Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Hermit]

There, related post pinned, and 薔薇語, please don't think it's just you, or that I'm even particularly annoyed at you. Just feels like I have to do this every three months and it gets disheartening

 

 

[Hermit]

Oh... political Talk

*Cough*

 

Trump sucks

 

 

 

[Old Man]

In other news, Donald “Grab ‘em by the p***y” Trump, aka “David Dennison”, who is known to have repeatedly cheated on each of his three wives, held a press conference to vouch for Brett Kavanaugh’s character. It was his first press conference in a year and a half.

 

This happened in reality. 

[Old Man]

Don’t forget, Rosenstein gets fired on Thursday. 

[Badger]

40 minutes ago, Old Man said:

In other news, Donald “Grab ‘em by the p***y” Trump, aka “David Dennison”, who is known to have repeatedly cheated on each of his three wives, held a press conference to vouch for Brett Kavanaugh’s character. It was his first press conference in a year and a half.

 

This happened in reality. 

 

It interrupted the local news which meant the 4-5:30 local news carried over till 5:53, and meaningmy daily 5:30 break of eating a snack and watching the Andy Griffith Show was preempted.  SO, I got to only watch the last minute and a half (and it turned to be one of my personal favorites.)

 

I suppose they could put the rerun over the 6 pm local news. God forbid we go more than seven minutes without being bombarded with "news"

[Greywind]

9 hours ago, Lucius said:

 

That's how we get Trump

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Easier to remove palindromedaries from taglines than to remove politicians from politics

 

Not really. Once he started campaigning he became a politician that needed removing from politics.

[Badger]

Well, I have to admit from what little I have heard of the 3rd (?) accuser's,  well, it mostly reminded made me "nostalgic" of the Satanic Panic and its crazy allegations.  Make of it what you will.  Gang rape parties?  I guess not impossible, but definitely highly improbable to my instincts on this.

 

 

[Lucius]

2 hours ago, Greywind said:

 

Not really. Once he started campaigning he became a politician that needed removing from politics.

 

So what are you proposing?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Letting a palindromedary run things?

[Greywind]

Kill all the lawyers? After all that seems to be where a lot of politicians come from.

[Sociotard]

But I like my Brother. And my Uncle.

[Simon]

Perhaps it's time to point out that some are painting with an overly wide brush and running afoul of the rules of this thread (and forum) - Greywind, looking at you (others as well, but you've been particularly egregious).  I'm making this a public warning -- if there's need for additional action, it will be private...and more severe than many would want.

 

This is not your pulpit.

[Starlord]

Watching the hearing - Mrs. Ford just admitted she doesn't know what 'exculpatory' means.

 

I think that's when I decided i liked her and felt she was credible.  

[Pattern Ghost]

6 hours ago, Badger said:

Gang rape parties?  I guess not impossible, but definitely highly improbable to my instincts on this. 

 

Never underestimate the depths of human depravity. ?

 

Whether that claim is true or not, people can be as horrible as they can be wonderful.

[Lord Liaden]

I wish this was the first time someone had mentioned such behavior by groups of college boys to me. Sadly, it is not.

 

Note that the "rape" characterization would not come from the boys. I don't think some of them even make the connection.

[BoloOfEarth]

8 hours ago, Badger said:

Gang rape parties?  I guess not impossible, but definitely highly improbable to my instincts on this.

 

With a friend from college who said at the time she was a victim of just such a reprehensible thing in high school, I find it much less improbable.

 

 

[Starlord]

So Mrs. Ford asked Feinstein that she not reveal the letter.  Clearly she ignored that.

 

A clearly underhanded political maneuver, yet for me it also lends credibility to Ford.

[DShomshak]

16 hours ago, 薔薇語 said:

 

 

Again, he didn't characterize himself as a saint. Even people of good character are allowed to get drunk. I can almost guarantee that everyone here drinks far more than I, but I would never use that as an excuse to impune one's character. Nor is being supportive of women exclusive with flirting. 

 

It seems as though lots of folks are establishing caricatures of what the person has actually said. The pursuit of justice requires us to try our eternal best to set aside such exaggerations. 

 

La Rose. 

After the way you caricatured and exaggerated what I said, I find this funny.

 

I read in the paper this morning that Kavanaugh has tiptoed a little in the direction I suggested..

 

"'I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now.,' Kavanaugh planned to tell the committee, according to prepared remarks released by the committee Wednesday. 'But that's not why we are here today. What I've been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior.'" (New York Times, reprinted in my local paper)

 

Indeed, sexual assault goes far beyond "juvenile misbehavior." But it's not just about what Kavanaugh did in high school. It's about his character now. He has now admitted that the past portrayal of him as such a perfect young man, ever treading the upward path, was a lie. When you endorse a lie, that makes you a liar too. And that makes the accusations against Kavanaugh more credible, at least to me.

