US American politics

[ZariusTwo]

The left are only good at one thing and that's whining an awful lot. In and out of power, they just complain and try to stop things from happening and maintain the status quo. They barely bother fixing anything and all of their election drive is "see, we're not these guys", what are their policies beyond that?


They're not your friends and they're not the good guys. Never were. Never will be.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by zariustwo

the left are only good at one thing and that's whining an awful lot. In and out of power, they just complain and try to stop things from happening and maintain the status quo. They barely bother fixing anything and all of their election drive is "see, we're not these guys", what are their policies beyond that?


They're not your friends and they're not the good guys. Never were. Never will be.

100%. 100%. No actual solutions offered, just give government more. And maybe this will work this time.

[Barkworm]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I'm sorry, but the left (and I apologize if I'm lumping you into what is BASICALLY the left of my country, but I don't think you disagree from them terribly much?) crying about higher oil prices is pretty laughable when one of the first things Biden did was shut down the Keystone Pipeline, and make it clear that drilling was done and going away. And the way oil prices work is based on investments... as in, "Do we think this is going to pay off long-term here or there?" And Biden did everything he did to hammer that and give us the worst prices ever... and nobody said a damn word.

I was too lazy to research this so I ran this statement through Claude.AI:

**In short:** The statement has a kernel of truth, but most of its points are false or heavily exaggerated.

**1. "One of the first things Biden did was shut down the Keystone Pipeline" – partly true, but misleading**
On his first day in office, Biden revoked the permit for **Keystone XL**. That wasn't the existing pipeline, though, but an expansion project that wasn't carrying any oil yet. Keystone XL was meant to expand the existing Keystone pipeline, which runs from Alberta to Illinois and Texas and remains in operation. XL wasn't operational when it was halted in 2021 and wasn't expected to run until 2023 at the earliest. So nothing that had been delivering oil was "shut down."

**2. "Drilling was done and going away" – false**
It's true that the administration initially paused new leases on federal land; an industry group described this, together with Keystone XL, as a restriction on supply. In practice, though, US production rose to record levels under Biden: in 2023 it averaged 12.9 million barrels per day, breaking the previous US and global record of 12.3 million set in 2019. In August 2024, a new monthly record of 13.4 million barrels per day was reached.

**3. The investment argument – the most plausible part**
It's broadly true that oil prices depend partly on long-term expectations and investment decisions. One can argue that political signals somewhat dampened investment appetite. Most analysts, however, attribute shale companies' restraint after 2020 mainly to shareholder pressure following years of poor returns. And oil prices are set globally: an energy expert told PolitiFact that the main flaw in such claims is that oil and gas markets are global.

**4. "The worst prices ever" – true only in nominal terms**
In June 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US average reached just over $5 per gallon – an all-time high in nominal terms. Adjusted for inflation, however, it was not: that equals about $5.55 in today's money, while the June 2008 record stands at $6.20. The main drivers were the post-COVID demand recovery and the war in Ukraine. On Keystone XL specifically, PolitiFact rated the claim that its cancellation raised gas prices as false, since prices were driven by a supply-demand imbalance, not the pipeline project. Even if completed, experts said the volume it would have carried would have been a drop in the bucket for US demand.

Sources:
- [PolitiFact: No evidence Biden canceling oil pipeline caused higher gas prices](https://api.politifact.com/factcheck...line-caused-hi)
- [PolitiFact: End of Keystone pipeline did cost jobs, but most were temporary](https://politifact.com/factchecks/20...ost-were-temp/)
- [AP fact-check (quoted in forum)](https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...ost?id=8437869)
- [EIA: U.S. crude oil production record 2023](https://www.eia.gov/TodayinEnergy/detail.php?id=64125)
- [World Oil: Record high August 2024](https://worldoil.com/news/2024/11/26...a-data-states/)
- [Randal Olson: Gas prices inflation-adjusted 1973–2026](https://randalolson.com/2026/06/03/u...ted-1973-2026/)

On an honest note to Andrew, I appreciate the respectful tone. If I come across as snarky sometimes, I apologize.

[Mayhem]

Why should Ukraine concede any land? It would be like Mexico coming back and reclaiming Texas and parts of California. Would Americans stands for that?

