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
If he IS operating under Obfuscating Stupidity, I will give him this: it's an extremely convincing facade. He may have realized on some level that he could tap into white resentment and political apathy, but I'm not sure that it's much beyond that.
And no I don't expect him to play puppet the entire time, just most of it.
Or this.
edited 9th Nov '16 6:39:57 PM by Draghinazzo
I expect his handlers to give him 'safe' outlets for his craziness, state dinners and visits will get cancled randomly because Trump got annoyed but the actual critical parts of statecraft will be kept away from him.
I hope...
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranActually being convicted, if that happens, is at least somewhat likely to get him impeached or pressured to resign.
The more likely path to unseating him is that he'll repeal the ACA, then those rural voters will wonder why their premiums aren't going down.
@Silas: He's more or less going to let the CIA run wild though. That could get ugly in Latin America and the Middle East.
Beyond that, being from Southern New York, I actually know several people with personal anecdotes about Trump's businesses and occasionally about the man himself, and I've gotten the distinct impression that he is not the sort of person to let other people make decisions for him, even if he'll make other people do most of the work.
edited 9th Nov '16 6:48:07 PM by CaptainCapsase
That is exactly what I am afraid with Trump.
We will only know what kind of things we'll do after he is done with them. We can't tell what is him trolling and what is him being serious, we can't tell what is him telling what people want to hear and what he believes.
He has a wildcard status and that understandably leaves people nervous.
Hell, I am nervous over the real possibility of the US entering in a deep recession and dragging everyone else, again, in it.
Inter arma enim silent leges@Cap, actually the CIA might be the US' best hope to maintain a logical foreign policy under Trump. They won't let him muscle in on their turf and ruin long standing operations.
Crazy, but the CIA are the sane ones now. Its the FBI that I'm worried about.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.@Cap Oh the Middle East is fucked, we're probably going to see a war in Iran in a best case scenario, worst case Full Facism the US goes ahead and annex's Cuba and bombs the entire island so that it's rehspaed to look like Trump's hair.
edited 9th Nov '16 6:52:16 PM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran![]()
Remember all those times in the cold war when a Latin American country had its government overthrown by a coup backed by the CIA because they were talking with the Soviets?
Trump seems to think we can just go ahead and do that in Mexico if they don't pay for the wall.
edited 9th Nov '16 6:57:22 PM by CaptainCapsase
Well, it's been fun talking with you all, but I have to go now. I have this thing where I obsess over negative things in a way that only hurts my psyche, and it's looking like it might happen with this.
So, I'm going to take some time away from here to take care of my mental health. I won't be able to help this country much if I lose my mind, after all.
Anyways, good luck to you all!
The chance of a recession is legitimately scaring me. I'm due to graduate in a year or two, and despite what some people might think about the field it's actually really hard finding jobs for PhDs in the life sciences. The current lab working environment is a Ponzi scheme. Lots of prospective doctorates go in as grad students under a pitiful stipend that's heavily dependent on the state of the NIH, do hard labor for the head scientist who will get most of the credit for our discoveries, then when we graduate there's more of us than there are jobs for our skill levels. This has been a serious problem for the last 10 years at least.
Thankfully my area of research focus allows for some more lateral movement into industrial positions compared to some others but if Trump triggers a recession that might not be the case anymore. Combine that will my meatspace shyness and anxiety issues and prospects are potentially looking very gloomy and I'll essentially be wasting five to seven years of my life with little payoff.
![]()
![]()
Yes, but that was the Cold War. Not to say we're completely in the clear but the state of geopolitics has changed dramatically since then.
edited 9th Nov '16 6:59:12 PM by AlleyOop
It's funny that you mention that because the guy I think is most likely to win Brazil's 2018 election is basically just another Trump, except he's less buffoonish but no less of an open bigot. He's arguably said worse things than Trump has, including telling a woman that she wasn't even worth raping. I wish I wasn't serious. Oh and did I mention that he's an apologist for the very same kind of dictatorial regime backed by the CIA you were just mentioning?
So really we may not even need you guys' help to install another fascist regime down here. It's happening on its own.
edited 9th Nov '16 7:03:36 PM by Draghinazzo
Aside the border with Mexico, the US has been giving zero fucks over Latin America for the last 16 years. Otherwise we wouldn't get Rafael Correa, Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales. Also Venezuela is on the brink of a civil war and facing starvation and no one in the US govt seems to give a flying fuck about it.
On the other hand we're giving ourselves coups just fine without US intervention. It is the Middle East and the bomb and kill relatives of terrorists and don't give a fuck about collateral damage candidate that it has to be worried about.
Inter arma enim silent legesMoving on then, but speculating about what government agencies will and won't do under a President that couldn't give a fuck is a bit depressing...
@Silas: Given that Michael Flynn (aka RT's favorite American talkshow guest) might very well be appointed secretary of defense, I don't think Trump's Russia agenda is off the table even if he's content being a puppet.
edited 9th Nov '16 7:05:51 PM by CaptainCapsase

edited 9th Nov '16 6:40:34 PM by CaptainCapsase