US Politics Thread |OT| THE DARKEST TIMELINE

[sarslip]

I like how Mika came through with some decent but ultimately not fatal attacks, then that nerdy ass looking dude tag teamed in with the actual ether.

still, Mika 

[Joe Molotov]

"I'll ruin you like I ruined this company!" *shakes fist*

[Phoenix Dark]

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121533/hillary-clinton-barack-obama-vice-president?utm_content=bufferf3429&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[Great Rumbler]

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121533/hillary-clinton-barack-obama-vice-president?utm_content=bufferf3429&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

[Joe Molotov]

LOL, you might be thinking.

[benjipwns]

New York Times Takes On The New York Times

With a single, disastrous 5-to-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has thrust politics back to the robber-baron era of the 19th century. Disingenuously waving the flag of the First Amendment, the court’s conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding.

Congress must act immediately to limit the damage of this radical decision, which strikes at the heart of democracy.

...

Big corporations like Walmart, Apple, Salesforce.com and General Electric and their executives have done the right thing by calling on officials in Indiana and Arkansas to reject “religious freedom” laws designed to give businesses and religious groups legal cover should they deny service to gay couples. But the business response to these laws raises a larger issue about the role companies play in the political process. If corporate leaders are serious in opposing discrimination, they should refuse to finance the campaigns of lawmakers who want to deny civil rights to gays and other minority groups.

...

The founders of this nation warned about the dangers of corporate influence.

...

In recent days, public statements from businesses like Walmart, which is based in Arkansas, have played a big part in getting the Arkansas governor, Asa Hutchinson, and the governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, to reconsider their previous support for the religious freedom laws as passed by their Legislatures. On Thursday, lawmakers in Indiana adopted changes to clarify that its law does not authorize discrimination. And Arkansas legislators changed their law so it closely mirrors a federal law.

...

If a member of Congress tries to stand up to a wealthy special interest, its lobbyists can credibly threaten: We’ll spend whatever it takes to defeat you.

...

Just issuing corporate statements against such a law is relatively easy and actually doesn’t provide protection against discrimination. If corporations and their executives care about civil rights, they should make clear that they will not donate to or support the campaigns of politicians who back such regressive legislation. They certainly shouldn’t back lawmakers like Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, who is running for president and who has been a vocal supporter of the initial versions of the Indiana and Arkansas laws, and Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, who suggested on Wednesday that gays have it pretty good in the United States because they are not executed here as they are in Iran.

Another thing businesses can do is to make clear that they want lawmakers in all states to pass anti-discrimination protections for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people. More than three dozen chief executives of technology companies did just that in a statement released on Wednesday.

....

Congress and members of the public who care about fair elections and clean government need to mobilize right away, a cause President Obama has said he would join. Congress should repair the presidential public finance system and create another one for Congressional elections to help ordinary Americans contribute to campaigns. It should also enact a law requiring publicly traded corporations to get the approval of their shareholders before spending on political campaigns.

These would be important steps, but they would not be enough. The real solution lies in getting the court’s ruling overturned. The four dissenters made an eloquent case for why the decision was wrong on the law and dangerous. With one more vote, they could rescue democracy.

[Kara]

How could the founders warn against corporate influence when the corporation we have today more or less didn't exist then.

[benjipwns]

shhh, they're on a roll. Like this guy:

Wendy Davis could be VP for Clinton, but I think having 2 women on a ticket may be pushing the envelop for voters. Would be interesting though, and since Wendy Davis is Texan, she may be able to turn Texas blue.

[Joe Molotov]

Joe Biden, VP for Life pls

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

Not to stick up too much for Rubio, but...

I've always been a bit frustrated in how much of a big deal his 'bottled water' gaffe became. Yeah, he looked a little goofy for a few seconds, but that shouldn't define him anymore then Howard Dean's scream or Obama's sometimes questionable fashion choices Its a dumb noose the hang the guy on, I'd rather see him picked apart for his crappy, wavering positions and lack of charisma.

basically, I'm sick of looking at header images of him drinking water.

