American Politics Thread: Orange is the new POTUS

[sun]

Originally Posted by MattyC

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."

- George Orwell the last sentence of Animal Farm

Dude, spoilers. Wtf

[Wormius]

Wow. I am watching his press conference now. Why is he doing this? It would be better if he just spent his entire term playing golf. Please, play more golf!

[GGG]

Originally Posted by wingmaker

Not unique to this site, sadly. Politics has become so rhetorical and so divided. People treat political parties like sports teams. Discourse suffers when everyone on the other side is insufferable and stupid. Somehow, we all must try to be more tolerant and listen to what people are saying. The rhetoric makes it tough because we don't know when people are being genuine or not. Nonetheless, I believe we must keep trying.

I don't disagree with you that the sports teaming of politics is terrible however, I think with Trump there is an almost objectively correct position.

I don't think you can finish this sentence honestly

Trump has made the US better by .....

I'm interested for someone who can. Is there a sincerely held position that is based on fact that would lead someone to believe that Trump is doing a good job. So it becomes difficult.

Unlike Canada's political arguements where there is merit to both the theories and the platforms on each side I don't think that exists with Trump

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by GGG

I don't disagree with you that the sports teaming of politics is terrible however, I think with Trump there is an almost objectively correct position.

I don't think you can finish this sentence honestly

Trump has made the US better by .....

I'm interested for someone who can. Is there a sincerely held position that is based on fact that would lead someone to believe that Trump is doing a good job. So it becomes difficult.

Unlike Canada's political arguements where there is merit to both the theories and the platforms on each side I don't think that exists with Trump

You can finish the sentence but it doesn't mean trump is doing a good job.

Trump has made the US better by exposing the political system for what it is, by showing the American people what is really going on in their country(racism, corruption, corporate greed, etc) and by giving them an opportunity to mobilize and fix it. Whether America chooses to do so remains to be seen.

He accomplished all of this simply by being what history will likely remember as the worst president in the history of that country.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by photon

Off topic but important IMO.

People may think that it isn't more dangerous to look at the sun during an eclipse, but they are wrong, it is more dangerous, and not because people don't naturally look away.

Normally if you glance at the sun or look at it for a few seconds, you're already somewhere bright and your pupil is already contracted to protect your eye, vastly reducing the amount of special rays that reach and can burn your retina.

During totality it gets very dark, your eyes automatically adjust by dilating the pupil to let in as much light as possible. Then when the moon moves enough to reveal the sun, your eye is flooded with light and radiation before you can look away or before your pupils can react and contract. This can and does cause temporary and permanent damage.

Photon can't stop talking about himself...

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by icarus

Photon can't stop talking about himself...

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

What I really want to know is whether he considers himself to be a wave or a particle... or both!?

[MolsonInBothHands]

Originally Posted by icarus

Photon can't stop talking about himself...

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Spoken like someone who has been burnt before.

[oldschoolcalgary]

man... just seems to be spiraling downwards for Trump as the rhetoric gets more and more pointed and inflammatory.

Unfortunately, even the establishment GOP coming out at this point against Trump will simply galvanize his base supporters in believing that the system is corrupt and that it is is seeking a way to 'steal the presidency' from Trump...Way too late for them to reverse course without it simply looking like political calculus rather than trying to address a legitimate issue of leadership.

I would go so far as to say that Trump has sown a seed of distrust so deep, that it will come back as some large scale domestic attack if Trump is not allowed to finish out his term.

Sounds insane, however, this is a base that believes that New Town was a 'false flag' operation and that Hillary and Podesta were running a pedophilia ring out of the basement of a pizza joint. His base isn't exactly rational

The gullibility and myopia of his base cannot be underestimated.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

He just tweeted this tonight.

Donald J. Trump‏@realDonaldTrump
Not only does the media give a platform to hate groups, but the media turns a blind eye to the gang violence on our streets!

Some people on twitter wondering out loud if the media bashing tonight was a proactive shot as there could be some bad news coming his way in the next little while. Who knows if that's true, but the attack on the media tonight seemed even more over the top than usual.

[wingmaker]

Originally Posted by GGG

I don't disagree with you that the sports teaming of politics is terrible however, I think with Trump there is an almost objectively correct position.

