Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

Anthony Jackson2 said:Wait, I just realized the local Republican Party backed Bandić’s budget today—basically giving a green light to a guy facing multiple criminal charges to keep riding his high as mayor of the capital.

By doing this, they’ve basically been enabling this criminal activity long before they even officially took power.🙏 🙏 It’s pure surrealism.🙏 🤣

So what do you think their reasoning was for backing him? 😉

If the Democratic Party had any skin in this game, they’d be throwing a victory parade right now, just like how Zoki used to insist that Bandić was some kind of legendary mayor... 😬

It’s the same story with the minority groups, too; last month they claimed the left wing was their only hope, but if this group actually manages to form a government tomorrow, suddenly everyone will be cheering along... when there’s money being handed out from the federal budget, it’s always better to be the one holding the bucket...

Robin Fox2 said:Word on the street is things are looking pretty lopsided at the Bridge right now... if everyone decided to jump ship to the Republican Party tonight, then Petrov has clearly done a masterful job of brainwashing those remaining five...

I mean, we can't just take this one specific data point as gospel while ignoring every other assumption that goes against Petrov. That doesn't really work.

Well, the data has been pointing toward this exact ratio on the Bridge from the very beginning—a right-wing majority with a minority on the left—which actually makes sense when you consider where the core of the Bridge is located... It isn't exactly news to anyone...

Robin Fox2 said:If the Democratic Party had any skin in this game, they’d be throwing a victory parade right now, just like how Zoki used to insist that Bandić was some kind of legendary mayor... 😬

It’s the same story with the minority groups, too; last month they claimed the left wing was their only hope, but if this group actually manages to form a government tomorrow, suddenly everyone will be cheering along... when there’s money being handed out from the federal budget, it’s always better to be the one holding the bucket...

The Democratic Party doesn't stand a chance of backing Bandić right now, and there's no way Bandić would go running to the Democratic Party either.

As for new elections, there is no way I'm voting for Bridge again. If they had just come out and said—it's the GOP—then maybe I could live with that.

But personally, this feels like a massive slap in the face. He claimed he'd have a Prime Minister sorted within 24 hours, yet they haven't even discussed a single serious issue.

The guy acted like a total amateur who has no clue what he's doing. I'm becoming more convinced that Tomislav Karamarko has him under his thumb somehow. Or maybe I'm just kidding myself thinking someone could be such an idiot to pull this off.

Robin Fox2 said:Well, the data has been pointing toward this exact ratio on the Bridge from the very beginning—a right-wing majority with a minority on the left—which actually makes sense when you consider where the core of the Bridge is located... It isn't exactly news to anyone...

A majority versus a minority could easily be 13 to 2. I guess where are you getting 10 to 5?

urbanhawk17 said:A majority versus a minority could easily be 13 to 2. I guess where are you getting 10 to 5?

I read it somewhere, though the data could just as easily be wrong...

A 13-2 split seems quite unlikely...

It’s pretty obvious who studied political science here 😁

Anthony Jackson2 said:In a way, it’s actually for the best—let them finish what they started back during the "saintly" Franjo era, so we can finally hit rock bottom and get it over with. We aren't exactly far off anyway.

Maybe if I actually looked at some objective data for myself instead of just repeating the same tired mantras that have been circling our heads for decades, I wouldn't feel like we started our downward spiral all the way back in the nineties.

As for Petrov, the guy really bit off more than he could chew. I truly believe he had good intentions when he jumped into this whole thing, but you simply cannot play games with those old, entrenched political structures. He basically sealed his own fate, along with the Bridge party and any other third party looking to make a move anytime soon.

Now, if Tomislav Karamarko really orchestrated everything the way it looks, the man is a better strategist than anyone in House of Cards. But regardless of how it goes, I doubt this Government will even make it through their full term.

I mean, seriously, let Bridge actually come forward with those call logs they keep talking about. They owe it to their voters, plain and simple. Right now, they’re just selling smoke and mirrors, and honestly, I hope this whole "coalition" falls apart so we can head back to the polls. It was pretty entertaining watching things play out so openly yesterday; Jelić is such a smooth operator—a total sleazebag who basically clawed his way into his position by getting into a physical altercation with a principal at the school where he taught. 🙏

urbanhawk17 said:The Democratic Party doesn't stand a chance of backing Bandić right now, and there's no way Bandić would go running to the Democratic Party either.

As for new elections, there is no way I'm voting for Bridge again. If they had just come out and said—it's the GOP—then maybe I could live with that.

But personally, this feels like a massive slap in the face. He claimed he'd have a Prime Minister sorted within 24 hours, yet they haven't even discussed a single serious issue.

