https://www.newsweek.com/sarah-huack...r-vote-1192395

Serious question: what does CP think the results of the popular election was in 2016?

I’m one. I started out a neo-con, swung toward anarchocapitalism now I’m somewhere on the mid to far left end of the spectrum due largely in part to posting/lurking here. Fly, Dvaut, Wookie, and Phonebooth all stand out as people who were influential in making me reconsider my views.

Quite a few of them think he crushed it if you take away the illegal Soros votes.

You deserve nothing but encouragement and praise for doing it. There's nothing you can do on a forum politically have a more +ev expectation.

It's still small ev but everytihng we do is small. It's a lot more than voting which is the usual subject of the nonsense 'makes no difference' argument.

Hey suzzer,

I also have peeked over there a few times, and against just now. I agree with the sentiment that trying to change minds there really is a waste of time, and also clearly not doing harm. I'm sure it's possible that there are lurkers who read your posts and come away re-thinking things (that's probably much more true here) but in a place that toxic there are probably few lurkers.

Dvault's bit here: "They're not Commodus in the arena getting to bestow a thumbs up or down based on your performance" is pretty good.

The thing is they're just never going to say "OK sure, you're right, we should look at facts" or whatever. And I know you know that, but it' just SO. HARD. to remember that when the facts really are that obvious. But seeking that will just be completely frustrating and will never pay off.

I spent a long time arguing politics over text with a guy I used to work with. Did fine at his job, liked college football, pretty reasonable about a lot of things. He even dropped trump over the pussy-grabber video, and didn't vote for him (nor did he vote for Clinton). But over time he just got more and more deplorable, and his scummy racist reaction to the Trump toddler-stealing policy was the last straw. I told him it was the last straw, then blocked his number, blocked him on all social media, and banned him from my college fantasy football league. There have been a couple of times I wished I could troll him over something, but on balance our interactions were more stressful for me than good.

You do you, and I'm sure you're a voice of reason over there, I hope it's satisfying and not really frustrating.

Since I discovered texting voters (https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/4...oters-1725318/, and it includes an awesome takedown of Ins0) I've been arguing about politics on the internet a lot less. It's a much more positive use of the time I have to commit to politics, for a few reasons. First, you're actually contributing to the democratic party. Second, you get positive responses, lots of them! And last, you can just opt the *******s out and they can never text you again.

Also - dvault - what do you do for a living? How / where have you learned to write?

i used to have some libertarian bend to my thinking because i didn't fully undrestand the role racism plays in the crafting of policy positions and being a young 20-something year old heading out into the world pissed off at religion and authority and motivated to make it myself (playing poker), i just had a really selfish worldview. hated GWB, voted against him the second time (i was 17 in 2000, womp womp), and voted for obama both times. but was so angry with congress and govt in general that i voted against every incumbent senator/judge/local politician on the ballot after black friday. felt some shame over this uninformed knee-jerk reaction, decided i wanted to learn more so i started lurking here in 2013 or so.

liberals clearly wafflecrushed everyone on the merits of the arguments and on the "being a decent person" scale, so here i am. what makes me different than trumpkins on CP, however, is that i have the humility to accept that i dont know everything and that i could have been wrong at any point in time, that i'm not the smartest person in the room, and this is what allows me to question any pre-existing beliefs/ideas i had about society and the world. i'm also not driven by hatred and resentment anymore.

I think he's a publishing exec, ex-editor of some type.

The power of wookie compels you!