Political Randomness

[Paingod]

The middle class will work to keep the whole thing upright.

As a member of the "middle class" I'm worried about income erosion caused by giant hikes in minimum wage that are being proposed around the country (not just a Trump issue). I think it's awesome to give poor people a good livable wage, but I believe it will cause the wage I've worked hard to get to be worth less in the long run and I don't see employers looking at the situation and saying "Hey, $25 an hour is only $10 more than minimum wage now. It used to be more than 3 times that. We should pay him $50 an hour to keep it equal." Instead I see them all saying "Hey, $25 an hour is still $10 more than minimum wage" as prices everywhere rise so that the new poverty level is $15/hr. It won't happen suddenly, but I believe it will happen. I'm not at all sure how I can stay ahead of that curve as it passes through the economy over the next 10-15 years.

[GreenGoo]

That's a legitimate concern. Obviously if the economy thrives, standard of living climbs.

Unfortunately all signs point to lethargic growth, at best. Unless Drumpf is the orange wizard he claims to be. Then all bets are off.

[Defiant]

Question - is there some version of politifact for the rest of the world? I'm curious to know how much politicians lie in other countries (and whether they get called out for it in the media).

[GreenGoo]

Question - is there some version of politifact for the rest of the world? I'm curious to know how much politicians lie in other countries (and whether they get called out for it in the media).

I wrote a thing, but it was all over the place so I nuked it. Short answer is, I don't know of anything like that in Canada. Our media tends to call politicians on their shit, so the shit is less glaring and obvious. They still lie of course, it just feels like our media still has a healthy respect for facts.

[Defiant]

Question - is there some version of politifact for the rest of the world? I'm curious to know how much politicians lie in other countries (and whether they get called out for it in the media).

I wrote a thing, but it was all over the place so I nuked it. Short answer is, I don't know of anything like that in Canada. Our media tends to call politicians on their shit, so the shit is less glaring and obvious. They still lie of course, it just feels like our media still has a healthy respect for facts.

Thanks. So is it the media different? Canada's culture (eg, more of a healthy regard for facts?)?

If we went to your border and rose a white flag of your surrender, you guys would be forced to take control of us, right?

[Max Peck]

For tracking truthiness in Canadian politics, we do have factscan.ca. I don't think they're kept quite as busy as American fact-checkers that are attempting to keep up with Trump (not that fact-checking Trump seems to matter).

[Kraken]

Seven reasons to move to Massachusetts instead of Canada

But as a Masshole, I un-welcome you. We already have enough people. I hear New Jersey is nice.

[Smutly]

Seven reasons to move to Massachusetts instead of Canada

But as a Masshole, I un-welcome you. We already have enough people. I hear New Jersey is nice.

I say why limit yourself to Canada anyway...lots of nice places out there which aren't the United States. I hear some conservatives are offering first class one-way tickets to those who said they were leaving, but I haven't heard of anyone taking them up on it.

[gbasden]

Seven reasons to move to Massachusetts instead of Canada

But as a Masshole, I un-welcome you. We already have enough people. I hear New Jersey is nice.

I say why limit yourself to Canada anyway...lots of nice places out there which aren't the United States. I hear some conservatives are offering first class one-way tickets to those who said they were leaving, but I haven't heard of anyone taking them up on it.

Sign me up! I'll take a free one way ticket to visit my sister in Dubai. I can pay my own way back coach.

[dbt1949]

If by wishing for Trump to fail does that mean the country will fail too? If Trump succeeds does the country succeed?
Or does the country fail now that Trump is president no matter what he does?

[malchior]

People are starting to hand wring over this -but I remember him as the guy who flat out perjured himself in front of Congress and got his lies outed by Snowden. (Naturally with zero consequences).

[Rip]

Jost wow.

Welcome to the Hotel Kabul, where you can’t check in anytime you like.

In December 2006, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution, approved a proposal to build a 209-room, five-star hotel and an apartment building across the street from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

The Marriott Kabul Hotel and the adjacent apartment building would provide a gateway for Afghans returning to their country and would be a major boost to the nation’s post-war reconstruction efforts, proponents said.

But today, 10 years later, all that’s there is an empty shell — a ghost hotel.

Now an investigation by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has determined that nearly $85 million in investments have gone down the drain, thanks to “troubling management practices and lax oversight” at the site of the project.

And that’s not all. SIGAR says American taxpayers have spent thousands, if not millions, of dollars more on security because of the abandoned project’s proximity to the embassy.

"The Marriott Hotel Kabul is emblematic of our reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan,” Special Inspector General John Sopko told FoxNews.com. “Great ideas, tons of money, poor execution and no oversight create incredible opportunities for fraud."

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/11/17 ... kabul.html

[malchior]

Perhaps the blow back against Kelly should have been a warning sign about what was coming?

[gbasden]

Perhaps the blow back against Kelly should have been a warning sign about what was coming?

Just another display of the amorality of the campaign. Fuck.

[Paingod]

Perhaps the blow back against Kelly should have been a warning sign about what was coming?

Just another display of the amorality of the campaign. Fuck.

More than that, a display of the kind of people our nation's finest likes to surround himself with. This guy was dubbed "Trump's Pit Bull" and the name is fitting. He's basically just a guard dog, trained to go berserk on anything that remotely threatens his master. He's completely unhinged.

I suppose you'd have to be in order to stand next to someone like that, and deal with the over 3,500 lawsuits Trump has either had against him or started against others. It's going to be a very litigious presidency.

[malchior]

Yup - these are the monsters we let into our house. All signs point to disaster. Bush brought in the neo cons who at least had morals but got us and the world into a lot of trouble. I can't wait to see what this cast of horrors brings us.

[Paingod]

Yup - these are the monsters we let into our house. All signs point to disaster. Bush brought in the neo cons who at least had morals but got us and the world into a lot of trouble. I can't wait to see what this cast of horrors brings us.

I honestly didn't think I'd ever lament the good old days when I'd miss a president who said things like "working hard to put food on your family" and "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"

[Rip]

Food on your family challenge?

A little something for all those divided Thanksgiving tables.

[Rip]

Struggling House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) won a key endorsement Thursday in her bid to beat back insurgent liberal rivals challenging her leadership position after winning the endorsement of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The NRCC, a 527 campaign organization, issued a press release to announce its support for Pelosi, the veteran California congresswoman and former speaker of the House, against Democrats running from her left and right flanks.

“The NRCC would like to offer its full support to the embattled former speaker of the House,” the release said. “Under Nancy Pelosi’s leadership, House Democrats squandered their majority by forcing through unpopular legislation like Obamacare.”

Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan announced on Wednesday that he would challenge Pelosi, in order to appeal to more moderate voters. Meanwhile, Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is running to be head of the Democratic National Committee on a more liberal platform.

Ryan said that sticking with Pelosi amounted to Albert Einstein’s apocryphal definition of insanity as doing the “same thing over and over again and keep getting the same results.”

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11 ... eader.html

[Defiant]

[Defiant]

Sanders: Not enough to say, 'I'm a woman, vote for me'

Sanders was speaking to supporters in Boston Sunday when he was asked how a woman could become the second Latina senator in history.

"It's not good enough for somebody to say 'hey I'm a Latina vote for me' that is not good enough. I have to know whether that Latina is going to stand up with the working class of this country and is going to take on big money interests," Sanders said.

"It is not good enough for somebody to say, 'I'm a woman, vote for me.' No That is not good enough," the Vermont senator continued. "What we need is a woman who has the guts to stand up to Wall Street, to the insurance companies, to the drug companies, to the fossil fuel industries."

Sanders is an ass to assume that any minority candidate would be running on a platform of "I'm a minority". It dismisses their positions on the issues, their abilities, their experience and achievement. It wasn't true of Obama, it wasn't true of Clinton and it wasn't true of other elected officials.

[noxiousdog]

Hurricane?! Why should that matter?

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said that he will not extend the deadline for voter registration in the state despite the potential impact from Hurricane Matthew.

Federal judge extends deadline

A federal judge ordered Florida election officials to extend the state's voter registration deadline to October 18, in response to damage and disruption caused by Hurricane Matthew.

The state's original deadline was October 11.

Florida Democrats and the state's League of Women Voters asked the judge for the extension.

This is old, but I was just perusing the thread. We've been talking a little about what makes people vote for Trump (or against Democrats) and I will cite toys for evidence.

It's minor, symbolic, and perhaps understandable (i don't know how long registration was prevented), but it absolutely gets under the skin of people.

You've had years to register, and a three day event is going to make a difference? The perception is that democrats will always make excuses and bend the law to whatever gets them more votes. Yes, i know it works both ways. However, I don't think it's all that balanced and I know I'd be much happier voting Democrat if there was more personal accountability built into the platform.

[Isgrimnur]

Tell me what the rules are, and I'll tell you how I play the game. There are people that wait to the last day to renew their car registration or get it inspected. There are people that wait until the last minute to prepare a presentation or leave for a planned event. There are people that plan on registering to vote that, when told they will have until a certain day, will wait until that day.

[noxiousdog]

Tell me what the rules are, and I'll tell you how I play the game. There are people that wait to the last day to renew their car registration or get it inspected. There are people that wait until the last minute to prepare a presentation or leave for a planned event. There are people that plan on registering to vote that, when told they will have until a certain day, will wait until that day.