[Kara]

Oh dark gods, I forgot about vice president wishful thinking.

I really need to GTFO before this election.

[benjipwns]

My favorite thing about the Vice Presidential talk (along with some of the other stuff like HISPANICS LOOOOVE IMMMIGRATION!!!!) is how it's more or less accepted bigotry or stereotype pumping.

I'd rather see him picked apart for his crappy, wavering positions and lack of charisma.

Yeah, but he took a drink of water while talking on TV. Like who gives a shit about any of that other stuff. What if he does it while President?

[Kara]

Listen buster, idk about you, but the last time I voted for a vice president I didn't ask myself what their stance was on the class character of bourgeois society, it was whether or not they were Jewish.

[Mandark]

(along with some of the other stuff like HISPANICS LOOOOVE IMMMIGRATION!!!!) is how it's more or less accepted bigotry or stereotype pumping.

step away from the kaus columns, benji

[benjipwns]

Like 90% of talk about Republican candidates is whether or not they appeal to white citizens who happen to be ethnically hispanic by supporting amnesty or not. It's offensive that we don't hear anything about the views of citizens who are ethnically Swedish.

Also, he got fired from the Daily Caller for saying negative things about Faux News while you were gone.

He's also a Jew.

It's all coming together. The sword, the jews, the everything.

[Phoenix Dark]

Not to go all Willco on yall but I'm noticing some rather asinine identity politicking from both sides. From Brian Beutler's hand wringing over whether Hillary is too white for black people to the emerging consevative consensus that Rubio holds the key to the Hispanic vote.

Real talk: black demographic gains ensure the 2016 electorate will remain about 12-13%, and anyone hand wringing over it returning to 2004 levels is wrong. And even if Rubio is on the GOP ticket (top or bottom) he's not going to convince Hispanics to suddenly adopt positions they disagree with (anti-immigration, pro life, no government involvement in the economy, etc).

[Brehvolution]

Rubio is an immigrant against immigration. Opportunity for me and I'll use my power to try to make none for you.

[Kara]

The American way.

[benjipwns]

Rubio was born in Miami, his parents fled Batista. Which proves the dangers of Communism.

The True American Way. 

[Great Rumbler]

Hey, Rubio was for immigration reform before he was against it.

[benjipwns]

Main reason you oppose legalizing use of marijuana…

“It’s a drug and it has considerable side effects. It should not be used recreationally, only for medicinal use.” Female, 20

“It’s a drug that makes you stupid. It affects your judgment and motor skills and in the long term it makes you lazy.” Male, 52

“It gets too many people on drugs. It would put too many drugs on the street, we don’t need that.” Male, 84

“I’m thinking of my child. I don’t want her to try this. I know it’s not good for her health or brain.” Female, 33

“We have enough addictive things that are already legal. We don’t need another one.” Male, 42

[Joe Molotov]

¡Marijuana es no bueno!

[benjipwns]

I'll have to assume this guy wrote this before he found out about the Chipotle scandal or else he wouldn't have needed a top ten list:
http://www.grasstopsusa.com/df041415.html

Top Ten Reasons Why Hitlery Will Never Be President
GrassTopsUSA Exclusive Commentary
By Don Feder
April 14, 2015

       Think Evita after Botox treatments. Think Madame Defarge on a bad hair day. Think Lady Macbeth with serious issues ("Out, out, damned bimbo!").

       To listen to the babbling heads, you'd think the Goldwater girl-turned-Alinsky-disciple could start preparing her acceptance speech (maybe Eleanor Roosevelt will help her write it). "Ooh, she'll raise so much money." "Ooh, women want a woman president." In the immortal words of General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"

       Win the White House? Hillary couldn't win a popularity contest if she was the only contestant.

       Here are the Top Ten Reasons Hillary Rodham Clinton is more likely to become a Victoria's Secret lingerie model than the next president:

....

