I do not tend to post a lot about politics on Hive, but this is a momentous day. The United States of America has had a four year experiment in putting a mediocre businessman and reality show 'celebrity' in charge. I think it has been a disaster. I know a lot of people think politics is a broken system, but this was not the solution. I am speaking as a Brit who has not studied politics in great depth, but I care about the world we all share. The US presidency is one of the most powerful positions there is and it matters who holds it.
I have not seen many people writing about the election, but that will depend on who you follow. I did see this by @edb. I fully expect some people to disagree with me and you are free to do so. Let us just keep it civil.
I am still of the opinion that Trump did not really want to be president. He wanted the publicity of being a candidate to boost his media profile, but then things got out of control and he decided to get what he can from it anyway. He talked about 'draining the swamp', but then installed members of his family and business people in powerful positions. We may well see some of them run for office at some point.
He has a history of lying that puts most politicians in the shade and this has continued throughout his campaign and presidency. He will often make an outrageous statement and then say 'maybe it is or maybe not' to avoid any responsibility. As a prolific tweeter he has accused other presidents of not taking responsibility, but then he will not do it himself. Hypocrisy is another prominent trait.
It has been interesting to see how many of the people who worked for him in the White House have since turned against him. There has been a high turnover there. Even his own niece is a critic.
So why do so many people support him? It seems to be largely about what he can do for them. The religious right love him for supporting some of their causes despite not seeming much of a believer and having led a pretty 'sinful' life. As one of a wave of nationalists/populists he makes grand claims of simple solutions to difficult problems, but has been slow to deliver on some of those. In times of environmental threats, turmoil in the Middle East, the rise of China and dictators with nukes you need a smart, brave leader and not a so-called 'strongman' who is all bluster.
I am not saying Biden is the answer to all this, but I would hope he can try to heal some of the divisions Trump has created. The recent divisive politics have put a lot of people off it. I do not believe in blanket statements that all politicians are corrupt, nor all journalists. Trump has worked to sow distrust in the 'fake news media', apart from sources who favour him, although even Fox has criticised him at times.
It is not clear which way the election will go even though the polls favour Biden/Harris. The pollsters lost a lot of credibility last time, but I would expect they have been refining their methods. Trump has been preparing the ground for challenging the result by making false statements about the risks of voting fraud and stacking the Supreme Court in his favour. The result should be about votes and not legal challenges.
I have been following Thomas Miller on Twitter who makes forecasts based on betting markets. That is also favouring Biden/Harris, but Trump/Pence still have a chance.
Nate Silver also has some interesting analysis. The turnout is going to be significantly higher than usual and that makes it harder to predict. The fact is that people have now seen what Trump is like as a president and not just what he said he would do. COVID-19 is likely to be a factor. His lack of empathy for those who have suffered is telling.
No doubt there will be surprises. Despite what Trump has said we should not expect a final result for some time. That is just how the system works. I just hope it does not result in violence.
Vote if you can for what you believe is right.
Trump is not a cure, he is the gateway drug to survive the pain caused by the corruption in politics, big tech and the media. I saw maybe 50-100 Hours of live broadcasts captured in the US Senat, Congress and Debates. Every time I did that, I got more angry. The news and the ‘viral’ headlines (mostly in the recommendation feed) just don’t tell the truth. Especially after getting translated into german... it’s an insult to me, it has to stop.
Trump is not an politician he said himself, he doesn’t fit into the white house. So what?
And he fought the swamp. How many impeachment hearings did you watch? Did you listen to those CIA guys? That’s the swamp! They use backdoors in big tech and the NSA to spy on you and then crush you as they please. In some cases they just make stuff up to even arrest you, like in the case of Flinn.
#Trump2020
I accept that the system is flawed. In the UK too we have lobbying by companies that influences policy. We need politicians who actually represent us and we at least get some say in that. I just think Trump is toxic and another 4 years of him will be a disaster for the world. I don't care if he gets convicted. I just want him out of power.
As long as the House of Representatives is not falling in the same direction as the President, he can't just pull whatever he wants.
One of the main reasons I got involved with crypto is because it’s non violent.
I see all the blockchain networks as a Separate country with different governance model where people and projects have their choice to move freely
Crypto will not solve all the world's problems, but it opens up possibilities. National governments are not going anywhere soon, but we should try to influence them to take good paths.
