katfantom on Farcaster

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I've seen a lot of debate about whether Kamala Harris should go on the Joe Rogan Experience and here's my take: - 95-97% of US voters have already decided who they are voting for. - Polls show a very tight race at essentially 50/50. - Young men are statistically the most likely group to blow off voting. - 7 swing states hold the keys to the presidency. With 10 days to go, the Harris campaign has to make every moment count. Do they spend time on trying to reach 3-5M undecided Rogan listeners nationally, or do they spend that time trying to specifically target the 3M undecided voters in those swing states? Rogan is a kind, non-combative conversationalist, I think they'd have a good time and I think its a good idea... but I also understand that it might not necessarily be the best use of time to target the specific people the campaigns need to target.

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Kat pfp

What's your opinion on Harris?

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I think she's a competent politician who can be both tough or kind depending on the situation. I think her pledge to build 3 million homes in the US is extremely important and I like the idea of the First Home buyers grant. I'm extremely impressed she was able to galvanize the entire Democratic party when Biden stepped down... it could have been an absolute mess of infighting and it just... wasn't. Her campaign staff have been phenomenal considering their gains on Trump who has effectively been holding rallies for a couple of years. I don't think people super appreciate how big a job they had ahead of them. I definitely don't agree with all of her positions but I think directionally she's on the right track. You didn't ask, but I quite like Tim Walz - he just seems like a nice guy who wants to help people.

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Kat pfp

That's a very good explanation. How do you feel about her prosecutorial record?

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Honestly, I don't think you're going to like my answer... but I don't have a super strong opinion on it because I wasn't in California while she was the DA so I don't really know all the context or situation at the time. Some say she was too lenient, some say she was too tough, some say she was a reformer and some don't like that she was against the death penalty. Personally I like that she tried different programs to try and prevent crime altogether, even if sometimes they backfired (like the anti-truancy program that targeted the parents). I also like that she seems to have grown. She now says that she wants to legalize weed when in the past she came down pretty heavy on weed offenses. For elections in general I do think policy positions are the most important thing. People should vote on what policies they want for their country more than the personality of the candidate.... and then hold those candidates to those promises if elected.

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Kat pfp

Here's what I say to that... I will never judge you for your opinions or thoughts. When i ask for opposing opinions or truly for arguments against what i chose to believe or think it helps analyze my current opinions and arguments and as to why i have them. I don't want to be in the same echo chamber of my own thoughts and belief systems because it doesn't challenge my current belief system. I don't ever want to be caught in a soup of the same one ingredient. Do you imagine how boring that would be lol and positively tasteless. I welcome challenge and i welcome any and all opposing arguments. And i welcome you to challenge any of my belief systems if you ever come across them ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

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I completely agree! I definitely seek out opposing opinions myself, a lot, because it really helps me either think about things in a way I hadn't considered, or spend more time thinking through the counter-arguments to my own opinions. There is so much complexity, variables, nuance in the world today that almost everything can be true and untrue at the same time.

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Kat pfp

Personality creates your own reality personal reality right. There's no such thing as black and white there's always different shades of gray and I appreciate every bit of it. And I appreciate those who can embrace those shades. What's your true and honest and informed opinion on Trump

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It's almost always different shades of gray! Two people can witness the exact same event but see it differently based on their previous experiences and opinions and everything. Trump is so interesting. I've always been impressed by his charisma, his story-telling ability and the way he motivates a crowd. He brought in voters from groups that traditionally had no interest in politics before. It's incredibly impressive. I am extremely alarmed that he keeps explaining tariffs incorrectly. He keeps saying other countries will pay the tariffs, but that's not how tariffs work. The importer pays the tariff to the US govt and passes the cost onto the consumer (the American people). Personally, I don't honestly think Trump is interested in governing. While you can't ever know someone's true intentions, I do think he sees the US Presidency as personal/family/business opportunities. However, JD Vance/Thiel/Musk/Heritage Foundation are very interested in governing, they want to reduce freedoms of US citizens.

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Kat pfp

That's so true! And i like how you've put everything. Yes i do feel like he treats his presidency as a business but i did read he lost net worth during his presidency. He honestly did do something that no one thought possible. But that just only reminds me of the movie Idiocracy lol. I feel like a lot of the real issues are falling through the cracks though on both sides. The only net positive I've seen is the crypto stance. Harris only changed her tone when Trump made statements for crypto. But Gensler and the wonder team only want to destroy crypto. I see freedom in all of this but it all can go south pretty quickly. I know someone will always find a way but it'll take us back years first.

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Hahaha, every single day brings us closer to Idiocracy. I have to admit I'm doubtful that he lost his net worth during his presidency... between overcharging the secret service for accommodation during his golf trips, to foreign companies renting accommodation they never used, to Ivanka getting all those Chinese patents to Jared getting $2B from the Saudis, it's just impossible to know the actual truth. I'm definitely not taking his word on it. Gensler has to be the worst public servant ever. I totally understand regulation is so difficult (because you have to consider everything AND try to predict the future) but regulation by enforcement is so detrimental to innovation. For me this US presidential race comes down to women's health and inflation. Tariffs across the board are terrible for inflation but increased housing is good. It'll be very interesting to see how the next 9+ days go.

