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kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#259201: Oct 28th 2018 at 9:39:42 AM

[up]

"Democrats stand for nothing besides hating Trump!"

Maybe that'll be a problem in the long-term, but in the here and now, that's a big reason why so many Dems and independents are pledging to vote against Trump. At least from what I can see.

Edited by kkhohoho on Oct 28th 2018 at 11:40:01 AM

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#259202: Oct 28th 2018 at 9:46:53 AM

Maybe that'll be a problem in the long-term, but in the here and now, that's a big reason why so many Dems and independents are pledging to vote against Trump. At least from what I can see.

The point is that it's not a problem now, it's just pundits being ignorant/dishonest hacks as usual.

That and Republicans pretending that the Democratic Party doesn't have any policies because they know that their own are toxic and the Democrats' policies are popular.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#259203: Oct 28th 2018 at 10:00:59 AM

Ambar brought that up back when he was still here. He also brought up that the way Custer's Last Stand was framed as Custer's incompetence is also kind of racist, since it implies that the Natives only won due to a white guy screwing up rather than through their own ability.

Logic like that would mean that the Allies of WW2 only deserved praise if Hitler was a genius master strategist. The allies of WW 2 were no less heroic, even though Hitler was an insane little monster. Custer made enormous strategic blunders and his battle plan was based on horrible racism as well as state-based cruelty, which the Native forces took advantage of to win.

This reminds me of the stories about how Erwin Rommel was a sort of super-general to make the people who fought him look better when beating him was already impressive. The US soldiers in the Pacific Theater deserve praise even if they were fighting a foe who had made a stupid move at Pearl Harbor.

Custer's plan was a terror attack and anyone who studies the battle will know that if they lose the attempts to reframe it (which is hard I know). Ambar's description of it really brassed me off because it distorted facts and attempted to justify it politically as well as strategically to make it more of a traditional battle versus a thwarted criminal action.

Custer's plan consisted of, "go into the territory, grab the women and children, and force the Native Americans to capitulate or we murder our hostages."

It was incompetent as well as evil.

It was also heroic of the people who defeated him. Attempting to reframe Custer as anything but a terrorist and some sort of great warrior is something I could argue forever about but doesn't matter—because it's just wrong.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Oct 28th 2018 at 10:11:34 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#259204: Oct 28th 2018 at 10:14:22 AM

As a man who is regularly in touch with Ambar that doesn't represent his views at all. His observation was that people talk of Custer's tactical stupidity rather than, for example, Crazy Horse's amazing use of cavalry tactics to negate the firepower of Custer's forces. Ambar also talked about how there were in fact way worse defeats against Natives, namely St. Clair's defeat, but that gets rarely talked about for some reason (Ambar's thesis is that this is solely because St. Clair's Defeat wasn't blamed on a single "stupid white man" while Little Bighorn was).

Ambar never treated Custer as anything but than a raging psychopath.

Edited by Gaon on Oct 28th 2018 at 10:16:11 AM

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#259205: Oct 28th 2018 at 10:19:12 AM

As a man who is regularly in touch with Ambar that doesn't represent his views at all. His observation was that people talk of Custer's tactical stupidity rather than, for example, Crazy Horse's amazing use of cavalry tactics to negate the firepower of Custer's forces. Ambar also talked about how there were in fact way worse defeats against Natives, namely St. Clair's defeat, but that gets rarely talked about for some reason (Ambar's thesis is that this is solely because St. Clair's Defeat wasn't blamed on a single "stupid white man" while Little Bighorn was).

Ambar never treated Custer as anything but than a raging psychopath.

One of the bigger issues of the Battle of Little Big Horn is that the debate over Custer's decisions dominates the thing versus discussion of many more fascinating subjects and that is definitely unfortunate. Armchair historians and generals attempt to talk about how Custer could have done X, Y, or Z different versus praising the successful defense of the Natives' position.

There is also a bunch of racism involved in the assumption that it would just be barely armed natives charging straight into US fire. That he had to be a complete fool to lose as badly as he did and his troops under a different commander would have won. That is a very racist argument. However, it's not the argument I'm making. I argue that Custer is an idiot because he attacked at all.

That required a unique combination of systemic racism, violent personal hatred, a god complex, and a willingness to ignore information which contradicted his initial assumptions. Whether he used heavy weapons or not is immaterial to an attack motivated by race hatred and belief his forces' infallibility. Even his plan was cowardly and based on terror tactics.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Oct 28th 2018 at 10:30:03 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#259206: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:15:48 AM

The current subject of Democratic unity reminded me of an article I saw the other day.

Surprise: Democratic candidates aren't talking much about Trump. Here's why. The fewest campaign attack ads focusing on an incumbent president at this stage of the midterms in more than 15 years.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/surprise-democratic-candidates-aren-t-talking-much-about-trump-here-n924106

The logic, as I understand it, is that the Democrats in those areas feel focusing too much in attacking Trump is doing more harm than good, distracting from actual issues and policy voters care about more, that doing so in 2016 was a mistake, and that opening with the anti Trump line has actually pushed people away

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#259207: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:24:09 AM

it's mainly for the people who are bored of hearing about Trump,you can start talking about terrible he is and it translates into "Blah blah Trump"

Were I a voter I'd be pretty sick of hearing about Trump too,to get my attention and actively get my vote they need to give me something to care other then the standard "Trump is bad vote for me" approach

Things like Healthcare,I'd easily care more about Healthcare then whatever the hell Trump is doing

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#259208: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:31:39 AM

At the risk of pointing out the obvious....the Midterms aren't about Trump because he's not running.

