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

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#112351: Feb 17th 2016 at 12:25:57 PM

Surprisingly enough, it is. There's a whole model train subculture and it's not just limited to the models. I work a couple blocks away from the Colorado Railroad Museum.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Bense Since: Aug, 2010
#112352: Feb 17th 2016 at 12:28:56 PM

The Trump drinking game is: "take a drink every time he says something that should make him lose support but doesn't."

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#112353: Feb 17th 2016 at 12:30:32 PM

[up]

The point of a drinking game isn't just to chug alcohol the entire time you play it.

Leviticus 19:34
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#112354: Feb 17th 2016 at 12:41:31 PM

While Trump might insult anyone who gets in his way, at least he isn't hated by everyone who's ever met him, like Cruz is. Trump is bad, but he's not trying to sneak anything through, while Cruz, in comparison, appeals directly to the crazy fundamentalist Christians in the South, and from what he's said, he really wants to put people like that in control.

Hell, Cruz has actually said that he thinks he's the opposition to the Antichrist. (Okay, Cruz's father, a lunatic preacher, said that, and Cruz agreed)

Trump is an arrogant blowhard who always wants his own way, but he at least kind of recognizes that people can think differently from him. Cruz is a dogmatic lunatic who doesn't seem to be able to understand that point. (Also, Cruz is bizarrely bad at "acting natural". Trump always behaves exactly the same way, regardless of the circumstances. Cruz seems to be pretending to be normal, but he's astonishingly bad at it.)

Also, out of the two, Cruz is the one who wants to deliberately cripple the American government. He's already tried at least once with the shutdown.

edited 17th Feb '16 12:44:22 PM by Zendervai

Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#112355: Feb 17th 2016 at 12:41:51 PM

Surprisingly enough, it is.

Nowt surprising 'bout it.

Keep Rolling On
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#112356: Feb 17th 2016 at 12:48:52 PM

I can't even LOOK at Cruz without getting pissed off. The guy just rubs me the wrong way.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#112357: Feb 17th 2016 at 12:56:24 PM

Cruz to me has always come off like the living breating personification of the "conservative racist white male" stereotype.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#112358: Feb 17th 2016 at 12:59:25 PM

I propose we rename them "Cruise" and "Ruble", that way they don't make latinos look like dickbags

Oh who am I kidding we are dickbags

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#112359: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:00:48 PM

What if Cruz is Trump's Ugly Best Friend? Present in the campaign because his abhorrent views make Trump's look prettier by comparison.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Cid El Cid Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: Hiding
El Cid
#112360: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:03:36 PM

[up][up]Well, at least when we're dickbags we don't drag the rest of the world down with us. So we have that.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#112361: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:05:05 PM

That's because you're content to be both dick and bag in one.

The world is our bag, and we can't wait to shove our dick in it.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
vandro Shop Owner from The little shop that wasn't Since: Jul, 2009
Shop Owner
#112362: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:12:39 PM

Ted Cruz...Is Dracula, it all makes sense.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#112363: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:15:10 PM

Of course!

The secret's hidden in his name. If you rearrange the letters TED CRUZ, you get DRE CUTZ. Which isn't Dracula at all and instead sounds like where rappers get their hair done.

Maybe this conspiracy theory needs work.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#112364: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:19:05 PM

The missing link in the conspiracy

Speaking of conspiracies and the email server thing...I have a rethorical question. Would any other candidate be willing to reveal their private messages? I mean, are they accusing Clinton of corruption but they are mad because the corruption was possibly made in some federal server, but it would have been k if it was made in a private server?

edited 17th Feb '16 1:20:48 PM by Aszur

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#112365: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:20:29 PM

I never had any liking for Cruz. Originally it was for much the same reason as Ben Carson when he was relevant. The religious fundamentalist attitude was an immediate turn-off even before I learned more about him since to me mixing politics and religion together too closely is a terrible idea on principle. My reason is best explained with two words: "which religion?"

