[shyams]

Cyberyeti, on 2024-August-31, 14:12, said:

Boris won because Corbyn was worse, ANY vaguely sensible labour leader would have beaten him

This is a misdirection. The situation that prevailed in Dec 2019 would have ensured that Boris, the Guardian of Brexit would have been elected PM regardless of who Labour put up.

However, given that the thread is not about "UK Democracy being BoJo'd", I see no need from my side to post again about Boris and UK Politics.

[shyams]

Winstonm, on 2024-August-31, 20:10, said:

One thing I think you are failing to acknowledge in your arguments is timing. I fully admit at this point in time I would and will gladly vote for any Democrat over any Republican. That has nothing to do with a slavish love of the Democretic party but a fear and loathing of the current version of the Republican party which has become a systemic threat to liberal democraicy here and worldwide. I do not think any reasoable person should cast a vote for a party that is fully engaged in corrupting the democratic elections and peaceful transfer of power. At this point in time my vote is not so much a vote for Democrats as it is a vote against Republicans. That is the fault of the Republican party for bowing to Trump's will.

You LOL'd to a post of mine about how the betting markets in the USA have progressed in the current month. Much of what I wrote in that post was verifiable via a Google search.

I guessed (in my reply post) why you LOL'd.

[hrothgar]

shyams, on 2024-August-31, 21:54, said:

You LOL'd to a post of mine about how the betting markets in the USA have progressed in the current month. Much of what I wrote in that post was verifiable via a Google search.

No one is disputing the fact that you cited.

People are LoLing at the claim that thin prediction markets have any value at, say, predicting what is going to happen especially in situations that bear such a strong resemblance to a meme stock.

In 2020, the share price of AMC was under 10 dollars a share
In 2022 it spiked to over $250
Today its under 5 dollars a share
Did the market fundamentals change that much?

We could repeat the same discussion for Game Stop, Bored Apes, or - most tellingly - Trump's SPAC

There's a whole bunch of idiots out there
Some of them are searching for bigger idiots.
Other are willing to set their $$$ on fire to signal that they belong to a cult

[PeterAlan]

shyams, on 2024-August-31, 12:49, said:

.... (Side note: BoJo was born in the USA, so technically he can be a US citizen if he chooses).

Boris Johnson was a US citizen from birth (he held dual nationality) until he renounced it in 2016 (following the US levying capital gains tax on the sale of his London house).

[barmar]

shyams, on 2024-August-30, 20:19, said:

A fair number of you posting here would vote for a ham sandwich if it was the Dem nominee. Not just President, mind you. I'd say it applies to Senators, Congresspersons, State-level Legislators, County elected officials etc, etc.....

I think the country would be better off with no President than Trump.

In order for a Democrat to win the electoral college, they need to win over a decent number of independents and Republicans, and can't afford to lose any Democrats. So anything that worries them can be a death knell for the campaign.

[kenberg]

I have never before been so concerned about the future of my country. Pearl Harbor was bombed three weeks before my third birthday and of course no one told me, just as I wasn't told when I was 6 about Hiroshima. But later I was aware of the development of the hydrogen bomb, I followed the Korean War on a daily basis, I recall coming home from a Boy Scout meeting and seeing Joe McCarthy on TV, I remember the Cuban missile crisis and so on. Today is more worrisome . Of course I hope Kamala Harris wins, but it will not be enough, not nearly enough. No matter her margni of victory,Trump will claim he won, that her victory is fraudulent. And worse, at least in my opinion tis worse, there will be many Republicans voters and office holders alike, who will agree that this is so, regardless of any evidence or lack of evidence. If Trump says that there was no confrontation at Arlington Cemetary then there was no confrontation. Trump says there wasn't so there wasn't. If he says there was no crowd to meet Harris at the airport, there was no crowd to meet Harris at the airport. If he says an election was fraudulent, it was fraudulent.
Even if she wins, and even if she is innuagated in January, we still could have major problems. The Republican Party, under the leadership, or maybe I should say under the spell, of Trump will do whatever they can to keep her from accomplishing anything. Of course Republicans can go against some plans of Democrats, just as Democrats can go against plans of Republicans. This is different. If Harris becmes president, the Republican Party will strive for total paralysis. I have never before thought or said such things, not about either party, but it is what I think and say now.
I hope we get through this.

[PassedOut]

I wasn't alive when Pearl Harbor was bombed, but I remember many of the other grave challenges our country faced over the years. And, because the threat now is internal and massive, I share Ken's concerns.

The essential first step is electing Harris-Walz. Almost as important is holding the Senate and recapturing the House. And that will certainly kick off the problems arising from the anger of the losers. Eventually, I hope, Trump's hold on the MAGA folks will fade.

It would be helpful if we could find a way to handle disinformation without giving up free speech.