Random Thoughts

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

A serious question, is Kamala really being seen as a terrible candidate?

The only source I have seen at the moment is Reddit which has a huge left wing bias outside of echo chambers and she does seem to be soaring in popularity from their descriptions… especially compared to Biden. At the very least… I’ve seen that their opponents have been making even more bizarre statements due to being caught off-guard and those don’t seem popular at least.

Is the ground reality outside of the Trump echo chambers different to what I’ve put above?

She definitely seems more popular choice compared to Biden. I feel had Biden announced not running from get go, she would have covered more ground. What scares me though is

1. She lacks executive experience. She has served primarily in legislative and judicial role but her performance as VP can be said meh! I do not think she has the x factor needed to run a country as US.
2. Vice Presidency - Her approval ratings are relatively low compared to other vice presidents in past.
3. Handling issues - She seemed most time she has no clue on what she is doing. Although Biden is the president but VP can suggest and help a president run the country effectively. Immigration is a huge challenge and a problem. When I say immigration, I mean illegal immigration. While I feel for people who have to leave their country of origin for variety of reason (terrorism, economy, etc), the way this intake was handled was absolutely horrible. All the democratic states are filled with illegal immigrants (most I feel are good and are here for better life). They stay in 5 star hotels, filled the streets and have just made this country look like a 3rd world chaotic country. This in turn becomes problematic and disheartening for people like us who have been struggling with immigration for years (12 years and counting for a green card) while those that come in can apply for asylum and live a better life. The balance is not there. Its not a Biden-Harris problem, but they added oil to the fire to make it a huge problem.
4. Ideology - While I am no Trump supporter but what he said yesterday was 100% correct. She showed herself as the underdog from a small Indian family and now she is narrating herself as coming from a small Black family? If she has no clue what she is and has an identity crisis, I am not sure she can run the country with clear mind. The PEOPLE appeasement needs to end in all countries. Do what is good for entire country and not for a religion or faith or caste. She loves to potray herself as the victim underdog while the truth is far from it.
5. Campaign Performance in 2020 - While this 4 years ago, what made Democrats choose her? What changed? She has done nothing.

All I read is people dont want Trump so "they have" to vote for Harris when they actually do not like her as they have no option.

I really dont know what the future is for US as either way we are tweaked. Trump comes in and machoism comes in. Harris comes in and feminism comes in. While feminism is good, she would bring in as much feminism as much as Trump's machoism.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

She definitely seems more popular choice compared to Biden. I feel had Biden announced not running from get go, she would have covered more ground. What scares me though is

1. She lacks executive experience. She has served primarily in legislative and judicial role but her performance as VP can be said meh! I do not think she has the x factor needed to run a country as US.
2. Vice Presidency - Her approval ratings are relatively low compared to other vice presidents in past.
3. Handling issues - She seemed most time she has no clue on what she is doing. Although Biden is the president but VP can suggest and help a president run the country effectively. Immigration is a huge challenge and a problem. When I say immigration, I mean illegal immigration. While I feel for people who have to leave their country of origin for variety of reason (terrorism, economy, etc), the way this intake was handled was absolutely horrible. All the democratic states are filled with illegal immigrants (most I feel are good and are here for better life). They stay in 5 star hotels, filled the streets and have just made this country look like a 3rd world chaotic country. This in turn becomes problematic and disheartening for people like us who have been struggling with immigration for years (12 years and counting for a green card) while those that come in can apply for asylum and live a better life. The balance is not there. Its not a Biden-Harris problem, but they added oil to the fire to make it a huge problem.
4. Ideology - While I am no Trump supporter but what he said yesterday was 100% correct. She showed herself as the underdog from a small Indian family and now she is narrating herself as coming from a small Black family? If she has no clue what she is and has an identity crisis, I am not sure she can run the country with clear mind. The PEOPLE appeasement needs to end in all countries. Do what is good for entire country and not for a religion or faith or caste. She loves to potray herself as the victim underdog while the truth is far from it.
5. Campaign Performance in 2020 - While this 4 years ago, what made Democrats choose her? What changed? She has done nothing.

All I read is people dont want Trump so "they have" to vote for Harris when they actually do not like her as they have no option.

