mtutiger

OK

I would suggest that this wasn't luck at play here...

Is it too divisive to suggest that this ruling makes me worry about the state of our democracy?

Incredible

Actual member of Congress now more or less using this line...

Comment was more about controversy within Louisiana, although with the mix of Catholicism and Evangelicalism that exists there, you'd think it matters at least a little bit

There are also differences between Christian denominations, and a breakdown in Separation of Church and State would inevitably lead to the government picking "winners and losers" on that front. IIRC, Louisiana's 10 Commandments Bill has stipulations on which version of the Bible must be used. Not particularly controversial, but one can understand how hairy that can get if taken further on different pieces of legislation

I think the allegation here is that Politico is nutpicking...I take issue with it because there were prominent evangelical leaders around the time of Trump's conviction (Eric Metaxas comes to mind) who literally compared Trump to Christ being crucified. I don't know how prominent it is, but the idea that there aren't corners of the movement who are engaging in this kind of stuff, there's history to suggest that it isn't surprising that some are

The RNC will probably tell us a lot in terms of where we go from here... As far as I can tell, Marjorie Taylor Greene will still be speaking.

Really offensive

If the roles were reversed and it was Biden that this happened to, isn't this what would have happened regardless?

Exactly right. People will try to use this moment to chill any discussion about Project 2025, you are starting to see that already. But in and of itself, talking about the substance of what Project 2025, which was put together by individuals who are likely to staff a future Trump administration, is exactly what campaigns are all about. I think going forward people will need still need to be careful about their rhetoric, but while what happened yesterday was wrong and can never be condoned, it cannot also be used to chill tangible points of discussions about what people want in from a Presidential administration over the next four years.

Wow!

Your point is well taken, but Project 2025 *does* portend huge changes in the way our government works in ways that are too numerous to list here. And undoubtedly one of the aims after this event by Trump's campaign will be to deem discussion of this as "divisive." Never mind, of course, this gem from one of the architects of the plan, which is in no way divisive at all /s: This campaign has thus far been defined by a lack of substance in favor of style. This event cannot be an excuse not to vet the substance that another Trump administration wishes to put forward.

I couldn't imagine having this little self-respect lol

"That's just political rhetoric"

Threads like this are case in point why nothing will change. We all see the problem, we all know what it is. But partisans like this guy are ultimately incapable of looking inward.

I agree

It was this that I saw last night that I was chewing on when making this post. I thought it was profound and stated something I believe in my heart in a really succinct way. Social media is a huge problem in this.... when you deal with people face to face, it's mostly easier to get along and see other perspectives. And to treat them with dignity. These apps have proven how easy it is to sit behind your avatar and sling vile **** at one another. Not to mention how they often decrease actual face time with real human beings.... I'm as guilty of this as anyone, some of it is having young kids and not having as much time for extracurriculars in life (like joining a bowling league or softball). But it's easy to make *this* your reality instead of everything going on around yourself and too many of us, particularly younger people, are doing just that.

Yep.... but this is largely just treated as table stakes, which is a big problem with where we are. Nobody really seems to want to engage with this, certainly not in elite media in year of our Lord 2024. Not as bad as the picture above obviously, but nobody wants to engage with how normalized it is for people to drive by a house with people literally flying flags that say "**** Biden".... (I'm just thankful my boy is five years old and cannot read the word yet). It's protected speech, but it's still a poor reflection of where we find ourselves as Americans. As an aside, whenever this conversation about "civility" has come up over the years in our politics, there has often been, in reference to Trump's role in where we are, a refrain that "he is the symptom, but not the disease." Which is not entirely wrong, but ultimately lets him off the hook and is, in effect, an excuse; it infantilizes him and treats him as not having agency in the things that he says, does, shares, etc. As a larger society, I think we all see the problem... I interact with people with a number of perspectives in my day to day life politically and, despite getting on more or less civilly in day to day life, most seem unhappy with where we find ourselves in the bigger picture. I don't care who they may support politically, I don't think the average person wants or likes political violence. But in order to actually get somewhere in bringing more civility to our larger political discussion, that would require that all parties put their cards on the table, deal in good faith, and make adjustments to the way we treat one another. Treating people with more dignity at the very least, despite whatever significant disagreements on policy. And I don't think that will ever happen, at least so long as Donald Trump is a force in our politics. He may bring out the worst in us, and that may be our collective responsibility, but he has agency as well and he knows what he's doing. I'm just tired of the excuses for it.

He saying the right things right now... Its what he might saying a week from now that gives reason for concern

The RNC starts tomorrow, so the rhetoric coming out of there is likely to be newsworthy unfortunately

The guy is 20 years old - political partisans are going to want to hang on every biographical detail that supports whatever their conclusion is, but the reality is twofold: 1.) At that age, political views can be very fluid 2.) There is a possibility or even likelihood that is enhanced by the contradiction here (Registered R with an ActBlue donation in his past) that this is just a random nutjob with an AR-15 The politicization of this is really disappointing but unsurprising in our toxic political culture

Totally, it's the right thing to say and do.... and it's an easy call. The asymmetry in expectations between the two sides and what is expected of them is a little hard to ignore though, so I get Rob's frustration.