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Joe Biden's Pittsburgh Speech

[ Posted Monday, August 31st, 2020 – 16:41 UTC ]

Today, I am going to let Joe Biden speak for himself. In past election cycles, I have printed transcripts of speeches from Democratic candidates, but I don't believe I've ever done so during the general election.

I felt it was worth it today, because I just read the speech Joe Biden just gave in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is the kickoff to the traditional general election season, and Biden makes his case in such strong and forceful language that, rather than just running excerpts and commenting on them, I felt the entire speech deserved to be presented. It really is that good.

The transcript I used had to be edited in very minor ways, to correct a few misspellings (some of them contradictory to the actual meaning, such as "insight" for "incite," and "formatted" for "fomented"). I also added paragraph breaks and minor emphasis where I thought it belonged. But as I said, only very minor edits were even necessary.

I also watched President Donald Trump's press conference this afternoon, which seemed to have been added at the last minute because Trump was angry about Biden's speech. He only took three questions, instead spending most of the time on an extended riff that was so self-contradictory it likely induced whiplash to many of the reporters witnessing it. Trump is trying to argue, simultaneously, that the country is safe and wonderful while at the same time it is nothing short of chaos and anarchy. All the "safe" parts are to his credit, and all the anarchy is Democrats' fault (probably Democrats whose strings are being magically pulled by Joe Biden).

This is another reason I'm providing Biden's full speech -- to show you what annoyed Trump so much. The case Biden lays out is clear and obvious to all (except for Donald Trump). He refutes several of Trump's lies within the text, and will doubtlessly spur some new ones.

So without further introduction, here is Joe Biden's general election kickoff speech, in full.

 

Joe Biden

Joe Biden

Carnegie Mellon University's Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
8/31/20

 

I want to thank Carnegie Mellon for providing this space and all the promise it holds for future jobs in the high-tech world.

In recent days, we've had a lot of talk about who's going where and how I've decided to come to Pittsburgh to talk a little bit about what's going on right now. In the early days of World War II, Franklin Roosevelt told the country, and I quote: "The news is going to get worse and worse before it gets better and better. And the American people deserve to have it straight from the shoulder." Straight from the shoulder. The job of a president is to tell it straight from the shoulder, tell the truth, to be candid, to face facts, to lead, not to incite. That's why I'm speaking to you today.

The incumbent president is incapable of telling us the truth, incapable of facing the facts and incapable of healing. He doesn't want to shed light, he wants to generate heat and he's stoking violence in our cities. This is a tragic fact of the matter, how he's dealing with this perilous hour in our nation. And now we have to stand against violence in every form it takes. Violence we've seen again and again and again, of unwarranted police shooting, excessive force, seven bullets in the back of Jacob Blake. Knee on the neck of George Floyd, killing of Breonna Taylor in her own apartment, violence of extremists and opportunists, right-wing militias. And to derail any hope and support for progress, the senseless violence of looting and burning and destruction of property.

I want to make it absolutely clear, so I'm going to be very clear about all of this, rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It's lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted. Violence will not bring change, it will only bring destruction. It's wrong in every way. It divides instead of unites, destroys businesses, only hurts the working families that serve the community. It makes things worse across the board, not better.

It's not what Dr. King or John Lewis taught, and it must end. Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames. But we must not burn, we have to build. This president, long ago, forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can't stop the violence because for years he's fomented it. He may believe mouthing the words "law and order" makes him strong. But his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows how weak he is. Does anyone believe there'll be less violence in America if Donald Trump is re-elected?