I don't think you can finish this sentence honestly

Trump has made the US better by .....

I'm interested for someone who can. Is there a sincerely held position that is based on fact that would lead someone to believe that Trump is doing a good job. So it becomes difficult.

Unlike Canada's political arguements where there is merit to both the theories and the platforms on each side I don't think that exists with Trump

Yeah, I guess my comment seems a bit strange in the midst of people reacting to a crazy Trump moment. I wasn't really talking about Trump at all. But I fully believe that Trump could only be elected in an environment where political discourse has broken down to the point where people draw a line in the sand. You could never have a Trump presidency if people in the United States were openly debating issues on their own merits and not just arguing along party lines.

I also do not agree that we are so much better in Canada. Even in your own post you say:"Unlike Canada's political arguements where there is merit to both the theories and the platforms on each side". Perhaps by "each" you mean a plurality of sides, and if you do, then I am betraying my own bias. I read it to mean that there are two sides, because "each side" often refers to two opposing sides. And this is exactly the problem. America has two parties, and somehow that has been adopted around the world as some kind of universal right/left divide that does not really exist in and of itself. Of course there are political ideologies that oppose one another, but the hard party line that now splits every issue into a binary is a creation of the American political system and partisanship in general. It's "with us or against us" all the time. It's ridiculous, and it is totally a problem in Canada. Facts are discarded frequently in the hurry-up partisanship opinion forming in this country. We may not have elected Trump, but I think it is quite naive to think Canadian political discourse is so much better than it is south of the border.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by wingmaker

Yeah, I guess my comment seems a bit strange in the midst of people reacting to a crazy Trump moment. I wasn't really talking about Trump at all. But I fully believe that Trump could only be elected in an environment where political discourse has broken down to the point where people draw a line in the sand. You could never have a Trump presidency if people in the United States were openly debating issues on their own merits and not just arguing along party lines.

I also do not agree that we are so much better in Canada. Even in your own post you say:"Unlike Canada's political arguements where there is merit to both the theories and the platforms on each side". Perhaps by "each" you mean a plurality of sides, and if you do, then I am betraying my own bias. I read it to mean that there are two sides, because "each side" often refers to two opposing sides. And this is exactly the problem. America has two parties, and somehow that has been adopted around the world as some kind of universal right/left divide that does not really exist in and of itself. Of course there are political ideologies that oppose one another, but the hard party line that now splits every issue into a binary is a creation of the American political system and partisanship in general. It's "with us or against us" all the time. It's ridiculous, and it is totally a problem in Canada. Facts are discarded frequently in the hurry-up partisanship opinion forming in this country. We may not have elected Trump, but I think it is quite naive to think Canadian political discourse is so much better than it is south of the border.

good post.

i definitely agree with the first paragraph; the polarization has been a long time coming. Obviously, i am biased, however if one traces the divisive rhetoric, i'd argue it really started downhill with Roger Ailes and Roger Stone...guys like Limbaugh certainly added fuel to that fire.

I think the democrats have some similar things now, like CNBC, but they are far behind the curve compared to how long the GOP have been cultivating this... additionally, I think the GOP base, historically at least, tended to be more monolithic than the Democrats.

As far as Canadian politics goes, i think the jury is still out... while I didn't agree with Harper, it definitely wasn't as unpalatable as Trump is... we'll see. It is possible that Canadian politics is simply behind US politics by 10 years, however, the optimist in me hopes that the level of partisanship will never reach that divide that currently defines the US political system.

It sure seems like a three party system might have prevented some of this level of difference in the US... but way too late for that to happen...

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

He just tweeted this tonight.

Donald J. Trump‏@realDonaldTrump
Not only does the media give a platform to hate groups, but the media turns a blind eye to the gang violence on our streets!

Some people on twitter wondering out loud if the media bashing tonight was a proactive shot as there could be some bad news coming his way in the next little while. Who knows if that's true, but the attack on the media tonight seemed even more over the top than usual.

Disagree with that thought. Think about what just happened.

He was just roundly condemned for days about his handling of Charlottesville. It went on for days and he was absolutely livid about the treatment he received

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by MolsonInBothHands

Spoken like someone who has been burnt before.

How the hell are you typing?

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

He just tweeted this tonight.

