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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.

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

Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#331376: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:09:42 PM

[up]x4 I will say that the wider outbreak amount Republican senators has disrupted their ability to seat a Supreme Court justice in the short term.

Basically because the Senate doesn't allow Senators to cast votes remotely they might not be able to get the votes to confirm a Supreme Court justice...or change the Senate rules to allow Senators to vote remotely.

In all likelihood this won't remain a barrier for them for long enough to block the nomination entirely (that would take until January 20th), but even delaying the nomination for a few weeks will make it harder for them to make rulings on the election with a 6-3 conservative majority in place.

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#331377: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:10:57 PM

Actually, make that three polls. This one is +8 rather than +10 or up but still high.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#331378: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:11:35 PM

Even a short delay makes me feel less like the end of the world is coming so thanks to the Great Ghost of RBG.

Or the Red Death.

Whichever.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#331379: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:12:14 PM

From my understanding of how the disease tends to progress, Trump isn't fully out of danger until the end of the week regardless of how he feels right now.

So getting discharged tomorrow probably wouldn't be good for him?

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#331380: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:14:35 PM

As I mentioned on Twitter, it's a 5 day course.

So leaving tomorrow would be, at best, 3 doses of the one its supposed to be.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#331381: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:20:37 PM

[up][up] It's not necessarily bad for him either. All it means is that his doctors believenote  he can be sufficiently cared for at the White House, which will probably still involve an actual doctor checking up on him regularly.

Sidenote: The sheer irony of an attempt to rush a Supreme Court nomination for political reasons being disrupted by a disease outbreak at the event where the nomination was announced is...notable.

I've said it many times before, I have no idea how history will remember 2020, but I know that history will remember it.

Edited by Falrinn on Oct 4th 2020 at 5:25:54 AM

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#331382: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:21:42 PM

Several top aides for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are whistleblowing on crimes he committed while acting as the state's top lawyer.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
smokeycut Since: Mar, 2013
#331383: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:22:42 PM

It’s honestly fascinating to me how RBG died at the start of the Hebrew new year (which is a big deal), and now that new year has been rung in with all of this happening.

It gives me some hope.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#331384: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:24:30 PM

Trump seems to be well enough to breathe without assistance, so there's that. Forcing him to obey quarantine though and not campaign...

TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#331385: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:29:25 PM

Maybe they'll get him a Pope-mobile so he can technically do both.

Ayasugi Since: Oct, 2010
#331386: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:31:03 PM

President Donald Trump rankles reporters, doctors with surprise visit to supporters during his COVID-19 treatment

So it sounds like his little visit wasn't exactly doctor-endorsed, if only because he was putting others at risk of infection.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#331387: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:36:47 PM

Actually, Trump has had to have been put on oxygen twice.

But no, he's still in the early stages of the disease.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#331388: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:37:32 PM

The presidential limo, according to a former Obama staffer, is hermetically sealed in case of a chemical attack. Nothing should be able to get in or out unless they want it to.

If a Covid carrier is already in the limo though, it's a bad day to be a Secret Service agent.

Ayasugi Since: Oct, 2010
#331389: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:41:37 PM

They signed up to risk their lives for the president. Risking their lives for the president's ego, however...

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#331390: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:43:02 PM

Honestly, aside from Gaddaffi and Ancient Rome, I can't think of any head of state who has abused their bodyguards more.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
SatoshiBakura (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#331391: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:47:13 PM

Everything is happening so quickly. It was only Thursday/Friday when we found out Trump was diagnosed, and then his condition plummeted.

HighCrate Since: Mar, 2015
#331392: Oct 4th 2020 at 5:56:31 PM

On the bright side, the general level of health of the Secret Service is probably a lot higher than an obese 74-year-old man, so they're at lower risk if they do catch it.

I wonder if they have enough agents who have already had it (and thus have some amount of immunity) to assign those to close-and-personal bodyguard duty in situations like this one.

Imca (Veteran)
#331393: Oct 4th 2020 at 6:14:09 PM

I get the feeling the people who said that for fascism the most important thing is that your leader appears strong were onto something.... if Trump getting corna has caused a boost for Biden like this, after not even Trump calling dead soldiers looser hurt him before....

....

It makes a lot of sense, under that logic he is now weak and unfit to lead.

ScubaWolf from South Carolina Since: Feb, 2020
#331394: Oct 4th 2020 at 6:17:09 PM

Jaime Harrison’s Best Debate Weapon Against Lindsey Graham Was Lindsey Graham

During the South Carolina Senate debate between Jaime Harrison and Lindsey Graham, Harrison absolutely destroyed Lindsey Graham...by using his own words against him. Jaime also actually answered questions, while Lindsey danced around them and kept bringing up his family's bar to the point where it got annoying and redundant. Lindsey also swore he wouldn't fearmonger and then just fearmongered, and used a lot of buzz words instead of actual answers.

Edited by ScubaWolf on Oct 4th 2020 at 9:20:10 AM

"In a move surprising absolutely no one"
Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#331395: Oct 4th 2020 at 6:29:57 PM

I get the feeling that trump's approval dropped because catching covid caused him to look "weak" to his fan base.

Memers Since: Aug, 2013
#331396: Oct 4th 2020 at 6:31:15 PM

[up][up] Well I hope that disaster of a debate actually affects things.

[up] If Trump is back on the campaign trail in 2 weeks those numbers will probably change, a lot.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#331397: Oct 4th 2020 at 6:38:52 PM

I need to donate to Lindsay's opponent. He has a non-0% chance of destroying one of the most evil men in the country's power base.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#331398: Oct 4th 2020 at 6:44:41 PM

This amuses me after seeing a talk-to-people-on-the-street style story on CBS with interviewed conservatives taking liberals saying Trump getting infected was the logical conclusion as a personal attack.

That's why those kind of stories should not be taken as representative of the voting bloc as a whole. They're more just about, "This is the kind of shit real people are saying."

In a group where 50 people hate ice cream, 60 people love ice cream, and 70 people have no opinion on ice cream, I guarantee you that I can find 15 people willing to proclaim the greatness of ice cream on camera. This does NOT mean that 100% of people in that group love ice cream.

Polls will give you a much better indication of the aggregate opinions among a particular demographic than those "word on the street" interviews, which tend to be cut together with just the footage that makes whatever point they're trying to make.

With regards to Trump's condition

If he dies, he dies.

If he gets better, he gets better.

Until either of those things happen, it's all just speculative news. There's hype-mongering happening in both directions right now; try not to get too caught up in either. Remember: it's not news until something actually happens.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Oct 4th 2020 at 6:46:12 AM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#331399: Oct 4th 2020 at 6:55:07 PM

And on a another note, if most of the white house is incapacitated by Corona, what happens?

That's the real worst case scenario.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#331400: Oct 4th 2020 at 7:01:32 PM

Pelosi becomes President.

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

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