joe biden is not the king of america

[mopinko]

let alone the king of israel. stop acting like all he has to do is issue a decree and the middle east is at peace.

and dont get me started w idiots protesting the dnc. ffs. they dont make foreign policy.

can we PULEEEZE keep it real.

[RainWalker]

1. The protestors at the DNC

are a different issue altogether. The people are protesting because a massive majority of Democratic voters, 80%, want a ceasefire.

The U.S. should call for a ceasefire and a de-escalation of violence in Gaza. The U.S. should leverage its close diplomatic relationship with Israel to prevent further violence and civilian deaths.

This includes 80% of Democrats, 57% of Independents, and 56% of Republicans. [link:https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2023/10/19/voters-agree-the-us-should-call-for-a-ceasefire-and-de-escalation-of-violence-in-gaza|]

That number isn't reflected with members of Congress and therefore people are protesting. Right now there's 40 members of Congress calling for a ceasefire. That number is slowly growing however.

Forty members of Congress are now calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, with more than a dozen adding their support in recent days. [link:https://www.tpr.org/news/2023-11-19/support-for-israel-hamas-ceasefire-grows-across-the-us-and-in-congress-as-gaza-death-toll-surpasses-12-000|

[mopinko]

2. 80% of ppl r protesting the wrong ppl.

i take it all w a grain of salt, cuz war is bad. death is bad. hate is bad.
it’s the part where they think it’s in the u.s.’s power to flip a switch and it all goes away.
that’s not how any of this works.

[RainWalker]

5. I mostly agree

Your comments about war and death ring loudly but I disagree with your thoughts on protests. I do think they should be protesting at the RNC as well but given Republicans hate filled toxicity towards everyone including Muslims, I don't know what sort of impact it would have. I do think though it would definitely amplify that Republicans positioning on this is unacceptable and even a majority of GOP voters want a ceasefire, despite it being ever so slightly at a +6.

[Evolve Dammit]

9. GOP does seem to get a pass on this don't they?

[RainWalker]

18. Yes they sure do

And that does seem to be the case rather often.

[jaxexpat]

12. Yep. Protesting the GOP would kill multiple birds in a single swoop.

No, I don't hate birds, but the Nazis would not respond well to protests against any war. Their response would help to expose their ugliness, making people recall who supports wars out of hand, regardless of justification. As it stands, the protests put the Progressive movement in a bad light, and in jeopardyfor 2024.

[RainWalker]

19. I don't think it puts progressives

in a bad light at all especially since 80% of Dem voters share the same opinion about a ceasefire. Quite the opposite actually.

[mopinko]

29. well, dsa has completely stepped in it.

their protests seem completely performative, and they’re getting slammed for it u now where.

there some things u bring hammer and tongs to protest, and there’s some that r best solemn and silent.
wisdom is knowing which is which, and that seems in short supply.

[jaxexpat]

40. If 80% of voying democrats are vocally supporting a POV which demands Biden push a .......

cease fire onto a nation with which most Americans sentiments directly align, the 2024 election is jeopardized by the inevitable proliferation of mixed messages. Joe will do the right thing in so far as he is able.

Every Democratic voice which shouts that their leader must do a miracle immediately helps no one except the enemies of the one who is doing his best to create a space for peace. Because the gods of war are mostly deaf to the pleas of the vanquished. Peace comes incrementally. Every death, every horror brings the peace a bit closer. It's not right, it's totally insane, but war is like that.

[mopinko]

48. thank u for exactly getting my point.

the more we demand a miracle he doesnt have to power to perform, the weaker WE make him look.

[lapfog_1]

54. A friend and I were having lunch and the Hamas / Israel war came up

and I stated that likely 100,000 people will die before there is "peace". And I put "peace" in quotes because the cycle of violence will continue until there can be some sort of unity, either in 2 states, 3 states, or even 1 state solution to the problem of religious and political conflict.

That's not 100,000 people in Gaza... it is a total amount of death and destruction that must be suffered on both sides until a realization takes hold that war will not solve the underlying problem. The Proxima cause, Hamas, is another issue. They must be killed or put in prison... all of them.

[PTL_Mancuso]

6. The U.S. used to be looked upon as a world leader, and rightfully so!

But billionaires pushing Reagan-W.Bush-Palin-Trump have sullied our good name. And, Yes, Biden has made solid moves to restore some respectability to the U.S. and could and should absolutely speak out sternly and say that U.S. Citizens DEMAND a cease fire and an end to the mindless genocide and land grabbing. But, he speaks too softly and apparently carries no big stick. As in so many other problems, he, just like all our pols is hamstrung, with bindings to controllers that we cannot see.

