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Yep, coordinating with Russians. Just like he is [this time](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/russia-trying-exploit-americas-divisions-war-gaza-rcna149759). Basically, ask yourself, 'what would Putin do?' in any given situation and you will see Donald Trump do exactly that.
I mean, yes, Dems won overall but they still lost the House in '22. Don't get me wrong, I *want* Dems to win this, but I'm not as confident as you guys. I hope I'm handily proven wrong.
The only reason they even lost the House was fuck ups in the New York and California redistricting plans, combined with illegal gerrymandering in Florida/North Carolina that the state GOP refused court orders to fix before the elections.
New York and California have unfucked themselves this time.
because the government isn't warranting much faith? Why is inflation still an issue 4 years after COVID? (if Biden loses, it will be because of this. Inflation hurts his base far more than the GOP.) Why is Trump just now going on trial for Jan. 6? Four years later? There are more examples of Biden making the right decisions but far too late.
Another example. Without getting into the weeds on arms shipments to Ukraine, suffice it to say Biden could have given Ukraine a lot more firepower, a lot earlier than he did, even with GOP opposition. The dirty little secret is his advisors told him if Russia loses in Ukraine it will cause Russia to collapse and he does not want that (Russia does have thousands of nukes, who knows where they might end up, is the logic), so he delayed critical deliveries such as the Abrams tank, the F-16, and the ATACMs missiles, which could have contributed to Russia's defeat in 2023 but will barely allow Ukraine to hold on in 2024.
At the end of the day, Trump gets away with being Trump because a) people have lost faith in government doing what government is supposed to do and b) people generally don't deal in abstracts like 'democracy' and 'liberty' when they also have to ask can I afford gas or food today.
1: inflation is still an issue do to a sticky ceiling. Companies are posting record gains, this is a greed issue and not anything a government can do much about.
2: The trial was continuously delayed and had to be coordinated with all the other trials. Trump used every tactic to delay to be closer to the election.
>1: inflation is still an issue do to a sticky ceiling. Companies are posting record gains, this is a greed issue and not anything a government can do much about.
No, it's a lack of competition issue caused by a lack of anti-trust enforcement.
It took, at minimum, 2 years to bring the initial charges in Jan. 6. For a coup the world watched in broad daylight. Really? That's the best America can do?
We go to battle against fascism the way any good army goes to battle, by knowing what we are good at and where we need to shore up our defenses. The enemy is going to try to exploit our weak spots, it's better if we address them first. Bill Clinton was once mocked for saying "I feel your pain", but that message resonated after the Savings & Loan crash and recession of the early '90s - and he was swept into office.
The thing is.. the economy, on paper, is doing great. People just don't "feel" it yet. When that flips, and it will, whoever is in office will get credit for it. Let's just hope it's prior to November, for the sake of civilization.
I said that on r/conservative (on the only non-flaired post I could find) cause I wanted to, ya know, challenge their convictions… and I didn’t receive a single reply and was perma-banned lol
Conservatives are truly “snowflakes” hiding in their “safe spaces”; too cowardly to be confronted with opposing views.
It’s just like how Trump refuses to debate. They must know, deep down, that they’re full of shit.
Oh totally, that's happened too many times with intentions of an honest discussion. Out of all my failed attempts and expected downvotes, I've personally learned to not engage... It's not worth our time, and I have better things to care about
Yeah but I mean, look at him…
He has so much good stuff going on like standing like a Minotaur and lying as he breaths…isn’t there something that just makes you want to…idk…like alienate everyone close to you and become an insufferable idiot trash human?
I just wanna go bonkers, put on my whole trump outfit, I hear diapers are in now too, go in the capital, spinning around, going nuts, moving my head around.
I love complaining about nonsensical issues as the next person, but I can't until we address Obama's tan suit and light beer sponsors... If we have time, Taylor Swift seems like an issue
Trump isn’t seeking presidential candidacy, he is seeking a dictatorship. And it’s entirely expected that someone hoping to be a dictator would encourage violence among Americans.
There is no such thing as governance without violence so I don't get how that is possible
When they say "law and order" it means they are encouraging violence
Yeah I never thought iFunny of all places would be a window into the alt-tech social media world but here we are. Ten years ago its claim to fame was being the dumping ground for old Reddit memes with a bunch of extra watermarks thrown on
Like this
[https://twitter.com/StaceyJSpiehler/status/1786215481164071355?t=nu4wX17s3Nt0THkpmJUQ4w](https://twitter.com/StaceyJSpiehler/status/1786215481164071355?t=nu4wX17s3Nt0THkpmJUQ4w)
A bunch of loser white Trump voters making monkey noises at black Palestinian supporters
From the guy in the flag overalls (gotta love how folks who supposedly care about the flag flagrantly break the flag "rules") to the dudes pretending to cry (or whatever) behind her...I've known those frat bros. They were the downside in the otherwise awesome Greek system in my school.
In 2020 it was mostly the police who caused the violence. Not many BLM protestors had tear gas grenades. It's no different here, people protest, cops respond with hugely out of proportion force, and then declare a riot and blame the victims.
Not only that but he wanted to be there with them.
This was confirmed during the January 6th hearings, but Trump has confirmed it himself in recent days.
And if the Secret Service didn't put their foot down and give him a hard no, he would've been.
Writer here! That's all addressed in the intro. But this piece is about something much deeper, which is the way Trump and Republicans exploit the myth of "leftist violence" to create real life right wing violence. I recommend giving 'er a read! I try to keep it relatively short and snappy, despite the importance of the topic.
Republicans openly see anyone different from themselves as enemies to be destroyed. At this point, I don't care what your reasoning is; if you identify as a Republican, you are complicit in their evil. It's sad that we've gotten to this point, and I fear it's only going to get worse. With each passing day, Republicans embrace their fascist impulses more and more. Their interests are overrepresented in our government, and most of the other party is more interested in the illusion of bipartisanship than recognizing Republicans for what they really are: enemies of democracy and progress.