The thing that really makes me sad is the fact that there are so many people that still support Trump despite what they know to be true about him. The fact that such a large number of people are okay with racism and hate is horrible. This is usually the point where people point out all the bad allegations against Biden. What they don't stop to realize is those are just allegations. There are Tweets and speeches to back up the claims against their candidate, but they just don't care. Personally, I hope he doesn't win, but I have a bad feeling he is going to.
We have lots of evidence against Trump from his own mouth and tweets. He is a very insecure guy who will do or say anything to try and not lose. I would hope enough people judge him on what he has shown himself to be. You cannot go by what you see online as that is a tiny minority of opinions. I guess you may have a better idea from what you see around you.
You'd be sick to your stomach if you heard and saw what we do around here. So many people just looking at their 401K and thinking he is doing a great job. Or only voting for him because he opposes abortion. They have blinders on and they don't care.
💯 The "me" mentality has got to change.
Do you really think Trump cares about more than himself? His lies, racism and sexism are blatant. He is a disgrace to the office of president. I'm not speaking up for Biden, but he may be a better option despite his faults. That's my opinion and you are entitled to yours.
i am unsure how you can make this analysis in light of recent Biden laptop evidence coming out.
Chump is a bragart, not really a liar. He inflates and conflates.
Biden is a liar. I am not sure he can be honest.
Everything they accused Chump of, Biden DID.
They call Chump a womanizer, but he mostly stayed with adult women and pretty much in the consensual area.
Biden creaps out little boys and girls. He inappropriately touches people all over the place. And that is what he does in public. We have video of his son with underage... and i am sure that Joe has been. (there are too many allegations that have been silenced)
But, we aren't voting for Biden, it is between Chump and Horrible Harris. (yes, that is her name / meaning)
And she will do anything for money and power.
So, in this election, Chump is far better than Horrible Harris.
Almost to the point of wanting to vote for Chump (and not against Harris)
But still, i would prefer to vote
✔ NO
Donald Chump
Horrible Harris
Any actual proof on Biden? Trump incriminates himself almost every time he opens his mouth. I just want to see him gone and then someone else can clear up the mess he leaves. I think both sides need to think long and hard about winning back trust.
Every single politician is useless and a crook. You should know just as well as us since your government is a cluster too. The problem is that we have career politicians who are bought and sold by the highest bidder and only do the bidding of their financial backers. The people are all secondary to the push for more profits. This is a world wide problem, not just the states. Politics = Corruption, it doesn't matter who is in the driver's seat and nepotism is part and parcel to the system, just look at any corporation.
I for one welcome having a non career politician in charge. Politicians are why we are in the world we are.
Funnily enough politicians are people too. I have had family and friends in local politics. Does that make them crooks? Generalisations are almost always wrong. Corruption is a problem and needs to be dealt with. It seems you read the media that is trying to convince you they are all bad. What is their motive I wonder...
Many people do very evil things because of the positions they are in. I have been involved in local and state politics and have seen first hand what happens just to get the candidates in and elected at this level. I have friends in political positions and they have all had to give in to "the way it works" or else they get nothing accomplished and no one will listen to them or their positions. There is an inherent problem with greed in all the political systems. Look closely at them all and you will see the destruction it has caused. Corruption is a basic part of politics and has been for hundreds of years.
Just my take, but the US political circus seems to have devolved to getting to pick which mafia gang you'd rather live under and pay protection money to. And both gangs, their candidates, and their more fanatical followers seem more unhinged and irrational than ever. While one can make a case for a lesser evil or a 'strategic' vote, I think there's just as much a case for giving the finger to both sides. It's a real shame there isn't a "none of the above" option in the election.... that I think might actually lead to some positive change.
Personally, I think we need to stop focusing so much on the people involved. Trump & Biden are to an extent just actors playing their part. A distraction, as it were. Focusing on the perverse system of incentives & graft would do more to address the real problems than obsessing on the actors & individuals who are largely tools OF the system.
I just can't stand Trump. He is a liability to the US. We need a period of re-balancing and maybe Biden will do during that. He cannot magically fix everything, but neither can anyone else. He is likely to say random crap for attention. The Reps need to think about whether it was worth selling their souls for power. We are stuck with our political systems and need people to get more engaged to change them for the better. A toxic atmosphere just puts people off getting involved.