We need justice in America. We need safety in America. We're facing multiple crises. Crises that under Donald Trump have kept multiplying. COVID, economic devastation, unwarranted police violence, [inaudible] white nationalists, a reckoning on race, declining faith in the birth of the right American future. There's no reason why we can't just do so much more than we're doing. The common threat: the incumbent president who makes things worse, not better, an incumbent president who sows chaos rather than providing order. An incumbent president who fails in the basic duty of the job, which is to advance the truth that all of us know, that we're all born with the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

That's right. All of us -- the moms and dads in Scranton where I grew up, who have worked and scraped for everything they've ever gotten in life. The auto worker in Michigan, who still makes the best automobile in the world. Single mom in Ohio, working three jobs just to stay afloat, who'll do anything for her child. Retired veteran in Florida who gave everything he had to this country, and now just wants us to honor the promises made to him. [inaudible] salesperson who just lost their job. A store closing after 194 years in business. Nurses and doctors in Wisconsin who've seen so much sickness, so much death in the past six months. And they wonder how much more can they take, but still they muster up the courage to take care of those patients in this pandemic while risking their own lives. Researchers in Minnesota who woke up this morning determined to find a breakthrough in treating cancer, and who'll do the same thing tomorrow and the day after and the day after, because she'll never give up. White, Black, Latino, Asian-American, Native Americans, everybody, I'm in this campaign for you. No matter your color, no matter your Zip code, no matter your politics.

When I think of the presidency, I don't think about myself. It isn't about my brand. It's about you, the American people. We can do better and we have to do better. I promise you this -- we will do better. The road back begins now in this campaign. You know me, you know my heart, you know my story, my family story. Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really? I want a safe America, safe from COVID, safe from crime and looting, safe from racially-motivated violence, safe from bad cops. Let me be crystal clear -- safe from four more years of Donald Trump.

I look at this violence and I see lives and communities and the dreams of small businesses being destroyed and the opportunity for real progress on issues of race and police reform and justice being put to the test. Donald Trump looks at this violence and he sees a political lifeline. Having failed to protect this nation from the virus that has killed more than 180,000 Americans so far, Trump posts an all-caps tweet, screaming: "LAW AND ORDER!" to save his campaign.

One of his closest political advisers in the White House doesn't even bother to speak in code, just comes out and she says it. "The more chaos, violence, the better it is for Trump's re-election." Just think about that. This is a sitting president of the United States of America. He's supposed to be protecting this country, but instead he's rooting for chaos and violence. The simple truth is Donald Trump failed to protect America. So now he's trying to scare America.

Since Donald Trump and Mike Pence can't run on their record, that has seen more American death to a virus, this virus, then the nation suffered in every war since Korea combined; since they can't run on their economy that has seen more people lose their jobs than any time since the Great Depression; since they can't run on a simple proposition of sending our children safely back to school; since they have no agenda or vision for a second term, Trump and Pence are running on this.

And I find it fascinating: "You won't be safe in Joe Biden's America." And what's their proof? The violence we're seeing in Donald Trump's America. These are not images of some imagined Joe Biden America in the future. These are images of Donald Trump's America today. He keeps telling you if only he was president, it wouldn't happen. If he was president. He keeps telling us that if he was president you'd feel safe. Well he is president. Whether he knows it or not -- and it is happening, it's getting worse.

And you know why? Because Donald Trump adds fuel to every fire because he refuses to even acknowledge that there's a racial justice problem in America, because he won't stand up to any form of violence. He's got no problem with right-wing militia, white supremacists, and vigilantes with assault weapons -- often better-armed than the police. Often in the middle of the violence at the protestors and aiming it there. And because tens of millions of Americans simply don't trust this president to respect their rights, to hear their concerns or to protect them.

It doesn't have to be this way. When President Obama and I were in the White House, we had to defend federal property. We did it. We didn't see it. You didn't see us whipping up fears around the deployment of secret federal troops. We just did our job and the federal property was protected.

When president Obama and I were in office, we didn't look at cities as Democratic- or Republican-run. These are American cities. But Trump doesn't see himself as president for all of America. Frankly, I believe if I were president today, the country would be safer and we'd be seeing a lot less violence, and here's why. I have said we must address the issue of racial injustice. I've personally spoken to George Floyd's family, and to Jacob Blake's family. I know their pain. And so do you. I know the justice they seek and so do you. They've told us: "None of this violence respects or honors George or Jacob." I believe it can bring these folks fighting for racial justice to the table.

