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

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#117276: Mar 25th 2016 at 11:56:23 AM

My default assumption would be a case of Questionable Consent - which no intelligent prosecutor will touch, because in such a case it's nearly impossible to prove rape beyond a reasonable doubt (especially not when going up against a legal team like Trump's).

Demonic_Braeburn Yankee Doodle Dandy from Defective California Since: Jan, 2016
Yankee Doodle Dandy
#117277: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:01:43 PM

Ted Cruz: National Enquirer story is 'garbage' from 'Donald Trump and his henchmen'.

In defense of Cruz, it should be noted that Trump is allegedly a good friend of National Enquirer's CEO David Pecker.[1] In addition, the paper recently endorsed Trump for President. [2]

The pro-Cuz conservative media is already framing this as a hatchet job.

edited 25th Mar '16 12:06:29 PM by Demonic_Braeburn

Any group who acts like morons ironically will eventually find itself swamped by morons who think themselves to be in good company.
Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#117278: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:05:19 PM

The timing and one of the alledged women being on the reins of Trump's campaign is awfully convenient. Proves nothing either way but grains of salt, etc.

edited 25th Mar '16 12:11:35 PM by Elle

Iaculus Pronounced YAK-you-luss from England Since: May, 2010
Pronounced YAK-you-luss
#117279: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:09:49 PM

[up]If the story had legs, and Trump was briefed early due to his connections with the Enquirer (or even sent them digging for dirt in the first place), that would also make the timing no coincidence. We may live in a post-facts world, but the rag's going out further on its limb than anyone sane would without lawsuit-proof evidence, and Cruz is hella litigious.

edited 25th Mar '16 12:10:37 PM by Iaculus

What's precedent ever done for us?
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#117280: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:16:26 PM

If Trump is starting to employ dirty tricks like that, it shows that he's seriously concerned about Cruz encroaching on his lead enough to deny him a simple majority going into the nominating convention. I'll withhold judgment. I am entirely willing to believe that Cruz had multiple affairs, but we need some actual evidence.

edited 25th Mar '16 12:17:05 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
ILoveDogs Since: May, 2010
#117281: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:24:12 PM

Now, why are we trusting the National Enquirer again?

Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#117282: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:28:22 PM

They've pulled "even a stopped clock is right twice a day" trick often enough to not be immediately dismissed out of hand (but in general, you're right)

Demonic_Braeburn Yankee Doodle Dandy from Defective California Since: Jan, 2016
Yankee Doodle Dandy
#117283: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:28:51 PM

[up][up] They did bust Edwards.

NPR offers its reporters ‘Trump Training’ to handle safety threats at Trump rallies.

edited 25th Mar '16 12:29:01 PM by Demonic_Braeburn

Any group who acts like morons ironically will eventually find itself swamped by morons who think themselves to be in good company.
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#117284: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:45:38 PM

Aside from that, apparently one of Breitbart's reporters came out and said he got scooped on the thing due to the editors there not wanting to run it (yet, at least) back in February - he even had some archived tweets to back that up, where he'd lamented on Twitter in February that he couldn't break a particular story.

That said, what intrigues me is the fact that Trump's initial shots were about Cruz's wife, not Cruz himself or even his marriage. So honestly, I'm almost inclined to believe that maybe the pair had an open-marriage but kept it discrete. Unlikely as hell, but it'd at least explain the disconnect between Trump's initial threat and the late-breaking scandal. And what's making me give the story credibility (aside from the Enquirer's track record regarding celebrity sex scandals) is that aforementioned $500,000 donation from Cruz's Super PAC to Carly Fiorina's Super PAC - and one of Fiorina's top women has been labeled (rightly or wrongly) as one of the five pictured in the Enquirer article.

As for Cruz's affair being with a Trump aide, that can be explained by the fact that she was initially on Cruz's payroll, and swapped to Trump's some time during the campaign season.

edited 25th Mar '16 12:47:38 PM by ironballs16

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
GameGuruGG Vampire Hunter from Castlevania (Before Recorded History)
Vampire Hunter
#117285: Mar 25th 2016 at 12:53:27 PM

Ted Cruz Calls Tabloid Report on Alleged Affairs 'Garbage'

Basically, Cruz blames Trump and calls him a liar in cahoots with the National Enquirer. Trump denies that he had anything to do with the story and does not even know if the story is true or not.

Wizard Needs Food Badly
Demonic_Braeburn Yankee Doodle Dandy from Defective California Since: Jan, 2016
Yankee Doodle Dandy
#117286: Mar 25th 2016 at 1:06:53 PM

Katrina Pierson, one of Cruz's alleged mistresses, has denied the National Enquier's claim.

As has Amanda Carpenter.

edited 25th Mar '16 2:13:36 PM by Demonic_Braeburn

Any group who acts like morons ironically will eventually find itself swamped by morons who think themselves to be in good company.
Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#117287: Mar 25th 2016 at 1:17:09 PM

[up][up][up]Devil's/Conspirist's Advocate: If they had run with it in February, how would the magnitude of the fallout be different? It was still at that point a 5-way race, whereas at this point, Cruz is the last serious challenge to Trump standing.

Mind, it could simply be that waiting for Cruz to reach a relevant amount of media saturation before running an expose about him is a calculation to sell more copies of the National Enquirer than otherwise.

edited 25th Mar '16 1:17:28 PM by Elle

Demonic_Braeburn Yankee Doodle Dandy from Defective California Since: Jan, 2016
Yankee Doodle Dandy
#117288: Mar 25th 2016 at 1:26:36 PM

So here's the National Enquirer 's article on the story. They published of a stub of the story on there website. [1]

Possible identities for 3 of the 5 women have been offered.

