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
...I think we have different ideas of what being 'Not Trump' would entail. To me, having a solid platform is necessary to look competent, which in turn is necessary to look like an actual alternative to Trump
I don't think someone like Sanders, running on a single issue, is viable, though. That provides an easy point of attack
And this does need to be a very negative campaign. People will vote for the incumbent if they think they're tolerable
I disagree about the negative, I think a backlash is coming against that sort of thing. A coherent, consistent vision of where you want the country to go is historically speaking almost always more successful. Negative campaigning works for Republicans because until very recently Democrats didn't have one.
I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.Trump doesn't strike me as much of what the Republicans want or embody. I mean aside from being evil. Trump spent the entire campaign mocking, insulting, and deriding the Republicans as well as their platforms. They're enslaved to his ideas, not the other way around (at least until Trump gets bored and they try to push their agenda through).
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.They're Not So Different, its just what they put the emphasis on. Trump emphasizes the bigotry while the Republican establishment prefers to dog whistle it.
The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -FighteerYou'd seriously support someone like Trump over Sanders? That's getting petty...
Before anyone tries to be a smartass and call me out, I never (to my recollection, which is admittedly imperfect) said anything remotely similar. Not without some serious twisting of the words, at least.
And yes I know I'm a touch late.
Edited by TroperOnAStickV2 on Dec 4th 2018 at 2:07:39 PM
Hopefully I'll feel confident to change my avatar off this scumbag soon. Apologies to any scumbags I insulted.Mueller investigation: No jail time sought for Trump ex-adviser Michael Flynn
It had been thought details of Russian collusion might be included in the memo but the document says that, due to the "sensitive information about ongoing investigations", certain aspects have been sealed.
What's interesting about the memo is the two other prosecutors who co-signed it. Brandon Van Grack specialises in national security and counter-espionage, and Zainab Ahmad has expertise in international and extranational cases, particularly those relating to terrorism.
I would suggest that Flynn had to have sold his soul for that deal, except I'm pretty sure he doesn't have one. But nah, Flynn's info is just going to be extremely valuable in bringing Mueller Time to the rest of Trump's cronies.
I think Trump had better hope he dies in office, because while Mueller probably won't have a sitting President arrested, the moment the guy's out of office, some men in uniform will be there to take him off the Secret Service's relieved hands.
Honestly, I think a fascinating book would be discussing the places where Trump barrels through wanting to do whatever he wants versus the GOP's corporatism. There's Trump's overt horrific racism vs. their dogwhistles on one hand and then Trump just not supporting them taking down healthcare overtly because it would look bad on him. Then Trump wants Assad dead but the military ignores him outright.
Crazy world.
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.![]()
I was attempting to make a joke about how Trump is going to be extremely Long-Lived because he's such an asshole.
Clearly I failed.
Disgusted, but not surprisedSorry, but as much as this would be great in a rational world, ours is not a rational world. Numerous studies have shown that the vast majority of people do not vote on a rational basis, or on ideology or a careful comparison of party platforms or issues or whatnot. They vote based on emotion, on what the people around them think, on whether they like or relate to a candidate* on the basis of religion or gut feeling or prejudices or based on issues that have nothing to do with a political race. (Such as "My boss just gave me a raise, I'm doing fine, so I'm going to vote to keep the same political party in power") There's even a small (but not so small as to be completely irrelevant in a tight race) percentage of people who will vote based on who seems to be likely to win, because voting for the winning team makes them feel a rush of victory similar to watching their favorite sports team win.
So just giving coldly logical reasons ad showing you're more competent is not a winning strategy, or else Goerge W. Bush and Donald Trump would have never won presidential nominations, let alone elections. You need to also get the enthusiasm that comes from people charisma and people deciding they like you for completely illogical reasons.
Convincing people you're the best choice gets you most of your voter turnout, but getting people to like you enough that they're enthusiastic to vote for you is what puts you over the top, what transforms an even election into a big victory. So it's never just about who's most competent or qualified, even if it should be. And that can't be overlooked.
* I've never quite gotten over hearing an uncle of mine who is a very smart man say during the 2008 primary elections that he was willing to back either Obama or Mike Huckabee, because they were two candidates whose demeanor he liked the most. Completely different philosophies, directions for the government, and means of governing, but who cares about that shit, right?
Edited by TheWanderer on Dec 5th 2018 at 6:20:47 AM
| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |You need to offer the voters more than "I am not as bad as the other guy". You need to give them some sort of vision. That is part of the reason the voters didn't come out for Hillary, because she didn't really have a vision. Meanwhile Trump activated new voters by, well, promising that he would finally act on their racist views.

What Republican voters wanted was an authoritarian strong man to protect them from threats outside the tribe.
I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.