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 hope it's 3d printable, purely so that the creator can invoke the Streisand Effect should Trump try to remove/destroy the figure.
Also, "cleanest" climate? really? If Trump wins re-election than 2050 will be humanity's expiration date.
Edited by MorningStar1337 on Jun 5th 2019 at 7:46:15 AM
Buttigieg has taken a rather interesting position, he says that he wouldn't have pushed Al Franken out of the Senate
.
His logic? Democrats hold our own to a higher standard than the Republicans do to their people and instead of being evidence of our superior principles it's apparently giving them an advantage.
Which is rather interesting, one would think that stopping to the level of scum like the GOP would be a bad thing. But apparently not.
Apparently, if a powerful man tuches at-least eight women without their consent we're supposed to wait... for something. Not sure what.
I cannot properly express the anger I feel in a productive fashion, but suffice to say this position has put him in my shit list. Alongside Biden and Gabbard.
Thankfully, in the last month 14% of Democratic voters have listed women's issues as a major issue
. So hopefully he'll get crushed.
Y I K E S. I'm starting to think Al Franken should be used as a litmus test. If you're still willing to support him after...that, you don't get to lead.
Also heh, your shitlist is identical to mine. Though, if you want some news about Biden...
Joe Biden supports the Hyde amendment, the one that restricts Federal funding for abortions.
I...probably shouldn't say much more than that (I don't know if its still a banned topic here), but...yeah.
Edited by AzurePaladin on Jun 5th 2019 at 11:29:21 AM
The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -FighteerThe sad thing is that Biden's pov is probably more in line with the general Democratic voter base than we are. Remember that polls indicate that most people still aren't onboard with unrestricted abortion rights.
So while it makes me even less thrilled about him being the candidate, it may make him even more likely to be the candidate.
Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2019 at 11:30:26 PM
Disgusted, but not surprisedUh, no? Saying we should repeal the Hyde amendment is not the same thing as saying we should have zero restrictions, and IIRC, like 70% of Americans support abortion in at least some circumstances. Everyone hates the new abortion bans.
![]()
More like 50%.
US more anti-abortion than other developed countries - global poll
The You Gov-Cambridge Globalism survey, which was conducted before this week’s move in Alabama to impose the strictest abortion legislation anywhere in the US, found 46% of Americans said abortion was unacceptable, compared with 38% who found it acceptable.
The poll puts the US on a par with developing countries such as India (48-37%) and Turkey (47-41%), but considerably out of step with America’s rich-nation peers.
The general trend is that the older, less educated, and more patriotic one is, the less likely it is they support abortion rights.
And the Hyde Amendment isn't the bullshit heartbeat thing anyway. It's the amendment that restricts abortion funding except to save the life of the woman or in cases of incest and rape.
Wikipedia's entry on the amendment for reference
Edited by M84 on Jun 5th 2019 at 11:51:04 PM
Disgusted, but not surprised...
A Gallup poll shows that 57 percent of Americans who describe themselves as “pro-life” still support abortion rights in the case of rape or incest.
I know what the Hyde amendment is; I’m angry at Biden for supporting it. It blocks poor women from accessing abortion.
Edited by wisewillow on Jun 5th 2019 at 8:53:15 AM
Double post:
538 talking about the Democratic candidates and compare them to past candidates from the Democratic and Republican sides.
Is Biden Like Romney? Is Sanders Like Trump? (And Other Zany Comparisons From Campaigns Of Yore)
One bit I found amusing was when they compared Sanders to Reagan of all people.
And their commentary on Harris was brief but painful. Especially the first bit of it:
geoffrey.skelley: Let me just go ahead and jump in with Marco Rubio in 2016. Seems strong on paper but never pans out.
Also, according to polls, things don't look so great for Sanders. He's sinking lower and lower.
538's polls for the Democratic Primaries
Edited by M84 on Jun 6th 2019 at 12:11:57 AM
Disgusted, but not surprisedI was wondering if Sanders was going to get compared to Mc Govern. Well, they did so.
Hopefully that doesn't mean we start seeing "Don't Blame Me, I'm From Vermont" stickers come 2021 though...as someone who's been up there a lot, Bernie crops up so much already. It would only get more insufferable...
Edited by AzurePaladin on Jun 5th 2019 at 12:11:32 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. -FighteerSanders hasn't been able to get 20% or higher in the most recent polls starting from a week ago. This seems to suggest that his voter base is being split. Which is something that 538's people predicted might happen.
I'm really hoping he doesn't make it to the finals in the primaries.
Edited by M84 on Jun 6th 2019 at 12:16:27 AM
Disgusted, but not surprisedThey've been saying that about Harris for a while now. The gist of the comparison is that she checks off most of the Democratic list of presidential stances and qualities, but might not have enough umph to captivate enough people.
That said, other than when he's pandering to aging Cuban and Venezuelan voters, Rubio is mostly an empty suit. And what ultimately killed him off was him utterly floundering during the debates like a duck hit on the head. Harris has not had a moment like that.
![]()
![]()
In fairness, the debates haven't started yet. I believe Rubio was still considered a top contender at this point in 2015 - I don't think Trump had even entered the race yet.
Edited by KarkatTheDalek on Jun 5th 2019 at 12:24:58 PM
Oh God! Natural light!![]()
Best case for 2020 is Trump leaving office. Regardless of how bad any of the Democratic candidates are, I think we can all agree that any of the ones with a realistic chance of winning the primaries would be a massive improvement.
At the very least, a Democratic administration might actually do something to address climate change.
