The General US Politics Thread

Some people are too proud to ask for help. Or embarrassed by asking for help.

Some people have had it beaten into them (literally, more often than not) that admitting that they need help is a clear sign that they don't deserve it.

@Tobias In other words, Simple-Minded Wisdom is not the reality for most?

, I wonder if this has anything to do with concepts of masculinity.

edited 23rd Mar '17 2:54:00 PM by MorningStar1337

Frankly, we romanticize uneducated whites too much. Shit like the story of the Businessman and the Fisherman have convinced people that there's some secret wisdom buried in our poverty. That we've discovered the true secret to life. That we have even half an idea what we're doing. That we choose to be here.

That narrative's been ingrained in us too. We're pretty sure we've got it all figured out. It's a nice little narrative. Way better than just owning up to the fact that we're here because we're trapped and don't know how to get out, or because we made some pretty ugly mistakes we can't take back, or because we just f*cking gave up on our dreams and quit trying.

There's a lot of reasons we wind up here, and it's usually the furthest thing from having discovered the secret of life.

Personally, I'm here because I couldn't be arsed to care about my future. I was promised that my special in-born talents would reward me with women and riches without even trying by basically every piece of media I consumed from the age of 3, so I couldn't even be arsed to finish high school 'cause why bother?

edited 23rd Mar '17 2:51:52 PM by TobiasDrake

I suppose it is possible in some cases, but speaking as a woman I don't understand why some peoples' concept of masculinity is so punishing.

edited 23rd Mar '17 2:51:33 PM by BearyScary

I think this might has something to do with past trends. A decade or so ago, how many tough characters were male? Be it Nineties Anti Heroes or more idealistic capes. What about Shonen protagonists? People had built up a concept of manliness that tends to glorify strength and frown upon any emotions (Manly Tears I admit is a bit odd in this context, but even that seems to be a romanticized take of well, manliness), I think that led to a dangerous Emotions vs. Stoicism mindset where people think a emotion is weakness. even when it's actually one of our greatest strengths.

I think such stereotypes, the idea that men have to be strong and stoic and able to stand on their own two feet might had been a factor. But the topic seem more suited for another thread, so This post will be all I have to say about it.

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:08:55 PM by MorningStar1337

Just a point of clarification: When you guys say "We want to help the rural voters but they won't let us", I assume you're mainly referring to unemployment/welfare and such? Any other factors you're alluding to?

I think education might be one of those factors.

In other news, A Hawaii lawmaker leaves the Republicans to join the Democrats

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:11:32 PM by MorningStar1337

And so the atrophy of the Hawaii GOP continues.

She finally did it? Good for her.

Yeah, I remember her. She was the one that was basically told not to vote for her constituents' best interests, but to vote with the party, because party mattered more.

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:14:43 PM by danime91

Saw that coming: She was the woman who late January/Early February, who was the leading Hawaiian Republican there, disagreed with Trump and all the Republicans kicked her out.

More Republicans are going to be leaving the Party because of Trump and his Congressional cronies, for either the Democrats or the Libertarians. It won't just be her. I'm expecting at the end of the year for Rand Paul to go full on Libertarian at this point.

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:19:28 PM by DingoWalley1

@speedyboris: Democrats have generally (and I'm speaking broadly here; there have been some blatant failures too) attempted to improve the lot of the working class relative to the lot of the aristocracy since the Progressive era of the early 20th century. This includes a whole raft of programs and ideas, from minimum wages to safety regulations to welfare to Social Security to universal education and healthcare. It includes rules against discrimination in many arenas. It includes programs for urban and rural revitalization, progressive taxation systems, drug abuse treatment, voting rights and voting access, fair treatment for the handicapped and disabled, on and on and on.

All of these ideas benefit the white working class as much as they do minorities; they benefit men as much as they do women. But somehow, the WWC has become enamored of the idea that government only takes from them and gives to the less deserving, and that if only the meddlin' feds would stay out of their lives, they'd magically become happy and prosperous. It's a total fantasy, but it's so ingrained now that they elected Donald Freaking Trump, of all people, to solve their problems.

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:19:56 PM by Fighteer

Oh, yeah, Beth Fukumoto. I remember when she talked about wanting to do that. She's one of those cases where the State visibly more significant than the party- Hawaii's so blue that you have to be a RINO to have a chance of getting elected there while republican.

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:20:46 PM by Gilphon

Hawaii is sort of a photo negative of West Virginia in that regard.

Probably colour wise as well. I suspect that their nearly completely Asian American ethnicity clashes with Trump's race policies.

The Toronto school board (the largest in Canada) has cancelled all US trips out of concern about the impact of Trump's travel restrictions.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39371696

Fighting the good fight, and keeping the bad guys out.

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:36:04 PM by Rationalinsanity

Rather loving people using D&D scenarios to explain GOP Policies

Party: We want to buy healing potions.

GM: Okay, 50g for men, 150g for women.

Party: ?

GM: Women need a scroll from their cleric.

GOP: These drow attacks will not be tolerated.

DM:"The dragon rests on a hoard of gold."

PC:"We gather the town's wealth and add it in. The dragon will surely create jobs now."

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:38:09 PM by Ghilz

lol, no.

Hawaii is in a class on it's own. At least it's actually Possible that a Democrat can get elected in West Virginia (as 538 still has Joe Minchin's seat as a toss up despite rapid polarization, even now)

In Hawaii, it's genuinely impossible, unless a meteor struck all the islands and wiped out all of the minorities, for the GOP to even gain a foothold there. The Senate doesn't have a SINGLE Republican. At all.

edited 23rd Mar '17 3:54:37 PM by Ghilz

Not day to day politics, but relevant for inhabitants of the Southwest: Colorado River Could Lose 35% of Flow by End of Century, Study Suggests. Nota bene, that much of Arizona's and part of Nevada's and California's water supplies rely on that river, as well as Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. And from what I know, most of these states don't have back-up options.

Climate change says hi! We are so fucked.

GOP: Screw you not our river.