The guy acted like a total amateur who has no clue what he's doing. I'm becoming more convinced that Tomislav Karamarko has him under his thumb somehow. Or maybe I'm just kidding myself thinking someone could be such an idiot to pull this off.

Actually, they've been discussing all these matters for a month now, just like they did with the Democratic Party; they didn't just start yesterday! It's the exact same situation as when they were negotiating with the Democrats.
On another note, it is absolutely fascinating to watch how Patrina suddenly transformed into some kind of prophet—suddenly wise and moral—when really, the guy sold himself out for cash the moment he realized there was another option on the table besides his own. Everything people accuse Petrov of is actually just the flip side of what Patrina is doing!

Michelle Palmer6 said:Actually, they've been discussing all these matters for a month now, just like they did with the Democratic Party; they didn't just start yesterday! It's the exact same situation as when they were negotiating with the Democrats.
On another note, it is absolutely fascinating to watch how Patrina suddenly transformed into some kind of prophet—suddenly wise and moral—when really, the guy sold himself out for cash the moment he realized there was another option on the table besides his own. Everything people accuse Petrov of is actually just the flip side of what Patrina is doing!

They’ve been negotiating with both sides for about six weeks now. I figured we’d end up with either a coalition government, which nobody really expected, or new elections, which is what I honestly thought would happen.

It wouldn't have mattered if they had just gone to see Kolinda with Milanović yesterday. Honestly, there isn't much difference between the Democratic Party and the GOP.

But the way Petrov basically spat in the face of his voters is just gross. He said one thing and did another, totally betraying the trust of almost everyone who voted for them.

The guy from yesterday wouldn't even budge an inch.

And Patrina is just a joke who jumped on the Democratic Party bandwagon the moment it suited him. Since the rest of the Bridge party stayed together despite being attacked by the media and both political sides, I really thought we were headed for new elections. I guess I was wrong.

urbanhawk17 said:They’ve been negotiating with both sides for about six weeks now. I figured we’d end up with either a coalition government, which nobody really expected, or new elections, which is what I honestly thought would happen.

It wouldn't have mattered if they had just gone to see Kolinda with Milanović yesterday. Honestly, there isn't much difference between the Democratic Party and the GOP.

But the way Petrov basically spat in the face of his voters is just gross. He said one thing and did another, totally betraying the trust of almost everyone who voted for them.

The guy from yesterday wouldn't even budge an inch.

And Patrina is just a joke who jumped on the Democratic Party bandwagon the moment it suited him. Since the rest of the Bridge party stayed together despite being attacked by the media and both political sides, I really thought we were headed for new elections. I guess I was wrong.

He finally did exactly what everyone has been calling him out for over the last month: he picked a side. The problem is, for a huge chunk of the public, he picked the wrong one.
It's true, the moves made yesterday feel pretty shady. But honestly, even if we had new elections, Bridge would end up in the exact same spot. They wouldn't be the leading party in power regardless; they'd just be a corrective force against either the GOP or the Democratic Party. New elections might seem more palatable, but in the end, they wouldn't change much. Especially since those current representatives who left Bridge to join the Democratic Party would have a hell of a time winning seats on their own in Congress.

That’s just politics for you, I guess.

New elections didn't happen because Petrov probably realized he’d only scrape together a couple of seats, if he gets lucky enough to see another election at all. Honestly, if he’d called for new elections just a week after the last one, he might have actually picked up more seats, but waiting this long? Probably not. I guess my vote would have counted either way, but once they reached an agreement 🙄 with one of those coalitions, my influence vanished along with about 95% of everyone else's.

Personally, I don't much care whether it's the GOP or the Democratic Party, though I suppose I lean toward the Democrats, or at least the kind of perspectives the left should be representing.

As for them being a "corrective force," my ass. You know it as well as I do. They've basically become part of the furniture now. The general consensus seems to be that they just proved how impossible it is to maintain a third party in America, effectively killing any future chance for anyone else to try and pull a vote away from the big players.

urbanhawk17 said:New elections didn't happen because Petrov probably realized he’d only scrape together a couple of seats, if he gets lucky enough to see another election at all. Honestly, if he’d called for new elections just a week after the last one, he might have actually picked up more seats, but waiting this long? Probably not. I guess my vote would have counted either way, but once they reached an agreement 🙄 with one of those coalitions, my influence vanished along with about 95% of everyone else's.

Personally, I don't much care whether it's the GOP or the Democratic Party, though I suppose I lean toward the Democrats, or at least the kind of perspectives the left should be representing.

As for them being a "corrective force," my ass. You know it as well as I do. They've basically become part of the furniture now. The general consensus seems to be that they just proved how impossible it is to maintain a third party in America, effectively killing any future chance for anyone else to try and pull a vote away from the big players.