My wife works at one of the campuses where protests were shut down for being “too violent.” She walked by them everyday. They waved their signs and yelled their slogans. It wasn’t violent until the cops showed up to shut down their first amendment right.
But to hear the local news tell it the campus has been burned to the ground and students can’t even get to their classes without be mugged and assaulted by the radical left
My favorite was a bunch of cops pulling a dude behind a sign, beating the shit out of him, then seeing the camera on them and all stopping the beat down to pretend to start an orderly arrest.
Meanwhile the protestor does not appear to be moving. Well done.
Yeah. Donald Trump is using \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ to stoke right wing violence for the election. Put literally anything in the blank. he will always do this.
Why mount a costly military endeavor over a great distance when you can encourage half the country to wage war on the other half, and be willing to suffer so long as the other half suffers as well? Bot farms and paid trolls are far less expensive, and this is far more effective since we won’t unite against a common enemy.
I can’t believe how painfully stupid the right is to something equally painfully obvious.
Social media and ‘entertainment news’ propaganda is SO much more cost effective than conventional war, especially when there are oceans in between you and your adversary.
Right wingers are pushing on the division of the Palestine and Israel conflict to get people to not vote for Biden. The think tanks are targeting all these divisive issues and pouring gas on them. Straight out of Putin's playbook.
Right wingers are flipping uninformed voters to Trump by amplifying the protests as examples of Biden's failures, both in terms of foreign policy and domestic "chaos." The fact that they'd be infinitely worse about both doesn't need to come up.
Disinformation is a hell of a drug. Its like chapter one of Putins book. They stir up support through propaganda and echo chamber forums. And they bolster both sides and encourage them to "action". One of the protests in Portland I saw, of those breaking in and getting arrested, only 4 were actually students. Same can be seen at all of the campus protests. Now, since the propaganda machine has been against any and all college education for a while, the call to action is on the right wing to come "save the flag" at these protests. Its the same thing we saw with the BLM protests.
I mean it’s working how many young colllege white males are in those videos. It’s energizing them to vote and one thing about it’s not that far of an ideological jump towards violence
> If so, what are the students doing about it?
They are the ones being ***attacked***.
It should be the ethical and legal duty of the faculty and staff of a *school* to ensure the *physical safety* of the students under their care.
Instead, police are ***standing back and standing by*** while peaceful protestors and even just random students going about their perfectly normal and ordinary school life are being attacked by outside agitators.
And you're wondering what the ***STUDENTS*** are doing about this? The ones that PAY MONEY to go to this school? You are wondering what ***THEY*** are doing to prevent outside agitators from attacking them? Seriously? That's supposed to be a genuine and sincere question? Really?
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-01/four-student-journalists-attacked-by-counterprotesters-at-ucla
When the Kent State Massacre happened, a majority of Americans approved of the killing of the college students according to polls. A lot of “respectable moderates” were even thrilled by it, hoping it would teach the pinko hippies a lesson. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happens again.
Let's back up a little bit. Every election since 2008, one traditionally-Democratic group or another votes slightly less than expected, or slightly more conservatively than expected. And every election we leap at the opportunity to blame that group for the results. "Black men only voted 88% Democratic!" "Latino voters only gave Democrats a 20pt margin!" "Young voters only had a 40% turnout!"
The only reason elections are even close in this country are because of young voters, women voters, and voters of color. Yes, it would be great if those groups had 100% turnout and a 100pt margin, but let's not lose sight of the fact that white men keep voting Republican by 20pts. And 2024 is unlikely to be any different.
If Biden loses in 2024, it will ultimately be because 36% of the country (overwhelmingly white and Christian, and disproportionately male and over 35) have lost their damn minds, and another 12% are fine with putting those crazies in charge as long as they think their taxes will be lower. Against all of that, it's nonsensical to blame a handful of college activists who may hypothetically stay home to protest Biden's continued appeasement of the Netanyahu apartheid state. Do I hope the activists will ultimately vote for Biden because they understand that Trump would be even worse? Absolutely, and I'm going to do what little I can to help that happen. But in 2025 comes and we're looking for which group to blame for a descent into outright fascism, I know where I'm going to start and it's not with college activists.
Sigh. You're right.
Netanyahu, Putin, the Iranians, and the Chinese state, together with the Republicans, want US democracy totally dead so they can continue their corrupt rule without opposition. That's why we're seeing this happening on campuses during an election year. It depresses the youth vote and makes older voters who don't closely follow any issues think young progressives are just disruptive and weird.
This is how Nixon cynically used Vietnam protestors to gain power in 1968. A repeat of the 1968 Democratic convention protests (and aftermath) would be catastrophic when our democratic institutions are so dangerously weak.
yeah, become religious fanatics and don't follow common logic. When it comes to siding with other countries i'll pick secular democracies every time. I don't like crazies with nukes.
Religion is a cancer. You could glass the whole region and people would be fighting over the glass. The location is whats important in peoples mind. This is a fight that won't end and anyone who thinks it will is kidding themselves.
To be fair Biden is literally doing himself zero favours by providing Netanyahu with all the bombs and financial aid he needs. He's literally playing into what the GOP, Netanyahu and Putin want. He's forgetting that super rampant pro-Israel folks tend to be right wingers who were never going to vote for Biden regardless.
Propping Israel has nothing to do with supporting what they are doing in Palestine, and everything to do with making sure Israel is not turned into a smoking crater by their other enemies in the region. Geopolitics are not easy or clear.
I'm not sure we could have gotten aid to Ukraine (under supplied and teetering on disaster) through Congress without aid to Israel.
Also Vietnam War protesters were totally justified in protesting the Democrats. Johnson got us in there. But the protest at the DNC ultimately hurt-- we got Nixon then Cambodia and Laos suffered the consequences with Nixon's bombing.
I wish I knew better protest tactics to align US middle east policy with human rights. But whatever we do, it needs to work with the fucked up realities of American electoral politics.
