A - Austria

Christian Myers said:Congrats to Joe Biden. Though, let's be honest—he definitely got a leg up thanks to the massive media coverage and the constant bashing of Donald Trump. If I remember correctly, the President of Austria is kind of like the President of Germany or the US—mostly just a figurehead. The real deal will be the 2018 midterm elections, where the Democratic Party might actually see some solid gains. It’s hard to call, though—everything depends on how this whole immigrant crisis plays out, which seems to be a huge reason why the right wing (including the extreme stuff) is gaining ground across Europe.

Well, yeah. Of course the ideologically biased media played a massive role here. And you can't ignore the fact that Austria still carries some heavy baggage from the Waldheim era... so I guess many people just saw voting for VdB as the pragmatic choice.

The 2018 midterm elections will be more critical, especially if the Libertarian Party manages to pull off a decent showing. It's hard to say, though, since we don't really know how the immigration crisis—which is a huge driver for the rise of right-wing movements across Europe—is going to play out.

Still, this feels like a major win for the Libertarian Party.
I mean, VdB was basically an independent candidate backed by almost everyone else—the political establishment, the media, the institutions, the entire European Union bureaucracy...
The outcome serves as a constant reminder to everyone in Austria that they probably need to rethink their irrational pro-integration and pro-immigration policies, which several parties have already openly declared.

Plus, following that referendum in Italy, the whole direction of European policy seems pretty questionable now.

It’s pretty wild that the Burgenland area went with Hofer at 60%, yet almost all the little towns with heavy American roots voted overwhelmingly for VDB—places like Stinjaki, Pinkovac, Uzlop, Trajshtof, Celindof, and the rest.

The way the right wing tries to defend fascists is honestly stomach-turning.

They hate the left so much—I mean, they absolutely loathe anyone with even a hint of progressive leanings—that they’d probably roll out the red carpet for Hitler himself just to make sure the left doesn't hold onto power.

David Vaughn75 said:The way the right wing tries to defend fascists is honestly stomach-turning.

They hate the left so much—I mean, they absolutely loathe anyone with even a hint of progressive leanings—that they’d probably roll out the red carpet for Hitler himself just to make sure the left doesn't hold onto power.

Did some fascist actually run in the elections over in the United States of America?
As far as I know, those types aren't even allowed to participate there.
🤔

coastalbison6 said:It’s pretty wild that the Burgenland area went with Hofer at 60%, yet almost all the little towns with heavy American roots voted overwhelmingly for VDB—places like Stinjaki, Pinkovac, Uzlop, Trajshtof, Celindof, and the rest.

This brings to mind that whole plebiscite mess in Carinthia following World War I back in 1920—where the majority of Canadians opted for Austria simply because they had absolutely no desire to see Cyrillic signs plastered all over their small towns.

Sorry, I’ve gotta fix a typo there—it tripped me up at first too—it was 1920, not 2920.

David Vaughn75 said:The way the right wing tries to defend fascists is honestly stomach-turning.

They hate the left so much—I mean, they absolutely loathe anyone with even a hint of progressive leanings—that they’d probably roll out the red carpet for Hitler himself just to make sure the left doesn't hold onto power.

Look, what we’re actually looking for is a version of the left similar to what you see in places like Prague or Bratislava—a group that actually looks out for its own citizens instead of getting totally intoxicated by cultural Marxism. Most other leftist parties today seem obsessed with finding any excuse to bring in as many immigrants as possible from Africa or the Middle East just to pad their voter numbers. You can see the end result in places like Belgium, where certain groups openly talk about using birth rates to eventually implement Sharia law.

