TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

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

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#163651: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:13:35 AM

[up][up] Rural America strongly values manual labor and self sufficiency.

edited 21st Dec '16 9:15:06 AM by CaptainCapsase

Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#163652: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:14:18 AM

[up][up][up]See this article.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#163653: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:15:40 AM

What are the criteria, anyhow? Conditional support is conditional.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Mio Since: Jan, 2001
#163654: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:15:44 AM

@Captain Caprese: The GOP are in the dominant position politically at the moment. I can't imagine them feeling the need to compromise, and even if some of them did (even Trump) I can easily imagine the the party turning on each other.

edited 21st Dec '16 9:16:12 AM by Mio

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#163655: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:16:36 AM

[up] They don't have a filibuster proof majority.

ViperMagnum357 Since: Mar, 2012
#163656: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:18:06 AM

[up]The Democrats will not have a filibuster-the GOP outright stated it is 'negotiable', which is code for "we will toss it with a simple majority after the first time the Democrats use it."

edited 21st Dec '16 9:18:14 AM by ViperMagnum357

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#163657: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:24:44 AM

The reason Trump keeps up the ridiculous tweets is to distract us from the real nasty shit he's doing. He's doing the equivalent of the Joker telling us about his scars, or of Chris Pratt's character challenging the world-ending triumphant villain to a dance-off. It's a magic trick.

Ooh, child, things ain't gonna get easier...

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#163658: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:25:55 AM

It's not necessarily untrue that city people and rural people lead very different lives and that they don't understand each other's concerns or values all that well.

The thing is from my experience, city people don't have a habit of questioning that rural people are "real" americans or that they matter. The concern of many liberals over the "white working class" (regardless of the debatable nature of a lot of the proposals or premises) is a good indication that a lot of "city elites" actually do care about them. The reverse is often not true. Though perhaps misguided, people have been attempting to learn about rural America even if partly for pragmatic reasons. If there's an outcry from within rural America to understand city-dwellers and how they matter too I haven't really seen it (though it goes without saying people of that stripe obviously exist).

I wouldn't contest that there can be a certain element of snobbery from city people regarding rural voters as well, but many of them don't exactly help that by holding reactionary views and fostering anti-intellectualism.

edited 21st Dec '16 9:45:54 AM by Draghinazzo

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#163659: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:38:25 AM

Maybe it's because rurals take up a lot of space, whereas city people are concentrated in small enclaves, with little contact with, and little presence over, The Land?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Lanceleoghauni Cyborg Helmsman from Z or R Twice Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: In my bunk
#163660: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:42:40 AM

I'll admit to being a city snob who thinks that the "Economically Anxious" need to sit down and let the adults with a grip on reality talk.

"Coffee! Coffeecoffeecoffee! Coffee! Not as strong as Meth-amphetamine, but it lets you keep your teeth!"
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#163661: Dec 21st 2016 at 9:54:01 AM

So this seems like the best place to talk about this. I'm just wondering, does anyone else in this thread have family that are Trump supporters? If so then how do you deal with them? My parents voted for him and it's causing some issues. I love them but it's hard for me to see them the same way anymore.

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#163663: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:01:37 AM

No but I can relate, having family friends who voted for Brexit, there's a comic somwhere that rather sums up the feeling, I'll try and find it.

edited 21st Dec '16 10:03:45 AM 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
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#163664: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:04:14 AM

[up]x3 I haven't asked my parents who they voted for because it's really none of my business (plus, we've been on great terms all my life and don't want to ruin that), but both are lifelong Republicans so I do have to wonder if they did. My mom hates Trump, but also couldn't get herself to vote for Hillary. So I have no idea if she went third party or just plain didn't vote.

carbon-mantis Collector Of Fine Oddities from Trumpland Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to my murderer
Collector Of Fine Oddities
#163665: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:06:05 AM

@Kostya

Almost my entire family save for my mom and sister (who were put off by his misogyny more than anything else). Ranges from my dad's head in the sand "Oh he'd never really do that" to my uncle telling my sister he'd send her to the death camps himself if Trump ever enacted "the glorious purge" a bunch of the alt-righters like him think is coming. " SOCIALISM is a disease that can only be cured by amputating the infection" he says after she suggests she's voting for Hillary.

My dad is pretty open to debate and discussion but he's mired in these weird religious conspiracy theories that Germany will produce the antichrist/kill the Jews at any given moment, so anyone friendly with the German government is automatically disqualified in his eyes, anything else be damned.

