***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[Based Jesus]

 

Don Jr. lawyers up https://t.co/48KBIKybgw
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 10, 2017

Just a white collar lawyer who's represented mobsters from the Gambino, Genovese & Colombo crime families... https://t.co/j43QJA7SPL
— Adam Blickstein (@AdamBlickstein) July 10, 2017

Should've lawyered up as soon as the story dropped, then he wouldnt have put his foot in his mouth. Dummy.

 

[Belgium]

 

Dapper Don just can't stop creating jobs b 

 

[Belgium]

There's really no words for this.

http://www.people-press.org/2017/07/10/sharp-partisan-divisions-in-views-of-national-institutions/

Sharp Partisan Divisions in Views of National Institutions
Republicans increasingly say colleges have negative impact on U.S.

Republicans and Democrats offer starkly different assessments of the impact of several of the nation’s leading institutions – including the news media, colleges and universities and churches and religious organizations – and in some cases, the gap in these views is significantly wider today than it was just a year ago.

While a majority of the public (55%) continues to say that colleges and universities have a positive effect on the way things are going in the country these days, Republicans express increasingly negative views.

A majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (58%) now say that colleges and universities have a negative effect on the country, up from 45% last year. By contrast, most Democrats and Democratic leaners (72%) say colleges and universities have a positive effect, which is little changed from recent years.

The national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted June 8-18 among 2,504 adults, finds that partisan differences in views of the national news media, already wide, have grown even wider. Democrats’ views of the effect of the national news media have grown more positive over the past year, while Republicans remain overwhelmingly negative.

About as many Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents think the news media has a positive (44%) as negative (46%) impact on the way things are going in the country. The share of Democrats holding a positive view of the news media’s impact has increased 11 percentage points since last August (33%).

Republicans, by about eight-to-one (85% to 10%), say the news media has a negative effect. These views have changed little in the past few years.

Aside from their growing differences over the impact of colleges and the news media, Republicans and Democrats remain far apart in their assessments of the effects of other institutions on the nation. Democrats continue to be more likely than Republicans to view labor unions positively (59% vs. 33%), while larger shares of Republicans have positive views of churches and religious institutions (73% of Republicans vs. 50% of Democrats) and banks and financial institutions (46% vs. 33%).

Yet even as partisan divides in views of some of these institutions have widened in recent years, the public’s overall evaluations are little changed. Majorities of Americans say churches and religious organizations (59%) and colleges and universities (55%) have a positive effect. Nearly half (47%) say labor unions have a positive impact; 32% see their impact negatively.

Views of the impact of banks and other financial institutions are more negative (46%) than positive (39%). And by roughly two-to-one (63% to 28%), more Americans say that the national news media has a negative than positive effect on the way things are going in the country.

The survey finds that Republicans’ attitudes about the effect of colleges and universities have changed dramatically over a relatively short period of time.

As recently as two years ago, most Republicans and Republican leaners held a positive view of the role of colleges and universities. In September 2015, 54% of Republicans said colleges and universities had a positive impact on the way things were going in the country; 37% rated their impact negatively.

By 2016, Republicans’ ratings of colleges and universities were mixed (43% positive, 45% negative). Today, for the first time on a question asked since 2010, a majority (58%) of Republicans say colleges and universities are having a negative effect on the way things are going in the country, while 36% say they have a positive effect.

Among Republicans, there is an ideological gap in views of the impact of colleges and universities and other institutions: Nearly two-thirds of conservative Republicans (65%) say colleges are having a negative impact, compared with just 43% of moderate and liberal Republicans.

The ideological differences are less striking among Democrats. Wide majorities of both liberal Democrats (79%) and conservative and moderate Democrats (67%) say colleges have a positive impact.

However, Democrats are more ideologically divided than are Republicans over the effect of churches and religious organizations.

Liberal Democrats are about as likely to say the impact of churches and religious organizations is negative (44%) as they are to say it is positive (40%). By two-to-one (58% to 29%), more conservative and moderate Democrats say churches have a positive than negative effect on the country.

Majorities of both conservative Republicans and Republican leaners (75%) and moderate and liberal Republicans (68%) say churches and religious organizations have a positive impact.

There also are pronounced ideological differences in views of the national media. On balance, more liberal Democrats say the national news media has a positive (51%) than negative (39%) impact on the country. Opinion among conservative and moderate Democrats is the reverse (39% positive, 51% negative). Among Republicans, negative views of the news media are shared by large majorities of both conservative Republicans (87%) and moderate and liberal Republicans (80%).

(see link for rest of this lengthy report)

 

[noskey]

COLUMBIA SHOWING LIBBIE SNOWFLAKES WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY GET IN DAPPER DON'S WAY.

