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

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#283451: Jun 24th 2019 at 8:14:42 AM

[up][up]I'm hoping they'll shift away from him as the debates get going. I understand wanting to beat Trump, but not before wanting someone who will look out the systemically abused after Trump is beaten.

I really wish more people understood that Trump isn't some final boss and everything will be okay once he's beaten.

Edited by PhysicalStamina on Jun 24th 2019 at 11:15:28 AM

i'm tired, my friend
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#283452: Jun 24th 2019 at 8:17:35 AM

[up]It's not just because they want to beat Trump.

They genuinely wish things could go back to a time when they believed people weren't willing to come to blows over politics in the USA.

The issue of course is that they aren't quite able to accept that the problem is due more to one side of the spectrum becoming increasingly extreme.

Disgusted, but not surprised
ThriceCharming Since: Nov, 2013
#283453: Jun 24th 2019 at 8:21:59 AM

The peacemakers are not always so blessed, one supposes. Just ask Neville Chamberlain.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#283454: Jun 24th 2019 at 8:25:02 AM

That's kind of a loaded comparison. Let's leave that for stuff like actual friggin' concentration camps and Neo-Nazis marching. Both of which are happening, of course.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#283455: Jun 24th 2019 at 8:32:49 AM

That article is idiotic, Democrats hate Republicans because they want to cause unimaginable damage to our society and the species as a whole. Republicans hate Democrats because we reject racism, pseudo-science, and social Darwinism.

This idea that we all want the same thing and if we understood each other we could get along is fundamentally delusional and disingenuous. We absolutely do not want the same thing, the sooner people realize it the sooner there will be fewer willfully ignorant holier than thou #bothsideists.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#283456: Jun 24th 2019 at 8:42:36 AM

Cynical me says that a Republican would say the exact same things about you...

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#283457: Jun 24th 2019 at 8:46:08 AM

It's all too easy for a bothsidist to tune out everyone when both sides are frothing at the mouth angry. It doesn't matter to them if one side actually has legit reasons to be pissed.

Edited by M84 on Jun 24th 2019 at 11:46:21 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#283458: Jun 24th 2019 at 9:07:01 AM

[up][up]Logical me says that that doesn't make them right.

No matter how badly some people want to believe otherwise, sometimes one side is just wrong.

i'm tired, my friend
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#283459: Jun 24th 2019 at 9:20:41 AM

[up][awesome]

I’m mad at my dad for ignoring or dismissing or excusing all the vicious hateful things the admin is doing to destroy families and lives. He’s annoyed at me for wanting the rich to pay higher taxes and wanting a better social safety net.

So, uh.....

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#283460: Jun 24th 2019 at 9:20:50 AM

Exclusive: Massive leak of Trump transition vetting documents shows "red flags" for top officials

https://www.axios.com/leaked-donald-trump-vetting-docs-hbo-6ce3cd26-1eb9-4da8-b15e-47b56020aef7.html

Nearly 100 internal Trump transition vetting documents leaked to "Axios on HBO" identify a host of "red flags" about officials who went on to get some of the most powerful jobs in the U.S. government.

Why it matters: The massive trove, and the story behind it, sheds light on the slap-dash way President Trump filled his cabinet and administration, and foreshadowed future scandals that beset his government.

...

Some of the contenders were strikingly swampy — even by the RNC vetters' standards.

Seema Verma, who Trump appointed as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, had this paragraph near the top of her vetting form: "Verma was simultaneously advising Indiana ($3.5 million in contracts) on issues impacting how it would spend Medicaid funds while she was also being paid by a client that received Medicaid funds. Ethics experts have called the arrangement a conflict of interest that potentially put Indiana taxpayers at risk." Sonny Perdue, Trump's pick for Agriculture Secretary, had a vetting form with sections labeled "Business conflicts of interest" and "Family conflicts of interest." It noted that "Perdue is the owner of Houston Fertilizer and Grain, a company that has received contracts from the Department of Agriculture."

...

