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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

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#112126: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:01:51 AM

lack of confirmation would retroactively invalidate any decisions they had rendered.

Don't think that that's the case, actually. While the justice in question is on the bench, they're the justice.

Which raises the possibility of a Democratic filibuster at the confirmation hearing.

@style: I'm in agreement. Fighteer's style is a little harsh, and more to the point, I really don't like him intentionally trolling people to give himself an excuse to ban them.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:02:49 AM by Ramidel

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#112127: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:03:40 AM

Hmm, on the credit crisis issue.. this article discusses the policy failures of Paulson, Bernanke, and Geithner around the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the nature of the risk that the bank had been taking on, which was beyond even its own standards and deliberately concealed from both the bank's own oversight personnel and from regulators.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
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
#112128: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:04:20 AM

Meh he was a brick wall that people kept banging their heads against, facts and well reasoned arguments meant nothing, there's a reason he found his way onto my personal "do not respond" list

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#112129: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:04:40 AM

@ Nihlus: Not cricket, Fighteer.

Keep Rolling On
Achaemenid HGW XX/7 from Ruschestraße 103, Haus 1 Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
HGW XX/7
#112130: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:08:28 AM

It's kinda sad how people who argued against the default 'Democrat centre-left' consensus here are just assumed to be arguing in bad-faith, as though that worldview is so self-evident that nobody could possibly disagree if they examined the evidence correctly.

It's not just Nihlus's centrism/centre-right position either. Soban got banned, that other conservative poster with the D12 avatar seems to be keeping his head down, and Serocco and other far-left posters either got booted or left. This thread isn't a good place for people who don't fit a pretty narrow American political mould.

If that's what you want, I guess go for it, but don't be surprised the thread doesn't have a very diverse opinion set.

Schild und Schwert der Partei
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#112131: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:08:36 AM

@Fighteer: Yep! It helps to remember that institutions are often composed of individuals, and the people on the trading floor at Lehman Brothers were often intentionally working against the interests of their company to build their own compensation.

[up]Soban, for the record, was banned for having an opinion that actually is on the forbidden list. Bigoted opinions make up a large portion of the right-wing spectrum, hence a lot of right-wingers will be banned as bigots.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:12:03 AM by Ramidel

LogoP Party Crasher from the Land of Deep Blue Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Party Crasher
#112132: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:09:28 AM

I remember this guy arguing about how Pinochet's regime was an improvement for Chile because it wasn't socialist.

Good times.

It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.
JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#112133: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:11:22 AM

[up][up] What was Soban's opinion exactly? Also how did Nihlus "have it coming." Because he refused to change his mind when confronted with our glorious wisdom. He stuck to his line true, but so have many others, and they haven't been banned.

[up] I believe it was because the economy under the previous guy was utter shit, not necessarily because it was socialist.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:13:03 AM by JackOLantern1337

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#112134: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:11:58 AM

Last word: Nihlus was not arguing in good faith. He was arguing from an extremist, fact-immune position that twisted evidence and ignored counterarguments. We don't want that here.

[down] Serocco was also ban evading.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:14:32 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
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
#112135: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:12:43 AM

I'm pretty sure Serocco's full ban came in part due to attempts to subvert the ban by constantly P Ming people about OTC things, even when said P Ms were clearly unwanted. I can't remember every other case in detail but off the top of my head the only instance of someone getting a ban who wasn't either advocating violence of being an obnoxious arse was a long time ago and in a different thread. It says something that people seem unable to argue against the concencus without being an arse about it, it's managed perfectly well in other threads.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#112136: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:13:41 AM

Yeah, I think Nihlus kind of had it coming, and that's coming from a conservative. He seemed kind of like a wonk.

I do think Achaemenid is at least partially correct, however.

[up]Yeah, he kept P Ming me about my Conservative views.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:15:05 AM by Protagonist506

Leviticus 19:34
FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#112137: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:13:52 AM

This thread is cursed. Explains everything.

EDIT-

[up] Thats not being a wonk. Dunno if I'd call it trolling, but we have plenty of wonks here who don't become like him.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:15:21 AM by FFShinra

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#112138: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:14:17 AM

I buy it

Oh really when?
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#112139: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:14:45 AM

@Jack: Soban was banned for posting a prayer for the conversion of the gays, if I'm recalling correctly. That's on the banned opinion list.

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
#112140: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:14:55 AM

Maybe this thread is built on the remains of a native thread graveyard? Could explain a lot.

[up] Was Soban the one who upon a gay troper mentioning they were getting married said he's pray for them? Cus yeah that was a dick move.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:16:25 AM by Silasw

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#112141: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:15:06 AM

[up][up][up][up][up]But what if you're the wonk conservative?! tongue

edited 15th Feb '16 11:15:35 AM by Eschaton

JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#112142: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:15:12 AM

@Silas Probably because anyone who argues against the consensus here is treated like an arse,therefore they get all angry and twisted up and become an arse.

Edit:[nja]'d

edited 15th Feb '16 11:15:41 AM by JackOLantern1337

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
Achaemenid HGW XX/7 from Ruschestraße 103, Haus 1 Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
HGW XX/7
#112143: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:16:40 AM

Precisely.

Schild und Schwert der Partei
LogoP Party Crasher from the Land of Deep Blue Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Party Crasher
#112144: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:17:21 AM

[up][up][up][up] Yeah, that was pretty creepy.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:17:54 AM by LogoP

It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.
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
#112145: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:17:33 AM

It's possible to be treated as if you're wrong and not become an arsehole, you've managed it and so have several others like Knit and at times Shinra and I belive occasionally myself.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#112146: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:17:53 AM

Pinochet did some good stuff, don't get me wrong, but it falls in the same category as Hitler and the autobahn, doesn't nearly make up for all the targeted killings and state terror.

As for recess appointments, the Senate has essentially stopped taking recesses because the Supreme Court once ruled that you can be in session pro forma (e.g., in name only) and recess appointments taken will be invalid. The only time the Senate cannot be in session pro forma is when the Senate is dissolved pending the installation of a new Senate on inauguration day, which would lead Obama into "midnight judge" shenanigans, the kind of stuff we put an end to in the 1790s.

Again, better for him to just put his candidate out there and show the world how bad the Republicans are.

The issue with some of the far-left posters that disappeared, from my understanding, was that they tended to get very single-issue, like the near-hysteria that seems to grip some around here regarding TPP. This thread could probably? be more diverse, but the problem is less about crushing dissenting views than dissenters continuing conversations beyond the point of impasse.

Edit: Oh, so that's why Serocco stopped P Ming me. I wondered [lol]

edited 15th Feb '16 11:18:56 AM by Ogodei

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#112147: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:18:17 AM

@Eschaton: I think I'm fairly reasonable. I even got Serrocco to admit that I had a point.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:18:48 AM by Protagonist506

Leviticus 19:34
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#112148: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:18:35 AM

Nihlus seemed to like to stick to one source validating everything he said and then refused to show any others if someone pointed out what was wrong with it. He didn't seem to be able to move past whatever he initially posted.

That being said, this place is sort of echochambery (which is partially while I usually just lurk), but it's not like on, (poorly) contrarian voice really fixes that.

Edit: Still not sure if I agree with banning him, though.

edited 15th Feb '16 11:20:23 AM by LSBK

DrDougsh Since: Jan, 2001
#112149: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:18:39 AM

Nihlus was hardly the only person here engaging in aggressive arguments.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#112150: Feb 15th 2016 at 11:18:39 AM

I will say this: If Nihlus was trolling, he succeeded brilliantly. His ban managed to take over the thread.


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