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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#272076: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:24:17 PM

Could he even do that, though?

i'm tired, my friend
Cris_Meyers reluctant author, willing misanthrope from Chicagoland (Fifth Year at Tropey's) Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
reluctant author, willing misanthrope
#272077: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:29:42 PM

It'd be unprecidented, but I don't think it'd be illegal.

Gilphon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#272078: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:30:28 PM

What, you back to being an independent as the President? Of course he could. There's no rule against an independent president.

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#272079: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:37:49 PM

In times like this I wish we had a sensible party system like most other democracies where Sanders would get to be in charge of his minor party in a coalition with the Democrats and have no chance in hell of ever being PM/Chancellor/President/whatever.

Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#272080: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:40:14 PM

I'll be honest, I don't like the idea of parties being structurally built into politics. I think if we implemented Range Voting, a lot of the problems that we have with our current system would go away.

HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#272081: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:42:43 PM

I live in a multi-party country, and trust me, the Left vs Right is just as stark and just as much of a mess.

I've once saw a comment somewhere which said that any democracy will naturally inch ever closer to a dual-party system, I'm starting to think they were on to somethinh.

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#272082: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:45:17 PM

[up]x4 I mean could you just switch/drop party affiliations like that whenever you want during your presidency?

Edited by PhysicalStamina on Feb 19th 2019 at 4:45:29 AM

i'm tired, my friend
danime91 Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#272083: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:45:32 PM

[up][up]It all eventually boils down to the side of "change things" versus the side of "keep things the same/go back to the way they were". Multiple parties usually just boils down to "change which things" or "go back to which era, again?"

Edited by danime91 on Feb 19th 2019 at 1:45:53 AM

FergardStratoavis A Fluff Ringer from Bellveins (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
A Fluff Ringer
#272084: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:46:20 PM

So I've stumbled upon this link, and I would like to ask if the source is credible and just how much of a trouble this is going to be if it's true. (that being the White House trying to transfer "sensitive US nuclear technology" to Saudi Arabia)

It sure does make the recent "peace conference" (and it's a term I cannot use with a straight face) in Warsaw and the recent decrying of Iran as the axis of evil somewhat disingenuous.

danime91 Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#272085: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:47:13 PM

That actually is a thing. Trump is talking about helping the Saudis make some nuclear power plants. Everyone else is screaming how that's a bad idea.

HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#272086: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:50:42 PM

@Physical Stamina: In theory, probably.

In practice, you'd be pissing off a lot of potential allies and the people who put you in the White House in the first place.

So stupid move, either way.

ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#272087: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:53:30 PM

[up][up][up]

If it's a .gov link, it's a valid source - that's literally a US government domain name, and thus can't be given out willy-nilly (to my knowledge, at least). And as [up][up] mentioned, it absolutely is a thing of concern, considering the one pushing for the deal initially was Gen. Flynn (who was a lobbyist for a Saudi group in 2016, including during the transition period), among other potential conflicts of interest at play.

Plus, such a deal has to go through Congress under the Atomic Energy Act of 1946.

[down]

While true, that remains to be seen in court - this one goes against a specific law in a specific set of circumstances, so there's no way that could ever be upheld in court, and could result in some convictions of those that tried to push it through.

Edited by ironballs16 on Feb 19th 2019 at 5:04:11 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#272088: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:55:32 PM

The president has already gone around congress already,who says he won't try the same thing again?

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#272089: Feb 19th 2019 at 1:59:52 PM

Of course, that gov. link is from the Democratic-controlled House Oversight Committee so it might be written from an anti-Trump perspective.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#272090: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:00:00 PM

@Soban: I'm not sure the left-right polarization is something that can be fixed with different voting systems; if anything I suspect the problem may be inherent in representative democracy, because this sort of polarization is present almost everywhere there's democracy.

Alternative voting systems might be a good way to mitigate it, but I fear sensible electoral reform may just be too "unsexy" to catch on among voters.

Arachosia from United States Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#272092: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:18:14 PM

Such is the benefit of name recognition and fanatical support.

We'll see how well he does in the primary proper.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#272093: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:30:56 PM

[up] Once Biden enters the race, the progressive wing of the party needs to consolidate around a candidate quickly, and unless someone's pulled ahead of Sanders by that point he's in the best position to claim the title of consensus candidate, unfortunately.


A scenario that rather concerns me is if a democrat wins in 2020 just in time for a major recession to hit. Global finance is not in a healthy spot right now, and the fiscals instruments used for addressing these sorts of downturns have been largely exhausted, not only in the US but also in Europe and Asia, so this could easily eclipse 2008.


Even if Trump is still in office when the bottom falls out, the bulk of the pain is going to be felt under a Democrat, which is going to sour the electorate on the party.

Edited by CaptainCapsase on Feb 19th 2019 at 5:40:18 AM

Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#272094: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:41:08 PM

@Captain Capsase

The thing about range voting is that it is unbiased, whereas our current system is biased towards more extremism.

Grafite Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: Less than three
#272095: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:41:21 PM

I could see Sanders gaining traction if the younger progressives, like O'Rourke, continue to make rookie gaffes, like him voicing support for the complete abolition of border barriers recently (aka open borders, extremely unpopular).

Life is unfair...
BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#272096: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:49:59 PM

The Trump administration even sounding like it wants to work on decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide must be really awkward for Pence and the right-wing media that supports Trump. evil grin

Edited by BearyScary on Feb 19th 2019 at 1:50:15 AM

Do not obey in advance.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#272097: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:53:40 PM

Trump probably thinks decriminalise means make it illegal again,he's that sort of person unfortunately that I am not making a qip

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
DeathorCake Since: Mar, 2016
#272098: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:54:05 PM

[up]x5

Don't think that's particularly likely. Probably a normal recession, but currently we haven't rebuilt the stupid levels of private debt accumulation that made the last crisis so bad and we still have plenty of tricks left. Of course you have to find a government capable of passing fiscal stimulus but that's not limited in scale like interest rate cuts are, and there's still however many trillions worth of treasury bills for the Fed to QE away if Congress is deadlocked as per usual, although that really only breaks the fall for the stock market as opposed to the actual people.

Edited by DeathorCake on Feb 19th 2019 at 10:55:28 AM

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#272099: Feb 19th 2019 at 2:59:50 PM

[up] The scenario I keep hearing about is spillover from a financial crisis in Asia, specifically China. OTOH, last I heard Chinese markets bottomed out not long ago, but absent a rather implausible grand bargain on trade it doesn't seem like that will last.

Edited by CaptainCapsase on Feb 19th 2019 at 6:01:33 AM

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#272100: Feb 19th 2019 at 3:15:29 PM

@Hail Muffins: Your country still uses first-past-the-post elections, which naturally gravitate toward either two-party or two-party-per-constituency.

Proportional elections, candidate lists and STV allow more options. Hell, right now Germany has six viable parties, to the point where their two main parties are repeatedly going into coalition.

Edited by Ramidel on Feb 19th 2019 at 2:17:58 AM


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