 10.   The Hideousness Factor – Lyndon Baines Johnson was the last profoundly ugly candidate to be elected president, and he was a legacy of the martyred JFK. Voters don't want a leader who looks frazzled or frumpy. We're told that Lincoln was too homely to be elected president in an age of television and paparazzi. But Lincoln's homely face had a dignity, a gravitas. If nothing else, we want a face that reassures us, not one that scares us, a la Night of the Living Alinskyites.

       Conservatives might as well get in their licks in now. After Iowa, we won't have Hillary to kick around any more.   

[Madrun Badrun]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/teen-fatally-shot-after-toddler-killed-was-toddlers-brother/ar-AAaYcUX?ocid=iehp

[Kara]

Main reason you oppose legalizing use of marijuana…

“It’s a drug and it has considerable side effects. It should not be used recreationally, only for medicinal use.” Female, 20

“It’s a drug that makes you stupid. It affects your judgment and motor skills and in the long term it makes you lazy.” Male, 52

“It gets too many people on drugs. It would put too many drugs on the street, we don’t need that.” Male, 84

“I’m thinking of my child. I don’t want her to try this. I know it’s not good for her health or brain.” Female, 33

“We have enough addictive things that are already legal. We don’t need another one.” Male, 42

[Great Rumbler]

I'll have to assume this guy wrote this before he found out about the Chipotle scandal or else he wouldn't have needed a top ten list:
http://www.grasstopsusa.com/df041415.html

Top Ten Reasons Why Hitlery Will Never Be President
GrassTopsUSA Exclusive Commentary
By Don Feder
April 14, 2015

       Win the White House? Hillary couldn't win a popularity contest if she was the only contestant.

I'm not exactly hot for Hillary, but every single poll being conducted shows her obliterating all the candidates being fielded by the GOP.

[Joe Molotov]

I’m thinking of my child. I don’t want her to try this.

She probably doesn't want her daughter to get with a black dude either, but we don't have laws banning black people. 

[benjipwns]

My favorite part of the poll is the 19% who responded it should be illegal because it's illegal. 

[Joe Molotov]

Laws exist because they do.

[Human Snorenado]

Rubio is an immigrant against immigration. Opportunity for me and I'll use my power to try to make none for you.

Rubio is an immigrant who sponsored an immigration bill before turning against it, because he needs to appeal to racist voters.

[benjipwns]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/us/politics/hillary-clintonwas-asked-about-email-2-years-ago.html?_r=0

WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton was directly asked by congressional investigators in a December 2012 letter whether she had used a private email account while serving as secretary of state, according to letters obtained by The New York Times.

But Mrs. Clinton did not reply to the letter. And when the State Department answered in March 2013, nearly two months after she left office, it ignored the question and provided no response.

The query was posed to Mrs. Clinton in a Dec. 13, 2012, letter from Representative Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Mr. Issa was leading an investigation into how the Obama administration handled its officials’ use of personal email.

“Have you or any senior agency official ever used a personal email account to conduct official business?” Mr. Issa wrote to Mrs. Clinton. “If so, please identify the account used.”

She had a good two day run. Then Chipotle, now this.

[benjipwns]

[Phoenix Dark]

his youtube videos are insane

[benjipwns]

omg

https://vine.co/v/euQd1Dbvp1d

[benjipwns]

[Great Rumbler]

Act like TMZ covering some pop culture celebrity, brehs.

[Kara]

his youtube videos are insane

Please stop triggering my internalized market discipline and forcing me to live a Foucauldian nightmare.

[benjipwns]

Why would I listen to someone WHO IS KNOWN COPYRIGHT STEALER THIEF PIRATE HACKER:


And can't sync their video and audio:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

HOT LEAD...retired

[close]

[Kara]

Why did I watch the get a job vid.

[I'm a Puppy!]

two random thoughts:

1) Marco Rubio's campaign team must be pretty top notch honestly. That message of "a new voice for a new generation" is damn near perfect. Especially when you're going up against Clinton and Bush as the biggest opponents the message of "You guys fucked it up already." Is going to have substantial legs to it. HOWEVER, a tea party guy making that message? That's like your Pastor trying to tell you about how cool death metal and the marijuana is.

