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
![]()
I'm sure this will lead to a new round of whinging and hand-ringing about the state of civility from Republicans and 'moderates'
Regardless of their inevitable pontification I for one view that as perfectly acceptable and right.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jul 9th 2018 at 3:00:12 PM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangYeah, I don't really feel sorry for Mc Connell. You reap what you sow indeed.
Edited by Draghinazzo on Jul 9th 2018 at 2:58:45 PM
I too am well past sympathy.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"This is what happens when taking a knee is declared uncivil. If all forms of protest are deemed uncivil, then people will stop trying to protest civilly. That is the danger posed by criminalizing protest.
What Trump and his ilk don't understand is that peaceful protest is a method that society developed as a pleasant alternative to a crowd of rioters dragging the CEO out into the street and beating him to death. The more his people demonize peaceful demonstrations, the more direct, aggressive, and violent protests are going to get.
Once you silence Dr. King, people turn to Malcolm X for lack of options. This is one area where regressives need to be very careful with just how far they urge society to regress.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Jul 9th 2018 at 1:09:41 PM
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.I saw a tweet that analyzed Trump as someone who wants to hurt rich people as much as he wants to hurt poor people. That he is at his metaphorical high school reunion and wants to burn it all down. I'm not so sure I toally agree because poor people are so much more vulnerable, but I still thought it was an interesting analysis.
Do not obey in advance.
That... doesn't really sound like Trump. More like Bannon if anything with the whole "burn down the current elite and everything else to build our reactionary authoritarianism".
Trump just wants to have autocratic power for self-aggrandizement purposes and to help with his looting of the government/nation.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jul 9th 2018 at 3:11:59 PM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangTrump has been very very generous to his fellow rich people so I'm not sure about that.
Of course, I've mentioned that Trump actually tried to make a deal with one of my father's business associations (we were formerly rich) and the country club set in Kentucky. Generally, everyone loathed him and held him in contempt for a variety of reasons.
As for Mitch? Fuck him, he is not just corrupt. Corrupt people are something we have had forever. He is outright evil and has made some of the most destructive classicist policies in our state. He has exaggerated the opiod crisis, had people carted off to private prisons by the tens of thousands, and strangled any form of relief. He also diverts money from education and charity donations from the churches to his own pockets.
Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jul 9th 2018 at 12:15:31 PM
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters."most destructive classicist policies in our state"
Unless Bitch Mc Connell's been dressing in a toga lately, the word you're looking for is classist.
And that's a fair assessment of him. Between him and Trump, he's the intelligent-dangerous sort.
"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."Honestly, I chalked the milk objection up more to Think of the Children! than any economic concerns.
That said, it's further evidence that Trump is completely abdicating the US' role as global leader in the hopes of being the leader within the US.
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"Under the legislation, the president would be required to obtain congressional approval before levying tariffs "in the interest of national security."
Lawmakers would be provided with a 60-day window to review the president's proposals. Legislation aimed at approving the requests would also have the ability to be fast-tracked through both chambers, ensuring an opportunity for debate and passage.
The measure — which already has a companion bill introduced by Republican Sens. Bob Corker (Tenn.) and Pat Toomey (Pa.) that has garnered bipartisan support — would be retroactive for the past two years and apply to all tariffs that fall under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
The Senate version of the legislation has received strong pushback from the White House, with Trump urging Corker not to move forward with the bill.
The introduction in the House comes amid Republicans' concern over Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum with three of the U.S.'s largest trading partners —the European Union, Canada and Mexico — in an attempt to negotiate better trade deals. The administration also recently imposed a 25 percent tariff on roughly $34 billion of Chinese imports.
Critics of Trump's call for higher tariffs fear a trade war would be detrimental to the country's economy and foreign relations.
Edited by tclittle on Jul 9th 2018 at 3:15:00 AM
"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Oh, now they're concerned about the economic impacts of Trump's actions. When it looks like it'll cost them their own seats in Congress.
Until a reconciled bill passes and the veto is overridden, I have no confidence that the GOP is doing anything other than blowing hot air. The guys in swing states that are being targeted probably do want to pass this, but others are fearful of angering Trump, and that includes Congressional leadership.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.Frankly, if I were on the Democratic side, I'd sit back and watch before committing to any joint bills with these wavering Republicans. There are advantages to be gained by appearing willing to compromise and work across the aisle, but there's also an advantage to sitting back and watching the GOP burn.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"If the Republicans do, somehow, manage to develop a clean bill that guts Trump's ability to impose tariffs, Democrats need to get behind it. Otherwise, the economy gets hit and they paint target symbols on their own states.
There's a reason that Vermont has been singled out alongside swing and red states; its because Brussels and Ottawa are telling Sanders not to start shit or give into any protectionist/isolationist sentiment they know he dabbles in. The rest of the world will start focusing in on other Blue states if they see Democrats getting in the way of the tariffs coming down.
That said, if a faction within the GOP is willing to over concessions on other areas in exchange for Democratic support to defang Trump, they should go for that.
Edited by Rationalinsanity on Jul 9th 2018 at 6:14:46 AM
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.If a clean bill shows up than the Dems should support it, just so that they can make Trump veto it and divide the Republican Party. Then they can campaign on “we tried to stop the tariffs, but because of the Republicans we couldn’t override Trump’s veto, give us more seats and we will”. Now the seats the Dems would gain wouldn’t enable a veto override as they’d mainly come from Republicans who’d support the bill, but that’s beside the point.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranTrump wants to hurt the NY elites who see him for what he is: a trashy con artist who inherited and wasted daddy's money. Rich people on his side are okay.

McConnell chased from KY restaurant by protesters
The encounter, which took place in a parking lot outside of a Louisville restaurant, was captured on camera by one of the protesters. In the video, you can hear the group of protesters chanting "vote you out!" and "abolish ICE!" to the Republican senator from Kentucky. One man can be heard calling the senator "turtle head" and repeatedly saying "we know where you live" as the senator and two dining companions climb into their parked vehicle. McConnell did not respond to the protesters' comments. The Washington Post was first to report the video Sunday.
The encounter was the second one to occur to McConnell in the last two weeks. In late June, the senator and his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, were confronted by protesters in Washington, DC, while leaving an event at Georgetown University.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Jul 9th 2018 at 2:46:18 PM
Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.