My grandparents both went blindly for Trump and are total koolaid drinkers who believe anything from the party. Anything negative is done in secret by Democrats and anything positive is the work of republicans. Social Security will be saved! Medicare (which literally saved both of their lives at one point) is under attack by Obama himself and only Trump will preserve it! Obama planned Iraq! Hillary works for the Russians and only Trump can stop her! It's like talking to a wall so I avoid politics whenever possible with them

As mentioned before, my uncle and the rest of the extended family fall somewhere between smug asshole and outright bloodthirsty racist.

edited 21st Dec '16 10:06:25 AM by carbon-mantis

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#163666: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:06:54 AM

[up][up]I knew ahead of time that they planned to vote for Trump but I didn't say anything. I figured he would lose anyway and afterwards I could go into a long rant about how we dodged a massive bullet. Now I'm not sure how to approach the subject.

[up]And how do you deal with it? I want to tell them they're wrong for supporting him but it's a bit hard when Fox News blares at them almost every night.

edited 21st Dec '16 10:08:56 AM by Kostya

Lanceleoghauni Cyborg Helmsman from Z or R Twice Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: In my bunk
#163667: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:06:58 AM

Yup, FADA is a real big concern of mine...

"Coffee! Coffeecoffeecoffee! Coffee! Not as strong as Meth-amphetamine, but it lets you keep your teeth!"
justhelping Since: Dec, 2016
#163668: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:12:50 AM

It's incredible that every single political prediction made during the election cycle was hopelessly wrong. In the electoral college, not only did we get faithless electors for Trump, but 4 entire votes in Washington went to candidates other than Hillary. This is an election where "Faith Spotted Eagle" won an electoral vote.

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#163669: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:12:57 AM

My whole family is Democrat, sans one of my uncles. Everyone likes him, though, so we just don't talk politics when he's around.

NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#163670: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:16:18 AM

@carbon-mantis: Your uncle basically threatened to have your sister killed. And he hasn't been disowned yet because...?

Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#163671: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:17:22 AM

[up]See:

"Oh he'd never really do that"

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#163672: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:19:35 AM

So this seems like the best place to talk about this. I'm just wondering, does anyone else in this thread have family that are Trump supporters?

My uncle buys into everything Fox News reports like it's the gospel. He's convinced Clinton is a traitor and a murderer.

My brothers and sisters have zero knowledge of politics and vote for Trump because they trust my uncle.

My grandparents know for a fact that Clinton is evil. They don't know why, they just do. So they voted for Trump. My grandma regularly posts things on Facebook supporting illegal immigrants and Native Americans, so the cognitive dissonance here is astounding.

Mio Since: Jan, 2001
#163673: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:22:02 AM

@kotsaya: I'm pretty much in the exact same situation, and frankly it's not going so well. I would ignore all of the politics, but my dad Fox News most of the day so it's pretty much unavoidable. It's not helped by my dad wanting to engage in discussion and my parents being . . . well rather traditional "authoritative" Hispanic parents, particularly my mother.

Weirdly my mother actually has some pretty left views on healthcare, stating once that Medicare works and that the ACA should be more like Medicare (admittedly this probably comes from the fact that she works in the hone health/ nursing home industry), but other then that she just seems to follow my father's lead on politics. My father by the way is a rather stereotypical religious Cuban exile reactionary as far as politics go.

I'm afraid there isn't much that can be done except to avoid the topic of politics all together. To do otherwise only invites misery.

edited 21st Dec '16 10:22:19 AM by Mio

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#163674: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:22:08 AM

My dad thinks we should "give Trump a chance" despite the racism. We're not white, btw. He's a Republican though. I've also mentioned before that we're eligible for a lot of Trump's tax breaks. That might be a reason.

It's not so bad. I've had to correct him on buying into some of the fake news surrounding HRC though. I've also told him that getting all of his news from Facebook is a terrible idea.

TBH, it really seems like he's trying to convince himself that Trump won't be a disaster, since we're stuck with him anyway.

edited 21st Dec '16 10:22:46 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#163675: Dec 21st 2016 at 10:22:53 AM

My maternal grandparents are old-school Republicans who think Trump is a witless buffoon. I think they voted third party. My paternal grandparents are also Republicans, though they supported Rubio initially, and voted for Trump more out of party loyalty than anything else. It's kind of bizarre that the Chinese side of my family was more enthusiastic about Trump than the white as snow side of the family, but oh well.

Pretty much everyone else in my extended family is a democrat, or just flat out apathetic to politics.

edited 21st Dec '16 10:24:05 AM by CaptainCapsase


Total posts: 417,856
Top