politics
Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Rules:
- Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.
Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.
Example:
- Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
- Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
- No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
- Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
- No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
That's all the rules!
Civic Links
• Congressional Awards Program
• Library of Congress Legislative Resources
• U.S. House of Representatives
Partnered Communities:
• News
view the rest of the comments
I realize we can talk about multiple things at once, but I feel like this inconsequential stuff like odor and color is completely irrelevant. There can be an absolutely moral, helpful person who smells, looks orange, stands weird, has small hands, etc.
The problem with Trump isn't his odor or appearance-- it's that he's a genocidal maniac who's the figurehead for an organized and influential group of far-right extremists. Even if he smelled like roses, he'd still be bad.
I don't give a fuck how he smells. It's a non-issue.
The sad thing is, the kind of peaked-in-highschool voter that voted for Trump and can be swung absolutely will care about how he smells. I can hear it now, "I'm not voting for some stinky old man" "I thought the diapers thing was a myth"
This kind of low blow absolutely will have effect if they can make it stick. A sad day for democracy? Definitely. But that's the media environment of today.
Also it gives opponents a chance to needle dick him in debates which will cause him to fly into a rage and embarrass himself. God only knows what TMI he might rave about, his bathroom habits etc. Even tiny jabs like "do I have to be the guy to sit next to Trump" have huge rage potential.
I think you are onto something here. Also, cons are known for reacting to things that are "gross". That's the way they are wired. Getting them to understand that donnie diapers is physically gross and repellent may have more of an effect than trying to explain how he's awful for this country.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/your-reaction-gross-pictures-can-betray-your-political-beliefs-180953206/
Huh, that's a neat article. Thanks for linking it!
I think this is more karmic, nobody would be talking about this if he wasn't such an immature baby who has been calling names his whole political career. It doesn't really matter, but I also think it's not the kind of thing that leftists would be talking about at all if it wasn't so deserved at this point.
I don't really see leftists talking about this at all tbh. Most leftists I encounter are more centered on ideologies and actual problems.
That's because he's so blatantly incompetent at pretty much everything that insulting his looks just feels like a low blow.
But after he made fun of that disabled news reporter the gloves came off and this fat, stinky, rotten, tiny hands having, insurrectionist, orange™ needs thrown in the trash.
I just don't like punching down.
Body shaming is always a form of punching down, because it affects other innocent people besides just the target.
Focus on real issues.
I dunno, making fun of Shaq for being tall AF is kind of punching up.
Lol true
Kinzinger left politics to sit in the peanut gallery and make Trump's life hell. This dumb non-issue is exactly the type that gets under Trump's skin, that's probably reason enough for Kinzinger to keep pushing it.
I mean, it's still kind of funny. Is it relevant to his ability to govern? Not at all. Is it hilarious to watch these morons get in a petty little slap fight about it? Yeah.
As an LGBT+ person who has loved ones being detained and deported, I wish you'd spend more effort getting riled up over these things instead
This is a real dumb take. Saying something is funny is not the same as saying you're riled up about it, and nowhere in the same universe as saying, "this is the only thing I care about." Believe it or not, I can think this is amusing while also still paying attention to issues that are a lot more important.
Also dumb because I'm a giant queer in Denver, so both of those two causes are near and dear to my heart, but you had to come in making a bunch of assumptions for no reason.
Who are the leftists getting riled up over this? This is a slightly more centrist right-wing group slinging childish insults while the left looks at them confused.
Nobody who cares about you and your family members was going to vote for Trump anyways. If weird poop jokes moves someone who was going to vote for Trump to think twice and maybe not vote at all, it’s a win.
Did you reply to the wrong person here? Where did I claim leftists were getting riled up over this? I even said in another comment that it seems to me leftists are concerned with the actual issues.
I agree too. But at the same time there is a subset of the voting population that care about things like this or Hillary Clinton's cankles.
Yeah, seems weird and counter-productive. Wish we could change that.
You're right.
What better way to show that he's unhinged by slowly breaking the facade he's cultivated and watching him squirm/lash out?
He's losing his money.
He's losing his image.
We just have to pray he loses the election, I think that will be the final nail in the coffin (alongside things like the criminal cases coming to their obvious conclusions).
Isn't Melania leaving, too?
They already said he’s losing his money
That's weird. I'd think the nail in the coffin would be the genocidal lunacy and fascism, but I suppose too many people don't see those as problem enough since they're not directly impacted by such things.
It is a non issue. It is also not unlikely for Trump to go completely nuclear over this, hopefully showing a few more folks what a moron he is.
I don't know. There are certainly more substantive reasons to dislike him. (And they apparently haven't dissuaded his continued supporters) But do you think that (outside of someone who is struggling) when someone regularly smells bad, it says something about their decision making ability and character? I kind of do. The sort of person who doesn't bath regularly or wash their clothes regularly is also not the sort of person who should be in charge of the United States. From a campaign perspective I think people have an emotional reaction to a literal bad smelling person.