I'm sure y'all remember this golden oldie from nine years ago: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/princeton-experts-say-us-no-longer-democracy -- It ain't the People's Voices that are heard in DC or other political centers in the U.S.! Citizens United and other associated rulings have ensured that our voices will never be heard.

The DNC only puts up compromised candidates and True Democrats™ know this and feel powerless.

[yardwork]

20. So what. The DNC doesn't make foreign policy.

The DNC's job is to get out the vote. And even if they did make foreign policy, or would he pretty dumb to base decisions on polls.

[Autumn]

3. No one is claiming he is king but make no mistake, Biden has influence.

As for protesting how the hell else do they get the eyes and ears of politicians? They can't compete with the donors.

[mzmolly]

24. Influence over Hamas?

What he advocates for behind closed doors, is something we don't know.

The protestors are getting attention, but it's not the kind of attention they should seek. March for gawd sakes.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

44. Marching hasn't accomplished anything in close to half a century

Doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result is the hallmark of insanity.

And even in the old days, it actually worked ONCE--with Selma, and that wasn't from the marching, but from the horrified national response to what happened at Edmund Pettus bridge on Bloody Sunday.

BTW, the March on Washington didn't get the Civil Rights bill passed. It was all of the more effective actions taken before and after it--the Montgomery bus boycotts, lunch counter sit-ins, Freedom Rides, Birmingham's Children's crusades, Freedom Summers, and etc.

Those actions worked because they actually did something practical, and put people's lives on the line. What did people risk to be at the March on Washington? A sunburn? Heat stroke?

Please. How bloody pathetic.

Marches don't change anything. Did the millions who marched against invading Iraq stop that war? Nope. Did the millions of women who marched for their rights keep abortion legal across the nation? Nope. Did the plethora of marches for BLM change race relations in this racist dump? Nope.

So why keep resorting to that failed tactic like a dog going back to its vomit?

WAKE UP.

[mzmolly]

46. I disagree.

However, do share what the mob at the DNC accomplished?

[yardwork]

49. There are different kinds of protests.

You make an accurate distinction, imo, between effective protests and purely performative events.

It's fine to go to a peaceful march. Participating helps to create a sense of belonging and team work, being part of something important. Marches help get out the vote.

Unfortunately, the performances by DSA and other groups do none of that. Groups of people who already know one another and attend endless meetings and conferences together, gathering to yell at Democratic officials, shoving racist and antisemitic images in people's faces, damaging property - it looks terrible. It turns people against them.

It's J6 - pointless, violent, a mob.

[Basic LA]

4. We could stop our UN veto of ceasefire.

We could join the world & let Netanyahu know that we call for a ceasefire, at least. We can take a stand against rather than for the international war crime of collective punishment. That's worth protesting for. Though on the other hand, I think protests that close down bridges & roads are counterproductive.

[TwilightZone]

10. The UN vote has no binding power.

It's nothing more than symbolic. It's not going to change anything on its own.

"We can take a stand against rather than for the international war crime"

"We" haven't taken a stand for international war crimes. This assertion shows a profound, likely intentional, ignorance of the steps that the Biden administration has taken and continues to take.

[Basic LA]

36. "We" Vetoed a UN ceasefire resolution.

It doesn't mean Netanyahu would immediately stop the war crimes if such a resolution passed. You're right there, of course. But "our" vote would show which side "we're" on, at least. Taking a stand on the Ceasefire doesn't seem all that controversial, nor does it show "a profound ignorance."

[mopinko]

39. ya know, it's not just that israel has a RIGHT to defend itself, it has a DUTY to.

it’s just preposterous to expect them to put down their weapons while there r still hostages being held.
ditto insisting they enter an agreement with such an unreliable partner.
it appears to me that international pressure is leading to more focused actions. but i rly dont know.

no one can tell them to do nothing. nor should they.
no one has the power to make them listen, in any case.

[EYESORE 9001]

7. I think RW agents of chaos stumbled upon their formula for success. If we allow it.

Overturning abortion blew up in their faces and we’re still struggling with the assault on LGBTQ+ rights, but this latest conflict in Israel & Gaza is splitting us in a way that I’ve never seen. I envision MAGAtry rubbing their evil little hands together gleefully at the seeds of chaos come to fruition.

