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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

The Terminator said:
I AM STOKED THAT MY GRRL ALEXANDRIA WON IN THE BRONX AND QUEENS!!!
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WSU MUP Student said:
The Bronx and Queens? At first I thought that couldn't be correct since the two don't share a land border but then I looked at the map for the district and the district does indeed cover portions of both those counties. Even though I don't know that I would call those areas contiguous the district is still relatively compact, but I guess any district in NYC would be thanks to the population density out there.

This isn't commentary other than I find it interesting that parts of the Bronx and Queens are in the same district. Looking at some more maps, it looks like NY 12 also includes parts of both Queens and Manhattan. While NY 7 includes parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan.
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WSU MUP Student said:
We have some wakily drawn districts here in the Detroit area too but what struck me about those particular districts in NY is not so much that they cross county/borough lines but that they span across the East River to include portions of multiple islands (Long and Manhattan) or part of Long Island and part of the mainland (the Bronx - do people call that part of NY "the mainland"?) when they probably could have drawn the districts in such a way that they didn't need to cross over the East River and just been made up of parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx and/or Hempstead in Nassau County.
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I'm a few days behind in listening to my podcast playlist but Wednesday's "The Gist" podcast from Slate Mike Pesca starts off his show by talking about how different the Bronx and Queens are and how strange it is to have them in the same district for NY14: The Self-Sufficiency Court

Pesca gets on my nerves quite a bit but I like that he and I are on the same wavelength in terms of geography and wacky congressional districts.
 
Bubba said:
Nope, just you.
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Pretty scary when not even Cyburbia is immune from right-wing clickbait ads like this. No ads of this sort should be seen anywhere on cyburbia. I would like to know where these ads are coming from. I haven't heard from Dan in years but perhaps one of the mod's could shed light on what dark money is behind this.

On top of that it doesn't even make sense. It's no secret that I am a staunch anti-tRump voter, so if ads are geared to what kind of posts you write, be it Cyburbia or Facebook, etc, I should be seeing Anti-Trump ads.
 
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Super Amputee Cat said:
Pretty scary when not even Cyburbia is immune from right-wing clickbait ads like this. No ads of this sort should be seen anywhere on cyburbia. I would like to know where these ads are coming from. I haven't heard from Dan in years but perhaps one of the mod's could shed light on what dark money is behind this.

On top of that it doesn't even make sense. It's no secret that I am a staunch anti-tRump voter, so if ads are geared to what kind of posts you write, be it Cyburbia or Facebook, etc, I should be seeing Anti-Trump ads.
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FWIW: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/01/22/adchoices

My guess is that the adware is seeing the word "Trump" posted by you ad nauseam - the bots don't do context and nuance. Or you could blame "dark money" and Russia if it makes you feel better. ;)
 
Super Amputee Cat said:
Pretty scary when not even Cyburbia is immune from right-wing clickbait ads like this. No ads of this sort should be seen anywhere on cyburbia. I would like to know where these ads are coming from. I haven't heard from Dan in years but perhaps one of the mod's could shed light on what dark money is behind this.

On top of that it doesn't even make sense. It's no secret that I am a staunch anti-tRump voter, so if ads are geared to what kind of posts you write, be it Cyburbia or Facebook, etc, I should be seeing Anti-Trump ads.
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I just have ads for tires and office supplies. One of those I get. ????
 
Super Amputee Cat said:
Pretty scary when not even Cyburbia is immune from right-wing clickbait ads like this. No ads of this sort should be seen anywhere on cyburbia. I would like to know where these ads are coming from. I haven't heard from Dan in years but perhaps one of the mod's could shed light on what dark money is behind this.