2) I read today that 47% of American women are electing to never have children. 47%! My immediate thought to that was that the US doesn't have an immigration problem, it has an immigration solution.

[Kara]

He could inspire me. To finally defect to Cuba.

[brob]

Charles and David Koch are well known for their business success, their generous philanthropic efforts and for their focus on innovation in management. Some also know them for their activism in the political realm. All of these are important contributions to society. What is underappreciated is their passion for freedom and their commitment to ideas. Unlike many crony capitalists who troll the halls of Congress looking for favors, the Kochs have consistently lobbied against special-interest politics.

For decades they have funded institutes that promote ideas, not politics, such as Cato and the Mercatus Center. They have always stood for freedom, equality and opportunity. Consistent with their love of liberty, they have become prominent advocates for criminal-justice reform. The Koch brothers’ investment in freedom-loving think tanks will carry on for generations, reminding all of us that ideas and convictions ultimately trump all else.

 

[Brehvolution]

Saying Cato isn't into politics is a bald face lie. The whole article proves one thing: Rand Paul swallows.

[I'm a Puppy!]

Biggest problem with Rubio is he isn't a leader. Like at all. Yes, I know he won a Senate seat, but most members of Congress aren't leaders,  they're lawyers who ran a good campaign.

Obama was just as inexperienced, but Obama was a guy you could look at and imagine following. I can't see Rubio inspiring a collie.

And the issue here is that it's easily provable. Remember when the republicans were like "We're going to fix Immigration and Rubio is going to be the guy who does it!" and then a month or so later the whole thing fell apart and they stopped doing talking about immigration until Obama was like "FINE! I'll do something!" If he can't lead his own party how is he to lead the country?

[brawndolicious]

It's weird in a bad way how Democrats basically accept already who their nominee is but Republicans basically have a shit show of totally different candidates. You got the royal heir to the establishment, the tea partier, a constitutional lawyer from Canada, and a Cuban. I think the Republicans will have the same tug of war with moderate and radical sides but whoever wins the nomination won't choose another Palin/Paul type to prove their conservative values. They know that doesn't work for independents.

And this is bad because it's going to because that change the focus from differences in policy between Hillary vs whoever to just why she doesn't "deserve" it. I don't know, I don't think there's that 2008 zeal for breaking glass ceilings and it's not like 2012 when the incumbent had a couple major accomplishments to tout.

[Barry Egan]

Elections tend to come down to the state of the economy.  The more the economy improves, the better her chances will be.  Her being the only visible contender right now isn't likely to alter her chances either way. 

That being said, I do wonder if Obamacare might push the ledger in Hillary's favor regardless of economic context.  The cognitive dissonance that Tea Partier is experiencing may be occurring in some homes that are reliably red. I wonder if there is a precedence for this kind of thing. 

[Brehvolution]

The GOP has a lot of grifters which is why so many are running. They all want a slice of the PAC pie. Their messages and "values" aren't different from each other. Cruz may not get the nomination, but the one that does will have the same message.

[Phoenix Dark]

I'm surprised Rubio survived the immigration fiasco, and even more surprised he's giving up his senate seat to run. He's all in.

meanwhile Rand Paul has made sure that even if he loses he can still keep his seat.

[Human Snorenado]

I'm surprised Rubio survived the immigration fiasco, and even more surprised he's giving up his senate seat to run. He's all in.

meanwhile Rand Paul has made sure that even if he loses he can still keep his seat.

Grimes should run again, she might win this time with (hopefully) increased turnout.

[benjipwns]

The advocacy group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, along with female civil-rights leaders, are planning the hunger strike, in which groups of fasters will alternate days abstaining from food until Lynch is confirmed to replace Eric Holder at the Justice Department. Dubbed “Confirm Loretta Lynch Fast,” the new tactic is designed in the mold of actions by civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and Cesar Chavez, organizers said.