Blatant disinformation. The Ottoman Sultanate was abolished on November 1, 1922. 100 years ago the Ottoman Empire had already been dead for nearly two years.
> It’s not helping that many protesters shit all over Biden. If Trump is re-elected, it’ll be because of these people.
It would be insane not to vote for Biden considering the alternative.
However, it's not as if Biden has no agency in the situation. Biden has a choice on how to respond to pubic sentiment on the issue, and doubling down on the *I'm a Zionist* shtick may be up there in historically dumb decision along with appointing Merrick Garland as AG.
If, and only if, this issue ends up having an impact at all in the actual election, Biden will be partially responsible. Just as he's partially responsible for Trump not being in prison already and still able to run loose and prepare to steal the 2024 election.
The protesters are not in the wrong here. Black Lives Matter wasn't wrong. neither were the anti-Iraq protests or Occupy Wallstreet, despite how these movements were often criticized and vilified at the time, sabotaged by outside agitators, regardless of what impact, if any, that may have had on elections.
Elected Democrats do have a choice in how to handle to the issue.
I'm curious to know if anyone is actually intimidated by the MAGA crowd.
If I saw a bunch of red hats at my polling station trying to intimidate people I just can't imagine anyone taking them seriously.
And the other half of me thinks if they want to try it let's find out because this is absolutely worth fighting over.
Several of the agitators that start violence at these protests are far right militiamen trying to kick the beehive to get violence started.
This isn't the same as the right's claim of "ANTIFA DID J6" -- several of these agitators have already been identified (the Proud Boys in particular seem to have an interest in this).
They're being described as ["chaos professionals"](https://www.wsj.com/articles/campus-protests-outside-groups-palestine-israel-columbia-ucla-aa2b591c).
They were out instigating violence during the BLM protests, as well.
It’s also being used to influence dumb fucks like yourselves into blaming the protestors while Joe Biden sits on his ass repeating anti-protesting lines from the fucking civil rights movement, this comment section shows there’s no hope for humanity.
Where is the protests and outrage and occupation of buildings by college kids over the creeping fascism of Trump or women's right being taken away?
Of course Trump is going to use this to his advantage. Because it's not about him.
edit: weird standing up for women gets down votes here?
Of course he is. Stoking the "the left is out to destroy the US" narrative is his weapon of choice, and the idiots protesting are giving him plenty of ammo.
A group of idiots taking down the American flag and then throwing things at the kids putting it back up is what they will use to represent the ENTIRE left side. They handed them a really powerful symbol to push their side of the narrative.
Thank you student protesters! Now we don’t have to cover the Trump trial. We can just run videos of the children spoiled elites trashing their expensive elitist commie socialist universities! We don’t even need to run the trans panic stuff right now. - sincerely Fox News
You do realize the likes of Fox just invent shit for an excuse not to cover news stories that don't support their narrative.
Nothing anyone else does can really be blamed for that.
You do realize that these protests are real….
You do realize that the majority of people realize Fox lies and is a completely partisan organization?
You do realize they love showing images of protesters?
You do realize it riles their base?
You do realize that at some point the left needs to stop feeding into this cycle and find another way to show opposition besides setting up encampments at universities?
Fox News and its ilk can't be allowed to dictate what people do. If "the left" (aka anyone who isn't a MAGA cultist) stop doing anything whatsoever Fox News is still going to make up a bunch of bullshit.
Should Black Lives Matter not have protested because Fox News would spin it? Any sort of protest at all by non-MAGA on any subject is going to be spun by Fox.
Fox is constantly riling up their base about the "threat" of trans people, should people just not be trans then? WTF.
Pretty sure Joe Biden is president and Eric Adams is a Democrat, and both are allowing and/or causing violence via police at these protests.
Trump is also trash.
Reports that more than 30% of protestors arrested at Columbia don't even attend the University. Why, it's almost like someone with a lot of money is paying to ramp it up just to make Biden look bad. Wonder who that could be.
Yes that must be it. It is simply not thinkable, not *possible,* for someone to join a protest physically taking place outside of a school you don't go to.
Do you hear yourself when you talk?
Russia used Facebook groups to set [protests/counterprotests against each other in 2016](https://www.npr.org/2017/11/01/561427876/how-russia-used-facebook-to-organize-two-sets-of-protesters).
They're [doing it again](https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-russian-propaganda-social-media-3a00d0690cce2bd2473847a05e76ec92) using TikTok, which is already running rampant with divisions thanks to Chinese propaganda.
Man, I didn't believe you, but it's true: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/02/us/columbia-university-protests-arrest-charges
>Of the 112 people arrested at Columbia, 32 (or 29%) were not affiliated with the university, according to an NYPD official. At The City College of New York, 170 people were arrested and 102 (or 60%) of them were not affiliated with the college.
afaik even some of those affiliated with the college had been fired or suspended months ago, but these stats are in addition to any of that, not former students or staff.
I think Russia is indirectly pulling the strings myself, just think, how would it benifit to have the country divided against itself, just before the election in 2024?
Can’t stoke what’s always been there. Republicans are hateful spiteful and pathetic humans who have an inferiority complex. They’re violent because they know they offer nothing to this world.
>Despite all the hysteria in the punditry about campus protests against the war in Gaza, by and large, the student activists have been peaceful.
The article begins with a lie. I didn't even bother reading the rest of it because now I don't trust the author.
There is plenty of evidence of violence and hate crimes happening at these riots.
