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

CommanderAce Commander Thor from Planet Earth, United States Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Commander Thor
#263926: Dec 9th 2018 at 11:34:24 AM

I’m a little confused by the boxes, what does firmly in the Green mean in that case?

Edit: Page Topper!

Edited by CommanderAce on Dec 9th 2018 at 12:34:50 PM

Power of Thor!
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#263927: Dec 9th 2018 at 11:38:22 AM

I wonder where Wikipedia's page on Donald Trump would end up on this scale.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#263928: Dec 9th 2018 at 11:42:01 AM

I would argue that, given the this forum/thread obviously skews left, any objective chart like that would seem at least a little right-leaning (or not left-leaning enough) to most people on this thread. If it didn't, that would be a huge argument against its objectivity.

Leviticus 19:34
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#263929: Dec 9th 2018 at 11:46:03 AM

Yeah, it puts a lot of things about where I'd put them and a lot of things I'd move. The person who made it, like all people, had a bias while making 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. -Fighteer
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#263930: Dec 9th 2018 at 11:48:02 AM

The very minimum that needs to be changed is shoving Fox News down into the inaccurate/fabricated info section.

No-go areas in Birmingham, etc.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#263931: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:07:51 PM

HuffPo is kinda bad about fact checking in favor of clickbait. It's better to check around for more reliable sources if you see something there.

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
#263932: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:24:42 PM

[up]X4 I don’t agree that this thread is left-wing, it’s pro-democrat and anti-Republican, but that doesn’t make it left-wing, it means it runs from being solidly right-wing to being left-wing.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#263933: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:34:49 PM

That sounds a lot like No, Except Yes.

i'm tired, my friend
3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#263934: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:35:09 PM

Well, in the US Reality does have a certain leftist-bias.

"You can reply to this Message!"
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#263935: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:36:24 PM

[up][up] It's only a left-wing bias if you assume that the modern Republican party can be called anything other than extreme right-wing from any other perspective on the planet.

Because if you want to dignify them as anything else, you immediately try and squeeze almost every other major party in existence into the left.

LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#263936: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:37:06 PM

I never really liked that credo, partially because the places that used it a lot (i.e. Daily Kos) seemed really full of themselves and more interested in being "right" than anything else.

But, yeah, it has gotten to the point that just caring about facts at all makes one "left-wing" which is, like, horrible, but also just a fact right now.

AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#263937: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:48:22 PM

Yeah, this thread traverses everything from moderate conservatives in the European sense to Social Democrats and Democratic Socialists and everything in between. Left of the Republicans, perhaps, but hardly homogeneously "Left" ideologically.

Edited by AzurePaladin on Dec 9th 2018 at 3:53:28 PM

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#263938: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:56:24 PM

At this point, identifying as a proud Republican is pretty much a guarantee that the person will fail the forum’s rules because being proud of the current Republican Party means being proud of a lot of very nasty awful awful things.

Sheepish Republicans? Anti-Trump Republicans? I think we have a few of those.

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
#263939: Dec 9th 2018 at 12:57:02 PM

Yeah we run the table from center-right conservative posters to solidly left wing posters, socially we’ve got people who are both progressive and regressive (though only a few regressive people) and internationally we’ve got globalists and isolationists.

Outright Nazis are banned as are violent anarchists, but we’ve got most of what lays between the two.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#263940: Dec 9th 2018 at 1:21:23 PM

It's only a left-wing bias if you assume that the modern Republican party can be called anything other than extreme right-wing

I don't, nor do I think there's anything left of the right-wing but the far-right, which was the basis of my comment. Donald Trump, maybe for now, maybe permanently, has changed what it means to be right-wing/a Republican in America. The "far"-right isn't far anymore; it's just... the right.

Generally, most of us are pro-immigration- pro-women's right, pro-racial justice, universal healthcare, industry regulation, etc. I wouldn't put anyone with those stances in the "conservative" box.

Edited by PhysicalStamina on Dec 9th 2018 at 4:25:36 AM

i'm tired, my friend
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#263941: Dec 9th 2018 at 1:50:05 PM

Well, "conservatives" are supposed to moderate change, not reverse it. So by definition, there are no conservatives left in the US, because the Republicans are all about reversing change. If there are any conservatives, they are in the moderate wing of the Democratic party, but naturally they wouldn't call themselves that.

math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#263942: Dec 9th 2018 at 1:58:53 PM

[up] Are we really going to No True Scotsman conservatives on the basis of US conservatives being too reactionary?

