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

Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#184701: Apr 25th 2017 at 10:44:30 AM

@Cap - that's kind of, in a roundabout way, the point I was trying to make. A politician with former intelligence connections in the US is not necessarily going to parallel Putin's example and we have one on record who did not.

Institutionally, the CIA did orchestrate a number of these world-order altering stunts in the 70s and 80s...and most of them have since turned out to be embarrassments for us and (as far as can be gathered from available evidence) we don't do them anymore. I'm not sure if the Russians ever had to learn that lesson.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#184702: Apr 25th 2017 at 10:59:12 AM

Seeing a Breaking News headline on CNN: White House denying request for Flynn documents.

No sound in tv and I'm not close enough to read close captions so got nothing more than that.

Here we go
http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/330410-white-house-rejects-oversight-request-for-flynn-documents

edited 25th Apr '17 11:00:21 AM by sgamer82

CenturyEye Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign? from I don't know where the Yith sent me this time... Since: Jan, 2017 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
#184703: Apr 25th 2017 at 11:01:08 AM

At least once. Their Afghan coup backfired horribly, but the one in Czechoslovakia went swimmingly.

Also Europe and the current Number One Contender for President Behind the President are off to a great start.
Groans as Ivanka Trump defends US President at G20 women's summit

Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka was met with groans as she defended her father's attitude towards women at the G20 women's summit in Berlin.

The First Daughter was taking part in a panel discussion about female entrepreneurs alongside German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and IMF chief Christine Lagarde.

But the audience bristled at her praise for the US president.

The event is part of the G20 women's summit.

An audible groan went up as she told the room her father was a "tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive".

As she posed for photographs with the world's most powerful women, the first daughter rubbed shoulders with a chancellor, a queen and a leading banker. But it was the absent figure of a president that overshadowed Ivanka Trump's first official overseas engagement.

Ignoring the boos, hisses and disapproval of a room full of female delegates, Donald Trump's special adviser persisted in her defence of a father who, she said, had enabled and encouraged her.

Ostensibly today's visit - at the direct invitation of Angela Merkel - was about empowering women. But it's been widely interpreted here as an attempt to forge another line of communication to the US president, and may mark a profound shift in the way in which Berlin - and Europe - does business with Washington.

Who were the other women on the panel?

Ms Trump was on the stage thanks to her background as a businesswoman and her position as the US president's daughter. But who were the other women?

Angela Merkel: The German chancellor is arguably Europe's most powerful leader

Christine Lagarde: The head of the IMF.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands: The Argentinean-born royal worked for some of the world's top banks before meeting and marrying King Willem-Alexander. She is also a UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

Chrystia Freeland: Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs

Juliana Rotich: Kenyan-born Rotich used to be executive director for Ushahidi, an election mapping platform which was used to track possible voter intimidation in the US election. She now describes herself as a strategic advisor and entrepreneur.

Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller: President and chairwoman of technology company Trumpt, she holds a doctorate in philology.

Anne Finucane: Ms Finucane is vice-president at Bank of America, and was named by Fortune magazine as one of the 50 most powerful woman in the world last year.

(There's considerably more detail in the article itself).

edited 25th Apr '17 11:02:35 AM by CenturyEye

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#184704: Apr 25th 2017 at 11:01:20 AM

[up][up] Because that's not the least bit suspicious.

[up] I don't feel too sympathetic to Ivanka. Since she's compared to her father so much, it's easy to forget that she and her husband are not good people.

edited 25th Apr '17 11:05:17 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#184705: Apr 25th 2017 at 11:40:55 AM

Ever heard the principle of the Ugly Best Friend? Basically, the idea is that a moderately decent-looking person will find a really ugly person to be friends with. By standing next to them in social arenas, their relative unattractiveness makes the decent-looking person look prettier by association.

It's a really toxic view of relationships frequently applied to women. Super misogynistic.

But the point is: Trump is the Ugly Best Friend of the entire Republican Party, plus Ivanka and Jared aside.

edited 25th Apr '17 11:41:29 AM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#184707: Apr 25th 2017 at 11:56:19 AM

[up]Assuming she didn't know this would happen, and I would be shocked if she didn't. There's surely some other objective at play here.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#184708: Apr 25th 2017 at 12:10:28 PM

Listening to the groans is just pure gold.

