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

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#35026: Oct 24th 2012 at 1:14:06 PM

Got a ridiculously slanted "poll" call. Nestled between the usual legitimate "what party are you" and "pro-choice or pro-life" stuff there was a whole lot of "Obamacare cuts $716 billion from Medicare. Does that make you more or less likely to support it?"

Even weirder, they were calling for me by name, so presumably Romney thinks Oregon is worth spending campaign dollars on despite its record.

edited 24th Oct '12 1:15:01 PM by Pykrete

Tangent128 from Virginia Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
#35027: Oct 24th 2012 at 1:16:42 PM

One minor factor in Obama's favor: gas prices have hit the seasonal drop.

Now, I know that he doesn't have much to do with gas prices, up or down, and you know that too. But the people who were blaming him for it have weaker ammo now.

Do you highlight everything looking for secret messages?
Achaemenid HGW XX/7 from Ruschestraße 103, Haus 1 Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
HGW XX/7
#35028: Oct 24th 2012 at 1:17:06 PM

[up] Was it a Romney campaign flyer or a Super PAC one?

Schild und Schwert der Partei
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#35029: Oct 24th 2012 at 1:46:01 PM

I don't see any problem in using "America". It's just short for "The United States of America". And it's easier to say than "The United States".

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#35030: Oct 24th 2012 at 1:46:36 PM

I somehow doubt that education level or political slant has all that much to do with whether you say "America" or "US" more than the other. I mean, I say one just as much as the other, and it bugs the shit out of me whenever anyone says "Murrica" for any reason at all. [up]Exactly. I mean, most people know we mean the US when we say America anyway, because otherwise we'd be saying "Mexico", "Canada", or "North America" if we were referring to something else. It's in the cultural lexicon now and has been for nearly as long as the country has existed.

@Pykrete: I just don't answer any of those types of calls ever. They're pointless and serve to frustrate. I'm not even sure what purpose they're supposed to serve. Aside of possibly gathering my information that I don't want anyone to have.

edited 24th Oct '12 1:48:22 PM by AceofSpades

shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#35031: Oct 24th 2012 at 1:49:41 PM

I tend to say US for the country but American for the nationality. But I'll use whatever happens to scan better in the sentence.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
ch00beh ??? from Who Knows Where Since: Jul, 2010
???
#35032: Oct 24th 2012 at 1:54:28 PM

Most people I've interacted with outside the US refer to the country as "The States" despite the US not being the only country with states. As long as the subject is clear, I don't really see much of a problem.

"Never let the truth get in the way of a good story." Twitter
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#35033: Oct 24th 2012 at 1:59:41 PM

If someone says "America," my first thought still, after all these years of following American politics and media, is that they're referring to both American continents. Except if the speaker has a strong American accent; then I assume that by "America" they mean the US.

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#35034: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:07:40 PM

That's often the case in Latin America, where the adjective can refer to the continents. Thus the Pan-American Games.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
ohsointocats from The Sand Wastes Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#35035: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:13:28 PM

I don't get why people think 'America' is easier to say than 'US'. America is four syllables, US is two letters.

Joesolo Indiana Solo Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Indiana Solo
#35036: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:13:57 PM

...and yet in mexican spanish(or at least what I Learned in high school), there isn't "American". They say "estadoundiense", which is basically "united-statesian".

I'm baaaaaaack
ohsointocats from The Sand Wastes Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#35037: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:15:36 PM

[up]There's no euphonic way to do that in English like there is in Romance languages.

edited 24th Oct '12 2:16:12 PM by ohsointocats

RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#35038: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:17:58 PM

We've got you down to one syllable in Canada: "States". Well, two if you says "the States".

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#35039: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:18:02 PM

There's "Americano" which I'm fairly certain is Spanish, in the sense that's what I heard in Spanish class.

Anyway, we seem to have drifted from the topic.

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#35040: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:18:57 PM

I just don't answer any of those types of calls ever. They're pointless and serve to frustrate. I'm not even sure what purpose they're supposed to serve. Aside of possibly gathering my information that I don't want anyone to have.

I just straight up told them I'm Republican, answered honestly, called out the $716 billion thing, and expressed less-than-subtle disgust at the general state of the party having gone off the deep end. It may have been the most potentially useful poll data I've ever given.

Keep in mind I'm in the position of someone they think is supposed to be in the bag, and just told them that they lost.

That, and they didn't get any personal information they didn't already have as a prerequisite to tracking down my home number and asking for me by name.

edited 24th Oct '12 2:29:23 PM by Pykrete

Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#35041: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:19:52 PM

Apparently, in Chinese, the term is Mai-gua-wren, or however it is that it's anglicized, and I think it means something like "lovely country person."

The brits get "Hero country person"

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#35042: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:20:08 PM

My wife often screens those types of calls so I don't have the pleasure of talking to them, although I did tell off a blatant Romney supporter who called my cell while I was driving home.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#35043: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:21:20 PM

Odd thought: Manchurian Third Party Candidates. Say, a Libertarian and a Green sneak into the Republican and Democratic nomination races respectively, win the candidacy, and then abandon their parties after the conventions and proceed to run for their original parties in November. Could it be done?

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#35044: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:24:08 PM

That's basically what Ron Paul tried to do.

Also what this guy's son tried to do, but for Republicans. It hasn't been panning out too well for his own prospects because pretty much the whole state knows what happened.

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#35045: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:29:12 PM

I don't know what the point of that would be, seeing as they got the original nomination on the support of Republicans/Democrats, and essentially appear to be abandoning the base they probably worked hard to get the support of. And Libertarians run with the Republican tickets usually anyway, so it seems double pointless for them.

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#35046: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:30:49 PM

I wouldn't call Gary Johnson a Republican ticket at all. Sure his economics are the same but not a whole lot else.

Ron Paul, maybe, but he's usually the first one to jump on privacy issues the main party quietly glosses over.

edited 24th Oct '12 2:31:42 PM by Pykrete

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#35047: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:31:57 PM

AMERICA! AMERICA! AMERICA!

GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

AND NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA ARE SEPARATE CONTINENTS!

Now that I have fully ticked off the Europeans and Latinos, can anyone tell me what Donald's "bombshell" was

edited 24th Oct '12 2:33:19 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#35048: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:32:54 PM

He offered to give a shitload of money to charity if Obama releases more documents that are probably already public record.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#35049: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:38:32 PM

Trump wants Obama to release his college transcripts and his passport application. If Obama does so, Trump will donate $5 million to the charity of Obama's choice. Trump is, as usual, being a self-aggrandizing blowhard.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#35050: Oct 24th 2012 at 2:38:51 PM

[up][up] & [up]

Oh Trump. tongue

Biden in Ohio Calls Romney ‘One Quackin’ Duck

Paul Ryan emphasizes private charity in poverty speech

Didn't work when Hoover suggested it.

Didn't work when Ford suggested it.

Isn't gonna work now.

edited 24th Oct '12 2:39:32 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016

Total posts: 417,856
Top