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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

PotatoesRock Since: Oct, 2012
#157751: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:07:42 AM

But any impeachment hearings would probably require Ryan out of the way, as he's basically humping himself with joy to reenact his favorite Ayn Rand stories with Trump in office.

So.

You'd need that worthless sack of air to be politically destroyed, and unfortunately, he's considered a Sensible, Sound-Minded, Reasonable, Dignified Republican.

Again, we're probably dealing with Trump for 4 years. If you want his ass bounced out, the best way to do it is to drag him into a policy fight, instead of reducing it to E-Mails and a Personality Battle.

The Electoral College Gambit, Impeachment Hearings, etc. all reinforce him as being the underdog, bringing it to those smuglord elites.

(Also Chelsea Clinton needs to go away quickly and stay in a coat closet.)

Most of the Rust Belt counties that flipped from Obama to Trump are wracked by an opioid/heroin crisis.

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:19:26 AM by PotatoesRock

Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#157752: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:21:10 AM

I'm pretty sure most people here realize that an Electoral College revolt is a one in a million chance. That chance is also the last thing that would justify the Electoral College's continued existence because it is an awkward and antiquated institution kept around mainly by inertia and by most of the time not mattering.

henry42 [REDACTED] from Western Hemisphere Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
[REDACTED]
#157753: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:26:53 AM

[up] On the contrary, I'm hoping that if anything, this stunt with the electoral college will destroy its last shred of legitimacy.

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:27:39 AM by henry42

One does not shake the box containing the sticky notes of doom!
Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#157754: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:27:51 AM

[up][up][up]Well, hopefully their stash is good for the next 4 years or however long they have left.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#157755: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:27:55 AM

Re: #157723

That Chelsea Clinton thing seemed to come out of nowhere. Then again I haven't clicked on any recent links so maybe I'm just missing context.

Re: the Electoral College, my understanding is that, while Clinton did get a wider popular vote margin, in a state by state basis, which the EC focuses on, it doesn't change the electoral results of any states that voted Trump. Is that accurate?

Also, I had been under the impression that the EC was formed by the same kind of compromise that got us both the House and the Senate, trying to balance the amount of influence large, more populous states have compared to the smaller or less populated ones. Though I can see the logic behind an earlier post saying it was partly due to the then lack of mass communication.

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:29:00 AM by sgamer82

blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#157757: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:28:50 AM

[up][up] Exactly.

This is what I have been saying. If the EC revolts, not only do we not get Presi-Don'T, but also we lose the EC, levelling the playing field for voters. I'm not expecting it, I'm just saying that it would be an ideal fix for the current state of affairs.

[up]Good Man

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:29:43 AM by blkwhtrbbt

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#157758: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:29:53 AM

[up][up][up]Electoral votes: Yes, this appears to be the case. However the surprise flip states were apparently all won with similar margins, which has been one of the reasons for calls to audit the vote (asides from Russian interference) if I'm not mistaken.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#157759: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:30:42 AM

[up][up]That's probably not wrong: to use the "break glass in case of emergency" metaphor, you don't just fix the glass after.

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:30:57 AM by Elle

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#157760: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:31:17 AM

This is what I have been saying. If the EC revolts, not only do we not get Presi-Don'T, but also we lose the EC, levelling the playing field for voters. I'm not expecting it, I'm just saying that it would be an ideal fix for the current state of affairs.

But the thing is, as I understand it, part of the college's stated purpose is to explicitly avoid the pure popular vote in the name of that same leveling of the playing field.

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:33:37 AM by sgamer82

Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#157761: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:34:11 AM

It hasn't worked that way in practice for quite a while.

PotatoesRock Since: Oct, 2012
#157762: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:36:53 AM

With regards to Chelsea: She's apparently being groomed for a Congressional run in 2018 in a New York House District.

[up][up][up]Well, hopefully their stash is good for the next 4 years or however long they have left.
It's more that it's linked to the general "Cultural Anxiety" Crisis of Suburban/Rural White People, as someone here aptly named it.