I don't get why you liberals refuse to see that there are entire cultures that have zero interest in integrating into Western society. But nope, everyone has to follow your specific playbook, where there's a Pride parade on every single street corner. Seriously, do me a favor and take a quick trip to some Islamic countries and tell me if things would work that way over there.

redridge35 said:Look, what we’re actually looking for is a version of the left similar to what you see in places like Prague or Bratislava—a group that actually looks out for its own citizens instead of getting totally intoxicated by cultural Marxism. Most other leftist parties today seem obsessed with finding any excuse to bring in as many immigrants as possible from Africa or the Middle East just to pad their voter numbers. You can see the end result in places like Belgium, where certain groups openly talk about using birth rates to eventually implement Sharia law.

I don't get why you liberals refuse to see that there are entire cultures that have zero interest in integrating into Western society. But nope, everyone has to follow your specific playbook, where there's a Pride parade on every single street corner. Seriously, do me a favor and take a quick trip to some Islamic countries and tell me if things would work that way over there.

The reality is, you guys want Muslims to follow your specific social playbook, yet you're all over the place trying to ban gay marriage while nobody's coming after your lifestyle.

The Right wing just wants to force their own morality down everyone's throats so we're all forced to live life their way.

Timothy Nelson5 said:You aren't correcting me, because I already mentioned that the Austrian president holds powers very similar to those of the President of the United States.

Van der Bellen, much like the German president Joachim Gauck, is more of a figurehead who just reads whatever script is handed to him, sort of like the Queen of the United Kingdom.

That isn't really true, though.
If you look into it a bit, you'll find that the president actually has significant authority.
Maybe not nearly as much as the Prime Minister, but still substantial.

How much a certain president might abuse those powers, well, that depends on the individual, I guess, and also on the state of the country. If there's a strong government and a Prime Minister with a solid majority in Congress, then the president's role won't be particularly powerful. But in the case of a weak, unstable coalition or a minority government—or during some kind of political crisis—the president's role becomes quite important.

The bottom line is that the Chancellor is the one steering the ship when it comes to national policy—look at the examples of Angela Merkel or Christian Kern, not the ceremonial figures like Joachim Gauck or Alexander van der Bellen.😉

Instead, I’m reading headlines claiming Europe is breathing a sigh of relief. But let’s be real, it’s hardly a victory lap. It looks like almost every other Austrian has swung hard toward the far right. Now, just try to imagine that kind of political shift happening in Germany. Adios, Germany, and goodbye to the version of Europe we thought we knew. It’s not like the Germans, with their shaky 12% (+/-) support for the far-right, aren't drawing their own parallels.

If we’re being honest—and we shouldn't forget this—the real reason the EU is in such a mess is because trust was lost a long time ago. This isn't just a drop in the bucket; it's the whole damn bucket overflowing, and things are only getting worse. What they did regarding immigration is unacceptable—unforgivable, really—to about 90% of European nations. People are simply still afraid to vote hard-right. But that's going to change.

We’ve wasted a lot of time. Neither Merkel nor Kern is going to solve the refugee crisis, nor do they have any intention of trying. You can see where France is headed. They’re trying to salvage whatever is left, or maybe they realize that by installing a more polished "straw man"—someone like François Fillon, who is supposedly also on the right—they're just delaying the inevitable disaster that looks a lot like Le Pen.

Btw, I’m not right-wing, nor am I left-wing. I’m just wandering through memories of the good old days.

David Vaughn75 said:The reality is, you guys want Muslims to follow your specific social playbook, yet you're all over the place trying to ban gay marriage while nobody's coming after your lifestyle.

The Right wing just wants to force their own morality down everyone's throats so we're all forced to live life their way.

Nah, it’s more like you’re trying to push your own agenda, but people in Muslim countries just aren't buying it. I mean, how many Muslim nations actually recognize gay marriage or even offer any kind of protection for the LGBTQ+ community, atheists, religious minorities, or even just the basic rights of women? It’s hard to wrap my head around it.

You guys seem to think anyone moving here is going to jump right into your way of life—it’s all about those birth rates for you, isn't it? And yet, you still try to convince yourselves that you're the progressive, tolerant types, if that helps you sleep at night.