NOTHING can stop da winning, b. Libbies stand up to get coaled down by da musket [emoji]128133[/emoji] We true Patriots only listen to winners and last time I checked da electoral map, it said LIBBIES LOST. Papa Dapper Don and Papa Swaggy Vlad out here got da computers 'putin, B. Da cyber going to be so secure, not eem Killary H Satan or Barack ((((Hussein)))) Obummer can securely steal our voter information, b. Only da winners get access to votes. And da COOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL TRAIN IS WINNING, B'S

 

[Nike Jordan]

Republicans think anything that isn't Fox News is the "liberal media". Nothing will change that. 

Not Megyn Kelly on NBC News.

Not Hugh Hewitt on MSNBC. 

Not whoever they have on CNN. 

 

[Based Jesus]

Anyone surprised that Republicans hate unions, the media and higher education?

 

[aepps20]

NOTHING can stop da winning, b. Libbies stand up to get coaled down by da musket [emoji]128133[/emoji] We true Patriots only listen to winners and last time I checked da electoral map, it said LIBBIES LOST. Papa Dapper Don and Papa Swaggy Vlad out here got da computers 'putin, B. Da cyber going to be so secure, not eem Killary H Satan or Barack ((((Hussein)))) Obummer can securely steal our voter information, b. Only da winners get access to votes. And da COOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL TRAIN IS WINNING, B'S

No words can express my feelings of joy over this post FAM.

 

[Mark Antony]

Anyone surprised that Republicans hate unions, the media and higher education?

Unions surprise me because i've seen that type benefit the most from it.

 

[sfc415]

It's funny how these anti-university and anti-education politicians are all Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. grads (and a good number of them come from rich families that basically bribed these schools to let their idiot children in), yet their supporters conveniently ignore this fact and believe the nonsense about Democrats being "elitists" Inbred illiterate hicks

 

[RustyShackleford]

Anyone surprised that Republicans hate unions, the media and higher education?

Unions surprise me because i've seen that type benefit the most from it.

It should not come as a surprise, the GOP has had a constant propaganda campaign against Unions.

That they get in the way of people who want to working from working. Painted it as some sort of socialist market distortion

People in unions generally like them, but people not in them view union workers as lazy leeches and have benefits they don't deserves. Many don't know labor unions had a big role to play in the error of share economic prosperity (mainly among whites though of course)

And the face of the union workers is no longer the middle aged white male, it is a teacher . A teacher that has the summer off and is filling your child's head with liberal talking points like science.

They love police unions though, because they are enforcers of white supremacy.

-And a side note, while I am a fan of labor unions, they have their problems. When I talk to my far left friends I have to remind them that union bosses we're often corrupt as hell, often racist as hell, and will screw over some of their workers in order to keep other happy. Labor rights and civil rights intersect a ton, but they are not 1 to 1.

 

[kdawg]

^ that sort of makes sense though. They don't believe in universities as places of learning - but as a status symbol that only the rich should be able to access.

 

[RustyShackleford]

The the GOP are such big fans of privatization because it breaks public unions.

Liberals are not immune either. Let programers say they want to unionize and see how quickly liberals in CA and WA start with the free market talking points

 

[Belgium]

^ that sort of makes sense though. They don't believe in universities as places of learning - but as a status symbol that only the rich should be able to access.

They also view them as liberal propaganda machines. 

 

[Belgium]

Over here labor unions generally pretty significant power. Overall a good thing imo; most people I know are members of one and many companies employ a union representative. I don't always agree with their methods as sometimes they set up large strikes at terrible moments. A while back they decided it was a good idea to organize bus drivers to go on a mass strike in the middle of the college exams period.

But they do get things done. They have recently bargained a pay raise for bus drivers from the government for example. And individually I can think of plenty examples where unions stepped in for people I personally know and their colleagues. Quite a few companies employ one or more union representatives within the actual company so the workers can go straight to the representative.

Others however just block all union interventions entirely.

My dad worked for a global chemical company, Buckman Laboratories. I think it was a little over a year ago that they changed the worker's hours to 12 hour shifts 3 days a week, including nights. Many of the workers complained that 12 hours was not only against labor regulations but it was also just ridiculous, especially 12 hour night shifts. On top of that most of the workers work in weekly shifts (not sure of the exact English terminology), meaning one week they work the morning shift, the next week the afternoon shift and then the night shift.

Union representatives showed up at the company over a dozen times, and each and every time the company either kicked them out or just refused to let them in entirely.

I've also heard plenty of complaints about company employed union representatives who don't put in much effort whatsoever because their job security as a union rep. is generally a lot more secure than others and they can afford to slack around and do very little actual work. The union rep at my mom's job, a private owned retirement home, basically did nothing all day and everyone knew it. Most suspected he was in the pocket of the company owner as nothing ever came of any complaints. Just seemed to disappear in the guy's notes somewhere. The director would then refer back to said union rep. if people took complaints higher up the chain. Under new ownership the company eventually fired him and didn't employ or let in any new union reps as they gradually made the patient care worse by cutting expenses, price hikes on patient costs, ...

Of course it's harder for the unions to negotiate with the company or assess the situation if the company just doesn't allow them to enter the property. That's where their power is limited.

