this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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Summary

Rep. Chuck Edwards’ North Carolina town hall erupted in chaos as constituents furiously protested DOGE, a Trump administration initiative tied to mass federal job cuts and Elon Musk’s growing influence.

Attendees, including laid-off government workers, jeered at Edwards over employment losses and reduced federal funding.

Constituents raised concerns about federal job cuts affecting veterans' services, national parks, and Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.

Edwards struggled to respond but remained unfazed. The GOP downplayed the unrest, calling it staged, though independent voters like veteran Martin Downie say they feel directly targeted by their own government.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 hour ago

Breaking: Democrats might still be electable in the future, through no virtue of their own!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 39 minutes ago

It's just the screaming of some faces being eaten by leopards. The leopards are "reckoning with" it just fine. They don't care.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 40 minutes ago* (last edited 37 minutes ago) (1 children)

For anyone who is not familiar, Asheville is a very Left-leaning city in a deep red state. Last time I saw that many granola crunching hippies was in my mom's photo albums of the Haight-Ashbury district in '69. I'm not saying the town hall was full of Democrats, or that Asheville doesn't have its fair share of dyed-in-the-wool conservatives. I'm just saying that the general mindset in Asheville leans much further Left than the rest of NC, and that may explain why Edwards was getting so much shit from the public. Buncombe County (where Asheville is) voted 61% for Edwards' Democratic opponent Caleb Rudow in 2024.

Here's a pic I took of some graffiti while I was up there not long ago.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 32 minutes ago

Fuck it. More graffiti. Some trippy cats.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 hour ago

Meanwhile, Stupidity knows no bounds. Meanwhile they will still vote for them.

We love our oppressors.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

But others, like Downie, aren't necessarily on the left end of the political spectrum. He's a registered independent who served under presidents of both parties during his time in the Army.

"independent"

How to say you are voting Republican but not exactly proud about it...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 24 minutes ago

Nah, 100% fuck that. After I moved to where I live now I registered as an independent because after 23 years of being a democrat, I’m now embarrassed to say that about myself and I also largely disagree with their capitalist bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 minutes ago* (last edited 4 minutes ago)

Nah, this isn't true. I'm a Coloradan and registered independent. I generally vote blue, and am very socially liberal and a big believer in safety nets and social programs, providing a floor, and I'm a proponent for the idea of a national basic income, universal healthcare, and free or subsidized education. I just don't feel that the Democrats have actually represented me or my interests in a very long time. I was originally a registered democrat, but have been a registered independent now for well over a decade.

If we had an actual progressive party that would be something, but this milquetoast middle-of-the-road Democratic party we have today is essentially the Republican party of my youth. The dems are very conservative these days, and only left-seeming because the Republicans have continually shifted toward insane alt-right extremism since the mid/late 2000s.

[–] [email protected] 76 points 16 hours ago (6 children)

Where the fuck was all this rage in November, my fellow Americans? We already had four years of Trump, January 6 insurrection, a disastrous reduction in foreign relations. But I guess that wasn't enough???

[–] [email protected] 1 points 32 minutes ago

Most Americans have little clue what's going on in government. They just know they're angry about things and blame whoever they perceive as being in charge.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 hours ago

I'm told it's all the Democrats fault that the Republicans are fucking awful people trying to steer this country into a fascist dictatorship. I mean, just LOOK at what the Democrats made the Republicans do!

If the DNC and the candidates had only listened to these arbiters of wisdom, all would be well, I am told.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 13 hours ago

These are MAGA morons, deplorables if you will, who are now upset that they're being affected by project 2025 because they had it in their heads that they would be spared as being good whites and it would only affect minorities and liberals because they're racist deplorables.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

You do not understand the power of ~~the dark side~~ propaganda.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Marketing, as an industry, should be stamped out of existence. It's just professional lying.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

But this is what I don’t get - Trump isn’t even good at lying. Practically every word is a lie but fails on logic and he’ll usually say the opposite soon enough. How do people even fall for it? Do they actually listen to him?

It must be just cherry-picking: if he says enough lies you can usually find one you like. But how could you reconcile that one thing you think you agree with out of a vast ocean of lies?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 12 hours ago

There's zero expectation of discernment in a cult. And MAGA is a political cult.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

No need to guess, it wasn’t enough. I think in hindsight, Covid is going to seem like a pleasant nostalgic time.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

It already does.