 

Let's try this, as an example of what someone seeking high office might try when backers portray them as perfect plaster saints:  "I thank the President for that extremely flattering portrayal. It's the man I have tried to be. I admit, it's a work in progress. Back in high school I had, well, problems. Sometimes I drank -- way too much. I remember saying and doing things that now make me cringe. I can only hope that I didn't say or do anything that caused anyone lasting harm. If I did, I cannot apologize enough. I thank God that I learned better. It has made me both more forgiving of others, and eager to help others lead better lives. I hope this committee gives me the chance to bring that spirit of compassion and helping others to the Supreme Court, because as a judge I have striven always to remember that the law is not just some abstract system of rules. It's about people's lives."

 

Okay, that came out a bit unctuous, but, well, politics. It may seem paradoxical, but I wonder if such an early concession of imperfection might not have blunted the force of attacks. Confessed imperfection can bend under attack where brittle perfection would break.

 

Dean Shomshak

[death tribble]

Posted without comment. A Scots brewery has cancelled joint events with an American brewer after they offered free drinks to Trump supporters

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-45667573

[DShomshak]

4 hours ago, Simon said:

Perhaps it's time to point out that some are painting with an overly wide brush and running afoul of the rules of this thread (and forum) - Greywind, looking at you (others as well, but you've been particularly egregious).  I'm making this a public warning -- if there's need for additional action, it will be private...and more severe than many would want.

 

This is not your pulpit.

In this spirit, I'd like to stress that my speculations about Republican and Democrat motives and methods refer only to the national parties, especially Congress. I would like once again to recommend Our Towns, by James and Deborah Fallowes. They found a whole parallel United States of America of municipalities in which it's hard to tell the self-styled conservative Republicans from self-styled liberal Democrats. Or in the case of Burlington, Vermont, the Socialists. They are solving real problems without turning everything into a culture war knife fight in an alley.

 

I want to live in that USA instead. I don't doubt the rest of the world would prefer it as well.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Lawnmower Boy]

25 minutes ago, DShomshak said:

In this spirit, I'd like to stress that my speculations about Republican and Democrat motives and methods refer only to the national parties, especially Congress. I would like once again to recommend Our Towns, by James and Deborah Fallowes. They found a whole parallel United States of America of municipalities in which it's hard to tell the self-styled conservative Republicans from self-styled liberal Democrats. Or in the case of Burlington, Vermont, the Socialists. They are solving real problems without turning everything into a culture war knife fight in an alley.

 

I want to live in that USA instead. I don't doubt the rest of the world would prefer it as well.

 

Dean Shomshak

No, we're good with you being an ongoing drama. I mean, it's killing homegrown entertainment, which can't compete. and if we ever succumbed to the suspicion that this was happening in the real world, it would be emotionally devastating. But as it is, it's fine. 

[megaplayboy]

The party that wails and rends its garments and gnashes its teeth about "judicial activism" is contemplating confirming a nominee who just made the most blatantly partisan statement by a SCOTUS nominee I've ever seen.  (Insert long series of expletives and pejorative but largely accurate comments here.)  

[Pattern Ghost]

1 hour ago, megaplayboy said:

the most blatantly partisan statement

 

Which was?

[megaplayboy]

27 minutes ago, Pattern Ghost said:

 

Which was?

The whole "this is a left wing smear job done against me at the last minute as revenge for Clinton losing" rant.  And then he topped it off by showing a complete lack of judicial temperament under questioning by Democratic senators. 

[Badger]

I agree with you on the smear job (mostly*), disagree on the temperament.  He did a pretty good job of restraint, with the exception of interrupting questions.  And I am not a fan. (admittedly I only saw on my break from Orrin Hatch to Hirano, so if something before or after I cant comment.

 

*though I don't particularly understand why Feinstein allegedly seems to have sat on this info.  And if the reasons I suspect of are true, then I have absolutely no respect for her.  And Hirano is pretty low on my respect-o-meter last week with her little rant on men shutting up.  Despite, her opinion, men do have a right to defend themselves.

 

I found the GOP a little too anxious to grandstand on the "horrible injustice", and the Dems too interested in anger baiting than getting any real info.  Which I imagine was vice-versa during her testimony.  In other nothing conclusive happened and our opinions on who did what will merely reflect our political inclinations.

 

 

 

 

[Badger]

10 hours ago, Pattern Ghost said:

 

Never underestimate the depths of human depravity. ?

 

Whether that claim is true or not, people can be as horrible as they can be wonderful.

 

No, I don't.  THat is why I say highly improbable.