I've worked with police in this country for many years. I know most cops are good, decent people. I know how they risk their lives every time they put that shield on and go out the door. I'm confident I can bring the police to the table as well. I'd make sure every mayor and governor had the support they needed from the federal government. But I wouldn't be looking to use the United States military against our own people.

If I were president, my language would be less divisive, I'd be looking to lower the temperature in this country, not raise it. I'd be looking to unite the nation. But look, if Donald Trump wants to ask the question: "Who will keep you safer as president?" Let's answer that question.

First, some simple facts. When I was vice president, violent crime fell 15 percent in this country. We did it without chaos and disorder. And yes, we did it with Democratic mayors in most of the major cities in this country. The murder right now is up 26 percent across the nation this year under Donald Trump. Do you really feel safer under Donald Trump?

COVID has taken this year, just since the outbreak, has taken more than 100... look, the lives, when you think about it, more lives this year than any other year for the past 100 years. More than 180,000 lives in just six months, an average of 1,000 people dying every day in the month of August. Do you really feel safe under Donald Trump?

Mr. Trump, you want to talk about fear? Do you know what people are afraid of in America? Afraid they're going to get COVID. They're afraid they're going to get sick and die. And that is in no small part because of you. We're now on track to more than 200,000 deaths in this country due to COVID. More than 100,000 seniors have lost their lives to the virus. More cops have died from COVID this year than have been killed on patrol. Nearly one in six small businesses have closed in this country today. Do you really feel safer under Trump?

What about Trump's plan to destroy the Affordable Care Act, and with it, the protections for pre-existing conditions that impacts more than 100 million Americans? Does that make you feel safer?

Or how about Trump's plan to defund Social Security? The Social Security Administration's chief actuary just released a report saying that if a plan like the one Trump is proposing goes into effect, the Social Security trust fund would be, and I quote: "Permanently depleted by the middle of calendar year 2023, with no ability to pay benefits thereafter." To put it plainly, Trump's plan with wipe out Social Security period. Do you feel safer and more secure now?

The fear that reigns under this president doesn't stop at our shores. The Kremlin has put bounties on the heads of American soldiers. And instead of telling Vladimir Putin that there'd be no putting up with this, that there'd be a heavy price to pay if they dare touch an American soldier, this president doesn't even bring up the subject in his multiple phone calls with Putin.

It's been reported that Russian forces just attacked American troops in Syria, injuring our service members. Did you hear the president say a single word? Did he lift one finger? Never before has an American president played such a subservient role to a Russian leader. It's not only dangerous, it's humiliating and embarrassing for the rest of the world to see. It weakens us. Not even American troops can feel safer under Trump.

Donald Trump's role as a bystander in his own presidency extends to the economic plan and pain. The plan he doesn't have and the pain being felt by millions of Americans. He said this week, and I quote: "You better vote for me, or you're going to have the greatest depression you've ever seen." Does he not understand and see the tens of millions of people who've had to file for unemployment this year so far? The people who won't be able to make next month's rent payment? The people who lost wages or the cost of groceries have gone up dramatically?

President Obama and I stopped a depression in 2009. We took a bad economy that was falling and turned it around. Trump took a good economy and drove it back into the ditch. Through his failure to get COVID under control, his failure to pull together the leaders in Congress, his failure to deliver real relief to working people, has made our country's economic situation so much worse, so much worse than it had to be.

We talk about safety and security. We should talk about basic security of being able to look your child in the eye and tell them: "Everything's going to be okay. Don't worry, honey. We're not going to lose our home. We're going to be able to put food on the table. It's going to be okay." It's the job of the president.

I've laid out an agenda for economic recovery that will restore a sense of security for working families. We won't just build things back the way they were before. We're going to build them back better with good paying jobs. Building our nation's roads, bridges, solar arrays, windmills, with investments in our healthcare and childcare workers so they get the pay and dignity they deserve, while easing the financial burdens on millions of families with a clean energy strategy that has a place for the energy workers right here in Western Pennsylvania.

