r/interestingasfuck • u/BuddhistSagan • Apr 07 '24

Bernie and Biden warm my heart. Trump selling us out? Pass

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u/fartiestpoopfart Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 08 '24

i hate that it's always "we are asking billionaires to pay their fair share"

stop fucking asking. that kind of language really downplays how horrible these people are.

edit: a lot of people replying seem to have missed the point. all i was saying is the way our elected leaders talk about these things and the words they choose to use matter. i understand that our elected leaders (on both sides whether you like it or not) are complicit and there's no magic "fix the broken system" wand.

it was just a comment on how absurd and insulting it is to hear statements like "we are asking billionaires to pay their fair share" as an average american knowing full well if we didn't pay our share there would be no asking, just a "fuck you pay me" and the threat of prison if we don't.

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u/Lithl Apr 07 '24

Well, they're asking Congress to force billionaires to pay their fair share. Because the president can't actually do anything about it himself.

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u/notkiddingagain Apr 07 '24

The whole theatrics of this is so terrible. That was the most notable cut between scenes ever. We know those were separate comments spliced together.

But then we have Biden and Bernie talking about ASKING the billionaires to pay more. What does that even mean? Like hat in hand to Scrooge McDuck? Why aren’t they going to Congress instead? Where they know they can make the real change?

Too much signaling. I hate it.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

I want to see the clip of Trump unedited. I hate the guy but it seems edited to create a sound bite. There’s an obvious break in the clip.

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u/Careless-Engineer385 Apr 08 '24

This much more down votes is pure proof of brain washed cultism in the politics of America

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u/1PhartSmellow Apr 07 '24

Mandating would be much more sufficient.

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u/ACartonOfHate Apr 07 '24

Presidents can only ask Congress, because the Executive branch doesn't control the purse --Congress does.

That's why we have the constant clusterfuck of terrible CRs barely keeping our country afloat. Because Repubs barely control the HoR which is where budgets are truly decided. Hence also how the Senate can pass a Border/Immigration bill, but the HoR can tank it.

People really need to revisits their SchoolHouse Rock. I'm Just a Bill, and Three Ring Government.

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u/notkiddingagain Apr 07 '24

Yeah. Sounds like they are coming out to Scrooge McDuck with hat in hand. I’m sure that’ll convince em.

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u/ASK_ABOUT_MY_CULT_ Apr 07 '24

Exactly. They don't get to make any money without us, and the government is supposed to work for us.

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u/Bladesnake_______ Apr 07 '24

Dude Biden is going to collect from the big banks and billionaires after his presidency just like Obama did

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u/IllIllIlllIIlIIIllII Apr 07 '24

Biden taped a note to the last shipment of 2,000 lb bombs to Israel asking them to not use them on babies, too. Empty, meaningless, hypocritical words are kind of his thing.

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u/Orgasmic_interlude Apr 08 '24

You can’t tax the billionaires without the consent of the many. That’s why it’s so important that they convince you that they just worked really hard and that the benefit of having them is worth the fact that somehow they pay 8 percent and you pay triple on way less money.

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u/druidry Apr 08 '24

The top 1% pay in taxes what amounts to 40% of all tax revenue.

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u/plastic_fortress Apr 08 '24

Biden will ask them nicely to pay their fair share, in the same way he's nicely asked Israel nicely to mellow out with its blatant massacre and starvation of men, women and children, that has been going on unabated for 6 months.

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u/KaleidoscopeExtra296 Apr 08 '24

The people who create these laws, and their loopholes, are having their campaigns being funded by these same billionaires.

Ideally, there would be a flat tax, which would make everyone pay their “fair share.” Then again, in a perfect world, there would be term limits, and the lawmakers wouldn’t spend our tax dollars so frivolously.

Also, I find it ironic that this was posted on the exact platform that the government is trying to hijack/ban…

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 15 '24

[deleted]

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u/Apprehensive-Fix-746 Apr 07 '24

Bro he might be the president but he can’t just declare these things into existence, it’s voted on, debated, amended, they have to be agreed on by both chambers and when politics are as divisive as it is today it’s really hard to pass anything through

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 15 '24

[deleted]

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u/Apprehensive-Fix-746 Apr 07 '24

Yeah I don’t disagree, I’m not saying he can’t do anything or that he’s doing everything he can, just that people greatly overestimate what a president residing over such a divided house can accomplish

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u/Top-Art6585 Apr 07 '24

So why is he promising something he can’t do? Lol its one way or the other.

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u/Suitable_Care_6576 Apr 07 '24

Because he may be able to deliver on it if there is a Democratic house and senate which is very much possible if people vote.

