The commissioners were dismissed just months before the midterm elections, known in the US as “midterms.”

I really hope this is AI and a real person didn’t write a sentence this stupid. Damn, the Midterm Elections are referenced as “Midterms” when talking about elections!? I never could have put that together if you just said “Midterm Elections” once and then used “Midterms” for the rest of the article! I would have been so so lost!

Thanks. That’s definitely better than I thought. That it was existing I mean. Doing all the infra required to add a means tested program did not sound like a Mamdani style policy. But just making it a less strict means test is a step in the right direction. Just better quality of life changes over and over from Mamdani. He’s really selling sewer socialism well to New York.

Gonna be honest, this is the worst best thing I’ve heard him do.

Income based means testing policy is awful. I’d have to read more on how it’s being implemented. Hopefully just a step towards free transit.

Agreed. We’re also seeing a lot of people expose themselves as rapist or rape apologist because of this. Like, I hope this can be a learning moment for them, but I doubt it will be.

It’s just really basic shit. Like not understanding that consent can be revoked at anytime.

Like, even people I really respect are trying to place doubt on this poor woman.

Like I really respect Ryan Grim from DropSite news. But he literally just posted about “missing context”.

This is not “journalist integrity”. This is a conscious choice by Politico to not include a portion of the story in their story that would introduce victim blaming. It is not “context”. It’s about as useful as telling us what Platner had to eat on the day he raped her.

CONSENT CAN BE REVOKED AT ANY TIME. If Platner didn’t stop when that consent was revoked than he’s a rapist. That’s it.

I guess Ryan Grim has boomer brainrot or something. He should have provided the additional “context” and then explained it how I just did. This “asking for it” rape culture shit really needs to die. It’s people like him that I hope learn from this. Because DropSite and him are really doing good work. I think it just shows how much rape culture is still a part of our society throughout the political spectrum.

It’s just hard right now to educate people when the tensions and frustrations are so high right now. It’s hard to differentiate between the people worth using this moment to teach; and those that should be shamed for being rape apologist. Some people are just not worth the effort and that’s ok.

Sorry, rant, but I read your reply after being frustrated by this shit.

I can’t believe this had to be said. But thanks. Holy shit. I’m reminded at times like this that a lot of people that follow politics literally just treat it like a team sport. Like, it’s entertaining for them but they aren’t actually interested in obtaining power to achieve political goals. They just want their team to win.

I think you’re missing the part where the people that supported Platner are no longer going to support him after finding out he’s a rapist. The people that supported Trump were fine voting for a rapist. Like, are you actually asking the Democrats to attempt to convince their voters to vote for a rapist? That’s where we are at now?

Well then don’t be that guy Platner!

Glad someone can understand. I could tell they were losing the plot when they had to pretend I would enjoy a child being beaten.

It’s so odd how people are so ingrained with the idea that the power structures they grew up with must be moral and good that they can’t even acknowledge when someone in a position of power is powerful.

It’s treating power as some moral reward like they think Superman is powerful because he’s good or something.

No, that’s where you’re missing the point. In my world I acknowledge that adults are strong and have power over children. I want to live in a world where that power is checked and acknowledge that children need protection from abuse.

You understand this fundamentally with the child being hit by an adult. You react in a condemning way because you understand this power difference. I would react in the same way as you and physically intervene to protect the child.

You would also have a different reaction if you saw one adult hit another adult. You may first see this as someone starting violence; but will not react so quickly to protect the other adult as you will look at the other differences in power. Are they both the same size? Are they both the same gender? What happened before the violence started? All of these have power dynamics. But you already understand these power structures and likely don’t even think about them. But, that’s what I’m actually trying to explain to you with Trump.

You don’t have to pretend I’m some evil person fawning over an adult hitting a child. We are disagreeing because you have an emotional attachment to the word “power” and I am using it for its material meaning to define societal structures.

You’re giving away your bias and emotional definition here; having to pretend that acknowledging power structures means I am “fawning” over that power. I am not and have never once said something that should make you believe so.

You are for some reason arguing that the abusive adult is “not powerful” though? At least if I infer that from the conversation about Trump. That they are only defined by your judgement of them as “trash” or how the abuse makes you feel; and you should actively deny their power as if it somehow “takes it away” from them by not acknowledging it. But this is what I’m inferring from what you’ve said so far. Feel free to clarify.

Power has material attributes. Adults have power over children. Leaders of a state have power over the people of that state. Power is when Trump can command a military to bomb Iran. He has power. It is not being checked. It is not good. Acknowledging power does not give it lower. Acknowledging that that power exists and is being abused is the first step in recognizing it needs to be stopped.

I will never understand why people think there is importance in how they decide to define things in their heads moreso than how they have an impact on the material world. Why should I care how correctly acknowledging that Trump has “power” makes you feel?

Power is not just an idea. It has actual impact on whether you acknowledge it or decide it should be seen as “power” in idealism. You calling something “powerful” isn’t giving it power. The economic, military, and social connections give power.

The leader of the US will have this power whether or not you celebrate it. And I never said to celebrate it. I’m not celebrating it. I said to acknowledge it.

You seem to think you’re in a movie and bending the knee or something. It’s not. It’s pointing to the problem.

In my opinion. Calling it “trash” is just you giving a comforting but useless response. Yeah, we all dislike it. I would hope we all hate white supremacy. But pretending white supremacy doesn’t have “power” in our world would be delusional.

