Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Toxxus]

On 4/29/2019 at 9:49 AM, Ternaugh said:

 

Well, certainly, especially after the Southern strategy.

 

That was a good read.  Thanks for the link.

 

Just seeing how disgustingly racist the country was even 50 years ago makes me feel MUCH better about America today.  The things they tried back then would have them instantly ostracized in modern times.

[Toxxus]

52 minutes ago, Hermit said:

 

I fear you might be right. A lot of the media seems to go chasing after Trump twitters like dogs after dropped fast food- no matter how trivial, or obvious a lie, or whatever. This propels Trump where he wants to be, in the limelight, and meanwhile other news seems overshadowed. IMO

 

I think whatever one thinks of Trump's intellect, he has proven Jon Stewart was right to call the 4th Estate "lazy and sensationalist" and Trump exploits that. 

 

I feel like the 52% of the population who didn't vote for him assumes he is both stupid AND evil.

 

And maybe one of those things is true, but he's not stupid.

 

He's turned a big chunk of daddy's money into a titanic amount of money and run a successful TV show for many years and then, based largely on being insulted, took the presidency.

 

Stupid won't get you that far.

[Hermit]

1 minute ago, Toxxus said:

 

I feel like the 52% of the population who didn't vote for him assumes he is both stupid AND evil.

 

And maybe one of those things is true, but he's not stupid.

 

He's turned a big chunk of daddy's money into a titanic amount of money and run a successful TV show for many years and then, based largely on being insulted, took the presidency.

 

Stupid won't get you that far.

 

Given how he repeatedly got bailed out by Daddy (It was not, IIRC, a one time shot) I'm not ready to chalk him up as even a financial genius. But UNDERestimating his intellect surely isn't doing anyone any good. He is certainly media savvy in his way though.

 

 

[Lord Liaden]

There are different kinds of smart, and different kinds of stupid. Donald Trump has demonstrated intellectual inadequacy in many areas. It makes no practical difference whether that's primarily due to actual mental deficiency or illness, arrogance, laziness, or any combination thereof.

 

But there is one thing Donald Trump has always been good at: selling. Trump has a salesman's instinct for what people want to hear, for where they're vulnerable, and a willingness to exploit that to his own advantage.

 

Yet we also can't dismiss the distinctive contemporary social and political circumstances that allowed him to flourish. Trump arose at a time when a significant portion of the American public was feeling increasingly disenfranchised, and looking for someone to champion them; when the established political parties had taken the electorate for granted, and assumed they'd vote for whoever the parties put in front of them; when the public was disillusioned of governance by political elites apparently oblivious to the people they're supposed to serve, and hopeful that an outsider would do things better.

 

Trump's knack for selling, particularly himself, has played well in that climate. That's why I believe any opponent to him has to emphasize a message, because emphasizing the messenger is where Trump's proven strongest.

[Toxxus]

18 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

There are different kinds of smart, and different kinds of stupid. Donald Trump has demonstrated intellectual inadequacy in many areas. It makes no practical difference whether that's primarily due to actual mental deficiency or illness, arrogance, laziness, or any combination thereof.

 

But there is one thing Donald Trump has always been good at: selling. Trump has a salesman's instinct for what people want to hear, for where they're vulnerable, and a willingness to exploit that to his own advantage.

 

Yet we also can't dismiss the distinctive contemporary social and political circumstances that allowed him to flourish. Trump arose at a time when a significant portion of the American public was feeling increasingly disenfranchised, and looking for someone to champion them; when the established political parties had taken the electorate for granted, and assumed they'd vote for whoever the parties put in front of them; when the public was disillusioned of governance by political elites apparently oblivious to the people they're supposed to serve, and hopeful that an outsider would do things better.

 

Trump's knack for selling, particularly himself, has played well in that climate. That's why I believe any opponent to him has to emphasize a message, because emphasizing the messenger is where Trump's proven strongest.

 

Things like this are probably not helping stabilize the mood of the increasingly unrepresented voting public.

 

Princeton University study: Public opinion has “near-zero” impact on U.S. law.

Gilens & Page found that the number of Americans for or against any idea has no impact on the likelihood that Congress will make it law.

“The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

[Hermit]

23 minutes ago, Toxxus said:

 

Things like this are probably not helping stabilize the mood of the increasingly unrepresented voting public.

 

Princeton University study: Public opinion has “near-zero” impact on U.S. law.

Gilens & Page found that the number of Americans for or against any idea has no impact on the likelihood that Congress will make it law.

“The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

 

Thanks for that mention, I need to look that up, but I wish I could say I was surprised.

 

[megaplayboy]

4 hours ago, Toxxus said:

 

Things like this are probably not helping stabilize the mood of the increasingly unrepresented voting public.

 

Princeton University study: Public opinion has “near-zero” impact on U.S. law.

Gilens & Page found that the number of Americans for or against any idea has no impact on the likelihood that Congress will make it law.

“The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

The law is whatever Mitch McConnell decides it will be.  Public opinion won't matter unless and until there is no legislative filibuster.  Its abolition will make unified party governance wholly accountable to the public.  

[Cygnia]

 

[Sociotard]

Some days I wish we had a "question period" like they have in the UK, just for that level of grilling.

[archer]

Alabama State Rep. John Rogers (D) said Wednesday that abortion "ought to be a woman’s choice," before adding, "Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later."

"You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, and you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later,” he continued, according to a video posted online.