The drug epidemic is a public health crisis that's likely a shard of what drove flip-flopping Whites in those areas to bolt right this election: Essentially political #YOLO-ism. They're faced with a drug crisis nuking their communities, their economies vanishing, seeing what they see as unfair rewards to minorities in the wake of the 2008 crisis, where minorities are getting bonuses (via anti-discrimination laws and affirmative actions) that should first come to White people before it trickles down to anyone else.

With no jobs, white people are drugging themselves to death out of nothing else to do.

It hasn't worked that way in practice for quite a while.
It typically works but the problem is Democratic Voters shoring up on the coastal states instead of general diversification, so you get what you saw this election besides #YOLO-ism.

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:39:05 AM by PotatoesRock

Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#157763: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:37:34 AM

Trump's already caused a bit of a diplomatic incident with the UK.

There was a post many pages back referring to Trump meeting with Nigel Farage and using his future presidential to try and leverage the removal of wind farms blocking his golf course in Scotland (Trump's in for a shock here - the Scottish people are extremely supportive of renewable energy; in 2013, YouGov found that 80% of Scottish people support hydro-electricity projects and 62% of Scottish people would support wind farms being set up right where they live - Trump definitely isn't speaking for Scotland).

Now, originally, the response to that post should have been "Farage has no relevant position of authority or power to be able to represent the UK or to formally accept any diplomatic gestures/requests from a foreign leader, or future foreign leader, to pass back to the UK government".

However, Trump has publicly suggested to the UK that Farage become the UK ambassador to the US. How public? He tweeted it (quoted):

Many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!

The UK government's formal response (a diplomatic "lol no") is that there is no vacancy because the UK already has an excellent ambassador to the US. He was appointed in January, and the ambassador would usually serve a term of four years or more. (The Guardian)

Farage, who has been angling for a job working with Trump from the moment Trump won the election (he was originally joking about being Trump's EU ambassador) has gone on the war path, talking about how the government needs to get with the new world and that the establishment is out to get him. Who did he give the interview? Breitbart, of course.

I am not going to link to Breitbart for the same reason I never link to the Mail or the Sun. I refuse to give such websites clicks and hits. A Google search will bring up the article at the top of the results, however.

To explain Farage in a few words: he is a person who has tried to become an MP seven times. Every single time, the country has refused to vote for him to become one. He was the leader of UKIP, and the party has only ever been successful under him via cult of personality. He objects to the UK being part of the EU and was one of the key Brexit campaigners (and the first to go back on his promises when the referendum result came in) but he has drawn an EU salary for years, and continues to draw one even now despite the Brexit result.

He is the reason a comparison between the Brexit campaign and the Trump campaign can be made because the Brexit campaign was able to obtain Trump's former campaign managers to organise the Brexit campaign, in return Farage campaigned in the US for Trump.

Farage 'retired' but is back as interim leader because his replacement found the party impossible to work with, another potential contender ended up backing out because of an incident with another UKIP member that left him hospitalised. UKIP is under investigation by both the EU and the UK's Electoral Commission for fraud (using EU funding for personal gain - that means using the money for the party to engage in domestic political issues). If found guilty, UKIP will have to pay money back to the EU and also pay a separate fine to the EC. UKIP currently has huge financial problems and the fines may kill them. The truth us that UKIP didn't look like it would survive the loss of Farage to begin with anyway.

In short, Farage has been trying to obtain power for many years but is constantly thwarted because the only time the electorate never votes for him (the closest to voting 'for' him anyone has ever come is the Brexit result).

The UK ambassador to the US is Sir Kim Derroch. There's been something of a muted (ie, diplomatic) shock internationally about this incident because Trump has effectively told the world he has 'no confidence' in the existing ambassador of an allied country, creating the implication that he wants to control who foreign countries appoint as their ambassadors to him.

Fortunately, the UK came up with a suitable response to both Trump's claim that "many people" want this and Farage's tantrum towards the UK Government's "lol no" response.

#BetterAmbassadorsThanFarage has been trending at the top of the UK Twitter list all day. At one point, a picture of an American woman throwing a public dustbin (trash can?) into the middle of the road was nominated.

