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

Serocco Serocco from Miami, Florida Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Faithful to 2D
Serocco
#48751: Feb 5th 2013 at 12:04:24 AM

What if Paul Ryan or Rick Perry decide to run?

In RWBY, every girl is Best Girl.
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#48752: Feb 5th 2013 at 12:17:56 AM

I doubt a second run by Perry would be any more successful. Even before his weird... thing on stage he wasn't doing all that great. Paul Ryan still has the stigma of a failed VP campaign, so he's going to have to do something to repair that in the coming years if he wants to make another run.

I still think it's a little early to be talking about presidential candidates though. So much is going to change in the next two and four years on the political field, and any one of the people mentioned might decide not to run for various reasons.

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#48753: Feb 5th 2013 at 1:41:29 AM

Santorum-Bachmann would be fun to watch, in the same way that a slow motion train wreck is.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Kami4 By Jove, Oh, My Gods!! from United States Since: Mar, 2012
By Jove, Oh, My Gods!!
#48754: Feb 5th 2013 at 3:26:01 AM

@Sila:I'd predict either Santorum-Palin of Santorum-Huckabee as more like to happen than Santorum-Bachmann for some reason.

Blue-and-Orange Morality! It's my new favorite trope! Also, it's my signature trope! It's also going to be my Catchphrase!
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#48755: Feb 5th 2013 at 4:59:01 AM

Lascoden: Probably but I think the Religious Right would overrule the moderate defection if his candidate is Biden. Unless Obama really gets his act together he'd still have the stigma of being president of an unpopular guy on him. He is also prone to gaffes that could be easily used against him.

Palin/Bachmann dammit! It's the perfect plan. When you divide a negative by a negative you get a positive!

Sledgesaul Since: Oct, 2011
#48756: Feb 5th 2013 at 5:11:57 AM

A new memo has been released regarding the drone program. It states that the Obama administration believes that high-level administration officials — not just the president — may order the killing of “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or an associated force even without evidence they are actively plotting against the U.S.

Like he said, "I go skeet shooting all the time". Nobel Peace Prize my ass.

edited 5th Feb '13 5:21:59 AM by Sledgesaul

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#48757: Feb 5th 2013 at 5:20:43 AM

"High-level administration officials" is vague. How far does "high-level" extend?

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Sledgesaul Since: Oct, 2011
#48758: Feb 5th 2013 at 5:27:49 AM

Only the President was signaled out by name, last I checked. It's vague about whoever else can make such a decision, but I think the intelligence directors are among those who can order the strikes on American citizens.

edited 5th Feb '13 5:28:45 AM by Sledgesaul

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#48759: Feb 5th 2013 at 5:37:39 AM

I expect the Secretary of Defense to be on the list as well, and maybe the Secretary of State. Which US Secretary(s) handles the domestic law enforcement agencies again?

edited 5th Feb '13 5:38:06 AM by MarqFJA

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Sledgesaul Since: Oct, 2011
#48760: Feb 5th 2013 at 5:38:36 AM

I think that's Homeland Security, which John Brennan heads right now.

He's not a secretary, merely an adviser, though.

edited 5th Feb '13 5:39:20 AM by Sledgesaul

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#48761: Feb 5th 2013 at 5:40:23 AM

Homeland Security, Defense, and maybe State would be my guesses.

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#48762: Feb 5th 2013 at 5:51:12 AM

Uh, Homeland Security is headed by this office, actually, not John Brennan.

edited 5th Feb '13 5:52:27 AM by MarqFJA

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Belian In honor of my 50lb pup from 42 Since: Jan, 2001
In honor of my 50lb pup
#48763: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:02:59 AM

...isn't this part of the problem with US Politics? That they have to be in "campaign" mode all the time and are not allowed to do the sorts of negotiations that they used to do?