White House response: "President Trump has assembled an incredible team throughout the federal government who — in spite of 93% negative news coverage — has accomplished undeniable successes like tax cuts, record employment levels, a booming economy...rebuilding the military and crushing ISIS," said principal deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley.

"President Trump has done more to improve the lives of the American people in two years — than past presidents have done in eight — and no disgruntled, establishment, D.C. swamp creature's cowardly leaks can change that."

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#283461: Jun 24th 2019 at 10:02:06 AM

Hah, so stuff still keeps getting leaked from the White House. I remember a time when Trump and/or his sycophants would regularly crow about the newest countermeasures they've thought up for shutting down such leaks, but for some reason I haven't heard anything of the sort for months now.

White House response: "President Trump has assembled an incredible team throughout the federal government who — in spite of 93% negative news coverage — has accomplished undeniable successes like tax cuts, record employment levels, a booming economy...rebuilding the military and crushing ISIS," said principal deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley.

"President Trump has done more to improve the lives of the American people in two years — than past presidents have done in eight — and no disgruntled, establishment, D.C. swamp creature's cowardly leaks can change that."

My real answer to this would probably get me suspended, so I'll just say "   Fuck yourself with a rot-covered rusty mace, you bald-faced liar.   "

Edited by MarqFJA on Jun 24th 2019 at 8:04:30 PM

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
RainingMetal (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#283463: Jun 24th 2019 at 11:49:31 AM

I’m mad at my dad for ignoring or dismissing or excusing all the vicious hateful things the admin is doing to destroy families and lives. He’s annoyed at me for wanting the rich to pay higher taxes and wanting a better social safety net.

So, uh.....

That reminds me of something that I think is the weirdest thing about Republicans. At least some of it is just blind brand loyalty.

My dad's a diehard Kansas Conservative who voted for Bush, voted for Trump, and loves to shittalk Obama. When we actually talk about issues instead of politics, though, he winds up agreeing with me more often than not.

Like. He knee-jerk rejects any talk of "Job Creators" being a drain on our economy, but he 100% agrees with me that executive-level management in any given company is pretty much a waste of money. If we're talking about "the rich", he'll defend them in an instant. But if we're talking about "Senior VPs, CEOs, Board of Directors", then the floodgates open about how they're incompetent and useless and companies would be better off getting rid of them and just letting employees run things.

But then he hears about employee-run co-ops and his "SOCIALISM" knee-jerk kicks in.

I'm pretty sure my dad's political stance consists entirely of liberal ideas awkwardly blended with rehearsed talking points about Standard Fox News Buzzwords. He wants to elect Republicans so they can come up with the same ideas that Democrats have been pushing for decades, but without calling them by the same names.

It makes me think of those polls that went around years back about "Which is better: Obamacare or the ACA?" A lot of people hated Obamacare, but really liked the idea of what the Affordable Care Act was selling and said they'd love to see it brought in to replace Obamacare.

As stupid as it is, a part of the Republican Party's appeal is simply brand loyalty, like the kind that one would show to Nike or Coca-Cola. Some people vote Republican because they just feel that Republican is the right party, regardless of what either candidate is selling.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Jun 24th 2019 at 12:51:24 PM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#283464: Jun 24th 2019 at 11:49:32 AM

Par of growing up is understanding that not everything is black-and-white. Another part of growing up is understanding that somethings absolutely are. I don't know who said that, or where I first heard it (probably around here), but I would say it summarizes the situation pretty well.

Now, I don't think I'd go quite as far with it as some of you, polls and stuff do consistently show that a significant minority of Republicans do think that black people. LBGT+, religious minorities, etc are systematically discriminated against. Like, obviously not enough, but those people do exist. Which really shouldn't be that surprising when talking about 10s of millions of people.

But, still, overall I understand that if someone is a Republican that means they very likely hold views I find highly disagreeable at best, and reprehensible at worst. That's just how it is, unfortunately.

And by the same token, while being a Democrat doesn't mean someone is a good person or doesn't necessarily hold some pretty bad views, as things stand now, they're just more likely to be a better person than a Republican is. Again, unfortunate, but that's just the way things are for now.