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Kat pfp

Very good point on Trump! I don't think he's an exception or a unicorn in politics he can definitely be as deceiving as most politicians and like you said you can't take his word on it either. Real thought question though how immune to this same effect on power do you think you would be if put in such high position. While you think you're helping everyone there is always someone else with a bigger agenda that can be misleading to your cause. I don't like to think that I'm the exception because that would in turn make me the rule. But do you think it would sort place rose colored glasses on. Another serious question: What health issues/freedoms do you think women in 2024 are lacking?

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Oh absolutely. I think what people don't understand is that in politics, there is ALWAYS a winner or loser in every policy. Capping Insulin at $35 is GREAT for Americans, but I'm sure there are Pharmacy companies and shareholders that hate that decision and will do everything to overturn it. Everything is a trade off and I know that politicians have to sometimes agree to something they hate to get something they want. It's extremely rare for something to be universally loved. JD Vance has spoken a number of times about tracking women's interstate movement, we already know police have used social media to track women's travel and activities. Both maternal fatalities and infant fatalities are increasing because of abortion bans. JD Vance and Heritage Foundation want a federal abortion ban and while Trump has said he doesn't support that, I'm not sure how hard he's willing to fight against them, particularly given his age.

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Kat pfp

I understand everything you're saying and although I agree with most of it I dont think we're addressing the bigger opioid problem which a lot of these maternity fatalities are due to. I don't think we understand how big the opioid crisis really is and not to mention that women have been having children waaay much later in life than our mothers and grandmothers. Again I always say both side are due for big improvements. I honestly think Trump isnt up for that fight anymore and if he's smart he'll drop the abortion issue and focus on a crypto economy. btw I must say you really know your stuff unless you're over there chat gpt'ing me 😂 this is the best conversation I've had so far with someone online lol I think when someone acts like a complete and total elitist it goats me to be oppositional on purpose lol does that ever happen to you?

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Hahaha, firstly, I've never actually used ChatGPT because I'm too cheap to pay for it, haha. In my experience, if someone is being super elitist online, they're very likely to lie just to "win" the conversation, so I usually bow out because I don't think I'm going to learn anything. Speaking of learning... I honestly don't know how much the opioid crisis is contributing to infant/maternal death? I thought the causes were more unviable fetuses' being born and more situations where doctors aren't allowed to help women until they can legally prove the life of the mother is in jeopardy. I've seen graphs of the numbers rising in the US, but I honestly considered if opioids were a factor and what percentage of these deaths it was involved in. I'd definitely be curious to learn more. The opioid epidemic is so awful. I can not believe no one in the Sackler family has gone to jail over it. Massive miscarriage of justice considering the harm to America and the world they've caused.

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Sorry I meant to say that "I honestly never considered if opioids were a factor". Absolutely agree that women are having children much later than generations past... on face value I think this is good because people have more resources available to them (finances, etc) to support themselves and their families, but again I don't know how much age contributes to the rise in infant/maternal fatalities. I would like to think that medical science has progressed a lot in the past two generations to help offset some of that risk... but again, I truly don't know enough about this topic to really weigh in.

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Kat pfp

There's a lot of complications involving women and late pregnancies. and the risks are much higher as time progresses. Yes there is technology to help you through late pregnancies but if a woman in her 40s walks into a Dr.s office looking to start getting pregnant you will more than likely be suggested to avoid it because it puts your life at risk. But most women are just told that they can wait later in life to have kids which is absolutely not true or suggested. I understand that the general consensus is you can have kids later in life but what they fail to realize is that yes it puts your life at risk. I mean women still to this day risk their lives having babies to make families. the fact is its a sacrifice weather you are 23 or 40 the possibility of losing that woman while giving birth is still high not including age drug use or health.

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There is so much complexity, nuance and variance to this entire discussion! I guess we'll be able to tell over time what the larger factors are to maternal and infant mortality are. I assume we'll be able to compare rates between states with restrictive abortion laws against states without, to see how much that contributes... and I'm sure there would be data breaking down age of the mother as well. I assume (but don't know) that the opioid epidemic affects states mostly evenly...? One of the other concerns I think people should have with Trump is that he'd nominate 2 new conservative Supreme Court justices who would stay there for decades (I wish term limits were implemented). I don't love that SCOTUS have made a lot of decisions recently that ignore legal precedent and Trump/JD without guard rails is worrying. Elon has said he knows Trump will tank the economy and we'd just have to deal with it and I'm surprised people seem generally okay with that.

