Notices by Louis Ingenthron (louis@ingenthron.social)

@freemo @amerika I mean, I grew up in a Republican household. I voted for both parties through to the Obama era while donating to libertarian policy groups. I only finally registered as a Dem on January 7th 2021.

So, I definitely see what you're talking about, in general. I just see the dems as being only like 20-30% as radicalized as their opposition, and their radicalization is mostly oppositional. Remove the dictator and give him proper due process and dems will de-radicalize naturally.

@freemo I wouldn't say it makes me feel clean (although it doesn't make me feel less clean either). I'd describe it as "refreshed".

For reference:
Rain: not cleaning, but refreshing
Shower: cleaning and refreshing
Sponge bath: cleaning, but not refreshing

@freemo Yeah, the former. Sometimes when I'm home and it rains, I'll just go outside and stand in it for a while for fun. Usually not to the point of being soaked, and I change clothes as soon as I get back inside, but it feels nice.

@freemo Ah, then you and I have very different responses to rain. For me, it's rejuvenating even when it's whipping and cold.

But especially the idea of a gentle warm front blowing in and raining after a long dusty day working in the hot sun is exactly the same feeling I associate with showering after getting grimy in other ways.

@freemo Evolutionary response to life-giving rain, perhaps?

@freemo @amerika I agree with most of that. We're all a product of our history and experiences. Most of Europe would describe your definition of "moderate" to be "conservative", while in Texas, you'd be a commie, so it's all about frame of context.

@freemo So in other words "moderate" is what everyone thinks of themselves and nobody else.

@freemo Most of what you're describing happened before half the electorate graduated from high school, so I kind of doubt it was a major factor.

But, yeah, I think a lot of the reason why he was considered a moderate was because he had mostly extremely mainline liberal views but "moderated" them with a few extreme right-wing views.

@freemo During a trifecta, no doubt. In a perfect world, though, having separate branches of government should lead to oppositional control which requires a greater degree of compromise.

@freemo Whether you buy into it or not, the fact remains that all but two parties remain almost entirely toothless.

@freemo I never said people didn't think he was bad, I said they thought he was a moderate.

@freemo As long as we have a pro-dictatorship party and an anti-dictatorship party, the choice for every American should be clear. You don't have to marry the Democrats for life, but describing them as "radical" in this moment for primarily opposing the very authoritarianism you recognize to be a threat seems to be extremely counter-productive.

@freemo They're not trying to force you to use pronouns. They're trying to stop the dismantling of our country.

@freemo You are literally the only person I know who thinks Biden wasn't a moderate. But also, he wasn't the party's latest nominee, nor does he seem to have any part in the party's current anti-authoritarian platform. He just pardoned his family and noped his way outta the whole situation.

So, judging the Democratic Party in 2025 based on Biden's policies in the '70s and a tiny minority of rioters 5 years ago hardly seems prudent.

You're conflating the majority with vocal minorities.

@freemo Yeah, I don't agree with that assessment. The Dem party certainly has some radical elements, but describing their core party platform or the majority of their members as radical does not seem to be supported by reality.

The Republican platform is currently "let's dismantle the government and constitution in the name of efficiency for our god-king" and the Democrat platform is an incredibly meek "no, please stop, maybe, sir?".

@freemo You should read the above thread again.

I never once mentioned radical or extremist policies in the initial posts (I only mentioned it later in direct rebuttals to your claims). You completely read that into my argument all on your own.

@freemo
> its about not being an extreme polarized radical person, but rather a moderate person who considers the nuance of a situation

It's not about either of those things. It's about consistency and integrity and actually following the principles you claimed to champion when you ran for the office you now hold.

@freemo If that conclusion were true, it would be a lot easier for NPA candidates to achieve federal office.

When someone signs their candidacy form with a party next to their name, they're signing on to the party's platform, and voters should be able to expect them to adhere to that.

Now, I'm not decrying legitimate breaks for matters of one's conscience.

What I'm pissed off about is shitty politicians in swing districts betraying their own to avoid offending the moderates on the other side.

@freemo Sure, of course, some voters expect that. But it's pretty fair to assume that the vast majority of people who vote for Democrats want them to vote with Democrats to enact Democrat policies, and likewise for Republican voters.

And especially when the majority is in the right, voting against it is a defiance of the mandate of the people that put them in office.

I will never understand why some Democrat elected politicians think that Democrat voters elected them to vote against the Democrats.

"The GOP are winning elections across the country by actually opposing their opponents?
Let's do the exact opposite of that winning strategy for no apparent reason!"

#uspol