American Politics Thread

[Volphied]

Do you HONESTLY think that enough of a fire is going to be lit under Democrats to make a difference in the midterms? Lets look at the facts:

Yes, I honestly do think. The majority of Americans want to preserve Roe, at least according to polls.

1. Midterms historically always favor the party opposite of the President.

These aren't going to be your usual midterms. So looking back at "historical" results is pointless. Dems won two senate seats in Georgia along with its electoral votes precisely because they didn't care what naysayers were saying about campaigning in a "historically" red state.

2. Biden is overwhelmingly unpopular and the projections are really bad.

Projections before the GOP decided to grab the political third rail by killing Roe. The outrage over this will only keep snowballing over the next months.

3. Voter suppression.

Already addressed in my previous comment. Not gonna repeat myself.

Doomposting and falling for despair is unhealthy and is precisely what the GOP wants you to do. The GOP wants you to lose hope and give up. That's the most important part of voter suppression. Make voters to give up and become apathetic.

Don't fall for it.

 

[Aulos]

The majority of Americans never turn out to vote, especially not the younger ones who are more effected by this. The Republican party has spent years and years enforcing unpopular policies that harm lots of people and the most we could get is a split senate with two conservative Democrats that have blocked any progress.

I have no reason to believe that this will be any different. I'll believe it when I see it. I don't have faith in American voters. And I think I'm reasonable in such.

Guilt-tripping me for stating that things are bleak is not helping anything. Nowhere did I state that I'm not voting. I always vote. Things are 100% hopeless in my deep red, Trump worshipping state, but I've always voted anyway. I'm not disillusioned from voting. That is a completely different matter from me being hopeless.

 

[zoroarctic]

@Aulos, I understand your skepticism, but it’s good you’re not giving up. Try to think of it this way: the last time the President’s party gained seats in the midterms was 2002, when Republicans capitalized on the aftermath of 9/11. For all intents and purposes, we’re dealing with a 9/11-magnitude event here.

(nevermind the fact that i think Joe Manchin isn't a big abortion proponent)

I’m not sure if Manchin himself even knows

 

[RexMissingno]

I'm in the position of feeling hopeless about everything too. I'm just tired of feeling like I'm in an uphill battle for basic humans rights that I just can't do a whole lot about since I'm just one guy in some inconsequential tourist-focused city. I feel kind of bad that I don't pay as much attention to what's going on but it just depresses the hell out of me because I can't do anything about it.

Though I still at least try to do something if I can even if it's voting. The issue for me though is I live where there aren't any protests or anything bigger and I can't exactly drive out of town. I've been tempted though to try to put up stickers where I commute since I walk/bike - if for nothing else at least to balance out the amount of Trump signs and Christian fear-mongering. I'm not sure what I'd put on a sticker yet but at least it would be something.

 

[Sheep40]

You call this unprecedented, I call it natural progression.

Because this is what the extremists wanted. Everybody who opposed them to give up and an hero.

They've done the first part in droves, largely starting with the election of that orangutan. The second part likely comes with Florida man getting the oval office.

We have nobody to blame for this but ourselves because we gave up before anything really started.

Good riddance to the average man. Engineered for despair and suicide, who's only act of resistance was to drag those who caused his pain down with him. How weak.

 

[Aulos]

Ooooooooklahoma where they'll not stop takin' your freedoms awayyyy

Oklahoma lawmakers pass one of nation's strictest abortion bills banning procedure 'from fertilization' | CNN Politics

Oklahoma's legislature on Thursday passed a bill that would ban abortions from the stage of "fertilization" and allow private citizens to sue abortion providers who "knowingly" perform or induce an abortion "on a pregnant woman."

www.cnn.com

Someone help me get out of here. Please. T.T

 

[zoroarctic]

Someone help me get out of here. Please. T.T

Well, I’ll be hitting the eject button in Alabama soon, but IDK if North Carolina is what you’re looking for.

 

[Aulos]

Well, I’ll be hitting the eject button in Alabama soon, but IDK if North Carolina is what you’re looking for.

Aw, yeah, I don't trust North Carolina either. I've got to move to a blue state. Somehow. For a while I considered moving to Michigan, but sadly it can't be trusted either. =/ Things are getting too crazy.

