USPol April: Posting Cafe & Bakery (NOTE: Baby-killing gays need not apply)

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ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Here we are again, in a brand spanking new US Politics Discussion thread for April 2015, where keeping discussion on topic is like herding cats...

Budgets and gay bashing and entitlement reform and mandatory Ted Cruz/Bibi Netanyahu speeches (take your pick), oh my! What a month it's been, and it's only getting better as Republicans continue to stymie Republicans at every turn. Oh well, at least there's still two out of three functioning branches of government. Too bad Obama's done just about everything he can as president, and SCOTUS has done just about everything they can to do the opposite. Yes, that's right, the country is still going down the tubes, faster than ever. Yes, that�s right, the country is still going down the tubes, and faster than ever. And this thread is your ticket to the fun! Just head on down the train to Acceleration Station, show your ticket to friendly conductor John Boehner, and away we go!

114th Congress Bingo Card

Every month it's worth reviewing what the 114th Congress is up to. After all, it's the cause of any number of hangovers over the past few months, and it's always worth reminding ourselves of drunken stupors both long past and yet to come.

Nominations: Thanks to McConnell insisting that Democrats vote against a law to punish sex traffickers, Loretta Lynch, Obama's nominee to replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder, is not due to be voted on until mid-April at the earliest, making her soon to be the nominee who has waited the longest for confirmation since Bill Clinton took office. Recent counts of likely votes suggest that Lynch may be broadly rejected by Republicans, and will require Biden to tiebreak a 50/50 vote. Lindsay Graham is one of only four Republicans who has announced his support for Lynch's nomination, which puts him at odds with good friend John McCain, who has vowed to vote against. McCain and others' lobbying of fellow Republicans may make or break Lynch's nomination.
Obamacare: Surprise! Some people actually like Obamacare! Even Ted Cruz is jumping on board (sorta)! But that doesn't mean that Republicans aren't thinking about shoving an end to Obamacare into this year's budget through reconciliation. Meanwhile, SCOTUS heard King v. Burwell earlier in the month. Some unrelated comments from Kennedy later in the month have some people wondering if this really is the case that will kill Obamacare dead. (Other pundits think not.)
Banking and Finance: Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) would like Dodd-Frank and CFPB regulations require review every 10 years, under the same terms as the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996., paving the way for their repeal after they are deemed "outdated" by the FFIEC, a body incorporating the Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, NCUA, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and CFPB.
Budget and Appropriations: Well, John Boehner caved, and DHS funding was passed with no strings and Democratic support at the last minute, ending the 2015 fiscal budget battles. Don't worry though, because the 2016 battle is just heating up! Tom Price's House Budget Committee put out their proposed budget last month, but not without controversy, as Republican in-fighting seemed to affect even the Budget committee. As the committee could not decide on whether to offset extra military spending or require cuts in other spending in the long term, the House ultimately had to use an obscure legislative procedure known as "Queen of the Hill" in which the budget with the most votes would be approved as the official budget resolution of the House. It should come as no surprise that both the Progressive and Congressional Black Caucus budgets were voted down, but in the end funding Lockheed Martin and other military contractors won out. The budget resolution is non-binding, but as passed contains a litany of Republican wishes, including voucherizing Medicare, turning Medicaid into block grants, repealing Obamacare, cutting food stamps by 1/3, freeze Pell grant funding levels for 10 years, cut another $1.1 trillion dollars from other mandatory spending, boost defense spending, and reform taxes to lower rates for the highest earners. Debate on the budget will continue to heat up as we head later in the year, and we may very well see another chance at a Grand Bargain, if not another shutdown as fights between fiscal conservatives, Democrats and hawks continue. One thing's for sure though: it's very likely that Congress will use the power of the purse to the greatest degree possible, killing any and every Democratic program they can by defunding them. The FCC, EPA, and immigration have all been mentioned as possible targets. Oh, and as for the debt ceiling? It's now in play again, as the suspension was ended on March 15. Turns out that's okay though, since we can employ emergency measures again... Which should end right after the budget is supposed to be done...