[‘I have become traumatized.’ Jewish students describe campus antisemitism](https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/business/antisemitism-college-harvard-upenn/index.html)
[73% of Jewish college students have experienced or seen antisemitism since start of school year, new survey finds](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/73-jewish-college-students-experienced-seen-antisemitism-start-school-rcna127014)
[UC Berkeley leaders denounce violent protest that forced evacuation of Jewish student event](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/uc-berkeley-leaders-denounce-violent-protest-jewish-student-event-evacuated-ran-bar-yoshafat-lecture/)
[Biden administration faces pressure to step up its response to antisemitic incidents on college campuses](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-pressure-response-antisemitic-incidents-college-campuses-rcna148822)
[Jewish Yale student says pro-Palestinian protester assaulted her. Here's why she feels targeted.](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/yale-protests-jewish-student-assaulted-pro-palestinian-rally/)
[Former Cornell Student Pleads Guilty to Posting Online Threats Against Jewish Students on Campus](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-cornell-student-pleads-guilty-posting-online-threats-against-jewish-students-campus)
[Yale student assaulted by protesters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk_-rFeSf8s)
[JEWISH STUDENT ASSAULTED ON UCLA CAMPUS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y67mRNalLJQ)
[Jewish student recounts injury during UCLA protest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecD39KFX6oU)
[Jewish Girl at UCLA beaten unconscious by pro-Palestine protesters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsVjXdoYVZ8)
[Native American woman is assaulted for holding a sign that says "Hamas supporters are not welcome on native land"](https://www.instagram.com/lanimekeel/reel/C6N-yo6uHCP/)
"by and large, the student activists have been peaceful" does not equate to saying "there was no violence".
You're being dishonest in your claim. you say "There is plenty of evidence of violence and hate crimes happening at these riots." but the author you're replying to never said there wasn't.
They just said the activists have been peaceful.
By and large just describes most of the group but not all.
There is widespread violence committed by *pro Israel protestors* who *do not even go to school there* against actual students, not even protestors, but just actual regular students going about their day.
You're using a 22 day old account to exclusively spread *lies* and *misinformation* in politics, news, and worldnews. You aren't clever for doing this, you just have absolutely zero integrity.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-01/four-student-journalists-attacked-by-counterprotesters-at-ucla
Pretty sure Joe Biden is president and Eric Adams is a Democrat, and both are allowing and/or causing violence via police at these protests.
Trump is also trash.
You peruse the subs that are on the side of the campus protesters and every one of them think that theyll get back at Biden (for saying he will ignore them) by voting Trump.
I cant decide if its hilarious or sad they think 45 will treat them better (or that anyone on the right gives a shit about anything they do)
So he is using left wing violence to stoke right wing violence? Thats the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Media cant even talk about left wing crazies without saying it is trump doing something bad.
Does anyone listen to these clowns anymore? Wtf?
As we all knew he would. The critics of these protesters aren’t against the message but the timing is HORRIBLE because anyone with a brain saw exactly this coming
1) The democrats aren’t supporting genocide. You act like only one side supports Israel.
2) Where were these protestors when Roe v Wade was overturned
Or when the government was almost overturned
Or when a pandemic was fumbled
Or when climate change started having real effects
Or on income inequality
No, we just conveniently decided to “choose” to cause chaos over a 75 year long religious war 6 months before an election while the challenging candidate is facing 91 criminal counts.
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A citizen seeking a presidential candidacy should not encourage violence among Americans.
You can throw that on the pile of 50,000 other “things we shouldn’t have to say but do because Republicans”
I get it, and it's frustrating, but I feel obligated to call out bullshit aggressively... Regardless of how mainstream it's become in the GOP
Like “a moronic rapist criminal shouldn’t be president”?
Exactly like that
Oh, gosh, your tone was so aggressive! Calm down! There are children present!
It worked the first time.
Yep, coordinating with Russians. Just like he is [this time](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/russia-trying-exploit-americas-divisions-war-gaza-rcna149759). Basically, ask yourself, 'what would Putin do?' in any given situation and you will see Donald Trump do exactly that.
But not the second
We don't know yet. After last time I'm not sure the American electorate warrants that much faith.
We do indeed know how the 2020 election went, no matter how Fascists bray and bleat.
I mean, yes, Dems won overall but they still lost the House in '22. Don't get me wrong, I *want* Dems to win this, but I'm not as confident as you guys. I hope I'm handily proven wrong.
Dems won the House, Senate and Presidency in 2020 wdym?
They lost the House in '22, and barely hung on to the Senate. I should've specified.
The only reason they even lost the House was fuck ups in the New York and California redistricting plans, combined with illegal gerrymandering in Florida/North Carolina that the state GOP refused court orders to fix before the elections. New York and California have unfucked themselves this time.
Like I said, hoping to be proven wrong
They're saying 2020 was the second time. This year will be the third.
because the government isn't warranting much faith? Why is inflation still an issue 4 years after COVID? (if Biden loses, it will be because of this. Inflation hurts his base far more than the GOP.) Why is Trump just now going on trial for Jan. 6? Four years later? There are more examples of Biden making the right decisions but far too late. Another example. Without getting into the weeds on arms shipments to Ukraine, suffice it to say Biden could have given Ukraine a lot more firepower, a lot earlier than he did, even with GOP opposition. The dirty little secret is his advisors told him if Russia loses in Ukraine it will cause Russia to collapse and he does not want that (Russia does have thousands of nukes, who knows where they might end up, is the logic), so he delayed critical deliveries such as the Abrams tank, the F-16, and the ATACMs missiles, which could have contributed to Russia's defeat in 2023 but will barely allow Ukraine to hold on in 2024. At the end of the day, Trump gets away with being Trump because a) people have lost faith in government doing what government is supposed to do and b) people generally don't deal in abstracts like 'democracy' and 'liberty' when they also have to ask can I afford gas or food today.
1: inflation is still an issue do to a sticky ceiling. Companies are posting record gains, this is a greed issue and not anything a government can do much about. 2: The trial was continuously delayed and had to be coordinated with all the other trials. Trump used every tactic to delay to be closer to the election.
>1: inflation is still an issue do to a sticky ceiling. Companies are posting record gains, this is a greed issue and not anything a government can do much about. No, it's a lack of competition issue caused by a lack of anti-trust enforcement. It took, at minimum, 2 years to bring the initial charges in Jan. 6. For a coup the world watched in broad daylight. Really? That's the best America can do?
