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

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#279476: May 4th 2019 at 10:20:15 AM

Harris asked Barr during the hearing if Trump or his cronies "asked or suggested" that he open investigations into people for him. Barr stalled and hawed before dodging the question. Harris believes he was just trying to avoid saying no otherwise he would have perjured himself.

Allegedly, Trump wants Barr to go after Biden.

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#279477: May 4th 2019 at 10:27:10 AM

Wait, I thought Barr refused to go to the hearing. Or is this something different?

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#279478: May 4th 2019 at 10:28:33 AM

He has,they're saying Trumps want them to in spite of him being a no show

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#279479: May 4th 2019 at 10:29:24 AM

This was during the Republican controlled Senate hearing. Its the House hearing he is refusing to go to.

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
#279480: May 4th 2019 at 10:39:29 AM

Barr refused to attend the house hearing, he however did attend the earlier senate hearing.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#279482: May 4th 2019 at 12:25:17 PM

11 members of a Neo-Nazi organization were exposed as working within the US military to recruit others. 25% of all US forces polled reported that they had served with a member of a white supremacist organization.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/04/nzws-m04.html

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#279483: May 4th 2019 at 12:31:18 PM

A woman confronts Grassley about his 7 Obamacare repeal votes. "You're threatening my life."

https://www.newsweek.com/senator-chuck-grassley-aca-health-care-confrontation-1409921

A part of me is angry enough to go, "People who need Obamacare to survive, why do you keep voting for Republicans then? Is your racism that ingrained? Are you that much of a piece of crap you can't acknowledge the help you have been given by the Democrats?"

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#279484: May 4th 2019 at 1:17:01 PM

A part of me is angry enough to go, "People who need Obamacare to survive, why do you keep voting for Republicans then? Is your racism that ingrained? Are you that much of a piece of crap you can't acknowledge the help you have been given by the Democrats?"

Racism and political tribalism, it's why people like the ACA while hating Obamacare. Anything that has the "Democrat" name on it is automatically bad and if they previously like a policy they'll suddenly start hating it if it's endorsed by a Democrat.

So yes, they'll happily vote for a policy that screws themselves over if it hurts minorities more and if it's giving a finger to the Democratic Party. That and all of the willful ignorance.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#279486: May 4th 2019 at 3:50:21 PM

Kirsten Gillebrand has a plan for a method of curbing the disproportionate power the 1% has in politics. Based off an initiative that is current being used in Seattle right now.

Edited by MorningStar1337 on May 4th 2019 at 3:52:00 AM

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#279487: May 4th 2019 at 4:16:03 PM

Huh, that's a really interesting idea.

I like it.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#279488: May 4th 2019 at 4:31:22 PM

> give every voter $600

-a comedian walks into the room-

"600!There's a lot you could with that ,it's a very persuasive amount let me tell you,why,you could say,get people to vote for you with that,here's the thing though,it's oldest trick in the book and we have a name for it,we call it bribery"

-snare drum,next act comes on-

I mean that's what some might see it as based off the amount alone,maybe make it $60,that's a fair amoun,right?

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#279489: May 4th 2019 at 4:35:27 PM

I mean that's what some might see it as based off the amount alone,maybe make it $60,that's a fair amoun,right?

If by fair amount you mean "almost certainly too low to matter", then yes it's a very fair amount.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on May 4th 2019 at 4:35:45 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#279490: May 4th 2019 at 4:48:54 PM

There's a few issues with this idea that come to mind:

-Is 200$ enough to matter?

-You have to already be well-known and famous to get said donations. This is the unstable equilibrium at the root of the issue. When you spend money on your campaign, you're buying fame and notoriety so that people are more likely to vote for you. If you don't have the notoriety already, then why do you think people would vote to give you money?

-The money would be too split between too many people, I'd imagine. Part of the issue is that there can only be so many candidates.

Leviticus 19:34
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#279491: May 4th 2019 at 4:56:35 PM

-Is 200$ enough to matter?

I would say yes, let's say 5% of Voters opt into this program.

That would be around 15 million new donors.

That would have a massive and very real impact on our democracy.

-You have to already be well-known and famous to get said donations. This is the unstable equilibrium at the root of the issue. When you spend money on your campaign, you're buying fame and notoriety so that people are more likely to vote for you. If you don't have the notoriety already, then why do you think people would vote to give you money?

They probably wouldn't, but is this really a problem?

People not voting for you because they don't know about you already exists now. If they aren't going to give you donations then that hardly changes things.

Politicians that people know about will have to deal with a massive influx of new donors, which will change their behavior and political calculus. Which would be a very real success.

"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
#279492: May 4th 2019 at 6:04:10 PM

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/31-in-georgia-arrested-in-multi-state-child-exploitation-operation/946060439

Well, I spoke too soon. That earlier good/bad news article about arresting a small number of child sex traffickers/slavers led to the bust of a much larger network. They've arrested 88 people so far in the network and seemed to have rolled up the ring.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#279493: May 4th 2019 at 6:51:40 PM

If everyone who voted did it, roughly 140 million voters the cost of the program at 200 per voter would be roughly 28,000 million. The total amount spent by Trump and Clinton is less than 10% of that. I'm not sure that injecting that much money into politics, especially when most of it is going to go to those that are already known has any way of ending well. I suspect that the effect of the policy would be the exact opposite of the stated goal.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#279494: May 4th 2019 at 7:02:54 PM

I'd rather that instead of paying people for votes, we just move elections to a Sunday.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#279495: May 4th 2019 at 7:04:32 PM

I'd rather that instead of paying people for votes, we just move elections to a Sunday.

Election day should be a national holiday. The fact that it isn't is deeply undemocratic.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#279496: May 4th 2019 at 7:21:54 PM

Her plan isn't a bad one, but the fact that it comes at the expense of a subsidy on CE Os means they'll fight tooth and nail to prevent it from ever being implemented, and the direct benefit it brings to the 99% isn't tangible enough for them to die on that hill.

AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#279497: May 4th 2019 at 10:58:57 PM

Pelosi came up with her plan to beat Trump - no impeachment, and stick to the center. The latter is because she thinks that hewing close to the center and chasing the moderate voters with deliver an election victory big enough that Trump will not contest the results.

Now, anyone who has seen me post here probably knows what my opinion of this tactic is, but even practically Trump will contest it regardless knowing him. So even on a purely practical level, this falls flat. And that's also presuming the party's Left Wing sticks around for a true moderate candidate and doesn't start a third party bid or stay home.

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
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#279498: May 4th 2019 at 11:01:11 PM

Won't chasing the moderates just drive away those further left, thus missing out on an increasingly large voter base?

i'm tired, my friend
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#279499: May 4th 2019 at 11:07:12 PM

But going further left may alienate the people who voted for more moderate Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms. And that was a major reason we took the House in the first place — moderate Democratic candidates flipped a lot of Red districts.

Disgusted, but not surprised
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#279500: May 4th 2019 at 11:07:59 PM

[up][up] Exactly. That was my take on it anyway - if your strategy for beating the Republicans involves bending towards them, people who want more Right Wing policy will still go towards them because they'll do it more effectively while the more Left Wing base won't be as interested in supporting you.

Its a lose-lose. If you want to cultivate your voting base, its going to by requirement involve appeasing your Left flank. And to do that means, yes, actually agreeing to some of their demands.

Edited by AzurePaladin on May 4th 2019 at 2:10:02 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

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