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'm not a fan of Perot. He popularized the "rich vanity candidate" trend of modern times, and he got a lot of people to buy into the "national debt BAD" and "let a businessman run the country" memes that've been plaguing our politics. I'm not cheering his death, but he had a good run, and I'm not going to wallow in sadness about it.
Edited by Fighteer on Jul 9th 2019 at 11:12:32 AM
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"More like the Howard Schultz of his time.
Andrew Yang, to his credit, is at least running as a Democrat rather than springboarding to the general as an independent.
"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."On Kentucky, it’s worth the fight even if the Dems loose, every dollar Mitch pulls from the RNC to defend him in Kentucky is a dollar that can’t be spent in Arizona, North Carolina, Colorado or Maine.
Also it’s another die being rolled. Sure the Dems will have a low chance there, same as in Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kansas and Wyoming.
Roll enough dice and you’ve got decent odds of getting one natural 20.
That’s before we consider the coattails impact, Beto lost in Texas but helped get a number of Dems elected to more local offices, that matters long term.
Edited by Silasw on Jul 9th 2019 at 4:05:32 PM
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranApparently he's one of the few billionaires who fork their donation money out for left wing causes.
Further on the Evil Turtle, if memory serves he's generally a fairly unpopular politician who will likely receive fewer votes than Trump & less than would be expected from Kentucky's partisan lean.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard FeynmanSteyer's also the one who's been running ads since before the Mueller report was finished about the need to Impeach Trump.
And in other election news, it seems that Warren's campaign is also forgoing outside polling and advertising firms
, doing it all internally, and largely focusing on web-based ads rather than traditional TV spots.
And now, the campaign told POLITICO that it is shunning the typical model for producing campaign ads, in which outside firms are hired and paid often hefty commissions for their work. Instead, Warren's campaign is producing TV, digital and other media content itself, as well as placing its digital ad buys internally.
Taken together, Warren's approach is a rebuke of the consultant-heavy model of campaigns — an often lucrative arrangement in which the people advising campaigns invariably tell candidates that the best political strategy is to buy what they sell, namely TV ads and polling. If carried out for the duration, the moves would create the most robust in-house media production and buying team in recent presidential politics.
And if Warren makes it to the general election, a large swath of Democratic consultants, including some whom Warren has used in past campaigns, could be relegated to the sidelines. That's because Warren and her campaign team see the standard campaign as another symbol of Washington corruption — and an opportunity to do things differently.
"Campaigns offer a chance not only to tell people what kind of president you’ll be, but to show it," said Joe Rospars, Warren's chief campaign strategist. "She’s running her campaign the way she intends to govern: willing to question existing power structures, making decisions grounded in evidence, and always fighting to build something more progressive, more inclusive, more joyful — and more democratic — than what came before."
But despite Warren's early success, there's no guarantee her strategy will work over the long haul. For one, hiring outside talent allows campaigns to pick and choose among experts, defenders of the current model say. There's a reason why many campaigns do it this way, they argue.
“Quality has cost. I’d rather have Jim Margolis [who is working for Kamala Harris] on my side and pay some fees than ‘Larry’ in a cubicle in-house who is learning media buying,” said veteran GOP consultant Mike Murphy, who headed up the Jeb Bush-aligned super PAC in 2016 and is co-host of the "Hacks on Tap" podcast with Democratic strategist David Axelrod. “Not having a pollster is just running on outsized hubris and ego, I think. But maybe they have an in-house pollster next to Larry.”
Murphy added, “The truth is, it can work, but it’s expensive to do it in-house.”
But Warren's team clearly believes she's on to something. Aside from cutting out costly commissions, they're intent on avoiding the outsized egos that are common in the consultant world — and the leaks that sometimes come with them. Already, Joe Biden's and Kamala Harris’ campaigns have been the subjects of news stories about infighting between consultants and campaign staff.
And in theory, at least, the MO could allow the campaign to be more cohesive and nimble.
And in cathartic news, an Appeals court has ruled 3-0 that Trump can't block people on Twitter
. “The First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise-open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees,” wrote Circuit Judge Barrington Parker, citing several Supreme Court decisions.
Edited by ironballs16 on Jul 9th 2019 at 1:43:23 PM
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"Two things him today's pending WTF Just Happened Today.
I saw an article about this first one, but hadn't shared it because the source at the time was the Daily Mail.
Trump attacked Theresa May on Twitter and said the U.S. would no longer deal with the British ambassador to the U.S. after cables were leaked revealing that the diplomat called Trump "inept" and said his administration was "dysfunctional." Trump attacked Sir Kim Darroch for the second day in a row, threatening to cut ties altogether over the leaked memos, which described Trump as "radiating insecurity." "I do not know the Ambassador," Trump tweeted, "but he is not liked or well thought of within the U.S. We will no longer deal with him." On Sunday, Trump told reporters, "We are not big fans of that man and he has not served the UK well … so I can understand it and I can say things about him, but I won’t bother." (The Guardian)
House Democrats plan to move forward with criminal contempt proceedings against Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for defying congressional subpoenas for documents related to the addition of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. The move is largely a symbolic one, which may serve as an embarrassment for the Trump administration officials but is unlikely to lead to many tangible consequences. The DOJ will most likely refuse to charge the AG or any other cabinet secretary with a crime and has even urged officials not to comply with the House Oversight and Reform Committee's subpoenas. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/08/criminal-contempt-william-barr-wilbur-ross-census-1402210

You don't get to say "a fair election is one I win."
Edited by Ramidel on Jul 9th 2019 at 6:52:46 AM