1. Not true, smartphones were already commonplace during the Obama years. Whilst tiktok didn't exist, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and others like Snapchat were also well established.
2. There was tons of political division. Republicans were even having a go at Obama for wearing a tan suit and having mustard on his hotdog, plus the yearly fictional war on Christmas. They were constantly trying to frame him as an autocratic dictator who ignored the rule of law. Given that, you want to claim they wouldn't have jumped on the opportunity to use ICE incidents to attack him?
3. Focused efforts is correct. Meanwhile Trump is wielding it like a sledgehammer and using it to actively threaten entire states. Not much of a threat if they're not going ahead with it.
4. Not as bad as now but it was definitely radicalised during the Obama era. The left despised the right after what Bush did and the right despised Obama and attempted to block absolutely everything he did whilst portraying him as a dictator. The difference was the reasoning, the string dislikes of Bush was for real things like Iraq and his mishandling of the hurricane Katrina response. Dislike for Obama was largely from fabricated things like the war on Christmas, Katrina (yes I saw Republicans who blamed him for that), the financial crisis (real but happened under Bush), claims he was going to ignore the Constitution and have a 3rd term, claims the supreme court was full of lefty activist judges (it had a right wing majority his entire term) etc.
1. Well this is bad faith isnt it? Why would you prerend that social media, and the culture of its use is the same now as 2015? Well we know why dont we...
Social media, including Tik tok and live streaming has radixally chamged the landscape, Tik tok alone accounts for 150 million users in the USA, mainly by younger people, and 55% of them say they get their news there!!! Even if we ignore the massive growth and the live facilities going from so few hours of viewed content, that therenisnt reliable nu.bers, in 2015 to nearly 10 billion hours in the 3rd quarter of 2025. We know numbers have more than 5x since 2019.
This puts your counter to bed, its bad faith and non sensical.
2. Again this is bad faith and kot based in reality. There isnt one single poster here who would agree polarisation was the same in 2015 than it is today, especially in regards to ICE. Infsct id probably argue youve only just come across who they based on your assumptions of them not being federal, or law enforcement etc...
The change in how people consume news, the rise of algorithms, the change from cyclic news to 24/7 bombardment, and the anti Trump extremes are going after ICE currently, after transitioning from BLM, then from Ukraine, Gaza, now theres people on the streets of USA calling to liberate Maduro lol.
Mocking a tan suit, even the stupid birther theory, are absolutely not on the scale of telking people to attack Trump, his cabinet and supporters in the street, making up Russian hooker allegations, calling the government of the USA at war with rhe people etc...
Republicans were sucxessful at obstructing Obama policies, Democrats have been wildly ridiculous at times, you have Democrats jumping into the middle of arrests in front of cameras, causing scrums and trying to sneak people into detenition centres, calling to totally abolish ICE, warning activist groups of ICE operations, calling ICE terrorists and Nazis etc...
None of this happened with rhe Republicans pre 2016, when Republicans wanted to oppose Obama on immigration they both went after legality and policy.
3. I think we agree here, Obamas silent catana out of view was much smoother than Trumps sledgehammer, more effective in deporting people, but better at keeping it out of public view.
4. Not as bad as now?
Its 2 different worlds, there are literally people online doxxing agents, calling for an assasination of Trump and ICE agents daily, there are mobs currently in Minnesota harrasing members of the public accusing them of being ICE and seraching their cars for evidence, roads are blocked, masses are being interupted with rumours a pastor is an ICE supporter...
Ironically i just watched a BLM activist currently performing anti ICE actions make a speach about gettingnout of Minnesota, theyre not from here they dont belong here, they should leave Minnesota to Minnesotans, words Waltz has also used, like its not the gretaest irony that theyve become right wing nationalists over night, and are now implimenting SS tactics to get whay they want lol.
Even you have to laugh at the irony of left wing mobs harrassing randoms, asking for papers, and trying to deport non Minnesotans hahaha.
Again, polarisation increased maybe from Bush to Obama, probably because Obama policies untied the Republicans more, especially on healthcare and financial reform, but again i dont remember Republicans calling for war, fighting with federal agencies, going afyer democrats in the street etc, and yes part of that is that social media now amplifies that 50x more than it did in 2015, bit mostly 2015 Republicans seemed far more dignified and mature (even if i disagreed with some of their policies and stupid framing of Obama).
Ultimately 2015 was a more dignified world, i remember being mocked at my rugby club in 2012 for trying to stay up and watch election night live, in 2024 it was a mass social occasion.
People, and im going to include yourself sadly, have been radicalised, to the point they make non sensical claims about social media being the same in 2015 as 2025, soccer mums are getting into federal agents faces, instigating violence, ICE agents are being doxxed and hunted, vehicles and buildings attacked... you have all been convinxed that politics is tied to your personal morality, you cant critically think about Trump whatsoever, everything he does and says has to be perceived as the most radicalised version of what you want to confirm your thoughts, everything is umprecedented and never seen before, thisnis the biggest threat to the world blah blah blah...
Just take a breath, sit back and consider all ive said above, my point os not to obsficaye Trump of his responsibility, becaise hes absolutely responsible, his manner, messaging and certainly this seconds rerm agression in which hes trying to impliment policies, are a large part of things, but playing the same game has continuously emboldened him, and well he is a product of political failings from Obama and the rest of the mainstream who, largely made decisions not based in the best interest of the people.
The swamp absolutely existed in 2015, and i dont blame Americans for voting for Trump whatsoever in 2016, it made total sense. What should have happened was an intrinsic soul search of what they did wrong, and Democrats could have restructured and found a common sense platform to take the party forward from 2020. Sadly they never, and have become the Anti Trump reactive team blue, and alienated further people who have leaned into Trump and well, here we have the result of that.
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