[I'm a Puppy!]

Sharpton

[Phoenix Dark]

That's some Lindsy Bluth shit.

[Kara]

Dubbed “Confirm Loretta Lynch Fast,” the new tactic is designed in the mold of actions by civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and Cesar Chavez, organizers said.

Massive shade thrown on Bobby Sands.

[Joe Molotov]

Dubbed “Confirm Loretta Lynch Fast,” the new tactic is designed in the mold of actions by civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and Cesar Chavez, organizers said.

Massive shade thrown on Bobby Sands.

It wouldn't help to namedrop Bobby Sands, all the IRA sympathizers are in Congress.

[benjipwns]

Army morale low despite 6-year, $287M optimism program

Twelve months of data through early 2015 show that 403,564 soldiers, or 52%, scored badly in the area of optimism, agreeing with statements such as "I rarely count on good things happening to me." Forty-eight percent have little satisfaction in or commitment to their jobs.

The results stem from resiliency assessments that soldiers are required to take every year. In 2014, for the first time, the Army pulled data from those assessments to help commanders gauge the psychological and physical health of their troops.

The effort produced startlingly negative results. In addition to low optimism and job satisfaction, more than half reported poor nutrition and sleep, and only 14% said they are eating right and getting enough rest.

The Army began a program of positive psychology in 2009 in the midst of two wars and as suicide and mental illness were on the rise. To measure resiliency the Army created a confidential, online questionnaire that all soldiers, including the National Guard and Reserve, must fill out once a year.

...

The Army's effort to use positive psychology to make soldiers more resilient has been controversial since its inception in 2009. A blue-ribbon panel of scientists from the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded last year that there is little or no evidence the program prevents mental illness. It argued there was no effort to test its efficacy before the Army embraced it . The panel cited research arguing that, in fact, the program could be harmful if it leaves soldiers with a false sense of resiliency.

lol at the massive "handbook" for sessions


http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-16/exclusive-hillary-clinton-said-to-hire-former-wall-street-cop-as-campaign-cfo

Hillary Clinton is planning to name Gary Gensler, a former top federal financial regulator and strong advocate for strict Wall Street rules, as the chief financial officer of her campaign, according to a Democrat familiar with the decision.

Gensler, in his role as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, was a leading player in the drafting and then implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act, the financial rules that President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010 in the wake of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Gensler also served in President Bill Clinton's Treasury Department.

For Clinton, who has been fighting her left flank’s concern that she is too cozy with Wall Street, Gensler is a notable hire. He became known as someone with sharp elbows —even during his negotiations within the Obama administration—in his push for tighter regulation.

...

Though a former partner at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

[Joe Molotov]

My morale would be significantly boosted if someone wants to launch a $287M optimism program for me, just putting that out there.

[Barry Egan]

[Joe Molotov]

youth outreach

[Phoenix Dark]

the hand wringing, concern trolling, and general fuckery that would erupt if Obama ran around with a backwards hat

[Mandark]

Elections tend to come down to the state of the economy.  The more the economy improves, the better her chances will be.  Her being the only visible contender right now isn't likely to alter her chances either way. 

That being said, I do wonder if Obamacare might push the ledger in Hillary's favor regardless of economic context.  The cognitive dissonance that Tea Partier is experiencing may be occurring in some homes that are reliably red. I wonder if there is a precedence for this kind of thing.

I don't think that will happen, at least not enough to matter.  Most conservative voters oppose the ACA primarily as a symbol for Obama, and maybe some unpopular parts of it like the mandate.  The GOP candidates, at least in the primaries, will run against Obamacare, but during the general election they'll fudge it enough that anyone who really wants to both vote Republican and keep their coverage will believe they can do both.

People will get used to the benefits conferred by the law, but they won't associate it with any piece of legislation, it'll just be The Way Things Are, and they won't go out of their way to reward the politicians who voted it into law years ago.