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

TheStarshipMaxima NCC - 1701 Since: Jun, 2009
NCC - 1701
#52801: Apr 9th 2013 at 1:31:21 PM

A clip from the Esquire article.

Watching the administration's momentum fade on this issue is to see a president presented with the final, practical refutation of the speech that made him famous. It turns out there is a red America and a blue America. It turns out that there is a conservative America and a liberal America. It turns out that the things that divide us are stronger than the things that unite us. Or, at least, that the things that divide us are more politically salient than the things that unite us. The failure on guns is the last, final refutation of what Barack Obama said he believed about the people of this county.

Now, if you'd indulge me, I'd like to retort. This paragraph is accurate, in a sense, and sums up the failure not of Obama, but of the socialist-progressive bloc.

I honestly feel like since the left-wing picked gay rights to be it's flagship cause and won, they felt as if "We can do anything." No...you can't.

Obama's failure on gun control is precisely because not everyone buys the left's party line. Many of us on the right see the clear truth that the problem is far less gun proliferation, and more the continued problem of urban blight and crime in combination with the continued problem of a total lack of any apparatus to accurate notice, let alone treat, severely damaged individuals.

Yes, there is another America. And while this author laments it as some kind of problem, I see it merely a reminder that no, not everyone sees your vision of the country as the one that has to be. And if you want them to work with you, then you'll listen to what they have to say and not ignore them.

Democracy basically.

It was an honor
Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#52802: Apr 9th 2013 at 1:42:23 PM

[up]

By the same token, every time we've tried efforts to Improve those things, theyve been blocked. Its a catch 22.

TheStarshipMaxima NCC - 1701 Since: Jun, 2009
NCC - 1701
#52803: Apr 9th 2013 at 1:43:31 PM

Well Midget, there's a reason nobody likes the Republicans. Including...the Republicans.

Which is as it should be. But simply because some members of the group are insane doesn't mean you have carte blanche to ignore the rest.

It was an honor
Wildcard Since: Jun, 2012
#52804: Apr 9th 2013 at 1:49:58 PM

socialist-progressive bloc.

Just as conservatives aren't one big group agreeing about everything neither are the liberals. Not every person who sees themselves as progressive wants socialism, and some do.

TheStarshipMaxima NCC - 1701 Since: Jun, 2009
NCC - 1701
#52805: Apr 9th 2013 at 1:52:27 PM

Excellent point Card, but I was specifically referring to that group as a whole, only in the context of the red-blue divide, as the gun control issue tends to be.

I was using that as a statement that a lot of people who tend to think like minded forget that they are not the only ones with an opinion, and they're certainly not the only ones with a vote.

Obama may have drubbed Romney by the odd machinations of the electoral college, but the results show a lot of people aren't fans of his. A significant number in fact.

It was an honor
TotemicHero No longer a forum herald from the next level Since: Dec, 2009
No longer a forum herald
#52806: Apr 9th 2013 at 1:55:00 PM

Well, for those of you wondering what potential loonies with a will to kill would do if guns were banned...they'd go stabbity stabbity.

Your gun control debate just got a lot more interesting...

Expergiscēre cras, medior quam hodie. (Awaken tomorrow, better than today.)
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#52807: Apr 9th 2013 at 2:07:35 PM

[up]Stabbity-stabbity has a better chance of increased survive-survive. tongue For a number of reasons. <_<

TheStarshipMaxima NCC - 1701 Since: Jun, 2009
NCC - 1701
#52808: Apr 9th 2013 at 2:09:29 PM

Most mass shootings don't have comparatively high fatality rates either.

edited 9th Apr '13 2:09:39 PM by TheStarshipMaxima

It was an honor
3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#52809: Apr 9th 2013 at 2:12:56 PM

Anyone want to bet me that there will be a "if they had guns they could have stopped it" answer to it before morning?

"You can reply to this Message!"
Drtentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#52810: Apr 9th 2013 at 2:17:57 PM

[up][up] Indeed. They just get all the attention, which is sad, really, because they're frankly a blip in the overall ugly pattern of gun violence. I don't think it'll be easy, or maybe even possible to curb mass shootings. (Mental health care would go a long way.)

What guns laws should be doing is to overhaul and strengthen the ATF, strengthen background checks and availability to mental health care, attack arms trafficking, and try to reduce the more common kinds of gun violence. At times, this will require reducing availability (Do we have any statistics on how many gun crimes fall under "crimes of passion?").

However, I don't think an outright ban is a good idea. At all. There should be restrictions, but they shouldn't be on cosmetics. (I'm torn about magazine sizes. Smaller magazines won't impede a trained shooter, but many people aren't trained shooters.)

