The House GOP just gave Biden’s campaign a huge gift: Roughly 80 percent of House Republicans just lined up behind a plan to cut Social Security and ban all abortions

Donald Trump would be on track to win a historic landslide in November — if so many US voters didn’t find him personally repugnant.

Roughly 53 percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the former president. And yet, when asked about Trump’s ability to handle key issues — or the impact of his policies — voters routinely give the Republican candidate higher marks than President Biden.

In a YouGov survey released this month, Trump boasted an advantage over Biden on 10 of the 15 issues polled. On the three issues that voters routinely name as top priorities — the economy, immigration, and inflation — respondents said that Trump would do a better job by double-digit margins.

Meanwhile, in a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, 40 percent of voters said that Trump’s policies had helped them personally, while just 18 percent said the same of Biden. If Americans could elect a normal human being with Trump’s reputation for being “tough” on immigration and good at economics, they would almost certainly do so.

Biden is fortunate that voters do not have that option. But to erase Trump’s small but stubborn lead in the polls, the president needs to erode his GOP rival’s advantage on the issues.

Bonskreeskreeskree,

Can someone explain to me what would stop dems from infinitely fillibustering any of the Republicans bullshit laws if they got control, similar to how the Republicans have?

AbidanYre,

Gridlock doesn’t benefit Democrats like it does Republicans.

Bonskreeskreeskree,

How so?

Jaysyn,
@Jaysyn@kbin.social avatar

It's easier to destroy than build.

Cryophilia,

Democrats run on a platform of “we want to do x, y, and z to make things better. Vote us in and we will do those things.”

Republicans run on a platform of “we want to destroy things a, b, and c to make things better. Vote us in and we will destroy those things.”

Filibustering helps destroy things. It does not help to build things.

dojan,
@dojan@lemmy.world avatar

Presumably Project 2025.

BraveSirZaphod,
@BraveSirZaphod@kbin.social avatar

Nothing, though the budget reconciliation process allows for one filibuster-proof bill a year if it primarily deals with the budget.

That said, the filibuster is just an internal Senate rule. A majority could simply eliminate it at any time, but that of course may come back to bite them when the balance of power shifts.

stoly,

I don’t see this causing real problems. It would make the Senate more democratic if there were no fillibuster.

OfficeMonkey,

The Republicans will obliterate the fillibuster the day they want to, claiming the Democrats are forcing them to.

Habahnow,

That would honestly be great for Democrats long term, which Is why they wouldn’t do it.

Bonskreeskreeskree,

Don’t they need a super majority to do that?

billiam0202,

No, the filibuster is just a rule the Senate made up and it only takes a majority of the Senate to change their rules.

stoly,

The Constitution allows each chamber to set their own rules however they like. Just the barest majority is all that is required.

octopus_ink, (edited )

The party of taking things away strikes again!

Let me add a side dish of - I’m increasingly convinced they want a system designed such that we can all work to increase the wealth of the 1% right up to the moment we drop dead in our cubicles.

cogman,

No need to be unconvinced, right wingers have explicitly said that’s what they want. Benny Shaps recently said something to the effect of “It’s unhealthy to retire, everyone that retires ends up dying in a few years. We should all work as long as possible.”

MagicShel,

Perhaps it’s that social security doesn’t let folks do much beyond existing. If they had money to travel and adventure and indulge in hobbies, maybe folks would live longer. Ben just convinced me that we need to pay people way more both while they work and in retirement.

empireOfLove2,
@empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

It’s also because personal fulfillment and social connections (and a lot of physical activity) in western society are built entirely around work. You make friends at work, you talk to people at work, you walk around and move at work. Work is meant to sort of be your mental stimulation. So many people simply forget/don’t have the resources to develop connections outside of work, and then when they retire even with money they find themselves lost and aimless. Some find new ways to self-fufill, but others don’t. Without some external motivation forcing them to develop, they wither, because the system has not taught them otherwise.

MagicShel,

Eh. Work gives me none of that. Been remote since COVID. I do get mental stimulation but honestly I get plenty of that from social media and video games - keeps my mind active and focused. If I ever do get to retire I’ll probably add woodworking to my hobbies. Most likely I’ll either die working or get some horrible disease and die because I couldn’t work and lost insurance.

But I’ll tell you, I’m fifty. Been in my career for twenty five years. I still enjoy what I do but I’m getting fucking tired of the way software development is managed. People and corporations suck all the enjoyment out of otherwise fulfilling careers. I’m not looking to retire but if I hit the lottery tomorrow (which I won’t because I don’t gamble) I wouldn’t look back. Maybe I’d go fishing with my dad more. Once he retires.

octopus_ink,

But I’ll tell you, I’m fifty. Been in my career for twenty five years. I still enjoy what I do but I’m getting fucking tired of the way software development is managed. People and corporations suck all the enjoyment out of otherwise fulfilling careers. I’m not looking to retire but if I hit the lottery tomorrow (which I won’t because I don’t gamble) I wouldn’t look back. Maybe I’d go fishing with my dad more. Once he retires.

We’re not so very different you and I. Take a couple words out and mad-lib them and I could have written this.

Fist-bump fellow disgruntled Gen-X’er. May we both win Fuck You money.

photonic_sorcerer,
@photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

In western society? Bro, in Japan and S. Korea, they’ve never heard of a work-life balance. This isn’t a western thing, this is a class issue.