I really dont know what the future is for US as either way we are tweaked. Trump comes in and machoism comes in. Harris comes in and feminism comes in. While feminism is good, she would bring in as much feminism as much as Trump's machoism.

It sounds like you hear far too many right wing talking points and take them seriously.

If Trump is elected the US might not exist in it's current form in four years time. Particularly given the supreme court has already decided that being President makes you largely immune from anything. If Harris is elected it will, at worst delay the rise of fascism for four years, and at best things will largely remain the same and maybe some actual changes to protect the country could be implemented.

When you talk about 'feminism' being bad I'm really baffled by what you think is going to happen with a woman President.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

It sounds like you hear far too many right wing talking points and take them seriously.

If Trump is elected the US might not exist in it's current form in four years time. Particularly given the supreme court has already decided that being President makes you largely immune from anything. If Harris is elected it will, at worst delay the rise of fascism for four years, and at best things will largely remain the same and maybe some actual changes to protect the country could be implemented.

When you talk about 'feminism' being bad I'm really baffled by what you think is going to happen with a woman President.

The same thing that would happen with Trump being President.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

It sounds like you hear far too many right wing talking points and take them seriously.

If Trump is elected the US might not exist in it's current form in four years time. Particularly given the supreme court has already decided that being President makes you largely immune from anything. If Harris is elected it will, at worst delay the rise of fascism for four years, and at best things will largely remain the same and maybe some actual changes to protect the country could be implemented.

When you talk about 'feminism' being bad I'm really baffled by what you think is going to happen with a woman President.

I am not in politics that it ruins my day or even a minute. Not in US nor the Indian version. If I sound like someone listening to right wing, same could be same said about you from left wing.

Right or left, does not matter. BOTH candidates are still horrible. I dont have to listen to take anyone seriously, I am living that life. New Jersey once used to be a sanctuary state. I as a legal immigrant have to go through hoops and lengths to show all documentation to get a drivers license. That driver license is data specific with END DATE being my visa end date as it should be. The other section of immigrants? No documents required except proof of where you live.

There is a lot that legal immigrants who do everything by the book go through. While its not mandated on us and as "others" say go back to your country, we do have that option, the unnecessary freebies given (my biggest concern with Harris) kills others.

Again, there is a lot that can be discussed but no points can be blanket true or false. We all have our opinion and my opinion is both are bad for the country. Would have happily taken Hilary Clinton over Harris. Hate people who play politics of identity. Trump does that with macho patriotism, Harris does that with India/black or whatever other nonsense.

Either way as mentioned above, we are doomed for the next 4 years. Hoping we have a better future post 2028. Need someone who can work with Right and Left.

Also as a legal immigrant we are anyways tweaked irrespective. Harris will definitely not follow through on border crisis and Trump will but also make it difficult on legal immigration as he has done that in the past.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain

View attachment 297398

Except he did die a hero. Now, he is reborn a villain.

and I absolutely hate it

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Except he did die a hero. Now, he is reborn a villain.

and I absolutely hate it

Iron Man was @CerealKiller

While Doomsday is @New World Order

Absolute cinema!

 

[icyman]

I agree with some of the points against Harris here. The fact that Biden dropped out so late, makes it virtually impossible for a newbie to come in and established himself/ herself as a potential candidate. People seem to be gravitating towards Harris, cause they dont have any 'Democrat option' Had this scenario panned out 6 months ago, I am sure Harris wouldn't have been their presumptive nominee.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

I am not in politics that it ruins my day or even a minute. Not in US nor the Indian version. If I sound like someone listening to right wing, same could be same said about you from left wing.

Right or left, does not matter. BOTH candidates are still horrible. I dont have to listen to take anyone seriously, I am living that life. New Jersey once used to be a sanctuary state. I as a legal immigrant have to go through hoops and lengths to show all documentation to get a drivers license. That driver license is data specific with END DATE being my visa end date as it should be. The other section of immigrants? No documents required except proof of where you live.

There is a lot that legal immigrants who do everything by the book go through. While its not mandated on us and as "others" say go back to your country, we do have that option, the unnecessary freebies given (my biggest concern with Harris) kills others.

