#moderates

[odinsblog]

For a very long time mainstream media has been conflating the word “moderate” with the word “conservative,” and moving the Overton Window further to the right.

And at the same time, the words “leftist” and “radical” and “extremists” are also being conflated, but that’s a discussion for another time.

Liz Cheney is not a moderate. Chris Christie is not a moderate. Nikki Haley definitely is not a moderate. I guess it’s nice that they are finally calling out Trump, but they all voted for Trump (twice!) and none of them are good people. (How do I know they aren’t good people? Because they spent most of their adult lives and careers supporting harmful conservative policies that intentionally target women and poor/Black/disabled/LGBTQ people to harm.)

The same goes for pundits like Ana Navarro and the other MSNBC “former” Republicans and Republican strategists who don’t like Trump anymore, but are still “proud conservatives.” They support most of Trump’s policies even if they don’t support Trump anymore. And Nikki Haley has even said that if the choice in November comes down to Biden or Trump, she believes that it’s who is Biden the bigger threat to America. (source)

And Nikki Haley has repeatedly said that she would pardon Trump, so that’s another big NOAP for me.

Look, I understand that neoliberals and conservative leaning Democrats have a tendency to kick left + kiss right, but people have GOT to learn that just because a conservative might occasionally do something right, like oppose Trump, that does not magically transform them into good people™ worth elevating or supporting.

One last thing: I’ve seen a lot of Biden supporters get all caught up in their feelings because Jon Stewart made fun of (gasp) Biden’s age. Listen: WE are not the ones who are in a cult! It is 100% okay for voters to joke about and criticize people in power. It’s MAGA who cannot criticize their dear leader, remember? It's the other guys, THE CULTISTS, who cannot accept even the lightest of criticisms.

“But Republicans will use it against us”

Yes, Republicans will use anything and everything against us, whether we said it or not. That’s what they dO. They lie, make shit up and try to use literally anything—true or false, good or bad—against non-Trump supporters. Being good and honest and not saying anything Republicans disagree with will not gain you any votes with Republicans.

Look, Idgaf about what Republicans and other people on the right think. About anything. Idc. Their opinions don’t matter and they aren’t going to change who I vote for in November 2024. I’m not worried about trying to change their hearts and minds, because they’re heartless and mindless.

At the end of the day, I dO think that msm tends to run with rightwing narratives, but once again, none of that foolishness will change my vote.

Put your grownup pants on and don’t get caught up in the drama.

#politics #nikki haley #republicans #donald trump #moderates #overton window #desi lydic #the daily show #centrism #centrists

[fannishfeminists]

Reactionary centrism: The toxic force that could elect Trump — and kill off democracy | Salon.com

Please please read this!!!

#republicans #cheeto man #moderates #democrats #USA elections #usa politics

[futurebird]

Violence, to the moderate.

If the idea of violent protests don't make you at least little scared I wonder how well you know history. At the same time, real change almost never happens without people putting their bodies on the line.

(Cartoons by Mattie Lubchansky )

The right understands this far better than your average liberal/moderate. To be a moderate is to trust that existing systems will (mostly) work.

If those system fail? What then? To even consider this is for a moderate ... treason. It's *not* a good thing that one side has all the guns.

I saw a photo a few days ago. I think it was titled. "Vermont politics" -- in it a scruffy cheerful white man held a gun and a sign. The sign said something like "Respect my trans daughter and my right to bear arms!" (did anyone else see this?)

Some people were annoyed at the guy for being so into guns. I could only think how glad I was for his daughter that he had one.

#protest #violence #us politics #politics #history #moderates #peaceful protest #violent protest #guns #trans rights #racism #revolutions #french revolution #Haitian revolution #Toussaint Louverture

[corporationsarepeople]

“Moderates always cave. A tale as old as time.”

—GOP Member of Congress

#us politics #republicans #maga #centrists #moderates

[queerpossums]

fucking hell this text set for a discussion on imperialism is so lukewarm. it’s tepid, spineless, aggressively moderate, nonpolitical on an inherently political issue, and refusing to look at the actual issue. the british museum is obviously fucked and needs to return all the shit it’s stolen,but is that really the best example they can provide for the entire issue of imperialism????? prioritizing how imperialism impacted brexit over how it impacts those subjected to imperialism is shallow and embarrassing.

#rant #just me complaining about shitty school readings #eurocentrism #anti imperialism #imperialism #liberals #liberals /neg #spineless #moderates #anti colonialism #neocolonialism #neoimperialism

[wakewithgiggli]

#both sides #moderates #centrists #compromise

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

“Most religious folk will swear up and down that their religion, their Holy Book, does not condone atrocity, that any savagery committed is by crazies and hard-liners who follow the faith literally.

Tell me this: If your religion is that damned mean and nasty down deep inside, and you're having to make excuses for it, shouldn't that tell you something?”

Moderates do not represent the nature of a religion’s or ideology’s doctrine because, by definition, they occupy a middle ground between that doctrine and secular values and ethics. They view the doctrine through modern secular values (e.g. “it’s a metaphor!”), and vice versa (”morality comes from god”).