Especially the first part of it where we were baking bread or whatever.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I know a ton of people died, and countless more where hurt, and it hurt the economy, but as an introvert hermit, GOD DO I MISS LOCKDOWN.

I do my best to keep up the life style, but I'm still expected to go into the office every once in a while for my wasted day as we all call it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 12 hours ago

And even the bread … I got so fat and my cholesterol sky rocketed

[–] [email protected] 4 points 13 hours ago

These were the people that voted for this.

[–] [email protected] 110 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

I guess it's good that non-political people are starting to get involved. Shame they didn't spend 5 minutes to check which way the wind was blowing in November last year.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

They'll still vote for fascism. They're just angry it's impacting them directly.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 17 hours ago

western north carolina actually saw a notable leftward shift

[–] [email protected] 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

In the end it will always affect them directly. So they'll remain angry until they get half of a fucking clue about the issues.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

So they'll remain angry until they get half of a fucking clue about the issues.

Then they'll be even more angry. I know I am.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 hours ago

I think the only way I could be associated with Texas is if the association included drunk. Hope you're doing okay.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Shame they didn’t spend 5 minutes to check which way the wind was blowing in November last year.

Which is especially weird, since they should've learned the importance of it from the wind in September.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 14 hours ago

2017 on line two, sir.

[–] [email protected] 98 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

This was a fun one to watch. Edwards said that he was proud to vote for the budget resolution and was booed hard. He smiled in response, like a goddamn sociopath, further enraging the people. A veteran stood up, shouted louder than the crowd and was forcibly removed by police. At the end of the town hall, Edwards hid inside the building for almost an hour, waiting for the crowd to disperse. Not only were they all waiting for him outside, they surrounded his car and made him sit in the center of a parking lot protest for 20 minutes until the police broke it up. Fuck any public servant that refuses to represent their constituency.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

If this is the response now, imagine the response when they crash the entire economy. Not a smart thing to do with a heavily armed population.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 14 hours ago

Help us heavily-armed rednecks. You're one of our only hopes.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

20 minutes?

It should be 20 fucking days.

Surround his fucking house.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 16 hours ago

They stayed until the police forced the protesters to allow him passage.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (3 children)

Too bad there isn't a Dem that could really thrive at this moment of darkness for some good. 2016 Bernie's messaging would connect now more than ever but that time has passed. I'm glad Republican voters are mad, even if I bet it is just because they are being affected too, not really mad about the harm.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Too bad there isn’t a Dem that could really thrive at this moment of darkness for some good.

AOC seems to be having a moment. And Bernie seems to be in the recruitment phase for something, at least I hope he is.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

And Bernie seems to be in the recruitment phase for something, at least I hope he is.

Don't expect much from Bernie on that front. He's a good progressive Senator, but he'll never actually lead a progressive movement. I don't know if he doesn't have it in him anymore or if he's just not that kind of guy, but Bernie works a lot better as a symbol than as a leader.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

He's already led two progressive movements.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

AOC seems to be throwing in with Bernie. Yes, Bernie is getting older, but with a sort of confirmed 'successor' may still have some bite..... as long as the Democratic party doesn't pull the same bullshit.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 14 hours ago

Eh, probably need an old white guy. Walz or Newsome are the two who should be getting in the spotlight now. Then the Dems get a group of progressives who will back either of them to make some waves and say what they won’t. Dems need to be more unified and not go too crazy. Too many young people are MAGA inclined, no matter how left leaning they say.

But I’m just some guy. I’m sure they know better and it’s “her/his time” or whatever they want to push.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Just a friendly correction, it's affected, not effected. Affected is a verb (which is how I remember).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Actually it’s super confusing because they can both be verbs and they can both be nouns.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 41 minutes ago* (last edited 40 minutes ago)

The easiest way to remember is the term "special effects".

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 19 hours ago (4 children)

Now maybe if democrats could take advantage of this rage instead of being complicit.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 19 hours ago

Sorry. Book tours and all. Worthless Senate Minority Leader out front shoulda told ya.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

They were supposed to directly target OTHERS, not MEEEEEEE!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

"He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting."

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

turns out he was.

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