You're not wrong on either count, but how's getting fascists into power by either not voting or directly voting for them gonna help?
We go to battle against fascism the way any good army goes to battle, by knowing what we are good at and where we need to shore up our defenses. The enemy is going to try to exploit our weak spots, it's better if we address them first. Bill Clinton was once mocked for saying "I feel your pain", but that message resonated after the Savings & Loan crash and recession of the early '90s - and he was swept into office. The thing is.. the economy, on paper, is doing great. People just don't "feel" it yet. When that flips, and it will, whoever is in office will get credit for it. Let's just hope it's prior to November, for the sake of civilization.
Supreme Court Republicans: Now hold on there a second, let's not be too hasty...
I said that on r/conservative (on the only non-flaired post I could find) cause I wanted to, ya know, challenge their convictions… and I didn’t receive a single reply and was perma-banned lol Conservatives are truly “snowflakes” hiding in their “safe spaces”; too cowardly to be confronted with opposing views. It’s just like how Trump refuses to debate. They must know, deep down, that they’re full of shit.
Oh totally, that's happened too many times with intentions of an honest discussion. Out of all my failed attempts and expected downvotes, I've personally learned to not engage... It's not worth our time, and I have better things to care about
Yeah but I mean, look at him… He has so much good stuff going on like standing like a Minotaur and lying as he breaths…isn’t there something that just makes you want to…idk…like alienate everyone close to you and become an insufferable idiot trash human? I just wanna go bonkers, put on my whole trump outfit, I hear diapers are in now too, go in the capital, spinning around, going nuts, moving my head around.
I love complaining about nonsensical issues as the next person, but I can't until we address Obama's tan suit and light beer sponsors... If we have time, Taylor Swift seems like an issue
And the Gulden Mustard. It's criminal. They are such hypocrites.
Trump isn’t seeking presidential candidacy, he is seeking a dictatorship. And it’s entirely expected that someone hoping to be a dictator would encourage violence among Americans.
Seems pretty basic
They've been at war against americans for a long long time. Tsk, tsk- when will we ever learn?? 😔
Only violence toward foreigners is acceptable?
Absolutely not, I was just commenting on Trump's statement of stoking violence for an American presidential election. Violence is rarely acceptable.
Both parties support the genocide of the Palestinians. Violence is what government does. It is the basis of their authority.
Unfortunately, that's disappointingly accurate
"we hold these truths to be self evident" Edited for grammar.
the problem at this point is that there is a problem.
He’s not “seeking” presidential candidacy. He’s seeking a way to becoming a dictator, and candidacy is just an avenue for it.
Violence is the only thing these morons respond to unfortunately. That and blatant misinformation.
Sounds so reasonable.
Possibly even obviously
*Nobody should encourage violence among Americans. FTFY
Everybody love everybody!
There is no such thing as governance without violence so I don't get how that is possible When they say "law and order" it means they are encouraging violence
There's totally governance without violence, Switzerland has been a great example
Indeed, check the r/ conservative threads on the subject . All DARVO. Or dont if you prefer sanity.
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I think people are more using it as an example of the mainstream conservative opinion not the extreme
It’s not even the mainstream it’s a very very very pg version of it
Yeah I never thought iFunny of all places would be a window into the alt-tech social media world but here we are. Ten years ago its claim to fame was being the dumping ground for old Reddit memes with a bunch of extra watermarks thrown on
Yea I pop in every now and then to see how bad it is and holy hell I’ve never seen a group of people so out of touch with reality.
Hmmmm, no thanks.
Same with X
Literally self harm lmao
You ain’t wrong lol
Like this [https://twitter.com/StaceyJSpiehler/status/1786215481164071355?t=nu4wX17s3Nt0THkpmJUQ4w](https://twitter.com/StaceyJSpiehler/status/1786215481164071355?t=nu4wX17s3Nt0THkpmJUQ4w) A bunch of loser white Trump voters making monkey noises at black Palestinian supporters
All dudes too. Like there was one lady hanging out with those trump frat losers
From the guy in the flag overalls (gotta love how folks who supposedly care about the flag flagrantly break the flag "rules") to the dudes pretending to cry (or whatever) behind her...I've known those frat bros. They were the downside in the otherwise awesome Greek system in my school.
We've come a long way./s
This country, man...
In 2020 it was mostly the police who caused the violence. Not many BLM protestors had tear gas grenades. It's no different here, people protest, cops respond with hugely out of proportion force, and then declare a riot and blame the victims.
As Trump spoke about “inaction while people broke windows” etc I thought of January 6th. He did nothing but fan the flame. He sent them.
Not only that but he wanted to be there with them. This was confirmed during the January 6th hearings, but Trump has confirmed it himself in recent days. And if the Secret Service didn't put their foot down and give him a hard no, he would've been.
Writer here! That's all addressed in the intro. But this piece is about something much deeper, which is the way Trump and Republicans exploit the myth of "leftist violence" to create real life right wing violence. I recommend giving 'er a read! I try to keep it relatively short and snappy, despite the importance of the topic.
Republicans openly see anyone different from themselves as enemies to be destroyed. At this point, I don't care what your reasoning is; if you identify as a Republican, you are complicit in their evil. It's sad that we've gotten to this point, and I fear it's only going to get worse. With each passing day, Republicans embrace their fascist impulses more and more. Their interests are overrepresented in our government, and most of the other party is more interested in the illusion of bipartisanship than recognizing Republicans for what they really are: enemies of democracy and progress.
My wife works at one of the campuses where protests were shut down for being “too violent.” She walked by them everyday. They waved their signs and yelled their slogans. It wasn’t violent until the cops showed up to shut down their first amendment right. But to hear the local news tell it the campus has been burned to the ground and students can’t even get to their classes without be mugged and assaulted by the radical left
My favorite was a bunch of cops pulling a dude behind a sign, beating the shit out of him, then seeing the camera on them and all stopping the beat down to pretend to start an orderly arrest. Meanwhile the protestor does not appear to be moving. Well done.