Next time you’re told that the “true” meaning of the doctrine is something nice and fluffy, say something like “oh, so you’re a fundamentalist?” And then watch them say “of course not!” and fail to grasp the problem.

#religion #religious fundamentalists #fundamentalists #religious moderates #moderates #ideology #ideological fundamentalism #religion is a mental illness

[muscovitez]

I had to do this with moderate version.

#art #design #centricide #jreg #moderates #politics #ideology

[musclesandhammering]

“I don’t see color” moms + “I don’t care if you’re gay, as long as you’re not bothering me” dads

#to be clear #if you’re not Seeing Color then you’re not acknowledging racial inequality or issues specific to poc #and saying As Long As Ur Not Bothering me implies that gays are gonna sexually harass you or smth #and also that talking about queer struggles by itself would bother you so they need to just shut up about it #just in case anyone didn’t get it #this is the mantra of older suburban neolibs and ‘socially tolerant’ moderates of both parties #lots of political posts lately but in my defence I did warn you guys in my bio #neolibs #neoliberals #moderates #political #political memes

[feckcops]

So George Osborne has a new podcast. What do the victims of his austerity policies get?

“Whenever he is wheeled into another studio as an elder statesman, Osborne is never asked about people such as the Chapmans [one of thousands of disabled people to have their benefits drastically cut after being declared ‘fit for work’], or scientists’ research that shows 300,000 extra deaths were caused by his austerity programme. Nor do I expect it to be a major feature of his podcast – not when Balls himself went along with so much of the austerity agenda. Perhaps there’ll be some light ribbing about the former chancellor’s career after Westminster. How many jobs are we up to now?

“In 2003, Campbell was a salesman for an illegal war prosecuted on dodgy evidence that killed between 280,000 and 315,000 Iraqis, according to the estimates of Brown University in the US. On the 20th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, he was interrogated on his podcast not by a relative of one of those killed, or by a maimed soldier or by one of the million Britons who marched in opposition – but by Stewart, who after the invasion became a latter-day colonial administrator in the shattered country. It is fair to say their conversation on the matter was less heated than it gets on the iniquities of Brexit.

“Light entertainment is the great launderer of political reputations. A few years ago, TV quiz shows turned Boris Johnson into the serial liar you could have a pint with. Cookery and bad dancing transformed Balls from an economist into a household name. The pretence is that they’ve shed the Westminster carapace and are now on civvy street. Yet long after he left Blair’s court, Campbell continued to help run election campaigns, while as editor of the London Evening Standard Osborne would run front pages to help Matt Hancock ...

“I spoke to the Chapmans this week. Paul’s Parkinson’s has got much worse and their benefits aren’t enough for the rising costs of food and fuel. Last winter, they didn’t put on the central heating and Lisa went over to her mum’s for a few hours of warmth a day. Paul broke his little finger in December but was so numb with cold that he only felt the pain in February ... These two need no lessons in the cruelty of politics. Someone should give them a podcast.”

#george osborne #ed balls #alan campbell #centrists #moderates #neoliberals #conservatives #tories #labour #politicians #podcast #benefit cuts #benefits #austerity #disabled #poverty #illegal wars #iraq #uk #politics

[odinsblog]

Joe Biden fetishizing “bipartisanship” with the crazy ass fascists of the GOP is so completely on brand for him. Unfortunately.

Quite honestly, it disgusts me.

The racist extremists in the GOP just used thee most partisan of tactics to extort the U.S. economy + eviscerate the social safety net + harm the poor, but Joe Biden’s anachronistic ass thinks that’s just swell, because fucking “bipartisanship.”

Look, there is no such thing as a “moderate” Republican. The media has completely destroyed that word beyond all recognition. If Joe Manchin is advocating for the poor to starve to death, as long as he isn’t yelling or swearing, the media will call him a moderate.

There is no such thing as a MAGA Republican—that’s the overwhelming majority of the GOP and conservative voters.

If you think that there is somehow an “acceptable” amount of fascists in the Republican Party, let me remind you about the “shit in your milkshake” analogy: How much (or how little) shit is acceptable in your milkshake? 10% shit? 5% shit?? Or are you, like me, only satisfied with no shit in your milkshake?? I know that’s being a little picky, but that’s how I feel.

Same thing with fascists in the Republican Party. There are enough white supremacists + fascists in the GOP that the whole damn thing is rotten to the core. Just like a shit milkshake.

“Bipartisanship” is not the fucking end goal of politics, and I’m super tired of seeing Dems chronic devotion to “reaching across the aisle” to make nice with a Party of white supremacists who religiously fuck them over at every opportunity.

Establishment Dems are the only ones who believe in this foolishness. Republicans repeatedly show that they will block a SCOTUS nominee, repeal Roe v. Wade, slit your throat, and not give a single solitary shit about being “bipartisan.” But hey, Biden thinks we should all be on our knees praising bipartisanship, y’all. Because Republicans only managed to kill the safety net a little bit, this time. But trust me, they’ll finish the job when the time limit (aka: poison pill) runs out, and ~*magically*~ nobody will be able to get enough votes to get rid of them, thus making it the “temporary compromise” a permanent one.