I am not banning fracking. Let me say that again: I am not banning fracking. No matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me, the future, that's what this is all about.

We hear Donald Trump's self centered rants and riffs, but the voice of Americans should be heard. And one you should listen to is Julia Jackson, the mother of Jacob Blake. Hers is a voice of courage, character and wisdom. Looking at the damage that has been done in her city, she said: "The violence and destruction doesn't reflect my son or my family."

These are the words of a mom, a mother whose son had just been shot seven times in front of his children, badly injured, paralyzed, perhaps permanently. And even as she seeks justice for her son, she's pleading for an end to the violence and for this nation to heal. She said she was praying for her son. Then she said something to me that that surprised me. She said she was praying for all police officers. She said was already been praying for America even before her son was shot. She's publicly asked all of us to examine our hearts, citizens, elected officials, the police, all of us. And then she said this: "We need healing. More than anything, that's what we need to do as a nation. We need to heal."

Our current president wants you to live in fear. He advertises himself as a figure of order. He isn't, and he's not been part of the solution thus far. He's part of the problem. The problem I, as president, will give you my all resolve to stop. I'll deal with the virus, I'll deal with the economic crisis, and I'll work to bring a quality and opportunity to everyone.

We've arrived at a moment in this campaign, we all know, including the press in front of me, knew we'd get to. The moment when Donald Trump would be so desperate, he'd do anything to hold onto power. Donald Trump has been a toxic presence in our nation for four years. Poisoning how we talk to one another, poisoning how we treat one another, poisoning the values this nation has always held dear, poisoning our very democracy. Now, in just a little over 60 days, we have a decision to make. Will we rid ourselves of this toxin or will we make it a permanent part of our nation's character?

As Americans, I'm confident we believe in honesty and decency, treating everyone with dignity and respect, giving everyone a fair shot, leaving no one behind, giving hate no safe harbor, and demonizing no one. We, up to now, always recognize there's something bigger than ourselves -- that's what we're about. Trump doesn't seem to believe in any of that.

Look, I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, America is an idea. It's the most powerful idea in the history of the world. And I believe it beats in the hearts of the people of this country. All men and women are created equal and they deserve to be treated equally.

Trump has sought to remake this nation in his image: selfish, angry, dark, and divisive. This is not who we are. At her best, America's always been -- and if I have anything to do it, it will be again -- generous, confident, an optimistic nation full of hope and resolve.

Donald Trump is determined to instill fear in America. That's what his entire campaign for president has come down to, fear. But I believe Americans are stronger than that.

I believe we'll be guided by the words of Pope John Paul II, words drawn from the scriptures: "Be not afraid, be not afraid." Fear never builds the future, but hope does. And building the future is what America does, what we've always done. In fact, it's what we have done best and continue to do best.

This is the United States of America. There's not a single thing beyond our capacity when we decide to do it together. So let's get together.

I want to thank you all. May God bless you, and may God protect our troops.

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

 

51 Comments on “Joe Biden's Pittsburgh Speech”

  1. [1] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    The transcrip I used had to be edited in very minor ways, to correct a few misspellings (some of them contradictory to the actual meaning, such as "insight" for "incite," and "formatted" for "fomented").

    Ha! Those are some pretty big edits!

  2. [2] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Isn't there a YouTube video of this, or something ... ?

  3. [3] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Nice photo of Biden, by the way. :)

  4. [4] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Just watched it on c-span and thought it was a persuasive speech but, I was already persuaded, so ...

  5. [5] 
    John M from Ct. wrote:

    Thanks for this. I'm glad I watched his convention speech, and I'm glad I read this.

    Sure, it was light on policies and proposals. Those things weren't his subject. He was addressing the so much deeper problem of Trump - and without saying it, of course, the 40% of the country that adores Trump. Policies and proposals, the issues that divide the Democrats across a wide spectrum, simply aren't the real issue this election is about, as much as we might wish it were.

    The issue is to speak the truth about President Trump's toxic politics, dictatorial worldview, and vacuous executive ability. Talk about it. Get the press to admit this president is an incompetent but vicious liar with no sense of duty or patriotism at all, and report his conduct on that basis. Restore America's self-respect.