Trade: TPP "fast track" authorization is moving ahead, but slowly, as Sen. Wyden (D-OR) refuses to give his approval. Meanwhile, Wikileaks has returned to the scene to leak the chapter on investments (which contains widely expected language authorizing corporations to sue countries who hurt their business).
Cybersecurity and Telecommunications: As mentioned last month, Republicans are very angry about net neutrality passing, and are tossing around the idea of defunding enforcement efforts. A Republican FCC member has officially called on Congress to undermine his own agency by doing just that. (You won't be surprised to learn who's backing the astroturf efforts.) Meanwhile, the latest version of CISPA cleared a crucial hurdle in a Senate committee, with only Wyden voting against, expressing concern that it would legitimize additional surveillance by not offering privacy protections on information shared with the government.
Social Security and Entitlements: Entitlement reform is back on the table, as the House has approved a permanent "doc fix", at the cost of some abortion language and a shorter re-up of the Children's Health Insurance Program than normal. The bill institutes a deductible for Medigap plans as well as means-testing for some Medicare programs.
Gun Control: No word on the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, but the NRA did cause the ATF to shelve a briefly discussed plan to ban one of over 168 types of bullets that can be used in an AR-15. Meanwhile, Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have once again floated the Sportsmen's Act, which, among other things, provides a permanent exemption for the use of lead shot with respect to environmental laws.
Environment: The Senate failed to override Obama's veto on Keystone XL, 62-37. Oh well, there's plenty else to pass, like two bills regarding "secret science" and scientific advisory boards (read: scientific studies with confidential patient information withheld for privacy reasons) which passed the House this month. Changes to the advisory boards would effectively ban scientists from the boards from referencing their own work, while explicitly permitting industry-paid scientists on the boards. Obama has vowed a veto of both bills. For McConnell's part, the Senate has signalled that it too will continue to fight EPA regulations, with McConnell passing a non-binding amendment to the Senate budget resolution preventing the White House from withholding highway funds for not filing plans on how to meet EPA emissions targets and calling on governors to do just that.
Immigration: After much last-minute concern, John Boehner finally relented and passed the Senate DHS funding bill with Democratic help, though Republicans swear its not over. Meanwhile, Obama finally appealed the hold on his immigration plans at the end of last month.
War on Terror: Obama's call for an AUMF against ISIS has fallen on deaf ears.] At the same time, following his open letter (more on that in a bit), Tom Cotton called for an end to the sequester (on the military only) positioning himself clearly as the leader of the new hawks in the Senate. In making this request, Cotton asked for more than $600b for the military, more than the $534b requested by Obama or even the $577b proposed by elder hawk McCain. The House budget proposal that recently passed also added $56b more than the Joint Chiefs of Staff requested in the off-budget war account, with no cuts to offset the expenses.
The Torture Report and the NSA: It turns out that even the NSA had misgivings about the phone tracking program, before turning to defend it fiercely after the Snowden leaks. Meanwhile, Wikimedia is suing the NSA for spying, as it believes that its mention in an NSA document leaked by Snowden will give them standing to oppose the NSA's actions. it won't
Foreign Policy: Following Netanyahu's speech to Congress at the beginning of the month, Senate Republicans shocked the country by largely lining up behind freshman Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and signing a letter which threatens to revoke any executive agreement Obama makes after they take the presidency in 2016. But the letter appears to have done what it was intended to do, and it will likely keep working its magic for years to come.
War on Drugs: A bipartisan effort to okay medical marijuana is unlikely to leave committee, as elder Senators appear to oppose it.
Abortion: Congress has been relatively quiet on the issue following the bruise received in January (which has angered pro-life advocates who want that bill back on the table now, not later), though an anti-human trafficking bill is stalled in the Senate for Hyde Amendment-like language, and the latest Medicare "doc fix" has suffered criticisms for similar language. Rest assured though, the states have got you covered (although Republicans in Wisconsin recently suffered a defeat in that regard). Yes, you read those two last ones right, Kansas and Oklahoma are currently on the verge of de facto banning second-trimester abortions.
New! Gay Rights: While Republicans aren't exactly chomping at the bit to follow Indiana's lead on saying that being a bigot is AOK, Ted Cruz doesn't like two pro-gay rights laws passed by Washington DC.

Other News

2016.
No really, Ted Cruz launched his campaign, and Rand Paul and Rubio are not far behind.
And Harry Reid is retiring and won't be running again in 2016. Right wing conspiracy theorists know that Reid was done in by the mob he had to have been working for for years. Either way, this is good news for Republicans, as it now gives them a leg up on holding the Senate.
While discussions about 2016 election news in the USPol thread is inevitable, please remember that we do have a 2016 Presidential Primary thread and a 2016 Senate elections thread, too.
Court analysts see SCOTUS likely striking down independent redistricting commissions passed by citizen initiative, which would invalidate Arizona and California district maps.
The Florida House Civil Rights Subcommittee approved a bill to jail transgender people who use the restroom of their true gender and permit civil suits against business owners who look the other way when they do.
~racism is dead~
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan M�ndez, has been getting stonewalled when he's asked to visit places where known terrorist suspects have been or are currently being housed. This is probably not surprising given what he reported on from his visit to California's pioneering supermax prison, Pelican Bay.
The DOJ released its report on the Ferguson police department at the beginning of the month. Its mayor wants to let us know that maybe that report is a little too focused on race, don't you think?
Republicans are very angry that Hillary ran her e-mail on a private server. While there are legitimate issues raised by this poor OpSec practice, most Republicans are really just interested in taking down the Democratic frontrunner for 2016.
Obama told the UN he basically wants to commit to the agreement he signed with China on global warming. Florida would rather stick their heads in the sand.

Talk to other goons (why would you want to do that?)
Remember that we have an IRC channel at synirc in #poligoon for livesteaming stuff.

Goon Recommendations
Documentaries

Slavery by Another Name
Citizenfour (Laura Poitras's companion pieces My Country, My Country and The Oath are useful for additional context on the impact of the US war on terror in the Middle East)

Talks

Long pieces

The Atlantic
- "The Case for Reparations" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- "The Tragedy of the American Military" by James Fallows

Books

Punishment and Inequality in America by Bruce Western
The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America by Naomi Murakawa
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Matt Taibbi's
- The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap and
- Griftopia: A Story of Bankers, Politicians, and the Most Audacious Power Grab in American History
Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow
Rick Perlstein's trilogy on the history of the modern conservative movement:
Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party by Geoffrey Kabaservice

Twitter feeds

@costareports (Robert Costa, Washington Post, formerly National Review): Conservative-leaning journalist to whom Republican sources often leak backroom stories (Republican retreats, Presidential campaigns, etc.)
@daveweigel (Dave Weigel, Bloomberg Politics, formerly Slate): "Idiosyncratic libertarian" journalist who is second only to Robert Costa in connections/interviews with Republican officials. Contrary to popular belief, not D&D superstar Joementum.
@BruceBartlett (Bruce Bartlett, ex-Reagan/Bush official): "Lifelong conservative who now thinks the GOP panders to fools, whom he calls wankers. My tweets should not always be taken seriously."
The following are semi-random selections from a list offered by Rygar201 and may be good or bad.
- @owillis (Olivier Willis, research fellow, Media Matters)
- @mattyglesias (Matt Yglesias, executive editor, Vox)
- @JuddLegum (Judd Legum, Editor-in-Chief, Think Progress)
- @dick_nixon "37th President of the United States. Messages from the President are unsigned, others from Ronald Ziegler. "
- @EricBoehlert (Eric Boehlert, Media Matters)
- @JamilSmith (Jamil Smith, senior editor, The New Republic)
- @jonathanchait (Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine)
- @nielslesniewski (Neils Lesniewski, Senate coverage, Roll Call)
- @abwhite7 (Abraham White, former comms for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY))
- @DSenFloor (Senate D Floor Watch): "Live floor updates from the Senate Democrats"
- @billmon1 (Billmon)
- @ebruenig (Elizabeth Bruenig, The New Republic)

Related threads
"US Politics" is an incredibly broad topic, as A) the country is freaking huge and B) given our role in international events pretty much everything impacts us. So there are other subthreads
2016 Presidential Primary
2016 US Senate Elections
SCOTUS thread
Right Wing Media

There are also regional subthreads that are usually pretty slow, but sometimes cross-pollinate with this thread when something important is happening.
Pacific Northwest
Illinois
Texas
California
There was a South thread, too, but it's been dead since last July.

Lifted the rest of the above from FriedChicken. As before post suggestions for adding to the above and I'll edit them in if I see them.

And remember folks, drink chat goes in D&D chat thread. Drink responsibly. Your liver will thank you.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 08:01

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 22:37

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Evil Fluffy posted:

So with Ted's announcement and the others soon to follow, when will GOP primary season officially be in full swing, May? June?

The first debate in 2011 was in May. The first "official" debate this go around is August, but who knows, we might get a Newsmax or Values Voters debate this cycle too that no one can turn down.

EDIT: Oh hey, in "news that probably belongs in the Middle East thread", look what Obama just did.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 08:32 on Apr 1, 2015

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 08:24

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

SubponticatePoster posted:

Catching up on the new thread and good job Cosmo for using a Pat Bagley cartoon, the guy's great. He used to mostly just draw funny cartoons relevant to local culture but as time went on he's gone more and more bugfuck (in a good way). Guess that's what happens when you're a liberal in Utah. I still need to get me a copy of Pat and Kirby Go to Hell..

Came across it in the Political Cartoons thread when reviewing cartoons from the last month to find the best ones to drop in, and there was no way I could pass on that McConnell caricature.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 20:55

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Joementum posted:

Anyway, the DoJ just handed down their indictment of Senator Menendez and he's scheduled a press conference for 7pm.

He's previously said he won't resign.

Note that if Menendez resigns or even goes on leave, Lynch's nomination is dead. Heck, it's already dubious because his being indicted is a conflict of interest when it comes to confirming the person who will prosecute him.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 21:23

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

site posted:

One less Democrat in the Senate... Not that it'll matter much anyways :/

Loretta Lynch was due to be confirmed in a 50-50 vote with Biden deciding. This now means Lynch will not be confirmed 49-50.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 21:26

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

CommieGIR posted:

As climate change starts to hit home.

I don't think California is the center of climate change opposition. Maybe ask all those eastern states who got tons of snow and cold who are asking "if global warming why cold?"

EDIT: California's been dealing with 80 degree days in January when it's usually in the 60s. And while we got something like 70% of the normal precipitation in a year in parts of the north, none of it fell as snow, so snowpack is at record lows, something like 5% of normal when it should be the deepest it gets all year.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Apr 1, 2015

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 21:50

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

This was apparently discussed in the drug legalization thread when the topic first came up in February, but it's come up again today and it seems worth bringing up in this thread...

Colorado lawmakers have been forced to send a question to the voters in order to hold on to the $60 million of marijuana taxes because their Taxpayer's Bill of Rights requires the state to send refund checks to all citizens if the state raises more money than they budget for, even though the marijuana tax itself has not been quite as successful as was originally thought.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2015 05:50

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Raskolnikov38 posted:

What's stopping them from writing a budget that says 'we expect X amount but are budgeting for Y which is bigger than X' so they can just keep the money?

Because the expectations are explicitly set by statute when taxes are passed.

Wikipedia posted:

Under TABOR, state and local governments cannot raise tax rates without voter approval and cannot spend revenues collected under existing tax rates without voter approval if revenues grow faster than the rate of inflation and population growth. Revenue in excess of the TABOR limit, commonly referred to as the "TABOR surplus", must be refunded to taxpayers, unless voters approve a revenue change as an offset in a referendum.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2015 06:19

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Fried Chicken posted:

"We know the solution to the problem by we don't want to do it so we will wait until it is a catastrophe and then still drag our feet" is basically post Carter America in a nutshell and it is the number 1 thing that pisses me off day in and day out. All the poo poo we fight over, we know how to solve it. We just don't because, well, because. And none of it is hard. It is a lot of work, and in some cases expensive, but it isn't hard. Going to the moon, that was hard. We had to invent whole new branches of science to do that. Unfucking our land use policies to knock down barriers to urban growth is easy, it's a series of procedural votes by a few dozen fools to repeal existing rules.

We could fix all the things we currently rage over, start addressing real issues, and unlock and amazing period of better standards of living, but we just don't want to. We'd rather keep trying to ban gay people or something. It's infuriating.

But that would cost money! And big government! :supaburn:

# ¿ Apr 2, 2015 18:39

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Joementum posted:

How to make a cocktail, according to the US Department of Agriculture Forrest Service, 1974.

quote:

NOTE: Pour each ingred. slowly over rounded side of tsp. or down a glass rod. If liquids mix while pouring use alternate name.

