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

TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#117126: Mar 23rd 2016 at 10:51:00 PM

The tea-partiers gerrymandered themselves into largely safe supermajorities in both houses of the General Assembly after 2010, and the national Democratic Party put all its eggs in the Presidential (AKA Elect Hillary At Any Cost) basket, abandoning our then-imploding state party to partial self-cannibalization in a crisis of confidence and leadership that left us unable to sustain proper fundraising or properly recruit candidates to actually run for office for a good long while. Then-Senator Kay Hagan had to rely on a county-level Democratic Party for coordination and fundraising, and then lost by a truly razor-thin margin to the then-Speaker-of-the-overwhelmingly-unpopular-state-House.

Reason #10,763 why people who only pay attention to presidential elections are completely missing the point in American politics, why the Democrats desperately need a 50 state strategy with functional local infrastructure in each state, and why the truly most important elections come in census years.

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#117127: Mar 23rd 2016 at 11:11:26 PM

Absolutely so. I sometimes wonder why, apart from difficulties in becoming informed and taking time out of trying to eke out a living, people don't seem to register the just-as-essential importance of elections other than Presidential ones. Maybe civics courses over-emphasize the sway of Presidents? Legislative sausagemaking isn't exactly fun or sexy study material, unlike the Great Man Theory.

Or perhaps we have elections too often, and that results in voter burnout in and of itself? I haven't seen much of anything in the way of scientific study on that train of thought.

edited 23rd Mar '16 11:14:27 PM by darksidevoid

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#117128: Mar 23rd 2016 at 11:29:12 PM

Worth noting that North Carolina's election maps are also the subject of a number of lawsuits. And with the "Nino" idiot gone, they may just stand a chance.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#117129: Mar 23rd 2016 at 11:36:48 PM

Did we already talk about Democrat voters who say they were incorrectly labeled as independents in Arizona's primary, meaning they couldn't vote?

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#117130: Mar 23rd 2016 at 11:41:25 PM

I think it was mentioned, at least. Some were apparently mis-registered as Republicans as well, right?

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
HallowHawk Since: Feb, 2013
#117131: Mar 24th 2016 at 12:25:47 AM

I can understand the illegals, but why would the political climate have a grudge against legal migrants (if assuming they do)?

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#117132: Mar 24th 2016 at 12:29:32 AM

Think you could reword that a bit?

Oh really when?
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
#117133: Mar 24th 2016 at 12:53:22 AM

Because many people can't tell the difference between an illegal migrant and someone who happens to be Hispanic (be they a migrant at all).

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
MABfan11 from Remnant Since: May, 2014 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#117134: Mar 24th 2016 at 2:48:41 AM

RE: Paul Ryan

i have a hard time believing a Rand cultist think he is wrong, so i really don't think his apology is sincere

Bumbleby is best ship. busy spending time on r/RWBY and r/anime. Unapologetic Socialist
HallowHawk Since: Feb, 2013
#117135: Mar 24th 2016 at 3:22:09 AM

[up][up][up]

Think you could reword that a bit?

Very well. Depending on who wins this year, will the US still be welcoming to migrants who at least graduated from college and migrated to work there? And when I mean legal, I refer to those to worked through the proper channels to gain citizenship.

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#117136: Mar 24th 2016 at 3:24:27 AM

If a Republican wins, no. Life is gonna become very unsafe for anyone who isn't white and people are gonna have an incredibly difficult time entering the country.

You also have to remember that they don't ever just mean immigrants who entered without paperwork. That's just a dogwhistle.

edited 24th Mar '16 3:25:04 AM by LeGarcon

Oh really when?
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#117138: Mar 24th 2016 at 5:48:11 AM

I doubt even Trump would try to close the gates of legal immigration completely, but making the process even more difficult than it already is is definitely part of the Republican platform.

edited 24th Mar '16 5:48:41 AM by Clarste

CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#117139: Mar 24th 2016 at 6:02:38 AM

"Or perhaps we have elections too often, and that results in voter burnout in and of itself? I haven't seen much of anything in the way of scientific study on that train of thought."

An election every two years for the House Reps isn't really that onerous. We could do away with elections entirely, if it's too much trouble for our pea-brained electorate, but I've been told that's a bad thing. The truth is probably that people can't really bring themselves to care about legislative politics. The U.S. Congress acts so dry and procedural while in session that the average voter can't get excited about someone who says, "Vote for me so I can do that soporific bullshit you see on C-SPAN." Presidential elections, and to a lesser degree, Senate elections, are political theater more interesting for the controversy they generate, so naturally, more people vote in those.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#117140: Mar 24th 2016 at 6:17:59 AM

It's not an issue for the Supreme Court. If the law means what i think it means, it's the state of North Carolina banning municipalities from passing protections in excess of state law (a favored GOP tactic when red states have blue urban areas that get uppity about civil rights or treating workers well).

The way around that is to simply change the existing federal statutes on worker discrimination to include LGBT, which is what the Obama administration has been doing through powers of administrative interpretation. It'll just take a while for that to stick at all levels.

carbon-mantis Collector Of Fine Oddities from Trumpland Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to my murderer
Collector Of Fine Oddities
#117141: Mar 24th 2016 at 6:20:08 AM

Of course the governor is putting out claims that he's doing it to "Protect our young women from sexual predators" and heavily implying that transgender individuals are just dressing up to sneak into the other bathroom and rape someone.

edited 24th Mar '16 6:20:23 AM by carbon-mantis

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#117142: Mar 24th 2016 at 6:24:03 AM

Of course.

Someone change the fucking record.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#117143: Mar 24th 2016 at 7:51:10 AM

@Transgender Bathrooms: I find the "religious freedom" argument especially dubious that it's being used this way as this issue has zilch to do with religion. However, I think with bathrooms the thing is that they aren't actually about gender so much as biological sex. The purpose of such areas is to keep people with similar genitalia together, so the proper response is probably to change the labels from "Men and Women" to "Male and Female".

As for the sexual predator thing, I would look at it from the other way around-even though very few transgendered people are predators, a predator might pretend to be a transgendered person. Or another way to look at it, a transgendered person might be at extra risk from being attacked by sexual predators. This threat might not be that likely, but it's probably at least worth considering.

The rest of the bill is likely stupid, though.

edited 24th Mar '16 7:55:11 AM by Protagonist506

Leviticus 19:34
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#117145: Mar 24th 2016 at 8:03:56 AM

Do these people not realize how idiotic they make god sound? "You dare do something I don't like? Fine, I'll kill these entirely unrelated people to humiliate you!"

edited 24th Mar '16 8:04:08 AM by Kostya

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
AdricDePsycho Rock on, Gold Dust Woman from Never Going Back Again Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
#117147: Mar 24th 2016 at 8:13:34 AM

People took her seriously at one point?

Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
ILoveDogs Since: May, 2010
#117148: Mar 24th 2016 at 8:20:06 AM

She was leading polls early in 2012, back when that meant that they would fade away rather than get stronger.

kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)

Total posts: 417,856
Top