I agree with most of that. But, I’m sorry to be the one to inform you: Corruption is a form of power. The leaders of most other countries aren’t getting the same privilege as the leader of the US and host nation would. If you don’t acknowledge corruption as a form of power then you’re really missing the problem with corruption in the first place.

A US player got a red card (meaning kicked out of the game and suspended from playing the following game). Trump called the FIFA president (title? Idk) and suddenly he’s allowed to play in the next game.

All this drama and the US still loses 1-4 in the next game. Basically the best outcome at least. The bad taste of Trump influencing FIFA is at least gone. But still pretty fucked FIFA just bowed down to a phone call.

That’s the annoying part of this. Like, even if you’re a fan of the USA, if they actually win, it’s going to always be a story about Trump.

Also, in defense of the US team, this is absolutely something Trump would just do on his own because he can. But, you’re right, no one sees it that way.

This is a guy that put his name next to JFK on a building. He wants to make everything about himself. Knick’s game is another example. He’s so narcissistic that he doesn’t even care how bad this looks the the US team.

He just thinks it makes him look powerful, and, quite honestly, it does. FIFA is who people should be upset with here. You can be upset Trump called. But, holy shit, you should be more upset FIFA just did what they were told.

Sure. I have no faith personally in Newsom. He’s not the one to do it. However, if we can get better representatives elected (DSA) these types of things are what can draw lines between states and the federal government. If there is a resistance to Fascism in any meaningful way it will be done at this point of existing law. Or moreso the destruction of this existing law.

New York state, currently being the ground in which this fight is most likely going to our best form of resistance. Though New York will not be the first state they look to take full federal control. Unfortunately, the weak neoliberalism and lack of much motion for DSA makes California a good first target.

It starts in States resisting the fascist government in the political process, but will be fought if the state representatives are well liked and powerful enough to rally the people of their state behind them to physically stop the fascist federal government. Whether stopping them from stealing ballots; or stopping them from abducting its people.

The electoral system is still currently the best way to organize this resistance and legal points of contention give us more time. The fascist are not popular or powerful enough to not at least go through the motions and illusion of a democratic process. As they lose more popularity they will stop going through this motion all together and will become more dependent on violence.

When it is clear (even to the out of touch American) that they have no intentions of even pretend to follow the processes; that is when political delays will no longer matter. But, if we haven’t built popular support before then; we will be run over with the general population still completely unaware or seeing resistance as just “antifa”. We need to gain popular support and legitimacy in the minds of the average American. That’s why the “sewer socialism” in New York is so important right now.

They are already validated by our government. Every single one of these guys is a member of ICE. I’m validating what they represent as a threat; not validating their beliefs as true.

Pretending that neonazis are cowards that will not fight or that they won’t die for their beliefs in white supremacy is not helpful. It’s pretending that they are not a threat.

So you’re actually dumb enough to try to equate voting for a representative and voting for literal weapons funding during a genocide?

Like, we’re having a conversation about punishment for war criminals that took direct actions to support a genocide; and you’re trying to make this false equivalency for some reason.

I’m not sure why you even are trying to equate them.

Even in something like murder we have different degrees. Even our flawed justice system understands there are differences of intention. Why do you keep pretending to be dumb and not understand what I’m saying? Do you want to punish voters? I’m so confused.

Yes. That’s essentially what my comment said.

Tell me at which time in history free speech was protected in America?

Tell that to women, slaves, immigrants, communist, Japanese Americans during WW2, socialist, civil rights leaders, etc.

It’s a nice “idea” mate. But, it’s never been an actual thing that has existed at any time in American history.

You’re allowed your free speech for as long as the government does not see that speech as a threat to its power and status quo. Unions, civil rights activist, slave abolishonist, they were not allowed their “free speech” because people hearing what they had to say was seen as a threat to maintain the oppressive structures of Capital, white supremacy, and slavery.

Give me a decade in the last 250 years and I’ll give you an example of the government arresting or suppressing it’s citizens “right to free speech”.

It exists in your head as an idea we all like to thrive for. Sure. But it has never actually existed in application.

Liberals are more comfortable with the world that exists in their heads. That following the “ideas” of democracy will end up for peace and prosperity for all. It’s why they get tricked into defending Nazis like this all the time. Their more concerned with the process than they are with the outcome. So they stand up and defend free speech in really obvious situations like this so they can grandstand on their false belief that the process works and will result in the best outcomes for all.

Even now, as that very process has lead to Fascism and Oligarchy they still think that the ideas are worth defending even though the world those ideas created is crumbling down all around them.

They have diluted themselves into thinking it just needs minor fixes and needs to be followed more strictly. So, they double down even further to protect the fascist based on following process. While, at the same time criticize the fascist and wave their fingers when the fascist don’t follow the process for others.

They will sit by and do this until one day they wake up and realize that they are just Liberals living in a fully fascist society that has run out of people to target and is now coming after them.

TLDR: https://youtu.be/zAthsMSwESE

I really wish Americans would learn that free speech is an illusion that exists in their heads; and stop feeling like they have to defend white supremacist with this “right to free speech” line everytime these groups get together to start violence.

There is no such thing as free speech. It’s a cute little idea. But it only ever seems to be protected and spoken about to defend the existing structures of power and white supremacy.