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
So...a while back in this thread a number of people were claiming that Sanders has promised to join the Democratic Party. Last night, on Chris Hayes, Hayes asked him if he considered himself a Democrat and was told "no".
Damned shame about Ossof not getting in. He's almost certain to lose in a runoff and that is a pity. Getting in a new Democratic Congressman, and one from goddamn Georgia of all places, would have been fantastic. Going forward, I sincerely hope that Ossof stays involved in Georgian and Democratic politics alike. He's thirty years old, he raised millions of dollars essentially by himself, and he managed to be competitive in the South. That's a guy who should have a future.
Yeah, the whole birther thing is one of the most transparently racist fabrications I've ever seen. If Obama was white, nobody would have given his citizenship a second thought.
edited 19th Apr '17 10:46:37 AM by Draghinazzo
Those two thoughts don't actually contradict each other.
He considers himself a socialist. He's been very adamant about that.
Guy promises to join the Democratic Party. Guy's fans defend his continued involvement in that Party's internal policies on that basis. Guy is given posts by the Democratic Party on that basis. Guy goes on TV and says he's not a Democrat. That seems to matter to me.
@luigisan
I really hope so. Too often candidates who lose get forgotten about, when in Ossof's case, the fact that he got anywhere at all in Georgia should be getting him lots of attention and future opportunities within the Democratic Party.
I welcome it. Especially since I'm a registered independent that campaigns for Democrats.
edited 19th Apr '17 11:00:16 AM by MadSkillz
I'm sorry, but no. Independents are not some monolithic bloc that will be won over by the presence of one of their own, because they are, by definition, Independent, and have a wide range of views.
Moreover, if Sanders promised to join the Democratic Party and is now reneging on that promise he's, well, reneging on a promise. So much for his famed honesty.
A few people (on both sides) have been charged with human smuggling with regards to foreign nationals being taken across the US-Canada border.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/human-smuggling-charge-sask-1.4075498
If things actually get bad enough to send the numbers up high enough, there will no regulating (let alone stopping) the influx. That border is too big and too rough to secure.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.Human traffickers having a field day, people dying of exposure, people not getting access to any kind of support if they don't report themselves to the government, and the handful of troublemakers that cross illegally fueling xenophobia on both sides.
And most of the border crossers will be deported if caught, unless the situation in the US truly goes to utter shit.
Yeah, This Is Gonna Suck. It won't be Europe bad, but its a problem with no solution other than the US political situation improving.
edited 19th Apr '17 11:14:31 AM by Rationalinsanity
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.Here's a fun one I saw on today's What Fuck Just Happened Today feed
https://miamiherald.relaymedia.com/amp/news/local/community/broward/article145327079.html
Miami state senator curses at black lawmaker — and refers to fellow Republicans as ‘niggas’
First portion of the article:
Over drinks after 10 p.m. at the members-only Governors Club just steps from the state Capitol, Artiles told Sens. Audrey Gibson of Jacksonville and Perry Thurston of Fort Lauderdale that Senate President Joe Negron of Stuart had been risen to his powerful GOP leadership role because “six niggers” in the Republican caucus had elected him.
Artiles later told Gibson and Thurston that he’d used the word “niggas,” suggesting the slang term was not meant to be insulting, Gibson and Thurston said. It’s unclear whom Artiles was referring to, since the only black senators in the state Senate are all Democrats — and none of them backed Negron’s bid to lead the chamber.
Artiles apologized to Gibson late Tuesday afternoon, after he’d been reported to Republican leaders and reporters started asking questions.
“In an exchange with a colleague of mine in the Senate, I unfortunately let my temper get the best of me,” Artiles said later in a statement. “There is no excuse for the exchange that occurred and I have apologized to my Senate colleagues and regret the incident profusely.”
To Gibson and Thurston, it was clear Artiles wasn’t referring to them or to any other Democrats as “niggas” but apparently to six Republicans who favored Negron for the job over Sen. Jack Latvala of Clearwater
Sanders is currently the most popular politician in America. If he brings more independents to the Dems then we should be supporting that effort.
And they do have one thing in common. They've been disenfranchised by both parties hence why they're independent. That's 42 % of the country.
So talking to them is a good idea and getting them involved is a good idea.
I'm going to re-quote you:
That said, Sanders said he would finish out his term as an independent because he was elected as an independent and that's what he's doing. Where is the contradiction?
@Mad Skillz
Not sure what requoting me there was supposed to accomplish. I mean, yeah, I'm taking a shot at Sanders. Because if he's going back on something he promised, he merits have shots fired at him, particularly in view of his positioning himself as the most honest man in America.
As to the rest, there's not much point in pandering to people who cannot be relied upon to vote for the Party, and Independents are disenfranchised more by choice than by anything else.
@Gilphon
The assumption, sadly, is that the other 51% will rally behind the Republican candidate. I'm hoping that's not the case and that, as Tom Perez suggested in an interview this morning, that there are in fact additional Democratic voters (or deeply unhappy Republican voters) who can be brought out of the woodwork and into backing Ossof.
The GOP will do everything it can to stop that from happening though, so one way or another, this is gonna get tense.
edited 19th Apr '17 11:27:51 AM by AmbarSonofDeshar
Also, another high profile screw-up for Trump could easily tip that balance.
It's also worth keeping in mind that there are 48 districts out there current held by Republicans that are bluer Georgia 6. Just to put this result in context.
@Ambar: Of course that's the assumption. But in what universe is a race where the candidates are polling 49-51, with the vote months away, safe bet for either side?
edited 19th Apr '17 11:38:01 AM by Gilphon
You figured it out.
But he didn't is my point. You're creating a contradiction that's not there.
Get them to care then.
Re: Ossof.
The superficial analysis: Not knocking out the carnival car of Republicans in the first round is a body blow, because they could end up becoming a winning 51% coalition behind Handel.
The deep analysis: It's two months away, and a Democrat managed to get 48.1% of a solid red district behind him. If this was fiction, it would be unbelievable. Strategically, a loss for Ossof wouldn't be damning since this is still Republican country, but still to our advantage that we forced GOP voters and machines to waste money defending their home turf. It might end up that Ossof keeps his bloc together and ekes out a win. This has parts of Atlanta in it; there have got to be some moderates who haven't been tapped yet.
"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."

The review is probably just so he can look tough on Iran. Wouldn't surprise me if Mattis was involved in this decision — the man hates Iran.
Disgusted, but not surprised