Hanaguma

There is also the lovely example of Mohamar Khadaffi (sp) who voluntarily gave up his weapons and wound up sodomized in a ditch.

Did you say "thank you, Mr. President?" But seriously, we are talking about the spending done by Biden- The American Rescue Plan. Maybe Joe forgot to send you a cheque. He forgets a lot of things these days. TBH I think Trump spent too much already by that time, Biden just made it even worse. There was some justification in the first round of spending, but not the second.

In other words, you don't know. I get it, trying to squeeze outrage out of this is hard. But let's say, for argument, that "a mass of guns" is 20 guns. You think that will get the job done? Sitting across the river because the big brave revolutionaries are leery of breaking Washington DC's strict gun laws? That alone should tell you that these guys were not anything like the hardcore insurrectionists that the media and the Democratic party are so eagerly seeking. These guys couldn't pose a threat to an election for dog catcher in Lower East Armpit Arkansas, let alone the presidential campaign.

Not at all, I just want to know how many. "A mass of guns" says nothing. And apparently it didn't bother the folks who were questioning him either. All irrelevant because the guns were all (however many) left in a hotel room across the river, not at the Capitol. These guys were pretty lousy at insurrection. Bring their guns all the way from Florida and then leave them at the hotel across the river because of Washington DC's strict gun laws. Does that sound like a serious group of revolutionaries to you?

Right now? Yes, Europe is sadly catching up. But Bidenflation started back when he passed the ridiculously named American Rescue Plan. The article I posted showed US core inflation at about 4% at the end of 2021, the OECD average was about 1.2% . Previously, they had been almost the same.

One gun is all it takes to do what? Win an insurrection in a city that has thousands of police, plus military, plus armed agents of the federal government? The vagueness of the argument is quite telling. "They" had "their weapons" nearby. Who and how many? These are crucial details to determine how seriously to take the situation. If two thousand militia members showed up, armed to the teeth, then we have an insurrection. If 4 or 5 rednecks bring their pistols, we dont. It is pretty simple.

Again, how many is that? He brought an AR, what about the guys he traveled with? He also testified that his Oath Keeper friends didnt carry their guns into the Capitol "because it was illegal to do so". These guys really sound like hard core insurrectionists, don't they? https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/12/politics/oath-keeper-guns-dc-january-6/index.html

You don't need to show me videos of the riots to convince me that they took place. I believe you. Wish I could read the article but it is hidden behind a paywall. Sounds like a very general question was asked in order to provoke a certain response. Hence a quarter of Democrats agreeing.

"All their weapons" meaning what exactly? Did they have a cache of AR-15s enough to equip an infantry company in the bed of a Dodge Ram somewhere close by? I agree it would have been worse- worse for the idiots carrying the weapons. Being actually armed would have gotten a lot of them shot by police. But that didnt happen. The Oath Keepers "forgot" to bring their toys, had a bit of a tantrum in the Capitol, and now are getting spanked. Hardly cause for alarm. The federal system is not so fragile.

I am not defending their actions whatsoever. The idiots who vandalized the Capitol deserve to be punished and mocked. But not taken so seriously because they were incapable of doing any serious long term damage to the institutions of the nation. They had neither the means nor the intellectual horsepower to do it. OK, let's play "what if". Worst case scenario: What if they actually DID find Pence and Pelosi and actually harmed them? The election results would not have changed, the vast majority of Americans would consider them murdering scumbags, and life would have gone on. We would still have President Biden and a functioning political system. THAT is the difference between a riot and an insurrection.

Oh, I don't disagree at all. There were some real winners for sure. Yet there was also an incredibly cynical play by the Democrats to actually get some deniers onto the ballot, thinking they were easier to defeat than more mainstream GOP candidates. And that is just sick. You simply can't base your campaign on the dangers of election deniers, and then secretly spend millions trying to get them nominated. It completely undercuts the legitimacy of the original argument that they are a threat to democracy.