Now we just need a couple Republicans decrying such spurious government spending on something only D&D would love and we're all set.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2015 16:13

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

PupsOfWar posted:

"I'm socially liberal and fiscally conservative" is a super common political position in the Middle, particularly among suburbanites, professionals and the white youth (though these might not articulate their position as such). The GoP can drastically increase its appeal among these people if it moderates its social platform.

Never underestimate the twin rhetorical powers of "T-T-T-TAXES!" and "the federal budget is just like a household budget" (because an analogy is just so much easier to get your head around even if it's wrong).

Fiscal conservatism and "taxpayer rights" aren't going away.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2015 16:06

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Joementum posted:

Neither is the culture war.

While true, I suppose what I was getting at is that, while the culture war will continue, Republican strength will likely successfully shift to economic (EDIT: and defense; the meme is so entrenched that Democrats will never be known as strong on the military no matter how many ISIS-held hillsides Obama or Hillary bomb) issues to stay relevant as a national party so long as public opinion on major hot-button culture war issues other than abortion keeps swinging to the left.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Apr 4, 2015

# ¿ Apr 4, 2015 16:15

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

notthegoatseguy posted:

It depends on what you mean by culture war. LGBT issues, particularly same sex marriage, has a huge support in the under 40 generation. But abortion and gun control issues are not polling anywhere close to support of same sex marriage.

Abortion yes, gun control, on the other hand, is a weird beast. While you're right that, generally speaking, that's not gonna change, those calling for stricter gun laws have made a plurality of voters except for a short period from 2010-2011, and on issues other than banning handguns, polls typically find support for concrete gun reforms like magazine restrictions, the assault weapons ban or expanded background checks in the 60s or higher.

In other words, gun control has been politicized much as Obamacare has. As long as you don't call it what it is, people are generally for it.

EDIT: Hell, even banning armor-piercing bullets has strong support, but because it's easier to lose votes by tying it to gun control than to win votes from passing it, the ATF backs down.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Apr 4, 2015

# ¿ Apr 4, 2015 16:39

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

ThirdPartyView posted:

Bo is no Checkers.

Bo* is a bad dog. Bo likes to get up on the table and knock cereal onto the floor and eat it when no one is looking. Based on my experiences, I cannot recommend a vote for Barack Obama, because he owns a dog named Bo.

_{* My dog's name; not named for Bo Obama.}

# ¿ Apr 5, 2015 21:33

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

PupsOfWar posted:

How can you attack your opponent for being a Louisville fatcat if you are yourself a Louisville fatcat?

Say they voted for Obama.

EDIT: In actual news, Kansas effectively banned all abortions after 12-14 weeks today.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Apr 8, 2015

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 07:13

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

FourLeaf posted:

If he get the death penalty, would that actually result in an execution? Basically, is Massachusetts like California or like Texas?

I believe these are Federal charges, so In this case, yes.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 19:28

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Florida's House is currently debating a bill which would effectively extend RFRA-like protections to state-funded adoption agencies, allowing them the freedom to refuse adoptions to gay couples in response to a lawsuit that struck down a state law which prohibited all gay adoptions.

In a move that should surprise no one, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee unceremoniously shut down testimony from a 10-year-old adopted by the family responsible for the lawsuit when his time was up, rather than granting him a few minutes to finish.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 23:29

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

North Carolina contemplates one weird trick to restrict abortion. OB/GYNs hate it!

quote:

On top of extending the waiting period for an abortion to 72 hours and banning anyone but OB-GYNs from performing abortions, the bill also bans the University of North Carolina and East Carolina University from providing abortion training to medical students.

When WNCN asked McElraft about this provision, all of her previous concern for competent medical care for abortion patients dried right up. �There are opportunities for doctors to learn,� she said. �Abortion doctors learn from all kinds of training�in spontaneous abortions and sometimes miscarriages.� So which is it, McElraft? Is abortion such a delicate procedure that only one kind of doctor can even begin to understand it? Or is it such a no-brainer that you don't even need training?

# ¿ Apr 9, 2015 15:57

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

JT Jag posted:

He came up the ranks in Baltimore, which can certainly have an effect on your view of how crime should be handled. In other respects he is both socially progressive and has championed tax increases to deal with deficit shortfalls.

