Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[assault 1,102]

11 hours ago, Hermit said:

 

Currently, Tennessee is redder than Texas.

Like anywhere, our cities tend towards blue, the suburban and rural go red , but unlike Texas , we don't have four of the most populated cities in the US. Not like our cities are Podunk, Bodunk, and Dead Skunk, but folks compare them to Dallas , Houston, and Austin and they're on the puny side.

...

Tennessee has , normally, a pathetic voter turn out. Apathy and futility are powerful chains and we are well and truly bound. For all our boasting of the Volunteer state, when it comes to politics we stumble about in a grind. Our state legislature is currently in an iron grip of Republicans, and with Gov. Lee to help them, do their best to make sure the GOP stays in control by little moves like making if you get arrested in a peaceful protest, you can lose your voting rights. That'll teach you to think Black Lives Matter or that you had a freedom of Assembly, you little blue trouble maker you. We've got politicians so firmly affixed lips to ass to good ole boy networks, the State's own upper 5%, and , most of all, corporations determined to hold onto their mafia boss like monopolies. Add to that that Nashville is called the Vatican of the South because the Southern Baptist Union's stronghold is there (They put the FUN in Fundamentalist!) and the other evangelicals, one could make the point our religious zeal is frequently manipulated against our own interests.

As someone who lives in Queensland, Australia, this all seems familiar.

Checking: Tennessee has about a million more people than Qld, and two major cities (Nashville and Memphis) comparable to our largest (Brisbane). (Comparing Metro areas.)

 

Just last weekend, we had a state election where the incumbent Australian Labor Party government romped back in, winning seats from the conservative Opposition, although losing an inner city seat to the Greens.

But that wasn't always the case. For a generation or two, we were a firmly conservative state, with powerful structural impediments to government changing hands.

 

The factor that changed it was a corruption scandal. All of a sudden, our deeply religious, oh-so-very-moral government was shown to be (actually proven to be, since it was obvious to anyone with eyes) propped up by a deep connection to a corrupt police force, and through them, organized crime.

 

The hypocrites, exposed, were swept away in the next election, and Queensland was able to finally join the 20th Century, just in time for the start of the 21st. (Various judges and businessmen were caught up in it too.)

 

While it's obvious that TN is worse in many ways, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if the establishment there couldn't be shaken up by something similar. The sheer ghastliness of the situation is a pretty good indicator that there is a nasty underbelly of corruption waiting to be exposed.

 

But that doesn't help in the mean time.

[unclevlad 757]

1 hour ago, archer said:

If Biden dies, there's no upside for McConnell to confirm a VP if he can keep the Republicans in line to turn down every nominee. 

 

I think there'd be considerable political pressure for him to at least vote on nominees. 

 

And I think Harris would just eventually nominate a Republican to become VP if that's what it took to point out how ridiculous McConnell was being if he's voting down one nominee after another. The VP doesn't have to have duties other than break ties in the Senate so there's not a lot of downside for Harris to do that. And frankly, if McConnell isn't even willing to confirm a VP, how much legislation is going to be going through? There's all sorts of never-Trump Republicans and former Republicans who would be happy to have the office.

 

 

 

That is the underlying point...there's no reason for McConnell to confirm.
I'm just taking it a step further.  Why not simply refuse to ever schedule confirmation hearings...a la Obama's Supreme Court nominee?  The Senate's absolutely shown that governance is subservient to party advancement, so...what pressure, realy?  Would it be any different than a non-hearing on a SC justice or on the impeachment?

[Ternaugh 2,283]

1 hour ago, unclevlad said:

 

That is the underlying point...there's no reason for McConnell to confirm.
I'm just taking it a step further.  Why not simply refuse to ever schedule confirmation hearings...a la Obama's Supreme Court nominee?  The Senate's absolutely shown that governance is subservient to party advancement, so...what pressure, realy?  Would it be any different than a non-hearing on a SC justice or on the impeachment?

 

Is it possible to impeach a senator? Asking for a friend.

[unclevlad 757]

6 minutes ago, Ternaugh said:

 

Is it possible to impeach a senator? Asking for a friend.

Mmm...ok, technically no.  Expel but that's not gonna happen.  That said, you get my point, I suspect.

[Old Man 11,482]

Some but not all states allow recalling senators and representatives, IIRC. Hawai’i is not one of them otherwise Tulsi would already have been removed. 

[King Red 28]

9 hours ago, unclevlad said:

I think Trump will probably be sniping from the sideline, using his status as an ex-President to compel the media to listen.  Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if he became a Fox News contributor.