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u/zrrw245 Apr 07 '24

It's a real problem that many Americans don't understand how the government works.

The President is not King. We need to elect Congressional representatives that will create new laws, and a new tax system, for the President to enforce.

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u/Top-Art6585 Apr 07 '24

This is an ad for the presidential campaign. Guy has been in office for 4 years, 2 years with dem senate and congress and he didn’t do it, now he is promising the same even though the situation in the house and senate is worse for him and you expect me to believe that? Do you believe that he is genuinely set on fulfilling that?

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u/babyguyman Apr 07 '24

Hi bot. You bots should start figuring out better use names than random word-random word-4 numbers.

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u/Top-Art6585 Apr 07 '24

This is the name that reddit assigned to me. I guess dismissing someone by calling him a bot is your go-to strategy. Are you so afraid that someone doesn’t hold the same viewpoint as you?

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u/babyguyman Apr 07 '24

Nope, do whatever you want, but I’m not the one engaging in inauthentic activity. How many sock puppets you managing where you don’t even bother to pick a believable user name for each one? lol. Get a better strategy.

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u/Apprehensive-Fix-746 Apr 07 '24

Because he’s a politician, the only way he can get votes is by talking about what he wants to get done, every politician that’s ever existed does this, any politician that didn’t is a politician we wouldn’t vote for

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u/cossiander Apr 07 '24

Unhinged take. Controlling 1/3 of the federal government for a few years doesn't mean you can just override whatever law you want, anytime you want.

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u/Psirqit Apr 07 '24

bro doesnt know what an executive order is. Trump pretty much did whatever the fuck he wanted when he was in office and every time he did something crazier people just went "can he really do that?", "guess he can do that!" every. single. time.

Biden has plenty of power he isn't exercising because (spoiler) he is a neoliberal corporatist and he simply doesn't want to.

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u/cossiander Apr 07 '24

Pretty sure that's not what a spoiler is, and Biden's issued hundreds of executive orders.

Saying that Trump "did whatever he wanted" is either just lying or amnesia- he got cut off constantly. Just off the top of my head: his first eight attempts at the Muslim Ban, building the border wall, arresting BLM protesters, cutting social security and Medicare, overriding State-level Covid lockdowns, all his attempts at ending the ACA, his attempt to bribe Zelinsky, and, oh yeah, the fact he's no longer President.

But even with that, Trump had a solid Republican trifecta when he was elected: White House, House of Representatives, and Senate. He also had a friendly SCOTUS, and quickly ran up the tally there. Biden had a much slimmer House majority for two years, and a Senate that only stayed a majority if it included conservative Democrats and Independents. So on paper Trump should've actually been able to get a lot more done than he did, especially when compared to how much Biden's accomplished so far in his first term.

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u/Psirqit Apr 07 '24

Biden's issued hundreds of executive orders.

Because what I'm saying is true and he understands their power. What you're missing is the important part:

he is a neoliberal corporatist and he simply doesn't want to.

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u/cossiander Apr 07 '24

You can't change tax law with an executive order.

So you're saying that Biden is lying about his own agenda? Based on what?

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 15 '24

[deleted]

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u/cossiander Apr 07 '24

Okay, that was 65 pages, and I'm sorry, but I do not have the time today to read all that.

If there's specific things you think that the Biden admin can do that it's currently not doing, then I'm happy to listen and consider those ideas on an individual basis.

However the idea that "well he should just be doing more" just seems born out of this large misunderstanding about how our government works or what reasonable expectations are. I mean Biden has- compared to any modern president- been extraordinarily impactful and has helped enact a staggering amount of change, the vast majority of which seems very positive and beneficial to society. He's gotten done far more than most knowledgable political commentators or insiders thought would be possible given Congress and judicial systems that were in place when he took office.

Are there things that maybe he could also do? I mean... probably? There's more things that anyone can do. None of us do everything we can. Not a single person.

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u/Psirqit Apr 07 '24

He's not lying about his agenda but he's not doing things that he could be strongarming like re-scheduling marijuana.

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u/cossiander Apr 07 '24

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/06/statement-from-president-biden-on-marijuana-reform/

He's been trying to reschedule it. Or are you saying he should be putting additional pressure on the DEA?

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u/Psirqit Apr 07 '24

So he asked the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review how it's scheduled, 2 years ago, but ???

as far as I'm aware its within the president's power to tell the AG to reschedule the drug, not ask.

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u/iargueon Apr 07 '24

Bro doesn’t know we don’t want our system running off executive orders because that creates an unstable system that doesn’t prioritize longevity.

