U.S. Politics

[Shryke]

Er, well, this is a childishly simplistic narrative, and while I disagree in the small strokes (capital didn't "buy out" the government - they weren't two separate classes to begin with - the US government was FOUNDED my landed, monied interests), I actually AGREE in the large strokes. But then again, I don't consider myself a "capitalist."

"childish simplistic narrative"? Care to back that up? And while the government was certainly founded by the elite of the colonies, these people didn't see eye to eye all the time and they had a habit of dying like all people do.

The people in government weren't necessarily the same people who were running these companies and such. They maintained power through money and connections within the government .... just like I said.

Well yeah, ultimately, anyone can wield a gun or a billy club. But the simple reality of the situation is that the Pullman Palace Car Company could never have hired enough goons to put down the Pullman Strike. For that, they needed over ten thousand federal troops plus the federal marshals (plus various state national guard contingents).

Well yeah, sometimes you don't win the war. Or course, had the government not existed, they'd have just had a pre-ready army. It's not like this shit wasn't done before.

[insert the sound of irony reaching critical mass and collapsing into a black hole]

WTF are you talking about?

[Ormond]

I do believe that the GOP has historically been monolithic and that its higher-ups have held a lot of sway. I also believe that this might be the year it's changing, at least temporarily. You guys created a monster that you can no longer control. or at least it appears that way at this moment.

Please God, nominate Newt.

This analysis at fivethirtyeight may be relevant here:

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/mistrust-of-institutions-may-touch-g-o-p-itself/

I do think Gingrich is more likely to lose the general election than Romney. But I think he would be more likely to win than Bachman, Santorum, or Cain. If enough bad things happen to the economy and with the European debt crisis and Iran's nuclear program, Gingrich could beat Obama in spite of his manifest flaws.

[DanteGabriel]

But...but...at least he apologized!

Hmmm...I wonder if part of the disciplinary actions against the employees involved will be making them wear pink undergarments.

"America's Toughest Sheriff" -- unless you're a child molester. In fact, if you're a child molester, just molest little brown children and Sheriff Racist Fuck won't do a thing to you.

Why do you love pedophiles, Sheriff Joe?

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

"America's Toughest Sheriff" -- unless you're a child molester. In fact, if you're a child molester, just molest little brown children and Sheriff Racist Fuck won't do a thing to you.

Why do you love pedophiles, Sheriff Joe?

Dude, the guy made an arrestee deliver her child while chained to a bed, cause she was a "flight risk". The only thing separating Joe Arpaio from Idi Amin is opportunity. The man is a psychopath.

[DanteGabriel]

"Ms. Bachmann, my mom's gay but she doesn't need any fixing."

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/watch-8-year-old-confront-bachmann-on-homosexuality.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

[Lightsnake]

"America's Toughest Sheriff" -- unless you're a child molester. In fact, if you're a child molester, just molest little brown children and Sheriff Racist Fuck won't do a thing to you.

Why do you love pedophiles, Sheriff Joe?

I love how he said "I apologize. If there are any victims."

Yeah, Joe. In 400 or so cases, maybe there's a victim or two.

[Shryke]

Dude, the guy made an arrestee deliver her child while chained to a bed, cause she was a "flight risk". The only thing separating Joe Arpaio from Idi Amin is opportunity. The man is a psychopath.

But he keeps those damn brown people out of the retirees hair, so he's cool, right?

[sologdin]

it's the many that get enough power to influence government, they just vote themselves free shit. That's why Europe and the US are drowning in debt, too many takers, not enough makers.

are there persons who really believe this stuff?

[TerraPrime]

are there persons who really believe this stuff?

hmmm... is that a rhetorical question? Because I'm pretty sure a large segment of GOP does.

[Shryke]

Also, hey, this is a great time for the US economy to lose more jobs, right?

The US Postal Service is shutting more than half its mail-processing centres in a $3bn (£1.9bn) cost-cutting drive expected to shed 28,000 jobs.

Vice-President David Williams told a news conference that the closures were designed to stave off bankruptcy next year.

Out of 461 mail-processing centres across the US, 252 will be shuttered starting from next April.

The move could spell the end for next-day delivery of first-class mail.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16037668

Now of course, you might be saying "OMG, they are bankrupt!". Which misses the real fun part here:

They are only bankrupt because back in 2007 or so, the US government decided that by 2016, the US Postal Service needed to prefund it's health care costs 75 years in advance. And given the state of US health care costs these days, that's lolworthy amounts of money.

a federal regulation instituted in 2007 that "...required the Postal Service to pre-fund retiree health benefits (RHB) in amounts of approximately $5.5 billion per year." There is no other entity in the federal bureaucracy that must abide by similar rules. There is a direct correlation, said Donahoe between the Postal Services' budget woes and the institution of the rule on RHB.

http://www.huliq.com/10061/post-office-wants-pension-reform-cut-85-billion-deficit

Minus this, the US Postal Service actually makes money.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

But he keeps those damn brown people out of the retirees hair, so he's cool, right?

Really he doesn't. The state is something like 30% -35% Hispanic (maybe higher). White folks will be less than half of the population by the end of the decade.

[Shryke]

Really he doesn't. The state is something like 30% -35% Hispanic (maybe higher). White folks will be less than half of the population by the end of the decade.

I think that's cause the white people are dying of old age and golf-related injuries though.

[TerraPrime]

Really he doesn't. The state is something like 30% -35% Hispanic (maybe higher). White folks will be less than half of the population by the end of the decade.

So Sheriff Joe will have another 10 years of reign.

Nice.

All those people in Maricopa county who voted for that douchbag need to be fucked right in the ear by a chainsaw.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

All those people in Maricopa county who voted for that douchbag need to be fucked right in the ear by a chainsaw.

Hey at least they voted out Russell Pearce. But yeah, this state's politics are so fucked. We're supposed to have medicinal cannabis right now, but our own governor asked the federal government to sue our state constitution so she wouldn't have to grant any dispensaries a permit. Our last governor is now the head of DHS (vomit). I really like it here, but man are the people in charge a bunch of douchebags. At least we've got our gun laws sorted.

[DanteGabriel]

Hey at least they voted out Russell Pearce. But yeah, this state's politics are so fucked. We're supposed to have medicinal cannabis right now, but our own governor asked the federal government to sue our state constitution so she wouldn't have to grant any dispensaries a permit. Our last governor is now the head of DHS (vomit). I really like it here, but man are the people in charge a bunch of douchebags. At least we've got our gun laws sorted.

"All we know for sure is that Hell will be a viciously overcrowded version of Phoenix -- a clean well-lighted place full of sunshine and bromides and fast cars, where almost everybody seems vaguely happy, except the ones who know in their hearts what is missing... and are being driven slowly and quietly into the kind of terminal craziness that comes with finally understanding that the one thing you want is not there." -- Hunter S. Thompson

I daresay most of us seem to be living in that Hell, Phoenix or not.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

I barely live in Phoenix. Another half mile down the road and I'm on the reservation. I would infinitely prefer to live in Prescott, Sedona, or Flagstaff.

[Former Lord of Winterfell]

This analysis at fivethirtyeight may be relevant here:

http://fivethirtyeig...h-g-o-p-itself/

I do think Gingrich is more likely to lose the general election than Romney. But I think he would be more likely to win than Bachman, Santorum, or Cain. If enough bad things happen to the economy and with the European debt crisis and Iran's nuclear program, Gingrich could beat Obama in spite of his manifest flaws.

Good article that casts doubt on the stereotype that members of the GOP have always been lemmings blindly following their party bosses. It may seem that way to people who aren't involved with the party, or whose familiarity resides more with the other end of the political spectrum, but it is not accurate. There has long been tension between the libertarian and social conservative wings of the party, between the more radical and the more establishment "country-club" set (long a perjorative within the party itself among certain elemens), etc. Reagan really ran an anti-party establishment, insurgent campaign in 1976, and he was still the anti-establishement guy in 1980, when the country-club set backed George H.W. Bush.

Duby was quite unpopular with with the more fiscally conservative elements within the party, and the 2008 GOP primary really was fractured,. You saw Giuliani, Huckabee, Thompson, and finally McCain leading at various points, with each sort of representing a different segment of the party that often strongly disagreed with the other segments. McCain actually ran something of an anti-party establishment campaign, while being mistrusted by the more conservative elements of the party. The same fracturing is happening this year as well.

[Fez]

To anyone who still claims there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans, Hillary Clinton has something she'd like to say:

Link

In Washington we have created a task force at the state department to support and coordinate this work and in the coming months we will provide every embassy with a tool kit to help improve their efforts and we have created a program that offers emergency support to defenders of Human Rights for LGBT people. This morning back in Washington president Obama put into place the first U.S. government strategy dedicated to combating Human Rights abuses against LGBT persons abroad. Building on efforts already under way at the state department and across the government the president has directed all U.S. government agencies engaged overseas to combat the criminalization of LGBT status and conduct to enhance efforts to protect vulnerable, LGBT refugees and asylum seekers to ensure Na our foreign assistance promotes the protection of LGBT rights. To enlist international organizations in the fight against discrimination and to respond swiftly to abuses against LGBT persons.

You really think a Republican Sec. of State would give a speech like that or that a Republican administration would put these new policies in place?

[TerraPrime]

You really think a Republican Sec. of State would give a speech like that or that a Republican administration would put these new policies in place?

Your argument is ineffective because most GOP people will simply just say "what a waste of money, effort, and MAH TAX DOLLAHS!" They might even say that it's not that they don't care about human rights of LBGT people, but only that they don't think it's the role of the federal government to be spending MAH TAX DOLLAH to be fixing these problems.

I mean, I'm sure you can predict their responses just as well as I do.

[Fez]

Your argument is ineffective because most GOP people will simply just say "what a waste of money, effort, and MAH TAX DOLLAHS!" They might even say that it's not that they don't care about human rights of LBGT people, but only that they don't think it's the role of the federal government to be spending MAH TAX DOLLAH to be fixing these problems.

I mean, I'm sure you can predict their responses just as well as I do.

That still means its something a GOP administration would not do that a Democratic administration just did.