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

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#339126: Nov 13th 2020 at 6:46:14 AM

As a Jew: can confirm, love bacon and ham.

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#339127: Nov 13th 2020 at 6:51:01 AM

I'm not sure if this has been posted yet, but apparently Trump is trying to declassify top secret material about the Russia investigation, which could jeopardize sources and methods of the secret services.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#339128: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:04:28 AM

NPR: Biden Plans To Reopen America To Refugees After Trump Slashed Admissions

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reassert America's commitment to refugees after the Trump White House's slashing of the resettlement program, part of the current president's anti-immigration drive.

In 2016, President Barack Obama aimed to admit 110,000 refugees. President Trump lowered the cap on refugee admissions every year of his presidency. For fiscal year 2021, he set the cap at 15,000, the lowest on record.

Biden promises to take a starkly different approach from his predecessor: to "set the annual global refugee admissions cap to 125,000, and seek to raise it over time."

The obstacles are "rebuilding the nation's resettlement program after four years of the Trump administration largely dismantling it", and needing the budget to be approved by possibly a divided Congress.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#339129: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:06:00 AM

Let them bark. These dogs might sound vicious, but they ain't got any teeth left.

Conservative Justices control the Supreme Court and likely will for decades to come. This is a weirdly dismissive attitude to have about the toxic ideology that controls a key branch of our government.

You do realize that Joe Biden going to the White House does not mean, "Roll credits, culture war's over, Democrats win forever!" right?

Like. We don't even have the Senate. We might win a 50/50 split if both Georgia runoffs go our way but even that much only means that we cannot nuke the filibuster and therefore cannot actually do anything (thanks, Joe Manchin!). We have our guy in the White House, a promise of two years of legislative paralysis, and the threat of a terrifying stranglehold of conservative power over the Supreme Court which, thanks to the legislative paralysis, we can't actually do anything about.

The universe does not revolve around Donald Trump. The conservative sun does not rise and set with him. These dogs still have plenty of teeth.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Nov 13th 2020 at 7:11:49 AM

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clemont107 Mega Togekiss?! from Land of Missed Opportunities (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
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#339130: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:13:00 AM

If Republicans keep the Senate, couldn't Biden just take executive orders and get his agenda done irrespective of the GOP? Trump abused a lot of his power when ignoring orders from Congress, so Biden could do the same thing with appointing Cabinet members, judges, et cetera.

And also, I don't think that the Supreme Court would actually remain conservative for "decades to come". Alito was just caught earlier today spouting impartial opinions, so he could actually be impeached for that. I also think Biden could also expand the court regardless of the Senate's approval.

Edited by clemont107 on Nov 13th 2020 at 10:15:28 AM

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Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#339131: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:13:54 AM

Yeah perhaps that was some unfortunate wording.

I mean strictly in regards to the whole election debacle. You are right of course that there is still lots of work to be done.

Edited by Forenperser on Nov 13th 2020 at 4:14:37 PM

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TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
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#339132: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:23:11 AM

If Republicans keep the Senate, couldn't Biden just take executive orders and get his agenda done irrespective of the GOP? Trump abused a lot of his power when ignoring orders from Congress, so Biden could do the same thing with appointing Cabinet members, judges, et cetera.

If we don't win those Georgia runoffs and Mitch remains Majority Leader, then yes, Biden may have to resort to some Trumpian tricks to get around Cabinet Appointments. IIRC Mitch has indicated that he'll lock down the Senate to prevent any appointment meetings, but he can only do that if 51 seats have "Republican" titles on them.

That, incidentally, is the benefit of "Blue Dogs" like Joe Manchin. They may be horribly unreliable as liberal votes, but they still technically count as Democrats for the purpose of Chuck Schumer wrangling leadership control away from Mitch McConnell.

Of course, it remains to be seen how willing Biden will be to get his hands dirty. Democrats historically don't like cheating. The left has a lot of faith in the idea that if you just do what you're supposed to do, if you play by the rules and treat the other side fairly and do everything "right", then justice will emerge in the end.