Resonosity,

Good point. If social security won’t allow for us to live with at least at a reasonable quality of life, then it’s as if life just gets worse from there.

My dad is on disability and social security. He doesn’t really treat himself or go on vacations anymore! Instead it’s a balance between the mortgage and every day expenses.

Starkstruck,

These people seem to not understand the concept of hobbies. You can still “work”, just on things that are actually fulfilling and make you happy.

Ragnarok314159,

I am an older millennial and have come to realize most adults don’t have hobbies. They either give up on it all or try to make their kids a hobby, which is a whole different level of self destruction.

I was chatting with the self imposed suburban adult “friends” and told them how I recently started learning the guitar. None of them understood. “Why would you do that? You won’t be in a band.” I am not trying to be goddamn Kirk Hammet or try out for Dreamtheater, I just want to be able to play some rifts for myself and noodle around.

People get their weird idea that a hobby must also be a means to an end rather than just something creative to pass time.

paddirn,

They want a return to the good old days… of feudalism, when wealth and power was concentrated with the upper classes and the clergy.

aodhsishaj,

The policies they vote for again and again are definitely designed for the wealthy to only get wealthier. However what they are being sold, is a world they no longer understand, being turned against them and their children. This is the lie they’re swallowing when they vote red.

archive.is/cRKFK

They don’t think they’re voting to enrich the elites, they believe they’re saving the future for unborn children. If you listen to the rhetoric it’s very apparent. To me it’s sad as these folks think they’re doing the right thing for their children and by proxy the world.

octopus_ink,

Too long since I’ve said this:

Fuck you, Republicans!

MsPenguinette,

It’s been 8 hours since you commented and it’s already too long since you’ve said this

octopus_ink,

It’s been 8 hours since you commented and it’s already too long since you’ve said this

Agreed!

Fuck you, Republicans!

Ragnarok314159,

Go on…say the line, Bart_octopus_ink.

Zuberi,
@Zuberi@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Socialism 2024

Fuck blue maga and their genocide

Fapper_McFapper,

The message is clear. Republicans want to raise the retirement age to 69, outlaw abortion on a national level. Vote Republican at your own peril.

Plopp,

Vote Republican at your own peril.

Peril is less bad than those communist democrats, I bet all too many morons believe.

hemmes,
@hemmes@lemmy.world avatar

I was basically going to say the same thing, they’ll vote anyway, party over policy. It doesn’t matter what they propose. As long as Democrats disagree with it, their constituents will vote for it, standard team-driven advertising.

Most voters don’t care about politics at all, we just want what everyone else wants - a chance at opportunity, some form of health care and social security, you know, the good life. We can all pretty much agree on that and it’s really not that interesting a topic. So, politicians turn politics into a sports game because that’s what people care about and engage with, sports and competition, our old friend, Ego.

Follow your heart, not your ego.

Cryophilia,

Most voters don’t care about politics at all, we just want what everyone else wants - a chance at opportunity, some form of health care and social security, you know, the good life.

That is politics.

photonic_sorcerer,
@photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Not really, just basic human rights.

Cryophilia,

Also politics.

Plopp,

Everything is politics. But people tend to not like to think of things as politics. Because “politics is boring”.

capital_sniff,

Politics explained simply is about who gets what and when they get it.

Daft_ish,

Triple funny when you consider all the communists fucking hate biden.

astrsk,
@astrsk@piefed.social avatar

Wow they even managed to make the funny number not funny anymore.

vanontom,
@vanontom@lemmy.world avatar

Obligatory: Nice.

Chocrates,

I don’t understand retirement. Didn’t John Oliver just tell us that Millenials already don’t get to retire at 65? I am fucking livid, i am 35, my mom died at 62, I probably won’t even make it to 65 and all the money I have given to the government for this is going to be lost.

Cryophilia,

You know John Oliver is not actually the government minister in charge of When People Get to Retire?

Retirement is just a number. Once you hit that number, you can retire.

Talking about the “retirement age” is just the age at which social security benefits kick in. It doesn’t mean you’re no longer allowed to work after that age, or that you’re required to work until that age.

douglasg14b,
@douglasg14b@lemmy.world avatar

Morals to talking about penalties for your retirement accounts…

Which can be significant

aodhsishaj,

Government minister? там, где ты, товарищ, водка хороша?

MotoAsh,

No one thinks retirement is when the government forces you to not work… What are you, 14?

Cryophilia,

You might overestimate Chocrates

You definitely overestimate Lemmy commenters

Chocrates,

I am an idiot but this seems pointlessly mean.

Cryophilia,

Just an accurate observation from my time on lemmy.

ClanOfTheOcho,

It’s not as simple as people pretend. But not all that complicated, either. 65 was the “full” retirement age before law changes in the 80s. For most workers today, it’s 67. But wait! The amount you will get per month from social security depends on 2 things – how much you paid into the system, and what age you actually are when you retire. You can start collecting at 62, but it will be considerably less per month than if you retire at the full retirement age. And to confuse things more, you can keep working until 70(?) and the amount you will get continues to increase every month, so I’m not sure why full retirement age is 67 instead of 70.

Zuberi,
@Zuberi@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Socialism 2024

Fuck blue maga and their genocide

Mastengwe,

Everyone’s peril.

capital,

Vote Republican or stay home at your own peril.

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