It seems VdB is hitting a sweet spot with women and kids (considering in Austria, sixteen-year-olds already have the right to vote):
http://www.heute.at/news/politik/Jun...t23660,1376820
http://www.emma.de/artikel/oesterrei...estoppt-333855

coastalbison6 said:It’s pretty wild that the Burgenland area went with Hofer at 60%, yet almost all the little towns with heavy American roots voted overwhelmingly for VDB—places like Stinjaki, Pinkovac, Uzlop, Trajshtof, Celindof, and the rest.

The most compelling fact to me is that the Nazi in that Small town in the Midwest barely managed to scrape past 50%. That alone speaks volumes about his actual persona and his fundamental character—not to mention the undeniable reality that he flatly denies the existence of the Republic of Austria.
Imagine the absolute farce it would have been if he had actually ascended to the presidency... honestly, he’d be right up there with that Con artist from NY who has such a peculiar preference for catching women in the midsection. 🙄

Tyler Walker62 said:The most compelling fact to me is that the Nazi in that Small town in the Midwest barely managed to scrape past 50%. That alone speaks volumes about his actual persona and his fundamental character—not to mention the undeniable reality that he flatly denies the existence of the Republic of Austria.
Imagine the absolute farce it would have been if he had actually ascended to the presidency... honestly, he’d be right up there with that Con artist from NY who has such a peculiar preference for catching women in the midsection. 🙄

After hearing his speech following the loss, it was pretty obvious to me that he's more than willing to overstep his authority whenever he feels like it.
We're in for some rough times if this party actually takes power after the next election. It'll be pure chaos, mostly because corruption seems to be baked into the DNA of these right-wing groups. During his time in power, Jörg Haider basically gutted the system and left the whole country saddled with $15 billion in debt from Hypo Bank. And honestly, I don't even need to mention how much of that money ended up being funneled into corrupt dealings back in America.

Quincy:

I can't believe I'm even typing this out—it’s like my brain is actually melting from the sheer absurdity of it all. Honestly, if you had told me a few years ago that we'd be sitting here, staring at this absolute train wreck of a situation, I would have laughed right in your face. But here we are. It’s just one thing after another, isn't it? Just a constant, relentless stream of "are you kidding me?" moments that leave you feeling totally drained. I was grabbing a coffee over in Chicago the other day—just trying to have a quiet morning, mind you—and I overheard some guy complaining about the exact same nonsense we've been dealing with. It’s everywhere. It feels like the whole country is just collectively losing its mind, and nobody's even trying to fix the mess anymore. They just shuffle the deck chairs while the ship is clearly taking on water. It's exhausting, man. Truly exhausting. You start to wonder if anyone is actually steering the wheel or if we're all just drifting toward the rocks at full speed. Anyway, rant over. I just needed to get that off my chest before I lost it completely. kaže: Look, let’s be real here—you aren't actually looking for a debate, you're just trying to shove your own worldview down everyone's throats. It’s pretty transparent. If you actually stepped back and looked at the facts, you'd see that most Muslim-majority nations don't even have legal recognition for gay marriage, let alone any actual protections for the LGBTQ+ community, atheists, or religious minorities. And don't even get me started on the status of women in those societies—it's a whole different conversation entirely. You can't just claim a moral high ground when the reality on the ground is so drastically different from what you're preaching. So you think these newcomers are just gonna show up and start demanding we live by their playbook? You’re convinced that birth rates are the whole damn game, right? And yet, here you are, still patting yourselves on the back, calling yourselves "progressive" or "tolerant"—if that kind of self-congratulatory nonsense actually makes you feel better about the mess we're in.