In that sense Trump is more tolerable but I still have no intention of voting for either one.

edited 17th Feb '16 1:21:31 PM by sgamer82

vandro Shop Owner from The little shop that wasn't Since: Jul, 2009
Shop Owner
#112366: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:29:17 PM

No, no, no, He is a Cruz! Castlevania taught me he'd come back under that name..

BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#112367: Feb 17th 2016 at 1:29:18 PM

Poll indicates that support from GOP dropouts might be flowing to Trump

The Fix took a look at today's poll, noting that a rise in support for Trump from 28% in December to 39% in February roughly equates to the 12 percent of support collectively held in December by Christie, Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum — all of whom have since dropped out of the race.

Marco Rubio and John Kasich, two establishment-leaning candidates, also collectively rose 11 points in that time.

But among moderates, Trump's support rose from 28% to 44% — more than twice that of Rubio or Kasich in the February poll.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#112368: Feb 17th 2016 at 2:15:17 PM

That actually makes a fair amount of sense. Not all, or even most, Republicans are hate-mongering religious fanatics, and the ones who aren't are turned off in the extreme by Cruz.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#112369: Feb 17th 2016 at 2:18:13 PM

Ugly best friend. Cruz makes Trump look like the sane and reasonable candidate, making it easier for the party to swallow the idea of having him for their nominee.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
PotatoesRock Since: Oct, 2012
#112370: Feb 17th 2016 at 2:19:47 PM

HRC surrogate Madeleine "Special place in hell if you don't vote Hillary" Albright re-signs as lobbyist for Rubio sugar daddy Paul "the Vulture" Singer.

Labor Unions spending tons of money trying to defeat pro-labor ally, Bernie Sanders.

APNewsBreak: US declares 22 Clinton emails 'top secret'

Clintonism and the "Presidental" Democratic Party

(Basically that the Clintons and the current DNC power structure abhor the Democrats actually being functional in statehouses, governor seats and Congress because it would create power centers that could counter them, which explains much of their hostility towards Sanders, who is organically creating new power centers that would counter them.)

(VOX) Donald Trump is George W.'s natural ideological heir

Basically Dubya and The Donald both ditch mainstream conservative values in favor of YUUUGE Tax Cuts, Jingoistic Nationalism and Psuedo Liberal government policies

Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#112371: Feb 17th 2016 at 2:37:48 PM

More like natural ideological hair, given how there is neither hair nor actual ideas in that head

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
EndlessSea LEGENDARY GALE from oh no you don't Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
LEGENDARY GALE
#112372: Feb 17th 2016 at 4:26:12 PM

One of my friends wants to vote for Cruz because he thinks if Cruz gets elected nothing will get done at all, which is actually a good thing in his opinion.

My sister, who happens to be doing campaign stuff for Bernie Sanders, thinks the above is actually a pretty decent reason to vote for him.

I'm honestly kinda inclined to agree myself, actually. I still support Sanders, though, because I haven't had anything happen to me to make me lose faith in the government as much as my friend has. I'm unsure about how feasible his solutions and methods are, because (among other thins) government bailouts have never been particularly effective (just look at the Great Depression, for example), but to me he still seems like a better option than having the entire government locked in even more of a mutual hateglaredown.

but HOW?
BlueNinja0 The Mod with the Migraine from Taking a left at Albuquerque Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Mod with the Migraine
#112373: Feb 17th 2016 at 4:28:17 PM

So I saw this on Facebook, and at first glance I can't see how it's impossible. Bad idea, yes, but quite possible to implement.

Obama nominates himself for the SCOTUS seat, obviously stepping down from being President upon confirmation.

Is there actually anything legally that would stop him from doing this, and letting Biden serve out the last ~10 months?

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#112374: Feb 17th 2016 at 4:29:38 PM

There is nothing unconstitutional about it. Obama could nominate some guy in a Daffy Duck costume at Disney World and it would be legal.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#112375: Feb 17th 2016 at 4:31:06 PM

[up] Daffy Duck isn't a Disney character.

We learn from history that we do not learn from history

Total posts: 417,856
Top