[mopinko]

8. you have to wonder

just how organic some of these protests r.

[yardwork]

22. Almost seems like it might have been planned...

[mopinko]

31. i'd personally like to know how many ppl's job it is a faux snooze to hunt down shit like this.

it is, in fact, a job to search local news for outrage worthy stories. they know exactly what they r looking for and how to play it.
the plan is- b ready to strike at any time.

[IronLionZion]

11. Joe Biden controls gas prices and inflation

but only when it's high

The US is the only country with any influence over there. Israel uses American weapons. I suppose people could also go protest in front of the Iranian embassies around the world to stop giving weapons to Hamas.

[relayerbob]

13. Agreed

Some folks seem to think he can just rule by fiat. We don’t need dictators, even if we agree with the policies.

[David__77]

14. There's all sorts of words and actions he could take on Gaza.

He could withhold aid, apply sanctions, withhold veto of Security Council resolutions.

[mopinko]

26. none of which lead to him solving this over night.

he has used what power he has wisely and well. and he has a fantastic team, btw.
ppl being pissed at HIM, and all dems, that it isnt fixed yet is both stupid and counter productive.

[David__77]

28. I agree it wouldn't solve things overnight.

Politics involves perception, and the handling of that is important. It’s not just an administrative/management issue.

[Random Boomer]

15. This misperception abounds in other topics, too

On the climate-related forums of Reddit, I'm constantly hearing how Biden has failed to deal with climate change because he hasn't mandated this or that draconian edict that would be hugely controversial and lack general support, not to mention the support of Republicans.

There seems to be no understanding of how our government works, and how limited a president's powers are, by design. We live in a democracy, at least for now, and a substantial portion of the American people would not stand for any green initiative that resulted in the slightest inconvenience. If we lose our Democracy, the GOP will bury green initiatives in cement and oil sludge.

[mopinko]

16. seems like all it takes is a little streak of stupid, and there's always someone waiting to pound the wedge.

so much dangerous stupidity out there. and so many evil doers, waiting to pounce.

[yardwork]

23. Bingo.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. Yes, the U.S. and its president are definitely just a tiny baby in the geopolitical reality of the Middle East.

[mopinko]

25. not saying he's powerless, and imho

he has wielded what power he has wisely and well.
but it’s just stupid to pretend he has actual hard power here.

[IronLionZion]

21. There's a chance we could lose reelection over this

considering the strong opinions and division on the left on this issue.

The right is more unified in their position. Trump would make things 100 times worse for sure, but his supporters would love it.

[yardwork]

50. That's why I'm so annoyed with the knee jerk performative "left" right now.

[IronLionZion]

51. Liberals are like that. Diverse opinions and perspectives

some are knee jerk, some are more thoughtful and informed, a lot of it is passionate and makes a big difference in election turnout.

RFK Jr has surprisingly high poll numbers now and he's a loony.

[yardwork]

53. I know but it's exhausting.

There's way too much uninformed propaganda-driven knee jerk mob mentality on all sides. I expect more of Democrats.

I guess I'm just an old woman shouting at clouds!

[BlueIdaho]

27. The last guy who thought he was king is on trial now...

But seriously - we have no idea what is really happening behind the scenes between the Biden administration, Israel, and Hamas. We are only going on media reports which are mostly tweaked to fit an audience profile.

[NCIndie]

30. Kings can't stop wars by decree, either. However, in the case of Biden:

He could push for economic penalties against Israel for their brutal tactics.

Protestors generally look for venues that will get them attention and press, regardless of whether their targets has the power to make the desired changes.

Netanyahu's reaction and our continued economic support will, as always, result in innocent people in the U.S. and around the world to be killed as the terrorist reactions are initiated. We can then divide ourselves again debating whether or not the actions are justified.

[Paidon]

32. We need to stop giving voters a pass

Everyone mentions the flaws of this or that candidate, not mentioning the stupidity of the voters.
I’d trump wins once again it will be the fault of the voter, who don’t think.

[inthewind21]

34. BINGO!

[onecaliberal]

33. K&R

[Snackshack]

35. This is real.

Last edited Mon Nov 20, 2023, 01:20 PM - Edit history (1)

This is what we are now and it has been allowed to go on for so long there is no going back.

Not going to win any heart s with this but the Dems in 2020 really needed to come in and be adults and start applying and enforcing the law across the board and policies and procedure's codified for hundreds of years... but they did not. Biden wanted to channel his inner Barrack and Schumer was/is a very weak majority leader add in garland and it is a recipe for inaction.

