The cowardice of the Trump supporters comes as no surprise. They make wild claims and then when proven false they change the subject or disappear. Even with that in mind, Cal88s total disappearance after this post election night after a string of patronizing know-it-all posts stands alone as the greatest act of cowardice I've seen on these boards.Cal88 said:
It's not even Cal88's greatest act of cowardice. How many times did he tell us COVID would disappear in a few weeks just like it had in Europe? Or that HCQ is the miracle cure if only you use it early enough. Or any other number of claims from cherry-picked data that turned out to be disastrously false. How many Americans died because they listened to dangerous false claims made by people like Cal88? How many will continue to die because people won't take a pandemic seriously?blungld said:
The cowardice of the Trump supporters comes as no surprise. They make wild claims and then when proven false they change the subject or disappear. Even with that in mind, Cal88s total disappearance after this post election night after a string of patronizing know-it-all posts stands alone as the greatest act of cowardice I've seen on these boards.
blungld said:The cowardice of the Trump supporters comes as no surprise. They make wild claims and then when proven false they change the subject or disappear. Even with that in mind, Cal88s total disappearance after this post election night after a string of patronizing know-it-all posts stands alone as the greatest act of cowardice I've seen on these boards.Cal88 said:
fadeaway <- 3 min youtubeysycasey said:
And that was the last we heard of Cal88
But I am sure they will re-emerge at some point. Make no mention of their false claims or errors, or at best offer some lame excuse, and then be just as confident in their next wild claim. In short, never learn. This is the most frustrating part of this ilk, total lack of self-awareness even in their universe of Cognitive Dissonance and Dunning Kruger. It would be cool to have actual exchange of ideas, but not an exchange of ideas with lies/propaganda/false belief.sycasey said:
It's even funnier because by the time Cal88 posted here this "Election Wizard" account had already posted that more results had come in and that same county now had Biden ahead (where he finished).
And that was the last we heard of Cal88.
dajo9 said:
Trump will go down in history as America's worst ever President due to his craven weakness shown to despots like Putin and the North Korea guy, his intentional destruction of our institutions and Democratic norms, and his corruption. Future generations will view his supporters with bewilderment and dismay.
Don't typically post in OT but I saw this and felt compelled to respond since I've seen things about Cal88 posted a few times and I think they miss the point.blungld said:The cowardice of the Trump supporters comes as no surprise. They make wild claims and then when proven false they change the subject or disappear. Even with that in mind, Cal88s total disappearance after this post election night after a string of patronizing know-it-all posts stands alone as the greatest act of cowardice I've seen on these boards.Cal88 said:
Of course you are right but I've been pointing out that his points always align with Putin propaganda since 2016. I didn't pay much attention to him before then but he really got going with the Putin misinformation during the Trump - Hillary campaign. Seems weird to peddle Putin propaganda on a BI Off Topic message board but he has always done so. I can't explain his motivations but it is clear what he does.Sebastabear said:Don't typically post in OT but I saw this and felt compelled to respond since I've seen things about Cal88 posted a few times and I think they miss the point.blungld said:The cowardice of the Trump supporters comes as no surprise. They make wild claims and then when proven false they change the subject or disappear. Even with that in mind, Cal88s total disappearance after this post election night after a string of patronizing know-it-all posts stands alone as the greatest act of cowardice I've seen on these boards.Cal88 said:
All you have to ask yourself when you see Cal88's posts are WWVPD (What Would Vladimir Putin Do?). His views align perfectly. Let's look at his greatest hits:
1. Climate Change. A relentless string of incorrect, cherry picked data and outright lies. Coupled with charts and graphics compiled by such world renowned climatologists as "some guy who does reports on a local weather channel in the Midwest." Lacking any shred of scientific rigor or even basic honesty. Designed to befuddle and wear down the opposition with a torrent of graphical diarrhea. And of course his single greatest hit of posting that fake Time Magazine cover allegedly from the 70s about "The Coming Ice Age", getting called on it and then a few weeks later posting it again . . . and again. He knew it was a lie and didn't care.
Climate change regulations and clean tech are existential threats to Putin. He would do anything to stop this from taking hold in the US. The fact that embracing the climate change deniers and spreading their lies could harm the US economy, poison it's citizens and cause more dissension and lack of cohesion in the US body politic were just gravy.
2. Covid-19, Part 1. When reports of the disease first started coming out of China, Cal88 was the first to sound the alarm, proclaiming this was the end of the world and would basically kill us all. We needed to shelter in place, lock our doors and prepare for the worst. I think he was as shocked as anyone when this actually came true.
Getting the US population to flip out and overreact to Covid-19 if it turned out to be no more impactful to the US than the swine flu, or Ebola or SARS1 or MERS would be good for Putin. Harm the US economy, cause angst and worry and dissension within your enemy and generally disrupt US society would all fit nicely into Putin's game plan for 2020.
3. Covid-19 Part 2. At this point it's clear that Covid-19 actually is the end of the world and is going to kill us all. The economy is shuttering, cases are skyrocketing and global oil demand and prices are plummeting. So Cal88 turns on a dime. Literally overnight. This is the clearest proof you could ask for that this guy is nothing but a Pravda mouthpiece, Now he argues Covid-19 is no big deal at all, the Swedish model of herd immunity is the smart approach, it's no more dangerous than the flu, Hydroxychloroquine is a miracle cure, etc etc. Why the radical switch?