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Kat pfp

Yes! :D Yeah we have no choice but to wait on numbers ⏱️ it's always a waiting game to find out how much damage has been made. Honestly i am not afraid of Trump or conservatives but i do agree on term limits the whole way. There's no reason why anyone should stay on for a lifetime that's just wild. Elon will say anything to lead you on. He can be a grifter at times. He says toward whoever is winning at the moment and then throw you for a curve ball. Just what I've gathered about him. Lol

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Honestly, I'm not afraid of Trump or conservatives either - their policies are extremely unpopular with American voters so I think they're unlikely to win next week. I know polling has them at 50/50, but polling is so incredibly difficult in this day and age that I don't think it's an even race at all. Obviously conservatives will try and use violence next week to disrupt voting or certification, but I'm hoping security forces have been preparing for this for years. Unfortunately, I think the ballot boxes being firebombed in OR and WA are just the start. Given Trump's age, this is obviously the GOP's last chance... there's no other Republicans who can get a fraction of Trump's support and there is going to be a lot of infighting (maybe for years) to fill that vacuum. The next few months are going to be very interesting, I'm sure we'll get Trump's sentencing before the new year and all sorts of other chaos.

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Kat pfp

Polling is so shady because they work like CNN... very misleading lol Ok but let's say Trump doesn't win and blah blah votes go to the left and why would a one sided Government be ok? Like if no other Republican gets as much sway or support how would that be a good thing? A left wing democracy really isnt a democracy. I dunno I believe in the balance of things and something about only the left winning from now until society crumbles doesn't make a lot of sense. I say that because I truly believe that can happen. I don't know but you can't have yin without a yang. I would forsee an uprising perhaps from the true libertarian party perhaps?? Which for that cause I am for. Lots of big things happening for sure.

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The problem is the two-party system. In a balanced two-party system it's really hard to make any progress at all... you have one side that has a really popular idea that the majority of people want - but then the other party obstructs that bill because they don't want the first party to get a "win".... even if their own supporters want it too. In two-party systems voters have to vote the lesser of two evils because they truly only have two choices. I'm definitely not saying a one-sided government is good at all... but I think the US will have a one-sided government for a while - and it's 100% the fault of Republicans. They never should have backed Trump, he's systemically pushed out any opposing viewpoints (Romney, Cheney, etc) so now it's entirely a Trump or Nothing Republican party... and he's too old to try again in 2028. I think the ideal is 5 or more political parties where the parties that win form a government and have to comprise with each other. Parties that don't achieve get voted out.

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Kat pfp

Yes! Agree it seems that it's always the lesser of the two evils. which doesnt make any of it any better. I honestly forsee this problem even if Trumps get elected. I don't see the pendulum swing back to Republicans after Dems get ahold of it. But you never know. I would've really like to see another party coming full swing but it's not in the books until there is no other choice. I don't like either party. lesser evil I guess. More parties won't arise until there's no choice. BUT we'll see! 500 👏

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I actually do disagree a little there... so far in history and in lots of countries the pendulum always swings back. I think unless things are absolutely perfect (which they never can be) people always crave change and are really like to vote out the incumbents - especially if the entire media ecosystem pushes for change (to give them something new to talk about to generate clicks). Obviously if the Republican party only has JD or DeSantis they're going to struggle, but eventually they'll find someone people like and I think the pendulum will swing back pretty hard. People are just really tough on incumbents now. I think America would be so much better with at least another party (but ideally 3 more) but if there is one thing the DNC and GOP are VERY good at, it's colluding to keep anyone else out. I think the people are going to have to work really hard on building up 3rd parties from the ground up... AND elect Democrats and Republicans that promise to fix campaign finance laws, etc.

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Kat pfp

I understand what you're saying but in most central and southern America that is not the case. And yes I am calling on rigged elections and I am not saying thats the case here in the US but yes that does happen. And it take a lot more than just going to vote these people out. It takes true violence and destruction to get these people out of their so called "elected" positions. I agree 100 percent on a more than 2 party system 4 minimum you know. We can't lead and be innovative with a limited and antiquated belief system because at this point it is and it's not serving the people one bit.

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Ah, I see. Yeah, I was keeping a close eye on the Venezuelan election and I just feel so sad for everyone there. I genuinely believe the incumbent lost (based on exit polls which I know aren't perfect) and yet... It takes a phenomenal amount of work to keep elections secure, free and fair - and Republicans have been extremely open about trying to erode that. From the GOP electors in Georgia trying to change the rules that they can overrule the voters, to lots of red states trying to purge voter roles a week out, to extreme gerrymandering, to GOP blocking bills to outlaw dark money, to GOP trying to change Nebraska's Electoral college votes, to Trump trying to throw out mail-in ballots. I'm definitely trying to be balanced and impartial, but one side really does try extraordinarily hard to change the rules to be unbalanced in their favour - again, because their policies are generally unpopular.

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Kat pfp

😅😅😅😬😬😬

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