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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

Watched about 5 minutes of the SOTU and it was all I needed to understand the following:

Trump wants a wall
Trump supports our police and border patrol
Republicans will stand and clap for everything he says
Democrats refuse to applaud even if it is justified only because Trump said it.


Once again, this is a symbol of a significant problem. Politics over common sense for both parties.
 
I was playing video games with the oldest. Much better use of my time than hearing Blah blah unity blah blah wall blah blah I'm great and you're not.
 
AG74683 said:
I watched none of it. First time in years. I saw no reason to. Watched the Hurricanes game instead.
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The bar that I play rock & roll bingo had the NC State vs Carolina game, Hurricanes, and 30 other sporting events but no SOTU address. I did see a old guy at the bar watching it on his phone though.
 
I got about four minutes into it, started mumbling curse words under my breath, and then switched to streaming Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with my wife.

I don't think I missed anything.

And honestly, I was a bit hopeful about the SOTU being cancelled altogether. I think it is an obsolete and useless practice that doesn't do anything to further the conversation or negotiations.
 
We apparently missed "The Clap"

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Not to be confused with the other clap.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
And honestly, I was a bit hopeful about the SOTU being cancelled altogether. I think it is an obsolete and useless practice that doesn't do anything to further the conversation or negotiations.
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As a general observation, I'm good with this - go back to handling the obligation for it in written form.
 
I watched exactly as much of this SOTY address as I had from any by Obama or Bush or Clinton - 0 minutes.

I do generally read the transcript the next day (and plan to do that later today). That way I get the gist of the address without all the self-important pomp.
 
Apparently my tolerance for listening to Trump drone on and on is about 72 minutes, because I missed the end of the speech and the Democratic response as well. However, I did certainly enjoy the irony of Trump taking credit for the increase in women in the workforce and the Congressional Democratic women in white standing and cheering. I'm surprised Trump figured it out as quickly as he did ...

I'm also pleased his comment about "political investigations" got no applause (mostly) from both sides.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
And honestly, I was a bit hopeful about the SOTU being cancelled altogether. I think it is an obsolete and useless practice that doesn't do anything to further the conversation or negotiations.
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I want to see it become something more like FDR's fireside chats. An update on what the government is doing, important events that might be missed in mainstream "reality" media. You know, the actual state of the union! It's a political grandstanding measure now, nothing like it should be. I'm not against it being televised, but the content is just complete drivel.

Gedunker said:
I'm also pleased his comment about "political investigations" got no applause (mostly) from both sides.
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IIRC the last president who called for an end to "political investigations" during the SOTU was Richard Nixon, and that worked real well for him.
 
They're clearly all on damage control. The A.G. is probably in the best position to recover from this. He got the information out on his terms so he's controlling the narrative and will be in the best position to look like he's evolved and become a more aware person. Northam (the governor) would've been able to bounce back if he hadn't done this weird apology and then took it back and said he wasn't the person in the photo after all thing.

I'm not sure what to think about the Lt. Governor. I really don't want to believe it's true, but it's sounding pretty damning at this point. I have been sexually assaulted, so I definitely don't want to try to discredit the woman that's coming forward just because I'm otherwise predisposed to like him as a politician, but I also think that just because she was uncomfortable doesn't mean that it's sexual assault. You can both consent and be uncomfortable at the same time. But if things happened the way she claims they did, it was clearly assault. I do think that his response has been very appropriate so far IF his account of events is accurate.
 
Every time I see scandals and things like this I think of the Jim Carey movie Liar Liar. So thanks for taking the attention off other states.
 
gtpeach said:
Anyone else seeing the Ocasio-Cortez ethics role-play video all over their facebook feeds today?

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I have to say.... she is winning.

I also have to say that it looks bad for the Republicans to just straight up say they don't support making voting easier, or to make Voting Day a national holiday, because the more people who vote means they likely won't win. Is that not amazing? Accepting that your ideas can't win you elections?
 
I don't always agree with the NYT editorial board, but I think this time they've at least identified the most important question Dems face in 2020: are they looking for a fighter or a healer?
 
Fart of the Deal:

December - Dems put $1.8 billion in funding proposal. tRump said "No. I'll shutdown the govt."
February - Dems put $1.6 billion in funding proposal. tRump said "I don't like it, but there won't be a shutdown"

As Colbert put it - that's a great deal. You got less than before!
 
Trump got schooled on the shutdown over the wall and now appears eager to deal his party yet another body blow in pursuit of the same. Seems he’s now going to declare the national “emergency” he previously threatened to in a last ditch effort to circumvent congress’ appropriations power. Talking heads have been going on for weeks about how such an effort would almost certainly end up in the courts and ultimately face a dubious outcome. But as I understand it, the matter may never even get to the Courts, because the way the Presidential emergency powers legislation is written, it allows congress to nullify such a declaration by a simple majority vote. The Dems are almost certain to call and pass just such a vote in the house, at which time the measure will automatically be introduced on the Senate floor – in other words, Mitch McConnell can’t simply decide not to even hold a vote like he would for a typical Democratic sponsored bill. No, Republican Senators will now be forced to either vote to surrender their authority under Article 1 of the Constitution (and in doing so create a precedent for any future Democratic President who might choose to invoke an “emergency” when unsuccessful in passing any desired legislation), or alternatively be compelled to vote down their own party’s leader. Already four or five GOP Senators have publicly announced they were opposed to the emergency declaration.
 