Look, I’ve said this a thousand times and I'll say it again—I don't give a damn what anyone's religious lifestyle looks like, as long as they aren't breaking the law. Honestly, if people want to live their lives according to their own faith, that's their business. I'm not about to sit here and try to dictate how Muslims, or anyone else for that matter, should act in their private time. As long as they're following the rules of the land and staying on the right side of the law, we're good. It’s really that simple—live your life, just don't break the law.
It’s honestly hilarious watching the right-wing crowd try to play both sides of the fence. They go on these massive crusades about how women shouldn't wear burkas, yet they’re the first ones screaming about birth rates and wanting people to stop having so many kids. It's such a blatant contradiction—they want to control everything, but they can't even get their own logic straight. Then you've got them acting all high and mighty about "traditional values," while simultaneously being totally fine with some white guy collecting welfare checks, but the second a Muslim man applies for the same thing, suddenly it's an absolute crisis. They don't actually care about the policy or the money; they just want to force their specific version of the American lifestyle onto everyone else. It's all just a way to push their own agenda under the guise of "culture."

Look, what you’re doing right there is textbook projection—classic psych 101 stuff. You’re basically just taking all those traits you've got yourself and slapping them onto everyone else to avoid looking in the mirror. It's a total deflection tactic, honestly.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about what's going on in Uzbekistan—I live in the States now, so that's just not my problem.

David Vaughn75 said:Quincy:

I can't believe I'm even typing this out—it’s like my brain is actually melting from the sheer absurdity of it all. Honestly, if you had told me a few years ago that we'd be sitting here, staring at this absolute train wreck of a situation, I would have laughed right in your face. But here we are. It’s just one thing after another, isn't it? Just a constant, relentless stream of "are you kidding me?" moments that leave you feeling totally drained. I was grabbing a coffee over in Chicago the other day—just trying to have a quiet morning, mind you—and I overheard some guy complaining about the exact same nonsense we've been dealing with. It’s everywhere. It feels like the whole country is just collectively losing its mind, and nobody's even trying to fix the mess anymore. They just shuffle the deck chairs while the ship is clearly taking on water. It's exhausting, man. Truly exhausting. You start to wonder if anyone is actually steering the wheel or if we're all just drifting toward the rocks at full speed. Anyway, rant over. I just needed to get that off my chest before I lost it completely. kaže: Look, let’s be real here—you aren't actually looking for a debate, you're just trying to shove your own worldview down everyone's throats. It’s pretty transparent. If you actually stepped back and looked at the facts, you'd see that most Muslim-majority nations don't even have legal recognition for gay marriage, let alone any actual protections for the LGBTQ+ community, atheists, or religious minorities. And don't even get me started on the status of women in those societies—it's a whole different conversation entirely. You can't just claim a moral high ground when the reality on the ground is so drastically different from what you're preaching. So you think these newcomers are just gonna show up and start demanding we live by their playbook? You’re convinced that birth rates are the whole damn game, right? And yet, here you are, still patting yourselves on the back, calling yourselves "progressive" or "tolerant"—if that kind of self-congratulatory nonsense actually makes you feel better about the mess we're in.

Look, I’ve said this a thousand times and I'll say it again—I don't give a damn what anyone's religious lifestyle looks like, as long as they aren't breaking the law. Honestly, if people want to live their lives according to their own faith, that's their business. I'm not about to sit here and try to dictate how Muslims, or anyone else for that matter, should act in their private time. As long as they're following the rules of the land and staying on the right side of the law, we're good. It’s really that simple—live your life, just don't break the law.
It’s honestly hilarious watching the right-wing crowd try to play both sides of the fence. They go on these massive crusades about how women shouldn't wear burkas, yet they’re the first ones screaming about birth rates and wanting people to stop having so many kids. It's such a blatant contradiction—they want to control everything, but they can't even get their own logic straight. Then you've got them acting all high and mighty about "traditional values," while simultaneously being totally fine with some white guy collecting welfare checks, but the second a Muslim man applies for the same thing, suddenly it's an absolute crisis. They don't actually care about the policy or the money; they just want to force their specific version of the American lifestyle onto everyone else. It's all just a way to push their own agenda under the guise of "culture."