It's about the Republicans beneath him.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#259209: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:32:37 AM

[up]Which is good because a lot of people that voted for Trump only care about Trump, and won't bother to vote if he isn't on the ballot.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#259210: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:37:45 AM

At the risk of pointing out the obvious....the Midterms aren't about Trump because he's not running.

It's about the Republicans beneath him.

This is only true in the simplest of terms, Trump will undeniably loom over the midterms and it would incorrect to downplay his effect on the results.

If we had a President Hillary Clinton there could be an upcoming Red Wave, so it's absolutely about Trump.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 28th 2018 at 2:38:02 PM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#259211: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:38:52 AM

Anyone who would be pissed off after hearing about Trump's misdeeds already knows and hates his guts. Running those kinds of ads is redundant.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Robrecht Your friendly neighbourhood Regent from The Netherlands Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
Your friendly neighbourhood Regent
#259212: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:39:25 AM

Besides that: 'Trump is bad' is not exactly a massively notable statement.

You won't see many politicians campaigning on a platform of 'water is wet' either.

Angry gets shit done.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#259213: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:41:02 AM

Overall I think we shouldn't run purely on opposing Trump but with that said we should remind people about how awful he is, there are some seriously uninformed voters out there and it's useful to inform them about how awful Trump and the Republicans truly are.

To assume that it's self-evident would be a mistake, the electorate is full of moronic goldfish.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 28th 2018 at 2:42:35 PM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#259214: Oct 28th 2018 at 11:49:04 AM

They can bring up Trump in the debates. I agree with their strategy regarding those adds. The voter don't want to know how bad Trump is, they know. They want the promise of something better, not just better than Trump, but better than what they had beforehand.

math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#259215: Oct 28th 2018 at 12:04:35 PM

We sort of had this conversation already, but given that this man actually speaks with some authority, I thought Christopher Reed Browning's (author of, amongst other things, the book 'Ordinary Men,' which is one of the best works about authoritarianism and the Holocaust ever written) article about the 'Suffocation of Democracy' was a pretty spot-on analysis of the situation.

One choice paragraph in particular:

If the US has someone whom historians will look back on as the gravedigger of American democracy, it is Mitch Mc Connell. He stoked the hyperpolarization of American politics to make the Obama presidency as dysfunctional and paralyzed as he possibly could. As with parliamentary gridlock in Weimar, congressional gridlock in the US has diminished respect for democratic norms, allowing Mc Connell to trample them even more. Nowhere is this vicious circle clearer than in the obliteration of traditional precedents concerning judicial appointments. Systematic obstruction of nominations in Obama’s first term provoked Democrats to scrap the filibuster for all but Supreme Court nominations. Then Mc Connell’s unprecedented blocking of the Merrick Garland nomination required him in turn to scrap the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations in order to complete the “steal” of Antonin Scalia’s seat and confirm Neil Gorsuch. The extreme politicization of the judicial nomination process is once again on display in the current Kavanaugh hearings.

Edited by math792d on Oct 28th 2018 at 8:05:40 PM

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#259216: Oct 28th 2018 at 12:11:26 PM

Just from personal observations, only about one in three of the campaign ads Democratic congressional candidates are running on TV mention Trump.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#259217: Oct 28th 2018 at 12:16:38 PM

So Trunp mentioned he will visit Pittsburgh after the events of the mass Shooting.

Oh God...

Haven’t they dealt with enough already?

Edited by megaeliz on Oct 28th 2018 at 3:39:40 PM

kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#259218: Oct 28th 2018 at 12:26:24 PM

[up][up][up]Didn't someone else post that article a month or two back?

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#259219: Oct 28th 2018 at 12:29:29 PM

Unrelated: I completed early voting for my state's midterms a few days ago. The race I'm keeping an eye on is the one for Governor. Our incumbent Republican is being challenged by a former NAACP president.

i'm tired, my friend
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#259220: Oct 28th 2018 at 12:30:52 PM

You're in Maryland right? I remember reading that challenging Dem has almost no chance of winning.

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#259221: Oct 28th 2018 at 12:31:27 PM

Where'd you read that?

i'm tired, my friend
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#259223: Oct 28th 2018 at 12:54:06 PM

In some happy news, we have a new National Monument!. The new monument, Camp Nelson, is the site of an recruiting and training camp for escaped slaves and refugees during the Civil War.

Initially established as a Union army supply depot and hospital, Camp Nelson was one of the largest recruitment and training centers for African American soldiers during the Civil War, and served as a refugee camp for their wives and children.

Thousands of enslaved African Americans risked their lives escaping to the camp, located within the slaveholding state of Kentucky, with the hope of securing their freedom and, ultimately, controlling their futures by contributing to the destruction of slavery.

Camp Nelson represents the courage and determination of formerly enslaved African Americans to secure their own emancipation. It also illustrates the nation’s struggle to define the meaning of freedom during and after the Civil War.

TroperOnAStickV2 Call me Stick from Redneck country Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Call me Stick
#259224: Oct 28th 2018 at 1:14:41 PM

... stupid question. How early do you have to get up to beat the lines at a polling place?

Granted, more open up starting tomorrow so that alone should take some load of the one nearest me.

Hopefully I'll feel confident to change my avatar off this scumbag soon. Apologies to any scumbags I insulted.
TechPriest90 Servant of the Omnissiah from Collegia Titanica, Mars, Sol System Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Servant of the Omnissiah
#259225: Oct 28th 2018 at 5:51:09 PM

I mean, the way people are spinning it, the Democrats have a pretty good chance of taking the House.

What I'm more interested in is the Senate. Is there any chance at all the Dems can win even one seat there? I mean, if they do, it'll be a pretty huge setback for the Republicans, given how wafer thin their hold over it is.

I hold the secrets of the machine.

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