Edited by LSBK on Jun 24th 2019 at 2:00:32 PM

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#283465: Jun 24th 2019 at 11:58:58 AM

[up][up] Reminds me of my grandpa. Talk about the issues, he'll agree with the liberal side at least 6/10 times. He'll happily bash Bush and corporate executives and even insist he's not a Republican.

But anytime Trump says anything on TV, he's almost always say "That's right!" Anytime a Democrat response is aired? "These damn liberals! They're such politicians!"

And then he'll say he likes Biden and Sanders.

AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#283466: Jun 24th 2019 at 11:59:10 AM

[up][up] It was around here. I remember someone (M84? Ambar? Someone.) said that a couple years back.

My takeaway is that although individual Republicans (and Democrats, in some cases) can profess to support minority rights et al, they are willing to vote for people who will hurt those causes. As such, even if they personally don't hold those views, they're complicit in hurting people regardless.

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
#283467: Jun 24th 2019 at 12:00:04 PM

[up][up]Well, Sanders is aggressively down with the white working class and Biden is... Biden. So I get that at least.

[up]Exactly.

Edited by PhysicalStamina on Jun 24th 2019 at 3:00:53 PM

i'm tired, my friend
Grafite Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: Less than three
#283468: Jun 24th 2019 at 12:01:17 PM

@LSBK: See, the problem with the Republicans, for me, is their open extremism. There are no other mainstream conservative parties in the West that outright deny climate change or talk about racial minorities like most of the Tea Party politicians do.

Life is unfair...
HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#283469: Jun 24th 2019 at 12:40:50 PM

[up]Only if you only count the US as "the West", there's plenty of those nutters in my little patch of dirt.

Edited by HailMuffins on Jun 24th 2019 at 4:40:59 PM

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#283470: Jun 24th 2019 at 1:11:31 PM

Agriculture Department buries studies showing dangers of climate change – The Trump administration has stopped promoting government-funded research into how higher temperatures can damage crops and pose health risks.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/23/agriculture-department-climate-change-1376413

Sanders proposes canceling entire $1.6 trillion in U.S. student loan debt, escalating Democratic policy battle – The proposal, to be introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar in the House, is likely to face objections from conservatives as well as some moderates.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sanders-to-propose-canceling-entire-16-trillion-in-us-student-loan-debt-escalating-democratic-policy-battle/2019/06/23/1eed053a-9561-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html

Himes Calls for Impeachment Inquiry – Washington, DC— Today, Representative Jim Himes (CT-04) called for the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump

https://himes.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/himes-calls-impeachment-inquiry

Heatth (X-Troper) Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#283471: Jun 24th 2019 at 2:05:39 PM

[up][up]They are likely considering Europe and the Anglosphere as "the West". We, along with the rest of America, are usually not considered part of it by anyone but us. I found a map "the West" once that included South Africa but not any American country south of the US.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#283472: Jun 24th 2019 at 2:12:45 PM

The cancelling of 1.6 trillion dollars in Student Loan debt could be the largest and greatest economic stimulus of the United States since the New Deal. Now all we need is to fix medication costs.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
ThriceCharming Since: Nov, 2013
#283473: Jun 24th 2019 at 2:47:27 PM

Evil Cannot Comprehend Good, and Good Cannot Comprehend Evil, after all.

The former is true, the latter is not. Evil is dirt-simple. Good takes some thinking.

Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#283474: Jun 24th 2019 at 3:02:42 PM

That's oversimplifying the matter. The problem with most Republicans is that they are genuinely convinced that their position is the morally right one. Especially the more religious ones.

They aren't some comic book villains who scheme all day how to make people's lives miserable just because they get off ot it.

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#283475: Jun 24th 2019 at 3:05:13 PM

I mean, no, a lot of them scheme how to avoid paying taxes, avoid regulations, cut corners, abuse consumers, etc., not for the evulz, but for the profit and the self interest and the sheer lack of any consideration of people besides themselves.


Total posts: 417,856
Top