Donald J. Trump‏@realDonaldTrump
Not only does the media give a platform to hate groups, but the media turns a blind eye to the gang violence on our streets!

Some people on twitter wondering out loud if the media bashing tonight was a proactive shot as there could be some bad news coming his way in the next little while. Who knows if that's true, but the attack on the media tonight seemed even more over the top than usual.

I think he was so pissed last night because if the pictures on Twitter are accurate, the crowd size last night was pretty weak, and it's very possible more protesters were outside than Trump cultists inside. If he can't even get packed halls for his rallies, you know that is crushing to him deep down. Suffice to say that as the rally crowds thin out, he's likely to go further off the deep end. Probably looking for another Boy Scouts rally or Liberty University rally to co-opt since they're conscripted into going

[Lanny_McDonald]

Phoenix PD taking a lot of heat for their treatment of protesters last night. Their liberal use of pepper spray and tear gas has been deemed by reporters on sight as a gross over-reaction to the actions of a peaceful protest. Phoenix PD claims the protesters launched tear gas at them first, and they responded with appropriate force, but this isn't consistent with what reporters witnessed. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the already announced internal investigation.

Inside, attendance was weak. The following story has photos and a shot video where you can hear Trump babbling in the background. I don't know which of the hall spaces they were in, but it does look like it was partitioned and the full space was not in use.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/wash...htmlstory.html

It is amazing he doesn't have third degree burns from his waist down, considering the number of times his pants are on fire.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-me...-campaign-ral/

[Fuzz]

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpos...postcount=8400
Duffman:

I miss Obama

I never thought I'd say it, but I miss Bush Jr! Hell, I'd probably miss Nixon, too if I was alive then.

[ernie]

"They are going to take coal out of the ground and clean it..."

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Regorium

Bull####. Look at the Alberta politics thread. Iggy_oi and MattyC on one side, and Locke and Resolute on the other. Heated arguments, frustration on both sides, a little name-calling, but generally respectful discourse.

Look at the Canada politics thread. A lot of hate for the Liberals, frustration from the CPC folk, but respectful discourse.

The problem is not "politics has become rhetorical and divided." The problem is Trump and his complete and utter buffoonery sprinkled with narcissism and dementia.

Frankly, I would LOVE if we banned Trump on this site, including locking/deleting this thread. This thread hasn't gone anywhere good since Nov 8, 2016, and at this point it's a complete waste of space.

yet you still come to the thread. why not just stay out of it then if you feel that strongly about what bullcrap this thread is.

anyway, it seems Trump always has to slip things into his speeches that pander to the rascist alt-right voter base of his.

a direct quote of his when talking about taking down confederate monuments "They're trying to take away our culture. They are trying to take away our history"

seems he's talking directly to his racist fans there.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by ernie

"They are going to take coal out of the ground and clean it..."

beautiful coal.

also...

Trump administration halts research on mountaintop removal coal mining

The Trump administration has ordered researchers to stop work on an independent evaluation of potential health effects from mountaintop removal coal mining.

The Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining (OSM) last year, under then-President Obama, had commissioned the research into the possible connections between certain health risks and living near current or former surface mining sites in Appalachia. The OSM committed $1 million to the two-year effort after West Virginia officials requested it in 2015.

But the agency sent a letter Friday to the National Academy of Sciences, which it had contracted to do the independent review, asking it to stop its work immediately.
Interior defended the pause as a necessary step toward ensuring responsible use of taxpayer money.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-env...p-removal-coal

As I heard one person put it, Trump loves Coal companies, but dgaf about coal people.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

yet you still come to the thread. why not just stay out of it then if you feel that strongly about what bullcrap this thread is.

anyway, it seems Trump always has to slip things into his speeches that pander to the rascist alt-right voter base of his.

a direct quote of his when talking about taking down confederate monuments "They're trying to take away our culture. They are trying to take away our history"

seems he's talking directly to his racist fans there.

hmmm it is their culture and their history. There are a few small percentage of Americans who are neo-nazis or white supremacists. But there are a lot of Confederates. Now whether you think they are all one and the same is an issue up for debate.

The latest 538 podcast with Vincent Hutchings is a good discussion on this issue.

How Trump Talks About Race
https://fivethirtyeight.com/tag/five...ight-podcasts/