    I want to reprint the peroration, with your permission, even though you just posted it. It is impossible to imagine Trump giving this speech or anything like it, without showing that look of a terrified hostage that he adopts whenever he reads inspiring and patriotic rhetoric written by his desperate staff. Biden, on the other hand, simply sounds like he's already the president:

    "Look, I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, America is an idea. It's the most powerful idea in the history of the world. And I believe it beats in the hearts of the people of this country. All men and women are created equal and they deserve to be treated equally.

    "Trump has sought to remake this nation in his image: selfish, angry, dark, and divisive. This is not who we are. At her best, America's always been -- and if I have anything to do it, it will be again -- generous, confident, an optimistic nation full of hope and resolve.

    "Donald Trump is determined to instill fear in America. That's what his entire campaign for president has come down to, fear. But I believe Americans are stronger than that.

    "I believe we'll be guided by the words of Pope John Paul II, words drawn from the scriptures: "Be not afraid, be not afraid." Fear never builds the future, but hope does. And building the future is what America does, what we've always done. In fact, it's what we have done best and continue to do best.

    "This is the United States of America. There's not a single thing beyond our capacity when we decide to do it together. So let's get together." _- Joe Biden, Democratic candidate for president of the U.S.

  6. [6] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Not bad...not bad at all. Thanks for the full reprint, edited or not.

    This is the kind of kicking butt and taking names speech I'd hoped to see out of Joe -- fire in the belly is one way to fire up enthusiasm in the electorate. Joe needs to keep being the adult in the room.

  7. [7] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    It seems the more speeches Biden makes, the more impressed people are. Biden would be crazy for not giving a speech like this and on the main issues of the campaign once or twice a week, from here on out.

    And, I think it is important that he continue to travel, including going to places that surprise people. There don't have to be crowds - just like it was today in Pittsburgh.

  8. [8] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    I'll work to bring a quality and opportunity to everyone.

    i think he meant "equality and opportunity."

    we can try to correct all the grammatical errors, but one can't catch them all.

  9. [9] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Seriously, Joshua?

  10. [10] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    He was speaking, not writing.

    Whatever.

  11. [11] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    equality/a quality ... I mean, really?

  12. [12] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Don't you push my buttons. Heh.

  13. [13] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    i think he meant "equality and opportunity."

    Indubitably. And, what he actually said.

  14. [14] 
    Mezzomamma wrote:

    Correcting a transcript is not the same as correcting the actual speech. Transcripts often have homophone and near- homophone errors--it's just in the nature of the beast, as anyone who uses subtitles on television news can tell you, even with very good transcribers. So we all think Biden said 'equality' and the transcriber, whether human or electronic, picked it up or mis-typed it as 'a quality', and spell checkers still don't pick that sort of thing up very reliably.

    I noticed another small one: the transcription (somewhere in the middle) has 'the murder right now is up 26 percent', where I would guess he actually said 'the murder rate now' which makes more sense and fits the standard of American English that Biden uses.

  15. [15] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    August 31st marks 23 years since the sad passing of Princess Diana.

    Here is a Gowan tribute.

    https://www.facebook.com/officialgowan/videos/624899408462409/

  16. [16] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Joshua,

    You must understand how incredibly sensitive I am when it comes to Biden. I mean, it's practically clinical.

    I know, I know ... practically?

  17. [17] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @liz,

    unless you drove to pittsburgh, it ain't clinical.

  18. [18] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Whew. :)

  19. [19] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Can't sleep?

  20. [20] 
    TheStig wrote:

    All-

    Best comments in a long while. Biden is elevating the discourse.

  21. [21] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Oh, well ...

  22. [22] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Our mentally deranged reality TV orangutan apparently skipped his meds yesterday before going on Trump TV to hallucinate about Barnabas Collins, planes full of thugs in black uniforms, and how Biden is controlled by street people you've never heard of. Laura Ingraham didn't even know how to work with his gibberish.