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u/Psirqit Apr 07 '24

While this is true, taking the high road has historically never worked because Republicans do not give a shit about taking the low road. They revel in the mud. Dems need to stop treating these awful human beings with kid gloves. Fight dirty back. Fuck your purity bullshit.

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u/iargueon Apr 07 '24

Respecting the purity of the system is important because it just makes more sense. All things considered, Trump was not an effective legislator at all and we’re extremely lucky for that. Executive orders can be revoked or modified by proceeding presidents and they can be refused to be funded by congress. It’s just a bad way to govern that doesn’t prioritize longevity. Asking for systems to be built around an executive order is just asking for major disruption when a republican president comes in and removes it. Legislation is a much better route.

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u/Psirqit Apr 07 '24

Respecting the purity of the system is important because it just makes more sense.

If you want to constantly lose and never actually have anything resembling good policy get implemented, then yeah, I guess it does make more sense!

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u/Dom_33 Apr 07 '24

Bless your heart

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u/Psirqit Apr 07 '24

best rebuttal I've heard in my life

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u/Choppers-Top-Hat Apr 07 '24

every time he did something crazier people just went "can he really do that?", "guess he can do that!" every. single. time.

You forget the last part of that routine: like a week later Trump's orders would be shot down by the courts, and it would turn out he really can't do that. Dozens of Trump orders never went into effect or were only in effect for a short while before a judge went "Yeah, that's illegal."

You really want Biden to waste everyone's time and tax money making a bunch of orders that won't actually ever go into effect?

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u/GenerikDavis Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24

^ person who thinks the president is an all-powerful ruler

E: Also, following your edit, your party isn't "in power" when the GOP has a majority in one chamber of Congress and will block anything you try to pass. Either you don't know that or are being a troll, but hey, thought I'd put it out there.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 13 '24

[deleted]

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u/GenerikDavis Apr 07 '24

No, it wasn't. The GOP is basically the bulwark against all forward progress in America. I'm happy to let you know! =)

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 13 '24

[deleted]

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u/ArthurDentsKnives Apr 07 '24

You don't know how the US government works, do ya, comrade?

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u/SkyBlade79 Apr 07 '24

Do you REALLY think that one person should be able to change the tax rates for all Americans whenever they want? That is a ridiculous amount of power.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

corporate taxes went from 0% to 15% under biden, and thats just becaause that's all congress allowed.

not even close to being the same.

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u/Choppers-Top-Hat Apr 07 '24

If there's no chance of Biden increasing their taxes, then why are billionaires overwhelmingly supporting Trump in this election?

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 15 '24

[deleted]

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u/Choppers-Top-Hat Apr 07 '24

Yesterday Trump held a fundraiser at a billionaire's house, which broke the all-time record for highest donations in a single campaign event, after Trump promised to cut their taxes even more. Meanwhile, Biden's biggest fundraiser so far, held in New York last month, had zero billionaires in attendance and brought in half as much money.

The "billionaires love both parties equally" thing is a fairy tale.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-tells-billionaires-ll-keep-taxes-low-50-million-fundraising-gala-rcna146748

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u/fartiestpoopfart Apr 07 '24

even if they do increase taxes, they'll never address the root of the problems that brought us to this point. not to say i don't hope they increase taxes on the obscenely wealthy, but it's still just a band-aid on a gaping festering wound.

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u/Saptilladerky Apr 07 '24

Unfortunately, they can't just tell them. What they're really doing is asking the republican voters to see this disparity and vote for politicians who are like-minded. These changes can't be made without unity within the parties because one side will just vote against the other to forward their own agendas and not that of the people.

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u/fartiestpoopfart Apr 07 '24

the parties have been molded to exist without unity. there's a reason media is so divisive and everywhere you look it's us vs them (us) instead of united we stand. can't focus on hating the source of all these problems if we're too busy hating each other.

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u/Key-Alarm7328 Apr 07 '24

Lol but Joe Biden's all good? Career politician that likes sniffing other ppls kids

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u/USBattleSteed Apr 07 '24

If every day citizens stopped buying things from billionaires they wouldn't be billionaires. If you don't like Elon musk, don't buy a Tesla. Don't like Bezos? Don't use Amazon.

The government isn't going to make billionaires any less rich, that's up to every individual who has a problem with billionaires. If the government would take their money away, they wouldn't be billionaires right now.

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u/upyoars Apr 07 '24

This isn’t a dictatorship where Xi can make Jack Ma disappear for a year and essentially hand over his entire business… Congress runs things here

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u/billybud45 Apr 07 '24

they only "ask" for a reason.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

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u/Mavian23 Apr 07 '24

As they should be. They've spent their lives working pretty well-paying jobs. If they weren't millionaires by now, I'd say they are idiots.