On top of that it doesn't even make sense. It's no secret that I am a staunch anti-tRump voter, so if ads are geared to what kind of posts you write, be it Cyburbia or Facebook, etc, I should be seeing Anti-Trump ads.
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Moderator note:


Google AdSense is having some interesting struggles with their algorithms resulting from a polarized and engaging online climate around Trump. Basically, if you are commenting with any regularity, searching or reading articles related to Trump, then it is increasing your "Trump" keyword exposure. I saw a similar phenomenon with Obama ads, though not to the degree that I've seen with Trump. AdSense doesn't really have anything to do with Cyburbia admin/mod control--we are blind to its contents.

My suggestion is to do a bunch of searches for home improvements--those have some of the strongest online SEO campaigns. You'll end up with Home Depot and Wayfair ads instead.
 
good editorial cartoon at
https://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID={9F06791F-78D7-4E19-8A32-79EC10140769}
 
another one bites the dust...and another one's gone...another one bites the dust...hey they're gonna get you too, another bites the dust...

Scott Pruitt resigns!
 
Planit said:
another one bites the dust...and another one's gone...another one bites the dust...hey they're gonna get you too, another bites the dust...

Scott Pruitt resigns!
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He likely resigned a month ago but realized today that holding the press conference to make the announcement in the soundproof booth wasn't effective.
 
Ivanka's company's Chinese made products are somehow exempt from her daddy's new tariffs. Imagine that...
 
So the President wants to appoint Brett Kavanaugh to SCOTUS.

What are your thoughts on this pick. However, before you answer, really think about his stance on issues and not just what each party is telling you to think.
 
I'm very leery of any politicians who run campaigns making the blanket the blanket pronouncement without any elaboration: "we need to cut federal regulations." Oh yeah, which ones? And why, particularly? Folks forget there's usually some pretty compelling reasons why those regulations were put into effect to begin with. When pressed to explain why said politicians to get rid of regulation they frequently respond with equally broad brushed remarks like "regulations turn off investors and hurt businesses." Yeah, I suppose requiring things like investigations when fatal mine accidents occur must be inconvenient and reduces time for profits to be made, but it saves lives. Which should be our priority?
 
michaelskis said:
So the President wants to appoint Brett Kavanaugh to SCOTUS.

What are your thoughts on this pick. However, before you answer, really think about his stance on issues and not just what each party is telling you to think.
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I disagree with too many of his past decisions or opinions - which are hard to find, okay not that hard, but all the stories talk about the confirmation fight and less about his views. I hope he actually is a constitutional lawyer and not political, but we know that's not true for any of them. I hate that the whole thing rests on their opinion of abortion. People, that is not the only law out there. I don't like that he is pro "religious freedom". I have no problem with religion, I just don't believe that a corporation can have religious values unless every single employee holds those exact same values. What happened to their religious freedoms or is it wrong just because it doesn't line up with yours?
 
michaelskis said:
So the President wants to appoint Brett Kavanaugh to SCOTUS.

What are your thoughts on this pick. However, before you answer, really think about his stance on issues and not just what each party is telling you to think.
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Anybody Trump nominates is going to check off certain boxes... activist pro-business stances, ACA is the devil, fighting culture wars, etc. There is no real point to discussing those relative to this specific nomination because they would apply to any Trump nominee. Kavanaugh actually has some respect for judicial precedent, so the Roe v. Wade discussion is not as worrisome. That is especially true since the Casey case has become the more relevant ruling and is a much better written ruling with stronger judicial reference; it is harder to overturn from a legal perspective.

There is exactly one thing that concerns me with him over others: I'm skeptical that he understands and respects the Court's role in constraining the other two branches, and the Executive in particular. At some point, SCOTUS has to pivot and recognize the Constitutional intent of the Executive was to be perhaps the weakest of the three branches to avoid autocratic instincts. The Legislative already stepped away from its role, particularly post-9/11. We were all fine with the strong executive when it was our person, but now we're seeing that approach come home to roost. If he wants to claim strict Constitutionalist, then that means checking the executive.
 