Biden's committed to undoing a lot of Trump's EOs, but past that? There's a lot of question about what Biden will do versus what he can. He was, after all, Obama's VP. And Obama sat back and let Conservatives steal a Supreme Court Justice from him because the existing option for dealing with Mitch's obstruction and putting Merrick Garland on that seat regardless of what Mitch thinks was a bit unorthodox. So that's not promising.

When Republicans start flagrantly cheating, Democrats tend to flounder. It's an unfortunate weakness of the party. The left doesn't really know what to do when the right declares "Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What Wins!" And the right has only become more and more incentivized to screw the rules over the years, because it works.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Nov 13th 2020 at 7:25:03 AM

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clemont107 Mega Togekiss?! from Land of Missed Opportunities (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
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#339133: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:28:14 AM

I seriously would not mind the Dems changing their M.O. to "when they go low, we go lower." Trying to be The Fettered would not actually accomplish anything, and I hope Biden realizes this and does whatever he needs to do to prevent GOP dominance.

"Wow, no Mega Togekiss in Legends Z-A. Or any non-Froslass new Sinnoh Mega Evolutions. Round of applause, everybody." - Dawn
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#339134: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:29:15 AM

And Obama sat back and let Conservatives steal a Supreme Court Justice from him because the existing option for dealing with Mitch's obstruction and putting Merrick Garland on that seat regardless of what Mitch thinks was a bit unorthodox.

What could he have done?

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#339135: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:29:47 AM

Eric Holder proposed, "When they go low, we kick them." I like it. It's punchy.

[up] Obama could have given Mitch a cutoff date to approve his nominee and declared that if Mitch fails to hold a confirmation hearing, then that constitutes the Senate deliberately forfeiting their Constitutional right to approve his nominee, and that Merrick Garland is therefore confirmed by default.

It's a bit tricky and there's a lot of "Can he do that?" involved, which is why Obama didn't. As we saw with Trump, the definitions of executive power are actually super vague. But Obama settled for "going high" and just trying to publicly shame Mitch with a running tally of days without confirmation hearing.

Because Democrats don't really understand the Republican mindset. Where Obama saw a "Days without doing his fucking job" tally, Mitch saw a "Days that I've been winning and you can't stop me" tally.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Nov 13th 2020 at 7:33:52 AM

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Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#339136: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:30:00 AM

Yeah, but you'll also notice that Biden can just overturn those executive orders on day one (or soon after in any case). And... so did Trump with Obama's executive orders.

Executive orders are not the solution. They are a band-aid that does little to resolve the underlying problem: that the current system is almost unworkably broken.

Executive orders are not the solution to an unwilling Congress. They are a specific tool misused to work around Congress, without any real binding legal power. This is why they are so trivially overturned by successive presidents: they don't have the power of law to them, so they are only as binding as the current president is allowing them to be.

Executive orders used in this way weaken and destabilize the system of government, because it makes governance more dependent on the whims of the sitting president, rather than on established laws that remain in force across multiple presidencies. They are toxic to the system.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#339137: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:33:21 AM

[up][up] I'm pretty skeptical that would have held up in court.


[up] If Democrats have a hostile Congress, it's the difference between doing some good for four years, or doing nothing for four years, while allowing Republicans to continually erode and destabilize democracy and the systems of government whenever they get the chance.

Edited by nova92 on Nov 13th 2020 at 7:34:24 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#339138: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:39:27 AM

[up] I know, I understand that it is necessary, but it is important to keep in mind that this is not a good long term solution, that it ultimately hurts the country when allowed to become the norm of running things, and that it doesn't fix the underlying problem.

And it means that Biden should not be too eager to use that tool, as Obama did, because the next president could then easily undo all that work.

And there is little point in doing some good for four years if the next guy can just undo that good in the next four.

Edited by Redmess on Nov 13th 2020 at 4:40:05 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
clemont107 Mega Togekiss?! from Land of Missed Opportunities (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
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#339139: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:42:24 AM

Assuming the next guy is even a Republican. If Biden manages to be popular with his agenda, it may be a long, long time before a Republican gets elected again.