  23. [23] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Death Harris,

    let's get together and demand that Joe Biden run a small donor only campaign in the general election

    Let's not. It's just a little late for that, but how about you demand that your preferred orange candidate run a small donor campaign instead? You are good at convincing people. Convince him to surrender with two months to go.

  24. [24] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    I'm looking forward to Michael Cohen giving us the gory details of Fat Donny's involvement in cuckcervative Jerry Falwell Jr's suburban pool boy lifestyle dream.

  25. [25] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Maybe Joe should hire Kaitlin Collins. The Donald runs away from her a lot.

  26. [26] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    [26],

    Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe.

  27. [27] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, once again, JFC saves the comments section! Right on.

    I'm going to see STYX next month.

  28. [28] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Do you like STYX, Don?

  29. [29] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I mean, I don't have an extra ticket or anything but, just wondering ...

  30. [30] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    BTW, I was laughing at the though of Trump running a small donor campaign, not at you. Geesh.

  31. [31] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Don,

    If anything can prove that small donor campaigns aren't necessarily necessary, a Biden presidency can.

  32. [32] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Death Harris,

    The now is not the time to talk about that has now become it too late to talk about that.

    Is English not your first language? Are you Russian?

    Biden was spending primary campaign money up until that point

    Money is money. You're on drugs (or maybe off them).

  33. [33] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Speaking of Russia,

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87g5Rckyruk

    The last time I saw STYX it was 1977 and they were with Prism, right here in Kitchener.

  34. [34] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    ... a little Siberian rock 'n roll, baby!

  35. [35] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    ... a nice Pacific resort town,

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D8gv6ZAFFE

  36. [36] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Don,

    Look, I've said it before and I'll keep saying it- One Demand is an idea.

    Well, it's certainly not a website anymore...

    Is your small donation campaign to get people to save money so they can spend it on your online gambling scams?

    Face it, you have failed. In five years you have gained no traction, no supporters, never bothered to learn enough web technologies to keep your site fresh or even up. Maybe antagonizing and stalking columnists as your singular methodology is just not a good idea?

  37. [37] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Death Harris,

    The only thing JFC saved the comments section from is reality and democracy.

    You seem to have no idea what the word "democracy" means. It isn't relevant to internet comment sections and it isn't ended by $201 campaign donations.

    Your reality is shared by nobody else as evidenced by your idea sales record.

  38. [38] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    You've gotta by Herman Cain's commitment to Drumpf's death cult. Yesterday he tweeted that “It looks like the virus is not as deadly as the mainstream media made it out to be.”

  39. [39] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    You've gotta impressed by

  40. [40] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Death Harris,

    I know that democracy means not giving up your vote for nothing

    Nope. That's not what "democracy" means. Thanks for proving my point.

  41. [41] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Look, I've said it before and I'll keep saying it- One Demand is an idea.

    Look, we’ve all told you this before and we will keep saying it — One Demand is a ridiculous idea (#OneDumbPlan).

    And you can't claim to be treating all people equally when you do not treat their ideas equally. And Joe Biden says all people should be treated equally.

    Your idea gets the same treatment that all other ideas get. Your idea was listened to, considered, and after careful consideration we either choose to support it or reject it. You are just mad because it was rejected by everyone for a long list of reasons that you have ignored.

    So let's get together and demand that Joe Biden run a small donor only campaign in the general election to earn our votes instead of giving them to Biden for nothing out of fear.

    Let’s not.

    Here’s the kicker that you fail to recognize: You say you want to get rid of politicians that can be bought for large sums of money, but you want them replaced with politicians you are buying for less than $201. How is that any better? Isn’t the problem really that we do not want politicians that can be bought for ANY amount?? Your idea is a major FAIL!

    And I’m not giving my vote to Biden “for nothing out of fear.” I cast it freely because I support his ideas and believe he will be the leader that we need in these times.

  42. [42] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Death Harris,

    That is how democracy is desgined to work

    Your spam sounds stupider and stupider with each post.