I agree, Trump is a complete tool and the Republican Party has shown they have no principles (fiscal discipline, morality, etc). But IMO the Democrat Party sold their souls just as much as their political opponents. Where is the anti-war, pro-civil-liberties, my-body-my-decision stance that they claimed to stand for? It's dead. Now they're a party that tells people they can't make their own medical/health decisions (i.e. harsh lockdown mandates and interfering with the doctor-patient relationship and what medicines they're allowed to prescribe) as well as being a party that DEMANDS more military involvement in the Syria mess (and before that, there was the Obama administration's ramped-up drone strike campaign and assassination of US citizens without trial or due process).
So if the parties and system are hopelessly corrupt and dysfunctional, what's to be done? One option is to walk away from both and build something new! I'd argue we're doing just that here in Hive and in the crypto world in general, building and participating in new systems and platforms allowing for free exchange of ideas, content, and trade without the kind of censorship and authoritarian cronyism & tyranny we see in the current system. I won't fault anyone for voting here whoever that is, and I'm not telling anyone NOT to vote. I'm just saying IMO what we do here in the crypto world has more lasting, long-term impact than our vote in this one election. So vote if one decides it's worth doing, but I say just don't let that distract and draw your focus away from building and creating!
Lastly, let's say I'm wrong and that the current system is salvageable... what better way to change the parties' and politicians' behavior than to threaten to walk away en-masse? Think of it as a "one-step-back to take two-steps-forward" strategy. The most powerful word in sales is the word "NO", and it applies just as much here as it does with the car salesman. More in fact... when a customer walks away the car salesman loses a commission, whereas in politics it's the politician's CAREER on the line. Powerful motivation for change, right? 😉
Crypto/blockchain offers an alternative to some things, but we are stuck with politics as usual for now. Have to somehow fight it from within. I just wonder if there are enough people interested in that. The crypto community is tiny and divided.
!ENGAGE 50
ENGAGEtokens.Honestly I do not feel either of them are good candidates..But what I heard, business houses are more in favor of Trump.
I agree, but it is people who get to vote. It can be hard to judge the mood of the masses, but there is some hope that they have had enough of Trump.
Fair!
Now talk about Biden and how much he has done in 47 years of politics
I don't expect him to magically fix everything. Politics is about compromise and he will not have done all good. I am more anti-Trump than pro-Biden and so that was the focus of this. It's a shame they could not come up with a better opposition candidate this time. He may not stand next time anyway.
All I can say is both candidates are not exactly what you would want. I cannot understand why the Democrats went with Biden as surely they have someone far better. Whoever wins it will be another 4 years of chaos and no healing will happen as the candidates are just too weak. I am sitting on the fence with this one as I don't like either of them. Just glad I don't have to make this choice as both suck. This is like having two Corbyn's and you have to pick one.
I think it's more like Corbyn vs Farage (god forbid). I just think we cannot afford another 4 years of Trump. He could be even worse in a second term.
As I said, I'm not voting.., it's raining outside. 😕
Vote early and vote often!
You are going to be very disappointed tomorrow.
Suggest you plan something to cheer you up.
I sincerely hope you are wrong. I just can't imagine what the question is if 4 more years of Trump is the answer.
I have had an assfull of people in other countries, with their OWN garbage fires going on chiming in about the U.S. election. Garbage fires...Steve. The UK is a garbage fire from top to bottom right now, and just recently spend about 5 years trying to figure out if it was part of the EU or not. Fix your own broken ass country, before you go on about topics that are an ocean away physically and further away in your scope of "boots on the ground" knowledge.
and don't send any more hive promo bots to my twitter page, I gave this platform plenty of chances and plenty of content...I have no interest in MY social media being used to try to pull it out of it's tailspin. I don't appreciate it Steve...not one little bit.
Sorry, but I did not mean to offend. The UK is a mess and I don't take responsibility as I voted against Brexit and the current government. Fact is that US politics affects us too and I feel free to comment on that. You don't have to read it.
This doesn't mean I will not continue to enjoy your work.
You're free to comment, and I'm free to tell you to pound sand....that's the beauty of alt tech. I don't take or dispense anything as personal insult.
and dont send any more bots ta my pages >:(
Not technically a 'bot' when I created that tweet :)
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I think it does not matter if this freak or the other guy will be the new president, the lobbying and "relations" are there, they will be used. Not trusting any politician anymore, also here in Germany to be honest. Trump is a disaster, but he managed to keep some of his strange promises. But I also avoid politics these days, at least I try to.