Istg I’m worried shitless about the upcoming election.

#politics #joe biden #bipartisanship #republicans #conservadems #moderate republicans #fetishizing bipartisanship #moderates

[unpopularly-opinionated]

As election season draws nearer, just your friendly reminder to only vote for the candidate you actually believe in (or at the very least believe in the most) and not the one people will inevitably try to fearmonger/guilt trip you into voting for.

If Democrats are losing votes because of third parties, all that means is that Democrats need to demand better representation, that’s all there is to it. It’s not your fault in the slightest.

#politics #Democrats #Republicans #Moderates #voting #third parties #two party system #election season #PDX #oregon #Portland #Tina Kotek #Betsy Johnson #Christine Drazan #Kate Brown

[nepobabyboomer]

Average moderate

#twitter #tw #moderates #centrists #fascism

[adhd-hippie]

Found the thought.

Someone told me that I'm a good person but a little annoying with all my opinions and ya know, that's okay because I find people with a lack of opinion annoying.

They're the types to be moderates and vote based on who they think is going to lower taxes and then we wind up with fuckers like Bush and Trump in office.

So, sorry BRENDA for being kinda annoying but you fucking voted us into this mess so piss off.

#opinions #adhd #see my last post #moderates #lack of opinion #politics

[song-of-the-rune]

y'all are absolutely free to use tumblr however you please but I want redditors to know that they could, hypothetically, start a sideblog about a particular topic, add moderators to it, turn on submissions (and asks), make an "about" page laying out rules and such, and create a good tagging system. If you want it to be a bit more familiar.

#reddit blackout #reddit migration #runic ramblings #if you want examples of how blogs with multiple moderators are run #ask around about sonic-for- *shot* #but really be warned that they do cause drama... not that reddit mods don't lol

[wakewithgiggli]

How I Was Radicalised By Moderates

A long, long time ago I was a member of a yahoo group community formed to discuss hypnosis, power exchange, ethics, and anything else that came to mind. But keep in mind that focus on ethics.

One day, one of the four mods said something transphobic. She was a sex worker domme, and said something about the "men pretending to be women" she had to deal with. It's possible what she said came from a place of ignorance, and not hate.

Back in those days, I was way more tactful and gentle in my speech (I hadn't been radicalised yet), and I tactfully pointed out that some of those people probably weren't men, and if you view them in that light, their actions make sense.

I'm summarising, partly because the details have been lost to the sands of time. But this got a positive response, and the mods asked me to field questions for the community about the trans experience. Remember that also - this was something they asked me to do.

So we had a good discussion for a few days. People would ask questions, and give me the opportunity to talk about things that usually don't get discussed or received well in cis spaces.

People were being informed about things they had no idea about, and were lapping it up. This was also long before the modern, more widespread "rise" of transgender people, a time when the only trans visibility were movies like The Crying Game and Ace Ventura, so being able to talk about these things to an accepting audience was amazing.

And then one member of the community, an extreme libertarian, responded with something that suggested (nay, blatantly stated that) all trans people were mentally ill freaks.

I initially replied flippantly, "There's always one," but then thought about it. I realised I couldn't let that comment stand, but if I tried to point out the error, I was going to be put on the defensive. What had been an uplifting conversation was about to turn into just another discussion were trans people were forced to justify their right to exist. It was going to fundamentally change the nature of the discussion.

So I reached out to the mods, and asked them to moderate that transphobe, pointed out why that statement was transphobic, and told them what would happen to the discussion if I was the one forced to address it.

They replied to me quite curtly, telling me "They weren't going to fight my battles for me."

Let that sit a while. A member of the community was telling them they were being insulted by a bigot, and asking them to take action against that bigot.

And this was happening in the context of a discussion they had asked me to hold - they had asked me to put myself out there, and paint a target on myself. But they weren't ready to back me up when someone pulled the trigger.

To me, this was dereliction of their duties as moderators. I knew what happens to communities that allow bigots to run free in their midst. So I told them that I couldn't be a member of the community any more and left.

I grieved the loss of the community because I had enjoyed being a part of it. But that wasn't what really upset me. That kind of behaviour was normal. Just moderates being moderate.

But then the owner of the group emailed me, and tried to ask me to come back. In the ensuing discussion, it was obvious his pride was hurt - he had a self-identity as "an ethical defender of justice," and my actions were challenging that.

And rather than look inwards and realise that he wasn't living up to his ideals, he tried to force me to massage his ego and reassure him he was a good guy.

That made me look at other moderates I've known, and realise just how self-serving and performative their ethics often are. It also made me understand the scathing criticism of "moderates" I had seen a lot of in activist circles.

I wasn’t disappointed by the transphobe, I was disappointed by the people who claimed to be allies but were unwilling to act on the beliefs they claimed to stand for.

So that's how I was radicalised by moderates. It wasn't just that event, but that event was the culmination, the last straw, in a series of relationships up to that point.

For the record, one of the mods and a couple of the members did reach out to me later to make sure I was okay. There were good people there.

#giggli speaks #long post #radicalised #moderates #personal