u/Tinidril

Biden didn't even fucking do yet.

Yet? I'm not sure how to argue with someone who thinks Biden is still president. It doesn't seem worthwhile.

(definitely couldn't be a negotiating tactic)?

No, it definitely wasn't a "negotiation tactic". It was meant to avoid negotiating without Biden's adoring masses noticing that he did a 180. He caved to AIPAC, as he would continue to do throughout his term.

Why the hell would Iran go back to fulfilling it's obligations under the agreement when the US was still ignoring it's obligations? Why would it bother negotiating with a country that doesn't honor negotiated agreements? Everyone in the foreign policy space knew exactly what it was.

Yes I know how you ended your comment,

Then why the fuck did you haul out "both sides"? Why are so many people desperate to throw everything into that frame?

Absolutely, I just don't think it actually helps Democrats in the long run to pave over their often deep flaws. If we were harder on Democrats 30 years ago, we probably wouldn't have Trump today.

Biden ran on getting back into the deal with Iran, then insisted that Iran must completely return to fulfilling their side of the deal before we would consider returning to ours.

Both sides are not the same but Biden shouldn't be let off the hook for his sudden flip on this issue.

In the US police would probably fire back with real guns, or charge them with domestic terrorism. To be fair, we do have a lot of cunts in this country that would load the guns up with acid, piss, or American beer - but I repeat myself.

The bill is horrible enough on it's face. Tipping culture is a cancer. This just cements it in place. Why should two people with identical earnings pay different amounts of tax just because one got it in tips always? This is bullshit based on yet another Trump brain fart on stage.

It's also perfect for running adds against anyone who votes against it, so I have no doubt it will pass.

Especially when mining of rare earth metals is starting to play a big role in geopolitics.

I didn't predict it yet.. it somehow feels like I should have.

It's just a common rhetorical tool used by fascists. If people don't know when you are telling the truth and when you are "joking" you can say whatever you want and then judge public reaction before deciding whether or not to own what you said.

US products don't dominate the information technology sector because they are inherently better than alternatives. They dominate because the US is the 800 pound gorilla and it's just easier to use the defaults the US churns out. Every time a government uses proprietary technology, especially for anything that citizens/residents have to interact with, they give up a bit of their sovereignty. People and businesses that interact with the government shouldn't be compelled to buy particular products from a foreign company just to interact with their government. I think Europe would be wise to move to open standards as much as possible, and start rolling a lot of their own technology. No, it's not the easiest choice for the next quarter, or next year, but it will serve them well in the long term. The US is just too volatile.

Canada is definitely ditching the US, why shouldn't Europe. As an American who will b negatively impacted, I can't help but still encourage it.

All the fuck.

I have no expertise, but I'm guessing that the world will adjust faster than expected and just start trading more with each-other and leave the US to rot on it's own.

That's pretty undeniable, but the important question is, will European liberals continue to be like Pelosi and Schumer? That's the question that will determine if free Europe has a future. Fascists gonna fascist. It's the rest of government that makes it possible for fascists to rule.

I feel like the image of America now is it's true image.

Yes, and that's embarrassing.

A culture of pawns ignorant or arrogant

I find that it's "ignorant and arrogant" not an "or". The two usually come together in my experience.

It's not really all that different in America. We did a kinda informal merger between organized crime, local government, and big capital. Now we've merged in the federal government as well.

As an American, I feel like it's us that Trump is humiliating. America is imploding.

But, why were they only in control for 2 years? What is it about Democrats that makes them so pathetic that they can't beat fascists? They have theory, but it's the same theory that has failed again,band again, and again, and again. If they just lean a little further right they will capture the precious "center" and start winning. It doesn't work, and they are doing it again.

In an age of record inequality and the mass enshitification of everything by wealthy elites, the unstoppable force isn't bigotry, it's populism. A populist shift is inevitable. Right wing populism is fascism, and Republicans have embraced it with gusto. Democrats would rather lose elections to fascists than become a left populist party again. It's that simple.

The Democrats blame a worldwide rightward shift for their latest loss, and it's fair enough to see. However, the biggest exception to the trend is just over our southern border. They rejected neoliberalism for Democratic socialism, and their aging male president just successfully handed over power to a younger woman who will continue his work. This is in a country that's culturally and religiously even more conservative than the US.

Democrats aren't victims of our eroding culture, they are the ones responsible for the erosion.

I'm quite familiar with Biden's accomplishments. How much of that won't be undone by Trump? It's no good to make what are really minimalist gains if you are going to throw the next election to a fascist. Biden certainly was an improvement over what we had with Obama and Clinton. So what?

The sad fact is that the Democratic party oligarchs just figured out the populist mood the country is in and gave Biden permission to loosen the reigns a bit. So he partially turned back just a few of the things we lost over the last 50 years. Income inequality continued getting worse though. That cannot continue if this country is going to survive, and neoliberals are incapable of doing anything that doesn't make it worse somehow.