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Any thoughts about what's going to happen to Ilhan Nur Said Elmi?

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

The left are only good at one thing and that's whining an awful lot. In and out of power, they just complain and try to stop things from happening and maintain the status quo. They barely bother fixing anything and all of their election drive is "see, we're not these guys", what are their policies beyond that?


They're not your friends and they're not the good guys. Never were. Never will be.

Still the lesser of two evils by a longshot.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Still the lesser of two evils by a longshot.

Oh they're evil alright, they're just terribly nice about it. And they always fool the summer child youth.

I think we've discussed this before, but I didn't mind the left when Clinton or Obama was President despite the crap they pulled, either because I thought it was amusing as a kid or wasn't nearly as bad as my brother made it out to be (as he has way better political instincts) , it was 2016 where backing Hilary made the left toxic and unapproachable, they pretty much brought their defeat on themselves, and repeated the same mistakes in 2024.

All they are now is an irredeemable cult to me now, weak and incapable of competent leadership, it's easy to promise, never to deliver, and they will not deliver. Vote for somebody else.

[ToTheNines]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Still the lesser of two evils by a longshot.

It’s more fun to be right wing online tho

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

It’s more fun to be right wing online tho

Liberty!
Sportmanship!
BOOKS!

[Barkworm]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

Vote for somebody else.

The American third party candidates I've seen over the years were also pretty horrible though.

[sdp]

For lovers and haters alike, would you have preferred Trump to have had two consecutive terms over separate terms?

8 Years would've given continuity and people would've seen the consequences of his previous term in his newer one. The first administration had in a way more influence from the party. Second term Trump while having less energy actually has him doing more of whatever he wants, something he likely would not have done, but at the same time doesn't give him enough time to make changes.

[Barkworm]

Two consecutive terms hands down. Losing against a senile geezer let Trump evolve into a more cartoony evil version of himself.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Barkworm

Two consecutive terms hands down. Losing against a senile geezer let Trump evolve into a more cartoony evil version of himself.

Not to mention a more retarded version of himself.

[Barkworm]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Not to mention a more retarded version of himself.

His insane rants might make it look that way. But if you do some quick research into how much money he's made in this second term, he feels more like a mobster boss.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by sdp

For lovers and haters alike, would you have preferred Trump to have had two consecutive terms over separate terms?

At least then it would have been over. Kamala probably would have stood a chance.

And maybe January 6th would have been kicked down the road a little.

[Barkworm]

Since we have found out how Trump reacts to losing, the potential of him becoming a lame duck soon is also not exactly encouraging.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Barkworm

Since we have found out how Trump reacts to losing, the potential of him becoming a lame duck soon is also not exactly encouraging.

Hopefully he'll be too busy drooling over man ass to do too much damage.

[ToTheNines]

lol I love how you guys are doing the exact same thing the rightoids did with Biden.

“What a STUPID drooling BUFOON! He’s such an IDIOT!…

But he’s also a criminal MASTERMIND! He’s pulling the strings and behind EVERYTHING!”

Brilliant.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

lol I love how you guys are doing the exact same thing the rightoids did with Biden.

“What a STUPID drooling BUFOON! He’s such an IDIOT!…

But he’s also a criminal MASTERMIND! He’s pulling the strings and behind EVERYTHING!”

Brilliant.

We all know Biden had some sort of handler or was asking Obama for advice. He was too far gone to be doing it on his own. Unlike his fans, I'm not making excuses for him falling up the stairs or randomly walking off when the questions went beyond whatever he was meant to answer.

The hypocrisy lies that Trumps is now just as senile and useless but for whatever reason it's ok when he does it.

[Barkworm]

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

lol I love how you guys are doing the exact same thing the rightoids did with Biden.

“What a STUPID drooling BUFOON! He’s such an IDIOT!…

But he’s also a criminal MASTERMIND! He’s pulling the strings and behind EVERYTHING!”

Brilliant.

I‘m pretty sure I said that he can seem like a drooling buffoon. Apart from that, people can be complete f*cking morons in one area but have genius-like talents in others.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Mayhem

Why should Ukraine concede any land?

Because they're not going to "win" and a lot more people are going to die in the long, slow process of losing vs. making concessions now and bringing it to a close.