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Travis's avatar

Millions of "conservatives" in FL, GA, NC, and SC will suddenly become thirsty for socialism from the federal tit this week once the devastation bill is tallied. There ain't no cries of "socialism!" from down south when the Stafford Act gets invoked for natural disaster bailouts.

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SandyG's avatar

You called it, Travis!

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Oldandintheway's avatar

I wonder if there will be any place for them to vote? Perhaps all the people and polling places have left are washed away. Perhaps 4 million MAGA folks won’t vote and Florida will go Blue.

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SandyG's avatar

And Trump will claim it was rigged. To paraphrase Stephen Colbert, nature has a well-known liberal bias.

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Color Me Skeptical's avatar

I was thinking the same thing Travis.

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Kate Fall's avatar

The Democrats should be taking advantage of this opportunity to blanket the Southeast with appearances and assistance. Do not miss this opportunity, Democrats!

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Ann P's avatar

Also the Dems need to tell them that Project 2025 plans to get rid of NOAA, the National Hurricane Center and FEMA. The flood insurance program may also be on the chopping block. This needs to be shouted loud and clear in these states constantly the next few weeks.

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SandyG's avatar

Uh GREEE!

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max skinner's avatar

Well yeah but I' sure the voters will be told that private industry will fill the gap left by the abolition of NOAA, NHC, and FEMA. I mean look how well the homeowners insurance industry is doing with frequent natural disasters in hurricane prone and wildfire prone states.

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Travis's avatar

100%

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Justin Lee's avatar

The politics of disaster relief are complicated. One of my mom's friends and her husband canceled their flood insurance a few months before Hurricane Harvey flooded their house in 2017. Instead of blaming themselves for being short-sighted, my mom's friend blamed the government for sending all the disaster relief to "The Mexicans."

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SandyG's avatar

A great example of motivated reasoning where "emotion-loaded motivational biases affect how new information is perceived" (Wikipedia). It's not quite a cognitive disorder because it is very common among humans.

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Jenn's avatar

Oh, they are already over on Xitter screaming about it being Biden’s fault that Tennessee didn’t get disaster aid right away. The reality is that the TN governor was too busy declaring “days of prayer and fasting” to get around to formally requesting a disaster declaration.

Honestly—these people wear me out. How can people who live in places that are run by Republican supermajorities not see through this?

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SandyG's avatar

How? Here's my answer: It's a social psychosis, AKA a shared psychosis, delusions shared on a mass scale.

Or, more simply, it's "The Emperor's New Clothes" where the townsfolk go along with the pretense, not wanting to appear inept or stupid. Social conformity, fitting in with the group, is very strong in most humans. Evolutionary psychologists say it comes from our earliest days as humans where being part of the group was essential to survival. There was no such thing as an individual until the late 17th Century in Europe.

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max skinner's avatar

I guess the governor couldn't pray, fast, and sign a request for disaster relief all in the same day.

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Timothy M Dwyer's avatar

He tried to sign the request whilst in a state of prayer, but ended up doodling in tongues…

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Hortense's avatar

Perhaps Ted Cruz will stand up in the Senate and denounce the aid that these states will get, like he did with Superstorm Sandy.

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kathi in va's avatar

I was just wondering yesterday why no republicans were rushing on air to declare that this disaster happened as a warning from an angry god to show these people they better change their evil ways. I guess natural disasters are only messages from god when they happen in blue districts.

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Alondra's avatar

Most certainly has nothing to do with global warming - as in Gulf waters at warmer than normal temps leading to unprecedented intensification of Helene.

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Paul K. Ogden's avatar

Of course, that is speculation about what happened. They don't know for sure.

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