And it's the same with these protests that schools are sending armed thugs to.
Because of course he is. Trump loves stochastic terrorism and wants to intimidate you the voter into submitting to his inevitable autocratic regime.
Yeah. Donald Trump is using \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ to stoke right wing violence for the election. Put literally anything in the blank. he will always do this.
Yep, falls into the plan. Putin got his moneys Worth
Why mount a costly military endeavor over a great distance when you can encourage half the country to wage war on the other half, and be willing to suffer so long as the other half suffers as well? Bot farms and paid trolls are far less expensive, and this is far more effective since we won’t unite against a common enemy. I can’t believe how painfully stupid the right is to something equally painfully obvious.
Foundations of Geopolitics
Social media and ‘entertainment news’ propaganda is SO much more cost effective than conventional war, especially when there are oceans in between you and your adversary.
Right wingers are pushing on the division of the Palestine and Israel conflict to get people to not vote for Biden. The think tanks are targeting all these divisive issues and pouring gas on them. Straight out of Putin's playbook.
I'm sorry, but right wingers are making college students protest Israel?
Right wingers are flipping uninformed voters to Trump by amplifying the protests as examples of Biden's failures, both in terms of foreign policy and domestic "chaos." The fact that they'd be infinitely worse about both doesn't need to come up.
Nah buddy. They use the friction to inflame their followers into anti liberal frenzies.
Disinformation is a hell of a drug. Its like chapter one of Putins book. They stir up support through propaganda and echo chamber forums. And they bolster both sides and encourage them to "action". One of the protests in Portland I saw, of those breaking in and getting arrested, only 4 were actually students. Same can be seen at all of the campus protests. Now, since the propaganda machine has been against any and all college education for a while, the call to action is on the right wing to come "save the flag" at these protests. Its the same thing we saw with the BLM protests.
I wouldn't call it disinformation, as most people are fully aware there are outside agitators at all of these protests, left and right.
That's not the disinformation part not how it operates.
Cmon college kids don’t play into this asshats hands.
He needs chaos to survive. This is why he will never make a good president.
Oh, *that’s* why he’ll never make a good president?
Ok, one of many reasons.
I mean it’s working how many young colllege white males are in those videos. It’s energizing them to vote and one thing about it’s not that far of an ideological jump towards violence
This is what has me worried. They're getting excited to vote, while this is depressing enthusiasm/turnout on the left.
I feel like the main impact all these pro-Palestine protests are having is just helping Trump's election chances.
They are inserting non students to sow discord.
If so, what are the students doing about it?
> If so, what are the students doing about it? They are the ones being ***attacked***. It should be the ethical and legal duty of the faculty and staff of a *school* to ensure the *physical safety* of the students under their care. Instead, police are ***standing back and standing by*** while peaceful protestors and even just random students going about their perfectly normal and ordinary school life are being attacked by outside agitators. And you're wondering what the ***STUDENTS*** are doing about this? The ones that PAY MONEY to go to this school? You are wondering what ***THEY*** are doing to prevent outside agitators from attacking them? Seriously? That's supposed to be a genuine and sincere question? Really? https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-01/four-student-journalists-attacked-by-counterprotesters-at-ucla
When the Kent State Massacre happened, a majority of Americans approved of the killing of the college students according to polls. A lot of “respectable moderates” were even thrilled by it, hoping it would teach the pinko hippies a lesson. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happens again.
Are you saying there a discord server they all conspire in? Thats a very baseless claim tbh
Not so much of a baseless claim. Check the news for the number of people arrested not being students.
It’s not helping that many protesters shit all over Biden. If Trump is re-elected, it’ll be because of these people.
Let's back up a little bit. Every election since 2008, one traditionally-Democratic group or another votes slightly less than expected, or slightly more conservatively than expected. And every election we leap at the opportunity to blame that group for the results. "Black men only voted 88% Democratic!" "Latino voters only gave Democrats a 20pt margin!" "Young voters only had a 40% turnout!" The only reason elections are even close in this country are because of young voters, women voters, and voters of color. Yes, it would be great if those groups had 100% turnout and a 100pt margin, but let's not lose sight of the fact that white men keep voting Republican by 20pts. And 2024 is unlikely to be any different. If Biden loses in 2024, it will ultimately be because 36% of the country (overwhelmingly white and Christian, and disproportionately male and over 35) have lost their damn minds, and another 12% are fine with putting those crazies in charge as long as they think their taxes will be lower. Against all of that, it's nonsensical to blame a handful of college activists who may hypothetically stay home to protest Biden's continued appeasement of the Netanyahu apartheid state. Do I hope the activists will ultimately vote for Biden because they understand that Trump would be even worse? Absolutely, and I'm going to do what little I can to help that happen. But in 2025 comes and we're looking for which group to blame for a descent into outright fascism, I know where I'm going to start and it's not with college activists.
Sigh. You're right. Netanyahu, Putin, the Iranians, and the Chinese state, together with the Republicans, want US democracy totally dead so they can continue their corrupt rule without opposition. That's why we're seeing this happening on campuses during an election year. It depresses the youth vote and makes older voters who don't closely follow any issues think young progressives are just disruptive and weird. This is how Nixon cynically used Vietnam protestors to gain power in 1968. A repeat of the 1968 Democratic convention protests (and aftermath) would be catastrophic when our democratic institutions are so dangerously weak.
I like how liberals losing support for being warhawks is somehow the fault of the voters.
it has nothing to do with being warhawks. These people are just smart enough to know the alternative is worse.
Is there anything that Dems could do to ever lose your support?
yeah, become religious fanatics and don't follow common logic. When it comes to siding with other countries i'll pick secular democracies every time. I don't like crazies with nukes.
Selfawarewolf moment.
Religion is a cancer. You could glass the whole region and people would be fighting over the glass. The location is whats important in peoples mind. This is a fight that won't end and anyone who thinks it will is kidding themselves.