Inter arma enim silent leges
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#184709: Apr 25th 2017 at 12:12:56 PM

[up][up] Let me guess, She's the one playing 4D chess now?

Now that I think of it, Trump might make a case story as to why Germany shouldn't elect poplusts in case history lessons don't do the trick.

edited 25th Apr '17 12:14:36 PM by MorningStar1337

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#184710: Apr 25th 2017 at 12:47:51 PM

That would be a pretty good disincentive to vote for a populist. "Don't vote for that guy...he might turn out to be a complete moron."

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#184711: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:03:02 PM

<Let me guess, She's the one playing 4D chess now?>

I know that you're being sarcastic but yes, unlike Trump she's an intelligent and seasoned politician. I highly doubt that she didn't see this coming, now I'm not saying that she necessarily has some secret master plan but as I said I would be shocked if there wasn't some ulterior motive.

edited 25th Apr '17 1:03:26 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
FireCrawler2002 Since: Apr, 2017
#184712: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:19:56 PM

Looks like Trump isn't afraid of starting a trade war with Canada because they have a tremendous surplus with the United States...

edited 25th Apr '17 1:20:03 PM by FireCrawler2002

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#184713: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:22:45 PM

[up]Yeah Trump's job from day one was to be a destructive idiot and he is doing it well.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#184714: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:25:18 PM

The Future Monument to America's Sins might wind up in International court if it messes with the Rio Grande.

Also, some context for the post [up][up]

edited 25th Apr '17 1:26:01 PM by MorningStar1337

NickTheSwing Since: Aug, 2009
#184715: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:38:00 PM

So, basically, Trump has drummed up a lot of opposition to his agenda from his own people, such that he needs to try to bully Democrats into helping him out.

Wow.

Wow, Trump. You tried to go for "most dictator-like President ever" and you got this. He tried nepotism and ended up throwing all the real work on pretty little Jared, thus failing at Nepotism. You tried to go for having an SS-like group of elites at your beck and call...and you got ICE, who basically threw up with fear when people showed up at their headquarters in California to protest.

Trump, you just cannot do typical bad guy actions, and even if he successfully does something it ends up backfiring on him severely.

DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#184716: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:42:26 PM

I profoundly wish that he had never been elected, but since he was, I'm enjoying this immensely.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#184717: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:51:52 PM

And the Canadian government's response to the dairy and lumber shakedowns from DC can be summed up as Bring It.

Its only going to hurt US consumers at this stage anyway.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#184718: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:52:30 PM

[up][up]Same.

edited 25th Apr '17 1:52:44 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#184720: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:54:41 PM

I'm just loving the schadenfreude of Trump being so hated by his own party, which has unchecked control over the entire government that he needs to make toothless threats towards the minority party. I don't think I've ever witnessed someone so thoroughly unman themselves.

"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."
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#184721: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:55:15 PM

Going nowhere. Actually, it would be a good thing if this bill passes, because it likely would mean that the wall will never be built.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#184722: Apr 25th 2017 at 1:56:59 PM

[up][up][up] ... Does El Chapo even have 14 Billion Dollars? I'd be surprised if he did.

Also, now anytime any Drug Dealer is arrested, the Government is going to steal everything they have to pay for Trump's Wall. I'm pretty sure that might violate some law somewhere...

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#184723: Apr 25th 2017 at 2:17:53 PM

Here's a brief summary of Trump's attempts to intimidate Canada on trade. He's threatened the Canadian milk industry...which doesn't sell to the US anyway. The US has a surplus that we up here buy.

When it comes to lumber, yes, Canada sells the US a ton of lumber. It's not because of undercutting or anything like that, it's because the US literally does not produce enough to meet the entirely domestic demand.

As you can see, one threat doesn't mean anything, and the other threat will hurt the US way more than it will hurt Canada...especially since both China and Europe buy Canada's softwood lumber and both are slowly increasing the amount they buy.

math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#184724: Apr 25th 2017 at 2:42:38 PM

Assuming she didn't know this would happen, and I would be shocked if she didn't. There's surely some other objective at play here.

She forwarded the invitation to Ivanka, according to the article.

Musta seemed like a good idea at the time.

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#184725: Apr 25th 2017 at 2:47:08 PM

Courts have issued an order to block Trump's decree of withholding funds from sanctuary cities.


Total posts: 417,856
Top