Overall, I think we need better education, and more research.

edited 9th Apr '13 2:18:28 PM by Drtentacles

TheStarshipMaxima NCC - 1701 Since: Jun, 2009
NCC - 1701
#52811: Apr 9th 2013 at 2:18:03 PM

Wouldn't the correct response be to suggest everyone should carry a combat knife??

[up] And what the Doctor said.

edited 9th Apr '13 2:18:52 PM by TheStarshipMaxima

It was an honor
Drtentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#52812: Apr 9th 2013 at 2:21:15 PM

[up] Let's re-institute the gentleman's dueling sword. I could go for that. (Kidding mode. I don't really want someone emotionally compromised to have anything but their fists to attack me with in the heat of the moment.) It would be classy, however.

Gun Control is one of the things that I'm more centrist than Democrat on. It's one of my sticking points, but at least it's something even democrats aren't unanimous about. I would like control, but people like Fienstein make my head hurt. I also would like to see more democrats supporting nuclear energy.

Thorn14 Gunpla is amazing! Since: Aug, 2010
Gunpla is amazing!
#52813: Apr 9th 2013 at 3:26:28 PM

You still would have thought we'd at least fucking get the expanded background checks.

But nope.

Fucking congress. Democracy my ass.

Drtentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#52814: Apr 9th 2013 at 3:32:41 PM

GOP Senators denounce attempted GOP filibuster of Gun Control Legislation

There's still hope. Perhaps. One of the big problems with Gun Control Legislation always comes after a tragedy, thus, it tends to be populist (In the bad, pondering to the lowest common denominator kind, lawmakers desperate to show they're doing something, anything), somewhat hysterical (it's always hysterical on the GOP side, but after a tragedy, it gets hysterical on the Dem side as well), and poorly thought out. Sadly, without a tragedy to motivate it, it's impossible to get any sort of legislation whatsoever.

edited 9th Apr '13 3:33:14 PM by Drtentacles

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#52815: Apr 9th 2013 at 3:36:04 PM

So that has a chance in the Senate? Good for them, even if the House does not act upon it.

And what is that blather from Inhofe? After reading 3 times, I still don't get it.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Thorn14 Gunpla is amazing! Since: Aug, 2010
Gunpla is amazing!
#52816: Apr 9th 2013 at 3:54:56 PM

[up][up]

True, and I wasn't expecting much but I figured expanded background checks would be something everyone can get behind (which almost everyone does, but lolcongress)

Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#52817: Apr 9th 2013 at 3:56:40 PM

[up]

They get behind it until a Democrat puts the bill up.

the omg socialiarzm

RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#52818: Apr 9th 2013 at 3:57:25 PM

@Maxima: Several things. First, Obama beat Romney in the popular vote as well, and Democrats received more votes running for Congress nationwide than did Republicans running for Congress. It would be more accurate to say that Republicans did as well as they did because of gerrymandering efforts. (And yes, I know Democrats do it too.) Second, universal registration and background checks are massively popular even among conservatives and Republicans in many regions; it would have to be for that policy to get a ~91% approval result when polled. Finally, did you notice the efforts to sabotage and dismantle the legislation that was passed, through nonelected means as lawyer-dogpiling and slipping linguistic tricks into the legislation? Not very democratic.

While we're at it, you're daily dose of WTF from Tumblr.

edited 9th Apr '13 4:45:16 PM by RadicalTaoist

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
Wildcard Since: Jun, 2012
#52820: Apr 9th 2013 at 7:45:00 PM

I was using that as a statement that a lot of people who tend to think like minded forget that they are not the only ones with an opinion, and they're certainly not the only ones with a vote.

True which is why we should be looser when trying to pass a single morality code and instead have an attitude of "I'll believe what I believe and you are free to do so as well" Though for it to work we have to agree to certain morality by laws that are secular in nature and for the safety and freedom of all our people.

Also Radical is right, Obama did win the popular vote. Wasn't Romney pretty divisive among the Republicans anyway?

[up][up]The hell? They through out food even with starving people?

edited 9th Apr '13 7:45:42 PM by Wildcard

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#52822: Apr 9th 2013 at 9:28:53 PM

[up]Really? Going after Cuba is still a thing?

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#52823: Apr 9th 2013 at 9:29:03 PM

Oh my God, no one cares of someone visits fucking Cuba. Maybe they want to learn about the culture! Maybe they want to open up Cubans to the fun parts of capitalism and democracy! Maybe they just want to make money visiting Cuba!

Seriously, I understand why we put the embargo and shit in place, but it's obsolete now and needs to be done away with. It serves no purpose and it gives idiot politicians a moronic chance to complain about something that's no longer a threat and thus shouldn't be a concern.

PotatoesRock Since: Oct, 2012
#52824: Apr 9th 2013 at 9:51:45 PM

Not to mention it's grade A hypocritical when we're basically humping China.


Total posts: 417,856
Top