,,, and in each of those cases, the US was transformed into a tyrannical fascist dictatorship, right? Or not. Apples and oranges my friend. If you can find a largely unarmed insurrection in the US that succeeded, then I will join you on the panic train. Until then, sorry but the idea that a ragtag mob of beer bellied loudmouths were any serious threat to the Capitol, let alone to the institutions of the Republic, is simply laughable.

OK, and your point is what, exactly? That the left hand didn't know what the right hand was spending money on? Of course the Democrats spend money on attack ads to damage their opponents, no news there. But spending money to get them nominated? Different story.

The group is aptly named since it seems about 3% of them were armed. The other 97%? Guess they forgot. Sorry, but adding "zip ties" to the dread list of weapons doesn't strengthen your argument very much. Perhaps you can count the horned helmet of the naked Viking cosplay guy as a weapon too...

I think you are being a touch disingenuous. Nobody overthrows a government with pepper spray, flagpoles, and three dudes with guns. One can safely assume that militia-style thugs like the Oath Keepers have myriad firearms at their disposal. There were approximately 10,000 rioters yet 9,997 of them "forgot" their guns. Sure.

So your position is that government spending under Biden had no influence on inflation? Noted conservative website vox.com disagrees with you... The article acknowledges basic underlying issues like the pandemic. Yet: But regarding the exact amount of inflation, the US stands out. And it started to stand out shortly after President Biden took office. From 2021 onward, what’s known as “core inflation” has been significantly higher in the US than in other wealthy countries. https://www.vox.com/23036340/biden-american-rescue-plan-inflation

Sure..... nothing more innocent than groups of middle aged men "getting exercise" at 1100pm by strolling through an area famous for hookers. Also, what better time to "enjoy the scenery" than midnight? /s

You might want to ask why, if election denying candidates are such a threat, why did the Democratic party spend $43 million trying to get so-called "election deniers" ON the ballot? Hypocrisy, thy name is Democrat. https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-spent-43-million-helping-election-deniers-win-their-primaries-1731068

Perhaps because they disagree with the hysteria surrounding January 6? Perhaps because there was no "armed insurrection"- funny how many of the supposed insurrectionists left their guns at home... Perhaps because they think the economy, inflation, immigration, and crime are all more pressing issues than political theatre? Perhaps because they believe that their system is stronger than you think it is.

Covid is no threat any more. Hasn't been for a long time. I still remember when we were told "just two weeks to stop the curve". And yes some credit to Obama in his final years in office. The economy was humming along pretty well, especially thanks to GOP control of Congress. Trump was able to continue and even improve on what he inherited. But we are talking about the Biden administration here. His profligate spending was the major cause of inflation.

Well, I guess that means that it is not a "historically top issue" among voters then, doesn't it? Sadly the president is tone deaf about what people care about- inflation, the economy, the border, and crime. It is a big part of the reason that the Democrats will be shellacked next week in the midterms.

...and your evidence would be..... American voters are smarter than you give credit for. There was no "almost coup" in 2020, or on January 6. It sounds like conspiracy theories are right at home on both sides of the political spectrum!

Amazing how the crash coincided with the pandemic though, isnt it? As you said, the current president isnt responsible for the supply chain, so logically the previous president isnt responsible for the pandemic and accompanying economic chaos. And yes the supply/job issues can be laid at Biden's feet. He was slow to open the country after Covid was not a threat. He incentivized people to not work by overspending on stimulus checks. He needlessly grew the debt and deficit by trillions. As for [Trump], there was low unemployment (especially historically low levels for BIPOC people), wage growth, low inflation, and low gas prices.

I think it can be both. There is a visceral fear of NK due to missiles actually flying OVER Japanese territory that is a lot easier to understand. China is perhaps the greater threat in reality and in the long run, but North Korea is the "crazy guy next door" that gets a lot of attention.

Inflation is caused by too much money chasing too few goods and services. Biden exascerbated inflation by pumping hundreds of billions of dollars more stimulus money into the economy at the same time as businesses were trying to get back on their feet from the pandemic. A disastrous choice of action which he and his advisors did not see coming. Many in early 2021 were adamant that inflation was "transitory", only to have to eat their words by the end of the year- Janet Yellen for example. So we are where we are.