Again the Putin angle explains it. Increase dissension, kill a bunch of Americans and for Gods sake get people buying oil again. He went hog wild on that.
4. The election. Ok this screed has gone on long enough, but the point is obvious. Increase distrust in the election, do whatever you can to get Americans to fight and do whatever you can to pump up the best friend Moscow has ever had or ever could have in the Oval Office.
And when the game is lost and your work is done, shut down your soviet made laptop, slip out to a bar in Vladivostok and get a nice chilled vodka or three. There's no point in engaging further since your job was finished when the last poling location closed. No need to waste more time.
So I don't say this lightly, but I have no other way to reconcile his posts. They aren't consistent with those of a died in the wool conservative. They are consistent with the postings of a Russian agent and that's exactly what I believe based on the above that he is.
Great post. I think the claim that he is an ACTUAL Russian troll or agent is unlikely and largely facetious, but it's actually a distinction without a difference. The extreme-right media (the Trump base) has been fueled by Russian misinformation (the most ironic being the declaration that Libs are obsessed with Russia and that the Mueller investigation was a hoax and found nothing) for several years such that the "conservative" speaking points are anti-American and completely align with RU trolling attacks and the Putin agenda. So much so that Putin even rose in favorability amongst the Trump supporters.Sebastabear said:
So I don't say this lightly, but I have no other way to reconcile his posts. They aren't consistent with those of a died in the wool conservative. They are consistent with the postings of a Russian agent and that's exactly what I believe based on the above that he is.
Yes, I'm being more than a bit tongue in cheek. While I have no doubt that there are Russian troll farms whose sole purpose is to foment dissent on American message boards, I'm guessing the BI off topic board is not high on their list of targets. But as you say, a distinction without a difference. If Putin developed an obsession with Cal football and started regularly posting here you couldn't fit a sliver of daylight between Cal88 and what Putin would say. It's more than disturbing - it's horrifying.blungld said:Great post. I think the claim that he is an ACTUAL Russian troll or agent is unlikely and largely facetious, but it's actually a distinction without a difference. The extreme-right media (the Trump base) has been fueled by Russian misinformation (the most ironic being the declaration that Libs are obsessed with Russia and that the Mueller investigation was a hoax and found nothing) for several years such that the "conservative" speaking points are anti-American and completely align with RU trolling attacks and the Putin agenda. So much so that Putin even rose in favorability amongst the Trump supporters.Sebastabear said:
So I don't say this lightly, but I have no other way to reconcile his posts. They aren't consistent with those of a died in the wool conservative. They are consistent with the postings of a Russian agent and that's exactly what I believe based on the above that he is.
And yet these people are the alleged patriots. It's laughable in that that brutal cruel way that poignant irony can elicit tears.
Sebastabear said:Yes, I'm being more than a bit tongue in cheek. While I have no doubt that there are Russian troll farms whose sole purpose is to foment dissent on American message boards, I'm guessing the BI off topic board is not high on their list of targets. But as you say, a distinction without a difference. If Putin developed an obsession with Cal football and started regularly posting here you couldn't fit a sliver of daylight between Cal88 and what Putin would say. It's more than disturbing - it's horrifying.blungld said:Great post. I think the claim that he is an ACTUAL Russian troll or agent is unlikely and largely facetious, but it's actually a distinction without a difference. The extreme-right media (the Trump base) has been fueled by Russian misinformation (the most ironic being the declaration that Libs are obsessed with Russia and that the Mueller investigation was a hoax and found nothing) for several years such that the "conservative" speaking points are anti-American and completely align with RU trolling attacks and the Putin agenda. So much so that Putin even rose in favorability amongst the Trump supporters.Sebastabear said:
So I don't say this lightly, but I have no other way to reconcile his posts. They aren't consistent with those of a died in the wool conservative. They are consistent with the postings of a Russian agent and that's exactly what I believe based on the above that he is.
And yet these people are the alleged patriots. It's laughable in that that brutal cruel way that poignant irony can elicit tears.
clueless i googled it, and sure enough he's right. signed, young'un no masBig C said:
... we are like what "magnetism" was in the old Dick Tracy comic (google it, young'uns).
Okaydo, some posters seem to use the fact that you post these twitter gems as ammo against your quality as a poster on this board, but, as a member who reads a lot here, I thank you for them and think it makes you one of the best posters here. I'm sorry some people don't understand you, but I am glad you pay no attention to the haters and hope you just keep at it!okaydo said:
dajo9 said:
Future generations will view his supporters with bewilderment and dismay.
Add: contempt.concordtom said:dajo9 said:
Future generations will view his supporters with bewilderment and dismay.
Add:
Current generations already view his supporters with bewilderment and dismay.
Quote:
That instinct proved sufficiently well attuned that he got nearly 75 million votes in November, even while his malign incompetence was killing his own people. He got those votes, moreover, having made it abundantly clear that he would never accept the result of the election unless he won. They were votes for open autocracy.
This is his legacy: he has successfully led a vast number of voters along the path from hatred of government to contempt for rational deliberation to the inevitable endpoint: disdain for the electoral process itself.
B.A. Bearacus said:
An important Repub voice asking for Pence to be shot to death.
oskidunker said:
What does trump get out of this meaningless gesture?I really hope cnn stops covering him after Jan 20.
B.A. Bearacus said:
