U.S. Politics- This Is Us, Basically Fascists

[Jace, Extat]

14 minutes ago, Martell Spy said:

It is an interesting question: How many white supremacists are in the White House currently? I'm pretty comfortable calling Miller and Sessions white supremacists. It's clear that they are on a mission. What about Trump? Well, I used to call him a simple racist. I'm not sure that he has an actual ideology. There are many rumors that Trump has declined mentally from age. 

Is regression from fifth grade level to first grade level something you're willing to attribute to age?

[Martell Spy]

47 minutes ago, Jace, Basilissa said:

Is regression from fifth grade level to first grade level something you're willing to attribute to age?

SHADOW CABINET

Trump: Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh Want Government Shutdown Before Midterms

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-sean-hannity-rush-limbaugh-want-government-shutdown-before-midterms?ref=home

Quote

Trump told the crowd that some “friends” of his are telling him to wait until after the 2018 midterm elections to force a shutdown. “You know who thinks it should [be] before?” he said. “Rush Limbaugh thinks it should be before. Before the election. You know who else? Sean Hannity.” The names of both right-wing media stars received loud cheers from the Trump supporters. “Great people,” he added.

 

[Serious Callers Only]

The best people folks. Man what fun the joint chiefs of staff must be having.

[OldGimletEye]

Orrin Hatch nicely demonstrates why negotiating or comprising with today's current Republican Party is pointless.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/ignoring-his-own-record-hatch-complains-dumbass-supreme-court-antics

Quote

As the fight over Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination continues to take shape, the ongoing dispute is over something seemingly mundane: reviewing documents from his professional background as part of the Senate’s vetting process

 

Quote

Today, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) decided not only to whine about Senate Dems’ appeals, he also took partisan hypocrisy to levels rarely seen, even by contemporary standards.

“We can’t keep going down this partisan, picky, stupid, dumbass road that has happened around here for so long. I am sick and tired of it to be honest with you and I’m tired of the partisanship.” […]

“Frankly, we didn’t treat their candidates for these positions, the way they are treating ours. I would like to see us hopefully break through and change that,” Hatch said.

 

Quote

Instead, let’s take a quick stroll down memory land to a time Orrin Hatch has conveniently forgot. It’s an era popularly known as “two years ago.”

It was in March 2016, after Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing, that Hatch publicly recommended that President Obama nominate Judge Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court. The Democratic president, Hatch said, “could easily” nominate Garland, though the Utah Republican doubted that Obama would take his advice, predicting instead that the White House would choose a more liberal jurist.

That didn’t happen. Rather, Obama did exactly what Hatch suggested: he nominated Merrick Garland.

It was at that point that Orrin Hatch helped lead the opposition to kill Garland’s nomination. His efforts included writing an op-ed about a meeting the senator had with the judge that never actually occurred in reality.

Beware of conservative civility concern trolling.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

7 hours ago, Serious Callers Only said:

Isn't it amusing that Fox sold everything to Disney but their propaganda station recently? Seems like Rupert 'cucked by Putin' Murdoch, was trying to divest everything but the propaganda machine into cold cash (probably couldn't get a buyer for fox news). It's almost like he expected some consequences from electing Trump.

 

I did not follow it that closely, but wasn't it more like Disney considered the propaganda station too toxic and didn't want that. 

On a semi-related note, I found Seth MacFarlane (and the creator of modern family to name two people) to be rather annoying. I mean Fox News has been a propaganda outlet for years, he had no problems taking money from the (parent) company, also for years. But when the take over was imminent early last month or late June him (and others) finally found the balls to speak up. I know, Fox entertainment and Fox news are two different things, but I find it that distinction as convincing as claiming Shep Smith has nothing to do with Hannity, as one is a news guy while the other is a steaming pile of sh*t mere opinion guy. 

[DanteGabriel]

15 hours ago, mormont said:

Serious question: why are you so upset at the idea that there might possibly be a handful of people voting who are not citizens?

I mean, in principle, it's obviously not ideal. In practice, it's electoral static. A shower of rain has more impact on the outcome of an election than in-person voter fraud.

I'd rather have a dozen legal immigrants vote than one Frog Eater vote, given his susceptibility to white supremacist bullshit and poor reasoning skills. Unfortunately there seem to be millions and millions like Frog Eater, and that's how we ended up with a fraudulent, traitorous narcissist for President and a congenitally corrupt Congress.

[James Arryn]

19 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

I'd rather have a dozen legal immigrants vote than one Frog Eater vote, given his susceptibility to white supremacist bullshit and poor reasoning skills. Unfortunately there seem to be millions and millions like Frog Eater, and that's how we ended up with a fraudulent, traitorous narcissist for President and a congenitally corrupt Congress.

I keep replaying that quote;

”Think of the intelligence of the average person, then realize that half the planet is dumber than that.”

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

57 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

I keep replaying that quote;

”Think of the intelligence of the average person, then realize that half the planet is dumber than that.”

Then realize that there’s been a generations long systematic dumbing down of the average American…..

[Ormond]

23 hours ago, Week said:

There is, of course, no evidence to suggest that she intentionally made the claim for professional benefit nor did she receive any benefit (whether sought for or not).

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/is-elizabeth-warren-native-american-or-what/257415/

Trump is only hurting himself by more frequently and inappropriately using the slur.

https://www.vox.com/2018/2/14/17012798/elizabeth-warren-speech-native-american-american-indian-pocahontas-trump

 

I am fully aware that she did not make up the claim for personal benefit. I have Southern ancestry myself and am very familiar with long standing family legends which claim Native American ancestry (almost always Cherokee) which turn out to have no basis in fact. But I think the outcome of this situation would not necessarily end up being worse for Trump than for Warren herself if she were actually the nominee for President in 2020. This story is the sort of thing that would make many average voters queasy about supporting someone even if they logically knew it really hadn't brought Warren any benefit.

Her response as quoted by Vox is going to sound great to politically aware liberals but I don't think it will overcome the idea that she is a "liar" for repeating the unsubstantiated family legend in the minds of the average politically unaware voter.

[James Arryn]

1 minute ago, Ormond said:

I am fully aware that she did not make up the claim for personal benefit. I have Southern ancestry myself and am very familiar with long standing family legends which claim Native American ancestry (almost always Cherokee) which turn out to have no basis in fact. But I think the outcome of this situation would not necessarily end up being worse for Trump than for Warren herself if she were actually the nominee for President in 2020. This story is the sort of thing that would make many average voters queasy about supporting someone even if they logically knew it really hadn't brought Warren any benefit.

Her response as quoted by Vox is going to sound great to politically aware liberals but I don't think it will overcome the idea that she is a "liar" for repeating the unsubstantiated family legend in the minds of the average politically unaware voter.

 Most people I know take their ancestry on faith, as told them by their relatives. I know it’s increasingly easy to actually check, but I imagine most people who are told they have X in the family history will repeat it without any intention to deceive, or feeling any need to ‘substantiate’ it. I don’t know much about the Warren thing, but if she didn’t pursue any benefit, why would her believing what her family told her reflect poorly on her at all? 

 

[Fragile Bird]

I am now seeing stories popping up on the internet about 'illegal' voters. It turns out that most of the 'illegal' voters are not immigrants who haven't received citizenship yet, but people who were convicted of crimes like driving through a red light and lost their right to vote.

Yes, of course other people did far worse things.

One of the most bizarre things about the USA is how Americans want to punish people convicted of a crime FOREVER. The idea of permanently losing your right to vote because of a criminal conviction is grotesque.

And, likely to support Trump's rantings about illegal voters, there are a number of states hunting down people who have convictions and who voted in an election and throwing the book at them. Because the jails aren't full enough.

[Ormond]

33 minutes ago, SpaceForce Tywin et al. said:

Then realize that there’s been a generations long systematic dumbing down of the average American…..

Actually in terms of average raw scores on IQ tests, "average Americans" of younger generations look smarter than those of previous generations. That's called the "Flynn effect" and is rather well documented. 

 

17 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

 Most people I know take their ancestry on faith, as told them by their relatives. I know it’s increasingly easy to actually check, but I imagine most people who are told they have X in the family history will repeat it without any intention to deceive, or feeling any need to ‘substantiate’ it. I don’t know much about the Warren thing, but if she didn’t pursue any benefit, why would her believing what her family told her reflect poorly on her at all? 