It isn't impossible, but I guess they need more votes and better internal cohesion. With a standard political party, you might have an individual leave or get kicked out here and there, but most of the party soldiers stay loyal from start to finish. Bridge isn't really a traditional party.

urbanhawk17 said:New elections didn't happen because Petrov probably realized he’d only scrape together a couple of seats, if he gets lucky enough to see another election at all. Honestly, if he’d called for new elections just a week after the last one, he might have actually picked up more seats, but waiting this long? Probably not. I guess my vote would have counted either way, but once they reached an agreement 🙄 with one of those coalitions, my influence vanished along with about 95% of everyone else's.

Personally, I don't much care whether it's the GOP or the Democratic Party, though I suppose I lean toward the Democrats, or at least the kind of perspectives the left should be representing.

As for them being a "corrective force," my ass. You know it as well as I do. They've basically become part of the furniture now. The general consensus seems to be that they just proved how impossible it is to maintain a third party in America, effectively killing any future chance for anyone else to try and pull a vote away from the big players.

That doesn’t quite line up with what the polls are saying regarding the bridge results, though to be fair, they are a bit dated!
Look, let's be real here. If you honestly expected them to walk away with nothing after such a stellar performance, then I really don't know what you were thinking. If you truly believed their role was meant to be non-existent, then why on earth were you sitting there biting your nails throughout the entire campaign?

urbanhawk17 said:New elections didn't happen because Petrov probably realized he’d only scrape together a couple of seats, if he gets lucky enough to see another election at all. Honestly, if he’d called for new elections just a week after the last one, he might have actually picked up more seats, but waiting this long? Probably not. I guess my vote would have counted either way, but once they reached an agreement 🙄 with one of those coalitions, my influence vanished along with about 95% of everyone else's.

Personally, I don't much care whether it's the GOP or the Democratic Party, though I suppose I lean toward the Democrats, or at least the kind of perspectives the left should be representing.

As for them being a "corrective force," my ass. You know it as well as I do. They've basically become part of the furniture now. The general consensus seems to be that they just proved how impossible it is to maintain a third party in America, effectively killing any future chance for anyone else to try and pull a vote away from the big players.

So, he basically decided their fate before the game even started. Let’s be real: there was absolutely no way they were pulling in enough votes to win, but they’re also just too massive to ignore if you actually want to put a government together. It was an inevitability. If he had tried to play both sides and walk the line between them, people would have just called him indecisive and accused him of being a political schemer!

Look, if you’re asking me personally, I’d much rather see the Democratic Party in a coalition than the GOP. But honestly, since I already gave them my vote, I feel like I should stick by them at least until they actually follow through on their promises and build that majority they campaigned on. It feels like they’ve completely screwed over the "third option" here in America, but let's be real—that third party was doomed from the jump because everyone keeps judging and undermining them from every single angle right from the start.

Michelle Palmer6 said:He finally did exactly what everyone has been calling him out for over the last month: he picked a side. The problem is, for a huge chunk of the public, he picked the wrong one.
It's true, the moves made yesterday feel pretty shady. But honestly, even if we had new elections, Bridge would end up in the exact same spot. They wouldn't be the leading party in power regardless; they'd just be a corrective force against either the GOP or the Democratic Party. New elections might seem more palatable, but in the end, they wouldn't change much. Especially since those current representatives who left Bridge to join the Democratic Party would have a hell of a time winning seats on their own in Congress.

Back on Monday, when a Bridge-Democratic Party coalition seemed like a real possibility, nobody was raising an eyebrow or using harsh language...😬

They looked good to me a week ago when every option was on the table; they looked fine on Monday when the Democratic Party was the choice; they looked questionable yesterday once the GOP remained the focus; and honestly, they’ll look just as questionable today if we head to the polls again, though I suppose I still hold out a glimmer of hope for that scenario... They earned our vote, so they have the right to do as they please with it... We'll see in a year or two if we made a mistake at the ballot box, but there's no sense in tearing them down before they've even acted... we'll have plenty of time for that later...

Michelle Palmer6, they could have played the long game with a coalition government for as long as necessary, but they didn't. I mean, look at Belgium—they went two years without a functioning government, so why couldn't America do the same? Instead, they just folded under the pressure, proving they're no different from those two parties. They're essentially identical.

Ken, they didn't side with the Democratic Party just to go run to Kolinda so people could start attacking them. At the end of the day, they didn't reach any kind of agreement with the Democratic Party.

I mean, they were basically playing a hand using the joint Government's chips until just the other day 🤷
Since the Democratic Party actually signed off and the GOP didn't, what else were they supposed to do?