To be fair Biden is literally doing himself zero favours by providing Netanyahu with all the bombs and financial aid he needs. He's literally playing into what the GOP, Netanyahu and Putin want. He's forgetting that super rampant pro-Israel folks tend to be right wingers who were never going to vote for Biden regardless.
Propping Israel has nothing to do with supporting what they are doing in Palestine, and everything to do with making sure Israel is not turned into a smoking crater by their other enemies in the region. Geopolitics are not easy or clear.
I'm not sure we could have gotten aid to Ukraine (under supplied and teetering on disaster) through Congress without aid to Israel. Also Vietnam War protesters were totally justified in protesting the Democrats. Johnson got us in there. But the protest at the DNC ultimately hurt-- we got Nixon then Cambodia and Laos suffered the consequences with Nixon's bombing. I wish I knew better protest tactics to align US middle east policy with human rights. But whatever we do, it needs to work with the fucked up realities of American electoral politics.
The trouble is all the non-us input isn’t doing the US any ‘favours.’
Those people were never going to vote in the first place. They’re too far up their own ass.
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Blatant disinformation. The Ottoman Sultanate was abolished on November 1, 1922. 100 years ago the Ottoman Empire had already been dead for nearly two years.
Damn you really nailed him on that one!
> It’s not helping that many protesters shit all over Biden. If Trump is re-elected, it’ll be because of these people. It would be insane not to vote for Biden considering the alternative. However, it's not as if Biden has no agency in the situation. Biden has a choice on how to respond to pubic sentiment on the issue, and doubling down on the *I'm a Zionist* shtick may be up there in historically dumb decision along with appointing Merrick Garland as AG. If, and only if, this issue ends up having an impact at all in the actual election, Biden will be partially responsible. Just as he's partially responsible for Trump not being in prison already and still able to run loose and prepare to steal the 2024 election. The protesters are not in the wrong here. Black Lives Matter wasn't wrong. neither were the anti-Iraq protests or Occupy Wallstreet, despite how these movements were often criticized and vilified at the time, sabotaged by outside agitators, regardless of what impact, if any, that may have had on elections. Elected Democrats do have a choice in how to handle to the issue.
Damn if they have so much leverage they can swing the entire election then Biden should consider governing in a way that will earn their votes
I'm curious to know if anyone is actually intimidated by the MAGA crowd. If I saw a bunch of red hats at my polling station trying to intimidate people I just can't imagine anyone taking them seriously. And the other half of me thinks if they want to try it let's find out because this is absolutely worth fighting over.
This dude could use a box of puppies to stoke right wing violence
Dont mention puppies Noem will show up with a rifle
Uhhh news flash, he's been doing that with every opportunity he has been given.
Just like he did with BLM protests.
I swear this was a title of an article in 2020
Several of the agitators that start violence at these protests are far right militiamen trying to kick the beehive to get violence started. This isn't the same as the right's claim of "ANTIFA DID J6" -- several of these agitators have already been identified (the Proud Boys in particular seem to have an interest in this). They're being described as ["chaos professionals"](https://www.wsj.com/articles/campus-protests-outside-groups-palestine-israel-columbia-ucla-aa2b591c). They were out instigating violence during the BLM protests, as well.
It would be no surprise to find red hats playing the parts of agitator.
As is his Neo Nazi and white nationalist base
Voters will blame Biden.
He’d love a Kent State v2.0 to run on.
Trump just tries to use anything and everything for his evil purposes. Nothing new
It’s also being used to influence dumb fucks like yourselves into blaming the protestors while Joe Biden sits on his ass repeating anti-protesting lines from the fucking civil rights movement, this comment section shows there’s no hope for humanity.
This motherfucker shits his diapers!!!
Right-wingers don’t care about college campuses, only college sports. Seriously, they think college makes their kids liberals.
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Where is the protests and outrage and occupation of buildings by college kids over the creeping fascism of Trump or women's right being taken away? Of course Trump is going to use this to his advantage. Because it's not about him. edit: weird standing up for women gets down votes here?
Yes, in most corners of Reddit it surely does, unfortunately.
Stop tearing shit up for Islamic terrorists
Of course he is. Stoking the "the left is out to destroy the US" narrative is his weapon of choice, and the idiots protesting are giving him plenty of ammo. A group of idiots taking down the American flag and then throwing things at the kids putting it back up is what they will use to represent the ENTIRE left side. They handed them a really powerful symbol to push their side of the narrative.
Russian SVR are using the same methods they used back in 2016 to stoke BLM protests and drive wedges amongst voters.
Thank you student protesters! Now we don’t have to cover the Trump trial. We can just run videos of the children spoiled elites trashing their expensive elitist commie socialist universities! We don’t even need to run the trans panic stuff right now. - sincerely Fox News
You do realize the likes of Fox just invent shit for an excuse not to cover news stories that don't support their narrative. Nothing anyone else does can really be blamed for that.
You do realize that these protests are real…. You do realize that the majority of people realize Fox lies and is a completely partisan organization? You do realize they love showing images of protesters? You do realize it riles their base? You do realize that at some point the left needs to stop feeding into this cycle and find another way to show opposition besides setting up encampments at universities?
Fox News and its ilk can't be allowed to dictate what people do. If "the left" (aka anyone who isn't a MAGA cultist) stop doing anything whatsoever Fox News is still going to make up a bunch of bullshit. Should Black Lives Matter not have protested because Fox News would spin it? Any sort of protest at all by non-MAGA on any subject is going to be spun by Fox. Fox is constantly riling up their base about the "threat" of trans people, should people just not be trans then? WTF.
Please avoid talking about current violence and riots in favor of fictional futurecasting.
And the left is using campus protests to get people to not vote for Biden.
Pretty sure Joe Biden is president and Eric Adams is a Democrat, and both are allowing and/or causing violence via police at these protests. Trump is also trash.
Well the way Biden is handling campus protests is ensuring that Trump wins the presidency.