 

I am undecided, tho, whether the Republicans would accept him running again, or go a different direction.  If the latter...what about Pence, or is he too tarred with the Trump brush?  Not sure.  Pence would likely be more comfortable with the religious conservatives but not necessarily with the whole MAGA crowd.  But...someone can take that up, and push all the same buttons.  It need not be Trump.

 

EDIT:  there's a NY Times article on this;  they talk about Trump possibly trying to build a network to rival Fox News.  That's perhaps easier said than done.  But...he also has 88 million Twitter followers.  If nothing else, continuing to harangue there will have influence.

It is possible that Trump could remain politically influential if he loses the Presidency. However, he faces economic ruin from the many lawsuits against him, his failing businesses, and debt to Deutche Bank; he could be jailed from criminal accusations against him; and Twitter has censored him and could deplatform him in the near future. If he loses, he could be done.

 

America, like other countries, has an angry, politically active populist faction. Even without Trump, it is still there. How can we heal from this pandemic and our sectarian rage, to learn how to act with common sense and common decency? In the past, the human race has faced plagues and chaos and overcome them. I believe we can calm down, and work together to create a better world.

[Pariah 8,083]

I just saw a headline (didn't bother to read the article) saying that the Trump boys are now calling out Republicans for not supporting their father vigorously enough. Because we all know how unconditionally supportive Donald Trump has been of his followers over the past four years.

 

I have a feeling this could get very ugly very quickly if/when the final tally comes out in favor of Vice President Biden.

 

* Pariah sits back, munching popcorn. *

[archer 1,929]

13 minutes ago, Pariah said:

I just saw a headline (didn't bother to read the article) saying that the Trump boys are now calling out Republicans for not supporting their father vigorously enough. Because we all know how unconditionally supportive Donald Trump has been of his followers over the past four years.

 

I have a feeling this could get very ugly very quickly if/when the final tally comes out in favor of Vice President Biden.

 

* Pariah sits back, munching popcorn. *

 

Within 3 hours at the rate they're counting in Pennsylvania. Biden is winning in the absentee vote by big margins in every county, whether normally considered a red county or a blue one.

 

Looks like Trump really did scare his supporters out of mailing in their ballots.

[TrickstaPriest 300]

38 minutes ago, archer said:

Within 3 hours at the rate they're counting in Pennsylvania. Biden is winning in the absentee vote by big margins in every county, whether normally considered a red county or a blue one.

 

Looks like Trump really did scare his supporters out of mailing in their ballots.

 

Literally what I expected.

 

People are talking about fraud like Trump wasn't President for 4 years.  With the power to open a commission, a committee, an investigation, anything.

 

If anyone cares about fraud, blame Trump for not even trying to do anything about it, just so he can use it as an excuse at best... or that he's completely  ad-libbing at the last minute on this and every other issue.

[archer 1,929]

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on his War Room Pandemic podcast Thursday said that President Donald Trump should start his second term by beheading FBI Director Christopher Wray and Dr. Anthony Fauci. 

 

"I want to go back to the old times of Tudor England. I’d put the heads on pikes, right, I would put them on the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats—you either get with the program or you’re gone. Time to stop playing games."

 

YouTube took it down. Twitter suspended his account.

 

https://www.the-sun.com/news/1752419/trump-adviser-steve-bannon-fauci-fbi-wray-beheaded/

[TrickstaPriest 300]

3 minutes ago, archer said:

YouTube took it down. Twitter suspended his account.

 

 

Good.  Calls to violence should get him arrested.

[unclevlad 757]

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

* Pariah sits back, munching popcorn. *

I like popcorn as a late munchie.  Just finished a batch, actually.

Came here to say...did one last late check.  One thing for near-certain...Georgia is going to a recount.  

99% of the vote counted.  About 4.9 million votes.

The current margin is about 2000 votes.  Not sure what the auto recount margin is in Georgia but unless they're HEAVILY weighted to one candidate, ya gotta figure the margin will be less.

So that one won't be official til some time late next week, I expect.  Or later.

This is assuming there aren't a gazillion frivolous challenges filed....

[Lord Liaden 7,142]

1 hour ago, archer said:

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on his War Room Pandemic podcast Thursday said that President Donald Trump should start his second term by beheading FBI Director Christopher Wray and Dr. Anthony Fauci. 

 

"I want to go back to the old times of Tudor England. I’d put the heads on pikes, right, I would put them on the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats—you either get with the program or you’re gone. Time to stop playing games."

 

YouTube took it down. Twitter suspended his account.

