Follow TV Tropes

Following

The General US Politics Thread

Go To

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

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#90301: Feb 26th 2015 at 8:04:26 AM

The next opportunity to break the red-state hold on the House of Representatives will be after the 2020 census, when voting districts will be reassigned.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#90302: Feb 26th 2015 at 8:24:27 AM

I do wonder if it Democrats will ever get a decisive victory at this point. Ideology and tribalism are powerful forces.

It seems like something has to give eventually, but it's not clear what.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
PotatoesRock The Potato's Choice Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: I know
The Potato's Choice
#90303: Feb 26th 2015 at 9:01:58 AM

The general observable conditions would be:

A) The Republican voter base ages itself to death (However, Democrats have massive issues with off year elections for some reason.)

B) Have the economy collapse MUCH worse than in 2008 with the Republicans in charge.

Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. - Douglas Adams
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#90304: Feb 26th 2015 at 9:05:53 AM

Or C) some other screw-up.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
Ramidel (Before Time Began) Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#90306: Feb 26th 2015 at 10:24:26 AM

Fuck you, Comcast and other ISPs, and welcome to the new internet.

I despise hypocrisy, unless of course it is my own.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Ramidel (Before Time Began) Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#90308: Feb 26th 2015 at 10:29:17 AM

According to the Supreme Court (bipartisan 5-4 decision), a fish is not a tangible object for purposes of Sarbannes-Oxley. Dr. Seuss was cited in the dissent.

edited 26th Feb '15 10:29:49 AM by Ramidel

I despise hypocrisy, unless of course it is my own.
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#90309: Feb 26th 2015 at 10:29:36 AM

The Senate could turn over again as early as the 2016 elections (when all the senators who rode the initial Tea Party wave are up, in a presidential year no less). The house, now, could only conceivably shift as early as 2022. Liberalism will have to come by executive fiat and by inches, presuming a two-term Democratic president, they could only hope for a sweep in their final midterm and start getting things done at that point.

Joesolo Indiana Solo Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Indiana Solo
#90310: Feb 26th 2015 at 10:44:04 AM

[up][up] That's ridiculous. The fisherman destroyed evidence, said evidence was a fish. If I did that in front of a fish and wildlife warden I'd get arrested.

Assholes catching undersized fish like that just ruin it for the rest of us. Doesn't give the young ones a chance to grow or reproduce.

I'm baaaaaaack
PotatoesRock The Potato's Choice Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: I know
The Potato's Choice
#90311: Feb 26th 2015 at 10:50:41 AM

Also the FCC voted to strike down state laws limiting broadband network expansion owned by city.

So basically double fuck you.

Google proceeds to smile smuggly.

edited 26th Feb '15 10:50:53 AM by PotatoesRock

Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. - Douglas Adams
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#90312: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:11:16 AM

Google is providing a service that people really, really want: reliable, true high-speed broadband at a reasonable price point.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#90313: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:17:23 AM

Lot of people in that article about the internet going on about how this is just Obama taking away more freedoms. Is there even a semblance of something reasonable there or is it the same "anything involving Obama/Democrats/regulations is evil"?

edited 26th Feb '15 11:19:21 AM by LSBK

PotatoesRock The Potato's Choice Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: I know
The Potato's Choice
#90314: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:18:28 AM

"anything involving Obama/Democrats/regulations is evil"?
"Anything involving Obama, the Democrats and their godless regulations is evil, and goes against what Saint Reagan died as a martyr for."

Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. - Douglas Adams
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#90315: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:18:37 AM

Taking away whose freedoms, exactly? The whole thing is just stupid. Everyone hates Comcast and Time Warner. The argument does not make the slightest bit of sense even by the warped standards of reactionary Republican logic.

edited 26th Feb '15 11:20:31 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#90316: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:19:14 AM

If the world does end up as a corporate controlled dystopia, I'm siding with Google. Not only will they have all the cool shit, they at least seem pragmatic enough to realize that screwing everyone over is bad for long term business.

edited 26th Feb '15 11:19:26 AM by Rationalinsanity

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#90317: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:20:53 AM

I for one welcome our new Google overlords.

I mean shit if they hook their empire up with Google Fiber I don't care what they do.

Oh really when?
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#90318: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:21:39 AM

[up] I know, right? I'm sick of my upstream throttling constantly while I'm trying to game.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#90319: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:29:45 AM

Verizon FiOS at least advertises ease of upstreaming.

An intellectually honest libertarian response would be that this is the government further infringing upon the marketplace to resolve a problem created by government infringement upon the marketplace, in terms of state and municipal favoritism giving ISPs=} monopoly power. The argument would be for the FCC to keep its nose out, but also for all state and municipal contracts with [=ISPs to be voided.

The *problem* with the libertarian position is infrastructure. Generally you're only going to get one company to lay lines in a geographic area, however limited it may be, to a block, a neighborhood, a city, county, or region of a state. Under pure property law, that company has the right to do whatever it damn well pleases with those lines, which would naturally seem that, if the company that laid the lines also sells a service on those lines, that those lines would be exclusively held by that carrier.

In essence, government regulation has to occur *somewhere* for the system to function, either by having the state lay the lines, or having the state insist that the companies who laid lines allow any company access to them for use in services for a non-prohibitive fee. Even without the shady shit that goes on with broadband providers and state governments, a hardcore property law interpretation of this would allow the formation of naturally occurring monopolies due to the infrastructure problem, at least in practice. In theory, of course, multiple companies could run lines, but nobody would bother.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#90320: Feb 26th 2015 at 11:47:41 AM

The same issue occurs with telephone providers and cable TV providers. Basically, the wires that run to people's houses ought to be considered common property no matter who laid them, or else you end up with their putative owner claiming monopoly rights.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#90321: Feb 26th 2015 at 12:05:21 PM

Wasn't google the one developing self-driving cards?

They make those mainstream and available, and they can do no "don't be evil" all they want~

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#90322: Feb 26th 2015 at 12:12:14 PM

Heh, if they can deliver decent broadband in our homes and cars that drive us around, I'll happily allow Google to become our new overlords too.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Xopher001 Since: Jul, 2012
#90323: Feb 26th 2015 at 12:18:36 PM

Hurrah for net neutrality!

on the subject of fish, the guy threw them away because they were too small, right? is there an upper size limit for red groupers fishermen are allowed to catch? Or is it just a lower size limit? Because if you let them catch all the bigger groupers that causes the average grouper size to shrink over time

[up]Are you sure? Like, are you positive you can trust a single entity with all that power and information?

edited 26th Feb '15 12:19:36 PM by Xopher001

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#90324: Feb 26th 2015 at 12:25:27 PM

It's tongue-in-cheek. I don't think Google really wants to rule the world, but they've certainly shown more commitment to technological innovation and technology penetration than nearly anyone else in the industry. If the future is one where we are ruled by a corporate technocracy, I'd choose Google to run it over anyone else.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#90325: Feb 26th 2015 at 1:01:50 PM

Republicans on Capitol Hill have since launched investigations into whether the White House put any improper pressure on the FCC, which is a legally independent agency.

Ugh, if Obama fucking sneezes Republicans open a Congressional Hearing. And the worst part is, they're shooting themselves hard in the foot by Crying Wolf like this.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"

Total posts: 417,856
Top