Nov 2023 Mod notice:
There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.
If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations
and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines
before posting here.
Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.
If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules
when posting here.
In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Of all things, Trump's legacy (to me, a non-American admittedly) is pretty well summed up by a Game of Thrones quote: "We've had vicious kings and we've had idiot kings, but I don't know if we've ever been cursed with a vicious idiot for a king."
"These 'no-nonsense' solutions of yours just don't hold water in a complex world of jet-powered apes and time travel."The USCP kicked out
the National Guard members from the Capitol. The National Guard resorted to sleeping on the floor in nearby parking garages. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
said he will get to the bottom of this, and some lawmakers, including AOC
(D-NY 14) and Joni Ernst
(R-IA) offered their offices as rest areas for service members. The National Guard members were ordered back into the Capitol.
Edited by minseok42 on Jan 22nd 2021 at 8:18:51 PM
"Enshittification truly is how platforms die"-Cory Doctorow
Senator Duckworth (D-IL) apparently made calls [1]
, and Sen. Sinema (D-AZ) offered her office [2]
, too. (Links go to their tweets)
The Hill: House approves waiver for Biden's Pentagon nominee [Gen. Lloyd Austin].
The waiver still needs to be approved by the Senate and then they need to confirm the nomination.
From The Hill
, an unnamed Republican Senator expects about 5-6 GOP Senators to vote for conviction, which sounds about right to me. Reasons why they're voting against:
"I thought if he pardoned people who had been part of this invasion of the Capitol, that would have pushed the number higher because that would have said, 'These are my guys,'" said one Republican senator, who requested anonymity to speak about how GOP senators are likely to vote.
GOP senators are also worried about a political backlash from the former president's fervent supporters.
A second Republican senator said the Republican Party needs to rebuild and warned it will be tough to bring Trump's base into the party tent ahead of the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election if GOP senators vote in large numbers to convict Trump.
Republicans say if Roberts doesn't preside and the chair is instead occupied by Vice President Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) - who voted to convict Trump on two articles of impeachment last year - or President Pro Tempore Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), the process will appear like a partisan exercise.
"It starts losing its legitimacy," the first Republican senator said of an impeachment trial without the chief justice in the chair.
Edited by nova92 on Jan 22nd 2021 at 4:48:50 AM
We're hearing that Roberts, who for years has sought to keep the courts apolitical, was not happy he became a top target of the left during Trump's first impeachment trial. "He wants no further part of this," one of our Hill sources says. A spokesperson for the chief justice declined to comment when our Josh Gerstein reached out.
The Constitution delegates the chief justice to oversee impeachments of presidents, but this time around Trump will be an ex-president. That's why lawmakers and aides were talking through the weekend about two other figures who historically have presided over lower-level impeachments: the vice president and the longest-serving member of the chamber. But would KAMALA HARRIS really want to do this in her first week on the job? If not, Sen. PATRICK LEAHY (D-Vt.) could be the guy.
I feel extremely, kind of, not at all sorry for Roberts. Well, fine, he's in an awful and unique position as he takes abuse from both the left and the right, but if you're going to be an eternal fence-sitter, you need to own it.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"If doing his job is so hard, maybe he should... retire?
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"If Roberts doesn't want to do the job he can retire. Or if he provides a good reason to not preside, he can suggest another Supreme Court Justice to preside in his place.
As for the National Guard being kicked out of the building, I expect we might see another resignation from within the Capitol Police for that, the Capitol Police's leadership are going to already be on very thin ice, picking a fight with the National Guard is really stupid on their part.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranFrom what I read from the Politico article, it seems the issue is more the manner in which they were evicted than the reason that it is the issue.
To be honest, quartering troops in the Capitol was always a bit of a media stunt. A lot of this drama could have been avoided if they had had proper quarters overseen by the military.
And yes, it is rather heartless to show them the door this way after the show of force is no longer required.
Hope shines brightest in the darkest times"I thought he was the push up guy, isn't he the push up guy, what does he need a Peloton for?"
Fox not understanding the concept of doing multiple exercises in your workout for the sake of stirring up a scandal.
How Republican voters listen to this and not think it is ludicrous is beyond me.
Hope shines brightest in the darkest timesBecause the Constitution says so. Presumably because the VP would become president if the Senate convicts the President, so if the VP also presides over the trial that would be a huge conflict of interest.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

Jackson also did more good than Trump, as well as more evil. Unlike Trump, the man fought to preserve the laws of the United States just when the Confederacy was starting to build steam.
Doesn't make up for the Trail of Tears, but like it or not, it's part of his legacy.