The General 'Murican Politics Thread

[Tani Coyote]

Just now, TailsTellsTales said:

Yeah that map would be very misleading since all those counties population combined would not total much. I mean yeah there are large population counties that go red too but generally speaking they are very low population. Alaska swung the most to Obama in 2012 since Sarah Palin was not on the ballot.

Murkowski's actions as a rogue Republican (who's arguably third party) and the GOP's slipping margins make me wonder if Alaska could go blue at the federal level at some point in the future.

Now that would be interesting.

[Kevin]

 And now it’s Roy Moore’s turn to be accused of sexual misconduct. Whether it’ll affect his chances in the upcoming senate race is anyone’s guess.

[Chili Dawg]

If anything he just gained a shot at the presidency.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

In the Republican world, a conservative sexually harrassing someone is a man among men, while liberals are dirty scum for doing so regardless of how little difference there is and the fact that sexual harrassment is horrible regardless of party.

[Tani Coyote]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/11/9/1714283/-Alabama-GOP-chair-says-he-would-still-vote-for-Roy-Moore-even-if-Moore-did-molest-14-year-old

GOP Chair has said he'd still vote for Moore, saying there's nothing wrong with a 30 year old asking a 16, 17, or 19 year old on a date.

Ignoring the fact she's 14, he's conflating dating and sex as well as legality with ethics.

It's perfectly legal to only date people who are 18 and 19, but if you're specifically singling people in that age range out, odds are high you're a pervert who is only not in jail because of the technical age of majority.

Then there's the fact that the federal age of consent - 18 - takes precedence over the state age whenever the relationship is across state lines or makes use of federally-regulated services like the internet. Basically, the state age of consent is meaningless; if it's someone besides someone you met in high school, odds are the federal age of consent applies. And I don't know many men who would date someone who is 14 and be happy to wait 4 years before asking for what 99% of couples do. Or even 16.

Plus the strawman is enormous because the issue is sexual misconduct, not dating. He's not being targeted because he asked a teenager to go to the movies or dinner with him.

This is just disgusting.

[SSF1991]

Reminder that if a liberal/left person did this, the right would be absolutely pissed.

There's nothing political about this. Just because you're right-wing doesn't make you immune from being an asshole. And Moore is absolute scum.

The sad thing is I don't expect this to cause a loss of voters at all. There is absolutely no rock bottom in the GOP, and as long as the disgusting crap was done by a GOP/conservative/right-wing, they wll defend them.

Reason number #1758 to hate the GOP.

[Tani Coyote]

http://kmuw.org/post/kancare-expansion-advocates-emboldened-maine-virginia-election-results

Kansas' Medicaid expansion advocates feel emboldened by the huge Democratic wave in Virginia. They had previously came close to passing the expansion, but the GOP Governor vetoed it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/democrat-concedes-virginia-house-race-three-others-will-decide-if-gop-holds-majority/2017/11/09/8998d150-c59e-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0_story.html?utm_term=.e334f32e88b8

A Democrat has conceded their race in the Virginia House. Currently there are 49 Democrat seats and 48 Republican. Republicans lead in the remaining 3 seats, but provisional ballots are still being counted. The GOP leads range from 13 to 115 votes.

If you need evidence to vote in next year's midterms, there it is. A few more people in each district would tip the House.

[Tani Coyote]

Author Ta-Nehisi Coates is asked about white usage of the n-word with music (and in general), and finds a way to make the different standards of usage understandable to everyone regardless of backgrounds. He doesn't talk about historical oppression or privilege until he gets towards the end, instead opting to use everyday examples of how different words are acceptable from different people and between communities. What really runs it home are cases of words whites can use to refer to themselves, but would be angry at non-whites using towards them.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/359817-alabama-poll-moore-and-jones-tied-following-scandal

Roy Moore's sex scandal has prompted a drop in his poll numbers. He is now equally matched against Democrat Doug Jones, each at 46%.

There is talk of a Luther Strange write-in campaign to protest Moore's candidacy, even if that might deliver the race to Jones.

The December election is going to get a lot more interesting.

[Chili Dawg]

Trump calls Kim Jong Un fat, shit gettin' real now, folks.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Just now, Chili Dawg said:

Trump calls Kim Jong Un fat, shit gettin' real now, folks.

Why does this feel like a badly thought out scheme on Trump's part to get North Korea to attack so he can declare war and try to make himself a war hero to avoid getting in the shitter with his collusion with Russia?

[Patticus]

4 hours ago, Chili Dawg said:

Trump calls Kim Jong Un fat, shit gettin' real now, folks.

Is that really all the tweet is? A jab at Kim Jong-un's stature?

Maybe he's really "telling it like it is" and genuinely wants to be the dictator's best friend? After all, the DPRK and Russia have close ties, and Putin is Trump's go-to whenever he needs to do some serious brown-nosing, and Trump has a history of getting boners over oppressive authoritarian regimes.

[Blacklightning]

You know, it would be so easy to make a remark about the pot calling the kettle black, but I find it more amusing how Trump's repeatedly threatened to rain hellfire on NK and now somehow has the audacity to claim he tried to be friends with them.

I have no idea how the hypocrisy can be lost on anyone, but somehow here we are.

[Tani Coyote]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/10/politics/house-retirement-tracker/index.html

We are up to 25 House Republicans having retired or retiring, compared to 10 Democrats. Almost all retiring Democrats are running for another office.

Democrats need 24 seats to regain the House next year, and open seats with no incumbent are a lot easier to take.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/10/politics/nrsc-roy-moore-alabama-fundraiser-republican-party/index.html

The GOP Senate's campaign arm has cut funding to Roy Moore despite his insistence there's no basis to the sex scandal allegations.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/10/politics/republicans-roy-moore/index.html

Moore has seen his support collapse. Bob Corker, Mike Lee, John McCain, etc. are a few Republicans who have withdrawn their endorsement or have called for his campaign to end.

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/11/gop4jones_some_republican_vote.html

The group "GOP 4 Jones" consists of Republicans supporting Democrat Doug Jones in order to block Roy Moore from taking the seat. It sounds like it's gaining in strength since the allegations surfaced.

Moore's candidacy may very well collapse between a Luther Strange write-in campaign and defections to Jones. Jones may just become the first Democratic Senator from Alabama in decades.

[SSF1991]

1 hour ago, Lord Bergamo (Ogilvie) said:

Moore's candidacy may very well collapse between a Luther Strange write-in campaign and defections to Jones. Jones may just become the first Democratic Senator from Alabama in decades.

The timing for this is just so bad for the GOP. They can't afford another Democrat Senator coming in.

One more comes in, and their Senate majority gets even more difficult to maintain.

[Tani Coyote]

The strangest thing is that's one reason GOP 4 Jones exists. They're tired of the gridlock and want politicians who will reach across the aisle. Democrats won't want to work with a loon like Moore, but Republicans might be able to work with a Democrat like Jones, particularly given Jones' re-election prospects will make him very open to discussion.

What's more, if the GOP is reduced to 51 seats, they're effectively forced to the bargaining table with Democrats. Over and over, they keep seeing the perils of trying one-party rule. You have two regular defectors like Collins and Murkowski, wildcards who don't need to worry about re-election like McCain, Flake, and Corker, and then a dogmatic type like Rand Paul. There's also the fact it's not uncommon for one or two Senators to be absent. If a single GOP Senator isn't on Capitol Hill, that cuts the votes down to 50-49, meaning any single defector can sink an effort.

This term, pieces of legislation negotiated between the parties passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers. This provides for effective government and confers more legitimacy on the political framework. As it stands, it's "block this, block that" regardless of who is in charge, and there's frustration from both sides about it.

Maybe losing Alabama will force the GOP to rethink its positions. A Party that has so much of rural America's loyalty should be the first one to support Medicaid buy-ins, now that it's become apparent Obamacare repeal isn't happening. Without repeal, the only way forward is to improve the system.

[Patticus]

Disturbing news on the state of the Alabaman electorate...

Can't we just sink the state into the gulf, somehow? I always imagined that even the most hardcore Republican voters would draw the line at child molestation, but it looks like they've gone and bivouacked on the far side of that line. I dunno, maybe they said it'd make them more likely to vote Moore, because they buy his "liberal media conspiracy" bullshit, and are trying to "stick it to the man" by becoming more obstinate in the face of overwhelming facts? Eh, probably not. Even a hint of a child molestation accusation has long been (hell it's still) enough to ruin careers and end lives, and along comes Trump and now pedophilia is just an acceptable trait in a political candidate?

And this same electorate doesn't want convicted felons to vote why? They've abdicated all moral authority on this one.

Pretty much that.