Just a reminder that David Simon used O'Malley as one of the models for this guy:

EDIT: Funny that some people think we should go from a president who enjoys The Wire to a president who was all but literally a character in The Wire.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2015 20:16

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

FilthyImp posted:

I'm about to reveal a shockingly stupid ignorance of things here, but if everyone is always concerned about evil nuclear scientists cobbling bombs together, why doesn't the UN or whatever have a multinational Nuclear Corps. That staffs and regulates nuclear plants in... delicate areas?

Imagine a world where the Baruch Plan had actually been accepted and implemented.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2015 01:21

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Gyges posted:

Out of curiosity, are any Republicans even aware that the negotiations with Iran are not two party negotiations but include 5 other countries? I understand most of this is two parts Obama is for a thing and one part Bibi is against a thing, but they seem completely unaware that if China, Russia, France, Germany, and the UK all agree to the deal it really doesn't matter how much we hold our breath and stick our fingers in our ears.

What I've been starting to hear in response to that is "Yeah, but it's mostly just the US and Iran, with the US telling everyone else what the deal's gonna be. After all, France called it a 'sucker's deal' but we're forcing them to go along with it anyway and that means it's bad."

EDIT: I expect to hear a murmur here and there about how "if Russia and China are for it, we have to be against it, because they'd only back something if it hurt the US" before all is said and done, too.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Apr 13, 2015

# ¿ Apr 13, 2015 02:06

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Joementum posted:

While broadly true, I think Loretta Lynch is a safe choice for Attorney General in the next administration. Hillary might choose to go with someone else, but Lynch has already gone through vetting and nomination hearings and has enough votes for confirmation.

She has only 50 51 votes for nomination and is still blocked because of the unrelated sex trafficking bill. At this point I am convinced that McConnell is waiting for one of the four Republicans pledged to her to flip or for Menendez to resign and then, suddenly, she's brought up now that she can no longer pass.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Apr 14, 2015

# ¿ Apr 14, 2015 02:13

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Crain posted:

For some reason USA today doesn't actually say what the sign said, just referring to it as a "social justice message", but the Washington Post article does.

"Man dies in Saigon street in an apparent religious message."

We cannot grant legitimacy to domestic terrorism and politically motivated suicides by giving this man a venue for his beliefs. Better to just brush it aside to maintain the status quo. It's simply the most prudent and safest action for all involved.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2015 03:03

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

DaveWoo posted:

I can't believe there are Democrats that are actually going along with this farce. "Yeah, let's cave to the Republicans on foreign policy, when has that ever backfired horribly for us?"

At least 108 Democrats attended Bibi's speech. And we have a new face of the Democratic Party in the Senate anyway, now that Reid's a lame duck.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2015 16:19

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Venom Snake posted:

Knowing were you came from is important and I don't see whats so wrong with being educated about the good and bad things your ancestors did. What you family has done in the past has extremely strong influences on what you do, even if subconsciously.

Genealogy is important. How else will the revolution determine who the capitalist roaders are?

# ¿ Apr 16, 2015 00:50

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Zeitgueist posted:

PupsOfWar posted:
Geneology is a white affectation.

Asians count as honorary whites, I assume?

# ¿ Apr 16, 2015 01:12

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

chitoryu12 posted:

Asians count as honorary whites, I assume?

In all seriousness, that's basically the state of Asian-white relations in the United States.
[/quote]

I should have phrased it a little more tongue-in-cheek so the joke would have been clearer.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2015 01:25

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

A Man With A Plan posted:

I saw this and thought of you all.

�Beauty and the Beast�

A young woman rejects a financially independent hunter in favor of an unemployed nobleman who lives off of the labor of others. Also, there are no trains in this movie. I did like the talking clock, who attempted to take pride in his work despite constant attacks on his dignity by the candlestick. The candlestick did not take his job seriously. �Two stars.

For anyone who doesn't get the weird fixation on cats in the article.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2015 20:13

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Stultus Maximus posted:

And he can't even keep a persona for more than a couple days any more. It would be sad if it were ever anything but sad.

Oh come on. He's had the "bomb Iran" persona going on for the past month or two.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2015 01:48

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Schizotek posted:

Praise Lord Zun.

