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
Reading the whole article, there was a vast tragicomedy of errors that could have stopped the DNC hacking sooner; they were notified by the FBI months earlier but it took nearly two to confirm that the guy calling them from the FBI was legit and not a prankster (and for the FBI to figure out they needed to send someone in person and explain better what the heck was going on). There's also the fact that Obama was under pressure to name and shame the Russians much earlier than he eventually did (they were creating merry havock in other government systems) and chose not to for fear of sparking an all out cyberwar; the lack of consequences likely emboldened the Kremlin.
In other crap to worry about: The Trump campaign is threatening potential renegade electors with their careers
Sounds eerily similar to 9/11.
Moar centralization of intelligence zervices?
Maybe the Democrats need to start employing ciphers in their everyday emails, use incomprehensible Spy Speak, and dead drops. Like, John Podesta sends his risotto recipe, but every letter is replaced by a letter that is y=sqrt(4.5)x + 37, rounded to the nearest whole number, positions ahead of that letter in the alphabet, where "x" is the position of that letter in the alphabet, and every mention of risotto is replaced by the entire script to the film Cannibal Holocaust.
edited 13th Dec '16 1:49:54 PM by CrimsonZephyr
"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."![]()
![]()
Kind of a weird threat. Because a) if they vote against him, it may cost him his ability to enact it, and b) I don't think anyone thought that either party was inclined to be welcoming towards faithless electors- they're doing it while fully acknowledging it means breaking with their party.
Or, possibly, he's trying to imply something really fucking sinister.
edited 13th Dec '16 1:54:17 PM by Gilphon
![]()
![]()
If they did that, then everyone would be like "Oh my god! The Dems have these encrypted messages normal people can't read! They must be doing all sorts of illegal stuff if they have to do all their messages this way!"
Considering how the media is, you know this to be true.
![]()
Not going to lie, I got Hugo Chavez-esque vibes from reading that. Maybe I'm (hopefully) misinterpreting that.
edited 13th Dec '16 1:57:23 PM by DingoWalley1
Taking a stand against Russia was tricky...and that's because of the whole Cold War discourse.
I mean the fear of Russian interference was so ridiculously exaggerated in the 40s and 50s by Mccarthy and co, that anyone making those accusations was placing himself in bad company.
It would also embolden hawks on all sides and it would certainly affect the elections badly.
And there's the unreality...I mean it's like a bad spy fiction right. Russians hacking us....please. Of course the arrival of Trump should have heralded that America is not tragedy but farce...not worthy of the Great American Novel but the Great MAD Magazine Parody.
I mean the Sony Hacks a few years ago was bizarre and unreal as well and nobody knows who did it but everyone accused North Korea of doing it.
The Democratic Party needs to establish hidden colonies where candidates are raised from birth to run in elections, and live a life completely free from scandal. A look into their background will reveal only an immaculate record of academic achievement, public service, and a picture-perfect home life. We could call them Stepford Statesmen.
edited 13th Dec '16 1:59:01 PM by CrimsonZephyr
"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Except with the way things are going, it's looking like Russia isn't going to be our enemy for much longer. Lucky for us, we've got China to fill the void.
edited 13th Dec '16 2:24:56 PM by kkhohoho
So Trump continues his open war on the environment with his Secretary of the Interior pick. At this point, I really think he's just trying to see how far he can really go and it's not like the Republicans have any will to stop him.
"When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all" Futurama, GodfellasThe thing with China though is that China doesn't want a Cold War, but the Chinese government can't afford to look weak in the face of Trump's ineffectual bullying, so they won't back down. And if Trump constantly antagonizes China to the point that China actually does something...well, the US isn't going to look good in the long run. Especially since while China is not ruled by nice people, the Chinese government values stability over almost everything else in their foreign policy. It's a lot easier to work with someone who wants the status quo to continue over someone who will do insane things in an effort to upend it.
edited 13th Dec '16 2:29:41 PM by Zendervai
Yet still no one in power seems to care.
"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."Because they think they have more to gain from Trump than lose. With him in the seat, they think they can do whatever they want domestically and that outweighs concerns about Russia for everyone except Mc Cain and that other guy.
I think the Democrats are potentially afraid that they're in a lose-lose situation.
If they try to do something more extreme to prevent the cavalcade of shit that is going to begin once Trump takes over, they risk looking authoritarian and trying to gain power after a crippling loss, thusly validating all the bullshit the extreme right has been trying to smear them with for years.
If they do what they're doing now and giving a transfer of power, it may pay off when the population sees that Trump will be Dubya at best, giving them space to win in the future, but with Russian interference and voter suppression going on it is also foolish to treat their return back to power as an inevitability either.
At best the former will delay the inevitable for a short while and the country will still go down the same path it's heading into with Trump in power, except perhaps even worse and harder to reverse.
As for the Republicans not doing anything...well, I don't think I have much to say about that which hasn't already been said. I understand realpolitik is a thing but even with that consideration, this is pretty damn low for them.
edited 13th Dec '16 3:36:35 PM by Draghinazzo
At this point, there is no excuse for inaction. The Republicans have repeatedly proven unwilling to even pretend to follow the rules and are only growing more bold in their extremism. President Obama may respect the office to much do to what must be done, but the Republicans and his replacement-to-be certainly don't.
"When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all" Futurama, Godfellas

Bill Gate's new Company, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, plans to make Clean Energy a "Good Deal" to Trump
. Bill's plan might work, but considering his Secretary of State's affiliation with Oil (being an Exxon-Mobile CEO), it might also fail.