 

[zoroarctic]

Aw, yeah, I don't trust North Carolina either. I've got to move to a blue state. Somehow. For a while I considered moving to Michigan, but sadly it can't be trusted either. =/ Things are getting too crazy.

NC still might be a good long-term bet; it's trending blue, albeit at a snail's pace. Sure, it's gone Republican in the last 3 Presidential elections, but Democrats consistently win at the state level. (They currently hold the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and auditor offices, as well as a majority on the state supreme court)

But I totally understand if you don't feel like waiting it out. Red states and purple states under GOP control are all going off the rails.

 

[Volphied]

 

[Sheep40]

We do, in fact, need some imagination.

 

[zoroarctic]

Barnes & Noble pressured to restrict sales of 2021's most banned book

Virginia lawmaker says retailer should obtain parental consent before selling two "obscene" books to minors.

www.cbsnews.com

This story is getting buried under more recent headlines, but the implications are huge. If a judge rules these books obscene, it means they can’t be sold or owned. And the floodgates open.

 

[Volphied]

The GOP in Texas have released their new platform.

If you're a Republican and live in Texas, then this is what you're supporting by voting for them. Some highlights:

• Repealing 14th, 16th, and 17th Amendments (line 126-129)
• Repeal the Equal Rights Amendment (line 177)
• Disband the EPA and repeal the Endangered Species Act (line 240)
• Abolish business/professional licensing and remove educational requirements from the bar exam (line 287-290)
• Repeal all minimum wage and prevailing wage laws (line 298)
• Repeal the Lacey Act (line 301)
• Repeal mandatory sick/family leave (line 313)
• Abolish the Federal Reserve (line 531)
• Abolish sex ed at all grade levels and all schools (line 566)
• Abolish the Department of Education (line 648)
• Shutter mental health institutions and abolish all welfare programs of any kind (line 763-767)
• "Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice. We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin" (line 800)
• Repeal all hate crime statutes (line 1054)
• "We affirm God’s biblical design for marriage and sexual behavior between one biological man and one biological woman, which has proven to be the foundation for all great nations in Western civilization. We oppose homosexual marriage, regardless of state of origin." (line 1165)
• Repeal Obergfell v. Hodges (line 1191)
• Repeal the Voting Rights Act (line 1401)
• Abolish H1-B visa programs (line 1498)
• Entirely withdraw from the United Nations (line 1561)
• "We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States." (line 1586)

And the finishing touch:

"Texas retains the right to secede from the United States" (line 201) and "we urge the Texas Legislature to pass a bill in its next session requiring a referendum in the 2023 general election for the people of Texas to determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation." (line 1280)

 

[zoroarctic]

The GOP in Texas have released their new platform.

If you're a Republican and live in Texas, then this is what you're supporting by voting for them. Some highlights:

• Repealing 14th, 16th, and 17th Amendments (line 126-129)
• Repeal the Equal Rights Amendment (line 177)
• Disband the EPA and repeal the Endangered Species Act (line 240)
• Abolish business/professional licensing and remove educational requirements from the bar exam (line 287-290)
• Repeal all minimum wage and prevailing wage laws (line 298)
• Repeal the Lacey Act (line 301)
• Repeal mandatory sick/family leave (line 313)
• Abolish the Federal Reserve (line 531)
• Abolish sex ed at all grade levels and all schools (line 566)
• Abolish the Department of Education (line 648)
• Shutter mental health institutions and abolish all welfare programs of any kind (line 763-767)
• "Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice. We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin" (line 800)
• Repeal all hate crime statutes (line 1054)
• "We affirm God’s biblical design for marriage and sexual behavior between one biological man and one biological woman, which has proven to be the foundation for all great nations in Western civilization. We oppose homosexual marriage, regardless of state of origin." (line 1165)
• Repeal Obergfell v. Hodges (line 1191)
• Repeal the Voting Rights Act (line 1401)
• Abolish H1-B visa programs (line 1498)
• Entirely withdraw from the United Nations (line 1561)
• "We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States." (line 1586)

And the finishing touch:

"Texas retains the right to secede from the United States" (line 201) and "we urge the Texas Legislature to pass a bill in its next session requiring a referendum in the 2023 general election for the people of Texas to determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation." (line 1280)

Thinking about the time Rosie O’Donnell said radical Christianity was just as big a threat as radical Islam, and was universally mocked for it. I think she’s owed a few apologies now.