In other words, WHY THE F*** ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE NEXT ELECTION WHEN THE PREVIOUS ONE JUST ENDED?! It's not like there is plenty of other stuff to talk about. "Obamacare", the fiscal cliff, what we should/shouldn't be doing with our military, etc. (gun control gets a pass because we have been talking about it a LOT lately)

...sorry, one of my little pet peeves.

edited 5th Feb '13 6:03:13 AM by Belian

Yu hav nat sein bod speeling unntil know. (cacke four undersandig tis)the cake is a lie!
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#48764: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:04:47 AM

I see nothing wrong with discussing the future of our country and who could lead it in 4 years is a big deal. The ones that control the presidency and Congress dictate what direction we go in.

tricksterson Never Trust from Behind you with an icepick Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Never Trust
#48765: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:20:02 AM

Santorum bachman would be a Perfect Storm of cray-cray

Trump delenda est
Sledgesaul Since: Oct, 2011
#48766: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:20:30 AM

Brennan may not be the head, but he is the architect for the drone program. All of the counter-terrorism stuff was his idea, ultimately.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#48767: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:24:58 AM

[up][up]It would indeed be fun to watch. It might even torpedo his campaign since she'd probably wind up being Palin 2.0.

Belian In honor of my 50lb pup from 42 Since: Jan, 2001
In honor of my 50lb pup
#48768: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:33:05 AM

It used to be that elected officials would campaign for a few months and then spend most of their time wherever their office is. They were trusted to do their job and would do what they felt was necessary to get the best results ("best" being whatever their own definition of the word was) and help the people who elected them. That is the whole point of a Representative Democracy, right?

Just by talking about the next campaign, it means that these people are already under the microscope and can't just do the jobs they were elected for.

It is this exact environment that is forcing the Tea Party canidates to keep up their original stances on various subjects even if some would say "Ok, I'll compromise because not doing so will hurt my voters."

edited 5th Feb '13 6:33:26 AM by Belian

Yu hav nat sein bod speeling unntil know. (cacke four undersandig tis)the cake is a lie!
Kami4 By Jove, Oh, My Gods!! from United States Since: Mar, 2012
By Jove, Oh, My Gods!!
#48769: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:39:11 AM

@Belian Actually, best as defined as the voters definiton of best. Also, their duty is to represent the political will of the people who voted for them. They are delegates sent to Washington DC because we don't have a direct democracy. So, when a person votes someone, it assumes that the person is supposed to vote they way their voters would vote in a direct democracy. Also, different ideologies define people's interests differently, so Tea Partiers are actually supporting the interest of their voters by not comprimisng.

Blue-and-Orange Morality! It's my new favorite trope! Also, it's my signature trope! It's also going to be my Catchphrase!
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#48770: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:53:15 AM

their duty is to represent the political will of the people who voted for them.

Nope. It's their duty to represent the will of their constituents, not just the ones who voted for them but all of them, the same way that the president is meant to look out for all US citizens, not just the ones who voted for him.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Kami4 By Jove, Oh, My Gods!! from United States Since: Mar, 2012
By Jove, Oh, My Gods!!
#48771: Feb 5th 2013 at 6:56:51 AM

@Silaws:Under majority rule, it's the same dif!

Blue-and-Orange Morality! It's my new favorite trope! Also, it's my signature trope! It's also going to be my Catchphrase!
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#48772: Feb 5th 2013 at 7:18:31 AM

No it's not. If nothing else there is the simple fact that not everyone who votes with a person agrees with them on all their stances. In sure there are plenty of people who vote republican but don't agree with everything the party says. Hell you don't even have majority rule, you don't need a majority to get elected in the US (or the UK) you need a plurality but not a majority.

Just because you got more votes than the other guys doesn’t mean everyone agrees with you on that stance, it doesn’t even mean everyone who voted for you agrees with you on that stance.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Sledgesaul Since: Oct, 2011
#48773: Feb 5th 2013 at 7:19:04 AM

Ultimately, politicians represent themselves, first and foremost.

The current crop of politicians, especially Republicans, are simply more brazen about it.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#48774: Feb 5th 2013 at 8:55:55 AM

@Kostya: Obama isn't as unpopular as he looked in 2012, when the entire right-wing media establishment of the country was engineering the most expensive propaganda offensive in history to sink him. Quite simply, that backfired horrendously, and Obama's approval ratings are around 60% now that the storm is receding (and now that he's at least making a token effort to fight back against the Republicans and seizing the moment to get stuff done).

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#48775: Feb 5th 2013 at 9:05:34 AM

One does indeed have to wonder if Fox News has overplayed its hand with the center-right and/or center-left. They live in such a bubble that it's hard to be sure.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

Total posts: 417,856
Top