Also this was so very apt:

 

[Kevin]

8 minutes ago, Patticus said:

..

With all the news coming out lately, that was a great dose of humor that was needed!

[Tani Coyote]

On the plus side, that 38% saying it makes them less likely is a huge positive.

The fact Moore's polling evenly with the Democrat means just a little loss of support, whether as a defection to Jones, a write-in ballot for Strange, or just not turning out, could cost him the race.

There is a huge advantage Jones has over Moore: unity of the Democratic base. During the Democratic primary, Jones won outright with 66% of the vote. Roy Moore could only claim 39% while Luther strange had 33%, and in the runoff, Moore could only get to 55% to Strange's 45%.

[Tani Coyote]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/13/politics/mitch-mcconnell-roy-moore/index.html

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - yes, Mitch McConnell - has called on Roy Moore to drop out of the Senate race, saying he believes the women.

Moore, a true Trump type, was quick to respond via Twitter that McConnell should step down, making use of the Drain theMc Swamp hashtag.

McConnell said the Party is looking into the feasibility of a write-in campaign, presumably for Luther Strange, the establishment GOP's pick. This will put Trump in a very uncomfortable position, since Moore won the primary and is more Trump's type, but Trump was previously asked to back Strange in the primary.

It's getting good, folks.

Edit: Susan Collins has changed her position on Roy Moore not long after McConnell's comments. Start of a domino effect?

[Kevin]

A fifth woman has now come forward with an accusation against Moore. I have a feeling that more accusations and denouncements are coming. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.

[KHCast]

And of course more people are calling most of these people liars. *rolls eyes*

also apparently MAGA are boycotting someone for speaking up against a pedophile? Which if that's true...Jesus I thought those people couldn't get lower and more desperate 

[Tani Coyote]

14 minutes ago, KHCast said:

And of course more people are calling most of these people liars. *rolls eyes*

What's really BS about this "omg Dem conspiracy" angle is, if Democrats were so eager to plant witnesses and accusers against GOP politicians, why Moore? Why not other key GOP leaders?

It's Occam's Razor. One accuser without witnesses? Worth looking into but might not be anything. Multiple accusers and tons of witnesses? Odds are something is going on here.

A lot of people are going "omg why is everyone doing this all of a sudden." Because that exact reaction is what silences people.

To Hell with the Lucretia principle (that's the concept nobody who is a victim of sexual assault would confess and live with it), seriously. There should be no shame felt in admitting that one was a victim of any crime.

Quote

also apparently MAGA are boycotting someone for speaking up against a pedophile? Which if that's true...Jesus I thought those people couldn't get lower and more desperate 

Keurig coffee products, yes. Sean Hannity didn't issue a holistic condemnation of Moore, so Keurig pulled its ads on his show. Hannity's supporters proceeded to mass tweet about how they were smashing K-Cups or K-Cup machines.

I encourage them to keep destroying Keurig products. That shit is expensive and all that money wasted comes out of next year's political donations.

Oh. And Keurig already has their money. L-M-A-O.

[PaddyFancy]

If there's ever a hashtag coming up that goes along the lines of #StandUpForPedophilia trending on Twitter, what hope is there to say? You can call the accusers liars but you cannot possibly look good for sticking your support to someone "even if its true". That's like someone saying today, "I think Jimmy Saville was always a good man".

[Kevin]

So now it’s The Atlantic’s turn to drop a shoe regarding communication between Donald Trump Jr and WikiLeaks.

[Tani Coyote]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/politics/rand-paul-individual-mandate-tax-bill/index.html

Senate tax bill looks like it will include a provision to repeal the individual mandate for health insurance.

Conservatives cheer this, of course, except a repeal of the individual mandate without a repeal of Obamacare's regulations means insurers will have to raise premiums or go bankrupt.

The GOP will likely be punished at the polls for that, and Democrats will be in a perfect position to sell the public option, Medicaid expansion, single payer, the works.

Mitch McConnell predicted that if Obamacare was not repealed, single payer would be coming soon. Seems he might have been more right than he thought.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/politics/paul-ryan-roy-moore/index.html

Paul Ryan has called on Roy Moore to end his campaign in Alabama.

Jeff Flake, meanwhile, has committed Republican heresy: he has said the GOP establishment should support the Democrat Doug Jones over Roy Moore. Of course, this could be a ploy; the establishment GOP backing the Democrat would no doubt convince more Alabamans to support Roy Moore out of protest for outside interference.