And almost always, I feel they should have to live with the consequences unless it's life threatening.

[RunningMn9]

While not a democrat, at least I can get on board that their aim is to get more voters (for themselves). Watching the Republican Party in NC actively and openly engage in voter suppression (and bragging about it working), and having a candidate openly admit that he was working a three-pronged voter suppression strategy in Florida...well, that doesn't exactly sit well with me.

[Isgrimnur]

Tell me what the rules are, and I'll tell you how I play the game. There are people that wait to the last day to renew their car registration or get it inspected. There are people that wait until the last minute to prepare a presentation or leave for a planned event. There are people that plan on registering to vote that, when told they will have until a certain day, will wait until that day.

And almost always, I feel they should have to live with the consequences unless it's life threatening.

See: hurricane

[Defiant]

You've had years to register, and a three day event is going to make a difference?

I think we've learned that when it comes to Florida, 537 votes could make the difference. Looking at the stats, in 2015, there were about 1800 registrations per day. That went up to at least 5000 per day in September of this year.

It's harder to determine what the exact number is for the days leading up to the election, but using 2012 as an example, there were 190K registrations and the deadline was October 9th. That means a minimum of 6,000 per day, although my guess would be that the bulk of those took place before the deadline. If we were to assume that it drops to ~2K registrations per day after the deadline, you get about 145K before the deadline, or at least 16K per day. So somewhere like 6 -16K per day, or up to ~48K registrations over a three day event. (maybe even higher if the numbers continued to rise up to the deadline)

[Defiant]

An Indianapolis woman who beat her 7-year-old son with a coat hanger is citing Indiana's religious freedom law as a defense against felony child abuse charges, saying her choice of discipline comes straight from her evangelical Christian beliefs.

link

[RunningMn9]

Also, what about people that aren't eligible to vote until those final days?

[Isgrimnur]

An Indianapolis woman who beat her 7-year-old son with a coat hanger is citing Indiana's religious freedom law as a defense against felony child abuse charges, saying her choice of discipline comes straight from her evangelical Christian beliefs.

link

Being a recent Burmese immigrant will likely weigh in her favor.

[noxiousdog]

Also, what about people that aren't eligible to vote until those final days?

I'm sure this is totally about the 1,000 people that turned 18 those three days.

[RunningMn9]

It's about getting anyone (in your target demographics) that is eligible to vote that is not registered to vote, registered to vote.

[noxiousdog]

It's about getting anyone (in your target demographics) that is eligible to vote that is not registered to vote, registered to vote.

Yeah, well it's costing you independents.

[Defiant]

It's about getting anyone (in your target demographics) that is eligible to vote that is not registered to vote, registered to vote.

Yeah, well it's costing you independents.

Weren't the people that were undecided until the last few days or weeks overwhelmingly independents?

Yeah, really on the ball, aren't they?

[RunningMn9]

It's about getting anyone (in your target demographics) that is eligible to vote that is not registered to vote, registered to vote.

Yeah, well it's costing you independents.

It's not costing me anything. Getting people registered to vote is a far better use of political parties than actively trying to stop eligible voters from voting.

[Defiant]

It's not costing me anything. Getting people registered to vote is a far better use of political parties than actively trying to stop eligible voters from voting.

This. Overwhelmingly this.

[noxiousdog]

You've had years to register, and a three day event is going to make a difference?

I think we've learned that when it comes to Florida, 537 votes could make the difference. Looking at the stats, in 2015, there were about 1800 registrations per day. That went up to at least 5000 per day in September of this year.

It's harder to determine what the exact number is for the days leading up to the election, but using 2012 as an example, there were 190K registrations and the deadline was October 9th. That means a minimum of 6,000 per day, although my guess would be that the bulk of those took place before the deadline. If we were to assume that it drops to ~2K registrations per day after the deadline, you get about 145K before the deadline, or at least 16K per day. So somewhere like 6 -16K per day, or up to ~48K registrations over a three day event. (maybe even higher if the numbers continued to rise up to the deadline)

Honestly, i still don't care. If you see a hurricane is coming, and registering to vote (this is done by mail, and postmarks are the deciding factor) is important, then do so.

I also understand this is emotional and not logical. Honestly, the whole concept is ridiculous. But it's symbolic, and weighted to the side that bothers me.

[RunningMn9]

Why is it any of your business? As long as there isn't fraud going on, and as long as there is judicial oversight, and especially if it's in another State, why do you care?

[noxiousdog]

Why is it any of your business? As long as there isn't fraud going on, and as long as there is judicial oversight, and especially if it's in another State, why do you care?

Because it's symbolic. Personal responsibility is, once again, irrelevant.

[RunningMn9]

Symbolic of what? Procrastination?