neutral criteria'. If the organization have previously not supported cases against other federal candidates then there cannot be a long-established neutral criteria, they'd be making an exception in this situation to go against Biden.

eagle eye wrote: »

Should Biden be investigated over this?
If you say he should not then you are every bit as bad as his opponent.

I have absolutely no problem with Biden being investigated for any credible allegations, same as Trump, Bernie, or whoever else. I don't see anyone claiming they shouldn't be.

What I have problems with are tinfoil hat conspiracy theories, which seem like the route that Bernie supporters have lowered themselves to again and again recently.

Plenty of arguments here that Biden has cognitive decline and isn't up to taking on Trump. This video from the daily show turns those arguments on their head.

https://twitter.com/TheDailyShow/status/1242836333871202305?s=09