The check on the executive is another worry. I haven't done the research since it's just something my wife was talking about and she tends to read more liberal news, but here it goes anyway. It sounds like he has a flip flop mentality, so I hope he sticks with proper court logic. During the Clinton impeachment he was all over jailing the president for doing the wild thing with an intern. Now he thinks the president can't be tried? Flip flop aside, no one is above the law. The next question comes into how he will handle executive departments. He slammed the EPA under Obama (I think it was Obama). How will he treat them now? To me this is all moot if he actually sticks to the constitutional law part, but people are people and we all tend to read a little extra into the law.

And yes, congress needs to step up and be a separate branch of government again instead of a pro or obstruction branch.
 
dvdneal said:
I disagree with too many of his past decisions or opinions - which are hard to find, okay not that hard, but all the stories talk about the confirmation fight and less about his views. I hope he actually is a constitutional lawyer and not political, but we know that's not true for any of them. I hate that the whole thing rests on their opinion of abortion. People, that is not the only law out there. I don't like that he is pro "religious freedom". I have no problem with religion, I just don't believe that a corporation can have religious values unless every single employee holds those exact same values. What happened to their religious freedoms or is it wrong just because it doesn't line up with yours?
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I am still going through his opinions, but I am disappointed in his view of Roe V. Wade as I want it get overturned. If I had to vote, I still don't know which way I would go.

As for the religious freedoms, I will agree with you when corporations are not taxed. If you don't like the corporate viewpoint of religion, then don't work there. Why should we tell corporations that they need to do something that is in direct conflict with the CEO's viewpoint. It is similar to the baker in Colorado or a pro-life surgeon and abortion.
 
dvdneal said:
I don't like that he is pro "religious freedom". I have no problem with religion, I just don't believe that a corporation can have religious values unless every single employee holds those exact same values. What happened to their religious freedoms or is it wrong just because it doesn't line up with yours?
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Yeah, when they talk about 'religious freedom" these days, they just mean it for rich white male, American-born protestants, ...everyone else be damned.

Thoughts and prayers!:not:


BTW, Betsy De Vos was in Toledo yesterday. Heard about it on the news late in the day. I wondered where that stench was coming from.
 
"Dear America, appreciate your allies. After all, you don't have that many."

How far and how fast we have fallen. 8-!
 
I am concerned about our position in the world. I think we will likely look back and see that Trump did much more harm in terms of world view of the United States than we realize.

I think every country in some manner wants the US to like them. We are huge trade partners and generally support the world stabilization by military might. Trump seems to misconstrue these things and wants to put everything into one little basket. We are going to lose the support, faith, and protection that these things have gained us due to Trump.

I may not have loved Obama, but the world political climate, the military positioning (since it is clear Trump made NK either look better at a minimum or empowered at worse as opposed to better), and the diplomatic ties were much better under him. Honestly, if I could trust that our President was able to go into meetings and not try and one up everyone in the room I think I would have less concern. When you speak ill of Justin Trudeau and Canada, partners who clearly have our best interests in mind and in the long term are much more important partners than other countries , you open us up to unnecessary trouble.

I don't care so much about the chest thumping, "we are the greatest" language, mainly because we just are. Our country doesn't need to be the rich guy that tells everyone about our boat. We have the boat. We use the boat. People get it about the boat. Instead, maybe, we could just do other stuff. .
 
I have never been, in my short lifetime, ever been more thoroughly embarrassed to have DJT as our president. The shit that comes out of his mouth literally is jaw dropping. Today alone, implying that germany is a "captive of russia" tells me this man has 0 fundamental understanding of world economics and diplomacy. His base, mostly white, middle aged, "conservatives" do not even want to dive deep on how much he is hoodwinking them with this "trade war". Obama was meh, I wasn't a fan of Bush II or Clinton due to his personal actions, but at least I had respect for them in the white house. I have 0 respect for this man. He literally has tarnished a respected office. It's bad when you need to tell your foreign friends and family "this man doesn't represent me, or the values of the US". This is how tyranny is born, not from taking your guns, but from following instant oatmeal garbage from someone who "has a better boat than you".
 