Trump should be in a cell by now. The man lied knowingly about a deadly virus and did all he could to stop a response to it. Over 1 million Americans died. THERE IS NO OTHER instance in the history of any developed democracy where a person lied like that in a position of power that resulted in over 1 million of its citizens dying and remained free. Then he went on to attack DC and steal 100's of TS docs on his way out. We are a pretty forgiving country after the Civil War America sentenced only 1 Confederate soldier to hang and that was for his actions in the treatment of Union POW's. However what have seen in TFG is a bridge too far and should have been addressed by now not allowed to fester and continue to cause havoc.

Furthermore the every member of the GOP who propagated the "Hoax" lie then the Election lies, took part or the attack on DC and has continued to act in a manner that goes against the Oath taken on day 1 in office should be either also in a cell or out of government at the very least as they have shown they are not good stewards of Democracy.

Instead we have a POTUS, Sen Majority Leader and AG who are in over their heads when it comes to correcting our heading and getting Americas back on track, salvaging whatever is left of our "exceptionalism" that has enabled us for decades to be the superpower we have been.

There is a gigantic phucking storm brewing right now that is going to reach inside the lives of every human being on this planet and pull it inside out. When temperature catches up to CO2 in the atmosphere it is going to change every aspect of life as it is understood today. Nothing will be "normal" as we've come to know it. Weather system will change, food corps counted on for decades will vanish, HVM food production required for the 8 billion humans it feeds will plummet and will not be sustainable, right now we would need 2.8 more Earths to "grow" enough food to feed us all. Water will be the new "living space" or gold and you have not seen a war like that there will be no rules, no Geneva conventions. CO2 is at 422.36ppm, it was an avg of 417.37ppm in 2022 at 1.2% increase YoY... we are going to blow right past the 2C limit from Paris. 5C-10C or more is what reality will be. See Venus for reference on how bad it can get...

...and right now we cant even get one man with common sense of a door knob in check and his follower who are even less then door knobs.

There is nothing sanguine about our outlook after watching the last 23 year of continued gop obstruction, criminality, incompetence and the Democratic response or lack of response to it... I am not sanguine at all. Since 9/11 the gop has given us one disaster after another. 2 wars, torture, endless obstruction, katrina response, global econ collapse,... then trump a pandemic, attacked DC, stolen TS docs, emolument violations, security violations, unabashed profiting off the office of president... so much.it is still going to be 50-100yrs before the fecal hurricane thats winding up really hits and most of us will be long gone, i certainly will. A recent ct scan showed swollen lymph nodes and anyone who knows anything about lymph nodes knows what that means... so next couple weeks are going to be interesting...but what a shitty deal we are leaving to the other humans will be here when it arrives.

Shame on us.

[Chainfire]

37. No, Biden is not a king, but he is one of the most powerful men in the world.

Lets try not to deny that.

[mopinko]

38. i didnt. he has power, he has used it wisely and well, imho.

about that, we can quibble.
but imho, it is outright dangerous to swallow this notion, that he/the office, is powerful enough to just fix it. it is doomed to fail. and then what?

[betsuni]

41. K&R

[Oneironaut]

42. This conflict is Biden's albatross.

He can’t win either way. If he supports Israel, Palestinian supporters hate him. If he supports Palestine, Israel supporters hate him. If he tries to take a nuanced approach, both sides hate him.

Ignoring the human catastrophe, nothing good can come to Democrats from it.

[mopinko]

43. who's doing that? no one is ignoring anything.

the point is- how is he culpable if he doesnt have the power to do jack shit?
of all the necks in the world around which to hang this, WHY joe biden?

he’s using all the soft power of the office already. he’s done so much.
he’s a lightening rod here.

[Oneironaut]

47. Oh I agree he's handling it well.

However. It’s like he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. Two sides want him to come completely out for them, and, resent him for not doing so.

Ah - I think you misunderstood. I meant “ignoring the human catastrophe” in the sense of “Along with the human catastrophe.” Biden is far from ignoring the issue.

[IronLionZion]

52. The fact that he's getting it from both sides makes me think he's doing it fairly

given the circumstances and what he has to deal with, the Biden administration is taking a nuanced reasonable thoughtful approach to the conflict. Meanwhile a lot of voters from both sides are passionate and strongly opinionated.

[spanone]

45. K&R