Again, there is a lot that can be discussed but no points can be blanket true or false. We all have our opinion and my opinion is both are bad for the country. Would have happily taken Hilary Clinton over Harris. Hate people who play politics of identity. Trump does that with macho patriotism, Harris does that with India/black or whatever other nonsense.

Either way as mentioned above, we are doomed for the next 4 years. Hoping we have a better future post 2028. Need someone who can work with Right and Left.

Also as a legal immigrant we are anyways tweaked irrespective. Harris will definitely not follow through on border crisis and Trump will but also make it difficult on legal immigration as he has done that in the past.

From my point of view you have Trump who is far right and Harris who is at best centre. The 'left' is largely irrelevant in the US.

So on the driver's license point, the main reason for allowing undocumented migrants to get a license is road safety. In terms of the process, I found this in 30 seconds. In California (New Jersey may have different rules), undocumented migrants have to do the following to get a driving license:

In California, applicants do not need a valid Social Security Number (SSN). However, they do need to:

• Prove their identity, such as through a passport, consular card, or electoral card
• Prove they are a resident of California by providing documents such as:
  • A rental or lease agreement with their name
  • Mortgage or utility bills
  • School, medical, insurance, bank, or employment records
• Swear that they are ineligible for an SSN and unable to submit proof that the federal government lawfully recognizes their presence in the United States
• Pass the same skill and knowledge driving tests as any other license applicant

That seems a fairly robust process to me.

For the record, historically, people who overstay their visas have made up the proportion of undocumented migrants as opposed to people who entered the country without one. Here's a source on that https://www.npr.org/2019/01/16/6860...a-overstays-exceeded-illegal-border-crossings Maybe that's changed in the last five years but many 'illegals' were once 'legal'.

I'm not a fan of Harris but when compared with Trump it's not a difficult choice to see what would be worse for the country. If you really want to understand the difference between a Harris or Trump presidency I'd suggest seeking out the June 16 episode of Last Week Tonight where they go into detail on Project 2025. Trump's first presidency has probably damaged the country for at least one, maybe two generations (due to the imbalance of the supreme court) and they were incredibly incompetent. A second Trump presidency would be far more damaging.

I agree with some of the points against Harris here. The fact that Biden dropped out so late, makes it virtually impossible for a newbie to come in and established himself/ herself as a potential candidate. People seem to be gravitating towards Harris, cause they dont have any 'Democrat option' Had this scenario panned out 6 months ago, I am sure Harris wouldn't have been their presumptive nominee.

I agree, I think they'd have probably picked someone else had they had a full primary. I consider that Biden's fault for not standing by his word (I'm fairly sure he said he was only going to stand for one term). However, backing her is probably the best option than trying to run a primary 6 months out from an election.

She provides some continuity for those who wanted Biden to continue (which was an increasingly low number), and she's less divisive than Biden has become for many democrat voters who would not vote for him. You can see how the Republican's are floundering and descending into racism/sexism that they're concerned. I've seen talk of Trump trying to dodge debates (because she could wipe the floor with him).

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

In the end I just hope America sees the sunshine. Right now its too cloudy! I am scared because Harris has her unknowns and I am scared but if Trump loses, I do not know what he or the maga fanatics will do. If Trump wins, I do not know what he or his fanatics would do. Its a double edged sword for a lot of people like me who are not inclined towards either.

 

[Bevab]

In the end I just hope America sees the sunshine. Right now its too cloudy! I am scared because Harris has her unknowns and I am scared but if Trump loses, I do not know what he or the maga fanatics will do. If Trump wins, I do not know what he or his fanatics would do. Its a double edged sword for a lot of people like me who are not inclined towards either.

I don’t understand how a Trump loss is scarier or even equal to a win by him. It was clear that the bloke had no idea he’d win in 2016 but it does seem like they’ve got some interesting ideas to implement if they do get elected this time around.

Then again I’m saying all of this from the country where two months of post-election season has felt like two years already due to the sheer incompetence and disaster that has unravelled ever since.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

I don’t understand how a Trump loss is scarier or even equal to a win by him. It was clear that the bloke had no idea he’d win in 2016 but it does seem like they’ve got some interesting ideas to implement if they do get elected this time around.

Then again I’m saying all of this from the country where two months of post-election season has felt like two years already due to the sheer incompetence and disaster that has unravelled ever since.

