American Politics Thread: Orange is the new POTUS

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

There's sort of a wolf pack mentality, and then the likes of a guy like peter12 gets basically banned because posters can't seem to take a difference of opinion very well.

Totally OT, but Peter got banned because he kept insulting the board and its members, not because people disagreed with him.

[direwolf]

"Build that wall! Build that wall! Build that wall!"

[DuffMan]

Pandering to the most gullible and not bright, luckily for him there's lots of them.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Totally OT, but Peter got banned because he kept insulting the board and its members, not because people disagreed with him.

Never really saw his insults so I'll presume you're right but given the amount of flack he took from people who are still around... seems awfully unfair / slanted. Not to mention understandable, the guy would disagree and it'd virtually instantly turn into a mud-slinging situation and it never really seemed like the crap he took was equivalent to whatever he posted. Anyway, just my opinon, carry on.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

In all seriousness, let's all remember that it is possible to have respectful disagreements about stuff and avoid the temptation to gang up on one poster. We don't need to be piling on to people, especially when they admit their mistakes.

That sort of thing is part of what makes threads like this hard to moderate, but you will make it easy for us if you cross the line into harassing one poster for having a slightly different point of view.

[DuffMan]

Unhinged tirade is the best way to describe that speech from the POTUS.

[Badgers Nose]

Pretty sure despite all his comments to the contrary, CNN was happy showing that self destructive tirade. Wow, every week is a new low.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Well, he's accomplished one thing lately, nobody is talking about Russia much anymore.

[Senator Clay Davis]

At some point the non-FOX networks just need to stop showing these rambling speeches, they don't show the crazy rambling guy on the street, no need to show this either. Also it shockingly took 24 or so hours for all those articles praising Trump's speech last night to be rendered moot. This reality show is already getting pretty boring, can't imagine how bad season two will be.

[Johnny Makarov]

Riot breaking out outside now. Started by the crowd throwing bottle water at police??

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Riot breaking out outside now. Started by the crowd throwing bottle water at police??

Way to give him exactly what he wanted, assuming it's protesters.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

they don't show the crazy rambling guy on the street, no need to show this either

It's depressing that this is actually an accurate comparison to the current President of the United States.

[wingmaker]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I'm not sure why but it seems as time goes on this site seems less and less capable of conjuring up debate and respectful discourse. There's sort of a wolf pack mentality, and then the likes of a guy like peter12 gets basically banned because posters can't seem to take a difference of opinion very well. Whoever posted that oatmeal comic a page or two back, that was well-played and I think desperately needed for many people on this site.

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.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The worst part of the reality show is up next, when we hear all about how disappointed and upset people in the administration are with Trump in private, followed by doing absolutely nothing in public. And of course Jared and Ivanka soothing things over.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Don Lemon tonight:

[Regorium]

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.

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.

[direwolf]

Post from Dan Rather tonight:

Blame the press. Blame President Obama. Insist down is up and up is down. Create an alternate reality. Gaslight. Gaslight. Gaslight. Misquote yourself. Leave out the words that outraged a majority of a nation.

The speech that President Trump gave tonight was not the teleprompter-confined President of last night's speech on Afghanistan. He was the martyr to an unfair witch hunt. His words after Charlottesville were in reality healing - if the press would just tell the truth. He was misquoted and taken out of context. He has drawn the battle lines to divide a nation between his "us" and the "them" of the others. And he basks in the swagger.

Nevermind all the critics outside of the press, the CEOs, the GOP officials who have questioned his mental stability, and the global condemnation.

But why does he attack the press, as "bad people" who "don't like our country?" "Sick people?" Why does he say "the only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media and the fake news?" CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post is the enemy. Fox News and Sean Hannity are the good guys.

This bombast is because the press is a check on power. The press is performing its constitutional responsibilities. The investigative reporting has drawn blood.

The forces of political gravity that have tethered his agenda to reality went unstated. So he attacks sanctuary cities. He touts a wall that is apparently being built, and over which he is willing to apparently shut down the government. He hinted at a pardon for the controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "Sheriff Joe can feel good."

He keeps fighting the battle over healthcare, unable to let go of a stinging defeat. Over and over he said "one vote away..." fully conscious that one of those key votes that doomed his healthcare effort was the senior senator from Arizona, John McCain. "I won't mention any names. Very presidential." And then he attacked the junior senator from Arizona, Republican and Trump critic Jeff Flake, without mentioning his name either. But the tenor was clear. Mr. Trump was ready to attack any GOP senator who has the temerity to go against him.

This was Trump as candidate, uncaged, unscripted, unabashed, and frankly unhinged. The crowd got to chant "lock her up" to the name of Hillary Clinton and cheer a president who claims that he has accomplished more than any president at this point in a term (nevermind reality). He was playing to the home crowd. But there is a much bigger world out there, no matter the picture Mr. Trump may wish to paint.

[wingmaker]

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.

lol

[photon]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Well yeah. People realize it isn't any more dangerous to look at the sun during an eclipse than at any other time, right? The reason we were warned not to do it is because during an eclipse we have reason to stare at the sun for more than a few seconds, and if the sky is dimmed we may not naturally look away. It's not as though during an eclipse the sun puts out special rays that burn out your retina just by looking at it for a couple seconds.

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.

[DuffMan]

I miss Obama