^ The House will surely introduce and pass the nullification and it sounds like it would probably also initially pass in the Senate if at least those few R senators stick to their convictions :r:, however, the President would almost certainly veto any such resolution and I highly doubt that enough R members of the House or Senate would change their vote in order to override that veto.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
^ The House will surely introduce and pass the nullification and it sounds like it would probably also initially pass in the Senate if at least those few R senators stick to their convictions :r:, however, the President would almost certainly veto any such resolution and I highly doubt that enough R members of the House or Senate would change their vote in order to override that veto.
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You might be right. And in the scope of things, maybe such an outcome might potentially not be an entirely awful thing. For instance, there are a shocking number of climate change deniers among the ranks of GOP legislators. I truly don't understand how it came to pass that this became a partisan issue, but there you have it. It's conceivable in the future these same nimrods could block legislation to address the very real emergency of climate change now facing the planet. A Democratic President might then be able to declare an emergency to enact the measures necessary to spare our country (and civilization) from at least some of the grief we're almost sure to sustain if things keep going the direction they're headed.

The problem, of course, with an imperial Presidency is that it's fine so long as you're dealing with an enlightened despot, but there's no guarantee that's going to be the case.
 
Maister said:
You might be right. And in the scope of things, maybe such an outcome might potentially not be an entirely awful thing. For instance, there are a shocking number of climate change deniers among the ranks of GOP legislators. I truly don't understand how it came to pass that this became a partisan issue, but there you have it. It's conceivable in the future these same nimrods could block legislation to address the very real emergency of climate change now facing the planet. A Democratic President might then be able to declare an emergency to enact the measures necessary to spare our country (and civilization) from at least some of the grief we're almost sure to sustain if things keep going the direction they're headed.

The problem, of course, with an imperial Presidency is that it's fine so long as you're dealing with an enlightened despot, but there's no guarantee that's going to be the case.
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I think most GOP members are scared of this. Gun laws and climate change are the two they are worried about. Both of which are much stronger cases for national emergencies than a made up crisis at the border. If the Supremes get involved I think Trump loses. If Gorsuch is truly an originalist than they can't really believe that the President was intended to be given this authority over the legislative branch. But we shall see.
 
There's some obscure Executive Power research academic that just had their "...well, actually..." moment.

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The funny part about this whole wall thing is that the construction, if it ever begins, won't start for years. They haven't even started eminent domain procedures which will take significant time and resources. Title work in the southwest is extremely difficult because deeds can sometimes date back to the King of Spain.

Trump will most likely be dead before the wall ever begins.
 
AG74683 said:
The funny part about this whole wall thing is that the construction, if it ever begins, won't start for years. They haven't even started eminent domain procedures which will take significant time and resources. Title work in the southwest is extremely difficult because deeds can sometimes date back to the King of Spain.

Trump will most likely be dead before the wall ever begins.
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And it will likely be defunded well before that. Ahh nothing like optics in the political world!
 
It's all a sorry reality show.






tRump, in 2014 tweet-slam Obama for 'bypassing Congress' in declaring a national emergency on illegal immigration. It'll be funny/sad/ironic when Dems declare a national emergency for anything else.
 
Bernie is tanned, rested, and ready to run again! I'm drinking the Kool Aid, and buying the t-shirt. I don't think he'll make it past the primary, but like UFOs, and a Stanley Cup for the Sabres before I die, I want to believe.

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The world is waiting for Joe.

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There is without question hate in this world and we all need to do what it takes to help everyone feel safe. However events like this do not help anyone's position.

CNN said:
Jussie Smollett arrested and faces a felony charge for allegedly filing false police report
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CNN Link

The question I have is why would he do this. Is it for personal fame and keeping the spotlight on himself or does he think that something like this will help reduce hate crimes?
 
michaelskis said:
There is without question hate in this world and we all need to do what it takes to help everyone feel safe. However events like this do not help anyone's position.

CNN Link

The question I have is why would he do this. Is it for personal fame and keeping the spotlight on himself or does he think that something like this will help reduce hate crimes?
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Seriously WTF? Why on earth would anyone feel the need to fake the threat of a hate crime, when there is so much of the real thing going on now? We live in a time when white supremacists are running rampant in broad daylight.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/cri...lf-avowed-white-supremacist-arrested-maryland
 
Bubba said:
There are over 325 million folks living in the U.S. - one asshole doesn't equal "white supremacists...running rampant"...
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Of course not, but when these asshats hold public rallies, it's a bit more 'rampant'. Not to mention it's almost guaranteed there's going to be white supremacists spewing hate in the comments section of practically ANY news story online. In years past, one might have seen this sort of thing in a letter to the editor (IF it even got published) once in a blue moon, but it's everywhere now. All the time. They've been there all along, but have chosen this time to find their voice.
 
Last year I supported Sanders until he lost the Democrat nomination. I actually donated to his campaign, a first for me.

After he announced he's running in 2020 I immediately got a text from someone with his campaign asking if I will be supporting him again. Slow your roll friend, we don't know who else will be running. Sanders was the best of a bad situation.
 
Maister said:
The Nobel Peace Prize became a joke the day they awarded it to a President (Obama) who was busy waging multiple wars.
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I may be a progressive-ish Democrat who voted for Obama twice (four times, if you count the primaries), but I don't think he deserved a Nobel prize, either. I think Nixon may have been more deserving, by accepting China's overtures of ping-pong diplomacy.
 
A colleague here at work went to the Elizabeth Warren speech over the weekend, but I'm not here to talk about that. I'm posting to tell you what she saw outside.

She said a group of white supremacists got out of a couple cars and started with their rhetoric. Then another car drove up and some people dressed as clowns got out. Every time the supremacists shouted "White Power" the clown group would yell "White Flour" and threw flour up in the air towards them. The supremacists left soon after and the clowns followed. She said it was one of the wildest and funniest things she have seen.

Now part of me thinks it might have been staged & another, but larger part of me thinks this is clever as hell.
 
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