But overall they're certainly a positive for our country imo. 

 

[Mark Antony]

Anyone surprised that Republicans hate unions, the media and higher education?

Unions surprise me because i've seen that type benefit the most from it.

It should not come as a surprise, the GOP has had a constant propaganda campaign against Unions.

That they get in the way of people who want to working from working. Painted it as some sort of socialist market distortion

People in unions generally like them, but people not in them view union workers as lazy leeches and have benefits they don't deserves. Many don't know labor unions had a big role to play in the error of share economic prosperity (mainly among whites though of course)

And the face of the union workers is no longer the middle aged white male, it is a teacher . A teacher that has the summer off and is filling your child's head with liberal talking points like science.

They love police unions though, because they are enforcers of white supremacy.

-And a side note, while I am a fan of labor unions, they have their problems. When I talk to my far left friends I have to remind them that union bosses we're often corrupt as hell, often racist as hell, and will screw over some of their workers in order to keep other happy. Labor rights and civil rights intersect a ton, but they are not 1 to 1.

That's funny considering that type of people who support the right that constantly cry for the gov't to save their obsolete jobs and refuse to upskill would benefit greatly from a union that fights to keep them in place and goes to DC on their behalf.

 

[whywesteppin]

It's kind of like the contrast between the 2 professors in Good Will Hunting.

For conservatives, higher institutions of learning are not for the poor, they are not for free thinking, they are not for merit-based status. Rather, they are supposed to be static institutes, full of legacy kids, invested in the status quo, a checkbox for entry into class-based circles of the wealthy and powerful.

I remember as a kid being told that universities were bastions of liberal thought (as if that's a bad thing) where everyone is out of touch and hellbent on destroying the morals and traditions of regular Americans. While there are of course some people like this, in general it's not true, and the level of scrutiny / introspections / skepticism found at universities is unmatched in any other environment. Anyway, regardless of all these warnings about universities, conservatives around me still looked up to college as something to strive for. They still in general respected higher education as a good thing.

But this appears to be changing. It's amazing how much conservatives have turned against universities, especially recently (based on the graphs Colombia posted and the sense I get from conservative commentators). The Republican party and trump are heavily to blame, along with the whole culture that has been bred over the past few years. Rather than view universities as good places where you just need to watch out for liberal thinking, they are now the enemy, in bed with the media and the government and Jews and blacks and Muslims and women and atheists and Communists in an effort to overtake this country and then, in the ultimate blow to democracy, pass tighter restrictions on guns.

What has been sacrificed as a result of this narrative is the principle at the very core of universities: the value of critical thinking and principled approaches to complex problems. Somehow these have become the enemy too. So we are left with a huge segment of this country that not only detests Harvard, they also detest the idea that someone would do an objective analysis of economic policy or gun laws or efficacy of a new drug. They want a government that not just ignores the advise of experts but purposefully goes against the experts at every turn.

This whole change is concerning because it affects everything, from health care to taxation to civil rights to gun laws to foreign policy. And it looks like it's only going to get worse.


edit: Oddly, one of the first casualties is principled conservative thought. They have no place now on the right as the party has been hijacked. Fingers crossed, they will defect and ultimately leave the party to cannibalize itself.

 

[Belgium]

I would also add that religion's vice grip on the US, in particular the rightwing religious zealotry, plays a large role in this growing wave of anti-intellectualism. Looking at that report I also immediately thought of a recent Gallup poll on religion. It stated that 24% of Americans "take the bible literally, word for word". 24% is a very large number for people whose beliefs are on the same level as flat earthers.

Higher education is not beneficial for religion, certainly not for the rightwing biblethumping variety. I suspect that plays a very significant role in republicans' disdain for higher education. If there's one thing Barry Goldwater was right about it was the danger of the religious right's increasing pursuit of power over the GOP. Which turned out to be a great success for the biblethumpers, not so much for everyone else.

 

[sfc415]

There's even a giant flat earther thread here on NT. Some dude in there literally said that mathematical equations are all false/made up. The intelligence levels of Americans are shockingly low.

 

[IATT]

 

[Belgium]

There's even a giant flat earther thread here on NT. Some dude in there literally said that mathematical equations are all false/made up. The intelligence levels of Americans are shockingly low.

I'm still unsure if that thread was just full of trolling or if anyone was actually serious in there 

 

[stuntman mike]

I'm still unsure if that thread was just full of trolling or if anyone was actually serious in there 

sadly, people actually believe that mind-blowing nonsense.

 

[jape]

the mountains are just big tree stomps too 

 

[stuntman mike]

the mountains are just big tree stomps too 

don't get me started on that one

 

[sonoftony]

 

[aepps20]

Universities ARE LIBBIE ECHO CHAMBERS. I only rely on the cup and string hotline I have setup. Me on one end and my Cabinet on the other end. If the news isn't from Whywesteppin, Noskey or eddiengambino it is fake.