 

https://www.the-sun.com/news/1752419/trump-adviser-steve-bannon-fauci-fbi-wray-beheaded/

 

Without Trump's status as President, I anticipate his social media outlets will also be curtailed sooner or later. Without them he won't be as much of a gadfly on the body politic. Of course that would be more incentive for him to start his own network, as he's threatened to do. But almost all his business ventures end as financial failures, so even if he does try it I doubt it'll be around long.

 

If Trump is replaced by Biden, I'll be interested to see if the mainstream media, including Fox, actually devote any attention to his ravings. IMO his office was the only reason they felt they had to cover him. It might also turn out to be a case study in the public's attention span. Will his current supporters continue to flock to his banner after he's lost? Or will they move on to someone/something else?

[archer 1,929]

59 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

I like popcorn as a late munchie.  Just finished a batch, actually.

Came here to say...did one last late check.  One thing for near-certain...Georgia is going to a recount.  

99% of the vote counted.  About 4.9 million votes.

The current margin is about 2000 votes.  Not sure what the auto recount margin is in Georgia but unless they're HEAVILY weighted to one candidate, ya gotta figure the margin will be less.

So that one won't be official til some time late next week, I expect.  Or later.

This is assuming there aren't a gazillion frivolous challenges filed....

 

Auto-recount is 0.5% if I remember correctly.

[Ragitsu 1,643]

If B wins, will future politicians shut up about mail-in voting?

[archer 1,929]

Biden has pulled ahead in Georgia by 1380 votes.

[Lord Liaden 7,142]

1 hour ago, Ragitsu said:

If B wins, will future politicians shut up about mail-in voting?

 

Only if they see it to their advantage.

[Starlord 5,072]

 

[Starlord 5,072]

They found the person counting votes in Nevada, btw

 

[Hermit 6,227]

I would love it if Georgia went Biden and Blue. LOVE IT. The South needs more than Virginia to represent darn it.

 

Besides, I feel uncomfortable just relying on Nevada. NV AND GA swinging blue would be harder for the trumpkins to dispute

[BoloOfEarth 3,191]

9 minutes ago, Hermit said:

I would love it if Georgia went Biden and Blue. LOVE IT. The South needs more than Virginia to represent darn it.

 

Besides, I feel uncomfortable just relying on Nevada. NV AND GA swinging blue would be harder for the trumpkins to dispute

 

I'm pretty sure it's going to be GA, NV, and PA going to Biden, with NC and AK going to Trump.  Which means Biden would have 306 electoral votes, vs. Trump's 232, or a 74-vote margin.  Pretty much a flip of the 2016 election (hopefully without the faithless electors of that election).  Expect recounts in WI and GA at the very least, and possibly PA.

 

Not that this high margin for a Biden victory would stop the Trumpkins (from Twitler himself on down) from crying foul, throwing tantrums, and otherwise disputing the results.  

[Ragitsu 1,643]

Now I see why Trump opposed mail-in voting; he knew it would be bad news for him.

 

  

14 minutes ago, BoloOfEarth said:

Not that this high margin for a Biden victory would stop the Trumpkins (from Twitler himself on down) from crying foul, throwing tantrums, and otherwise disputing the results.  

 

You're getting my hopes up that the baby will have to be dragged out of The White House.

[BoloOfEarth 3,191]

7 minutes ago, Ragitsu said:

Now I see why Trump opposed mail-in voting; he knew it would be bad news for him.

 

Y'know, it was kinda a self-fulfilling prophecy.  He told his people to vote in person rather than vote absentee - so they did, with the result that the absentee ballots are mostly in favor of Biden.  Duh!  What did people think would happen?

 

If he'd extolled his supporters to use mail-in voting, the late returns would have turned out differently - but so would the election day returns. 

 

I think he knew that the election itself would be bad news for him, so he opposed mail-in voting specifically to give him something to point to and (baselessly) cry foul, and then try to steal the election in the Senate or the Supreme Court.  I just pray the Republicans / Justices have enough cajones to stop that from happening.

[Cygnia 14,192]

[Pariah 8,083]

I just read this on NBC News:

 

Quote

 

Counties with worst virus surges overwhelmingly voted Trump

U.S. voters went to the polls starkly divided on how they see President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. But in places where the virus is most rampant now, Trump enjoyed enormous support.

 

An Associated Press analysis reveals that in 376 counties with the highest number of new cases per capita, the overwhelming majority — 93 percent of those counties — went for Trump, a rate above other less severely hit areas.

 

Most were rural counties in Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Wisconsin — the kinds of areas that often have lower rates of adherence to social distancing, mask-wearing and other public health measures, and have been a focal point for much of the latest surge in cases.

 

 

This surprises me not in the least, naturally.