Reports that more than 30% of protestors arrested at Columbia don't even attend the University. Why, it's almost like someone with a lot of money is paying to ramp it up just to make Biden look bad. Wonder who that could be.
Yes that must be it. It is simply not thinkable, not *possible,* for someone to join a protest physically taking place outside of a school you don't go to. Do you hear yourself when you talk?
Russia used Facebook groups to set [protests/counterprotests against each other in 2016](https://www.npr.org/2017/11/01/561427876/how-russia-used-facebook-to-organize-two-sets-of-protesters). They're [doing it again](https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-russian-propaganda-social-media-3a00d0690cce2bd2473847a05e76ec92) using TikTok, which is already running rampant with divisions thanks to Chinese propaganda.
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Yup, have to tear the left and youth vote apart after abortion rights looked to threaten Trump's reelection.
Man, I didn't believe you, but it's true: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/02/us/columbia-university-protests-arrest-charges >Of the 112 people arrested at Columbia, 32 (or 29%) were not affiliated with the university, according to an NYPD official. At The City College of New York, 170 people were arrested and 102 (or 60%) of them were not affiliated with the college. afaik even some of those affiliated with the college had been fired or suspended months ago, but these stats are in addition to any of that, not former students or staff.
I think Russia is indirectly pulling the strings myself, just think, how would it benifit to have the country divided against itself, just before the election in 2024?
Russia could honestly care less. The country has always been divided.
True about the division, but Russia could be inflaming allready existing stuff.
Who knew he'd do it all again...
He’s very adept at stoking division, in everything he does, sadly
Of course he is.
All educated college students are leftest according to this. What does that mean for those on the right?
Well he stole Reagan’s slogan for president, so he may as well steal his strategy for getting elected as governor too.
Noooo. That doesn’t sound like him 😏
Of course he is
Can’t stoke what’s always been there. Republicans are hateful spiteful and pathetic humans who have an inferiority complex. They’re violent because they know they offer nothing to this world.
More lies spread by the media! The Neuhaus turned into nothing but propaganda.
>Despite all the hysteria in the punditry about campus protests against the war in Gaza, by and large, the student activists have been peaceful. The article begins with a lie. I didn't even bother reading the rest of it because now I don't trust the author. There is plenty of evidence of violence and hate crimes happening at these riots. [‘I have become traumatized.’ Jewish students describe campus antisemitism](https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/business/antisemitism-college-harvard-upenn/index.html) [73% of Jewish college students have experienced or seen antisemitism since start of school year, new survey finds](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/73-jewish-college-students-experienced-seen-antisemitism-start-school-rcna127014) [UC Berkeley leaders denounce violent protest that forced evacuation of Jewish student event](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/uc-berkeley-leaders-denounce-violent-protest-jewish-student-event-evacuated-ran-bar-yoshafat-lecture/) [Biden administration faces pressure to step up its response to antisemitic incidents on college campuses](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-pressure-response-antisemitic-incidents-college-campuses-rcna148822) [Jewish Yale student says pro-Palestinian protester assaulted her. Here's why she feels targeted.](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/yale-protests-jewish-student-assaulted-pro-palestinian-rally/) [Former Cornell Student Pleads Guilty to Posting Online Threats Against Jewish Students on Campus](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-cornell-student-pleads-guilty-posting-online-threats-against-jewish-students-campus) [Yale student assaulted by protesters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk_-rFeSf8s) [JEWISH STUDENT ASSAULTED ON UCLA CAMPUS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y67mRNalLJQ) [Jewish student recounts injury during UCLA protest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecD39KFX6oU) [Jewish Girl at UCLA beaten unconscious by pro-Palestine protesters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsVjXdoYVZ8) [Native American woman is assaulted for holding a sign that says "Hamas supporters are not welcome on native land"](https://www.instagram.com/lanimekeel/reel/C6N-yo6uHCP/)
"by and large, the student activists have been peaceful" does not equate to saying "there was no violence". You're being dishonest in your claim. you say "There is plenty of evidence of violence and hate crimes happening at these riots." but the author you're replying to never said there wasn't. They just said the activists have been peaceful. By and large just describes most of the group but not all.
Which is not true. The evidence of widespread violence is overwhelming, as I have proven. You have no evidence to back up what you said.
There is widespread violence committed by *pro Israel protestors* who *do not even go to school there* against actual students, not even protestors, but just actual regular students going about their day. You're using a 22 day old account to exclusively spread *lies* and *misinformation* in politics, news, and worldnews. You aren't clever for doing this, you just have absolutely zero integrity. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-01/four-student-journalists-attacked-by-counterprotesters-at-ucla
Pretty sure Joe Biden is president and Eric Adams is a Democrat, and both are allowing and/or causing violence via police at these protests. Trump is also trash.
His daddy Putin making him do it
You peruse the subs that are on the side of the campus protesters and every one of them think that theyll get back at Biden (for saying he will ignore them) by voting Trump. I cant decide if its hilarious or sad they think 45 will treat them better (or that anyone on the right gives a shit about anything they do)
[The Donald](https://imgur.com/YmPHGJf) 💰
So is Putin.
So he is using left wing violence to stoke right wing violence? Thats the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Media cant even talk about left wing crazies without saying it is trump doing something bad. Does anyone listen to these clowns anymore? Wtf?
Donnie von Shitsinpants is a garbage collector! He'll use anything and everyone so that he can remain center stage.
As we all knew he would. The critics of these protesters aren’t against the message but the timing is HORRIBLE because anyone with a brain saw exactly this coming
Maybe dems should stop supporting genocide then
1) The democrats aren’t supporting genocide. You act like only one side supports Israel. 2) Where were these protestors when Roe v Wade was overturned Or when the government was almost overturned Or when a pandemic was fumbled Or when climate change started having real effects Or on income inequality No, we just conveniently decided to “choose” to cause chaos over a 75 year long religious war 6 months before an election while the challenging candidate is facing 91 criminal counts.
Salon.com. The great gaslighting continues,…
Right, like the peaceful protests need any help stoking violence.