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

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#284076: Jun 28th 2019 at 5:59:30 PM

There's been some interesting news post-1st debate that I forgot to mention.

Castro reportedly received a text from Warren after the debate telling him "congratulations, you did a good job"

Do I smell a cabinet position? Or better yet VP spot?

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jun 28th 2019 at 6:05:09 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#284077: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:05:37 PM

They are aligned on enough issues, he's younger, Hispanic, and from a different region...would make a lot of sense for the Warren camp to tap him.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#284078: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:09:08 PM

Exactly my thoughts, I think he's proven himself to be an excellent candidate. It would be a waste if Warren didn't benefit from that, especially considering that VP's are well suited to becoming Presidents in the future.

And unlike, say, Biden, he isn't 223423472 years old and is actually progressive.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jun 28th 2019 at 6:09:25 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!
#284079: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:10:50 PM

Antivaxing (along with GMO hysteria), I find, is often the leftist's version of climate change denial. Actually, I'd say it's a good example of their respective Harmony Vs Discipline mindsets and attitudes toward nature. The rightist typically views nature as something to conquer, whereas the leftist views it as something to find a place within. I should note these are broad, loose generalizations; though I do think the discipline vs harmony attitude is actually important to the different mindsets common to the right and left.

Leviticus 19:34
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#284080: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:24:33 PM

While I wouldn't go as far as to say that you're wrong per-se Trump rather strongly undercuts your thesis, he's quite comfortable exploiting nature while also having a clear record of anti-vaxxer positions.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jun 28th 2019 at 6:25:03 AM

"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
#284081: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:38:26 PM

Plus one could argue that rightist opinion of nature as "something to conquer" might stem from colonialist/imperialist ideology where everything is seen as something to conquer.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#284082: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:41:22 PM

Anti-vaxxer ideology fits neatly into the Left and Right.

The Left do it because "Fuck Big Pharma".

The Right do it because "Fuck Science".

And everyone else do it because "Fuck anyone telling me how to parent".

It's part of the general trend towards anti-establishment / anti-elite / anti-intellectual thinking.

Edited by M84 on Jun 28th 2019 at 9:45:04 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#284083: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:45:29 PM

It was hilarious in Kentucky we recently had an ultra-fundamentalist judge strike down an anti-vaxxer trying to claim on religious grounds.

"You are stupid and a threat to your children and to other children."

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jun 28th 2019 at 6:45:39 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#284084: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:49:15 PM

It's also an example of Conspiracy Theorist mindset. They do it in large part because it makes them feel special compared to the "sheeple" who actually vaccinate their kids.

Disgusted, but not surprised
AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#284085: Jun 28th 2019 at 6:53:18 PM

I never thought of it before, but Castro as Warren's VP would not be a bad idea. He's not necessarily my choice of presidential material as he seems more like the true inheritor of Obama's will than Biden, for both good and bad (also the main reason he fails to stand out to me, which is a better reason than O'Rourke and Buttigieg's problems of being empty suits), but he's also proven himself to be fairly intelligent and knowledgeable, and being part of Obama's cabinet is a good source of administrative experience. He's a good compromise candidate in that he's got demographical appeal while also being an Obama center-left moderate, and I think it would be more viable for him than actually becoming the Democratic frontrunner. If Warren is opportunistic enough to search for political alliances among her competitors off the bat he makes a good first target.

Edited by AlleyOop on Jun 28th 2019 at 10:01:38 AM

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#284086: Jun 28th 2019 at 7:15:46 PM

It was hilarious in Kentucky we recently had an ultra-fundamentalist judge strike down an anti-vaxxer trying to claim on religious grounds.

"You are stupid and a threat to your children and to other children."

Indeed, this is one of the ways that the Red States are often legitimately better. They have higher rates of vaccination.

In fact, IIRC Louisiana's State Supreme Court struck down non-medical exemptions to vaccination decades ago.

"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
#284087: Jun 28th 2019 at 7:18:21 PM

Mind you, this is in large part because the rural states have dealt with large disease outbreaks where places with better healthcare haven't had the experience in living memory.

So always a cloud in every silver lining.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jun 28th 2019 at 7:20:11 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#284088: Jun 28th 2019 at 7:19:24 PM

Learning your lesson is better than nothing.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#284089: Jun 28th 2019 at 7:22:16 PM

The places with anti-vaxxer problems are places like Silicon Valley burbs.

One of California's biggest problems is that it's full of the most stupid elements of the Left. In addition to the usual rightwing idiocy that permeates even a Blue state.