No, I don't think so. I think it's a reach to assume someone is inept at other unrelated things based on something like odor, and I think it's certainly an ignorant reason to vote one way or another. Judging someone's body seems so fashy to me.
When that person's job is to be front person for your country? Smelly people are less able to do diplomacy. They are less able to get people to like them up close.
Ok, would you hire a noticeably smelly lawyer?
Yes
Ol baby handed sumbitch
deleted by creator
While I absolutely agree with you, apparently his supporters do not. They hold their cult leader up like he's some kind of god. If pointing out something like this makes people think twice about putting him up on that pedestal, I'm all for it, especially if it makes him, like it already has, jump up like my 11 year old to defend himself against these attacks.
Here's what I said to someone else. I'm going to copy/paste because I don't want to type it all again:
Maybe I’m too soft hearted, but my problem is that this sort of thing can hurt innocent bystanders. For example, there are really stellar humans who may have a bad odor due to a medical condition, neurodivergence, or even lack of access to hygiene products and running water.
There are great people who look funny, or have small hands, or who are uniquely complected (or maybe just not very skilled with hair and makeup, but they’re trying.
You know what would really make Trump seethe? Abolish ICE, close the detention centers, declare all anti-POC and anti-trans laws unconstitutional (because they are). Legalize cannabis and release everyone who is wrongfully incarcerated. Help people with unwanted pregnancy gain access to abortion and birth control. Empower the working class, support and broaden the scope of unions. That would REALLY make him seethe without hurting other people in the crossfire
I don't care about making Trump seethe. I care about making sure people don't vote for him. Doing everything in your last paragraph will just give him red meat to throw to his supporters and say "see?"
I want his people to look at him and realize he isn't the strong, powerful man they think he is. If this comes at the cost of offending some people with small hands or people who smell bad, I'm okay with this. There's much more at stake here than making sure we don't offend anyone along the way.
I don't see how any of this is a justification for body shaming. If anything, you're driving people away by engaging in things like body shaming and bigotry.
Focus on the issues. This is not one. And no, winning an election does not justify bad behavior. That's ... so counterproductive, like it's exactly why I wouldn't want to vote for someone.
These people have made it abundantly clear they don't care about the issues. Or, at least, they can view the facts in anyway they want to (including outright ignoring them) to justify Trump being the one better to address their issues. They think he is a one-man god that can come in and fix everything. They've been conned by a charismatic cult leader.
I've been doing the facts and focusing on issues for years now and have only watched more people flock to him. He's a genius at selling himself.
I'm not saying Biden should go out and start saying that Trump smells. And considering I'm not running for office, so I don't care about being elected, I don't particularly care that you wouldn't want to vote for me. Hell, I wouldn't vote for myself. lol
And if body shaming Trump makes him fall apart and makes these people wake up and realize what a weak pile of insecurity this man is, then I'm all for it. As I said, more at stake here than making sure people who smell bad are comfortable with smelling bad. That's among the things I care the least about. I care about this country falling into fascism where it might lead to far worse things for "undesirables" then being made to feel bad that people said Trump smells.
The cognitive dissonance....there is currently a president supporting an actual, real genocide and you're calling the person no longer in office the genocidal maniac when he literally had the opportunity and did not use it.
I prefer funny trolls tbh...
I think it's valuable to hit people like Trump on their level.
He gives no fucks about being called a bigot or crook, but you know he's seething over this being in the news cycle and whenever he's all upset he says more dumb shit that hopefully gets him more criminal charges.
Maybe I'm too soft hearted, but my problem is that this sort of thing can hurt innocent bystanders. For example, there are really stellar humans who may have a bad odor due to a medical condition, neurodivergence, or even lack of access to hygiene products and running water.
There are great people who look funny, or have small hands, or who are uniquely complected (or maybe just not very skilled with hair and makeup, but they're trying.
You know what would really make Trump seethe? Abolish ICE, close the detention centers, declare all anti-POC and anti-trans laws unconstitutional (because they are). Legalize cannabis and release everyone who is wrongfully incarcerated. Help people with unwanted pregnancy gain access to abortion and birth control. Empower the working class, support and broaden the scope of unions. That would REALLY make him seethe without hurting other people in the crossfire
You're too soft hearted and this comment is absolutely performative garbage. No innocent bystandard is going to be harmed by making fun of a smelly billionaire..
I prefer trolls who at least try to be clever or funny
LoL, not everyone who's not a soft little whiner is a troll. Some of us live in reality and manage quite well not being an absolute bitch about every single negative comment that exists in the universe.