The UK's pretty good at finding its sense of humour during times like this. Let's hope we can retain our sense of humour for the next four years - between Trump and Brexit, it's going to be our toughest comedy act for decades.

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:53:38 AM by Wyldchyld

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#157764: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:38:53 AM

[up][up][up] Hence my edit to "stated purpose"

That said, any attempt to change our remove the college is likely to hit that hurdle in a big way. Doing it now or in the immediate future is also unfeasible, to my mind, because however good the reasons for doing it are, we're too close to a major electoral upset for the motives to be seen, rightly or wrongly, as anything other than "my guy didn't win so the system's obviously broken"

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:42:51 AM by sgamer82

Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#157765: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:47:34 AM

[up][up][up]People aren't turning to drugs because of depression. For the last several years doctors (and the FDA) were led to believe that prescribing opioid painkiller drugs for long term pain management was ok and that they were modified enough to not lead to addiction. People got addicted. Only in the last couple years has the medical profession been catching on to the mistake and laws got passed to control the prescription drugs more tightly but the addicts who didn't have the help to get off them turned to street drugs.

(Incidentally, this has touched my family, but in this case it got turned around before there were casualties.)

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:50:39 AM by Elle

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#157766: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:49:17 AM

@Wyldchyld: Want to bet that Trump is going to give a tacit (by Trump standards) endorsement of Marie Le Penn in the French general election?

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#157767: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:50:53 AM

[up][up] John Oliver did a segment on opioid addiction and how it's mostly the drug companies' fault.

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:51:05 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#157768: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:52:59 AM

[up][up] It's all fun and games with overgrown bullies endorsing each other — until they finally find something upon which they don't have common ground. That's when things go bad. And when said bullies have the military might of entire nations behind them...

edited 22nd Nov '16 6:53:10 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
PotatoesRock Since: Oct, 2012
#157769: Nov 22nd 2016 at 6:57:48 AM

Ah fair enough. Depression / Economic Decay seemed a likely reason, but that makes sense too @ Painkillers.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#157770: Nov 22nd 2016 at 7:03:33 AM

[up] There's a reason this epidemic is hitting a lot more white people than past drug epidemics.

http://www.salon.com/2016/02/24/eric_holder_gets_real_about_heroin_and_race_its_a_crisis_because_white_people_are_hooked/

edited 22nd Nov '16 7:03:52 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#157771: Nov 22nd 2016 at 7:05:27 AM

You know, the weirdest thing about Trump's geopolitics is that he's simultaneously pro-Russia and anti-Iran. Either he's legitimately unaware that the two countries are de facto allies, or he thinks he can get Russia to abandon Iran in favor of the United States. That might not be impossible, but I seriously doubt the asking price for that kind of flip will be even remotely worthwhile.

edited 22nd Nov '16 7:05:49 AM by CaptainCapsase

Karkadinn Karkadinn from New Orleans, Louisiana Since: Jul, 2009
Karkadinn
#157772: Nov 22nd 2016 at 7:10:13 AM

I don't see Putin throwing away a stable Middle Eastern ally for an incredibly unstable North American one. He's a long game kind of guy. Maybe if Trump got reelected and somehow cemented his power enough to look like he was establishing a dynasty.

On the other side, if buddying up with Putin gives Trump motivation to not turn Iran into Iraq Part II, then we might actually have to be grateful for Putin.

Furthermore, I think Guantanamo must be destroyed.
CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#157773: Nov 22nd 2016 at 7:16:08 AM

[up] Trump would have to burn bridges with western Europe for that to even be considered if you ask me.

henry42 [REDACTED] from Western Hemisphere Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
[REDACTED]
#157774: Nov 22nd 2016 at 7:19:12 AM

[up][up][up]

Either he's legitimately unaware that the two countries are de facto allies...
He probably hasn't given it that much thought at all. I'm not sure he knows any more about foreign politics than Gary "Aleppo" Johnson.

edited 22nd Nov '16 7:19:43 AM by henry42

One does not shake the box containing the sticky notes of doom!
FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle

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