I guess maybe it's harder for people who live in Red States to understand it, but spending time in California can make one painfully aware that the Rightwing does not hold a monopoly on harmful stupidity.

Edited by M84 on Jun 28th 2019 at 10:25:26 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#284090: Jun 28th 2019 at 7:35:14 PM

To be fair, I did say I was speaking in broad generalizations rather than hard rules. I do however think the trend is basically true.

Leviticus 19:34
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#284091: Jun 28th 2019 at 7:48:16 PM

Though just north of California you have the Republicans in Oregon walking out of the statehouse, and refusing to return until the Democrats agreed to drop a bill to strengthen vaccination requirements.

Hylarn (Don’t ask)
#284092: Jun 28th 2019 at 8:05:15 PM

Trump suggested he'll delay the 2020 Census – "no matter how long" – until the citizenship question can be added.

Can he do that? I thought the census was a constitutional requirement

Antivaxing (along with GMO hysteria), I find, is often the leftist's version of climate change denial.

Most woo, including antivaxxing, is actually politically unaligned. Climate denial's association with one side of the spectrum an exception, not the rule

KnightofLsama Since: Sep, 2010
#284093: Jun 28th 2019 at 8:09:47 PM

Anti-vaxxer ideology fits neatly into the Left and Right.

The Left do it because "Fuck Big Pharma".

The Right do it because "Fuck Science".

And everyone else do it because "Fuck anyone telling me how to parent".

I generally find the last point to be part of the Right as well, generally the Libertarian wing specifically.

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#284094: Jun 28th 2019 at 8:16:14 PM

Re: the Census, Warren put out a proposal for how her admin would immediately do the Census again, but accurately without the citizenship question, if god forbid Trump gets his way.

Edited by wisewillow on Jun 28th 2019 at 8:24:10 AM

ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#284097: Jun 28th 2019 at 8:50:17 PM

Well, in more "The Cruelty is the point!" news...

"Acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli blamed the father in the now-infamous photograph of a drowned man and his daughter at the southern border for both of their deaths."

When asked by CNN's Erin Burnett on Thursday whether he was concerned that the photo would become emblematic of the administration's immigration policy, Cuccinelli replied, "no in fact, just the opposite."
"The reason we have tragedies like that on the border is because those folks, that father didn't want to wait to go through the asylum process in the legal fashion, so decided to cross the river," Cuccinelli said of father Oscar Alberto Martínez and his daughter, 23-month-old Angie Valeria, whose bodies were found in the Rio Grande.
"And not only died, but his daughter died tragically as well," he added on "Erin Burnett OutFront." "Until we fix the attractions in our asylum system, people like that father and that child are going to continue to come through a dangerous trip."

Not even an Atomic F-Bomb is appropriate for this one... and this outdoes the "whomp whomp" from last year by a huge margin.

Edited by ironballs16 on Jun 28th 2019 at 11:55:55 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#284098: Jun 28th 2019 at 8:57:27 PM

Donald Trump Jr. Shares, Then Deletes, a Tweet Questioning Kamala Harris’s Race But the original tweet that questioned the racial background of a presidential candidate of Indian and Jamaican descent had already gone far and wide.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/us/politics/donald-trump-jr-kamala-harris.html

Hylarn (Don’t ask)
#284099: Jun 28th 2019 at 9:07:37 PM

Sometimes I wonder if little Donny is trying to make his dad look better by comparison

Non-paywalled article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kamala-harris-bot-twitter-birther_n_5d1692d1e4b07f6ca57d4fd8

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#284100: Jun 28th 2019 at 9:40:36 PM

GAH! In 2018, Florida voters passed a constitutional ammendment restoring voting rights to convicted felons, overturning an almost-a-century old law denying the right to vote to felons forever, on the explicitly racist grounds that they're most likely black. Most of the rest of the country has already rescinded such laws.But, of course, this is HORRIFIC to Republicans, so they have swung into action and "reinterpreted" the law, passing a bill to read the law as requiring felons to have paid off their entire schedule of court fines and, of course, paid back the state for the expense of keeping them in jail. Which means, effecitvely, not having any voting rights at all.Can someone invent a human decency pill and slip it into the water supply of every capital on the country, NOW?

Fun additional fact: Florida has refused to set up a centralized system whereby a person might FIND OUT how much money they owe the government, but somehow it is their responsibility to magicallydemonstrate that they have paid off everything they have no way of knowing about.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.

Total posts: 417,856
Top