Disgusted, but not surprised

Trump protests: Giant model of president sitting on golden toilet while tweeting appears in central London
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/trump-protests-toilet-robot-tweeting-trafalgar-square-london-state-visit-a8943061.html
The 16-foot model, nicknamed “Dump Trump”, reportedly also has an audio function that makes fart noises and repeats the president's most famous statements, including “no collusion”, “witch-hunt”, “you are fake news” and “I’m a very stable genius.”
Re-posting due to page bottom:
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/05/day-867/
And before we start, yes the title is exactly what it sounds like...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/05/donald-trump-tells-prince-charles-us-is-clean-on-climate-change
2/ Trump claimed that he is "making up" for not serving in the Vietnam War by proposing to increase the Pentagon's budget to around $750 billion in 2020. Despite avoiding service through student deferments and a medical disqualification for bone spurs, Trump claimed he "would have not have minded that at all. I would have been honored" to serve. (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/06/05/trump-is-making-up-not-serving-vietnam-with-increased-defense-funding-he-says/
Trump erroneously claimed that he reinstituted a ban on most transgender people from serving in the military because some of them take prescription medicine. Trump said that when "you're in the military, you're not allowed to take any drugs." The military, however, doesn't prohibit service members from taking prescription medicines. (Bloomberg / Washington Post)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-05/trump-says-transgender-people-banned-from-military-over-drugs
3/ A bipartisan group of senators will try to block the Trump administration's use of emergency authority to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Senators will try to force 22 votes aimed at rebuking the Trump administration's May decision to invoke an emergency provision in the Arms Export Control Act in order to push through $8 billion worth of arms sales to the Saudis, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Congress had been blocking the sale since last year. (Associated Press / Politico / USA Today / New York Times)
https://www.apnews.com/540d432b2ec4462da0ad6d001890158a
4/ The House passed the DREAM and Promise Act of 2019, which would give millions of young undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship. The measure passed with a vote of 327 to 187, and it now heads to the Senate, where it is unlikely to be considered. The White House has also threatened to veto the measure if it makes it to Trump's desk. Seven Republicans voted in favor of the measure, and no Democrats voted against it. (CBS News / New York Times / Washington Post)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dream-and-promise-act-2019-passes-house-approves-bill-that-would-place-millions-of-immigrants-on-path-to-citizenship/
5/ A 40-year-old migrant woman died while in U.S. Border Patrol custody – the second migrant woman to die within a 36-hour period. Border Patrol agents detained the woman in Eagle Pass, Texas on Monday and she collapsed minutes later. She was transported to a hospital, where she died shortly after arriving. On Saturday, a 25-year-old transgender asylum seeker from El Salvador died at a hospital in El Paso, Texas. (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2019/jun/04/trump-news-today-live-uk-trip-pelosi-impeachment-latest-updates-2020?page=with:block-5cf6e7f78f08f2552898479c#block-5cf6e7f78f08f2552898479c
6/ Border Patrol agents are boarding buses and trains across the northern U.S. with increasing frequency to ask passengers about their citizenship status, often nowhere near the U.S. border. Newly obtained emails show a Border Patrol official in Maine told agents "Happy hunting!" as they prepared to begin boarding buses. The searches can happen as often as three times per day at some bus stations, even at those with no direct routes to or from the border, causing bus delays and missed connections. (NBC News)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/border-patrol-searches-have-increased-greyhound-other-buses-far-border-n1012596
7/ The Trump administration canceled English classes, recreational programs, and legal aid for unaccompanied minors in federal migrant shelters. The Office of Refugee Resettlement discontinued funding for the programs, calling them "not directly necessary for the protection of life and safety, including education services, legal services, and recreation." (Washington Post / ABC News)
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-scales-back-education-recreation-migrant-kids/story?id=63506262
poll/ 54% of Americans say they think Trump will win the 2020 election, compared to 41% who feel he will lose. In December, 51% said they thought Trump would lose his bid for re-election. (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/05/politics/cnn-poll-trump-prediction-economy-issues/index.html
poll/ 68% of American believe "made-up news" is a "very big problem" in the U.S. By comparison, 46% called climate change a "very big problem," 40% said the same about racism, and 34% said the same about terrorism. (Pew Research Center / Nieman Lab / Axios)
https://www.journalism.org/2019/06/05/many-americans-say-made-up-news-is-a-critical-problem-that-needs-to-be-fixed/
https://judiciary.house.gov/news/press-releases/chairman-nadler-rejects-doj-demand-house-cancel-contempt-vote-resuming
A federal judge said the Justice Department does not have to turn over the transcripts of Michael Flynn's calls with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak as part of Flynn's sentencing. The DOJ originally failed to turn over the transcripts, saying they did not have any additional documents to share with the court that could help at sentencing. The judge said "the government is not required to file any additional materials or information on the public docket." (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/04/politics/flynn-kislyak-sullivan-transcript/index.html
The Russian trolling effort on Twitter during the 2016 campaign was larger, more coordinated, and more effective than previously known. The operation by the Internet Research Agency amounted to "a vast, coordinated campaign that was incredibly successful at pushing out and amplifying its messages," according to the cybersecurity firm Symantec. Some of the trolls used their fake accounts to make money on the side, with one potentially generating nearly $1 million. (Politico / NBC News)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/05/study-russia-cybersecurity-twitter-1353543
The Trump administration sharply reduced federal spending on medical research that uses tissue from aborted fetuses. The move overrides the advice of scientists, who say the tissue is crucial for studies that benefit millions of patients and have led to life-saving advances, including the development of vaccines for rubella and rabies and drugs to treat the HIV virus. The decision fullfills a top goal by anti-abortion groups that have lobbied hard for it. (New York Times / ABC News)
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/trump-ending-fetal-tissue-research-federal-scientists-63506968
Edited by sgamer82 on Jun 5th 2019 at 8:42:24 AM