- Katrina Pierson. Is currently Trump's spokeswoman, and worked with Ted Cruz in the past. [2]

- Unknown. Allegedly a Texan school teacher.

- Unknown. Possibly a prostitute.

- Sarah Isgur Flores. Deputy Campaign Manager for Carly Fiorina, and used to work for Cruz.[3]

- Amanda Carpenter. Worked for Ted Cruz between 2013-2015. Was his Communications Director.

edited 25th Mar '16 1:43:11 PM by Demonic_Braeburn

Any group who acts like morons ironically will eventually find itself swamped by morons who think themselves to be in good company.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#117289: Mar 25th 2016 at 1:38:53 PM

Off-topic, but figured some humor might be appreciated :

President Obama, Who Has Run Out of F*cks, Just Burned Ted Cruz

You want to know what it's like to be president of the United damn States, and there's nothing anybody can do about it, and you no longer have any fcks left in that big old bag to give?

This is how it is.

"As far as the notion of having surveillance of neighborhoods where Muslims are present, I just left a country that engages in that kind of neighborhood surveillance, which, by the way, the father of Sen. Cruz escaped for America, the land of the free," he said.

Tell me again that this guy is cold and aloof. The man can shoot the dozens with anyone. That's a stiletto of a line right there. He learned more in Chicago than just where to buy his pizza. Can't he run against these clowns, just for a while, just for the pure fun of it?

The link within the quote goes to an MSNBC article that gives more detail on Obama's response beyond the quote here.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#117290: Mar 25th 2016 at 2:25:45 PM

So I just took a look at the various candidate Twitter feeds. Oi. Trump really doesn't like Cruz, so it seems to me.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
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
#117291: Mar 25th 2016 at 2:30:27 PM

With the Trump campaign person being one of the possible Cruz ladies, I get that its alleged to have happened when she was with the Cruz campaign, but does anyone honestly think Trump wouldn't be willing to try and honey trap a political opponent?

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#117292: Mar 25th 2016 at 2:57:24 PM

In lighter news, a sparrow landed on Bernie Sanders' podium during a speech in Portland.

edited 25th Mar '16 3:00:22 PM by ironballs16

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#117293: Mar 25th 2016 at 3:00:50 PM

Mr. Obama, why didn't you operate like this starting the day you took office? This is the guy we were voting for, not a would-be Great Compromiser.

Obama wasn't rude at all with that burn, but he was making it clear in no uncertain terms that the Republican was being repugnant and that he wasn't cool with it. Before 2014, we saw a lot of that attitude run and hide behind "No Drama Obama" and "Chill out, I got this," which are both worthy aspirations, but not if it means putting up with the Tea Party's shit.

And the thing we need (and the reason that Sanders has gotten so much traction) is someone to affirmatively energize social progressives - the people who believe in an affirmatively diverse America that welcomes and accepts anyone willing to become an American. There ought to be as many people standing up in front of state houses and city halls, in coffee-houses and in churches, speaking for inclusion and welcome in no uncertain terms as there are people standing up to speak for building a wall and making Mexico pay for it.

Iaculus Pronounced YAK-you-luss from England Since: May, 2010
Pronounced YAK-you-luss
#117294: Mar 25th 2016 at 3:06:02 PM

In retrospect, and assuming he knew it was coming, Trump going after Cruz's wife was a very smart move (within the insane, ruthless context of the 2016 Republican primary). Basically, it forced Cruz to go 'my wife is fantastic, we have a great marriage, I love her more than anyone else in the world' - and then bam, multiple affairs and possible evidence of political corruption to cover one of them up. Even the weak little jibe of 'Lyin' Ted Cruz' suddenly acquires vastly more weight.

What's precedent ever done for us?
MaxwellDaring Unearthed Horror from Interzone (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: Desperate
Unearthed Horror
#117295: Mar 25th 2016 at 3:15:45 PM

[up][up][up]. I was there! It was magical!

And aside from that, the rest of the rally was really empowering.

edited 25th Mar '16 3:20:17 PM by MaxwellDaring

[I LIVE AGAIN]
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#117296: Mar 25th 2016 at 3:19:57 PM

Evidently Sanders' campaign of building a better world has won over the sparrows.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#117297: Mar 25th 2016 at 3:32:46 PM

[up]

Makes the "Birds for Bernie" twitter page Hilarious in Hindsight, really.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Demongodofchaos2 Face me now, bitch! from In a Cultivation World (Ancient one) Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Face me now, bitch!
#117298: Mar 25th 2016 at 4:48:02 PM

Today is Good Friday, at that.

Watch Symphogear
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#117299: Mar 25th 2016 at 5:33:09 PM

Apodaca calls for Charlotte to cover cost of special session over LGBT rights

State Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson) has asked his staff to look and see how the General Assembly can charge Charlotte to cover the costs of Wednesday’s special session, including the possibility of withholding the city’s sales tax revenues.

Lawmakers met Wednesday and passed a law invalidating a measure the Charlotte City Council passed last month to allow transgender people to use restrooms corresponding with their gender identity.

“Charlotte brought this all upon themselves,” knowing exactly what they were getting into, Apodaca said.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#117300: Mar 25th 2016 at 5:39:00 PM

[up]

Eesh, doubling down on their run in the "Biggest Asshole in the US" race. This little flow-chart sums it up pretty well, I think.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"

Total posts: 417,856
Top