"Wow, no Mega Togekiss in Legends Z-A. Or any non-Froslass new Sinnoh Mega Evolutions. Round of applause, everybody." - Dawn
PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#339140: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:44:30 AM

One question is, how likely are the midterms to go well and give Democrats a majority so the last two years they might be able to pass what had only been executive orders up til then?

This depends on being able to sell their ideas, of course.

I seem to remember they have a good map in the Senate and not so good in the House?

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#339141: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:47:22 AM

I've said this before and I think a lot of people agree.

Mitch's argument was RIDICULOUS during Obama's administration. It was ridiculous when the Democrats made it too and got us in this situation. A Supreme Court Justice should be nominated when the death of a previous one happens, election year or not. Then swiftly carried out.

Mitch also not voting on bills from Congress, ALL OF THEM, is insane too.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#339142: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:49:02 AM

That is admirably optimistic, but we have to contend with the possibility that the next guy could be a Republican, or worse, that it could be Trump, again. Just because you elected a Democrat now doesn't mean you can get complacent about things. There will be another Republican president, maybe sooner than you'd like.

And that's not even going into whether Biden will want to (or be able to) run for a second term.

[up] I don't know, I think there is some merit to the idea of not electing a justice in an election year, just to keep the hearings free of campaign politics. You don't really want an appointment to become a chess piece in a president's re-election bid.

Edited by Redmess on Nov 13th 2020 at 4:51:21 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#339143: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:50:16 AM

That is a tad premature, especially since Biden has not even taken office yet.

Disgusted, but not surprised
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#339144: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:50:30 AM

And there is little point in doing some good for four years if the next guy can just undo that good in the next four.

The people it helps during the four years certainly matter.

[up][up][up][up] Honestly, no Senate map is good for Democrats. The 2024 map is atrocious, and 2020 and 2022 are so-so. Targets are North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania (especially since Toomey's retiring), Florida, Georgia (if Loeffler wins this year), and maybe Iowa. Democrats will still be defending New Hampshire, Nevada, and Arizona.

The House depends on how badly Republicans gerrymander D seats. For example, I think the GOP has veto-proof majorities in Kansas, where they've openly talked about gerrymandering Sharice Davids out of her seat. Democrats are already holding on to an incredibly slim House majority. That happens a few other places, and you're looking at a hard slog. (Edit: Which is why if Democrats win both Georgia seats, they need to do whatever they can to convince Manchin to nuke the filibuster and outlaw gerrymandering at the Congressional level)

If Biden does a good job, I'm hopeful he'll get a boost and it'll help in 2022, but people shouldn't be relying on it or be overly optimistic of it happening.

Edited by nova92 on Nov 13th 2020 at 7:54:02 AM

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#339145: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:52:02 AM

If Biden manages to be popular with his agenda, it may be a long, long time before a Republican gets elected again.

Yes, I'm going to beat that drum again: People said the same thing after Obama got elected, and then re-elected.

Someone did tell me life was going to be this way.
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#339146: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:52:07 AM

[up][up][up] Biden has already hinted that he may become a one term president, hasn't he?

Edited by Redmess on Nov 13th 2020 at 4:52:28 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
jjjj2 from Arrakis Since: Jul, 2015
#339147: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:54:19 AM

With the Merrick Garland he could have also used the bully pulpit more. Obama didn't really make it enough an issue, when he should have been hammering it in constantly.

You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#339148: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:57:38 AM

[up] I don't know, I think there is some merit to the idea of not electing a justice in an election year, just to keep the hearings free of campaign politics. You don't really want an appointment to become a chess piece in a president's re-election bid.

I mean, right now, the seat becomes open when someone retires or dies. If the nomination is forced to remain open in an election year, it becomes a consideration in the election anyways.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#339149: Nov 13th 2020 at 7:59:01 AM

At least wait until he has actually become President before doomsaying about what comes next.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#339150: Nov 13th 2020 at 8:14:40 AM

[up][up] Good point.

That's not doomsaying, that is being realistic about possible future events. Saying that there could be a Republican president after Biden is hardly doomsaying.

Edited by Redmess on Nov 13th 2020 at 5:15:02 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times

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