Because cannot take 4 more years of Bidenish policy. I feel her policy is going to be too similar to Biden.

 

[icyman]

@A.P Haux Hope all's well with you mate! Seeing lots of reports about Bangladesh and the political insurgency there.

 

[A.P Haux]

@A.P Haux Hope all's well with you mate! Seeing lots of reports about Bangladesh and the political insurgency there.

Yeah, things are currently more stable now. Thanks for worrying

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

I've been reflecting on my recent experiences after talking to my therapist over the past few weeks, and I've come to realize that I may have gone a bit overboard with following sports. I wanted to share this to raise a bit of awareness about the impact it can have.

Between September and February, I was fully immersed in American Football. During that same period, the 2023 World Cup was happening. When football ended in February, I jumped straight into following the NBA, especially rooting for the NY Knicks. Then, the IPL began and seemed to go on forever, followed immediately by the Cricket World Cup!

I really pushed myself too hard by trying to keep up with so much sports, and after India won the World Cup, I felt completely drained. I tried to watch the first game of MLC, but I was just so exhausted. Sports depression is real, especially as a fan, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that I overdid it.

Right now, I have no motivation left for cricket, and that’s been tough to accept. I even tried watching a game or two, but it just didn’t feel the same. I think I was scared to admit it to myself because I worried that if I lost interest in cricket, I’d lose motivation to even come to my PC—the one constant in my life since 2008 when I first joined, more than any home I've had in India or the USA.

I do know what to do and that is take myself away from cricket, atleast for a while. I never thought I would say this ever in life because being born in India, all I ever knew was cricket. I am hoping in future I can get into it, but for now I am here to talk anything as obviously one cannot stay away too long from home and family and PC has been one.

Unfortunately that would mean, I will not be able to fulfil my promise of releasing a cricket simulator. Another thing I was afraid to say out loud. Sorry and love to all who supported.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

I've been reflecting on my recent experiences after talking to my therapist over the past few weeks, and I've come to realize that I may have gone a bit overboard with following sports. I wanted to share this to raise a bit of awareness about the impact it can have.

Between September and February, I was fully immersed in American Football. During that same period, the 2023 World Cup was happening. When football ended in February, I jumped straight into following the NBA, especially rooting for the NY Knicks. Then, the IPL began and seemed to go on forever, followed immediately by the Cricket World Cup!

I really pushed myself too hard by trying to keep up with so much sports, and after India won the World Cup, I felt completely drained. I tried to watch the first game of MLC, but I was just so exhausted. Sports depression is real, especially as a fan, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that I overdid it.

Right now, I have no motivation left for cricket, and that’s been tough to accept. I even tried watching a game or two, but it just didn’t feel the same. I think I was scared to admit it to myself because I worried that if I lost interest in cricket, I’d lose motivation to even come to my PC—the one constant in my life since 2008 when I first joined, more than any home I've had in India or the USA.

I do know what to do and that is take myself away from cricket, atleast for a while. I never thought I would say this ever in life because being born in India, all I ever knew was cricket. I am hoping in future I can get into it, but for now I am here to talk anything as obviously one cannot stay away too long from home and family and PC has been one.

Unfortunately that would mean, I will not be able to fulfil my promise of releasing a cricket simulator. Another thing I was afraid to say out loud. Sorry and love to all who supported.

You don't need to apologise, your health is more important than anything. Had similar experiences myself. I used to watch so many sports; football, tennis, golf, even started trying to watch NFL every Saturday and Sunday evening. Then I stopped and only watch cricket now (too much of that). I've watched some of the Olympics this time, I didn't see any of the Tokyo, but I'd watched too much of the previous two (plus winter games).

Sport comes with a lot of 'FOMO' so it can be easy to get sucked in and that can result in bad habits. Like anything else it needs to be in moderation so it doesn't have negative effects.

When it comes to cricket there's just too much to watch with all these leagues popping up. Something that has dawned on me recently is how shallow so much of it feels. It's made me appreciate test cricket more than ever.

I took a break from the IPL this year, was only going to watch the last half of the season. I think I ended up only watching half the final (and some highlights of previous matches). There's really no need to sit watching the group stages for four hours every day for two months!