One of my earliest interactions with our exchange student's mother was to reassure her:
  • that we did not vote for Trump and genuinely despise him (she was very nervous because she saw some ugliness that emerged in France with La Pen)
  • that people would be kind to her daughter even if she was from France

Subsequently, I had to reassure her about gun violence and particularly school gun violence.

That is what has happened to our standing in the world in the eyes of normal people abroad.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
One of my earliest interactions with our exchange student's mother was to reassure her:
  • that we did not vote for Trump and genuinely despise him (she was very nervous because she saw some ugliness that emerged in France with La Pen)
  • that people would be kind to her daughter even if she was from France

Subsequently, I had to reassure her about gun violence and particularly school gun violence.

That is what has happened to our standing in the world in the eyes of normal people abroad.
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One can easily understand why folks outside the US might be more than a little concerned about the safety of their exchange student when headlines like these appear:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...7504f7c/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5f9a7f0c1f21
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-montana-shooting-20141217-story.html
https://nypost.com/2018/05/23/body-...t-killed-in-shooting-returned-home-to-family/
 
I had a campaign person call me yesterday with very outdated information to confirm that I was going to vote straight ticket republican this fall. Not only have I not lived in that jurisdiction (or state) for several years, I informed him that I had not been a registered republican for at least a decade.

When I told him that the party has lost their way his response was, well, is it better than the democrats. Ofcourse this got me all fired up and explained that voting straight ticket for either party was like choosing between Hitler or Stalin and that I refused to play their game anymore and to remove me from their contact list. He didn't know quite what to say after that.
 
michaelskis said:
I had a campaign person call me yesterday with very outdated information to confirm that I was going to vote straight ticket republican this fall. Not only have I not lived in that jurisdiction (or state) for several years, I informed him that I had not been a registered republican for at least a decade.

When I told him that the party has lost their way his response was, well, is it better than the democrats. Ofcourse this got me all fired up and explained that voting straight ticket for either party was like choosing between Hitler or Stalin and that I refused to play their game anymore and to remove me from their contact list. He didn't know quite what to say after that.
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I can't stand when the party platform is, "well, is it better than the democrats/republicans" that's an instant I'm not voting for you in my book.
 
JNA said:
What level of Arrogance is this ?
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When you've been recorded in an interview slamming the Prime Minister and say in the press conference that was fake news.

It's still a witch hunt when 12 Russian officials are indicted

..and that's just in the last couple hours!
 
Dh8SHN0W4AUoU1T.jpg
 
Went out to a parade in my clown get up and tried to get the local politicians to where a clown nose when they wanted pictures. Why is it politicians all lose their sense of humor when the run?
 
pResident tRump just held a press conference with Putin. tRump said our bad relationship with Russia is all the US fault. "Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!" - to which the MFA Russia tweeted "We agree"

He also said Putin denied Russia's meddling in the 2016 elections, which tRump believes although multiple intelligence agencies disagree.

Additionally tRump tweeted that the EU was our 'foe' - really.

Wasn't there part of the oath of office that requires him to protect and serve the people and government of the United States above all others? Has he violated his oath? When does it become too much for the Republicans, how far is too far?

Please let this be rock bottom!
 
Planit said:
pResident tRump just held a press conference with Putin. tRump said our bad relationship with Russia is all the US fault. "Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!" - to which the MFA Russia tweeted "We agree"

He also said Putin denied Russia's meddling in the 2016 elections, which tRump believes although multiple intelligence agencies disagree.

Additionally tRump tweeted that the EU was our 'foe' - really.

Wasn't there part of the oath of office that requires him to protect and serve the people and government of the United States above all others? Has he violated his oath? When does it become too much for the Republicans, how far is too far?

Please let this be rock bottom!
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WOW!!! Even Fox News doesn't like the way pResident tRump spoke in Helsinki. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018...nki-this-is-no-way-to-win-against-russia.html
 
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