 

I don't personally think it originally "reflected on her poorly." I do think that as a Harvard professor she should now be able to preface her remarks about the Pocahontas issue with some statement like "I now realize what Aunt Bea told me may well have been incorrect." That she seems to still present herself as completely believing the family legend does make me question her judgment a bit. 

But I think what I personally believe is irrelevant to how this would affect the average voter, and it plays too well into the distrust of the "educated elite" out there to not hit the wrong emotional buttons with many voters.  Emotionally, it will be hard for them to believe she did not receive any "benefit" even if there is no logical evidence for it. 

[IheartIheartTesla]

2 hours ago, James Arryn said:

I keep replaying that quote;

”Think of the intelligence of the average person, then realize that half the planet is dumber than that.”

Shouldn;t that be median person?

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

41 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

 Most people I know take their ancestry on faith, as told them by their relatives. I know it’s increasingly easy to actually check, but I imagine most people who are told they have X in the family history will repeat it without any intention to deceive, or feeling any need to ‘substantiate’ it. I don’t know much about the Warren thing, but if she didn’t pursue any benefit, why would her believing what her family told her reflect poorly on her at all? 

 

I agree, and can share a real life example. When I was a kid my mom explained my ancestry to me, and one of the things she listed was Native American. When I was in first or second grade, anyone who identified as Native American was allowed to sign up for an hour a week class that was basically a Native American studies class. I did so and it was a lot of fun, but when my parents figured out that I forged my dad’s signature to join the class, they pulled me out of it and my mom had to explain that I was 1/32 Native American and that the class was really not meant for someone like me.

[Week]

1 minute ago, SpaceForce Tywin et al. said:

I agree, and can share a real life example. When I was a kid my mom explained my ancestry to me, and one of the things she listed was Native American. When I was in first or second grade, anyone who identified as Native American was allowed to sign up for an hour a week class that was basically a Native American studies class. I did so and it was a lot of fun, but when my parents figured out that I forged my dad’s signature to join the class, they pulled me out of it and my mom had to explain that I was 1/32 Native American and that the class was really not meant for someone like me.

I'm sorry Tywin, but as a Board we're going to have to use the name of a Native America (who was already brutalized by settlers and historians) to use his name as a slur for whenever we refer to you in the future.

It's the Pr*sidential thing to do.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

15 minutes ago, Ormond said:

Actually in terms of average raw scores on IQ tests, "average Americans" of younger generations look smarter than those of previous generations. That's called the "Flynn effect" and is rather well documented. 

People may know more about more things these days, but they understand them less. You should check out the book The Knowledge Illusion. It does a good job tackling this.

Anyways, I spend a lot of time with people in my generation and take it from me, they’re idiots who are trapped in their phones.

[Kalbear]

21 minutes ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

Shouldn;t that be median person?

Clearly you're above the average

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

13 hours ago, Martell Spy said:

It is an interesting question: How many white supremacists are in the White House currently? I'm pretty comfortable calling Miller and Sessions white supremacists. It's clear that they are on a mission. What about Trump? Well, I used to call him a simple racist. I'm not sure that he has an actual ideology. There are many rumors that Trump has declined mentally from age. 

Trump just want's to look heroic.  He want's to be John Wayne.  He's an empty vessel that guys like Miller and Sessions can pour themselves into.

Check this:

http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/400209-government-urges-federal-judges-to-dismiss-planned-parenthood

Do you think his grace gives a a shit about abstinence only sex ed?

[Week]

1 minute ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

Do you think his grace gives a a shit about abstinence only sex ed?

Thou shall remain abstinent prior to marriage unless you have your lawyer/fixer pay them off (silence/abortion) and get a tabloid rag to buy the story.

[Kalbear]

2 minutes ago, Week said:

Thou shall remain abstinent prior to marriage unless you have your lawyer/fixer pay them off (silence/abortion) and get a tabloid rag to buy the story.

To be fair he wasn't doing things before his marriage, he was just cheating on his pregnant or just-gave-birth wife during his marriage.