Lord ZUN?

# ¿ Apr 20, 2015 21:10

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

haveblue posted:

Is this a complete Republican victory as far as that bill goes? They traded a vote on Lynch for all the language they wanted?

Sort of. It basically divides the victims fund into two parts. The part funded by fines on offenders is free to be used on abortion. The part that comes from the general fund cannot.

EDIT: This comes in response to a fake compromise last week that would have routed fines through the general fund to "justify" applying the Hyde language to the whole.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Apr 21, 2015

# ¿ Apr 21, 2015 15:51

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

A US District Court judge has ruled that the MTA must once again allow advertising which implies that Muslims kill Jews to "[draw] closer to Allah" to be displayed on buses.

quote:

The ad is paid for the American Freedom Defense Initiative.
It has already been displayed on public transport in Chicago and San Francisco.
The advert shows a threatening-looking man with his head and face wrapped in a scarf, next to a quotation attributed to a music video from the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
The quote says: "Killing Jews is worship that draws us close to Allah."
The advert asks: "That's his Jihad. What's yours?"

The advertising has previously been displayed on public transit in San Francisco and Chicago.

ComradeCosmobot fucked around with this message at 07:33 on Apr 22, 2015

# ¿ Apr 22, 2015 07:29

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Grouchio posted:

When was the last time good news was posted here?

2009, when Lilly Ledbetter was passed.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2015 17:12

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

DACK FAYDEN posted:

2010, when the PPACA was passed.

I was going to say that, but there is a vocal enough minority who might view that as bad news because it wasn't single-payer that I had to go a little further back.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2015 17:21

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

JT Jag posted:

The Democrats will probably win back the Senate in 2016, so that'll be a two-year window where executive actions and appointments can go through at least

There are only even odds of this now that Reid is out. Dems need to pick up 5 to account for losing Reid's seat, and the only ones probably on the table are PA, WI, IL and MAYBE FL.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2015 19:34

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Joementum posted:

"It seems Hillary Clinton thinks we have a short memory." ~ Jeb Bush.

This will sum up Jeb's campaign, and it will get him at least 47% of the vote for his troubles.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2015 02:47

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

FAUXTON posted:

Rahm, of course.

Dude was pushing Rauner for a while, too. :lol:

# ¿ Apr 27, 2015 21:15

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Stultus Maximus posted:

I was thinking more of the historic background. Like how the legal prohibition on St. Louis's annexing any parts of the county made it easy for anyone to take two steps outside the city limits and declare themselves a "whites only" incorporated municipality, which led to the fragmentation and racial divisions at the heart of recent events.

Basically the same thing.

quote:

A constitutional amendment, (little noticed and causing not much controversy or realization of future impact at the time, unfortunately even by the city) approved by referendum by state voters to the 1867 Maryland Constitution in 1948, prohibiting any future annexations without approval from residents in affected territories. Proposed after World War II and increasing suburbanization and possible racial residential motives not so prominent in earlier decades. As population ever since reached a maximum of 959,000 in 1950, then every decade since has dropped in the City and growth expanded to a greater metropolitan area, now involving five surrounding counties in the half-century since. Although causing extensive city-county hostilities during the time of the 1950's, 60's, and 70's Civil Rights movement, with later increasing urban social ills faced by the County's older "inner suburbs" by the 1980's, an atmosphere of metro cooperation has emerged with the drawing of cross-border state assembly districts, and organization of regional government agencies and increasing state assumption of powers.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2015 03:33

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Nintendo Kid posted:

Most of the people from the independent cities/town bordering or sometimes enclaved within them will make a point to say they're from that specific place if you ask where they're from.

You're hiding a classist/regionalist tendency here. I strongly doubt someone who lives in East Los Angeles (not even incorporated, natch) is going to stress that in quite the same way someone from Malibu will. And even if they did, it seems to me that they'd only make that distinction to someone who already lives in LA, because no one in Chicago is going to care that you live in East LA, especially if you can't point to it as a rich enclave.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2015 16:37

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 22:37

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Mr Ice Cream Glove posted:

Look at this idiot

He's not wrong.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2015 16:33

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USPol April: Posting Cafe & Bakery (NOTE: Baby-killing gays need not apply)

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