    Which democracy are you referring to? Certainly not USA. It was desgined to work only for wealthy white men.

    Can you do anything other than make a claim that's completely unmoored from reality and then claim your point has been proven?

  43. [43] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Furthermore, One Demand requires us to give up our anonymity in casting our votes — one of the main tenets of democracy ,

    Your “vote for yourself in protest and to promote OneDemand” and then requiring people register with you so their protest can be documented for anyone to see does not sound very democratic to me.

  44. [44] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @jfc [46]

    if irony weren't dead already, it certainly would be now.

  45. [45] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Don,

    I have not failed. One Demand has not been tried yet.

    It's been tried for 5 years. It has not been adopted by candidate nor voter due to poor presentation and even worse support.

    It failed with election of Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump. It failed throughout the covid-19 pandemic so far and continues to fail as more citizens are added to the 180,000 plus that have died due to the failure of voting for big money Deathocrats and Republikillers.

    Big steaming pile of moose poop you got going there. What would a low donation candidate do when a pandemic hit that is better than the big money politicians to whom you criticize? George W bush put in to place Social distancing as a official pandemic response policy and the researchers to whom he entrusted got a lot of push back. Obama added to it and created a white house pandemic response group. How are those two policies a fail and what would your small donation politician do differently?

    CW is just one of the bricks in the wall that I am working to bring down.

    How is that working out for you? Almost ready for your red card?

    All any of you seem to be able to do is make up stuff about me or One Demand to argue against that is not true.

    Do you deny that onedemand.org resolves to online gambling scams?

  46. [46] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @bashi [54]

    as far as i can tell, don's site is back up - such as it is.

    @don,

    you really need to learn how to update your site. it's still got the same errors from five years ago.

    JL

  47. [47] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    nypoet22,

    as far as i can tell, don's site is back up - such as it is.

    I think Don got his DNS entry hijacked. It just depends if the provider is using an updated DNS database. My provider still resolves to attack site warnings as do most the search engines. I got it to load on my phone though...

  48. [48] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Don,

    Nonsensical childish trolling. Finger painting with the contents of your diapers.

    You always resort to this kind of dismissive reply instead of backing up your idea with a reasoned argument. Why would anyone take you seriously?

    This is why you fail.

  49. [49] 
    Kick wrote:

    nypoet22
    17

    unless you drove to pittsburgh, it ain't clinical.

    Heh. :)

  50. [50] 
    Kick wrote:

    Death Harris
    44

    I have not failed. One Demand has not been tried yet.

    You have failed to sell it thus far, and so you have definitely failed. Denying reality doesn't change the facts. You wouldn't still be here whining to CW and everyone else about it if you had succeeded, would you? Nope.

    Voting for big money Deathocrats and Republikillers has failed.

    Your fabricated labels have also failed.

    CW is just one of the bricks in the wall that I am working to bring down.

    I have an idea better than that: CW should bring you and your shit down. It's about time he used that Red Card he promised.

    You are delusional if you think continuing to engage in an approach that is proven to fail makes more sense than trying something that has not been tried yet when all current trends are moving in the direction that show it could work.

    Take the above and apply it to your shit. You are delusional if you think continuing to engage in an approach that has proven to fail makes sense. You were told to shut it, and now you're threatening the author. Time for that Red Card... long past time, honestly.

    All any of you seem to be able to do is make up stuff about me or One Demand to argue against that is not true.

    You're incredibly obtuse. Why can't you do as you were told?

  51. [51] 
    Kick wrote:

    Death Harris
    49

    That is how democracy is desgined to work- the candidates have to take action to earn our votes. That provides incentive for politicians to do what citizens want them to do or face the alternative of not getting our votes.

    No one needs your help to cast an invalid vote and thus disenfranchise themselves. In order to vote for yourself in the vast majority of states, you have to register and pay a fee and/or collect names of voters to put yourself on the ballot. Voting for yourself isn't possible for millions of Americans. Informing them otherwise is voter misinformation and might constitute a felony in multiple jurisdictions.

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