Look, what you’re doing right there is textbook projection—classic psych 101 stuff. You’re basically just taking all those traits you've got yourself and slapping them onto everyone else to avoid looking in the mirror. It's a total deflection tactic, honestly.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about what's going on in Uzbekistan—I live in the States now, so that's just not my problem.

Forgive me if this sounds blunt...
If you're so unhappy with how things work here, and you'd much rather see women in burkas, massive families, and arranged marriages... well, why not just move to Uzbekistan?
I suppose I don't quite get why everyone else needs to bend to your preferences just so you can feel comfortable.

Timothy Nelson5 said:Forgive me if this sounds blunt...
If you're so unhappy with how things work here, and you'd much rather see women in burkas, massive families, and arranged marriages... well, why not just move to Uzbekistan?
I suppose I don't quite get why everyone else needs to bend to your preferences just so you can feel comfortable.

Maybe try actually quoting me correctly before you even think about opening your mouth, because I’m not wasting my breath responding to straight-up lies.

And honestly? Why don't *you* head off to Kazakhstan? Check out this guy—acting like some big shot trying to exile me from my own damn country just because he doesn't like what I posted.

David Vaughn75 said:Maybe try actually quoting me correctly before you even think about opening your mouth, because I’m not wasting my breath responding to straight-up lies.

And honestly? Why don't *you* head off to Kazakhstan? Check out this guy—acting like some big shot trying to exile me from my own damn country just because he doesn't like what I posted.

Well, you went ahead and wrote—conservatives don't want this, or that...
The logical leap there is that since you're a leftist, you apparently want all of it.
Is that a yes or a no?

Quincy:

Why don't you just pack up and move to Uzbekistan then? Look at this guy, trying to kick me out of my own country just because he doesn't like what I posted.

I'm not kicking anyone out.
It's more of a suggestion, I guess.
Actually, you seem to be the one trying to force everyone else to accept things they shouldn't have to in their own homes.
So, the suggestion carries some weight... if you hate American culture and traditions so much that you want to dismantle them and replace them with something else—well, why not just go somewhere where that "something else" is already the norm?
Seems pretty logical to me, anyway.

But whatever, this is getting off track.

Timothy Nelson5 said:Well, you went ahead and wrote—conservatives don't want this, or that...
The logical leap there is that since you're a leftist, you apparently want all of it.
Is that a yes or a no?

Quincy:

Why don't you just pack up and move to Uzbekistan then? Look at this guy, trying to kick me out of my own country just because he doesn't like what I posted.

I'm not kicking anyone out.
It's more of a suggestion, I guess.
Actually, you seem to be the one trying to force everyone else to accept things they shouldn't have to in their own homes.
So, the suggestion carries some weight... if you hate American culture and traditions so much that you want to dismantle them and replace them with something else—well, why not just go somewhere where that "something else" is already the norm?
Seems pretty logical to me, anyway.

But whatever, this is getting off track.

The whole point of the "quote" button is to actually repeat what someone said, not to make up stuff that nobody ever uttered in the first place.

In any case, I already flagged you for a moderator.

It's been a while since I checked in, but it looks like things haven't changed much here 😉.
Regarding the votes from those younger voters (around 16-18), I haven't seen any data on them yet. I'd guess the breakdown is pretty similar to what we see in the US: basically the working class voting for Hofer out of fear for their livelihoods, while everyone else votes against him.

The Democrats and Republicans are honestly sad stories on their own, but I think there are three main factors at play here:
- Christian Kern
- the fact that the populist party (specifically their frontman Hofer) is starting to lose some ground
- and how Hofer seems clearly stronger than Strache

Should be interesting to watch.

The best thing about the Republican Party right now is definitely Donald Trump, who’s basically the current Microsoft of politics. He’s only 30—well, let's just say he's incredibly young for this—but the guy is an undeniably talented politician.
He really ought to be the GOP's candidate for Chancellor.