Because let's not.

Edited by math792d on Dec 9th 2018 at 10:59:08 AM

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
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
#263943: Dec 9th 2018 at 2:03:16 PM

[up][up] There in fact are people who identify as conservative Democrats. The number has shrunk since 2010 but they are still only outnumbered in congress by progressive democrats 4-1 (compared to 1.5-1 in 2010).

[up]X3 See I’d call wanting an insurance based system of healthcare conservative, likewise we do have people here who have varied opinions of reproductive and religious issues (said issues aren’t discussed in detail due to the forum rules), we have isolationists, we have varied opinions on other things like children’s right, ages of consent, parenting methods, ect...

Edited by Silasw on Dec 9th 2018 at 10:08:49 AM

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#263944: Dec 9th 2018 at 2:07:55 PM

Also, the only thing Donald Trump changed about being a Republican is that the Republican Party went from a party of racist, imperialist, classist, murderous and anti-democratic dinosaurs who pretended to be a party of individual freedom, and turned it into a party of overtly racist, imperialist, classist, murderous and anti-democratic dinosaurs. He's saying what the Republican Party has represented since Ronald Reagan out loud, for all the world to hear. That's all.

Edited by math792d on Dec 9th 2018 at 11:08:25 AM

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
Imca (Veteran)
#263945: Dec 9th 2018 at 2:11:54 PM

>CNN

>Left wing bias.

Yea, something about that chart seems off.

[up][awesome]

The only thing Trump changed was saying out loud, instead of behind euphemisms.

Edited by Imca on Dec 9th 2018 at 2:12:50 AM

Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#263946: Dec 9th 2018 at 2:50:08 PM

I'll note that the chart is pretty much a one-woman show at this point and so may reflect the personal biases of that person. I'd like it better if it was a more representative sample of American politics.

My perspective is that it feels a touch left biased. Reason is probably about where it should be, as are many of those in the green. The farther away from the green the less accurate I think it is, but that's to be expected. MSNB is too high. It should be below CNN. If Fox news were to stay where it is, I'd probably move it to 24ish. Washington post should probably be down and to the left, but not outside the green box. I'd probably also move Fox News and the Daily Wire up about five points. CNN feels like it is in a weird spot, I think it should be closer to the green box. Again, probably just move it up about five points and perhaps a point or two to the left. I don't read the Drudge report much, but I've always mentally put it more to the right but that might be due to the name.

I would be fascinated to see like a hundred different versions of this chart from across the political spectrum.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#263947: Dec 9th 2018 at 2:55:43 PM

Again, the absolute last thing Fox should be doing is moving up because they have a habit of spreading blatant lies that happen to suit their agenda (particularly when covering foreign countries). They should be moving down. Fox is not news.

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
#263948: Dec 9th 2018 at 2:55:52 PM

The chart is a failure as a basic concept, because it assumes that there are only two kinds of motive behind a media organisation, accuracy and left-right bias.

That’s simply inaccurate, you have left-right biases (which relies on the left-right spectrum that is itself an issue), you have acurancy-inacurancy biases, you have establishment-antiestablishment biases, you have globalist-isolationist biases and most important you have the profit bias.

CNN isn’t left-biased or right-biased, it’s view-generation biased, that bias can manifest in either a left or right bias (normally a right-wing one but not always) or even a centrist bias.

Also Fox certainly shouldn't be bumped up in accuracy, it’s an organisation that has gone to court for the right to actively lie to viewers, calling it a new organisation at all is rather inaccurate.

Edited by Silasw on Dec 9th 2018 at 10:57:41 AM

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#263949: Dec 9th 2018 at 3:40:51 PM

Fox as an organization has done immense damage to political literacy and the american political landscape at large.

Imca (Veteran)
#263950: Dec 9th 2018 at 4:02:41 PM

There is a reason Fox cant operate internationally, unlike other ones like CNN.

Thats because a lot of countries have laws saying you cant call yourself news if you actively lie to viewers, see Canada for an example.

They are exceedingly far from factual, to the point that that there illegal in multiple countries.

Edited by Imca on Dec 9th 2018 at 4:03:27 AM


Total posts: 417,856
Top