 

The legislator made the remarks in the context of opposing a bill that would criminalize abortion.

 

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/abortion/441746-conservatives-pounce-on-alabama-state-dems-abortion-comments

 

 

In sports, there's a technical term for such remarks: "own goal".

[Sociotard]

Huh. My liberal rag of choice just ran two articles that mildly praised President Trump.

Silicon Valley is awash in Chinese and Saudi cash — and no one is paying attention (except Trump)

Workers in Mexico just won the right to organize real labor unions. Trump helped.

[Lord Liaden]

Even a broken clock is accurate twice a day.

[Toxxus]

37 minutes ago, Sociotard said:

Huh. My liberal rag of choice just ran two articles that mildly praised President Trump.

Silicon Valley is awash in Chinese and Saudi cash — and no one is paying attention (except Trump)

Workers in Mexico just won the right to organize real labor unions. Trump helped.

 

I think with the collusion collapse and the sentiment of the public largely shifting that some outlets will put out some mildly positive news on Trump to try to reclaim their status as impartial reporters of the truth instead of DNC marketing team (minus Fox news which is clearly the RNC marketing team).

[Hermit]

7 minutes ago, Toxxus said:

 

I think with the collusion collapse and the sentiment of the public largely shifting that some outlets will put out some mildly positive news on Trump to try to reclaim their status as impartial reporters of the truth instead of DNC marketing team (minus Fox news which is clearly the RNC marketing team).

 

Oh the press has made more than a few oppses in it's rush to 'stay on top of things'. The Covington thing..wow, that went south fast for them.

[Hermit]

*Sigh* Not that my state was in ANY danger of voting Democrat in 2020...

but some do love to hedge their bets

 

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/442001-voting-rights-advocates-sue-over-tennessee-crackdown-on-voter

[Toxxus]

32 minutes ago, Hermit said:

*Sigh* Not that my state was in ANY danger of voting Democrat in 2020...

but some do love to hedge their bets

 

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/442001-voting-rights-advocates-sue-over-tennessee-crackdown-on-voter

 

Though I generally favor Voter ID laws, this seems unusually harsh.

I mean we require a test and an ID to be allowed to operate a motor vehicle and that kills way fewer people than bad government.

 

On the plus side for you with a few more million economic refugees from California - Texas will flip blue and then it's going to be democrat everything for the foreseeable future.

 

 

[Hermit]

22 minutes ago, Toxxus said:

 

Though I generally favor Voter ID laws, this seems unusually harsh.

I mean we require a test and an ID to be allowed to operate a motor vehicle and that kills way fewer people than bad government.

 

On the plus side for you with a few more million economic refugees from California - Texas will flip blue and then it's going to be democrat everything for the foreseeable future.

 

 

 

Yeah, but I'm in Tennessee.

 

And yeah, maybe i'm misreading this, but inflicting over a thousand dollar fines for a day late or a line short strikes me as well too harsh as well

[DShomshak]

Apparently there's still one bipartisan issue in Congress. Today my local paper ran a brief article off the wire about how members of Congress from both parties say one of the top demands they hear from voters is, "Do something about those blankety-blank robocalls!" Some are working on bils to address the problem.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Lord Liaden]

Robocalls don't discriminate based on politics -- they annoy everyone equally.

[Hermit]

26 minutes ago, DShomshak said:

Apparently there's still one bipartisan issue in Congress. Today my local paper ran a brief article off the wire about how members of Congress from both parties say one of the top demands they hear from voters is, "Do something about those blankety-blank robocalls!" Some are working on bils to address the problem.

 

Dean Shomshak

Good.

My own phone is something I basically set to block for all folks not on my contact list. It's a brick that requires a battery now.

[archer]

With the entry of Senator Bennet of Colorado into the Democrat primary, 15.55% of all Democrat Senators are running for president (7 out of 45).

 

[DShomshak]

The Freakonomics radio program interviews Presidential aspirant Sen. Cory Booker:

 

The United States of Cory Booker (Ep. 238) - Freakonomics
freakonomics.com/podcast/cory-booker
Our latest Freakonomics Radio episode is called “The United States of Cory Booker.” (You can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes or elsewhere, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above.) The junior U.S. Senator from New Jersey thinks bipartisanship is right around the corner. Is he ...

[TrickstaPriest]

On 5/3/2019 at 11:00 AM, Toxxus said:

 

Though I generally favor Voter ID laws, this seems unusually harsh.

I mean we require a test and an ID to be allowed to operate a motor vehicle and that kills way fewer people than bad government.

 

On the plus side for you with a few more million economic refugees from California - Texas will flip blue and then it's going to be democrat everything for the foreseeable future.

 

Unfortunately a political party with no challengers isn't exactly going to be known for best behavior.

 

I vote.  But someone wake me when I get a political party that will talk about the realities of global warming.

[Hermit]

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/442697-schiff-introduces-constitutional-amendment-to-overturn-citizens-united

 

Folks might want to contact their reps and senators and support this.

[TrickstaPriest]

On 5/8/2019 at 12:21 PM, Hermit said:

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/442697-schiff-introduces-constitutional-amendment-to-overturn-citizens-united

 

Folks might want to contact their reps and senators and support this.

 

I'd love the deep dive on the details of what this does and would undo.  I see a lot of voices trying to say that it allows for citizens to unite their funding to get heard, but all I've heard of in the years since is wealth pouring into SuperPACs from the top.