Fat is a type of crazy

It's a good example where Vance gave an answer that sounded good making Trump sound like this maverick who came up with amazing independent thinking that the so called experts didn't like but of course the claim has little substance.

Takes nothing to reply like that. No helpful content or rebuttal. I made it clear I was commenting on some of the points and not all your points. Even edited your post to show the ones I was looking at. Lazy on your part. Could discuss further e.g. his potential use of the army and how he says he wants to give police - presumably federal police - a day or an hour to do what they need to do outside the law - but I'll leave it there.

No idiot liberals here but I'll have a go in a few lines on a couple of these. Trump doesn't accept election results. Trump and associates took steps to overturn the result - fake electors - January 6 - Pence and others stood up. Trump and associates aren't smart and did it in a half assed way that was doomed to fail. June 1 2020 in Washington in Lafayette Square was a chilling guide to what might be. He's still not smart in 2024 but he's had time to get smarter people involved - and a more compliant potential vice president. He continues to fight against freedom of the press - even saying that late night comedians should be punished. Of course Trump isn't the brains behind Project 2025 - not smart enough - but he would clearly love a civil service full of toadies - whatever it takes to give him more control - cutting or controlling departments that involve oversight. He clearly doesn't respect or want an independent civil service. His attitude in both thought and deed towards dictators indicates he has no problem with such leadership. He seems to have no moral compass. Did I mention he's not smart and would do whatever it takes to keep power. Even if this risk is a bit overblown and he's all bluster - why take the risk with someone who is not smart and has self interest at the centre of everything he does.

Drivel indeed. You are so often rude which doesn't add to your content by the way. Consider toning it down a bit is all . I am not understating the horrors of what happened and it is not ideal and should be admonished. It appears he visited China and Hong Kong at least 15 times including being in the region in August 1989 - two months after the massacre. You may see denying an election result 4 years ago as relatively minor but I think it is at the heart of someone's character and trustworthiness how they deal with such issues at the centre of democratic values.

A gaffe here and there or being picked up about where you were 35 years ago is one thing but not willing to simply say Biden won the election is something much worse in my opinion as it suggests not much character and trying to please his silly duffer boss.

I think you are getting a bit excited. By what I saw - admittedly not the whole thing - and by what I've read - they both did pretty good. To conclude Vance won overall may not be unreasonable but keep in mind his responses on things like January 6 and who won the last election, abortion, health care etc are things that will resonate with a lot of voters and his answers - though confidently delivered - sometimes didn't have much substance.

I didn't watch it all but I thought Vance was able to show he is intelligent and not that weird and in my opinion not that unlikeable as politicians go. That might help him and Trump. Of course an online search can make the reality of Vance look pretty bad. One thing that might hurt Trump is people will see that a civil and reasonably sensible debate is possible and see in comparison how poor a candidate Trump is.

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Saturday Night Love is mainly disappointing now. You could see them thinking what did people say about Kamala, Trump, etc and lets put in a comment about that but it was barely humorous or telling or insightful. The Trump guy is well done and Dana Carvey has done a good Biden for some time but that's about it as far as I am concerned.

I don't think he sees it like that - he's looking for a narrative that will take off with the masses - clearly many Trump supporters love this sort of dumb blunt rudeness but it likely turns off lots of normal folk.

He is good. He has joked before making it clear he does not consider himself a journalist. He does a good job though in this one pointing out the flaw in a lot of the key arguments - he's anti war, he's a friend of the workers, he can fix inflation, he has clearer policies than Kamala, etc etc

All Trump supporters should watch the Jon Stewart monologue today and report back on why he is wrong.

He said he'll build a wall and Mexico will pay for it. Promise not kept. He did build little bits of wall and replace bits of old wall and he didn't get Mexico to pay for that. Took no steps. Did not do it.

The changes are as follows: For International Travel Insurance: Changes to benefit limits Excess will increase from $350 to $500 where excess is applicable. Period of cover for Platinum cardholders will reduce from 6 consecutive months to 3 consecutive months. It looks like the Black card is still fine if you have that.

What would Noam say

I'm pretty fly for a white guy

Real men aren't scared to vote for a woman. A woman who's pretty normal, who when she needs to be briefed on something doesn't need it written in crayons, who will be willing to admit her instincts are not all that - she's not the font of all knowledge - and get help from those who know best. Trump will watch Fox News or play golf half the day and look for ways to hurt his opponents and keep himself in the spotlight and will make sure everyone around him is a toadie who bows to his instincts and superior intellect. I think you'll agree Billie is intelligent and thoughtful and can see what's what beyond women's issues.

Thanks. As an aside you have to keep an eye on these cards. I have an ANZ card that sent me an email recently dropping free travel insurance from 6 months to 3 months at a time. Then I got one from my Bankwest card which is a handy card with no annual feel and no overseas transaction fees - and they dropped off the free travel insurance totally.

If you pretty much live in Thailand for 9 months of the year does the credit card provider still consider you a traveller. I am wondering if there are restrictions at some point.

I am a tourist only - 4 months this year - not an expat now. Medicare can be cheaper for surgery say - whereas private you'll normally have to pay some excess and then they might say there are these out of pocket costs and extra for this or that specialist. There was a whole 4 Corners story on it but it was some time ago. Googling it comes up with discussions on this. But as you say if there is a waiting list or you want a specific doctor private pays off. I think the public system in Australia is good. If I lived here full time I might need to find some sort of policy to cover emergency type stuff - not sure how long you can get away with using credit card travel insurance.

Have credit card insurance in Thailand for what is now two or three months at a time and private insurance in Australia. Your comments on Medicare are harsh - show me a health care system in the world that doesn't have stories of people dying unexpectedly and or mistakes. The fact is in many cases the cost of using your private insurance is higher than simply using Medicare and I consider the big hospitals often have better set ups than smaller private ones. So in some cases I would use Medicare. The benefit of private insurance is to get fast treatment and to not have tax penalties while working. If longer periods are spent in Thailand might have to pay for some policy to cover for emergencies when I can't get back home - see what happens.

The link didn't work for me but I watched the opening of Saturday Night Live with the Trump bit - which it appears you are referring too - and it seemed pretty tame and obvious. Saturday Night Live ain't what it was. You say Trump is going to tear them all down . Stopping free speech doesn't sound like something you would want surely.

You make some ok points - and some I disagree with - but what made you go all serious in the last 2 sentences ? This apparently came from the National Museum of African American History and Culture which is in Washington D C . Not some right wing youtuber. Some of the points are about a range of people's subconscious attitudes - no need to take it too literally or to the extreme so that whites who relate to this are good or bad or inclusive or racist. I think - for example - though many don't see themselves as Christian or religious at all - the Christian attitudes still prevail in our lives and thinking - for good or bad.

The little I know of pop culture I think Billie is much more 'cool' than Taylor and her audience would be very likely skewed towards Kamala. Trump and the whole Republican agenda is the anathema of what she is about. But if she can get them to enrol and vote - when they might not be bothered otherwise - that's cool.

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