If they really want to run it back to 1861, go ahead. It’ll end the same way it did last time.

 

[Aulos]

She was mocked for saying that? sigh Have people read history? A Christian theocracy can be every bit as vile as an Islamic theocracy. The Bible is from an even earlier time than the Qur'an and has many, many barbaric rules in it, and the history of Christian theocracies in the middle ages... well, it speaks for itself.

The US was explicitly founded to be neutral on religion, to leave religion out of the state and to leave the state out of religion. Sadly, the US government has tilted toward only doing the latter, which is having devastating consequences on us all. The religious right has succeeded in creating a false, alternative narrative of the founding of the US where the founding fathers founded a Christian nation. It's so absurd. We have the true information right at our fingertips, yet so much of the country believes lies.

As for Texas, SMH. Texas has made me shake my head so many times.

 

[Kung Fu Ferret]

As an adamant atheist, the very idea of any sort of theocracy makes me sick to my stomach. Want to live in a country ruled entirely by religious fundamentalists? You shouldn't, because history has proven time and time again that it's a terrible idea!

 

[Volphied]

As an adamant atheist, the very idea of any sort of theocracy makes me sick to my stomach. Want to live in a country ruled entirely by religious fundamentalists? You shouldn't, because history has proven time and time again that it's a terrible idea!

 

[Sheep40]

I need to get the fuck out of doge.

 

[Max1996]

Is this a good development or not?

Supreme Court gun decision shoots down NY rule that set high bar for concealed carry licenses

The Supreme Court issued its decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, ruling on New York's regulations for concealed carry permits.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Volphied]

Is this a good development or not?

Supreme Court gun decision shoots down NY rule that set high bar for concealed carry licenses

The Supreme Court issued its decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, ruling on New York's regulations for concealed carry permits.

www.foxnews.com

It's bad news, but you wouldn't know that from that heavily biased Fox News report. Reminder, they keep hosting The Big Lie proponents like Tucker Carlson. So here's a Non-Faux News link:

US supreme court overturns New York handgun law in bitter blow to gun-control push

Biden says ruling ‘should trouble us all’ as conservative majority strikes down law requiring ‘proper cause’ to carry handguns in public

www.theguardian.com

The governor of New York, a Democrat, said the ruling was “not just reckless, it’s reprehensible”. Pointing to recent mass shootings in New York and Texas, a leading progressive group called the ruling “shameful and outrageous”.

Joe Biden said: “This ruling contradicts both common sense and the constitution and should deeply trouble us all.”

Biden pointed to the longevity of New York gun laws and to past supreme court acceptance of the need to regulate gun ownership.

The president said: “Since 1911, the state of New York has required individuals who would like to carry a concealed weapon in public to show a need to do so for the purpose of self defense and to require a license. More than a century later, the United States supreme court has chosen to strike down New York’s long-established authority to protect its citizens.”

Biden added: “As the late [conservative] Justice [Antonin] Scalia recognised, the second amendment is not absolute. For centuries, states have regulated who may purchase or possess weapons, the types of weapons they may use and the places they may carry those weapons. The courts have upheld these regulations.

“I call on Americans across the country to make their voices heard on gun safety. Lives are on the line.”

The ruling has profound implications for the safety and conduct of up to 83 million people in New York and seven other states plus Washington DC with similar “proper cause” laws. They include heavily populated states, such as California and New Jersey, which account for roughly three out of every four Americans.

Just weeks ago, an 18-year-old carrying a legally bought assault-style rifle shot and killed 10 people in a racist attack on a supermarket in a majority Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York.

Ten days later, another 18-year-old broke into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 19 children and two adults before being shot dead by law enforcement.

In his dissent to the New York ruling, Stephen Breyer, a liberal justice soon to retire, wrote: “In 2020, 45,222 Americans were killed by firearms. Since the start of this year there have been 277 reported mass shootings – an average of more than one per day.

“Gun violence has now surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. Many states have tried to address some of the dangers of gun violence just described by passing laws that limit, in various ways, who may purchase, carry, or use firearms of different kinds.

“The court today severely burdens states’ efforts to do so.”




Of course, "tradition" suddenly doesn't matter, if Thomas doesn't like it.